VIP trip to Macallan in Speyside.

MCLEANSCOTLAND were the chosen whisky tour company for The Global Connection Pty Ltd, Australia, to look after VIP guests in Scotland. David Weir, Chief Experience Officer (CEO) Golden Carrot (a division of The Global Connection Pty Ltd)

“Hi Paul, It was great to chat with you earlier. As per our discussion we have been asked by our client, Beam Global Australia, to create a tour of their Macallan Whisky Distillery for one of their channel partners and his family”.

Trip January 2013 Andy Grant, Driver/guide for the trip.

“I collected Avril, Chris and Kinsy from the Hotel du Vin in Edinburgh’s Old Town. Be warned! Edinburgh is a really difficult place to navigate by car at the moment, due to roadworks for trams. It took me nearly an hour to travel about three miles!

We then headed straight out of Edinburgh, heading straight for the small village of Craigellachie (Speyside) and the hotel there. The road up there is, to be honest, not very interesting but I informed them of some of the history surrounding the road which helped to pass the time. Thinking back it was mainly regarding battles! It took longer to get there than we thought due to unforeseen circumstances but did have a quick visit to Culloden. We arrived at the Craigellachie hotel and the clients swiftly checked in to the hotel in a painless fashion and then met me in the Inn across the road for a couple of drinks. I introduced them to my favourite whiskies, Aberlour 10yo and Highland Park 10yo, which went down well in more ways than one! I, unfortunately had stop there as any more and Avril & Chris would be going nowhere the day after.

The next day saw the very short trip to the Macallan Distillery where Chris had a private tour arranged by Paul. A small problem was that Kinsie was too young (6 months old) to go on the tour so we made other plans! As it had been snowing, we went on the short run to Grantown on Spey via some absolutely stunning scenery – really impressive.

Our return coincided with Chris’ return from the tour and we were invited into the Board room for Chris & Avril’s whisky tasting. I did try to get Avril to drive back to Edinburgh but she gracefully declined! They got to taste four of the Macallan’s products and I took some on the tip of my tongue. The 18yo is absolutely stunning and the Macallan can rightly be proud of it. All too soon the tour came to an end and I can say that Elizabeth did everyone proud in the way she coped with us. She was seriously thinking of kidnapping Kinsie as she’d fallen in love with her!

On the way home the road again threw a few problems at us, but this was more than made up for by the closeness to the snow covered hills, with Chris doing his best to fill up his memory card…………and so back to the Hotel du Vin with Avril doing a better job of navigating Edinburgh than I could have done – awesome!

Summing up, a very quick trip, but a pleasure to drive two such nice people around my country…….and never forgetting Kinsie:”  Andy Grant. (left in photograph)

The tour was arranged and planned by Paul McLean and David Weir, to accommodate the family on their trip to Macallan. Said Paul “Starting in Edinburgh, we provided a driver guide to take the family up into the Highlands, staying overnight in Craigellachie. Over the two days, we had arranged a VIP tour of the Macallan Distillery, hotel, sightseeing and generally took good care of them – as we do with all our guests”.

Wee note; we all know Macallan is an Edrington brand, Beam look after marketing and distribution in Australia.

“We were happy to work with Beam Global on this trip, as we work with many distilleries and companies in the whisky industry, this is what we do!”

Paul McLean

www.mcleanscotland.com  info@mcleanscotland.com

CSN Wine & Spirits
1716 Centre St N
Calgary, Alberta
T2E 2S4
p (403)296-0240

The Whisky Exchange

Tasting Notes: Midleton 1991 Single Cask for TWE

Ah, how we love our Midleton here at TWE (patient readers with too much time on their hands can check out Tim F’s account of his trip there a year or two ago here and here). It’s no secret that … Continue reading >>

Bunnahabhain 1979/2012, 33yo CS by Charles Avery “Eternal Return”

Bunnahabhain 1979/2012, 33yo Cask Strength. Artist – Charles Avery (Schotland, 1973) Distilled April 28th 1979, Bottled May 1st 2012 Cask Strength 52.2% ABV Includes lithograph – Eternal Return 2012 (Lithograph (collage) courtesy of Poligrafa, 84cm x 57cm unframed). Bottle and … Continue reading →

Greetings!

The 2013 Drammie nominations are rolling in. So far we have well over 100 nominations, from WhiskeyLovers in six different countries. Don’t miss your chance to be heard:

Tell the whiskey industry what you think. Enter your nominations for the 2013 Drammie Awards : The Voice of the Whiskey Consumer.

And speaking of great whiskies and far off lands, this week’s featured whisky is a case in point: Nikka 15 YO Yoichi Single Malt Whisky

Masataka Taketsuru was born in 1894 in the coastal town of Takehara (now Takehara City) about 60km from Hiroshima City. The Taketsuru family owned a sake (Japanese brew made from fermented rice) brewery that goes back to 1733 – and continues to produce fine sake today.

Taught early that sake making is a painstaking fine art, Masataka studied diligently and trained at university as a chemist, preparing to carry on the family trade.

