A very wet but busy summer at Glenglassaugh

The Chosen Few

A first bottling of a new exclusive series of single cask bottling from Glenglassaugh Distillery titled “The Chosen Few” is now available.

Each bottling in this series is limited edition, from a single cask of Glenglassaugh and has been chosen by a different member of the team at the distillery. Each of the ten members of the team has made their choice and over the next 3 years the selected casks will be bottled and made available for sale. The selected casks include some from the very old stock of pre 1986 while others have not yet reached the age at which we can call them whisky but they will soon.

The first cask in the series is a 1976 sherry butt, chosen by Ronnie Routledge who is well known in the industry and beyond having previously worked with both Single Malts Direct and Gordon and Macphail. Ronnie is our customer accounts manager and is regularly active on “Friends of Glenglassaugh” on Facebook.

The whisky is a great example of a 35 year old cask which has loads of sherry, but not overpoweringly so, to complement the expected fruit medley notes and array of spices at the end, which is typical Glenglassaugh.

There are 654 bottles of the whisky, which is bottled in a 700ml tall round bottle and comes in a gold coloured round tube, in a similar livery to The Managers’ Legacy range. The whisky will retail in the UK at £300.00 per bottle. (Unfortunately due to bottling all of the cask in 700ml bottles it will not be available in USA or South Africa)

As usual it is bottled on site, at cask strength, with no chill filtration and with no colour added.

More Exclusive Releases

We have been working hard with a number of our distributors around the world and so will soon be able to announce exclusive releases of more single cask bottling in a number of markets. This follows the great success of an exclusive bottling for our German distributor Caminneci Wine and Spirit Partner which sold out extremely quickly.

I can reveal that we have agreed exclusive releases with importers in 4 different continents so if you are wanting to find one then you will have good chance that one will be coming to a country, relatively, near to you.

As the bottles are despatched to market I will let you know more about each bottling.

This activity has meant that we have been much busier in our small bottling operations recently and although it won’t help for this year, we are looking to move the bottling into a larger area on site and have a bottling and packaging area which is larger and better laid out and easier to work in.

Sherry Octaves

At the end of August we will receive delivery of our first batch of sherry octaves, direct from Spain. This will be another first in the industry as no-one else has matured spirit for full maturation in an ex-first fill sherry 50 litre cask. Many of you have taken the opportunity to order one of these casks and be one of the first people to own one and such has been the demand that we have pre-sold all of the first delivery.
However the good news is that we have a second batch due later this year and we are starting to take orders for this second delivery now.

Peated Spirit

Rather embarrassingly we have found that demand for our octaves to be filled with peated spirit has been greater than we xpected and we have no
peated spirit left. However we will be back in production shortly and as we are starting with peated malt then we will catch-up with the outstanding orders.
The growing demand for our peated spirit and the number of compliments that we receive about the quality has meant that we have decided to increase the volume of production of this type of new spirit again in 2011, which was already larger than 2010.

Visitor Centre

Well the windows, which we have been waiting on for a long time, have finally arrived. Ronnie Lawrence has been working hard on installing them and they have really transformed the place, although there is still a lot of work to be done.

The next stage will be installing the electrics, then loft insulation, then the flooring before moving on to the fittings and decoration.

We aiming to have it completed by the end of this year but with the above workload then Ronnie may a hand at times.

Glenglassaugh in the press

We have recently made more appearances in the press, firstly our recently released 45 year old single cask single malt Scotch whisky winning the summer Merchants Challenge in Scottish Field magazine. Ronnie Routledge was previously a judge for this magazine, although he is now barred as he works for a whisky company, and assures me that the competition is both fiercely competitive and tough with a high number of excellent whiskies.

Shortly after that I was interviewed as part of a article in SMWS magazine which elicited opinions on what a few people from the industry would do if there was no legislation on how Scotch whisky is manufactured. I voiced my opinion that more innovation should be allowed, particularly around in maturation and discovered that I had been described as “The Maturation Maverick”, must admit I kind of liked the title.

