New additions boost Benromach Origins range

Speyside’s smallest whisky distillery, Benromach, has added two new variants to its Origins range.

Benromach Origins Batch No. 2 was distilled in 1999 and has been fully matured in Port Pipes.  This is the first Benromach expression to be fully matured in a wine cask, allowing the characteristics of the port to infuse with the whisky.  The resultant single malt has red berry fruitiness with hints of orange peel, dark chocolate and soft smoke.

Benromach Origins Batch No. 3, distilled in 2000, has been created using the finest Optic barley then matured in Sherry casks. It displays zesty citrus flavours, softly infused with spicy aniseed and menthol notes. .

The two new whiskies are the latest additions to Origins – a series of special bottlings launched in 2008 to highlight how small changes in the art of whisky making can help shape the character of the final single malt. Each batch displays the ‘Benromach style’ of peat-smoke with malt aromas and a delicate perfumed nose, while at the same time offering a slightly different sensation for the consumer.

Benromach Distillery Manager Keith Cruickshank anticipates that the new whiskies will be popular with both fans and novices alike:

“It’s two years since we released the first batch of Benromach Origins, created using Golden Promise barley”, said Keith.

“These two new batches are quite different but still recognisably ‘Benromach’ in style”, he continued.
 
“Because we are such a small operation, with just two distilling staff, we have the freedom to make changes to the whisky-making process, while maintaining our commitment to handmade quality. This results in interesting and innovative variations.”
 
Benromach has also recently re-packaged its exclusive Vintage Speyside Single Malt. This sophisticated greatly-aged single malt, a winner at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards and described as ‘a powerful presentation of a Sherry-matured Speysider’, has been encased in a sleek brushed metal tin, replacing the previous outer box, to give it a stylish and contemporary look in line with other whiskies in the Benromach range.
 
Benromach Origins Batch 2 and 3, and Benromach Vintage will be available from whisky shops and fine wine and spirits retail specialists with suggested UK retail prices of £38.50 and £299.00 respectively.

NOTES

Benromach distillery is Speyside’s smallest. Based in the attractive Moray town of Forres, the gateway to Scotland’s famous whisky producing region, just two expert distillers make this sweet, golden malt whisky.

The distillery went through many changes of ownership and closures before being ‘rescued’ and restored by local family-owned firm Gordon & MacPhail in 1993, and was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in 1998.

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

BULGARIAN LIFEGUARD LIFTS WHISKEY LOVERS’ ULTIMATE DREAM PRIZE IN GLOBAL COMPETITION

BUSHMILLS VILLAGE, IRELAND: Ivan Ivanov, a 28-year old lifeguard from Svishtov Bulgaria, has won a global Bushmills Irish Whiskey® competition with a prize described as ‘the whiskey lover’s ultimate dream’.

Ivan was chosen from finalists from nine countries as the winner of the Make it at Bushmills challenge at a gala dinner this evening (Thursday) in the village of Bushmills on Ireland’s north coast. The historic area has a history of whiskey production stretching back more than 400 years.

He will now spend 30 days working alongside Bushmills’ Master Distiller Colum Egan with the aim of becoming the first ever person outside the distillery to create their own blend of one of the world’s best-loved Irish whiskeys. Their prize also includes a month’s luxury penthouse accommodation in Ireland and £5,000 spending money.
 
Make it at Bushmills has attracted interest from around the globe since its launch in the New York Stock Exchange on St Patrick’s day on March 17. The nine finalists from Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Northern Ireland, South Africa, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria were chosen by public vote to represent their countries in this week’s two-day ‘Bushcamp’ finale, set by Bushmills’ Master Distiller, Colum Egan.

The contestants included a head sommelier from a French three-star Michelin restaurant, a former Wall Street broker and a drumming world record holder.

Following a series of mental, physical and skills-based challenges, the performance of the individual contenders was assessed by a judging panel that included Irish rugby legend, Keith Wood, Foy Vance, one of Ireland’s most respected singer-songwriters and Joel Harrison, a regular contributor to a number of leading whiskey publications.

