GlenAllachie Operations Director Richard Beattie

The GlenAllachie Distillers Company appoint new operations director for fresh chapter in Speyside distillery’s future

 Billy Walker-led consortium lays foundation for plans to revive GlenAllachie

 The new owners of The GlenAllachie Distillery near Aberlour in Speyside have appointed Richard Beattie as its new Operations Director to help realise their vision for a global independent whisky brand.

Operations Director Richard Beattie was previously Director of Distilling at Mossburn Distillers Ltd, parent company for Torabhaig Distillery in Skye and Akashi Distillery in Japan.

Mr Beattie began his career as distillery manager at Speyside Scotch Malt Whisky Distillery and has almost 30 years’ experience within the industry. His past roles include Distilling/Technical Sales Director for Crisp Malting Group and Business Development Director at Briggs of Burton, where he was involved in developing distilling projects in Scotland, Ireland and the US.

A Fellow of the Institute of Brewers and Distillers, he is former Chairman of the Scottish section of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling, a member of the Education and training committee of the Malt Distillers Association of Scotland and has chaired the commercial committee for the last five Worldwide Distilled Spirits Conferences.

Consumers are expected to enjoy their first taste of a revived GlenAllachie this year following the distillery’s sale to a consortium led by award-winning whisky veteran Billy Walker.

He had earlier sold BenRiach Distillery Company to American drinks giant Brown-Forman, after transforming a £5m investment in a previously mothballed distillery into a global business with £40m turnover.

Mr Walker was joined in acquiring GlenAllachie from Chivas parent company Pernod Ricard by long-term business partner and BenRiach colleague Trisha Savage, and Graham Stevenson, a former Managing Director at Inver House Distillers.  The GlenAllachie Distillery Company Ltd consortium has more than a century of experience between them.

Mr Walker, named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2016, said:  “GlenAllachie is one of Speyside’s younger distilleries, yet we’re fortunate to have a substantial stock portfolio laid down ready for release.

“Richard brings a wealth of experience and knowledge not only about whisky making itself but also understands the intricacies of distillery engineering and design. Incidentally, GlenAllachie was designed so that the whole process was gravity fed, this is one of the reasons we have horizontal condensers which is an unusual feature for a distillery.”

GlenAllachie Distillery sits within a 20-acre estate in Speyside and has warehouse stocks dating to the 1970s, which will form the foundations for the brand’s future development.

As well as the 1967-built distillery, the consortium has taken over the single malt brand and blended Scotch brands MacNair’s and White Heather, which it plans to develop as a premium yet affordable range to a global market.

The first phase will see a selection of aged whiskies, from a 10 year old to 25 year old, that are expected to launch this year. There are also moves to develop special edition whiskies.

GlenAllachie plans include exploring emerging markets as well as more established export arenas in France, Germany and the United States.

 Majority shareholder Mr Walker, who began his career in production at Ballantine’s in Dumbarton in 1974, added: “We are looking forward to bringing classic GlenAllachie single malt to a new generation, and exploring how it can deliver new blends that can become the classics of the future.“

The GlenAllachie Distillery was designed by William Delmé-Evans – the architect behind Jura, Macduff and Tullibardine – and was built in 1967 by Mackinlay McPherson, the distilling arm of brewers Scottish & Newcastle. It has four stills and, unusually, two separate spirit safes, one for each set of stills.

Further information on the distillery and company can be found at www.theglenallachie.com

Facebook – @TheGlenAllachie

Twitter – @TheGlenAllachie

Instagram – @theglenallachie_

THE WHISKY EXCHANGE;

Glenglassaugh: Revival, Evolution and a new chapter

When it comes to revivals, Glenglassaugh has had one of the more impressive crawls back from the dead in recent years. A decade of stuttering resurrection has been rewarded with the dawning of a new era for the distillery, with a future that’s still to be decided.

