New City of Waterloo Museum exhibit features Seagram’s V.O.

(Waterloo, Ont. – Oct. 7, 2013) The City of Waterloo Museum’s latest exhibit, Initial success: 100 years of V.O. Whisky, showcases the product’s 100-year-old history.

What:  Initial success: 100 years of V.O. Whisky    

Where: City of Waterloo Museum, located at Conestoga Mall (near the food court)

When: Oct. 2, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2014 

There is a mystery surrounding the origins and naming of Seagram’s V.O., one of the most well-known whiskies produced at the former Waterloo distillery. Family tradition states that “V.O.” stands for “Very Own,” as this was a whisky blend created for the nuptials of Joseph E. Seagram’s son Thomas to Dorothy Pearson in 1913. Others claim that the initials stand for “Very Old” in keeping with the distiller’s assertion that it was a blend of very old Canadian whiskies.

Initial success: 100 Years of V.O. Whisky traces the product’s 100 year old history, with highlights into the life of Thomas and Dorothy, its production, packaging and marketing while trying to demystify the origins of the initials. Throughout the exhibition, the integral relationship of Seagram’s V.O. with Waterloo is highlighted. Of particular interest are photographs and artifacts from the production and bottling stages at the former Seagram Waterloo Distillery.

No matter what the facts, this famous Canadian whisky is still “honoured the world over” as “only V.O. is V.O.”

The City of Waterloo Museum is open Wednesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free admission for all.

Information on this exhibit is available by visiting www.waterloo.ca/museum.

Teeling Whiskey Company & The Palace Bar Partner to Create New Whiskey 

The Fourth Estate Honoured by Famous Dublin Pub 

Teeling Whiskey Company, the leading independent Irish whiskey company, has partnered with the well-known Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin to launch The Palace Bar “Fourth Estate“ Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

The Palace Bar release is the latest in a range of collaborations by the Teeling Whiskey Company. It is the first release in a series of releases of Irish whiskey created exclusively for The Palace Bar.

Owned by the Aherne family since 1946, the iconic Palace Bar used to bottle their own whiskey under the Palace Bar brand – this was a commonplace practice among Dublin pubs throughout the 1940, 50’s and 60’s. However, with the development of on-site distillery bottling, this practice disappeared from Dublin in the 1970’s only to be resurrected by The Palace Bar.

The Palace Bar has since the 1940’s played host to some of Ireland’s finest literary wordsmiths, coined the Fourth Estate by the essayist Edmund Burke in 1787 to illustrate the influential power of the scribe on society.  With three of the nation’s great newspaper titles published scarcely a whiskey casks distance from Fleet Street, The Palace Bar became the social home for writers, poets, newsmen and correspondents.

As depicted on the front label from Alan Reeves 1940 illustration, this Fourth Estate Batch No. 1, in a new Historic Series of unique bottlings created exclusively for The Palace Bar, pays homage to the literary and journalistic melee that gathered beneath the stained glass windows of the Palace Bar’s back lounge.

The Palace Bar’s Willie Aherne, commented, “You can’t beat tradition – To have my Father and myself hand bottle and label our own whiskey, something my grandfather would have done in the Palace was really a special moment. This was an amazing project to work on with an Irish family owned whiskey company working with an Irish family run pub.”   

This limited edition of 1,000 bottles consists a combination of hand selected casks by Willie Aherne and Patrons of the Palace Bar and includes whiskey over 21 years old. Hand-bottled and labeled by the Aherne family at 46% with no chill-filtration allows all the true flavours of the whiskey to be retained. From its robust nose to its fully balanced array of flavours it celebrates all that is good about Irish whiskey.

Jack Teeling of the Teeling Whiskey Company commented “We are delighted to be able to work with the Palace and the Aherne family on reviving the lost tradition of Whiskey Bonders in Dublin. The Palace has been at the forefront in recent years in promoting and providing a showcase for all Irish whiskeys. We are proud to be able to work with them on releasing such a unique Irish whiskey at a time of great interest in the category”.

“In one hand you have two Scottish friends with a passion for whisky and in the other you have, well, the internet. Now put those hands together and suddenly it’s possible for anyone to design and drink their very own custom bottle of Scotch.

