Early Bird Tickets for Austin, Houston, and Atlanta on sale NOW from June 1st until June 31st!

Austin: September 29th, 7 PM at the Four Seasons 6 PM – The Bon Vivant Hour. This will be a classroom style event.10 whiskies & 10 bites of food $70 7 PM – General Admission tickets $140 (Early Bird $120)

Houston: October 1st, 3 PM at the Hyatt Regency Downtown 3 PM – VIP $160 (Early Bird $140) 4 PM – General Admission $140 (Early Bird $120)

Atlanta: October 22nd, 6 PM at the Intercontinental Buckhead 6 PM – VIP $160 (Early Bird $140) 7 PM – General Admission $140 (Early Bird $120)

June Dates to Remember

In Austin, June denotes “Whisky Days” at Twin Liquors!

Check out this calendar for a full month of Whiskey Days tastings. Pay special attention to the events in BLUE.  Whiskey Days Calendar

The Inaugural Scottish Summer Ball

June 11 in San Francisco: The Inaugural Scottish Summer Ball will take place at the famous Verdi Club in the Mission. This will be an evening of traditional Scottish Dancing! The five piece traditional string band Border Skirmish will perform and teach you all traditional Scottish dancing. Never tried traditional Scottish dancing before? No worries, they will teach you all you need to know whether you are a beginner or a pro. Your ticket will include whisky tasting, food pairings, dancing, and many other surprises throughout the evening that will make it a night to remember! Dress code is cocktail attire. Kilts should be worn if you have one!  Kilts can be rented from The Whisky Shop at a discounted price of $150 for this event.

PURCHASE TICKETS

• Kilkerran “Work In Progress #7” Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ( $74.99) The spectacular Glengyle Distillery is truly a gem. This may be the best they’ve release so far. Serge from Whiskyfun seemed, “Oh, they’re trying to play tricks on us, this is cask strength! Colour: pale gold. Nose: mineral, he said. This is totally and plainly mineral, I cannot detect anything else than limestone, sand, and all that. Perhaps lime? Maybe eucalyptus? Possibly a little muesli and porridge? Other than that, it’s rather closed, but the profile’s pretty perfect. With water: putty, wet paint, rust-inhibiter, damp clay, rainwater, beach sand, chalk… Mouth (neat): a totally impressive, whistle-clean, ultra-lemony arrival, a style that only a few old Bladnochs could have, a long time ago (if my memory doesn’t fail me). I find this totally perfect, and even refreshing despite the higher strength. Watch maltoporn… With water: perfect lime-y and mineral profile, with a tiny sour touch that adds dimension and complexity. Cottage cheese? Finish: long and zesty, always very mineral, with a woolly side. Coal smoke or something in the aftertaste. Comments: love this style, but that’s hardly news.” -91 points

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday Bell’s Decanter

The latest addition to a long line of Bell’s Commemorative Decanters, this limited edition has been created to celebrate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s oldest and longest reigning monarch. The first Bell’s decanter was introduced in the 1920s, while the tradition of commemorating events in the lives of the Royal Family only began in 1981 with the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. A must-have for collectors, only 1000 of these decanters have been created.

£80 Buy Now

LEADING WHISKY SPECIALIST GORDON & MACPHAIL WINS TOP INDUSTRY AWARDS

Colleagues at family-owned Scotch malt whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail are celebrating an award winning year so far, having been presented with both a gold and silver medal at the International Spirits Challenge, and a Master and silver award at the Scotch Whisky Masters.

One of the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competitions in the world, over 1,300 entries from more than 70 countries were assessed by an experienced panel of specialist judges at the International Spirits Challenge.

Rare Vintage Strathisla 1967, one of the unique whiskies in Gordon & MacPhail’s exclusive Rare Vintage range, was awarded the top prize of a gold medal. A rich and smooth after dinner dram with rich fruit cake, mixed spice and milk chocolate sweetness on the nose, the whisky offers gentle and warming flavours with a burst of menthol freshness, a touch of chilli, and notes of fruit with a sherried edge.

An elegant Speyside dram, Distillery Labels Glentauchers 1996 was presented with a silver medal in recognition of its complex flavours and rich chocolate edge. The colour of dark gold, the whisky has light sherry influences with stewed apple and candied fruit aromas, before rich praline chocolate and toasted hazelnut notes develop. Chilli spice emerges on the palate with red apple, orange peel and dark chocolate notes, giving way to a delicate liquorice edge.

