Auchentoshan® Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
REVEALS WINNERS OF THE FIRST EVER
AUCHENTOSHAN SWITCH
A TRANS-CONTINENTAL BARTENDER SWAP
CHARLES JOLY from THE DRAWING ROOM in CHICAOG (US) and
MARTIN BALL from CORRIDOR BAR, MANCHESTER ( UK)
Win At Finals Held In Las Vegas and London

Glasgow, Scotland (October, 2011) – Two bartenders, an ocean apart are excited and ready to pack their bags, cross the pond, switch countries and ‘jobs’ for two weeks as the winners of the first ever trans-continental Auchentoshan Switch. Auchentoshan® Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Scotland’s only triple-distilled single malt, is happy to announce that the deserving winners of the Auchentoshan Switch bartender swap are: Charles Joly from The Drawing Room in Chicago, US and Martin Ball from Corridor Bar in Manchester, UK. Both competed in grand finale challenges this past week in London and Las Vegas against 19 of their fellow countrymen, and in three rounds of fierce cocktail competition emerged as the winners. At the Las Vegas showdown, hosted by United States Bartender’s Guild (USBG), excitement and some friendly competitive banter ran high as many of the bartenders were familiar and friendly with each other but all had their eye on the prize — a two week trip to London to work for Tony Conigliaro in early 2012 at his famed 69 Colebrooke Row bar and Drinks Factory, one of the only bar-related drinks labs in the world.

Winner Charles Joly said “I am so proud to represent the US for the Switch to 69 Colebrooke Row. You brought the best of the best bartenders in the country together to work with a great brand like Auchentoshan. I can’t wait to discover more about molecular mixology from Tony and bring back what I’ve learned to the Drawing Room. It was a fantastic night!”

To enter the Auchentoshan Switch challenge, all bartenders were asked to submit a video of themselves making a lemonade and an Old Fashioned cocktail with Auchentoshan Three Wood. To see Joly’s video entry, click here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtzUj6HvhiM

Auchentoshan is a brand treasured by whisky aficionados and bartenders alike as one of the smoothest whiskies, thanks to its triple distillation, and perfect for thoughtful sipping as well as the ideal base spirit for a cocktail. Which came in handy at the Auchentoshan Switch finale, held at House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where Auchentoshan Three Wood was the spirited star of the night. This unique and complex Auchentoshan expression has been matured in three different cask types – first in American Bourbon then to Spanish Oloroso Sherry and finally in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. Auchentoshan pioneered the three cask maturation process.

Hannah Fisher, Auchentoshan Brand Manager who flew directly from the UK Switch competition to the US said: “It’s really quite incredible to see the interest we’ve had in our inaugural year of the Auchentoshan Switch – so many exceptional bartenders entered from the US and UK! We were so impressed with the time, commitment and seriousness each bartender brought to the challenge knowing that the prize is not $100,000 but it’s actually to WORK! It just proves to us how dedicated these hardworking bartenders are to their craft and I’m so happy Auchentoshan can be a part of expanding their cocktail knowledge. A big congratulations to Charles and Martin from the entire Auchentoshan team. We can’t wait to hear – and taste – more from them next year when they make the switch.”

Judges David Clelland (International Auchentoshan Whisky Specialist), Camper English (author/Alcademics.com, winner of Tales of the Cocktail 2011 Best Cocktail Writing award) and Andrew Pollard (VP, United States Bartender’s Guild Las Vegas Chapter) deliberated through three rounds of challenges: in Round One all 20 bartenders were asked to create an original Auchentoshan cocktail, something that would show off their creativity and presentation as well as the rich toffee and sherry oak flavors of Auchentoshan Three Wood; five bartenders advanced to Round Two, where they were presented with six mystery ingredients and tasked with creating an Auchentoshan Three Wood cocktail that contained at least two of those mystery ingredients; and then there were two — Charles Joly and Clinton Terry (from PX, Alexandria)- who moved on to compete head to head in Round Three where each had to present a ‘master class’ on Auchentoshan Three Wood to the judges (and a crowd of their peers). The final decision was difficult as both made eloquent and information-packed presentations. Based on his scores and final presentation, Joly was named the US winner of Auchentoshan Switch 2011.

“It was a really difficult decision to make at each round because the caliber of bartenders was so high,” said judge David Clelland. “I think the number of entries we had for Auchentoshan Switch shows how truly professional these bartenders are and how far they’ll go to advance their knowledge and craft. We were quite fortunate to have such a pool of talent to judge.”

