The 5 Penderyn expressions available in the U.S. have been very successful and we are ecstatic to have these three expressions added to our lineup!

Available now and just in time for the holiday season!

The entire ImpEx team went to the distillery and was honored to select these as the next core releases for the Welsh Gold Series.

“I could not be happier to represent this amazing range of Single Malt Whiskies from Wales and to share the passion of the wonderful team at Penderyn who are the heart and soul behind these expressions. It is very rewarding to be able to have these available for US Connoisseurs and bring even more joy to them during the festive time of the year.”

~Sam Filmus, President of ImpEx Beverages

But these don’t come empty handed, all three expressions come with Gold medals from the prestigious IWSC. Peated took home the Gold Outstanding in 2018 (93 pts) while both Portwood and Rich Oak took home the Gold in 2019 (95 pts each).

RICH OAK – 46%

Matured in Bourbon casks and finished in a selection of the finest rejuvenated European ex-wine casks.

Nose: Dark chocolate fudge with cinnamon and pepper spices, followed by lush fruit – green apple, mango, banana, and guava.
Palate: Rich and complex. A creamy texture with hints of vanilla, oak, cinnamon, and a hint of nutty toffee.
Finish: A creamy vanilla flavor, which is in no rush to ebb away.

PENDERYN PEATED – 46%

This whisky has a delicate spirit with a medium peaty character and a light golden tone.

Nose: It introduces itself with sweet, aromatic smoke. Under this there are signature notes of vanilla, green apple, and refreshing citrus.
Palate: An array of gentle flavors tempts even the most sophisticated palate.
Finish: Smoke and vanilla linger on the attractive medium-length finish.

PORTWOOD – 46%

This Portwood-finished whisky is a firm favorite and a real attention grabber.

Nose: Aromas of rich dried fruits with dark chocolate and cranberries; a hint of toasty oak mingles with a baked nutty dryness.
Palate: A creamy richness with some honey and spiced notes emerging.
Finish: Smooth with a soft oak and honey sweetness lingering gently on the tongue.

Although we’re more than halfway into 2019, stay tuned for more surprises for Penderyn coming later this year!

Thanks again for being part of our family and enjoying these fine whiskies with us!

We’ll be in touch about other exciting news as the year drinks on … 🥃

Please feel free to reach out for more details on the bottlings: office@impexbev.com

Our mailing address is:
ImpEx Beverages Inc.
360 Swift Ave
Side B # 9
South San Francisco, CA 94080

Introducing Ardbeg Traigh Bhan

Ardbeg Traigh Bhan marks the first time in 20 years that Ardbeg will release an aged whisky as a permanent expression, with the plan to release a single batch each year going forward.

Seductively smooth on the nose, before sudden, intense and rugged flavour notes come to the fore. Its exquisite taste crescendo is a rush like a surf of salt, smoke, sweet and sour. In fact, these characteristics are a reflection of the shores that inspired this expression.

Matured in American oak and Oloroso sherry casks and bottled with an abv of 46.2%, this 19 year old Ardbeg is sure to go down well.

£169.00
Limited to 1 per customer 

Pre-order Now

Saturday, September 7th 2:30-5:30PM

Local Spirits: 10th St Single Malt 

Located in San Jose, California, 10th St Distillery combines time honored Scottish traditions and American ingenuity to create award winning single malt. Their signature expression is made with peated barley imported exclusively from Scotland and mineral rich water from the Sierras, hand-crafted in custom copper pot stills and aged in bourbon barrels. It received ‘Best in Class’ at the 2018 Whiskies of the World. Come by for a taste and learn more about this up-and-coming local distillery.

Did You Know…Mark Stewart Cassidy, Specialist at The Whisky Shop, is leaving our store. He and the crew behind  “Never A Dry Moment” tastings are relocating to the Pacific Northwest, where they will bring immeasurable whisky knowledge and presentation. While nothing is changing at the store (we will continue to sell scotch & whiskey!) those who would like personal single malt recommendations from Mark Stewart Cassidy are encouraged to come by in the next few weeks before he goes.