However, Scotch whisky captured the young man’s imagination, as well as the interest of few other enterprising Japanese of that day. So he decided to dedicate his life to whisky.

In 1918, Masataka Taketsuru embarked alone on a long voyage to Scotland where he enrolled at the University of Glasgow and became the first Japanese ever to study the art of whisky making. He took chemistry courses at the university and apprenticed at distilleries, learning first-hand from craftsmen and receiving training as a blender. Masataka would later become known as a master blender.

In 1920 Masataka returned to Japan with Jessie Roberta (Rita), whom he had married earlier that year. Later joining a company that aspired to make genuine whisky, he succeeded under its employment in producing Japan’s first whisky, and is considered to be the Father of the Japanese Whisky Industry.

Masataka’s vision of whisky was formed by his experience in Scotland, and he knew that the right environment was essential. However, it was becoming apparent that in order to produce whisky as he felt it had to be, he would have to become independent.

Thus in 1934 Masataka established Nikka Whisky, and built its first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido, where – though inconveniently located – he had always considered to be the ideal site in Japan for whisky-making, similar in many ways to the Scottish town where he had studied.

To learn more about the Yoichi & Miyagikyo distilleries started by Masataka Taketsuru, click here.

Nikka 15 Y0 Yoichi Single Malt, produced at the Yoichi Distillery, conveys strength, softness and delicacy. The single malt whisky is stored and matured for 15 years or more, and is characterized by its mature and ample nose and smooth, silky palate.

This is really an exceptional whisky.

Jim Murray (of Whisky Bible fame) described it as “Sheer brilliance. An absolute must for anyone who regards himself a whisky connoisseur.”

And so it’s with great excitement that we are able to offer you the opportunity to purchase a bottle of Nikka 15 YO Yoichi Single Malt Whisky for $117/ bottle.

Until next week…I wish you high spirits!

Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com

NIKKA 15 YO YOICHI SINGLE MALT WHISKY

NIKKA 15YO YOICHI SINGLE MALT TASTING NOTES –

Courtesy of Jim Murray/ Whiskey Magazine Issue 13

Nose: Lychees and sweet white grape.

Palate: Immediately sweet with a slow implosion of peat that seems to arise from nowhere.

Finish: Long, lingering, massive malt frame.

Comment: Sheer brilliance. An absolute must for anyone who regards himself a whisky connoisseur. 9.25/10

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learn about & enjoy the world’s finest whiskies’

Save the Date! The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show returns for a fifth year

28^th January 2013 – The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show team are very pleased to announce that the UK’s biggest and best whisky show will be returning to London’s Vinopolis for a third year, with consumer sessions running across the weekend of October 5th and 6th. The trade and press session will be on Monday October 7th.

Vinopolis have completed their refurbishment, opening up new spaces for us to fill with more whisky than ever before, and we will be continuing the traditions of previous years with masterclasses, special guests, food matching, the Show Brasserie and, as ever, a great selection of whiskies. The Dream Drams will be returning, with our exhibitors bringing some of their finest, rarest and most sought after whiskies to taste, and more new show highlights will be announced as we move towards October.

Tickets will be on sale soon from http://www.whisky-show.com

New Arrivals at K&L California

Ireland –

•Knappogue Castle 14 Year Old Irish Whiskey 750ml – 5 available ($59.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

•Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($69.99)

•1978 Cameronbridge 34 Year Old Duncan Taylor Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky 750ml – 12 available ($179.99)
The quantity of single grain barrel releases seems to be dwindling quite rapidly while the blended whisky business continues to make a comeback. This ancient release from one of Scotland’s best grain distilleries is soft and rich like a Cognac, but that unmistakable herbaceous note still permeates the core. A delicious whisky as well as an educational one. We won’t see much of this in the near future.

•1998 Dailuaine 14 Year Old Duncan Taylor Dimensions Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($79.99)
Dailuaine is one of the most accessible and delicious whiskies around when you find a good expression of it. Malty, lush with round fruit and creamy vanilla, this is one Diageo’s core whiskies in the Johnnie Walker Blended releases. It’s easy to see why. The round and supple palate makes this quite a crowd pleaser.

•1995 Glen Grant 17 Year Old Duncan Taylor Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($115.99)
A straightforward, yet highly delicious malt from one the Speyside’s most classic distilleries. Rich malty sweetness with a strong kick from the cask strength proof. A dying breed of whisky in an industry full of cask-enhancements and gimmicks.

