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Old Perth 23 Year Old
1994 vintage blended malt Scotch whisky. Rare blended whisky consisting mainly of sherry cask matured Macallan. Bottled 2018 by Morrison & MacKay. 515 bottles. Blended Scotch whiskies are produced by blending whiskies distilled at two or more different Scottish distilleries and the whiskies may be single malt whiskies, single grain whiskies, or single malt and single grain whiskies.
Friday February 22nd, 5-7PM:
The Macallan & Highland Park
Treat yourself to some of the most popular whisky names in the world! We’ll be pouring a variety of new releases and highly-rated favorites, with distillery representatives and our own in-store whisky experts present throughout.
Ralfy Publishes Ralfy Review #762
(OFFICAL TASTING NOTES) For the first time, our non-peated Tobermory spirit has been finished in Madeira wine casks, creating a sweet and surprisingly spicy Single Malt. Starting life in ex whisky casks in 2002, this whisky was transferred to Madeira wine casks to finish for a further two years before our Senior Blender – Dr Kirstie McCallum – decided the time was right to bottle it. Madeira wine, dating back to the age of exploration when the island was a port of call for ships heading to the New World and the East Indies, is a unique fortified wine which is only produced on Madeira. Stored in casks and allowed to mature in the hot sun, this wine is bursting with sweet fruit, caramel and nutty notes. The resulting whisky is rich and sweet, with citrus and orange, soft vanilla caramel, hints of exotic spices and a gentle touch of clove. Non-chillfiltered @ 55.5% abv
1883 FERMENTER FILLED FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 100 YEARS AT BUFFALO tRACE
Distillery recommissions one of Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s original fermenters
Click here to watch a short video
FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Jan. 23, 2019) – Having long been buried and forgotten, one of Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s original fermenters is getting a new lease on life. For the first time in 100 years, the fermenter, which dates back to 1883, has been recommissioned and once again filled with Old Fashioned Sour Mash.
Buffalo Trace Distillery made a historic discovery in 2016 when it uncovered Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s intact fermenting vats dating to 1883, the original foundation wall Taylor built in 1869 and a second foundation built by Taylor in 1873. The distillery remnants and fermenters had been decommissioned, covered with a cement floor and forgotten, until the Distillery began work on the O.F.C. Building to turn it into more meeting and event space. With this historic find, the Distillery altered its plans and immediately began working to excavate and preserve this piece of distilling history with the help of a bourbon archaeologist. The space is now famously referred to by the nickname “Bourbon Pompeii.”
Once uncovered, the National Historic Landmark distillery set forth to bring one of the fermenters back online. The top of Fermenter No. 7 has been lined with some of the cleaned-up bricks that were uncovered during the excavation, and was relined with copper like it would have been during Taylor’s tenure. After adding piping to connect the fermenter with the Distillery’s microstill, the fermenter was tested earlier this month and then filled with mash for the first time in 100 years on the morning of Jan. 10th.
As a testament to Taylor’s legacy at Buffalo Trace, the Distillery plans to use the fermenter to produce Old Fashioned Sour Mash, similar to how Taylor did nearly 150 years ago. The Distillery applied for a patent on this sour mash process and received patent pending status in 2017.
The O.F.C. Building, including the recommissioned fermenter and other Distillery remnants can be seen on the Distillery’s complimentary E.H. Taylor Tour, which is offered Monday through Friday by reservation. The tour, which allows visitors to get up close with the now active fermenter, also makes stops at the Old Taylor House and Warehouse C.
In the future, Buffalo Trace also plans to use the upper levels of the O.F.C. Building as event space as originally planned, offering another unique way to view the sour mash process and experience this unique discovery.
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
January Newsletter 2019
Welcome back to our first newsletter of the year. It’s been a cold, cold month but we’re still working hard to make sure we get our goods out to you all!
What a week for our Single Malt Whisky
Our Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky has been the star of the show this month, receiving some fantastic feedback from some of the biggest food and drink gurus out there.
We woke up on Saturday morning only to spot our whisky on ITV James Martin’s Saturday Morning show, where celebrated wine critic Oz Clarke and James Martin himself shared their thoughts – definitely worth a watch!
Elsewhere, The Evening Standard recommended our flagship whisky as the perfect alternative to a classic Scotch for Burns Night, and Phillip Schofield also had some good words to say in Waitrose Weekend.
With distilleries becoming increasingly popular south of the Scottish border, it’s brilliant to see us flying the flag for English whisky!
Not forgetting our cask strength…
Just as we were about to send out our newsletter, we received some fantastic news – our Founder’s Choice Single Malt Whisky has been named as Whisky of the Month over on Whiskyexperts.