Finally the result of an interview with a business journalist in Edinburgh was a 2 page feature spread which appeared in the Scottish Daily Record business section and also in the Scottish Business Insider on-line magazine. http://www.business7.co.uk/features/business-profiles/2011/07/29/stuart-nickerson-profile-growth-has-been-double-digit-since-we-relaunced-106408-23305143/

Once again please feel free to comment below or send me an email or comment on “Friends of Glenglassaugh” on Facebook.

Slange

Stuart

Visit Glenglassaugh Distillery at www.glenglassaugh.com

Glenglassaugh Distillery Company Limited

Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, AB45 2SQ, Scotland

‘Best of the West Festival’

Plans are underway for an informal celebration of the West of Scotland’s splendid offerings to be held in the grounds of Inveraray Castle. Bring a driver and the family and join Loch Fyne Whiskies with some of our distilling neighbours for a couple of afternoons mellow chat, relaxing drams and great music…

Watch this space for news of the event as it develops, event brochure here

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

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

1994 Bruichladdich 16 Year Old K&L Exclusive Single Ardbeg Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Pre-Arrival) ($99.99) One of our good-natured business deals from Scotland ended up providing us with the chance to secure a single barrel of something quite special and unbelievably rare – an unpeated Islay whisky aged inside the cask of another peated Islay whisky! This 16 year old Bruichladdich spent its first 13 years in hogshead, lending it the standard vanilla and sweet grains the malt is known for. For the last 3 years however it sat soaking up the flavor from a barrel which had formerly held some super-smoky Ardbeg whisky. The residue left inside the wood was enough to turn a mild-mannered Bruichladdich into something smoky and aggressive. Very light in color, the nose is a combo of fresh malted barley and vegetal peat moss aromas. The palate is lean and mean with spicy pepper and wisps of smoke meandering in between the salty vanilla notes inherent in the malt itself. The finish is all peat smoke, but it’s an unfamiliar smoke – not peated Bruichladdich, but not Ardbeg either. As a fan of both distilleries, I find this marriage of the two styles exciting, delicious, and utterly fascinating. This will be a big hit with Islay fans and collectors everywhere. -David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer

Highland Park 15 Year Old Alchemist Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 1 available ($59.99)

Glenlivet XXV 25 year old Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $390) – 2 available ($299.99)

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 CA

Dear Customer

This month we offer you seven (7) new bottlings under the OLD MALT CASK label, one (1) new PREMIER BARREL, two (2) from OLD & RARE ,two (2) Old CLAN DENNY GRAINS, and six (6) new ADVANCE SAMPLE 20 cls bottlings. Also available this month is a new “big hitter” from the DOUBLE BARREL series – being Laphroaig/Mortlach.

Tasting notes for OLD MALT CASK follow –

OMC 2069 Glen Ord 14 Year Old
Nose: Opens clean & fresh – running to sweet fruit + a gristy style
Palate: Still sweet – a macerated ripe fruit character + gentle spices
Finish: Long – sweetly spiced with pleasant orange bitters lingering (J)

OMC 2067 Macallan 15 Year Old
Nose: Fresh & fragrant – carries a gristy/honey’ed sweet character
Palate: More honey combined with a rich spiced fruit & toffee quality
Finish: Long, carrying a real barley quality with spices and smoke lingering (F)

OMC 2070 Laphroaig 15 Year Old
Nose: Feisty –fresh – barleyed – spiced – and lightly oaked
Palate: Very fruity with crunched sugar, toffee, juicy barley + spice
Finish: Caramel sweet/warmingly spiced + with a camphor/cough drop style (F)

OMC 2073 Arran 15 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweetly + a crushed sugar quality + vanilla & ripe grapes
Palate: Still fruity – carrying a honeyed style + a fresh, sweet, citric trait
Finish: Remains sweet – now with a little tangerine – marmalade character (J)

OMC 2064 Laphroaig 21 Year Old
Nose: A subtle example – salty and earthy with hot beach sand + sweet barley.
Palate: Carries some real sweet peat + cinders & chewy muscovado sugar.
Finish: Detect: Camphor, iodine, phenols + spicy warmth + sugar and vanilla (F)

