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Adam tries Adelphi’s The Glover 6 Year Old , as featured in the July 2024 Whisky Showcase. Our members scored it 91.77 and put it in the “Fresh & Floral” flavour profile.
DOUGLAS LAING LAUNCHES LIMITED EDITION EPICUREAN LOWLAND MALT SCOTCH WHISKY FINISHED IN CALVADOS CASKS
Douglas Laing & Co. proudly announces the release of The Epicurean Calvados Limited Edition, a unique blend that marries the floral Lowland Malts of Scotland with the orchard notes of Calvados from the Normandy region, Northern France. This exclusive release, limited to just 1,800 bottles worldwide, is said to be a “celebration of tradition, innovation, and unparalleled craftsmanship.”
At 48% ABV, the Calvados influence is said to help “elevate The Epicurean’s already fresh, vibrant, and citrusy flavour profile to new heights”. Connoisseurs will delight in the rich nuances imparted by the wood, creating a symphony of crisp apple drops, sweet juicy pears, and warm toffee undertones.
KEY FEATURES:
TASTING NOTES:
The Epicurean Calvados Limited Edition greets the palate with fresh, vibrant, and citrusy notes, followed by the crispness of apple drops, the sweetness of juicy pears, and the comforting warmth of toffee undertones.
Scott Morrison, Brand Manager commented:
“Our belief is that flavour is created throughout the whisky-making process, but it’s during the interaction between spirit and wood in maturation where it truly flourishes. This special bottling is a testament to that belief, with the Calvados casks imparting rich, nuanced flavours that elevate our Lowland Malt to new heights”.
The Epicurean Calvados Limited Edition is available in select markets around the world, retailing for £65.00 / €77.00.
ABOUT THE EPICUREAN
Instagram: @theepicureanwhisky
Facebook: /dltheepicurean
Meet The Epicurean – our 1930s Glasgow man, a real cheeky character who was ever the life and soul of the party and a connoisseur of fine food and drink. A master of versatility, this fresh, zesty, grassy marriage of the finest Lowland malts is perfect for cocktail hour or simply for sipping.
Time to introduce you to another member of our team, Blair Sterrick. Born in Glasgow and raised in Ayr, Blair began his career in hospitality, managing bars before transitioning to sales in 2008.
His career includes 9 years at Diageo, followed by roles at Halewood Wines and Spirits, Dunns Food and Drinks, and Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers. We were thrilled to welcome him to the Isle of Harris Distillery team in August 2023 as our UK Market Manager.
Within his role, Blair oversees all aspects of UK commercial, customer care, business from trade customers and our online website, and also our tour and shop team at the distillery in Tarbert.
When asked what his favourite thing about working as part of the distillery team is, Blair told us…
“When I first started, people mentioned the ‘Hebridean hospitality’, and that is so true, I was made to feel so welcome from day one. A true testament of our ethos, there is no split between our small mainland team and the team based at the distillery in Harris.”
Now available our new range of 35cl bottles, featuring four of our multi-award-winning single malt whiskies. These new handy-sized bottles are a perfect introduction to the world of Wolfburn and offer the same exceptional quality and craftsmanship in a more convenient size.
To celebrate this exciting launch, we are offering a special promotion: Buy three or more 35cl bottles and get a 10% discount on your purchase, just enter the code Wolfburn35 at checkout. This is a perfect opportunity to sample different expressions of our acclaimed single malts or to stock up on your favourites.
Signatory Vintage Clynelish 1995 28 Year Old #11250 Symington’s Choice
This Symington’s Choice bottling from Signatory Vintage’s Cask Strength Collection hails from Clynelish distillery in the Highlands. Aged for 28 years in a first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, the single malt has been presented at a robust 53.5% abv.
£485.00
Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯
******This product is sold on a pre-sale basis and will not be available to ship until after September 4th****** Created by Icon Beyonce Knowles-Carter and 5-time Master Distiller of the Year award winner Bill Lumsden, SirDavis is changing the game and the name of American Whisky. Named in honor of Beyonce’s great-grandfather, Davis Hogue, who made whisky on his land, SirDavis takes high quality rye whisky aged in new charred oak barrels and finishes it in top tier PX Sherry Casks. The resulting whisky has been winning awards and accolades at competitions around the world quietly over the past year, but now we’re finally able to see what all the fuss is about. Distilled from 95% Rye and 5% malted barley, 95 Points New York International Spirits Competition, 93 points Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Best in Class/Platinum Medal Sip Awards.
$79.99
Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 537: Oban 11 Year Old Diageo Special Releases 2023
Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries an Oban. The Diageo Special Releases are something whisky afficionados look forward to every year. And in 2023 there were again quite a few lovely bottles out there, like the Talisker, the Clynelish, an outstanding Glenkinchie and a surprising Roseisle. The Lagavulin, however, for Mark, was the big disappointment with it’s finish on Tequila casks. Another weird one was the 11 years old release by Oban, dubbed ‘the Soul of Calypso’ as it was finished on casks that had previously held Caribbean pot still rum!
