St. Magdalene (Linlithgow) 31 Year Old 1982 Hart Brothers

Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$601.41

St. Magdalene 31 Year Old 1982 vintage Lowland single malt Scotch whiskey. Distilled September 1982 and bottled October 2013 by Hart Brothers for the Finest Collection series.

This is initially quite a complex malt that takes the addition of a little water to release the peaty nose. There is also a hint of licorice coming through. This is really a very pleasant typical Lowland malt with a sweet sherry initial taste, which comes from the cask in which it was matured. Try as a pre-dinner aperitif.

St. Magdalene malt whisky distillery was established by Sebastian Henderson in Linlithgow sometime between 1753 and 1798. During the 1810s St. Magdalene Distillery was amalgamated with its near neighbour Bonnytoun Distillery. The Union Canal was constructed right on its southern doorstep during the early nineteenth century then the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway steamed right past on its northern doorstep and ensured easy access to rapidly expanding markets. St. Magdalene Distillery closed in 1983 and was later converted into private housing and is now a lost Scottish Lowland malt whisky distillery. All the whisky from St. Magdalene’s four stills went into blends during its working life, the few single cask bottlings are a modern development.

This week Joe Ellis reviews Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Bourbon Whiskey.

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The Whisky Exchange Blog Review of 2015

2015 was as busy as ever, with loads of new drinks appearing on our shelves and more customers than ever before – thank you for making it such a success. It’s now 2016, and that can mean only one thing: time for our round-up of the past year.

Tastings at TWE Vinopolis

It’s been a bit of a year for our London Bridge shop. We had loads of great tastings, but while it gained a new sibling – The Whisky Exchange Shop at Covent Garden – it also, sadly, closed. Vinopolis, the building where we were based, is being redeveloped, so we had to move out. Don’t worry, as we like London Bridge and there are already plans afoot for a new shop – keep an eye on the TWE London Shops Facebook page for news, and have a read of manager Alex’s post from last week, sharing his memories of our original shop.

It wouldn’t be a yearly round-up without a picture of Colin Dunn

We did our usual run of great evenings through the year, starting with our traditional Diageo Special Releases evening with Colin Dunn and finishing with a tasting of long-aged whiskies from the Inver House Distillers portfolio with Lukasz Dynowiak. We had visiting American distillers from Rock Town and Wild Turkey, Ardbeg’s Mickey Heads celebrating the distillery’s 200th birthday, Dalmore’s Richard Paterson threatening to kill people (as usual), and even a visit from Bruichladdich master distiller Jim McEwan, as part of his victory lap of the UK before retiring in July.

However, the tasting that stood out most to me was a visit from Billy Leighton, master blender at Midleton in Ireland. Not only did he bring the distillery’s excellent range of whiskeys, but he also had some cask samples for us to choose from – keep an eye on the website, as we’ll soon have a TWE-exclusive Irish whiskey appearing soon…

Spirit and Whisky of the Year 2016

This year’s shortlists for our Spirit and Whisky of the Year awards were even more difficult to choose than before, but we narrowed them down and our eventual winners were Plantation XO 20th Anniversary rum and Talisker 2003 Distillers Edition – both excellent releases and well worth your attention.

On the blog

Cleo and Rocky

We’ve been busy this year, with 162 posts popping up over the past 365 days – one every two-and-a-bit days. We’ve made significantly fewer photoshopped pictures of Rocky this year, but he’s managed to both jet around the world to visit distilleries in the USA and Germany, as well as meet the person behind one of the two celebrity Tequila brands we’ve looked at this year – Cleo Rocos, owner of Aqua Riva Tequila. Unfortunately, the owner of Casamigos Tequila, a Mr Clooney, wasn’t available.

Stu’s also managed to meet a few people, adding entries to our In Their Own Words series as well as interviewing rugby player Chris Cusiter, who we found is not only fond of whisky but also a TWE fan. He also wrote our most contentious post of the year – an interview with Nick Morgan of Diageo about NAS whisky. It ruffled a few feathers in the online world, and has attracted more comments than anything else we’ve published.

I’ve had a much quieter year, focusing more on the non-whisky spirits that have been tempting me recently – Haitian rum, Aperol, Vermouth and Campari, amongst others. I also got to interview Jim McEwan, tried to make my own Baileys and admitted to my not-so-secret love of Jack Daniel’s liqueurs – Tennessee Honey and Tennessee Fire.

As usual, there were two big hitting blog posts this year – the announcement of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible award winners and our April Fools’ Day story. We’re sorry to all of you who were taken in by the latter – it seems that it was worryingly believable this year.

