WHISKY TASTING

at The Kilderkin, 65 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, 7.30pm – 10.00pm

Thursday 13th February 2014

tickets: £15 – 100% to the charity

Crown Royal 40%

Clynelish 14yo 46%

unique Marie Curie tasting blend

Glendronach 12yo 43% sherry cask matured

21yo single Islay malt 40%, bottler: The Wine Society

ENTRY BY PRE-PAID TICKET ONLY
*£3 discount to first timers & members. P/O/U/R/S = Peaty/Old/Unusual/Rare/Sherry

THE JOLLY TOPER

UK vlogger Joe Ellis from Whisky Wednesday reviews Cutty Sark Storm 

http://youtu.be/Zx0PeFpjaKQ 

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

WILLIAM GRANT & SONS AWARDED TOP HONOURS

Global premium spirits business and independent family distillers William Grant & Sons has won two highly prestigious and sought after titles. It has received the Distiller of the Year Trophy and the International Spirits Producer Trophy at the 2013 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), which took place at London’s Guildhall on November 13th.

In the individual product honours, the Glenfiddich 40 Year Old received the Single Malt Cask Strength Scotch Whisky Trophy, The Balvenie 40 Year Old scooped the Single Malt Scotch Whisky Trophy over 15 Years Old and Grant’s 18 Year Old won The Independence Trophy For Blended Scotch Whisky.

This is the sixth time William Grant & Sons has been awarded the top honour of Distiller of the Year since 1999. The Company was lauded by the judging panel for “striving to progress by increasing investments and seeking new markets in order to stay at the top” and received praised for “sticking to its roots whilst refusing to be constrained by them”.

Brian Kinsman, William Grant & Sons’ Malt Master and Master Blender, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be named ‘Distiller of the Year and ‘International Spirits Producer of the Year’. It is fantastic to be recognised in this way and is truly testament to the hard work the whole team puts in to crafting our award winning portfolio of premium spirits.”

(This article appears here as a historical reference – WI)

Angels club; Best Dram of the Year! 2013     We have had many whisky tours and tastings during 2013, we kept a record of what we had to taste, to sample and delve into. Here – from the many bottles – are the top five drams of 2013.

Ben Riach single cask, Pedro Ximinez Sherry Finish, 1995, a 16 year old single malt. Where ever and whoever, always up there in the top 3.

Balvenie, Caribbean Cask, extra matured in rum casks, a 14 year old single malt. Another favourite everywhere, specially Liz.

Ben Riach, Curiositas. A 10 year old single peated malt. Peaty is no to everyone’s taste, but – those who liked it, REALLY liked it!

Aberlour, Warehouse No. 1. Single cask single malt, sherry cask, 16 years old. Another one to applaud everywhere we took it.

Glenfarclas single malt, 15 year old, for lovers of all Glenfarclas releases, no more needs be said.

http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/2013winner.asp

SO WHAT DRAM CAME TOP? it was hard fought, we had many, many drams over the year, it’s a hard job recording the tours and tastings, so many people with different tastes. So many diary notes, bits of paper, memories! But there has to be a winner – or does there? In fact we had TWO WINNERS, aye, two drams came equal in the year; Ben Riach Pedro Ximinez Sherry Finish and Aberlour, Warehouse No. 1. To the others, really well done, to those we tried throughout the year, we loved you all, to the winner(s); we only have a drop left of each, so Paul and Liz will finish them off celebrating!

paul@angelswhiskyclub.com   http://www.angelswhiskyclub.com/ 

Angels is a FREE members whisky club with members worldwide. Charlie Maclean is the Patron.

A new video about Tamdhu (with some obligatory mistakes -as the media always makes when talking about whisky)

See the video here

Suntory’s “Hibiki 21 Years Old” Whisky Honored with the Trophy in its Category at the ISC International Liquor Competition in the U.K

Suntory Liquors also takes the Distiller of the Year award for the third time

At the awards ceremony of the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2013, a worldwide liquor competition held on Tuesday, July 16 in London, Suntory Liquors Limited was awarded the Trophy, the highest award in the World Whiskies category for its blended whisky Hibiki 21 Years Old. This coincided with the designation of Suntory Liquors as “Distiller of the Year,” an annual honor bestowed upon the best distiller that consistently produces a variety of high-quality products.

