Glendronach 24 Year Old 1993 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whiskey. Single cask sherry butt #656 bottled for the United Kingdom market. 656 bottles. Glendronach Malt Whiskey Distillery was established north east of Huntley in the Highland whiskey region by James Allardice in 1826. The malting floors at Glendronach Distillery closed in 1996 and it was the last distillery in Scotland to heat its stills directly with flames from a coal-fired furnace, until it had to comply with new regulations in 2005. Glendronach Distillery is resplendent with a traditional cask iron mash tun, wooden washbacks, four stills. Famous for its well-aged and top quality sherried single malt, for example Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament, and single cask releases. The distillery is now owned by Brown Forman of America.

Groundbreaking deVine Whisky Workshop Shares

Canadian Expertise

2018 (Vancouver, BC) – Vancouver Island’s deVine Wines & Spirits will host a special workshop on Saturday, March 24, 2018. Held in conjunction with the American Distilling Institute (ADI), the “Alt Whisky” event will be the first of its kind sponsored by ADI outside the US.

Held at deVine’s distillery in Bentwood Bay, the day-long workshop will include both traditional Single Malt Whisky and “Alt Whisky,” a term that describes modern, New World spirits made using alternative grains and techniques. The workshop will offer an informative, hands-on mix of instruction and enjoyment designed to appeal to both novice and expert Whisky lovers. deVine’s Master Distiller, Ken Winchester, will teach attendees about the science of distilling, as well as how to operate a still, fix a pump, and mill grains such as barley, spelt, emmer, and einkorn. The event also includes guest speakers, lunch, and a guided tasting of whiskies from around the world.

Ken Winchester, Master Distiller at deVine, studied at the University of California and apprenticed at Bruichladdich Distillery in Scotland. He’s the creator of deVine’s award-winning Vin Gin, Glen Saanich Single Malt, Ancient Grains Whisky, and Honey Shine Rum.

The cost for the workshop is $300; guests can register here

deVine Wines & Spirits “Alt Whisky” Workshop

Saturday, March 24 2018 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

6181B Old West Saanich Road Brentwood Bay, BC

About deVine Winery and Distillery: Family owned and operated, deVine is dedicated to showing what’s possible when you have a commitment to the local place and people, and a willingness to experiment. Located on Vancouver Island’s Saanich Peninsula, the 25-acre organic farm and vineyard grows grapes for wine, grains for whisky, fruit for brandies, and botanicals for gin and vermouth. The farm also grows fruit trees, keeps bees for honey, and taps its maple trees for syrup. Visitors to the tasting room enjoy deVine’s eclectic portfolio in a stunningly beautiful setting, with sweeping views of the surrounding farmland, Gulf Islands, and snowcapped Mt. Baker.

http://www.devinevineyards.ca/

Follow deVine on Social Media:
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About the American Distilling Institute (ADI): Founded in 2003, the ADI is the largest and oldest organization of small-batch, independently owned distillers in the United States. Its goal is to promote and defend the art and enterprise of craft distilling through programs of economic development, academic research, and education. With over 1,000 current members, the ADI generates greater public awareness and appreciation for the quality and variety of artisan spirits.

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Suggested Tweet: Groundbreaking “Alt Whisky” seminar March 24th @devinevineyards @Distilling https://tinyurl.com/ydcu8trw

JAMESON PUTS ‘TASTE’ CENTRE-STAGE IN NEW GLOBAL CAMPAIGN

Jameson Irish Whiskey, which is produced by Irish Distillers in Midleton Distillery, has unveiled its latest advertising platform, entitled ‘Taste, That’s Why’. The campaign launches across television, out of home, digital, display and social media in the USA from this month, ahead of a wider roll-out later this year.

Two television films that reimagine true stories about Jameson and its workers have been created by TBWA Dublin under the helm of John Kane, Executive Creative Director, produced in Ireland and directed by award winning Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen.

The first film, ‘Scully was to Blame’, charts a story of redemption for Bill Scully in late 19^th Century Dublin. A character on the Bow Street distillery floor, Scully absentmindedly makes a mistake during the third distillation in the production of Jameson Irish Whiskey – wasting gallons of precious distillate.

