New Society Bottle

I bring some exciting news this afternoon – the new Society bottle is now ready for purchase!

The October 2014 release is a Hazelburn 11 year old from a Fresh Bourbon Barrel. This was distilled in December 2002 and bottled at the beginning of this month. The ABV is 54.4% and it’s a tiny cask with only 204 bottles available. The price of this bottling is £60.00.

The cask we chose is one that our Distillery Manager, Gavin, was using as part of his special Warehouse Tastings. It always received fantastic compliments so we decided it would be perfect to bottle for our Society Members. I brought a bottle to TWE Whisky Show in London a couple of weekends ago and everyone who tasted it seemed to really enjoy it. The tasting notes for the Society Hazelburn 11yo are as follows:

Nose:  Instant scent of butterscotch, white chocolate, coconut and vanilla. As it develops, fruits such as pineapple and orange become very evident. Aromas of straw and hay come alive which are reminiscent of a summer meadow.

Palate:  A creamy, thick texture which coats the mouth nicely with salted peanut, fruity and earthy notes. Ginger and nutmeg spices are noticeable along with a rich sweetness similar to custard cream biscuits and pink marshmallows. A very well balanced dram.

Finish:  A wonderfully smooth and elegant finish with lingering fruitiness and hints of cappuccino and milk chocolate.

As we are getting such a small number of bottles, it will strictly be limited to one per person to begin with. It is doubtful but if there are some bottles leftover after 2 months then any member who would like to buy a second bottle will get the chance to.

If you would like to reserve a bottle then please email me ASAP as it will be based on a first come first served basis. As always, don’t worry if you don’t receive an instant reply back from me, it usually takes a while to work through all the emails which are sent to me after a new bottling!

For members who get their Society bottles sent to our 5 Cadenhead Shops out-with the UK, I’m afraid to say that it will be no longer possible to have your bottles sent to the Baden shop in Switzerland.

As we are now using a shipping company who are able to send to most countries, it is not as important to use the Cadenhead shops as it once was. Also, due to different issues which have occurred with sending Society bottles to our European shops, the shops were all asked if they were happy to continue stocking the Society bottles or if they would like to stop stocking them altogether.

With instant effect, we will stop sending to Baden and only send to our shops in Berlin, Odense and Salzburg. As I write this newsflash, I have not received feedback from the Cologne shop so for the new bottling, we will continue sending as we have done in the past and if this changes for future bottlings then I will let you know ASAP. Therefore, for the new bottling we can ship to Berlin, Cologne, Odense and Salzburg.

If you would like your bottle delivered to any of the 4 Cadenhead shops mentioned then PLEASE state this when ordering your bottle. The next orders will not be sent to these shops until early 2015 so if you would like it sent there then please let me know and I can arrange it for the next shipment. 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.

I have mentioned this in the past but just to remind members, any Society bottle which is sent to our European shops for collection MUST be collected within 2 months of arriving or else they will be put up for sale to any other Society member who is interested. It is unfair for the shops to keep these unpaid bottles for any longer than this so please collect it within this time frame.

USA Shipments 

In my newsletter from September, I advised of the 9 states within the USA which we could not ship to due to strict import laws. Since we received this list, we have tried to send to other states which are not listed and once again, we had problems. We have decided for the time being that we will stop all US shipments again as it is just costing us too much money to keep attempting to send and having them returned to us. It’s so frustrating for our members in the US as we had told you that we would now be able to ship but unfortunately there isn’t much we can do to resolve this at the moment. We will continue to work on the issue and hopefully we can resolve it in the near future.

Previous Society Bottlings Available

For any of our new Society members or anyone who would like to add to their collection of previous Society bottles, we still have the following bottles available:

• Longrow 10 year old – Fresh Sherry Butt at 53.9%
• Bottled in November 2011 (£45.00)

• Springbank 14 year old – 7 years in Bourbon, 7 years in Port at 55.7%
• Bottled in June 2012 (£50.00)

• Springbank 15 year old – 10 years Refill Bourbon, 5 years Fresh Madeira at 56.5%
• Bottled in March 2013 (£65.00)

• Springbank 14 year old (LOCAL BARLEY) – Refill Sherry Butt at 57.8%
• Bottled in April 2014 (£80.00)

If you are interested in purchasing any of the previous bottles listed above then please let me know and I can arrange this for you. Unfortunately they have all been UK duty paid meaning we can’t send them to any of the Cadenhead Shops out-with the UK but can of course send to you using our delivery service. If you would like a reminder of the prices for this then please email me and I will forward them on to you.

