2008 Kavalan Solist “Sherry Cask – K&L Exclusive” Cask Strength Single Barrel Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $209.99 View

The spectacular Kavalan Sherry Cask “Solist” has become harder and harder to get. The importer used to bring samples by once or twice a year and we’d get to pick one and pray it showed up, but now they’ve got a number of other flavors they’re focusing on and the incredibly delicious Sherry Cask, their most highly regarded regular release, has become extremely limited. That’s why we were absolutely flabergasted to find that an entire cask of Solist Sherry (Solist is the international name for the cask strength single barrels and the name does not appear on the label) had been sitting in the importers warehouse for several years. We got our hands on a sample and fell in love. This wild cask of Kavalan was distilled way back in 2008 and bottled almost 5 years ago. It’s been sitting in the warehouse while our single barrels have come and gone. We’re not sure if this cask was partially sold into other markets, but we bought all 40 cases left. While that might seem like a lot, we typically get 80+ out of a sherry butt. Due to the incredible scarcity and allocated nature of this product, we don’t expect it to last very long. The style here is sweeter and rounder than some of the hardcore tannic versions we’ve had in the past. Deep fruit compote, bold exotic spices and roasted hazelnuts coupled with a rich chewy texture that’s become the hallmark of this exceptional bottling.

Will there be a Russian whisky tidal wave?

Is Russia silently producing vast amounts of whisky? If so, will it ever be seen in the west? These are written down thoughts from Paul McLean with input from his pal in Moscow; Tim. Paul and Tim have toured Scotland many, many times together, Paul as driver, they are good friends and Tim is much more of an expert than Paul, he also arranges a whisky festival in Moscow and has a great collection of whisky, maybe a book on the way? Meanwhile Paul continues his whisky education taking guests on whisky tours, one other friend worth a mention here is Ingvar Ronde, Paul and Ingvar also doodle around Scotland researching and photographing all to do with whisky! In his latest book; Malt Whisky Yearbook 2019, he states (page 262) Russia is the largest player in the Eastern Europe (non EU) with volumes of whisky going to Poland and Latvia eventually arriving in Russia.

Russian-made whisky appeared in the late 1940s in the USSR and was produced under two brands – “Soviet” and “Whisky-73”. These malts were sold at the price of a cheap brandy, and in taste they resembled a herb-seasoned bourbon. Obviously, nobody went to study whisky technology in Scotland! Nowadays, about 95% of the whiskies sold in Russia have no relation to Russia whatsoever. These are whiskies imported into Russia by a so-called bulk, (large tanks) and here they are just bottled there. The duty on bulk alcohol is slightly less than on finished products – around US$ 2 per liter. From a litre of bulk (at strength of 63%) one can get 1.5 litres of diluted commercial whisky, the bottle is cheaper in Russia, the label is cheaper, this saves about 30% compared to importing the finished product from Scotland. Because of this, whisky already occupies around 15% of the Russian alcohol market, and this figure can only grow. The fact is that a drink poured in Russia is nearly half price than in Scotland. Bulk price – from 400 Russian rubles ($6), the average cost of a bottle is 700-800 rubles ($11-12). So far, only two distilleries in Russia produce their own new make spirit. The first one, the Praskovey winery, has been producing its own whisky distillates for many years, but not in large volumes. They claim to produce a whisky similar to Irish whiskey. The second one is a new whisky production distillery located in Dagestan (Kizlyar city). This place is similar to Scotland in terms of climatic characteristics; a double distillation process is employed there too.   They also pay a great deal of attention to the wood (barrels) management policy to mature their whisky.

