NEW RELEASE: 100% NY grain Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon completes the Brooklyn distillery’s core line up

Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton Distillery announces the addition of a bourbon made entirely from New York grain to its Single Barrel range. Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon is a classic bourbon made from 100% New York grain that’s sourced from the Hudson Valley.

Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon will join the company’s flagship Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Rye, which is also sourced from 100% New York grain from the Hudson Valley, to complete its core lineup of Kosher-certified, craft spirits.

The mash bill for Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon is 85% corn, 10% rye and 5% malted barley, which represents the highest corn content of any of the Fort Hamilton whiskey range to date.

Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon is a 4.5-year-old bourbon matured in 53 gallon Char 3 American oak. It’s a bourbon for the bourbon enthusiast that sings of New York and is bottled at 47.5% ABV unadulterated and non-chill filtered.

Alex Clark, who co-founded Fort Hamilton alongside his wife Amy Grindeland, comments: “This is a classic bourbon for bourbon lovers with a nod to our home of New York. As our Fort Hamilton Single Barrel NY Rye comes of age, with batch 14 released this year at 5 years old, it was time to extend our hospitality into bourbon with a Single Barrel Bourbon made from all NY grain. Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon is a spirit born of that same independent, revolutionary spirit and is built for the bourbon enthusiast and is true to our New York roots.”

Tech specs:

Product name:  Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon Batch #1

Age:                     4 ½ years

Cooperage:        53 gallon Char #3 American white oak

Mash bill:           85% NY Corn, 10% NY Rye, 5% NY Malted Barley

Bottled at:          95 proof / 47.5% ABV

Barreled at:        125 proof

Filtration:           Non-chill filtered, certified kosher

SSP:                      $54.99

Tech specs:

Product name:  Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Rye Batch #14

Age:                     5 years

Cooperage:        30 gallon Char #3 American white oak

Mash bill:           90% NY Rye, 10% NY Malted Barley

Bottled at:          90 proof / 45% ABV

Barreled at:        120 proof

Filtration:           Non-chill filtered, certified kosher

SSP:                      $54.99

Fort Hamilton Distillery & Tasting room:

Fort Hamilton Distillery is a great example of a New York founder-led business with a hustle mentality and sense of community. The husband-and-wife team of Alex Clark and Amy Grindeland have built this brand from the ground up. Alex’s background in bartending influences many of the decisions behind the brand and ensures the liquid always hits the spot, behind the bar and in the glass. Amy is no stranger behind the stick either. Hospitality is in her blood, from a career spent as a flight attendant coupled with an upbringing in the South. These days, Amy’s feet are mostly firmly on the ground as she oversees the Fort Hamilton Distillery Bar & Tasting Room – a destination for whiskey lovers in New York looking for a good time and a great drink!

The mission for the Fort Hamilton Distillery was to recreate the original whiskey style of America, New York Rye. Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Rye was the first bottling and was inspired by a pre-prohibition era traditional 90% rye, 10% malted barley mash bill. Along the way, Fort Hamilton has extended into bartender-friendly Double Barrel bottlings of rye and bourbon, as well as producing the revolutionary Fort Hamilton New World Gin that’s bursting with fresh watermelon, cucumber and citrus and is inspired by the watermelon patch where the Battle of Brooklyn commenced and a NY corn-based vodka called Fortress Vodka, alongside other innovative bottlings. Fort Hamilton Single Barrel Bourbon released in Spring 2024 completes the core line up.

APRIL AUCTION NOW LIVE!

We have a fantastic little auction for you this month, packed with a diverse range of old and rare bottlings, including this stunning 21 Years Old Port Ellen 25^th Anniversary Maltings. This is an incredibly rare bottle from the closed but iconic Islay distillery.

Another highly regarded closed distillery is Brora and this gorgeous example was distilled only a year before it closed its doors. Bottled by the prestigious Gordon & MacPhail as part of their hugely popular Connoisseur’s Choice range.