Anyway, I think that is all for the moment so thank you for reading and hope to speak to many of you soon!

Best regards,

Mairi

Mairi Paterson 

For the Springbank Society 

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

Macallan 1950 Speymalt G&M 43% ABV | 70cl

Colour: Deep Orange Red.
Body: Rich and complex.
Finish: Subtle smoke with Sherry influences.
Cask Type: Sherry Butts.
Style: Robust – yet smooth.

Tasting Notes..
AROMA without water: Rich, baked fruit aromas – sultanas, prunes and figs all present. A little peat smoke on the edge.
TASTE without water: Sherry wood with rich fruitiness and a burnt/toasted malt edge. With traces of liquorice.
AROMA with water: A little sweetness now present – tracle toffee. Rich fruit cake aromas with charred oak notes.
TASTE with water: Some smoke initially, with an oily woodiness. Rich burnt fruit flavours.

Price:£1,665.83 ex VAT
£1,999.00 inc VAT

Companions of the Quaich

Whisky Tasting & Dinner

Thomas Chen & Barry Dunner

request the pleasure of your company

at a Companions Whisky Tasting & Dinner

Event Theme

A Journey to Jura

Featuring Master Distiller Willie Tait

Sample 5 Isle of Jura whiskies

Whiskies • Dinner • Dessert

Sample five whiskies

sumptuously paired with a four-course meal

(Meal details to follow)

When & Where

Tuesday, the 4^th of November at seven o’clock

Vancouver Lawn Tennis Club • 1630 W 15th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6J 2K7

RSVP by October 24, 2014                                         Programme

Companions of the Quaich                                Reception: 6:45 pm

140-6751 Graybar Road,                    Whisky tasting & dinner: 7:00 pm

Richmond, V6W 1H3                                            Casual attire

email info@vanquaich.com                    Couvert: $75; $85: non-members

At the Door: $10 more                   Seating limited to 25 participants 

About Willie Tait

In 1975 Willie Tait began a lifelong association with the island. He has worked as a tunroom man, mash, stillman, distillery manager and master distiller, and is now Global Brand Ambassador for Jura. In 2011 he was awarded a lifetime Achievement Award from the Malt Advocate magazine.

The Companions of The Quaich is a non-profit society dedicated to sharing knowledge and enjoyment of Single Malt Whisky

A ‘Quaich’ is the traditional Scots drinking vessel for whisky • The name comes from the Gaelic ‘cuach’ which means ‘cup’

Willie Tait

Master Distiller, Brand Ambassador

Isle of Jura Single Malt Whisky.

Only 7 miles wide and 30 long, and with a population of just 200, it is not surprising that the magical Isle of Jura has only one distillery – the producer of the award-winning single malt whisky.

Willie Tait’s involvement with Jura begins in January 1975 when he took on the role as Tunroom Man at the remote Hebridean distillery nestled just off the west coast of Scotland. Shortly thereafter he moved on to the role of Mash / Stillman.

In the summer of 1979 Willie took the position of Assistant Distillery Manager, a post he enjoyed until he was made Manager 6 years later. By 1993, he found himself with a new challenge – Distillery Manager of both Jura and Bruichladdich, on the neighbouring Island of Islay.

After over two decades, and having crafted some truly special single malts, Willie left his adopted island home of Jura in 1999 and returned to the mainland to begin his next adventure. Whisky distilling was well-and-truly in his blood and his next appointment took him to the north east of Scotland to the village of Fettercairn, where he became Manager of three Malt distilleries – Fettercairn, Tamnavulin and Tullibardine.

By September 2003 Willie found himself embarking on yet another new journey when he was appointed as global Master Distiller Brand Ambassador of the Isle of Jura Single Malt Whisky. This role has had Willie travelling the globe delighting people with magical stories of island life and of course allowing them to sample some of the rarest and most delicate single malts Jura has to offer.

After so many years service to the Scotch Whisky industry, his vast experience is widely acknowledged by his peers. In 2011 he was awarded a lifetime Achievement Award from the Malt Advocate magazine.

Auchentoshan® Single Malt Lowland Scotch Whisky Introduces Auchentoshan® American Oak

Glasgow, Scotland (October 7, 2014) – Auchentoshan® Single Malt Lowland Scotch Whisky known for triple distilling every single drop, introduces Auchentoshan® American Oak. Releasing flavor layers of vanilla, caramelized sugars, coconut and oak spices, Auchentoshan American Oak is the first ever Auchentoshan to be matured exclusively in first fill ex bourbon casks. The name harkens to the 100 year old oak trees (of the Quercus alba species) grown in the North American mountains which become bourbon casks that will eventually age Auchentoshan Scotch Whisky’s newest expression. Auchentoshan American Oak will become a permanent member of the core Auchentoshan portfolio, which includes 12 Years Old and Three Wood. Auchentoshan American Oak is available nationwide with a suggested retail price of $39.99/750ml.

