THE MACALLAN DISTIL YOUR WORLD LONDON DOCUMENTARY TO AIR ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO 

The Macallan’s ground-breaking new exploration, in collaboration with the Roca brothers, to discover the essence of one of the world’s greatest cities will be featured in an Amazon Prime Video documentary from the 7^th December.

Distil Your World London follows The Macallan Whisky Maker Steven Bremner and the Roca brothers, owners of El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, twice named Best Restaurant in the World, as they explore the international city from an array of perspectives including food, culture, innovation, and community spirit.

In their quest to uncover the essence of the city, Steven Bremner and the three Roca brothers encounter Londoners who are experts in fields such as innovation, sustainability, and craftsmanship. Back in Girona at El Celler de Can Roca, they work together to extract the essence of London, creating a unique experiential sensory food and whisky pairing to be served in exclusive bars and restaurants across London.

During their adventure, the long-standing partners spend time with Indian chef Asma Khan, whose experience as a new arrival into London’s melting pot in 1991 and self-taught culinary skills offer a deep look into London’s multicultural side. As they tour a neighbourhood spice shop together, Asma gives a brief history lesson on Britain’s long-standing relationship with India and spices over the centuries and explains how Indian food and its spices have been part of London’s cuisine for almost 200 years. During a dining experience in Asma’s restaurant, Darjeeling Express, they discover the delicate balanced nature of using spices and the complexity of taste that can be achieved.

Steven, Joan, Josep and Jordi also meet with Laura Winningham, CEO of City Harvest London. The large-scale food redistribution charity collects high quality surplus from the food industry and redistributes it to over 300 charities and community programmes. While touring the City Harvest London warehouse, they witness a real sense of commitment and trust in the initiative. Inspired by this vibrant community spirit, they agree that exploring London’s community values is crucial to understanding the city itself.

Community spirit is something that resonates with The Macallan, which places a high value on its own relationship with its local Speyside community, as well as its global community. The Distil Your World London documentary itself will benefit City Harvest London through its online promotion via Good-Loop, a media vendor which enables brands to support charities through their advertising campaigns.

Jaume Ferras, Global Creative Director for The Macallan, said: “Distil Your World London is an exploration and journey in collaboration with the Roca brothers to create a whisky and a gastronomic experience capturing the essence of the city. It is not just about being there, but about immersing yourself and dedicating time to understanding what’s underneath everything you see and Distil Your World London is our attempt to document and share what we have learnt.

“We love the world of gastronomy. Since the origins of the estate where we live in 1543, farming has never stopped. That’s why our relationship with the Rocas is so natural, because we speak about something that we share a common language in. Food and whisky come together in perfect harmony because that’s how we have seen the world since the very beginning of The Macallan.”

Steven Bremner, The Macallan Whisky Maker, said: “We knew that we would find many things we could learn from through our exploration. It is a real challenge trying to take something as big as a city and distil its essence into a single malt whisky and the Distil Your World London  expression does not have typical flavour descriptors that you would see on a whisky.”

Josep Roca, said: “London is a food capital – open, cosmopolitan and a cultural melting pot. What you see in London is the world in a nutshell. The city has a depth: it has a history, and centuries of written cuisine. Thinking up dishes and snacks that remind us of a city is a real challenge. Encapsulating the aromas, the essence, an idea for an appetizer. For a whisky to have that kind of connection with a city is fascinating and all of these challenges arise in the kitchen at El Celler de Can Roca.”

Distil Your World London also features a selection of other characters including: London visionary Mischa Dohler – a Professor in Wireless Communications at King’s College London and director of the Centre for Telecommunications Research who epitomises London’s futuristic side; bespoke tailor Davide Taub – the Head Cutter at Gieves & Hawkes who is defined by the mastery, passion, craftsmanship and time he devotes to every piece he creates; and tea sommelier Edward Eisler – a tea lover who dedicates his life to the finest brews of Chinese tea.

The pioneering documentary marks the next step in The Macallan’s long-standing partnership with the Roca brothers. Their previous collaborations include Distil Your World Scotland, a culinary journey through Scotland to explore the country’s rich cuisine tapestry which resulted in an innovative publication and documentary which is also available to view on Amazon Prime Video as part of the Distil Your World series.

Distil Your World London will air on Amazon Prime Video from 7^th December 2020. For further information visit www.themacallan.com

Notes 

About The Macallan

Founded in 1824, The Macallan is renowned worldwide for its extraordinary single malt whiskies. Their outstanding quality and distinctive character reveal the uncompromised excellence pursued by The Macallan since it was established by Alexander Reid, on a plateau above the River Spey in north-east Scotland.

