Japanese whisky is still something a medium sized proportion of whisky drinkers are yet to experience, if you are one of those drinkers and you like something that sets itself apart from the ‘typical’ Japanese style, this is the one you should try. Situated on the northern island of, Hokkaido, Yoichi distillery produces a style that is reminiscent of Bruichladdich and Talisker. Oily mouth feel, heavy spirit and a beautiful wisp of coastal smoke and savory spice. This and Hakushu are my personal favorites in the realm of Japanese whisky and Yoichi in particular has a familiar yet exotic taste to it and is without doubt a whisky that all drinkers can thoroughly enjoy. Cheers.

Please click here to view the review

THE MACALLAN UNVEILS M BLACK – 2017 Release

A LIMITED EDITION SINGLE MALT WHISKY IN A LALIQUE BLACK CRYSTAL DECANTER

New York, June 27, 2018 – The Macallan has released a new creation, celebrating the extraordinary collaboration between three masters of their crafts: The Macallan, Fabien Baron and Lalique.

The Macallan M Black 2017 Release is the latest and most complex masterpiece in the remarkable M series of single malt whiskies. In partnership with renowned creative director Fabien Baron and crystal masters Lalique, The Macallan M Black’s intriguing single malt comes encased in one of the world’s most beautifully designed and meticulously handcrafted crystal decanters.

Limited to 725 black crystal decanters worldwide, with only 40 decanters allocated to the United States, each decanter is engraved with its own individual number which will drive collectibility. It will be released worldwide from June 2018 onwards, at an estimated retail price of $6,995 USD.

An evolution of the iconic M Decanter, this new step into lustrous black crystal from Lalique was crafted to reflect the diverse history of The Macallan single malt and presents a striking complement to an uncharacteristically smoky Macallan. Reflecting a lifetime of whisky, M Black truly encapsulates The Macallan’s established history as an innovative and exceptional single malt, and represents absolute time distilled. This is all captured in flawless black crystal, a more complex and technically challenging material to craft than clear crystal.

A testament to the custodians who have nurtured and guarded the casks and their precious contents for generations, this first release of M Black displays a rich natural color, with an ABV of 45%. Drawn from sherry-seasoned oak casks, a proportion of which contained peated malt, it delivers a profile of dark fruit, chocolate and espresso, which open into wood spice and an edge of peat. On the nose, there is rich cherry chocolate sweetness and fresh citrus notes with dried fruit, before salted caramel moves into whispers of peat smoke. The smokiness increases on the palate but serves to complement the flavors of green apples, citrus and dried fruit.

Crafted from just six sherry-seasoned casks, three butts and three hogsheads, M Black is a testament to   exceptional cask ageing and the craft of whisky making. The use of smaller 250L hogsheads serves to intensify the complex flavor profile.

Capturing the expressive aesthetic of Fabien Baron’s illustrious creative vision, the M Black decanter’s tall, slim dimensions and iconic geometric form push the boundaries of traditional decanter design. Its sharp, angular facets gave inspiration to the name M Black itself, selected as a typographic representation of the decanter’s striking design. The name also conveys the black crystal material of the decanter and hints at the dark flavor profile of the whisky encased within.

Lalique has drawn on 150 years of mastery and dedication, and its long-standing relationship with The Macallan, to bring refinement and flawless clarity to M Black. Fashioned in the highest-grade black crystal for the first time, each handcrafted decanter unites tradition with striking originality.

“An incredible collaboration between three masters, The Macallan M Black has been brought to conception by creative director Fabien Baron; brought to life by Lalique’s mastery of crystal; and brought to purpose by The Macallan’s whisky makers,” said Geoff Kirk, Director of Prestige for The Macallan. “Presented in an extraordinary handcrafted black crystal decanter, M Black reflects a lifetime of whisky and continues to showcase the vital influence of The Macallan’s exceptional oak casks and the ultimate craft of whisky making. M Black is a true work of art which raises the bar for whisky decanters around the world.”

Silvio Denz, Chairman of Lalique, remarks, “It is an honour to have worked with The Macallan – our long-standing partner for over a decade – to realise this exquisite piece and showcase our shared sense of mastery, craftsmanship and heritage. The decanter is completely unique in the world of decanters, very difficult to produce because of its shape and black color. The Lalique masters of crystal have relished applying their most complex skills to bring Fabien Baron’s creative vision to life in spectacular black crystal.”

