The dark days of December have arrived but the low light of winter transforms our island in wonderful ways. Shadows lie long, and the stark landscapes are in high contrast making for many beautiful moments as the cold fronts and wilder weather rolls in.

It’s the season of light in so many ways, from the flicker of fires in the hearth to the first twinkles on festive trees. Our home village of Tarbert will soon come to life as the annual Christmas decorations appear along the main street, strung out like long fishing lines, linking all the small shops together.

And, our peat fire continues to burn guaranteeing a warm welcome always awaits those who come through our doors. Even if you can’t be with us here in Harris, there are many ways we can still stay connected.

Read on as we bring you this week’s island Journal to find out more!

Stay warm, stay well….

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

VISIT THE DISTILLERY WEBSITE

As Christmas approaches, many here are eagerly awaiting the return of friends and family to our island shores. The population of the Isle of Harris has declined by almost 50% over the last 50 years as young people leave to seek work far from our shores.

These changes threaten local traditions, culture, and language as well as leaving schools and village numbers dwindling. The Isle of Harris Distillery was built to help address these issues by creating sustainable local employment and offer long-term careers for those who wish to stay and set down roots here.

Together with other like-minded island enterprises we seek to act as a catalyst of change and a symbol of promise for this generation and those still to come that Harris can always remain their home.

DISCOVER OUR PURPOSE

We make The Hearach single malt whisky in batches of around 12,000 bottles, each to the same recipe. However, there will be subtle, natural variations between them which reflect the casks chosen and the length of time we ‘marry’ the vatting.

There’s a special combination of letters and numbers on every stopper seal which helps you to learn more about the dram in the bottle you’ve bought or plan to buy. Each code has an accompanying ‘batch sheet’ to help you learn about the way your whisky was made, read tasting notes from an islander, and enjoy a short story from Harris…

DISCOVER YOUR BATCH

We want everyone who enjoys The Hearach single malt whisky to take some time to connect with us here in our Outer Hebridean island.One of the ways we can help you do this is through sound and a sense of quiet ceremony.

So, light the fire, put life on pause, pour a dram, and press play on our specially created immersive soundscape by young island audio artist Fraser MacBeath. Fraser recently won the RSA Benno Schotz Prize at the Royal Scottish Academy 197th Annual Exhibition, and spent much of 2023 traveling around Harris, speaking to local people and exploring hidden corners with his recording equipment.

The resulting piece of work weaves past and present, the noises of the natural world, and the lyrical melody and music of the men and women who call this place their home.

PAUSE, POUR, AND PRESS PLAY

INTERESTED IN A FRONT ROW SEAT FOR THE NEXT DECADE?

As our 40th anniversary celebrations end, there’s still time to join us in the 50th Anniversary Cask Club. We’re excited that so many of you have already joined us, with some of the cask types already selling out.

We’ve carefully hand-selected batches of new-make spirit from two prestigious Scottish whisky distilleries, placing them into casks where they will mature into remarkable, one-of-a-kind whiskies. Once bottled, the whisky from these casks will form part of a unique 50th Anniversary range in 2033, only available to those members who are part of this programme.

Whether you’ve dreamt of maturing your own whisky or are simply looking to deepen your connection to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, this is your chance to be part of something truly remarkable.

Don’t let this exclusive opportunity slip away! Visit the website to discover everything you need to know about the 50th Anniversary Cask Club.

JOIN THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CASK CLUB TODAY

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

TyndrumWhisky.com
The Green Welly Stop
Tyndrumwhisky, Tyndrum
Crianlarich, Perthshire FK20 8RY
United Kingdom

BESTSELLING WHISKIES OF 2023

Here are some of our most popular whiskies of 2023, all reliable choices for impressing a whisky lover this Christmas or finding inspiration for a gift from you to you. The bottles our customers couldn’t get enough of this year include the first official bottling from Dalmunach distillery bottled exclusively for us, the 100th Anniversary release of Yamazaki 12 Year Old and ever-popular drams from the Macallan and Blanton’s.

  SHOP CUSTOMER FAVOURITES 

Connoisseur’s Delight: K&L Exclusive Cask Bourbons

This trio of single-barrel standouts showcase the depth and breadth of our Exclusive Cask program, with a pair of Kentucky favorites and a rising cult star from Indiana’s renowned MGP distillery. Of course, any single barrel from Elijah Craig is bound to pique the interest of Heaven Hill’s legions of fans, while serious connoisseurs will be drawn to a rare opportunity at a cask-strength Angel’s Envy for under $100. Finally, Pinhook’s Vertical Series has taken collector’s circles by storm over the past few years, and this 8-year-old cask, selected from that coveted range, offers one of the finest expressions of MGP bourbon on the market today.

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

ralfy review 1006 Extras – Who’s Opinion affects Your Experience !

Exploring English Whisky Launches Inaugural “Explorer Series”

Exploring English Whisky are delighted to announce the launch of their inaugural “Explorer Series” release. This is the first release by Exploring English Whisky and has been created in partnership with Whiskyside.com, an online retailer of English Spirits, who hold the largest known collection of English Whisky at their bar in Yorkshire. Deviating from their traditional cask shares model on stillincask.com, Exploring English Whisky have joined forces with Adnams, a renowned brewery & distillery, for this limited-edition release.