In 2018, The Macallan opened a new chapter in its history with the launch of its award-winning Speyside distillery. Designed by internationally acclaimed architects to promote sustainability, the building takes inspiration from the surrounding ancient Scottish hills. It stands nearby Easter Elchies House, the Highland Manor built in 1700 which is The Macallan’s spiritual home and remains the heartbeat of The Macallan’s beautiful 485-acre Estate.

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY

TO CONTINUE VIRTUAL TOURISM IN 2021

A Pandemic Pivot Led to a New Crowd Favorite called “Whiskey Wednesday Live”

FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (Dec 8, 2020) – Businesses are pivoting during the COVID pandemic, including Buffalo Trace Distillery. When travel stalled in the Spring due to safety concerns, this 245-year-old distillery and tourist destination turned to new media to ensure fans could still experience Kentucky’s top bourbon attraction. On-site distillery tours have since resumed, but fans continue to enjoy virtual tourism from the comfort of their homes.

The Buffalo Trace Distillery live stream on social media each week, called Whiskey Wednesday, has been viewed by over 3.6 million people around the world since episodes began on May 13. The unscripted live program is often hosted by Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley or Bourbon Hall-of-Fame Tour Guide Freddie Johnson. Viewers get behind-the-scenes access, insights, live bourbon tastings, and learn from experts how the National Historic Landmark Distillery produces fine bourbon. The interactive show also allows fans to participate, by commenting and asking questions online.

Whiskey Wednesday airs live at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time weekly. The feed is simulcast on social channels for the Distillery and its brands. The feed can be found on the Buffalo Trace Distillery Facebook page, as well as the Buffalo Trace Bourbon YouTube account, and as replays on the Distillery Instagram feed. Past episodes are easily found on the Buffalo Trace Bourbon YouTube channel.

The show debuted with almost 30,000 viewers on Facebook and YouTube on May 13 when Harlen Wheatley showcased the grains used to make bourbon cooking in the mash house. Fans immediately began sharing the streams, posting questions for subsequent shows, and virtually visiting the Distillery in eye-popping numbers.

It only took eight episodes to hit 100,000 viewers (July 15), then one more week to reach 200,000 (July 22). The stream has averaged over 165,000 weekly viewers since July 15, when the Distillery re-opened for socially distanced tours.

“Whiskey Wednesday has given our fans and visitors a connection to us, and allowed us to connect with them, in a time when personal connections are more challenging,” Wheatley said. “If people can’t travel to the Distillery in person, what better way to tour or enjoy a bourbon tasting with us from wherever you are. We’re grateful to our fans for watching and interacting. We hope they keep doing so.”

Future Whiskey Wednesday episodes are planned to continue in 2021 and will include more bourbon tastings, behind-the scenes tours, trivia, history and special guests.

In addition to Whiskey Wednesday, fans can take a virtual tour of the property anytime on the Distillery website.  On-site distillery tours are complimentary and available too, but by reservation only.

The Buffalo Trace Distillery pandemic relief efforts go beyond providing virtual content for visitors and fans. The Distillery continues to produce hand sanitizer on an industrial scale for some of the world’s largest organizations in healthcare, government, military, retail, distribution, airline, pharmacy, and banking industries and has produced about 2 million gallons of hand sanitizer to date.

The Distillery also continues progress on its $1.2 billion infrastructure improvement and distillery expansion to increase production for future bourbon demand.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 35 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon was named World Whiskey of the Year for 2018 and its William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac were named 2^nd and 3^rd finest whiskeys in the world for 2020.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.  To download images from Buffalo Trace Distillery visit

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel and Royal Canadian Small Batch Whiskies
Earn Gold Medals at International Spirits Challenge 2020 

            MONTREAL — (Dec. 9, 2020) – Sazerac brands Caribou Crossing Single Barrel and Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whiskies were awarded Gold medals at the 25th annual International Spirits Challenge. These awards were only given to brands that saw exceptional success in the blind tasting process.

The Tasting Awards were held over 12 days of intense blind tastings by panels of more than 50 respected industry professionals.  Samples were delivered to the judges in flights of numbered tasting glasses to ensure accuracy.  Each judge assessed the products according to age, region and variety, which is determined by the entrant and verified by the chairman.

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel is the world’s first single barrel Canadian Whisky and was designed to reinvent the category. Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whiskey is carefully made in very small batches with detailed attention from Sazerac’s master blender.

The International Spirits Challenge received more than 1,700 entries from nearly 70 countries around the globe in this, its 25^th anniversary year. Results from the 2020 International Spirits Challenge can be found at www.internationalspiritschallenge.com. 