For purchasing inquiries, please email: Inquiries.us@themacallan.com

For further information visit here

Whisky Makers Notes:

Color: Burnt umber

Nose: Rich cherry chocolate sweetness, and fresh citrus notes with the dried fruit. Salted caramel is enveloped by whispers of peat smoke.

Palate: The intensity of smoke increases but doesn’t dominate. It allows a subtle blend of green apples and citrus, dried fruit richness and smoke to perfectly combine.

Finish: Long and smoky

ABV:  45%

About The Macallan

Founded in 1824 in the heart of Speyside, The Macallan is one of the worlds’ most admired and awarded single malt whiskies. The reputation of The Macallan is based on a product of outstanding quality and distinctive character, founded upon a set of guiding principles, the Six Pillars. An unrivalled obsession with quality has been the hallmark of The Macallan since its’ founding by Alexander Reid on a plateau above the river Spey in north-east Scotland. The distillery is surrounded by the 390 acre Macallan estate, with Easter Elchies House at its center, a Highland Manor built in 1700.

For more information visit www.us.themacallan.com. The Macallan can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

© 2018 The Macallan Distillers Limited, The Macallan ® Scotch Whisky, Imported by Edrington Americas,

New York, NY. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

About Lalique

Founded in 1888, Lalique is one of the crown jewels of France’s crystal glass industry. René Lalique, renowned as the inventor of modern jewerly went on to become a master in the art of glassmaking. Over time, his name has become the powerful symbol of a unique expertise, a synonym for luxury, excellence, creativity and for a widely celebrated artistic style. Through its contemporary work in six areas, Lalique revives and pursues the creative, eclectic work of its founder: jewelry, decorative items, interior design, fragrances, art, as well as hospitality. All crystal items are handcrafted in the company’s sole manufacturing site, which has been located in the Alsace region in France since 1921. Lalique continues to thrive as a truly timeless lifestyle brand. www.lalique.com

About Fabien Baron

As the founder and creative director of Baron & Baron, Fabien Baron has crafted identities for the fash­ion, cosmetic and fragrance world’s most visible and influential brands. The creative director’s singular vision is evident in a broad range of award-winning advertising campaigns, package designs, logos and graphics. Baron has also applied his talents to the design of prominent magazines and books, including the role of Creative Director for Vogue Italia and Vogue Paris, and is renowned for his photography, as well as for directing groundbreaking television commercials, music videos and online video content.

Sherry casks part 4: what about soleras?

[This is the continuation of an old series. Here are the previous instalments if you’d like to catch up – What was a sherry cask, What is a sherry cask and What goes into a sherry cask]

What is a solera?

The solera system is at the heart of the sherry-ageing process. It is, simply put, a method of continuously blending younger and older sherries to ensure a consistent character over the years.

The solera system of maturation – confusingly, the last tier of the solera is also called the solera. Picture courtesy of SherryNotes

A solera can be thought of as a row of casks. When you want some sherry, you remove some from the last barrel in the row and then top it up with wine from the previous cask. That in turn is topped up from the one before it, and so on until you get back to the first in line: that one is topped up with young wine.

Head over to SherryNotes to learn more about The Solera System.

The important thing to note about soleras is that they’re not about adding woody character to maturing sherry – they’re about letting the sherry develop on its own, interacting with the environment. As such, the casks used are normally old, added to a solera once they no longer have woody flavours to impart – porous containers rather than a mines of flavour.

So, back to whisky.

Do we use solera casks to mature whisky?

When whisky fans talk about sherry casks, they often assume they have been used to mature sherry – look at any discussion online about sherry-matured whisky and you’ll soon see some reference to soleras. However, that’s not the case – the most commonly used casks are modelled after transport casks, once used to ship sherry around the world.

Read more in the first two parts in this series: What was a sherry cask and What is a sherry cask.