The Scotch Whisky Masters 2016 saw a record-breaking number of whiskies battle it out to be named a Master of their category, from blends through to single malts from various regions, including Speyside and Islay.

Rare Vintage Longmorn 1967 was crowned ‘Master’ of Speyside single malts aged over 31 years. Soft and delicate on the nose with sweet sherry mixed with ripe nectarine and hints of marzipan, it is a long and warming dram full of sweetness and spice, with flavours of ground black pepper, stewed fruit and citrus.

Winner of the silver award in the Speyside single malt aged 13-18 years’ category, Connoisseurs Choice Glen Elgin 1998 impressed the judges with its unique flavour profile. Subtle sherry influences lead on the nose with pressed apples, dried apricots and tangerine aromas, complemented by a cocoa edge. Flavours of spice with orange, grapefruit and blackcurrant give way to lingering milk chocolate on the tongue, with a smooth and spicy finish.

These recent wins follow an outstanding year for the company, which saw a number of products in its extensive range of whiskies honoured with prestigious awards throughout the course of 2015. Amongst these accolades the world’s most exclusive whisky, Generations Mortlach 75 Years Old by Gordon & MacPhail, which was released in September 2015 to great acclaim by whisky lovers and the industry, was presented with the Master Award by the Spirits Business Design Masters.

Stephen Rankin, UK Sales Director and a member of the fourth generation of the Urquhart family who own Gordon & MacPhail, said: “At Gordon & MacPhail we are dedicated to providing whisky lovers across the world with high quality products, which are lovingly handcrafted by experts in their field.

“Winning these awards alongside numerous other accolades over recent years demonstrates our commitment to producing quality whisky, something which has clearly been recognised by some of the most influential leaders in the spirits industry.”

Notes

About Gordon & MacPhail 

Gordon & MacPhail is an independent, family-owned Scotch Whisky specialist which has been based in Elgin, Moray, since 1895. Four generations of the Urquhart family have continued the tradition of seeking out the best and rarest Scotch Whiskies.

Since its foundation, Gordon & MacPhail’s policy has been to send casks to distilleries throughout Scotland, fill them with ‘new make’ spirit and mature them either at the distillery of origin or in the firm’s own bonded warehouses in Elgin.

Now one of the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, Gordon & MacPhail exports to more than 60 countries. It offers more than 300 presentations of own-bottled single malts. In 2009, Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade; an honour that was bestowed on the business again in 2013 with a visit from HRH The Princess Royal.

In 2015 Gordon & MacPhail made history by bottling the oldest cask ever released – a 75-Year-Old Mortlach, distilled in 1939.

‘OLD & DIGNIFIED’ WHISKY – THE PERFECT GIFT FOR FATHER’S DAY  

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society launches limited edition Father’s Day whisky and membership offer to treat Dads

With Father’s Day just around the corner (Sunday 19^th June), spoil Dad with something exceptionally special – a rare bottle of ‘Old & Dignified’ whisky and membership of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

SMWS have created a special limited edition online whisky package just for Dads – a bottle of ‘Exotic fruits and Polytunnel Flowers’ (Cask No 63.35) from its ‘Old & Dignified’ flavour category, alongside Society membership for just £175 (normally £229).

You’ll have to be quick though to snap one up; there are only 18 packages available for lucky dads via the Society’s website at www.smws.com/dad

The 25-year-old whisky, one of only 114 bottles, has been hand picked by the Society’s experts, from the aptly named ‘Old and Dignified’ flavour category, one of the Society’s 12 unique flavour profiles.

With a nose of nostalgic craft workshops and sandalwood and rich, deep fruit on the palate, this delicious whisky makes for the perfect Father’s Day tipple.

SMWS membership is the gift that keeps on giving, unlocking the doors to the Society’s monthly releases of unparalleled and limited edition single cask whiskies, exclusive events, ‘Unfiltered’ magazine and Members’ Rooms in London, Edinburgh and around the world.

The membership pack is decadently designed and includes three sample bottles of Society whiskies, a member’s journal, a Society badge and a £10 voucher to spend on his first purchase.

SMWS bottles some of the rarest single malt whiskies on the planet, from an array of distilleries in Scotland and around the world.