To explain how it all works is simple, there’s a virtual blending lab offering seven different whisky options to choose from – each with a cute name and appetising description to help – and you mix however you wish in order to create a new, unique blend the like of which the world hasn’t yet had the honour of tasting… except YOU!

All that’s left is to come up with a great name and DOOSH!!! there it is. Whether you’re treating yourself or someone special; be it a wedding gift, birthday present or because they saved your life… this is the greatest whisky-related, custom-made piece of personalised wizardry on the planet (or pretty close anyway).

What’s more… the site just relaunched and now works super sweet on the iPad as well as offering themed gift vouchers, helpful premade blends to get you started and each blend has it’s own profile page with Facebook commenting build in.

whiskyblender.com

Whit ye waitin’ fir? Dae it!”

BALLANTINE’S 12 FINDS THE PERFECT ‘BALLANCE’  

Ballantine’s, the No. 1 whisky in Europe, has partnered with award-winning Swedish design trio FRONT to create Ballance, a unique and limited edition serving ritual for its Ballantine’s 12 expression.

Ballance features a series of handcrafted objects which appear suspended in mid-air, creating a super premium design collectible. Comprising five essential items to create the perfect serve of Ballantine’s 12, the sculpture is inspired by the delicate balance of flavours of this popular whisky and the artistry of Sandy Hyslop, Ballantine’s Master Blender.

The foundation of the Ballance sculpture is a solid oak coaster, inspired by the oak casks used to mature Ballantine’s whiskies. A contemporary, elegant whisky glass balances a trio of pieces; a copper ice bowl, in a tribute to the stills used in the distillery, a square shaped water jug, whose shape mirrors the silhouette of the Ballantine’s 12 bottle, and – precariously balanced at the sculpture’s summit – a copper spoon.

Each element of Ballance has the Ballantine’s 12 by FRONT design collaboration burned, etched or stamped onto it so that they also stand alone as collectibles.

Sofia Lagerkvist of FRONT explains the design inspiration for Ballance: “We spent time with Ballantine’s Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop, in Scotland and we learned that his craft is a highly skilled balancing act: first in channeling the influences of nature in ageing this particular Scotch whisky for a minimum of 12 years. Then, in blending Ballantine’s 12, the flavours of an extensive collection of single malts and grains have to be precisely balanced to achieve a consistently smooth finish every time.

“Our design objects often communicate a story about process and, with Ballance, we were inspired by the materials involved in crafting Ballantine’s 12 to create our serving ritual.  We also like to prompt curiosity and challenge perception. The magical elements of the sculpture are a stylish, fun and very modern tribute to the alchemic transformation conducted by the Master Blender, whose unique skills have been passed down from generation to generation.”

Sandy Hyslop, Ballantine’s Master Blender, commented: “It was fascinating spending time with FRONT and exploring our shared passion for excellence. Ballance is as beautiful as it is functional – lending elegance and theatre to the serving ritual. With Ballance, the ultimate aim is for whisky connoisseurs to discover their own perfect balance in enjoying Ballantine’s 12.”

Only 150 units of Ballance will be released. Each set will have a recommended retail selling price of £350 or equivalent (currency dependent). Stockist information can be found at www.ballantines.com. 

NOTES

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No. 2 ultra-premium Scotch whisky in Asia, No. 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 120 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827.

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch. 

For further information please visit http://www.chivasbrothers.com/

THE DEFINITIVE SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY UNVEILED AS IRISH DISTILLERS LAUNCHES REDBREAST 21 

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard has announced the launch of Redbreast 21 Year Old, the pinnacle of the range to date. To celebrate the newest member of the Redbreast Family, Master Blender Billy Leighton hosted a special tasting in London last night. The new expression is the ninth Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey to be added to the Irish Distillers portfolio and arrives after another strong year for the Irish whiskey category.

Redbreast 21 Year Old sits alongside Redbreast 12 Year Old, Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength and Redbreast 15 Year Old to complete the largest-selling and most definitive Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey brand in the world.

