Single Malt Scotch Tasting

Highland Park & Macallan

With Sammy Karachi

Thursday, May 24th

4:30 PM OR 6:00 PM

In a couple weeks we will have Sammy Karachi join us in the store to share with us some of his vast knowledge of the Scotch industry and pour for us a sampling of malts from Macallan and Highland Park. This will be a very nice tasting and we will try some excellent whiskies. We are still working on the final list of bottles to be tasted and will, of course, follow up with another email. Mark your calendar, pick a time that works best for you and invite a friend or a co-worker. It should be a memorable evening!

Joe Howell

Federal Wine & Spirits | 29 State Street, Boston, MA 02109

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY UNVEILS

ISLAY HOUSE PROGRAMME 

To celebratethe Feis Ile Festival, SMWS invites members and non-members to enjoy a flavoursome journey of malt and music

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society will be holding a series of events at Feis Ile, The Islay Festival of Music and Malt (25 May–2 June).

Islay House Open Day (25^th May 2018)

The Society will kick off the festival by hosting a relaxed garden party on the beautiful lawns of Islay House, overlooking Loch Indaal. With free entry, this open day will welcome SMWS members and non-members alike to come along and enjoy the start of the festival.

Islay Ales and Islay Oysters will be on the menu throughout the day as well as a wide range of rare and fabulous SMWS whiskies.

From 4pm, Islay House’s Michelin-starred executive chef Alex Floyd, will be offering a mouth-watering seafood barbecue. Visitors will be treated to live Scottish music from a mix of bands including Simon Moran as well as a range of local craft stalls and exhibits which will be on display throughout the afternoon.

From 7.30pm, a spectacular evening of music and malt awaits, as the Islay party ramps up and continues well into the night.

Islay House Open Day: Free entry from 1pm – late (BBQ from 4pm onwards)

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

SMWS brand ambassador John McCheyne will be hosting a special regional event where he will explore the world of peat. Called the “Region Rumble”, guests will have the opportunity to taste, explore and vote for five SMWS celebratory bottlings to determine their favourite. Islay superfans will be tempted with two exclusive bottlings from Speyside.

Open Day: Friday 25^th May

Region Rumble: Speyside v Islay: 2.30-3.30pm.

Ticket price: £30

SUPERFAN TASTINGS

John McCheyne, will also host a number of SMWS tasting masterclasses throughout the festival. Guests will sample different drams, including at least one of the limited edition Islay Festival bottlings. John will lead the discussions, taking guests on a peaty journey where they are invited to explore the world of peaty single cask whiskies before voting for their favourite.

Tastings will take place at Islay House on:

Open Day: Friday 25^th May: 4.30-5.30pm & 7.00-8.00pm

Monday 28^th, Tuesday 29^th, & Wednesday 30^th May at 3.00-4.00pm.

Ticket price: £20

WHISKY BAR

The Society partner bar, The Peat Cutter at Islay House, will be open from 1.00pm, serving a wide variety of Islay malts from all distilleries on the island, including a rare selection of bottlings from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Out on the lawn, the SMWS will be serving a unique collection of its fine single cask whiskies, selected exclusively from its spiritual home at The Vaults in Leith.

Helen Stewart, senior brand manager for the Society, said: “So that all whisky lovers can get a real flavour of the Society, we’re hosting a programme of tastings that are open to all members and their guests, as well as non-members. This year we’re exploring the Islay and Speyside regions and asking superfans to join the debate in our fun Region Rumble. At the festival, we’ll be delving into the word of peat as our Islay whiskies go toe-to-toe with Speyside.”

More information about the Region Rumble online debate can be found here: http://bit.ly/2I8UBl6

For those fortunate enough to be travelling to the Islay Festival of Music and Malt, the SMWS will be releasing 29.244 Weaving wondrous dreams. As a special treat to members who have made the journey to attend the Islay festival, this limited edition bottling will be available to buy at the Open Day at Islay House, Friday 25 May, from 1pm. With only 222 bottles available to members, this rare Islay whisky is a must-have for all peat-lovers.

For those not able to make it to the festival, the SMWS will be running Islay and Speyside-inspired offers and menus with matched whiskies in its Members’ Rooms and partner bars. There will also be special Islay and Speyside festival flights to sample and enjoy. Tastings will again focus on an Islay versus Speyside theme, where the two regions will be presented against each other. In the Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar at 28 Queen Street in Edinburgh, festival-themed cocktailshave been specially created in celebration.

For more information about the Islay Festival events and bottles please visit https://goo.gl/c38urY

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 https://goo.gl/c38urY

Glen Scotia 2008 Ruby Port Finish

Created specially for the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2018, this limited edition from Glen Scotia was distilled in 2008 and has been matured for 10 years, including six months in ruby port pipes, before being bottled at a strength of 57.8% abv.

£53 Buy Now
Only available while stocks last!

Dalmore 2007 Aged 11 Years

Bourbon Hogshead – 64.4%vol – 240 bottles

£89.50

Single Cask Bottling

Bourbon Hogshead

Cask Strength -64.4%vol

Natural Colour

Highland Region

70cl

Total bottled – 240

@highlandlaird1

Independent bottlings from the Dalmore distillery are incredibly rare.  However Dalmore as a single malt is world renowned.  Bottled by Bartels Whisky in April 2018 this particular Dalmore has plenty of character.  The high strength ensures lots of interesting flavours are apparent without it being too overpowering.  A little sweetness on the nose and finish makes for a nice overall rounded whisky.

