Glenturret 18 year old single cask

A very special and limited edition single cask release from Scotland’s oldest distillery. Distilled in 1993 and aged for 18 years in the distilleries traditional warehouse, one of only 516 bottles filled at cask strength, 59.8% vol. VERY LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE!

£168.00

MAY UPDATE: TOP-PICKINGS

May’s Outturn caused quite a frenzy, with many of you snapping up our juicy, new single casks double-fast. With many bottles now sold out, we’ve put together some top-picks that are sure to give you a taste of summer.

Be sure to browse all our bottlings too, some treats are back online!

Light & delicate

26.110 Breakfast reverie £50.40

Fruit salad (banana, cherry, peach, guava) sprinkled with brown sugar, morning rolls, cornflakes, even bacon – all served on polished wood with flowers nearby – and a soft leather handbag too.

10yo, First-fill ex-bourbon barrel

Spicy & dry

36.85 Vitality balanced by maturity £87.20

Lots of fruit (Polo fruits, Jolly Ranchers, Chewits); some of it sweet and sour (lemon, lime, pineapple, sherbet, Tangfastics, rhubarb crumble) but all that bright attractiveness was balanced by cedar, pine, gingerbread, leather and light tobacco.

23yo, Second-fill ex-bourbon hogshead

Old & dignified

G7.8 Sweet seduction in a car wash £103.70

Polished leather and wood, chamois cloths, wax and T-cut – but sweetness rewarded their labours – marmalade on toast, caramel sauce, dark toffee, raisins, Demerara and Danish pastries – fruit salad, peppercorns and pine lent complexity

30yo single cask grain, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Juicy, oak & vanilla

46.31 Sniffing a bee’s knees £82.20

Toffee, caramel, Flumps, Tunnock’s Snowballs and carrot cake, but far from one-dimensional – it also had hessian, coconut, macadamias and insinuations of citrus.

22yo, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Lightly peated

3.223 Sweet, floral, perfumed smoke £101.60

Light peat smoke, stony beaches, balsa wood, first aid boxes, lavender soap and flowers on a bonfire; plus some sweeter aspects of cup-cakes, pineapple turnover and jelly beans.

24yo, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Browse New Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

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

Caol Ila 31 year old Pre Orders *From Saturday 9th May 2015*

At last, from Saturday we can start pre orders of the London World Exclusive Caol Ila 31 year old. Only 168 bottles in the world, 54.3% Vol. The release date is the 13th of May when we will ship any preorders or process those to be collected from the store. If you are going to Campbeltown for the whisky festival later this month we can arrange to have your bottle held in our Campbeltown shop to be collected during your visit.

The cost for pre orders is £175.95

This product can only be purchased from London via the web shop 

www.whiskytastingroom.com

or by calling 0207 935 6999 between 10:30AM and 6:00PM Monday to Saturday

2015 International Whisky Competition Official Results

Awards, Scores and Winners 

International Whisky Competition Committee

Chicago, IL USA

Thursday, April 30, 2015

www.whiskycompetition.com

Highlights of 2015

Foreword

This 6th edition of the International Whisky Competition took place in Chicago on the 23rd and 24th of April. A world class tasting panel of ten whisky, spirit, beer and wine experts blind tasted each whisky on an individual basis (by opposition to flights of 6 or more whiskies, which tends to rush the judging process and contaminate the palate.) Each whisky was scored using a comprehensive 100-point scale system developed by Sebastien Gavillet, IWC Head of Judges and author of Discovering and Mastering Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This process undoubtedly makes the International Whisky Competition one of the most professional competitions of its kind in the world. No whisky scored below 76 points and each judge sampled every whisky entered.

Unique Medals with Winners Based on Scores

Medals are important and we believe too many medals were awarded in the past by other spirits competitions, making the public suspicious of them. That being said, we’re the only competition providing three medals for each category so that each win is unique and not duplicated with generic awards of lesser value.

Introducing Whisky Points Medallions

Borrowing from what’s been highly popular in the wine judging world for many years, we decided to apply the same logic to whisky. The whisky point medallions will showcase the score each whisky received during this International Whisky Competition. The design is simple; each whisky scoring 90 points and over has gold on black and each whisky scoring between 85 and up to 90 points will be silver on black.

