CREATE THE PERFECT DRINKS TROLLEY THIS FESTIVE SEASON WITH

WOODFORD RESERVE’S LIMITED EDITION WHISKEY GIFT RANGE 

Thursday 31 October 2019, London UK – Whether for you or a loved one, celebrate with WOODFORD RESERVE®’s unique holiday gift selection, from the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Gift Pack – for those partial to an Old Fashioned cocktail – to the Woodford Reserve Malt, the Scotch drinker’s whiskey of choice. Perfect for seasoned whiskey aficionados and cocktail enthusiasts alike, Woodford Reserve’s award-winning family of American Whiskeys offers a gift that will befit every celebratory occasion this winter. 

A WARM WELCOME FOR WHISKEY LOVERS; FROM RRP £32.00

Revered for its rich and full-bodied flavours brought out by the masterful artisanal process behind every bottle, Woodford Reserve Bourbon is one of the world’s most celebrated bourbons, with over 200 detectable flavour notes. So what better way to gift your loved ones during this year’s festivities than with a bourbon that has truly made its mark and a limited edition bottle. From bold grain and wood notes, to sweet aromatics, spice and fruit, Woodford Reserve Bourbon can be served as a digestif after dinner, on the rocks, or as the basis for a cocktail, thanks to its unique mashbill of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malt.

The special limited edition bottle depicts a holiday landscape from the Woodford Reserve Distillery. For over 20 years, guests have visited the national historic landmark to enjoy Woodford Reserve Bourbon, take in the scenery and learn about its history. Painted by renowned Kentucky-based artist, Suzanne Enriquez Dougherty, the snowy scene showcases the stylistic approach to her work bringing the warmth of the holiday spirit at the distillery to life.

Unusual also for being triple distilled for extra smoothness, this iconic spirit is a versatile foundation for your favourite festive tipple. 700ml bottle available from Tesco for RRP £32.00, reduced to £25.00 from 29 October until 18 November. 

AN OLD FASHIONED HOLIDAY; FROM RRP £32.00

Roll out the drinks trolley this December and pour out the world’s number 1 classic cocktail*, the Old Fashioned, with Woodford Reserve’s Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup, created in collaboration with a selection of the world’s best bartenders. Made using bitters, sugars and botanical extracts, the syrup makes light work of the classic American cocktail and has been developed to carefully complement the signature taste of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, including rich fruits, caramel, spices and vanilla – the true taste of the festive season.

Creating an authentic Old Fashioned to pair with the indulgent delights of holiday gatherings couldn’t be easier with one of two distinct gift packs. Choose from either one, featuring both the 60ml Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup and the award-winning 700ml Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Bourbon (available from selected Waitrose and Amazon stores for £32), or the other that comes complete with Old Fashioned glassware and a 200ml bottle of Woodford Reserve (available from selected Sainsbury’s stores at £18).

RECIPE:

1. Pour 50ml of Woodford Reserve Bourbon into your favourite rocks glass
2. Add 10ml of Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup
3. Stir with a large block of ice for 10 seconds and garnish with an orange zest

THE SCOTCH DRINKER’S WHISKEY; FROM RRP £35.00

For those who enjoy a Scotch as they nestle down post-supper but are seeking a new experience, reach for Woodford Reserve Malt. With an emphasis on the nuttiness of grain and toasted oak of the barrel, Woodford Reserve Malt Whiskey gives a more buttery flavour than its bourbon counterpart, an ideal pairing for the rich flavours of any festive dessert.

Whilst most people associate malt whiskey with Scotland, Kentucky has a history of malt whiskey production pre-prohibition, which Woodford Reserve has drawn on for inspiration. Crafted from 51% malt and aged in new charred oak barrels the result is a whiskey that is flavourful with notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits, caramel coated nuts and a trace of toasted coconut.

700ml bottle available from Asda for RRP £35.00.

Myth Busters

Canada’s whisky regulations are stricter than they look

High Wire’s New Southern Revival Sorghum Whiskey & Still 630’s S.S. Sorghum Whiskey would not be considered whisky if they were made in Canada.

A story in this morning’s edition of The Spirits Business draws the misleading and inaccurate conclusion that Canada’s regulations for making whisky are looser than those in the U.S.

Comparing regulations for Canadian whisky to U.S. regulations for bourbon may suit marketing purposes, but is disingenuous. Bourbon is just one of dozens of whisky styles approved by the American TTB.

