Amrut adds Kadhambam to the mix

If variety is the spice of life, then Amrut, the Indian distiller, is making an important contribution with its latest limited edition single malt whisky.

Kadhambam is a malt which captures a variety of characteristics from its range of personalities and is perfectly illustrated in its name which means “mixture” in Tamil, one of the languages of southern India. This unique whisky was created from an experiment with one single batch of spirit being matured in a variety of casks at the Bangalore distillery of Amrut Distilleries Ltd.

“We were striving to come up with a completely different whisky with multi-personality characteristics,” explains Ashok Chokalingam of Amrut Distilleries Ltd. “The multiple notes of aromas derived from the individual casks make Kadhambam quite unique.”

Kadhambam is the result of Amrut Single Malt Whisky and a small portion of Amrut Peated Single Malt Whisky being initially matured in ex-Oloroso sherry butts. It was then put in ex-Bangalore Blue Brandy casks and matured for a further period. Next it was emptied into ex-rum casks and matured for a further period. Both the brandy and rum casks had previously been used to mature Amrut’s own rum and brandy – which are immensely popular in the Indian market.

Not only did the maturation involve a mixture of casks, it depended on carefully judging the different lengths of time spent in the individual casks. “As the three different ex-casks were going to offer different profiles, we had to be careful on the length of maturation,” explains Ashok.

With a truly unique whisky and such a limited number of bottles (234) released, it is expected that Kadhambam will be extremely popular when it is launched at the Potstill Festival on 1 October, 2010, in the Dutch town of Amersfoort.

In keeping with its recent decision to launch each of its new limited edition products with a different international importer, Amrut has chosen its Dutch importer, Van Wees Holland, as its launch partner for Kadhambam.

Maurice van Wees, director, is excited by this innovative whisky. “Kadhambam struck me like lightning, the complexity is enormous, this is the most adventurous single malt I have ever tasted.”

He added: “It is another fine example of the continuous search for quality for money and thinking outside the box by Amrut Distillers: not only the quality surprises the malt connoisseur every time, but also the diversity.”

Bert Bruyneel, a Malt Maniac from Belgium, acknowledges that there are risks involved in introducing too much variety in a whisky, but for Kadhambam he says: “I absolutely adore this kind of experimenting, although I’m afraid that if we do too many different things, one would overrule the other… . Anyhow, in this particular case, the result is very satisfying.”

The creator of Spirit of Islay, Gordon Homer thinks the mixture of casks for maturation is interesting. “This seems to have added to the sweetness on the nose and on the palate compared to the standard Amruts. I’ve seen whisky matured in one of the there types of casks, but never one moved through all three! It certainly makes an interesting and different expression from Amrut.”

Kadhambam will be available in Europe, Scandinavia and Western Canada.

Notes

Further information: Amrut Distilleries

Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India was launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown, with its range of innovative whiskies using Indian barley from the Punjab distilled in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3000ft.

In The Whisky Bible 2010, leading whisky expert, Jim Murray awarded Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky the title of World’s Third Best Whisky. Murray said Fusion “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the word this year”. Admitting his No 3 choice could come as a surprise to some people, he said: “The fact that it is Indian? Irrelevant, from distillation to maturation this is a genius whisky from whichever continent.”

Fusion – which brings together two barleys: Indian and Scottish, with the latter being peated – was also named the Best Natural Cask Whisky in the Daily Drams Category at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2009. It picked up the award for the best whisky matured exclusively in “untreated”, regular cask(s) in the category for whiskies with an average street price of up to 50 euros. It was also awarded a silver medal.

One of the Amrut Single Malt Whisky bottlings by Blackadder International won “The Best Daily Dram” category of Malt Maniacs 2008 Awards. All the Amrut brands entered into the same competition won silver and bronze medals.

Amrut Peated Malt Cask Strength Whisky won Silver and Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky Bronze at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2008.

Amrut is now sold widely in Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Spain), Canada, South Africa, Australia and the United States.

Further information: Van Wees Holland

Founded in 1921 as a tobacconist in the Dutch town of Amersfoort, Van Wees has been distributing spirits since 1963, quickly gaining an international reputation as a whisky specialist. Van Wees has distributed Amrut whiskies since 2006.

www.whiskyworld.nl

Further information: tasting notes in full

Gordon Homer

Creator of Spirit of Islay website www.spiritofislay.net

A polished gold in colour, beautifully oily in the glass, the first thing that gets you on the nose is the Amrut liquorice (always a good sign!), then Millionaires shortbread (shortbread, caramel toffee and chocolate). Quite a sweet nose actually, very luxurious, very creamy with a slight floral hint. Very luxurious and oily across the palate as well with a lovely sweetness, the liquorice comes to the fore just ahead of oak, vanilla and toffee. The finish is long, oaky and quite dry with the Amrut trademark liquorice coming in right at the end. Another classic Amrut, the nose is an absolute dream, the stand out feature of this dram, the palate ain’t too bad either!

To say this has a slight portion of peated malt you can’t really tell from tasting it, interesting that it’s been matured consecutively in sherry butts, ex-brandy casks and ex-rum casks as this seems to have added to the sweetness on the nose and on the palate compared to the standard Amruts. I’ve seen whisky matured in one of the there types of casks but never one moved through all three! It certainly makes an interesting and different expression from Amrut.