Building new casks – these are destined to be filled with young sherry, transport-cask style

Solera casks are made of old wood and have little wood influence left to give. They are much prized by the sherry industry, only retired from a solera when they are no longer needed or are no longer suitable for maturing wine. They aren’t commonly used in the whisky industry, as not only are they rare but I didn’t think they were great for maturing whisky thanks to the deliberately engineered tiredness of the oak.

It seems I was wrong.

Talisker finished in solera casks

Diageo has launched a new Talisker bottling, a 1978-vintage, 40-year-old whisky that was matured in ex-solera casks from Delgado Zuleta. The solera in question is used to mature Quo Vadis, an incredible amontillado that I’ve have had the privilege of trying a couple of times – it’s exceptionally rare to find it outside of Spain and is one of the most memorable sherries I’ve ever tasted.

Find out more about Quo Vadis over on SherryNotes.

The whisky is a vatting of five Quo Vadis casks. Each cask is more than 100 years old, used for most of that time to hold sherry. They are fragile and were shipped to Scotland whole, rather than flatpacked, as re-coopering such old casks would have been almost impossible. Once they’d arrived, they were filled with Talisker, but the whisky only stayed in the casks for a few months – they were too active to be used for any longer.

Buy Talisker 1978 40 Year Old The Bodega Series >

What’s an active cask?

When we talk about a cask being ‘active’, we mean that it has had a lot of influence on the whisky. Normally, it’s the wood that has had the effect, but that’s not the case with a solera cask – it has to be the previous occupant of the cask. When the cask has been filled with sherry for more than a hundred years, there’s going to be quite a lot of flavour left in the wood.

Calling an ancient cask ‘active’ has sparked some online discussions, but it makes sense in this case – there’s a lot of flavour from the sherry in the wood, and it’s easily soluble in alcohol: the perfect recipe for rapidly adding sherry character to the whisky.

What’s the future for solera casks and whisky?

While it’s rare to see solera casks used at the moment, there is potential for us to see more in the future. Unfortunately, it’s not for pleasant reasons.

Sherry is no longer as popular as it once was and soleras are being closed down – demand is low and eventually you can’t keep holding on to stocks of old wine. Once the casks are emptied they are no longer needed at home, and with demand never higher for casks in Scotland, there is an obvious destination.

An increasingly large proportion of casks in The Sherry Triangle are now being created and seasoned specially for the whisky industry

I don’t think we’ll see them being used for long maturation – inactive oak and overly active sherry character seems like a bad combination for new-make spirit – but turbo-charged sherry finishes are already in demand and being able to put ‘solera cask’ on the label kicks things up a notch.

If you want to read more about sherry casks and whisky, make sure to read WhiskyNotes and SherryNotes, and this fantastic article: Sherry casks in the whisky industry.

New & Limited

The latest batch of single cask releases from BenRiach has arrived and is ready for immediate dispatch.

Next day UK delivery available
International shipping

BenRiach Batch 15 Single Cask Release

Now in its 15th batch, the BenRiach’s single cask release is always highly anticipated and never disappoints! The latest selection is now available to order at The Whisky Shop and includes both peated and unpeated expressions aged between 9 and 20 years old.

Each release is limited to just a few hundred bottles, all presented at natural cask strength to pack an extra punch. Explored the range now by clicking the link below.

From £79
Only available while stocks last!

New Bottling from Bartels

Glen Ord 2010 Aged 8 Years

Glen Ord 2010

Aged 8 Years

Bourbon Hogshead

Cask Strength – 61.6% vol

Highland Region

Total Bottled 143

The angels were taking more than their fair share, so we decided to bottle this one fast.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 209: Auchentoshan Sister Casks by Signatory

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries 3 sister casks of Auchentoshan. All three are bottled in the so-called Un-Chillfiltered Collection by Signatory. With this little experiment, Mark tries to find the similarities or differences between sister casks. All three were bottled from Bourbon Barrels.

https://youtu.be/v4iBvO-tZ4g

The Whisky Barrel releases their latest exclusive single cask bottling. 

Specialist online whisky shop, TheWhiskyBarrel.com, is proud to release an exclusive single cask malt whisky distilled at the Speyside distillery, Glenlivet.

