Society Cask Ends Sale: Enjoy BIG Savings

We’ve put together three parcels made entirely from the last few bottles from some outstanding and never-to-be-repeated casks.

Although the identity of the 70cl bottles in our parcels are a mystery, our Society Cask Ends Sale has become legendary amongst members.  The sale not only offers wonderful savings, it opens-the-eyes to some sensational single casks you may have never tried before.  We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised

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

A Crash Course in single malts – The Vaults, Tue 24 May
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. 

CHIVAS REGAL AND FILMAID INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH GLOBAL BRAND PARTNERSHIP IN CANNES

FilmAid Founder Caroline Baron, FilmAid President Iliane Ogilvie Thompson, long-time FilmAid supporter Robert De Niro celebrate launch

Chivas Regal, the world’s original luxury Scotch whisky and Official Partner of the Festival de Cannes, today announced a new global brand partnership with the charity FilmAid International.

The official launch celebration of the partnership took place in Chivas House on the Croisette in Cannes and was attended by FilmAid Founder Caroline Baron, FilmAid President Iliane Ogilvie Thompson and long-time supporter of FilmAid and President of the Jury of this year’s Festival de Cannes, Robert De Niro.

The partnership will see Chivas Regal and FilmAid working together to help, educate and inspire communities in need through the power of film. An initial donation of $100,000 (US) was made by Chivas Regal to support FilmAid projects across the world.

FilmAid International is a humanitarian organisation that harnesses the power of film to educate and bring hope to refugees and other communities in need around the globe.  Founded in 1999 during the Balkan crisis, FilmAid works in partnership with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and other global aid organisations to bring film and video programs that inform, inspire and empower to more than 1 million people. 

Chivas Regal has a history of supporting cinema having played a starring role at many of the world’s most celebrated events. Now in its third year as Official Supplier of the Festival de Cannes, Chivas Regal continues to strengthen its position in, and commitment to cinema.

To mark the launch, Chivas Regal commissioned Magnum Photos to create an exhibition of the work of FilmAid, a selection of which is on display in Chivas House.

James Slack, Brand Director, Chivas Regal says, “The work of FilmAid is truly inspirational and we are delighted to support the amazing work they do around the world.

“The partnership aligns well with values that Chivas Regal is passionate about: brotherhood, generosity, integrity and a social awareness for the world in which we live. The partnership with FilmAid provides our customers with a tangible proof-point of these values while reinforcing our commitment to film and cinema whether it be here in Cannes or among some of the most needy communities in the world.”

Liz Manne, Executive Director of FilmAid, says, “We at FilmAid International are delighted by our new partnership with Chivas Regal.  Their dedication to cinema makes them the perfect partner for FilmAid, which brings cinema to those most in need of the inspiration and education that film can provide.  We look forward to developing this partnership with Chivas in the future.”

Glann ar Mor distillery releases “Sant Ivy 2011” cask strength KORNOG

The family run artisan distillery situated on the Northern coast of Brittany announces a new cask strength/single cask bottling of its peated KORNOG Single Malt, “Sant Ivy 2011”, named after the emblematic saint of Brittany. Saint Yves or Sant Ivy represents to Brittany what Saint Patrick represents to Ireland, and is honored every year on May the 19Th since his canonization in 1347.

The first fill Bourbon barrel delivered 249 bottles at the natural strength of 57,8%, being available at the distillery’s Visitor Center (http://bit.ly/dIl4bZ) and online shop (www.tregorwhisky.com), and at a few selected retailers in Brittany.

The first bottling of KORNOG, “Taouarc’h Kentan” also at cask strength, was granted with a Silver Medal at the Malt Maniac Awards 2009, and a Liquid Gold Award with a score of 94.5 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2011.

Beside KORNOG, the peated expression of the distillery made from 35 PPM malt, Glann ar Mor also offers a non peated expression bearing the name of the distillery itself.