Serge Valetin

Malt Maniac and creator of Whisky Fun website www.whiskyfun.com

Colour: gold. Nose: starts fresh and quite caramelised, with notes of black cherries and kirsch as well as quite some coffee. Gets then a tad meaty, with also a little strawberry sauce and dark chocolate. Orange blossom. Sort of multidimensional. With water: unusual herbal notes come through now, with a little ginger tonic, capsicum and maybe peat… All that on a bed of barley sugar. Rather smooth. Mouth (neat): rather oily, rich, with again notes of cherries and chocolate. Goes on with some toasted brioche and quite some malt as well as roasted nuts. With water: some pleasant notes of cinchona, the whole being quite sweet. Candy sugar and sweet pepper. Finish: rather long, perfectly balanced, with a sweet spiciness. Sweet mustard and peat in the aftertaste. Comments: it has something of some recent Highland Park from refill sherry, such as the St Magnus 12yo. A rather complex dram, with a profile that’s quite unique in its ‘wideness’. SGP:552 – 85 points.

Bert Bruyneel

Malt Maniac, Belgium

Nose: starts with loads of the typical Amrut liquorice, quickly getting citrus notes (oranges), some humus, slight hints of mineral, nice herbal notes, very complex and a subtle smokiness. Palate: quiet spicy and a bit dry, a great mouth feel, less the liquorice but more fruity notes, citrus, peaches, some slight tropical hints, gets even nicer with time, a wee waxiness, some hints of oak and again a wee smokiness.

Finish: the finish is fresh, complex, gets some sweet vanilla, remains spicy and nicely evolving until the very end. Balance: again seems much older than it is, nice and superbly balanced product, but I have to admit I am a fan of the Amrut expressions …

Score: 87/100.

Comments: I absolutely adore this kind of experimenting, although I’m afraid that if we do too many different things, one would overrule the other and we wouldn’t see the forest anymore because of the trees standing before it. Anyhow, in this particular case, the result is very satisfying.

Dominic Roskrow

Drinks industry journalist and whisky writer

Nose: Needs a few seconds to settle but then there’s a wave of mint, cherry flavoured throat lozenge (Strepsils) and soft orange jelly. Palate: Kicks and starts like a stallion at a rodeo. Very fruity, sweet and soft with orange Starburst to the fore, then a wave of white pepper spice kicks in, rising like a wave and finally mince pies and rumtoft-soaked berries finish the taste off. Finish: Long and sweet.

Benny Ingman
President of Carlstad Whisky Connoisseurs, Sweden
Colour: gold

Nose: sweet with some sugar, oak wood, some vanilla, fruit and especially tropical ones, some coconut, bacon, a trace of sherry. Mouth: sweet and sugary, peppery, fruity, not as mellow as the nose. Finish: as the mouth with a quite good length and some tropical fruits. Comments: a good whisky in all aspects but maybe not quite as exciting as its name and description. Points: 84

Woodford Reserve® and Esquire Magazine Search for the  Ultimate Well-Crafted Manhattan

September 20, 2010, Louisville, Ky. – With the recent resurgence of pre-Prohibition bourbon cocktails, the classic Manhattan is making a comeback across the country. Woodford Reserve bourbon and Esquire magazine are teaming up to give eligible bartenders and at-home mixologists the chance to win a trip to New York City as part of the Craft the Ultimate Manhattan contest beginning this fall.

From September 15 to November 30, eligible consumers are encouraged to submit their own recipe online at www.wellcraftedmanhattan.com. Entries will be judged in the categories of taste, name, ingredients, creativity and presentation, and recipes must include Woodford Reserve bourbon as the primary ingredient. One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Manhattan, while second and third place winners will receive prizes from Woodford Reserve and Esquire. Winners will be notified on or about December 20. Official rules are available at www.wellcraftedmanhattan.com.*

“Woodford Reserve is a hand-crafted bourbon with exceptional smoothness and is the cornerstone of a well-balanced Manhattan cocktail,” said Laura Petry, Woodford Reserve brand manager. “Along with our partners at Esquire, we look forward to crowning the winner of the Craft the Ultimate Manhattan Contest.”

In addition to the online consumer contest, Woodford Reserve and Esquire will host a series of bartender exhibition events in select U.S. markets in October and November. Bartenders will showcase their own well-crafted Manhattan cocktails during The Manhattan Experience events. Five finalists in every city will be chosen prior to each event from recipes submitted online and the bartenders’ creations will be judged by a panel of experts. The regional winners will then showcase their Manhattans during an exclusive event New York City on January 10, 2011.

The Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience bartender exhibition schedule is below:

•       Monday, October 4: New York, NY

•       Tuesday, October 12: Jersey City, NJ

•       Monday, October 18: Seattle, WA

•       Monday, November 8: Houston, TX

•       Monday, November 15: Versailles, KY

Along with observing some of the nation’s best mixologists in action, attendees to The Manhattan Experience events will also be able to bid on auction items from Woodford Reserve and Esquire throughout the evening. Woodford Reserve will also donate $2 for every person who attends each event. All proceeds from the auctions and attendance will benefit the Culinary Institute of America.

To celebrate the spirit of crafting the ultimate cocktail, Esquire magazine’s resident mixologist David Wondrich has developed the Esquire Manhattan featuring Woodford Reserve. The cocktail recipe is as follows:

Esquire Manhattan featuring Woodford Reserve

1.5 to 2 oz Woodford Reserve

1 oz Martini & Rossi red vermouth

1/2 oz Fernet Branca

Stir well with cracked ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and twist swatch of thin-cut orange peel over the top.