Ivan said: “Winning the public vote to represent Bulgaria in the final phase of the competition was a real honour. But to be the overall winner is just incredible – I still can’t believe I’ll spend a month making whiskey with the world’s best. It’s the whiskey lover’s ultimate dream.”

Colum Egan said: “Throughout the competition, Ivan has shown that he has the passion and personality to Make it at Bushmills. This is a fantastic opportunity for him to learn how great whiskey is made and I know he’ll grasp this opportunity with both hands.”

Follow Ivan’s progress at the Old Bushmills Distillery on facebook.com/bushmills1608 .

A Scottish Celebration 5pm, Friday, October 22, 2010

PORT PERRY, ONT. – Oakridge Golf Club is looking forward to hosting “A Wee Bit o’ Scotland – A Scottish Celebration” during the evening of Friday, October 22, 2010. Our Clubhouse will be bursting with all things Scottish! The evening will begin with Oakridge’s “resident bagpiper” Mark Lethbridge. Next, enjoy a traditional Scottish dinner paired with a flight of five fine single malts presented by Bill Somerville of independent bottlers Gordon and MacPhail. Claidhmor will perform after the meal, filling the Clubhouse with their lush Celtic harmonies. It will be an evening full of sensory surprises and not to be missed!

The evening is sure to sellout quickly. Space is limited to just 72 guests.

There are four price options:

with 18 holes of golf (11am tee-off) $140;
with nine holes of golf (1:30-2:30pm tee-off) $125;
without golf $95;
for dinner and entertainment only (without the single malts) $55.

Welcome reception at 5pm. Tartans anticipated.

Contact: John Frechette
Marketing Director
905.985.0883 x144
http://www.golfoakridge.com

Glenglassaugh Distillery, Portsoy.  August 2010.

·        New “Spirit Drink” range revealed

·        Unique products offer insight into evolution of whisky

The Glenglassaugh Distillery Company today announces the release of a unique range of “Spirit Drink” products – an opportunity for malt whisky fans to sample the evolution of the spirit that will eventually become whisky.

The range – packaged in 200ml bottles and all at 50% abv – initially comprises four products under the Spirit Drink brand umbrella:

‘Clearac’ – brand new ‘new make’ spirit straight off the still
‘Blushes’ – the Glenglassaugh spirit aged for – 6 months in ex-wine casks, and
‘Fledgling XB’ – new spirit aged for – 12 months in Bourbon casks
‘Peated’ – brand new ‘new make’ spirit produced using peated malted barley

The distillery’s MD, Stuart Nickerson, said:

“The Spirit Drink range follows the successful one-off bottling of The Spirit Drink that Dare Not Speak Its Name, the world’s first release of a single mash and feedback from our consumers.”

“Malt drinkers told us that they wanted to try as many variants of our evolving spirit as possible; that they wanted affordable sampling packs and that different cask types were of great interest.  The Spirit Drink range is the result.”

“We have other variants in the pipeline including spirit aged in quality sherry wood and spirit aged for longer time periods.  The variation is interesting and the overall quality incredibly exciting.  The prospects for Glenglassaugh when fully matured are exceptional.”

The range was launched with a party and sampling at Edinburgh’s Bramble Bar, rated one of the world’s top cocktail spots.  Bramble Bar’s Mike Aikman said:

“At Bramble, we are always excited to use innovative new products in our cocktails, challenge people’s perceptions of what can be done with these spirits and praising the versatility of the different expressions.” 

The Spirit Drink range will be available from 26th August at good independent retailers; from the distillery shop and via Glenglassaugh’s international distributors. UK RRP is £13 per 200 ml bottle.

Plans are currently being made for a triple pack containing Clearac, Blushes and Fledgling XB to be available, within the next few weeks.

NOTES

About Glenglassaugh

The Glenglassaugh Distillery is situated on the Banffshire coast in the North-East of Scotland, close to the small village of Portsoy. The distillery was built in 1875 by local businessmen to satisfy the growing global demand for Scotch Malt Whisky and the site was chosen due to its close proximity to a high quality water supply and easy access to the nearby barley fields.