A wee bit more research and I stumbled on these bits and bobs; Russia took a first step towards joining the list of whisky-making countries when a distillery project in Kaliningrad received the OK to start construction. The $14.6 million project is meant to build a distillery capable of producing 5 million litres of spirit per year, and is projected to create 200 jobs between its construction and operation. Praskoveyskoye Distillery in the Stavropol territory. Owner:  Unknown or not registered  – does this mean it’s a government operation? Homepage: Praskoveyskoye  Email: info@praskoveya.ru   Spirits produced by Praskoveiskoe JSC are whisky produced from young cognac distillates. Whisky five-year grain “Praskoveysky” is developed from selected barley, which generalizes the centuries-old traditions of Ireland and the experience of Masters of Praskovey brandy production. Obtained by double distillation and aged in oak barrels for more than five years. Whisky grain six-year “Praskoveysky” is developed from barley. Obtained by single fractional distillation and aged in oak barrels for more than six years. Russia’s first whisky distillery to be built in the Kaliningrad region, local news website Kaliningrad.ru reported the project was announced by Igor Kudryavtsev, general director of the Alliance-1892 winery and cognac distillery, the company behind the move. Whisky consumption has not fallen in Russia despite the country’s economic recession, according to Kudryavtsev. He said the new product will fulfil up to 35 percent of Russia’s demand for the beverage and will also be exported to India, China, Africa and Latin America but seemingly not Europe or USA. “The distillery will offer a domestically made product, which will be comparable to the world’s best,” Kudryavtsev said. He added that a number of foreign companies have offered to collaborate in the project. Who? The question begs (Diageo by any chance?). Investment in the new distillery will total 13 million euro ($14.6 million). The manufacturing of whisky became possible in Russia only last year after Russia legalized the production of distilled beverages from grain.

Although Russia already has home grown whisky brands, these are based on sourced, imported whisky and not domestic production. The government opened the door to a Russian whisky industry by legalizing production in July 2015. Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized zone nestled between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Seacoast. It was created when the Soviet Union annexed part of the old territory of East Prussia from Germany at the end of the Second World War. Stoli Whisky. A Russian liquor company intends to introduce its own low-priced whisky and undercut foreign imports, according to an article that appeared in Kommersant. The single largest constraint for Russians who prefer whisky to vodka has been the crash in the value of the ruble, but Russian import bans against the likes of Jack Daniel’s, bourbons, and other types of whisky have been a problem as well. According to Eastern European Distribution Company, the new brand will be named “Stoli,” and will be priced at 600 and 650 rubles (roughly $11) per 750 ml bottle. Praskoveiskoye, costs 950 rubles (about $17) a bottle.

Whisky Live Moscow debuted in October 2018 with great whiskies. St Andrews whisky festival is also offering whisky lovers a chance to try many great drams.

My next thoughts; are there more distilleries (whisky) in Russia than we know, and – will there soon be a flood of this heading our way?  PAUL MCLEAN, PERTH 2019

A personal blether from Paul McLean. http://whiskytours.scot/

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY SELECTS CHARITIES TO RECEIVE SPECIAL FUNDRAISING BOTTLES

Distillery Hopes to Raise $500,000 for Charity  

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Aug. 21, 2019) – Earlier this spring, Buffalo Trace Distillery announced the offering of 400 limited edition bottles from its sixth millionth barrel of bourbon to non-profits across the country.  The bottles are being offered at no charge for the charities to auction off and raise money for their worthwhile causes.

Non-profits had until July 1^st, 2019 to apply for a bottle, and selections have been made. All organizations selected received an email notification. The selected charities can be viewed here.

“From organizations focused on those with autism to others helping veterans, we hope these wonderful charities can use these rare bottles to boost fundraising,” said Kris Comstock, senior marketing director.  “We hope these individual non-profits can collectively raise a half million dollars for their various causes.  So if there’s a charity event near you, go bid on a bottle!”

The six millionth barrel bottles of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey are aged 10 years, 11 months and are packaged in a numbered collector’s edition hardwood showcase box that includes a piece of the charred oak stave from the historic barrel and small brochure explaining the significance of this collector’s edition. The bottles are 375ml (the smaller size allows for more charities to take part) and have a handwritten description on the bottle explaining the significance. All recipients of the bottles have been notified and all bottles will be shipped by the end of August.

