Now here’s a welcome distraction from the festive mayhem.

We couldn’t wait until after it had all died down to tell you about something very special we have planned in London for 2014. 

We have joined forces with Arts and Music venue, Oval Space, to create what we think will be the most exciting whisky-based event in London ever! We’re talking a multi-layered, multi-dimensional, interactive and immersive whisky experience that we are calling ‘THE LONDON WHISKY WEEKENDER‘.

Of course there will be sampling – and plenty of it – but we wanted to offer you something more. Something that is going to make you want to spend the whole weekend at the show…

Here are just a few things we are planning just to whet your appetite:

• Tour the distillery. We kid you not. We are planning to install distilling equipment in the ‘Pickle Factory’ in the grounds of the show. You will be able to see how single malt whisky is made whilst enjoying a tasting and tour of the distillery.
• East End Lounge. A special area immersing you into ‘how we used to live’ with a classic cocktail bar, barbers shop, shoe shine and more
• Blitz tastings. Very exclusive tastings of pre-war distilled whiskies on a roof-top overlooking the last World War Two Blitz site in London
• Food marketplace. A whole area given over to tasty local food of the highest quality
• Blending workshops. Create your own blend – how cool is that?
• Play ‘Whisky Wist’ over-looking the Blitz site
• A special Bollywood themed event on the Friday night
• Live music in the evenings to help you see the day out with a swing

This is on top of the usual Whisky Lounge shenanigans and accoutrement and of course the opportunity to taste a huge array of fine whiskies in the main space.

As a special Festive Early-Bird we are offering 100 tickets for each session for the following cost;

• Friday 16th May – Evening Session (7pm-12am)       
  £25 per ticket 
• Saturday 17th May – Day Session (12pm-5pm)        
  £25 per ticket 
• Saturday 18th May – Evening Session (7pm-12am)   
  £25 per ticket 
• Sunday 18th May – Day Session (12pm-5pm)            
  £20 per ticket

The normal pricing will be £35 a ticket for the Friday and Saturday sessions with the Sunday staying at £20. There are also 50 full weekend tickets available for the very reasonable sum of £85. To take advantage of this offer, just click on your preferred date and you’ll be taken directly to the right booking page.

You will notice that for now we are directing you to the Oval Space website for these initial offers. You will receive an email confirmation of your purchase from them and you can direct your ticket enquiries through them via email – info@ovalspace.co.uk – or by calling 020 71834422. Of course you can always get in touch with us too and please feel free to do so with any relevant queries.

Anyway, we look forward to seeing many of you there in warmer times but for now have a great Christmas and New Year. 
 

Sláinte!

Eddie, Amanda & Joe
Team Whisky Lounge

As many of you know, 2013 marked the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 30th anniversary!

In conjunction with the special edition “Pearl” bottlings we have released, we are also pleased to provide a 30th anniversary edition of the award-winning magazine Unfiltered.

Rather than sending out hard copies, we offer the following link to the electronic version: http://ow.ly/rMQby

So settle in with dram in hand, and enjoy this latest edition (which features two of our members on page 7).

As Christmas quickly approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your support and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy 2014 filled with love, laughter and wonderful drams!

Very sincerely,
Rob and Kelly Carpenter
Founders, SMWS Canada

To join the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada please visit them here 

NEW SERIES OF TRIPLE MATURED SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY EXCLUSIVES FOR FRIENDS OF THE CLASSIC MALTS™ 

LOVE ORCHESTRATES EXPLODING ‘SYMPHONY’ OF FLAVOURS IN NEW JOHNNIE WALKER TV ADVERT  

Manchester and Shanghai: 16th December 2013: Creative agency, LOVE, has just finished working with British film director, Jake Scott, on a vibrant new TV advert for Johnnie Walker Black Label. Filmed in Bangkok, the advert sets out to capture the big bold flavours of Diageo’s best selling whisky and features a “symphony” of exploding fruits, spices, flower petals and billowing smoke. The iconic Striding Man – introduced by LOVE as a contemporary character last year – is at the heart of the narrative once again. 