THE SWITCH IN 2012. The Switch will take place in early 2012 when Joly will spend two weeks behind the stick at the famed London bar 69 Colebrooke Row, while Ball will spend his two weeks at a well known bar in New York City. 69 Colebrooke Row is home to the Drinks Factory, one of the only bar-related drinks labs in the world. There, Joly will become incorporated into the daily bar procedures as well as visiting producers and sourcing quality ingredients. In NYC, Ball will work at one of the hottest cocktail bars in Gotham’s underground scene. We’re not revealing the name of the bar just yet, but with no menus there, bartenders cook up individually prescribed concoctions according to their customer’s mood. Here the presentation of the cocktail is as dramatic as the cocktail itself. Ball will be part of both a theater of performance and a chemistry lab at the same time. And yes, there will also be some time for sightseeing as well.

“I’m leaving on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again…”

ABOUT AUCHENTOSHAN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

The award-winning Auchentoshan portfolio includes Auchentoshan Classic, 12 Year Old, Three Wood, 18 Year Old and the limited release 21 Year Old, in addition to select vintage, limited edition releases. Auchentoshan is available nationwide in the US and in more than 45 countries worldwide. The Auchentoshan portfolio is imported to the US by Skyy Spirits, LLC. Auchentoshan recently relaunched its website at www.auchentoshan.com . Join the Auchentoshan conversation on Facebook.

ABOUT UNITED STATES BARTENDERS’ GUILD (USBG) (www.usbg.org)

The United States Bartenders’ Guild is an organization of beverage professionals dedicated to the continued refinement of our craft. Such refinement is achieved through advanced product education; original hand crafted cocktail competitions; and aggressive involvement with other professionals in the beverage industry throughout the country and internationally. It is our intention, desire and main focus to become the most skilled, knowledgeable and professional group of bartenders in the industry. With the resurgence and ever increasing popularity of the cocktail, there is a high demand for creative and professional bartenders. As an industry leader the USBG is responsible for raising the bar and creating new trends to keep our competitive edge. The USBG is currently in the following locations: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Denver, Hawaii, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, North Texas, Northern California, Oregon, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Rhode Island, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa Bay.

ABOUT SKYY SPIRITS, LLC

The eighth-largest spirits company in the US, Skyy Spirits, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM), together with its affiliates Gruppo Campari. Launched in 1992 with the introduction of its flagship brand, SKYY® Vodka, Skyy Spirits has grown exponentially, building a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Skyy Spirits manages Gruppo Campari’s portfolio in the US with such leading brands as SKYY® Vodka, SKYY90®, All Natural SKYY Infusions®, Campari®, Wild Turkey® Straight Kentucky Bourbon, American Honey®, Russell’s Reserve®, Glen Grant® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Cabo Wabo® Tequila, Espolón® Tequila, Ouzo 12®, X-Rated® Fusion Liqueur®, Frangelico®, Carolans Irish Cream®, Irish Mist® Liqueur, Sagatiba® Cachaça and Jean-Marc XO Vodka®. Skyy Spirits is also the exclusive US distributor of The Glenrothes® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Auchentoshan® Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Glen Garioch® Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Flor de Caña® Rum, Midori® Melon Liqueur, Hibiki® Whisky and The Yamazaki® Single Malt Whisky.

Skyy Spirits was founded and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. More information on the company can be found at www.skyyspirits.com , www.facebook.com/skyyspirits, Twitter: @SkyySpirits and www.camparigroup.com. Please enjoy Skyy Spirits brands responsibly and in moderation.

THE SEARCH BEGINS FOR GLENROTHES VINTAGE MAKER 2012

Following the huge success of this year’s Whisky Maker competition, which attracted close to 10,000 entries, the Glenrothes is delighted to announce the launch of Vintage Maker 2012. Whereas this year culminated in four winners spending a working week at Glenrothes Distillery, next year there will be three separate competitions resulting in four winners from the UK, four winners from the USA and four winners from the rest of the world. The successful candidates will be recruited to work as The Glenrothes Vintage Makers in the heart of single malt production, Speyside, Scotland, culminating in the creation of The Glenrothes Vintage 2012.

As part of this opportunity, the successful candidates will learn the time-honoured art of making The Glenrothes and the skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. The winners will spend time working at each stage of the whisky-making process: testing the purity of the water source at the distillery’s two springs; milling the malt to achieve the golden proportions of husk, grits and flour; mashing to ensure maximum extraction of sugars in the wort; adding yeast to the washbacks and overseeing fermentation; slowly and carefully distilling new make spirit in our tall copper pot stills. From there our Vintage Makers will be involved in making casks at the cooperage, laying down casks for maturation and rolling casks to the warehouse.

