SAZERAC’S Tennessee Distillery burning for Whiskey Production 

            Newport, TN (2017) Some distillers take pride in being hands on in their whiskey production, but Master Distiller John Lunn and Distiller Allisa Henley took that to a whole new level in late March when they unloaded four ricks of sugar maple wood from the trailer hitched to the back of John’s pick-up truck and began burning it in his backyard.

            Burning maple creates the charcoal for the Lincoln County process, essential for making authentic Tennessee whiskey, something Lunn and Henley are anxious to do now that they have joined the Sazerac family.  Late last year, Sazerac purchased the distillery in Newport Tennessee, and although the distillery has yet to have a formal new name, Lunn and Henley are not letting that stop them from making authentic Tennessee whiskey.

            “We know it’s going to take many years for this whiskey to age up, so we were anxious to get started on production as soon as possible,” stated Henley. And what a start! The wood was sourced from a sawmill in Tennessee and each rick contains pieces of maple approximately two inches by two inches and stacked in a specific way to let air flow through for a more consistent burn. Lunn and Henley took extra care in burning this charcoal and plan to be involved very closely in each step of the production process to ensure the highest quality Tennessee whiskey is produced.

            “We believe we can produce a better charcoal ourselves rather than buying it from a third party,” said Henley. “It is a very controlled process. We don’t want it to burn too long, but not too short either.”  To be classified a Tennessee whiskey the whiskey must be filtered through maple charcoal. The charcoal mellowing process will influence the whiskey making for a unique finish that distinguishes it from bourbon.

            Lunn and Henley will continue to burn more wood themselves as it is needed for the future, but for now, the next step is whiskey production. “The grains are in, the charcoal is ready, the barrels are here and we’re gearing up to start distilling in our pot stills, so stay tuned for more updates,” added Henley.

            The Tennessee whiskey, like the distillery, does not have a brand name yet, but announcements will be forthcoming as new developments are made.  To see the video of John and Allisa’s hands on maple charcoal burn, click here

About the Sazerac Company

         Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers with operations in Louisiana, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland, California, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Australia and Canada. For more information on Sazerac, please visit www.sazerac.com

The Milk & Honey Distillery – Israel’s first whisky distillery is proud to launch:

Israel’s first single malt whisky!

The wait for the first single malt whisky in Israel is over. Gearing up for World Whisky Day, that was marked on May 20, Milk & Honey bottled the first cask in its experimental series, an integral component of the formulation of the final product, now in production at the distillery. On May 20 – World Whisky Day, the first Israeli whisky was launched, and the initial sales of the distillery’s first 391 bottles of single malt whisky will go on sale later in June. 

Milk & Honey – Israel’s first whisky distillery is chalking up another achievement, with the announcement of the hotly anticipated sale of Israel’s first single malt whisky. On World Whisky Day, which marked on May 20 2017, the whisky will be launched and towards mid-June a sales event with 391 bottles from the first cask of the distillery’s “Experimental Series” will be held at Milk & Honey Distillery and at selected stores throughout the country.

Israel’s first single malt whisky by The Milk & Honey Distillery is the first whisky to be produced and bottled in Israel after being aged in cask for minimum three years. It therefore complies with the definition of whisky in Scotland and most countries around the globe. It is the harbinger of what is yet to come – special Israeli whisky that is well mature, thanks to the warm Israeli climate.

The distillation of this historical whisky began at the distillery’s early stages – even before it was established at its current location in south Tel Aviv, before the current industrial equipment was purchased, and before the successful crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo. The barrel was distilled in January 2014 in a warehouse in the Northern Sharon region , by Head Distiller Tomer Goren, together with internationally renowned master distiller, the late Dr. Jim Swan, as part of his role as consultant to the distillery at the time.

The liquid was aged for 31 months in a 225-liter virgin American oak cask and then for another seven months in an ex-bourbon cask matured at the distillery’s cask room in Tel Aviv.

The first bottles of Israeli single malt whisky will go on sale to the public in June, distributed by Hacarem at select stores nationwide. Sales of the first bottles in the special edition (numbers 1-100) will begin on July 7, 2017 for 10 days through a special international online auction.

About the distillery

The Milk & Honey Distillery is Israel’s first whisky distillery. It produces high-quality distillates and is working on Israeli single malt whisky that will be sold commercially. The first edition, the founders’ edition, was sold entirely through a successful crowd funding campaign and is currently aging in barrels. It will be launched in 2019. All of the raw materials, equipment, barrels and processes were selected to ensure that the final product – white distillates or aged whisky – meets the strictest and most uncompromising standards of quality and flavor, without any shortcuts on the lengthy journey until the whisky is rolled out: training and consulting by the late Jim Swan – world-renowned master distiller, who specialized in maturation in warm climates; equipment that was custom designed and ordered; fastidiously selected barrels, and selection of the finest raw materials available.