The drama captures Ireland’s history of embellishment in storytelling in a humorous and light-hearted yet authentic way. The film premieres on US television in March. Click here to view it: https://youtu.be/Di16EanY_wQ

‘Coopers’ follows the tale of Dempsey and Flanagan, master and apprentice Coopers, at the modern-day Midleton Distillery, County Cork. Passionate about the provenance and craftsmanship of their barrels, the duo panic when their prized barrels are loaned to a local brewery – and only an experiment in maturation, which results in Jameson Caskmates, eventually appeases their concerns. Click here to view it: https://youtu.be/WIekiS5A3vs

A documentary series, ‘The Story behind the Story’, has also been produced and provides never-before-seen glimpses into the real stories, people and places behind Jameson Irish Whiskey. Directed by Nick Rutter, these light-hearted films are available across Jameson social media channels:

Coopers – https://youtu.be/thlH0C45b3c

Scully – https://youtu.be/m4oyVL4uFUg

The campaign has been adapted for out of home, with award-winning US photographers The Wade Brothers shooting a stills campaign in bars in Dublin and New York that brings to life ‘Taste, That’s Why’ through confident and engaging copy for key Jameson expressions and serves.

Simon Fay, International Marketing Director at Irish Distillers, said: “In this campaign we wanted to put the unique taste of the Jameson Family centre-stage of the creative, as this is the reason behind our success – and why bartenders, whiskey lovers and premium spirits drinkers alike all over the world continue to discover Jameson.

“It was also important for us to inject the light-hearted, humorous attitude of Jameson into the campaign in a very direct and transparent way. We feel, along with our partners at TBWA Dublin, that we have achieved the perfect balance of this.

“Our ‘Taste, That’s Why’ campaign presents a fresh, engaging and emotive creative for Jameson that is set to build the profile and personality of the brand in the USA, the world’s largest Irish whiskey market, and beyond. We see further growth potential for Jameson all around the world and we are confident that ‘Taste, That’s Why’ will help us to continue the 28 years of growth that we have achieved with Jameson.” 

Mark Nolan, Chief Strategy Officer TBWA Dublin, added: “While there are very few global brands that could dip into the well of provenance and authenticity like Jameson, here we are not reliant on the past to be relevant today.  ‘Taste, That’s Why’ is pure storytelling and like all the best stories, if they happen to be based on the truth, the more impactful and lasting they tend to be.”

John Kane, Executive Creative Director globally for Jameson at TBWA, said: “Jameson is an iconic Irish brand, so it was a privilege to be given the opportunity to create this global platform. We surrounded ourselves with the best talent we could find and had great fun bringing this work to life. We feel ‘Taste, That’s Why’ really captures the honesty and substance of the brand.”

The ‘Taste, That’s Why,’ campaign will be unveiled across the USA in March, ahead of its introduction to other key Irish whiskey markets throughout 2018.

Notes 

About Irish Distillers

Irish Distillers is Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits and wines and producer of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, our brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the world’s fastest-growing Irish whiskey, experiencing 28 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 6.5m cases in 2017. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 71 of those experiencing double- or triple-digit growth.

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988 Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. Since 2012, we have invested over €250m to double our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.

We employ over 600 people across our operations in Cork and Dublin. 

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s n°2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 9, 010 million in 2016/17. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier- Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 18,500 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 “Brand Companies” and 86 “Market Companies” established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. www.pernod-ricard.com

Ardbeg Distillery rolls back the years to celebrate all things ‘Peat & Love’ on Ardbeg Day

Sullivans Cove Cask Strength
American Oak – Cask TD0137

We’re thrilled to release our first cask strength whisky from our core range in many years – American Oak Cask TD0137.

Distilled in September of 2006 and bottled in December of 2017, this eleven year old, single cask single malt was aged in a 200L American Oak ex-bourbon cask. It is bottled at cask strength, a massive 69.1% ABV. There are only 172 bottles of this whisky.

“We generally bottle our single cask whiskies at 47.5%, because they’re usually too powerful at cask strength, but when we tasted this cask, we knew adding water would be a shame. This a rare opportunity to try Sullivans Cove right out of the cask.”

Patrick Maguire, Head Distiller.

Now available to Australian residents on our online store.

Please click on the link below to purchase ($400 per bottle)

PURCHASE NOW

BROWSE LOTS

Benriach Distillery

Benriach-Glenlivet is situated a few miles south of Elgin in the Speyside region. It is named after Riach farm, ‘Riach’ meaning either “Hill of the red deer” or more likely “speckled Mountain”, although it was originally called ‘Longmorn No.2”.

