www.ralfy.com heads West to Nashville with Whisky Review 385 – Corsair TripleSmoke Whisky

TOP PICKS

• 1994 Benriach 19 Year Old K&L Exclusive Peated Single Bourbon Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($139.99)
  Our 27 year old peated sherry butt for Benriach was one of the smash hits from our 2012 campaign. We were definitely on the hunt for more peated malt this time around, but hopefully something new and exciting at the same time. It only took a few minutes before David and I pounced upon this gem of a barrel. This 19 year old Bourbon barrel had all the smoke we were looking for, but with a different richness from the Bourbon wood. Gone was the rich, decadent, sherry-flavored profile of the 27 year. Instead we were treated to soft vanilla, sweet barley, and soft stonefruit, all mingling in harmony with the peat. We were transfixed. Perhaps most exciting was how closely this whisky resembled the Caol Ila 18 year – another pure Bourbon-aged whisky that was no longer being exported to the U.S. The Benriach was like a single barrel, cask strength version of that whisky- bigger, stronger, and more vibrant. There’s no doubt about it. This new peated cask of Benriach is going to steal the show again this year. The level of peat is strong enough for serious fans of the style, but balanced enough not to overwhelm those who like Talisker or Springbank. The weight and supple character of the malt are simply enchanting and the price is definitely right. What’s not to love? (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)
• 1997 Bowmore 15 Year Old Faultline “Palm Tree” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($89.99)
  This cask, from one of the true historical gems on the Queen of the Hebrides, is the perfect example of why I believe Bowmore should still be considered one of Scotland’s best distilleries. The distillery itself is a working museum and the distillery bottlings are usually very safe and well crafted. After some “difficulty” at the distillery during the 80s and early 90s, speculation is that they were pushing the distillery to hard. Since then the Bowmore distillery has come roaring back producing some of the most consistently delicious juice we’ve tasted over the last several years. It’s not in their nature to take risks or challenge the market place, but it’s certainly in ours. Part of the reason we haven’t been able to sell a Bowmore under the Faultline label yet is that when it’s good, it’s obvious. The bottlers are coveting their stocks and that means that highend product from the 70’s which cost $300 two years ago, is going for $900+ today. We’r e not buying that stuff because there’s just no way we could sell it all. Suppliers see those numbers, look at their young Bowmore stocks and salivate. We were incredibly lucky to find this medium aged Bowmore at this fabulous price. This is full force Bowmore in all its beautiful intensity. It’s powerfully smoky and exotic. The label pays homage to a famous independently bottled Bowmore from the 1960s.
• 1979 Faultline 32 Year Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Blended Scotch Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($99.99)
  This is just some sort of ridiculousness. When we stumbled across this absolutely wacky cask in a warehouse in Southern Scotland, we hadn’t even realized it was in the realm of legality to sell this sort of whisky. This is from a lot of whiskies all distilled in 1979. At some point in its  maturation, it was blended and rebarreled in a single sherry hogshead. It’s highly likely that was done relatively recently, but honestly it could have been done two decades ago. We think that this whisky may have come either from a larger blender who was planning to add this to one of their house blends and either lost it in the warehouse or sold it as part of a larger parcel. Otherwise, we think it could have perhaps been a lot owned by a smaller broker which was ultimately consolidated as the whiskies began to evaporate. Either way, this stuff is totally unique. We have no knowledge of another cask strength single cask single vintage blended  whisky being released in this country or any other for that matter. If you know differently please let us know. What’s really important about this whisky is that it’s absolutely delicious. It’s got all the complexity and depth of the best blends and is exceptionally well balanced even at full proof. Plus, the price is uncomfortably low for the age and quality of the whisky. This is truly a unique gem plucked from a dingy warehouse, which ended up polishing up perfectly.
• 1995 Glendronach 18 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single PX Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($134.99)
  Good grief, Glendronach keeps bringing the hits. 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.