This commemorative bottling of the Buffalo Trace Sixth Million Barrel is not available in stores. Bottles were only made available to non-profit organizations in the United States wishing to raise funds for their charity. Recipients will have until Dec. 31, 2019 to auction the bottle.

This is the third time Buffalo Trace Distillery has offered commemorative bottles for non-profits to use for fundraising purposes.  In 2011 the Distillery offered its Millennium Barrel of bourbon, put up to age on Dec. 31, 1999. That effort raised more than $150,000 for various charities across the U.S.  In 2016, its inaugural O.F.C. Bourbon Whiskey from 1980, 1982 and 1983 were released in the same manner, and non-profits reported back they had raised more than a million dollars for charitable causes.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 21 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon was named World Whiskey of the Year by “Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible 2018.”  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 500 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com

TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR THIRD FIFE WHISKY FESTIVAL

Whisky fans can enjoy a packed programme of events when Fife Whisky Festival returns to the Kingdom next March.

Tickets go on sale for the third Fife Whisky Festival on Saturday September 7 while the showcase event was launched with a Twitter Tasting session on Wednesday August 28.

The online session – under the hashtag #fifewhiskyfest – will give whisky lovers the chance to discover what a team of bloggers thought about four delicious drams which they tasted blind.

Fife Whisky Festival co-founders Justine Hazlehurst, of Kask Whisky, and Karen Somerville, of Angels’ Share Glass, will also joined the Twitter Tasting.

Mrs Somerville said: “We thought a blind tasting on Twitter would be a great way to kick off the 2020 event and we lined up four fantastic drams lined up for our testers to try.

“It was a fun way of giving whisky fans a taste of what’s to come next March when we’re excited to be hosting our third festival.”

The three-day 2020 event runs from March 6-8 and opens with a whisky-themed dinner at Lindores Abbey Distillery in Newburgh on the Friday evening.

The Festival, sponsored by legal firm MacRoberts LLP and global construction company ISG, continues on Saturday March 7 with two tasting sessions at the Corn Exchange in Cupar.
It closes on the Sunday with a special event at Kingsbarns Distillery near St Andrews.

Local MSP Willie Rennie welcomed the return of the Festival which has been credited with boosting’s Fife’s economy.

He said: “I’m delighted to see the Fife Whisky Festival return for its third year, becoming a fixture in the calendar.”

“I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s event which was superbly organised and a huge success – it was packed with people from across Scotland tasting some of the country’s best whisky.”

“It is great to see a growing number of Fife brands featuring too with the relatively new distilleries we have making their mark.”

“I can’t wait to see what next year’s festival brings but I am sure it will continue to reinforce Fife’s status as a whisky destination.”

The first Fife Whisky Festival took place in 2018 after Ms Hazlehurst and Mrs Somerville, an Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES), joined forces to bring whisky back to the Kingdom of Fife.

It proved a major success and was followed by a bigger and better second event in March this year.

Ms Hazlehurst said: “We’re pleased with the way the Festival continues to go from strength to strength attracting visitors from across Scotland and further afield and really putting Fife on the map as a whisky destination.”

“We’ve got several new exhibitors for the 2020 event, including Edinburgh’s Holyrood Distillery and Tullibardine Distillery in Blackford, and will also be welcoming back our regulars from Fife and elsewhere.

“There will be something for everyone who loves whisky to enjoy and we’re looking forward to a great weekend.”

The Festival will feature two tasting sessions on the Saturday with drams on offer from more than 30 distilleries and independent bottlers including Springbank, Kingsbarns, Fraiser of Scotland, Ben Nevis and Paul John Whisky.

The famous Luvians Bottle Shop, the festival’s on-site official retailer, will be on hand for whisky purchases and there will be food stalls run by local businesses throughout the day.

Euan Duncan, Partner and Chair of sponsors MacRoberts, said: “MacRoberts are thrilled to be able to offer our support to the Fife Whisky Festival 2020 as part of our commitment to the wider Food & Drink market in Scotland.

