With summer almost upon us, June Outturn uplifts the spirits with a sparkling selection of emerald gems.  Surprise and delight the senses with seven new brilliant bottlings.

CASK NO. 37.98  A TRIFLE CITRUSY

15 years old; refill hogshead; 56.5%; Sweet, fruity & mellow

Lemon cheesecake and boozy trifle joined vanilla custard and elderflower cordial with a finish of Turkish delight and muscovado sugar.

CASK NO. 5.59  CHILI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

16 years old; 1st fill charred red wine barrique; 58.2%; Spicy & sweet

This whisky, previously in a 2nd fill bourbon hogshead, had a peppery chilli heat neat, turning to cinnamon and apple hot cross buns with water.

CASK NO. 7.122  HOLY MOLEY!

25 years old; refill hogshead; 56.3%; Spicy & dry

A Manhattan cocktail alongside maple syrup and chocolate fondant pudding on the nose neat whilst sweet and spicy as well as thick and creamy on the palate. Diluted, aromas of chocolate marshmallows and blood orange and a remarkable experience to taste.

CASK NO. 107.13  ANDALUSIAN GAZPACHO

10 years old; refill Oloroso butt; 65%; Spicy & dry

SPEYSIDE FESTIVAL BOTTLING – SPECIAL LABEL!

ONE BOTTLE PER MEMBER

The engrossing scent of an Andalusian gazpacho followed by figs, almonds, dried fruits, olives and plenty of red wine made us all lick our lips to try it. Big, chewy and meaty!

CASK NO. 35.196  A MOROCCAN ‘SNAKE CAKE’

14 years old; refill Chardonnay barrique 58.2%; Deep, rich & dried fruits

Polished wood and a glass of well-aged Shiraz followed by orange olive oil cake. Diluted a little spicier and sweet nutty flavours developed.

CASK NO. 53.248  SLAPPED BY POSEIDON’S GLOVE

11 years old; refill hogshead; 56%; Lightly peated

ISLAY FESTIVAL BOTTLING – SPECIAL LABEL!

ONE BOTTLE PER MEMBER

Salty sea spray smacked the face like a slap from Poseidon’s glove. Smoke, thick tar and lobster nets permeated our senses and strong herbal notes stirred from the depths.

CASK NO. 3.308  A MARITIME MEANDER

13 years old; 2nd fill hogshead; 57.9%; Peated

ISLAY FESTIVAL BOTTLING – SPECIAL LABEL!

ONE BOTTLE PER MEMBER

A maritime meander by the seafood shack, beach bonfire burnt sticks and trawlers in the harbour led to lashings of smoke, ash and tar, burnt cork and salted liquorice – enough to satisfy the socks off any peat-freak.

SMWS Canada

The Tweeddale The Evolution: 

At 28 years-old, is the eldest Tweeddale to be released. It is fuller and more complex in character than previous expressions; with sherried and Speyside qualities, dark chocolate and black cherry on the nose, followed by wood spice and earthy notes on the palate. The Evolution of this magnificent whisky began when its creator Alasdair Day inherited his great grandfather Richard Day’s cellar book. Alasdair has explored the direction that he believes Richard Day would have taken, had he continued to blend whisky after the Second World War. £172 on Master of Malt

Drams of The Tweeddale The Evolution at Truefitt & Hill: 

Truefitt & Hill has been recognised as the finest traditional gentlemen’s barber in London for over two centuries. On Saturday 16th June, the barber shop will open its doors to offer the ultimate father and son experience. Sons can honour their fathers on this special day by treating them to a day of all things quintessentially British. Upon arrival guests will be offered a dram of Scottish whisky, The Tweeddale – The Evolution. Guests will be able to enjoy treatments including a haircut or Traditional Hot Towel Wet Shave, a goody bag of grooming products as well as discount at some of Mayfair’s finest gentleman’s outfitters.

Tickets are £175 and available on Eventbrite.

