BC Distilled Returns April 10-14
Early bird tickets on sale now for the 9th annual artisan spirits festival

VANCOUVER, BC – BC Distilled, Canada’s premier artisan distillery event, returns April 10-14. This year, the festival will take place at a new venue, welcome the return of the popular Distillers Dinner at Forage, and offer guided whisky tastings, to deliver an exciting four days of events for artisan spirits fans.

Following the unexpected closure late last year of the festival’s long-time home, the Croatian Cultural Centre, BC Distilled is thrilled to announce its new location for the main consumer and trade tasting event: the Italian Cultural Centre. The festival will feature 30 distilleries, alongside several non-alcohol vendors, as well as the return of Legacy Liquor’s pop-up retail shop, on Saturday, April 13.

“Moving to a new venue has given us the opportunity to refresh the event,” says Alex Hamer, BC Distilled’s founder. “I’m especially looking forward to the addition of food options from the Centre, as well as having all of the participating vendors in one room.”

Mark your calendar:

Whisky Tastings & Book Launch: Wednesday, April 10 and Thursday, April 11
BC Distilled will host two whisky tastings at Taste of Legacy, led by renowned author and Canadian whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux, who is launching the third edition of his acclaimed book, Canadian Whisky The Essential Portable Expert, 3rd Edition. Each ticket to the tasting includes a signed copy of the book. Tickets: $59.99 (inclusive of the book)

Distillers Dinner at Forage: Friday, April 12
The ever-popular Distillers Dinner at Forage is returning for its final edition at the beloved downtown restaurant. “With the scheduled closure of Forage in the fall, we’re very happy we can hold one last Distillers Dinner at this iconic local restaurant,” says Hamer. “Forage has always been such a committed supporter of BC’s food and beverage producers, so we see this as a perfect send-off.” Tickets: $139.99-169.99

BC Distilled Festival: Saturday, April 13
Tickets are on sale now from bcdistilled.ca/tickets, with a $10 Early Bird discount applied to the first 100 sold. Tickets for the Distillers Dinner at Forage and the whisky tastings are also available for purchase separately. Early Bird Tickets: $64.99

BC Distilled Festival
Saturday, April 13
1:30 to 4:00 pm – Trade and Media Tasting
6:00 to 9:00 pm – Public Tasting
Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver

Participating Distilleries & Exhibitors:

Alchemist Distiller
Ampersand Distilling Company
Antidote Distilling Co.
Bruinwood Estate Distillery Inc
Copperpenny Distilling Co.
DEVINE Distillery
Driftwood Spirits
Heritage Acres Distilling
Holocene Distilling Project
Macaloney Whisky
Mad Laboratory Distilling
Maple Leaf Spirits Inc.
Mixers and Elixirs
Monashee Spirits Distillery
New Wave Distilling

Odd Society Spirits
One Foot Crow Craft Distillery
Raincity Distillery
Resurrection Spirits
Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery
Sharpe Distillery Inc.
Shelter Point Distillery
Shuswap Highland Stills Ltd.
Snowgoose Brewery Inc.
Sons of Vancouver Distillery
Stillhead Distillery
The Dubh Glas Distillery
The Woods Spirit Co.
Tofino Distillery
Tumbleweed Spirits
Wayward Distillery

Pacific Assistance Dogs Society

Partial proceeds from the festival will be donated to BC Distilled’s designated charity partner, Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS), whose staff and four-legged friends will be in attendance at the show. As well as having the chance to interact with PADS’ dogs and puppies, festival-goers are encouraged to donate to PADS and enter the 50/50 draw. This year’s BC Distilled will also feature a silent auction generously supported by the exhibitors

About BC Distilled

BC Distilled began in 2014 as a consumer tasting festival for British Columbia’s many locally-produced spirits. Held every spring, BC Distilled hosts distilleries from across BC to present spirit samples to members of the public, trade, and media, with support from a team of volunteers, sponsors, and furry friends from Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. bcdistilled.ca

BC Distilled is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

NEW MAC-TALLA LIMITED EDITION

Introducing our newest Mac-Talla Limited Edition – Mac-Talla Oloroso. Peated whisky lovers, this one’s for you. This is a heavily peated whisky has spent its life in Oloroso Sherry Butts. With a big and bold nature you can expect robust peat smoke, baking spices and almonds. Available on shelves from the 21st March at select retailers.

