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OLOROSO CASK MATURED
NOSE Sweet cinnamon aromas provide a welcoming introduction, with cocoa powder, cranberry and redcurrant notes emerging.
PALATE Mixed berry notes come to the forefront on the palate, along with hints of strawberry bubble gum, sticky toffee pudding and blackberries.
FINISH A nuttiness presents in the finish in notes of hazelnut and walnut.
UK RRP £75 – £78
Decadent Drams was conceived of as our new ‘all encompassing’ brand. As a home for all our whiskies below a price point of roughly £350, and especially as the home for all our other spirits and drinks that we offer in our ever-expanding selection. It’s a series with playfulness at its heart, where we will take a completely fresh approach with the label design for each new release. The inspiration might be drawn from the flavour profile of the bottling, or perhaps something to do with the history or culture associated with a particular producer or distillery. We’re casting a wide net with a view to offering a diverse and high-quality series that is visually arresting, humourous, playful, mischievous and very fun.
Decadent Drams is our most regular and diverse series, the one you’ll see most often from month to month. Over the months and years ahead, you’ll find it populated with all manner of amazing and delicious whiskies, spirits and drinks…
International Beverage completes construction of
six new warehouses at Scottish headquarters
£7 million investment boosts cask storage capacity for future growth plans
Global spirits business International Beverage has concluded a major expansion programme at its headquarters in Airdrie, completing the build of six new state-of-the-art bonded warehouses at the site.
Representing a £7 million investment, the new warehouses are part of an upgrade of storage and logistics capabilities across the business, supporting the company’s long term global growth plans for its premium spirits portfolio, which includes Old Pulteney, Speyburn, Balblair and anCnoc single malt whiskies and Hankey Bannister blended Scotch whisky.
The 15-month project was managed in partnership with The Malcolm Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of logistics, construction and maintenance services. The new facility can house 60,000 casks, taking the Airdrie site’s warehousing capacity to approximately 700,000 casks overall, and providing much-needed extra maturation space for spirit from International Beverage’s five Scottish distilleries.
The new warehouses / Malcolm Leask from International Beverage + Ian McDonnell from The Malcolm Group
Positioned on the east side of the site, each warehouse measures 900 m2 and has been constructed to the highest technical, production and safety specification, using steel portal frame fabrication. The design also includes a full surface water drainage system, plus high-tech CCTV and alarm systems.
Toasting the milestone, International Beverage Managing Director Malcolm Leask said the investment indicates the company’s confidence in the future of its award-winning brands, despite what has been a challenging few years for the Scotch whisky sector.
He commented: ‘The completion of this new warehousing is another major step forward for our business following a busy period of acquisitions and new additions to our spirits portfolio. We now have some of the industry’s most modern, high-quality bottling and storage facilities at our Scottish headquarters, allowing us to manage stocks of our premium Scotch whiskies with greater efficiency and scale. Whilst current trading conditions in our industry are challenging, whisky is a resilient sector and I’m very proud to be building for the future – and to see the ongoing evolution of our Airdrie site as a thriving hub at the heart of our global business.’
Ian McDonnell, Senior Project Manager, Construction Division at The Malcolm Group added: ‘Our business is known for its expertise in industrial projects, and we have brought the very highest levels of design, construction and technology to this new facility. The spec and quality we have delivered for these warehouses is at the forefront of what’s possible in the Scotch whisky industry and we’re very pleased to have played our part in ensuring the continued production of high-quality spirits for International Beverage.’
About International Beverage
International Beverage is the international arm of Thai Beverage Public Limited Company. The premium spirits company’s portfolio is led by a range of high-quality brands including Old Pulteney single malt Scotch whisky, Hankey Bannister blended Scotch whisky, Caorunn Gin, PRAKAAN single malt whisky and Phraya Rum from Thailand, Larsen Cognac, and Cardrona spirits and liqueurs.
A certified Great Place to Work, International Beverage’s success is shaped by its 700-strong team based across the business’ network of nine global sites spanning the UK, France, New Zealand, and Greater China following the company’s recent acquisition of Asiaeuro International Beverage (AIB). For more information, please visit www.interbevgroup.com/.