In November 2017 TheWhiskyBarrel.com released a similar bottling as part of The Whisky Barrel 10^th Anniversary Celebrations which received fantastic customer feedback. In March 2018, following a visit to the warehouses of Signatory Vintage, TheWhiskyBarrel.com were delighted to find another cask of Glenlivet maturing in a first-fill sherry cask. Glenlivet 11 Year Old, 2007 vintage was then hand-picked for TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

Glenlivet Distillery sits in a remote glen in Ballindalloch, Banffshire. A fantastic new extension including an extra mashtun, eight washbacks and six stills was opened by the Prince of Wales in 2010.

Glenlivet 11 Year Old, 2007 has been matured in a first-fill sherry cask #900134 and has a lovely deep colour to it. This whisky is very similar to the previous Glenlivet released by TheWhiskyBarrel.com. It has a great level of complexity to it and a certain weight brought about by the sherry influence, but this is well balanced by the sweetness that follows.

Available exclusively from The Whisky Barrel, shipping to customers Worldwide including the United States of America, Canada and Japan. 

Glenlivet 11 Year Old | 2007 | Signatory Vintage for TheWhiskyBarrel.com | 66.8%

Tasting notes 

Colour: Blood orange.

Nose: Rich, sweet beeswax and cola cubes. 

Taste: Sweet red berries cut with tart sherry and luxury dark chocolate. 

Finish: Lovely balance between the sherry oak and high spirits. Bitter sweet fruit crumble with a slight edge of chewy tobacco. 

Price: £84.95 GBP / $95 USD (+ P&P) 

Notes :-

1. Q) What is the product called?
   A) Glenlivet 11 Year Old 2007
2. Q) When will this product be released/was it released?
   A) Tuesday 26 June 2018

   Q) Where is it available?
   A) Scotland, off-trade, TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

   Q) Is this product already available in other markets?
   A) Scotland only, TheWhiskyBarrel.com ships worldwide.

   Q) How much is it?
   A) £84.95 GBP / $95 USD (+ P&P)

6. Q) Who handles the product’s distribution?
   A) In-house at TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

   Q) What is the ABV of this product?
   A) 66.8% ABV natural cask strength.

7. Q) Why has this product been launched?
   A) Limited Edition single cask distillery exclusive for The Whisky Barrel. 

Note cont… 

The Whisky Barrel is a speciaslit online whisky and spirits merchant based in Fife, Scotland and  was established in 2007. The Whisky Barrel won Whisky Magazine Online Retailer 2018 and was International Wine & Spirits Competition runner-up in 2016.

N.B. Prices correct at the time of publishing and are subject to currency fluctuation.

Amber Glen (aged 3 years) has been awarded a Silver Medal at the Most Prestigious Scotch Whisky Masters Competition, alongside our joint Silver medalists Johnnie Walker Black Label, Ballantine’s 12-Year-Old, and  Scottish Leader 12-Year-Old.

www.amberglen.co.uk​

Glen Scotia 2005 Single Cask
Loch Fyne Exclusive

Distilled at Glen Scotia in March 2005 and matured in a single cask (no. 17/413-10) for 13 years, this Campbeltown single malt has been selected and bottled exclusively for Loch Fyne Whiskies by the good folks at the distillery. Only 330 bottles have been filled, each one at a natural cask strength of 55.6% abv and free from chill-filtration.

£85 Buy Now

THIS IS BIG!

Prepare your senses for a BIG taste experience. With rich roast beef, dark chocolate and brown sugar, 135.2 Hessian, wood and incense is thick and wonderfully mouth-coating. Adding water delivers a barrage of orange barley sugars, raisins, mint, woody spices and tannins with some smoke at the end. Available now, don’t miss out on this exceptional bottling.

What’s in a name – or a number?

With the release of our newest distillery 135, we thought it might be time for a refresher course in our curious system of coding bottles. Pay attention – this could get a little complicated…

READ MORE              ALL WHISKIES

135.2 – Hessian, wood and incense

“The taste is savoury and spicy with tannic woody notes. Rich roast beef gravy, dark chocolate and brown sugar it was thick and mouth coating. Adding water brought out chocolate raisins, brandy butter, stem ginger, nectarines, plum skins and incense.”

Age: 16 years
Price: £49.00

DISCOVER MORE

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