As the oldest and richest expression in the decorated Redbreast family, Redbreast 21 Year Old is the finest representation of the brand’s signature sherry style. It is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, triple distilled in copper pot stills and matured in a combination of American Bourbon barrels and first fill Spanish oloroso sherry casks. The 21 year ageing process introduces new levels of depth and flavour, creating an inherently complex and rewarding whiskey.

Whiskey lovers eagerly anticipate the launch of new Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys and Redbreast 21 Year Old, as the oldest age-statement whiskey in the Irish Distillers portfolio, is anticipated to be notably popular and savoured by Irish whiskey enthusiasts. In the US, Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey continues to perform strongly, driven primarily by the popularity of Redbreast.

Billy Leighton, Master Blender at Midleton Distillery, said: “Redbreast 21 Year Old is a very special Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey and one of which I am immensely proud. Once my team and I tasted the 21 Year Old whiskey, there was never any question about whether we should release a younger expression – the older whiskey showed such stunning levels of depth, flavour and taste, we just had to bring it out for the growing army of Redbreast and Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey fans around the world. We’re really excited to see how Redbreast 21 Year Old is received and we hope Irish whiskey fans will find it as delightful and rewarding to drink as it was for me to craft.”

Brendan Buckley, Global Innovation & Category Development Director at Irish Distillers added: “The increasing global interest in Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is really encouraging and we see great potential for continued growth at the higher end of the Irish whiskey category. With exciting new Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys such as Redbreast 21 Year Old, we hope to satisfy both existing fans of this quintessentially Irish whiskey style and lovers of Irish whiskey in general, to help them understand the unique provenance and outstanding quality that the category has to offer”.
Redbreast 21 Year Old is non-chill filtered at 46% ABV and is available in very limited quantities. The exclusive expression will be available from this month in the USA, France, UK, Ireland and Germany priced at $180.

#Redbreast21

NOTES

Redbreast 21 Year Old Tasting Notes by Master Blender, Billy Leighton 

Nose: Remarkable aroma spanning fresh tropical fruits, nuts and rich dried fruit.

Taste: Soft vanilla, toasted oak, sherry nuttiness with a dusting of Pot Still spices.  Luscious fleshy fruit notes complete the creamy mouth feel.

Finish: Lingers, seemingly forever, to oak and pot still spices and then, the final bow from the Barley – where it all began

About Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is unique to Ireland and to the Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, in particular. It is regarded as the quintessential style of Irish whiskey and is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which is then triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills within a single distillery. Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys are characterised by full, complex flavours and a wonderful, creamy mouthfeel. The inclusion of unmalted barley to the mashbill along with the tradition of triple distillation defines the character of pot still Irish whiskey and the uniquely Irish approach to whiskey distillation.

GLEN GARIOCH LAUNCHES FIRST VINTAGE MATURED SOLELY IN SHERRY CASKS 

Limited Edition Glen Garioch Vintage 1999

Glen Garioch has released its inaugural expression to be matured solely in Oloroso sherry casks, as part of the Highland distillery’s small batch vintage programme.

Hand selected at the peak of perfection, the Glen Garioch Vintage, distilled in 1999 is non-chill filtered to retain its authentic, full-bodied Highland character.

Handcrafted and matured in sherry casks for 14 years at the Highland Distillery in the heart of the rural village of Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, this heart-warming dram captures the essence of Scottish Highland charm. The Oloroso sherry casks have influenced this robust spirit to give the malt its dark, sweet fruit, treacle and maple syrup notes and spicy, syrupy taste.

With just 1,000 cases available globally, the Glen Garioch Vintage 1999 is sure to become a favourite with malt enthusiasts when it hits the shelves of specialist whisky and liquor stores from October.

Rachel Barrie, Master Blender for Morrison Bowmore Distillers, said, “This is a full-bodied malt with exquisite rich fruit, chocolate and toffee notes, which really captures the essence of the Highlands.

“Hand picked and bottled at 56.3% ABV to bring out the rich spicy flavours of the Vintage 1999 really showcases the quality of the spirit produced from this small artisan distillery through our limited edition programme.

“This is an exciting small-batch release that encapsulates the rare find that is Glen Garioch itself and I’m sure will be a favourite with any whisky enthusiast.”

Available from selected specialist retailers from the end of September, Glen Garioch Vintage 1999 is bottled at 56.3% ABV will retail at circa £59.99.