Being launched this month in China, the TV ad is part of a wider campaign to engage with a youthful Chinese demographic and introduce them to Black Label as a premium brand with complex flavours; other cities will be targeted next year. The 60, 30 and 15 second TV spots are being supported with outdoor advertising. 

Mark Williams, Creative Director of Advertising at LOVE says: “We were really keen to bring the concept of the big bold flavours to life and wanted to film the ad in real time without the use of CGI. Jake got this straightaway and his treatment felt almost symphonic – as he describes it “soulful’ – and it worked really well for us. 

“The advert also presented us with an opportunity to place the Striding Man – the embodiment of Johnnie Walker – in a social setting. So, he’s at the centre of the commercial, but he still keeps his anonymity and a sense of mystique.” 

60sec ad – http://vimeo.com/wearelove/jwblchina

BTS ad – http://vimeo.com/wearelove/jwblchinabts 

Credits: 

Agency: LOVE 

Director: Jake Scott 

Production company: Ridley Scott Associates, London 

Print photography: John Ross, Ross Photography 

VINTAGE

Our new Vintage Collection

This Christmas, finding the perfect gift for your loved ones couldn’t be easier with the release of three new Vintages from Balblair Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Whether you choose the luxurious Balblair 1983, the exceptional 1990 Vintage, the popular Balblair 2003, or gift all three for the ultimate Christmas present, each whisky has their own distinct flavour and bespoke packaging.

• If it’s a relaxing evening dram you’re after why not try the premium Balblair 2003 (£40.99). Infused with floral notes and hints of citrus fruits, apricots and honey, Balblair 2003 is a full bodied and well balanced whisky that combines orange, lemon, honey and spice.

• Perfect for sharing with special friends, the Balblair 1990 (£84.99) is matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks, but with the addition of Spanish oak ex-sherry butts. This creates a medley of spicy and sweet aromas that are punctuated with notes of raisins, toffee and honey.

• For whisky connoisseurs, Balblair 1983 (£200) is the perfect gift. The luxurious vintage has complex aromas, from warm scents of butterscotch and toffee, to fragrant vanilla.

Visit our website to find out more about the full Balblair Vintage Collection.

This month we are releasing four (4) particularly fineOLD PARTICULAR Single Casks, one (1) bottling from our PROVENANCE Single Malt range together with our annual Charity Bottling which this year is a CLAN DENNY with ALL proceeds going to the RAF Benevolent Fund, this one is particularly special for us as our founder, Fred Douglas Laing, was a (humble) Sergeant within the RAF.

Over and above these new releases, we have our wonderful winter warmer– SCALLYWAG Speyside Vatted Malt launched just last month along with SINGLE MINDED Single Malt and our BIG PEAT 5cl miniatures (the ultimate stocking filler)!

OLD PARTICULAR Tasting Notes:

OLP0038 Caol Ila 17 Years

Nose: Full on Islay ahead! Smoky – with oily rags, peat and soft runny summer tar.

Palate: Initially soft – warms to a tar attack + creosote, honey & ash as the back drop.

Finish: Mixes sweet with peat ….. sugared espresso + smoke + vanilla & phenols. (F)

OLP0045 Clynelish 17 Years

NOSE: Opens fresh, fragrant & floral runs to an attractive citrus fruit character

PALATE: Velvety– carrying a creamy caramel custard quality + soft, sweet spices

FINISH: Long– now developing to dry spices + a cedar wood & cigar boxes style (J)

OLP0024 Dufftown 18 Years

Nose: Sweet and clean– carrying rind of citrus fruit, barley sugar & soft tobacco tones.

Palate: That syrupy, sweet impact continues– plus Malt, spices and a mixed nuts selection.

