OLD PULTENEY IS WORLD CLASS!

Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old Named ‘World Whisky of the Year’ in Top Guide

Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky is today sitting on top of the world after winning one of the whisky industry’s highest accolades, World Whisky of the Year, in Jim Murray’s 2012 Whisky Bible Awards.

In a class of some 1,500 whiskies, Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old scooped the top accolade, along with three other esteemed awards – Scotch Whisky of the Year, Single Malt (Multiple Casks) of the Year and Single Malt (16-21 Years) of the Year.

Over the past four months, world-renowned whisky connoisseur Murray has nosed and tasted his way through all types of whisky to create his global best-selling ratings guide. He gave Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old a glowing review, commenting that the single malt is ‘by far and away one of the great whiskies of 2012, absolutely exploding from the glass with vitality, charisma and class.’

Margaret Mary Clarke, Senior Brand Manager of Old Pulteney is thrilled with the quadruple award. `It is an enormous honour to have won four of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible Awards for Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old. This is one of the most prestigious accolades a whisky can receive, and we are delighted that our distillery and the Old Pulteney team have been recognised for our passion and depth of expertise in the art of whisky creation.’

This award celebrates the global appeal of a whisky which has been distilled in Wick at the most northerly distillery in the Scottish mainland since 1826. This coastal location gives Old Pulteney the unique ‘salty, nerve-tingling journey’ Jim Murray describes in his tasting notes, as part of the reason he loved the taste of the 21-Years-Old Single Malt so much.

This global recognition for Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old has coincided with an exciting year for the whisky, as it embarked on a momentous world first voyage: the Old Pulteney Row to the Pole. This ambitious expedition, led by Scottish explorer Jock Wishart and his five-man team, achieved their goal to be the first ever crew to row to the Magnetic North Pole in August this year.

Already a favourite tipple for whisky drinkers in the UK, Old Pulteney has developed global appeal, and winning such a host of highly-regarded awards will be sure to secure Old Pulteney’s place as one of the top whiskies in the world.

Jim Murray’s Tasting Notes of Old Pulteney 21 Years Old:

Old Pulteney Aged 21 Years db (97.5) n25 if you had the formula to perfectly transform salt, citrus, the most delicate smoke imaginable, sharp barley, more gristy barley, light vanilla, toasty vanilla, roasted hazelnut, thinned manuka honey, lavender honey, arbutus blossom and cherry blossom, light hickory, liquorice, and the softest demerera sugar into the aroma of a whisky, you still wouldn’t quite be able to recreate this perfection…; t24 the sugars arrive: first gristy and malt-laden, then Demerara. This is followed by a salty, nerve-tingling journey of barley at varying intensity and then a slow but magnificently complete delivery of spice…; f24 those spices continue to buzz, the vanillas dovetail with the malt and the fruit displaying a puckering, lively intensity. Ridiculously long fade for a malt so seemingly light, the salts and spices kiss the taste buds goodnight…; b24.5 by far and away one of the great whiskies of 2012, absolutely exploding from the glass with vitality, charisma and class. One of Scotland’s great undiscovered distilleries about to become discovered, I think… and rightly so!

Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky

Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky, is diligently crafted at Pulteney Distillery in Wick. It is the most northerly distillery on the UK Mainland and was founded in 1826 by James Henderson at the height of Wick’s herring boom. The distillery lies in the heart of ‘Pulteneytown’, which was created for all the fishermen at the time, and is embedded in the deep rooting history of this coastal town, which used to be one of the most important and biggest herring fishing ports in Europe.

International Beverage Holdings (www.interbevgroup.com)  was established in 2005 as the international arm of ThaiBev, one of South East Asia’s leading alcohol beverage companies. With a network of regional offices in Asia, Europe and North America, the company is responsible for the production, sales, marketing and distribution of a portfolio of premium global brands in over 80 countries and territories.

Inver House Distillers (www.inverhouse.com) is globally integrated into International Beverage Holdings and drives the distillation and maturation of Scotch through its five distilleries.

International Beverage brands include:

➢ Chang Beer: Thailand’s iconic beer brand

➢ Single Malt Scotch Whiskies: Old Pulteney, Balblair, anCnoc, Speyburn

➢ Blended Whiskies: Hankey Bannister

➢ Mekhong: ‘The Spirit of Thailand’ since 1941

➢ Caorunn – a small batch distilled Scottish Gin infused with 5 Celtic botanicals

The company’s success is built on the combination of a strong understanding of local cultures and markets with the creation of a truly global operational network. Brand building pays respect to heritage, provenance and craftsmanship whilst delivering innovative and highly effective strategies at global level. A skilled and dedicated team of people of more than 12 nationalities, speaking over 14 languages delivers the highest standards of customer service and attention to detail across all aspects of the business.