Tasting notes:

Walnut brown in colour, the 1999 Vintage is full-bodied and intensely sherried with a syrupy mouth coating texture. Treacle toffee, chocolate and maple syrup soak into the palate, carrying the tingly warmth of nutmeg and ginger spices, tangy orange marmalade and dates into a long, deep finish of raisins, caramelised toffee and liquorice.

NOTES –

Product images are available on request Glen Garioch, pronounced Glen Geery, founded in 1797 is one of the oldest remaining distilleries in Scotland The distillery lies on rising ground at the picturesque town of Oldmeldrum, just 17 miles north-west of Aberdeen Glen Garioch was relaunched in October 2010 with a core range of two single malt whiskies – the Glen Garioch 1797 Founder’s Reserve, a non chill-filtered single malt bottled at 48% ABV and the Glen Garioch 12 Year Old, non chill-filtered single malt bottled at 48% ABV after maturing in bourbon and sherry casks.

Glen Garioch is owned by the Morrison Bowmore Distillers Limited which also produce Bowmore and Auchentoshan.

Visit www.glengarioch.com for more information.

The finest tradition continues with the all new Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old

The finest tradition continues with the all new Hankey  Bannister 40 Year Old  Following the international success of  Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old released  originally in 2007, the multi-award winning Blended Scotch Whisky brand, has just unveiled a new expression of its most premium offering. Only 1480 bottles of this rare whisky will be made available over a three year period, starting with 500 released into select markets and travel retail outlets this year.

Finest Spirit
The new Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is once again a creation of Stuart Harvey, the Master Blender for Inver House Distillers, who hand-selected only the finest casks of whisky maturing in Scotland and combined them artfully. On this occasion very rare Highland malt whiskies, dating from 1970 and 1967, matured in exquisite Spanish sherry hogsheads and butts were combined with even rarer Lowland grain whiskies to create a luxurious and full flavoured Blended Scotch Whisky for the most discerning drinkers. The combination of the most prestigious Highland malts, exceptional casks, over four decades of flavour development and Master Blender’s unparalleled skills and experience, makes for a dram
which stands out in its category. Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is sure to impress and surprise with its robustness, flavour concentration and balance.

Dark copper-gold in appearance, Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old has comforting sweet vanilla and home-baked cake dough on the nose, with notes of butterscotch, spiced caramelized bananas, candied apricot and baked apples. On the palate it is incredibly rich and complex: spicy and peppery with fruity notes of figs, dates and cinnamon and a subtle, lingering finish of autumn spices with sweet tinges of bitter chocolate and honeycomb toffee.

Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is bottled at the natural strength of 44.3% ABV, it hasn’t been chill-filtered and delights with a natural colour.

True Character
Exceptional whisky calls for appropriate packaging. Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is presented in a bespoke decanter crowned with a bold stopper. Each decanter is encased in a keepsake box with a stunning engraved metal closure and supplied with a signed and numbered booklet certifying authenticity.

Lynne Buckley, the Hankey Bannister Brand Manager said:

‘We once again congratulate Stuart Harvey on the great skill he
has shown in creating this new Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old
blend. It is an exquisite whisky that has surpassed our expectations
and is delightful to taste and to look at, thanks to the dedication of
our team in creating such striking packaging to reflect the quality
and rarity of the whisky inside each limited edition box. We are
now looking forward to this year’s allocation of 500 decanters
being released into select markets and to sharing this very special
blend with lovers of fine whisky all over the world.’

 The recommended retail price for Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old in the UK is £800.

Brand website www.hankeybannister.com
Company website www.interbevgroup.com
Brand Facebook www.facebook.com/hankeybannister

#auchentoshanswitch

AUCHENTOSHAN REVEALS EUROPEAN FINALISTS OF THE AUCHENTOSHAN SWITCH

The Transatlantic Mixology Competition Like No Other 

Lucky mixologists from across Europe have made it through to the finals of the Auchentoshan Switch cocktail competition and will battle it out against each other in London Bridge on 1^st October 2013.

Auchentoshan Switch is a bartender talent search – presented by Auchentoshan® Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Over the Summer, mixologists in the UK, Sweden, Germany and across the pond in North America uploaded entries of their Auchentoshan cocktails to the Auchentoshan website with the favourites chosen to battle it out at the regional heats held in European and North American cities.

