HIGHLAND PARK ANNOUNCES UK BRAND AMBASSADOR, MICHAEL MCLELLAN

London: Edrington UK announces the appointment of the latest UK national brand ambassador for Highland Park, Michael McLellan.

Mike started his career in Edinburgh, working in some of the most celebrated cocktail bars in the city, such as The Bon Vivant and Lucky Liquor Co., before moving to Newcastle and eventually down to London, where he took on the role of Head Bartender at acclaimed cocktail and steak restaurant Hawksmoor Spitalfields before moving to the famous East London speakeasy Happiness Forgets to hone his skills behind the bar.

The appointment is exciting for Highland Park as it embarks on a transformation journey, refreshing its take on authenticity and meaning and renewing its brand values and aspirations.

Mike will be responsible for advocating for Highland Park’s products and increasing brand awareness in the UK, helping to educate consumers and bar staff about the magic of Highland Park’s whiskies, leading whisky tastings, and attending trade shows, seminars, and workshops. As the face of the Highland Park brand in the UK, he is also responsible for consumer engagement programs, bringing the brand to life in the minds of consumers.

Andrea Montague, Head of Advocacy, Edrington UK, explains: “I am delighted to welcome Mike into our growing advocacy team. He arrives at a pivotal time for Highland Park, where increased focus and support are needed. A dedicated Brand Ambassador in Mike will help us demonstrate our commitment to Highland Park in the UK market as we go into next year”. 

Mike comments on his new role: “I am hugely proud to be the ambassador for such a distinguished and historic brand. I have been utterly fascinated with whisky since I first stepped behind a bar. From the way it connects us to our traditions and history to the immense value it holds in shared rituals of kinship, bringing people together both at times of celebration and commiseration. 

“I look forward to working with the Highland Park team to create an inspiring advocacy platform which will champion Highland Park’s Orkney home whilst highlighting the creativity, bravery, and progressive nature of the Island’s community. We have lots planned for 2024, and it will be an exciting year”.

For further information, visit www.edrington.co.uk

About Edrington UK:

Edrington UK is the UK’s number one whisky supplier, part of the global Edrington family and responsible for the UK sales, marketing, and distribution of a portfolio of ultra-premium brands including The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and Brugal.

As a valued distribution partner of Beam Suntory, Edrington UK also represents many of its brands in the UK marketplace, such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Courvoisier and The House of Suntory range of Japanese craft spirits. 

About Highland Park:

We’ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798. Now, 225 years later, we are one of the ten oldest working distilleries in Scotland. Age, experience, and respect for tradition may define our whisky but it’s Orkney that differentiates us.

It’s not just the influence of the finest sherry seasoned oak casks on our whisky as it matures, it’s the salty sea winds that batter Orkney’s rugged coastlines, the intensely floral character of our treeless but heather-rich peat, and the fiercely independent Viking spirit that drives us. These are the elements that go, untamed, into our whisky-making to create a wild harmony of sweet-smoky flavours that is, uniquely, Highland Park.

www.highlandparkwhisky.com

 ImpEx Beverages Announces the Arrival of Meikle Tòir Peated Expressions from The GlenAllachie

Independent Scotch whisky distillery The GlenAllachie revealed its new peated Single Malt Scotch whisky brand: Meikle Tòir (pronounced mee-kuhl tor) in the UK late last year.  ImpEx Beverages is proud to announce that this very special line of 5 year old expressions has arrived to the US and is making its way to specialty retailers across the Nation.

Spearheaded by celebrated Master Distiller Billy Walker, the launch introduces Walker’s first core releases to have been fully overseen by him since he took ownership of the distillery in 2017.

Meikle Tòir, which means ‘big pursuit’, represents Walker and his expert team’s relentless seasonal peated campaign at The GlenAllachie, which began in 2018.

Using mainland peat from St. Fergus, the peated production runs for around six weeks per year, producing approximately 100,000 Liters of Alcohol annually.

The peated label’s core range consists of The Original (50% ABV), The Sherry One (48% ABV) and The Chinquapin One (48% ABV), as well as annual small-batch release, The Turbo 2023 Edition (50% ABV). Each whisky carries a five-year age statement.

All Meikle Tòir expressions were subjected to a lengthy fermentation time of 160 hours – nearly triple the industry average – which adds a fruity, ester-rich character to the subsequent whisky.

Commenting on the new brand, Walker remarks “This incredibly exciting launch is a key milestone for us all at The GlenAllachie. Five years in the making, it represents the culmination of our endeavors since we took over the reins at the distillery. Our intention has always been to release a peated Single Malt, and this is no surprise to those who have followed our journey from the start.

Every element of the production process was carefully considered to ensure our vision was met. It’s not about accelerating the journey; it’s about expanding the experience. One of the key decisions was to significantly extend the fermentation period to 160 hours, creating thick, ester-rich distillate. Another was to use mainland peat, which delivers a more oaky style of smoke. These choices, along with the use of quality Oak casks, are all factors steering us in our pursuit of peated perfection”.