BALLANTINE’S AND BOILER ROOM LINK WITH SARZ AND FRIENDS TO KICK OFF TRUE MUSIC 10 CELEBRATIONS
The Afrobeats DJ and producer, and special guests, join Ballantine’s and Boiler Room to celebrate ten years of True Music in the first of a series of music experiences for fans across the globe.
To celebrate a decade of its True Music platform, Ballantine’s, the world’s second biggest-selling Scotch whisky, announces True Music 10 – a year-long programme of 10 in-person and broadcast music events. In partnership with long-standing partner Boiler Room, the celebrations will give music fans around the world direct access to some of the most exciting artists across 10 diverse music communities who are shaping global music culture today.
Boiler Room and Ballantine’s will kick off True Music 10 with an intimate pop-up at a secret location in Soho, London on 4th April for 100 lucky fans – with details announced via social just 30 hours in advance. Serving up a line-up of pioneering music, the opening event will be headlined by Afrobeats DJ and producer, Sarz, alongside his chosen special guests. With a gift for crafting chart-topping hits, Sarz has left an indelible mark on the new-wave Afrobeats music scene, producing revered records for powerhouse artists on tracks including ‘One Dance’, ‘Find Your Way Back’, and ‘Monalisa’.
Sarz comments:
“I’m excited to finally link up with Boiler Room and Ballantine’s to launch the True Music 10th anniversary celebrations in London, a city which has been such an important place for the afrobeats scene to connect worldwide. The True Music series has been a great platform to launch amazing new sounds into the world in recent years and we’re hoping to add to the legendary run with a crazy show, in an intimate space, surrounded by my friends and family. Plus, I’ll be playing some exclusives from my upcoming album!”
Following its kick off in the UK – the home of Ballantine’s and Boiler Room – the series of True Music 10 pop-ups will continue to Colombia and South Africa, rolling out in select cities, and showcasing some of the most forward-facing True Music artists from each country. Music fans around the world will also be able to tune in and catch the South Africa pop-up shows, broadcast from Durban and Pretoria for free via https://truemusic.boilerroom.tv/.
Boiler Room and Ballantine’s will also be returning to Johannesburg, South Africa, home to one of the partnership’s first ever shows, where they will be throwing their biggest party to date. Taking place on 11th May, the multi-stage, multi-genre event will showcase some of the world’s most innovative artists including Louie Vega and Kenny Dope’s iconic garage duo; Masters At Work, DBN Gogo, and Toccororo as well as a number of True Music alumni including Coco Em and Scorpion Kings. Guests can sign up for the True Music 10 Johannesburg show now via https://truemusic.boilerroom.tv/, with further shows across the globe to be revealed throughout 2024.
Tom Elton, Head of Culture and Partnerships at Ballantine’s commented:
“The evolution of True Music over the past decade has been remarkable. For 10 strong years, the platform has been committed to representing, supporting, and promoting inclusive music culture by celebrating pioneering local artists and communities from around the world on a global stage. We believe in the power of staying true to yourself and doing things your own way, and over the years we are proud to have worked with some of the most exciting ‘Stay True’ artists, who are propelling music culture forward and making music for passion. Here’s to the next ten. “
Since 2014, Ballantine’s and Boiler Room, have brought together artists and communities from around the world, representing local music culture on a global stage and turning passions into professions. Over the past decade, the duo has hosted inclusive in-person and live-streamed music events from some of the world’s most vibrant music scenes championing, supporting, and representing over 800 pioneering headliners and emerging artists, from over 30 countries across six continents. As part of the celebrations, Ballantine’s will invite fans from around the world the opportunity to browse the True Music archive, where users will be able to stream previous True Music Studios and win tickets to events, exclusive merchandise and redeem Ballantine’s cocktails with partner venues. Access to the digital experience will be via QR codes found in stores, venues and across posters.
Ballantine’s will also continue its ongoing True Music Fund, contributing a further 10 grants over the next year, to support emerging local music-focused organisations and collectives who are driving modern music culture, with further details to be announced in late 2024.
Invites to the True Music 10 London pop-up event are extremely limited and will be available for only 30 hours ahead of the show. To be the first to hear when invites are available for any True Music 10 events, follow @boilerroomTV and @ballantines on socials and sign up HERE.
This article appears here well after the original publication date and as a matter of interest.
As we wave goodbye to a particularly dreich “summer” here in Glasgow let us offer you the heartiest of welcomes to our now live 159th auction! The nights will grow longer from here on out and what better way to stave off the impending cold than with a bottle of something special. We have a fantastic selection to choose from this month, here are but a few of the tremendous drams now available.
American Single Cask First Releases
For our first highlight we have two lots from the first two maiden releases from new US-based indie bottler, American Single Cask. First up is the Blinking Owl 2018 5 Year Old, drawn from a Toasted New Oak Barrel this rather hefty 66.3% dram comes from the now silent distillery in Santa Ana, California. Next up is the Copperworks Distilling Co. 2017 6 Year Old, another meaty offering at 62.45% ABV, this one comes from downtown Seattle. Both of these beauties are bottle number 1 in the run and have recently been reviewed by the respected Serge Valentin of whiskyfun.com fame and received hugely impressive scores of 90 points and 89 points respectively.