One North American winner and one European winner, chosen at the finals, will literally “switch” continents for two weeks to work at the top bars in the world – one bar in London and one in New York City. The actual Switch for the winning bartenders will take place in 2014 when the winning North American bartender will spend two weeks at the highly acclaimed Nightjar in Old Street, London, while the winning European barkeep will get to spend his or her two weeks at The Dead Rabbit in New York City.  The winners will undertake shiftwork, learning the bars’ signature drinks and house techniques and much more. And yes, there will also be some time for sightseeing as well.

The European final held at 47/49 Tanner Street, London Bridge, will put the finalists through a series of challenging mixology tasks and will be judged by an esteemed panel:

–       Rachel Barrie, Auchentoshan Master Blender

–      Edmund Weil, co-owner for host bar, Nightjar

–      Ryan Chetiyawardana (AKA Mr Lyan), cocktail genius and consultant

The European finalists in alphabetical order by last name are:

Aidan Bowie – Blythswood Square Hotel, Glasgow, UK

Johnny Brissenden – EAUdeVIE, Bournemouth, UK

Tony Comas – Haktet, Stockholm, Sweden

Matteo Corsalini – China Tang, London, UK

Neil Donachie – Popolo, Newcastle, UK

Marina Forciniti – Bristol Bar, Frankfurt, Germany

Kevin Griffin – Tigerlily, Edinburgh, UK

Matthew Hastings – Platillos, Sheffield, UK

Damiano Madeddu – Rivoli Bar at The Ritz, London, UK

Orlando Marzo – The Player, London, UK

Carsten Moller – Catwalk, Berlin, Germany

Adrian Schulz – Ciba Mato, Stuttgart, Germany

Jennifer Meenan, Brand Manager for Auchentoshan said “We have seen such a high level of skill from the bartending world in both the online entries and at the regional heats of this year’s Auchentoshan Switch. We can’t wait to see the European finalists compete for the placement in New York next year and wish then the best of luck.”

Competition judge Ryan Chetiyawardana commented “The mixologists who won in the regional heats all demonstrated a great understanding and interpretation of taste and balance of flavours, we will see some tremendous talent at the finals next month and I look forward to seeing the outcome”.

Award winning Auchentoshan Three Wood is the chosen expression for all Auchentoshan Switch entries as its complex flavours add tremendous dimension to whisky cocktails. As with all Auchentoshan whisky, Three Wood is triple distilled, which produces an immensely smooth spirit. It is matured in three different types of casks – first in North American Bourbon casks, then in Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks and finally in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks, a wood famed for drama and darkness. This triple cask maturation produces a rich whisky with deep toffee and sherry oak influences, a touch of hazelnut with hints of cinnamon and lemon and a butterscotch sweetness that adds to the overall complexity. It is produced at the Auchentoshan Distillery which was established in 1823 and has produced triple distilled whisky since this time. It is located in the Lowland region of Scotland, on the outskirts of Glasgow and is the city’s only distillery. Its name, pronounced “ock-un-tosh-un”, means “corner of the field” which is evident to visitors as the distillery sits near farmland on the banks of the River Clyde, in the shadow of the Old Kilpatrick hills between Glasgow and Loch Lomond.

For more information, and to enter Auchentoshan Switch, please visit www.auchentoshanswitch.com.  May the cocktail making begin!

Notes: 

The Nightjar is situated 129 City Rd,  London, Greater London, EC1V 1JB.  www.barnightjar.com

The Dead Rabbit is situated 30 Water Street, New York. http://www.deadrabbitnyc.com

Auchentoshan – The Modern Classic

–        A traditional and authentic single malt, distilled three times and matured in the finest wood

–        A whisky produced with passion and enriched with heritage

–        Favours the classic but with a nod to the contemporary

–        It’s a combination of two worlds; old and new

–        It’s a throwback to the future

–        It’s style not fashion

–        The very best of the past with the very best of the present…

Auchentoshan Classic is available to buy from a wide range of retailers including Asda, Waitrose, and a range of on line retailers and whisky specialists with a RRP approx £27.00.

