For the whisky enthusiast a Penderyn Masterclass is a must! You don’t need to be a whisky connoisseur to enjoy the experience. Each Masterclass is conducted by one of our expert guides or Gillian Howell, our Distiller.

Held in small groups to ensure that each person gets the maximum benefit from the learning experience, a Penderyn Masterclass begins with a short “getting to know you” session, during which everyone can relax and enjoy some refreshments.
Then it’s time to start.  Your guide first takes you through the Malt Whisky Production Process, explaining each step from malting through to bottling.  The depth of the session depends on you.  You have the opportunity to sit back and listen or to ask as many questions as you wish – it’s your time with our experts!

At this stage we also cover the various still designs and distillation processes used by Scottish, Irish and Welsh distillers, and you’ll begin to learn that Penderyn is unique.  You will learn about the different types of whisky from single malt through to bourbon and Tennessee whiskies.

Next for the fun and games, in which you take part.  We won’t reveal here what we ask you to do, but you’ll enjoy it!

It’s soon time to visit the Penderyn Distillery shop floor and to venture into our still room, where everything should now fall into place.  Then you’re off to the bottling hall to see the final product (we won’t make you wait 5 years for the spirit to mature!).  You see our bourbon and Madeira barrels and your guide is there to answer your questions throughout.

Back in the Boardroom, you now experience nosing and tasting sessions where you are given various expressions of Penderyn – see if you can identify them all.

Your Penderyn Masterclass ends with a gift (included in the price) and a Masterclass booklet. Your guide then takes you to the exhibition area and tasting room so that you can browse at your leisure and sample more of our products if you wish. All in all, an experience not to be missed!

Classes are held by appointment at least twice a month and cost £45.00 per person (to include a gift). Parties of four or more receive a reduction. Why not buy a Penderyn Masterclass as a gift.

Masterclass Schedule

July 2010
Saturday 3rd July 10:30 – full
Friday 9th July 10:30
Saturday 17th July 10:30 – full
Friday 23rd July 10:30
Saturday 31st July 10:30

August 2010
Thursday 5th August 10:30
Saturday 14th August 10:30

Kentucky Cooperage Tours

Mon.-Fri. ♥ 9:30 a.m. & 1 p.m.

712 E. Main St.

Tel. 270.692.4674

marcia.morgeson@kentuckycooperage.com for further details.

Kentucky Cooperage makes the charred oak barrels critical for the production of bourbon. See how “charring” is done, how staves are shaped, how hoops are put in place and how barrels are made leak proof without manmade sealers.

Upcoming Whisky Dinner

(From Sam at Impex) We are going to launch Chieftain’s at the San Francisco City Club on August 12th.  It will be a four course dinner featuring the following:

ISLE OF SKYE 8yr

and…

“Since 1936, Ian Macleod Distillers, through its dedication to tradition and quality, has amassed an unrivaled cask stock from Scotland’s many distilleries. This enviable collection includes extremely rare malts, some from closed or mothballed distilleries.”

ALLT A BHAINNE 31 year old (Speyside)

GLEN MORAY 18 year old (Speyside)

PORT ELLEN 25 year old ( Islay )

LINKWOOD 16 year old (Speyside)

GLENROTHES 14 year old Burgundy Finish (Speyside)

DALMORE 11 year old Madeira Finish ( Highland )

The above will be paired with food prepared by the San Francisco City Club’s talented Chef Michael Munoz .

For more information go to: 

Impex Beverages

www.impexbev.com

The Whisky Shop (Tel 415-989-1030)

www.whiskyshopusa.com  

August 12th / 6:00pm – 8:30pm. Whiskies of the World Whisky Dinner with Ed Kohl  @ The San Francisco City Club, 155 Sansome, 10th floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. Reservations Required – $70.00. Featuring Seven of Chieftains Rare Single Malt Scotch Whiskies and Isle of Skye.

Only 88 Chances Left to Win a Once in a Lifetime Irish Whiskey Experience

Master of Malt are offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to win a free trip for two to the Cooley distillery in Ireland. The prize includes flights; wining and dining in Dublin; and two nights stay at a luxurious hotel.

Following the competition’s unprecedented success, there are only 88 remaining chances to enter, and only a few days left (the competition closes at 6pm on the 1st August 2010).

