I’m on Google+ and there’s whisky chat there already! Are you on it?

The social media team have signed me up for Google+ and you can find me talking whisky via the link. or http://www.gplus.to/richardpaterson

I would loved to have had http://www.gplus.to/whisky as my name instead of Richard Paterson but it looks like I was beaten to it by this little pooch!

But I want to know if you are on there, talking all things drams…

It’s great to see that there’s already been some whisky chat on Google+ by the likes of Gal Granov, Blair Bowman, Whisky2.0, Scotch Hobbyist, Sjoerd de Haan-kramer, Scotch Hobbyist, Armin Grewe and many others, but let’s see who else is on there – let’s build a list of all the whisky fans on Google+.

If you are on it, leave your details below so I can add you to whisky drinking circles – and also let me know what country you’re from in case I do circles by country. What we’ll do is by the end of the week (hopefully) is publish a full list of all whisky fans on Google+ so we can all chat (and dram) together!

och, another crammed packed tour; Three day express whisky tour – taken by Paul and Tim (Angels Whisky Club Moscow Ambassador). 3 days, 6 distilleries, 1 art studio, Duncan Taylor, Rosslyn Chapel, McTears and a Police station.

Thursday; met Tim at 08.30 Edinburgh airport. Immediately drove to Glasgow where we had an appointment with Stephen at McTears auction house. Er well, we got lost, my fault! Junction 23 on the motorway was closed off, we drove around a while looking for a way off, ended up at Junc 25, stopped at a police station and asked how to find McTears? as Junc 23 closed. We were no far away actually, there in 5 minutes. So in we go, looking around the new layout of whisky room and taking a closer look at many auction offerings for later in the month (Paul’s amongst them). We then headed off north to Loch Lomond distillery, where Gavin Durnin (Sales Director) took us around. This distillery is closed to the public. An unusual place this, it has grain and malt in one distillery, the stills use towers/columns for 4 stills and is really unusual, the SWA call them Lomond towers but we were assured they are not. A really good tour here of everywhere, distillery, cooperage, warehouse etc with a cup of tea!!! After this superb tour we had (I wont say enjoyed) a Big Mac each, eeek. Drove to the A9 and headed north. We were trying for Cardhu but ran oot of time. So at Findhorn (aye, that far north) we ate a hearty meal, then paid a visit to artist Jonathan Wheeler, where Tim enjoyed the artwork so much he bought some! Retreating to Banff now and our hotel, a pint of cider and bed to watch telly, knackered!

Friday; an early start again, first call Glenglassaugh. Tim has a cask here (so do other recent tour groups we have taken here) so we had to see it, in fact, taste it to see how it’s coming along. Graeme Morrison took us into the cask house, Graeme is now Maturation Manager and a grand man he is. A quick chat with Stuart and we departed to Sandend for a few quick pix, before heading to Duncan Taylor, Huntly, where Tim took samples for casks he is considering. I seem to be almost a local here, called in so many times recently. We then flew off to Cragganmore for a tour, a really lovely lass Claire showed us round, a typical Diageo place but nevertheless a decent tour here. Then another closed to the public distillery; Tomintoul, where Tom took us round, excellent! Really enjoyed this tour, many thanks to Tom, with a great look around and tasting, perfect! We headed into the village for some grub and a look at the worlds largest whisky bottle! Oh and a brief call in a Glenlivet. Then drove through thunder and typhoon like rain all the way to Perth. Checked Tim into the hotel and went home myself. Liz came through and we three went for a superb meal at Kerachers restaurant. Tim went back to his hotel, Liz and myself to my hoose for a few drinks and relaxing.

Saturday; oh did I enjoy my bed this morning!!! A lie in as I met Tim at 09.00, sent some whisky away via the post office before heading to Rosslyn Chapel, very nice! Then to Glenkinchie distillery. No the best tour to be honest. Then into the city and a visit to the Vintners Rooms where they have over 1300 whisky bottles. Finally to South Queensferry for a meal and check Tim into his hotel (pre next day flight). A short tour but crammed, drove home to Perth tired and knackered, had a cup o tea, saw some telly and hit me bed!