Because Canada’s whisky regulations are succinct, some people believe they are looser than those of other countries. However, taken together, U.S. regulations offer significantly more options for whisky makers than Canadian regulations do.

Let’s compare Canada’s whisky rules to those of our much-loved cousin to the south:

1. Can Canadian distillers make whisky from pure sorghum juice? Absolutely not, yet American whisky made from the juice squeezed from the sugar cane-like sorghum plant qualifies as whisky under American TTB regulations.

2. Can Canadian spirit be sold as whisky without ever maturing in wood? No it cannot. But American whisky rules allow grain spirit that has barely touched wood to be labeled and sold as whisky.

3. Must American whisky be matured in new barrels only? No, new and used of barrels are both permitted under TTB regulations.

4. Must all American whisky follow specified “mash bills?” Certainly not. There is no restriction on what grains American distillers can use or their proportions. Yes, there are rules that apply to bourbon only, but bourbon is just one part of the American whisky spectrum.

5. Can Canadian distillers include up to 95% neutral spirits in their blends and still call them whisky? No! But according to American TTB regulations it is perfectly fine to do so in the US.

6. Can American distillers add artificial flavouring to their whiskies and still call them whisky? Yes they can, as long as it is “harmless.”

7. Must Canadian whisky taste like whisky? Yes, it must, but there is no such requirement in the US.

Canada’s whisky regulations are short, but don’t be misled. They are much more restrictive than whisky regulations in the US. A close read of the full TTB American whisky regulations shows that they provide almost no restrictions on what distillers can do when making American whisky.

America makes some of the best tasting and best selling whiskies in the world, so let’s not quibble over which country’s rules are the strictest. Rules don’t make whisky, people do, and thank goodness they don’t all do it the same way.

The award winning book, Canadian Whisky The New Portable Expert won the Gourmand Award for Canadian wine and spirts and the Association of Culinary Professionals award for best book about wine, beer and spirits, and was shortlisted for the Taste Canada Awards. It was recently an Amazon No. 1 best seller.
Order your copy here.

Springbank Society

We are delighted to be emailing you all to announce two new releases – one from Springbank and one from Kilkerran. Both whiskies will be available from today (9th November 2019).

Since this is the Springbank Society, we will start by talking about the Springbank offering, our brand new 10yo Local Barley bottling.

10yo Local Barley

This Springbank Local Barley was bottled at 56.2% abv and is the 5th in our series of annual releases distilled from barley grown locally in the areas surrounding Campbeltown. This year it is Optic barley that has been used and it was grown especially for us, 11 years ago at High Cattadale farm. The whisky was matured in 77% Bourbon casks, 20% Sherry casks and 3% Port casks and there are approximately 9000 bottles available worldwide.

Tasting notes

Nose: Sweet and slightly spicy with hints of honey, Demerara sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Light peat smoke and a dusty characteristic reminiscent of freshly milled barley

Palate: Tropical and soft fruit sweetness. Ripe pineapple, mango and juicy peaches are complimented by a building peat smoke. Green tea and a coppery tone follow.

Finish: Creamy, buttery mouthfeel with light integrated peat smoke and a coastal salty influence.

This bottling will be available in the UK from Saturday 9th November 2019 – please note that the release date in other markets and countries is likely to vary. For details of when the new Springbank 10yo Local Barley is available near you please consult your preferred Springbank retailer or visit the “Where to Buy” section of our website to find a Springbank stockist.

You will also find this bottling at the whisky shows our Sales Team are at this weekend: Spirits in the Sky (Belgium) Glasgow Whisky Festival (Scotland) and at Villingen Whiskymesse (Germany).

• The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop will be selling this bottling for £86.00
• There will be no Society discount applicable to this bottling as it is not a core range product
• This is not a Society exclusive release

Kilkerran 8yo Cask Strength

The new edition of the Kilkerran 8yo Cask Strength is available from tomorrow (9th November 2019). Bottled at 57.1% this new KK 8yo CS was matured in 100% Re-charred Oloroso Sherry Casks.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Waves of smoky bacon and sticky glazed ham are followed by dried fruit characteristics that give way to soft peat smoke.

Palate: Rich, fruity and spicy. Notes of ginger loaf, fresh ripe cherries and sultanas. Hints of cloves, dark chocolate and a refreshing menthol note.

Finish: A lasting finish of nostalgic buttered brown toast, espresso and ashy peat smoke. A lasting, earthy character reminiscent of the distillery’s dunnage warehousing.