OMC 2072 Tamnavulin 21 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweetly spiced +tobacco & a bees wax quality + toffee waffles
Palate: Sweet & spicy running to ginger snaps + orange zest & chocolate
Finish: still spicy + more citrus (now spicy mandarin liqueur style) & tobacco (F & J)

OMC 2057 Glenlivet 34 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweetly running to a citrus style – lemon meringue pie
Palate: Smooth – softly spiced – carrying a hard candy sweetness
Finish: Long – still sweetly fruited – now with a lemon pith quality (J)

ADVANCE SAMPLES

SMC 0395 Glentauchers 11 Year Old
SMC 0399 Glen Grant 12 Year Old
SMC 0397 Highland Park 13 Year Old
SMC 0398 Allt A’Bhainne 14 Year Old
SMC 0400 Mortlach 14 Year Old
SMC 0396 Glen Ord 14 Year Old

Tasting Notes for CLAN DENNY GRAIN –

DEN 0069 Cambus 36 Year Old
Opens sweet & spicy and runs to a toffee & vanilla style with a honey-on-porridge character. Instantly detect the light oak and spicy nuances on the palate which continue in a sweet and warming, lightly peppered, rich quality. The finish is medium long, rich and smooth, reminiscent of sweet mocha butter cream. (F & J)

DEN 0068 Cameronbridge 37 Year Old
Opens sweetly on the nose carrying a rich toffee – and maybe even coffee – character plus a concentrated creamy vanilla style. The big palate is sweetly spiced and is round and mellow,
confirming the American/Bourbon origin of the cask reflected by the rich vanilla quality. The finish is typically short – carries a fruit cake style and is very attractively spiced, in a more-ish kind of way.(F&J)

Tasting Notes for OLD & RARE –

OAR 0135 GLENROTHES 21 Year Old Sherry Matured
It noses in a very spiced style and warms to barley with citrus – akin to a clove studded orange – whilst carrying a palate packed with sugary sweet Scotch tablet, more orange, and now some late cough drop type spices. The finish reflects the palate – though it is a little drier – still being spiced and still laced with an orange liqueur. (F)

OAR 0137 Speyside’s Finest 46 Year Old Sherry Matured
The nose opens with an appealing rich and “darkly” spiced character carrying a fresh leather & ground nuts (hazelnuts?) quality. The palate is mouth coatingly spiced with soft wood tones and runs to black cherries in alcohol and dark chocolate. The finish is long, gently oaked, and remains warmingly spiced with a “candied ginger coated in (more) dark chocolate”-style. (J)

Tasting Notes for PREMIER BARREL –

PBR 0102 Glen Grant 12 Year Old
Give me the Glen Grant! No I shan’t! Why! It’s my masterful mollifying meritorious malt mash which is now chock a block with choc that – then portrays peaches and vanilla virtuosity …… a veritable
peach (Melba) of a GG! (F)

We hope you will find some interesting Malts from this month’s selection and, as always, we send you best wishes.

Yours sincerely

Fred Laing

Visit Douglas Laing & Co. Ltd. at www.douglaslaing.com

Aberlour Goes for Gold at Leading International Spirit Competition

Aberlour has been awarded two Gold medals at one of the most prestigious international spirit competitions – the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2011.

Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured won a Gold ‘Best in Class’ medal at the competition while Aberlour 18 Year Old was presented with a Gold medal.

The Gold ‘Best in Class’ is the highest medal a spirit can receive in the competition. The IWSC judges commended the ‘great depth of character’ of Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured. The judge’s praise was also given to Aberlour 18 Year Old for its ‘inviting nose’ and a ‘creamy, rich flow and deep texture.’

Brand Director for Chivas Brothers Malts portfolio, Neil Macdonald, comments: “We are absolutely thrilled with these wins for Aberlour at this prestigious competition. The result highlights the quality of this multi-faceted and distinctive single malt whisky range which continues to attract wide acclaim from industry leaders such as the IWSC judges.”