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2012 Awards

Best Single Malt Scotch 35-40 Years (Single Cask)

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited are proud to announce that our Peerless Glen Grant 1970 cask 3497 has been awarded Best Single Malt Scotch 35-40 Years (Single Cask)in the 2012 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

This is a significant achievement that is made even more impressive as Jim Murray nosed, tasted and rated almost 1,500 whiskies in the competition, with a much wider crop of vintage whiskies than ever.

Peerless Glen Grant has been described as an outstanding, world-class whisky of the rarest quality and represents yet another exceptional success for Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited.

Duncan Taylor’s CEO Scott Watson commented “We have watched the Glen Grant gently mature into a giant of a whisky – truly Peerless! It’s great to see Jim Murray endorse it as one of the very best.”

Jim Murray’s Tasting Notes:

Peerless Glen Grant 1970 40 Year Old Cask 3497 48.5%.

Nose: Almost defies belief as the barley absolutely sparkles; gooseberries punctuated with oak; nothing is out of place…it is almost too perfect…
Taste: Nigh on perfect weight on delivery. There is a stunningly crisp sheen to the barley, which appears coated by Demerara sugar crystals. The oak offers a deep, semi-earthy Java coffee background…and is probably behind the slow swelling of spice that sits so comfortably in the nougat-vanilla middle;
Finish: Confirms itself as a malt of the rarest quality: the barley continues its sugar-led path, the spices beet out their delicate tattoo, the oaks weave a vanilla-butterscotch tapestry and various random fruit notes pop up here and there…
Comment: More Cary Grant…just how sophisticated is this…? A whisky which I found almost impossible to spit and shows just why the very greatest whiskies you ever taste are things of not just unique beauty, but experiences never to be forgotten.

A Benromach Best in Whisky Bible 2012

Benromach has been awarded the Best Single Malt Scotch whisky in the latest edition of the world’s leading whisky guide.

Benromach 30 Years Old was described as “magnificent, one of the outstanding malts of the year”, scoring 95.5 points out of 100, in Jim Murray’s famous Whisky Bible which published its 2012 edition today (24 October 2011).

The prestigious accolade adds to the growing list of awards for the whiskies from Speyside’s smallest working distillery and the increasing success of Benromach across the UK and internationally. Export sales of Benromach increased by 24 per cent in the first nine months of the year to 36 countries across the globe. Earlier in the year the brands flagship Single Malt, Benromach 10 Years Old was awarded gold at the 2011 Great Taste Awards.

Operating under the management of Gordon & MacPhail, Benromach is handcrafted by just two experienced distillers. Using their unique skills they have developed the distillery’s portfolio which includes the popular Benromach 10 Year Old and Benromach Organic – the world’s first fully certified organic single malt.

Proud to have been honoured by the Whisky Bible awards, David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, said:

“It’s a great achievement to be given this award. More people across the globe are adopting whisky as their drink of choice as they actively seek out high quality, desirable items that have a unique appeal. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of Benromach and being recognised by the Whisky Bible 2012 can only boost our success over the coming year.”

The Whisky Bible contains over 4,500 tasting notes on whiskies across the globe and includes 1,200 new entries personally sampled by Jim Murray. Benromach 30 Year Old was awarded the Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky 28-34 Years (Multiple Casks).

It follows recent gold awards by the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival 2011 for Benromach 2001, Cask Strength and Organic Special Edition.

Benromach single malt whiskies are available from whisky shops and fine wine and spirits retail specialists.

For more information about Benromach Distillery and the Benromach range of Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskies go to www.benromach.com  

Notes

Jim Murray describes Benromach 30 Years Old in the 2012 Whisky Bible tasting notes as:

Tasting Note:

Benromach 30 Years Old db (95.5) n23.5 spiced sultana, walnuts and polished bookcases; t24 no malt has the right to be anything near so silky. The sugars are a cunning mix of molasses and muscovado; the honey is thinned manuka. Still the barley gets through, though the vanilla is right behind…; f24 drier, but never fully dries and has enough spotted dog in reserve to make for a moist, lightly spiced finish. And finally a thin strata of sweet, Venezualan cocoa; b24 you will struggle to find a 30-year-old with less wrinkles than this.. Magnificent: one of the outstanding malts of the year. 43%

Other Benromach expressions include:

Benromach Ten Years Old

Benromach Ten Years Old is created from the finest Scottish barley and pure spring water from the nearby Romach hills. After being matured for at least ten years, it emerges golden in colour and displays rich fruit, sweet chocolate and delicate spicy aromas. With a rich sherry influence, the mouth-watering palate coats the senses with exotic fruit flavours, toasted malt and a delicate hint of smoke.