*No purchase necessary.  Must be of legal drinking age.  Void in CA and where prohibited.  See official rules for details. 

About Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve is one of the fine spirits produced and marketed by Brown-Forman

Corporation, a producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Fetzer, Korbel, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, Tuaca, and Bonterra. Please enjoy your bourbon responsibly. For more information on Woodford Reserve, visit www.woodfordreserve.com.
 
About Esquire

Esquire (www.esquire.com), published by Hearst Magazines, was the winner of the 2009 National Magazine Awards for “Feature Writing,” “Personal Service” and “Leisure Interests.” It is the most-honored monthly magazine in America with a total of 13 awards. Readers can also interact with the brand on the digital front, with Esquire mobile (m.esquire.com). In addition to its U.S. flagship, Esquire publishes 16 editions around the world. 

About The Culinary Institute of America

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor’s and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world’s premier culinary college, the CIA has a network of more than 40,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Michael Chiarello, Cat Cora, Steve Ells, Todd English, Duff Goldman, Sara Moulton, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The college has campuses in New York (Hyde Park), California (The CIA at Greystone, St. Helena), and Texas (San Antonio), and an international location in Singapore (Temasek Polytechnic). In addition to its degree programs, the CIA offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services for the foodservice and hospitality industry. For more information, and a complete listing of program offerings at each site, visit the CIA online at www.ciachef.edu.

Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45.2% Alc. by Vol., The Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY ©2010.

STAR-STRUCK! GLENDRONACH VISITOR CENTRE AWARDED FOUR STARS BY VISITSCOTLAND
 
VISITSCOTLAND has awarded GlenDronach’s Visitor Centre four stars in recognition of its excellent facilities and services, making the Aberdeenshire distillery one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions.
 
The Tourist Board’s Quality Assurance Inspector visited the Forgue distillery this summer and says she was most impressed by the efforts it has made to welcome visitors from home and abroad.
 
VisitScotland says its grading schemes take the guesswork out of planning a holiday or short break, giving reassurance to visitors quickly and clearly.
 
The report noted that visitors travelling along the A96 are given an excellent opportunity to navigate to the distillery, via the comprehensive system of brown tourist signing.
 
The Inspector found the clock display showing the next available tour very helpful and she had high praise for the decorative state of the Visitor Centre.
 
She commented: “Its new interiors are very contemporary and of high quality, which has certainly brought the Visitor Centre up to date.”

She was also very complimentary about the daily tours visitors are given around the distillery.
 
“The tour was very ably undertaken by Karen who was very easy to recognise given her corporate appearance. Tours are tailored carefully to meet the expectations of visitors, being structured around the product itself for the enthusiast or a good dash of history for the general visitor.”
 
She also welcomed the fact that some of the staff are able to speak a number of foreign languages, helping to make the tour intelligible and interesting for the international visitor.
 
GlenDronach’s Marketing Manager Kerry White oversaw the Visitor Centre’s transformation during the summer. She said: “Everyone at GlenDronach is delighted with this latest award. It’s a wonderful tribute to our staff at the Visitor Centre and reflects the care and attention to detail we have lavished on it this year. It also shows that we have achieved high levels of excellence and offer exceptional service to the thousands of visitors who come here every year.
 
“The Report was very helpful in indicating some areas we can do even better, and we are now aiming to get five stars very soon.”

INTRODUCING THE GLENDRONACH DISTILLERY MANAGER’S CASK
 
VISITORS to the GlenDronach Distillery in Aberdeenshire this autumn can now fill their own special bottle from the Distillery Manager’s Cask.
 
Alan McConnachie has personally selected a cask for bottling – and people visiting the distillery can take home a unique malt they have personally decanted from the cask.
 
Alan has chosen a single cask GlenDronach (No. 564) distilled in 1993, aged for 17 years in an Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at cask strength 58.4% vol. Each bottle is hand-labelled by the visitor, hand-numbered and signed by Alan. A record is then kept in the Distillery Manager’s book.
 
He commented: “This is a superb expression from 1993. Its appearance is startling – a pronounced red wood glow with a rich gold edge. On the nose, earthy elements merge with sweet fine oak aromas complemented with sweet cloves and allspice. And on the palate, mocha and hazelnut influences emerge, leading to a sweet rich finish. It’s spectacular.”
 
The bottles are exclusively available from the GlenDronach Visitor Centre at £66.99 per bottle.
 
Contact the Visitor Centre for more information on 01466 730 202 or email info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk
 
GlenDronach Distillery, Forgue by Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 6DB.
 
Our picture shows a recent visitor, Mr Jimmy Cairns (left) from Falkirk in Scotland, with GlenDronach’s Alistair Walker, after buying the 1993 bottle, with Alan McConnachie’s cask in the background.

Isle of Skye Whisky the toast of the Clan MacLeod Parliament

Photocaption: Held in Dunvegan on Clan MacLeod’s home island of Skye every four years, over 170 clans folk from overseas, including America, Tasmania, Malta and South Africa attended the Clan MacLeod Parliament from Saturday 24 – Friday 30 July.