New whiskies are released each month, providing an ever-changing choice of new flavours. As each single cask whisky only yields a few hundred bottles, every Society release is a limited edition – the perfect present for whisky lovers.

To purchase, visit www.smws.com/dad

@smwsuk 

‘Exotic fruits and Polytunnel Flowers’

Cask No:                     63.35

Age:                            25

Cask:                           Refill Barrel

Flavour category:      ‘Old & Dignified’

Tasting Notes:

Exotic fruits flattered our noses (mango, rhubarb tarts, cherry pies, sherbet lemons, jellied fruits) but it had interest and weight too – brown sugar, craft workshops, sandalwood and perfume samples in women’s magazines. Even more fruits arrived on the palate – strawberry, blackcurrant, kiwi, fig and plum – all held down to earth by deeper notes of fortified wine, dark chocolate, Strepsils and sugar-coated fennel seeds. The reduced nose was simply delightful – perfumed pear and elderflower sorbet and flowers in polytunnels. Lots to discover on the palate now too – honey sweetness balancing fruit and floral perfumed bitterness – we agreed it was elegant and rounded. 

Notes:  

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Societyreleases new whiskies for its members each month
• The Society bottles the finest single malt whisky from around 350 single casks every year. It has bottled from around from over 132 distilleries in its history. The nature of the single cask means that each bottling offered by the Society is limited.
• The Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has over 26,000 members around the world
• The single malt whiskies are selected and approved by the Society’s respected Tasting Panel.
• Exclusive Members’ Rooms are located in Edinburgh and London
• SMWS’ central Edinburgh venue, 28 Queen Street, is now open to all, having formerly been for members only
• Annual renewal after the first year is £61.50
• For more information, visit www.smws.com

Tastival 2016 Bottling Brings Festival Flavours to Life
Limited edition Tastival 2016 bottling inspires unique packaging, chosen by Jura fans

Jura Single Malt Whisky today reveals its Tastival 2016 bottling, a new limited edition expression to mark the distillery’s annual island whisky festival. The flavours within this remarkable single malt have inspired Jura’s first ever ‘crowd sourced’ packaging, chosen by the whisky’s social media followers.

Jura Tastival, which takes place on 25 & 26 May this year, celebrates new and exciting ways to enjoy whisky – and the creation of this year’s festival edition is no exception, with a triple sherry finish, using hand-selected casks.

To complement its sweet and intense flavour, Jura asked four artists from across the world to create a unique illustrated packaging design based upon their interpretations of the Tastival 2016 bottling, which is 51% ABV, non-chill filtered.

Following heated competition, where fans voted for their favourite design online, Jura can now reveal that its first ever crowd sourced packaging is based on the artwork created by German artist Florian Schommer.

The intricate design incorporates Florian’s personal tasting notes for the whisky, including apple, represented by branches, notes of vanilla, captured in delicate white flowers and a colour scheme based on an aromatic blend of maple syrup and roasted hazelnut.

Other artists who competed to win the Tastival packaging contract included French illustrator Yo Az, UK based Claire Scully and Karin Ohlsson from Sweden. Their colourful array of designs can still be viewed on Jura’s Facebook page.

The limited edition bottling is the last Tastival expression to be overseen by much-loved Jura Distillery Manager, Willie Cochrane, who announced his retirement last week. He hands over the reins to Graham Logan, a former Jura Mash/Stillman who has worked at his side for over two decades.

Willie Cochrane said: “Every limited edition is special, but this one’s particularly close to my heart as it commemorates my last Jura Tastival, which has been a highlight on my calendar for the past ten years.”
It wouldn’t be Tastival without something a bit different to inspire new perspectives on whisky, and I’m sure Florian Schommer’s wonderful illustrations will do just that!”

Graham Logan said: “We always aim to push boundaries with our Tastival bottlings and the triple sherry finish on this new expression is a perfect example of the creativity and craftsmanship I want to continue to encourage in my role as distillery manager.”

Tastival guests will have first opportunity to try and purchase this year’s limited edition bottling at the festival on 25 & 26 May, where they will be invited to share their own whisky tasting notes. Jura Tastival 2016 will be available online and in shops globally (excluding US) RRP £85 from 30 May 2016.