As Glasgow’s closest Distillery, Auchentoshan is truly unique as it is the only distillery to use a third still in the whisky making process. It means Auchentoshan is the only Single Malt Scotch whisky to triple distil every single drop. This third distillation takes the new spirit to 81.5% ABV (not 70% which is achieved through only distilling twice) making it the highest distillate of any Scottish distillery. The result is a light and delicate single malt of unmistakable smoothness.

Awards 2011

IWSC

–      Gold Medal, 1975 Bourbon

–      Best in Class Silver, 18YO

–      Best in Class Silver, Classic

International Spirits Challenge

–      Silver Media, 1975 Bourbon

–      Silver Medal, Valinch

–      Silver Medal, Three Wood

Scottish Design Awards

–      Best Packaging – Auchentoshan Travel Retail Award

Awards 2012

San Francisco Spirits Competition

–      Double Gold Medal, Three Wood

–      Silver Medal, Classic

–      Silver Medal, 12YO

World Whiskies Awards:

–      Best Lowland – Auchentoshan 1999 Wine Matured

Ultimate Spirits Challenge:

–      94 points/Excellent-Highly Recommended  – Auchentoshan Three Wood

Ultimate Cocktail Challenge:

–      Chairman’s Trophy – Best Scotch Whisky in a classic Rusty Nail cocktail – Auchentoshan Three Wood

VERY RARE SPRINGBANK BOTTLE COMMEMORATING WAR HEROES AT BONHAMS WHISKY SALE

A very rare bottle of Springbank, 1993, privately bottled in 2012 to mark the 70^th anniversary of the Special Boat Service’s contribution to Operation Chariot in 1942, is to be sold at Bonhams whisky sale in Edinburgh on 2 October.

Operation Chariot was the code name of the Commando raid on St Nazaire, a German naval base on the Loire, and was an early test for the newly formed Special Boat Service (SBS).

SBS was inspired by the work of Roger ‘Jumbo’ Courtney a Commando officer who developed the idea while servicing at the Combined Training Centre in Inverary in 1940. Meeting resistance to his project from Naval high command, Courtney paddled out to a naval vessel anchored in the Clyde, boarded it undetected under the cover of darkness, scribbled a message on the door of the captain’s cabin, and stole a deck gun cover which he then presented to a group of senior naval officers meeting in a nearby hotel. They were suitably impressed and Courtney got permission to go ahead.

Operation Chariot has been described as the greatest raid of all time and, despite the heavy casualties, was certainly among the most successful Commando raids of WWII.

Only 200 bottles of the whisky were produced.  The one for sale is numbered 74 and is estimated at £1,500-2,000.

Bonhams whisky specialist in Edinburgh, Martin Green, said, ”This story has everything – a first class whisky to mark a major contribution to the war effort of a very brave part of our armed services which can trace its origins directly back here to Scotland.”

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to http://www.bonhams.com/.

WHISKYNEWS.IT LAUNCH ITS FIRST BOTTLING

Whiskynews.it, after one year and six month life, is creating its first Independent bottling; for this reason whiskynews.it, few months ago, formed “Hidden Spirits” a new company with the mission of realize fine Independent whisky bottling in the name of “whiskynews.it selection”.

Hidden Spirits “Independent Label” today launch the first bottling “whiskynews.it selection”.

This bottling is an Independent bottling of Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky distilled at Caol Ila distillery aged 14 years.

This is Caol Ila “whiskynews.it selection” identikit:

Type: Single Malt Scotch whisky

Region: Islay;

Distillery: Caol Ila;

Age 14 years old (1999 – 2013)

Cask n.: 303317

Abv: 48%abv

Aging: in hogshead ex bourbon;

N. of bottles: 100 manually numbered;

Selected by: www.whiskynews.it  (“I’m in love with this Caol Ila because I immediately can recognize Caol Ila DNA but, at the same time, is different from any other Caol Ila I have ever taste”)

Available from 9 Nov 2013

You can pre-order this Caol Ila bottling on-line on www.hiddenspirits.it.

In Hidden Spirits website also you can buy “Independent bottlings and Original bottlings of superlatives Single Malt Scotch Whisky”.