Membership to the An Roghainn Club: 

For those with with a very luxurious drinks cabinet, the Raasay Distillery, on the beautiful inner Hebridean island, is also offering the opportunity to join its exclusive An Roghainn Club. Members can invest in the emerging brand and have the chance to add limited release whisky to their personal libraries, as well as the opportunity to buy casks of the Isle of Raasay Distillery whisky. Membership to the An Roghainn Club is £250 and includes three full size bottles of limited release whisky.

Announcing our
8th Anniversary Celebration
and Grand Opening in SOMA
Saturday, June 23rd, 11am – 11pm

8th Anniversary Celebration Free Tours, Food Trucks, and More

As a thank you to our friends and supporters we will be offering:

• Free tours 11am to 5pm (held periodically throughout the day on Saturday, June 23rd)
• Food Trucks in our parking lot for your dining pleasure
• Cocktails and local craft beer in our new tasting room

This year’s 8th Anniversary Whiskey is a 4 year old Bottled in Bond Straight Rye Whiskey and it goes on sale at 11am on Saturday the 23rd.

• $49.99 per 375ml bottle
• 100 proof
• Available only at the distillery tasting room

Our Bottled in Bond Straight Rye is bottled in accordance with the Bottled-in-Bond act of 1897 which sets strict standards for the production of whiskey.  Having been made during one distillation season, by one distiller at our distillery, bottled at 100 proof, aged in a federally bonded warehouse, and be at least 4 years old it meets the criteria to be labeled as bottled-in-bond.

8th Anniversary Celebration Tasting

Rock Town’s 8th Anniversary Barrelhouse Masterclass is a seated tasting hosted by founder and head distiller Phil Brandon at the distillery. During the tasting you’ll learn all the details about Rock Town’s award winning whiskeys, including production, aging to tasting. The tasting will include these Rock Town whiskeys:

• 8th Anniversary Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey
• Arkansas Bourbon Whiskey
• Arkansas Four Grain Sour Mash Bourbon
• Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Tasting starts at 6:30pm on Saturday, June 23rd. Space is extremely limited for the tasting and the cost is $60 per person. Tasting reservations can be made HERE

Rock Town Distillery
1201 Main Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72202

Well, well, well. Glen Scotia, we meet again. Peated, cask strength, ruby port finish, ex-bourbon matured. A delight! An utter delight of everything that is fantastic and bass driven style of Campbeltown and west coast Scottish whiskies in general. This review comes out as I’m sunning myself in the sprawling metropolis that is, New York City. Enjoy the review, the whisky is outstanding, this city is brilliant. Cheers!

https://youtu.be/yyL_IdcAuRE

Distinguished Father’s Day whisky FOR A DIGNIFIED DAD 

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has the ideal bottle of whisky and membership offer for Father’s Day 

If your dad is a dignified chap, then The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has the perfect gift for him this Father’s Day (Sunday 17^th June 2018), with a special offer of membership to the SMWS including a limited edition single malt ‘For a dignified dad’ for only £130.

This 20-year-old Speyside whisky has matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel to produce a single cask whisky that has been described as “characteristically waxy, oily, herbal and delicately tropical.”

Like the father in your life, ‘For a dignified dad’ carries an air of authority and experience that coveys that with “age brings distinction and the opportunity to wax lyrical, and deserves a respectful audience.”

With a stimulating nose and aroma of “hours spent in the garden or in the shed, emerging with the smell of soil from potting plants”, this whisky was bottled from a single cask that produced only 190 bottles, making it a limited edition single malt.

FATHER’S DAY OFFER

‘For a dignified dad’ and a membership to the Society costs only £130 which is a saving of £25. The whisky is from the Old & Dignified flavour category, which is one of the SMWS 12 flavour profiles.

Membership unlocks the doors to the Society’s unparalleled single cask whiskies, tasting events, the award-winning ‘Unfiltered’ magazine and Members Rooms and partners bars around the world.

New whiskies are released each month, providing an ever-changing choice of malts to discover.

