Join us for a christmas shopping evening at st George’s distillery Thursday 10^th November 2016. 5:30pm – 8:00pm Come and enjoy a glass of mulled wine while you browse the shop offering unique gift ideas. We are also offering FREE 15 minute mini guided tours of the distillery, and entrance is FREE!

Looking for unique gifts? Engraved decanters and more

Get a unique gift for a wedding, anniversary or special event. From only £39.99, we can produce a personalised label with your whisky of choice. Alternatively we can produce an engraved bottle with the text, logo or image of your choice from only £54.99.

TIME TO GET BIDDING

The bitter truth is that the Bitter Truth 24 Year Old Rye Whiskey is extremely elusive. We were determined to find a bottle before it is lost to the pages of adoring blog posts and this month, we’ve struck gold – this exceptional single-barrel rye whisky from Willett distillery was distilled in 1984 before being bottled at barrel-proof in 2008 by drink maestros Bitter Truth. If this is a tad young for your tastes, take a look at Harry E Wilken 1917 Special Reserve which was distilled during WWI and bottled during the Prohibition era as a, um, medicine.

The Hanyu Card Series? We’ve got it in Spades, as well as a few aces up our sleeve. From the blockbuster 1985 Ace of Spades to the mischievous Joker, shuffle through and take your pick from the Eight of Hearts, Five of Diamonds and more from this closed Japanese distillery – we hope you get a good deal.

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY INSTALLS NEW GRAIN DRYER, REPLACING EXISTING 1950s DRYER

Distillery recycles roughly 750,000 lbs of distilled dried grains each week 

            FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Nov. 1, 2016) This summer Buffalo Trace Distillery replaced one of its grain dryers that dated back to the 1950s. However, removing the dryer and inserting the new one was no small feat. In order to install the new, 63,853 pound dryer, the Louisville Dryer Company had to hoist the massive dryer over the Kentucky River and into the Distillery’s Dryhouse, using a large crane.

            Now in place among four other dryers in use at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the new dryer, though the same size as the one it replaced, is capable of handling 30 percent more work. The Distillery uses these grain dryers to dry the spent grains that were used in the whiskey-making process, then sees that all of its distilled dried grains are recycled and put to use in other ways, specifically by shipping them off to local farmers for feeding livestock and making a variety of food products, like biscuit and pancake mix.

            The Distillery keeps its dryers busy six days a week to keep up with its bourbon production, and sends off roughly 750,000 pounds of distilled dried grains each week to farmers who then reuse that dried grain. Buffalo Trace even sells some of the products made with its recycled grain in its Gift Shop.

            “Everything has a purpose around here,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said. “Nothing goes to waste. Once our grains serve our intents in our whiskey making process we’re happy to be able to support our local farmers and give that spent grain another purpose.”

            The new dryer installation took place during Buffalo Trace’s annual summer shut down, which typically lasts from about mid-June through the beginning of August. The Distillery uses that time to deep clean all facets of the distilling process and make necessary repairs in order to keep things running efficiently and to get the most use out of its equipment. It’s safe to say that each dryer at Buffalo Trace sees its fair use, as it still has two dryers in place that date back to the 1940s. These old faithful machines will likely be replaced in the coming years as well.

            A time lapse video of the dryer removal and installation, produced by the Louisville Dryer Company can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/BM-86nMnAho

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 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named “Brand Innovator of the Year” by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.

Forgive me, it has been a long time since our last conversation.

How is everyone? Hope this email finds you all well.

We have been very busy here at Springbank Towers but I am delighted to finally announce the new Society bottles! That’s right, 2 Society bottles:

We have a Longrow 14yo Fresh Sherry cask and a Springbank 15yo Jamaican Rum cask and the details are below. However, before we get to that I must ask you to read on because I have a bit of explaining to do and there is important information that you need to know.

Please read this entire message before replying.

Firstly, how come there are 2 bottles this time?