The Aberlour malt whisky range has some very distinct characteristics, due to the fact it is matured in rare ex-sherry butts and ex-bourbon casks to ensure a perfect balance of flavours. The Aberlour range has a heritage stretching back more than 1,500 years to an ancient Celtic settlement established by St Drostan. Unlike most whiskies, the Aberlour brand name is synonymous with the Speyside village in which the original distillery is still located. The range has also recently undergone a packaging revamp to give the brand a more contemporary look and reflect the quality and richness of the whisky.

Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured – launched in 2003, this whisky is matured in sherry and traditional oak casks to ensure a depth of character as well as the spiciness and fruitiness of Aberlour.

Aberlour 18 Year Old – an intense whisky of perfect structure with notes of chocolate and orange zest, leading to a very long, smooth finish.

The IWSC was founded in 1969 to promote and reward the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. Winners are selected following a rigorous two-stage judging process of professional blind tasting and a detailed technical analysis. The competition is backed by a group of vice-presidents made up of the most influential individuals in the trade and a judging panel of industry experts. This year’s competition received entries from almost 80 countries.

Notes:

Chivas Brothers
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

In July 2010, Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

For further information: Visit: www.chivasbrothers.com

Tickets for the 2nd Masterclass at the UK’s Midlands Whisky Festival 2011 are on sale now !

Willie Tait Jura UK Masterclass.

The Man Himself

We are ecstatically chuffed to accept this whisky giant to tutor at this special event on 24th September.

You will be tasting some of the rarest & most delicate single malts Jura has to offer, Jura 30 yo & 21 yo Anniversary. Demand for these tickets will be extremely high and only 30 places are available priced just £10.

Event time : 2:15 till 3:00 pm (45min duration).

All samples will be pre-poured at table settings.

Click on the link to Buy tickets for Willie Tait Masterclass  

Tasting of Single-Malt Scotches from Scottish Independent Bottler Gordon & MacPhail
Tuesday, August 16th 2011 4:30 P.M. & 6:00 P.M.

Joe writes,

Next Tuesday we will host a tasting of some excellent malts from one of our favorite bottlers, Gordon & MacPhail. As usual we will have pourings in the store at two times, free of charge. The malts on offer will show a wide spectrum: Lowlands – Highlands – Speyside and Islands. Although we will not have any malts showing big peat there will be a young buck from Orkney that will keep most happy, it’s a real cracker. We will also have one or two closed distilleries, and bottlings ranging from great values in younger whisky to ancient gems. Full details soon, watch the website. ( It’s Getting Better )

In addition we’ll be putting out special offers on all manner of single-malts this week over Twitter. If you’re not on that particular social media platform you should seriously consider signing up and following us @federalwine. All offers will be released first on Twitter then following that, a roundup of the week’s offers will appear in next week’s newsletter. These will comprise both new and old releases and all will be extremely limited in quantity.

——————————————————————————–

Email: info@federalwine.com
Phone: (617) 367-8605
Web: http://www.federalwine.com/  

Anyone looking for a good quality young single malt that’s off the malt-radar? Whisky Review 212 – Edradour ( Bourbon Cask Vintage 2003 @ 57.4%) … is a good example and well worth the effort.

See for yourself at www.ralfy.com

Single Malts Direct is pleased to announce the arrival of whisky ranges from the distilleries of Lagavulin and Highland Park.

Located on the rocky south coast of Islay, Lagavulin distillery is well known for producing whiskies with a distinctive mix of peat and smoke flavours. These characteristics are exemplified in the 2010 bottling of a limited edition 12 Year Old, the ninth in a series of special twelve-year-old releases from the original distiller’s stocks. With a golden-yellow colour, this is an attractive single malt reminiscent of sunlit straw. On the nose, the 12 Year Old is initially smoky and peaty, followed by sweetness with hints of apples, vanilla and toffee. You might also notice a slight saltiness showing through.

This saltiness is continued on the palate, where it develops into a light iodine taste. Citrus notes also emerge; but the main attraction here is the strong smoky flavour, which is married with a fitting dryness. The aftertaste is long and powerful, with a lingering lightly-charred flavour.

