Prepare your taste buds for a party as we continue to celebrate our members with six new flavoursome whiskies, available online today. ‘Scent with love’, from us to you.

VIEW ALL NEW WHISKIES          VIEW ALL WHISKIES 

*Please be aware, our queue system will be in place for the sale of these bottles. Members on the bottle pages or the Latest Outturn page of the website will be randomly placed in a queue five minutes before the sale starts at 1.55pm

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

https://youtu.be/uIM6eC4Xuiw

With all of this talk of non-chill filtering and natural colour going around, I’d like to talk about Dalmore 12. Which despite being chill filtered and coloured is still a great whisky. Aged in ex-American Oak for nine years and finished in Matusalem Oloroso Sherry for the last three. Dalmore 12YO is a consistent best seller around the world and has, from experience, one of the best runs of consistency in the sherries single malt world.

Just because something is NCF and natural colour, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll like it? Does it?

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SLIABH LIAG DISTILLERS TURNS THE SOD ON THE ARDARA DISTILLERY SITE 

Tuesday, 15^th September: Members of The Ardara Town Traders’ Association gathered in the Showfield today with the founders of Sliabh Liag Distillery to turn the sod on the site of the new Ardara distillery, which will open in 2021. The turning of the sod culminates in a busy period for the Donegal distillery, which over the last two weeks has raised €1.5 million via crowdfunding to fuel the next phase of its expansion.

James Doherty, who founded the distillery with his wife Moira, said, that following the huge response to the investment raise, plans for construction are full steam ahead: “We’ve been a little overwhelmed by the response to our crowdfund with over 800 new investors becoming part of the Sliabh Liag Distillers’ family in the past two weeks. Our funding took yet another giant leap forward this week with the announcement that three of our existing shareholders have committed an additional quarter of a million euros to the business; seeing existing investors of such industry standing confidently expand their stake in our company is a fantastic endorsement of what we are aiming to achieve by reclaiming Donegal’s distilling heritage.”

Moira Doherty, co-founder, went on to say: “It feels like this day has been a long time coming and we wouldn’t have got here without the support of our architects, Gavin and Michael of Corner Stone Associates, Hugh Gavigan for the land and the enthusiastic welcome of the Ardara community. So, we say a big thank you to all our supporters near and far for helping us get to this momentous point.”

Demand for the distillery’s brands is gathering international momentum, says James: “Over the past week, we’ve taken a raft of new orders from existing customers for products across our range. Russia, Finland and Germany have submitted orders with Italy and Australia expected this week – Dark Silkie and An Dúlamán are proving particularly popular and make up 90% of the volumes ordered. Production at our Carrick Distillery has stepped up another gear and the bottling line is busier than ever.”

Stephen McCahill is Chairperson of the Ardara Town Traders’ Association and he says the community in Ardara is delighted that Sliabh Liag Distillers has begun construction of its new distillery: “This is an exciting day for the town and we look forward to supporting founders, James and Moira Doherty, as they seek to reclaim the distilling heritage of Donegal and make the Sliabh Liag peninsula to Irish whiskey what Islay is to Scotch. James tells me his grandfathers were poitín men, so it’s in his DNA, but his and Moira’s passion for sharing Donegal’s distilling heritage with the rest of the world has driven this project forward time and again! Sliabh Liag Distillers’ new state of the art facility will offer an industry-leading visitor experience to sit alongside all that Ardara town has to offer on Donegal’s Wild Atlantic Way, placing Ardara at the centre of Donegal and Ireland’s growing and vibrant whiskey tourism scene.”

Gavin Shovelin one of the architects said: “this is an iconic project for Donegal and to be able to design these buildings for my hometown is really special. We have designed the still house to be modern, practical and sympathetic to the area reflecting the vision Moira and James had and I am looking forward to the benefits that this project will bring to our local community”.

In August, Sliabh Liag Distillers reclaimed Donegal’s whiskey heritage with the first legal distillation of whiskey in nearly 200 years. The company also bridged the Atlantic and 200 years of history with the arrival of its spirts in the United States last month, marking the first time in almost 200 years that a batch of spirits from Donegal was dispatched to the United States.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival to return in 2021

The whisky event that brought whisky drinkers together during Lockdown is to return in 2021.

The first Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival was the first full-scale whisky event to adapt to the challenging circumstances we currently face, and in the process created a fantastic new event, uniting whisky fans around the UK & Europe to take part in the largest whisky show of the year so far.

The response to the first virtual festival has been so positive that the Summerton Whisky Club have been convinced to hold a second, which will take place March 2021.