The lucky winner and a friend will be flown out to Ireland from any UK airport. They will be treated to an exclusive tour of the Cooley distillery, a whiskey tasting, two nights stay at a luxurious hotel, wining and dining for both nights, as well as a very special personalised bottle of Tyrconnell whiskey, and a bottle of the brand new Kilbeggan Distillery Reserve. It’s incredibly simple to enter; all entrants must do is buy any full-sized (70cl) bottle of Cooley whiskey from the Master of Malt website (www.masterofmalt.com).

The Cooley distillery has a large range, made up of some astonishing whiskeys, including Tyrconnell, Connemara, Kilbeggan, Greenore and Locke’s. Entrants will receive one entry for every bottle they buy, and the cheapest eligible whiskey is Kilbeggan, at just £17.95. Great value for money for a whiskey that tastes of creamy, sweet malt, and one that offers the chance to win a once in a lifetime prize!

The draw will close at 6pm on the 1st August and the lucky winner will be named on or before the 7th August 2010. This really is the ultimate Irish whiskey experience, and one not to be missed.

Thanks to the limited number of chances to enter, participants have a very high chance of winning the competition. Because of this, the draw is likely to sell out before the closing date.

Read more about the competition on the Master of Malt Whisky Blog or browse the full range of Cooley Whiskeys.

About Master of Malt

– Established in 1985

– One of the UK’s leading online whisky and spirits retailers

– A highly rated independent bottler, all of whose single cask whiskies scored over 90 points in the Jim Murray Whisky Bible 2009.

Follow Master of Malt on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/masterofmalt

Read the Master of Malt blog: http://www.masterofmalt.com/blog

On July 28th (yesterday) WhiskyFun celebrated their 8th Birthday.

As well as tasting & nosing an astonishing 7,000 drams!

Happy Birthday WHISKYFUN! (and Serge).

And a massive well done and THANK YOU for your leadership, encouragement and friendship.

Visit WhiskyFun at www.whiskyfun.com

birthdaycakedesigns.co.uk

Highland Park 15yo (43%, OB, +/-2009)

On the nose there’s good depth and honeyed smokiness along with citrus rind, plump raisins and hints of cocoa. Well, this is very nice. With some more time in the glass the smoke and the depth increases. The smoke is not Islay style but a welcome addition to the mix; it does not dominate. Everything is in harmony here. The taste is fruity at first followed by the citrus and then the smoke steps forward to introduce itself. The taste is vibrant and very good. There’s also some more of the cocoa, some dryness from the oak some cold unsweetened tea. Hints of tobacco and short bread. Heather. The finish is as the nose and the taste; it’s long and even. Loads going on here, nice citrus after a short while. Malt. More fruit.

A cracker. Gives the 18yo a run.

C$95

Score 88 points.

.. www.ralfy.com ‘whisky reviews’ gets to number 144 with a joint review of a 1960’s Haig Gold Label and a 2010 version.   What was interesting was how remarkably similar they both were.

Whiskies of the World, Saturday, March 26, 2011

From the World of Whiskies Team;

We’ve received plenty of constructive feedback on the last WoW event and we just want to let you know that we’re listening.  That’s why we’ll be back on the San Francisco Belle for a proven good time in 2011. With more elbow room to get around, better acoustics to talk whisky, a dinner buffet on the first floor, tasting halls on the second and third floors, and a top deck reserved for those who like to enjoy a cigar with their whisky, you’ll savor the entire experience.  We have also arranged to have Masterclasses for the first time at WoW on the boat. We will utilize a tented section of the top deck along with a second boat. We get that space can make all the difference in how our guests experience WoW and we believe we’ve found the right formula for bringing so many tasters together for what has become a truly world class event. The next WoW will be better than ever!

Summer Sale On Tickets will start in August and we will be issuing fewer VIP tickets, which will undoubtedly go quickly. Along with an improved check in system there will be no more long lines for our VIP ticket holders. We want to give you the first hour to taste the special whiskies our brands plan to pour for you. You’ll have more time to ask questions of the whisky makers and their representatives before the rest of our guests join in on the fun.

Special Rates at Hotel Le Meridien (4 Star)
If you’re going to be traveling from out of town, or live in San Francisco and just want to stay close to the event, Le Meridien is offering discount room rates of $159 to all participants in the expo. Le Meridien is located at Battery and Clay at the edge of San Francisco’s Financial District and just a few short blocks from the San Francisco Belle. Call, 415.296.2900 or go on-line www.lemeridien.com/sanfrancisco and use the promo code “WOW” to secure your room at this special rate.