A World Class Scoring System

Judges were blind tasting, judging and scoring each whisky individually during five minutes based on the four main segments and eleven sub sections below:

• Sight: Colours (0 point), Visual appeal (5 points)

• Nose: Intensity and complexity (15 points), Distinctiveness of aromas (10 points), Balance of aromas (10 points)

• Taste-Mouth Feel: Palate and balance (10 points), Alcohol, body and complexity (10 points), Distinctiveness of flavours (10 points), Balance between flavours (10 points)

• Finish: Length and finish (10 points), Quality of finish (10 points)

2015 IWC Top Award

Whisky of the Year

John Walker & Sons King George V   (97 Points)    

Diageo, winner of the new Golden Barrel Trophy

Blind Tasting Notes: “This whisky has everything that makes a complex, beautiful, majestic dram featuring all the components of perfection.”

– Adam Carmer, Owner, The Whisky Attic, Las Vegas, 2015 IWC Judge

Master Blender of the Year

Jim Beveridge, Diageo, Creator of John Walker & Sons King George V

THREE BOURBONS FROM BARTON 1792 DISTILLERY WIN TOP

AWARDS IN TWO TASTING COMPETITIONS 

BARDSTOWN, kENTUCKY (May 7, 2015) – Three bourbons from Barton 1792 Distillery won top awards in two recent tasting competitions. Barton’s 1792 Bourbon, Zackariah Harris Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Kentucky Tavern Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey brought home medals and distinctions from the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“We are honored to receive each of these awards,” Ken Pierce, director of distillation and quality assurance, said. “We work hard to produce excellent bourbon, and are humbled by these recognitions.”

2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge

Barton’s 1792 Bourbon and Zackariah Harris Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey were each designated as “Excellent, Highly Recommended” at the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Kentucky Tavern Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was distinguished as “Very Good, Strong Recommendation.”

            Zackariah Harris, 1792 and Kentucky Tavern were each deemed to be “Great Values.” Receiving a designation as “Tried & True” were 1792 Bourbon and Kentucky Tavern.

            This competition, in its sixth year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

            Complete results for the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge can be found at www.ultimate-beverage.com/usc2015results.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition

More than 1,580 entries were submitted for a blind tasting at the 15^th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where 41 of the industry’s finest spirits experts reviewed each entry, ultimately awarding 1792 Bourbon a gold medal. Kentucky Tavern and Zackariah Harris were each awarded bronze medals.

Complete results for the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition can be found at http://sfspiritscomp.com/results/browse.

About Barton 1792 Distillery

Barton 1792 Distillery is part of Barton Brands of Kentucky, with facilities in Bardstown, Ky., Carson, Calif., and Baltimore, Md. Barton Brands is owned by the Sazerac Company, an American family-owned company based in New Orleans, La. Barton 1792 Distillery was established in 1879 and continues today as the oldest fully-operating distillery in the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” The distillery is located on 196 acres and includes 28 warehouses, 22 other buildings, the Morton Spring and the Tom Moore Spring.  Distilling, aging and bottling fine Bourbon whiskey are hallmarks of the historic Barton 1792 Distillery. 1792 Bourbon whiskey is produced at Barton 1792 Distillery. This small batch Bourbon whiskey is named for the year Kentucky became a state and is the recent Best of Category winner at the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. To learn more about the distillery visit http://www.1792bourbon.com/.

A.SMITH BOWMAN DISTILLERY SPIRITS WIN TOP AWARDS

IN TWO TASTING COMPETITIONS

Whiskey takes double gold 

Fredericksburg, VIRGINIA (May 5, 2015) – Two A. Smith Bowman whiskies, received high accolades in two recent tasting competitions. The spirits brought home medals and distinctions from the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“We always strive to create excellent spirits, and for such an assortment of our portfolio to fare so well in these two competitions, it’s an honor,” Master Distiller Brian Prewitt said. “We are humbled by each of these results.”

2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge

This competition, in its sixth year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

 Complete results for the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge can be found at www.ultimate-beverage.com/usc2015results.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition

More than 1,580 entries were submitted for a blind tasting at the 15^th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where 41 of the industry’s finest spirits experts reviewed each entry, ultimately awarding John J. Bowman a Double Gold Medal and awarding Bowman Brothers Small Batch a silver medal.