Bottled at cask strength, the 12 Year Old is perfect for the connoisseur and anyone with a penchant for Islay whiskies. The addition of a little water will help to define the flavours and reveal the whisky’s depths.
Highland Park is a highly regarded distillery situated atop a hill in the Orkney capital of Kirkwall. You’ve probably already heard of their 18 Year Old, which revered spirits writer F. Paul Pacult has named the “Best Spirit in the World”, commenting “it’s totally in harmony, there are no rough edges and everything is melded together brilliantly.” The whisky has a natural, burnished gold colour and a rich nose and taste. Sniff this malt and you’ll notice the scents of mature oak and butter tablet. On the palate, the 18 Year Old has a rich peaty flavour with the sweetness of heather honey. Overall, this is a complex whisky with a finish both long and soft .
As well as the acclaimed 18 Year Old, Single Malts Direct also stocks a number of Highland Park’s other offerings; and each one is a truly unique character in itself. The 40 Year Old is a magnificently matured single malt that you’ll want to linger over. Due to the nature of the bottling, supply is always limited; so think about adding this one to your collection soon. Another real character is the 8 Year Old produced as part of the MacPhail’s Collection. It may seem young, but this whisky – matured in sherry casks for a warm reddish colour and a distinctive finish – has an impressive body, interwoven with smoky and spicy flavours. Bottled exclusively for whisky specialists Gordon & Macphail, this single malt is not widely available and is being offered at a great price.

Visit Single Malts Direct at www.singlemaltsdirect.com

LUCK OF THE IRISH PREVAILS AS BARTON IRISH WHISKEY WINS SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS IN SPIRITS COMPETITIONS

Also Named “Best Buy” and Received “89” points from Beverage Testing Institute

NEW ORLEANS, LA (Aug. 2011) – Irish eyes have been smiling upon Barton Irish Whiskey lately, with its first silver medal win in the Los Angeles Wine & Spirits Competition (LAIWSC), a bronze medal win in the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), and some good marks from the Beverage Testing Institute.

This relative newcomer to the “hot” Irish Whiskey category was rated “Highly Recommended” with a score of 89 points and a “Best Buy” at the 2011 International Review of Spirits, conducted by the Beverage Testing Institute.

“We’ve only had this product on the market for about a year, so to receive these accolades so quickly is exciting,” said Lori Logan, brand director, Irish Whiskies. “We’ve always known our Barton Irish Whiskey had a taste and quality that over delivered for the price, especially compared to the competition. To have it rated so highly and be named a best buy just reinforces what both on premise accounts and consumers are quickly discovering – Barton Irish Whiskey is a great product at a great price!”

Logan acknowledges the award-winning taste of the Barton Irish Whiskey is due to its partnership with the much famed Cooley Distillery in Ireland. Cooley distills and blends Barton Irish Whiskey in Ireland at its highly acclaimed distillery, named the 2010 Distillery of the Year by Malt Advocate Magazine, 2008 World Distiller of the Year and 2008 European Distiller of the Year. The product is double distilled and matured in former bourbon barrels for a minimum of four years, giving it its smooth and slightly sweet taste profile which is traditionally associated with the best Irish Whiskey.

The Irish Whiskey category has experienced strong growth trends over the past ten years. According to the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA), Irish Whiskey has had a 10 year growth of more than 230% and is expected to exceed 1.5 million cases by the year 2013.

“It’s a great category to be in right now,” continued Logan. “The growth has been steadily climbing over the past few years, and is expected to keep on going. To be able to offer a premium product that is 33% more liquid than our competitors for the same price just makes it even better!

Barton Irish Whiskey is available in a 1 liter size for $19.99.

About The Sazerac Company

Barton Irish Whiskey is bottled and distributed by the Sazerac Company. Sazerac is one of New Orleans’ oldest family owned, privately held companies and has operations in New Orleans, Louisiana; Frankfort, Bardstown, Louisville and Owensboro, Kentucky; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carson, California; and Baltimore, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.sazerac.com.