The reason is not that mysterious or extreme, in fact it is quite simple. As most of you will know the Springbank 15yo was chosen by the members who attended the Society tasting during the Campbeltown Malts Festival. However, we later came to the conclusion that this cask would not give us enough bottles and far too many members would be left disappointed and without a Society bottle.

So we changed our plan. The Longrow 14yo came second in the voting that day so it seemed the obvious choice to release as the main Society bottle.

Autumn 2016 Society Bottle – Longrow 14yo Fresh Sherry 53.2%

NOSE: Rich walnut, pecan, notes of stewed fruits with woodiness and scent of worn leather TASTE: Stewed fruits remain, rhubarb, dunnage warehouse flavour and woody FINISH: Meaty and chewy, dry with menthol as the smokiness builds up.

Society members can buy a maximum of 2 bottles of the Longrow 14yo and the bottles cost £65.00 each. There is a total of 600 bottles.

To purchase your bottle(s) please contact me using the details below:

email: society@springbankwhisky.com 

telephone: +44 (0)1586 552009

So what is happening with the Springbank 15yo?

A very good question!

We always planned to release this whisky to the Society; we just had to work out how to do it fairly given the limited availability. We decided to do a lottery, thus giving everyone an equal chance of getting a bottle.

If you would like to be entered into the lottery then please send me an email telling me you would like to be included. If you are ordering a Longrow 14yo, then you can include in that email that you would also like to be included in the draw (you do not have to order a Longrow 14yo to enter the lottery, you can do these things separately).

The deadline for entry into this lottery is 12 noon (British time) on Monday 14th November 2016. Shortly after this I shall conduct a random draw allocating each of the bottles of Springbank 15yo.

Important: the only members I can guarantee a bottle of Springbank 15yo to are the people who attended the Society tasting at which this bottling was chosen. If you are one of these members can you please contact me within the 2 week deadline and confirm to me if you would like a bottle.

Bonus Bottle – Springbank 15yo Jamaican Rum Cask 51.2%

NOSE: Citrus notes, zesty with fresh orange peel, key lime pie and and milk chocolate TASTE: Ripe bananas and demerara sugar, watermelon and grapefruit FINISH: Sweetness continues with grenadine syrup, sweet potato, root ginger with brine and the saltiness of a Springbank dram

The Springbank 15yo will also cost £65.00, just like the Longrow 14yo, and I shall contact everyone who is allocated one after the draw to arrange payment. There is a total of 228 bottles.

Delivery

As we have welcomed a lot of new members to the Society over the past few months, here is some information on how the Society bottles work when it comes to delivery:

There are a couple of different options for delivery. You can either have the bottle sent to your home address or have it sent to one of our Cadenhead Shops for collection.

Excluding the USA (due to strict import laws), we are able to ship bottles worldwide so if you would like to know the shipping costs for 1-6 bottles to your country then please email me and I will send you over the details. Our prices include all taxes and costs on our side but does not cover any entry fees or taxes which may incur when the whisky reaches it’s destination country. We do not make any money from postage costs, we just charge what we have to to cover our costs.

As mentioned above, we can also ship your Society bottles to the following Cadenhead Shops for collection:

• Edinburgh (UK) for £2 per bottle
• London (UK) for £2 per bottle
• Cologne (Germany) for free
• Berlin (Germany) for free
• Salzburg (Austria) for free
• Odense (Denmark) for free

If you would like your bottle delivered to any of the Cadenhead shops mentioned then PLEASE state this when ordering your bottle.

If you order your bottle to be delivered to any of our European stores then you will pay for the bottle when you collect it from the stated shop. The European shops usually get orders every 2-3 months so if you would like it sent there then please let me know and I can arrange it with the next shipment. Please allow a bit of time for the delivery and as soon as I have a shipping date then I will let you know. Can I kindly ask that you wait until you have heard from me before phoning the shops to ask if they have arrived.

In addition to the two options above and for any of our members living in Canada, one of our stockists in Calgary, Kensington Wine Market, are able to import Society bottles so if you would like to have your bottle sent to them for collection then please let me know this and we can get it arranged.

