Two A. Smith Bowman Distillery

Bourbons received high honors

at 2014 International Wine & Spirits Competition 

Fredericksburg, VIRGINIA (August 12, 2014) – The results from the 2014 International Wine & Spirits Competition are in, and two A. Smith Bowman bourbons have received new medals.

Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey won a Silver Outstanding medal and John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey received a silver medal.

“We are excited about the recognition each of these bourbons have earned,” Brian Prewitt, master distiller, said. “Being recognized among so many quality spirits is an honor.”

“Silver Outstanding” medals are awarded based upon the highest scores within that respective category.

The International Wine and Spirit Competition was founded in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs.

All entries are first blind tasted in groups divided by variety, region and vintage as necessary, by professional expert judges (by glass, not bottle) and then the top products are sent for detailed (chemical and microbiological) analysis. This analysis is crucial as in some instances the results of this analysis may lead to marks being deducted or even outright rejection.

Learn more at http://www.iwsc.net/. 

About A. Smith Bowman

A. 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 http://www.asmithbowman.com/.

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

Ireland – Irish Single Malt

• Connemara 12 year old Irish Peated Single Malt Whiskey – 6 available ($69.99)

Japan – Single Malt

• Ichiro Chichibu “The First” Japanese Single Malt Whiskey 750ml – 3 available ($189.99)

United States – Single Malt

• Balcones Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 7 available ($74.99)

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

If you are planning to visit the North of Scotland, be it for the Lonach Gathering or the Pipes in the Park Homecoming event in Huntly be sure to drop in by our “Whiskies of Scotland” Store at 36 Gordon Street, Huntly and browse our wide selection of whiskies and other spirits.  You will recieve a warm welcome from me, Fergus and Claire.  

Slainte, Ronnie Routledge.

At The Victoria Golf Club

 Victoria Golf Club
1110 Beach Drive
Victoria, B.C. V8S 2M9
250-598-4321

HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERIES TO CONTINUE PERIODIC RELEASES OF ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF BOURBON  

Combination of high quality, true barrel proof and scarcity have made the bottling a much sought-after rarity  

LOUISVILLE, KY—Heaven Hill Distilleries, producers of Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon, are planning a third release of the rare and highly acclaimed bottling during 2014, and are planning three more releases during 2015, the company announced today. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, originally released last year as a limited-edition companion to the mainline Elijah Craig Small Batch 12-Year-Old, will become a recurring but still highly allocated item in Heaven Hill’s American Whiskey Collection portfolio, all drawn from Heaven Hill’s vast inventory of aging barrels, the second largest in the world. 

Unlike several other competitive products who bottle at a “standardized” barrel proof of, for example, 125°, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a true barrel proof, with each batch reflecting the actual proof of the small batch of 100 or fewer barrels that make up each “dump.” There were three releases in 2013—at 134.2, 137 and 133.2 proof—one March 2014 release at 132.4 proof, and one May 2014 release at 134.8 proof. Heaven Hill plans on beginning shipments of the third and final dump of 2014 in September, and will release the first edition of 2015 in January. 

In just its first year, the brand has captured numerous prestigious awards—including “Double Gold” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, “Extraordinary/Ultimate Recommendation” from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, and “Best Bourbon, Best Brown Spirit in Show” at this year’s WSWA Convention Spirits Tasting Competition. It has also become something of a cult whiskey among Bourbon aficionados, with the combination of extraordinary quality, scarcity and value making it the object of many Bourbon want-lists. It is also a hot topic on Bourbon and American Whiskey forums and blogs. 

“We knew beforehand—given the remarkable quality of the small batch dumps, the very allocated nature of the distribution, and the approachable price point for a cask strength 12 year old Bourbon—that Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was going to be real draw for the whiskey aficionado crowd, but the fervor and passion that customers show always amazes us,” said Susan Wahl, Senior Brand manager, Whiskeys, at Heaven Hill. “We are pleased, given this popularity and the overall unprecedented demand for Bourbon, that we are able to continue with releases of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof for the foreseeable future.” 

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof will continue to be bottled in the 750ml size and will be available at a suggested national retail price of $44.99. 

Founded in 1934, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams Bourbon; Larceny , Elijah Craig and Henry McKenna Bourbons, Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; The Christian Brothers Brandies; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila; Cinerator Hot Cinnamon Flavored Whiskey and Rittenhouse Rye Whisky. Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”

Auctions ending Friday 15th August include Glenlivet, Port Ellen, Bruichladdich, Balvenie and many more… start bidding – free registration!

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Glenlivet 15 year old French Oak Reserve Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($39.99)

• Glenlivet 18 year old Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($79.99)

• Highland Park 25 year old, Isle of Orkney Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 2 available ($379.99)

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

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #92

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, loves Ardbeg. Who does not love Ardbeg? It is such a popular brand, often quite hyped, but then their whisky is outstanding as well. It is harder to find Ardbeg with independent bottlers and harder still to find sherry matured Ardbeg. Hence it is a great pleasure for Mark to try the Ardbeg 20 Year Old 1993 bottled by A.D. Rattray from a single sherry hogshead. It was released especially for the Belgian retailer Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis and one of the best Ardbeg he has tried to date. 

http://youtu.be/sszeNoRiwj8