Finish: Warmingly spiced with more crunchy barley sugar & juicy barley quality. (F)

OLP0044 Bruichladdich 25 Years

NOSE: Opens sweetly with a barley + butterscotch quality & caramelised spiced apples

PALATE: Clean & crisp– softly spiced & sweet – balanced with an engaging wood style

FINISH: Long, still carrying that attractive subtle oak character + some sweet tobacco (J)

PROVENANCE Tasting Notes:

PRV1025 Auchentoshan 13 Years

Clean, fresh and spiced as the nose opens– it then warms up to sweet barley and old fashioned pomade.

Palatewise– it is hugely sweet still with a light ginger backdrop to more malt and a hint of liquorice ….. leading to a soft, easy to enjoy, caramel and spicy finish. (F) 

CLAN DENNY– the SPITFIRE

MSW3003 Braeval 12 Years 

Revs up– sweetly citric and butterscotched on the nose – with a palate taking off into macerated fruit, honey,cinnamon and camphor- soaring to a finish of vanilla, barley and biscuits.

We hope some of these may have your interest. Allied already to the speedy uptake on our new SCALLWAG and SINGLE MINDED, we also hope to be of further assistance to you on this important run up to Christmas. 

Good luck with sales over the next few weeks!

and see the notes below please.

All best wishes, 

Fred H Laing 

Managing Director 

PS- SCALLYWAG and Christmas pudding / mince pies is an absolute match made in heaven! 

www.douglaslaing.com

Merry Christmas from World Whisky Day

Just a quick wee message to wish you a very happy holiday.

2014 is going to be a very special year and World Whisky Day on Saturday 17th May is going to be the biggest yet!

Our brand new website will be going live in the new year and we will be running loads of great competitions in the run up to World Whisky Day. So there are lots of exciting things to look forward to!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

World Whisky Day – Saturday 17th May 2014

Check out www.worldwhiskyday.com in the new year to see our amazing new website!

MCLEANSCOTLAND (ANGELS WHISKY CLUB) northern  Christmas party.

This year (2013) they decided on Inverness for the staff party. En route from Perth, they first stopped by Dalwhinnie distillery, a quick nose around, do a touch of shopping and a few hello’s! A few chocolate truffles, a miniature or three and some presents taken on board (Liz did the shopping, Paul did the paying, how does this always happen?) At over 1073 feet they claim to be the highest distillery in the land. Dalwhinnie, in Gaelic ‘The Meeting Place`, was where, in the past, drovers from the north and west would meet before driving their cattle onwards to the markets in Crieff and Falkirk. Dalwhinnie has for centuries been a meeting place, for the cattle drovers travelling down from the North, or over from Kintail, Skye and the Hebrides,to the main markets at Crieff in Perthshire. It is probable that there was at that time an illicit still at Dalwhinnie, to meet their needs, as the journey was long and arduous, and required frequent resting periods. It was originally called the Strathspey Distillery after it first began production, severe recession hit the industry and the company went into liquidation. In the early 1930’s Dalwhinnie was still untouched by the 20th Century. There was no telephone and no electricity in the village, the distillery was lit by parafin lamps and equipment was powered by steam engines. Then in 1934, a serious fire caused extensive damage. The distillery was rebuilt and refitted in 1938, only to shut down again during the Second World War. In 1992 the distillery closed for a £3.2 million refurbishment, re-opening in March 1995, and now employs 6 people in the production of the “gentle Spirit”.

Moving on, sadly nae drams for driver Paul, the next call was at Tomatin distillery. Paul has been here many, many times, but Liz had never been before! A good reason to visit. One of the highest (aye, another one) in Scotland, sitting at 315m above sea level, deep in the heart of the Monadhliath Mountains. Established in 1897, Tomatin is now the last working distillery in the Inverness area. With twelve stills in operation, it is one of the largest in Scotland – in the 1970s, a staggering 23 stills operated 365 days a year, producing an amazing 12 million litres of single malt Scotch Whisky a year. In the Visitor Centre, FREE of charge is a taste of their  12 year old Single Highland Malt Whisky – how good is that?  While Liz enjoyed Paul’s dram, he did a wee bit of shopping, closely followed by Liz. Another good visit. The first thing that hits you here as you drive up, is the huge mass of warehouses, a wee bit blackened by time, but just think what is in there?