NEW ARRIVALS

• Aberfeldy 18 Year Old A.D. Rattray Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($105.99)

• Benriach 23 Year Old A.D. Rattray Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($115.99)

• Bruichladdich Cuvee 21 Year Old Cuvee 382 La Berenice Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($199.99)

• Bruichladdich Cuvee 21 Year Old Cuvee 407 PX Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($199.99)

• Bruichladdich Cuvee 21 Year Old Cuvee 640 Eroica Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($199.99)

• Bruichladdich Octomore 10 Year Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($259.99)

• Bunnahabhain 23 Year Old A.D. Rattray Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 2 available ($139.99)

• Glencadam 22 Year Old A.D. Rattray Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 3 available ($105.99)

BACK IN STOCK

• Glendronach 15 year old “Revival” Distillery Bottling Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($79.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Jefferson’s 21 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey 750ml ($129.99)

K&LWine Merchants

http://www.klwines.com

Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)

Email: wine@klwines.com

San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Classic Book Reviews: Scotch Whisky by David Daiches

David Daiches’s book Scotch Whisky: Its Past and Present, first appeared in 1969, and was popular enough that a revised edition appeared in 1976, of which my copy is the paperback. I am not sure where I picked it up – … Continue reading >>

Glenmorangie invites fans to name their winning whisky  

— Crowdsourcing venture is part of Glenmorangie’s Cask Masters programme which gives enthusiasts the chance to help shape a new whisky — 

Glenmorangie is asking whisky enthusiasts to choose the name of a new single malt whisky through online voting – a first for the industry.

The crowdsourcing venture is part of Glenmorangie’s unique Cask Masters whisky creation programme which was launched in March 2013 with consumers being asked to choose their preferred dram from three specially selected casks released by Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s celebrated Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation.

Tens of thousands of whisky lovers across the world have cast their vote and their favourite malt can now be revealed as Cask C, which has spent a number of years extra-maturing in exclusive Manzanilla casks.

Stage two of the process kicked off on 1 August with the aim of crowdsourcing the perfect name for this new limited edition single malt.

Inspired by the tasting notes of the whisky and the provenance of the casks, consumers will submit suggestions online for a name that will best capture its spirit.

The Cask Masters programme is being overseen by Glenmorangie’s Dr Bill Lumsden, together with an expert in every field of the five-step process.

Glenmorangie has a long tradition of taking inspiration from the Gaelic language when naming its whiskies and the expert overseeing the naming stage is Dr Aonghas Maccoinnich, a teaching fellow in Celtic and Gaelic at the University of Glasgow.

Dr Maccoinnich will select his preferred three names from all those submitted and translate them into Gaelic. It is from the Gaelic names that the public then have the opportunity to vote and decide on the final name which will be announced on 16 September.

The Cask Masters online programme was launched on March 1 and will run for 18 months with the new limited edition Glenmorangie single malt ready for release in the autumn of 2014. Anyone can take part by logging on to www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters

Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation at the Glenmorangie Company, said: “We’re creating history at Glenmorangie by giving fans the chance to decide the name of our next limited edition single malt whisky. What could be more special for a whisky enthusiast than to savour a dram of their own design, whose very name comes from their own imagination?

“We now want whisky enthusiasts to be inspired and bring our new cask to life with a name that will resonate. At Glenmorangie, the Gaelic language has already given us some beautiful names to match our beautiful whiskies, so this is exciting for us.”

Dr Aonghas Maccoinnich, who grew up speaking Gaelic as a first language on the isle of Lewis, said, “I’m very pleased to be part of this remarkably democratic whisky naming process. I’m sure that there will be some great names coming in from all over the world and it will be a tough job to pick out the best three.”

NOTES:

Glenmorangie has already taken inspiration from Gaelic with the name of some of its most famous creations. For example Glenmorangie itself means ‘Glen of Tranquillity,’ while within our exclusive Private Edition range of whiskies, we have 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, packaging 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: @theglenmorangie

About Dr Aonghas Maccoinnich:

Aonghas Maccoinnich is a native of the Isle of Lewis and grew up in a Gaelic-speaking community. Whilst taking a PhD at the University of Aberdeen he wrote a thesis on the Mackenzie clan in the Ross area, in the north of Scotland, (1466-1638) entirely in Gaelic – the first history thesis at Aberdeen written in that language. He worked as a Gaelic tutor and lecturer at the University of Glasgow (2005-2010) and a teacher in the history of the Scottish Highlands at the University of Strathclyde (2010-2012). He is currently a teaching fellow in the Celtic & Gaelic subject area in the school of Humanities at the University of Glasgow.

