Ka Va Lan Whisky in Canada – arriving in BC!

Sitting on the east coast, Ka Va Lan is the largest single malt whisky distillery in Taiwan. (See Mark Gillespie’s Whisky Cast on Ka Va Lan: http://youtu.be/WVIHFPFONB0). The Ka Va Lan Distillery is owned by one of the largest food group “King Car” in Taiwan. With the ambition to craft the best whisky from Taiwan, the whisky team spent one month in 2003 in Scotland in search of the perfect distill shape and variation in whisky making.

See Malt Advocate on Ian Buxton’s visit at Ka Va Lan in Taiwan.

Ka Va Lan obtained consultation from Dr. Jim Swan on crafting the whisky flavours fitting for a hot and humid tropical weather in Taiwan. They utilized the bio-chemical lab King Car company owns to produce a special yeast that will yield tropical flavours. To date, there are four single casks variation and four core range malts. In addition, there are mystery casks such as ex-Laphroaig casks, peated malt, etc. aging in the warehouse. Since 2011, single cask purchases are being offered to the public.

The whisky distillery was built in 2005 with a purpose to be a tourism destination. The current visitor center can easily accommodate two thousand people, and a cafeteria serving their award winning coffee, snacks and delicious hot lunches. There is also an in-house shop showcasing the King Car group variety of products. Currently there are 45,000 barrels in the aging process, separately housed in two warehouses.

Some virtual reality 360 view of the distillery
Lobby: http://vr.17high.com.tw/Entertainment/Yilan/Kingcar_Whisky/vr-03.html (this sure looks like a hotel grand lobby)
View of the warehouse and column distills: http://vr.17high.com.tw/Entertainment/Yilan/Kingcar_Whisky/vr-09.html
Outside the distillery: http://vr.17high.com.tw/Entertainment/Yilan/Kingcar_Whisky/vr-06.html

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks, ‘Kilchoman Loch Gorm’

Kilchoman Loch Gorm

46%abv £55.90 inc vat £46.58 ex vat

“…The whisky from this distillery continues to impress, faultless again…”

Best regards,

Loch Fyne Whiskies

david@lfw.co.uk

www.ralfy.com talks advanced alcohol anecdotes with Whisky Review 355 (3/3) – Advanced Whisky Masterclass – Alcohol

April Top-ups: Twenty Somethings

Mouth-watering TWENTY Somethings waiting for YOU now…

1.168 Delightfully dulcet deliciosity
28YO Speyside Spey, £86.60
The palate was a delightfully dulcet deliciosity with wow-ously warming woody spices – we tasted dried cranberries, peach stone, roast pumpkin, irn-bru, carrot cake and teasingly tannic after-tingles of walnut, leather and wood. More

4.171 Perfumed and Sultry
21YO, Highland Island, £80.10
I’ve been transported to an Irish lochside’ one panellist exclaimed! Pebbles, rocks covered in dry seaweed, a fresh rural breeze and hay bails presented themselves on the nose, alongside black pepper, damp young wood and custard creams. More

26.92 Hard glazed pretzel sticks
28YO, Highland Northern, £91.90
This engaging sample from the distillery situated in Brora, tastes sweet like a bacon breakfast cake with maple syrup but at the same time salty like a Salzstange. More

31.26 BBQ smoke by a rolling sea
24YO, Highland Island, £70.70
Our noses picked up the sea in droplets of spray, mixed seafood barbecues and beach clean-up bonfires. We also found mineral notes (slate, plaster, Plasticine) butterscotch,  aniseed, salted crisps and cooked buttery pastry. More

29.121 Seafood party on the beach
20YO, Islay
The initial nose gave coal sacks, beach barbecue wood smoke, ash, Germolene, raisins, toffee and toasted nuts – before turning Oriental (curry plant leaves, lemongrass, coconut, cinnamon).  More

Find Your PERFECT Twenty Something..

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 http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• 1992 Glen Grant 20 Year Old The Exclusive Malts Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 2 available ($129.99)

• 1976 Glenlivet 36 Year Old The Exclusive Malts Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 1 available ($269.99)

• 1988 Littlemill 24 Year Old The Exclusive Malts Single  Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 2 available ($149.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml – 6 available  ($23.99)

Back in Stock

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• 2001 PC7 – Port Charlotte 7 year old Sin An Doigh Ileach Islay Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($99.99)

• Tobermory 10 year old Isle of Mull Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($55.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Cyrus Noble Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey 750ml – 12 available ($24.99)

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

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has started the awards season in style, scooping an impressive total of 25 top accolades at two of the world’s most prestigious spirits competitions, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

The awards highlight the outstanding quality of the Chivas Brothers’ range, with seven brands including Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet and Beefeater Gin all receiving some of the highest accolades awarded by the judges, which included leading industry experts F. Paul Pacult and Steve Beal.

Royal Salute, the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky, picked up two double gold medals for its 21 Year Old and 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny expressions at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Both expressions were shortlisted for the Chairman’s Trophy in the blended Scotch whisky category at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, which the 21 Year Old was eventually awarded along with an Ultimate Recommendation.