The Original 5-year-old was aged in expertly sourced first-fill Bourbon barrels, American Virgin Oak casks and Rye barrels, imparting “waves of stem ginger, sweet spice, and Oak-smoked sugar”.

After an initial period in American Oak, The Sherry One underwent additional maturation in quality Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry puncheons. The result is a Single Malt with “impeccable balance between dark fruits, mocha, treacle, and puffs of earthy peat smoke”.

The Chinquapin One was first aged in American Oak before being transferred into superior Chinquapin Virgin Oak barrels from the Northern Ozark region of Missouri, USA. Drinkers can anticipate “smoked spices, roasted nuts, campfire smoke, and crème brûlée”.

The Original, The Sherry One and The Chinquapin One all have a spirit PPM level of 35, with the mainland peat delivering a more sweet and oaky smoke style in comparison to the flavor contribution of a coastal peat.

The Turbo, a super limited annual bottling, captures ‘the heart of the heart’ of the peated distillate: the spirit cut with the highest phenol content.  The 2023 Edition, a run of just 2,500 bottles (600 for the US), was left to slumber in three American Virgin Oak casks and five Oloroso Sherry hogsheads for five years. The resulting whisky is said to offer “a powerful punch of peat, amounting to a spirit PPM of 71, alongside notes of toasted honeycomb, burnt orange peel, and worn leather”.

All Meikle Tòir expressions are proudly bottled without added coloring and non-chill filtered for optimum drinking experience.

The eye-catching packaging features a hand-drawn illustration by prominent Scottish artist Iain McIntosh that depicts the rugged terrain surrounding the distillery, including the iconic peak of Ben Rinnes. The complementary “earthy” color palette was chosen to hint at the smoky flavor profile.

For more information on where to find these incredible Meikle Tòir offerings, please email the office at Office@ImpExBev.com

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February 2024 Auction ENDS – 04.03.23

ENDS SOON: February Auction

A warm welcome to our February auction. Featuring over 7,000 rare whiskies and fine spirits, this is a unique opportunity to bid on some of the world’s most sought-after bottles.

From a 1950s official Laphroaig bottling to 1960s Ardbeg from Signatory Vintage, Islay features in great numbers this month. Alongside this, rare independent imports from Velier, a selection of single cask Balvenie, and an array of late 20th century Glen Ord all feature in February.

Discover a selection of our auction highlights below.

Laphroaig 11 Year Old D Johnston and Co 1950s

Iconic Signatory Vintage ‘Dumpy’ Bottlings

Balvenie Single Cask Expressions

Rare 1970s-80s Glen Ord

Rare Italian Imports from Velier

Almost 100 Expressions of Glen Grant

Browse entire auction today

Redbreast 19 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask

A style unique to Ireland, and which Redbreast is a textbook example of, the single pot still is defined by two characteristics. Firstly, the mashbill and secondly, triple distillation. The first sees malted barley combined with plain barley and potentially other grains, which gives the distillate a fruity spicy note. The second is described as polishing the spirit and letting those flavours shine out.

£213

Buy now 

This elegantly sherried Redbreast was aged entirely in second-fill oloroso casks, making for a complex dram that balances notes of dried fruit and nuts with the distinctive spiciness of Irish pot still whiskey. After almost two decades in the Midleton distillery warehouses in County Cork, it shows excellent maturity with fine tannins and hints of dark chocolate. Outside of the celebrated core range, there are precious few Redbreast whiskies in the wild, so we are particularly proud to offer this limited-edition bottling exclusively to customers of The Whisky Exchange.

ralfy review 1016 Extras – On-liner meets Indi-bottler.

Sipping Success: Talnua Distillery Celebrates 5 Years of Crafting Unforgettable Whiskey

– And 2024 Olde Saint’s Keep Bottle Release Information –

Talnua Distillery, winner of best American Pot Still Whiskey at the World Whiskies Awards for the third year in a row, will celebrate its 5th anniversary this St. Patrick’s Day. Over the last half decade Talnua has experienced significant growth and is garnering attention both nationally and abroad.

Growing from just two gins and two core whiskeys at launch, the distillery now offers four core whiskeys, rotating special release whiskeys, and the popular distillery-only products Coffee Liqueur and Eggnog. The true stars of the show, Talnua’s Pot Still style whiskeys, have earned gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the International Wine and Spirits Competition, the American Distilling Institute, and the World Whiskies Awards.

Currently, these offerings are only available regionally in Colorado, where the distillery is based. After hiring a Sales Director in 2022, the amount of on and off premise accounts has doubled in the state, making the spirits more available to Colorado whiskey enthusiasts. Lucky for whiskey drinkers outside of Colorado, Talnua is hoping to partner with a distributor to expand to other states late this summer.

