“Best Rye Whiskey” Now Available as Knob Creek® Rye Launches Nationally

Clermont, KY – Knob Creek®, the world’s #1 selling Super-Premium bourbon, proudly expands its portfolio by introducing its newest innovation, Knob Creek® Rye. Named “Best Rye Whiskey” at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, it is patiently aged to produce a straight rye whiskey with a rich, mature flavor and luxurious finish that whiskey lovers have come to expect from Knob Creek’s award-winning portfolio.

Bottled at 100 proof and made with a blend of the finest quality rye grains, Knob Creek® Rye brings the deliciously rich and savory notes of rye to life in a way that only Knob Creek can. Anthony Dias Blue, Editor-in-Chief of Tasting Panel Magazine, awarded Knob Creek® Rye the magazine’s coveted “Seal of Excellence” and praised the innovation as “the best rye I’ve ever tasted; a masterpiece.” Spicy, yet exceptionally smooth, it can be enjoyed neat or used as a base for mixing distinctive cocktails.

“2012 has been a stand-out year for Knob Creek,” said Fred Noe, seventh-generation Beam Master Distiller and creator of Knob Creek® Rye. “20 years after my father, Booker Noe, first introduced Knob Creek® Bourbon to the world, I am excited to have the opportunity to apply his dedication to creating superior quality whiskey and introduce my latest innovation, Knob Creek® Rye.”

Officially launching at this year’s 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Knob Creek teamed up with celebrity chef Michael Symon to unveil Knob Creek® Rye to food & spirits connoisseurs from around the world. As an award-winning chef and restaurateur, Chef Symon believes in using the best ingredients available to create approachable, full-flavored dishes that are deeply satisfying, making him the perfect match for Knob Creek® Bourbon’s big, full signature flavor. This partnership will continue throughout 2012 and include:

*Knob Creek® Bourbon-Inspired Recipes. Chef Symon will create exclusive cocktail and food recipes for the summer, fall and holiday season.
*Quick-Fire BBQ Tips. Chef Symon will share his tips for fall grilling with Knob Creek’s Facebook Fans in engaging web exclusive videos.
*Limited Edition Holiday Labels. Chef Symon will unveil his limited-edition Knob Creek® Bourbon holiday label, which consumers can personalize for the whiskey-lover on their holiday gift list.

“I always say ‘cook with what you love,’ and nothing adds more to a dish than Knob Creek® Bourbon’s big, full, signature flavor,” said Chef Symon. “I use only the highest quality of ingredients, and Knob Creek® is no exception. Whether I‘m looking to add a big bourbon taste to my popular meat-centric dishes or spice them up with a quality rye, Knob Creek® is as delicious in the kitchen as it is at the bar.”

Michael Symon is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, television personality and author. Chef Symon cooks with soul, creating bold, deeply satisfying dishes at his six restaurants in America’s heartland. The Cleveland native shares his exuberant, approachable cooking style and infectious laugh with television viewers as an Iron Chef on the Food Network. Michael recently joined The Chew on ABC as one of the show’s six hosts, and his latest show, Symon’s Suppers, premiered on Cooking Channel in January 2012. Michael’s second cookbook, “Carnivore,” dedicated to meat lovers, will be published in October 2012.

Knob Creek® Rye is available nationally and retails for a suggested price of $40.99 for a 750ml bottle. For more information about Knob Creek® Bourbon, Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve and Knob Creek® Rye, go to KnobCreek.com or visit us at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KnobCreek.

About Knob Creek® Bourbon

Released in 1992, at a time when the terms “craft” and “super-premium” bourbon didn’t exist, Knob Creek knows what real bourbon should taste like – extraordinary bourbon with intriguing taste and bottled in unique flask shaped packaging, which has helped make it the #1 selling Super-Premium bourbon in the world. Knob Creek® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is aged nine years at a sophisticated 100 proof (50% alcohol by volume), and is named after the small town in Kentucky where President Abraham Lincoln was born. In 2011, Knob Creek introduced Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve (120 proof / 60% alcohol by volume), the brand’s first-ever single barrel bourbon. Carefully hand-selected, barrel-by-barrel, it’s extraordinarily smooth and nuanced, with even more of Knob Creek® Bourbon’s rich wood and vanilla notes. Further demonstrating Knob Creek’s commitment to crafting superior quality bourbon, Knob Creek® Bourbon, Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve and Knob Creek® Rye (100 proof / 50% alcohol by volume) took home coveted Double Gold medals at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition, making it one of the most celebrated portfolios at this year’s competition. For more information on Knob Creek, visit www.knobcreek.com

About Beam Inc.