Colour: Rich Amber

Nose: Peat smoke, phenols and spice

Palate: Warm spice, rich dark fruits & a big dollop of peat. Brown sugar and baking spices reminiscent of Christmas with a peat fire burning in the background.

FÈIS ÌLE 2024

Fèis Ìle 2024 is gearing up to be a fantastic week! We have lots of fun events planned from a Journey of Taste walk, a festival day full of games and drams to a cinema masterclass with head distiller at MSWD.

Mac-Talla – Journey of Taste Walk
Join us on a guided walk along Islay’s coast with 4 accompanying drams influenced by the Landscape. We’ll enjoy 4 distinctly different Islay Single Malts, while learning about how the location and landscape of the Island influences the whisky produced there.

Date: Monday 27th May 2024
Time: 14:00 – 16:30 approx.
Click here for a ticket.

*ticket price also includes branded hipflask.

Indie Whisky Festival

The Indie Whisky Festival is back this year with lots of exciting indie bottlers! Hosted by Dramfool it’s an event that’s not to be missed! We will be going along and showcasing our core range, alongside our more limited releases and of course our 2024 festival bottling.

Date: 28th May 2024
Time: Several sessions throughout the day
Location: Ramsay Hall, Port Ellen
Click here for a ticket

Mac-Talla Cinema Masterclass
Join Mac-Talla for an immersive journey of taste in the Machrie Cinema. Hosted by the man behind the liquid – Graeme Mackeddie, explore a selection of varied drams that showcase the diversity of the Island.

Date: 28th May 2024
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Location: The Machrie Hotel
Click here for a ticket

Journey of Taste Whisky Dinner
Enjoy a welcome reception in the Machrie’s screening room, where Brand Ambassador Thomas Cuthbert will take you through the Mac-Talla range. Following the reception, we’ll enjoy a four course dinner, served alongside hand-picked whiskies, including a new, limited edition and Morrison Family cask sample whiskies.

Date: 28th May 2024
Time: 18:00 – 22:30
Location: The Machrie Hotel
Click here for a ticket

Journey of Taste Festival Day
We are delighted to host a tropical Journey of Taste Whisky Festival at the Machrie Luxury Golf Hotel Courtyard. You can expect a welcome dram in a complimentary branded glass, delicious BBQ, a dram token for an additional whisky  while you enjoy live music by the amazing Tàlan and fun lawn games to some prizes!

Date: 29th May 2024
Time: 16:00 – 19:00
Location: The Machrie Hotel
Click here for a ticket

Lochside Bar Takeover
Join us for one night only as we take over the Lochside side bar for cocktail imbibing in Caribbean style. Brand Ambassador, Thomas Cuthbert, will be flexing his mixology skills with a Caribbean-themed cocktail menu. Please note that the free tickets are for event awareness only. No tickets required for entry.

Date: 29th May 2024
Time: 16:00 – 23:00
Location: Lochside Hotel
See event here

Islay Sea Adventures with Mac-Talla
Islay Sea Adventures and Mac-Talla Islay Whisky have teamed up for a whisky and wildlife tour, taking in the Island’s stunning scenery, paired with delicious whisky! Mark, from the Mac-Talla team, will be on board to enlighten guests all about our award winning whisky.  You will have the opportunity to purchase Mac-Talla products on return to the harbour from a pop-up shop.

Date: 27th May 2024
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Location: Islay Sea Adventures
Please call Islay Sea Adventure on 01496 300129 to book tickets

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Phenols are the chemicals that we get in our peat smoke, that attach themselves onto the malt and then go through the distillation process into our whisky and gives us the peaty, smoky medicinal flavours that we get in our Lagavulins, Laphroaigs and our Ardbegs.”