Tomintoul Stills

Tour designed, driven and guided by Paul McLean www.mcleanscotland.com and www.angelswhiskyclub.com

Bluffer’s Guide to Whisky (£10 / ticket)
The Red Lion, Crown Passage, London SW1
Monday August 22nd 2011, 7.30pm

For those who ‘always wanted to know about whisky, but were afraid to ask’…

We recognize that not everyone knows their Peat from their Pot Stills or their Glenlivet from their Glenmorangie, so this series has been put together with these poor, misguided individuals in mind!
Six whiskies from the various whisky-making regions of Scotland in a tasting designed to get the learning juices flowing.

Want to impress your Dad/Grandad? Want to know your blends from your malts? Want to know more and taste more? Then this is the event for you! Eddie Ludlow, founder and Whisky Evangelist of The Whisky Lounge guides you along the start of your journey towards Whisky Valhalla. Life will never be the same again. Ever.

If you would like to purchase tickets for this event as a gift, please email us at info@thewhiskylounge.com upon completion of your order. We can then email you a PDF with a gift voucher for you to print and pop into a card of your choice!

The Red Lion, Crown Passage, London SW1

… test out those taste-buds with Whisky Review 209 (4/7) – Whisky Masterclass (Tasting) .. with compliments from Ralfy!

Visit Ralfy at www.ralfy.com

Dear Customer

This month we have eight (8) new PROVENANCE releases:

PRV0712 MORTLACH SHERRY FINISHED 8 YEAR OLD
Opens with a sweetly spiced character running to a warming, coffee & chocolate praline quality. The palate is spicy and carries a dried raisin sweetness, reminiscent of old fortified wines. The finish is long, still spicy with a soft anise style. (J)

PRV0689 FETTERCAIRN 10 YEAR OLD
Opens with a fresh hay like and fruity (peaches) character on the nose and develops to a green malt quality. The palate is sweet and carries a strawberry jam,macerated fruit, and elderflower style. The finish is short but sweet and remains pleasingly fresh & light. (J)

PRV0713 CRAGGANMORE 11 YEAR OLD
The sweet nose carries a fresh vanilla’d character with a creamy, home baked quality. The palate is still sweet, now spicier plus a rich malty character. The finish is medium long, barley sugared and runs drier towards the end. (J)

PRV0668 ROYAL BRACKLA 11 YEAR OLD
Fresh and clean on the nose, runs to a sweet fruity style –just like opening a bag of wine gums! Still sweet on the palate, now honeyed, and carries to a gristy quality. The finish is round and mellow with a ripe pear style. (J)

PRV0705 ARRAN 12 YEAR OLD
On the nose – detect its full malty goodness with citrus and even some crème caramel tones! The palate has a smooth entry into barley, oak, Scottish tablet and clove studded orange –which all runs into a finish full of liquorice, vanilla, oak and more barley all being apparent. (F)

PRV0655 GLEN GRANT 12 YEAR OLD
Opens fresh and sweet on the nose – running to an alcoholic fruit salad style – plus a home baked biscuit quality. The palate is full and round, sweetly spiced, still fruity, carrying a grist and honey style. The finish is long, with an attractive butterscotch character running to a toffee sponge finale. (J)

PRV0706 GLEN ORD 12 YEAR OLD
The fresh and sweetly fruited nose runs to an attractively light, grassy character. The palate replicates the nose with poached pears in a spicy vanilla syrup style. The finish remains fruity now with orange pith and a spicy tang. (J)

PRV0716 MACALLAN 13 YEAR OLD
The nose is fresh & clean, carrying a freshly ground malt character plus some golden syrup. The palate opens sweetly and runs to a fruit jelly and vanilla’d (custard style) quality. The finish remains fruitily sweet throughout, now with a tangy citric character. (J)

We hope you will appreciate these latest releases!