The Milk & Honey Distillery

16 HaThiya St., Tel Aviv, +972 (0) 363 20491

mh@mh-distillery.com www.mh-distillery.com

DORNOCH CELEBRATES PRESTIGIOUS DRINKS AWARDS!

The Carnegie Whisky Cellars celebrates its 1st Birthday with a National Award! As we approach our first full year of trading, we were extremely pleased to be nominated by the public for the Scottish Independent Retail Awards. As the only finalists North of Inverness in our category, we were even more pleased to be named as winners in our regional category of North of Scotland! We were, however, thoroughly surprised and delighted, not only to win that but to take the top award for best independent off license in Scotland.

This adds to a stellar year for Dornoch, as the world famous Dornoch Castle Whisky Bar next door to the Carnegie Courthouse took top awards for Whisky Bar of the year at the SLTN awards and pub of the year in Caithness and Sutherland in the CAMRA awards, they are also the number one ranked Whisky Hotel in the World on whiskybase.com. The town itself was the only Scottish finalist in the Great British High Street awards in the Rising Star category. Adding to this, the Thompson Brothers whose family owns the Dornoch Castle Hotel started production at the new Dornoch Distillery – housed in the towns old 1881 Fire House – on the 30th November and they recently launched their first ten experimental batches.

As a very small but dedicated and enthusiastic team we are grateful for the amazing support our customers have shown over the past year. It was this support from our local and international customers, including our local MP, Dr Paul Monaghan that took us to the top. You can see what some of our customers are saying on TripAdvisor or Facebook.

This last year, in our bid to become a centre of excellence for Scotch whisky we have seen our disused Courthouse building in the heart of historic Dornoch, transformed into the stylish and vibrant community asset it is today, housing several local independent businesses including our Whisky Cellars, you can see our shop for yourself with our new Google virtual tour.

Whisky tastings in our elegant tasting vault have proved extremely popular and we have, over the year, developed a great customer base among locals and visitors alike. We have whisky and gin club monthly meetings, and once again the local support has been amazing.

Ultra-special bottlings have appeared, (and disappeared again very quickly!) in the form of the 400 years of Golf at Royal Dornoch bottling created by Glenmorangie, our own Wolfburn Dornoch Whisky Festival bottling (which proved a winning collectable) and a single cask Caol ila bottling exclusive to us, a stunningly good expression which met with great approval by all those lucky enough to taste it! Our second exclusive single cask bottling will be with us in July – watch this space…

Last year was the second year for the Dornoch Whisky Festival which included tastings by Charlie Maclean and the Thompson Brothers. We also had tours at all of our local distilleries including Brora and Teaninich. This year’s festival will take place during the last weekend of October. Keep an eye out on their Facebook page for more event details.

So, this year we’ll celebrate our 1st birthday with our Courthouse colleagues, and give our hearty thanks to all our customers, whose fantastic support has made us award winners! For those yet to sample the delights of our extensive selection of malt whiskies, Scottish gins, collectable whiskies and more, we extend a warm welcome and look forward to seeing all our customers old and new in the coming months – Sláinte

You can contact our team directly on 01862 811791 or email us at whisky@thecarnegiecourthouse.co.uk

‘ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER WHISKIES IN THE WORLD’ AT BONHAMS WHISKY SALE

TWO WORLD CLASS MACALLANS LEAD WHISKY AUCTION IN EDINBURGH

A bottle of The Macallan Millennium distilled in 1949, aged for 50 years in Spanish oak sherry casks, and bottled in 1999 is a highlight of Bonhams Whisky Sale in Edinburgh on 7 June. It comes in a Caithness glass decanter accompanied by a stopper, and in its own fitted oak presentation case.  It is estimated at £15,000-17,000.

With a taste described as Christmas cake style fruit, The Macallan Millennium is considered the greatest aged Macallan whisky of them all and, at 900 bottles, one of the most sought-after whiskies in the world.  In 1949, the Speyside distillery still used its own traditional malting floors, heating the air to dry the fermented barley and turn it into malt. Facing a post-war shortage of coal, they solved their fuel problem by adding more peat than usual to the mix. Connoisseurs can detect an extra hint of peat smoke in The Macallan Millennium to this day.

The sale also features a crystal decanter of Duncan Taylor Macallan-42 year old estimated at £12,000-15,000. Distilled at the Macallan Distillery in 1969, it was bottled by the acclaimed producer Duncan Taylor of Speyside and is part of the Duncan Taylor The Rarest Collection. The decanter is housed in a presentation case made from the oak cask in which the whisky matured.