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Whisky Myths: Colour = Flavour

While it may seem that a darker whisky would have more flavour than a lighter whisky, this just isn’t the case. A whisky’s colour develops in the wood during maturation (casks, don’t forget, are filled with new make spirit which is a clear liquid). Different colours will develop from the wood for several reasons as explained in this short blog post.

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Special Offer for April’s Online Diploma

Next month sees the return of our three-week guided study version of the Online Diploma in Single Malt Whisky. Kicking off on Friday 12 April, candidates can enjoy twice-weekly tutorials and drop-in dram sessions with teacher Vic Cameron and EWA founder Kirsty McKerrow. These are hosted live on Zoom (at 10pm BST) each Tuesday and Thursday. Earn your Diploma following a defined schedule with a small group of likeminded whisky lovers from across the globe.

Commit to this course before Sunday 31 March 2024 and save a massive 25% with the promo code SPRINGSTUDY.

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Our Small Batch range of whiskies are not only a testament to the great work the distillers do but they are also great fun to create and normally involve plenty of tasting along the way. The release is no exception. After trying to marry lots of different casks together and ending up with lots of lovely whisky – it is incredibly satisfying when you find a marriage that just works better than others. This release is the result of a perfect union between single malts matured in Bourbon casks & Oloroso casks.

The process of taking cask samples and marrying them together in the glass is not a fast process and when you do finally get a winner, it is prudent to leave it in the glass for some time to see how it will develop. This whisky just got better and better. The end result is single malt whisky, limited to just 2100 bottles that is a joy to drink.

Non-chill filtered. Natural colouring.

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada March 2024 Outturn

Join Adam as he once again introduces us to another epic set of SMWS releases at The Strath. Check out the SMWS page on The Strath’s webstore, where you can buy bottles and tickets to upcoming events –

THE VIDEO

AWAKEN YOUR SENSES AS CHIVAS BROTHERS UNLOCKS THE VAULT: THE ULTIMATE LUXURY EXPERIENCE TO DISCOVER A HAND-PICKED SELECTION OF EXCEPTIONAL SCOTCH WHISKY CASKS

The Vault takes whisky lovers through a sensory tasting journey at Speyside’s iconic Strathisla Distillery, offering exclusive access to Chivas Brothers’ highly desired portfolio of whiskies.

Chivas Brothers, makers of world-class Scotch whiskies including Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet, unlocks The Vault; a bespoke tasting experience in the hallowed chambers of its Strathisla distillery, leading up to the unveiling of exceptionally rare and sought-after casks from its enviable reserve of high-aged Scotch whiskies. Fourteen precious casks have been revealed for the first time, offering a unique opportunity to own a piece of Scotch heritage.

Guests stepping inside The Vault will be taken through a one-of-a-kind tasting experience which promises to elevate any Speyside visit. The journey will start with a private tour of Strathisla Distillery, the oldest working whisky distillery in the region, founded in 1786, followed by a walk-through of Chivas Brothers’ incredible history with its Archivist. The multisensory journey, guided by Chivas Brothers’ team of experts, will continue in The Vault’s impressive whisky library. A bespoke selection will be drawn from 240 exclusive samples, including distillates, high-aged whiskies and one-off rarities, to lead guests through a fully personalised tasting, before entering the chambers of The Vault itself to enjoy a final dram.

The Vault houses fourteen casks, none of which have been available for purchase before, hand-picked by Chivas Brothers makers, Blending Expert Sandy Hyslop and Cask Expert Kevin Balmforth. Together, they combine more than sixty years of experience and passion to meticulously assess the vast inventory across Chivas Brothers’ reserves. From iconic Speyside single malt, The Glenlivet, to the last remaining whiskies from the now-closed Caperdonich distillery, to the master of exceptional blended Scotch Royal Salute and the newly reintroduced Longmorn single malt, each cask has been chosen for its unparalleled character.