“The sector is growing and the event marks an exciting opportunity for both established and emerging brands to not only showcase Fife Whisky, but also some of the best that Scotland has to offer.”

To buy tickets, from Saturday September 7, and for more details about Fife Whisky Festival, go to www.fifewhiskyfestival.com

The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year – nominations are open

It may be sweltering outside, but it’s time for us to start the process for an annual winter event – the unveiling of The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year!

Whisky of the Year

Every year since 2014, we have crowned one whisky with the illustrious title of our Whisky of the Year. Until now, the process has been quite simple: we asked the Whisky Exchange team and industry experts to nominate whiskies, whittled that list down to just eight, and then ran a tasting in London where the attendees voted for the winner.

We’ve had an excellent range of winners, from famed Scottish peaty drams to the suprise winner of last year’s competition – Michter’s Sour Mash, an American whiskey…

Previous winners: 2019 – Michter’s Sour Mash. 2018 – Bowmore 15 Year Old, 2017 – Kilchoman Machir Bay, 2016 – Talisker 2003 Distillers Edition, 2015 – Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival, 2014 – Glenfarclas 15 Year Old.

It’s worked rather well for the past six years, but this time we want to try something different and get more of you involved.

This year, we want you to nominate your favourite whiskies and vote on the final result.

How it works

We’ll be doing this in several stages. Firstly, nominations are now open – head to the nominations page and you can choose up to three whiskies that you think should be the winner. Once nominations close, the three most popular public nominations will be joined by three chosen by The Whisky Exchange team to make up our final six.

Then we move on to stage two: the blind tasting. While we’ll still be running a tasting here in London (details to come closer to the event), we will also be making up tasting packs so you can join in at home as well.

Coming soon – Whisky of the Year judging sets. We won’t know what they’ll actually look like until we close nominations, but it’ll be something like this.

Whisky of the Year judging sets will be on sale for one month, starting in mid-October, with online voting open for everyone who buys one. The votes will be combined with the ones from the London tasting and a winner will be declared.

Nominate early, nominate often!

So, get nominating! Any whisky (or whiskey) that meets the following criteria is eligible:

It must be less than £65
It must be 48% ABV or less
It must be an ongoing release – no special editions

Head over to the nominations page, choose your three favourite drams, and then await the shortlist and the judging sets. In the meantime you can sign up to receive an email when they go live on the Whisky of the Year tasting sets page.

We look forward to seeing what you choose…

Nominations close on 8 September 2019 and the judging sets will be on sale from mid-October. Voting closes in November (exact date TBC) and we’ll announce the results later in the month.

International 27th Small Batch Release (August 2019)

This is the last bottling of the summer.
Well kind of – given Autumn really starts September 21st)

Before we start, let’s answer a typical question we get with every release! “Why some products have sold out before they get a chance to buy?”

This can happen as it will with the gold label bottles in this release. Especially Benrinnes 21yo we will only have 3 bottles available at best.

So why so few? It’s all down to how many bottles we get from a cask and in the case of the small-batch, it’s going to more than 9 shops, unlike the Authentic collection. Small Batch is a worldwide release so a lot more shops to divide the stock between.

We will be saying this time and time again in the future as much as we did in the past,
“Look beyond the label and age statement”, otherwise you can miss out on some incredible drams.

Be honest, how many of you will read this newsletter and see an age statement of say 8 years, and move on to the next ignoring the information about the cask! I know I do it even myself when the release sheets come in. I am like the rest of you – get excited about the older vintages or what gold label is coming in next? I then go back and read the notes, over and over again to make sure I have not missed anything.
Such as the amazing Paul John 6 small batch from last winter, or Benrinnes 23; that stunning small batch from a few months back.

Let’s not dwell on the things you can’t get, but rather on the things you can! First, let’s look back to Small Batch No 26, as it was the start of the summer releases with the most incredible selection of small-batch whiskeys.