Foundation and the Early Days

 The story begins with John Duff (b. Aberchirder, 1842). His family owned land around Miltonduff just west of Elgin. In the 1870s he managed Glendronach distillery but then went on to be the publican at The Fife Arms in Lhanbryde near Elgin. He built Glenlossie distillery in 1876 in partnership with two local businessmen : Alexander Grigor Allan (d. 1895) who was the Procurator Fiscal for Morayshire and Roderick Kemp an Aberdeen wine & spirit merchant. On the dissolution of the partnership in 1892 Grigor went on to become sole owner of Talisker and Kemp to own Macallan. From 1887 sales of Glenlossie were exclusively via John Hopkins the London based blender and from 1890 proprietor of Tobermory distillery as well as the Old Mull brand. Hopkins was originally a partner in Glenlossie but left in 1888. Another partner was H. M. S. MacKay who was both Elgin’s burgh surveyor and a land agent. Glenlossie was built under the supervision of Duff to his own plans. It is one of the first examples of the use of concrete in construction in the distilling industry with only the stone built stillhouse not using the then new material. In 1887 Duff was described as “a great moving spirit” by The Aberdeen Journal. Certainly he seems to have successfully climbed ladders but his next ‘move’ may not have been his best. In 1888 Duff emigrated to South Africa with his wife and 3 daughters. He tried to distil in Gauteng Province in the Transvaal, an area where gold had recently been discovered. He failed to find success perhaps mainly due to opposition to British influences and investment from President Kruger which led to the blocking of Duff’s plans. Duff then attempted a similar scheme in the USA. This plan likewise didn’t bear fruit, apparently a combination of the competition from illicit distilling and again anti-British sentiment. Returning to Scotland in 1892 he found work as the distillery manager at Aberdeen’s Bon Accord distillery having his registered address in the city at 5 Union Terrace. He also became a partner in an Aberdeen wine and spirit merchant. He was 52 when he went into partnership with George Thomson & Charles Shirres in 1894 under the trading name of John Duff & Co.. They built Longmorn distillery, spending £20k (equivalent to £2M today). In 4 years Duff had bought out the other two and built Benriach with the profits from Longmorn at a cost of £16,000. This time he entrusted the distillery design with Elgin architect Charles Doig. Building of Benriach on an adjacent site to Longmorn commenced in 1897 with production starting in 1898. At this point the company was changed from Longmorn-Glenlivet Distillery Company by being incorporated into Longmorn-Glenlivet Distilleries Company Limited while Hill Thomson & Co.Ltd and Longmorn distillery manager James Grant and his son ran the distillery when Duff, the sole share owner, ran into financial difficulties and the distillery was repossessed by the bank. This was a disastrous period for many businesses in the whisky industry as boom turned to bust. To illustrate the intensity of the optimism around this time: an amazing total of 33 distilleries were built in the 1890s with 21 of these being in Speyside. However production stopped in 1900 due to the collapse of the market. In this year Duff was officially declared bankrupt although he had been insolvent before this. By 1901 the Board of Directors included J.A. Dewar of John Dewar & Sons, Arthur Sanderson of VAT 69 and James Anderson of J.G. Thomson, Leith. Despite the influence of such names the distillery had to shut come 1903.

The Distillery

Recent History

 When the dark days of the first half of the 20th century turned to the post WWII recovery rising demand prompted building and expansion of distilleries. After sitting dormant for over 60 years Benriach was rebuilt and reopened in 1965. The current stillroom was originally a warehouse, the mash house is original while the tun room dates from the refit. Up until 1980 a private rail link was used to move goods between Benriach and its sister Longmorn. The shunting engine, called a ‘puggie’, is now preserved at Aviemore. Since closing in 1900 and the subsequent mothballing in 1903 the floor maltings were however retained and used to contribute to Longmorn’s malt needs. This remained the case even after Benriach reopened. Only after the rail link closed did Benriach use its own malt. The output of the malting floors contributing 7/8% of grain requirements at the time. In 1970 an amalgamation between The Glenlivet and Glen-Grant Distilleries Ltd. and Hill, Thomson & Co. Ltd. formed The Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd. Shortly after this in 1972 batches of malt using significant peat levels started. This would have been due to the high demand put on Islay malts by blenders. On the subject of peating: previous to this increase in peat levels it was reported that in 1967 Longmorn stopped using Mannochhill peat and started using New Pitsligo while circa 1987 Benriach had peat cutting rights at Faemussach Moor near Tomintoul. Similar experiments with peated malt took place at Caperdonich and Glen Keith, the latter going under the name Glen Isla. Other trials included the use of virgin oak.