2012 Port Charlotte 10 Year Old “Dramfool’s Jim McEwan Signature Collection 7.2″ First Fill Bourbon Barrel Cask #2554 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Previously $370) $258.10 View
Jim McEwan
Review Date: N/A
Aromas – Opens on a beautiful combination of peat smoked barley with tantalising hints of lemon & honey then waves of heather in bloom drift by. Little notes of juniper and pine mingle beautifully with the spiciness of bourbon residue and sweetness of malt extract. It’s Islay at its best, in the early summer with the warm winds from the Atlantic Ocean caressing the barley fields and depositing the salty moisture on the land that give the barley its unique flavour. Palate – The sweetness of malt extract is in harmony with the smokiness from the peat and also the spicy residue from bourbon-soaked staves, it evolves slowly creating the flavour profile that makes this spirit unique. The most important element of this spirit is that it is distilled by Islanders who simply walk in the footsteps of their fore-fathers; no computers, no chemists, no BS, just passion pride and patience.
This release was distilled on July 18th, 2012 after spending its entire 10-year life maturing in cask #2554, a first-fill Bourbon barrel from the Jack Daniels distillery. It was bottled in February 2023 without chillfiltration and no added color, at a natural cask strength of 60.6%. Only 232 bottles were produced. Tasting notes from Jim McEwan: “Aromas – Opens on a beautiful combination of peat smoked barley with tantalising hints of lemon & honey, then waves of heather in bloom drift by. Little notes of juniper and pine mingle beautifully with the spiciness of bourbon residue and sweetness of malt extract. It’s Islay at its best, in the early summer with the warm winds from the Atlantic Ocean caressing the barley fields and depositing the salty moisture on the land that give the barley its unique flavour. Palate – The sweetness of malt extract is in harmony with the smokiness from the peat and also the spicy residue from bourbon-soaked staves, it evolves slowly creating the flavour profile that makes this spirit unique. The most important element of this spirit is that it is distilled by Islanders who simply walk in the footsteps of their forefathers; no computers, no chemists, no BS, just passion, pride and patience.”
Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
The 51 is the oldest and most daring whisky ever to be released by The Glenrothes and the first in the world that can only be accessed by destroying its packaging. A bold reimagining rooted in the founding story of our distillery, it is a celebration of the rewards of commitment and a testament to the founders who dreamt of daring elegance – and forged beauty from brokenness to bring it to life.
This exceptional whisky is made from just two casks handpicked by our Master Whisky Maker, Laura Rampling. A vibrant and fragrant wonder, Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Whisky at Sotheby’s said “…the tropical fruit characteristics are bright and expressive, with a vitality that is rare to find in a whisky of such an age…”
The 51 is now available and bottles are already being acquired by collectors and connoisseurs around the world. Will you become the next ‘keeper’ to discover what lies within the jesmonite column? If you are interested in purchasing a bottle (RRP: £37,000) please email concierge@theglenrothes.com.
12 YO CASK STRENGTH
NOSE A sweet and vibrant introduction to this dram, there are notes of pineapple and banana loaf.
PALATE A slight hint of peat smoke kicks off the palate, with notes of milk chocolate and creme brulee.
FINISH The sweetness continues in the finish, along with notes of cinnamon.
UK RRP £70 – £72
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 567: BenRiach 14 Year Old 2010 Berry Bros & Rudd for GOS
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, loves BenRiach. Recently, the Sales Development Director of independent bottler Berry Brothers & Rudd, Mike Harrison, was in the country. Mark was fortunate enough to meet him—and taste quite a few delicious things—at the excellent Bar Terroir in the heart of Ghent. But the day before, the born storyteller had given a tasting with Ruben Gos in Heers, the strong man behind the drinks’ shop GOS. And Ruben had even selected a barrel for the occasion to bottle for his shop. It became this BenRiach 2010 (thus from the Billy Walker era) which yielded 120 bottles at cask strength. More than half of those bottles were sold at the tasting. Mark considers himself lucky to have gotten one.
Our June auction is now LIVE!
Place your bids until 7pm (GMT) Sunday 22nd June 2025.
Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!
Glenlivet – 55 Year Old (The Eternal Collection) First Edition
Karuizawa – 35 Year Old (1981) Single Cask #6183 (Dekanta) Tokyo & Osaka Cities of Japan
Hanyu – Ichiro’s Malt Card Series (Diamonds)
Midleton – Very Rare (Forêt de Tronçais) Edition 1
Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.com.