Bonhams whisky specialist Martin Green said, “These two Macallans are among the finest whiskies to come to auction in recent times. The reputation of both is justifiably very high among collectors. This is reflected in the high estimates and the decanters will, I am sure, be keenly sought after.”

THE WHISKY SALE

Bonhams, 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh E2
7 June 2017, 11am
Specialist: Martin Green, Bonhams Whisky Specialist

NOTES 

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers of fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with sales also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

R&B Distillers – 10 year membership to an exclusive whisky club – Na Tùsairean Club

R&B are building the first distillery on the Isle of Raasay in Scotland. Na Tusairean Club members are given the opportunity to invest in an evolving craft whisky brand and to add rare and exciting new drams to their personal whisky libraries. Members will receive an annual supply of single malt including as well as  exclusive use of luxury members’ lounge and accommodation on the Raasay distillery site with three with striking views of the Cuillin mountain range on the neighbouring island of Skye.

Membership is valued at £1990 worth of benefits for 10 years but is priced at £999 (one of payment) or £55 a month over 18 months. 

Environmental first as Glenmorangie reintroduces Native oysters to the Dornoch Firth

Scottish Highland Single Malt distillery Glenmorangie has taken home five gold awards at a leading industry competition.

A range of expressions were lauded at the International Spirits Challenge, which receives more than 1,300 entries from almost 70 countries worldwide.

The gold winners were Glenmorangie Signet, Glenmorangie 18 Years OId, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, Glenmorangie Tarlogan and Glenmorangie Duthac.

Bill Lumsden, the Glenmorangie Company’s Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks said: “I am extremely proud to see five of our whiskies recognised with gold awards by such an esteemed body – and the response from whisky lovers around the world has been equally rewarding. This has been one of our most successful award years yet at the ISC.”

Another six expressions from Glenmorangie took home silver awards.

R&I Cruden Awarded GlenWyvis Distillery Biomass and Mechanical contract 

R&I Cruden are delighted to announce that they have been awarded the Biomass and Mechanical contract for the boiler and steam production at the world’s first 100% community owned whisky distillery.

GlenWyvis will be the first distillery in Dingwall for over 90 years and construction is planned to begin in 2017. The distillery will be powered by various sources of renewable energy including a biomass boiler and aims to have bottles of eight-year malt on sale by the middle of the next decade. The initial production run will be 30,000 litres a year, although this could rise to as much as 200,000 litres annually.

R&I Cruden, an established Mechanical and Renewable business based in nearby Muir of Ord, has built an exceptional reputation for high quality installations of renewable heating systems over the last decade. This will be their first involvement in the distillery sector but something Managing Director Ian Cruden is relishing.

“Although this will be our first distillery project we have been working closely with the GlenWyvis team for over three years now. We have scoured Europe looking for the best equipment and been heavily involved in the design process. It is now at the exciting stage where our hard work comes to fruition and we get to see all of our planning and design work come together during the build process. Our excellent team of engineers has completed additional project-specific training and they are excited to get started. This is a great project for us that will help with continued growth and assist in creating new jobs within our business. We look forward to a successful project which will provide a legacy for the local community”.

                                                                                     Company Director: Ian Cruden

“We are delighted to be able to partner with a local supplier on this important aspect of the GlenWyvis project. The team at GlenWyvis is committed to the local community and to renewable energy – and this contract represents a key milestone in the distillery construction. We have worked closely with the engineers from R&I Cruden and have been impressed with their willingness to invest time and energy to ensure that they can deliver the best solution for our ground-breaking project. We look forward to making this happen together.”

GlenWyvis Founder: John McKenzie

One of the main factors that attracted R&I Cruden to the GlenWyvis project was the client’s philosophy – “built on history, powered by nature” – that sits very well with our own ethos. This not only reflects the renewable aspect of the project, but also the core community values, something R&I Cruden is also extremely committed too, investing particularly in young people. R&I Cruden already have an award-winning apprenticeship program and the addition of the GlenWyvis contract will help further develop this.

R&I Cruden can be contacted on Tel: 01463 870 057 for all your Mechanical and Renewable enquiries.

http://www.ricruden.net/

info@ricruden.net

WHISKY OF THE YEAR: ARDBEG KELPIE COMMITTEE EXCLUSIVE (51.7% ABV) CROWNED WHISKY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2017 INTERNATIONAL WHISKY COMPETITION

Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg named Master Distiller of the Year for crafting the Whisky of the Year 2017 and will receive the coveted Golden Barrel Trophy.

The International Whisky Competition (IWC) just released its results for this year’s most respected blind tasting judging event. The top recognition, Whisky of the Year, was awarded to Ardbeg Kelpie Committee Exclusive (51.7% ABV) which scored 97.3 points, the highest scoring whisky of the competition.