20 September 2010, Edinburgh: Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky, owned by independent family company Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd, was the Official Whisky Sponsor of the Clan MacLeod Parliament World Gathering 2010.

Held in Dunvegan on the Clan MacLeod’s home island of Skye every four years, the Clan MacLeod Parliament ran from 24 –30 July. Over 170 clans folk attended, many from as far as America, Tasmania, Malta and South Africa.

As well as supplying the whisky for the Clan MacLeod Parliament finale ball, each attendee received a miniature of Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky to sample and take home. Ian Macleod Distillers also provided four limited edition decanters of Isle of Skye 21 Years Old Blended Scotch Whisky and one bottle of the extremely rare Isle of Skye 50 Years Old Blended Scotch Whisky for a silent auction, that raised over £800 for charity.
 
Iain Weir, Marketing Director of Ian Macleod Distillers commented: “We are incredibly happy to be supporting the Clan MacLeod Parliament and celebrate the history and culture of Skye and the Clan MacLeod.

“Created from Ian Macleod’s original family recipe, Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky seemed the perfect fit to toast the return of the MacLeod diaspora to their native island and gives those from further afield the opportunity to taste the high quality blended Scotch whisky, perhaps for the first time.”

Dr Malcolm Macleod, OBE, President of the Associated Clan MacLeod Societies, said: “This was the sixteenth Clan MacLeod Parliament World Gathering to be held in Dunvegan, the spiritual home of many MacLeods whose ancestors left Scotland to begin new lives overseas. 

“I thoroughly enjoyed welcoming some of their descendants from all over the world and renewing friendships that have built up over the years of these wonderful gatherings.”

The week long event included visits to sites of historical and cultural significance to the Clan including climbing MacLeod’s Table, attending the Dunvegan show and a visit to the residents of the Orbost Estate on Raasay.
 
The modern Clan MacLeod Parliament is based on the definition of a Parliament as “a meeting or assembly for conference on public or national affairs”. The Parliament is a world gathering of MacLeods with the purpose of bringing together MacLeods from all over the world to talk about the Clan.
 
For more information on Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky see: www.isleofskyewhisky.com

For more information on Clan Macleod Parliament World Gathering 2010 please see www.clanmacleod.org

Notes

Isle of Skye 8 Years Old has its origins in that most celebrated of Scottish Islands: Skye, home of Clan Macleod.

Ian Macleod, the founder of Isle Of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky, was justifiably proud of his family’s 19th century recipe which contains a high proportion of carefully selected Island and Speyside malts. Its smoothness, mellowness and quality are guaranteed by the fact that every whisky in the recipe has been mellowed in oak casks for at least 8 years – the recognised age of maturity for many malt whiskies.

Layers of peat dovetail with barley and grain while a wisp of honey sweetens things; stunning. Magnificent, fresh oily peat spins around the palate, but leaves a smoky, toasty, oaky trail with a hint of marmalade fruitiness; ridiculously long, remaining sweet and viscous with no shortage of oak and malt to bring the curtain down – eventually!

All Things Whisky

All Things Whisky went live on August 13th of this year.  After much reservation and deliberation on the part of humble folk behind the scenes, the decision was made that, yes…we did have something to offer. 

Essentially an offshoot of a small Calgary whisky and book club called Liquorature (www.liquorature.com), All Things Whisky was sort of born out of necessity.  The members of Liquorature oversee a blog, which had initially been created as an outlet for club members to voice reviews, opinions and general inanities.  This blog suddenly found itself with a decent amount of web traffic and some industry folk taking note of the reviews therein.  The whisky side of things began to take precedent on the website, so a decision had to be reached.  Instead of reining it in…we decided to let it run. 
 
An initial reluctance to embrace a website/blog focused entirely on whisky, and actually aiming for readers, was overcome after a careful consideration of intent.

The first question we asked ourselves, of course, was whether or not we could do something that would stand out and be worth reading.  There are plenty of sites out there, run by folks with much more experience and more adeptness with pen and palate.  To answer this, we had to determine our goals.
 
First and foremost…we wanted to create a great jumping off point for people looking to the world of whisky for an enhancement to their lives.  There are now, and will always be, people out there just like you and I who are new to the intimidating world of malts.  We want to open that door for them through simple tutorials, advice columns, tips and reviews.  This will all be augmented with whisky news as it is sourced, feature articles and interviews with the folks in the industry who make it all happen for us.  Occasionally, we’ll simply post to chat about whisky.

The primary focus is, and will continue to be, whisky reviews.  We want ATW to become a place you visit to find a wide array of independent and unbiased reviews.  In this context, of course, ‘unbiased’ refers to a lack of sponsored involvement.  Our personal biases are bound to show in the reviews themselves.
 
We hope to build a library of reviews originating from a single source.  The logic behind this is consistency, of course.  Over time readers will pick up on the ATW bias and palate, and determine just how that stacks up against their own palate.  Even if they don’t agree, we hope they see why we reached the conclusions we did.

These reviews will be a continual focus, and new additions are being added regularly.

 
Second…we wanted to allow a Canadian voice to have a more resonating echo in the whisky spheres.  This will be something that in theory should transcend borders with our friends south of the 49th (the US) as well.  Our currencies are not all that far apart and product availability should be much more analogous.  What we see in the European forums, news and blogs is often a tease here, as many of these malts never make it to North American shores, or when they do, are extremely cost prohibitive. 
 
