Bag one of these new batches!

It’s going to be a big week with the Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3 limted edition and Aisla Bay Batch 2 from Girvan Distillery both available to order at The Whisky Shop. These new batches are highly sought-after so don’t wait around or you’ll surely miss out!

Free delivery available on all orders over £75 Next day delivery available

The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3

The much-anticipated annual release from the Balvenie Distillery, Tun 1509 marries together casks hand-picked by Malt Master, David Stewart MBE, to create a unique expression that possesses those familiar Balvenie characteristics that made previous batches so popular. A whisky of “rich complexity with elegant oaky notes and dried fruits balanced by mellow cinnamon spices and ginger,” as Stewart describes it. “It also has lovely layers of vanilla oak, rich woody spices, dark fruits and a definite sherry character interspersed with elegant honey.”

£280 Buy Now

Ailsa Bay Batch 2

This second batch from Girvan Distillery is a uniquely balanced single malt whisky that refuses to be defined by its geography. A Lowlands expression with a beautifully precise smoky:sweet ratio, this dram defies the traditional Scotch Whisky Region classification. An intense nose with smoky phenol notes balanced with creamy honeyed sweetness followed by smoky bacon. The palate has a zingy, peaty kick and layered sweetness with crispy rashers and a touch of maple syrup, while the finish is big and lingering.

£59.99 Buy Now

Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserves 21 Year Old

William Grant & Sons’ Rare Cask Reserves line presents this 21 year old blended Scotch that contains some very exclusive whisky from long closed distilleries such as Ladyburn, Inverleven and Dumbarton. Inheriting fresh fruity notes from the Dumbarton grain components, light oaky notes and hints of floral blossom from Inverleven, while Ladyburn adds its unique robust flavour profile.

£120 Buy Now

NEW | Benromach 41 Year Old 1974 | Cask #1583

Back in February we blogged about the brand new 35 year old scotch whisky release from Benromach. At the time, one of the oldest expressions to be released from the warehouses of this superb Speyside Distillery. Well, this month, they have only gone and trumped themselves with a brand new release from the warehouse! New in stock here at The Whisky Barrel, is an even older, even wiser single cask scotch whiskey from Benromach……please click here to read the rest of the article.

Tomintoul 1968 – Rare Old

An incredible 1968 Tomintoul aged for approximately 44 years. Aged in refill sherry hogsheads and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail at 45.5% vol, as part of their fantastic Rare Old series.

£582.00

Abbey Whisky Ltd
Dollar, FK14 7AS
United Kingdom

21 Years in the Making

Isle of Arran Distillers Release Anniversary Book  

The award-winning Isle of Arran Distillers, who began whisky production in 1995 for the first time on Arran in almost 160 years, has now reached 21 years of age. As part of the on-going anniversary celebrations, a new book ‘The Arran Malt – An island whisky renaissance’ will be officially released during the popular Malt and Music Festival in Lochranza on the 2^nd July.

A complete account of the history of the distillery, from before it was even an idea in the mind of its creators to the present day, the book is illustrated with archive and contemporary illustrations as well as stunning photography of the distillery’s island home.

Researched by Neil Wilson, the respected whisky writer and one of those who originally purchased a bond in Isle of Arran Distillers, it follows the growth of this much-loved island distillery from its founding directors, Hal Currie and David Hutchison to its current status as one of Scotland’s finest malt whisky producers.

Along the way, Neil has interviewed many of the people who were involved in the company’s development as well as current employees and enthusiasts of the brand to create a true celebration of a the Arran Malt.

As the Isle of Arran Distillery looks forward to the next 21 years, and expansion with a second distillery site on the south of the island at Lagg, ‘The Arran Malt – An island whisky renaissance’ is an essential edition to the whisky lover’s bookshelf.

Soft cover book – £19.99

Hard case book – £29.99

Availble from http://www.arranwhisky.com/, the Lochranza Visitor Centre, Neil Wilson Publishing and Amazon

Notes:

NEIL WILSON is a whisky historian, writer and publisher specialising in the Hebridean distilleries. His other works

include Scotch and Water, The Island Whisky Trail, Ardbeg – Jewel of Islay, The Whisky Map of Scotland and Whisky In Your Pocket. He has also written for Whisky Magazine and is a contributor to www.scotchwhisky.com/

www.nwp.co.uk/

For more information visit http://www.arranwhisky.com/

* Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007), Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (20070

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011.) ‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013). Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.

NEIL WILSON (neil@nwp.co.uk)

Neil Wilson is one of Scotland’s most respected publishers and whisky writers. His food and drink imprint, The Angels’ Share, regularly releases new material on the subject, the latest of which is The Arran Malt: An Island Whisky Renaissance. As one of the original investors in Isle of Arran Distillers, having purchased Bond number 0479 in 1994, he jumped at the opportunity to research and write a book on the company’s history when he was asked to do so by MD Euan Mitchell in March 2015. After a year of painstaking research involving interviews with current and past employees, visits to archives and numerous visits to Arran and further afield, he completed the book in May and it will be launched at the annual Arran Music & Malt Festival on 2 July 2106 at Lochranza Distillery, marking its 21^st anniversary.

