KILCHOMAN LAUNCHES the 3^rd EDITION of 100% ISLAY

We are pleased to announce the Kilchoman 100 % Islay 3rd Release is available now.

This is the latest edition of the 100% Islay range which is produced from barley grown, malted, distilled and bottled at the distillery. This release has had a longer maturation compared to the 2nd Edition and is a vatting of four and five year old fresh bourbon barrels.

Only 10,000 bottles of this limited edition will be available worldwide.

With a delicate and floral nose of soft fruits and pear drops, 100% Islay goes on with peat smoke in the mouth, complimented by a long, sweet and lingering finish that blends with the softer tones of peat smoke.

RRP $89.99

CAERMORY SINGLE MALT 

Caermory Whisky are delighted to announce the launch of there 20 year old single malt.

This single cask bottling has produced just 292 bottles at cask strength (49.6%vol). The cask was specially selected and is available to buy direct from Caermory whisky and will be in due course be available via selected retailers across the UK.

We hope you will share and enjoy this one off bottling

Information – tel 01462 458591 or visit at www.caermorywhisky.co.uk

Highland Park announces sponsorship of Top 50 Gastropub Awards 2014

Highland Park single malt whisky, distributed by Maxxium UK, has forged a new partnership with one of the UK’s leading pub trade magazines, The Publican’s Morning Advertiser, by sponsoring an award category at their annual Top 50 Gastropub Awards 2014.

The bespoke package will see Highland Park sponsor the ‘Front of House Manager of the Year’ at the awards, which are now in their sixth year and known as the leading event for the premium end of the UK food-led pub trade.

The ‘Front of House Manager of the Year’ award recognises gastropub managers who are a vital part of their pub’s business success and help deliver excellent service. Highland Park will play a key role in the judging process and will present the award to the chosen manager at the awards ceremony on Monday, 27 January 2014 at Anglian Country Inns’ site Hermitage Road, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

Peter Sandstrom, marketing director, Maxxium UK on behalf of Highland Park commented: “The front of house manager is a pivotal role in any establishment and the drinks offering is central to this. As an award winning single malt whisky, we are excited to be sponsoring this category. We look forward to reviewing the entries and, ultimately, congratulating the winner.”

Made using only the finest ingredients, which are responsibly sourced and managed, Highland Park is made for people who understand and respect whisky and are ‘fans of flavour’. Promoting a passion for whisky and the importance of flavour, Highland Park helped create the Slow Food UK Chef Alliance, in partnership with Slow Food UK.  The Slow Food UK Chef Alliance engages British chefs in actively championing small-scale producers and working within their communities to promote good quality local and sustainably produced food. 

The closing date for entries is 17 October 2013 and the Top 50 list will be announced at the awards lunch on Monday 27 January 2014.

About Highland Park

Established in 1798 on Orkney, Highland Park is one of the most remote Scotch whisky distilleries in the world.  For over 200 years, the distillery has combined time old tradition and the very best craftsmanship to achieve perfection.   Its range of 12, 18, 21, 25, 30 and 40 year old single malts is consistently acclaimed by connoisseursand experts.  Highland Park has won a string of prestigious awards across its portfolio, most recently including ‘best new whisky release of the year 2009’ for its 40-year-old single malt and ‘best whisky in the world 2009’ for its 21-year-old expression in the World Whisky Awards, as well as four double gold awards in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009.

Five keystones contribute to making the Best Spirit in the World:

Hand-turned malt adds to the deliciously succulent, balanced layers of aromatic character found in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky

Aromatic peat gives a delectably seductive, luxuriant floral sweetness to Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky

Cool maturation enhances the smooth character of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky

Sherry oak casks contribute to the distinctive richness and multi-dimensional complexity of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky

Cask harmonisation ensures consistency and balance in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky. 

What’s in a name…public chooses identity of new single malt whisky

 — Industry world first sees whisky fans name single malt Taghta (Tuh-ta), Gaelic for Chosen —  

— Crowdsourcing venture is part of Glenmorangie’s Cask Masters programme which gives enthusiasts the chance to help create a new whisky: from selecting the whisky, to naming, to designing the packaging and even influencing the launch event —

 Whisky fans worldwide have for the first time ever chosen the name of a new single malt. 