Best regards,

Fred Laing
Managing Director

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

Luke Donald and Ballantine’s Toast Scottish Open Success

As world No 1 Luke Donald put on an impressive display to win the Barclays Scottish Open, Ballantine’s, Europe’s No 1 range of blended Scotch whisky, celebrated its fifth successful year as an Official Supplier to the tournament (7th-10th July 2011).

Donald clinched the title by four shots over Fredrik Andersson Hed in the final round of the tournament yesterday. He was recognised for his efforts by being presented with a bottle of Ballantine’s 30 Year Old – the brand’s pinnacle expression.

Play at the tournament resumed on Sunday morning after adverse weather led to a restructure of the tournament, with a total of three rounds played. Now recognised as of one Scotland’s most iconic golfing events, this year’s Scottish Open took place at the challenging Highland links course of Castle Stuart for the first time. Overlooking the Moray Firth in Inverness, the stunning course, which is situated close to Ballantine’s spiritual home, Glenburgie Distillery, welcomed a host of star players, including the current Ballantine’s Championship winner Lee Westwood, as well as Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, Colin Montgomerie and Angel Cabrera.

Ballantine’s presence at this year’s Scottish Open included two branded bars for spectators, prominent on-course signage and player rewards such as a bottle of Ballantine’s 12 Year Old for an eagle on the 12th hole and a bottle of Ballantine’s 21 Year Old for the lowest round of the day.

Speaking at the tournament yesterday, Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, said: “We are proud to be continuing our support for the Barclays Scottish Open. This year’s tournament is an important one for us – not only because it heralds our fifth consecutive year as an Official Supplier, but also because we are only a stone’s throw from Glenburgie Distillery – where one of the signature malts in the Ballantine’s blend is produced.

“The proximity of the golf course and the distillery highlights the similarities between golf and Ballantine’s whisky – both are from Scotland, share a long and engaging heritage, and are enjoyed throughout the world.”

Ballantine’s association with golf can be traced back to at least 1960 when the Ballantine’s Tournament took place at Wentworth golf course. More than fifty years later, Ballantine’s is the title sponsor of the high-profile Ballantine’s Championship, Korea’s first and only European Tour event and the country’s largest golf tournament, to which the brand is committed until at least 2013. Ballantine’s has been official supplier to the Scottish Open since 2007.

Notes:

Ballantine’s is the No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the No 1 ultra-premium whisky in Asia Pacific, selling more than 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 80 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the iconic 30 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827.

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.

THE MACALLAN VISITOR ATTRACTION WINS FIVE STAR ACCOLADE

The Macallan Visitor Centre, Speyside, has been awarded the prestigious five star rating from VisitScotland’s quality assurance scheme, confirming the distillery as a world class destination.

The annual review by VisitScotland consists of unannounced visits by an auditor who assesses core areas covering all aspects which have an impact on a customer’s visit, including: promotional literature; signage; appearance of grounds and buildings; the welcome given by staff; attitude and appearance of staff; decor and maintenance; ambience; merchandise presentation.

Following the completion of an investment programme of over £1m, The Macallan Visitor Centre offers a highly innovative and distinctive distillery experience. A memorable and interactive learning journey takes visitors through the production life-cycle of The Macallan including two significant areas, The Masters of Spirit Experience and The Masters of Wood Experience.

Easter Elchies Estate, overlooking the river Spey, has been The Macallan’s spiritual home since the distillery was founded in 1824 and welcomes visitors from across the world all year round. Visitors can choose between two tours. The Experience Tour is lead by The Macallan‘s friendly and knowledgeable guides, ending with a dram of The Macallan while the Precious Tour is more in-depth ending with a tutored nosing and tasting of some of The Macallan’s older whiskies.