After a visit in the late 1880s, the highly-regarded Victorian commentator Alfred Barnard described Glenglassaugh as “too well known to need any praise.”

More recently, spirit from Glenglassaugh was used primarily in blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse. In 1986 the then owners mothballed Glenglassaugh as part of wider cutbacks in production and the distillery has remained silent thereafter. In 2008 The Scaent Group of Amsterdam purchased the distillery and have invested more than £1m to recommence operations and to reintroduce to discerning customers the distinctive and high quality attributes of The Glenglassaugh Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  For more information, please visit www.glenglassaugh.com

Redevelopment

The refurbishment and reopening of the Glenglassaugh Distillery have been managed by Stuart Nickerson, a renowned whisky expert, who was the sole consultant during the acquisition. Nickerson has worked in the Scotch Whisky industry since 1981 with a significant part of his career being with William Grants, where he was Distilleries Director.  Previously, he managed Highland Park Distillery, Glenrothes and Glenfiddich Distilleries in succession. He was appointed the new Managing Director of the Glenglassaugh Distillery Company in February 2008.

One of Stuart Nickerson’s first actions was the appointment of Graham Eunson as Distillery Manager, effective from 1st April 2008. Graham joined the Distillery from Glenmorangie where he was Manager of the world famous distillery for the last 12 years. Graham has also worked at Glendronach and Scapa distilleries.

Production at Glenglassaugh was restarted on 24th November 2008 by Rt Hon Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister and the distillery’s MP.  Distilling was thus commenced under the guidance of Stuart Nickerson and Graham Eunson, the new management team, who have now released a number of innovative new products.

Smokehead Takes Gold at San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Hot on the heels of a Gold Medal for its explosive, peaty flavours from the highly respected Beverage Testing Institute (BTI), SMOKEHEAD, has been honoured with another Gold Medal, this time from the prestigious expert judging panel at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Deemed the most influential and respected spirits competition in the world the SFWSC honoured Smokehead, the powerful Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Ian Macleod Distillers, for its innovative, edgy packaging. This great design award perfectly compliments the recent BTI International Review of Spirits win, in which Smokehead was awarded an ‘Exceptional’ rating of 91/100 for taste.

Celebrating its 10th year, the 2010 SFWSC was the biggest in its history with 30 judges gathering in downtown San Francisco in March to recognise excellence in spirits. The judging panel, comprising of spirits experts from noted restaurants and hotels, spirits journalists, buyers and consultants, evaluated 1024 different spirits from 58 countries.

Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers, commented; “We are thrilled that the style and individuality of Smokehead’s packaging has been recognised by such an esteemed judging panel.

“Smokehead has enjoyed a number of successes recently by combining high quality and unique flavours with the product’s standout designer packaging. It has also proved popular with its target market of the young, discerning and adventurous ‘modern drinker’.” 

Since launching in 2006, Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky has won a number of awards for both its eye-catching packaging and balanced, seaweedy flavours, including two Gold Medals from BTI in the 2009 International Review of Spirits Packaging Competition, the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge Gold Medal, Wine & Spirits Design Awards for Best Dark Spirit and the overall Trophy for Design of the Year.

Described as being like a cannonball, Smokehead is an explosive combination of peat, smoke and spice with some delicate sweetness. The single malt flavour is described as fresh, fruity and immense, with notes of sherry, iodine, toffee, smoke and sea salt.  The taste hits the palate at once with cocoa, peat and some honey sweetness, before exploding with peppery spice and more earthy peat. Other products in the range include the Smokehead Extra Rare 1 litre bottle (Travel Retail Exclusive) and the premium 18 Years Old Smokehead Extra Black.

Smokehead is available worldwide, details of stockists can be found on the website www.smokehead.co.uk for inquiries in the U.S see www.impexbev.com 

Curious to discover more, visit www.smokehead.co.uk or visit www.sfspiritscomp.com

Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky encourages responsible drinking

www.drinkaware.co.uk  www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

The Spirit of Whisky Fringe 2010 was not won by Bruichladdich.