Auchentoshan is Always Triple Distilled
Auchentoshan prides itself in its unique tradition of triple distilling every single drop. This means that the spirit produced reaches 81.5% alcohol by volume, significantly higher than most single malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. The lightness of the liquid enables it to more readily absorb every characteristic it is exposed to in the cask.

American Oak Maturation
Auchentoshan creates a smooth and complex spirit that ages beautifully in first fill ex-bourbon casks. The North American oak barrels used for American Oak maturation are first seasoned with American bourbon whiskey, which serves to remove the harsher bitter oak tannins and break down the oak to re lease even more vanilla, coconut and silky maturation oils.

Judicious Cask Selection
The maturing Auchentoshan spirit is regularly sampled by Rachel Barrie, Auchentoshan Master Blender, drawing hundreds of samples from different positions in the warehouse. Auchentoshan has found that higher positions in the warehouse promote more spice and intense bourbon vanilla extraction from the oak, whereas casks matured nearer ground level promote softer peach and citrus fruit top notes and silky coconut. Barrie hand selects the casks that are then married together for several months to achieve a multi-layered balance of vanilla sweetness, clean citrus scent and a refreshingly smooth taste.

With a nod to its triple distillation and American oak maturation, Auchentoshan American Oak presents several cocktails where American Oak can be used as a delicious substitute:

Make it a Triple | Riff on a cocktail that is typically made with Irish whiskey, Auchentoshan American Oak works well because of its triple distillation.

• 1 oz. Auchentoshan® American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• .25 oz. Lillet® Vermouth
• .25 oz. Pierre Ferrand® Dry Curacao
• 2 Dashes Orange Bitters

Stir all ingredients together and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

Seelbach | A pre-prohibition cocktail famously made with bourbon, Auchentoshan American Oak works well here because of its bourbon barrel maturation.

• 1 oz. Auchentoshan® American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• .25 oz. Pierre Ferrand® Dry Curacao
• 7 dashes Angostura® Bitters
• 7 dashes Peychaud’s® Bitters
• .25 oz. Champagne

Stir ingredients over ice, strain into a chilled flute, top with Champagne and lemon twist garnish.

Triple A | Punch created by Julieta Campos of The Berkshire Room, Chicago.

• 1 oz. Auchentoshan® American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• .25 oz. Ginger Syrup
• .5 oz. Lemon Juice
• .25 oz. Apricot Liqueur
• .25 oz. Aperol® Aperitif

Serve in tumbler/punch cup. Top with a few Maldon® salt flakes.

TASTING NOTES: Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 40% ABV
To the eye:  Bright gold.
To the nose:  Bourbon vanilla and coconut with layers of zesty citrus fruit.
To the tongue:  Refreshingly smooth yet lively with vanilla cream, coconut and white peach.
To the end:  Crisp, with sugared grapefruit and a hint of spice.

ABOUT AUCHENTOSHAN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

The award winning Auchentoshan portfolio includes Auchentoshan 12 Year Old, Three Wood, 18 Year Old and the limited release 21 Year Old, in addition to select vintage, limited edition releases. Auchentoshan is available nationwide in the U.S and in more than 45 countries worldwide. The Auchentoshan portfolio is imported to the U.S. by Beam Suntory, Inc. For more information about Auchentoshan, visit www.auchentoshan.com, https://www.facebook.com/auchentoshan, and on Twitter @theauchentoshan.

ABOUT BEAM SUNTORY INC.

As the world’s third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World.  Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the flagship Jim Beam bourbon and Yamazaki Japanese whisky, as well as world renowned premium brands including Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher’s,  Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Sauza tequila, Pinnacle vodka, and Midori liqueur.  The company generates annual worldwide sales of approximately $4.6 billion excluding excise taxes.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and entrepreneurial culture.  Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan.  For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Compass Box Great King Street “Glasgow Blend” Scotch Whisky 750ml – 7 available ($42.99)
• Compass Box “The Lost Blend” Blended Malt Whisky 750ml – 9 available ($104.99)
• Bank Note Blended Whisky 1.75L (cannot ship) ($34.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Old K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Barrel #793 Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml (3 bottle limit) ($54.99)
• Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Old K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Barrel #849 Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml (3 bottle limit) – 10 available ($54.99)

