Carn Mor ‘Strictly Limited Edition’ Tasting Friday 13th July STATION HOTEL 7.30 for 7.45pm £13.50 per member

With guest speaker, Mr Peter Mackay of The Scottish Liqueur Centre Bruadar, Columba Cream, Heather Cream and Ginger Tams are only a few products that the Scottish Liqueur Centre are responsible for. Over the years they have gained the reputation for being a very important independent bottler of single malt whiskies. We will be lucky enough to try the following eight of their recent limited edition bottlings:

Arran 15yo refill sherry cask 46%
Mortlach 16yo hogshead 46%
Ben Nevis 15yo Sherry butt 46%
Speyside 15yo Sherry butt 46%
Clynelish 16yo hogshead 46%
Bunnahabhain 10yo sherry puncheon 46%
Highland Park 17yo hogshead 46%
Bowmore 16yo sherry butt 46%

Eight distilleries, eight whiskies, cheese & biscuits and an evening with friends.. it should be a good night once more!

Our Golden Dram at last year’s festival was won by the Scottish Liqueur Centre with their Beinn a’Cheo Macallan

For those who can’t make the tasting on the 13th, we are holding an ‘overflow’ tasting with the same whiskies on Friday 27th July at The Room, Troqueer Arms with Brian as the speaker.

info@tbwatson.co.uk  

T.B.Watson Ltd.
11/17 English Street
Dumfries, Scotland DG1 2BU
United Kingdom

3:50 AM. Whose bright idea was this? Ah, that would be yourself bucko. It had seemed like a good idea at the tasting last night (tonight?) in The Whisky Shop where they had kindly hosted the Malt Maniacs for a stupendous farewell tasting; a fitting finale for our 15^th Anniversary gathering in Scotland. Does it every really become fully dark in Edinburgh in the summer? No matter, stick to the plan. Only 3 more whisky related activities left on the schedule in this 24 hour period; how delightfully Maniacal. Put on the kettle for a quick cup of tea and then a phone call to Ho-cheng’s room; “Are you awake?” “Yes” he replied, “OK, see you in the lobby in 10 minutes”. Indeed a quick cup of tea and 10 minutes later Ho-cheng and I were in the lobby. And he’d shaved…..how the hell had he done that?? The front desk arranged for a taxi which arrived with impressive speed and we gave our destination “28 Victoria Street please” and we sat back for the short journey. “Wait one, this is Castle Hill and not Victoria Street” I thought …but, ah, the entrance to the stair case which leads down toVictoria Street. Some what dark and ominous but there is WHISKY at the destination so press forward!

A minute later we pushed open the door of The Whisky Shop to reveal numerous bright eyed people bustling about setting up for the Compass Box world record attempt with John Glaser. John was attempting to hold a tasting in eight Whisky Shop locations in the UK in a 24 hour period and it involved a route from Inverness to Brighton. Shortly after our arrival Tim Puett from the Ardbeg Project glided into the shop (he’d shaved too). Interestingly for the future of whisky present at the tasting  were a number of young women who appeared to simply be there for the whisky; just like us. Surprise, surprise in walked Carsten Hering Nielsen whom I had first met a few years ago; small world!

After much fretting by staff the set up was complete and with a few minutes until the start time we were presented with little confetti devices along with final instructions for when John popped his head in the door. Bang on time in came John and who was suitably covered in streamers and confetti along with a warm welcome. John had shaved. Seemingly only your Honourable correspondent had failed to shave, I managed to consol myself with the knowledge that drams would soon be served.

John took a minute or two to say hello to everybody individually and then he started the tasting with a short talk about the world record attempt and the philosophy behind Compass Box whisky. We started off with a whisky cocktail made with Great King Street blended whisky, a ‘naked’ sample of Great King Street, followed by the Spice Tree and the story of how it came about and then finally the Peat Monster which went down very easily considering the time of the morning. Surprisingly quickly the allotted time was up and John and his team were off to their next stop, two down, six to go. 