Included in the offer:

• Full SMWS Membership (costing £65)
• 70cl bottle of: 36.142 ‘For a dignified dad’ (£90) 

Father’s Day offer valid from Friday 1^st June until Monday 18^th June 2018 Online media find out more here
Print media: https://www.smws.com/dignified-dad-offer

For more information on membership:
Online media go here
Print media: www.smws.com/society-membership

Tasting Notes: 

Title: For a dignified dad              

Bottle tasting note: Characteristically waxy, oily, herbal and delicately tropical as befits the slightly more old-school make of this distillery. Textbook stuff

Full tasting note: This old-school and dignified character exudes aromas of hours spent in concentrated industry out in the garden or in the shed, emerging with the smell of soil from potting plants, damp dunnage warehouses, as well as furniture wax, notes of camphor and wood resin. After strolling past gorse bushes, crossing a pine forest and picking brambles, it’s time to wash up with coal tar soap and relax with a little aged yellow Chartreuse, mint tea or Gewurztraminer. Age brings distinction and the opportunity to wax lyrical, and deserves a respectful audience.

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an international whisky club that bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The Society only ever bottles single casks – each cask is unique, making every Society bottling a limited edition
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 134 distilleries in its history
• The Society releases a new batch of around 30 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar and Shop has over 200 whiskies on offer and is open to everybody
• The Society offers a variety of membership’s packages which can be tailored. Please see www.smws.com/society-membership
• For more information about the Society, visit www.smws.com

45 Year Old Single Malt Introduces Scottish Folklore Whisky Series

EDINBURGH — Thursday 31 May 2018 – Scottish whisky specialists Cask 88 have launched the first in a series of single cask whisky bottlings inspired by legends of Scottish folklore, starting with the fearsome Cù-Sìth to represent a venerable 45 Year Ben Nevis 1972 Single Malt.

Intended to bond the stories of Scotland’s unique history with the very finest expressions of its spirit, the Cask 88 Scottish Folklore series launches with a bottling inspired by the Cù-Sìth, a terrifying large hound, with a murderous bark, said to stalk the Highlands of Scotland. The whisky typifying this formidable beast is a 45 Year Old Ben Nevis 1972 Single Malt (70cl; 43.2% ABV; £650 RRP) aged in a sherry hogshead, of which only 228 bottles are available. This first bottling will be available from the Cask 88 online bottle shop from 31 May 2018.

The Cù-Sìth is a terrifyingly large hound, said to roam the Highlands of Scotland and prey upon weary travellers. Legend tells that anyone with the misfortune of hearing the beast bark three times will be transported to the underworld. European Sales Director Jonny Fowle, also whisky tastings and event organiser Wandering Whisky, said “The bold spirit of the Ben Nevis, which has matured for four and a half decades in the Scottish Highlands, is matched only by the equally indomitable spirit of the legendary Cù-Sìth. Both have drawn upon the region to develop in character and repute throughout the ages, making for a fine match.”

Cask 88 have worked closely with art historian and Celtic Revival specialist Dr Frances Fowle (co-curator of the Celts: Art and Identity exhibition, British Museum, 2015-16) to understand the history of the Cù-Sìth legend and its place in Scottish folklore. “It’s been a pleasure working with the Cask 88 team to bring Celtic myths to a wider audience. Local legends, rather like Scottish whisky, are part of our cultural identity,” said Dr Frances Fowle. “Stories have been passed down from generation to generation, sometimes in poetry and song, and often accompanied by a drop of fine whisky. In the Hebrides the more superstitious members of the community lived in fear of the Cù-Sìth, a large black ‘fairy dog’ who roamed silently across the landscape on winter nights.”

The Cask 88 Scottish Folklore Series will consist of six unique, single cask expressions, with each expression dictating the myth or legend it embodies. Each release in the Cask 88 Folklore series will feature a mythical beast who has roamed the highlands, stalked the lowlands or inhibited the islands. “We intend to create a fantastic collection of some of the finest Scottish whiskies, selected to represent the breadth and depth of Scotland’s world renowned culture and heritage, while playing our part in ensuring these enchanting myths and folktales endure for generations to come,” said Jonny.

The first bottling in The Cask 88 Scottish Folklore Series: Cù-Sìth is available for purchase from the Cask 88 online bottle shop from Thursday 31 May 2018, and in person from Cask 88 Sales Representatives globally.

