THE MACALLAN RECEIVES PLANNING APPROVAL FOR NEW £100M DISTILLERY IN SPEYSIDE

The Macallan has today (5^th August 2014) been granted planning permission by The Moray Council for a new £100m iconic distillery and visitor centre. 

Works will now progress on the delivery of the new facility which is scheduled to open to the public in Spring 2017.  The Macallan, one of the core brands of Edrington, Scotland’s premier producer and distributor of global spirits brands, has appointed Robertson, as preferred contractor for the new facility and Forsyths of Rothes as supplier of the distillation equipment. 

Graham Hutcheon, Group Operations Director, Edrington, said: “We are delighted with the decision taken today by The Moray Council planning committee.  This permission enables us to forge ahead with our work on site.  Following a competitive tender process we have selected Robertson as our preferred contractor to deliver our new distillery and visitor centre.  We have assembled a first class team, including internationally renowned architects Rogers, Stirk, Harbour and Partners, and are confident that Robertson will complement the existing team and our aspirations for this project.   

“Only the external appearance of the distillery will change, the exceptional quality of The Macallan, which has been produced for many years using copper stills from Forsyths, will not be compromised and the same focus on attention to detail and personal care of the whisky’s production will be upheld.  The new distillery will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about distilleries, not only in Speyside but globally, and we look forward to starting on site soon.”  

In addition to creating a site of major architectural significance, the new distillery will ensure the on-going quality control of the production of The Macallan, both of which further consolidate The Macallan’s position as one of the world’s leading luxury spirits. Over time the distillery will deliver additional capacity to meet the growing demand from existing and new international markets.  With its rolling roofscape, the distillery has been designed to complement the natural beauty of the area and The Macallan Estate, which overlooks the River Spey. 

Bill Robertson, Executive Chairman, Robertson, said: “We are delighted and honoured to have been selected by The Macallan to build their new world-class, iconic distillery and visitor centre.

“As a local business we have worked in the whisky industry for many, many years and fully understand the aspirations of the sector. Perhaps more importantly we have taken the time to understand The Macallan, the business, its objectives and its reputation for high quality in all it does. 

The project will be delivered in true partnership between ourselves and The Macallan and will result in a distillery and visitor centre which will become the benchmark for others to aspire to.”

Graham Hutcheon, Edrington, concluded; “With Robertson and Forsyths joining our professional team, we are delighted that regionally based businesses will benefit from our investment.  It is anticipated that due to the locations of both these companies even greater economic and employment benefits for the local and surrounding areas will be realised.” 

The Macallan is recognised around the world as a marque of excellence and craftsmanship. The new facility will embody The Macallan’s uncompromising approach to quality and luxury. Work on site is due to commence in October this year. 

Edrington
Edrington owns some of the leading Scotch whisky and rum brands in the world, including The Macallan, Brugal, The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and Highland Park. In addition to its core brands, Edrington acquired Snow Leopard vodka in 2013.

Edrington directly controls its route to market in sixteen countries, and operates the remainder through joint venture and third party agreements. Over the past five years the company has increased the international nature of its business through the acquisition of the Brugal and Cutty Sark brands and sales and distribution companies in key markets.

Edrington is headquartered in Scotland and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide, with over 60% employed overseas.

Edrington is owned by a charitable trust, The Robertson Trust, which donated £15.3 million to a variety of charitable causes last year.

The Macallan

Founded in 1824 in the heart of Speyside, The Macallan was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be legally licensed. Since then it has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading single malt whiskies.  The creation of The Macallan draws on the vital contributing influences of Spain, North America and Scotland, and of their respective natural raw materials, combined with traditional methods and craftsmanship. From its founding, through the subsequent owners of The Macallan distillery in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and into the present century, The Macallan has been recognised for its outstanding quality above all else. Today this remains the foundation for the worldwide fame of The Macallan and is such that it is truly “The Last Word” in luxury and at the heart of those special moments brought alive over a glass of The Macallan.

Robertson
Robertson is an integrated infrastructure, support services and construction group that INVESTS in, BUILDS & MAINTAINS the social infrastructure that makes peoples’ lives better.  Robertson directly employs over 1300 people throughout the UK. The Robertson businesses are experts in working in partnership and delivering: capital projects; facilities management; timber engineering; regionally-based construction (covering Scotland and England); property development; regeneration; house building; affordable homes; civil engineering & building services; major projects. Robertson was established in Elgin, Moray in 1966 by Executive Chairman Bill Robertson.