Third and finally…ATW will continue to be a source of shared knowledge and information.  We will be collecting news where and when we can get it and sharing it with our readers.  We link to the sites we enjoy reading so our readers can find the best of the best out there.  Let’s face it…we’re all in this together.  All of our individual experiences make for a pretty amazing whole when we share information. 

As long as we continue having fun, and our friends out there continue to drop in…we’ll be around.

Slainte!

Curt Robinson
http://www.allthingswhisky.com/

THE SEARCH BEGINS FOR ‘GLENROTHES WHISKY MAKER’

Four consumers will be appointed The Glenrothes Whisky Maker for a week following a worldwide competition launching in October 2010. The successful candidates will be recruited to work as The Glenrothes Whisky Makers in the heart of single malt production, Speyside, Scotland.

As part of this opportunity, the successful candidates will learn the time-honoured art of making The Glenrothes and the time-honoured skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. The winners will spend time working at each stage of the whisky-making process: testing the purity of the water source at the distillery’s two springs; milling the malt to achieve the golden proportions of husk, grits and flour; mashing to ensure maximum extraction of sugars in the wort; adding yeast to the washbacks and overseeing fermentation; slowly and carefully distilling new make spirit in our tall copper pot stills. From there our Whisky Makers will be involved in making casks at the cooperage, laying down casks for maturation and rolling casks to the warehouse.

The Whisky Makers will nose single malt from maturing casks to assess whether the contents are of sufficiently exceptional quality and maturity; only the top 2% of the distillery’s output is bottled as The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Whisky. Finally, the Whisky Makers will have the opportunity to create their very own selection of The Glenrothes – a unique bottle with their own hand-written tasting notes on the label.

After work, our Whisky Makers will enjoy the simple pleasures that Speyside has to offer; a spot of fishing, dining in the local Highland restaurants or perhaps a picnic in the hills surrounding the distillery. The Whisky Makers will stay in Rothes House, a private home belonging to the family that owns The Glenrothes. As with the distillery, Rothes House is not open to the public but is reserved for VIP visits. After making their own bottle of The Glenrothes, our whisky makers will spend their final day of the trip in Edinburgh

Entry will be simple; entrants will supply their name and personal details and then be invited to answer in 50 words or fewer why they are the perfect candidate for the job. Hundreds of runners-up prizes will be offered too. Entries will be accepted in English, Spanish and Chinese.

More details will follow in due course.

The competition will run from October 2010 to the end of January 2011 and can be entered at www.theglenrothes.com 

Notes:

1. The Glenrothes was founded in 1879
2. Little more than 2% of the distillery capacity is bottled as Single Malt to ensure exceptional quality
3. Of the 16 Vintages released to date, 12 have entirely sold out
4. It is matured in a combination of Spanish and American oak casks – the best of both worlds
5. The Glenrothes Select Reserve was voted Best in Class at the World Whiskies Awards 2008 and won two Double Golds at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007
6. The Glenrothes 1972 was awarded a Trophy at the 2005 International Spirits Challenge
7. The Glenrothes 1978 Vintage was voted Best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2008
8. The Glenrothes 1975 won a Double Gold award at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2008
9. The Glenrothes 1991 won a Gold Medal at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010
10. The Glenrothes 1994 won a Gold Medal at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010
11. The Glenrothes Alba Reserve won a Double Gold at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010
12. “I have always felt that Glenrothes deserved to be more widely appreciated. Beautifully rounded…sophisticated after-dinner malt.” Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion
13. Jim Murray, in his Whisky Bible, refers to The Glenrothes Select Reserve; “One of the softest deliveries on Speyside, the silky barley and citrus caress the tastebuds with rare tenderness” and scores it 24 out of 25

As promised Whisky Intelligence is publishing the full press release with tasting notes.

Beckoning

Ground breaking new whisky from Amrut

Amrut, the innovate Indian distiller, has broken new ground again. It launching its first “Intermediate Sherry Matured” whisky, a limited edition addition to its award-winning range of Indian malt whiskies.

Amrut Distilleries Ltd is also taking the innovative step of launching each of its new limited edition products with a different international importer. Amrut has chosen La Maison Du Whisky, its French importer, for the launch of its latest limited edition whisky, Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured single malt. With a restricted release, this unique single malt whisky will quickly become an exclusive collectors’ item after its launch at Whisky Live Paris on 25 September, 2010.

Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured is uniquely different from the usual sherry finished or sherry matured whiskies. It is the first “intermediate sherry matured” whisky – with the malt aged in sherry casks between periods maturing in either bourbon or virgin casks at Amrut’s Bangalore distillery.

Ashok Chokalingam of Amrut Distilleries Ltd explains the thinking behind this new maturation process. “In our belief, it is not all about the influence of sherry in the whisky. It is about the balanced profile of the whisky – to see how the sherry butts can complement the whisky rather than dominating it. “As a result we tried the intermediate sherry matured concept where our new spirit was matured in exbourbon or virgin casks, then the whisky was matured in sherry butts for a certain length in time in the tropical climate of Bangalore. Next the sherry butts were emptied and the whisky put in ex-bourbon casks and matured for a further period. The result is something unique and we achieve a better fusion of bourbon and sherry notes in complementing the trademark Amrut characteristics in this single malt whisky,” added Ashok.

