ralfy review – THREE Great Independent Bottlers of 2024

Douglas Laing introduces Fourth Bottling within its Exclusive Old Particular Red Wine Cask Collection

Douglas Laing & Co. today announces the release of a Girvan 16-Year-Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky. This special edition, finished in a single Merlot Red Wine Cask, is the fourth bottling in their exclusive Old Particular Red Wine Cask collection.

Each pairing in this collection is said to have been “meticulously selected to enhance the inherent qualities of the chosen Malt and Grain Scotch Whiskies, elevating the complexity and depth to introduce new and exciting taste experiences.”

The journey takes us to France with this exquisite 16-year-old Girvan, finished extensively in a single Merlot Red Wine Cask from sunnier regions. The well-structured, bold characteristics of Merlot harmonise beautifully with Girvan’s complexity, bringing tasting notes of “hard candy, honeyed cereal, and rich dark toffee with smooth ganache.” The influence of French oak allows the grain to shine, offering a powerful finish filled with “cinnamon spice and ripe red fruits.”

Bottled at 48.4% alcohol strength and proudly without artificial colouring or chill filtration, this limited edition is expected to retail at £85.00 / €101.00.

 Key Bottle Details:

• Finished in a Merlot Red Wine Cask.
• Premium red wax dip finish.
• Bespoke design and showcased in a black bottle.
• Neck tag included with QR code to bottle tasting.
• 4% ABV. 

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING & CO.

www.douglaslaing.com

Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky distillery, blender and bottler specialising in the selection and release of Single Cask Single and Small Batch Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family – Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and without chill filtration to preserve the robust and unique character of the Whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards are a testament to this ethos.

Douglas Laing’s Exceptional Single Casks are an award-winning family of four distinct brands that carry Single Cask Single Malt and Single Grain Scotch Whiskies from a vast range of Scotland’s Distilleries. Each offered proudly without colouring or chill-filtration and at high alcohol strength, for ultimate and natural liquid quality.

HOST A WHISKY TASTING.

We’re firm believers that whisky is best served when in good company, so gather your nearest and dearest and host a tasting of your favourite Laphroaig expressions. We’ve included a few helpful tips below to get you started.

1. Prepare a tasting sheet to record the expression, age and proof of each whisky.

2. Starting with the lightest whisky and finishing with the most robust, approach each dram and take a short sniff. Make sure to note down the initial aromas you detect.

3. Now take a deeper sniff by nosing at the top of the rim of the glass and again at the bottom, your dram should resemble the 12 O’clock and 6 O’clock positions when doing this. You should find slightly different aromas come through when in each position.

4. Take a small sip, hold the whisky in your mouth and coat the tongue before swallowing. Write down your first impressions and the flavours you pick up.

5. You can also try adding a few drops of water to the liquid. Watch as the oils in the whisky untether as you swirl the glass. Take a sniff and note any new aromas you pick up.

6. To finish, sit back and sip up with your favourite dram – and remember, this one is for you!

Laphroaig Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute Scotland, PA42 7DU, United Kingdom

We’re very pleased to present the 2025 Victoria Whisky Festival. The Victoria Whisky Festival will run through Thursday the 16^th, Friday the 17^th, Saturday the 18^th and Sunday the 19^th of January 2025 at the 5-star Hotel Grand Pacific located on Victoria’s beautiful Inner Harbour. To order tickets please contact Frank Hudson at info@victoriawhiskyfestival.com

St Bridget’s Kirk 35 Years Old

This exceptional whisky is created in a unique way by blending malt whiskies from different distilleries and differing spirit styles. Each batch is Small, bespoke and distinctively different from the last; blended, married, bottled and hand labelled in the Lady of the Glen warehouse where you’ll be glad to know, no artificial colouring of chill-filtration takes place. This unique 35 years old is a blend of malt and grain whiskies married and then matured in a single barrel with the youngest component being from December 1988. The final yield was 248 bottles that were bottled at 41.5%.

£89.00

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 548: Kemlya Black Oak Russian Single Malt

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tastes his very first Russian single malt. Kemlya is a distillery in Mordovia that was founded by Stepan Stepanovich Krotkov in 1828 in the village of the same name, halfway between Moscow and Samara. It has been in continuous production and will therefore celebrate its 200th anniversary in a few years. The production of whisky is much more recent. The first release dates from 2022. Mark’s friend Kit recently came to visit him and brought this beautifully packaged bottle. The Black Oak matured in two bourbon barrels (numbers #1367 and #1370) and was finished for 6 months in moist bog oak, barrels made from partly petrified, very old oak from a swampy area. Exciting!

https://youtu.be/1l-e90fPPSg

Loch Lomond Distillery underlines global growth in Scotch whisky market following exceptional performance at top global awards

Independent distiller gains recognition worldwide for its exceptional whiskies at both San Francisco World Spirts Competition 2024 and IWSC 2024

Loch Lomond Distillery has continued its upwards trajectory in the global Scotch whisky market with category-leading scores in the world-renowned 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

For the second time in the last three years, Loch Lomond Whisky is globally the fastest growing top 50 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, according to the latest data published by IWSR. This growth has been driven in part by the distillery’s commitment to quality and consistency, which has been recognised globally in the top awards.

This also marks the second consecutive year that Loch Lomond Distillery has taken home top scores in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, with Loch Lomond Whiskies winning ‘Best Single Cask Scotch’ for Cask 21/546-6 Exclusive Cask – 1st Fill Bordeaux Hogshead which was bottled exclusively for the Drammers Club in the US.