REFRESHING SUMMER COCKTAILS WITH A WARMING GLOW

The sun is still out and there are plenty of reasons to be celebrating in summer style!

Cocktails form a part of summer celebrations everywhere. From barbeques and dinner al fresco to weddings and garden parties, a good cocktail is the perfect way to pin down that summer feel.

Whilst whisky might not be your go-to ingredient for a summery drink, The Whisky Shop has teamed up with Dewars’ to offer a take on whisky cocktails that have the benefit of being refreshing enough for a summer celebration whilst still retaining that warming afterglow – ideal for when the sun disappears behind a cloud…again.

The Whisky Shop and Dewars’ are hosting a special summer cocktails event on Wednesday 14 August from 7pm at The Whisky Shop’s flagship Piccadilly store where you can learn exactly how to make whisky work as a summer cocktail ingredient, tasting some delicious drinks as you go and even getting your very own cocktail kit to take home with you.

Andrew Torrance, managing director of The Whisky Shop said: “Whisky might not be everyone’s ideal of a cocktail staple but many classic cocktails have whisky or bourbon as a key ingredient, such as the Manhattan or Old Fashioned.  It has the benefit of imparting real flavour and depth to a drink as well as adding that signature warmth.

“A cocktail might not be the whisky purists’ idea of how to enjoy a dram but at The Whisky Shop we’d encourage people to find their own way of enjoying this versatile spirit.”

Tickets are priced at just £25 and are available from The Whisky Shop on 020 7499 6649 or at piccadilly@whiskyshop.com.  All purchasers must be aged 18 or over.

Below we’ve given a sneak peak of some of the delicious drinks you’ll be able to enjoy on the day, plus a couple of our other summer favourites.

The Dewars’ Julep

Dewars’ take on the traditional Mint Julep, a Kentucky classic made popular by F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, the Great Gatsby.

–          2 measures Dewars’ 12 year old

–          2 barspoons Honey (preferably Scottish heather honey)

–          8 mint leaves

Stir the honey at the bottom of glass with half of the Dewars’ 12 year old until dissolved.  Add the fresh mint leaves and remaining Dewars’ 12, fill the glass with cubed ice and churn.  Top with crushed ice and garnish with large mint sprig.

Dewars’ Summer Punch (serve 4 to share)

The perfect summer cocktail to share!

–          175ml Dewars’ White Label

–          50ml fresh lemon juice

–          40ml St Germain Elderflower liqueur

–          150ml pressed apple juice

–          100ml ginger beer

This one’s simple! Add all ingredients to a punch bowl, add cubed ice and softly stir.  Serve in a punch cup with a slice of lemon!

The Dewars’ Penicillin

The perfect cure-all cocktail!

–          2 measures of Dewars’ White label

–          3/4 measure of Fresh lemon juice

–          3/4 measure of Honey-Ginger Syrup

–          1 bar spoon of a smoky single malt whisky

–          Ice

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a piece of lemon zest.

Dewars’ White Label Smash

If you love a Mojito, you’ll love this.

–          2 parts Dewars’ White Label blended Scotch whisky

–          1-2 mixing spoons granulated sugar

• or

–          ¾ parts simple sugar syrup

–          2 pieces of lemon

–          3-4 mint leaves

–          Seltzer

–          Ice

Muddle the lemon, mint and sugar in the bottom of a mixing glass.  Add Dewars’ White Label, shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Top with seltzer and garnish with fresh mint.

Notes 

The Whisky Shop: The Whisky Shop is the largest specialist whisky retailer in the UK with 21 stores nationwide and an online store at www.whiskyshop.com

The premium London Piccadilly flagship opened in 2012 and recently won the 2013 National Association of Shopfitters (NAS) Design Partnership Award for Retail.