Benromach Traditional

A rich and mellow single malt with fruit and malty tones, balanced with a hint of smoke.

Benromach Peat Smoke

Full bodied, intense and challenging with a smoky character, yet balanced with the fruity elegance of Speyside.

Benromach Origins

A series of special bottlings crafted to highlight how small changes in the art of whisky-making can help to shape the character of the final single malt.

Benromach Cask Strength

A mouth warming and smooth single malt with hints of spice. Containing earthy influences it also has a delicate peaty edge and is bottled at 59.9% ABV.

Benromach Organic Special Edition

Made using the finest Scottish organic barley and dried using peat smoke to produce a fresh, vibrant single malt that is smooth and creamy with a strong oak influence and sweet vanilla notes.

Please visit www.benromach.com for details.

OLD PULTENEY 21 YEAR OLD TAKES 2012 WORLD WHISKY CROWN

The most northerly distillery on mainland Britain and one of the most remote in all Scotland has won the coveted title of World Whisky of the Year in the 2012 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

The Pulteney distillery in Wick, Caithness, scored a record-equaling 97.5 points out of 100 for its 21-year-old Old Pulteney single malt. It is only the third time that a single malt has ever won the prestigious award, and just the second Scottish distillery to do so.

This year Jim Murray tasted over 1,200 new whiskies plus many more re-tastes for the latest edition of his best-selling annual whisky guide.

Pulteney distillery, which dates back to 1826, is located in the heart of Wick and is much prized as a blending whisky. It is still relatively unknown as a single malt.

But Mr Murray, who has long admired the Highland malt, hopes that will now change – though he is the first to admit that even he was surprised when he encountered the 21-year-old.

He said: “I was on the home straight after four months of continuous tasting. By that time I was pretty sure I knew what the winner was going to be. With what I still had to taste it needed something exceptional to knock the leader off its perch. But that’s exactly what happened. To be honest, I was amazed. I knew the Old Pulteney 17-year-old was likely to be exceptional, and it was. However, I had never come across a Pulteney 21-year-old like it. Talk about coming out of leftfield….

“I first went to Pulteney nearly 25 years ago and I have never known them to produce anything other than top rate malt. Owned by a relatively small company, without the financial muscle of the major whisky barons to market their malts on the global stage, I hope that this award helps Pulteney to become better known around the world; that is the whole point of my Whisky Bible, after all”.

Second and third Whiskies of the World went to went to US bourbons George T. Stagg and Parker’s Heritage collection Wheated Mash Bill Bourbon Aged 10 years, respectively.

In picking up the second placed title with its bourbon brand, George T. Stagg, Buffalo Trace distillers continues to outperform all other competitors in the World Whisky Awards, which were first presented in1994.  Since this date, Buffalo Trace has won no fewer than seven top awards including three World Whisky of the Year titles and this year’s runner up place for its George T. Stagg bourbon.  “Buffalo Trace continues to be one of the greatest distilleries in the world today”, continues Mr Murray.  “Their ability, drive, and passion to produce whiskies of the highest quality year in, year out, without exception is truly and unreservedly astonishing’.

Jim Murray’s Tasting Note:

Old Pulteney 21-Years-Old:  If you had the formula to perfectly transform salt, citrus, the most delicate smoke imaginable, sharp barley, more gristy barley, light vanilla, toasty vanilla, roasted hazelnut, thinned manuka honey, lavender honey, arbutus blossom and cherry blossom, light hickory, liquorice, and the softest demerera sugar into the aroma of a whisky, you still wouldn’t quite be able to recreate this perfection…; t24 the sugars arrive: first gristy and malt-laden, then Demerara. This is followed by a salty, nerve-tingling journey of barley at varying intensity and then a slow but magnificently complete delivery of spice…; f24 those spices continue to buzz, the vanillas dovetail with the malt and the fruit displaying a puckering, lively intensity. Ridiculously long fade for a malt so seemingly light, the salts and spices kiss the taste buds goodnight…; b24.5 by far and away one of the great whiskies of 2012, absolutely exploding from the glass with vitality, charisma and class. One of Scotland’s great undiscovered distilleries about to become discovered, I think… and rightly so!