Hibiki 21 Years Old competed against about 400 whisky products entered in this year’s event and won the top spot in the World Whiskies category. This is the first time for Hibiki 21 Years Old to be honored with “Trophy”, Suntory Liquors Limited has also received the Distiller of the Year award for the third time, having taken it in 2010 and 2012. The judges offered high praise for the whisky, saying that “Suntory is a force to be reckoned with and are really pushing the Japanese whisky category to an International level,” and also that “Hibiki 21 Years Old has a rich, full aroma with plenty of oak and soft fruit flavors, a good balance and texture, and enjoys a long rich finish.”

Suntory views this prize, awarded as the company goes into its 90th year of crafting whisky, as a significant testament to the judges’ evaluation of the high quality of its unblended malt and grain whiskies, the varied and distinguished range of those unblended whiskies, and the strength of its blending techniques.
As a result of this recognition, we will further accelerate our domestic and international marketing of Hibiki brand products.

About the International Spirits Challenge

The International Spirits Challenge is a competition held every year in the UK. Entries are divided into each category such as “Whisky” or “Liquors”, and gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in each of those categories. There is also one ultimate award, the Trophy, given to the gold medal winners chosen as best in the categories of awards given. Distiller of the Year award is given each year to one maker of a diverse range of high quality products.
The winners in the “Whiskies” category are chosen unanimously by a panel of nine judges, including blenders from whisky distilleries from around the world, and each year these awards garner the attention of the worldwide liquor industry.

The Award-Winning Whisky

Suntory Whisky: Hibiki 21 Years Old

This whisky is a blend of painstakingly selected ripe grain malts aged over 21 years and the key Yamazaki sherry cask malt is vatted with other carefully chosen mellow unblended grain malts over 21 years old. With aromas of sweet dried fruit and a spicy flavor, it is characterized by a solemn, refined richness and profound, lingering echoes.

Name of Competition

18th International Spirits Challenge 2013

Prizes and Winners

Trophy: Suntory Whisky Hibiki 21 Years Old

Distiller of the Year: Suntory Liquors Limited

Awards Ceremony

19:00(local time), Tuesday, July 16, 2013

At Honourable Artillery Company, London, U.K.

Whisky Website

http://suntory.jp/WHISKY/

(this press release is published for historical reference – WI)

Burns Night Whisky tasting with Isle of Arran Distillers – Friday 24th January 2014

Happy New Year to one and all, and we hope that Santa left your favourite dram in your stocking this year! The festivities may be over for now but, fear not, the end of January brings Burns Night and we will be marking the occasion (albeit, a day early) with a whisky tasting presented by Louisa Young from Isle of Arran Distillers.

With so many distilleries springing up nowadays Arran is no longer the new kid on the block, indeed spirit first ran at this small, but perfectly formed, island distillery in June 1995. Now in it’s eighteenth year of production the distillery has an expanding range of whiskies that, to our minds, are just getting better and better. Characteristically fruity, floral and spicy with a well balanced creamy sweetness and a hint of green apple, the range currently includes whiskies from 10 years old to 16 years old. Included in the line up for the tasting will be both peated and unpeated whiskies, a special edition limited release and, rather appropriately, ‘The Robert Burns’ single malt. Tickets are just £15 per person.

Please note that, to give everyone a fair chance to be able to book tickets, we are now giving advance warning of when tickets will be released. For the Arran Distillery tasting tickets will not be available to buy until 12 noon on Monday 6th January and no bookings will be taken before this time. Also, please be aware that the maximum number of people that we can seat together at one table is 6.

We look forward to seeing you on the night, and if you have any queries just contact us.

Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

UPCOMING EVENT

Name Burns Night Whisky tasting with Isle of Arran Distillers
Date Friday 24th January 2014

Time 7pm for 7.30pm
Venue Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren

Details Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night so come prepared. Tickets are £15 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. To buy tickets just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com  after 12 noon on Monday 6th January and place an order for the number you require. Arkwrights reserve the right to restrict the number of tickets per customer.

Please note, we cannot accept provisional bookings and payment must be made when booking. Refunds for tickets are not available except in exceptional circumstances.

N.B. We have negotiated special rates at the hotel for anyone who wants to stay overnight after the tasting – click here for further details.

Nominations and discussions 2014 Whisky Design Contest

Nominations for the 2014 annual awards must have a first availability date from 1 January 2012 to 1 June 2014 and should not have been awarded in an earlier contest. Two categories: Category-1: Bottles less than €250 and Category-2: €250 … Continue reading →

www.ralfy.com hits the malt-road in 2014 with Whisky Review 419 – Balblair ’02 10yo malt