Ralfy from www.ralfy.com shares some festive Spirit opinions about older Blended Scotch. To be specific,   … whisky review 173 – Ballantines 17yo .. an articulate, region-trotting Scotch with complexity.

Maltstock supports Serious Request  
 
Help the Red Cross in the fight against Aids. The Dutch radio station 3FM is currently raising money for this very good cause. One of the ways to raise money is to have a big auction. People can enter whatever they would like to have auctioned and all the money goes to the Red Cross.

A group of Dutch whisky ambassadors is supporting Serious Request with a very special auction: a tasting with the crème de la crème of Dutch whisky ambassadors and their whisky. A once in a lifetime experience!

Maltstock is supporting this by offering everybody at this tasting a 10% discount to Maltstock 2011. And there will be two free tickets to be won at this tasting.

So please visit the link below and start bidding. This will be a very special and fantastic tasting for you and your friends, your club, your colleagues, your family. It will be great fun! And you are supporting the fight against Aids.

Thank you all and have a merry malty Christmas season!

You can place your bid here:
http://cgi.ebay.nl/Eenmalige-Unieke-whisky-tasting-/130468483805?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_146&hash=item1e608712dd

More information on the Serious Request campaing:
http://rodekruis.nl/campagnes/3fm-serious-request-2010/Paginas/default.aspx?gclid=CPDlt7LghKYCFcgL3godT1hJoQ

Behind the blend with Ludo Grant’s Global Ambassador

The freezing point of Scotch whisky

Hi all,

As most of Europe is experiencing one of the coldest winters on record and temperatures plummeted to -19C in Dufftown last night, I have been asked many times about the whisky that is maturing in our warehouses. Can it freeze, is the big question?

In a nutshell, the answer is no. The temperature in our warehouses doesn’t vary as much as it does outside from season to season. There is simply so much whisky in each warehouse (up to 50,000 casks in our newer ones) that it takes a long time for the temperature of so much liquid to change. The climate inside our warehouses is therefore a lot more constant than it is outside.

Please visit http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2010/12/freezing-point-scotch-whisky/ to read the rest of Ludo’s excellent article on this subject.

Whisky Intelligence is celebrating Christmas with family, friends, a few drams and would like to take the opportunity to wish the myriad of Whisky Intelligence readers a Merry Christmas and may all your drams come true! Whisky Intelligence will be back at full cask strength after Christmas and Boxing Day (depending on the availability of whisky news!).

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from BenRiach and GlenDronach.

It’s been a hectic time for us over the past few weeks. With the exciting new expressions going into production and the release of GlenDronach Batch 3, there hasn’t been a quiet moment. The 60cm of snowfall has made things a little tricky at both distilleries, but whilst many parts of the country have ground to a halt, we have battled on through the big freeze, and the whisky making process has continued unabated.

Celebrate Hogmanay with a NEW Limited Edition from The Dalmore

Bring in the New Year with a dram of the NEW Dalmore Eos 59 year old single malt. The Dalmore is renowned for its distinction and aristocratic pedigree, rewarding its loyal admirers with a unique, full taste that reflects its colourful history and origins.

Named after the Titan goddess of the dawn, The Dalmore’s Eos captures the essence of mythical properties and divine nature that she represented to our ancestors. Legend has it that Eos opened the gates of heaven every morning, an appropriate portrayal of the opening of the Dalmore’s warehouse doors to release this divine spirit. Like the ancient practice of worshipping the dawn, The Dalmore’s Eos is sure to become a treasured part of whisky history.

The subtle aromas reach you well before your tongue senses the exquisite flavours like the brightening night sky hinting to dawn. An exhilarating explosion of honeyed pear and pineapple, bitter dark chocolate and roasted coffee wakens the senses before the nose delights to the scent of soft peaches, mangoes and almonds. Intense flavours of toffee, caramel, orange, golden syrup and cinnamon then vie for attention on the palate and leave a long lingering full-flavoured aftertaste.