We will miss you, Mark!

Click Here to RSVP

Taste and explore five, new mid-month releases that deliver a big hit of flavour in the most delightful and welcoming manner. These larger than life characters are great for sharing, gather friends together and enjoy. As always, bottles are limited in numbers – order now to secure your bottle.

ALL BOTTLES      NEW OUTTURN

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

New Release:
The Oldest Official Talisker Ever!

The second release in the Bodega Series from Talisker has just arrived and it is the oldest expression released commercially to date from the Skye distillery. Distilled in 1978, this limited edition has been aged in refill American oak barrels before being finished in Manzanilla sherry casks from Delgado Zuleta, one of Jerez’s oldest sherry producers, in homage to the type of whisky that would have been produced at the distillery in the early 20th century. Limited to just 2,000 individually numbered bottles, you can pre-order yours today at The Whisky Shop.

Talisker41 Year Old
The Bodega Series No.2

£2,900Pre-Order Now

Glenkeir Whiskies Limited
Suite 2 (Rear) Melisa House
3 Brand Place, Brand Street
Glasgow, G51 1DR
United Kingdom

We’ve got some good news for those of you who couldn’t make it to our festival last weekend! Our very special Summer Festival Single Malt Whisky is now available to buy online and in-store. This release has a very limited availability, so head to our website now to avoid missing out.

This single malt is our first Port Cask release, and has notes of rich red fruits, creamy vanilla & dark chocolate.

Lovingly crafted

We began making this unique release the same way as our flagship single malt. High and narrow spirit cuts, following on from a long fermentation using two yeast varieties, are responsible for the high ester count in our new-make spirit, resulting in a creamy and fruity flavour.

For this release, we filled Ruby Port casks and premium first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels with our new-make spirit. The port casks were left to mature for 4 years, whilst the ex-Bourbon barrels were matured for 2.5 years before being finished in a Cream Sherry Quarter Cask. We then blended together 90% Ruby Port cask with the remaining 10% of the Cream Sherry finished ex-Bourbon barrel.

This special release has been bottled at 50% ABV, non-chill filtered and without any additional colouring.

700ml | 50% ABV | £84.95

Don’t forget – there’s free mainland GB delivery on orders over £75!

BUY NOW

INTRODUCING
LAPHROAIG CASK STRENGTH BATCH 011

“Emphatic, full bodied and utterly unforgettable”

Each year, and only once a year, Laphroaig produce a batch of cask strength 10 year old single malt. A rarity and real treat for fans of peat.

LAPHROAIG 10 YEAR OLD CASK STRENGTH BATCH 011
70cl

The eleventh batch from this distillery’s popular cask strength version of their staple, the Laphroaig 10 Year Old. Batch 011 is everything you want from Laphroaig in a bottle… Read more

£73.95

BUY NOW

TASTING NOTES

NOSE:
A sweet maritime welcome with layers of pungent peat smoke, lots of vanilla alongside cooked pear.

PALATE:
More vanilla and peat intertwined with lemon zest and oak spice.

FINISH: 
Sweet and buttery with a trail of classic Laphroaig peat. Delicious.

50YO Dallas Dhu

A stunning looking whisky from a closed Distillery, Dallas Dhu. One of only 176 bottles available worldwide. Distilled Tuesday 10th June 1969. Bottled Wednesday 12th June 2019. Cask Number: 1656
Cask Type: Refill Sherry Hogshead. Colour: Mahogany
Aroma: Aromas of rich fruitcake laden with plump raisins, sultanas, and orange peel. An elegant sweetness of candied ginger, almond marzipan, and treacle toffee. Wisps of wood smoke and tobacco linger upon a back drop of subtle oak.
Taste: Toffee apples with fruit and nut dark chocolate flavours accompany mouth-warming cracked peppercorns. Spice sits in the background while wood tanins begin to take hold.
Finish: Lingering and warming; roasted coffee beans evolve into a subtle herbal edge. Full of character with a crisp clean edge.

