Glenfiddich NAS Snow Phoenix (47.6%, OB, 2010)

A dram with a story, non-chill filtered and a limited edition n to boot…the nose is quite strong at first blush with loads of cask notes and banana, rich over ripe fruit (pear & lychee) along with some heather, candle wax and cold unsweetened tea (and no milk of course!). Quite a strong nose for only a short hop over 46% ABV but all in all very pleasant and time in the glass does it not harm; quite multi faceted. The taste is a surprise in that it’s much like the nose with a big strong arrival and lots of wood notes; oak spice, hints of nutmeg and clove, some more of the heather (some fragrant notes lurking behind the oak spice) and a little malt. However much like the aroma it’s all very nice; quite a big whisky and very enjoyable, solid without any off notes. A little malt hiding in the back ground. The finish is still warming (my oh my, the alcohol is quite evident even in the finish) and is very active with the aforementioned descriptors and finally some malt arrives towards the end, a nice gift (actually it grows quite a bit and becomes quite assertive).

A very nice Glenfiddich indeed. A little water improves it immensely; reduces the alcohol and brings out a really good interplay between the sweetness and the oak spice. Excellent with water. Still peppery though…

Price $90

Score 89

Read all about the Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix HERE

Enticing curiosity dram

Cask No. 3.178
Islay, Loch Indaal

The nose took us to a fresh machair environment, where we could find discarded sea shells and distant barbeque smoke (smoked ham ribs cooking?). There was also considerable tar, some witch hazel, pencil cases and sherbet. The palate was a bit of a shock – that instant signature blast of lavender and parma violets; tar again, chalk and prosciutto – quite a salty finish. With water, we could identify the parma violets on the nose; also liquorice allsorts and ‘granny’s handbag’. The reduced palate was fresh, sweet and enticing; lots of confectionary, liquorice and salt. A curiosity dram from Islay’s oldest distillery.

Drinking tip: A conversation piece

Colour: Young straw gold
Cask: Refill sherry butt
Age: 23 years
Date distilled: December 1987
Alcohol: 48.4%

$145

A Calming Silky Bath

Cask No. 26.80
Highlands, Northern Highlands

A deeply indulgent nose with beeswax, thick honey and linseed oil. Concentrated fruit desserts follow with plums and red cherries, sticky toffee pudding and cooked banana in warm sauce. The palate was rich too with deep dark fruits (plums, cherries, blackcurrants), runny honey and powder puffs. The reduced nose was elegant and refined – waxed limes, blackberries and baked plum cake. The reduced palate was wonderfully smooth, creamy and waxy with cherry syrup and chai tea. A lovely lingering fruity aftertaste. This Northern Highland distillery was built by the Duke of Sutherland in 1819.

Drinking tip: As a treat at the end of the working day – to slow down and relax

Colour: Ginger bronze
Cask: Second-fill hogshead
Age: 19 years
Date distilled: April 1992
Alcohol: 53.0%

$130

Coastal storms and autumn leaf-fall

Cask No. 55.21
Highlands, Speyside (Findhorn Valley)

The nose caressed us with sweet warmth (toffee, caramel, fudge, honey, syrup, vanilla, barley malt) then citrus developed (cranberry and cherry cereal bars, Ribena); finally hints of leather and brown sauce. The palate had puff candy, treacle and dark cherry sweetness, but also liquorice and aniseed heat and a salty, granite, mineral aspect. The reduced nose uncovered barley sweetness, something of the autumn leaf-fall, salted porridge and a beach after a storm. The palate had candied angelica, tutti frutti ice-cream, fresh linen and a citric, salty tartness that lingered on the tongue. The distillery is along the coast from Nairn.

Drinking tip: After a walk on a storm wracked beach or a windy autumn day

Colour: Lemon jelly
Cask: Second-fill hogshead
Age: 12 years
Date distilled: September 1998
Alcohol: 59.1%

$110

A harbour side journey

Cask No. 93.44
Campbeltown

As I was walking down to the harbour, chewing herbal bubble gum I passed smoked prawns, Arbroath Smokies, and Frazzles crisps; the beautiful fresh sea air carrying a whiff of Germolene, Elastoplasts
and samphire calmed the stench of petrol and tar. I couldn’t but enjoy tasting some fresh smoked mussels, smoked seafood chowder, miso soup and cinnamon doughnuts. After a glug of water I smelled creosote fences, incense, pine resin, hay and a perfumed ladies fur coat, while tasting oily, smoky Chinese five spice pork belly that was hot, fatty and ashy. This distillery is said to be haunted by Duncan MacCallum.