On top of the category win, Loch Lomond took home sixteen awards – more awards than any other Scotch whisky brand including a rare Platinum award for Loch Lomond 12 year old Inchmoan single malt for three consecutive years of double golds.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition results follow hot on the heels of multiple wins at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2024, where Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Inchmurrin single malt topped its category to be named the Best Scotch Whisky under 15 Years Old.

Loch Lomond is one of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks, and the remarkable Loch Lomond Distillery sits near its Southern Shores.  One of the most adept and capable distilleries in Scotland with the ability to create not just the flagship Loch Lomond Single Malt Scotch Whisky; but also single grain whisky, Spearhead; and its latest creation Noble Rebel, a trio of blended malt whiskies available in three diverse flavours – Hazelnut Harmony, Orchard Outburst and Smoke Symphony.

Together, these brands have received a total of 20 accolades at the industry-leading San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2024.

The distillery also scooped multiple Gold Outstanding Awards at IWSC 2024, including Best in Category for Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 Year Old.

The raft of significant award wins demonstrates the huge momentum the independent distiller is gaining on the global stage and is testament to the exceptional quality of its whiskies.

First opened in 1965, Loch Lomond Distillery has quietly been crafting whisky on the banks of its namesake loch for more than 60 years. In the last decade, investment in innovation and marketing has driven extraordinary growth in global markets, with its diverse portfolio of whiskies now enjoyed by millions of customers worldwide.

Michael Henry, Whisky Master Blender at Loch Lomond Group, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Loch Lomond Distillery and a defining moment in our journey.

“While we have been distilling for generations, we are only now realising our full potential and have moved quickly in recent years from being a relatively unknown independent distiller to a major player on the world stage.

“The capabilities of our distillery are unmatched in Scotland. The combination of traditional swan neck stills and our unique straight neck stills, in addition to our own onsite cooperage, give us much greater control over the distillation and maturation process, allowing us to explore flavour in a distinctive way.

“We have been bold in our approach to whisky-making, and while we are guided by the traditions of our craft, we are not beholden to them.

“To be widely recognised by globally renowned spirits experts for the quality of our whiskies underlines our growing credibility as one of the most dynamic distillers of the time. “

The full list of accolades includes:

San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2024

• Loch Lomond Whiskies (16 Awards)
  • 1 x Platinum Award
  • 7 x Double Gold
  • 4 x Gold
  • 4 x Silver
• Cask 21/546-6 Exclusive Cask – 1st Fill Bordeaux Hogshead – Best Single Cask Scotch

IWSC 2024

• Loch Lomond Whiskies Inchmurrin 12 Year Old– Best Single Malt 15 Years and Under
• Loch Lomond Whiskies Perfectly Balanced 12 Year Old – Gold Outstanding (98/100)
• Loch Lomond Whiskies 10 Year Old – Gold Outstanding (95/100)

About the Loch Lomond Group

• Loch Lomond Group is an independent distiller based in Alexandria and is home to several award-winning brands that are sold in more than 125 countries worldwide.
• Loch Lomond distillery has been producing the finest single malt whiskies since 1814.
• Images and interviews with key staff from the Group are available upon request. lochlomondgroup.com

Bowmore 22 Years Old 

1996 Cask 901271

Recently, we had the enormous pleasure of meeting with Morrison Distillers at their new Aberargie Distillery; during that visit, we came across a parcel of Bowmore single malt, which was distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2019 after maturing for 22 years in a single hogshead.   After trying this incredible malt with light smoke and tropical fruit notes, we jumped at the chance to buy the remaining stock and relabel it for our store.

£220.00

Our final collection schedule of 2024 has now been finalised. There are slight changes to the usual schedule, please not the dates for your area, these are noted on the request form. Lots collected in this run will be included in our first auction of 2025  which begins on 3rd January 2025.

Please click HERE to see the list of dates, locations and to register your interest in the collection service. We can collect lots for up to three auctions.

The deadline for collection requests is 12noon on Monday 9th December .

Home collections are available for those customers sending 10+ bottles or bottles to the value of £1000. Lots can be split over the next three auctions. Unfortunately this service is not available in London or to those customer who live within 10 miles of a collection point. Although we do have four collection points in London.

Collections are limited and offered on a first come first served basis.

It is essential that a submission sheet is completed, you can find the link to do so under the selling section on your ‘My SWA’ page. It would be appreciated if bottles could be packed for uplift with your name clearly marked on the front of the box.

A winner in our auction? We are now offering a delivery service to customers who are dropping bottles off for a future auction. This service is charged at £12 (inc VAT), optional loss and breakage cover is available.

Submission Form & Label

KILLOWEN’S FIRST 5 YEAR OLD BARÁNTÚIL
THEIR ONLY PALO CORTADO CASK

RELEASE DATE: MONDAY 9TH DECEMBER

Killowen have been looking forward to their first 5 year Old for some time so we had to make it both lovely and different.

This Single Pot Still is a signature Killowen but spent 4 years and one month in an ex Bourbon before spending another 17 months in Palo Cortado. This Pot Still boasts different flavours than any before, not just because of the older spirit but also because the different cask expression. The Palo Cortado Sherry allows beautiful rich, bold, full-bodied juicy notes that balance perfectly with the oily Killowen DNA.

With only 227 being bottled and 3 of them being already split up for some special competition winners this one is unfortunately in short supply.

Official release email and link will be out Monday 9^th December.

Stay tuned.

The Killowen Distillery Team