Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 502: Royal Salute 21 Year Old The Peated Blend

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries a blend… but a rather grand one. Royal Salute was created at the time to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II. It is a reference to the ceremonial cannon shots fired from the Tower of London. Several versions of the Royal Salute have already come on the market. For this special edition ‘The Peated Blend’ malts were also used that are no longer produced, namely Imperial and Caperdonich.

https://youtu.be/7Lb-8ytaZjM

WATERFORD DISTILLERY BOTTLES IRELAND’S MOST HEAVILY-PEATED WHISKIES OF ALL TIME

Waterford Distillery has bottled Ireland’s most heavily-peated whiskies of all time: Peated: Lacken and Peated: Woodbrook

The bottlings form the latest additions to the distillery’s Arcadian Farm Origins, which revel in the old ways of whisky production, and follow the first Irish-peated whiskies experienced for generations

By combining 100% Irish barley with purely Irish peat, both whiskies display unique flavour profiles

13th September 2023: Waterford Distillery, producer of naturally flavoursome single malts, has today announced the launch of Peated: Lacken and Peated: Woodbrook, the most heavily-peated Irish whiskies of all time.

Made from barley grown on two distinct Single Farm Origins, Lacken in Co. Wexford and Woodbrook in Co. Dublin, the new single malt whiskies use the old ways of whisky production of Irish peat to impart more unique flavours, at a phenol parts per million (PPM) rate of 57ppm and 74ppm respectively. This makes them the most heavily-peated Irish whiskies ever produced.

The two new bottlings are the latest additions to Waterford Distillery’s Arcadian Farm Origins series, joining Peated: Fenniscourt and Peated: Ballybannon, which were released in August last year, and were the first in generations to use real Irish peat in whisky production. The series also includes the world’s first Biodynamic whisky, and Ireland’s only Organic whisky.

By harvesting barley from Lacken and Woodbrook farms, and combining it with Irish peat from the ultra-deep inland of Ballyteige Co. in Kildare, Waterford Distillery has produced whiskies with rich, distinct, and complex flavours, each displaying the nuances of their respective terroir-derived flavours.

As with other Waterford Distillery releases, a unique TÉIREOIR CODE on each bottle provides unprecedented validation and verification of its individual journey from barley to bottle – harvested, stored, malted, distilled and matured. Every meaningful detail of the whisky is offered openly.

Mark Reynier, Waterford Distillery Founder and CEO, says:

“Our ongoing exploration into the old ways of whisky-making have taken us, once again, to forgotten flavours: Irish peat, the original taste of Irish whisky. Having demonstrated the unique flavours from our first peated Single Farm Origins, and that terroir trumps peat, we decided to dial up the smoke.

“This new brace of Single Farm Origins – using Irish peat and Irish barley – have been peated to levels higher than most of the famous Islay whiskies, and certainly the most for an Irish whisky. And guess what? Those terroir flavours are still distinct and still apparent.”

Tasting Notes by Ned Gahan, Head Distiller at Waterford Distillery

Peated: Lacken

Appearance: Virgin olive oil with tears to match.

Nose: High-toned, vibrant, fresh smoke-on-the-breeze-on-a-spring-morning style of peat.

A coastal walk; brine, oyster shells, barley sugar and orchard fruits: soft apples and pear skins. A little warm hay too as it opens in the glass.

Taste: Full-bodied, oily, unctuous. Grist, driftwood, campfire and creosote. Sheepswool and Lapsang Souchong tea. Juiciness comes in the form of white peach and apple sauce.

Finish: Complex cigar tobaccos, green tea and tar.

Peated: Woodbrook

Appearance: Pale straw with oils that are in no hurry.

Nose:  Lemon skins, beeswax and recently-extinguished candles. Freshly-torched crème brûlée. Very fresh, with meadow flowers and hemp alongside a light, complex touch of medicine cupboard.

Taste: Dry spices, dry rub and shortbread biscuit. The ashes of a beach campfire. Preserved lemons and Lapsang Souchong tea. Very citrusy – lemon oils and thick-cut lime marmalade.

Finish: Long with more of the spices and comforting bonfire tones emerging.

The new Peated: Lacken and Peated: Woodbrook will be available to purchase at waterfordwhisky.com, with a RSP of approximately €95/£90 (varying by location).

About Waterford Distillery 

Waterford Whisky produces the most naturally flavoursome single malts.

It is the world’s largest producer of organic and biodynamic whiskies.

It is agricultural produce, not a manufactured product.

Unashamedly influenced by the world’s greatest winemakers, Waterford Whisky obsessively brings the same intellectual drive, methodology and rigour to barley – the very source of malt whisky’s complex flavour.

