Welcome to WhiskyIntelligence.com where we'll be gathering information on the whisky industry and scotch whisky news in the form of press releases, newsletters, events, tasting notes and comments.
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Whisky Intelligence has added a new category called ‘Vignettes – Moments in Whisky’ which will feature whisky moments as experienced by the readership. If you have a whisky moment please feel free to submit your moment and we’ll do our best to publish it. Go on; you know you want to be famous…
THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY BREAKS WITH ITS TRADITION TO RELEASE FIRST-EVER BLENDED MALT
Experimental ‘Exotic Cargo’ blend sees unconventional whisky club continue its mission to explore new flavours
The world of Scotch whisky is being taken by surprise with the release of Exotic Cargo, the first-ever blended malt* from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), the industry’s foremost experts on single cask, single malts. The experimental new 10 year old blended malt is available in the UK and EU from 1st September at SMWS.com, before being released to international markets including the US, Canada and Australia.
The Society will always focus on single cask, single malt whisky, but this finely balanced blended malt with a heavy sherry influence is the latest example of its mission to explore the full spectrum of flavours in whisky and other spirits.
For ‘Exotic Cargo’, The Society’s spirits manager Euan Campbell sourced a number of pre-blended malt whiskies, all distilled on the same day on 2006, and all matured in firstfill ex-sherry casks. A number of blends at various strengths were then tried before the Society’s expert Tasting Panel selected a blend with a reduced strength of 50% abvwhich they describe as a “sherry-soaked cruise into paradise”.
In typically evocative Society style, the Exotic Cargo tasting notes read: “A wooden ship is sailing through the tropics with an exotic cargo of spices, scented flowers, medjool dates and mangoes… close your eyes and drift away on this sherry-soaked cruise into paradise.”
The Society revealed the blended malt to its members first, with a selection of volunteers being sent preview samples to feedback on.
Commenting on the whisky’s release, Kai Ivalo, Spirits Director at SMWS said: “The Society has always had an unconventional streak and we’re really breaking the mould of what can be done with a blended malt. We’re looking to our members for feedback on the bottle before releasing further intriguing creations, however, we’re sure they will be as eager as ever to get their hands and palates on what truly is a piece of exotic cargo.”
In its 34-year history, the Society has established a reputation for its unconventional approach to whisky; from focusing on single casks and not revealing the names of distilleries to bottling other spirits such as liqueurs, cider brandy and pioneering the bottling of Japanese whisky.
‘Exotic Cargo’ (£45) is available in an Outturn of 1,937 bottles, and as with all Society single malts, is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.
In July earlier this year, The SMWS released a new Single Cask Spirits brand for its rum, gin, cognac, bourbon and non-malt whisky releases. Later in the year, rye and grain whiskies will also be added to the range.
* Blended malt whisky refers to a combination of single malts, married together from more than one distillery. Unlike a blended whisky, a blended malt whisky does not contain any grain whisky. Prior to 2009, blended malts were sometimes also referred to as vatted or pure malts, but those terms are no longer permitted by the Scotch Whisky Association.
https://www.smws.com/blog/2017/08/18/introducing-exotic-cargo/
@smwsuk #smws
https://www.facebook.com/thesmwsuk
Notes:
About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
o Membership Pioneer with gift box containing three samples, £122
o Member at £61.50 – without gift box
o Sample Subscription – free.
o Visit https://www.smws.com/society-membership
AUGUST AUCTION NOW LIVE (ends Sunday 27th August)
…place your bids at www.whiskyhammer.co.uk
MACALLAN 50 YEAR OLD (1949) GOES UNDER THE HAMMER…
Your chance to bid on one of the world’s rarest whisky!
Released by Macallan to commemorate the new millennium, this whisky is among the most sought after bottles in the world – distilled way back in 1949 (14th January) and released at 50 years old the whisky is presented in a stunning decanter designed by Caithness Glass.
The bottle is also accompanied with a stopper whereby the copper used both on the stopper and around the neck of the bottle was retrieved from the No. 9 spirit still at the Macallan distillery.
A truly exceptional and luxurious bottle presenting the unique opportunity to own one of only 900 bottles ever released.
With an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits there is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest, enjoy!
Distilled at Balbalir in 1997 and filled to cask no. 913, this Highland single malt has been hand-selected and bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop customers. Bottled in 2007 at a strength of 51.5% abv to showcase the fantastic natural character that caught our attention.
Charles MacLean’s tasting notes: “The colour of aged Alsace wine, excellent beading. A prickly nose-feel with a fruity top note (tropical fruit salad), pink bubblegum in the middle, on a faintly earthy base note. Sweet and spicy to taste, with scented sweets and fresh coconut. Water calms both aroma and taste; the former becomes more dusty, the latter softer and sweeter.”