This bottling will be available in the UK from Saturday 9th November 2019 – please note that the release date in other markets and countries is likely to vary. For details of when the new Kilkerran 8yo Cask Strength 57.1% is available near you please consult your preferred Kilkerran retailer or visit the “Trade” section of our website to find a Kilkerran stockist.

You will also find this bottling at the whisky shows our Sales Team are at this weekend: Spirits in the Sky (Belgium) Glasgow Whisky Festival (Scotland), Whisky Live Taipei (Taiwan) and at Villingen Whiskymesse (Germany).

• The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop will be selling this bottling for £48.00
• There will be no Society discount applicable to this bottling as it is not a Springbank product.
• This is not a Society exclusive release

Slainte

The Springbank + Kilkerran Team

To join the Society please contact them at Springbank Society society@springbank.scot

“We can find much common ground between whisky making and colour creation, and with Edition No. 5 we have been able to explore and celebrate these two art forms.”

Sarah Burgess, The Macallan Whisky Maker

Guided By ExcellenceNatural colour is a fundamental result of our whisky making process, expressed as one of our foundational Six Pillars. We take pride in the fact that the colour of every whisky we create is 100 percent natural. It is this particular aspect of our whisky making process that we sought to express and celebrate in this special collaboration with the Pantone Color Institute™.

The Macallan Edition No. 5

Celebrating The Macallan’s extensive natural colour spectrum and the intricate whisky making process, in partnership with masters at the Pantone Color Institute™.

EXPLORE EDITION NO. 5

New Years Eve Dinner Party

Join us in Whiski Rooms for our exclusive New Years Eve dinner party to welcome in 2020 in comfort and style at Whiski Rooms. Round the corner from Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, this is the ultimate dinner destination on New Year’s Eve.

Enjoy a fabulous feast and then venture outside to see the amazing Hogmanay fireworks at the Castle and then return to your table to continue the celebrations.

Bookings are essential so call us on 0131-225-7224 to reserve

Learn more about New Years Eve Dinner Party

Latest Winter 2018 Back In-Stock

Released summer 2019 the last batch of single casks from Glenfarclas distillery are available from The Whisky Barrel, plus a few favourites from previous years.

GLENFARCLAS SINGLE MALT WHISKY

Glenfarclas Distillery was established in Speyside in 1836 by Robert Hay and following his death it was bought by John Grant in 1865 and has remained in the ownership of the Grant family ever since. The interior of the visitor centre is stunning, the walls are lined with the original oak panels salvaged from a lounge on the liner SS Empress of Australia when she was scrapped 1952. Ace sherry casks underpin the ethos of Glenfarclas single malt whisky, exemplified in the Family Cask range, and way back in 1968 released its first cask strength single malt. The range includes Glenfarclas 15 Year Old, Glenfarclas 105 and Glenfarclas 21 Year Old alongside the Family Casks series.

Shop – Glenfarclas Family Casks

Sotheby’s First Single-Owner Whisky Collection

Smashes High Estimate – 100% Sold

‘The Ultimate Whisky Collection’ Achieves £7.6m / $10m

Highest Total for any Whisky Collection Offered at Auction

Highest Value Wine or Spirits Sale Ever Staged by Sotheby’s London

The Macallan Fine & Rare 60-Year-Old 1926

sets new auction record for any bottle of wine or spirit

Selling for £1.5 million / $1.9 million 

“There was an electric atmosphere in the room today for our first-ever single-owner spirits auction. This sale marks an historic moment for the spirits market, with new benchmark prices and a fresh approach to selling whisky. We are delighted that our Spirits specialist Jonny Fowle, can celebrate such a ground-breaking first sale and we look forward to growing our spirits business.”

Jamie Ritchie, Chairman, Sotheby’s Wine 

London, 24 October 2019 – A new auction record for a bottle of whisky was set at Sotheby’s today when The Macallan 60-Year-Old 1926 soared to £1,452,000 / $1,873,951, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £350,000-450,000. This “holy grail” of whiskies was the star of a sale of more than 460 bottles of Scotch whisky from the collection of a private American Connoisseur, put together over some 20 years. Buyers from across the world drove prices well above estimate, leaving not a single lot unsold. 

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist, added: “This fantastic result is testament to the quality of the collection. It was remarkable to see so many iconic bottles break records – homage to the importance of distilleries such as Bowmore, Brora, Springbank and, of course, The Macallan. The electricity in the auction room was palpable. There were cheers when the hammer fell on the Macallan Fine and Rare 1926, in one has to be one of the most exciting moments in the history of whisky sales. The final hammer dropped just in time for our friends at RM Sotheby’s to start their sale of collectible motor cars. Our clients were delighted to share their enjoyment and passion for both cars and whisky in the same space.”