Fortunately for the ‘translate page’ option, the review makes a great read. Our newest whisky has been described as having ‘great body’ and a ‘beautiful, harmonious balance’ of flavours – we couldn’t ask for more!
If you’d like to learn a little more about our Founder’s Choice, head over to our website.
A quick update on our visitor centre
If you’ve stopped by the distillery recently, you’ll have noticed that our new visitor centre is very nearly finished.
The windows have been fitted, 65% of the Cotswold stone floor has been put in place, and the timber on the exterior is up.
The stairs are due to go up within the next couple of weeks, along with the interior timber cladding.
We’re hoping to unveil the new building in April – it won’t be long until we’re all settled in our new home!
A very warm welcome to the team
We’ve welcomed a few friendly faces over the past month or two as our brilliant team continues to grow.
In the office, Lucy has joined us as our new Sales Coordinator, keeping our accounts and sales team in order!
We’ve also had a couple of new additions to the production side of the distillery – Peter has joined our bottling team and Romy has helped lighten the load as our new Warehouse Operative.
Love is in the air
Chocolates and flowers are lovely, but why not surprise your loved one with one of our Outstanding Natural Spirits this Valentine’s Day?
If your other half prefers to sip on a good dram of whisky instead, our Founder’s Choice Whisky is perfect for that extra special someone.
We have lots to offer, so head to our online store for more ideas.
Out and about next month
It’s a quiet time of year for events, with this cold weather making everyone want to curl up in front of the fire instead of heading off outside, but Edward will be out championing the Cotswolds cause at a couple of exciting international events in February.
First up, Ed will be attending the Uisge consumer fair in Helsinki, before jetting off to Mumbai for The Vault Biennale – a new premium spirits festival to arrive in the Indian city which will be showcasing some of the best luxury beverages in the world.
As always, keep an eye out on our social media for any upcoming events.
Cotswolds Distillery ~ Phillip’s Field, Whichford Road ~ Stourton ~ Shipston-on-Stour, CV36 5HG ~ United Kingdom
LAST CHANCE TO GRAB YOUR SATURDAY TICKETS
22-23 MARCH 2019
– Stourbridge Town Hall –
With just over six weeks to go, we’re counting down the days to our most exciting Show yet at The Stourbridge Town Hall. As always there are new additions each year; the luxury of the Fine & Rare Bar offering drams from a bygone era, a cigar pairing class and an introductory class for those who are new to the Show.
NEW TO THE SHOW
If you’ve been keeping an eye on our lineup announcements on social media you’ll know things are already hotting up. So far we’ve announced the following brands:
Springbank / Kilkerran / Compass Box / GlenDronach / Bunnahabhain / Artful Dodger / Hunter Laing / Mars / Tobermory / Paul John / Sazerac / Glengoyne plus more than 30 TBA
AMERICAN WHISKEY
This year for the first time ever you’ll find a number of Buffalo Trace Antique Collection releases on taste at the Sazerac (Hi Spirits) stand, including George T. Stagg and William Larue Weller. Make sure you check these full-flavoured, high-strength whiskeys out.
CIGAR & WHISKY PAIRING
Cigar pairings have been a great addition to the Birmingham Show for the past couple of years so we thought it would be fitting to bring them to the Stourbridge Show, being on the doorstep of a cigar specialist.
We’ll be joined by Patrick from Hunters & Frankau, pairing a limited-edition aged H.Upmann cigar with two whiskies from Compass Box and Talisker.
Tickets are on sale now for just £15.
We are down to our last few Standard Saturday Tickets and we don’t expect them to last much longer. If you’re new to the Show and looking to find how you can make the most of your day, we’ve released a limited number of free tickets to an introductory class which starts at 12:30pm.
Early Bird Friday ticket £30
Early Bird Saturday ticket £35
Standard Saturday Ticket £40
Premium Saturday Ticket £75 TICKETS ON SALE NOW
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKETFIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SHOW
– OPENING TIMES –
Friday 22nd 6pm – 9:30pm
(9:10pm last pour)
Saturday 23rd 12pm – 5:00pm
(4:40pm last pour)
Please arrive early to avoid potential queues
– VENUE –
Stourbridge Town Hall
(opposite Nickolls & Perks’ Shop)
Crown Lane
Stourbridge
DY8 1YE
Click HERE for directions
Bruichladdich Octomore
10 Year Old Dialogos
Matured in a variety of casks including; Port, Cognac, ex-American whisky and Virgin Oak casks. Scottish grown Optic barley malted at 167ppm. 2019 limited release of 12,000 – maximum 1 bottle per customer! AROMA – There is a richness, chocolate, tobacco, bonfire smoke, leather. Vanilla custard, blueberry dry straw and pear drops. TASTE – Warming, spicy – mulled wine. Leather and tobacco, malt sugar, icing sugar. All wrapped in earthy peaty smoke. Dry on the palate. FINISH – Oak driven, coconut, tobacco, vanilla, then smoke. In balance the time in the cask has calmed the smoke, both through the phenols lowering naturally over time and the influence of the oak becoming greater.
