Saturday,  August 11th, 2:30-5:30PM: 

Islay Scotch, and Ol’ Major Bacon Bourbon

There’s something for everyone at this tasting. Presented by Branded Spirits, this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink tasting includes Glen Oak’s 17 yr old Islay scotch and Ol Major Bacon bourbon, made with real bacon!

Pourlist:

Glen Oak 17: 

Sourced from Bruichladdich Distillery, Glen Oak 17 is distilled from 100% Islay Barley, with a sea-salt tinged palate of dark chocolate, orange spice, and light peat on the finish. Only 125 cases of this rare vintage exist.

Ol Major Bacon Bourbon:

Made with real bacon, a mash bill of corn, rye, and barley, and no artificial ingredients, this unique bourbon is no flash-in-the-pan experimental bottling. Ol’ Major Bacon took Gold Medal at the SF World Spirits competition – perhaps the only bacon-flavored spirit to ever do so.

 More Details & RSVP

While temperatures here in Maltstock country are tropical we are so looking forward to Maltstock! Not only because it’s cool and relaxed 😉 but mainly because we are looking forward to meeting old and new friends!

Want to be a part of our anniversary party? Hurry (relaxedly of course) because we are almost fully booked now.

See you in a couple of weeks!!

Annette, Bob, Klaas, Stan, Teun

Raffle grand prize

Win a relaxed whisky trip for two persons to three of the best whisky bars in Scotland! A must for every whisky lover: 2 nights Bed&Breakfast at the Highlander Inn, Craigellachie + 2 Nights Bed&Breakfast at Fiddlers, Loch Ness + 2 nights Bed&Breakfast in superior room at Dornoch Castle Hotel.

The Monkey Shoulder Midnight Cafe

Wanna have a relaxed beer or perhaps a soda after a day of tasting whisky? We’ve arranged for that together with Monkey Shoulder. Special Monkey Shoulder cocktails will be served!

On Friday and Saturday from (about) 00:00h – 03:00h our Midnight café will be opened. Of course there will be a midnight snack and of course it will be gezellig!

At no extra costs because this is also included with you Maltstock ticket.

Masterclass preference link

We have been sending all our guests the masterclass preference link. This is the link you need to let us know your masterclass preferences.

If you think “I didn’t get this mail”, or “I can’t find it anymore” and you have bought a Maltstock 2018 ticket. Please search your inbox and spam folder for this. If you really can’t find it, please send us an email: info@maltstock.com and we will send you the link.

But relax! You have till the 25th of August to let us know your preferences, if we didn’t receive your preferences by then, we will have to guess. Thank you!

A few weeks left to get your tickets.

Only a few weeks left to buy your Maltstock ticket. And there are only a couple of tickets left. Why wait? Get relaxed now and visit our ticketshop. Remember: you cannot buy tickets at the door!

Our crazy packed anniversary program can be found at www.maltstock.com, we have a whooping amount of 10 masterclasses for you to choose from this year.

Save the date: 6-12th of August

Scottish Whisky Auctions is very proud to announce its most recent charitable partnership with ‘The Ben, The Scottish Drinks Industry Charity’. On the 6^th of August, a week long charity auction will commence, seeing approximately 30 bottles sold under the hammer for the benefit of The Ben. SWA have been so impressed with the work of The Ben, a charity committed to helping members of the license industry who fall on hard times. From assisting families in the midst of a housing crisis, to helping individuals with transport for hospital appointments, The Ben seeks to help in the small disasters of life, as well as the monumental.  Visit the SWA website for further details and the opportunity to bid and make a difference in the lives of The Ben beneficiaries.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BEN

Our mailing address is:
mail@scotchwhiskyauctions.com

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 210: Glenturret 8 Year Old 2009 B’s Choice

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, discovers a new Belgian independent bottler’s first release. B’s Choice. B is none other than Bart Heggerick, better known as one of the strong men behind the Smoking Buffalo series. But now he has his own label. Time to make an entrance. Will he, with his first release? Glenturret is not exactly a very sexy name – or is it? The whisky is 8 years old, matured on a single sherry hogshead and is bottled at 63.3% ABV!

https://youtu.be/FfhpoIT6uBk

Bunnahabhain unveils new ‘The Sound of Islay’ positioning

Islay’s most remote distillery is harnessing the ‘The Sound of Islay’ in a new brand positioning and marketing campaign aimed at celebrating the rugged, romantic isolation of Bunnahabhain and its sea-faring heritage. A play on both the distillery’s location on the narrow strait of sea between Islay and Jura, as well as the brand’s Gaelic naming convention, the campaign uses phonetic spellings to portray ‘The Sound of Islay’.