Address: Quorn, Loughborough, UK. | Phone: +44 (0)1509 413792 | Business Hours: Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm

Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey

Double Gold Winner – San Francisco World Spirits Competition

BUY NOW

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY TO PARTNER WITH

KENTUCKY RIVER TOURS

River tour boat to be named by Buffalo Trace employees and social media followers 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 1, 2018) – Buffalo Trace Distillery, nestled adjacent to the Kentucky River, is partnering with Kentucky River Tours to begin offering tours this summer with rarely seen views of this iconic Distillery. Kentucky River Tour is a newly founded business based in Frankfort, started by the owners of Canoe Kentucky, Nathan and Allison Depenbrock, and Clayton Embly, of Lexington Kentucky. Tours will start in the Buffalo Trace Distillery Gift Shop, and will then shuttle to Buffalo Trace’s on-site boat dock where guests will embark, and later return from, the river tour.

This unique partnership will be one-of-a-kind, as currently no other bourbon distillery offers a boat tour.

Following a brief safety talk, the 45-minute tour of the Kentucky River’s Pool 3 will focus on the history of the river and its impacts on the bourbon industry as a whole. Guests will see the river-side of the Distillery, Lock and Dam #4, Steamboat Bend and enjoy all the sights and sounds of the Kentucky River.

The boat, which is currently without a name, won’t be nameless for long. The employees at Buffalo Trace Distillery are currently submitting names for the tour boat. Once the name submissions have been collected, four of the best contenders will be put to a vote on the Canoe Kentucky Facebook page for the public to decide. The Buffalo Trace employee whose name submission is selected as the winner on Facebook will have the honor of christening the boat upon its launch and official ribbon-cutting this summer and will be a guest on the very first tour.

The vessel in which tours will travel is a USCG inspected 28-foot Carolina Skiff, set up as an 18-passenger tour boat. The boat’s open design is complete with a ¾ roof and open-view railing which will allow for a great view of the river.

Kentucky River Tours expects to launch its first boat by early summer following the official ribbon-cutting and christening, and plans to operate Tuesdays through Sundays, weather permitting, through December. All reservations and tour bookings for the river tour are being handled directly by Kentucky River Tours. Reservations for the river tour will be highly encouraged, and can be made through the new Kentucky River Tours website, www.kyrivertours.com. Private tours and bookings will also be available, and can be arranged through Kentucky River Tours.

Tickets for the River Tour can be purchased from Kentucky River Tours for $14 per person. A portion of each ticket sale will be donated to Woods and Waters, a local non-profit dedicated to protecting and preserving the lower Kentucky River watershed.

For more information visit www.kyrivertours.com and stay tuned to the Canoe Kentucky and Buffalo Trace Distillery Facebook pages to help select the name of the boat.

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

This World Whisky Day (Saturday 19th May), the Raasay Distillery is teaming up with esteemed whisky bar and restaurant, Bull in a China Shop in Shoreditch.

Boasting an impressive collection of over 100 whiskies from around the globe, Bull in a China shop is an apt place to share celebratory drams this World Whisky Day. For the occasion, Bull in a China shop has created an internationally-inspired cocktail that brings together Hebridean and Italian ingredients in a smoky, yet fruity, tipple.

Please find the cocktail recipe below:

SKYE LARKING 

50ml Raasay While We Wait whisky

10ml wine reduction

5ml Italian Walnut Amaro

Stir all ingredients together with ice, Old-Fashioned-style, in a rocks glass.

Garnish with a twist of lemon zest.

The Skye Larking cocktail alludes to the Raasay Distillery’s location in the Inner Hebrides with impressive views of the Cuillins on neighbouring island, Skye. The Italian inspired flavours of the cocktail pick up on thew whisky’s wine-finish. Raasay While We Wait single malt is finished in Tuscan Montechiari Cabernet casks which gives it fruity notes and a heather hue.

Occupying a Dickensian-fronted pub opposite Shoreditch’s iconic Tea Building, Bull in a China Shop is a Modern British with a pinch of the orient -inspired all-day restaurant and whisky bar. With an eclectic collection of medicine bottle, ornaments and artwork the bar is a true modern day curiosity shop.

Raasay While We Wait single malt scotch Whisky 46% abv, natural colour, non-chill filtered.

Awards:

First Release IWSC 2016 Silver, ISC 2016 Bronze, HKIWSC 2016 Bronze
2nd Release ISC 2017 Bronze

While waiting for our new spirit to mature into Scotch Whisky, we have crafted a single malt demonstrating our whisky making skills to offer a tantalising taster of what’s to come.

We achieved this by blending two expressions from one distillery; one peated, one unpeated. The whisky then is then French oak Tuscan wine casks from three vineyards that produce Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The result? Single malt whisky of uncommon provenance.

Aptly enough, this special edition, lightly peated whisky is christened While We Wait.

We’ve produced three releases of Raasay While We Wait to date. How do they differ? First release finished in red wine casks for 8 weeks while the 2nd release finished for 18 months. With the 3rd release we combined these 2 finishes for the perfect balance.

The Sovereign Invergordon 30 Year Old

A single cask expression from Glasgow’s Hunter Laing & Co., this single grain Scotch whisky was distilled at Invergordon in Ross-shire. Matured for three full decades in a single cask, this expression has been bottled at a natural cask strength of 48.8% abv as part of The Sovereign range, free from chill-filtration and colouring.

The nose is sweet with apple and some autumn fruits. The palate brings lashings of sweet butterscotch, before a short, oaky finish.

£160 Buy Now

The Sovereign Strathclyde 30 Year Old

This single grain whisky from Hunter Laing & Co’s The Sovereign range was distilled at Glasgow’s Strathyclyde distillery on the banks of the River Clyde in the Gorbals district of the city. Aged for three full decades in a single refill ex-bourbon cask before being bottled at a strength of 50.5% abv.

The nose is fruity with some vinyl notes and earth tones beneath. The palate is light and creamy, with notes of boiled sweets, before a creamy coconut finish.

£159 Buy Now