NOTES

About Jura:
Jura is an island nestled off the West Coast of Scotland. With only one road, one pub, one distillery and 200 people, Jura is as beautiful as it is remote. The distillery was established in 1810 and reborn in 1963 to revive the community. Inspired by our history and our island home, we create single malt with a true passion for the craft of whisky making. There are four classic bottlings in the Jura Collection, which sit within a unique sweet or smoky flavour profile: the light and delicate Origin 10 and the rich and full bodied Diurachs’ Own 16 year old each have a sweet edge, while Superstition and Prophecy are lightly and heavily peated respectively.

FEIS ILE SPECIAL BOTTLING & JUNE PREVIEWS

Celebrating our return to the Islay Festival of Music and Malt this week, we’re unveiling a special bottling with a highly desirable label, 127.44 ‘Cantina Mexicana’. Feel the fiesta as peat dances with Amontillado sherry to produce a ‘snout grabbing’ beast of a dram. Available online today for pre-order (dispatched Wed 1 June), it won’t be around for long; order now to secure yours. Love sweet more than peat? Explore our June previews… (Please note WhiskyIntel was not able to publish the in time…all the more reason to join the Society today!)

Peated

127.44 Cantina Mexicana
The nose was snout-grabbing – woody, like old sea chests or a dusty Mexican cantina floor (including leather boots and fag-ends), lots of liquorice; figs and oriental spices…
Cask: Second fill ex-oloroso butt
Age: 12 years
Price: £120
Special Label Feis Ile Bottling!
PRE-ORDER > (Please note WhiskyIntel was not able to publish the in time…all the more reason to join the Society today!)
For dispatch Wed 1 June

Sweet, fruity & mellow

36.100 Aristocratic pretensions
The nose balances syrup sponge and brown sugar with pear-drops, green apple and bitter lemon. The palate is clean, gentle and relaxing…
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon barrel
Age: 18 years
Price: £68.70
BUY >

G4.8 Spinning honey
A wonderful raw, strong and vibrant scent greeted the Panel; varnished wood, painting in oil, drying herbs and spinning honey…
Age: 36 years
Distilled: 28 May 1979
Price: £126.80
BUY >

Juicy, oak & vanilla

5.50 Golden Delicious
Caramel apple crumble pie and a Swiss cinnamon liqueur on the nose neat, with the fizzy dry mouthfeel of a ‘zero-dosage’ Champagne…
Cask: Second-fill Sauternes hogshead
Age: 15 years
Price: £67.20
BUY >

Lightly peated

42.24 The bee’s knees…
Sea salted caramels, churros with salty peanut sugar and bitter chocolate on the nose neat, followed by an amazingly sweet, salty and smoky sensation on the palate…
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon barrel
Age: 9 years
Price: £59.40
BUY >

Browse Current Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

*Please note: This is a limited release from June’s Outturn, full release on Friday 3 June.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Glendronach 18 Year Old Allardice 

£50.83 ex. VAT

The famous Glendronach 18 year old, now renamed Allardice, is the third expression in the Glendronach core range.

In 1826 the exuberant and extroverted James Allardice founded the distillery and produced his ‘Guid GlenDronach’ single malt. Down the years, the distillery he created has thrived under the stewardship of far-sighted investors like Walter Scott in 1847 and Captain Charles Grant in 1920.

Tasting notes:

Nose: sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.

Palate: rich dark and seductive. Remarkable flavours of stewed fruits and all-spice marry together with classical aged Oloroso and toasted walnut bread and chocolate orange.

Finish: tremendously complex and long.

(Official Tasting Note)

Single Malts Ltd 36 Gordon Street | Huntly | Aberdeenshire | AB54 8EQ | Scotland UK

+44 (0) 845 606 6145 | mailto:info@singlemaltsdirect.com

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #132

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries French single malt! When we think of single malt, we usually have Scotland in mind. But of course many countries make excellent single malt whisky today. France, for example, has over 40 whisky distilleries operational. Perhaps you have not yet heard of the Armorik Single Malt, produced at the Warenghem Distillery in Brittany. It is Mark’s great pleasure to present two excellent releases to you: Armorik Maitre De Chai and their Millésime 2002 single cask. Be ready to be surprised! 

https://youtu.be/h0ndtLtHFLE

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY CONTINUES TO EXPAND TO MEET RISING DEMAND WITH $200 MILLION INVESTMENT 

Growth Needed as Buffalo Trace Provides 4^TH Annual Bourbon Supply Update 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 19, 2016) Buffalo Trace Distillery is happy to be a part of bourbon’s continued rise in popularity, but this National Historic Landmark Distillery has been struggling to keep up with demand, and has made several expansions, with more planned, in response to the bourbon boom.