Having won it twice before, the winner of this year’s whisky tasting organised by Royal Mile Whiskies during Edinburgh’s Fringe festival, was another Islay single malt, Bunnahabhain’s excellent 25 year old.

126 whiskies were tasted and voted on by the Edinburgh public.

The Whisky Fringe 2010 top ten was:

1. Bunnahabhain 25 Year Old
2. Old Pulteney 17 Year Old
3. Caledonian 1965 Clan Denny
4. Glenmorangie Signet
5. Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Rum Cask
6. Bruichladdich x4 +3
7. Balvenie 17 Year Old Madeira
8. Port Ellen 1979 Old & Rare
9. Springbank 18 Year Old
10. Glenfarclas 40 Year Old

Note in 6th position, out of 126 entrants, ahead of 18 year old Springbank and 40 year old Glenfarclas, is Bruichladdich X4+3.  Yes, our pioneering, quadruple distilled 3 year old single malt. (Hey! What about #5, Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Rum Cask?).

Indeed, this is the very same whisky that was famously referred to as “not cooking oil. Not diesel oil. Sewing machine oil” by whisky character Charlie McLean in a stitch-up tasting with a bunch of boozy Times hacks earlier this year in Edinburgh in a deliberate myschievous attempt to be controversial on Burns’ Night.

Who’s laughing now.

Visit the mildly irritated Bruichladdich at www.bruichladdich.com

Here’s hoping the summer finds you warm and well. We Diurachs know that ‘Scottish Summer’ is a contradiction in terms, but at least all the rain is great for making whisky!

The start of the summer brought us a whisky festival to remember. A big thanks if you joined us online to watch our Boutique Barrels tasting. Willie Tait thinks the Oscar’s in the bag for him! If you missed it, don’t worry, it’s still available to view here; http://tinyurl.com/jura-video. And a big thank you if you made the trip west to the island, joined us in our festivities and helped select the very special Island Exclusive malt. But more about this later.

We recently enjoyed the island’s annual sports day and the regatta. Both gave everyone an excuse – as if one is ever needed – to raise a glass of Diurach’s Own to the gallant winners! Again you can check out the photos on the Island Life section of our website http://www.isleofjura.com/island-life.aspx.

The next big event to look forward to is the music festival on JURA – centre stage will be a glimpse of our Island Exclusive malt. If you were one of the 180 friends who took part in the selection process you’ll be pleased to know that cask 30 was the winner and we expect to get about 490 bottles from it – all of which will remain on the island. (Of course we’ll be keeping a couple of bottles under the counter for honorary Diurachs and the friends who helped select it at the festival.)

If you haven’t been on our website recently you might not know that Cath and Andy are the new owners of the Jura Hotel, the ONLY hotel and pub on Jura. I popped over the road for wee a dram and we shared a few ideas on how we could create a home away from home for our friends all over the world! We decided the best way to welcome you into our community would be to offer a free dram of our beloved malt, every month at the Jura Pub, for life! Also starting Monday 6th September you will be able to take part in the Jura Pub Quiz online, and test your knowledge of our beloved island and malt! Make sure you log on as there is some great whisky to be won including a very special bottle of JURA 1974!

We realise that Jura is deemed to be an un-get-at-able place and to allow you to experience the wonderful life on Jura as “honorary Diurachs” we’ve worked with our friends on the island to make it easier than ever before for you to experience our island. And don’t worry if you won’t be here often, we have other plans that will make it worth your while!

Slainte

Willie Cochrane
Jura Distillery Manager

P.S. To make the most of your life as a Diurach visit www.isleofjura.com and see how good life on the island can be! If you have friends or family who also share your passion for Jura whisky and might like to become honorary Diurachs send them to www.isleofjura.com where they’ll discover more about our mystical isle.

30ltr & 50ltr Casks of whisky for sale!!!

