Antiquary 12yo (40%, OB, +/-2010)

A premium blend from the nice people at Tomatin Distillery and they described it as “A smooth well-balanced, deluxe blend which displays the mellowness expected from a top quality brand. Each whisky has a minimum age of 12 years and has been selected to combine all the strengths and subtleness of Scottish whisky at its best.”

The nose starts off quite citrusy, lots of lemon and herbs followed by some good malt and perhaps a little brine, a little short bread or cake. All very nice and clean, nothing to upset the apple cart. The taste is malty and very good while being slightly more rounded than the nose. This is actually very good. A little more character in the form of some goo influence from the cask(s) which binds it all together rather well. Some good sweet malt arrives after a moment or two.  Some cocoa too. The finish is malty and clean with some of the above descriptors showing well. A long finish that leaves you chewing away at the malt for quite a while and thinking of the next sip.

What a surprise and a very pleasant one at that.  All those positive comments on the Whisky Exchange website were  bang on target.

£28

Score 85 points.

http://www.tomatin.com/the-range/the-blends

AUSTRALIA WELCOMES JIM BEAM ROYALITY IN CELEBRATION OF ‘THE NEW BLACK’

Fred Noe

Australia, 25th May 2011: Jim Beam, The Bourbon, is excited to welcome seventh generation Beam Distiller, and Jim Beam’s great grandson, Fred Noe, to Australia to celebrate the re-launch of Jim Beam Black.

Arriving at the end of the month, Noe will help promote Jim Beam Black as part of a wider strategy focused on repositioning the brand as THE premium bourbon. As part of this strategy, Jim Beam Black recently released sleek black and silver packaging, giving the brand a distinctive look which reflects its premium liquid.

“I’m looking forward to my visit to Australia at the end of May to celebrate the relaunch of Jim Beam Black. Jim Beam Black was rated the number one North American Whiskey by the Beverage Tasting Institute which goes to show what a great product it really is, and I’m sure Australians will think so too,” said Noe.

Reinforcing “There’s No Hiding The Flavour” with Jim Beam Black, Noe will educate consumers and the trade on the brand’s premium strength, quality and flavour through a range of product tastings and events. The events will take place in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, offering premium bourbon enthusiasts and retail the chance to meet Noe and learn about the brand’s premium quality credentials.

“With the relaunch of Jim Beam Black, Fred’s visit is a key part of motivating and educating consumers and trade partners on the products premium qualities. We’re really excited we have this opportunity to introduce Fred Noe to the premium bourbon drinkers of Australia, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to producing quality bourbon and is the perfect spokesperson for Jim Beam Black at this exciting time,” commented Jim Beam Brand Director Ray Noble.

Activity supporting the relaunch will include a range of below-the-line developments;including on and off-premise point-of-sale, ambient displays and consumer giveaways. In addition, the campaign will be driven by online media, sponsorships and PR activities.

Fred Noe will be visiting from 31st May – 11th June and will be hosting the following events:

Brisbane
Bourbon Appreciation Evening, hosted by Fred Noe and Jim Beam Racing
When: 6.30pm for a 7pm start, Wednesday 1st June 2011
Where: Dick Johnson Racing, 10 Emeri Street Stapylton

Sydney
Customer Lunch, hosted by Fred Noe
When: 12.30pm – 3.30pm, Friday 3rd June 2011
Where: Parra Firehouse, Parramatta Leagues Club, 13-15 O’Connell Street, Parramatta

Perth
5 Course Bourbon Themed Dinner including tasting and bottle signing by Fred Noe
When: 7.00pm – 11.00pm, Thursday 9th June, 2011
Where: Tiger Lils, 437 Murray St, Perth

Summer is just around the corner and things are warming up nicely here on Jura. I’m not talking about the weather of course – that’s as unpredictable as ever with yesterday’s gale force winds and today’s volcanic ash cloud!– but preparations for our annual whisky festival, taking place later this week, are well underway!

In fact this year looks to be one of our biggest celebrations yet, and tickets have sold out already. But don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to get involved and enjoy a dram of your favourite tipple without having to visit us in person. Just visit our website – it’s just a wee bit easier to get to than the island itself!

Our website is all set up to capture the mood of the festivities perfectly. You can share your thoughts in our festival guestbook, upload images of Jura – past and present in our gallery and enter an exclusive competition to win one of several Jura Tasting Kits.

Regardless of whether you’re one of our lucky winners or not you’ll still be able to enjoy our special online (and exclusive to Diurachs) tasting session. I’ll be hosting this with Willie Tait and it will be available on the website for you to enjoy shortly after we’ve had time to recover from the festivities on the island.

You can take a sneak preview at this year’s programme here. Festivities include the release of a special bottling and a distillery tour taking in views from the island’s newest standing stone – and much more besides! We’ll also be filming all the best bits of the festival and putting them online so you can take part virtually anywhere.

