This month we’re entertaining our global family of members with a feast of flavour and unique whisky experiences. We’d love for you to be involved in our whisky club celebrations, whether you join us online, at a tasting event or by raising dram with us throughout the month.

Celebrate the spirit that unites us with some exceptional bottlings from September Outturn. We’re releasing 24 new casks for you to taste and explore, including some hand-picked Gathering bottlings. Click over to our website to buy now or stay tuned for some highlighted recommendation from our spirits manager Euan Campbell.

READ THE OUTTURN      ALL OUTTTURN WHISKIES

READ FULL GATHERING PROGRAMME

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

A quick reminder that the latest auction will end this evening. For the benefit of our first time bidders, this is how it works:

From 7pm UK time the software starts monitoring activity on the site, and at an unspecified time it will shut down the auction. This feature has been designed to beat sniper software.

The auction does not end at 7pm, only the end process begins then. In our experience it is some time after 8.30pm before the auction ends, so there us no need to rush to bid dead on 7pm.

If you are looking to collect the bottles from the office please note that we are now operating an appointment only system. Appointments are available from 10am-7pm Monday-Friday and you can book online.

We hope you have enjoyed the auction.

Kind regards from Glasgow,

The SWA Team.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 333: Compass Box Transistor

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky vlogger, enjoys a Boilermaker! BrewDog is an innovative, rebellious brewery in Scotland since 2007. They even have a bar in Brussels by now. They asked three whisky producers to create a whisky for a boilermaker. That’s the combination of whisky and beer – side by side. Duncan Taylor gave them Skeleton Key, the Dutch Zuidam delivered a 100% rye whisky Torpedo Tulip and Compass Box came up with this Transistor. It is created to be savored alongside the Punk IPA from BrewDog. The whisky is a blend of Cameronbridge grain with the following malts: Linkwood, Teaninich, Dailuaine and Clynelish. Parts of the whisky were matured on French oak from the Vosges.

https://youtu.be/Jgfz5APgEnY

SCOTTISH FAMILY FIRM LAUNCHES THE ANGELS’ SHARE GLASS

The team at an award-winning family firm has created a new spirits glass – The Angels’ Share Glass.

The glassware, which features an angel’s wing and a flame, is launched online by Stirling company Angels’ Share Glass today.

It is the latest innovation from the firm which is renowned for a range of glassware including Whisky Angels, Whisky Water Droppers and Gin Pigs.

Angels’ Share Glass Managing Director Karen Somerville said: “We’ve always wanted to add our own glass to the range so this is a concept which has been in the making for a long time.

“We’ve gone back and forth in deciding how it should look and behind the design is the idea that it should be simple but bold and legendary but attainable.

“There is no pseudoscience involved. We wanted to come up with something for drinkers who don’t take their spirits too seriously and we’re delighted, that after all this time, we have our own glass reflecting the company’s journey and vision.”

“The Angels’ Share Glass is designed on elegance and grace much like an Angel and it’s ideal for everyone’s favourite spirit whether that be Scotch Whisky, Rum, Bourbon, Cognac, Vodka, Sherry, Port or Gin.”

There are two glasses in the range – a standard size which takes 100ml of spirits and a mini tasting version which is 50ml.

The glass was designed by Karen Somerville and her father, Master Glassblower Tom Young MBE, who were keen to incorporate the wing and flame which forms their company logo into the design.

It is aimed at all spirits-lovers and complements the firm’s existing bar and giftware range including gift sets.

The versatile glass can also be personalised with a name or brand and plans are underway to extend the range to include decanters and water jugs.

The company had intended to launch The Angels Share Glass during an Open Day at the firm’s headquarters in Bridge of Allan near Stirling, however, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the launch will be a virtual one instead.

Mrs Somerville said: “It’s a shame we can’t have a full launch at our studio, but like many small businesses we’ve had to adapt to the current situation and instead we’ve created a video featuring the Angels’ Share Glass which we hope everyone will enjoy.”

The video can be viewed here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw80vrjEDjk

The standard 100ml Angels’ Share Glass costs around £12 while the mini version, which is perfect for tasting sessions, is 50ml and £10.

For more details and to order go to – www.angelsshareglass.com/collections/gift-sets

For more information about Angels Share Glass, visit www.angelsshareglass.com

Notes:

Angels’ Share Glass is a family-run business based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. The firm was co-founded by Karen Somerville and her father Tom Young MBE – a world-renowned Master Craftsman who has been glassblowing and making lamp-work glassware for 60 years. More information about the company can be found at www.angelsshareglass.com

Make Mine a Double!
The Whisky Bible’s Two Editions.

Apart from being the most authoritative and detailed book on whisky in the world, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible has always set out to be the most comprehensive and easy to use, too. That is why there is now both a standard and North American edition.

So, if you are in a hurry and have only moments to make a quick decision about buying a whisk(e)y, then if it is bourbon, rye and other American whiskeys you are looking for, the North American edition now lists those at the front of the guide lining up the brands alphabetically as well as by State. And this followed directly by the Canada section, making this edition of the Whiskey Bible even more North American user friendly.

For Scotch lovers around the world, the standard Jim Murray Whisky Bible presents you the single malts section distillery by distillery alphabetically as before.

whiskybible.com
The only place to order personally dedicated copies.

Auction Is Now Live!

THE LIVE AUCTION

21oo+ lots to bid on including a…

Macallan – 72 Year Old Lalique Genesis Decanter

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

+44 (0)1463 210 427

sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

September Virginia Spirits Month Is Here

September in Virginia means one thing: Virginia Spirits Month! We’re excited to launch a new whisky cocktail kit, featuring our Cider Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky. Perfect for those September evenings on the porch.