How about something completely different? This Hankey Bannister 40 Years Old was bottled to celebrate the 250^th Anniversary of the company. Beautifully presented in a wonderfully crated decanter with stopper and a pair of branded glasses, along with a certificate of authenticity. It’s a little piece of history!

Released in 2004, this limited edition 1983 Old Pulteney 21 Years Old caused a real stir at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards in 2006, winning double gold at the prestigious event!

These are only a few of the bottles in our APRIL Auction, to view more wee gems visit clickwhiskyauctions.com. Register to bid. Remember, you’ve got to be in it to win it! Auction ends Sunday 21st April from 8pm GMT.

MEETING FINN THOMSON

Recently we had the pleasure of traveling down to Grandtully to find out more about his family story and try some amazing drams.The Thomson family has an astonishing nine generations of (documented) whisky history, so we were in for a treat. We started our day at Loch of Grandtully, where 300 years ago, John “The Rogue” Thomson sank his illegal pot still to evade the excise men.

From there, we moved to the Grandtully Distillery site, which was taken over by Donald and James Thomson. Sadly, the distillery is no longer there, but we did get to see the beautiful setting and read about the distillery from the First Edition of Barnadard’s Whisky Distilleries, painting a picture of the place and distillation techniques.

We travelled to the Grandtully Hotel to taste a delicious cocktail. Finn found the recipe in his family archives. This 1900s creation featured whisky, plum wine, pineapple and vino de color.

We had a go at rummaging through the archives ourselves. Discovering the merchant life of the Thomson family was a truly fascinating journey through the history of blending, selling, and purchasing casks.Along with the hotel and the bridge built by Finn’s family in the village, we got to see the most unique house, perfectly showing the character of Duncan “The Grand Old Man” Thomson, who met with an architect and placed two bottles of whisky on the table, instructing the man to “fill the space between” the result being the Bandarroch house with two turrets at the front.

We finished our day by paying our respects to James Thomson and visiting St Mary’s church.

James “The Rogue” Thomson marks the very beginning of the whisky history of the Thomson family and was buried near his farm, only a hill over from where he sunk his still.

We did not come back empty handed! 

In fact, we brought back highly collectible single cask bottling from Port Ellen, which features the incredible painted ceiling from St Mary’s church on the label.

Port Ellen 40 Years Old 

Private Cask Collection

This incredible single malt was distilled at Port Ellen Distillery in 1983 and was one of the last casks to be filled prior to the distillery’s closure in 1987. It was aged for 40 years in a single refill sherry butt. It is an exquisitely balanced malt. The sea-breeze smokiness combines with delicate citric undertones and delicate peaches and cream flavours, balancing the peatiness with fruit.  It was bottled without chill-filtration or artificial colouring.  Only 9 bottles were produced.

£5,000.00

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It has been another typically jam-packed month with visitors from all over the world, our ambassadors jetting off across the globe, and drams a plenty being enjoyed at the Visitors’ Centre.

We kicked the month off in style with the annual Fife Whisky Festival dinner which was a huge success. 80 whisky lovers joined us for a fantastic meal around the Cloister table and the atmosphere was amazing. We enjoyed a delicious meal paired with flowing wine and the finest drams Fife has to offer. It is an event we look forward to each year and we were delighted that the Festival itself was such a success. Murray, Gary and Lorena all enjoyed meeting so many Lindores enthusiasts at the festival in Cupar and it is great to see the growing passion for Fife whiskies.

Europe has seen an influx of Lindores team members over the past month. Lorena started off her month in Rome with Elliot, Helen and Drew following close behind with a visit to Nuremburg. They had a wonderful time at the Whisky-Messe, it was a tiring few days with the festival taking place between 1-11pm, but meeting so many passionate German Lindores fans made it all worth it. Our exclusive festival bottling of a delicious Ruby Port sold out in just four hours which is testament to our overseas reputation.