Thierry Bénitah, Director La Maison du Whisky, is excited by this unconventional malt: “I am surprised by this whisky’s maturity, its rich texture and its ‘gourmand’ quality. It’s almost a whisky you could eat. For me, it is one of the finest sherry casks of 2010 and the best young sherry cask selection of the year. I am honoured to be able to promote a single malt whisky with this level of quality.”

French Malt Maniac, Serge Valetin, is also a fan: “This new style is impressively to my liking,” he concluded after tasting Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured. www.whiskyfun.com

Gordon Homer, the creator of the respected Spirit of Islay website (www.spiritofislay.net), believes Amrut is perfectly suited to sherry. “There is a perfect balance to this expression [Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured]. The distillery seems to have got it spot on with the time it allowed the spirit to rest in the sherry casks. This is a great twist on whisky finishing and has produced a top class expression.”

Bert Bruyneel, a Malt Maniac from Belgium, agrees: “This is a type of maturation many others will follow for sure. I’m absolutely a fan of this.”

Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured is a limited edition of 275 cases and is released into Western Europe, Scandinavia, Western Canada and the USA.

Tasting notes Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured

Serge Valetin

Malt Maniac and creator of Whisky Fun website www.whiskyfun.com

Colour: deep gold. Nose: it’s sherried but not that much. Notes of cherries, raspberry, kirsch, a little orange liqueur, rosehip tea… Maybe old roses as well. All that is very clean, fragrant… Notes of raspberry ganache. With water: more spices from the wood, ginger and lemon balm. The oak was quite active here. Mouth (neat): rich and creamy, very appealing, sweet, more aromatic than the “average” sherried malt. Notes of Turkish delights, rose water, orange marmalade… Very pleasant spiciness (star anise, cinnamon). Again, it’s very clean, almost a little zesty. With water: very nice citrusy notes and many spices. Most unusual but perfect. Liquorice, pepper, ginger and marmalade. Finish: long, on the same notes, with a faint saltiness and maybe a little peat.

Comments: this new style is impressively to my liking. Perfect first fill sherry without any cloying elements, and no single traces of burnt matches/rubber whatsoever. SGP:553 – 91 points.

Dominic Roskrow

drinks industry journalist and whisky writer

Nose: A fruity taste sensation, with tangy blood orange, and kumquat and then sweet tinned pear, peach and apricot. Very welcoming. Palate: Surprisingly crisp and clean after the nose, but sweet and full, with the sherry more in evidence through spicy black and red berry. Vanilla holds his head up in the fruity mix however. Finish: Elegant and balanced mix of soft fruits and spice.

Benny Ingman

President of Carlstad Whisky Connoisseurs, Sweden

Colour: straw. Nose: sweet, brown sugar, a little sherry, vanilla, toffee, tropical fruits, good casks, some fungus. Mouth: quite mellow, sweet, peppery, fruity, a small portion bitterness, some complexity. Finish: as the mouth with a quite good length.

Comments: for me its more bourbon cask here than sherry especially in the mouth, a really good whisky that maybe could have been a little longer in the sherry casks. Points: 86

Gordon Homer

Creator of Spirit of Islay website www.spiritofislay.net

A lovely orange marmalade in colour, initially heavy on the sherry on the nose then a spiciness (cloves amongst othersB) interplaying with millionaires’ shortbread, liquorice and vanilla. With each nosing you get a different aspect, one minute the sherry, the next the liquorice, shortbread and vanilla. Wonderful! Eventually when you do get around to tasting it the sherry mixes beautifully with the Amrut traits, it seems to have more liquorice notes than standard Amruts, very spicy as well with a touch of chocolate, but all the time enveloped in a beautiful sherriness. An incredibly long, warming, spicy, sherried, liquorice finish! The perfect end to an unusual Amrut. The sherry maturation certainly is an interesting addition to Amrut spirit, but you’d never have guessed that the sherry maturation has been sandwiched in between two ex-bourbon casks maturations. Amrut seems perfectly suited to sherry: there is a perfect balance to this expression. The distillery seems to have got it spot on with the time it allowed the spirit to rest in the sherry casks. This is a great twist on whisky finishing and has produced a top class expression.

Bert Bruyneel

Malt Maniac, Belgium

Nose: first a bit alcoholic, then again the typical Amrut liquorice, nose remains a bit closed and hard initially, gets open and smoother eventually, white pepper, some red fruits coming through, and a minor nuttiness on the background. Sherry is there, but in a really discrete and polite way. Palate: explosive and rather dry, again a nice mouthfeel, than getting fruitier. A true candystore, nice fruity sweetness and a very pleasant evolution. Probably the most complex Amrut I’ve ever tasted. Finish: is nice and warm, liquorice and a wee mineral, but then nicely evolving, to pleasant fruity notes, the sherry comes in very subtle and gentle without dominating in any way, only adding to it. Balance: this one can perhaps use a drop of water, and some time. Then reveals it’s real face. The sherry adds to it in a great way. Score: 88/100.

Comments: Here, one can indeed detect that the sherry (as I described) comes gentle and polite, only giving it’s best to the whisky without dominating it in any way. This is a type of maturation many others will follow for sure. I’m absolutely a fan of this.