KEY STATISTICS AT A GLANCE:

• The Ultimate Whisky Collection totals £7,635,619 / $9,854,530 (pre-sale estimate: £3.3-4.6m / $4.3-5.9m)
• Sale is 100% sold
• 87% of lots achieve prices above pre-sale estimates
• Bidders from around the world, with pronounced interest from Asia
• The most comprehensive catalogue of whisky ever to be offered by a single owner in a single auction, spanning whiskies from each of Scotland’s key whisky-producing regions: Speyside, Highland, Lowland, Islay and Campbeltown (more details here)
• Full results available here

THE MACALLAN REIGNS SUPREME:

• The record-breaking Macallan mentioned above was part of a 178 bottle-strong collection of the Fine and Rare series, spanning seven decades from 1926 through to 1991, which sold for a combined total of £5.1m / $6.6m – this is the most extensive collection of Macallan Fine and Rare ever to be seen at auction.
• Two complete Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection, offered in specially designed cabinets by James Laycock, doubled their low estimate to achieve £665,500 / $858,984 and £629,200 / $812,046 respectively.
• A bespoke, hand-crafted wooden display case containing 46 bottles from the Macallan Fine and Rare miniature collection, ranging from 1937 to 1991 sparked a flurry of bids, pushing the final price over six times above the high estimate to £338,800 / $437,255. These 46 bottles represent the complete collection of miniatures in the Fine and Rare series, as the series existed when the Ultimate Whisky Collector stopped collecting them in 2018.
• The four top lots of The Macallan sell for a combined total of £3m / $4m.

NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR SPRINGBANK 50 YEAR OLD 1919:

• Distilled in 1919, bottled in 1970, this Springbank is undoubtedly one of the rarest whiskies ever to be released, with only 24 bottles produced and once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold.
• The appearance on the market of one of these bottles caused a great deal of excitement, driving the final sale price to £266,200 / $343,558, almost double the pre-sale high estimate.
• Distilled a year after the end of the First World War, at a time when distilleries throughout Scotland had ceased operations, the bottle contains a snapshot of history. 

NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR BRORA LIMITED EDITION 40 YEAR OLD:

• Brora’s first release to exceed 40 years, one of only 160 bottles to have been produced reached new heights, selling for a record £54,450 / $70,273, in the year of the distillery’s 200^th anniversary, and just ahead of its reopening next year.
• The full set of Brora Annual Releases, sold as individual bottles, achieved for a combined total of £30,129 / $38,884. 

BOWMORE BECKONS BIDDERS:

• Bottle number 1 of Bowmore’s “Crashing Waves”, the oldest whisky to be released from the legendary distiller after 54 long years of maturation, swelled to £363,000 / $468,488. One of only 12 ever released in a hand-blown sculpted bottle depicting the crashing waves of the Atlantic against Islay’s shores, this is arguably the finest bottle of Islay whisky ever produced.
• Bottles from each of the Bowmore Black releases (First, Second, Final and Bowmore Black 50 Year Old) met with significant demand to sell for a combined total of £119,790 / $154,601.
• The Bowmore Trilogy series, all of which were distilled in 1964, achieved an overall total of £62,920 / $81,205. 

OUTSTANDING REPRESENTATION OF DALMORE BOTTLINGS

• Headlined by The Dalmore Eos 59 year old, which achieved £99,220 / $128,053. With a tiny release of just 20 bottles, this single malt was created from casks 1781 and 1782. 

FURTHER NOTABLE RESULTS:

• Nine casks of single malts were pursued by multiple bidders, selling for a combined total of £399,300 / $515,337. The Highland Park First Fill Oloroso Sherry Cask commanded the highest price, selling for £72,600 / $93,698.
• An entire vertical of Port Ellen’s Annual Releases (1^st to 17^th), sold as individual bottles, achieved a combined double-estimate total of £63,404 / $81,829. These bottlings are amongst the most sought after of all Scotland’s closed distilleries, with annual releases a must-own for collectors. In 2017 Diageo announced they would cease further Annual Releases, but that they planned to revive the distillery – which closed in 1983 – back to its former glory, with production due to recommence in the near future.
• A range of legendary Silvano Samaroli bottlings was led by Bowmore Bouquet Samaroli 18 Year Old, which sold for a record £72,600 / $93,698.