Jim Murray’s  Whisky Bible 2012  – World Whisky Awards

Overall Winners

2012 World Whisky of the Year – Old Pulteney 21 Years old
Second Finest Whisky in the World – George T. Stagg
Third Finest World Whisky in the World – Parker’s Heritage Collection Wheated Mash Bill Bourbon Aged 10 Years

SCOTCH

Scotch Whisky of the Year Old – Pulteney 21 Years Old
Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks)-  Old Pulteney 21 Years Old
Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask) – Scott’s Selection Highland Park 1981
Best Scotch New Brand – Clan Gold Blended
Scotch Blend of the Year – Ballantine’s 17 Years Old
Scotch Grain of the Year – Clan Deny Cambus 47 Years Old
Scotch Vatted Malt of the Year – Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Years Old

Single Malt Scotch

No Age Statement (Multiple Casks) – Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX
No Age Statement (Runner Up) – Laphroaig Quarter Cask
10 Years & Under (Multiple Casks) – Ardbeg 10 Years Old
10 Years & Under (Single Cask) – SMWS 126.2 Aged 10 Years (Hazelburn)
11-15 Years (Multiple Casks) – The Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old
11-15 Years (Single Cask) Berry’s Own Selection Clynelish 1997
16-21 Years (Multiple Casks) – Old Pulteney 21 Years Old
16-21 Years (Single Cask)  – The GlenDronach Single Cask 1992
22-27 Years (Multiple Casks) – Highland Park Aged 25 Years
22-27 Years (Single Cask)  – Malts of Scotland Port Ellen 1983
28-34 Years (Multiple Casks) – Benromach Years Old 30
28-34 Years (Single Cask)  – Scott’s Selection Highland Park 1981
35-40 Years (Multiple Casks) – Balvenie Aged 40 Years Batch 2
35-40 Years (Single Cask) – Peerless Glen Grant 40 Years Old
41 Years & Over (Multiple Casks) – Highland Park 50 Years Old
41 Years & Over (Single Cask) – Gordon and MacPhail Glenlivet 1954

Blended Scotch

No Age Statement (Standard)-  Ballantine’s Finest
No Age Statement (Premium) – Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute
5-12 Years Johnnie Walker – Black Label 12 Years Old
13-18 Years – Ballantine’s 17 Years Old
19 – 25 Years – William Grant’s 25 Years Old
26 – 50 Years – The Last Drop 50 Years Old

IRISH WHISKEY

Irish Whiskey of the Year – Powers John’s Lane Release Aged 12 Years
Irish Single Malt of the Year  – Sainsbury’s Dún Léire Aged 8 Years
Irish Blend of the Year – Jameson Rarest 2007 Vintage Reserve

AMERICAN WHISKEY

Bourbon of the Year – George T. Stagg (143 proof)
Rye of the Year – Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (126.9 proof) Bourbon
No Age Statement (Multiple Barrels) – George T. Stagg (143 proof)
No Age Statement (Single Barrel) – Four Roses Single Barrel
9 Years & Under – Virgin Bourbon 7 Years Old (101 Proof)
10-17 Years – Parker’s Heritage Collection Wheated Mash Bill Aged 10 Years (124.2 proof)
18 Years & Over (Single Barrel)  – Elijah Craig 18 Years Old Single Barrel
18 Years & Over (Multiple Barrel) – Evan Williams 23 Year Old

Rye

No Age Statement – Thomas Handy Sazarac (126.9 proof)
11 Years & Over – High West Rocky Mountain 21 Year Old

CANADIAN WHISKY

Canadian Whisky of the Year Crown – Royal Special Reserve
Japanese Whisky of the Year – Hibiki Aged 21 Years

EUROPEAN WHISKY

European Whisky of the Year (Multiple) – Mackmyra Moment “Urberg”
European Whisky of the Year (Single) – Penderyn Bourbon Matured Single Cask

WORLD WHISKIES

Indian Whisky of the Year – Amrut Two Continents 2nd Edition
New World Whisky of the Year – Kavalan Solist Fino Single Cask

Jim Murray Liquid Gold Awards

Created to recognise whisky-making excellence around the world some 231 new whiskies, scoring 94 points or more, have been awarded Liquid Gold Awards in the 2012 Whisky Bible. 

Representing just 5.1 % of all the whiskies tasted for the 2012 edition they are, says Mr. Murray “the elite; the very finest you can find on whisky shelves around the world. Rare and precious they are liquid gold”.

A full account of the 2012 World Whisky Awards can be found in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2012 published today (24 October 2011).  And with over 4,500 tasting notes, including 1,200 of the very latest releases, the ‘Whisky Bible’ remains the definitive and most up to date guide available.

Published by Dram Good Books priced at £12.99 ($19.99), the ‘2012 Whisky Bible’ is available through good book shops.  Signed copies by the author can be purchased from www.whiskybible.com.

GLEN GARIOCH UNVEILS 25 YEAR OLD VINTAGE RELEASE

1986 special edition released just in time for Christmas

Twenty five years of patience have been rewarded with the release of Glen Garioch’s latest small batch vintage expression, the Glen Garioch 1986.