ONLINE PREVIEW CATALOGUE
Did you know that the first lots are already available to view in our online preview catalogue? As soon as we receive items at Whisky.Auction, our team of experts carefully checks and photographs them. Every day we add items to the preview, right up until the moment the auction goes live on Sunday 27 August, so check in regularly to build up your watch list.
It was only a matter of time before me and this whisky crossed paths. Blanton’s is a truly wonderful style that is produced by Buffalo Trace. Distilled from rye mash #2, it packs a slightly spicier and fruitier style than rye mash #1. Released fairly recently in the grand scheme of things, Blanton’s as a whole was released in 1984 and was the brain child of, Elmer T. Lee, who at the time was the head distiller of Buffalo Trace. It’s 60% ABV and normally a bit more as well. Spicy, balanced, historic and just genuinely beautiful altogether. If you consider yourself a Bourbon fan, this should be something at the top of your list to try. Enjoy!
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Cadenhead’s Working With The Fire Fighters Charity, Actively Supporting Fire Fighters In Need
I am sure you don’t need me to remind you of the terrible events that unfolded at Grenfell Tower. We all watched in shock as people’s homes became engulfed in the worst residential fire in London since WW2. Sadly, the actual loss of life is still not known all this time later.
One of the images that stood out during the events for myself as I passed by the location on my way to work daily, was the sheer exhaustion and upset etched on the faces of the fire crews. What they witnessed is far beyond our comprehension, how they kept going was humbling. While those who should have been doing something seemed to run and hide, the fire fighters and other first responders just kept going hour after hour.
One of the most important things after such an event is the support they will need, and the best support they can get will come from those who understand where they are coming from and what they have to deal with.
The Fire Fighters Charity is best placed to provide that support, but they need money to do their vital work of supporting firefighters of the UK. For more information or to donate directly go here
We at WM Cadenhead’s would like to help in our small part by offering to do a raffle. We have a rather special one off bottle of Whisky thats been hand bottled for our Summer 2017 Charity raffle. All proceeds raised from this raffle will be donated to the charity.
Tickets are available via the website and cost £4.50 each. Your order number will be your raffle ticket, so if you buy 4 tickets (for example) then we will add your order number 4 times to the draw.
The draw will take place on Saturday 30th September 2017 and we will announce who will do the draw for us closer to the time.
CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS
The 2017 Kilchoman West Coast Tour is almost upon us, and it’s not too late to make plans to attend one of the tastings!
For the tour, Kilchoman distillery released a limited release of Machir Bay, bottled at cask strength.
You can pick up one of these collectible bottles with a custom label at any of the participating locations, on the day of the tasting at that location. Additionally, you can talk Kilchoman with the sons of the distiller – George and Peter, dressed in Scottish regalia, while they sign your tour bottle, or anything else you want to bring for them to sign.
ABV: 60%
Bottles Available: 840
RRP: $75-$80
Check out the graphic below, as well as the detailed schedule below that.
9/4 – THE MIXING GLASS 1-4pm
9/4 – SEVEN GRAND 6-7pm
9/5 – EVERSON ROYCE BAR
9/5 – SILVERLAKE WINES
9/6 – THE DAILY PINT 7:30-9:30pm (SOLD OUT)
9/7 – WADES WINES 6-9pm
9/8 – TOTAL WINE 12-3pm
9/8 – USBG (United States Bartender’s Guild) at SP2 12-2:00pm
9/8 – K&L WINE MERCHANTS 4-7pm
9/8 – PALO ALTO FINE WINE 7-9pm
9/9 – THE WHISKY SHOP
9/10 – BEER BARON 4:30-7:00
9/11 – PAPER PLANE 5-8:30
9/12 – MULTNOMAH WHISKEY LIBRARY 6pm / 7:30
9/13 – THE HIGHLAND STILLHOUSE 6-9pm
9/14 – DOWNTOWN SPIRITS 6:30
9/15 – THE BARREL THIEF 4-6pm
(Some of the times are not listed because they’re still being finalized. Please stay tuned to our website for up-to-date details on times and other details. ) And just in case, here is a link to the Google Map which has the locations, to help you navigate there.
One Cask, Three Decades Tamdhu 30 Year Old Platinum Old & Rare
This single cask bottling from family-run independent bottler Hunter Laing & Co. was distilled in July 1987 at Tamdhu distillery in Speyside. Matured in a single sherry butt for three decades, this exceptional single malt was bottled at a natural cask strength of 53.9% abv in July 2017, free from chill-filtration and artificial colouring.
£250 Buy Now
Limited to just 533 bottles
Old Perth 21 Year Old 1996 vintage Blended Malt Scotch whiskey. A very unusual single sherry cask blended malt of famous Speyside and Islay malts bottled Summer 2017 by Morrison & MacKay. 335 bottles.