The whisky – which has spent a number of years extra-maturing in exclusive Manzanilla sherry casks – has already been selected by the public when three casks of whisky were put to a vote earlier this year. 

Last month it was revealed that Glenmorangie had asked enthusiasts to choose the name of its new single malt whisky.

Scotland’s favourite malt whisky producer received thousands of suggestions, which were whittled down to a shortlist of three, translated in to Gaelic by expert Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich, and put to an online vote. 

The winner, announced today (Wednesday 18 September) is Taghta (Tuh-ta), Gaelic* for Chosen. Coileanta (Coh-lahn-tah), Gaelic for Mastery came second while Salainn (Sahl-ing), Gaelic for Salt came third. 

Glenmorangie is keen to maintain links with its Gaelic heritage. Many of Glenmorangie’s finest whiskies boast Gaelic names while Glenmorangie itself famously means “Glen of Tranquility”. 

Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich is a researcher in the history of the Highlands at the University of Strathclyde. He was formerly a tutor in Celtic and Gaelic at the University of Glasgow and grew up speaking Gaelic as a first language on the Isle of Lewis. Dr MacCoinnich helped Glenmorangie choose the shortlist and translated the names into Gaelic. 

He said: “As predicted, it was really difficult to pick out the best three names from the thousands of entries we received from across the world. 

“The public have now chosen their favourite and I’m very pleased with the result. It really is a good “choice” in all senses of the word. “Taghta” is widely used in Gaelic meaning something that is “excellent”, “choice” or “chosen” and is used to convey the idea of something that is well done.” 

The initiative is part of Glenmorangie’s unique crowdsourcing Cask Masters whisky creation programme which aims to get members of the public involved in the whisky-making process. It was launched on 2 March 2013 and will run for 18 months with the new limited edition Glenmorangie whisky ready for release in the autumn of 2014. 

And from today (Wednesday 18 September) stage three of the five-step Cask Masters programme begins where members of the public can upload pictures and ideas to an online gallery to inspire the packaging of the new Limited Edition single malt whisky. 

Working with packaging expert Jon Davies from leading London design agency Butterfly Cannon, Glenmorangie will then create three designs which again will be put to a public vote. Whisky fans can take part by logging on to www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters 

Cask Masters is being overseen by Glenmorangie’s Dr Bill Lumsden, together with an expert in every field of the five-step process. 

Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation at the Glenmorangie Company said: “This name truly resonates and I don’t think we could have done any better if we’d chosen it ourselves! Glenmorangie has already taken inspiration from Gaelic for the names of some of its most famous creations and we are delighted that this unique whisky has such an intriguing name. 

“Stage three of Cask Masters is now open and it’s going to be very interesting. Have you ever wandered through Duty Free at an airport wondering just how companies come up with the wonderful designs on the packaging? We’re sure the public won’t disappoint: we’re certainly impressed with the results so far.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Glenmorangie has already taken inspiration from Gaelic with the name of some of its most famous creations. For example Glenmorangie itself means ‘Glen of Tranquility,’ while within our exclusive Private Edition range of whiskies, we have selected names to reflect each expression, with Artein meaning “Stone”, and Finealta meaning “Elegant”. 

At the later stages of the Cask Masters programme experts will also offer their guidance on the photography and launch suggestions received from whisky fans. 

At each stage participants will also be able to win prestigious prizes including a VIP visit to the Glenmorangie Distillery and a trip to the country of origin of the oak cask in which the winning whisky has been matured. 

About Glenmorangie:

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky originates in the Scottish Highlands where, at the Glenmorangie Distillery, it is distilled in the tallest malt whisky stills in Scotland, expertly matured in the finest oak casks, and perfected by the Men of Tain. The Distillery was founded in 1843 and is renowned as a pioneer in its field uniting tradition with innovation to create ‘unnecessarily well made whiskies.’

Responsible Drinking

The Glenmorangie Company advocates responsible drinking and suggests that drinkers savour Glenmorangie whiskies in moderation and in line with recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption. 