So whether you’re coming in person or just in spirit, we look forward to welcoming you to the celebrations. Look out for our newly refurbished Distillery Visitor Centre – it’s bound to make an appearance in some of the footage.

And remember I love hearing from you so stay in touch.

Slainte

Willie Cochrane
Jura Distillery Manager

P.S. If you have friends or family who also share your passion for Jura whisky and might like to become Diurachs send them to www.isleofjura.com where they’ll discover more about our mystical isle.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

For those of you who have contacted us for a place at the upcoming Ardbeg tasting here at Vinopolis; if you have not heard from us today, then unfortunately your name was not selected in our lottery draw.

If it makes you feel any better (which it probably won’t), we had well over 300 applicants for only 40 places at the event.

Rest assured however that we do have plenty of other exciting events lined up for the rest of the year, so keep your eyes peeled for future newsletters!

Sláinte,

The Team

Exclusive Member Offer – Celebrate Father’s Day with The Glenlivet

The Glenlivet 21 Yr Old is the perfect way to celebrate any special occasion so we’ve put together an exclusive Taste The Glenlivet member offer for Father’s day.

Buy a bottle of The Glenlivet 21 Year Old from The Whisky Exchange before Sunday 19th June 2011 quoting the code TGL21 at checkout and you will receive a complimentary copy of Ian Buxton’s best selling whisky guide ‘101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die’.

The first 200 orders placed will also include a pair of The Glenlivet premium tasting glasses* from which you can enjoy your favourite dram.

Amongst some great company ‘101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die’ describes The Glenlivet 21 Year Old as ‘a real stamp of quality and drinking satisfaction’. It was written by whisky expert Ian Buxton who features on our Video Tasting Guide.

Order before 16/06/2011 to guarantee delivery in time for Father’s Day.

Order here…

The single malt that started it all.

Society Cask Ends Sale: Only a few parcels left!

Cask End Parcels are dwindling fast – we expect to sell-out today or tomorrow.  Top-up NOW to avoid disappointment. 

Cask Ends Parcel A: Ex-sherry casks
£95.oo inc free p&p 

Cask Ends Parcel B: Ex-bourbon casks
£95.00 inc. free p&p

Cask Ends Parcel C: Ex-sherry & bourbon casks
£95.00 inc. free p&p

Additional Bottle Offer: Buy 2.78 for only £49.00 instead of £69.10 when you buy ANY Cask Ends Parcel

2.78 Kissed up by sweet promises
Speyside Spey
The nose had some seconds of spikiness, with pine resin and potato schnapps, but quickly settled to delicate aromatics of plum blossom, cherry wood shavings, lilac and candied angelica; then lovely sweet promises kissed up – vanilla, honeycomb, Ferrero Rocher

Society Tastings & Events (43 Society tastings online)

Dunfermline Preview Tasting – Garvock House Hotel
Guildford Preview Tasting – Manor House Hotel, Thu 26 May
York Preview Tasting – Bedern Hall, Fri 27 May
Liverpool Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 27 May
Cardiff Preview Tasting – Novotel, Fri 27 May
Champions League Final – Queen Street, Fri 27 May
New Outturn Open Tasting – London, Sat 4 June
New Outturn Tasting – The Vaults, Sun 5 June
‘Classic’ Malt Tasting – Queen Street, Sat 11 June

Society Whisky Tastings

Whatever and wherever our tasting or event, the main focus is to give members an informal, enjoyable and relaxed night out..with a taste of the single cask good stuff!

Events range from step by step instruction in how to get the most from tasting single cask, single malt whisky to more adventurous couplings of whisky with food.

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. 

Born in the USA

Isle of Skye continues to surge in popularity in the States. We decided to find out the ‘secret to success’ from Lynn Kohl at our US Importer, ImpEx:

“It’s the blend that thinks it’s a single malt”. With a greater percentage of single malt and the added ageing in bourbon barrels, both the seasoned “Maltheads” and perhaps more importantly, the new Scotch drinker, have become aware that this fine blend is not only an affordable everyday dram but also has a richness that far surpasses their old familiar choices. Having grown-up, (now also growing beyond beers), those consumers aged 20-30’s are moving on. They do not want their father’s drink. Isle of Skye is a unique Scotch Blend and they are now claiming ownership of that uniqueness.

The success of Ian Macleod’s Isle of Skye 8 Year Old has undoubtedly whetted the appetite of the U.S. market and consumers are demanding more expressions. We at ImpEx Beverages Inc. will be introducing the Isle of Skye 12 Year Old in the Fall of 2011. To assist in promoting the new Isle of Skye 12 Year Old, ImpEx is launching the “Pub It Up” campaign which highlights our new, younger fan’s love of sports, whisky and gathering places — their local pubs and sports bars.