The Vintage Makers will nose single malt from maturing casks to assess whether the contents are of sufficiently exceptional quality and maturity; only the top 3% of the distillery’s output is bottled as The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Whisky. Finally, the Vintage Makers will have the opportunity to create the Vintage 2012 of The Glenrothes, to be released when it reaches the peak of maturity.

After work, our Vintage Makers will enjoy the simple pleasures that Speyside has to offer; a spot of fishing, dining in the local Highland restaurants or perhaps a picnic in the hills surrounding the distillery. The Vintage Makers will stay in Rothes House, a private home belonging to the family that owns The Glenrothes. As with the distillery, Rothes House is not open to the public but is reserved for VIP visits.

Entrants must submit 1500 characters or less in answer to the question ‘Tell us about your Vintage moment.’ Entrants may also upload a picture or link to an online video to supplement their written entry (but this is not necessary). The winners will be the entries that in the opinion of the judges, best represent the definition of a Glenrothes Vintage moment: A perfect combination of time, place, people and/or occasion when everything comes together to create a moment that will stay in the memory forever.

The competition will run from October 2011 to the 31st January 2012 and can be entered at www.theglenrothes.com/vintagemaker 

For that special Scandinavian SingleMalt moment meet Macmyra in whisky review 228 – Macmyra 1st Edition Whisky (at www.ralfy.com)

Whisky 4 Movember

Hi everyone,

November is just around the corner and for men in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Ireland, it can only mean one thing – MOVEMBER!

Movember is a global campaign which aims to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,
Ludo

Caol Ila ‘Unpeated Style’ 1999 12yo 64%alc. 2011 Release

Bottled 2011

Very limited and so restricted to 1 per person

Sampled under agreeable but hectic conditions I thought this another superb dram. Fruit, vanilla and esters – and everything else – on the nose. A scrawled note included ‘pink candy’ and chocolate finish.

E8 on the Flavour Map
Complex & Smoky.

Price excluding VAT: £43.75
£52.50 Including VAT at 20%

N.B. we do not have any Port Ellen or Brora available from this year’s Special Releases

Caol Ila ‘Unpeated Style’ 1999 12yo 64%alc. 2011 Release

Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

October Pay-Weekend Trio: 3 exclusive bottles for £149
As we wave goodbye to October and say hello to this pay-weekend, we’ve released a limited number of online Oct Pay-Weekend Trios – a last chance to nibble on some of our naughty nectar bottlings

Our trios are not so-much a mystery, we’ve hand-picked six bottles, but we can only tell you one of the bottlings in your parcel, the other two will be a lucky-dip! (Altho’ 19YO is our youngest bottling)

Enjoy 27YO 39.78 Welcome wake up call! and two other bottles from our hand-selected pool…

64.30 Attention-grabbing – 22YO
37.47 Bananas and custard with zing – 23YO
77.26 A foodie’s dram – 23YO
9.53 A peppery explosion – 19YO
30.66 Muscovado, macadamia & manuka – 20YO

Yes, only £149! Limited number of trios are available…first come, first served. Offer runs until Mon 31 Oct (subject to availabilty)

We’ve also discovered a whole-load of outstanding bottlings lurking once again in our online shop…

7.66 Harmonious co-existence of flavour
Speyside Lossie
£63.40
This had an immediate calming effect on the Panel with aromas of fruit loaf, almonds, pineapples, tea chests, Cuban tobacco work shop, vanilla, pear drops, coconut, jam roly poly, cream sherry, bananas, leather armchairs, and sandal wood all co-existing harmoniously

33.113 Sweet, peaceful dreams (exclusive to online)
Islay
£53.70
You’re in a fabulous pavilion – soaking in a bubble-bath – sweetly peaceful. Nearby, a platter of exotic fruits (pineapple, papaya, lychees) and a dram of this

76.75 Spiritual ascension
Speyside Spey
£66.70
The nose began with Airfix model kits and cola bottle sweets; then dried fruits appeared (raisins, figs, dates, prunes), followed by Madeira, roast chestnuts, Dr Peppers, vanilla and spice; rhubarb, pear and honey brought up the rear

Click thro’ to discover more….