Bruichladdich Distillery was established in 1881 by the Harvey family of distillers based in Glasgow. Situated on the Rhinns peninsular on the island of Islay close and close to the sandy bays of Loch Indaal. Re-opened in 2001 with much of the original Victorian equipment restored to working order. The first release of Bruichladdich’s new whisky was the highly acclaimed PC5, the first release in the limited Port Charlotte range. Also producing very highly peated Octamore, Organic using Islay grown barley, and triple and quadruple distilled single malt and single cask releases. Bruichladdich distillery participates in Feis Ile, the annual Islay Whisky Festival.
Shop – Octomore 10 Year Old 3rd Release – £162.00
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 236: The Picts 21 Year Old 1997 for MMM
Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, bottles another single cask for MMM. In 2019 Mark & Manny will again seek out 4 lovely single casks for their new Tribe Series and they are proud to present the first one to you: The Picts. The label was designed by a Flemish artist who was inspired by the tribes that shaped modern Scotland. And the whisky? Well, that remains a secret. Let’s just say that it was distilled at a world famous distillery – founded in 1886 – in the valley of the deer and matured for 21 long years on a bourbon cask. Nuff said.
BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY RELEASES
SEASONED STAVE BOURBON EXPERIMENT
FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Jan. 29, 2019) Buffalo Trace Distillery is releasing its latest round in its experimental whiskey collection, two bourbons aged for more than nine years in barrels made from oak staves seasoned for three and four years.
The bourbons, filled with Buffalo Trace’s mash recipe #1, were put away to age on October 27, 2009 in new barrels with staves that were seasoned for 36 months and 48 months. Most barrel staves air dry for six months, but these oak staves were allowed to season for much longer in hopes the barrels would offer a unique flavor, different than standard barrels.
“Although the taste difference is slight between the two experiments, these whiskeys taste different than our flagship Buffalo Trace bourbon. The 48 month seasoned stave barrels created a more mellow taste and holds less flavor from the wood. The 36 month seasoned stave bourbon is a little more flavorful with oak notes and caramel present,” stated Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley.
These bourbons will be sold in a two pack case, so consumers can evaluate the two and compare taste differences for themselves. Each bourbon has been bottled at 90 proof.
This is the 22nd experimental release from Buffalo Trace Distillery, having started with its first experimental release in 2006. In total, there are more than 22,000 experimental barrels of whiskey aging in the warehouses of Buffalo Trace Distillery, the largest number of experimental barrels ever held in inventory at the National Historic Landmark Distillery, and most likely the world. Each experimental barrel has unique characteristics that differentiate them in distinct ways. Some examples of experiments include unique mash bills, types of wood, and different barrel toasts. In order to further increase the scope, flexibility, and range of the experimental program, an entire micro distillery, named The Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. “OFC” Micro Distillery, complete with cookers, fermenting tanks, and a state-of-the-art micro still has been constructed within Buffalo Trace Distillery. Buffalo Trace has increased its commitment to experimentation with the recent addition of its Warehouse X. Although small in size, Warehouse X is designed to explore the extent of environmental influences on the flavor profiles of whiskey.
The Experimental Collection is packaged in 375ml bottles, and each label includes all the pertinent information unique to that barrel of whiskey. These whiskeys retail for approximately $46.35 each and will be available in late February 2019. Experimental Collection releases are generally quite small and have limited availability.
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
Glenmorangie Allta – Private Edition No.10
Modern Scotch whisky is at an interesting point. Whisky makers are torn between two poles of thought – tradition and innovation – with regulations governing both pushing them to choose their paths carefully. When it comes to carefully respecting the past while looking to the future, no one quite walks that fine line as well as Glenmorangie’s Dr Bill Lumsden with his yearly Private Edition bottling. This year sees the launch of the 10th release in the series, and it’s his geekiest experiment yet: Glenmorangie Allta.
Each entry in the Private Edition range showcases the more experimental side of Glenmorangie. The distillery is best known for its straight-down-the-line core range, but it’s always had more left-field releases on the books. From early forays into the world of finishing, to buying forests in the Missouri Ozark mountains to make custom casks, Glenmorangie has, at least in recent memory, always had a love of playing with whisky.