•1995 Imperial 17 year Duncan Taylor Single Malt 750ml – 6 available ($129.99)

•1978 North British 34 Year Old Duncan Taylor Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($189.99)

•1993 Springbank 18 Year Old Duncan Taylor Single Malt Whisky – 6 available ($149.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

◦Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey 750ml ($44.99)
When my sales rep came in with an open sample, I acquiesced and did my duty, however. Wow! That’s actually really good. There’s something rather honeyed and slightly round about the Sour Mash that I quite enjoy. It’s almost like Dickel #12, but without the woody, pencil shavings-like undertone. The more I taste whisky for a living, the more I feel like drinking things like the new Michter’s after work when I get home. It’s easy and delicious, yet with a flavor profile beyond what’s readily available. It’s pleasing to the senses and it doesn’t really require me to focus much beyond that. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

◦Temperance Trader Barrel Strength Bourbon 750ml ($39.99)
Oregon’s TT bottling outfit managed to lock down some nice barrels from everyone’s favorite Indiana distillery, and they put a nice little marriage together. Bottled at 56% cask strength, the Temperance Trader Cask Strength Bourbon brings spice, richness, and balance. It drinks very much like a young Willett’s whiskey and is priced accordingly. If you’re in the mood for something like that, you’ll be pleased.

Back in Stock

Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask Single Malt Whisky      750ml ($59.99)
Whisky Advocate: “A new addition to the permanent Balvenie range. Lovely bright gold color. Layers of sweetness (the characteristic Balvenie honey, along with vanilla fudge, nougat, and rich toffee) peppered with dried spice and a hint of tropical fruit (papaya, guava, tangerine). Nice  viscosity with good grip on the finish. I really like the balance and complexity of this whisky. A very solid effort and the price is right.   ” K&L Notes: This exciting new expression follows the acclaim of 2008’s limited edition Balvenie 17 Year Old Rum Cask, and the subsequent popularity of rum cask-finished whiskies, with a whisky that bears all the      hallmarks of the Balvenie, but with an added level of complexity that comes from finishing the whisky in casks that once held Caribbean rum. After a 14 year maturation period in traditional oak whisky casks, the Balvenie is then transferred to the rum casks, leading to an exceptional  Single Malt that exemplifies the signature smooth, honeyed character of the Balvenie, while adding unique notes of toffee and fruit that come from  its innovative cask finish.

Balvenie 21 year Port Wood Single Malt Whisky 750ml –  11 available ($189.99)
This Balvenie, which has been matured in traditional oak casks, is transferred to a Port cask, or pipe, which has held fine Port wines. Here  it is sampled every month by The Balvenie Malt Master to ensure that just the right amount of character is imparted by the Port casks, enhancing and  developing the single malt, whilst preserving its original characteristics. Recent winner of the “Single Malt Trophy” at  the International Wines and Spirits Competition in London, effectively  voting it the best Single Malt available in the world today.

Longrow Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($54.99)
Longrow is Springbanks heavily peated line. This new batch is the finest younger Longrow I’ve had in a long time. Very limited availability.

1995 Mortlach 17 year Duncan Taylor Dimensions Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($134.99)

This meaty Mortlach comes from Duncan Taylor’s high quality “Dimensions” line. It exemplifies this rare and wonderful distillery perfectly. Bottled at cask strength, availability will be very limited.

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

Longrow 11 Year Old Rundlets & Kilderkins

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep amber
Nose: Smoke is easy to identify from the beginning and is soon joined with medicinal notes and subtle burning embers. On returning to nose, sweetness such as toffee apple is more pronounced.
Palate: Both peat and smoke are detected yet it is simultaneously sweet, particularly toffee and fudge. This is followed with the taste of liquorice. Rich and oily from its maturation in small casks, it gives an impression of being older than its 11 years.
Finish: Long, smooth and sweet. Slow and lingering hint of peat with peat reaching a crescendo with a strong peaty aftertaste.

For the most part of the 17th and the 18th centuries Campbeltown was a smuggling centre, an occupation that was supported by the area’s geography, topography…. and the local gentry. One famous story tells of an old woman living in the town who was up before the Sheriff for smuggling. She had been found guilty and before passing sentence the Sheriff told her:

£58.99 inc VAT

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

Springbank 21 Year Old

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Rich gold
Nose: Sherry is the dominant aroma, accompanied by classic Christmas cake ingredients of raisins, sultanas, almonds and marzipan. You could nose this all night, the possibilities are infinite.
Palate: Rich and creamy, bursting with flavour. Great oily texture like the previous edition. Concluding with a hint of treacle and salt. A whisky full of rich flavour that will not let you down.
Finish: Goes on and on, deliciously sweet. Develops on the tongue for eternity, evolving continuously.

£199.00 inc VAT
CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

www.ralfy.com adds to the previous review 335 Buchanans’ 12yo with Whisky Review 335 (2/2) – Buchanan’s 12yo revisited . . .  for very specific reasons.

photo by Robert Hall

February 1, 2013,

First Friday Scotch Sipping at Six, $40

Arran Premuim Bourbon Cask #2096

Springbank 14 year old Fino Cask #265

Laphroaig Cairdeas Origin (2012)

February 9, 2013, Second Saturday Scotch Sipping at Six, $25

Craigallechie 13 year old 1998 Signatory Unchillfiltered Series

Kilkerran Work in Progress IV (2012)

Ardbeg 10 year old.

http://www.minersdelightinn.com.