Please note:

For practical reasons relating to the bottling schedule, we had to bottle the Longrow 14yo shortly before it officially became 15yo. I mention this incase anyone has concerns about the label but please let me assure you that the label on the front of the Longrow 14yo is correct, although at first it may look as if we can’t count 😉

And lastly, please be aware that I shall probably experience a high volume of emails and calls over the next few weeks (definitely during this week) and as such I ask that you please give me a couple of days to reply to any queries or questions. I will reply to you as soon as I am able.

To summarise, the Longrow 14yo is available for purchase right now. Allocation of the Springbank 15yo will be decided by a random draw; you have until 12 noon on Monday 14th November to put your name forward for that. Both bottles cost £65.00.

I hope that all makes sense to everyone but if you do have a question just drop me an email and I shall get back to you as soon as possible.

Lets not leave it so long this time…

Slainte

Nathan

Springbank Society

To join the Springbank Society please contact Nathan at society@springbankwhisky.com

Kavalan Amontillado Cask Matured

Released as part of the Kavalan Solist range from King Car distillery is this Amontillado sherry cask matured single malt whisky from Taiwan. Bottled in 2016, 521 bottles were filled from cask at 55.6%.

Read more…

Macallan “Double Cask” 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($54.99)

Macallan’s latest release is a 12-year-old “double cask” malt, meaning the whisky spent time in both American and European oak (or as we know it, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. In a sense, it’s Macallan’s version of the Balvenie Doublewood or the Glenmorangie Lasanta: a rich and cocoa-laden malt that encompasses the sweeter and more decadent flavors of the sherry while still maintaining the malt’s inherent flavors at the core. The result is quite splendid. Macallan fans will revel in the Double Cask’s richness, its intensity and weight, and the creamy goodness of its palate. The flavors are dark and supple with plenty of cakebread, dark chocolate, and toasted oak. Fans of fine Scotch whisky will appreciate the price and the age statement, especially given the current trend of young whisky being sold at higher costs.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 148: Caol Ila 9 Year Old 2006 for MMM

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, together with his buddy Imanuel, founded MMM in May 2016. MMM – short for Mark & Manny’s Malts – launched their fourth and final bottling in the Animal Series. It was dubbed The Elephant because this Caol Ila truly is a mighty animal with its cask strength of 59,8% ABV. Mark and Imanuel are quite happy with the discovery (and acquisition!) of this cask. You should have seen their faces when they first tried it. Without a word they looked at each other and immediately had a big smile on their faces. ‘Sold!’ they shouted in unison, followed by a huge guffaw and a high five.

https://youtu.be/mFUul2QmMQI

IRISH DISTILLERS LEADS THE WAY IN IRISH WHISKEY FOR JIM MURRAY

– 2017 instalment of the coveted Whisky Bible awards Irish Distillers with the Best Irish Whiskey, Best Single Pot Still and Best Blended Irish Whiskey for fifth year in a row –

Irish Distillers is celebrating after Jim Murray recognised Redbreast 21 Year Old and Jameson Irish Whiskey as Best Irish Whiskey and Best Blended Irish Whiskey respectively in his 2017 Whisky Bible – the fifth year in a row the company has scooped the top awards.

Redbreast 21 Year Old, praised by Murray as “amongst the world’s truly great whiskies and near blue print for the perfect pot still Irish Whiskey”, scored 96/100 points to top the Best Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey category. The expression went on to become Best Irish Whiskey – the fourth time in five years that Redbreast has won both gongs. The accolade rounds off a stellar year for award wins for Redbreast 21 Year Old, including; Chairman’s Trophy at Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Best in Show at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold medals at the Beverage Tasting Institute and The Irish Whiskey Masters.

With a score of 95/100 points, Jameson Irish Whiskey cemented its status as a legendary Irish Whiskey with its fourth win in the last five years in the Irish Blended Whiskey category. Well known around the world for its smooth taste and Irish character, the original Jameson was hailed by Murray as a ‘classic’ that remains in ‘stunning, truly wondrous form’.