As we walked back to the hotel we realized it was so early not even the Edinburgh tram line was running…but then will it ever? Only an hour and a half until breakfast so finally I’d have a chance to shave!

Noon Only two more events to go; now it was time for lunch at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Queen Street; Tim had arranged for a lunch with some of the team from Glenmorangie Plc and we (Peter, Krishna and I) were going to meet Tim for a dram prior to his going off to lunch. After all it had been six and half hours since our last dram and we felt that we really needed to keep up our strength! Drams were duly selected from the monthly list and then suddenly the Glenmorangie team had arrived; Dr. Bill Lumsden – Head of Distilling & Whisky Creation, Iain Russell  Brands Heritage Manager, Hamish Torrie Head of Communications and Mark Harvey Business Development Director – USA and they very kindly invited us all to lunch downstairs in the main dining room which was very brave of them to take on 4  Malt Maniacs at once but they accomplished this by distracting us with drams of SMWS Glenmorangie and a stupendous meal (Scallops followed by lamb shank, both with appropriate wines). Thank you gentlemen. 

After lunch it was time for some shopping for souvenirs and gifts and perhaps a quick dash into one or two of the many whisky shops on the Royal Mile including the Scotch Whisky Experience near the castle. As always it was a very busy place and Amber restaurant was busy busy (one step above busy you understand). After shopping a quick diversion to the hotel to unload the purchases, check email, check-in online for tomorrow’s flights and then off to the Vaults for the grand finale of the day. 

6PM Tim, Peter and I had agreed to meet with Mark (WM Cadenhead Ltd) and Willie (WhiskyWhiskyWhisky forum) at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Vaults at 87 Giles Street for a bite to eat and a ‘few’ drams. Tim and Peter being stout fellows seemingly had gone straight from post lunch drams at Queen Street to the Vaults and were happily ensconced sampling more (many) of the Society’s whiskies. 

Dinner, as usual at the Vaults was excellent (mixed green salad, grilled sausages and mash, gravy) and the drams were a malt lovers cornucopia including many bottlings which were the very first from various distilleries hidden far to the left hand side of the bar. Those bottlings have not been available for many, many years and all sported the Society’s original label (and bottle shape). Also a number of Society older Glen Moray went down range and soon enough it was time as both Tim and I had very early flights. 

The SMWS Vaults was a fitting venue for the 4th whisky event in 24 hours. As Tim and I left Peter, Mark and Willie were hard at it…

L to R below; Ho-cheng, Carsten, Lawrence, John & Tim

Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, Colum Egan, raises a glass of Bushmills Irish Whiskey with Elijah Wood of DJ Wooden Wisdom as the second day of Bushmills Live gets under way. 

Bushmills Live is a landmark festival of handcrafted whiskey and music taking place at the Old Bushmills Distillery. 

It features performances from international artists such as Snow Patrol, DJ Wooden Wisdom, Foy Vance, Iain Archer, The Staves, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Marcus Foster, General Fiasco and David C Clements.

A quick message from Bill, Tam & Mick at Scotch Whisky Auctions;

Hi folks. We’ll be going live today!

http://www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com/

Besty wishes from Glasgow

DUNCAN TAYLOR – DIMENSIONS

The Dimensions collection is an outstanding range of single malt and single grain Scotch whiskies encompassing the full breadth of the Duncan Taylor portfolio. Containing whiskies aged up to 39 years, the Dimensions collection showcases the multi dimensional levels of character and flavour available from individual distilleries and casks.

The Dimensions collection consists of single cask, cask strength releases and exclusively numbered small batches at 46% abv. Neither chill filtered nor coloured, only the finest whiskies are selected for inclusion, ensuring that every bottle delivers the Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky ethos: Whisky Without Compromise.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL RANGE

‘Back to Basics’ Whisky Evening
Friday July 6th at The Room, Troqueer Arms
7.30 for 7.45pm, £14.50 per member

We have recently had a few requests from members asking for an evening learning about the basics of whisky making, tasting, casks used and the whisky industry in general. With that in mind, we decided to do a ‘back to basics’ tasting for new members and those keen to learn a bit more about the industry.