Complete results for the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition can be found at http://sfspiritscomp.com/results/browse.

About A. Smith Bowman

1. Smith Bowman’s distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm.  In response to the rapid rise of taxes in Northern Virginia, the Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.

As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today’s standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia’s first settlers. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit: www.asmithbowman.com

British Polo Day – Morocco

Royal Salute was among the sponsors of the highly successful British Polo Day Morocco on Saturday 25 April.

The event took place at the exclusive Jnan Amar Polo Club, set in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, for the benefit of the Eve Branson Foundation. Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the event saw the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Eve Branson, British Ambassador to Morocco Clive Alderton, US Ambassador to Morocco Dwight L. Bush Sr and many more come together to raise a record US$205,000 for charity.

The British Polo Day itinerary took in some of the most spectacular corners of Marrakech, including a unique Land Rover Driving Experience through the Atlas Mountains visiting the Eve Branson Foundation’s project villages, the official launch party under the trees in the spa gardensof Royal Mansour and – on the eve of British Polo Day – a glamorous Medina Party spanning the myriad hidden courtyards, beautiful historic rooms and rooftop terrace of El Fenn.

In the second match of the day, guests then watched the Royal Salute Eve Branson Commonwealth team take on their counterparts, Ritz-Carlton Jnan Amar Rest of the World. This proved to be a technical and evenly matched game, which began with a great run by The Honorable Tristan Phillimore opening for the Royal Salute Eve Branson Commonwealth team.

However, Ritz-Carlton Jnan Amar Rest of the World showed great strength, with Rudolfo Ducos riding a fine line and scoring on two occasions, and Lucas Tariditto ensuring that the home team crept into the lead by 3 goals to 2.5 at half time. The third and fourth chukkas were equally eventful with clever play from Viscount Melville and Nacho Tejerina, in particular, but it was the home side Ritz-Carlton Jnan Amar Rest of the World that overcame, winning 5 goals to 3.5.

At the official prize-giving the Jnan Amar Challenge Cup was presented by Eve Branson to runners-up, the Royal Salute Eve Branson Commonwealth team. The triumphant Ritz-Carlton Jnan Amar Rest of the World team then took to the podium to claim British Silverware’s Hackett Eve Branson Plate, proudly presented by Sir Richard Branson, Eve Branson, Founder of Jnan Amar Polo Club Amar Abdelhadi, Mr Bikrate (the Wali of Marrakech) and Mr Bethaoui (Governor of Haoz).

The Royal Salute Most Valuable Player award, presented by Chivas Brothers Prestige Relationship Director Peter Prentice, was awarded to Nacho Tejerina of the Ritz-Carlton Jnan Amar Rest of the World team.

The evening’s Gala Dinner at Dar Soukkar brought British Polo Day Morocco 2015 to a suitably glamorous close. A superb courtyard dinner under the stars was followed by a rousing Royal Salute Quaich Experience where Peter Prentice invited all the ‘kilted men of Scotland’ to join him on stage and led a toast to Eve Branson.

British Polo Day Morocco Co-Founder Tom Hudson said: “What a great match with the Jnan Amar Polo Club team narrowly beating the Eve Branson Foundation team. Watching from the Harrods garden, set against the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, we couldn’t have wished for a more perfect day and, as always, a huge thank you to all our partners.”

Eve Branson, Founder of the Eve Branson Foundation, added: “The Eve Branson Foundation aims to create positive opportunities, working closely in partnership with the communities we support in the High Atlas Mountains, to bring about transformations both economically and socially. This, our second ‘British Polo Day Morocco’, hosted again by the Jnan Amar Polo Resort, saw an incredible gathering of all the friends and supporters of the Foundation and was the perfect showcase and occasion, to raise the money we need to continue the hugely important work we do.”

Visit Annandale Distillery

BORN 1836, FELL INTO A DEEP SLEEP 1918, WAKENED

FR OM SLUMBER 2007, RESTORATION OF NATURAL

BEAUT Y BEGINS 2011…

– A Spirit Reborn

The rebirth of Annandale Distillery and its transformation into a 21st century whisky-making centre and visitor attraction is Dumfries and Galloway’s most ambitious tourism story.