[Jean-Christophe Coutures, Chairman and CEO at Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard], commented: “We are thrilled with the ongoing recognition of Jameson Irish Whiskey and Redbreast 21 Year Old from Jim Murray – the accolades punctuate another fantastic year of success for the brands as the Irish Whiskey renaissance continues around the world. I would like to extend a special thank-you to our team of Irish Whiskey experts at the Midleton Distillery, in County Cork, who craft whiskeys of the finest quality that continue to be deemed the best in their class. It’s an honour to be recognised in the 2017 edition Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible – and we look forward to continuing our legacy of excellence in the future”

Now in its 14^th year, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible contains tasting notes for around 5,000 whiskies from all over the world. The most complete and up-to-date whisky anthology also includes some of the most authoritative and well respected whisky awards in the industry.  

Notes to Editors 

About Irish Distillers

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard 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 26 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 5m cases in 2015. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 50 of those experiencing double- or triple-digit growth.

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Powers & 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. In 2015, we completed a €220m investment which doubled our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.

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

More information at www.irishdistillers.ie/.   

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s n°2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 8,682 million in FY16. 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, Kahlúa and Malibu liqueurs, Mumm and Perrier‐ Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, Graffigna and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 18,000 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 “Brand Companies” and 85 “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. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.

www.pernod-ricard.com/

The Whisky Report Autumn 2016

Get your copy

Visit www.whisky-report.com and download your copy of The Whisky Report

Enjoy the Power of The Whisky Report

ONE THOUSAND WHISKIES. That’s how many drams we will have in our first year. All’s blind, of course. For us it’s all about taste, no fancy label shall mislead our honest opinion of every single whisky. Whisky & Bourbon Magazine is fiercely independent, we never second-guess a given score. Good stuff deserves attention despite its origins, either it comes from one of the big guys or an independent bottler you’ve never heard of.

We will never sample everything, no one can, the global whisky scene is changing too fast. But we will be there when it happens. We’re not print, our strength is that the Report is a digital publication. When a new whisky launches and enters the shops you can read about it on Whisky-Report.com. In short, our reviews are based on whisky sold right now. And the samples come directly from the distilleries.

You’ll get a digital PDF report four times a year. In between we do special minority reports (whenever we got material that needs quick attention). As an open-handed service to our subscribers we will collect all material once a year and do a lavish “bible”, a printed yearbook looking back to all that’s passed.

Accuracy is vital to us. We take our research into every whisky serious. Info on cask and age variation comes directly from the source. We even check market availability and recommended price for you. Along with our reviews you should have all the necessary info to make a sound buying-decision. Apart from the news section in each issue we look at various themes and often focus on a select distillery. And when it’s relevant, we look back and compare fresh editions with predecessors to demonstrate development/evolution in character.

Not registered? Sign up today for only € 9 / year

You’ll find the latest reviews together with hundreds of others in our database online. And you can download fresh PDF reports. Scrutiny and passion defines The Whisky Report – how can you resist… 

>> Visit us at

www.whisky-report.com

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Winter Edition

Arriving just in time for Christmas, only 600 bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Winter Edition have been made available to purchase in the UK. Presented in a beautiful two-tone blue bottle with golden snowflake accents, this limited edition is the ideal gift for any whisky lover.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is the pinnacle of Blended Scotch Whisky making from Johnnie Walker. Only 1 out 10,000 casks is deemed to be of sufficient character to deliver its remarkably smooth signature taste, and these casks are drawn from the largest reserves of whisky in the world. Blue Label is a big flavoured whisky that reflects the Walker belief that neither whisky age alone, nor whisky from a single location, is enough to achieve the creation of a masterpiece.

Layers of big flavour, deep richness and smoke, layers of honey and fruit and an incredibly smooth finish deliver this truly rare character.

£225 Buy Now