The limited edition is the fifth special addition to the Glen Garioch single malt range and is perfect for enjoying by the fire this winter.

Just 250 8.4L cases in total are being released for the UK, France, Netherlands, US and Canadian markets making it one of the most exclusive vintage releases yet by Scotland’s most easterly distillery.

Retailing at £125 from selected specialist retailers, it’s a special dram that will be an excellent addition to any collector’s range.

John Mullen, Glen Garioch brand manager, said: “This is the fifth addition to our vintage range but it is one of the most exclusive to-date.

“Our small batch casks are handpicked at the peak of their perfection and are selected to display the quality of liquid produced by our artisan Highland distillery. The 1986 adds new flavour and depth to our limited edition range.

“The light touch of old Glen Garioch smokiness coupled with a blend of cream, coconut and a little pepper make this a stand out dram. With a cask strength 54.6% ABV and non-chill filtration, it’s firmly aimed at connoisseurs.”

The 1986 is a real hardy and distinctive Glen Garioch. The smooth velvet creaminess married turns to woodspice with a pungent peat smoke and a medley of sweet juicy pears and ripe bananas on the palate.

The end result is a wave of flavour, with hints of spice, juicy fruits and a traditional old style Glen Garioch smokiness. A robust, yet refined Highland treat.

Glen Garioch only began releasing small batch limited editions last year. The 1986 now stands proudly in the range alongside the 1978, 1990, 1991 and the 1994. Vintages are only selected when it is felt they have reached the peak of their perfection.

At 54.6% ABV, Glen Garioch 1986 is available from specialist wine and spirit merchants, retailing circa £125. It is distributed by Cellar Trends in the UK.

Notes

• Glen Garioch can be enjoyed with Criffel cheese – voted the Best Scottish Cheese at the Cheese Awards in 2011. The organic semi-soft cheese has a creamy richness that enhances the smooth velvet like creaminess of the Glen Garioch 1986. The smooth texture and tangy floral taste matches with the fragrant Highland dram.
• 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 who also produce Bowmore and Auchentoshan
• Glen Garioch is distributed by Cellar Trends in the UK, tel: 01283 217 703.

SUPPORT OPERATION HOMEFRONT WITH HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERIES

Bourbon Heritage Center to Donate $1 From Every Visitor to Charity

BARDSTOWN, KY—Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the nation’s largest independent family-owned and operated distilled spirits producer and marketer, announces a special Holiday fundraiser benefiting Operation Homefront at the company’s acclaimed visitor’s center, The Bourbon Heritage Center. The Bourbon Heritage Center sits on the grounds of Heaven Hill in the middle of Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World®,” and was awarded the worldwide “Visitor Attraction of the Year” title during Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whiskey presentation in 2009.

The Bourbon Heritage Center will be collecting $1 from all visitors from October 1 through December 25 and will be donating 100% of the proceeds to Operation Homefront. Guests will feel the patriotism with the large red, white and blue decorated Christmas tree and holiday decor that line the Center.

“We are so happy to be able to support Operation Homefront,” said Lynne Grant, Director of Guest Services at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center. “Many of our employees and neighbors in Bardstown and Nelson County have family in the military which makes it even more gratifying to contribute to this cause.”

The Bourbon Heritage Center welcomed more than 64,000 visitors last year, making it one of the most visited attractions on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. It offers guests interactive exhibits, an orientation film, a large retail store featuring branded and bourbon themed apparel and foods, and a state-of-the-art tasting room.

Bardstown-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, the world’s second largest holder of aging American Whiskey, produces such critically acclaimed brands as Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon, Elijah Craig Bourbon, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky, Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey, and the Parker’s Heritage Collection of American Whiskeys, all crafted under the watchful eyes of sixth and seventh generation Master Distillers Parker and Craig Beam.

About Operation Homefront:
Operation Homefront provides emergency and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. As a leading national charity supporting families of service members and wounded warriors, Operation Homefront has grown from a small local charity to a strong national organization with chapters across the country. Since its inception in 2002, it has met more than 400,000 needs of military families and provided more than $128 million dollars of funding to programs benefitting military families. Moreover, it has served more than 4,200 wounded warriors and their families.

About the Bourbon Heritage Center:
* A series of interactive and educational exhibits that demonstrate the Bourbon-making process and Bourbon history, including information on Evan Williams, Kentucky’s first distiller, Elijah Craig – “the father of Bourbon” – and other Bourbon pioneers whose names are immortalized in some of Heaven Hill’s most famous Bourbon brands.