For more details: www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters or Twitter: @theglenmorangie 

About Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich:

Aonghas MacCoinnich is a native of the Isle of Lewis and grew up in a Gaelic-speaking community. While taking a PhD at the University of Aberdeen he wrote a thesis on the Mackenzie clan in the Ross area, in the north of Scotland, (1466-1638) entirely in Gaelic – the first history thesis at Aberdeen written in that language. He has worked as a Gaelic tutor and lecturer at the University of Glasgow (2005-2010) and a teacher in the history of the Scottish Highlands at the University of Strathclyde (2010-2013). 

*All three Gaelic names in the shortlist are Scottish Gaelic.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal Opens New Prestige Hall Bottling Facility at Chivas Brothers in Paisley

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal officially opened a brand new bottling hall designed to cater for today’s luxury Scotch whisky and gin consumers during a visit to Renfrewshire.

The Prestige Hall was completed last year as part of an annual £40m investment in operations by Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard. It was created to facilitate the hand-packaging of the company’s highest-value products, including those in the Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet, Beefeater and Ballantine’s ranges, as well as some limited edition single malts.

The process in the Prestige Hall is much more hand-crafted, quiet and bespoke than in a typical bottling hall, drawing on the skills of specially-selected employees to ensure the highest possible standards to meet the specification expected by the expanding group of luxury whisky and gin consumers around the world.

During the visit, Laurent Lacassagne, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, and Alister McIntosh, Manufacturing Director, invited Her Royal Highness to tour the North and Prestige bottling halls to meet key employees and unveil a commemorative plaque.

While on the visit, Her Royal Highness was able to witness the company’s full range of bottling facilities from high-speed, high-volume bottling lines to the detailed processes carried out by hand for the high-value expressions packaged in the new Prestige Hall. Employees presented to Her Royal Highness included current and former apprentices, family members who work together on the site and employees who have long service exceeding 20 years.

Speaking at the event, Mr Lacassagne said: “It was an incredible honour to receive this visit by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, and one that our employees will remember for years to come. We are very proud of our state-of-the-art bottling facilities here in Paisley, and the teams that run them, so it was a pleasure to be able to present these to such a prestigious guest.

“The Prestige Hall is a prime example of how we have evolved our business to ensure it is clearly aligned for the future. The long term prospects for premium Scotch whisky and gin remain very good and this investment will continue to help us appeal to discerning consumers all over the world with the very highest quality products.”

The completion of the Prestige Hall is part of a sustained programme of investment by Chivas Brothers in its operations. Other recent major investments have included the re-opening of its Glen Keith distillery in June this year, completing a 25% expansion in the company’s malt distillation capacity, and the £10 million expansion of The Glenlivet Distillery in 2010 – increasing capacity there by 75%. The company is also building a new distillery at Carron on the River Spey, to be completed in 2015.

Notes:

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 Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

New edition of Malt Whisky Yearbook

Contact; ingvar.ronde@magdig.com
www.maltwhiskyyearbook.com

t h e f a c t s , t h e p e o p l e , t h e n ews , t h e s t o r i e s

* The Distillery Section completely revised with all the latest news
* The chapter on Distilleries Around the Globe now bigger than ever
* New exciting articles by distinguished writerssuch as Charles MacLean, Ian Buxton, Gavin D Smith, Dominic Roskrow, Neil Ridley, Jonny McCormick and Hans Offringa
* Completely new Japanese chapter by Nicholas Coldicott
* More than 250 tasting notes, including Japanese malts and independent bottlings
* Learn about some of the world´s biggest blended whiskies and the malts that contribute to the success
* Whisky Around the World – new feature with whisky profiles around the globe inviting you to their country
* Expanded section on Independent Bottlers
* A listing of more than 150 of the world´s greatest whisky shops
* The Whisky Year That Was – the most comprehensive summary you´ll find of the news and trends in the
industry
* All the latest info on bottlings, web sites, books as well as the latest statistics and figures
* More than 500 colour photos

All in all – the most updated whisky book on the market!