Auchentoshan 1974 37 Year Old Single Cask #5613
Next up is a single cask from far closer to home, well for us at least, this is the Auchentoshan 1974 37 Year Old Single Cask #5613. Auchentoshan is close to our hearts here at SWA given its proximity, and we have enjoyed their famed hospitality on many a distillery visit. We have also enjoyed their single cask whiskies, and this amazing dram looks as good as any they have released. Drawn from a single bourbon hogshead and aged for a staggering 37 years this is a bottle of rare quality. This is bottle 110 of 110 so when they say “the last bottle really is the last”, they really mean it.
Karuizawa 34 Year Old Ruby Geisha Cask #3668
Next up is an incredibly rare release from a renowned silent Japanese distillery, this is the Karuizawa 34 Year Old Ruby Geisha Cask #3668. The rarity of official expressions, and the now finite supply makes for an explosive combination in the world of rare whisky, with die-hard collectors clamouring to get hold of any releases, and we don’t expect this one to be any different. Drawn from a single Sherry Butt after ageing for a long 34 years, this is one of only 247 bottles produced and is a must-have for any serious collector of Japanese whisky.
Banff 1964 15 Year Old Cadenhead’s 26 2/3 Fl Oz
And now onto an old bottle from a Scottish silent distillery, this is the Banff 1964 15 Year Old Cadenhead’s 26 2/3 Fl Oz. With a history of explosions, fires and bombings, Banff distillery has one of the more unfortunate back stories of any distillery. Founded in 1824, the distillery was closed as part of the 1983 cull and was destroyed by yet another fire in 1991. Banff is now most notably seen as part of Diageo’s discontinued Rare Malts range. This a bottling released by one of the heavyweights of Scottish indie bottlers, Cadenhead’s, and offers the chance to taste a whisky the likes of which will never be seen again.
Macallan 1928 50 Year Old Anniversary Malt 75cl
We end on a peerless bottle of unmatched quality, the Macallan 1928 50 Year Old Anniversary Malt 75cl. Distilled way back in 1928 when George V was on the throne this dram spent an incredible five decades slumbering in oak before finally being bottled in 1983. This particular bottle was for the French market and is one of only 500 produced and represents the pinnacle of rarity in Scotch whisky. Very rarely seen at auction this one is highly sought after by Macallan collectors throughout the world.
Don’t fret if these gems are outside your price range because we also have a wide range of high-quality drams available across the price spectrum, so now is the time to delve into this month’s offerings and start building that watchlist. Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.
SPRINGBANK 26YO TRAVIS COLLABORATION BOTTLE
‘RAZE THE BAR’
THIS ARTICLE APPEARS HERE AS A MATTER OF RECORD AND INTEREST; IT IS LONG SOLD OUT.
Springbank Distillers has joined forces with the iconic multiple BRIT and Ivor Novello-winning Scottish rock band Travis to release a special collaborative bottling due out on 14th August 2024. Coinciding with the release of Travis’s new album, L.A. Times, this 26 year old bourbon matured Springbank was carefully selected in partnership with the band and proudly displays the L.A. Times album artwork.
The Springbank and Travis collaboration was initiated in conjunction with Kilkerran, as we sought to make 2024 a year of celebrations in Campbeltown to mark the 20th anniversary of Kilkerran, first produced in March 2004. At the forefront of these celebrations was to be a night of music in Campbeltown’s Victoria Hall, for which we had set our sights on Travis as the headline act.
With the help of CaskAde Drinks, a Glasgow-based collective known for its bottling collaborations with celebrated Scottish artists, the groundwork began to bring Travis to Campbeltown to mark this milestone for Kilkerran. Of great advantage in these negotiations was the band’s fondness of Springbank.
It is uncharacteristic of Springbank to offer single casks, but the opportunity to partner with the Scottish music giants was too good to pass up. A deal was struck for a single cask collaboration with Springbank and Travis, in exchange for the band performing at the Kilkerran 20th anniversary celebration in Campbeltown.
Saturday 13th July was a night to remember in Campbeltown with Travis headlining the celebrations, along with support from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and local band, Fling. Importers, retailers and supporters of Kilkerran were welcomed to Campbeltown from all over the world to enjoy the Scottish entertainment and commemorate the distillery’s milestone.
The Springbank Travis bottling will be available to buy on our website for £1,250 from 12 noon BST on Wednesday 14th August.
Springbank 26 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
Matured in a Refill Bourbon Hogshead
Single cask release of 234 bottles worldwide
Available in a 70cl bottle
53.5% ABV
£1,250 (SOLD OUT)
(UK Price including VAT)
NOSE
Soft peat smoke, honeycomb and tropical fruits on the nose, the introduction to this dram is characteristically bourbon matured Springbank.
PALATE
Light and creamy on the palate, there are notes of fruit syrup, tinned peaches and honeydew melon, along with touches of woodspice and the continuation of the peat smoke influence.
FINISH
There is a flint note in the finish and an ashy note reminiscent of campfire embers.