 In November 1977 Glenlivet Distilleries were taken over by the Seagram Company Ltd. of Canada and was operated under the control of Seagram’s Scottish subsidiary Chivas Brothers. Seagram liked a light spirit for their house style of blends for example Benriach was a major component of their Queen Anne brand (which was named after the last serving Stewart monarch) as well as 100 Pipers, Chivas Regal itself, St. Leger and Something Special. The latter brand dated from 1912 when it was created by Hill Thomson and is to this day big in South America. Steps to boost output at the distillery came when the number of stills were increased from 2 to 4 in 1985. From 1965 there was one large wash still and two small spirit stills. This was later adjusted when a second wash still with a 15KL charge was added and the two small spirit stills were replaced with a single larger one. Due to the ensuing imbalance the new large spirit still was retired and the original stills returned. Also at this time a 7 day working week was introduced. Perhaps these are surprising moves as at this time many distilleries were being mothballed or had production levels reduced. At this point capacity would have been about 1.8ML. From this date the distillery had a dedicated manager, since 1965 this role had also included the management of Longmorn. From 1978 Stuart Gillies was the manager having spent the previous 20 years at Glen Grant. Come 1994 the first bottling of a single malt from the distillery was featured in the Heritage Collection alongside Strathisla, Glenkeith and Longmorn- all Speysiders and not dramatically dissimilar in character so the offering was no where near as diverse as the Classic Malts. By 1998 the maltings were decommissioned. Then on 19.12.2001 Seagrams was bought by Pernod Ricard creating the 3rd largest spirits company. Subsequently due to the overall increase in company capacity four distilleries: Benriach, Allt A’Bhainne, Braeval and Caperdonich were each only operated for 3 months of the year. The following year all four distilleries were mothballed. 

 Unusually for the region triple distillation was experimented with in 1998 and was later reinstated by subsequent owners under the guidance of Billy Walker. Currently some three times distilled spirit has been produced every second year. From the original experiment the necessary 5th still is apparently now an ‘ornament’ in Ontario(!). 

The BenRiach Train

A New Chapter

 On 26th April 2004 Billy Walker, Wayne Kieswetter and Geoff Bell operating under the name Intra Trading buy the distillery from Pernod – reportedly paying £5.4M. 40,000 casks are acquired the earliest from 1966 with only a few vintages missing. Billy Walker, an organic chemist, joined Ballantines in 1971 later moving to Inverhouse as a blender. After a subsequent move to Burn Stewart to become their master blender and then production manager he was part of the management buy out that took over the company in 1988. Under the new owners 96 first fill Bourbon barrels are warehoused on 20.9.2004 marking the first filling of new spirit production having recommenced shortly after acquisition. 7.8.2004 saw the first new releases of bottled products. In 2007 the owner’s stewardship is rewarded with the accolade Distillery of the Year from Malt Advocate magazine. A significant development comes in 2008 when the company acquires Glendronach also from Chivas. In 2009 the Whisky Distillery of the Year award comes again but this time from Whisky Magazine. 2011 marks the first year the new owners were able to fill 10,000 casks. Two years later floor malting is restarted although due to cost it is unlikely more than 10% of requirements will be hand malted. In the same year the next acquisition in the form of Glenglassaugh is added to the portfolio. From 2012 it was decided that 200k litres of peated spirit are to be made each January and February. By 2017 this had risen to 0.5ML. Currently the capacity of the distillery stands at 2.8ML. The latest change in ownership came in 2017 when American based Brown Forman took over for a sum of £286M. Most recently, in March 2017, industry personality Rachel Barrie takes over as master blender.

Equipment, Fermentation and Water.

 Cast iron rake and arm mash tun. 8 stainless steel washbacks of 30kl capacity. 48 & 66 hour ferments. Shell & tube condensers. Plain wash still: 15KL charge, plain spirit still: 9.6kl charge. Horizontal lyne arms.The Porteus mill with two de-stoners dates from 1965. 5 dunnage warehouses holding 30K casks. Water comes from 6 wells at Burnside Springs about half a mile from the distillery and is shared with Longmorn. Cooling water is from the same burn that was used by Coleburn, then Glen Elgin, Longmorn and eventually Linkwood.

BOURBON ANGELS LAUNCHED IN KENTUCKY

Two family firms have joined forces to bring unique glass angels filled with Bourbon to the US market.

Louisville-based firm A Taste of Kentucky has launched the first Bourbon Angels, made by Scots company Angels’ Share Glass, in their gift shops.