Contact details
Celtic Whisky Compagnie
2, allee des Embruns
22610 Larmor-Pleubian
France

info@celtic-whisky.com
www.glannarmor.com

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

We’re very proud to announce that The Whisky Exchange at Vinopolis has been invited by Ardbeg to become an official Ardbeg Embassy – a privilege only a handful of specialist retailers around the globe have been offered. As an Ardbeg Embassy, we will always have a healthy range of bottles from the distillery open to sample in store. We will also be given a glorious 4.5 litre bottle of the new Ardbeg Alligator for its Committee Exclusive launch on the 1st June, which we’re under strict instructions to drink and share with other Ardbeg Committee members only. How about that!
 
ARDBEG EMBASSY LAUNCH,
with Michael Heads
Tuesday 31st May, 7:00pm

In celebration of this very exciting collaboration with one of our favourite Islay distilleries, we’re hosting an Ardbeg tasting evening on Tuesday 31st May, presented by Distillery Manager Michael Heads. This will also serve as a sneak preview of the Alligator, which will be sampled on the evening, just before its Committee Exclusive launch the following day. The exact line-up will remain a closely guarded secret, but suffice to say that Mickey will be bringing down a few treats from the distillery’s warehouse for us to try. We also heard a whisper that the delectable Ardbeg Land Girls may be accompanying him, so we’ve invested in a set of super-strength shackles for Toby, just in case.

For those of you unfamiliar with the distillery, Ardbeg is renowned for its heavily peated, intensely smoky style of malt whisky, very much typical of the Island – Islay – from which it comes. If you are a fan of Laphroaig or Lagavulin, this will most likely be up your street. If you’ve never tried a peated style of whisky before, it may well be worth trying a dram of Laphroaig at a reputable hostelry before you consider attending this tasting.

As demand for this tasting is likely to be astronomical, we will be offering places at the event in a slightly different fashion to the usual first-come, first-served manner. To make things as fair as possible to anyone who may be indisposed, stuck at work or otherwise unable to call us in the usual manner, we will be drawing names from a hat and offering the selected names a chance to buy 1 or 2 tickets. If you would like to come along to this spectacular night, please either send an email with your name and preferred contact number to vinopolis@thewhiskyexchange.com, or alternatively give us a call during our opening hours on +44 (0)207 403 8688. The deadline for doing this is 3:00pm, Monday 23rd May. We will run the draw on that evening, and notify the randomly selected lucky people the following day (Tuesday 24th May) by phone. You will then have 24hrs to purchase your ticket(s), priced at £30 each; otherwise we will pass the offer on to the next person in the list.

We hope that you understand our rationale behind offering places in this manner. We’d also like to point out that this is not how we intend to proceed with all tastings, it’s just that Ardbeg has something of a cult following and there’s likely to be a minor stampede for places! Also, it’s worth mentioning that while none of the TWE Team here at Vinopolis would claim to possess unwavering moral fortitude, we won’t be accepting bribes for places from anyone (you know who you are!).
  
Sláinte,

The Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Hi,

What is the legal definition of Scotch whisky? Which spelling is correct, whisky or whiskey? What are the total stocks of Scotch whisky? How should I store my whisky? Can whisky be enjoyed as part of a gluten-free diet?

These are questions I am asked on a daily basis and today I would like to point…(please click on the link below to read the rest of the article)

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/05/frequently-asked-questions/

Kind regards,
Ludo

Loch Fyne Whiskies reports that some new  Auchentoshan, Bowmore &  Glen Garioach are arriving soon:

Bowmore Vintage 1982 RRP £300

Auchentoshan Valinch RRP £40

Auchentoshan 1975 RRP £350

Glen Garioch 1994 RRP £60

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

Find, Compare, and Decide on The Best Whiskey for You- FindTheBest.com

With hundreds of distilleries across the world making a wide range of whiskies how do you go about finding the best whisky for you? Do you associate price with quality or is age your measure for greatness? No need to worry my fellow whisky enthusiasts FindTheBest.com aims to alleviate your plight with their Whiskey, Scotch, and Bourbon App. The application allows you to view, compare, and decide on a whiskey that’s best for you based on price, age, region, distiller, Expert Rating, and more. The Expert Rating is a weighted average of the top whiskey testers. Some of our sources include The Beverage Testing Institute, The International Wine and Spirit Competition, and The LA Whisk(e)y Society. FindTheBest eliminates the hassle of finding and cross referencing sources; you’re welcome!