Teeling Whiskey Masters International Spirits Competitions

The Teeling Whiskey family of premium Irish whiskeys picks up 16 accolades at International spirits competitions

‒        Teeling scoops three Irish ‘Masters’  Titles and Gold award at Irish Whiskey Masters

‒        Teeling wins Gold ‘Outstanding’ for 30 Year Old Single Malt Platinum Reserve and shortlisted for Overall Boutique Distiller of the Year at 2014 IWSC

The Teeling Whiskey Company (TWC) has continued to build on its reputation as the leading independent Irish whiskey company by winning a further 16 medals for its range of premium Irish whiskeys at spirits competitions around the world.  In just over two years, the Teeling Whiskey family of premium Irish whiskeys has picked up a total of 37 awards and honours worldwide.

At the annual Irish Whiskey Masters, held in London, TWC scooped a hat-trick of top honours, receiving three Masters Titles for each release within its Vintage Reserve range of Irish Single Malts. Consisting of some of the oldest and rarest Irish whiskey ever released, the 21 Year Old Silver Reserve, 26 Year Old Gold Reserve and 30 Year Old Platinum Reserve were honoured for their world class quality.  The Teeling Whiskey Small Batch Blend was also awarded Gold by the judges on the night.

Adding to this success, the Teeling Whiskey 30 Year Old Single Malt Platinum Reserve was awarded Gold ‘Outstanding’ at the 2014 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC); deemed to be one of the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competitions in the world. The Teeling Whiskey Company took home a total of five medals from the competition and furthermore has been shortlisted for the prestigious IWSC Overall Boutique Distiller of the Year Award, the winner of which will be announced at an awards banquet in November.

Commenting on the latest wave of International accolades, Jack Teeling, founder of The Teeling Whiskey Company, said, “We are truly honoured for our whiskeys to be so widely recognised at the biggest competitions in the whiskey world, especially at such an early stage in the development of Teeling Whiskey.  With construction about to get underway at our new distillery in Dublin, we hope to be able to build on these awards and continue to provide high quality and unique expressions to Irish whiskey drinkers around the world.“

The Teeling Whiskey Company was founded by Jack Teeling in 2012 to revive his family-old trademark of Irish whiskey and bring distilling back to Dublin, where Walter Teeling had a distillery in the Liberties in the 18^th century.

In January 2014, The Teeling Whiskey Company announced a €10 million investment in a new distillery and visitor centre at Newmarket in The Liberties. This will be the first new distillery in the city in 125 years and will create at least 100 jobs during the construction phase and 30 permanent jobs when fully operational.

For more on Teeling Whiskey Company and its award winning Irish Whiskeys, visit www.teelingwhiskey.com

Glengoyne Awards – the more the merrier… 

Making Glengoyne is a huge privilege and pleasure but it’s also hard work, so it’s always nice to see our efforts rewarded.

We’re therefore delighted to announce recent successes at some of the world’s most prestigious and highly regarded whisky competitions. Glengoyne lifted multiple awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The Asian Spirits Masters, the International Spirits Challenge and just last week at the International Wine and Spirit Competition. Click here for more details of these awards. 

Fantastic news not just for everyone at the distillery, but for fans of Glengoyne everywhere!

The Whisky Base Marketplace is now open for business!

We are happy and proud to announce a new addition to Whiskybase: the Whiskybase Marketplace! This is the place where you can find and buy the bottles you have been wanting for a long time. This is also the place where you can sell the bottles that you don’t want anymore.

On the Marketplace members can buy and sell bottles in a convenient and safe way. You can sell and buy bottles in two different ways:

– Fixed price, the seller decides what he wants to receive for his bottle
– Auction, the seller can set a minimum price and buyers can bid.

Here’s how it works

First you will have to make some changes to your existing profile to be able to buy and sell on the Marketplace. For example, you will have to connect your Paypal account to your profile.

When a bottle has been sold the buyer is asked to pay for the bottle and shipping.

The money is send to Whiskybase Marketplace and when the money is received the seller gets a notification that the bottle can be shipped.

The seller then packs up the bottle very securely and sends it to the buyer.

As a proof of sending the bottle the seller fills in the barcode and tracking link on Marketplace. Now the buyer can keep track of the parcel.

After the parcel has arrived and the buyer accepts the bottle the Marketplace will pay the seller.

Paypal
We use Paypal because it is very secure and fast. If Paypal is new for you, signing up is easy and takes only a few minutes. Whiskybase charges an 8% fee for every transaction made on Marketplace. This fee is used in part to cover Paypal transactions costs .

Wishlist
To make it easier to find your favourite whiskies we added the option to get notified when a bottle from your wishlist is offered for sale on Marketplace.