The distillery is a few miles to the east of the Highland/Speyside border, on the coast at Sandend. Rather than the more maritime spirits that many coastal distilleries produce, Glenglassaugh focuses on old-school fruity flavours. While that fruitiness is reminiscent of sister distillery Benriach‘s famous character, Glenglassaugh has a more modern feel – it may be more than 140 years old, but the distillery’s current incarnation is much more recent.

In the beginning…

A hodge podge of architectural styles, expanded over more than 100 years

While Glenglassaugh opened in 1873, it’s seen extensive rebuilding over the years and the current distillery only settled down into its current state in the 1960s. A casualty of the industry downturn of the 1980s, it was mothballed in 1986 and it looked like the end was in sight. For 22 years, the distillery sat silent, but in 2008, the current chapter begun.

A new challenger

It started with an investment group, which bought the distillery, refurbished it and started production again. With a minimum of three years to wait before the spirit could be called whisky, the distillery released old stock as well as some youthful spirits to raise capital – the older releases remain legendary, while the younger are a curiosity that are well worth trying.

Eventually, in 2011, a whisky appeared – Revival, the first spirit to be distilled at Glenglassaugh in more than 25 years. It wasn’t enough to keep things going, however, and in 2013 a seasoned player stepped in: The Benriach Company.

The Benriach Company

Former Burns Stewart director Billy Walker had struck out on his own in 2004, leading a group that bought Benriach distillery. In 2008, he added Glendronach to the company’s portfolio and by 2013 he was looking for a third distillery. Glenglassaugh was the perfect fit.

While reviving Benriach and Glendronach had given the company experience with creating ranges that relied on spirit distilled before they took over, Glenglassaugh gave them a unique challenge – no whisky at all between five and 27 years old. They rose to the challenge, launching Evolution, a whisky vatted from bourbon casks distilled since the reopening, and a a 30-year-old, drawing on the extensive stocks in the warehouses.

Brown-Forman

It looked set to continue, with Benriach and Glendronach taking the limelight, and Glenglassaugh slowly building up its stocks, now including peated whisky, released as Torfa. But in 2016, things changed again – The Benriach Company was bought by Brown-Forman, the American distillers best known for producing Jack Daniel’s.

Rachel Barrie, contemplating whisky and the meaning of life. while trying not to fall out of a boat

Billy Walker was replaced by experienced master blender Rachel Barrie, known for her work with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, as well as more recently curating the ranges at Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Bowmore. With production now settled after 10 years of distillation and the core range of whiskies tasting better than ever, Rachel has arrived ready to push the distillery into the next era of its development.

The range

It all starts with fruity new-make spirit – it’s packed with estery fruit – pear drops and Fruit Salad chews – as well as a touch of farmyard funkiness. The Revival, bottled at around three years old, takes that fruitiness and adds in layers of sherry-cask spice, thanks to a short finish before bottling. The result is a whisky that has changed a lot since its initial release, now showing that young whisky doesn’t need to be run through with peat to taste good.

Spirit running from the Glenglassaugh stills

Like many distilleries across Scotland, Glenglassaugh has been making smoky whisky alongside its more traditional unpeated output. This has resulted in Torfa, which allies the Revival’s combination of fresh fruit and sherry spice with smouldering peat and singed citrus. Again, it’s a youthful dram, but zesty and full of life – another whisky that has developed since its first appearance on the market.

The present

For the past few years, the distillery’s focus has been on its whiskies produced since reopening, but the warehouses are far from bare – while there’s a two-decade gap after 1986, there’s still a lot of whisky from before then, and it’s still tasting excellent. I look forward to seeing what the new owners decide to do with this nest egg.

The latest arrivals from Glenglassaugh – a range of four cask finishes

While Benriach and Glendronach have continued as before, it’s Glenglassaugh which has received the most attention since Brown-Forman arrived on the scene, with four new releases arriving at the end of 2016. Focusing on more mature spirit, peated virgin oak and unpeated Pedro Ximénez finishes are joined by both peated and unpeated port-finished whiskies, giving a hint as to what Glenglassaugh has hiding in its warehouses and maybe what might appear in the future.