Dear Malt Messenger Readers,

I hope you’re having a wonderful summer! You’ll notice we have a new look for the Malt Messenger, after 8 years it was time we added a little more style to it. We’ve been busy around these parts getting ready for a full and exciting fall, and have some incredible tastings, events and new whiskies in the pipeline which are sure to please and surprise you. Pre-orders of the Whisky Advent Calendar have been brisk with nearly 1/3 already sold, and our new Benromach Casks, and the Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 2 have also been flying off the shelves.

There are a couple of exciting announcements which I’ll be making on Thursday. The plans have already been crafted, but they need a few more days for polishing. For those of you who just can’t wait until then, you’ll find some clues below.

In the meantime we have a couple of great tastings this week. The first is an 8 whisky vertical from Taiwan’s Award Winning Kavalan Distillery. Their whiskies have been taking the world by storm, and we’ll make our way through a range of 8 different bottlings, including single casks from their Solist Sherry, Bourbon, Vinho and FIno lines. While enjoying these drams, we’ll have a gander at some photos I took of the distillery while visiting in May. Then on Friday I’ll be hosting “The Whiskies of Summer” which will highlight some of the newest whiskies in the store. What better way to kick off the weekend than with a sampling of 7 new whiskies, never before opened for a KWM tasting. Info on both the tastings can be found below.

Stay tuned for Thursday’s full Malt Messenger, stay cool this summer, and drink whisky…

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
Kensington Wine Market

PS- PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter www.twitter.com/scotch_guy  and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scotch.guy.1

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com
www.fergusonwhiskytours.com

Glenglassaugh 1972 KWM Sherry Cask

ON SALE FOR THE SUMMER!
This single cask bottling of Glenglassaugh was selected by and bottled for our store because it is an exceptional example of a nearly 40 year old whisky…..
$699.99 Regular
$524.99 Special Price
READ MORE

Whisky Advent Calendar

Pre-Order Yours Before They Are All Gone! Behind each of the 24 doors is a different 30ml sample of delicious whisky! Behind one a sample of 50 year old Scotch, the full-sized bottle of which is worth $600! Exclusive to KWM in Canada!
$299.99
READ MORE

Kavalan Whisky Vertical Tasting

Thursday August 15th – 7PM – $60

The Largest Vertical Tasting of Whisky from the Award Winning Taiwanese Distillery in Canada!

Kavalan Distillery has come a long way since it was founded in 2005. When the Taiwanese food giant King Car Group made the decision to build a single malt distillery in Taiwan they spared no expense. They hired Dr. Jim Swann, one of the Scotch Whisky Industry’s most respected experts to consult on its design and operation. Due to the challenges of the Taiwanese climate, they knew time would not be on their side when it came to maturation. Their spirit would have to be flawless. Right out of the gates Kavalan’s 3 year old whiskies began winning awards and earning the respect of whisky connoisseurs world-wide. Join us for a sampling of the Kavalan range that will leave no doubt in your mind why this rising star is no flash in the pan. They make stunning whisky, full stop!

We’ll be sampling:
1. Kavalan No.1 – Their First Whisky – $114.99
2. Kavalan Podium – Matured in New American Oak Casks and Refill Casks – $149.99
3. Kavalan Concertmaster – Matured in Ruby, Tawny and Vintage Port Pipes – $94.99
4. Kavalan King Car Conductor – A specially selected single malt bottled to represent King Car Group. – $174.99
5. Kavalan Solist Bourbon – This single Bourbon cask matured whisky scored 94pts from Whisky Advocate. – $179.99
6. Kavalan Solist Sherry – One of the darkest sherry matured whiskies you’ve ever seen with loads of dark fruits. – $191.99
7. Kavalan Solist Vinho – Matured in American wine casks, with the palate of a sherry bomb. – $189.99
8. Kavalan Solist Fino – Kavalan’s Top Gun, named Asian Whisky of the Year last year – $324.99
To sign up for this tasting please call the store at 403-283-8000 or register online at: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

The Whiskies of Summer

Friday August 16th – 7PM – $40

A Cool Tasting of Some of This Summer’s Hottest Whiskies…

Just because the days are longer and the weather’s warm doesn’t mean there aren’t some great new whiskies in the market. We’ll be sampling a range of them including our new KWM Benromach Casks, the anCnoc Peter Arkle Edition 3, BenRiach 1986 Authentic Wine & Spirits Cask, Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 2 and a number of other new whiskies never before sampled at a Kensington Wine Market tasting.