In addition to gathering the relevant data FindTheBest also provide a guide for selection. At the bottom of the Whiskey, Scotch, and Bourbon App is a break down of how age and price relate to excellence. FindTheBest also reveals how their expert rating is formed; complete transparency. FindTheBest.com sole purpose is provide objective data and guidance so you can find your whiskey!

So you’ve found your top five whiskies for under $200 now what? You share with your friends of course! FindTheBest.com allows you to take your comparisons and create a sharable slideshow. Take a look at my “Top Five for Under Two Hundred.”

FindTheBest is an objective, socially curated comparison engine that allows you to find a topic, compare your options and decide what’s the best for you. FindTheBest is your one stop best-finder!

The site was first published back in 2010 but unfortunately, it is no longer a working website. A recently published an article explains what happened to FindTheBest.  It’s n interesting story, here’s the article if you want to take a look: https://www.bestspy.co.uk/what-happened-to-findthebest/

Fellow whisky enthusiasts,

The past few weeks the Maltstock promo team was in Scotland for the Spirit of Speyside festival and in Limburg, Germany for the whisky fair. It was great meeting lot’s of you there. If you haven’t been to either of these events yet, I higly recommend both of them!

Dorms

Meeting lot’s of people is a great way of getting some feedback. One of the questions we were asked was regarding the sleeping accommodation at Maltstock. We have bunk beds at the Maltstock venue. These are in small dorms. Toilet and showers are shared. Most dorms are for either 4, 6 or 8 persons. So if you come with some friends, let us know and we will try our very best to give you your own dorm.

Jock Shaw – Scotchandfolk

We are very happy that Jock Shaw has agreed to bring some friends from his Scotch and Folk band and perform at Maltstock. Jock knows how to entertain with stories and songs! More info on his Dutch website www.scotchandfolk.nl

Masterclasses

We hope to have the final masterclasses confirmed within the next few weeks. We expect to have them all online and bookable for you in the second half of June. Of course we will let you know in advance.

Accepted casks – rejected casks

Anthony McCallum-Caron already told us his plans for Maltstock. He will be hosting a masterclass with new Chieftain bottlings. There will be samples from accepted casks which will be bottled and also from casks were rejected. That promises to be a very interesting tasting.

The Whiskyshop Dufftown

As mentioned before everybody coming to Maltstock will get a 10% discount at The Whiskyshop Dufftown. And every reader of this newsletter will get a 5% discount (use the code: WSDMaltstock). Mike Lord from the Whiskyshop will be at the Islay festival next week. And he is willing to take your bottle(s) there if you like. Just make sure you order before this Saturday. Delivery at Maltstock is of course also possible.

Limited availability

Just a reminder to get your Maltstock tickets in time. There’s limited availability at Maltstock and tickets sales are going really well. We already sold more tickets than we did the entire first year. So go to the the Maltstock shop  and make sure you don’t miss out.

If there are any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Hope to see you all in September!

Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun
www.maltstock.com

Description

Single cask #85074. 28-year old Bowmorefrom the award winning Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld series. Distilled October 1982 and bottled April 2011. 184 numbered bottles.

Distillery: Bowmore

Founded 1779. 228 years of fine tuning and we have deep and complex whiskies with fabulous Bowmore reek, salt, spices, dried fruits, smooth and lasting.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Smokey ash, cream and honey sweetness. Palate: spicy with fruit and smoke emerging followed by crème catalan. Finish: Smokey and mouthcoating with touch of lime.

Product Details

Age: 28 Years Old, Vintage: 1982, Volume: 70cl, ABV: 53.5%, Bottler: Duncan Taylor.

£94.99 (£79.16 ex VAT)

Visit The Whisky Barrel at http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com/

www.ralfy.com has a second part to the mile-stone WhiskyReview 200. …whisky review 200 (2/2) – The Anniversary Glenfarclas Malt Review… concluding the examination of this excellent Malt.