Enjoy the Marketplace!
The Whiskybase Team

Award-winning distillery releases last in sell-out trilogy 

Isle of Arran Distillers is well-known for its quality malts and occasionally eccentric products, reflecting its independent spirit. Now the award-winning distillery is about to release the final instalment of its popular Devil’s Punch Bowl trilogy.

Chapter III – the Fiendish Finale – is tipped to be the best yet of Arran’s popular limited edition malts.

It’s a multi-age blend matured in Oloroso Sherry Butts and French Oak Barrique casks which gives the spirit a devilishly unique, deep flavour.

Master distiller James MacTaggart delved into the darkest recesses of Arran’s warehouses to hand-pick each cask to find a spellbinding blend.

The result is a spirit that tastes of dark chocolate and dried fruits, with a hint of cinnamon, chocolate raisin and a rich layer of spice and toasted oak to finish.

Talking about his latest concoction, James said: “The Devil’s Punch Bowl malts are our most popular limited edition whiskies ever – the first two sold out in record time.

“Personally this is my favourite of the trilogy and it is a fantastic expression of the Arran Malt. The whisky is bottled without chill filtration at natural strength (53.4 ABV) and is unpeated making it approachable and enabling lots of flavours to be discovered.”

The new bottling is a limited edition with just 6,660 bottles available worldwide – so stocks are limited and it’s expected to sell-out fast.

Euan Mitchell, managing director at Arran Distillers, added: “Over the years we’ve really developed a sense of identity for the Arran Malt and the Devil’s Punch Bowl Chapter III encompasses everything that’s great about our spirited and independent outlook.

“We were blown away by the response to our first two editions and I’m sure the finale will be met with similar enthusiasm from customers in the UK and overseas.”

The Devil’s Punch Bowl – Fiendish Finale – will hit shelves at the beginning of August priced at £76.99 for 70ml.

The whisky will be available in the UK via specialist whisky shops and online at www.arranwhisky.com.

About Isle of Arran Distillers:  

http://www.arranwhisky.com/

Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007).

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011).

‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013).

Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.

SIXTH GOLD IN A ROW FOR BAIN’S CAPE MOUNTAIN WHISKY AT IWSC

The proudly South African single grain whisky, Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, continues to reaffirm its exceptionally smooth and unique taste with its sixth consecutive gold medal from the 2014 International Wine and Spirits Competition held in London recently.

Lauded for its “Big, strong fragrant nose with vanilla and orange, caramel toffee and spicy oak” flavours by the international panel of judges, the “sound, full flavoured finish” echo’s the reason why whisky experts and consumers from around the world have been praising this multi-award winning whisky since its launch in 2009.

Inspired by the Cape Mountains and its natural beauty, Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky is South Africa’s first single grain whisky and is crafted at the James Sedgwick’s Distillery situated in one of South Africa’s most picturesque regions near the Bainskloof Pass. The whisky is inspired by the areas’ magnificent peaks, cool, sparkling streams, wooded valleys and a wealth of indigenous fynbos.

Only the finest South African grain is used together with water that flows over 850 million year old sandstone and indigenous fynbos, setting Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky apart from any other whisky produced in the world. The whisky is quite uniquely double-matured – first for three years in casks previously used for Bourbon, before being revatted into a fresh set of casks for a further maturation period that result in its exceptionally smooth and unique taste.

Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky is available nationwide from leading liquor outlets for around R215.

IWSC GOLD FOR THREE SHIPS 10 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT 

You will be hard-pressed to still find a bottle of the Three Ships 10 Year Old Single Malt, released in limited-quantities in October 2012. But if you were one of the lucky few to add a bottle to your collection, then the latest gold award achieved at the 2014 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) held in London recently, certainly adds to its rarity.

The international panel of judges praised the proudly South African single malt, for its “Rich, full malty nose with bakery dough and ripe stone fruit. Some apricot and pear. Gracious entry with slow spread of flavours. Malt dried fruit and some very pleasant vanilla notes. Little wisp of attractive smoke. Firm, light and clean with beautiful balance. Full fruited finish with some mature notes beginning to show.”

Launched in 2003, as a limited release, the Three Ships 10 Year Old is South Africa’s first single malt whisky. Since then three additions were released in 2010, 2011 and 2012, commemorating the epic voyages of Bartholomew Diaz, Vasco da Gama and Jan van Riebeeck in a special collectors’ series.

The whisky is crafted at the James Sedgwick’s Distillery in Wellington, by master distiller Andy Watts, from the finest malted barley and aged for a minimum of 10 years in specially selected American oak casks of varying ages. The older, smaller casks, contributed to the exceptional smoothness of the whisky whilst the younger American Oak casks brought fruit and oak flavours to the fore.