About Sazerac

Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers with operations in the United States in Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maryland, California, and global operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, India, Australia and Canada. For more information on Sazerac, please visit www.sazerac.com.

Greetings whisky-lovers From TWL Lockdown HQ! 

Just a quick one today, so as not to take up to much of your valuable Xmas preparations…

We have three new tasting packs for your consideration, each accompanied by a ‘taste-a-long’ video from our founder, Eddie Ludlow.

Let’s go!

The Asian Whisky Tasting Pack 

As many of you will know, whiskies from Asia have taken off in a big way. First, Japan led the way, now India and Taiwan have joined the fray with some incredible whiskies to show for their efforts.

This pack features the same line-up as our very successful ‘Whisky Festival in a Box’ Asian pack, so it’s a great chance to try them if you missed out.

You will have the opportunity to taste;
Suntory, Chita Distillery, Japan – Single Grain Whisky

Nikka, Miyagikyo Distillery, Japan – Single Malt

Kavalan Distillery, Taiwan – Sherry Cask

Rampur Distillers, India – Double Cask

Paul John Distillers, India – Bold

Amrut Distillery, India – Naarangi

Packs are available to order now, as 6x20ml tasting boxes with the whiskies alone (£30 plus delivery), or 6x20ml gift boxes, with a Glencairn whisky tasting glass, a can of Larkfire ‘Wild Water for Whisky’ and a TWL 2020 pin badge (£35 plus delivery).

Buy Asian Whisky Tasting Pack Now

Buy Asian Whisky Gift Pack Now

Peated Whisky Tasting Pack

As the nights continue to draw in and the weather turns colder, sometimes the only thing to turn to is a hearty, peated dram. This pack explores the smokier side of Scottish single malts.
Wolfburn Morven

Highland Park Valfather

Kilkerran Heavily Peated Cask Strength

Port Askaig 12 Year Old Autumn Release

Kilchoman 100% Islay 9th Edition

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Packs are available to order now, as 6x20ml tasting boxes with the whiskies alone (£30 plus delivery), or 6x20ml gift boxes, with a Glencairn whisky tasting glass, a can of Larkfire ‘Wild Water for Whisky’ and a TWL 2020 pin badge (£35 plus delivery).

Buy Peated Whisky Tasting Pack Now

Buy Peated Whisky Gift Pack Now

World Whisky Tasting Pack

It’s not just Asia that is enjoying an unprecedented level of quality whisky-making and deserved interest in it. Distilleries are opening all over the world and this pack and tasting celebrates that fact.

Each pack contains:

Hinch, 5 YO Double Wood – Ireland

Mackmyra, Jaktlycka – Sweden

Penderyn, Port Wood – Wales

Nikka Yoichi, Single Malt – Japan

Stauning, Rye – Denmark

Whistle Pig, 10 Year Old Rye – USA

Packs are available to order now, as 6x20ml tasting boxes with the whiskies alone (£30 plus delivery), or 6x20ml gift boxes, with a Glencairn whisky tasting glass, a can of Larkfire ‘Wild Water for Whisky’ and a TWL 2020 pin badge (£35 plus delivery).

All of the packs will be accompanied by a YouTube taste-along video with Eddie Ludlow. Details of how to tune into these will be included in each pack.

Buy World Whisky Tasting Pack Now

Buy World Whisky Gift Pack Now

We massively appreciate your business, but please do be patient when ordering. To say we are a small team at the moment would be understating it dramatically! Just be assured you will get your pack within 2 weeks of ordering, and definitely before Christmas itself (courier allowing!).

Gateshead Whisky News!

Latest Whisky Reviews!

READ HERE

That’s it!

We hope you have a great weekend and look out for more exciting TWL developments soon!

Slainte!

Eddie

The Whisky Lounge Team

Celebrate the Compass Box Way

This will certainly be a holiday season like no other, so let’s make it one to remember for all the right reasons by sharing and enjoying this time we have together. It’s never felt so important to cherish moments and memories with our families, and as preparations begin, we’re thinking of ways Compass Box can make it really special. And delicious.

As always, keep an eye on our social media where we’ll share ways to enjoy our whiskies and help you choose the perfect Compass Box bottle for whisky-lovers. Follow our hashtag #shareandenjoytheholidays.

Here’s to a delicious holiday season!

The Compass Box Team

PS: Don’t leave it too late to order your Compass Box gifts. Shop here, and please check the last guaranteed dates from our delivery partners.