Dear Friend

Thank you for taking an interest in our company and for signing up to receive advanced warning of new releases from St George’s Distillery.

First things first, you may or may not have heard that we recently had a fire here at the distillery. No need to panic though as no one was hurt and most importantly none of the whisky was damaged! You’ll be pleased to know everything is running as normal, we are still open 10:00am until 5:30pm for the shop and tours and we are still making our whisky.

The reason we are writing to you today is that we have a limited number of 30 & 50 litre casks for sale, filled with our 3 year old single malt whisky. These will be sold at cask strength and will be both un-chillfiltered and have no artificial colouring. The price for the 30ltr cask will be £1200 and the 50ltr cask will be £1800, this works out to be less than £20 per bottle @46% and you get to keep the barrel. On a first come, first served basis, customers will have the option of these casks containing peated or unpeated whisky. These prices include the cask, contents, all taxes paid and delivery to mainland England which means these are exceedingly good value.

Our 30ltr cask is already on our website to buy www.englishwhisky.co.uk and our 50ltr cask will be following shortly. Please note that these won’t be ready for delivery until November 2010.

We strongly recommend that you collect your cask, whilst we are very cautious choosing the couriers we use – you will definitely take more care on the journey home than even the best courier.

Kind Regards
Andrew Nelstrop
English Whisky Co. Ltd
St George’s Distillery
Harling Road
Roudham
Norfolk
NR16 2QW
Email: info@englishwhisky.co.uk
Web: www.englishwhisky.co.uk
Tel: +44 1953 717939

BUSHMILLS MASTER DISTILLER ANNOUNCES FINAL NINE IN GLOBAL CHALLENGE
 
Bushmills Master Distiller Colum Egan today announced the names of the nine contenders who will represent their countries in the international finals of a Bushmills Irish Whiskey® competition that has attracted the interest of tens of thousands of people around the globe.
 
The finalists from the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, South Africa, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria will be competing for their chance of glory in the Make it at Bushmills finals later this month. The overall winner will be announced on Thursday 26 August at an awards dinner in the village of Bushmills on Ireland’s stunning north coast.
 
The line-up for the finals was decided by votes, cast by members of the public, on Facebook, for the hundreds of contenders who originally entered the competition. Launched in the New York Stock Exchange on St Patrick’s Day, it offers a prize of a 30 day stay in Bushmills, a chance to be the first person ever from outside the distillery staff to create a new blend of one of the world’s best loved Irish whiskeys, a month’s luxury penthouse accommodation in Ireland and £5,000 spending money.
 
The overall winner will be selected following a two-day ‘Bushcamp’ later this month when contestants will face the Master’s Challenge – a test of skill set by Master Distiller Colum Egan. The performance of the contenders will be judged by a panel that includes Irish rugby legend, Keith Wood and Foy Vance, one of Ireland’s most respected singer-songwriters.
 
Congratulating the shortlisted contenders, Colum Egan said:
 
“All of the finalists have done a fantastic job to make it this far – they have already won their place at Bushcamp. Their character, sense of humour and passion for life are what inspired people to vote for them. I have no doubt these qualities will be tested at Bushcamp when all nine contenders attempt to prove to us they have what it takes to make it at Bushmills.
 
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the interest Make it at Bushmills has generated and it’s been fantastic to see the competition talked about in blogs, magazines, newspapers and TV shows all around the world.
 
“The strong international interest in Bushmills is further reflected in the fact that since creating our first official Bushmills Global Facebook page earlier this year, it has attracted more than 30,000 fans, making it the world’s second biggest Irish Whiskey Facebook site,” adds Colum.
 
The finalists’ progress at Bushcamp will be charted on-line from 25-26 August at the Bushmills Facebook page – facebook.com/bushmills1608.
 
NOTES 
 
The nine finalists for the Make it at Bushmills Challenge are:
Ivan Ivanov – Bulgaria
Koen Cassiers – Belgium
Loïk Tavernier – France
Sietse Offringa – Netherlands
Allister Brown – Northern Ireland
Kevin O’Sullivan – Republic of Ireland
Lance Ralph – South Africa
Nick Ord – United Kingdom
Joshua Wortman – United States

The Old Bushmills Distillery: The Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim.