MORE INFO:

Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd was formed in 1992 and now has over 200 titles in print and Ebook formats, many of them written by award-winning authors such as Jim Perrin, Roger Protz, Trevor Braham (Boardman-Tasker award winner 2004) Catherine Brown, Jim Murray and Wallace Milroy.

Originally a drilling fluids engineer working in the oil business, in the mid-1980s he wrote Scotch and Water (Lochar Publishing, 1985) after a sailing trip around the Hebridean malt whisky distilleries (later revised and reissued as The Island Whisky Trail in 2002) and it was out of this project that his publishing and writing interests grew. Wallace Milroy’s Malt Whisky Almanac, which he co-authored, followed and achieved worldwide sales of 300,000 in seven editions and many languages. Most recently this title was reprised as Whisky In Your Pocket, published by Waverley Books.

He has fostered close relationships with the whisky industry and this has allowed him to work on many projects for a wide spectrum of distillers. He has written and published a five-language book on Ardbeg Distillery for Glenmorangie plc, a cellar book for Glengoyne Distillery, Loch Fyne Whiskies and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and published numerous corporate publications. Included in these are:

The Enduring Legacy of Dewars by Ian Buxton

Glenglassaugh: A Distillery Reborn by Ian Buxton.

Goodness Nose by Richard Paterson and Gavin D. Smith

Glenfarclas 175 by Ian Buxton.

But The Distilleries Went On: The Morrison Bowmore Story by Ian Buxton 

He formed Classic Expressions with Ian Buxton in 2007 to republish rare whisky editions and the result of this was the reissue of books such as Nettleton’s Manufacture of Plain Spirit and Truths About Whiskey amongst others.

He has attended the Diageo Malt Advocates course and is a regular invitee to trade events and new release launches. He has contributed to Whisky Magazine, Wine, Decanter and the national press. He currently writes for www.scotchwhisky.com

Arran tasting – island life

The island distillery of Arran was the inspiration for our latest TWE tasting, hosted by sales manager Louisa Young. Although it was only founded relatively recently – in 1995 – Arran is well known among whisky drinkers, and is currently planning to build a second distillery on the island. We tried five whiskies from Arran’s core range, and the extra treat of choosing our favourite from two cask samples, the winner of which will be bottled as a TWE exclusive later in the year.

The distillery

In Their Own Words – Louisa Young

‘Our founder, Harold Currie, was a bit of a character. While chairman of St Mirren Football Club, he got a phone call in the middle of the night from the new manager, who said he didn’t think he could do the job – it turns out that manager was Sir Alex Ferguson!’

‘When Arran distillery was built in 1995, there were not that many small craft distillers at the time. But now in Scotland, it seems that every single day there’s a new distillery trying to get planning permission’

‘We’ve put in planning permission for a second distillery on Arran, in the far south of the island, where we want to make a heavily peated spirit. And if we get it, it would take the number of distilleries on Arran to two!’

‘“Scotland in miniature” is how Arran is described. Down in the south of the island, it’s like the Lowland region, while up north, it’s more barren with fewer people living up there’

‘Our Cask Finishes range are very popular. We get our Sauternes casks from Suduiraut, our port casks from the Symingtons, and our Amarone casks from Allegrini’

‘Our current distillery manager is from Islay, which might explain why the peating level of our Machrie Moor went up a bit’

WE TASTED

• Arran 10 Year Old – clean and fruity, with peach, melon and orange to the fore
• Arran 14 Year Old – beautiful balance between elegant fruit and rich toffee and sponge cake
• Arran 18 Year Old – spicy Seville oranges, stem ginger, nutmeg and toffee
• Arran Port Cask Finish – clean and refreshing, with just a hint of red-berry fruit
• Arran Machrie Moor (6th Edition) – peated to 20ppm with a kick of bonfire smoke along with a zingy, citrus kick

We then moved on to two Arran cask samples. Both were tasted blind, and – in a TWE first – the voting couldn’t split them. Both whiskies received 17 votes each, so the likelihood is that both will be bottled as TWE exclusives! The first, a 1997 aged in a refill sherry cask, was exceptionally clean and fruity, with plenty of apple, lemon and red-fruit notes. The second, a 2002 matured in a first-fill sherry cask, was bigger and richer, with Christmas-cake spices and savoury notes of cardamom and coriander seed. Keep a look out for them towards the end of the year.