Browse all bottlings
(61 single casks online)

SMWS Tastings & Events (39 events online)
Oxford Preview Tasting – Oxford Castle, Fri 28 Oct
Sheffield Preview Tasting – Leopold Hold, Fri 28 Oct
Chester-le-Street Preview Tasting – Cricket Club, Fri 28 Oct
Nov Preview Tasting with Cheese – Queen Street, Tue 1 Nov
Nov Preview Tasting for the Meat-Lover – Queen Street, Wed 2 Nov
Nov Outturn Open Tasting – London, Sat 5 Nov
Nov Outturn Tasting & Carvery – The Vaults, Sun 6 Nov

More Society tastings

Society Hogmanay Celebrations: Sat 31 Dec
The Vaults Hogmanay
Hogmanay Gala Dinner: The Dining Room
Hogmanay Member’s Room Event: 28 Queen Street

Whisky Magazine’s 2012 Independent Bottler of the Year
www.whiskymag.com/awards/ibc/2011/

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.

Glengoyne Distillery Renovations Mark Best Summer Season Ever

Glengoyne Distillery is celebrating the launch of a brand new shop and visitor centre upgrade on the back of its most successful summer season ever.

The changes at Glengoyne, which include a complete overhaul of the shop as well as updates to the visitor centre, were completed in time for the end of the summer season which has so far seen a massive 48,500 visitors through the doors of ‘Scotland’s Most Beautiful Distillery’ – a 6% rise on last year.

A total of £300k has been invested in the visitor facilities upgrade in 2011 with further renovations planned for 2012. This comes in addition to the £200k spent on renovating the Manager’s House in 2007 for use as an events space and more than £2.5 million spent on operational upgrades to the distillery such as new warehousing and stills.

New features inside the shop include a new tasting area and the ‘Pour Your Own Dram’ facility, where guests are given the chance to fill and label their own bottle direct from an exclusive single cask, before logging it in the customs book. The cask currently available is an American Oak First Fill hoggie from June 2000, cask number 1016. It offers great tropical fruit flavours and plenty of hands-on whisky fun, priced at £75.00.

Glengoyne Brand Heritage Manager Stuart Hendry said: “The old shop area was very dark and didn’t make good use of space. Our brief to retail design agency Contagious was to create a brighter, more organised shopping area which showed off our award winning range but without losing the distinct Glengoyne character.

“I think we have hit the nail on the head and we are extremely happy with the outcome. Feedback from customers has been great and we have seen an increase in sales as a result.”

The shop renovations have allowed for the creation of a new bothy area where groups can relax before and after tours. Cosmetic upgrades have also been made to the visitor centre enabling the distillery to continue offering first class conference and events facilities to corporate and private clients.

A new series of Glengoyne films was also commissioned from Republic Productions to present a fun and informative look into life at Glengoyne for use during tours and events at the distillery and throughout the world. The films range from a short two minute promotional film, tasting notes and cooking demonstrations to in-depth films on distillation and maturation, all highlighting what makes Glengoyne unique. The well known characters from around the distillery including Head Stillman Duncan McNicoll and Engineer & Warehouseman Billy Edminston were chosen to star in the film, rather than actors, to help communicate the unique character of Glengoyne.

Stuart Hendry commented on the film: “The two aspects that contribute most to the Glengoyne flavour are undoubtedly our SLOW distillation (the slowest in the industry) and our devotion to sourcing the finest possible sherry casks from Spain. In order to fully understand where those flavours come from we wanted to take consumers inside the stills and on a journey to Jerez.

“The feedback from viewers is hugely positive. They enjoy getting behind the scenes and meeting the people. Visitors take particular pleasure in speaking to the stars as they meet them around the distillery yard.”

Glengoyne continues to push forward its plans for new customer engagement and will be exhibiting at this year’s BBC Good Food Shows in both Glasgow and Birmingham. The brand has invested in a new exhibition stand will be occupying a large prime spot at the popular food shows in the SECC Glasgow 21-23 October and NEC Birmingham 23-27 November. The Glengoyne team will be offering visitors the chance to sample the multi award winning Glengoyne core range.

For more information visit www.glengoyne.com or call +44 (0)1360 550 254.

Notes:

Glengoyne Distillery, which offers an unrivalled visitor experience, is situated just 30 minutes outside Glasgow, looking out over the breath-taking West Highland Way.

Owned by independent family company, Ian Macleod Distillers, Glengoyne, Scotland’s most beautiful distillery, has been producing its unique and complex, Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky for over 175 years. Using methods passed down for generations, Glengoyne has nurtured and perfected the art of producing the authentic taste of Malt Whisky, untainted by peat smoke. The result is a portfolio of multi-award winning whiskies including the core 10, 17 and 21 Years Old range, as well as special limited edition Single Malts, released each year.