Whisky Exchange Exclusive Whiskies

We bottled some excellent whisky this year. I am almost certainly biased, but with excellent scores from bloggers and magazines, awards from the Independent Bottlers’ Challenge, medals from the Malt Maniacs awards and most of them sold out, it seems that other people agree. You can find all of our exclusive whiskies here, but special mention must go to our pair of bottlings from The English Whisky Co – Classic and Peated – which Oliver wrote about here.

ore than any other whiskies we’ve selected in recent times, these have turned heads – English whisky has come of age.

What Next?

2016 promises to be even busier than 2015: Whisky Show tickets are already on sale; we have a new venue for tastings and the schedule for early 2016 is already filling up; and plans for a new London Bridge shop continue apace. Behind the scenes, our warehouse has been upgraded and orders are being delivered even faster than before. We’re also bringing in more products every day – from fine wine to Bajan hot sauce – and will continue to do so, ensuring that we have the best selection of tasty things to drink (or eat – don’t drink the hot sauce neat) anywhere online. We have plans for more exclusives, rumours of excellent new bottlings arriving down the line, more bottle engraving and lots of ideas for new website features – it’s going to be a fun year.

Glenglassaugh
42 Year Old Batch 2 Cask #2125

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

 

Glenglassaugh 40 Year Old Batch 2 Cask #2180

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

JANUARY TASTINGS AND EVENTS

Burger & Whisky Tasting – 28 Queen Street, Thu 14 Jan   More >

Steak & Chips Tasting – The Vaults, Fri 15 Jan   More >

FREE Poker Night – The Vaults, Mon 18 Jan   More >

Whisky and Italian Delicatessen – 19 Greville Street, Tue 19 Jan   More > 

BURNS TASTINGS & SUPPERS

Aberdeen – The Caledonian Hotel, Thu 21 Jan   More >

Aberdeen – The Caledonian Hotel, Fri 22 Jan   More >

Dunfermline – Garvock House Hotel, Fri 22 Jan   More >

Glasgow Burns Tasting – Radisson Blu Hotel, Fri 22 Jan  More >

Cambridge – Best Western Plus, The Gonville Hotel, Fri 22 Jan   More >

Burns Tasting & Supper – The Vaults, Fri 22 Jan   More >

Burns Tasting & Supper – 19 Greville Street, Mon 25 Jan   More >

Burns Night in the Dining Room – 28 Queen Street, Mon 25 Jan   More >

FREE Live Music Night – The Vaults, Mon 25 Jan   More >

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 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

Luxco Introduces New Handcrafted Irish Whiskey

The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey Launching in U.S. in January 2016

(St. Louis) January 5, 2016 — Luxco is proud to introduce its first-ever Irish whiskey, The Quiet Man, set to launch two varieties in the U.S. this month. The handcrafted Quiet Man is produced through Luxco’s partnership with Niche Drinks in Derry, Ireland, and is the first Irish whiskey bottled in Derry in more than 100 years.

The Quiet Man brand was born when Ciaran Mulgrew, managing director and co-owner of Niche Drinks, and founder of The Quiet Man, decided to create a whiskey to honor his father, John Mulgrew.

“The Quiet Man is a completely unique combination of hand selected whiskies, finished in first-fill bourbon barrels, creating sweet and spicy notes,” Ciaran Mulgrew said. “In more than 50 years behind the bar, my father saw and heard it all, but like all good bartenders, John Mulgrew was true to the code and told no tales. He was ‘The Quiet Man,’ or as they say in the pubs of Ireland, ‘An Fear Ciuin.’”

Distilled in traditional Irish whiskey pot stills matured in oak barrels and recasked in first-fill bourbon casks, The Quiet Man will be available in two varieties: The Quiet Man Traditional Blended Irish Whiskey and The Quiet Man 8-Year Single Malt Irish Whiskey, both bottled at 80 proof and sold in 750ML bottles. The Traditional Blended Irish Whiskey is aged four years and has a high malt percentage, compared to most blends, offering a mellow and ultra-smooth finish. The Single Malt offers a smooth taste and floral notes for a premium experience.

“The difference between a good whiskey and a great whiskey lies not just in picking the best ingredients and having the most skilled distiller,” Mulgrew added. “It lies in selecting the finest barrels to let the whiskey mature in. Our unique process of finishing the aging in barrels that previously held bourbon but never whiskey allows The Quiet Man to soak up those wonderfully sweet yet spicy oak flavors, and the result is two great Irish whiskies.”