The list below contains the ones we in at the London Shop think are the best examples of whisky you can get, especially if you are trying to put together a home bar or small tasting selection.
Far too many people get caught out trying to get the same style or older vintages because they see others do the same thing!

Variety is best especially if you want to avoid being so dedicated to one brand style or expression, just to realize that you need deeper and deeper pockets.

DAILUAINE 2004 14 Y/O 46% Pineapple with orange on the nose with butterscotch lemon and lime toasted almonds with a finish of mint and green tea – a truly enjoyable dram.

CAMBUS 1988 30 Y/O 46.1% Closed distillery. (yes we have another out today) One of the best examples of how good a vintage grain whisky can be with the most enjoyable palate of Rich soft Banana bread with raisin butter on the nose. The palate gives incredible hints of dark chocolate sauce with some ginger ice cream blueberries and summer fruits. The finish is superb with the perfect balance of honeycomb and praline, with sugar coated almonds, as this goes even smoother than we can list with any tasting note review.

Check out our web shop for more Small Batches you might have missed.
Now the Authentic Collection!

GLENTAUCHERS 2007 12 Y/O 59.3% Nose: Vanilla cream sponge, spearmint and a hint of rosemary. Taste: Very creamy but with satsuma notes, dried bananas, toffee sweets and strawberry yoghurt. Finish: Long and creamy with inter mingling fruits. This is one of the most enjoyable younger vintages we have had from this respected distillery.

FETTERCAIRN 11yo (2007) 57.6% Nose: Milk chocolate, sponge cake and lemon curd. Green olives and pecans. Taste: Spiced apple chutney, lemon meringue pie and hints of cranberries and greek yoghurt. Finish: Toasted pine-nuts, marshmallows and custard creams with a touch of eucalyptus.What a great dram this turned out to be and a worthy addition to the range of vintages we have released over the years from this distillery.

GLEN SPEY 17yo (2001) 54.5% Nose: Cinnamon buns, apple strudel and dried fruits with a hint of lemongrass and dandelions.Taste: Creamy and nutty, nougat, salted peanuts and the some mint notes and dry white wine. Finish: Lemony with hints of flint and basil.

DISTILLERY FOCUS
Glen Spey distillery founded as the Mill of Rothes distillery in 1878 by James Stuart & Co, who later in 1886 purchased the Macallan distillery. The distillery was sold around 1887 for the sum of £11,000 – ignoring the inflation, sounds less than a price of a modern car! Around 1920, the distillery has the obligatory fire that seems to have happened to so many distilleries. This malt is one of the main components of some of the world’s great blends, being one that any master blender should enjoy using when crafting a blend.

GLEN SPEY 2001 17 YEARS OLD 53.3% VOL – 70CL – SPEYSIDE
NOSE: Custard creams, hints of pork crackling, candy floss and traces of peanut butter.
PALATE: Coconut flakes, dried banana chips, hint of pickled ginger, watercress and milk chocolate with yoghurt covered raisins.
FINISH: Long and creamy with hints of wasabi and green tea.

AN IRISH DISTILLERY SINGLE MALT 10 YEARS OLD 47.4% – 70CL – Distilled in 2006
NOSE: Vanilla with pineapple, almonds, peaches and lemongrass.
PALATE: Creamy with tropical fruits, kiwi, papaya and passion fruit. Hints of mango and toffee sauce.
FINISH: For something so fresh the finish is big and syrupy with bags of fruit. Dangerously drinkable.

BALBLAIR 2011 8 YEARS OLD 57.8% VOL – 70CL – HIGHLAND
NOSE: Rich fruity nose, dried fruits with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
PALATE: Thick and chewy, obvious sherry influence but still with some toffee in the background. Dark chocolate shavings with raspberries and dark cherries.
FINISH: Long dry sherry notes with some marzipan and maraschino cherries and gingerbread.
This was originally a Puncheon that was re-racked into two fresh sherry hogsheads in August 2017, before being vatted together for this bottling.