The Angels, crafted by hand in Stirling, Scotland, hold 25ml of Kentucky Bourbon inside the glass – expertly captured by a secret method.

They are based on the distillers’ myth of the `Angels’ Share’ which believes the small amount of whiskey lost during the maturation process is taken away by angels.

John Hassmann, who runs A Taste of Kentucky, discovered the Bourbon Angels by chance when staff from Angels’ Share Glass popped into one of his shops.

He said: “We were so lucky to meet Karen and Jen from Angels’ Share Glass when they came into our shop during a trip to Kentucky.

“We love it when we find unique high-quality items to offer to our customers across the country and were delighted to hear all about the Scottish glass angels.

“Like us, Angels’ Share Glass are a small family-owned company and we appreciate the work ethic of other similar companies.

“We were impressed by the unique nature of the Bourbon Angels and, of course, the distinct Kentucky connection plus the fact our customers can buy products which are not available everywhere.

“We’re pleased with the response to the Angels so far with lots of customers telling us how beautiful and unique they are.

“It’s a positive start and we’re looking forward to a great ongoing partnership with our Scottish friends.”

Angels’ Share Glass Managing Director Karen Somerville and Sales Manager Jen Kidd were in Kentucky as part of a trade trip to the American Midwest organised for Scottish companies.

Mrs Somerville said: “It was a fantastic trip and we organised meetings with representatives of different companies, so we could showcase our products and see if they were interested in partnering with us.

“We actually met John purely by chance after calling into his shop in Louisville to buy some souvenirs just before we flew home.

“Jen and I got chatting to the shop assistant and told her about our firm’s signature product, glass angels filled with Scotch whisky, and she said her boss would love to see them.”

She organised a meeting with Mr Hassmann where Mrs Somerville outlined the idea of creating handmade Bourbon Angels for the Kentucky market given the state’s reputation as the home of Bourbon.

She said: “Since 95% of US Bourbon is distilled in Kentucky, we thought it would be ideal to swap Scotch for Bourbon to create Bourbon Angels and John loved the concept.

“It was a serendipitous meeting and we’re delighted it led to our first American partnership.”

A Taste of Kentucky was established by Mr Hassmann and his wife Sherry more than 30 years ago.

The couple sell products made locally or `in the spirit of Kentucky’ at their three Louisville-based stores and online shop.

The Bourbon Angels are available from the company’s website priced at $49.99 – www.atasteofkentucky.com/product/angels-share-bourbon-angel

Angels’ Share Glass is based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling and was established by Master Glassmaker Tom Young MBE and his daughter Karen Somerville in 2013.

For more details, visit www.angelsshareglass.com

Notes for Editors: Angels’ Share Glass is a family-run business based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. The firm was co-founded by Karen Somerville and her father Tom Young MBE – a world-renowned Master Craftsman who has been glassblowing and making lamp-work glassware for 60 years. More information about the company can be found at www.angelsshareglass.com

Notes for Editors: A Taste of Kentucky is an award-winning and family-run chain of stores based in Louisville, Kentucky. The firm was established by John and Sherry Hassmann 33 years ago. For more information go to the website – www.atasteofkentucky.com

Douglas Laing’s Scallywag 13 Year Old Limited Edition Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $80)

SKU #1333594 $59.99

The Scallywag blended malt has been well received by Scotch lovers and critics alike for its elegance and nuance. It’s a blended of the great Speyside distilleries, like Macallan, Mortlach, Glenrothes and many more. Typically a small amount of sherried whisky is included in the blend with the majority coming from refill hogsheads and bourbon barrels. The Limited Edition Scallywag, however, has spent 13 long years entirely in Sherry butts from Jerez. It is indeed what some might term as Sherry forward, yet it wouldn’t rank a true bomb thanks to it’s eminently balance. Expect a nose of dense dried fruit, Christmas cake, tobacco spice and an underlying nuttiness. The palate adds some herbal spice, sweet molasses, and texture for days. Absolutely absurd that we can sell this for less than the standard offering. A totally perfect way to spend a cool winter evening.

You like whisky, I like whisky, we all like whisky. Not all whisky distilleries are created equal however, and Pat Dunlop of thewhiskymafia.com certainly has his opinions about which are the best. A deep dive into Pat’s 10 Favourite Scotch Whisky Distilleries has been a long time coming, and it’s here at last! Will your favourite make the list? Will you be dismayed to find he doesn’t share your taste? There’s only one way to find out, dear readers, and that’s by clicking here