With Rachel Barrie taking up the blending reins and supported by an experienced team at the distillery, the next few years should be interesting. With the 10th anniversary of the stills restarting popping up later this year, we will hopefully see more from Glenglassaugh even sooner.

Russell’s Reserve K&L Single Barrel #998 Kentucky Bourbon (750ml)

If you’ve ever dipped your nose into a box of cinnamon red hots and inhaled all that sweetly-spiced goodness, then consider yourself well prepared for our latest single barrel (#998) from Wild Turkey Distillery, the spiritual home of fine Kentucky Bourbon. We rummaged through the warehouses with both Jimmy and Eddy Russell to dig out this concentrated cask and there was a unanimous sense of awe in the room after we tapped this particular barrel. Originally filled in October of 2008, we bottled this baby right after its 9th birthday, right about the time Jimmy Russell believes these Wild Turkey whiskies show their best. Emptied at 118.4 proof, everything about this whiskey showcases the textbook and trademark characteristics of the distillery style: loads of baking spices, vibrant oak tannins, creamy corn, and a finish of both savory pepper and sweet vanilla. Getting to select a barrel like this with the father and son duo is about as fun as our job gets-if you don’t count the part where we actually get to drink it. Only 120 bottles from this tiny, concentrated cask.

$59.99

Product Reviews:

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/11/2018 
Eddy, Jimmy, and I dug through about ten barrels to reach this cask, #998, located in the heart of the H warehouse at Wild Turkey. When it comes to the Kickin’ Chicken, I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel. I’m not searching for the anomaly or the unique gem that stands in contrast to what made Russell’s Reserve famous. I wanted classic, true to form Bourbon that tastes like vintage Wild Turkey and that’s exactly what I got from this 9 year old single cask. Everything in harmony, just dialed up in proof. Vanilla, oak, creamy corn, and that youthful vigor that pops on your palate like a bag full of cinnamon candy. Jimmy Russell doesn’t like any Bourbon older than 10 years old, which I think is awesome. I’m trying to be more like him, so with this cask I relied completely on his guidance.

By: Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/11/2018 
I love this whiskey! The feral rye character of this Bourbon marries perfectly with corn richness and fabulous new American oak vanilla roundness. The Russell’s have another winner with this big, 110 proof whiskey. Our stocks of this are limited, so I better buy my bottle of this single barrel stuff now.

Thursday, January 25th 5-7PM

Bourbon Tasting: Smooth Ambler

Hailing from West Virginia, Appalachia distillery Smooth Ambler is a world-class spirit crafter. From grinding their own carefully selected regional grains, to labeling and signing each bottle, Smooth Ambler does everything by hand, the old-fashioned way. Their signature bourbon, Contradiction, has been highly praised by mixologists and bourbon fans alike, scoring 96 points in the 2017 American Bourbon category for The Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

We’ll be pouring a variety of favorites and new releases, presented by distillery representatives and our own in-store whiskey experts.

 Click Here to RSVP

Ralfy travels across the Irish Sea for Ralfy Review 710 – Dunvilles PX 10yo @ 46%vol.

Legendary rare whisky fetches world record at auction

A rare 30 year old bottle of second edition Black Bowmore single malt whisky has been bought for a record £11,900 in an online auction held by Perth-based Whisky Auctioneer. (www.whiskyauctioneer.com)

Bought by an investor from the USA, the new record for this legendary bottle of rare whisky exceeds the previous mark of £9,500 set in 2017, according to records from rare whisky analysts Rare Whisky 101.

The record-breaking bottle is the second of the three Oloroso cask 1964 Bowmores released in the mid-1990s. As one of 2000 bottles, it originally retailed on the high street for around £80. Over the last 20 years, it has achieved almost mythical status among whisky fans the world over. It is not known how many bottles are left in circulation.

