Looking for your favorite bottle of whiskey? In a world filled with e-commerce platforms and coupon sites you would think it would be easy to locate hard to find bottles. Unfortunately, tracking down some bottles is still a daunting task. Most people still have to hop from site to site to find what they need. It is also almost impossible to know if your favorite bottles are on sale unless you happen to visit a website at the right time.

GABA App makes shopping for whiskies so much easier. For nearly three years, our platform and mobile bottle locator have helped customers discover small batch whiskies, allocated spirits, and great deals.

Michelle, the founder of GABA App, recognized the need for a mobile bottle locator after consulting for small wine & spirits brands for over ten years. Tasked with locating bottles for clients, she found herself visiting multiple stores or websites, only to find that the product was out of stock or unavailable.

Digitally-savvy shoppers value platforms that quickly help them find what they’re looking for, especially if the items are on sale. This is why search engines and coupon sites are so popular. Unfortunately, these tools are not optimized for spirits customers.

GABA App addresses these needs by offering a mobile bottle locator that alerts you when hard to find bottles are available, being sampled, or put on sale. It’s as simple as following your desired bottles and setting up an alert. Shoppers can also accumulate rewards points towards future purchases.

GABA App covers most NYC neighborhoods, with shipping options enabling even further reach to many states.

GABA App is available for free in the Apple store, and the Google Play Store. You can also visit their web platform at www.gabaapp.com.

If you would like to be notified about our allocated whiskies first hand please send an email to support@gabaapp.com Subject: Allocated Whiskey List

Private Collection

Glen Grant 40 Year Old

1980 vintage | cask #37 | 105 bottles

Private Collection

Celebrating well-aged and unique casks from Gordon & MacPhail. This Glen Grant 1980 vintage, aged for 40 years in a refill American hogshead. Filled 22nd February 1980 and bottled 7th October 2020 yielding just 105 bottles at 44.8%.

Nose : Citrus zest aromas combine with pineapple and subtle white chocolate. An undertone of green apple develops giving way to coconut and fresh herbs.

Palate : Soft pepper leads to smooth flavours of dried bananas with a hint of smoke. Sweet tropical fruit combines with rich orange and baked pear.

Finish : A medium-bodied finish with lingering mixed nuts and cocoa powder.

Shop – Glen Grant 40 Year Old

New & exclusive to Loch Fyne:
GlenAllachie Single Cask 2006

Sherry bomb alert! Introducing our latest Loch Fyne Whiskies single cask exclusive in collaboration with GlenAllachie Distillery. Matured for over 14 years in a PX sherry cask and bottled at natural cask strength (an eye-watering 60.1% abv!), prepare to be bowled over by the huge bombardment of sherried notes on offer.

Highly limited, cask #6624 produced an outturn of just 589 bottles.

Be sure to snap yours up today.👇

GlenAllachie 2006 Single Cask
Exclusive to Loch Fyne Whiskies
£109.95

Buy Now ›

ralfy review 868 – Glen Ord 11yo @ 56.1%vol: (A.D. Rattray.)

Virginia Distillery Company Releases Three New Whiskies in Courage & Conviction Line

Individual bottlings feature core trio of casks that make up Courage & Conviction

Lovingston, Va. (March 15, 2021) – Virginia Distillery Company has released three new whiskies in its Courage & Conviction product line, featuring individual bottlings of the core trio of casks – bourbon, sherry and cuvée – that make up the flagship offering of Courage & Conviction. Courage & Conviction is the distillery’s flagship American Single Malt whisky line, distilled on-site using 100% North American malted barley and mountain spring-fed water after aging a minimum of three years.

“These individual bottlings are a great way for us to highlight the casks that are foundational to the Courage & Conviction line,” said Virginia Distillery Company CEO Gareth H. Moore “One example is that we are one of only a handful of distilleries in the world to use these unique Cuvée casks, a profile developed by the late Dr. Jim Swan.”

Courage & Conviction Bourbon Cask is aged in former Bourbon casks sourced from Kentucky, which adds notes of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch and toffee to the whisky. The finish is creamy and exceptionally smooth.

Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask uses three different Sherry casks, Fino, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez, which gives the whisky notes of cherry, fig, golden raisin and caramelized plum.

Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask is aged in an innovative “STR” cask sourced from premium European red wine products. The cask is shaved, re-toasted and re-charred, energizing the wood sugars. This brings forward notes of raspberry, cherry, brown sugar, cocoa and baking spice.

Each expression is an American Single Malt whisky, aged a minimum of three years on-site in Virginia. Each expression is available in a 750ml, retailing for $84.99 per bottle with a 46% ABV.  Mix packs of all three expressions will be available in most markets, retailing at $84.99.

The first batch of these three new whiskies are dedicated to Nancy Fraley, a master blender and consultant who works with distilleries worldwide on maturation programs and sensory analysis. Fraley is one of Virginia Distillery Company’s key mentors.