Drinking tip: Try while sailing with your feet lapping the water, walking the dog on the beach or fishing on the open sea

Colour: Pear juice
Cask: Refill barrel
Age: 11 years
Date distilled: July 1999
Alcohol: 61.8%

$95

Strumming the strings of the soul

Cask No. G5.2
Grain

The nose [BLEW US AWAY] had coconut body lotion, gorse flowers, caramel [LIQUID SUNSHINE] and spicy, earthy notes (menthol, molasses, scented wood) [A STOATER]. The palate [BEAUTIFULLY DISTINCTIVE] carried toffee, caramel and syrupy sweetness [OH HAPPY DAYS] and tasted like rum, but nicer [‘IF THIS IS RUM I’M JOINING THE NAVY’]. The reduced nose [WAVES OF PLEASURE] suggested sugar cane, orange oil, coconut macaroons [MORE OF THIS PLEASE] and toasted oak shavings, while the palate’s [HEAVENLY COMFORT] sweet vanilla and fruit compote showed just how great [STRUMMED THE STRINGS OF OUR SOULS] grain whisky can be. From Scotland’s most northerly grain distillery.

Drinking tip: Could be the last dram of the night – could be the only dram of the night

Colour: Rich shiny gold
Cask: New toasted oak hogshead
Age: 17 years
Date distilled: May 1993
Alcohol: 65.3%

$120

Please click on the LINK to read further and visit the SMWS of America at www.smwsa.com  for information on how to join. 

Highland Park 1978 / Vintage Collection

This 1978 single malt whisky is the latest release from the very

popular ‘Vintage Collection’ from Highland Park Distillery.

Presented in a beautiful wooden casing, the designs represent the skills of the

Viking craftsmen working with wood. The picture on the front of this 1978 bottling

features the beasts head, considered the masterpiece of a craftsman.

This, the sixth release in the range is bottled at 47.8% vol, higher than the other whiskies in this range. Other expressions include; Leif Eriksson and whiskies from 1998, 1994, 1973, and 1990.

“The Highland Park vintage collection is a celebration of the wanderlust of the Viking’s whose spirit lives on in the intrepid travellers today”

Available in very limited numbers.

£499.00

Click here to view all our new arrivals!

Sláinte!

Abbey Whisky

Ardbeg NAS Alligator (51.2%, OB, 2011)

The latest furor from Ardbeg using “Ferocious ‘Alligator’ charring of new American oak casks has created a spicy, dark dram of hidden depths, within which lurk deep tarry coffee, barbeque, sizzle and sooty aromas”.  Non chill-filtered and all (but no mention of added colour?). On the nose there is some fragrant notes (think heather and juniper) along with the promised peat reek. As it spends more time in the glass the peat reek begins to grow over powering the previous descriptors. However there is some very nice sweetness and chocolate in the mix also which adds to the complexity of the aromas. There’s some nice depth here. Hints of roasted nut (peanuts, perhaps) and some citrus in the form of lemon. With water it’s the bottom of the volcano and very tarry. The taste without water is quite good; some good citrus, some sweetness and then a headlong rush in some truly excellent peat reek and malt with the chocolate hanging n for dear life. Water brings out some very good sweetness but the peat reek hangs on really well. The finish is long, warming, very BIG, lashings of good peat reek and some sensational chewy malt.

Well done Ardbeg, yet another vibrant intriguing dram. With or without water it’s very good.

US$135/£59

Score 88 points

The 10 Year Struggle

WMD, the CIA, Ugly Betty, Flying Health & Safety Inspectors, Yellow Submarines and Perilous Whisky, just a few of the unusual events that befell Bruichladdich distillery over the decade since it was resurrected.

Now, against considerable odds, the first ten year old whisky distilled by the men who brought Bruichladdich Distillery back from from oblivion, has gone on sale.

A weekend of celebrations was held for a select group of shareholders, distributors, barley farmers and international guests who gathered on a gale beaten Islay for a luncheon, a presentation of the provocative new website and an emotionally charged ceremony to acknowledge the first bottles coming off the bottling line.

1000 bottles of The Laddie 10, sporting a commemorative “I was there!” back label (for this one day only) sold out in three hours to a scrum of enthusiastic islanders and whisky fans.

Sir John Mactaggart Bt., Bruichladdich chairman, revealed in an defiantly upbeat speech, that there were top whisky industry players who warned him that the project was doomed to fail. But they underestimated the ‘passion and reason’ of the Bruichladdich set up.