Read all the Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky NEWS at www.isleofskyewhisky.com/news/

Old Parr 12yo (40%, OB, +/-2010)

Launched in 1909 with top markets in Japan, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. The variants are Grand Old Parr (12 year old), Old Parr (15 year old) and Old Parr Superior (18 year old). Old Parr is well known as a traditional blended Scotch whisky with its unique bottle design. Thomas Parr (known as “Old Par”) was apparently Britain’s oldest man. He lived for 152 years and at the age of 122 he married for the second time. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, London. (From Diageo)

On the nose it’s slightly restrained at first but still pleasant, very much middle of the road if one is stumped for a collection of descriptors then simply saying ‘whisky’ would put you in the ball park. Some further time in the glass reveals (some what begrudgingly) some toffee notes and some hints of oak spice. Some further time in the glass brings out some citrus and quite possibly a little bit of peat smoke. All slightly elusive but still pleasant. The taste is really very nice and again not over whelming in any one area; very much middle of the road with some good sweetness, a little dark chocolate, a little malt dust and some more of the oak spice. Any weight come in the form of Bovril (just a tinge) and some Ovalteen. The finish is malty and honeyed, very mouth filling but does not stray from the script as previously described. It’s actually quite long but the dark chocolate bitterness gives way to a slightly less appealing bitterness after a minute or so but then the toffee re-emerges so all is forgiven. After a few minutes some good malt shows up…

Quite a pleasant dram and nice to try after seeing it in books for so many years.

Only $28

Score 81 points.

BROWN-FORMAN UNVEILS “TRIPLE CROWN OF COCKTAILS”

Woodford Reserve® and Early Times featured in signature drinks of Kentucky Derby®, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes

Louisville, KY – Brown-Forman Corporation has unveiled the Triple Crown of cocktails for the 2011 racing season. Woodford Reserve® bourbon and Early Times Kentucky Whisky are both featured as main ingredients of the signature cocktails of all three Triple Crown races.

The Early Times Mint Julep

Official Cocktail of the Kentucky Derby

The mint julep is the Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby and the Early Times Mint Julep has been the Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby for the past 24 years. Over 120,000 Early Times Mint Juleps are served at Churchill Downs® during Derby week.

 2 ounces Early Times Kentucky Whisky

1 Tablespoon Simple Syrup

Mint Sprigs

Crushed Ice

Muddle a few mint leaves in the bottom of your mint julep cup, then fill with crushed ice.  Add one tablespoon of simple syrup and two ounces Early Times Kentucky Whisky.  Stir gently until glass frosts.  Garnish with a fresh mint sprig, sip and enjoy.

The Black-Eyed Susan

Official Cocktail of the Preakness

The Preakness Stakes is held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland and marks the second leg of the Triple Crown. The Black-Eyed Susan serves as the Official Drink of the Preakness and Early Times Kentucky Whisky is a key ingredient to this signature cocktail.

1 ¼ ounces Early Times Kentucky Whisky

¾ ounces vodka

3 ounces sweet and sour mix

2 ounces orange juice

Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Woodford Reserve Belmont Jewel

Official Cocktail of the Belmont Stakes

The third and final leg of the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes, held every June at Belmont Park® in Elmont, NY. Woodford Reserve is the Official Bourbon of the Belmont Stakes and is the main ingredient for the Official Cocktail, the Belmont Jewel.

1 ½ oz. Woodford Reserve

2 oz.  Lemonade

1 oz.  Pomegranate juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain over ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge or cherry.

About Brown-Forman

For over 140 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Canadian Mist, Early Times Kentucky Whisky, Fetzer, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord and Woodford Reserve. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by nearly 4,000 employees and sold in approximately 135 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, please visit http://www.brown-forman.com/.

Berry Brothers & Rudd
The Britons Protection, Manchester 
Friday June 17th 2011, 7.30pm 
 
£22.00 / ticket       

Berry Brothers and Rudd have long been associated with fine wine and their shop in St. James’, London is a real experience and akin to stepping back in time to Dickensian Britain. For some years now they have also been developing a formidable reputation for bottling fine whiskies. These normally take the form of single cask, single malt and bottled at no less than 46% ABV. Join us on this fantastic evening when Eddie Ludlow will be showing off some of the latest and greatest additions from this most incredible independent bottler. Due to the sheer breadth of what they bottle, this tasting really is suitable for all tastes and we believe your breath will be taken away by the quality on offer!

The whiskies will be available to purchase on the night.

As always each tasting is designed to be fun and enjoyable for all levels of whisky drinker, and is not a lecture. You will almost certainly learn something new every time, but if you don’t walk out with a smile on your face then there we have done something wrong!

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!

(You will not be sent a ticket through the post. Your details will be added to the event register and all you need to do is print the payment confirmation page and bring it with you to the event).

Visit The Whisky Lougne at www.thewhiskylounge.com