About Sotheby’s Wine

Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide sales reached an important new milestone in 2018, with sales significantly exceeding US$100 million in a single year – for further details, please click here.

Sotheby’s Wine auctions reached $65 million worldwide in the first half of 2019, up 23% over the same period in 2018 and the highest spring season total since Sotheby’s Wine auctions began in 1970.

In Spring 2019, Sotheby’s set a world record for any series of wine sales when a four-day series of auctions in Hong Kong brought a combined total of HK$273.1 million / US$34.8 million. A record for a private wine collection sold at auction was also set when the three-day sale of Tran-scend-ent Wines realised a total of HK$233.6 million / US$29.8 million. 

About Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris.  Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection, artist, estate & foundation advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby’s also presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Global Fine Art Division, and three retail businesses: Sotheby’s Wine, Sotheby’s Diamonds, and Sotheby’s Home, the online marketplace for interior design.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

Amazon Prime TV trio The Three Drinkers release their own limited edition whisky

With part two of their global Amazon Prime series ‘The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky’ hitting our screens in early December, expert TV drinks trio The Three Drinkers, launch their own whisky inspired by all the locations in their show.

A Limited Edition

The Three Drinkers Scotch Whisky, Cask Selection No. 1 is a 17-year-old blended malt that’s non-chill filtered and non-coloured. This first bottling is a limited-edition release of just 300 bottles, each of which is individually numbered and personally signed by the show’s three presenters and co-producers, Aidy Smith, Helena Nicklin and Colin Hampden-White. Given its scarcity and the fact that it’s the first release, Cask Selection No. 1 is the perfect collector’s item or Christmas gift.

Tasting note

The Three Drinkers Cask Selection No. 1 is both fruity and spicy with notes of sweet fudge, dried apricots, Christmas cake and a touch of smoky oak on the finish. Whisky guru Charles MacLean describes it as “an attractive, easy drinking and very well-balanced blended malt.” The trio said “We wanted to create a dram that combined all the classic notes of Scotch that we’ve experienced on our travels, so this whisky combines the fruit and spiciness of the highlands with the subtle smokiness of Islay and Jura.”

One lucky ticket

One special bottle has a ticket attached, giving a lucky winner the chance to have a luxury whisky tasting in London with the three presenters and tap into their personal whisky stash.

Support from the trade

Cask Selection No.1 was created with the support of Cask Trade; a new, online whisky cask trading platform. It will be available exclusively through award-winning drinks retailer Master of Malt, who also feature in the new episodes of the Amazon series, going live in December.

Availability

The whisky will retail for £39.95 on masterofmalt.com and is available to order now, with product dispatched from 14th November. Buy the whisky here!

Photo credit Tamsin Cox @_tamsinc_

You can follow The Three Drinkers progress via their website and social media channels:

Instagram: @TheThreeDrinkers   |   Twitter: @The3Drinkers   |   thethreedrinkers.com

The Three Drinkers are a trio of expert drinks writers and presenters of ‘The Three Drinkers’ TV series on Amazon Prime. Through The Three Drinkers Productions, they offer a 360 degree approach to drinks content through the creation of short films, written features, social campaigns and strategic consumer events plus documentary series and branded content TV shows for streaming services. Authentic, credible and engaging, The Three Drinkers get liquid on lips and build new audiences for your brand through their informative, lifestyle approach to drinks.

Wednesday November 13th 5-7PM: Scotch Tasting: Dalmore

More Details & RSVP 

Thursday November 14th 5-7PM: 

Rye Tasting: Whistlepig
More Details & RSVP 

Friday November 15th 5-7PM: 

Scotch Tasting: Glen Moray
More Details & RSVP

Saturday, November 16th 

11AM-6PM

Mystery Single Malt with Sam Filmus

More Details & RSVP

Complete your Collection

We’re having a massive sale on ‘Game of Thrones’ branded whiskies, with most 50% to 75% off their original sale price! Even if you’re not a series fan, you can get Lagavulin, Talisker, Clynelish, and more single malt scotches at a fraction of the price during this sale.

Click Here for the Game of Thrones Single Malt Sale

Exclusive GlenDronach 1993 – 25 Year Old Single Cask

GlenDronach 1993 Single Cask #658

Cask #658 was specially selected for The Whisky Barrel in 2018. These are the last few cases left in our warehouse. An unmissable treat!

Shop – GlenDronach 25 Year Old – £250