Chivas 18 and Chivas 25 won double gold medals in the San Francisco World Spirit Competition, which represents the third double gold in a row for the pinnacle of the Chivas range, and were both shortlisted for the blended Scotch whisky Chairman’s Trophy in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

There was further success for Chivas Brothers with its malts portfolio as The Glenlivet 18 Year Old triumphed at both competitions; the USC judges endorsed the expression with its Ultimate Recommendation and shortlisted it for the single malt whisky Chairman’s Trophy, while it received a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The result marks the 10th time in 11 years that the expression has won the double gold award and reinforces its exceptional quality and consistency,  Aberlour 18 Year Old was given the fifth Ultimate Recommendation and was also shortlisted for the Chairman’s Trophy for single malt whisky at the USC, while Something Special, an expression from Chivas Brothers’ range of standard, blended whiskies won the eighth double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

FULL RESULTS

San Francisco World Spirit Competition

Double Gold

Chivas 18
Chivas 25
Royal Salute 21 Year Old
Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny
Something Special
The Glenlivet 18 Year Old

Gold

Aberlour 12 Year Old Non Chill-Filtered
Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured
Aberlour 18 Year Old
The Glenlivet 12 Year Old
The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve
The Glenlivet 21 Year Old

Ultimate Recommendation [Shortlisted for Trophy]

Aberlour 18 Year Old – 95 points [Single Malt Scotch]
The Glenlivet 18 Year Old (95 points) [Single Malt Scotch]

Highly Recommended – [Shortlisted for Trophy]

Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny (94 points)  [Blended Scotch]
Chivas 18 (92 points) [Blended Scotch]
Chivas 25 (92 points) [Blended Scotch]

ABOUT CHIVAS BROTHERS

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport. In July 2010, Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

Ballantine’s, the No.1 whisky in Europe, is reaching out to the online whisky community with the launch of ‘The Story of Taste’; a new digital campaign that aims to take consumers ‘Beyond’ to discover the flavours of Ballantine’s 12.

The new initiative will take visitors on a journey through the tasting notes of Ballantine’s 12 via animated illustrations, introducing them to a new Ballantine’s 12 typeface inspired by the expression’s core flavours. Reached online at www.ballantines.com or at the Ballantine’s Facebook page, the application can also be installed onto various blog sites, offering bloggers around the world the opportunity to introduce their readers to the flavours of Ballantine’s 12 in a unique and innovative way.

Produced in collaboration with Ballantine’s Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, The Story of Taste is an animated sequence which invites consumers to discover Ballantine’s 12 tasting notes following the classic whisky tasting process. Step-by-step, users will unveil honey and berries by smell, and cream, vanilla and pear by taste, finishing with subtle clementine and oak flavours.

In the sequence, each of the first letters within the tasting notes is represented by an illuminated letter, created exclusively for Ballantine’s 12. At the end of the animation, viewers will be able to create an ‘iframe’ with their name in the new Ballantine’s 12 typeface, then publishing it on their Facebook profiles and sharing it via social media platforms.

Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, says: “Innovation is at the heart of Ballantine’s philosophy and we wanted to show our customers what makes Ballantine’s 12 different from other whiskies in a way that is both unique and engaging. ‘The Story of Taste’ uses digital mechanics to take consumers beyond the traditional boundaries of Scotch whisky, introducing whisky drinkers who might be new to the category, or are yet to discover Ballantine’s 12, to the spirit via a creative and distinctive digital platform. We hope that our fans all over the world will enjoy the animation and their personalised pieces of interactive typographical art”.

The Story of Taste is the latest in a range of innovations launched by Ballantine’s with others including the award-winning* social media platform Ballantine’s Loud Blue.

To explore Ballantine’s 12 ‘Story of Taste’, visit:  www.ballantines.com or www.facebook.com/ballantines

Notes: 

*Ballantine’s Loud Blue won The FWA Mobile Award of the Day on January 7^th 2013 

The code for the Story of Taste application can be provided to media wishing to upload the content directly onto their website. Contact details are listed below. 

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No 2 ultra-premium Scotch whisky in Asia, No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 120 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827. 

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

TALISKER INTRODUCES NEW PORT-FINISHED SINGLE MALT WHISKY

NEW Talisker Port Ruighe

PRE-ORDER TODAY!

Available to pre-order from Friday 19th April, release date 2nd May 2013: To pre-order please add to your wishlist and we will contact you when the price has been confirmed.

Port Ruighe is Named after the old Gaelic name of Port in the Isle of Skye. The distillery has been using Port Casks to age its whisky as far back as 1898 and this new Malt is a toast to the Scottish merchants who braved the high seas to bring back the newly discovered Port Wine from Portugal.

Double matured in port casks to combine Talisker’s powerful maritime character with succulent sweet berry notes. Port Ruighe is the Malt for consumers who have good knowledge of the Malt world and want to discover more diverse flavours. They are willing to spend a little more.

Limited Stock Available
PRE-ORDER

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the rebirth of the Jura Distillery in 1963, and we’re welcoming you to the island to help us celebrate this milestone on the 29th and 30th of May at the Jura Whisky Festival.

Get involved in our Whisky Masterclasses, presented by Willie Cochrane, Willie Tait & Richard Paterson. Spend some time in the cooperage savouring a dram at our new dramming bar whilst listening to live music and sampling some local venison burgers.

We’ll also be releasing a unique festival bottling. These 663 bottles will be available only during the festival, with a limited number being released online exclusively for Diurachs on our online shop.

We’ve got loads more planned, even if you’re just coming for a wee visit, so check out the festival programme for more info on what’s happening.

We look forward to seeing you there! BOOK NOW VIEW THE FESTIVAL PROGRAM

If you can’t make it to Jura this May, join us on Facebook to win 1 of 10 vials of a secret future release. You can also join in on Twitter by signing up to our live tweet tasting on the Wednesday 29th. Head to @jurawhisky to sign up.