For more information, visit: https://cask88.com/scottish-folklore-series-whisky/

Tasting Notes:

Nose

This whisky’s aroma instantly flaunts its forty five long years of maturation. A nutty character alongside the rich sweetness of rum molasses are followed by luxurious notes of rich dark fruit and cherry.

Taste

The indulgent richness of this cask’s dark and dried fruit character continue on the palate, but with the balance of citrus zest. This develops with notes of dark chocolate journeying into a mixture of tobacco leaves, dried herbs and a subtle oakiness.

Finish

Four and a half decades maturing in a single cask provide an incredibly long and complex finish, dancing between bitter chocolate, dry tobacco and sweet cherries with cinnamon and winter spice.

A rare single cask whisky with an incredibly rich and developed character.

Notes to Editors:

About Cask 88

Founded in 2007, Cask 88 is now internationally recognised as one of the world’s foremost whisky experts, selling old and rare casks and bottles from world-renowned distilleries. An extensive inventory and expansive global network provide an unparalleled selection of fine whiskies, which attracts a wide clientele from London, Hong Kong, Beijing to New York. Cask 88 believes that buying vintage whisky should be fun and offers clients the opportunity to select, purchase, label and package their own exclusive whisky drawn from the finest Scotch casks.

cask88.com

Follow Cask 88 on Twitter: @88Cask                        

Like Cask 88 on Facebook: facebook.com/cask88

Shackleton Blended Malt
Engraved with free limited edition glass

Inspired by the story of explorer, Ernest Shackleton, this blended malt Scotch whisky from Master Blender, Richard Patterson, recreates the Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky that Shackleton took on his 1907 expedition to the South Pole.

With the last bottles discovered under the ice in 2007, Paterson sought to produce his own interpretation of the taste in this blend. Combining the best Highland malt whiskies and allowing them to marry over a long period, Paterson has created an enigmatic blended malt with a dash of body and a whisper of smoke.

With complex notes of vanilla, honey and orchard fruits, the whisky has real warmth and depth, much like Shackleton himself.

£45 Buy Now
Order today to get it in time for Father’s Day!
Any engraved order placed after today cannot be guaranteed for Father’s Day delivery.

FEIS ILE AUCTION – NOW LIVE!

What an amazing Feis Ile this year – wonderful whiskies combined with sensational, sunny weather!

The Whisky Auctioneer team was lucky enough to join the festival, and although we can’t bring back the great weather, we were on standby for anyone looking to get their bottles transported safely off the island.

So if you weren’t able to make the trip over then do not worry – you’ll find all the whisky that the island had to offer in the current auction…

Check it out here!

Hunter Laing Kinship Collection 6 x 70cl / Feis Ile 2018

To celebrate the coming completion of their Ardnahoe distillery on Islay, Hunter Laing has released a second selection of 6 bottlings, following on from the original Kinship collection in 2017.

Feis Ile 2018 Official Releases

Each distillery had at least one release for those lucky enough to have made the epic journey to the island. Kilchoman introduced their most aged whisky to date, Laphraoig finished in sherry casks and Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte offered hugely experimental releases.

Bowmore Feis Ile 2018

Bowmore released two different expressions: There was a single cask release that many dedicated Bowmore fans sat patiently in line for, along with the 15 year old matured exclusively in Oloroso casks.

Feis Ile 2018 Independents

Whilst the lion’s share of the attention went to the official releases from each distillery, some fantastic indy bottlings were also up for grabs throughout the week. 

Campbeltown Malts Festival 2018

Lastly, we musn’t forget the fact that on the run up to the Feis Ile, Campbeltown had their own wee annual celebration where some mouth-watering releases were revealed. We have a selection of these available in our current auction.

Jura One For You

The final limited edition in the series that began with ‘One For The Road’, this 18 year old has been released in celebration of the entire Diurach community – the name given to the people of Jura and extended to embrace the worldwide Jura community. Matured in American white oak bourbon barrels and enhanced in American white oak virgin quarter casks, this Island single malt is bottled at 52.5% abv.

£130 Pre-Order Now
Orders will be dispatched week beginning 18th June