• Angel’s Envy 100 Proof Rye Whiskey 750ml (one bottle limit) – 6 available ($67.99)

• Micther’s US #1 Small Batch American Whiskey 750ml – 1 available ($44.99)

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

CHIVAS BROTHERS NEW CASK STRENGTH (50cl) RELEASES

GLENBURGIE
20 year old
£59.95

 MILTONDUFF
16 year old
£47.95

 GLENALLACHIE
14 year old
£46.50

If you have ever attended our annual Whisky Fringe event you should be familiar with our ‘Half Time Orange’ dramming concept. What’s more if you visited the Pernod Ricard stand when the whistle was blown, you would have been treated to some quite exceptional ‘drawn straight from the cask that very week’ samples from the esteemed Mr Logan. On several past occasions he has provided quite stunning drams from the lesser known distilleries of Glenburgie, Miltonduff and Glenallachie. Which is why we are very excited to get our hands on these new additions to the Chivas Brothers Cask Strength range (click on the link for the full range, including new Scapa and Tormore) which were previously only available to purchase when actually visiting the distilleries.

New release WW1 Remembrance In light of the momentous occasion that 2014 signifies – a century since the start of WW1. We thought this was a date worth noting and so have designed a label, bottle and contents worthy of remembering 1914 and those that fought for us. The whisky itself has gentle undertones of smoke and an earthiness to it – our way of giving a nod to the battlefields. The English Whisky Co. are going to donate £2 to the Poppy Appeal for each bottle sold. The bottling is limited to 1499 bottles.

Chapter 13 Batch 3 Tasting Notes

Nose Sweet raisins, warm vanilla and slightly spicy. Hints of bread and butter pudding and caramelised sugar. Also a slight savoury and earthy background note.

Palate Initially dry, then sweet, spicy (think white pepper), malty and oaky. Again the savoury, earthy notes come through. Slight touch of anise along with lovely warm vanilla, just like a vanilla sponge fresh from the oven. Finish is long and the dryness kicks

£49.99 A donation of £2 per bottle to Poppy Appeal

BUY NOW

This week Joe Ellis reviews Port Charlotte Scottish Barley Heavily Peated Bruichladdich! 

http://youtu.be/i8ny7wL8_Oc 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

NZ Joins the Greats of World Whisky

Oamaru, New Zealand– Oct 7, 2014 – New Zealand has become the first nation outside Japan and Europe to mature and release a 25 year old Single Malt whisky. Following extensive barrel selection, the company has released a limited quantity of just 484 bottles onto the market.

“We are so grateful for the international support of the world’s whisky community over the last four years, which has given us the confidence to launch our 25 year old,” says company CEO Greg Ramsay. “We are already humbled by the pre-orders and glowing feedback of those who have taken their first sips.”

The 25 year old, made from 100 per cent malted New Zealand barley distilled in the lost Dunedin distillery, has been aging in American Oak, ex-bourbon barrels from Four Roses Distillery  for a quarter of a century. The rich flavours have softened and sweetened into a complex array of tropical fruits, butterscotch, toasted orange peel and a hit of sea spray.

The 25 year old is a salute to the craftsmanship of those early distillers, including Cyril Yates who played a hand in this newly released drop. “It’s got to be made properly all the way through from the farmer growing barley to the cooper sealing up the staves, and then it does the magical maturation in the barrel before coming out as liquid gold,” explains Yates who dedicated 40 years of his life to the New Zealand whisky industry.

The New Zealand Whisky Company is a success story that signals a revival of the whisky industry in New Zealand. “The whisky was once distilled by Seagram’s in Dunedin before the distillery was sold in 1997 as part of a global rationalization” explains Kay Hansen, who in her four years working in the Oamaru Cellar Door and Bondstore, has been identified as having a rare talent for combining barrels for the batch production.

“Kay’s palate is no-nonsense; she doesn’t get all tied up in disappearing cinnamon, or a bounce of Marzipan. She combines barrels that complement each other with layers of sweetness, spices, a creamy mouth-feel and a moreish aftertaste,” comments Greg Ramsay. “I think Kay might be the first lady in the history of the world of whisky, entrusted in delivering a 25 year old Single Malt.”

Kay continues, “my barrel selection all goes back to what I enjoy seeing in visitors at our Cellar Door, often first-timers or ‘whisky virgins’ as I call them, and the look of total satisfaction as they discover the variety of flavours that only Single Malt provides. So I want to put together whiskies that are broad and open up with water, but without any particular flavour that is too dominant or in your face.”