Under a Chivas Brothers expert’s guidance, whisky lovers looking to own an exclusive cask will be taken through a series of tastings best suited to their individual palate, before discovering their perfect cask match to purchase. The elevated experience offers whisky collectors an opportunity to not only own a piece of a Scotch whisky history but also to invest in time, as once a cask is sold it can be safeguarded within The Vault for a further four years of maturation before bottling.

Sandy Hyslop, Director of Blending and Inventory at Chivas Brothers commented:

“Every cask safeguarded inside The Vault demonstrates Chivas Brothers’ unrivalled quality, heritage, and craftsmanship. By opening the doors of The Vault, we are providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity for those visiting Speyside, bringing some of the world’s rarest and most remarkable whiskies into the spotlight for whisky connoisseurs and collectors to enjoy, savour and purchase.”

Jacques-Henri Brive, Head of Luxury Development at Chivas Brothers added:

“The Vault is a unique place where we invite whisky aficionados to discover our exceptional cask programme through a tasting experience like no other. Every journey into The Vault is entirely bespoke, paired with the potential to own one of Chivas Brothers’ most desired whiskies and maturing it in the optimal conditions for up to four more years – which makes this offering a very special one.”

The Vault by Chivas Brothers will be officially unlocked in March 2024. Whether visiting Speyside to discover the incredible world of Scotch, or looking to own a one-of-a-kind cask, The Vault has something to offer and is an experience you will want to explore. To discover more about the exclusive collection and book a personalised experience, which starts at £1,200 per guest, visit www.chivasbrothersvault.com. Guests seeking the ultimate country retreat can extend their stay at Chivas Brothers’ newly reopened private guest house, Linn House.

Follow @chivasbrothersscotch for the latest news and information.

Win Laphroaig Archive Worth £3750!

We have teamed up with our friends at Laphroaig, to offer you the chance to Win an unbelievable prize; a Bottle of Laphroaig Archive worth £3,750.  36 Years in the making and all you have to do is buy one of the participating bottles of Laphroaig before Monday 25th March and you will be in with a chance to Win this wonderful prize!

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WIN: Laphroaig 36 Year Old Archive Collection

 The first in the collection is this rare cask strength 36-year-old bottling, in which their peaty style is perfectly balanced from maturation first in ex-bourbon American oak casks, then resting in a second fill Oloroso hogshead. Presented in a hand-blown bottle inspired by green Islay sea glass, there are just 400 bottles released worldwide.

Enter Now for your chance to Win!

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£3,750.00

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sherry Oak Finish

This single malt whisky from Laphroaig distillery on Islay is a peated 10-year-old expression which has been finished in aromatic Oloroso sherry casks. The whisky is first aged in European Oak sherry casks which are carefully selected to give the typical Laphroaig style, and the additional finish in Oloroso casks gives a nutty and sweet complexity.

£73.00

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Laphroaig Lore

Since 1815, each Laphroaig Distillery Manager has been the custodian of the craft to make the richest single malt in the world. Over the years, each has passed on their skills and traditions to the next generation to continue this legacy. To honour this passing of knowledge, the Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell has created Laphroaig Lore, the richest ever Laphroaig.

NOW £68.00

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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 ❯

2005 Ledaig 17 Year Old “Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Cask #18600201 2nd Fill Sherry Hogshead Nonchillfiltered Cask Strength Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($160.00)

K&L Notes: Ledaig Single Malt is a cherished gem from the Hebridean Isles and comes from one of the oldest distilleries in all of Scotland. Produced on again/off again since its founding in 1798 and licensed since 1823, the Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull is known primarily for its two single malt marks. Tobermory, an unpeated dram and Ledaig, with its heavily peated characteristics. Both are widely regarded as malts of outstanding quality. Both malts owe their rich character to the unusual stills that lie at the heart of the distillery—bulbous stills and curvy lyne arms offer a huge amount of reflux. Ledaig’s heavily peated malt offers a rich array of flavors from smoky to fruity to meaty and with just a whiff of green grass. Pair the malt quality with the excellent wood management and exceptional pricing from the legendary Gordon & MacPhail and we have the first entrant for Best Cask of 2024! A very active refill sherry hogshead, Cask No. 18600201 comes in at 17 years old and 54.3% ABV. Yield 310 bottles. Bottled without chill-filtration and no added color.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: January 02, 2024