Amrut Distilleries Ltd, The Grainger Suite, Dobson House, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 3PF, UK. Tel + 44 (0) 7838 229914 or + 44 (0) 191 233 6316.  www.amrutdistilleries.com

Richard Paterson, the Master Blender is at it again;

I’ve gone on at length, telling people how good the Whyte & Mackay 30 year old whisky is and it’s won countless awards to back up the claim that it’s one of the best blended whiskies in the world.

Now, we wanted to have a bit of fun and give some more people the chance to try this whisky (it normally sells for £150 a bottle), so we’ve come up with an event across the UK that’s a little bit Willy Wonka and a little bit… Special.

So if you fancy the chance to win £300 worth of whisky for £15 read on…

As we speak, stores large and small across the UK are receiving their bottles of Whyte & Mackay Special – but they’ve got new labels on them and those labels say that 250 of the bottles are filled with 30 year old whisky and not the Special.

So here’s the deal. Find one of the bottles with the label on it. Buy it. Open it and look at the inside of the cap and you’ll be told if you’ve got Special in the bottle or 30 year old. If you’ve got 30 year old, get in touch (details are on the label) and not only can you keep the bottle you have, we’ll send you another bottle of 30 year old in its original packaging free (and if you insist, we’ll send you a bottle of Special too if we’ve got any lying about, but I think most people will be happy with two bottles of 30 year old).

I know where the bottles have gone – there’s a sealed brown envelope in my desk with all the details – but no one else does.

Now you may be wondering what brought this about? Instead of telling, let me show you a video which shows why you never say no to Richard Paterson…

Whyte & Mackay #whiskyhunt2 30 Year Old Whisky Special Promotion, And for those who haven’t tried it, here’s the tasting notes for the 30 year old (and the Special, so people can tell the difference):  Tasting notes for the Whyte & Mackay 30 year old whisky, Tasting notes for the Whyte & Mackay Special whisky: Click here to view the embedded video (for all three). http://www.themasterblender.com/2010/09/22/announcing-whyte-mackay-30-year-whisky-special-promotion-whiskyhunt2/

Let’s see who can be first to find a bottle. We used the hashtag on Twitter #whiskyhunt when we did the Whisky Safari in Glasgow and London, let’s update that to #whiskyhunt2 for this.

Happy hunting!

Richard Paterson at work..

Duncan Taylor Club Newsletter September 2010

We can’t believe it is September already, where has the year gone?!  With colder days, torrential rain and the nights closing in, there is not a better excuse to treat yourself to a lovely warming bottle of DTC.  Read on for new bottlings, tasting notes and general news of what is happening with us here at Duncan Taylor.
  
New Bottlings

  
Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Collection Single Malts

Aberlour 1993 17yo C2840 54.7%
Caperdonich 1972 37yo C6735 51.4%
Glen Grant 1972 38yo C1648 48.7%
 
Duncan Taylor OQ Cask Range

Glen Grant 1972 38yo C446483 54.8% 
  
Lonach

Bunnahabhain 1969 40yo 40%
Glenlivet 1970 40yo 40%

Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Glen Grant 1972 38yo C1648 48.7%
Nose:  Stewed fruits, bramble bushes, aniseed, old leather, earthy, soft red apples and traditional lemonade.  Water brings out candyfloss, barley water and juicy fruits.
Taste: Liquorice, green pears, syrupy.  Touch of Parma violets and limeade.  With water much softer and more fruity, very refreshing.  Pear drops, fruit salad – melon and black grape.
 
Lonach Glenlivet 1970 40yo 40%
Nose: Sweet, fruit cake mix, hot cross buns, spiced apples. Delicate hint of oak.  Water brings out raisins, fruit dumplings and bruised apples.
Taste: Initially spicy, lots of apples and a mixture of Custard and tablet.  With water a pinch of salt, more vanilla custard notes and a little grassy finish
 
Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Aberlour 1993 17yo C2840 54.7%
Nose: Mint, cinnamon, brown sugar, gingerbread, Satsuma and glacier cherries.  Water adds more caramel, toffee and heather notes with a touch of carrot cake and pine sap.
Taste: Oranges, chocolate, spring water and victory v’s.  Water makes this much creamier with pancake mix and hot crumpets and then liquorice and blackcurrant develop.
 
Staff Updates
 
Jemma is back to work having been on maternity leave for the last year and is getting right back into the swing of things!  The tasting of the new bottlings helped!
 
Awards

At the recent Whisky Magazine Independant Bottlers awards we were very lucky to pick up the following awards.
 
Independent Bottlers Challenge 2010

Campbeltown
12 YEARS & UNDER
BRONZE – NC2 Springbank 1996
 
19 YEARS PLUS
SILVER – Rare Auld Glen Scotia 1991
 
Highland
12 YEARS & UNDER
SILVER – NC2 Ben Nevis Madeira 1998
13-18 YEARS OLD
BRONZE – Lonach Glengarioch 1989
 
Islands (non Islay)
19 YEARS PLUS
GOLD – Runrig Highland Park 1987
 
Islay
13-18 YEARS OLD
BRONZE – NC2 Laphroaig 1997
 
Lowland
12 YEARS OLD & UNDER
GOLD – Whisky Galore Auchentoshan
19 YEARS PLUS
BRONZE – The Octave Cameronbridge 1978
 
Speyside
12 YEARS & UNDER
SILVER – NC2 Craigellachie 1999

 
Whisky Magazine – New Releases

Our Rare Auld Glen Moray 35yo and our Octave Range Glenrothes 40yo have won recommended awards in Whisky Magazine Issue 90 in the new releases tastings.
 
