Angels whisky club INTERVIEW by Paul McLean. 

Rhubarb Whiskey! 

Paul; When I first heard of RHUBARB WHISKEY I thought; “some one is having a laugh!”  But I looked into it and, holy drams! what a band I found! So I just had to interview them, in fact, I spoke to Emchy, one of the band founders, this is how it went … So Emchy, thanks for chatting to me across the great divide (Atlantic). 

Emchy; Hi Paul Thank you so much! We do love whiskey of all kinds, and two of us have Scottish ancestry. 

Paul; can you tell me a wee bit about the band and how you started. 

Emchy; Rhubarb Whiskey is an American band that likes to delve into the darker side of the psyche. While our music is fun to dance and stomp along to, we tend to write songs about love and friendship gone wrong, murder ballads, and things of that sort (Paul interupts … that’s happy! maybe you should write a song about my first wife? she still flies around on halloween lookin for me). Music to listen to in dark bars with a hearty drink in your hand sort of tunes. We all have a love of travel and those old dusty road adventures are always made better by a nip of whiskey or two. When we formed the band, and were writing our first song “Sorrows Drowned” we knew our band name had to really convey the spirit of our friendship. So me and Boylamayka Sazerac (vocalist / guitarist) decided on Rhubarb Whiskey, since I always try to put rhubarb in everything, and the mixture felt like a real coming together of the sweet/sour loss of innocence and the bite of the whiskey that helped you lose it. Paul; my granny grew rhubarb at the back of the garden. She made really good rhubarb pies, but that’s another story. 

Paul; aye sounds strange – but interesting, do continue;  Emchy; we are two veterans of the SF Bay Area punk rock scene. With myself on accordion and vocals, and Boylamayka on acoustic guitar, we began writing songs with a variety of musical and influences, from German cabaret to blues and folk and beyond. In 2010 the band was joined by Sizzle le Fey on fiddle (Paul; hold it there, made up name surely?). We quickly developed a reputation as hard drinkers infusing traditional music with the energy of their punk roots. 

Paul; have you had good reviews?  Emchy; The band released a self titled CD/EP in 2010, followed by a full length album, Cautionary Tales, in 2011. Our music has been referred to as the antiprohibition hellbilly goth, the bluegrass Dresden Dolls, the love child of Bill Monroe and Sid Vicious. With harmonies and raw storytelling, we seduce the audience with atmospheric, romantic drinking songs that are sexy, rugged and alive. (Paul, well I asked for that eh!) 

Paul; where have you/do you gig?  Emchy; we have played all over the Bay Area, at DNA Lounge, the Swedish American Music Hall, El Rio, The Sunshine Artisan Factory, Starry Plough, and more, and shared stages with Unwoman, Geoff Berner, Sour Mash Hug Band, The Billy Boys, Bye Bye Blackbirds, T&A, Mars Arizona, Liquor Cake, 5 Cent Coffee, Plasterkatz. Vagabondage, Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, Victoria & The Vaudevillians, and many others (Paul, er hold on, havnee heard of any of those bands!).  We will also be appearing on air at several Bay Area radio stations and at select live performances. 

Paul; any plans for more releases?  Emchy; Same Sad End is available for purchase online at:  http://rhubarbwhiskey.bandcamp.com/album/samesadend Right now we have released two full length albums and an EP since forming in 2008 and have a couple of new projects in the works. A noir/crime inspired album that will have a graphic novel to accompany it, and our next country album full of songs about travel and the sea. 

Paul; Emchy. my heid hurts now, could you have no turned doon that background music?  Emchy; sorry Paul you should have said! 

That ended (almost) our telephone chat, a lassie to take home and meet your mum! cannee wait until the CD’s get here, we will be giving one away in January, see our club newsletter.

