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Welcome to an episode of the show which has been in the pipeline for some considerable time, but now I’ve done it! I’ll be taking a look at three new Lowland distilleries, those being Eden Mill, Kingsbarns and the Galsgow Distillery.
The Spirit of Arran – ‘Project North & South’.
Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd has laid the groundwork to create a unique Blended Malt by filling casks with new spirit from both their Lagg and Lochranza distilleries on the Isle of Arran.
The independent Scotch whisky company owns and operates two distilleries on the Isle of Arran; Lochranza Distillery in the north and Lagg Distillery in the south. In March this year both distilleries underwent a period of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK has seen the temporary closure of many businesses a lot of which have still not re-opened at the time of this release.
When the distilleries began production again on 11th May after this short period of closure, the first runs of new spirit from each distillery were vatted together. This precious mix, combining both heavily-peated and un-peated spirit, was filled into Bourbon Barrels, Sherry Hogsheads and Sherry Butts at their Lochranza Distillery. These unusual casks will now slumber on the island until the time is right for bottling as a future Blended Malt.
This is a particularly interesting project to mark this unique moment in time. As an island whisky producer, Isle of Arran Distillers is in the rare position of owning a lowland and a highland distillery both based on one island off the west coast of Scotland. The DNA of the two distilleries is inextricably linked through their island connection and the flavour profile of the future Blended Malt Whisky is bound to create something very special with which to remember this period in history.
Director of Operations & Production for Lagg and Lochranza Distilleries, James MacTaggart said: “This is a first for Isle of Arran. We are aware of blended malts where the whisky from one distillery is married with that of another, or blended whiskies created by mixing grain with malt whisky, however this is the first time that we know of malt whisky from two sister distilleries being blended at the spirit stage. As the owners of two wonderful distilleries on the Isle of Arran, we felt it was right to join the two sides of our island together and produce a whisky that would always be a marker for this unique period in time.”
Isle of Arran Sales Manager, Andy Bell said “I am proud to have played a part in creating this truly unique blend, and will follow with interest as these casks mature. The experimentation at the heart of this process speaks to the truly independent nature of our company.”
Notes:
Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for:
Drinks Business Best Contribution to Wine and Spirits Tourism (2017)
Best Brewery/Distillery Tour – Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards (2017)
Best Visitor Experience – Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (2018)
Product Awards include:
Arran 10 year-old: Gold Medal ‘Best Single Malt 12 Years & Under, World Whiskies Awards (2019) San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold Medal (2018). International Wine & Spirits Competition Gold Medal (2018). Category Winner and Gold Medal ‘Best Scotch Under 12 Years’ Islands Non-Islay at the World Whiskies Awards (2018). International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018). Ultimate Spirits Challenge 91 points (2018). Ultimate Spirits Challenge Cocktail Commendation for the Rob Roy (2018). Double Gold Medal China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards (2014)
Arran 18 year-old: Gold Medal & Category Winner ‘Best Single Malt 13 – 20 Years, World Whiskies Awards (2020) Gold Medal ‘Best Single Malt 13 – 20 Years, World Whiskies Awards (2019) International Wine & Spirits Competition Gold Medal (2018) Category Winner & Gold Medal ‘Best Scotch 13-20 Years – Islands (Non- Islay) World Whiskies Awards (2018). International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018) Scottish Field Whisky Challenge – Gold Award for Best Whisky £50-100 (2018)
Quarter Cask ‘The Bothy’: Best Scotch Island Single Malt, World Whiskies Awards (2020 & 2019) Category Winner & Gold Medal ‘No Age Statement Single Malt’ for The Bothy Batch 3 World Whiskies Awards (2018). International Wine & Spirits Competition Silver Outstanding Medal (2018). International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018)
Arran Barrel Reserve: Silver Medal ‘No Age Statement Single Malt’ World Whiskies Awards (2020)
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 321: Girvan 12 Year Old 2006 Cadenhead’s
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky vlogger, tries a (very) high strength grain. Girvan is a relatively young distillery, founded in 1963 by the family William Grant & Sons, which we all know from Glenfiddich and Balvenie, but also from Kininvie and newcomer Ailsa Bay. Girvan was founded to produce the needed quantity of grain for the blends of the company: Grant’s. We’ll try a relatively young cask that was bottle by Cadenheads in 2018. After 12 years of maturation, it still went into the bottle at 60.3% ABV.
Come celebrate America’s traditional sips along with a full range of American Whiskey this 4th of July holiday weekend for our special virtual tasting on Sunday, July 5th at 5PM PST.
We will cover a full range of flavor profiles demonstrating American ingenuity. We will cover bourbon, rye and corn whisky. Why is corn whiskey not bourbon? Taste the difference between rye and malted rye. Discover some other great grains made into whisky and what is ASM.
Each tasting kit contains 0.50 oz. samples of nine whiskeys. Guests will receive a link to join our brand ambassadors for a private, Zoom conference where you can talk amongst yourselves, and describe what you’re seeing, smelling and tasting!
Tasting Kits can be purchased in these cities: San Jose, San Francisco, Pleasanton, and Oakland. Pre-purchase kits now for pickup starting July 2nd,
San Jose: Haberdasher (Available for purchase beginning Monday, June 29.)
San Francisco: Shovels Bar
Pleasanton: Beer Baron
Oakland: Beer Baron
Pour List Includes
Belle Meade Bourbon
Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser BIB
Barber Lee Malted Rye
KOVAL Single Grain Oat
KOVAL Four Grain
Balcones Baby Blue
Breckenridge Bourbon PX Sherry
Breckenridge Bourbon Port
Del Bac Whiskey Dorado Mequite Smoked
A relatively new indie bottler, however they have some amazing releases with differing cask types. First up is Cambus, a closed distillery, 26 Years Old and from a Sherry Cask. (VERY limited numbers left).