He went on to highlight the successes, trials and tribulations of the decade which included being spied on by the CIA looking for WMDs, liberating Ugly Betty still, fuelling race cars with X4, flying health & safety inspectors, and lost Royal Navy yellow submarines.

The coming of age is a landmark moment for the company that set out in 2001 to renovate the old Victorian distillery which had been closed down in 1994, having only operated part time for a decade before that.

Managing Director Mark Reynier, said “It’s a very proud and highly emotional moment for all of us. This is the first spirit we distilled, once we got it all going again. It’s not been easy. This is the hard-won fruit of 10 years of unrelenting blood, sweat and tears by the whole team.”

The Laddie 10, a dram created by whisky legend Jim Mcewan, is designed to show off the timeless, Bruichladdich qualities of elegance, balance, purity and fruit, with that famous sea breeze tang.

The company has a reputation for the unconventional, particularly the packaging, and the Laddie 10 in its bright, aqua livery is no different.

Reynier explains: “As progressive Hebridean distillers, we have a different way of doing things to the rest of the industry – it’s why we are still here – and that includes modern packaging.”

“We don’t do flags, crests, illustrations, highland glens; nor engravings, Celtic typefaces, Gaelic scrolls, or Monarch of the Glen. We do Bruichladdich.”

The RETURN of the Legendary Cask Ends Sale

The Legendary Cask Ends Sale is BACK, and what a sequel! High Tasting Panel scorers, Golden Oldies and Hard-to-find casks are part of the mystery action. But keep a tissue at the ready, our parcels will melt the heart and bring a tear to the eye with sheer joy!

Cask Ends Parcel A: Ex-bourbon casks
3 x Highland & Speyside (10-21YO, gauranteed one 13YO)
£99 inc. free p&p

Cask Ends Parcel B: Ex-sherry & bourbon mix
3 x Highland & Speyside (10-23YO, gauranteed one 23YO)
£105 inc. p&p

Cask Ends Parcel C: Ex-sherry casks
3 x Highland & Speyside (10-18YO, gauranteed one 26YO)
£115 inc free p&p

(New price reflects the sheer quality of the parcel bottlings)

ADDITIONAL Bottle Offer: Buy 41.51 for only £43.50 (save £21) *with ANY Cask Ends Parcel…

41.51 Hokey Pokey, Super-kid and Monkey Blood
Speyside Spey
WAS £64.50..NOW * £43.50 inc. free p&p
A densely fruity nose – Mr. Kipling’s Fruit Slice, mincemeat, Jordan’s muesli with dried raspberries, raspberry ripple vanilla ice – all drenched in Cherry Cola

Sale Ends: Fri 30 Sept (subject to availability). Limited number of MYSTERY Cask Ends Parcels available. An alternative bottle will be offered if 41.51 runs out.

Cask Ends Sale

Society Tastings & Events (57 Society tastings online)
All about smoke – Queen Street, Tue 20 Sept
Colin Dunn’s Society Choice – London, Thu 22 Sept
Steak & Chips Tasting – The Vaults, Sat 24 Sept
From Leith to Bavaria – The Vaults, from Mon 26 Sept
New Outturn for the Cheese Lover – Queen Street, Tue 27 Sept
New Outturn for the Meat Lover – Queen Street, Wed 28 Sept
All things Bavarian – The Vaults, Wed 28 Sept

October Outturn Preview Tastings: taste and explore October’s Outturn (FIVE drams!) with a spot of supper:
Guildford – Manor House Hotel, Thu 29 Sept
Dunfermline – Garvock House Hotel, Thu 29 Sept
Brighton – Hotel du Vin, Fri 30 Sept
Manchester – Malmaison, Fri 30 Sept

More Society tastings

EXPLORE our Sept Recommendations:
PAIR: Buy 23.69 & 7.67 for only £91.30 (save £10)
23.69 Dusty muesli and green bananas
7.67 Breakfast dram

TRIO: Buy 125.51*, 9.61 & 30.66 for £146.40 (save £15)
125.51 Perfumed sweetness and zesty fruits
9.61 A hot summer’s day among the gorse
30.66 Muscovado, Macadamia and Manuka

CASE: Take the Sept PAIR, TRIO and ADD *76.86 for £272.50 (save £30) 76.86 Winter Warmer

*alternative bottle
Browse all bottlings

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.

Oranges and Cinnamon, After Eights and Roaring Flames….

This year, the Society is capturing the Essence of Christmas with delicious private dining, all wrapped up with flaming sensory cocktails and Christmas whisky ‘affogatos’!

FESTIVE FROLIC FREEBIE!
Book your private Christmas celebration before 30 Sept and the booker goes free!