Christmas dinner is close now – arriving at Inverness they made their way to the lovely 4 star Kingsmills hotel, checked in, Paul caught up with the drams, Liz went to “change” (into what we ask?). There then followed drinkiepoos! Whisky, cocktails and more cocktails. Christmas dinner had been pre booked at the Mustard Seed restaurant, a taxi too kthem there – all the way to Inverness just to find a Scouse taxi driver! Good food, good craik and a good time had by all. Back to the hotel, more wine followed, eyes started drooping by now …

The following day they headed to Elgin, stopping for a photo at Benromach, the reason for Elgin was a visit to Gordon & MacPhail, a pre arranged meeting to chat over casks, own label bottles, tours, The European Pipebands in June (they sponsor this event) and general catch up. … Just as his father had introduced him to the firm, so George brought in his own children. The oldest, Ian, joined in 1967, after having been trained in the wine and spirit trade in London and France. He was followed by David in 1972 and Michael in 1981. The family partnership became a limited company in the late 1970s, ownership remained with the family, as it does to this day. George Urquhart died in 2001, five years before his grandsons Stephen Rankin and Neil Urquhart were appointed Associate Directors. They became Directors in September 2010. Today sees other members of the fourth generation join the firm as Richard Urquhart and twin brother Stuart continue the family tradition and support the company as it moves into a fast-paced, technology driven 21st century.

Their long established relationships with distilleries throughout Scotland allows them to send oak casks to the majority of Scotland’s distilleries to be filled with ‘new make’ spirit, which then mature for many years at the distillery of origin or in their own bonded warehouses in Elgin. The oak casks are carefully stowed and regularly checked until they finally achieve highest quality standards.   Only then are they bottled and presented for sale. The philosophy for maturing, selecting and bottling, ensures that they produce the highest quality whiskies.  Sherry casks are made in Spain, seasoned for a number of years and finally when they are ready, are brought to Scotland.  Ex-bourbon casks from selected distilleries in Kentucky, and other specialist wine casks from throughout the world.  

Back doon the road to Broughty Ferry to drop off Liz at her home, a cup of tea for Paul the taxi driver/chauffeur, “can you drop me off at the pub please?” says Liz, ok, her pals were in there, before he headed back to Perth. The staff party was Liz and Paul! Stan the stag did go with them but he had a hangover and was no too good company. Where to next year? After a good trip (again) they are thinking of holding a new year trip also – all work mind! 

http://www.mcleanscotland.com/  fantastic whisky tours of Scotland

www.angelswhiskyclub.com members whisky club, Charlie Maclean Patron – a free club! 

picture shows Liz enjoying food and drink at the Mustard Seed, Inverness. we image; Stan the stag.

AUCHENTOSHAN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

UNVEILS RARE 1975 EXPRESSION

EXCLUSIVELY FOR TRAVEL RETAIL

 December 2013: Auchentoshan, Scotland’s only triple distilled Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has released a rare limited edition of the 1975 expression exclusively to travel retail. With only 500 bottles in existence, only the lucky few will be able to savour this rare, cask strength non-chill filtered Single Malt, which has been aged in hand-selected, north American bourbon casks for over 38 years.

 Following on from the success of the first batch released in the domestic market in 2011, this second release of the vintage has been matured for an additional year giving it its particularly fresh, dewy fruity qualities. It becomes part of a series of superb vintage releases from the late 1970s including the 1979 sherry matured and the 1974 bourbon matured.

Presented in a premium slate grey double fronted box, both the carton and the bottle deliberately retain a subtlety and understated luxury best reserved for higher aged vintage releases. Once opened the box reveals a stunning design using barrel staves. Labeling is minimal with both the name and label appearing slimmer to reveal the liquid as the true hero. The neck of the bottle is also clear exposing the natural cork. The date of bottling is written on each of the bottles.