“Nancy is a great friend and mentor to our team at Virginia Distillery Company,” said Moore. “We are thankful for her guiding nose and so happy we can recognize her by dedicating the inaugural batch of these three new expressions to her.”

The whiskies will be available to Virginia consumers beginning March 17 at Virginia ABC stores and through direct-to-consumer shipping via the distillery’s website. Nationwide direct-to-consumer shipping will start in early April and the whiskies will be available when the distillery’s Visitors Center re-opens later this spring.

Roll out at retailers in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. will begin in early to mid-April. Retailers in Alabama, North Carolina and Ohio will have limited availability during the same timeframe. Michigan retailers will carry the whiskies beginning in May.

The inaugural batch of Courage & Conviction, dedicated to Dr. George G. Moore, released in spring of 2020. The Dr. Jim Swan batch of Courage & Conviction was released in fall 2020.  The flagship release of Courage & Conviction is a combination of these three casks, with a target profile of 50% Bourbon casks, 25% Sherry casks and 25% Cuvée wine casks.

For more information about the distillate and cask data for Courage & Conviction, as well as bottling and process information for consumers, visit batch.info.

For more information about Virginia Distillery Company or American Single Malt whisky, visit the distillery’s website and complete guide to American Single Malt whisky.

About Virginia Distillery Company 

Staffed by a local Virginia team mentored by Scottish consultants with decades of experience, Virginia Distillery Company is the largest dedicated American Single Malt whisky distillery in the U.S. The distillery has a current annual production volume of 80,000 4.5L cases and growing. At full capacity, the distillery can produce over 8,000 casks yielding 350,000 4.5L cases annually. The distillery produces Courage & Conviction American Single Malt on-site using malted barley from North America and water from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, the distillery offers the award-winning VHW series, made with 100% malted barley. Showcasing both Old and New World whisky-making, the award-winning line marries whisky made on-site in Virginia with whisky from Scotland.

NEW YORK, 13 March 2021 – Moments ago in our New York saleroom, a specialty lot comprising a one-of-a-kind bottle of 1967 whisky from The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection created in collaboration with the globally renowned British pop artist, Sir Peter Blake achieved $437,500.

Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, said: “Sotheby’s Wine and The Macallan have had a longstanding relationship for many years, and it has been a privilege to sell some of the brand’s most iconic and sought-after bottles – with the A New Era of Advertising bottle now joining this illustrious group. In addition to the proceeds from the sale of The Macallan benefitting the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives, we were pleased to help raise funds for both the Shawn Carter Foundation, and the Asian American Business Development Center via two other outstanding lots: the D’USSÉ® 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition Grande Champagne Cognac and Hennessy X.O x Frank Gehry Masterpiece Decanter. It was exciting to see the worlds of art, design, and rare spirits come together through these exceptional bottles, and we look forward to continuing to present collectors with more superlative spirits through distillery collaborations throughout our 2021 auctions.”

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist, remarked: “We are thrilled with the results achieved for the three exceptional charitable lots presented today in our first dedicated Spirits sale in New York. Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed a staggering increase in demand for prized, rare whiskies – and the strong prices realized during today’s sale are a perfect illustration of this rapidly growing trend. With opportunities to gather again in-person with friends and family slowly becoming more frequent, now more than ever we are seeing collectors acquire special bottles from some of the world’s most celebrated spirits producers, in hopes of sharing them with loved ones in the near future. And it was our pleasure to present these extraordinary bottles to collectors worldwide through today’s auction.”

One-Of-A-Kind Original Bottle of 1967 Whisky from The Macallan’s Anecdotes of Ages Collection

Receiving 49 bids in advance of today’s live sale, A New Era of Advertising bottle is one of only 13 original bottles from this newly-launched whisky and art collection, and was offered alongside a print donated by Sir Peter Blake as well as a bespoke VIP experience at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. Proceeds of this sale will benefit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives, with the objective to increase both free access and outreach to a variety of diverse audiences within the New York metropolitan area. Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy free admission to the Guggenheim Museum on select Saturdays through a new initiative, ‘Saturday on the House’.

Igor Boyadjian, Managing Director for The Macallan, said: “The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection is an extraordinary art and whisky collaboration with globally renowned British pop artist, Sir Peter Blake that celebrates The Macallan’s rich legacy and Sir Peter Blake’s remarkable contribution to the art world.

“At The Macallan, community is a constant guiding principle and mindset at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to have partnered with Sotheby’s New York to auction this one-of-a-kind bottle of exceptional 1967 whisky, featuring original Sir Peter Blake collage art on the label, in support of the Solomon R. Guggenheim’s diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives. The funds from the auction will increase free access and develop engagement with a variety of audiences, and will support ‘Saturday on the House’, an opportunity for visitors to enjoy free admission to the Guggenheim Museum in New York on select Saturdays.”

About Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access, connoisseurship and preservation of fine art and rare objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 50 categories, which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Interiors, among many others.

Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide auction sales of wine and spirits totaled an outstanding $92 million in 2020, with over 15,000 lots sold across 41 sales – a nearly 50% increase in the number of auctions held in 2019. Over $60 million of wine and spirits were sold to online bidders in 2020 versus $28 million in 2019, with 85% of all lots offered finding online buyers. Demonstrating continued strength in Asia, Sotheby’s led the market in the region for the third consecutive year, with over 70% of the total bid amount in all Wine and Spirits sales attributed to collectors in Asia.

Sotheby’s Wine’s has had the privilege of auctioning numerous record-breaking wines and spirits in recent years, with 2020 alone witnessing new world auction records for any bottle of Japanese whisky, any bottle of whisky produced by the Dalmore Distillery, as well as any bottle of Cognac. Sotheby’s Wine currently holds the world records for any whisky collection ever sold at auction, any private wine collection ever sold at auction, the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction and the most expensive bottle of spirits ever sold at auction.

In addition to auction, Sotheby’s Wine launched a retail business in 2010. With a retail store located in Sotheby’s New York headquarters and e-commerce at www.sothebyswine.com, Sotheby’s Wine offers a carefully curated selection of wines from the world’s most prestigious producers and important regions. Expertly assembled by our experienced specialists, the selection is built upon lasting relationships with winemakers from across the globe, with bottles that are ready for immediate consumption, in addition to investment-worthy wines from highly sought-after vintages. A second retail location opened in Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries in 2014.

This offer applies to our April and May auction only.

Any current members or new members who share this post may even see a little surprise turn up in their next order…

Would you like to sell whisky in our next auction?

+44 (0)1463 210 427

E. sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

LET’S GET TOGETHER THIS WEEKEND

This Sunday, we will be hosting the first event in our new series ‘Adventures in Deliciousness’ as we celebrate the launch of our limited edition Magic Cask. An Evening of Magic, Art & Science is happening on March 21st at 8pm GMT (1pm PDT and 4pm EDT), and we’d love for you to join us.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

We’ll be exploring this marvel of a whisky with a tasting that will take a detailed look at the components that make up its recipe. Plus there’ll be a live Q&A, and an exclusive giveaway with the chance to win one of ten limited edition Magic Cask jigsaw puzzles.

Our founder John Glaser and whiskymaker James Saxon will also be joined by some special guests. Guy Pratt from Stranger & Stranger, who designed the label for this whisky and world-renowned magician Joshua Jay, who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, will be bringing his own kind of wizardry to entertain us.

WHERE TO BUY

You don’t need to have the whisky to follow along at home but if you would like to stock up before the event, you can buy Magic Cask via our website or from your local specialist spirits retailer. Contact us if you need help finding your nearest stockist.

Click the below banner to sign up and we will send you all the information you need to join on the day.

We hope to see you there!
The Compass Box Team

Online whisky subscription service, Craft Whisky Club is committed to delivering the next whisky classics directly to consumers’ doors. Today (March 15th, 2021) the brand announced to its members, in their next box, that they would receive a bottle of the coveted Torabhaig Legacy 2017 release. Any new members from today will be added to a lottery for access to some additional bottles.

Torabhaig is only the second distillery to open on the Isle of Skye and the first for nearly 200 years, now alongside the famous Talisker Distillery. The inaugural expression sold out almost instantly, when consumers were able to purchase bottles from specialist whisky retailers throughout the UK last month. Some retailers limited bottles to one per household and others operated on a purely first-come-first-served basis.

For those that missed out on the initial release, the distilleries partnership with Craft Whisky Club offers another chance to try this new, greatly anticipated whisky. All Craft Whisky Club members that are signed up as of today will receive the Torabhaig Legacy 2017, which is sold out everywhere else. Any new members from today will be added to a lottery to get access to some additional bottles. As with all releases, this is limited, and given the attention this bottle has received whisky fans are encouraged to sign up quickly to ensure not missing out once again.

Founder David Nicol commented on the partnership with Torabhaig; “We set out to discover the new classics and we feel we are helping to achieve this with each release we are featuring, but with Torabhaig, we believe we have acquired a real scoop. We would like to say a big thank you to all our loyal UK customers, we really hope you enjoy this one.”

Craft Whisky Club

EXTREMELY LIMITED EDITION RELEASES

The Story Behind Cooper’s Choice

For centuries, Coopers have been skilfully crafting the casks that come to store Whisky for distilling. The art of making these casks is passed down from generation to generation and has been done since the middle ages. The Cooper’s Choice range of whiskies is selected from Scotland’s finest distilleries in homage to the Cooper.

The Cooper’s Choice range has won numerous awards for their innovative and creative cask maturations and finishes. These extremely limited expressions frequently become only 300 finished bottles.

VIEW COOPER’S CHOICE BOTTLINGS