Selected from the same two exceptional sherry casks, Eos is sister to Selene, The Dalmore’s highly prized 1951 vintage. An additional year of slumber has intensified the flavours of the whiskies, now combined to create a golden nectar likely to appeal to the sacred golden-throned goddess herself.

Little did The Dalmore’s local artisans know it at the time, but on the seventh of June 1951 history was being created. This was the day that casks 1781 and 1782 were filled and left to mature, deep in dark, bonded warehouse’s tucked away in the Scottish Highlands. As countless dawns swept the land, the characteristics that make Eos so unique slowly developed, infusing the spirit with distinctive aromas, flavours and finishes. Now, over half a century later, The Dalmore’s Master Distiller finally believes the time is right to release the spirit.

Only 20 decanters containing this divine spirit will ever see the light of day. Made from mouth blown Portuguese crystal, painstakingly hand cut and adorned with beautiful silver highlights, each decanter reflects the years of skill, knowledge and craftsmanship that have gone into producing every drop of The Dalmore Eos. The decanter is then safely encased in a prized and robust solid steel box, inlaid with dark timber to protect it over the decades to come.

Price RSP £15,000

Visit The Dalmore website at www.thedalmore.com

The above whisky can be found at Harrods, Selfridges, Whisky Shop Chain, www.elitemarket.com, Oddbins, Nicolas, World of Whisky, World Duty Free & all good whisky specialists.

Notes:

The Dalmore whisky is crafted in small batches using an artisan philosophy that has been passed down through generations, The Dalmore converts crystal-clear water from the nearby river Alness in the Highlands into liquid gold. The small band of stillmen that run the distillery all originate from a handful of local families and with years of experience exhibit true craft and take enormous pride in their work. This ensures The Dalmore whisky’s unique character.

Whisky fans can join The Dalmore Custodians, a select group of individuals with an appetite for luxury single malt, by visiting http://www.thedalmore.com

A special thank you note to all supporters of Loch Fyne Whiskies; buyers, advocates and visitors – all are very much appreciated, especially those who have been patient and understanding during the chaos of the weather induced mayhem with parcel deliveries.

To aid the digestion we are now posting the next re-issue of ‘The Lost SWRs’, Edition 26 https://www.lfw.co.uk/whisky_review/christmas2010.html  and will post Edition 27 next week, in time for Hogmanay.

Happy Christmas! and thanks.

You may view the latest post at https://www.lfw.co.uk/blog/2010/12/23/seasons-greetings-%e2%80%93-and-a-wee-treat/

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

Arran Machrie Moor 1st Release (46.0%)
 
The peated Arran Malt (14ppm) limited release of 9,000 bottles. The bottle depicts Bran, favourite dog of the legendary warrior Fingal who is said to have tethered the dog to the standing stone Fingal’s Cauldron Seat. One of the many stone circles and standing stones that are strewn across Machrie Moor on the Isle of Arran. £37.99 (£32.33 ex VAT). In-stock and ready to ship at www.thewhiskybarrel.com

Happy Holidays from Downtown Dundee!
5007 Underwood Ave
Omaha, Nebraska 68132

Hi there Dellrods! Hope that all of your holidays are bright, happy and progressing as planned. Anything that we can do to help?

Stop in and catch up with friends, buy a quart of soup or a great dessert to help limit your kitchen time, buy a bottle of Single Malt Scotch to share or give. Plus, we’ve gift certificates available in any denomination. You can even buy admission to an upcoming tasting! Who says education can’t come cheap?

Speaking of cheap, we have all kinds of whisk(e)y on sale through the holidays, just ask for the sale list at the bar, or reply to this email and we’ll send it straight over.

HOLIDAY HOURS:

Christmas Eve – Open from 11AM – 4 PM

Christmas Night – Open from 5PM – 2 AM

New Year’s Eve – Open from 11AM – 2AM (regular hours)

New Year’s Day – CLOSED
 
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your patronage this year. In what has been a potentially difficult financial climate, we have felt the love and support throughout.

An incredible 2011 to all and see you soon at the Dell!
 
Pat, Monique and the whole Dell crew
 
www.dundeedell.com