Following an international design competition, the packaging for the 25 year old emerged. Greg Walko and Petra Kosik, hailing from a small Hungarian design studio took honours, trumping a strong international field. With its contemporary styling, the packaging brings a quarter-of-a-century-old drop into the modern day.

In London last year, the New Zealand Whisky Collection’s DoubleWood won the category for Best Australasian Blend, while the South Island Single Malt was awarded the DoubleGold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition.

As well as regaining the foothold once held across New Zealand by Wilsons, the whisky is now exported from Oamaru and available across Canada, the UK, Australia and Europe. The 25 year old is now available for pre-order at www.thenzwhisky.com.

More information about the New Zealand Whisky Company is available at www.thenzwhisky.com

Jolly Jaunt
Annandale Distillery Visit
12 October, 2014

Jolly Toper on the Road

Prior to its official opening, the distillery invited Jolly Toper to organize a sneak peak tour of the facility, for a group of twenty-five whiskyphiles from the Edinburgh area. A rare glimpse into a distillery that is yet to begin production was quite a treat, particularly considering this is a Lowland distillery. When it begins production, which may peak at 250,000 liters per year capacity, Annandale will serve as Scotland’s most southerly active distillery.

Touring and Tasting

The day-long trip included an assembly in central Edinburgh and a pleasant two-hour coach ride through the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. Upon arrival the visitors assembled at the Village Inn in Kirtlebridge, a few miles from the distillery. Because of the space available and construction works still in progress, the visitor team was divided in two manageable groups. Jolly Toper’s program included an educational tasting on closed distilleries—a lineup of five whiskies—but in a manner slightly different from his usual tasting program. It proved to be an interesting approach. After the first group departed for the distillery, the others engaged in a three-whiskies tasting session. Upon the return their roles changed. Later, the groups joined into another session with two more whiskies.

This approach has created an inspiring whisky experience, which became a conversation topic in the aftermath. The members of each group compared notes on the first three separately-tasted whiskies and the distillery tour with their counterparts.

Equal Attention to Past and Future

At the distillery, Michael Hanratty, Annandale’s Whisky Experience Manager, took special care in giving equal attention to everyone, answering questions about its past, present, and projections for the future. Here, one feels that “the present is the fruit of the past and contains the seeds of the future,” as a scholar of culture, E. Rostlund, once noted. Emphasis on history is evident in an attempt to integrate the distillery into the landscape and cultural context. Remnants of the 19th century masonry, discovered during the recent construction, have been preserved to illustrate this very point. Future visitors will be in position to learn about the four iterations of Annandale Distillery, its place in the industry and the local and overall Scottish history.

Within the Walls

Inside, creating an aesthetically pleasing environment has received much attention. This is particularly evident—to the visitors’ great satisfaction—in the open floor still room. A comment that this was one of “the most beautiful” in Scotland was not inappropriate. The photographs speak even louder than words. Stills, slightly elevated from the washbacks made of Douglas fir, make for an enjoyable view the moment a person steps in the room. Condensers are outside. Although it does not appear that way, the stills are actually at the ground level, because the building is dug into the ground.  The future tasting room leaves an impression of a cozy place where the visitors will have fun. Distillery’s theme of rock and crafted wood are represented in the tasting room, too. During our visit the work to finish the details was still ongoing.

Wrapping Up

Time flies by fast when people have fun. After the tour and the final part of the tasting, an occasional pint and a war story or two, the group gathered for the departure. In a cheerful mood Jolly and the Topers carried conversations about the latest adventure to Edinburgh. Already in the making are future Jolly Jaunts to other Scotch whisky destinations.

Whiskies tasted:

North of Scotland 1972 42yo single grain bottled by Pearls of Scotland
Littlemill 22yo bottled by Cadenheads
Cambus 22yo single grain from a re-filled sherry butt bottled by Signatory
Caperdonich 1999 bottled by Gordon & MacPhail
And a peaty dram to finish: Machir Bay 2014 release from Kilchoman

About: Jolly Toper Whisky Tastings (jollytoper.com) is Edinburgh’s premier whisky tasting event. Regularly scheduled and the special events are designed for novices and experts alike and take place in different venues, including tastings on a canal barge, whisky walks, and most recently a tasting on the road while visiting a distillery. The latter, under that name Jolly Jaunt, has been created to accommodate customers’ growing requests for a niche-type touring of distilleries. Contact at info@jollytoper.com or +44 (0)757 434 694. Facebook: http://goo.gl/CzSIWD

Embed YouTube video http://youtu.be/vB3Nc-ZgQtc