            A significant capital investment of more than $200 million to expand the distilling operations will take place over the next seven years, including new investments in cooking, fermenting, bottling, land, and additional barrel warehouses.

Two additional barrel warehouses have already taken shape; recently acquired buildings adjacent to Buffalo Trace Distillery have been converted back to their original purpose as barrel warehouses, called “T” and “U,” which hold 50,000 barrels of bourbon each. “T” is completely full, with “U” expected to be full by June 2016.  Next up are two more barrel warehouses to be filled in the next 12 months, “R” and “S,” which will hold an additional 100,000 aging barrels total.  The buildings had been sold off in the 1980s and used as office buildings after the collapse of the bourbon industry in the late 1970s.  “It is very gratifying to see the buildings once again being used for their original purpose,” commented Mark Brown, president of Buffalo Trace Distillery.

            Warehouses “N,” “O,” and “P” are also being converted back to barrel aging warehouses, now that construction is complete on the Distillery’s new distribution center, which opened last summer. Those warehouses had been used to store finished goods for many years. Now with the new distribution center, those warehouses can be filled with new bourbon barrels.  Each floor in those warehouses will hold 10,000 barrels.

            In addition, Buffalo Trace Distillery will begin building new barrel warehouses in 2017 on the additional 200 acres of farmland it purchased a few years ago. A total of 30 warehouses are planned, with one new warehouse being built every five months for the next 10 years if everything goes according to plan.

            All of this is in an effort to respond to the growing demand for bourbon. As far as the current inventory of bourbon at Buffalo Trace Distillery mature enough to bottle, things are marginally better than they were three years ago.  “We’re still looking at shortages across the board for all of brands, and although the volumes are increasing, allocations will continue,” said Kris Comstock, distillery spokesperson.

            Unlike most distilleries, Buffalo Trace began allocating its bourbons every month across the United States to ensure each state receives some bourbon monthly. “We spread what we have around as best we can. In many instances, we are literally waiting for barrels to come of age since we aren’t willing to compromise on quality and taste,” added Comstock.

            There will be more Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and E.H. Taylor, Jr. this year. Volumes of Elmer T. Lee, Stagg Jr, and W.L. Weller bourbons will remain about the same. Hopefully barrels of George T. Stagg and Van Winkle bourbon will yield a bit more this fall than last autumn.

            Buffalo Trace Distillery would like to stress that while the bourbon shortages are prevalent in all of their brands, they speak only for themselves, not for the entire bourbon industry.  “This is not some marketing tactic to scare consumers to buy more, or something we are making up. We wish we had distilled more years ago. The shortage is a real problem,” added Comstock. “We get requests for more daily. Believe me, I wish we had more to sell too!”

            Due to the shortages of Buffalo Trace’s products, rumors abound. Most of these rumors have been addressed before, but still many persist, such as:

• Elmer T. Lee or Weller 12 Bourbons are going away.  False.  Both of these brands are not going anywhere. Elmer T. Lee did not take the secret mashbill to his grave, it is not becoming part of the Antique Collection, and there is no lawsuit with his heirs over the brand. What is true is that both brands have become more popular over the years, making them harder to find, but there are no plans to discontinue either brand.
• Eagle Rare Bourbon 10 Year Old age statement is going away. False. The age statement remains on the back of the bottle and there are no plans to remove it.  Due to increased production and bottling equipment limitations, the neck wrap has simply been eliminated from the packaging and the age statement was moved to the back of the bottle.
•  Other age statements on brands going away. False. There are no plans to remove any age statements from any brands produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
• The reason you can’t find various Buffalo Trace bourbons in stores is because they are shipping it all to China and Japan. False. While a very modest amount is sent overseas, the overwhelming majority is sold in the United States.

So while the good news is Buffalo Trace is planning full steam ahead for the future, and there will be marginally more bourbon this year than before; the bad news is that allocations will continue, with no foreseeable end in sight.  Buffalo Trace Distillery would like to thank its customers for their continued support of its whiskeys, they are doing their best to catch up to demand as quickly as they can, but time and Mother Nature cannot be rushed!

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/.