World Premiere at Maltstock 2010 with Four Roses

The fledgling “festival” Maltstock will have its second edition this year. It isn’t a festival really, it’s more of a worldwide gathering of whisky-lovers who come together for a weekend of fun, whisky and stories with the known and unknown.  Maltstock is different from the many whisky festivals. At Maltstock people come together for a whole weekend. We eat, drink, sleep and have fun all at the same venue. Visitors take their own bottles and share the contents with likeminded people, but there are importers too, presenting special bottlings that are difficult to obtain. All in a very unique, relaxed atmosphere.

Maltstock is the brainchild of Teun van Wel and Bob Wenting, aka The Bruichladdies. Whisky aficionados themselves, they act as guides to the uninitiated at the Dutch whisky festivals and organise whisky trips to Scotland for small groups who want to taste the cratur at its origin: the distillery.

Last year Maltstock welcomed Jim McEwan as honorary guest, among others.  He captures the essence of Maltstock in this statement about the first edition:

“I think it is a totally unique event, there is nothing like it in the world. It is inexpensive, the venue is perfect. The people who attend are really into malts and they were happy to share their whisky and their stories with complete strangers. And when the time came to say goodbye, there were no strangers, only friends, and they will remain that way for a long time.

This is when the Magic of Malt comes alive, when it is shared willing with people who share the same passion. This event provides the perfect stage for it all to come alive. Slainte.” 

For Maltstock 2010 the founding fathers wanted to create an original experience with bourbon, not limiting their scope to single malts. This spring, Teun and Bob attended the Four Roses “white dog” tasting at the Groningen Festival (WFNN) conducted by master distiller Jim Rutledge and whisky writer Hans Offringa. For those who do not know, Four Roses uses five yeast strains and two different mash bills with which Jim Rutledge and his crew create 10 different “white dogs” (new make spirit as it is called in the USA). No other distillery does this.

In April this year Hans was in Chicago judging a whisky competition and met Brett Pontoni of Binny’s, who happened to be on the jury as well. Brett told Hans that Binny’s – the largest wholesaler and retailer of whisky in Illinois – stocks the 10 different single barrel Four Roses, made out of the 10 different recipes.  When Hans informed them, Teun and Bob knew how to create an unique experiment at Maltstock 2010:

Organize a tasting where the participants could not only taste the 10 white dogs, but also the 10 mature versions, bottled after having been in the barrel for several years! Something which has never been done before anywhere in the world. It will be an unique opportunity to find out if yeast really does matter!

Jim & Hans

The Bruichladdies asked Hans if he could arrange white dog for Maltstock and Jim consequently supplied Bob and Teun with 10 sample bottles. With the help of Jim, Hans, Brett and Pernod Ricard NL (the importer of Four Roses in The Netherlands), Maltstock was able to obtain the 10 different single barrel bourbons and will present them on Saturday September 4 in a special tasting.

This has never been done before and Jim Rutledge is very enthusiastic about it. Since he cannot be in Europe at the time, he asked Hans Offringa to conduct this unique tasting. The two have known each other for years and enjoy working together.  Jim recently assessed Hans’ manuscript “Bourbon & Blues” and says about it: “I read Hans’ book on a plane and I think it is fantastic. A very ‘easy’ flow and read.”

The book is scheduled for publishing Spring 2011 and no doubt Four Roses plays an important part in it. Hans says about it: “I have been a devotee of Four Roses straight bourbon since my late teens and I can truly tell there is a lot of Four Roses in this book … and in its writer! I am honoured to host this unique tasting at Maltstock 2010.”

Don’t miss out on a unique event and register for Maltstock 2010 now. Simply go to www.maltstock.com, register first and then go to the online web shop to order your tickets. Hope to see you at Maltstock!

Slainte,

The Maltstock Crew
Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier and Teun