This second festival will build on strengths of the first event, creating a day of digital entertainment and most importantly the festival pack for everyone to take part, as well as adding new elements that will see it become a three-day affair.

Speaking of the Virtual Festival, Summerton Whisky Club Founder Dan Humphrey said, “It’s been a very difficult year for the entire whisky industry and wider community, and we have already seen the benefit of having some whisky fun to look forward to.

The response to our first virtual whisky festival was fantastic and it’s wonderful to see the industry and community all coming together to raise our spirits. With the turmoil set to continue this Winter, we wanted to do our bit again.

The Summer Virtual Whisky Festival aims to create not only an event that we can all look forward to, but one in which the attendees can actively participate in, engaging directly with whisky makers whilst still enjoying a dram”.

Due to take place in March 2021, with more details to follow, the Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival main event will once again combine a whole-day live stream with a home-delivered pack (containing drams, mixers and snacks) to create an event which whisky enthusiasts can not only look forward to, but also actively take part in whilst in the comfort of their homes.

In addition to brand presentations, cocktail masterclasses, Q&A sessions and insightful talks from prominent industry insiders are also scheduled to take place during the event. The festival will be supported by live entertainment and a wide variety of well-known industry figures, whisky writers and presenters.

Dan again, “This new format of festival has presented some interesting opportunities, such as every attendee can now visit every brand at the event, attendees can return the festival afterwards by re-watching and we get to talk in-depth to the people who make the whisky, something that doesn’t normally happen. Instead of thinking this as a replacement to our normal activities, I feel that the virtual event is something that we can add to our diary to offer different experiences to drinkers”.

Notes  

About Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival

Ticket details and brands attending will be released December

Key Stats from Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival 2020:

• 1,074 viewers on the day
• 3% Satisfied, 77.7% Very Satsifeid
• 9% wish to participate in our next event
• 33% of attendees had not been to a whisky event before
• Attendees were from:
  UK, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden

Exclusive Apollo 8
“Earthrise”

‘Oh Man, That’s Great!’ Caol Ila 10 Year Old 2010

Fifty-two years ago Apollo 8 became the first crewed voyage to reach the moon, orbit the moon and return home.

Pilot William Anders photographed Earthrise. Regarded as the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.

To mark this occasion, TheWhiskyBarrel.com has bottled a single first fill Oloroso hogshead distilled in 2010 at the Caol Ila distillery on Islay. Just 294 numbered bottles at cask strength 56.4%.

In the interest of fairness ‘Oh Man, That’s Great!’ Caol Ila 10 Year Old is limited to 2 bottles per customer (but you don’t have to be an astronaut to buy it!)

Shop – Caol Ila Oh Man, That’s Great! – £120 / €131.08 / $129.36

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 338: Waterford Ballykilcavan Edition 1.1

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky vlogger, tries the new releases from the Irish Waterford distillery. Waterford is the new Irish distillery from Mark Reynier, which we all remember from his years at Bruichladdich. His search for terroir – or Tèireoir as he very cleverly put on the label – continues undiminished for his new bottlings, of which the very first releases sold out in a flash. This Ballykicavan matured on a combination of American oak, French oak and French Vin Doux Natural casks. The barley, as the name suggests, comes from one single farm: Ballykilcavan. Hence the moniker Single Farm Origin.

https://youtu.be/8qO42CNT7hY

Experience one of the most awarded Japanese Whisky releases, the iconic Hakushu 18 Year Old.

Discover the famous whisky from one of Japan’s most renowned distilleries.

Dekanta

2-49-7 Minamiikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo,

New from the Golden Cask range + FREE Jim Murray 2020 Whisky Bible!

From the House of MacDuff comes the impressive range of single cask whiskies: the Golden Cask series. Each whisky in the range is specially selected and curated to represent the region and distillery of its origin. All bottlings are free from chill filtration and additional colouring – no two casks taste the same! What’s more, for a limited time only, we’re adding in a free Jim Murray Whisky Bible 2020 with every Golden Cask purchase. Not to mention, we’re still offering free UK delivery on orders over £50. Result!

Have a scroll down to catch a sneak peak of the new collection.👇

See all new Golden Cask whiskies ›

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at the lakes distillery One blend, Steel Bonnets Blended Malt and the newly released Whisky Maker’s Edition.

https://youtu.be/VrH_vJJaGSM

THE DALMORE RELEASES ITS BEST KEPT SECRET TO GLOBAL AUDIENCES FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, PARTNERING WITH HARRODS

Introducing The Dalmore Distillery Exclusives

Vintage 2003 And 2006 

London, September 2020: For the first time ever, The Dalmore Highland Single Malt is releasing two extremely rare limited edition Distillery Exclusives, outside of the distillery, in partnership with Harrods. To date, the Single Malt maker has released prized Scotch whiskies once a year direct from its distillery to those in the know. However, in response to the shifting landscape, The Dalmore will join forces with the leading luxury emporium to bring not one, but two new cask releases, usually reserved only for those who visit The Dalmore in Scotland, to audiences worldwide. But you’ll have to act fast – only 100 bottles of the 2003 Vintage and 450 of the 2006 Vintage will be made available and collectors are sure to be eager to acquire the latest Distillery Exclusives from the Highland distillery.