The first nine Glenmorangie Private Edition releases
The Private Edition range started out with the release of Sonnalta PX – a Pedro-Ximénez-sherry-finished version of the classic Glenmorangie Original – and quickly started heading into less-trodden territory. From there we had the lightly-peated Finealta, Sassicaia-finished Artein, new-oak-matured Ealanta (Jim Murray’s top dram in The Whisky Bible 2014), red-wine-finished Companta, floor-malted-Maris-Otter-barley-based Tüsail, sweet-shop-inspired Milsean, madeira-finished Bacalta and rye-matured Spios. Each very different and revealing one of the many experiments that Bill Lumsden has hidden in the Glenmorangie warehouses.
For the tenth birthday of the range, Bill has created a whisky that has been in the making for years. It was inspired by whisky-writer Michael Jackson’s insistence that Glenmorangie used its own strain of yeast when making whisky. While Bill Lumsden couldn’t find any evidence of that in the distillery’s recent history, he decided to make it so.
Yeast is everywhere. It’s a micro-organism that is almost ever-present, floating in the air and lying on almost every surface. Not every strain of yeast can be used for fermentation – the process of turning sugary liquid into alcohol that’s at the heart of the whisky-making process – and the ones that can don’t necessarily produce nice flavours, so choosing the right one was important.
To find a strain with a connection to Glenmorangie, they took samples from around the distillery and sent them to yeast experts Lallemand for analysis. After a lot of research, they isolated three or four viable strains of yeast, all found living on barley from Cadboll, a nearby estate that supplies the distillery with top-quality malting grain.
Dr Bill and padawan Brendan McCarron surrounded by barley, ready to launch Glenmorangie Allta
A single strain was selected and cultured, growing it from a single cell up to nine tonnes of yeast. The distillery named it Saccharomyces Diaemath. “Dia e math” is the Gaelic for “God is good”, a reference to the old name for yeast: goddesgood. Back before brewers and bakers knew how yeast worked, they assumed it was the work of God, and, as we know, the work is good1.
Glenmorangie Allta starts with two very specific ingredients: Saccharomyces Diaemath and malted barley from the Cadboll estate, a yeast and barley from the farm where it was originally found. The rest of the whisky-making process is almost identical to that of regular Glenmorangie, although the spirit was filled into second-fill- and refill-bourbon casks, to allow the underlying character to take centre stage, rather than the flavours from oak that you’d get with first-fill casks.
An artist’s impression of the inside of Dr Bill Lumsden’s head – all it’s missing is a wine rack and a sharp suit
Originally the plan was to mature the whisky for about 15 years, but even with less-active casks, the woody flavours started to take hold quickly. Bill chose to release it this year, at under 10 years old, to make sure that there was a still a distinctive Diaemath character.
He also chose to bottle it at a higher strength than previous releases, giving it more intensity to better show off the flavours that Diaemath has produced – 51.2% ABV rather than the more usual 46%.
But all that aside, what does it taste like?
Nose: Thick toffee and caramel notes to start. Fruit, herbs and a touch of earthy spice develop in the glass – apples, sultanas and green leaves. Malty notes slowly appear, sweet and grainy – like standing in the middle of a malting floor just after the barley has been turned. Crunchier, more youthful notes fill in the gaps: green apples and slightly underripe pears. A drop of water reveals candied violet floral notes as well as more pears: fresh, poached and pear drops.
Palate: Barley sugar, fruity boiled sweets, honeysuckle and a touch of the candied violet from the nose lead. Vanilla cream (single cream) runs through the centre of the palate, accompanied by baked apple and a touch of sugar-crusted, slightly singed, flaky pastry – tarte tatin and cream. Water brings out more orchard fruit, as well as a touch of earthiness and even more cream.
Finish: The apples and cream fade away to leave cheek-tingling spice and orange zest.
Comment: A combination of crunchy fruit and softly spicy spirit with Glenmorangie’s trademark creaminess and American-oak vanilla notes, with apples and pears providing a bridge. A successful experiment.
While Allta is a one-off limited edition, Glenmorangie has continued to use the combination of Diaemath and Cadboll barley almost every year, with a week of production dedicated to it. While we probably won’t see an ongoing ‘wild yeast’ bottling, it will no doubt work its way into other whiskies in the future – another paint in Dr Bill’s flavour palette.
Glenmorangie Allta is now available to pre-order on The Whisky Exchange. Orders will be dispatched as soon as the whisky arrives.
1 Goddesgood means something more similar to ‘a gift from God’, but I’m not going to begrudge Glenmorangie for tweaking it slightly to make such a good name for its own special yeast.