* The Evan Williams Theater shows “A Portrait of Heaven Hill,” a short informative film on the history of Bourbon, the Bourbon-making process, and Heaven Hill Distilleries. The theater, located at one end of the Center, accommodates 75 in traditional theater-style seating.

* A highlight of the Center is the one-of-a-kind barrel-shaped “Parker Beam Tasting Room,” which seats 22. The dramatic space gives legal age visitors a unique environment in which guided samplings of the company’s world-renowned whiskeys are conducted.

* Eye-catching display items such as old advertisements, photographs, and even a sample of the very first “white dog” (new, unaged Bourbon) that was distilled at Heaven Hill in 1934. Interactive exhibits include informative distillery models and a high-tech “smelling station,” where visitors can nose authentic bourbon at various ages.

* One wall re-creating a rickhouse, complete with various Heaven Hill Bourbon – branded barrels stacked up to the ceiling. The company’s replica milestone barrel heads, beginning with the first barrel filled, are also on display on this wall.

* The center’s gift shop features Kentucky crafts, branded merchandise, bourbon-themed foods and gifts, and a special bottling of Evan Williams Master Distillers’ Select Bourbon available for purchase and customized personalization.

Guests can visit the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center at 1311 Gilkey Run Road in Bardstown, KY. For more information call 502-337-1000 or visit www.bourbonheritagecenter.com .

Founded in 1934, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams Bourbon; Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; HPNOTIQ and HPNOTIQ Harmonie Liqueurs; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; The Christian Brothers Brandies; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila and Rittenhouse Rye Whisky.

Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”

THE WAIT IS OVER – A WORLD OF WONDERFUL WHISKIES AWAITS!

How do I get them? you ask. Join The Society now, we reply!

The Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is open for business. For details on how to join visit www.smws.ca. But for more instant gratification, here’s a quick overview.

Initial membership is $230. Upon joining you will receive the exquisitely-designed Membership Pack (pictured above) which includes the coveted membership card personalized with your name and membership number; a handsome lapel pin; a Society handbook; a tasting note book; and best of all – four 100ml bottles of The Society’s extraordinary single cask, single malt whiskies to tantalize your tastebuds!

But more than the Membership Pack, joining The Society puts you in the enviable position of being able to purchase our rare and unique whiskies, not available to non-members. The Society only bottles single cask whisky which means quantities are limited. Once an expression is sold out, it’s gone forever, never to be replicated. But don’t let that deter you! If you miss the chance to buy one, there’s always another fantastic choice on offer.

Members will receive a monthly bottling list called Outturn which outlines each month’s new bottlings. Quirky yet informative tasting notes written by our Tasting Panel of industry experts and enthusiasts accompany each bottle description making it easy for you to find the perfect dram. The month’s Outturn is available on www.smws.ca.

Membership also entitles you to receive our quarterly award-winning magazine Unfiltered – a glossy, colourful, sometimes whimsical look at the whisky industry.

Don’t delay – there’s a space on your shelf for a great new whisky (or two, or…). www.smws.ca

Here’s just one great example of the whiskies now available:

7.70 Naughty Nectar 19 year old Speyside

The nose conveyed elegance and maturity – perfumed honey, dried coconut and exotic fruits. These impressions carried through to the palate, with vanilla giving overall impressions of tutti frutti or Neopolitan ice cream – ‘Nectar!’ ‘Absolutely fabulous!’ and ‘Decadent and naughty!’ were some of our responses. The reduced nose, still sweetly enticing , also had intimations of worn leather, canvas, cigarette packets and celery salt. The reduced palate seemed like a heavenly garden – beehives, flowers, washing on the line and canvas chairs in the sun, with sherbet fountains! From the distillery next-door to Benriach.

Bowmore Unveils Islay Taste Map With Martine Nouet

The ultimate companion and guide to Islay Single Malt whiskies

This autumn, Bowmore, the first Islay Single Malt whisky, has collaborated with esteemed whisky writer Martine Nouet to create the Islay Taste Map. In a bold move to support the Islay category as a whole, the map, which is the first of its kind, is the ideal guide to the complex and very varied characters of Islay’s eight magical distilleries: Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Bowmore. Launched as an educational tool for both the on- and off-trade, the map will also be available for consumers to access online from November.

Bringing to life the ancient elements Earth, Air, Fire and Water that make up Islay’s mild yet uncompromising climate, the map uses colour-coordinated taste profiles to illustrate how each of the elements is reflected in the whiskies from each distillery. From the peaty and mossy cues of EARTH; the floral notes of heather and sweet meadow in AIR; the smoke, bonfires and burnt wood of FIRE; to theocean air, sea salt and wet sand of WATER – each distillery has a unique taste profile. The map also explains how the whiskies taste indoors and out alongside a character profile and tasting notes.