The whiskies are judged blind by their tasters and then marked out of 10.  Only whiskies scoring more than 17 out of 20 in each edition are awarded the recommended title.
 
Glen Moray – Scored 17 out of 20
Glenrothes – Scored 18 out of 20
 
You can see the certificates on our website http://www.duncantaylor.com/reviews.htm
 
Reviews

Our 1970 Caperdonichs go down a treat with Serge at Whiskyfun.com, 15th Sept 2010

These 1970 Caperdonich are rather less well known than the excellent 1972s, maybe because Duncan Taylor have fewer of them?

Caperdonich 38 yo 1970/2009 (42.3%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #4376, 158 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: we’re close to a fruitbomb at first nosing, the oak being quick to kick in but in a gentlemanly manner. Develops very classically after a few seconds, with the expected honey, mirabelle jam, quinces, beeswax, yellow flowers and just a little cinnamon and ginger plus vanilla and mint. Archetypical, as they say. Mouth: perfect attack, superbly fruity, fresh, hugely complex right from the start, with all things around bees and their products, many dried and stewed fruits and a wide asortment of secondary notes such as tobacco, lime, pina colada, longans, mead… All perfect. Finish: medium long, clean, easy, honeyed. White pepper, mint and cinnamon in the aftertaste, as almost always with these oldies. Comments: ha-ha, the 1972s have serious competition! But warning, this is very drinkable. SGP:641 – 91 points.

Caperdonich 38 yo 1970/2009 (45.9%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #4377, 205 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: this is going to be short: less fruits and honey, more nutmeg, eucalyptus and vanilla than in its sister cask. Still very nice on the nose but suffers from the comparison with its fruitier twin… Until it starts to become a little rounder and herbal at the same time. Hints of dill and celery and then a little ginger, as if it was re-racked in newer oak – which I doubt would have happened. Mouth: we aren’t too far from #4376 but this is rather less luxurious and ‘wide’. A little more on plums and on oaky spices, cinnamon, nutmeg… But there a very nice citrusy notes in the background. Finish: a tad longer that cask #4376 but also a little narrower. Quite some pollen. Comments: all good and even almost perfect, it’s just that #4376 was in its way. SGP:541- 89 points.

Caperdonich 38 yo 1970/2009 (46.8%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #4381, 153 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: hold on, this is funny, this one’s even grassier and less fruity than cask #4377. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful whisky, it’s just that you can’t beat an old fruitbomb that aged to perfection. After a few minutes: more quinces and orange marmalade as well as a little soot and something pleasantly metallic. Citron jelly. Globally fruitier. Mouth: it’s now really wunderbar, rich, punchy, fruity, honeyed, spicy… Old liqueurs, various honeys, lemon marmamalde, herbs, thyme, mint, liquorice… Even hints of ‘mojito’ – yes. Finish: long, punchy, fruity, citrusy, with just the right amount of spices. Comments: right, maybe it was a tad more austere than the others at very first sniffs but it just would stop improving after that. Frankly, this is perfect whisky at almost 40 years of age. As I may have suggested before, buy one, pour it into a shiny crystal decanter (you can find some nice ones for EUR 10 each in any flea markets but watch lead) and there you go, you have your prestige bottling (and just saved a few Ks). SGP:541 – 92 points.

Events & Shows

Hi everyone, it’s Mark here,
 
I had a couple of hectic weekends back to back in Denmark recently. The first weekend was at Hans-Henrik’s excellent Hotel Falster where Lago held their annual get together with Duncan Taylor stockists from across Denmark.  We previewed the Macallan sherry finish, which will be exclusively bottled for Denmark next week.
 
The following weekend I was back in Copenhagen for Whiskymessen meeting up with 3500 whisky fans with a large contingent coming from Sweden.  I was on a busy stand with Michael and his team from TØNDEN where we had 65 different whiskies on offer – all Duncan Taylor bottlings from Big Smoke 40 toNC2  Imperial 1997, through to Port Ellen 1983 to Highland Park 40yo.  It was a long day but it was great to see some old friends and meet many new Duncan Taylor fans.
 
You can see more of my trip on our website
 
http://www.duncantaylor.com/news/index.php,
 
Whisky Live Paris
 
We will be saying au revoir to Kirsty who will be heading to Whisky Live Paris on the 25th, 26th and 27th of this month.
 
Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival
 
Mark will be in Dufftown for the festival and he is hosting a tasting on the Monday 27th September at 6pm.  There are still a few tickets available from Spirit of Speyside website.
 
We hope to see you on our travels.
 
Regards,
The Sales Team
 
Social Networking

Remember to check our Duncan Taylor Blog for regular news updates at www.duncantaylor.wordpress.com/and if you haven’t already done so, please feel free to add us as friends on Facebook and Twitter (dtcwhiskies).

Please feel free to comment and add to this with anything you feel relevant.

 For further information, please contact:

Duncan Taylor & Co Ltd
Whisky Merchants and Brokers,
4 Upperkirkgate, Huntly,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB54 8JU
website: www.duncantaylor.com
email: info@duncantaylor.com
Phone: +44 (0) 1466 794055
Fax: +44 (0) 1466 794618

Purveyors of the worlds most exclusive range of Scotch Whiskies