New Arrivals – October

Since we were last in touch a further 27 rare and exclusive malts have arrived at Abbey Whisky.

The Rare Malts Selection has once again proven very popular, and no wonder with this series of malts offering some cracking drams from some very special distilleries.

We’ve kept up with demand, adding some very rare additions to our ever expanding range.

You can view these here…

We recieved a very exciting delivery from Duncan Taylor this week. Not only dothey bottle great tasting whisky but they’re also available at a very affordable price.

One of the highlights has to be the Highland Park 40 year old 1968 from the

Peerless collection. Distilled in 1968, this 40 year old Highland Park single malt whisky demonstrates incredible value for money and it tastes great!

View all our new arrivals here…

The imminent arrival of the Diageo 2011 annual releases and in particular the Port Ellen, has created quite a stir in the world of whisky. We’ve had so much interest in this coveted whisky, as soon as we take delivery we will list it on site and it will be distributed on a first come first served basis.

Remember to click on our ‘Notify When Back In Stock’ option so that we can let you know as soon as it becomes available.

Keep updated with The Port Ellen Annual Release and all Abbey Whisky news via our

Twiitter & Facebook pages….

Sláinte

Abbey Whisky

www.abbeywhisky.com

Highland Park 40 Year Old – 1968 Peerless Collection

Highland Park 40 year old for just over £250!

Distilled in 1968, this 40 year old Highland Park single malt whisky demonstrates incredible value for money as it tastes as good as it looks!

Bottled from cask number 3458, with a release of only 139 bottles.

£264.00

We have been busy stocking the shelves and getting ready for the upcoming holidays. Here are just a few of the many new single malts that have come in recently. For a more complete list of our single malts please visit the website.

Auchroisk 20 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Limited Edition $169.99

Bowmore Darkest 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery Bottling $89.99

Cragganmore 13 Year Old Single Malt Whisky Signatory Bottling $57.99 

Cragganmore 1997 Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Cragganmore distiller’s edition is finished in Port pipes for extra sweetness and fruity depth. $67.99

Glen Grant 28 Year Old Malt Trust Bottling Single Malt Scotch Whisky $189.99

Kilkerran Glengyle Distillery Single Malt Scotch Whisky – A very pleasant ground spice flavor on the finish and a gentle smoke comes from deep in the throat. $51.99

Laphroaig Triple Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Mouth filling and extremely long but balanced by the sweet smooth caramel taste. $69.99

Laphroaig 11 Year Old Lafite Cask Murray McDavid Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Cranberry, raspberry, plum, cherry, mocha, toast, peat, and smoke $78.99

Laphroaig 18 Year Old Hart Brothers Bottling Single Malt Scotch Whisky – All the components of the distillery are there, but the additional age brings a balance to the scotch opposed to the more typical in your face Laphroaig style. $145.99

Oban 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillers Bottling – Very exciting and dynamic. 91 Points Advanced Malt Advocate Magazine $104.99

Oban 1995 Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky – A very explosive Oban. Soft malt then wave upon wave of delicate yet rich fruit notes on a tide of brine. $97.99

Old Pulteney 30 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Full-bodied single malt with elements of honey and lemons. Oaky and aromatic with a warm spiciness and a sweet long-lasting finish. $449.99

D&M Fine Wines and Spirits | 2200 Fillmore St | San Francisco | CA | 94115 | Visit D&M at www.dandm.com

Loch Fyne Whiskies stocks  ‘Port Dundas 1990 20yo’

Port Dundas 1990 20yo
57.4% abv
£110.00 inc vat
£91.67 ex vat

Port Dundas 1990 20yo 57.4%alc.

Very limited and so restricted to 1 per person

A big, dark and to my mind over sherry-wood influenced grain from the now demolished PD.

The box tells us: “When just three years old, the rich single grain whisky in this unusual and strictly limited (1920 bottles) bottling was re-racked into three very different cask woods* for long ageing, to fine effect.

Sappy fresh-cut pine fuses with vanilla ice cream on the spice-sweet nose, whilst sweet taste and rich texture dominate the silky-smooth palate, leaving a long, rounded and complex finish.

*Ex-sherry & first fill American oak, charred European oak.

Price excluding VAT: £91.67
£110.00 Including VAT at 20%

These Special Releases 2011 are all strictly limited to 1 per person

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