Alec Reid, Visitor Centre Manager, The Macallan commented: “The team truly feel we have developed an outstanding experience for our visitors and this accolade is testament to that. In addition to our rich heritage, visitors can enjoy a modern and unique interpretation of what makes The Macallan single malt so distinctive and appreciated as the world’s most precious whisky. We all feel rewarded by this recognition and will continue to maintain the high standards that have led to this latest achievement. ”

VisitScotland has operated a quality assurance scheme for visitor attractions since 1995. The scheme gives operators an independent quality assurance award and incorporates the inspection of properties for Thistle tourist signposting.

The Macallan tours should be pre-booked by calling 01340 872280 or emailing distillery@themacallan.com. The Experience Tour is priced £10 per adult and £5 per child (aged 8 – 17 years). The Precious Tour is priced £20 per adult.

www.themacallan.com

Please enjoy our brand responsibly. www.drinkaware.co.uk

Notes:

Booking is essential on all tours. Only children aged 8+ are permitted.

The Masters of Spirit Experience: this area fuses art and science through the medium of electron micrographs, highlighting the role played by raw materials such as copper, granite, wood and water as well as barley, yeast and enzymes. This experience ends a powerful display of the ‘new make spirit’ presented as a spectacular liquid flow around a pipework sculpture.

The Masters of Wood Experience: complementing The Masters of Spirit Experience, this area allows visitors to learn about the interaction of spirit and wood and how an unfaltering obsession with cask selection contributes to the natural colours, aromas and flavours that gives The Macallan its renowned character.

The timeless reputation of The Macallan is founded upon Six Pillars:

The Spiritual Home

Easter Elchies House proudly watches over The Macallan distillery in Speyside, Scotland. Built in 1700, this Jacobean manor house is The Macallan’s spiritual home.

Curiously Small Stills

The Macallan’s curiously small and uniquely shaped copper stills help to concentrate the flavour of the ‘new make’ spirit.

The Finest Cut

The ‘cut’ is the amount of distilled spirit collected from the stills as ‘new make’ spirit. The Macallan takes one of the finest ‘cuts’ of any distillery in Scotland; typically just 16% goes forward to fill or our casks.

Exceptional Oak Casks

The Macallan’s unfaltering obsession with selecting exceptional oak casks contributes fundamentally to the outstanding quality and distinctive character of The Macallan.

Natural Colour

The Macallan insists upon Natural Colour. It is the interaction of spirit and wood alone which delivers the rich variety of colour, aroma and taste evident throughout the range.

Peerless Spirit

The Macallan remains the single malt against which all others must be judged. It is celebrated far and wide by experts and discerning drinkers as the world’s most precious whisky.

TWE Whisky Show Masterclass: The Gordon & Macphail Timeline

This is just a quick post to point you to a more in depth post, but following on from the announcement of our first masterclass at this year’s Whisky Exchange Whisky Show we are proud to announce our second – The Gordon & Macphail timeline. The title doesn’t tell you all that much, but we ..…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK 

July 14th  (Thursday) Single Malt Tasting 7:00 p.m.

“Mother Always Liked You Best!” Whiskies that are great but few ask for them at the Dell. $50 per person. Applies to purchase. Reservations are accepted but not required. 402.553.9501 or patg@dundeedell.com

Kilchoman

Anthony Wills, Managing Director and founder of Kilchoman Distillery had a dream that he could produce a single malt whisky crafted soley from Kilchoman Distillery. His dream came to fruition this year with this limited edition 100% Islay bottling. Every part of crafting this very special malt; the barley growing, distillation, maturation to bottling was completed at Kilchoman Distillery, Islay.

Two bottles were released in celebration. A limited edition Inaugural 100% Islay at 50% ABV, and also a beautiful cask strength version that is presented in a hand crafted American white oak box, which was only released at the distillery in very limited numbers.

100% Islay Cask Strength

£295

Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release

£79

Abbey Whisky
07890 983 844 
enquiries@abbeywhisky.com
www.abbeywhisky.com