Leading with a digital campaign, ‘The Sound of Islay’ will bring consumers closer to the unique sound of Bunnahabhain’s location, production and pronunciation in a playful manner.

Derek Scott, Brand Director for Malt Whisky said: “The Sound of Islay campaign aims to take people on a journey to discover the unique pace of life at Bunnahabhain, showcasing all of the aspects that make our whisky so special – from the challenging trip to get there, the summer rain that will one day will become our precious spirit, to a warm welcome in the most remote corner of Islay.” 

“The new positioning highlights the brand’s personality with humour in embracing the fact that many people find our whisky names such as Stuireadair {Stew-rah-dur} difficult to pronounce. We hope this will aid us in driving a closer connection between our whisky, which is enjoyed worldwide, and our locational heritage through our Gaelic roots.” 

Bunnahabhain, which translates as ‘mouth of the river’ is an unusual Islay distillery as its core expressions are largely non-peated. Without the veil of strong and smoky peat that the ‘Whisky Isle’s’ malts are known for, Bunnahabhain allows the distillery’s remote location to shine through in the character of its whisky. Maturing all of its malts on site in its seaside warehouses perched on the rugged coastline of the Sound, Bunnahabhain has a long, salt-sprayed history with the sea leaving an indelible mark on every bottle of whisky crafted there.

Bunnahabhain’s award-winning portfolio of malts have been recognised across the globe for their salty brine and light complexity owed to its coastal location on the Sound of Islay. This year, the brand won Best Scotch Islay 21 Years & Over at the World Whisky Awards for its signature 25 Year Old expression, which was supported by unprecedented sweep of wins across all Islay age categories for its 12 year old, 18 year old and non-age-statement, Stuireadair {Stew-rah-dur}.

Notes 

About Bunnahabhain

• Bunnahabhain is Islay’s most northerly and remote distillery founded in 1881.
• Not a typical smoky Islay malt, Bunnahabhain’s core range are light, non-peated malts that are all non-chillfiltered and natural in colour.
• The distillery’s sea facing warehouses provide the perfect environment for maturing Bunnahabhain and it remains unique on Islay maturing all of its spirit at the distillery.
• The brand’s core range includes 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 25 Year Old, 40 Year Old and a non-age statement expression called Stiuireadair.

For more information on Bunnahabhain, please visit www.bunnahabhain.com

About Distell

• Distell is Africa’s leading producer of wines, spirits, ciders, scotch whisky and ready-to-drinks (RTDs) with a portfolio of close on 100 brands.
• Within the portfolio, Distell owns four single malts and a number of scotch brands produced across three distillery sites.
• The three distilleries include: Bunnahabhain on the Isle of Islay; Deanston in Doune, Perthshire and Tobermory based on the Isle of Mull.
• With a global network of offices and distribution partners, the company employs nearly 5000 people worldwide and has an annual turnover of R14.2 billion. (£1.09 billion)
• In Scotland, the company’s operations are based in East Kilbride where it has a bottling hall, with blending and warehousing facilities at Airdrie, both near Glasgow.
• Distell is the 2015 “Distiller of the Year” award winner at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

For more visit: www.distell.co.za

Blackpool, August 1st 2018: A bottle of one of the world’s most sought-after whiskies, Dalmore 50 Year Old, has sold for £28,000 ($36,700) at Whisky-Online Auctions in Blackpool. Originally created by Dalmore’s legendary Master Blender Richard Paterson in 1978, the youngest spirit in the assemblage is believed to have been from 1926 and several older liquids were used including whiskies distilled at Dalmore in the 19th century.

Only 60 hand-numbered bottles of this Dalmore 50 year old were ever produced, packaged in hand-cut crystal decanters in a hardwood presentation case.  The whisky was bottled at 52%, an unusually high strength for a spirit of this great age.

Bottle No. 1 of the Dalmore 50yo sold last night after frantic bidding brought the hammer price to £28,000, a new world record for this bottle.  Available for around £6000 in 2012, the value of Dalmore 50yo has escalated dramatically in recent months, with previous bottles selling for £14,300 in January 2017, £18,600 in March 2017 and then £22,100 in August 2017.