Alan Wardrop from Ian Macleod Distillery will be our guest speaker for the evening. He did something similar many years ago for us, when The Drambusters was in its infancy!

Alan will be bringing along various whiskies to taste from the Glengoyne range along with some new make spirit.

This is a ‘tutored’ tasting although informal and questions are encouraged on the evening. Alan has considerable experience in the whisky industry and is also a very entertaining speaker.

Numbers are strictly limited to 35 and will be reserved on a first come basis as usual. New members and those who would like to gain a more indepth knowledge of whisky are encouraged to book quickly.

‘what’s a hoggie?’ ‘when do they use sherry butts?’ ‘why are casks regauged?’… all these questions and more can be answered on the night.

info@tbwatson.co.uk  

T.B.Watson Ltd.
11/17 English Street
Dumfries, Scotland DG1 2BU
United Kingdom

Hello Fellow WhiskeyLovers –

First, a hearty shout-out of “Thanks!” to those of you that jumped in and contributed to For-Lovers’ Crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

We’re off to really great start.

But we have a long way to go, and those of you who haven’t gotten involved: We NEED you!

Please check out our campaign and support us: You can contribute as little as $5…every little bit helps…IMMENSELY!

And speaking of “little”…this weeks Whisky Wednseday offering is all about little: Kilchoman Machir Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Kilchoman (pronounced kilhoman) is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of 90,000 litres of alcohol. The distillery opened in 2005, is a farm distillery and the first to be built on Islay for 124 years. It is also one of only six distilleries in all of Scotland to carry out traditional floor maltings, but the key difference at Kilchoman is that the barley is grown right at the distillery, whereas other distilleries purchase their barley from around the country.

Machir Bay is the first general release from Kilchoman, and is named after the prettiest beach on Islay. It is a combination of three, four and five year old whiskeys aged in bourbon and refill sherry casks. In order to maximize flavor and texture, the whisky is distilled at one of the slowest rates in Scotland, and is bottled at natural color and non chill-filtered.

I get most excited when we are able to offer you a whisky that, for the most part, is not available anywhere else. And this is certainly the case with Kilchoman Machir Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The price is $65/ bottle, and if you want a bottle, please purchase it ASAP. We have an limited number of bottles….and once they’re gone, they are gone!

Until next week….have fun!

Doug Stone

Founder

ForScotchLovers.com

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KILCHOMAN MACHIR BAY SINGLE MALT ISLAY WHISKY

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KILCHOMAN MACHIR BAY – Distillers Tasting Notes

Peated to 50ppm, aromas of peat and vanilla biscuit are quickly followed by black pepper, kelp and brine. This whiskey drinks beyond its years and offers a balanced but rich mouth feel that features citrus fruit and peat. Machir Bay ends with the quintessential medicinal Islay finish which is nicely augmented by honeyed nuts and sweet spices.

KILCHOMAN DISTILLERY

Kilchoman, (pronounced kilhoman) established in 2005, is a farm distillery and the first to be built on Islay in 124 years. It is one of only six distilleries to carry out traditional floor maltings (three of these are on Islay – Bowmore and Laphroaig are the others) on its own floor at the distillery.

But the key difference at Kilchoman is that the barley is grown on the farm at the distillery, whereas other distilleries purchase barley from around the country

Drama at the Distillery

An award winning arts production, sponsored by Benromach Single Malt Whisky, will be starring in two exclusive performances, just released, at Speyside’s smallest distillery, to toast the phenomenal success of the show worldwide.

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart returns to Scotland hot from US performances in Connecticut and New Haven and in Rio and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which formed part of its recent International Tour.

Famed for taking theatre into pubs, the production will now perform for the first time at a distillery venue with two new dates (Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July 2012) set for the Benromach Visitor Centre in Forres.