FESTIVE DINING
Indulge the senses with a flaming sensory cocktail on arrival, followed by a delicious three course festive meal, lovingly prepared by our Michelin applauded team. Wrap up your special occassion with a Society whisky ‘affogato’ before your celebrations continue on into the night.

Festive dining from £40 and suppers from £25 per person, available in all of our six unique and distinct function rooms in Scotland’s capital.

Contact the SMWS Events Team on 0131 555 2266 or email events@smws.com and quote ‘Essence11’

Visit www.smwsevents.co.uk for more one-of-a-kind whisky tasting, dining and meeting inspiration.

Terms: Festive Frolic Freebie offer applies to bookings of Christmas package for 10 or more people. Not applicable with any other offers.

NO BULL… We hope our previous email featuring a matador didn’t cause offence.

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.

A Stramash I hear you say………….

An uproar! A shindig! A glorious rammy! Roll up ladies and gentlemen for the inaugural Edinburgh Whisky Stramash, a wonderful event to enjoy Scotch and other worldly whiskies in new and innovative ways. An affair to excite the purists, tempt the interested and intrigue the indifferent, amongst many you can expect some murky theatre, invigorated senses and a modern take on ole’ fashioned fun along with an opportunity to try a huge array of amazing drams.

Murder. . . . . . . . . . Whisky. . . . . . . . . Barbers. . . . . . . . . Cocktails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Music. . . . . . . . .

Held at The Surgeon’s Hall in Edinburgh, a beautiful and dramatic venue steeped in great whisky history and tradition, a ticket inclusively allows you to sample the amazing range of different whiskies and all the experiences are based on a first come served basis.You can expect us to arouse your curiosity over the coming months with our forthcoming tail of the Edinburgh Whisky Stramash on the 26th and 27th of May 2012…………

Whisky Stramash

Glasgow has been the heart of Scotland’s whisky industry for decades, and while it retains much of its gritty character, there’s plenty to make whisky lovers feel welcome. This time around, we’ll look at some of Glasgow’s best places for whisky lovers to visit, including a special focus on McTear’s, one of the world’s top whisky auction houses. In the news, the Bourbon Hall of Fame welcomes the Class of 2011, new whiskies, and the latest on whisky exports.

Visit WhiskyCast at www.whiskycast.com

DIAGEO ANNOUNCES ITS SPECIAL RELEASES FOR 2011Diageo’s prolific collection of single malt Scotch whiskies, the Classic Malts Selection™, is augmented every year by the issue of a small portfolio of limited edition single malts, under the heading of Special Releases.

Diageo’s Special Releases 2011
The series has always aimed to intrigue, delight and sometimes surprise whisky connoisseurs and collectors, by presenting unusual, rare, collectable – but always deeply enjoyable – expressions of single malt whisky, all from original distillery stocks.

Some are affordable, others enjoy a rarity that imposes frankly aspirational prices. Many enjoy striking, specially designed packaging that enhances the pleasure of ownership and sharing.

Familiar distilleries are often present, but in unusual expression or ages. Other bottles are drawn from the precious and dwindling stocks of distilleries that ceased production last century. Most are bottled at natural cask strength and all without chill filtration. There are eight Special Releases this year; five are from closed distilleries; and the whole production is less than 60,000 bottles.

As Diageo’s Nick Morgan explains:

“We set out to include one or two really unexpected bottlings in the 2011 Special Releases collection. Very few whisky connoisseurs – possible none at all – will ever have encountered anything like the 20 year old glorious Port Dundas™ single grain whisky that we are offering this year, and since the distillery closed two years ago, it’ll be a rare experience for those who who get to try it now.

“By contrast, the 25 year old Knockando™ from first-fill ex-sherry casks might astonish those who thought they know this malt: this bottling is rich, deep-flavoured and very complex. The Glenury Royal™ at 40 years old is a very venerable (and inevitably expensive) bottling, an old-style after-dinner experience; but it shows no fatigue and is packed with flavour. Lovers of the Lowland style will be charmed by the Rosebank™ 21 year old.”

Older & Rarer
As in previous years, Brora™ and Port Ellen™ will be a focus for committed devotees of these irreplaceable single malts.

The Brora 32 year old is in a limited edition of only 1,404 bottles: compare the first release in this series, in 2002, which ran to 3,000 bottles.

The Port Ellen, also at 32 years old, comes in an edition of 2,988 bottles (compared with 12,000 bottles in 2002!). Rarer and older as the years go by, both are priced at £300 (UK RRSP).