The historic distillery has been through 3 whisky-making eras and a period when it was used in farming. It was formerly a Johnny Walker distillery which closed in 1918. Following an extensive restoration project, Annandale Distillery was reborn in 2014, with production starting on 3rd November. Once again Single Malt Scotch Whisky is being produced in Dumfries and Galloway after almost a 100 year absence. Visitors to the distillery can gain a deeper insight in to its  fascinating past and the whisky-making process by taking a tour, classic tours (priced £8.50) run on the hour 10am – 4pm daily, 7 days a week. Restoration Tours and a Distillery Manager’s Tour are also available. A tour with Distillery Owner, Professor David Thomson is available by special arrangement at certain times of the year. Visitors can be among the first to taste the New Make Malt Spirit, now available for sale in striking black Tam o’ Shanter-inspired miniature and 20cL bottles. Annandale Distillery will produce 2 styles of whisky – smoky peaty ‘Man o’ Sword’ and smooth, fruity, unpeated ‘Man o’ Words’, honouring 2 of Scotland’s most iconic figures, Robert The Bruce and Robert Burns – both with strong ties to the Annandale area.

Casks are now available for sale.

An excursion to Annandale Distillery would not be complete without a stop off at the spectacular Visitor Centre which incorporates The Maltings Coffee Shop and Retail Space. Bursting with character, this building, as the name suggests, was originally used as The Maltings of the distillery. Visitors can relax and enjoy the unique atmosphere and handcrafted furnishings in this very special space. A host of delicious specialities are served throughout the day using carefully selected local produce. The Maltings Coffee Shop boasts a vast whisky selection, local craft beers and ciders. Alongside speciality coffees, visitors can enjoy a selection of loose leaf Scottish grown and blended teas including Ginger Chai, Rose Petal, Earl Grey and Blue Flower, served in unique cast iron teapots.

Children will enjoy selecting from a ‘Wee Rascals’ menu. The incorporation of local cultural knowledge has played an important part in the rebirth of Annandale Distillery, its branding is a tribute to Annan’s rich maritime history and shipbuilding heritage, with the ‘A’ of Annandale in the image of a billowing ship’s sail. Between 1830 and 1930 over 2.5 million people emigrated from Scotland, many of them leaving from Annan and other Solway ports. The Retail Space is brimming with beautiful ‘Made In Scotland’ gifts, plus a striking collection of Annandale Distillery branded clothing and accessories.

OPEN ALL YEAR

Open 7 Days a Week. Monday – Saturday, 9am – 5pm and Sunday 10am – 5pm

Join A Tour, Hourly 10am – 4pm. Coaches by Appointment. Gift Vouchers Available

CASKS FOR SALE

2015 production

Unpeated: £2100 Peated: £2300

Price list for limited 2014 production casks available on request; Terms and conditions apply

Annandale Distillery, Northfield,
Annan, dg12 5ll Scotland
+44 (0) 1461 207817 l www.annandaledistillery.com

MAY TASTINGS & EVENTS 

Young Vs Old Tasting

28 Queen Street – Thu 14 May

Blind Tasting where 3 Society young casks go head-to-head with 3 golden oldies

More >

Feis Ille 2015: Islay Dinner

28 Queen Street – Thu 21 May

Enjoy our maritime themed, three-course dinner with three BIG peaty drams

More >

Harrogate Preview Tasting  

Hotel du Vin – Thu 21 & Fri 22  May

Enjoy our preview selection of drams from June’s Outturn along with supper

More on Thu 21 May >

More on Fri 22 May >

Peat Lover Islay Tasting

The Vaults – Tue 26 May

Feis Ile is underway, celebrate in our spiritual home with 5 BIG peaty drams & supper

More >

FREE ENTERTAINMENT AT THE VAULTS

Free Live Music with Rosie blue >  Wed 13 May

Monday Night drop-in: Society Share >  Mon 18 May

Browse All Tastings >

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

Springbank 10 Year Old 46%

Special Offer £4 Off

The perfect introduction to the Springbank range is their 10 year old single malt scotch whisky. Complexity is the key word here. Yet the combination of Springbank matured 60% in Bourbon and 40% in Sherry casks remains perfectly balanced from first sip to the full, rich finish.

Visitors to our shop in Stourbridge are always welcome. Why not pop in and have a look round?

37 High Street,Stourbridge, West Midlands. DY8 1TA

Opening times: Monday-Saturday 10.00-17.00