In development for over a year, the map has been created in collaboration with esteemed whisky writer and Islay resident Martine Nouet. Known as the ‘The Queen of the Still’, Martine was carried away by Islay’s distinct yet varied fragrances when she first visited the island 20 years ago.

Founded over two centuries ago in 1779, Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on Islay and one of the oldest in Scotland. As with all Islay Single Malts, Bowmore whiskies are renowned for its peaty smokiness. The Distillery carefully smokes its own malt just as their ancestors did centuries ago, using skills handed down from generation to generation. Nurtured and matured in the legendary warehouses below sea level, the No. 1 Vaults, Bowmore Single Malt is widely acknowledged to be amongst the finest and most perfectly balanced in the world.

For more information and to download the map visit www.bowmore.com (The map will also be available for consumers to access online from November, 2011)

UK Distributor: Cellar Trends on 01283 217703 or enquiries@cellartrends.co.uk

Bowmore

The best-balanced Islay Single Malt whisky is the perfect reward after your outdoor experience.

Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldestDistillery on Islay, one of the Scottish isles, which make up the region known as the ‘Islands’ in the lexicon of Whisky. The other regions are the Highlands, Speyside and the Lowlands. Islay malts are famous for their characteristic smokiness and Bowmore is no exception; we carefully smoke our malt and use skills handed down from generation to generation to craft a perfectly balanced Single Malt.

Bowmore’s adherence to traditional production methods helps to shape the character of our

Single Malts. We’re one of only a few distilleries anywhere which still produces its own floor malted barley, hand-turned by traditional wooden malt shovel and hand drawn machinery. For our whiskies we draw water from the Laggan River, with its rich peaty overtones, and it’s the same Islay peat that fires the malt drying kiln.

Bowmore Distillery’s close proximity to the sea is also vital in determining the final character of our spirit. The legendary Bowmore No. 1 Vaults is where most of our whiskies spend their long lives resting quietly in the cool, dark, dampcellars below sea level, oblivious to the waves thrashing the Vault’s sea-facing wall.

They mature in oak casks, previously used for bourbon, sherry or claret, gradually developing rich and mellow flavours.

It’s this combination of peat, barley, sea breeze, water, wood, people and tradition that together create the perfectly balanced warm and smoky character of Bowmore Single Malt Whiskies.

The Bowmore domestic product range:

· Bowmore Legend

· Bowmore 12 Years Old

· Bowmore Darkest 15 Years Old (sherry cask finished)

· Bowmore 18 Years Old

· Bowmore 25 Years Old

Islay

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, and is also known as “The Queen of the Hebrides.” Its mild climate and rich peaty soil make it ideal for creating whisky, and despite having a population of not much more than 3,000, it’s home to no fewer thaneight distilleries.

Non-Profit Organizations off to an Amazing Start with Help of Buffalo Trace Millennium Barrel

With Over Two Months to Go, Chances Still Available to Win this Collector’s Edition Bottle!

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Oct. 2011) – Nearly $50,000 has been raised for charity to date through Buffalo Trace Distillery Millennium Barrel auctions. With more than two months and 100 non-profit fundraising events to go, the Distillery hopes to reach its goal of raising $200,000 for charity.

The Millennium Barrel bourbon was the last bourbon barrel of the twentieth century Buffalo Trace Distillery filled on Dec. 31, 1999 and set to age in the Distillery’s warehouse V, the world’s only bonded single barrel aging warehouse.

In June of 2011, the company bottled this single barrel of whiskey, which yielded 174 handwritten and individually numbered bottles. Each Millennium Barrel bottle was packaged in a numbered hardwood showcase box that includes a piece of the historic barrel’s charred oak stave.

Buffalo Trace Distillery then offered all 174 bottles to non-profit organizations wishing to raise funds for their charity. The only caveat was that the bottles had to be auctioned off by Dec. 31, 2011. Interested parties can check on upcoming charity fundraisers for their chance to win this piece of history at http://buffalotracemillennium.com/charities.html

“Some of these non-profits have found some really creative ways to raise money for their organizations. We’re excited so many people are supporting such worthwhile causes and encourage bourbon fans everywhere to go to the Buffalo Trace Millennium Barrel website to help support these groups,” said Kris Comstock, Buffalo Trace Bourbon brand manager.

Comstock referred to the New York Cares non-profit organization that raised $6,255 for their organization by creating it as a special prize offer only premier ticket holders to the event were eligible to win. There have been several other organizations across the country that have upped their dollars raised through other creative ways, such as combining the collector’s edition bourbon with other upscale prizes.