GET THE DETAILS

Hitting Store Shelves Near You

In the next week, Cider Cask Virginia-Highland Whisky will be hitting the shelves near you… just in time for the September weather. Keep your eyes peeled for its return. 🍏 Use our website’s store locator to find a bottle near you. If you live in Virginia, we can also ship a bottle to you direct from our distillery.

SHOP HERE

USA Today: Best Craft Whiskey Distillery Nominee

We’re thrilled to have received a nomination for USA Today 10Best’s Best Craft Whiskey Distillery. If you had a free second, head on over and give us a vote.

SUBMIT YOUR VOTE

Journey Cask: Britannia – Almost Sold Out!

Our Journey Cask: Britannia release is almost sold out (there are less than 5 cases left!). This limited release scored 93 points in Whisky Advocate, and is currently our only cask-strength offering. Grab a bottle before it’s gone!

Only available through our distillery store, shipping to Virginia residents only.

GET A BOTTLE

Edradour We Have Arrived – Apollo Moon Exclusive 🚀

Exclusive Apollo 10
“Charlie Brown”

‘We Have Arrived’ Edradour 10 Year Old 2010

Fifty-one years ago Apollo 10 pioneered a full dress rehearsal for the first historic moon landing. Command service module, dubbed “Charlie Brown” stopped short of landing on the lunar surface.

Commander Thomas Stafford proclaimed “You can tell the world that we have arrived”.

To mark this occasion, TheWhiskyBarrel.com has bottled a single first fill sherry butt distilled in 2010 at the Edradour distillery in the Scottish Highlands. Just 400 numbered bottles at cask strength 57.4%.

In the interest of fairness ‘We Have Arrived’ Edradour 10 Year Old is limited to 2 bottles per customer (but you don’t have to be an astronaut to buy it!).

Shop >> We Have Arrived – £120 / €135 / $133*

Whisky and Art collide on this weeks episode of the Good Dram Show https://youtu.be/ibL5l6kOHKU featuring the inaugural releases from Distillers Art Ltd.

GORDON & MACPHAIL COMMEMORATES 125^th ANNIVERSARY WITH ‘LAST CASK’ RELEASES 

— 47YO Coleburn first in the series of four rarely seen whiskies — 

Gordon & MacPhail has revealed plans to launch four rarely seen single malt Scotch whiskies to commemorate the company’s 125-year history.

Exceptionally scarce, each whisky – either from a closed distillery or made on Lomond Stills no longer in production – is from the last cask held in Gordon & MacPhail’s famous warehouse in Elgin. The rare single malts will be released periodically during the rest of 2020, providing a fitting tribute to 125 years spent in pursuit of perfection of the art of maturation. Since 1895 Gordon & MacPhail has released single malts from over 100 celebrated, little-known, or closed distilleries.

The first of the anniversary whiskies to be revealed is the Gordon & MacPhail 1972 from Coleburn Distillery in Speyside. Coleburn Distillery, situated just four miles from the company’s Elgin home, started production in 1897 and it remained active until 1985.

Gordon & MacPhail 1972 from Coleburn Distillery [RSP £1500*]

Just 363 bottles of the sweet, intense and complex 47-Year-Old whisky from Coleburn Distillery are available. After spending its entire maturation in cask 3511, a refill sherry puncheon, the golden-hued whisky has been bottled at cask strength (62.4% ABV), developing a sweet aroma with butterscotch notes.

This sweetness is carried into the taste of the whisky, with apricots flavours, cooked apples and mint giving way to a medium finish with autumnal fruit and a slight herbal finish.

Stephen Rankin, a fourth-generation member of Gordon & MacPhail’s owning family and the company’s Director of Prestige, said: “The whiskies we have chosen to commemorate our 125^th Anniversary are all truly unique and seldom seen in the market.

“They are bottled from the last remaining casks we have from these distilleries, and marks an emotional moment for my family as they leave the Gordon & MacPhail warehouse after being left to mature by my grandfather many decades ago.

“These single malts represent not only the skills and expertise in whisky maturation built and passed down through generations, but also the passion we have in advocating the discovery of rare whiskies from some of Scotland’s lesser known, but much sought after, distilleries.

“We intend to reveal details of the other three whiskies over the coming year, with each single malt honouring this important milestone for Gordon & MacPhail.”

For more information visit www.gordonandmacphail.com.

#GordonandMacPhail

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

Tasting notes 

Gordon & MacPhail 1972 from Coleburn Distillery

Matured in cask 3511, a refill sherry puncheon and bottled at 62.4% ABV. 

Colour: Golden

Aroma: Sweet butterscotch, ripe fruit and subtle floral aromas. Caramelised sugar develops alongside waxy citrus peel, slowly transforming into fresh guava.

Taste: Intensely sweet; fruity flavours of apricot and cooked apple with a subtle mouth-warming chilli spice edge. Subtle charred oak flavours give way to a soft undertone of mint leaves.

Finish: A medium finish with sweet and ripe autumnal fruit and a lingering dry herbal note. 

Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies

Established in 1895, family-owned Gordon & MacPhail is curator of some of the world’s finest and rarest single malt Scotch whiskies from over 100 distilleries. Four generations of the Urquhart family have continued to pursue the perfect partnership between spirit and cask.

Since its foundation, Gordon & MacPhail has carefully matched spirit to the highest quality oak casks which are sent to distilleries throughout Scotland, filled with new-make spirit, and matured either at the distillery of origin or in the firm’s own bonded warehouse in Elgin.

It is this simple but endlessly complex pairing that creates an intriguing and unique portfolio of expressions – single malts that Scotch whisky lovers will not find anywhere else.

In April 2018, the company unveiled its streamlined portfolio:

• ‘Discovery’ – Utterly dependable, 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.