The bottle was one of over 4,500 bottles being auctioned off in December by Whisky Auctioneer, securing a total of more than £1.2 million. Other notable sales included:

• Clynelish 1973 Single Cask 41 Year Old / Wealth Solutions –  £6,100
• Port Ellen 1981 Feis Ile 2008 – £4,600
• Macallan Private Eye – £3,700
• Laphroaig 1980 27 Year Old – £3,000

The world record price achieved for the Black Bowmore Second Edition reflects the ongoing boom in the secondary market for rare whisky, with an increasing number of collectors, connoisseurs and investors participating in the market through online auctions. Over the past year alone, Whisky Auctioneer has seen a 36% rise in the number of users.

Unlike the traditional auction houses, online auctioneers are able to offer a catalogue of bottles to their global database of buyers, frequently breaking records as more and more users participate in these easy to use and exciting auctions. Whisky Auctioneer has simplified the process by which people from across the world can buy and sell whisky reaching a global audience of more than fifty countries, underlining rare whisky’s growing global appeal, and the ability of online auction houses to open up those markets to rare whisky trading.

Sean McGlone, director, Whisky Auctioneer said: “We were expecting some high bids for this incredible whisky, we hoped it would exceed expectations and break all previous records. It just goes to show how iconic this expression has become among whisky collectors and aficionados the world over. As more consumers discover the joys of rare and vintage whisky, it’s difficult to see how demand won’t continue to increase pushing up prices for those brands and bottles which are most coveted.

“Fortunately at Whisky Auctioneer we are continuing to attract some of the very best collections for sale worldwide. Having moved the world’s largest private collection of rare Japanese Karuizawa whisky last year for a record breaking amount, and setting records for icons such as this 30 year old Black Bowmore, we are developing a reputation as one of the very best whisky auctioneers available for both buyers and sellers. We’ll do our bit to help growing the market by continuing to improve our service to make it easy as possible for whisky collectors to trade.”

For more information about Whisky Auctioneer, please visit www.whiskyauctioneer.com.

Whisky Auctioneer specialises in auctioning whisky, whether it be fine, old, rare, collectable or affordable. Formed in 2013 and based in Perth, central Scotland, Whisky Auctioneer aims to be the most comprehensive website available for the buying and selling of whisky.

Australia Day

With Starward Whisky

Join us Friday 26th January to celebrate Australia day with a BBQ outside.

Anyone who buys a bottle of Starward gets entered in to win a bottle of the very rare 10th anniversary release (Matured in 28 casks of different ages and 8 different types, mostly first-fill Australian wine barrels, Non-Chill filtered and naturally coloured). We will have a BBQ outside with anyone who buys a dram/bottle/Starward Highball (focus serve with the brand this year) gets a free snag sanga (sausage sandwich). Made by a geuine Australian.

To get in the mood, why not try the whisky….

STARWARD WINE CASK EDITION, 41%

Aged in local Shiraz barrels and new American oak, this fruit forward whisky is not one to miss. New on the market, add this to your collection and you will not be disappointed…

£52.95

Buy Starward Wine Cask Now

STARWARD WHISKY SOLERA EDITION, 43%

Australian whisky? Yes indeed. An aroma of ripe orchard fruits: pears, bananas and apples with raisins and dried figs. Caramel, vanilla and marzipan balance the fruit.

£46.95

Buy Starward Solera Now

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me introduce you to the best new whisky I’ve tried in months and the most exciting release of 2018 thus far: the Bunnahabhain 14 year old Limited Release Pedro Ximenez Finish, bottled at 54.3%. Not only is it going to send sherry bomb addicts into a sugar-induced coma, it’s going to have Macallan and Glendronach drinkers scrambling into an all-out bunker war for who can acquire the largest stash. Aged in refill sherry butts, then finished for three years in PX sherry butts (the sweetest sherry of them all), you immediately get a toffee-laden mouthful of dripping wet suppleness, bolstered by the sea salt of the Bunnahabhain brine. Imagine a big salted caramel in whisky form, oozing across your palate and sliding ever slow slowly down your gullet with each sip. Sounds pretty amazing, right? Take into consideration that this is an official distillery release, limited in quantity, immense in quality, and clocking in at a fantastic 108.6 proof, all for a hundred bucks.