Auchentoshan triple distils every drop meaning the spirit produced reaches 81.5% ABV, significantly higher than most distilleries in Scotland. The lightness of the liquid enables it to absorb every characteristic it is exposed to in the cask. It is this smooth distillate paired with the carefully selected oak casks that gives Auchentoshan an unmistakably light and fruity flavour.

Auchentoshan Master Blender Rachel Barrie says “Having spent an additional year maturing in the highest quality North American bourbon casks, the 2013 bottling of Auchentoshan 1975 allows the drinker to experience the complexity and ripe, developed fruit flavours associated with a whisky of this vintage.’’

Tasting notes:

To the eye: Copper gold.

To the nose: Ripe, sun-drenched fruits: pears, figs and honeydew melon.

To the palate: Papaya and pink grapefruit, with baked pineapple and almond cake.

The finish: Subtle notes of white grapes, elderflower & almonds.

There will be 500 bottles available globally in a range of international airports priced at £500+ with an ABV of 45.6%.

For more information visit www.auchentoshan.co.uk 

Notes:

Auchentoshan – The Modern Classic

–       A traditional and authentic single malt, distilled three times and matured in the finest wood

–       A whisky produced with passion and enriched with heritage

–       Favours the classic but with a nod to the contemporary

–       It’s a combination of two worlds; old and new

–       It’s a throwback to the future 

–       It’s style not fashion

–       The very best of the past with the very best of the present…

As Glasgow’s closest Distillery, Auchentoshan is truly unique as it is the only distillery to use a third still in the whisky making process. It means Auchentoshan is the only Single Malt Scotch whisky to triple distil every single drop. This third distillation takes the new spirit to 81.5% ABV (not 70% which is achieved through only distilling twice) making it the highest distillate of any Scottish distillery. The result is a light and delicate single malt of unmistakable smoothness.

Awards 2011

IWSC

–      Gold Medal, 1975 Bourbon

–      Best in Class Silver, 18YO

–      Best in Class Silver, Classic

International Spirits Challenge

–      Silver Media, 1975 Bourbon

–      Silver Medal, Valinch

–      Silver Medal, Three Wood

Scottish Design Awards

–      Best Packaging – Auchentoshan Travel Retail Award

Awards 2012

San Francisco Spirits Competition

–      Double Gold Medal, Three Wood

–      Silver Medal, Classic

–      Silver Medal, 12YO

World Whiskies Awards:

–      Best Lowland – Auchentoshan 1999 Wine Matured

Ultimate Spirits Challenge:

–      94 points/Excellent-Highly Recommended  – Auchentoshan Three Wood

Ultimate Cocktail Challenge:

–      Chairman’s Trophy – Best Scotch Whisky in a classic Rusty Nail cocktail – Auchentoshan Three Wood

Auchentoshan Travel Retail Product Range – Tasting Notes 

Auchentoshan Silveroak 2013 Release (£RRP: 90.00)

TO THE EYE: Rich golden

TO THE NOSE: Honeysuckle and jasmine with baked banana, spearmint and silky oak.

TO THE TONGUE: Creamy cappuccino, cooling mint and sugared almonds.

TO THE END:  Creamy cappuccino, cooling mint and sugared almonds.

Auchentoshan Springwood (£RRP: 34.99)

TO THE EYE: Pale barely sugar

TO THE NOSE: A scattering of malt and vanilla sugar

TO THE TONGUE: Intense nuttiness with a citrus pink grapefruit twist

TO THE END: A crisp, clean mouth watering finish

Auchentoshan Heartwood (£RRP: 41.99)

TO THE EYE: Dark honeycomb

TO THE NOSE: Fresh cappuccino complimented by rosewood and tobacco leaf.

TO THE TONGUE: A light sweetness develops into a rich, fruity mouth feel.

TO THE END: Dark and drying with rich fruit lingering on and on.

Auchentoshan 14 Years Old Cooper’s Reserve (£RRP: 49.99)

TO THE EYE: Warm amber

TO THE NOSE: Intense nuttiness

TO THE TONGUE: Praline, sugar almonds complimented by a sweet cream cheese frosting.

TO THE END: A lingering and sweet nuttiness.