Rivesaltes Ambre, Vin Santo and Super Tuscan red wine casks

There was no rest for Elliot who then zoomed straight to Paris to meet our Communications Manager (and resident French speaker!), Poppy, for a week long tour of Northern France. They visited several of our stockists and distributors taking in the towns of Tours and Blois.  They made some fantastic new connections along the way, as week as sampling some delicious drinks including a fabulous Calvados in Normandy.

Have you managed to get a bottle of our latest release – the Casks of Lindores II Sherry, the jewel in the crown of our beloved Limited Edition Casks of Lindores II series?

This release marks the end of our acclaimed Casks of Lindores series, alongside our much-adored Bourbon and STR bottlings.

Hurry to our selected stockists to secure your bottle and be part of whisky history.

STOCKISTS

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “New Make Spirit is the actual final product that we get out of a distillery. So, when we do double distillation and we collect the heart, the middle cut, of the spirit still, that’s called New Make Spirit. And that’s what we then put into casks to mature and – after three years – will eventually become Scotch whisky.”🎬

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ralfy review 1022 – Craigellechie 17yo @46%vol: (Re-reviewed 2024)

J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery Celebrates National Pet Day with 

Two Whiskey Releases and On-Site Festival on April 13

Event Includes Limited Edition Whiskeys Adoptable Animals, Food Truck and More

FRANKFORT, KY (April 4, 2024) – J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery, created by Jeff Mattingly, a descendant of distilling pioneer John Graves Mattingly, will celebrate National Pet Day on April 13^th with an on-site festival complete with animals available for adoption from the Anderson County Humane Society, Buddy Love’s Food Trailer, and two limited-edition whiskeys, RuhRoh Rye and CIB Bourbon.

Both whiskeys have a special tie to animals and are limited editions.  The RuhRoh Rye is a playful nod to the Scooby Doo cartoon and is a rye whiskey just under five years of age bottled at 113 proof.  RuhRoh Rye’s nose includes buttery caramel and orange peel with other candied fruit and baking spices.  It is very aromatic and expressive.  The palate provides a huge “jammy” orange and citrus entry with leathery oak and caramel.  The caramel continues to the finish and aromatic baking spices follow.  RuhRoh Rye retails for $120 for a 750 mL bottle.

The CIB Release is the latest bourbon release in J. Mattingly 1845’s CIB series, or Combat Infantry Badge.  Combat Infantry Badges are awarded to Army enlisted infantry or special forces officers in the grade of Colonel or below who were engaged in active ground combat.  Each year J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery donates a portion of the sales of the CIB bottles to a miliatry-related nonprofit.  This year’s recipient is Forgotten Coast K9, a nonprofit organization that helps provide service dogs to veterans and first responders with the mission to stop suicide in those communities by getting them the service dogs they need.

The 2024 CIB bourbon was aged for six and half years and bottled at 116 proof.  It has a smokey, brown sugar and banana nose with hints of sweet tobacco and baking spices.  On the palate, expect banana, oak and brown sugar forward, with leathery oak on the mid palate and a finish of sweet tobacco and baking spices.

J.Mattingly 1845 Distillery has not released a CIB bourbon since 2021, and historically the bottles have sold out fast.  The first initial 50 bottles of the 2024 release will be available when the doors open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday the 13^th.  The remaining 450 bottles will be available for sale at a later date.  Suggested retail pricing for a 750 mL of CIB is $155, with $30 of each bottle sale going to Forgotten Coast K9.

Details for the National Pet Day Event are as follows:

Who: J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery

What: National Pet Day Festival

When: Saturday, April 13, 2024

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery, located at 20 Reilly Road, Frankfort, KY

Why: To celebrate National Pet Day. Visit with animals for adoption from the Anderson County Humane Society, enjoy Buddy Love’s Food Trailer (Buddy is the name of the food truck owner’s dog, a brindle boxer), and two limited edition whiskeys from J. Mattingly, Ruh Roy Rey and CIB will be for sale.  Admission the festival is complimentary, and pets are allowed.