The Quiet Man is currently available in Germany, South Africa, Canada and Ireland, and was first bottled in June 2015. It will be available in the U.S. in January, through a joint venture between Luxco and Niche Drinks, whose partnership dates back to 1986.

Suggested retail price is $39.99 for the blended variety and $49.99 for the single malt variety.

For more information on The Quiet Man, please visit http://www.thequietmanirishwhiskey.com/, or www.facebook.com/the-quiet-man-irish-whiskey.

About Luxco

Luxco, Inc. is a leading producer, importer and marketer of beverage alcohol products. Our mission is to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of our consumers, associates and business partners. Founded in St. Louis in 1958, where it is headquartered, it is owned and operated by the Lux family. Its portfolio of brands include: Juarez Tequila & Triple Sec, Pearl Vodka, Everclear Grain Alcohol, Arrow Cordials, El Mayor Tequila, Ezra Brooks & Rebel Yell Bourbons, Lord Calvert Canadian Whisky, St. Brendan’s Irish Cream, Salvador’s Cocktails, Yago Sant’ gria and other well-recognized brands. For more information about the company, visit http://www.luxco.com/.

About Niche Drinks

Since 1983, Niche Drinks has been producing Cream Liqueurs, Irish Coffee and Ready To Drink Cocktails of the highest quality for its retail partners in Ireland, the UK, the USA and Europe. Additionally, Niche, located in Derry, Ireland, provides its expertise to multinational drinks companies, creating brands for them to market and sell from Boston to Bangkok.

How’s your head? How’s your wallet? Hope they both survived the holidays! Why not take advantage of this quiet week and grab the Speyside issue (and use some of that holiday cash to subscribe!). As always, some of the best stuff is up front; your letters, for example, include compliments and questions about our landmark Value issue (with 92 whiskies rated 90+ and under $100), the Table Bourbon piece, and another great reminiscence of the bootlegging days. Distillations brings you Toronto in 48 Hours, advice on investing in Japanese whiskies, and a guide to the 10 signature whisky aromas. What else? Oh, there’s barrel-aged sauces, whisky ice cream recipes, a fantastic list of whisky gifts (never too late!), a guide to buying your own cask, and a beautiful tribute to drinking in Scottish bars. That’s not even all there is…but you really should subscribe to get every last drop!

• Bowmore 10 Year Old “Devil’s Casks” 2nd Edition Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ( $99.99) Heavily-sherried Bowmore at cask strength, in limited quantities. The notes from the distillery read: “On the eye deep mahogany. Breathe in rich sherried sweetness with dates and sultanas smothered in the indulgence of treacle toffee, pecan and maple syrup. Sip sublime velvet of dark chocolate fudge infused with sherried dark fruit, sea-salt and walnut oil. Savour long-lasting finish with sun-dried raisins and salted treacle.”

• 1995 Caol Ila 20 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Cask Strength Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ( $139.99) We’ve got three words for you in relation to our new 20 year old Caol Ila cask: BUY, BUY, BUY!!! Diageo has been sold out of the standard Caol Ila 12 year expression for the last year due to shortages of the peated Islay malt. Somehow, someway, however, we locked down an absolutely stunning 20 year hogshead at full proof at a price far less than what it should be. This isn’t some rag tag cask either, but rather an absolutely glorious expression of everything that makes Caol Ila wonderful: a round, fruity, almost creamy mouthfeel of soft vanilla and oily richness, contrasted by an intense peatiness that injects a healthy dose of smoke into all that weight. At cask strength, there’s extra pop to all that dynamism, but it never overpowers the flavor. This whisky needs no water, no dilution whatsoever in order to be enjoyed. Just pop and pour, and take in everything that makes Caol Ila one of Scotland’s legendary whiskies–during a time when supplies happen to be scarcer than ever!

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

Burns Night 2016 | Monday 25th January 2016

With the season of festive celebrations over and the long dark nights lingering on, at least here in Scotland, we look to the next event that always guaratess to lift the spirits; Burns Night. And lift the spirits it certainly does as on this night it is customary to raise a dram to toast the illustrious Scottish poet, Robert Burns. We are all very familiar with his works as a Poet, indeed worldwide he is celebrated and revered for the likes of Tam o’ Shanter, A Red Red Rose and as many of us no doubt sang to ring in 2016, Auld Lang Syne.

To date we have 12 Burns Malts® available and at New Year we introduced some new drams to the range with the introduction of the Burns Grain® label. Recognising the growing prominence of single grain scotch whiskey, we have again sourced only the best casks for these new Whisky Barrel Exclusive bottlings – Burns Malt® and Burns Grain®.

Please click here to read more