For more information on the band   http://www.rhubarbwhiskey.com/ or  https://www.facebook.com/rhubarbwhiskey 

Paul was chatting to Emchy of the band Rhubarb Whiskey.

see webpage at;  http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/rhubarbwhiskey.asp 

http://www.angelswhiskyclub.com/  A free worldwide whisky appreciation club. 

www.ralfy.com highlights official/Independent  differences with Whisky Review 415 – Highland Park 20yo Signatory

The public have spoken: three whisky designs go to online vote as part of industry world first 

— Crowdsourcing venture is part of Glenmorangie’s Cask Masters programme which gives enthusiasts the chance to help create a new whisky: from selecting the actual liquid, to naming, to designing the packaging, photography and even influencing the location of the launch event — 

— SUGGESTED TWEET: @theglenmorangie #caskmasters programme seeks YOUR opinion on their next bottle design. To have your say visit: www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters — 

From today (09:00 on 4 December) for the first time ever, whisky aficionados worldwide get to vote on the packaging design of a new single malt which they have helped to inspire. 

The initiative is part of Glenmorangie’s world first Cask Masters whisky creation programme which aims to get members of the public involved in the process. 

It was launched on 1 March 2013 and will run for 18 months with the new Limited Edition Glenmorangie whisky ready for release in the autumn of 2014. 

The whisky, extra-matured in exclusive Manzanilla sherry casks, had already been selected when three casks of whisky were put to a public vote earlier this year. 

Whisky fans have also selected the name Taghta (Tuh-ta), Gaelic* for Chosen, after thousands of suggestions were whittled down to a shortlist of three names translated by Gaelic expert Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich and put to an online vote. 

Following a month-long period when whisky fans worldwide uploaded pictures and design ideas to a special online gallery, three new packaging designs have been produced by branding expert Jon Davies from leading London design agency Butterfly Cannon. 

Today the designs are put to the public vote with Glenmorangie fans able to choose the label and carton which, from next September, will be available for online purchases world-wide. 

Cask Masters is the brainchild of Glenmorangie’s Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation, who is accompanied by an expert in each field of the five-step process. 

Dr Bill Lumsden commented: “This is a wonderful opportunity for fans of Glenmorangie to really help create a new single malt whisky and the plans for its launch. Some of the ideas uploaded by the public have been truly inspirational, from lighthouses to parachutes to contestants competing in a Highland Games.” 

Butterfly Cannon Founder, Jon Davies, commented “It has been amazing to get the chance to involve so many consumers in the creative process: I feel I have had a studio full of hundreds of creatives rather than tens! The images and ideas have been perfect for the designers, sparking compelling brand and product stories which have been brought to life in three unique packaging designs. I am fascinated to see which one Glenmorangie aficionados will choose.” 

For more information visit: www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters 

Voting closes on 6 January and the chosen packaging will be revealed on 7 January. One of the voters will win an Apple iMac. 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Glenmorangie has already taken inspiration from Gaelic with the name of some of its most famous creations. Within its exclusive Private Edition range of whiskies, it has selected names to reflect each expression, with Artein meaning “Stone”, and Finealta meaning “Elegant”. 

At the later stages of the Cask Masters programme experts will also offer their guidance on the photography and launch suggestions received from whisky fans. 

At each stage participants will also be able to win prestigious prizes including a VIP visit to the Glenmorangie Distillery and a trip to the country of origin of the oak cask in which the winning whisky has been matured. 

About Glenmorangie:

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky originates in the Scottish Highlands where, at the Glenmorangie Distillery, it is distilled in the tallest malt whisky stills in Scotland, expertly matured in the finest oak casks, and perfected by the Men of Tain. The Distillery was founded in 1843 and is renowned as a pioneer in its field uniting tradition with innovation to create ‘unnecessarily well made whiskies.’ 

Responsible Drinking:

The Glenmorangie Company advocates responsible drinking and suggests that drinkers savour Glenmorangie whiskies in moderation and in line with recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption. 

For more details: www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters or Twitter: #caskmasters @theglenmorangie

• 1964 Karuizawa 48 year Cask #3606 Japanese Single Malt Whisky – 1 available ($15,999.99)
  The oldest bottling of Karuizawa to date, this bottle came from a single sherry butt yielding only 143 bottles. Only one other bottle is out there for sale and it will cost you about $400 more plus a ticket to London. This is absolutely the rarest most saught-after Japanese Whisky ever bottled.

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

USA RE-LAUNCHING OF TAMDHU  

Tamdhu, one of Speyside’s founding distilleries has officially re-launched today in the United States with a stunning new 10 year old Speyside Single Malt.   