To sign up for this tasting please call the store at 403-283-8000 or register online at: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php

Preview of the Next Malt Messenger

Some of the Top Stories From the Next Malt Messenger:

1. Bowmore on the Rockies – The Ultimate Bowmore Weekend
2. Kentucky Bourbon Tour Anyone?
3. Coming and Going: Macallan Old & New
4. Bruichladdich Whiskies Soon to be No Longer Available
5. Save the Date(s) for Some Exciting Fall Tastings
6. And Much More…
The next full edition of the Malt Messenger may be out as early as Thursday!

Kensington Wine Market
403-283-8000

A Visit to Pattison, Elder & Co’s Leith and Glenfarclas-Glenlivet Distillery

by Alfred Barnard  (c. 1896) 

A rare survivor.

Alfred Barnard’s booklet on Pattison’s and the Glenfarclas Distillery. Two copies only known. Limited Edition facsimile reprint in edition of 100 copies only, with new Introduction. 150gsm white silk coated paper with 350gsm white silk coated board PUR bound.

Price*: £35 including ‘Signed For’ delivery – UK only £40 International. *For PayPal, £36.50/£42 respectively to cover charges. Request an invoice.

UK vlogger Joe Ellis a.k.a Whisky Wednesday reviews Glenlivet Nadurra 

http://youtu.be/Fy1kB0tSZBM

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

WORLD’S NO. 1 ISLAY MALT WHISKY TOASTS THE QUEEN’S CORONATION 

Laphroaig® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, distributed by Maxxium UK, has reported strong sampling figures from the Coronation Festival, staged in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

The four-day event saw 60,000 visitors tour the Gardens of Buckingham Palace, as they enjoyed a unique showcase of British products, including the Royal Warrant holder and No.1 selling Islay single malt whisky, Laphroaig.

Providing over 14,000 samples, the Laphroaig stand offered visitors the chance to taste the brands signature 10 Year Old and vibrant Quarter Cask as well as purchase a bottle from Laphraoig’s full portfolio.

Laphroaig Distillery Manager, John Campbell also attended the Festival and treated an audience of 150 consumers to a nosing and tasting of Laphroaig 10 Year Old, Quarter Cask and 18 Year Old within the Food and Drink theatre.

Laphroaig became a Royal Warrant holder in 1994 when Prince Charles visited the distillery to personally bestow his Royal Coat of Arms on Laphroaig. The brand remains the only single malt whisky to have received this honour and today every bottle of Laphroaig proudly bears his coat of arms.

Peter Sandstrom, Marketing Director at Maxxium UK, commented: “We are very proud of Laphroaig’s Royal Warrant and the Queen’s Coronation marked the perfect occasion and platform to showcase Laphroaig’s portfolio, which allows us to grow the brands popularity and introduce new consumers to whisky. The numbers we have reached over the course of the four days are extremely encouraging and representative of the growth of Laphroaig fans around the world.”

Notes

• Laphroaig is the No.1 selling Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky globally
• Unmistakably peat-smoke flavours are delivered by burning local Islay peat, containing unique traces of seaweed and heather.
• One of only a few distilleries that still uses traditional malting floors and dries and infuses its own malt with the thick blue smoke from old peat-fired kilns.
• The Friends of Laphroaig programme keeps fans of the brand up to date with special offers and news from distillery manager, John Campbell. On signing up, members are allocated their own square foot of land on Islay, and their names are added to the members’ book in the friends lounge at the distillery. Members who visit the distillery are invited to collect their ‘rent’ – a dram of Laphraoig.   The community comprises more than 540,000 like-minded Scotch fans from more than 190 countries.

Please enjoy our brand responsibly. www.drinkaware.co.uk

www.laphroaig.com

What’s in a Nose? An Exploration of the Olfactory Epithelium

At the excellent Auchentoshan Taste Experiments show I went to a week or two ago, I had a minor revelation during Rachel Barrie’s chat about how chemistry affects the DNA of whisky. It occurred when I thought I overheard someone … Continue reading >>