Exploring English Whisky’s journey, catalysed by an online St. George’s Day tasting during the first Covid lockdown, has evolved into a membership club and an annual festival held in Birmingham. Founder Richard Foster remarks, “There’s not much to thank Covid for, but we’re one of the feel-good stories from that period of time. I love English Whisky and the people behind every bottle, it’s a fascinating category so I wanted to shine a light on it and help spread the word so more people could enjoy it across the UK and dispel a few myths about non-Scotch along the way!”

Adnams make multiple styles of whisky with different mash bills, but this is their single malt recipe and it’s been maturing for 7 years in Adnams’ signature second-fill French Oak casks. The liquid is then finished for approximately 2 years in French sweet Sauternes wine casks – an increasingly popular choice in whisky maturation. The French Oak casks impart a Bourbon-like character with a twist, delivering delightful notes of melted butter, fennel, stone fruits, and grappa – before washing over the tongue with more smooth buttery deliciousness, a layer of apricot jam and a sprinkling of baking spices. The finish is a warm, rich, and spicy symphony, maintaining a bright and lively quality from the influence of the exquisite Sauternes wine casks.

Foster expressed his excitement about the release, stating, “There are very few age statemented English Whiskies on the market, so we are excited to be able to stamp nine years onto this bottle – in part to showcase the lengths that Adnams have gone to in maturing this whisky in such a great combination of casks – but also due to the surprise most people have when they find out how long Adnams has been making whisky for. Not only is English Whisky ‘a thing’ – but it’s also now able to compete alongside Scotch in the traditional age brackets of 8, 12 and 15 years, albeit in far smaller quantities.”

He emphasises the craft and sustainability of Adnams, using locally sourced barley, long fermentations, and slow, careful distillation, resulting in a distinct distillery flavour profile that relies less on wood for flavouring. He notes, “Craft whisky distilleries like Adnams do more than just make whisky, and when this opportunity arose – I knew I had to jump on it.”

“This whisky has a clear salinity that – I believe – comes from Adnams’ proximity to the North Sea – probably more so through the maturation, but every process takes place in Southwold so the coast always within view of this whisky until it’s bottled. That’s why we put the coast on the label – a nod to mother nature’s power and impact on whisky through ageing in unique micro-climates like the one Adnams finds itself in Southwold, on the Suffolk coast.” Regarding the bottle’s design, Foster states, “Creating our first label was a big moment for us,” describing it as a fusion of brand identity and a unique representation of the distillery, featuring an ‘Explorer Series’ black ‘X’—the symbol of the range. The remaining elements, such as the textured paper and gold foiling add layers of opulence to the design – reflecting the rarity and quality of Sauternes wines and Suffolk whiskies.

The Explorer Series launch marks the beginning of an exciting journey for Exploring English Whisky, with promises of more unique bottlings to come in the years ahead.

The release is limited to 700 bottles and is available for £70 from Whiskyside.com, members of Exploring English Whisky can also enjoy £10 off per bottle.

For more information, visit EXPLORING ENGLISH WHISKY 

TASTING NOTES

Nose: Melted butter, fennel seeds and stone fruits washed down with grappa

Palate: Buttery smooth with apricot jam and baking spices

Finish: Warm, spicy, and rich

 RECOMMENDED SERVE

“Southwold Lighthouse”

This twist on a “Mott & Mulberry” (named after an intersection in NYC) features our Adnams 9yo ex Sauternes Cask in place of spicy American Rye Whiskey. We think it’s delicious and a perfect Autumn / Winter cocktail. Give it a go:

30ml Adnams 9yo

30ml Benedictine (or Amaro / Chartreuse / Cynar)

30ml English Cider (ideally from Suffolk)

10ml Lemon Juice

10ml Maple Syrup (or Demerara sugar syrup)

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Strain and pour into a tumbler. Garnish with thinly sliced apple on a skewer over the glass.

Winners Revealed in 5th Annual Scottish Whisky Awards 2023

The winners in the national awards programme for Scotch whisky have been announced following a St Andrews Day dinner and industry celebration held in Glasgow the evening of November 30th. The 5th annual Scottish Whisky Awards revealed the winners from its comprehensive competition that included the blind tasting of over 200 Scotch whiskies produced by over 60 Scottish distilleries and independent bottlers.

Maureen Robinson Receives The Dr Jim Swan Award For Services To Scotch Whisky

One of the whisky industry’s most accomplished master blenders has been announced as the recipient of the 2023 Dr Jim Swan Award for Services to Scotch Whisky. Maureen Robinson, who retired from Diageo earlier this year, was celebrated for her 40 year career developing and curating Scotch Whisky for in the Diageo portfolio at the 5th Scottish Whisky Awards held in Glasgow on Thursday 30 November 2023.

Read More

The Grand Whisky Auction is now LIVE with a selection of 45 casks from Adnams Copper House Distillery!

The auction closes on Thursday 14th December at 9pm!

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

T.+44 (0)1463 210 427 – sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

LOCH LOMOND 18 YEAR OLD

Our Whisky of the Year 2024 is the full-bodied and fruity 18-year-old single malt from Loch Lomond. Matured in three types of American oak casks, this whisky is the perfect representation of the distillery’s signature style, with layers of rich fruit, sweet honey and subtle warming smoke.

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