A sweet richness is to be discovered in both Vintages, due to the finishing in magnificent Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux wine barriques for the 2003 Vintage, and the finest Marsala Casks for the 2006 Vintage. From the enticing aromas to the delicious toffee and coffee finishes, these whiskies speak to all the senses and are an exceptional gift from The Dalmore distillery.

2003 Vintage

A magnificent whisky matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks finished in sumptuous Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux wine barriques. Natural colour and offered at cask strength.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Creamy caramel, sweet figs, Bakewell tart and banana bread

Palate: Sanguinello blood oranges, heather honey and vanilla panna cotta

Finishing Notes: Raspberry coulis, roasted coffee and glaced black cherries

RRP £1,500  ABV 55.2%  70cl  100 Available

2006 Vintage

Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks and the finest Marsala casks available. Natural colour, non-chill filtered and offered at cask strength.

Tasting Notes 

Aroma: Tangerine, cotton candy, honey-suckle and demerara sugar

Palate: Vanilla pod, toffee and soft liquorice

Finishing Notes: Ginger spice, sticky toffee pudding and Swiss white chocolate

RRP £200  ABV 55.8%  70cl  450 Available

Richard Paterson, Master Blender, The Dalmore commented: “I cherish my visits to our magical distillery in the Scottish Highlands. For 50 years I’ve been keeping a watchful eye over the alchemy of our whiskies as they mature and harmonise in the finest casks from around the world. Each one carries the spirit of the relentless creators of The Dalmore before me, bowing to nature and always striving to create the best. These whiskies are offered at cask strength – they are our gift to you and I hope you choose to enjoy them with those who matter most – time with loved ones has never been so important.”

Both Distillery Exclusive releases will be available to purchase online Harrods.com and in-store from Monday 14th September, until stocks last. For more information, please visit www.thedalmore.com.

About The Dalmore Distillery Exclusive Series

Since 2012, The Dalmore has released an annual Distillery Exclusive from its Highland boutique,  situated on a beautiful stretch of the Scottish coastline. Eagerly anticipated, the extremely limited edition releases sell out quickly as visitors to The Dalmore’s home are keen to add exceptional Single Malts to their collections.

About The Dalmore

For 180 years The Dalmore has been a masterpiece in the making. A Single Malt Whisky like no other, overseen by an unbroken chain of visionary whisky makers whose entrepreneurial spirit and restless pursuit of the perfect whisky endures today. Current Master Distiller, Mr. Richard Paterson, celebrates his sixth decade at The Dalmore in 2020. Richard Paterson continues to hand-select rare casks from the world’s finest bodega and wineries in which to mature the carefully composed sprit. This commitment is at the heart of our exceptional whiskies.

When asked what the greatest Dalmore he has ever made is; our Master Distiller, Richard Paterson responded: “We haven’t made it yet”.

The Dalmore Single Malt Whisky is available worldwide in the finest outlets, from Harrods, London, Galleries La Fayette of Paris, Beverly Wilshire of Los Angeles, and Shangri-La, Shanghai. For those that enjoy fine travel, The Dalmore is now available at 40,000 feet with Emirates First Class, and onboard Queen Mary II of Cunard.

Worldwide demand for The Dalmore by consumers and collectors alike has continued to grow. The Dalmore is now the fastest growing single malt whisky worldwide and a Top Three Whisky Investment.*

(*Citation 1: IWSR 2011-17, Cohort: 20 single malts CAGR 11-17 26% or % change 11-17 304%. Citation 2: Rare Whisky 101: The 2016 Collectors and Investors Single Enjoy responsibly, Malt Scotch Review).

ABOUT HARRODS

Harrods began as a wholesale grocer and tea merchant in east London, first opening its doors in 1834. Since then, it has grown to become the world’s most famous department store, known for its unrivalled range of luxury merchandise. As well as exclusive brands and myriad departments, one of Harrods’ most renowned attributes is its unparalleled service. Harrods continues to be guided by its philosophy of “anything is possible”, and, to this day, our customers remain at the heart of everything we do.