“With more than 100 non-profits events still scheduled before the end of the year, we hope to reach our goal of $200,000 for these worthwhile causes,” Comstock added.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The distillery’s rich distilling tradition dates back to 1787 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 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Malt 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.buffalotrace.com .

Lutwyche launches first luxury men’s shoe in partnership with The Dalmore

Lutwyche, Britain’s leading men’s tailor, has taken its first step into men’s luxury shoe market with the production of its first shoe bearing the Lutwyche brand.

The Dalmore brogue is the product of an innovative collaboration with luxury single malt The Dalmore. Reflecting the Dalmore’s affiliation with the stag, whose head adorns every bottle of single malt whisky, the benchmade shoe is made from sustainably sourced deerskin and branded with the regal Dalmore stag’s head crest. Upon purchase, each shoe will be personalised with the customer’s name and each customer will also receive a bottle of The Dalmore’s award-winning King Alexander III single malt whisky.

For Lutwyche, famous for its tailor made suits, the collaboration with The Dalmore marks the brand’s introduction to the luxury men’s shoe market, having previously produced and marketed shoes bearing the Lodger brand.

The new Lutwyche shoes will continue to carry the same qualities of custom-fit and near bespoke comfort and quality, that differentiated the Lodger from the rest of the benchmade market. Central to the production process is the use of the latest cutting edge technology that sits alongside traditional craftmanship in the creation of each and every shoe. Exceptionally soft, supple and luxurious, deerskin leather is unparalleled in its ability to mould to the foot with repeated wear.

The Dalmore Lutwyche will only be available to buy from Thursday October 27th for one month only through Lutwyche’s Clifford Street store. The shoes cost £550, including a bottle of King Alexander III single malt whisky worth RRP£150.

The Dalmore
The Dalmore is the third fastest growing malt in the world, and the distillery owns some of the rarest and oldest stocks in Scotland.

A bottle of The Dalmore 62 Sinclair recently sold in Changi Airport, Singapore, for £125,000, making it the most expensive bottle very sold outside of auction. The first whisky to break the six figure barrier, The Dalmore Trinitas was bought in Harrods for £120,000.

In the last two years The Dalmore has sold a number of rare and expensive whiskies in record time. Dalmore’s Sirius peaked at £10,000 a bottle, and with only 10 available worldwide, the bottles sold out in four days and now change hands for twice that price.

The global whisky market is currently undergoing a significant boom in sales and as part of this growth Dalmore is seeing a real appetite for rare, luxury stocks.

Lutwyche
An established name within the luxury market, the celebrated tailor and Lutwyche founder, Tony Lutwyche, is internationally renowned for his ready-to-wear, made-to-measure and bespoke suits.

By taking on board the very best in luxury fabrics and the finest English tailoring skills, Tony Lutwyche has been described by FT How to Spend It as ‘The most important figure in English tailoring’. Having built up a formidable reputation over the last 10 years, Lutwyche has become the suit of choice amongst leading elite.

Lutwyche irrevocably changed the fate of English tailoring when, in 2006, he acquired England’s last remaining tailoring workshop in Crewe; placing him in the enviable position of making the only ‘Made in England’ suits available internationally. The exclusive ‘Lutwyche Collection’ is available in the US through Saks 5th Avenue, New York and Beverley Hills stores.

The Lutwyche store opened in London’s Mayfair (15 Clifford Street, London, W1S 4JZ) in November 2010, marking the UK launch of Lutwyche’s elegant hand-finished ready-to-wear suit range, now sold alongside its bespoke and made-to-measure services.

Dalmore King Alexander III
This release takes its name from the fact that in 1263 an ancestor of the Clan Mackenzie, later owners of Dalmore distillery for many years, saved King Alexander III from being gored by a stag.

Having made the maturation journey through no less than 6 different casks; French wine barriques, Madeira drums, Sherry butts from Jerez, Sicilian Marsala barrels, port pipes from the Douro and Bourbon barrels from Kentucky, the whisky was expertly brought together and harmonised by Master Blender Richard Paterson to create this complex malt.

Aged aromatic oloroso butts and Madeira drums provide citrus orange, spice and nuts, whilst redolent bourbon barrels deliver warm vanilla notes. Rich Port and Marsala woods add hints of wild berries and fleshy plums, enhanced with red fruits from vintage Cabernet Sauvignon barriques.

The overall result is a skilful confection that provides great harmony and sophistication, offering a very different Dalmore experience, while retaining all the malt’s core values. 40.0% ABV, 70cl, £150.00, specialist whisky merchants.

WEBSITES

www.lutwyche.co.uk/

www.thedalmore.com