As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, EFFEN Vodka, Pucker Flavored Vodka, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC, DeKuyper Cordials, and Skinnygirl Cocktails. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2011 sales of $2.8 billion, volume of 34 million 9-liter cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Knob Creek® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Straight Rye Whiskey, 50%-60% Alc./Vol. ©2012 Knob Creek Distillery, Clermont, KY. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

September Previews: BIG Release

With August’s Outturn selling super-speedy like, we’re releasing a BIG selection of September Outturn bottlings to top-up our supplies  Get your hands on these little numbers before the official release date of Fri 7 Sept.

76.93 Magic from the ‘Wee Witchie’
£56.30, Speyside Spey
Pulls you in with aromas like dates, figs and almonds before turning sweeter, dark cherries, Terry’s Orange Chocolate and marzipan. BUY

3.190 Heather honey and burnt toast
£61.10, Islay
Tasted neat there was peat smoke, burnt toast with honey, coal dust, creosote and a hint of kippers.  BUY

4.166 Impressions of an Orkney landscape
£77.30, Highland Island
The nose delivered bread toasted on an open fire (brass toasting fork, maybe marmalade) well-fired morning rolls, burnt heather, smoke and embers – we also got light Orcadian peat and maritime notes, rice crispy squares and marshmallows.  BUY

7.76 A broad canvas of fruity colours
£75.20, Speyside Lossie
The nose delivered a ‘delightful’ broad canvas of fruity colours – blackcurrant jam, peach, bramble, cherry, apple, banana, strawberry hubba-bubba and ‘luxury spangles’; also pencil shavings, Bakewell tart, marzipan 
and rose perfume.  BUY

36.59 Honeycomb and honeysuckle
Speyside Spey, £48.30
Intense floral perfumes (freesias, honeysuckle, jasmine,gorse, mimosa) with considerable sweetness (honeycomb, candy floss) and spice (ginger biscuits, Fisherman’s Friends, cardamom); also leather, beeswax and apples. BUY

Browse all bottlings  

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.

With just a month left before the EARLY BIRD sale ends, don’t miss the chance to grab your fully refundable tickets for another magnifique WoW San Francisco, April 6, 2013.

Last year, we sold out Dram Club and VIP level tickets half a year in advance. So if you’re interested in an early entrée to the event, and the majestueux VIP whisky entrants, buy your tickets now!

(Be sure to read the related article “Whisky in French” to learn why we’re being so French!)

Read More »

GLENFARCLAS 105 20 YEAR OLD LIMITED TO 1200 BOTTLES FOR THE UK £200 PER BOTTLE

Speyside, September 2012 – J & G Grant are to launch a new limited edition expression of their iconic Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky. Aged for 20 Years and bottled at natural cask strength of 60% vol., only 4000 bottles of this remarkable whisky will be available worldwide.

This is the second time J & G Grant have released an older expression of Glenfarclas 105 – the first was in 2008 when a 40 Year Old 105 was released to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the first bottling of 105.

In 1968 when George S. Grant, 4th generation of the owning family, bottled a single cask straight from the warehouse, and sent the bottles to family and friends as Christmas gifts. By chance the strength of the cask George S. Grant selected was ‘105’ British Proof, and along with the name of the distillery, this was all the information he detailed on the hand written label. By the end of January the recipients of the gifts requested further bottles, hence Glenfarclas ‘105’, the first commercially available cask strength whisky of the modern age was born. The name refers to the strength in the British Proof system, equivalent to 60% alcohol by volume.

George S Grant, Director of Sales and 6th generation of the owning family commented; ‘My family have been producing Glenfarclas 105 for 3 generations now and the 20 Year Old makes a great addition to the ‘105’ family, along with the 105 and 105 40 Year Old. This is a 105 as it should be – big and powerful with all the classic Glenfarclas flavours coming through. Definitely a dram to savour as the finish just goes on and on.’

Glenfarclas 105 is a Cask Strength whisky. The vast majority of whiskies are ‘reduced’, water is added at the point of bottling to take the strength down to 40% or 43% Vol. Glenfarclas 105 is not reduced, instead casks are vatted together to obtain a constant strength of 60% Vol. Most whiskies would be deemed too over powering served at 60% Vol., however with a heavily sherried house style, Glenfarclas 105 is surprisingly smooth for its strength.

The British Proof system developed prior to the invention of the hydrometer. It is well known that most distilleries evolved from what were originally illicit stills, so the early distillers were not always completely straight in their business dealings. One trick was to sell watered down whisky to innkeepers. To check for this potential fraud the innkeepers devised a method to check the strength. They would add gun powder to the whisky and try to light the whisky, if it did not light, water had been added. If it lit, the whisky was ‘proved’. 105 stands for 5 over proof, equivalent to 60% vol.