Acquired in June 2011 by Ian Macleod Distillers — the leading Scottish independent family owned distiller and bottler — Tamdhu Distillery was established in 1897 by a consortium of pioneering businessmen who embodied the ‘can-dhu’ spirit of their generation.  

Inspired by an age of industry and endeavor, the Tamdhu story is one of enlightenment that began, and continues to this day, on the banks of the River Spey. Now, just as then, Tamdhu is matured in only the finest oak sherry casks with natural Speyside water from the Tamdhu spring. 

The new Tamdhu 10 years old has the softness of vanilla and sugared almonds on the nose, balanced by fresh oak and cinnamon. Bursting with fruit and spice and gently yielding to toffee, there is a richness of sherry oak on the palate with a gentle hint of peat smoke wisp.

Designed to maximize on-shelf presence, the packaging communicates the Brand’s values and provenance with a stylish, textured black, white and gold tube, illustrated monograms and an elegant glass bottle, inspired by the Victorian era.

ImpEx’s leaders, Ed Kohl and Sam Filmus agree that as a Speyside Distillery, Tamdhu is a particularly exciting addition to the family because it perfectly complements their already diverse Scotch portfolio. The distillery’s
incredible pedigree and history will captivate connoisseurs and beginners alike, further extending the reach of
ImpEx’s network and making its tasting seminars even more compelling.

“Tamdhu has a reputation for producing exceptional quality single malt. [We have ensured] that our best casks had hit their peak before bottling. With a focus on quality, we have honored the careful distillation process to create a premium malt Scotch whisky we believe Tamdhu’s founders would be proud of.” – Leonard Russell, Managing Director and third generation of the family-owned Ian Macleod Distillers.

“We are committed to growing the Brand within the USA, and are confident it will prove popular with whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.”– Roderick Mackenzie, Ian Macleod Distillers Area Sales Director.

Tamdhu 10 years old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be available in the US for distribution in mid-December 2013.

We’re honored that we can make the ‘Can-dhu’ spirit part of your holiday spirit this year and we’d like to wish you a wonderful Holiday season!

Warm regards,

Ed Kohl,

CEO and Managing Director of Sales

Sam Filmus,

President and Managing Director of Operations

You Are Invited

4th Annual 

Canadian Whisky Awards Banquet

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Grand Pacific Hotel

Victoria, British Columbia 

Join us in Victoria B.C. to celebrate the best Canadian whiskies in the world.

Tickets for the gala banquet and awards presentation may be purchased for $60 from James Burrough at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Your ticket includes the awards ceremony and a full hot and cold buffet.

Reach James by e-mail at

jburrough@hotelgrandpacific.com  

The Canadian Whisky Awards help keep the world talking about the best deluxe, premium, value, and flavoured Canadian whiskies.   

Winners will be announced at the ceremony and through major press across Canada and the U.S. 

 We hope to see you in Victoria.

Davin de Kergommeaux

Another year, another near-20 year old K&L Glendronach cask,” some of you might be thinking. It’s perfectly alright, we were thinking the exact same thing going into our appointment. Did we really want to do another barrel of the same whisky for the third straight season? “Depends on how they taste,” I said to David. Then we sat down, went through the samples, and found this stunning 18 year old aged in PX sherry. Incredibly decadent. – David Driscoll

1995 Glendronach 18 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single PX Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($149.99)

Good grief, Glendronach keeps stepping up. We’ve been obsessed with Glendronach since our first visit to the distillery in 2011. They’ve revamped this distillery, investing in the highest quality wood, using meticulous warehouse management to get the very most out of old stock and continuing to pump out some of the finest juice in Scotland. This year’s offering was aged in Pedro Ximenez casks and shows a totally different type of sherry influence from last year’s powerfully masculine dry oloroso cask. What we have here is the perfect sweet sherry nose, filled with dense dried plums, spiced pears, subtle flintiness, and a rich creamy core. On the palate, the baking spices really explode fresh clove, nutmeg, and freshly dried stone fruits. This balance between spices, dark exotic oak tones, and powerfully rich fruit is the hallmark of Glendronach. I think this cask will be the best received Glendronach yet.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 06, 2013

This is a crowd pleaser. It is big, soft and round, with the used sherry barrels adding richness and sweetness to the picture. It is not sticky or cloying, but balanced and delicious. There is no smoke to get in the way of this easy-to-drink single malt.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 26, 2013
This is what we call the Macallan 18 killer. It’s softer, more supple, more complex, and surprisingly less sweet than what you’d get from the renowned Highland giant. Our barrel is incredibly cakey — as in full of Christmas spice cake. Lovely stuff that just about any one can enjoy, especially at a lower-than-normal 52% alcohol. This one glides right over the tongue and into the belly — quickly and easily. A no-brainer.