The 8th edition of the International Whisky Competition took place in Las Vegas over three days, from May 3 to 5 and received over 180 different whiskies. A world-class tasting panel made of whisky, spirit, beer and wine experts blind tasted each whisky on an individual basis (8 minutes per whisky).

Each whisky was scored using a comprehensive 100-point scale system developed by Sébastien Gavillet, IWC Head of Tasting Panel and author of Discovering and Mastering Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This process and the fact that only three medals are awarded in any category make the International Whisky Competition the most followed whisky competition and one of the most professional competitions of its kind in the world.

We warmly congratulate Dr Bill Lumsden, Head of Spirit Creation at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, as well as his team, for creating such a complex and sophisticated whisky, ever changing with pronounced phenols yet a smooth & lingering finish. “Definitely a contender” said Sebastien Gavillet’s tasting notes. “Elegant! Spectacular” said Adam Carmer’s notes and “Warm finish, exceptionally smooth and well-integrated” said Agi Toth’s notes.

This is the second year Dr Bill Lumsden is crowned Master Distiller of the Year for crafting the best scoring whisky of the competition. Last year’s winner was Glenmorangie Signet, which scored 97 points. Ardbeg Distillery will receive the Golden Barrel Trophy for winning the Whisky of the Year during a ceremony to be held this summer in Islay, Scotland.

Full results available here: https://www.whiskycompetition.com/2017-results/ 

About the International Whisky Competition®

The International Whisky Competition is the most followed Whisky Competition on Social Media and brings whiskies from around the world to be blind tasted and rated by a professional tasting panel using the most comprehensive tasting method available. 15 criteria are required to produce the tasting notes as well as aroma and flavor profiles for the International Whisky Guide. Unlike other competitions, the judges are presented with one whisky at a time, to ensure each whisky gets the proper attention. For more information please visit www.whiskycompetition.com

We congratulate Dr Bill Lumsden and his team, for crafting such an a complex and sophisticated whisky, ever changing with pronounced phenols yet a smooth & lingering finish” said Sebastien Gavillet

For more information about the International Whisky Guide and the International Whisky Competition, please visit whiskycompetition.com or contact Sylvain Allard, Managing Director, at s.allard@whiskycompetition.com

We congratulate Dr Bill Lumsden and his team, for crafting such an a complex and sophisticated whisky, ever changing with pronounced phenols yet a smooth & lingering finish” said Sebastien Gavillet

Tamdhu marks 120th anniversary with archive appeal

Tamdhu Distillery is calling on whisky enthusiasts to help bring its history to life, as it marks its 120th anniversary.

The Speyside distillery is asking people to come forward with their Tamdhu memories, artefacts and photographs, as it seeks to build a brand archive and delve more deeply into the social history of its past.

Sandy McIntyre, Tamdhu Distillery Manager, explains:

“Since the distillery was reopened in 2012 by Ian Macleod Distillers, Tamdhu has been growing in popularity all over the world, and people love hearing about the history of how our whisky is made, and the people who made it.

“We already have some brilliant archive material – for example, the wages log from way back in 1897, and the original distillery blueprints –  but I know there must be lots more out there.

“We’re interested in hearing stories from those who have worked here and their friends and family, and will be collecting photographs and memorabilia, and anything else which people might have hidden away. And, as we are custodians of the old Tamdhu/Dalbeallie railway station, we’d also be thrilled to receive any stories or images relating to it. Our aim is to create an online archive which people can explore and maybe, in time, establish something here at the distillery too.”

To share your Tamdhu stories and memorabilia, simply upload to the Tamdhu Facebook page or share on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TamdhuTimes

Born on the banks of the River Spey in 1897, Tamdhu Distillery was considered the most technologically-advanced of its time. Enthused by the optimism of Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee, it was built by a consortium of merchants and gentlemen of the whisky trade who had raised today’s equivalent of £20 million to fund the project. It was designed by Charles C Doig Esq – the pre-eminent distillery architect and engineer of the day.

Tamdhu is now owned by one of Scotland’s leading, independent family-owned distillers, Ian Macleod Distillers. Its quality is defined by the hint of peat in its malted barley, the natural Speyside water that is drawn directly from the Tamdhu spring and the 100% exclusive use of only the finest sherry oak casks.

Tamdhu has recently received an array of awards for its whisky, including a double Gold for its Tamdhu Batch Strength II and Tamdhu Ten Year Old at the International Spirits Challenge 2017, and Best Non Age Statement Whisky at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards 2017, also for Batch Strength II.

For more information, please visit www.tamdhu.com.