Tasting Note by George S Grant:

Strong, rich oak, a 20 yo copper still. As 105 should be! Big Powerful aromas, of course be a little wary it is 60% alc. A very typical Glenfarclas nose, demerara sugar, figs. The end bit of a Christmas cake, a little drier than the middle but you get the extra sugar.

Remarkably smooth for a 60% whisky. More sweetness in the front of your mouth giving way to bitter sweetness. Chocolate covered coffee beans spring to mind sweet then melting into bitterness. Lots of fruit, brandy flavours are very apparent, delicate sherry tones also coming through after a while in the glass.

Lovely long finish, the age really coming through here over the strength, definitely a dram to savour as the finish will last a very long time.

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WILLIAM LAWSON’S® FASTEST-GROWING TOP 50 INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS BRAND

London, August 2012 — WILLIAM LAWSON’S® Blended Scotch whisky is proud to be acknowledged as the fastest-growing of the 2011 Top 50 international spirits brands in the world.

Recently published figures from IWSR (International Wine & Spirit Research) for its Top 50 International Spirits Brands List revealed truly impressive international growth, with the brand showing a massive 46.1% value increase and 32% volume increase in 2011 vs. 2010.

In addition, WILLIAM LAWSON’S Blended Scotch whisky is acknowledged as the fastest- growing of the 1 million case Scotch whisky brands, achieving a sales milestone of more than 2 million nine litre cases worldwide in 2011.

France is a major market for WILLIAM LAWSON’S, accounting for one-third of all sales; while Belgium, Portugal, and Spain are also important established markets. Over the last year, the brand has enjoyed strong growth in Eastern Europe and Latin America; in particular Russia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Uruguay, where the brand has been in market for less than four years.

Contributing to the recent success of WILLIAM LAWSON’S has been a real focus on delivering its “No Rules. Great Scotch” proposition – a powerful combination of consistent award-winning advertising with an award-winning Scotch.

Esther Park, Global Marketing Director, WILLIAM LAWSON’S Scotch whisky, commented, “To be the fastest-growing brand amongst the top 50 international spirits brands in the world is an incredible achievement. Today’s consumers are seeking good value, but at the same time they don’t want to compromise on quality. WILLIAM LAWSON’S gives them a great-tasting Scotch at an affordable price.

“The last year has been a huge success for WILLIAM LAWSON’S with an amazing performance across the world. We plan to engage our consumers even more with our great value proposition in the coming year.”

www.williamlawsons.com

Bowmore 21yo 1990 (46.4, SMWS, Refill Hogshead, 3.182)

On the nose there is tinned fruit cocktail and gentle peat smoke with the faintest hints of unlit cured sweet tobacco; the combination of these descriptors is quite lovely and very seductive (very more-ish). The undiluted taste is slightly ashy, malty and peated however not a huge peat attack but just enough to add emphasis to the Islay heritage. A little maritime hint is also present in a clean and crisp fashion. Some water adds honey butt he peat smoke and malt are still present and while slightly more approachable it takes very little water; it’s fine without. The finish is very close to the nose and the taste and therefore it’s all quite balanced. And chewy. It’s not overly long but it’s very pleasant.

Very good and not a typical Bowmore. Easy on the water…only 60 bottles imported into the USA(The total outturn is not specified).

$145

Score 89

To order (& to join) contact the Society at 1 800 990 1991 or www.smwsa.com and please visit HERE to read the official notes. Sample kindly provided by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America. Sample  four of four this week.

www.ralfy.com takes you to Tasmania with Whisky Review #298 – Sullivan’s Cove Bourbon cask (60% vol:)

Loch Fyne Whiskies Posts A New Article, ‘No bad whiskies? A wee essay…’

My first tasting of this was sufficiently interesting to warrant buying a dozen bottles to sell on to you, dear LFW.co.uk visitor. I was thinking this has an interesting, meaty, character. Ardmore is a favourite, consider Highland peat and wine?, okay let’s give it a try.

However, I have tried this twice again to consider if […please clcik on the link below to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE DRAMBUSTER SPECIAL OFFER THE WILD GEESE CLASSIC BLEND IRISH WHISKEY ‘UNTAMED’ 50CL 40%

In 1691 Ireland was torn by injustice and natural disaster. The soldiers and refugees who were forced to set sail on ships for other lands became known as ‘The Wild Geese’

Nose: Berries, fresh oak and a hint of spice
Taste & Finish: light sweet fruity taste; balanced and smooth. The grain comes through gently and it ends with a tingle of honey and citrus fruit. The finish is soft, fresh and clean.

SHELF PRICE £19.99 – DRAMBUSTERS PRICE- £13.99