Liquid amber in color and boasting a nose equally full of fruit, charcuterie meats, and candied smoke. This is a Ledaig like we haven’t seen in ages. Active, clean sherry without a trace of sulfur really lets the fullness of the malt shine. First the fruit: crisp apple, dried orange peel, apricots, hoshigaki, and fruit leather—it smells ripe and sweet. The meatiness is intertwined with the fruit and the smoke, an array of cured and smoked meats. Applewood smoked ham hock comes to mind almost immediately. Candied and smoked nuts make the transition into more pronounced peat smoke, which really shines once you get the whisky on your palate. The wood and malt are so evenly matched it is difficult at times to tease apart which component is contributing which flavors. The palate is thick, a blanket of fresh peat and cold ash, saddle leather, and abundant ripe fruit. A blush of cool mint and dewy grass add lift and freshness. It goes on for days, and yet you can’t help but go back for more. Salted nuts slowly candied in honey and a kiss of sea spray top it all off. Proof positive that G&M still hold some of the finest whisky stocks in Scotland.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: January 02, 2024

The peated malt from the gorgeous Tobermory distillery is known as Ledaig. It’s not just the same whisky with peated barley, but utilizes specific fermentation and distillation times to create one of Scotland’s most intensely flavored spirits. It’s for that reason and maybe some issues with cask management over the years that Ledaig has a bit of a love/hate relationship for some peat lovers. But when you get a great one, it’s absolutely undeniable. This is one of those barrels. Full term in high-quality (and active) refill sherry with some of Mull’s finest. Stupendous! Let’s taste it. The color is a splendid chestnut! On first nosing it’s big, meaty, sooty smoke. With a bit of air—this one needs air—we move distinctly into the old leather, kippers, sweet orange zest, marmite, apricot jam on pumpernickel, and burnt raisins. On the palate, it’s perfectly salty, savory, and sweet. Almost no sulfur but so much leathery smoke, it’s unbelievable. The long finish offers deep, billowing, ashy smoke along with powerful baking spices and nutty oloroso notes. This is truly a special whisky and highly undervalued thanks to our amazing relationship with Gordon & Macphail. Only rivaled as an exclusive Ledaig by the much more controversial and divisive Chieftain’s 21-Year, this one is so much easier to love. An easy slam-dunk for any peat lover and an absolute must-have for Ledaig people.

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

GlenAllachie Distillery

New branding but the same excellent whisky, here’s the fresh new look from GlenAllachie Distillery.

Again working exclusively with UK-based suppliers for all its packaging supplies, reducing the distilleries carbon footprint, this new luxury design uses uncoated paper and opulent black and gold foils, all wrapped in a bespoke embossed bottle.

The whisky speaks for itself, with Billy Walker at the helm the quality is always going to be excellent.

Head over to Abbey Whisky via the link below to view all things GlenAllachie.

As ever, if you have any questions or queries, please just get in touch.

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 534: Teeling Crystal Malt

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries a new Irish whiskey. This can certainly be called a world premiere. On February 29, Teeling launched the very first triple distilled Irish whiskey made from Crystal Malt, a malt obtained by exposing the grain to extra heat during malting to crystallize the sugars. The result should provide additional notes of caramel and toffee. The whiskey was matured in Virgin American Oak barrels. It was initially only available in The Loop, the duty-free shop at Dublin Airport, but is now being rolled out to what they call key markets and that means it won’t be long before it will also be on our shelves.

https://youtu.be/QcKPzOmL2mo