Take a peek now

Is Edinburgh the new whisky capital?

Edinburgh is thinking of itself as a whisky destination with four new distillery projects and the multi-million-pound Johnnie Walker experience. Scotch whisky tourism is at an all-time high in 2019. Figures from back in 2017 show there were almost 2 million visits to distilleries – tourists from all over the world, who spent almost £61 million between them. Whisky producers across Scotland have at last – for many of them – realised the value of the tourist pound and have invested – and continue to invest – in incorporating visitor facilities at their distilleries. Of the 800,000 tourists visiting Moray (Speyside) each year, three out of five visit a distillery for a tour, cup of tea, bite to eat or shop. The density of distilleries in the region – there are 51 operational sites – along with outdoor pursuits, visitor attractions and breath-taking scenery, make Speyside a popular destination with international whisky enthusiasts, as well as those as yet unfamiliar with the drink. But what about Edinburgh – the second-most visited city in the UK, attracting over two million overseas visitors each year – the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile has been the city’s only real whisky visitor attraction. Glenkinchie is the closest malt distillery, a 15 mile confusing drive from the Royal Mile is no an easy visit for tourists. Thirty odd years after the Scotch Whisky Experience opened there are now four new distillery projects underway, a major revamp for Glenkinchie in the works plus the construction of a multi-storey Johnnie Walker whisky experience.

Can Edinburgh become the centre of Scotch whisky tourism? NO (Paul). Edinburgh as our capital attracts tourists aye, but in the main not the dedicated whisky geek. Susan Morrison, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Experience, welcomed around 400,000 visitors in 2017. No bad you think, but let’s see what Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland – the top tourist attractions outside of London – both suck in over two million visits annually. Diageo’s multi-million-pound, seven-storey Johnnie Walker whisky experience was given the all systems go by city planners within the former House of Fraser store on Princes Street, right in the city centre, the attraction will feature a ‘multi-sensory’ experience guiding visitors through the art and science of whisky making as well as the 200-year history of the blended Scotch brand. A rooftop bar – which is yet to receive approval – will offer views of Edinburgh Castle and across the city skyline, while a ground-level shop will provide tastings and whiskies from the Johnnie Walker and Diageo range. The attraction forms part of a £150m investment by Diageo in improving its whisky visitor experiences. Cristina Diezhandino, Diageo global Scotch whisky director, says the group expects the Johnnie Walker Experience to attract the same level of interest as its Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, which welcomes 1.71m visitors each year. Aiming at opening in 2020, the brand will create a welcome for whisky fans around the world… meantime, the revival of John Crabbie, one synonymous with Edinburgh’s 19th century blending heritage, is well underway. Brand owner Halewood International began distilling single malt spirit at Chain Pier, a small site at Granton Harbour in December 2018, although plans are to relocate its core single malt production to a larger premises in Leith. The new £7m distillery, named Bonnington, is currently being built on Graham Street, near to John Crabbie’s original premises at Yardheads. This will be followed by Holyrood Distillery. Situated in the renovated Engine Shed on St Leonard’s Lane, a 15-minute walk from the Royal Mile, Holyrood distillery has been built with the visitor experience at its heart. With an interactive distillery tour, bespoke cask ownership scheme, and expects 45,000 visitors in its first year, building up to 200,000 by year five. The unique vertical Port of Leith distillery on the Firth of Forth is expected to commence imminently, the £5m scheme will be the first Scottish whisky distillery to be built vertically, with the production process laid out from top to bottom. The rooftop bar and restaurant with views across the Firth will no doubt attract a less experienced crowd.

All this is grand aye, but the real whisky geeks like myself will still flock to Speyside and Islay, not to mention Skye, with three to visit now  and superb scenery. Just think of the west coast; fabulous scenery, distilleries all along the coast and islands. Perthshire with many diverse distilleries including my favourite Edradour, will continue to draw the whisky crowds. So, will Auld Reekie be number one whisky location anytime soon?  NO.

A personal blether from Paul McLean whiskytours.scot