Distilled 5th May 1993.
Bottled 2019.
One of only 617 bottles.
Not just a TV show, now a whisky…and a gin, and a rum and moonshine! Made in County Cork, possibly by Midleton? This stuff is genuinely not bad, its not expensive and it’s made to a decent quality. I haven’t seen much of the TV show, so don’t expect the thick accent or a flat cap. Cheers.
Limited-edition Pagoda Sapphire Reserve completes Glenfarclas Pagoda Series in Glencairn Crystal decanters decorated with real sapphires
Glenfarclas has released its 63 Year Old Pagoda Sapphire Reserve in exquisite jewel encrusted Glencairn Crystal decanters. This final addition completes one of the world’s most prestigious series of single malt whiskies which has been almost five years in the making.
The Glenfarclas Pagoda Sapphire Reserve joins the critically acclaimed Pagoda Reserve Trilogy, comprising some of the finest and rarest whiskies on the planet today, as well as the 62 Year Old Ruby Pagoda Reserve released earlier this year.
The Sapphire Reserve is available in two editions:
The award-winning Scottish family business, Glencairn Crystal Studio, has designed and created all the luxury decanters in the Pagoda Reserve Series. The Pagoda Sapphire Reserve decanters, along with the other decanters in the series, are produced from the highest quality hand blown 30% lead crystal, renowned for its ultra-clarity to allow the full colour and richness of the whisky to shine through.
sky inside.
The Pagoda Sapphire Reserve decanter has been an exciting project for Glencairn Crystal Studio as it is the first time that the company has created glassware featuring precious sapphires. The front age statement on each decanter is embedded with 36 sapphires to construct the number 63, to highlight the age of the whisky. A staggering 11,000 sapphires were ordered and only those sapphires that were matching in size, and a dark blue rather than light blue colour, were individually selected to compliment the blue crystal stopper and specially created metallic blue colour applied to the engravings on the sides.
Intricate Chinese Guardian lions are featured on the sides of the Pagoda Sapphire Reserve decanter and are deeply engraved and infilled with a carefully selected rich dark blue colour to match the blue crystal Pagoda shaped stopper. These graphics bring a fluency to the representations of the Silk Road which are intricately engraved into the Pagoda shaped tops of both the Ruby and Sapphire Reserves.
The solid silver and gold plated collars of the two editions are both individually numbered with a unique design. In fact, each decanter is truly one of a kind, hand blown by some of the most skilled glassblowers in the world, with each of the delicate fittings being individually engineered to fit.
The Glenfarclas Pagoda Series takes its inspiration from the pagoda style kiln invented by Charles Doig more than 130 years ago. It turned the pagoda roof structure from Asia into a Scotch whisky icon and became an integral part of the whisky making process. Glenfarclas decommissioned its Pagoda Kiln in 1972 and the Pagoda Series pays tribute to this relic of malt whisky production of the past.
Scott Davidson, Glencairn’s New Product Development Director, commented: “We are incredibly proud of our work on the Glenfarclas Pagoda Series and believe we have delivered some of our finest and most exceptional crystal cut decanters to date. It has been an absolute joy to work on this project as it has given us the chance to incorporate valuable gemstones into our decanters for the first time. Each and every decanter created is a truly unique work of art to honour the quality of the whisky inside. ”
You can purchase Glenfarclas Pagoda Sapphire Reserve at The Whisky Exchange or visit www.glenfarclaspagodaseries.com
For further information about Glencairn Crystal visit www.glencairn.co.uk
Notes:
About Glencairn Crystal:
About Glenfarclas and the Pagoda Reserve Series:
The incredible journey of our wood starts in two continents, thousands of miles apart. Both American and European oak contribute distinct characteristics that impact the final whisky flavours. Steve McCurry documents the unique conditions of these woodlands that lay the groundwork for our Double Cask range.
Missed the first chapter? Discover how the journey began.
The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience,
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie, Moray AB38 9RX, Scotland, +44 (0)1340 318 000
Thursday 9th July, 7.30pm
online tasting with special guest Nichole Johnson- the International Bootlegger
This tasting is dedicated to celebrating and promoting diversity in the whisky world. We will be exploring fantastic whiskies from the first all African-American distillery in Kentucky, Brough Brothers run by Victor, Christian, and Bryson Yarbrough.
Right alongside we will be tasting a bourbon and a rye whiskey from a brand new distillery, Blinking Owl. A first for Orange County, this diverse operation produces all manor of spirts, and are looking to perfect their grain to glass production.
We welcome live interaction and will be answering all your questions during the show.
For all lovers of American Whiskey, this tasting is for you!
Nichole Johnson
Nichole has over 10 years’ of experience in the whisky industry, representing exciting whisky brands on a global scale. Well known for her incredible knowledge and engaging tastings, we can’t wait to hear about her latest projects with distributor Rusty Rabbit International! .
Thursday 9th July, 7.30pm
An invitation to join Katie Groves & Nichole Johnson an online tasting experience
£15
Your ticket includes:
3 x 30ml whiskies:
Brough Brothers Bourbon, 44.0 %
Blinking Owl Bourbon, 45%
Blinking Owl Rye, 45%
All proceeds to the Albert Kennedy Trust @aktcharity
All proceeds to the Albert Kennedy Trust @aktcharity, who help young LGBTQ people from all backgrounds affected by homelessness or abusive households. Since 1989, they’ve helped over 50,000 vulnerable young people with better living and opportunities. They provide support on housing, education, mental health and career opportunities, and fight tirelessly against all kinds of racism and prejudice.