Welcoming the performance to the Benromach distillery, David Urquhart Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, owners of the Benromach Distillery, said: “We’re excited to be continuing our sponsorship of the arts as The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart grows in popularity across Scotland, the UK and internationally. It is fitting that this award winning artistic performance will be delivered at Benromach – the home of our hand-crafted Single Malts. We look forward to welcoming the cast, crew and audience to Speyside’s smallest distillery for what promises to be two fantastic evenings’ of entertainment.”

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is an evening of supernatural storytelling, music and theatre inspired by Border Ballads, Robert Burns and the poems of Robert Service. The tale follows Prudencia Hart, an uptight academic, as she sets off to attend a conference one wintery morning in the Scottish Borders. But, as the snow falls her wild journey through the night takes her into and out of different supernatural and natural realms looking for folk songs.

Those attending the Forres performance (18 years and above) will be invited to sample Benromach 10 Years Old at the Visitors Centre.

Building on its successful partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland, and following its support of the production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, Benromach has been sponsoring the 2012 tour across the UK and selected international venues.

Elly Rothnie, Development Director, National Theatre of Scotland said: “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart was a huge success at the Fringe last year and our audiences loved sampling one of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies as part of the experience. We are thrilled to be able to bring this unique performance quite literally to the home of our sponsor Benromach and celebrate the success of taking the production and Benromach whisky to new audiences across the globe.”

Following the Forres dates the production will head to Galway Arts Festival and will continue to appear at international festivals until 2013.

Listings Information

Benromach Visitors Centre, Inverne Road, Forres IV36 3EB

Dates and Time: Friday 6 & Saturday 7 July at 7.00pm. Doors open 6.30pm

Box Office: 01309 675968

Ticket Prices: £12.50 /£10 concessions

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including one interval

Notes:

• The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart originally toured Scotland in February 2011 subsequently playing at Latitude Festival, Òran Mór, Glasgow, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2011. The production has won three awards, a Critics Award for Theatre for Best Music and Sound, a Herald Angel and an Argus Angel at the 2012 Brighton Festival.

• Benromach sponsored some US dates of the 2012 tour with American audiences being offered the opportunity to share a dram of the Speyside Scotch Malt during the show. This sponsorship covered all US venues where state legislation allows and is part of Benromach’s venturing into the arts and their first foray into international arts touring.

• Benromach and the National Theatre of Scotland are committed to promoting responsible drinking messages within the sponsorship of The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Scottish Government document ‘Alcohol Sponsorship Guidelines Scotland’.

About Benromach

Established in 1898, Benromach distillery changed hands many times and was virtually derelict when bought by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Drawing on generations of whisky expertise, the company carried out a painstaking refurbishment, and the distillery was officially re-opened by Prince Charles in 1998.

Just two men hand-craft Benromach using the finest Scottish barely and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. They fill new spirit into the highest quality casks before being left to mature at the distillery for many years. The Benromach portfolio includes the award winning Benromach 10 Years Old and the first fully certified organic single malt – Benromach Organic.

Please visit www.benromach.com for details.

About the National Theatre of Scotland

The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government. Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in creating over 160 productions in 125 different locations. With no building of its own, the Company takes theatre all over Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality. It takes place in the great buildings of Scotland, but also in site-specific locations, airports and tower blocks, community halls and drill halls, ferries and forests. The company has performed to over 710,000 people, across three continents. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Highland Park NAS “Leif Ericksson Release” (40%, OB, +/-2011)

A limited edition release exclusive to global travel retail and wholly matured in American oak casks. On the nose there are some immediate hints of diesel (hints not lashings…), some slight green notes, some malt and then some very welcome peat smoke. After some moments in the glass the Highland Park character begins to surface however it does take a moment or two. The taste is gentle and has some good malt and a little peat smoke but some green twig/bitterness is apparent along with a little oak spice and a little bit of fruit. The finish is quite malty and astringent with more of the oak spice and pepper. The malt is backed by some good sweetness (happily) and the finish is mildly industrial and long (unhappily).

Sigh.

£75 at the Whisky Exchange and Global Travel Retail price unknown; not currently available in Lunar or Martian Travel Retail.

72 points