BEST #TWETASTING TWEET

Excellent peaty #whisky 20ppm @Arranwhisky Machrie Moor great balance sweet & peat also in cask strength #twetasting pic.twitter.com/Ob1K7a5gIP

— L E O (@leomcauliffe) June 21, 2016

WHISKY OF THE NIGHT

For me it was the 18 Year Old. The classic Arran fruitiness given extra depth with rich spiciness.

ARRAN 18 YEAR OLD, 46%

Nose: Big, rich aromas of nutmeg, toffee, stem ginger and Seville oranges, with an added note of grilled banana.

Palate: Mouthfilling texture, zingy and spicy, with orange oil and ginger, with a smooth layer of toffee that adds richness.

Finish: The rich fruit and spice linger.

Comment: Absolutely delicious – the fruit and spice are beautifully balanced.

Thanks to Louisa for being an excellent host, and we look forward to trying the whiskies from Arran’s second distillery, which will be heavily peated – very different from the typical Arran style.

You can see the full range of Arran whiskies available at The Whisky Exchange here.

HAPPY CANADA DAY, eh?

Dufftown 2000 Ltd presents Whisky Nosing & Tasting 2016 every Wednesday at 20:00hrs at the Commercial Hotel Hall, Church Street.

The Price is £12 per person and it includes a free nosing glass for you to keep.

On 6th July ~ Murray McDavid Independent Bottlers

13th July ~ Cardhu Distillery

20th July ~ Tomintoul Distillery

27th July ~ Glen Moray Distillery

3rd August ~ BenRiach Distillery

10th August ~ Adelphi Distillery

17th August ~ Chivas Bros.

24th August ~ GlenRothes Distillery

31st August ~ Benromach Distillery

7th Sept. ~ Balvenie Distillery

14th Sept. ~ Glenfiddich Distillery

Advance bookings can be done by phoning +44 (0)1340 820507 or email: dufftown@dufftown.co.uk

Please note: Whisky nosings & tastings are open to over 18’s only !

Longmorn 1967

A 1967 vintage Longmorn matured for around 55 years in a refill sherry butt before being bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. Longmorn is derived from the Gaelic, Lhanmorgund, which means ‘place of the holly man’. A beautiful sherried, Speyside malt.

£510.00

Abbey Whisky
Dollar, FK14 7AS
United Kingdom

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY DISTILLS FIRST CORN CROP FOR FARM TO TABLE BOURBON  

Second Year of Corn – A New Variety – Planted 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (June 23, 2016) A little over a year ago, Buffalo Trace Distillery quietly purchased an additional 293 acres of farm land adjacent to the Distillery, with the intention of building more barrel warehouses to meet the growing demands of bourbon. In the meantime while permits were being secured for the new construction, Buffalo Trace decided it would be “fun” to plant its own corn, with an idea of creating its own farm to table “single estate” bourbon experience.

But it couldn’t be just any corn that was planted, the Distillery wanted to plant something that had historical meaning to this 243-year-old National Historic Landmark. Research began, and soon a strain was identified that dated back to 1876, around the same time E. H. Taylor, Jr. was making his mark on Buffalo Trace. The strain originated from a White Mastodon variety and through selection techniques in isolation it became “Boone County White,” after a farmer named James Riley coined the name. Coincidentally, Harlen Wheatley, Master Distiller at Buffalo Trace, was born in Boone County, Ky., making that strain even more fitting.

After planting 18 acres of the non-GMO white corn in the summer of 2015, Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley and his team eagerly watched the corn sprout up and begin to grow, and grow, and grow!  And harvest time, the stalks were well over 12 feet tall! The corn was harvested in August of last year and the grain was processed to be dried. After drying all winter, the corn was fermented and distilled at Buffalo Trace on May 31, 2016. All told, 117 barrels of the Boone County White Corn variety were distilled and are now aging in Buffalo Trace’s warehouses, to be taste tested periodically over the next few years to check on progress, and then eventually released, provided the taste profile is up to Buffalo Trace’s rigorous standards.

Now, in 2016, the cycle is beginning again, with Buffalo Trace planting its second year of non-GMO corn, this time Japonica Striped Corn, a strain originally from Japan and dating back to the 1890s. This variety will have variegated leaves of green, white, yellow and pink stripes with dark purple tassels and burgundy kernels. Typically used as an ornamental corn, this variety will be a true experiment to see how it tastes once fermented and distilled next year!  In addition to both the Boone County and Japonica Striped corn being from E. H. Taylor, Jr.’s era, both are dent corn varieties, which have a high starch content and are ideal for distilling, unlike traditional sweet corn one might see in the grocery store.  Buffalo Trace uses a different variety of dent corn in the distillation of the rest of the bourbons in its portfolio.

Buffalo Trace Distillery intends to plant a different variety of corn each year at its farm so each year in the future there will be a unique release.  Name, age or price of this future bourbon has not yet been determined.

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 1786 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 seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.