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

UK vlogger Joe Ellis a.k.a Whisky Wednesday reviews the Arran 14 Year Old Single Malt!

http://youtu.be/wVS1GxQFbM4

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

GLENGLASSAUGH LAUNCHES NEW 40 YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT

GLENGLASSAUGH distillery today, December 3, proudly launches its sumptuous 40 year-old single malt whisky.

With sherry notes complementing the fruit medley and array of spices, it’s typical, classic, gorgeous Glenglassaugh, a 40 year-old marriage of malt and oak and an outstanding representation of this rare and enduring Highland-style dram.

It has an initial run of around 800 bottles but it will be an ongoing product in our range, says Managing Director and Master Blender Billy Walker.

His personal tasting notes show that this is a truly magnificent malt where flavours and styles interlink beautifully to deliver seductive silky sweetness. At 42.5% vol, cask strength, non-chill filtered and at natural colour, this unique expression is full of character and complexity.

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose:  An abundance of sweet, syrupy tropical fruits; banana, pineapple and mango in perfect harmony with gentle Oloroso sherry.

Palate:  Sweet, rich, syrupy and complex. Oloroso sherry, toffee apples, mango and banana sit beautifully in the mouth alongside ginger and cocoa spice.

Finish:  Rich, spiced sherry.

Founded in 1875 by local entrepreneur James Moir, Glenglassaugh has stocks dating back to 1963 and was taken over by BenRiach earlier this year. In August, the owners released their first Glenglassaugh bottling – a superb 30 year-old single malt – and the new 40 year-old continues the Portsoy distillery’s ability to subtly merge tropical fruits with sherry and gentle oak spice.

Billy Walker said: “We’ve inherited some astonishingly fine whisky at Glenglassaugh and we’re delighted to launch our second expression almost nine months after taking over the distillery. There is very strong demand for Glenglassaugh around the world.”

GlenDronach releases latest batch of its single cask bottlings 

AWARD-WINNING GLENDRONACH has today, 3 December, released Batch 9 of its succulent single cask bottlings, selected as always by Master Blender Billy Walker. 

The magnificent nine, ranging from 41 to 18 years old, share GlenDronach’s typically richly-sherried signature taste complemented by notes of almonds, cherries, raisins, prunes and lime…even cracked black pepper, cocoa beans and red chilli sauce! 

Six were matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheons while the other three come from Oloroso sherry butts. The result is a swirling and mesmerising range of expressions – from delicate sweetness to puckering malt monsters. 

The oldest is a 41 year-old Oloroso sherry butt distilled in February 1972 – cask # 702. Bottled at 51.7% vol, this veteran is a complex, fiery wonder – rich dark oak edged with deep ruby. On the nose, it gives sumptuous depths of classic sour cherries dusted with gentle toasted almonds. And on the palate, it’s a beautifully elegant vintage sherry style bursting with a combination of dark espresso, molasses, herbs and oak spices. 

And as a contrast, the youngest in the batch is an 18 year-old distilled in April 1995. This Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, cask number 3302, was bottled at 53.7% vol. It is rich golden burnt amber in appearance. On the nose, vibrant citrus zest combines with touches of wild mint and oak spice while on the palate an initial sweet chocolate and vanilla fullness moves to a delicate lasting zest and herb note. 

The batch details are: 

1972 cask # 702 / 41 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 51.7% vol

1985 cask # 1035 / 27 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 53.7%vol

1989 cask # 5470 / 23 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 49.2%vol

1990 cask # 1243 / 23 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 50.6%vol

1991 cask # 5405 / 21 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 49.9%vol

1992 cask # 195 / 21 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 59.8%vol

1993 cask # 5 / 20 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 53.0%vol

1994 cask # 3385 / 19 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 53.4%vol

1995 cask # 3302 / 18 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 53.7%vol 

For more information, click here