Wayne Ormerod, founder of Whisky-Online Auctions, commented:

‘’The Dalmore 50-year-old is a combination of liquid genius and pure beauty. There are very few single malt Scotch whiskies distilled in the 1920s that have been bottled at such an age combined with a high bottling strength. This is a whisky that for many years never really established the reputation it truly deserves.’’

‘’We know this bottle very well having handled multiple examples over the years and although our estimate was conservative at £18,000-£22,000, we were very confident that we would overperform on behalf of our client.”

“We had numerous interested bidders from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and even strong bidders from here in the UK. But when the hammer finally fell it was nice to see a regular customer from Italy secured themselves a fantastic piece of Scottish liquid history.”

Notes 

About Whisky-Online Auctions

Founded in 2012, Whisky-Online Auctions is the sister company to the long-established whisky retail website Whisky-Online.com. The family-owned company is one of the UK’s largest specialist online whisky auctions, focusing particularly on old and rare bottlings of single malt and blended whiskies. This expertise and an unparalleled network of contacts has enabled them to curate some of the most impressive whisky auctions of recent years.

HIGHLAND PARK VALKNUT 

The second release in Highland Park’s Viking Legend series. This nuanced Norse dram continues the distillery’s exploration of Orkney’s Viking heritage, invoking Odin himself with notes of warm mulling spice and lingering peat smoke.

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NEW MORTLACHS

The Beast of Dufftown’s recent incarnation as Diageo’s super-premium Speyside has been cast aside in favour of a new, more nuanced approach: pre-release tastings indicate a real return to form for a distillery which deserves to succeed. Billy’s got the scoop.

READ MORE

Customer Review

TALISKER 10 YEAR OLD 

“One of my favourite whiskies ever… very rarely does a whisky actually invoke imagery in me, but this does it and is the only one I have tasted so far to do so. Makes me think of eating freshly caught fish cooked over a wood fire, sitting on a cliff watching the waves crash against the rocks. The only word I can use to describe this whisky is magical…” – Chris.

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Our Favourite

INSTAGRAM POST

As a community, we whisky folk can get pretty technical about our drinks, so sometimes it’s nice to see someone just enjoying a dram by the fire. Plus, lighting a fire in this heat requires serious dedication. Cheers @parker_1303! https://www.instagram.com/p/Blq03ggAnQT/

If you’re tasting our whiskies or visiting us in London, please tag us @whiskyexchange with your photos.

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Our events

WHISKY SHOW: OLD & RARE 

Old and rare whiskies are a constant point of interest and conversation, but how many of us actually get to taste that ancient Ardbeg or sip a dram of Port Ellen Queen’s Visit? Well, you could, thanks to The Whisky Show: Old & Rare – an opportunity to explore some truly delectable and seriously collectible spirits.

TICKETS HERE

Friday, August 10th, 5-7 PM: 

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. Since this is one of our most popular tastings, we encourage people to arrive on time.

Pour list to be revealed as the event approaches –

RSVP to be notified of new details.

More Details & RSVP

“After several agonizing months, thewhiskymafia.com returns with a bold, spicy, fruity new post! Marvel as Pat Dunlop lists the 10 Scotch whisky distilleries he finds most intriguing at the moment. Will the famed Glen Wonka make the list? Where has Pat been, anyway? How many times will references to Ralfy Mitchell & Serge Valentin be made? The answers to all of these burning questions, and more, can be found if you click here“

W.L. WELLER 12 YEAR OLD WINS BEST IN SHOW AT 2018 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS COMPETITION

Fourteen spirits from Buffalo Trace Distillery receive top honors 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (July 25, 2018) W.L. Weller 12 year old bourbon was awarded Best in Show, Best in Category (Straight Bourbon 6 years or older) and a Gold medal. A total of 14 spirits from Buffalo Trace Distillery were awarded top honors at the 2018 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. Two whiskies from Buffalo Trace were also named Best of Category. Stagg Jr. was named Best of Category and E.H. Taylor Rye was named Best of Category in American Straight Rye.

            Those awarded Gold include:

• Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Eagle Rare 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• W.L. Weller 12 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Old Weller Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Sazerac Straight Rye
• George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye
• Elmer T. Lee Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon (no age)
• Benchmark Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Silver Medal was awarded to:

• Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

This competition, in its 12th year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

Complete results for the 2018 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition can be found at https://fairplex.com/competitions/spirits-competition/awards-celebration.

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.