Visit Whiskies of the World at http://www.whiskiesoftheworld.com/wow/index.php?/index/

Diageo has announced that its iconic Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Lagavulin™ is sponsoring this year’s Islay Jazz Festival.

The Islay Jazz Festival is a well-established annual event that takes place over a weekend in September, attracting hundreds of jazz lovers to Islay from Scotland, the rest of the United Kingdom, and overseas. The dates of this year’s Festival are 17 – 19 September.

The event will now be known as the Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival http://www.islayjazzfestival.co.uk/

The events of the Festival are spread over three days and many venues on Islay. In 2010 the Festival programme features the lyrical pianism of Zoe Rahman; the feel-good saxophone of Jesse Davis; the Blue Note inspired Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; award-winning Scottish guitarist Graham Stephen; the commanding tenor of John Burgess; and a new take on 1920s and 30’s jazz from Nova Scotia Jazz Band. Concerts are presented across the island, in a mix of unique settings: village halls, distilleries, bird sanctuaries, and small bars and inns. Three of the events will be staged at Lagavulin Distillery.

Commenting on behalf of Lagavulin™ and Diageo’s Classic Malts Selection™, Nick Morgan (Diageo’s Scotch Knowledge and Heritage Manager) said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be able to sponsor this world-class festival, which brings so many discerning jazz lovers to venues throughout Islay, which has to be one of the world’s most seductive islands. Crafted with skill, love and inspiration, live jazz and fine Malt Whisky are the best of partners, enhancing enjoyment, relaxation, community and good companionship.”

Fiona Alexander of promoters Assembly Direct in Edinburgh welcomed the new sponsorship by Lagavulin:

“The Festival is delighted to be supported by such a fine Islay Whisky and iconic brand. Its virtues of quality character, complexity and rootedness in its landscape are ones which the Festival aspires towards”.

THE ISLAY JAZZ FESTIVAL

The Festival has been running since 1999, and until this year was sponsored by Black Bottle, the brand of blended Scotch Whisky that incorporates seven Islay Single Malts.

The Festival began when Stuart Todd of Islay Arts Association called Fiona Alexander of Assembly Direct to get a phone number for a musician he wanted to book. In the following conversation the seed of the Festival was germinated.

In its twelve year history the Festival has promoted musicians from over 25 countries and presented fifteen world premieres and it today regarded as a significant jazz event in the UK calendar.

LAGAVULIN™

Lagavulin is one of Scotland’s “essential” distilleries, and a place of pilgrimage for many adorers of this definitive Islay Malt, for which demand heavily exceeds supply.

Here on the coast of Kildalton, the south-eastern edge of Islay, the distillery works its magic on a cramped, chaotic, wildly romantic site by the sea, looking across a small tight bay to the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle, a 13th century base of The Lords of the Isles.

It was in 1816 that John Johnston founded the first legal distillery at Lagavulin Bay: there had been many other illicit stills before that. As with all Scottish distilleries, it passed through the hands of different owners, including the celebrated Sir Peter Mackie, whose company became White Horse Distillers, forever associated with Lagavulin. White Horse Distillers joined The Distillers Company Ltd. (eventually Diageo) in 1927. In 1989, Lagavulin, now bottled at 16 years rather than the original 12, became one of the six Classic Malts™ of Scotland.

Among the highly successful variants of the regular 16 year old Lagavulin are the much-praised Lagavulin™ Distillers Edition™, finished in Pedro Jimenez Cask Wood.

Limited editions of 12, 21 and 25 year old expressions have also been released.

Maker’s 46 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

$33.99

An interesting take on an American favorite, this whiskey was created by using fully matured Maker’s Mark.  The barrels are emptied and ten wooden seared staves are attached to the inner paneling. Searing the staves  caramelizes the sugars in the wood, adding a unique flavor that finishes on the front of the tongue. The fully matured Maker’s Mark is then put back in the barrel and aged several more months until it is approved by Master Distiller Kevin Smith.

Tasting Notes

Aged – To maturity
Proof – 94

Aroma – Pleasant, sweet, toasty oak nose with caramel overtones. More intense aroma without an alcohol nose.

Taste – Rich, creamy seared-oak flavors; caramel and vanilla notes linger on the front of the palate, but it is still soft enough to hold on the tongue even at 94 proof.

Finish – A big mouth-watering oaky finish. Long with a little spice, staying forward on the palate without the bitter bite found in older whiskies.

Visit D&M at www.dandm.com