GLENROTHES 1996 22 YEARS OLD 50.1% VOL – 70CL – SPEYSIDE
NOSE: Eucalyptus, orange zest, peach skins and green olives.
PALATE: Lime zest, mango, lychee and apricots with golden syrup and butter popcorn.
FINISH: Big and fruity but lots of golden syrup and soft flinty notes.

KNOCKDHU 2010 9 YEARS OLD 56.2% VOL – 70CL – SPEYSIDE
NOSE: Gingerbread smothered in melting salted butter, apricot yogurt with pineapple fritters and banana bread.
PALATE: White chocolate buttons, lemon drizzle cake, and almond flakes. Soft lime zest and green apple skins.
FINISH: Spiced apples with runny honey and butterscotch sweets.

ORD 2006 13 YEARS OLD 53.3% VOL – 70CL – HIGHLAND BOURBON / MADEIRA WOOD
NOSE: Vibrant fruits, strawberries, raspberries, red-currants and banoffee pie.
PALATE: Mix of creamy vanilla along with sweet syrupy fruits. Marzipan, cola cubes and lemongrass.
FINISH: Mixed fruit yoghurt with whipped cream and pine nuts
This is a vatting of one bourbon Hogshead of 2006 Ord, married with another cask of 2006 Ord, that had been re-racked in a Madeira cask since 2017.

CAMBUS 1991 28 YEARS OLD 55.8% SINGLE CASK CLOSED DISTILLERY
NOSE: Honey, spice, marshmallows and crunch nut cornflakes. Creamy with a lemon balm note running through the middle
PALATE: Caramel wafers, honeycomb, satsumas and peaches in syrup.
FINISH: Long lingering honey, apple juice and star anise.

GLENBURGIE 1992 27 YEARS OLD 48.8% VOL – 70CL – SINGLE CASK
NOSE: Oily and herbal, fennel, fried sage and a hint of coriander – mix with olive oil, lemongrass, and chorizo.
PALATE: Some dry smoke mixed with ripe fruits, kiwi, mango, peaches, and dried apricots.
FINISH: Long lingering syrupy fruits with a hint of dry smoke.

BOWMORE 2002 17 YEARS OLD 53.6% VOL – 70CL – ISLAY SINGLE CASK
NOSE: Really creamy and oily, with paraffin smoke, lime pickle, and petrol lawnmowers.
PALATE: Dry smoke gives way to initially sour apples then becomes creamier with gooseberries and licorice.
FINISH: Oily smoke and fruit – a classic.

BENRINNES 1997 21 YEARS OLD 58.7% VOL – 70CL SPEYSIDE SINGLE CASK
NOSE: White crab meat, black olives, overripe fruits and pork pies.
PALATE: Olive oil, cream cheese, pineapple, a hint of paprika.
FINISH: Long and chewy a little dusty, some popping candy and orange bitters.

CREATIONS 1987 31 YEARS OLD 50.1%VOL – 70CL – BLENDED MALT
NOSE: Juicy fruits, faint warming spices and apricot jam.
PALATE: Proper old school mouth feel, chewy and fruity with passion fruit, guava and blood orange.
FINISH: More chewy fruit with soft spice that fades away – a dram to savour. A blended malt bottled from a single cask that was married together in 2004.

That’s it for now! We might be in touch again soon, as we head into the new whisky season of 2019/20 – oh and we might be in touch with some other exciting news as well !! For those who like a surprise or 2 keep checking the web shop around September 14th you never know what will arrive.

All the best Cadenhead’s London

Cadenheads Whisky Shop & Tasting Room
26 Chiltern Street, London, W1U 7QF

New To Loch Fyne Whiskies 

Macallan Estate (2019)

70cl / 43% abv
Limited to 1 per customer
£300.00Buy Now

From £56.99 to only £48.00

We’re clearing some space for exciting new releases, but here’s an opportunity to get one of our fantastic exclusives at a bargain price of only £48.

Order Now