Brian Prewitt Named Master Distiller at A. Smith Bowman Distillery

Fredericksburg, VA. (Sept. 2013) – Brian Prewitt has been named Master Distiller at A. Smith Bowman Distillery. A native of Colorado, Prewitt has nearly 15 years of brewing and distilling experience.

Prewitt’s interest in the beverage industry was peaked when he landed a job at the New Belgium Brewing Company while attending Colorado State University obtaining his bachelor’s degree in food science. 

Upon graduation, Prewitt further honed his interest for brewing and distilling by completing the Master Brewers Program at University of California, Davis.  From there, he joined The Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, Colo., eventually becoming its brewer.

When Prewitt saw an opportunity to try his hand at distilling spirits instead of beer, he jumped at the chance to join E&J Distilleries in Modesto, Calif. and was eventually named Senior Distiller.  It was at E&J that Prewitt was able to train under two Master Distillers with a combined experience of more than 70 years in the art of distillation, learning about raw material selection, fermentation, distillation, and maturation.

Prewitt is excited to carry on the Bowman family tradition of award-winning products while introducing some new offerings as well. “This is my dream job. To be able to work with the high quality spirits that are in the Bowman line already, plus have the freedom to try my hand at some experiments, well, I’m just ecstatic,” said Prewitt.      

Prewitt replaces former A. Smith Bowman Master Distiller Truman Cox, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.  Prewitt lives in Fredericksburg with his wife and three children. 

About A. Smith Bowman

A. Smith Bowman’s distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm.  In response to the rapid rise of taxes in Northern Virginia, the Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.

As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today’s standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia’s first settlers. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit http://www.asmithbowman.com/.

TOMATIN AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Tomatin Distillery has been awarded The Scottish Environment Protection Agency Award for Excellence in Environmental Sustainability award at the SCDI Highlands & Islands Annual Dinner & Business Excellence Awards. This prestigious event was held on Friday 13th September at the Drumossie Hotel in Inverness.

Having operated for over 125 years Tomatin Distillery is leading the way in efforts to reduce its carbon output by installing an environmentally efficient wood pellet fuelled steam boiler to be used in their production process.

They are the first distillery in Scotland to install a biomass steam solution of this type from Balcas, which will be fuelled by locally produced brites wood pellets. And were the first recipient in Scotland of funding from the Green Investment Bank.

This move will not just result in a reduced carbon output but will bring with it a financial benefit and help to safeguard them against the threat caused by volatility in the oil markets.

Commenting on their success Tomatin Distillery Chief Executive, Robert Anderson said: “We are delighted that Tomatin’s move to reduce its environmental impact is being recognised in this way. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of non‐fossil fuel are the cornerstones of the Scotch Whisky industry’s efforts to make manufacturing more sustainable and support a low carbon economy.

“Tomatin is the first whisky distillery to install a biomass boiler and its installation will not only help shield us from volatile oil prices, but will support job at the local wood pellet manufacturer Balcas in Invergordon.”

Neil Holland, Sales & Marketing Director, Balcas brites commented “This is a great achievement for Tomatin and one which is well deserved. We are delighted to be working with them on providing this fully integrated and unique heat solution, which despite the challenges was implemented within 8 months. We look forward to seeing more industrial manufacturers follow in their footsteps.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Head of Operations, Andy Rosie added: “The investment made by Tomatin Distillery to seek a more sustainable means of production illustrates not only great initiative, but also sound business sense and we hope that it serves as a positive example for other industry sectors to follow.

“More importantly, it demonstrates a clear conscience of the impact of burning fossil fuels and the potential that biomass technology has to create long term benefits for both businesses and the environment – benefits that can already be seen through the Distillery’s reduction in carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

“Tomatin Distillery’s commitment to environmental management is clearly evident here, and represents an important contribution in support of the Distillers strategic environmental objectives led by the Scotch Whisky Association”.

“SEPA is delighted to be giving this award in recognition of the recent initiative taken by Tomatin Distillery and wish them every success in the future.”

Less than two weeks to go and less than 100 tickets left for the Fourth Midlands Whisky Festival!

10^th Anniversary – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2014

It’s on its Way…

Please pre-order your copies of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2014 now….