About J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery

The Mattingly family has been synonymous with distilling in Kentucky for more than two centuries, having a hand in the development of at least nine separate distilleries in the Commonwealth, and with connections to some of the most illustrious names in the distilling industry, including George Garvin Brown, the Willetts and the Samuels.

It all started in 1845, with John Graves Mattingly’s first distillery in Marion County, Kentucky, Registered Distillery #2.  Many historians today believe his distillery was the first registered distillery in Kentucky.

In 2010 Jeff Mattingly took up the family mantle and started his own craft bourbon business.  Today, Jeff’s son Cameron has joined the team as Vice President of Production, continuing the legacy into the latest generation for J. Mattingly Distillery 1845 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Together father and son offer their proprietary double staving process as well as a custom bourbon blending experience unparalleled in the spirits industry, available on-site in Frankfort or online at https://jmattingly1845.com/build-a-bottle/

For more information about J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery visit www.JMattingly1845.com.

We are live!

Looking to expand your whisky collection? Head to our April auction to see what your missing!  Bid now!

Auction closes from 8pm (GMT) Tuesday 16th April

www.speysidewhiskyauctions.co.uk

Macallan – 25 Years Old Anniversary Malts 

The 25 year old Anniversary Malt was produced for two decades before being replaced, and is now one of the most highly prized expressions in the world of whisky. A special bottling of unblended Single Highland malt Scotch whisky 25 years old. These Vintages whisky were distilled in 1965, 1966, 1967 & 1968 and bottled as part of Macallan’s Anniversary Malt series.

Interested in Selling Whisky?📆   We are already collecting for our next auction
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Every batch of The Hearach single malt we release comes with its own information sheet, full of details about how and when your dram has been made, an island snapshot story written at the time of bottling, and accompanying tasting notes from a local person.

We believe everyone brings their own story to our whisky, and the sensory pleasures enjoyed while spending time in The Hearach’s company will spark personal thoughts and memories unique to the drinker.

The tasting notes for Batch 9 were created by Gemma McNally who lives in our home village of Tarbert, not far from our distillery door.

Gemma sat down with us to enjoy a dram and we had a good chat about the flavours and aromas she found in her glass…

“I get a light, fresh sort of woodsmoke on the nose straight away, it reminds me of campfires at Scarista beach on those long summer nights we get in Harris. I get cereal notes, and spiciness on the palate, a sort of pepperiness like rocket leaves. There’s not much smoke when I sip it, but there’s a nice clean greenness instead. A little water makes it very sweet, like the sticky toffee pudding I bake myself at home with dates. It’s smooth and there’s so many lovely flavours unfolding.”

We’d love to know what you find in your glass next time you pour a good measure of our island spirit, so drop us a line to share your stories!

Batch Run
12,385 Bottles

Bottling Dates:
15.01.24 – 30.01.24

Casks Used
Heaven Hill Bourbon (21%) + Buffalo Trace Bourbon (64%) + Oloroso Sherry (11%) + Fino Sherry (4%)

Fermentation Times
40% Short (70 hours) + 60% Long (120 Hours)

Marrying Time
16 Weeks + 3 Days

Barley & Yeast
Concerto Barley
Lallelmand + Distilamax MW yeasts

Peating Level
12.9 PPM (Averaged)

READ THE BATCH 9 SHEET

On Saturday 18 May 2024, we are raising a dram and live streaming non-stop from The Whisky Exchange HQ for 24 hours. The 24-hour broadcast will be co-hosted by The Whisky Exchange’s very own buying director Dawn Davies MW and our brand ambassador Billy Abbott alongside special guest co-host Ortis Deley – founder of Glassmates and a TV presenter known for The Gadget Show.

With our Perfect Measure tasting sets, you’ll be able to join in with each tasting from the comfort of your own home, or with your own whisky-loving friends. Whether you’re a novice, geek or a fun-seeking whisky drinker somewhere between the two, there will be a session for you, from panels on big topics in the world of whisky to guest appearances from producers, bartenders, whisky club members and more.

  SHOP TASTING SETS        VIEW SCHEDULE