We have a ton of newly arriving treasures from around the globe, including a 23 Year Old Hector Macbeth, a 12 Year Old pot still rum under our “Golden Devil” label, and a can’t miss Games of Thrones inspired 9 Year Old Lagavulin. But the real showstopper is the Kentucky Owl Batch #10 release. We’ve had huge success with the Kentucky Owl releases in the past and expect no different here.

Lagavulin 9 Year Old “Game of Thrones House Lannister” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Previously $70) $25.99 View

1997 Hector Macbeth (Glenfiddich) 23 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Butt Finish Cask Strength Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $119.99 View

Kentucky Owl Batch #10 Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $349.99 View

Springbank 15 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)  $139.99 View

Christmas can be a busy time; shopping for presents, preparing the dinner and choosing the perfect festive tipple, so let the Society do some of the work for you with our Christmas flavour guide. We’ve matched a Flavour Profile to every part of the festive celebrations, from party food, to Christmas Eve dinner to the big day itself – so you can easily find the perfect accompaniment to your occasion.

SEE OUR CHISTMAS FLAVOUR GUIDE

VIEW ALL WHISKIES

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

EXTREMELY RARE GLENCRAIG WHISKY COMPLETES GORDON & MACPHAIL’S 125^TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES

— 44YO Glencraig is final of four ‘last cask’ whiskies —

The much-anticipated final whisky in a series commemorating 125 years of whisky creator Gordon & MacPhail has been revealed.

The Gordon & MacPhail 1975 Glencraig from Glenburgie Distillery is the last of four extremely rare and unique whiskies, each from the last remaining casks from lost or closed distilleries matured within Gordon & MacPhail’s famed warehouse.

The 44-year-old whisky was distilled in Lomond Stills, which operated within Speyside’s Glenburgie Distillery, before production ceased after just 23 years.

The majority of the Glencraig whisky was destined for blended malts, with the scarcely seen light and fruity single malt becoming a prized addition to any whisky collection.

Gordon & MacPhail 1975 Glencraig from Glenburgie Distillery [RSP £1500*]

Matured in cask number 9686, a refill American hogshead, under the watchful eye of generations of family members at Gordon and MacPhail, the light and fruity new make spirit has developed into a warming, citrusy single malt with a delicate herbal edge.

Just 110 bottles are available of the Gordon & MacPhail 1975 Glencraig from Glenburgie Distillery, which was laid down on Thursday 30 October 1975 and bottled on Thursday 28 May 2020 at 54.2% ABV.

The golden-hued whisky offers aromas of honey, coconut and oak. The taste brings flavours of rich nectarines, white pepper, lime and cocoa beans, with a soft herbal edge. A medium finish follows, embodied with citrus and lingering floral notes.

Stephen Rankin, a fourth-generation member of Gordon & MacPhail’s owning family and the company’s Director of Prestige, said:  “While it’s bittersweet to share the last remaining drops of these ultra-rare whiskies, they embody a fitting tribute to 125 years spent in pursuit of perfection. These four releases provide a personal legacy for all who have worked at Gordon & MacPhail over the decades culminating in these exquisite and unique drams found nowhere else.”

Alongside the four commemorative whiskies, Gordon & MacPhail has also launched a new film serialisation charting the company’s story of 125 years in the industry. The ‘Chapters’ series of five short films includes personal reflections from over 20 contributors, with appearances from whisky writer Charlie Maclean and Ryder Cup golfer Stephen Gallacher among others.

The series is available to watch now at www.gordonandmacphail.com.

Stephen Rankin added: “In our anniversary year, the ‘Chapters’ series gives the viewer behind the scenes access to our 125 years in the industry, as told by those who know us best.”

#GordonandMacPhail       

*Prices in international markets may vary due to local taxes and import duties.

Tasting notes – Gordon & MacPhail 1975 Glencraig from Glenburgie Distillery

Matured in cask 9686, a refill American Hogshead, and bottled at 54.2% ABV. Outturn of 110 bottles. 

COLOUR Golden 

AROMA Fragrant HONEY and DESICCATED COCONUT aromas lead to CITRUS BLOSSOM. MALTED CEREAL notes come to the fore alongside tart GRAPEFRUIT with soft GINGER and subtle OAK. 

TASTE Rich NECTARINE flavours and mouth-warming WHITE PEPPER give way to refreshing LIME ZEST. COCOA BEANS and CRYSTALISED VIOLET complement ripe APPLE with a soft HERBAL edge. 

FINISH Medium-bodied with fresh CITRUS and lingering FLORAL notes on the finish.  

About Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies

For over 125 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality.

Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries to its own bespoke casks.

It is this unique depth and breadth of experience that enables Gordon & MacPhail to combine oak, spirit and time to create a portfolio of iconic whiskies found nowhere else in the world.

• ‘Discovery’–This flavour-led range is the perfect introduction to our portfolio of quality single malt Scotch whiskies
• ‘Distillery Labels’–A range celebrating our long-standing relationships with Scotland’s distilleries
• ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ –The heart of our portfolio. Always unique, these non-chill-filtered, natural coloured, small batch expressions are genuine one-offs.
• ‘Private Collection’–Greatly-aged single malts from celebrated, little-known, or closed distilleries specially selected by members of the Urquhart family
• ‘Generations’–A prestigious collection of old, rare, and exclusive masterpieces

SCARABUS ISLAY SINGLE MALT

LAUNCHES TWO BRAND-NEW EXPRESSIONS 

Hunter Laing & Co. reveals the latest additions to their newest brand from the famed whisky island,

Scarabus 10 Year Old and Scarabus Batch Strength, will join Scarabus Specially Selected

The family owned Scotch whisky distiller, blender and bottler Hunter Laing & Co. introduces two brand-new bottlings to the Scarabus Islay Single Malt Whisky range. Scarabus 10 Year Old and Scarabus Batch Strength will be available to buy worldwide from 26^th November 2020. 

Scarabus 10 Year Old is priced at £45 for 70cl, bottled at 46% ABV and Scarabus Batch Strength is £49 for 70cl, bottled at 57% ABV. Both expressions will join Scarabus Specially Selected, available to buy at Ardnahoe Distillery and online at https://ardnahoedistilleryshop.com/.

The Scarabus 10 Year Old has the distinguished Scarabus profile of sweet Islay peat smoke but with extra complexity; every drop of Scarabus 10 Year Old is aged for a minimum of ten years in refill, ex-bourbon and virgin American oak casks.

To create the Scarabus Batch Strength edition, a small selection of Scarabus Islay single malt casks are chosen to be bottled at a higher strength of 57% ABV. The result is the signature sweet, peaty profile found in Scarabus, but with extra intensity, mouth feel and an even more lingering finish.

Scarabus, meaning ‘rocky place’ in Nordic, is named after a mystical area of Islay and is a whisky range for those with a curious mind and an eye for detail. The brand is bold and honest about its origins, and just a little mysterious about everything else.

Commenting on the release of the new expressions, Stewart Laing, Managing Director, said: “Following the success of the brand’s launch at Feis Ile 2019, it’s very exciting to add two brand-new expressions to the range. Scarabus is a brand which we are incredibly proud of, and to see Scarabus grow and develop like this is really wonderful.”

Adding to his father’s comments, Scott Laing, Business Development Director, said: “It’s always exciting when a new Islay expression launches and we are particularly proud of our Scarabus brand.

The flavour is unmistakable, the Islay peat, smoke and sea salt on the nose, followed by warming leather notes and a delightful vanilla sweetness in the mouth, leads to a rich, lingering finish, culminating all the elements which Islay whisky enthusiasts adore.

We’re very excited to see our ever-loyal Islay whisky fans react to both Scarabus 10 Year Old and Scarabus Batch Strength.”

The Scarabus range will be available to purchase online at https://ardnahoedistilleryshop.com/ from Ardnahoe Distillery, which is currently open to the public and hosting socially distanced tours.

Facebook: @Hunterlaingwhisky / @scarabuswhisky

Notes :

• Hunter Laing & Co is an independent distiller, blender and bottler based in Glasgow and run by the Laing Family – father Stewart with sons Andrew and Scott
• Hunter Laing has been operating since May 2013 and owns a portfolio of much-loved whisky brands including Kinship, Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare, Hepburn’s Choice and Sovereign.
• It distributes to 65 markets around the world in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australasia.
• The Laing family are the owners of Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay, which began distilling in 2018.
• Ardnahoe Distillery has welcomed over 34,000 visitors to the distillery since 2018.

“The Eagle Has Landed” | Caol Ila 8 Year Old 2012

On July 20th 1969 Apollo 11 lunar lander call sign ‘Eagle’ undocked from command module Columbia and went into lunar orbit.

The World held its breath and watched.

Landing on the lunar surface, commander Neil Armstrong proclaimed

“Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

The eight bottling for the TWB Apollo series is from the darkest sherry cask whisky we have ever seen.

A total eclipse of driftwood bonfire layered in craters of sherry and gingerbread – delicious!

Shop – Caol Ila The Eagle Has Landed – £125 / €136* / $137*