The question you should be asking yourself now is not whether to buy a bottle, but rather how many?

It’s awesome, to say the least. I’ve been sipping on it for five straight days now and I’ve yet to get tired of it. Staunch Islay fans may lament the lack of heavy peat, but there’s just the slightest hint of phenolic smoke on the finish, interlocked with all the dried fruits, sweet syrup, and creamy malt character. They only made 5900 bottles of this for the world and I’ve already drained two of them, so they’re disappearing as fast as I can drink them.

If you even remotely like sherry-matured single malt, you’re going to want at least one bottle. However, if you’re a serious sherry head I would strongly advocate for multiples. I can promise you you’ll be kicking yourself down the road. The level of saturation and sweetness, coupled with the proof creates quite the harmonious balance. This is the type of whisky that got me excited about single malt in the first place more than a decade ago. If you haven’t guessed already, I really, really like it. Bravo Bunnahabhain!

– David Driscoll, K&L Assistant Head Buyer

Bunnahabhain 14 Year Old PX Sherry Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)

Destined to be one of the most talked about bottles of 2018, this limited distillery edition of Bunnahabhain comes in at 54.3% ABV and packs gobs of sweet, supple, toffee-laden Pedro Ximenez sherry character into a rich, dark, and mouthcoating edition that combines the salt and sea of Islay with the unctuous and raisiny character of a malt like Glendronach. Using only first-fill PX butts for the finishing process, the finish seduces the palate with notes of honey, chocolate, and spice cake that take decadence to a whole new level. The higher proof ensures balance to all that hedonistic splendor, never allowing the weight to become too cloying or sticky. Sherry heads will go absolutely bananas for this, but fans of single malt whisky in general should not miss this. Finding unique and interesting new whiskies that are 1) from Islay, 2) sherry matured, 3) over 100 proof, and 4) with an actual age statement for $100 or less is a rare treat in today’s market. What a great way to start 2018!

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 16, 2018

I have to be honest, it’s been a little while since I’ve been truly excited by a distillery release of Bunnahabhain. Yes the distillery consistently offers awesome whisky thru their standard line up, but nothing we’ve gotten in the recent memory has truly moved the needle like this special little whisky. I also have to note that I was a bit skeptical of lovely delicate Bunnah in big sweet PX, but oh god was I wrong. This has such an incredible balance, I struggle to think of another PX finished Scotch that was so well integrated. The nose wafts from the glass immediately I think salt water taffy. Then into crunchy toffee, butterscotch, pecan butter, salted dried plums and even a some chocolatey malt! The palate is absolutely bonkers. Straight up chocolate covered raisins. The texture is perfect, full, mouth coating, but not cloying. That salty Bunnah malt peaking out through the rich fruit, coco and honey crisps. The finish is long and lifted with that one crucial element reigning over all others, BALANCE! They must be using some pretty high quality sherry here. An absolute dream to drink. No wonder this stuff is sold out nearly everywhere else in the world.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 16, 2018

I didn’t know this existed until David brought it to my attention and thankfully he brought it into K&L! This is a limited release from the famed Bunnahabhain distillery. It is a true sherry bomb. Grown up in second fill sherry casks for many years and then transferred for 3 additional years into first fill PX casks for a sticky, sweet, toffee, coffee, nutty, figgy, beautifully sherried whisky. All done at a full cask strength of 54.3% and sliding in under the $100 mark. What’s not to love? The supple texture and boundless richness of this will knock your socks off.

GlenDronach 18 Year Old 2018

Bottled January 2018. A Whisky Barrel favourite from the Highland distillery matured in the finest Oloroso sherry casks. Shhh.. the price is increasing significantly very soon… stock up now while you can! Sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity. On the palate remarkable flavours of stewed fruits and all-spice marry together with classical aged Oloroso and toasted walnut bread and chocolate orange. Glendronach  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.

Buy – £76.72

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The Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival

We are having our usual fun from the first to the last drop in 2018 from 27 September to 1st October.