This distribution expansion is possible due to the production space growth that has occurred over the past 5 years. The most visible example of the distillery’s growth can be spotted outside the facility in the two 60,000 lb grain silos storing the barley that is the heart of the Talnua mashbill. Production over time has grown by 8x. Talnua has traded in the humble beginnings of a single hand-made pot still making two barrels per week, for three custom designed copper pot stills with a production capacity of 17 barrels per week. This upgrade has increased production from 100 barrels per year to nearly 900 barrels per year, with a 2025 expansion plan for over 2500 barrels per year. All of this growth has also enabled the distillery to start doing contract distillation while maintaining a steady amount of Talnua spirits production.

The growth occurring at the distillery is not limited to its production capacity. Talnua’s footprint has tripled from 5,000 to 15,000 sq ft with a new tasting room and patio in the plans for later this year. To support the production and hospitality needs of the distillery, the Talnua team members have doubled as well. The tasting room proudly boasts awards for Best of Denver’s “Best Distillery Taproom”, Top of the Town’s “Best Cocktail Menu”, and Best of the Best Arvada’s “Best Distillery” as well as a 4.9 star review on Google Reviews and 5 stars on Yelp and Trip Advisor.

Talnua’s events programming continues to evolve with a rise in philanthropic events featuring special releases that benefit local organizations dear to its team members. Recent beneficiaries include Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital.

The future looks bright for Talnua as they continue to build out both their production space and a new Tasting Room to expand private event space and visitor capacity.

Whiskey lovers should not miss this year’s Olde Saint’s Keep special release whiskey unveiling at Talnua’s annual St. Patrick’s Day event. This year’s celebration will be held March 15th and 16th and marks the distillery’s 5 year anniversary. The 2023 expression of Olde Saint’s Keep Whiskey won Talnua “Best American Pot Still Whiskey” at this year’s World Whiskies Awards and this year’s expression featuring sherry, port, amburana, and virgin American white oak promises not to disappoint! At the event visitors can acquire their bottle of Olde Saint’s Keep whiskey while enjoying live music, food truck fare, pipe and drum bands, and specialty cocktails. Visit talnua.com for more information.

2024 Olde Saint’s Keep Special Release Whiskey

Talnua Distillery’s 2024 Olde Saint’s Keep Special Release Whiskey is American Single Pot Still whiskey featuring sherry, port, amburana, and virgin American white oak.

100 Proof / 50% Alc/Vol

Fewer than 1000 bottles available

After last September’s historic launch of our first island dram, we’re pleased and proud to announce the date of our next release of The Hearach single malt whisky.

Batch No.s 09 / 10 / 11 / 12
TUESDAY 26TH OF MARCH 2024
10.00 GMT

All batches will be on sale through our online store and at the distillery shop here in Tarbert that morning while stocks last.

You can also buy bottles from our network of specialist retailers and independent stores across the UK from that date as well. Our global friends will be also be able find the new release of batches appearing in their countries soon after.

Lots more information to come soon, meantime here are some wonderful words from whisky writer, expert, and friend Charles Maclean MBE about The Hearach…

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am…the flavour profile is truly unique. I have never tasted a whisky like it, and have rarely been so impressed by a first release.

What’s more, it really does seem to embody the island of its birth – sea-spray, kelp and smouldering peat smoke; elemental, but also gentle, faintly floral and with a texture as soft as a Gaelic song – very more-ish!

Layers of complexity, a fine balance of flavours, and distinctive character. I raise what little remains in my glass to The Hearach’s success.”

– Charlie MacLean

We’ll drink to that…

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HEARACH

The Fosse Gallery have extended an invitation to Cotswolds Distillery friends to view Annabel Playfair Travels from Italy to Home. Annabel Playfair was the artist highlighted on the Flaxen Vale Single Malt Whisky which is part of the Harvest Series.

On: Sunday 3rd March 2024

11.00am – 4.00pm 

At: Fosse Gallery Fine Art,

The Manor House, The Square, Stow on the Wold, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 1AF 

01451 831319

mail@fossegallery.com

You may view the exhibition in full at www.fossegallery.com 

The Exhibition continues until: Saturday 23rd March 2024

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Harvest Series Flaxen Vale Single Malt Whisky

The limited-release single malt is the embodiment of the Cotswolds landscape, expertly crafted with a blend of select American Oak PX and Spanish Oak Oloroso and Peated casks.

Tasting Notes 

Nose: Sweet dates, sweet brioche pastry, hazelnut

Palette: Dried raisins, toffee, touch of peat and toasted hazelnuts

Finish: Balanced, dry fruit, sweet patisserie pastry with a gentle peaty finish

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Was Alfred Barnard the original whisky influencer?

While nowadays we’re spoiled with a plethora of whisky books focussing on different whiskies and distilleries, Alfred Barnard’s “Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom” was really the first such project. In this video, Dr Gordon Steele discusses the book and its lasting influence with historian Fionnán O’Connor.

🎬 Watch the Video | 📖 Read the Post

ralfy review 1016 – SIGNATORY Mortlach 15yo @46%vol: (OSWA winner 2023)