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY SPIRITS RECOGNIZED

AS “OUTSTANDING” IN

INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS COMPETITION

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (July 30, 2014) – Buffalo Trace Distillery is continuing its tradition of being the world’s most award-winning Distillery with several new honors from the 2014 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC). All 12 Buffalo Trace spirits entered into the competition received high honors, including its new Wheatley Vodka that is available exclusively at the Buffalo Trace Distillery Visitor’s Center.

The following results were released in London, England on July 23:

Gold Outstanding Medal was awarded to:

• Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon

Gold Medals were awarded to:

• Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon
• Col. E. H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon
• Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon
• Benchmark Bourbon

Silver Outstanding Medals were awarded to:

• Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon
• Col. E. H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 Year Old Bourbon
• William Larue Weller 12 Year Old Bourbon

Silver Medal was awarded to:

• Stagg Jr. Bourbon

The “Gold Outstanding” and “Silver Outstanding” medals are awarded based upon the highest scores within each of those respective categories.

“To be able to present such a variety and fare so well with each entry, it’s an honor.” Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley, said. “We are proud and very humbled by these results.”

The International Wine and Spirit Competition was founded in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs.

All entries are first blind tasted in groups divided by variety, region and vintage as necessary, by professional expert judges (by glass, not bottle) and then the top products are sent for detailed (chemical and microbiological) analysis. This analysis is crucial as in some instances the results of this analysis may lead to marks being deducted or even outright rejection.

Learn more at www.iwsc.net.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com

MCLEANSCOTLAND whisky tour company … have had their best year ever for whisky tours of Scotland. Working on tours all year round, the first whisky tour was back in January, Speyside in the snow, a grand trip with Dutch clients.

From then each month saw them take tours all over Scotland, visiting Speyside, Orkney, Highlands, west coast distilleries including Mull, Skye and Islay.

May was the busiest month of the year, with 8 whisky tour groups (all over Scotland).

At the end of September they travel to Arran, before another tour with Russian clients in early October, with two more trade shows whisky festivals; Manchester Whisky Lounge Festival, and Chester Whisky Festival, both in October. They will be happy to see you at either show!

It doesn’t end there, November sees more tours and even December they have a whisky tour from South Africa in conjunction with Diageo.

Their guests came from Germany, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Canada, USA, Holland, England, plus the SA trip as above.

Each guest (or couple) receive a specially made wallet with brochures, excellent tour notes, maps and many suggestions where to eat, drink etc whilst on tour.

Their tours are mostly designed with the client, to give exactly what is needed, then they go that wee bit further and add in some historic sites, castles, fantastic scenery and above all … fun!

To contact them; whisky@mcleanscotland.com

www.mcleanscotland.com

They also run the worldwide whisky club, with Patron Charles Maclean (keeping it in the family).
www.angelswhiskyclub.com

THE ONE JOINS WHISKY WORLD ELITE

More information is available at http://www.lakesdistillery.com

Close to Bassenthwaite Lake, in an area of unimaginable beauty encircled by Cumbrian fells, is the perfect home for the first-ever Lakes Distillery.

The experienced team behind the Lakes Distillery, which includes managing director Paul Currie who co founded the Arran Distillery, Master Distiller Chris Anderson, ex Dewars with over 30 years’ experience, and Alan Rutherford a former Production Director of Diageo, are renovating the historic buildings of an old Victorian Model Farm next to the famous river Derwent and close to Bassenthwaite Lake, with the aim to produce a new world-class single malt whisky.

The water from the famous River Derwent, with its source high up in the fells, a team steeped in whisky experience, and perfect conditions for distilling are set to create a very special malt.

The Lakes Distillery will open to the public in late 2014. The Lakes single malt will begin production this summer, and its blended whisky from the British Isles, called The ONE, is available to buy now.

Each cask is estimated to contain more than 100 bottles and members can be there on that historic first day to make the whisky themselves, fill their own Connoisseur’s Cask and see it stored in the distillery warehouse. The Connoisseurs’ Club limited membership costs £12,000, which includes the unique signature cask, exclusive annual events, accommodation at the nearby 4-star Trout Hotel, delivery, all duty and VAT. It’s estimated if kept, the cask will be worth over £20,000 in years to come. 

Each year for ten years, members will receive one 70cl bottle plus two tasting miniatures of the maturing malt, making up a collectible set of the distillery’s first ever production, all with unique, limited edition labels. These casks will not be available for the general public and are uniquely reserved for members.

Founders’ Club membership costs just £595, with an expected value of over £1,400 over the ten years period. Delivery of the first bottle will be in 2015.