Extolling a hundred exclusive farms of Irish-grown barley, the distillery searches for natural flavours via three paths: its Single Farm Origins pursue the individualism of terroir-derived flavour; its Arcadian Farm Origins express the intensity of flavour from alternative philosophies and long-forgotten varieties; whilst its Cuvée Concepts revel in the ultimate complexity, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

For more information, visit www.waterfordwhisky.com

1993 Springbank 25 Year Old “The Perfect Fifth” First Fill Sherry Butt No. 315 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

$1,500.00 View

An absolute gem in the Perfect Fifth line up. At 96 points it’s close to the legendary Highland Park they’ve also bottled, but for half the price. Jim Murray says, “Anyone who remembers the old Springbank 25-year-olds of the early 1990s will recognize this aroma as a direct descendent – indeed it is near enough identical in both weight and character. The huge, nuggety oak is faultless (this must have come from a cask which had been seasoned in the old – virtually lost – style). Salt dominates but there are dried apricots and spiced pear, too. Meanwhile the vaguest of peaty notes (and I mean the odd atom here and there!) teases away as a barely audible background noise, which automatically becomes louder the moment you spot it. Taste: A malt on the threshold of perhaps dallying too closely with the oak. But that coastal-style bite makes just the right contact with the salty tannins and cocoa-laden phenol to make a course for more complex and satisfying port. Just enough oil makes the middle rich and promises a long finale. Finish: Drier, as is to be expected, as the tannins raise their game. Still salty, but a little barley sugar and lemon juice lightens the intensity, though – happily, but not too much; the residual oils ensure the finish is of extraordinary length. Balance: A real return to the past here with Springbank in its most full-bodied, uncompromising and complex style which those of us who discovered the distillery in the 1980s remember with great affection.”

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

KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar

Early Bird Pricing Ends Friday

SAVE $40 with the Pre-Pay Pre-Order Offer!

We wanted to take one final opportunity to remind you that the early-bird deadline is fast approaching. It was technically midnight tonight, but we have decided to extend it through midnight, Sunday, September 24, to give everyone a little more time. September is a busy month with summer vacations coming to an end and kids going back to school.

After Sunday, September 24, the price for the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar goes up from $250+gst to $290+gst!

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

About the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar

The KWM Whisky Calendar, aka “25 Days of Dram Fine Whisky”, is back for the 10th straight year. Not only will it have a fresh new look this year, but it will be in a completely redesigned box. This year’s Calendar includes 25 28ml premium whiskies and a custom logo wee Glencairn glass. You can follow along on the KWM Blog starting December 1st, or on one of our various social media channels as we introduce and discuss each day’s whisky.

We will be revealing the design for the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar in a few weeks’ time!

We will also be hosting Whisky Calendar Recap Tastings throughout the month of December. Purchasers and recipients of the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar will be able to join us for any or all of the 5 virtual tastings on December 5, 10, 15, 20 and after Christmas on the 27th, at 7 PM MT. Each of them will cover the 5 previous day’s whiskies in the Calendar.

Every year someone asks the question, but we always keep the exact calendar whisky list a secret, as there are too few surprises left in this life… But we can tell you this year’s Calendar includes 3 KWM exclusive casks, a Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling, at least five whiskies in their 20s, and more new distilleries and producers than we have featured in a long time. We are confident that this is the best Whisky Calendar lineup we have ever pulled together because we weren’t limited by what was available to us in 50mls!

Best of all, if you select the pre-pay preorder option, you will save $40… but this offer is only open for two weeks, until midnight, Sunday, September 24th!

We anticipate the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendars should be ready for pick up by October 31st.

Two Options to Order

the KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar

1) KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Pre-Pay Early Bird Special Offer – Select this option if you wish to save $40 on the regular price of $290, by prepaying now in full (please note this cannot be combined with other offers or discounts). You will be charged $250+gst when we receive your order. – EARLY BIRD PRICING OPTION ENDS ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 2023!

2) KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Pay Later Full Price – If you want to reserve a KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar and pay the full price of $290+gst later, please select this option to submit your order, and you will not be charged until a few days before the Calendar is ready for pick-up.

Please order online if you can (using the links above), or by phone at 403-283-8000 if you can’t. 

As always, in the event of a discrepancy in price, the point of sale at KWM will be taken as correct. Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions, comments, or requests.

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

403-283-8000

Store Hours

Mon – Wed 10AM – 8PM

Thurs & Fri 10AM – 9PM

Sat 10AM – 8 PM

Sun 11PM to 6PM

*All Prices Quoted here are subject to change and do not include GST. In the case of pricing discrepancies, the price at our point of sale will be taken as correct.*

Glorious Glenburgie with a tropical twist

Discover this hidden Speyside gem through a richly fruit-forward lens

A 27 year old release bottled exclusively for our bar and shop by Gordon & MacPhail

Glenburgie 27 Year Old 1996 Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Milroy’s Exclusive

£275.00

Here at Milroy’s we’re passionate about sourcing and sharing exquisite whiskies. This means bottling remarkable casks when we find them – and that’s exactly what we did with this Glenburgie refill bourbon barrel.

Distilled way back in 1996, this is a delectably tropical release is bursting with bold stewed fruit and vibrantly funky notes. Usually reserved for blends, this is a rare chance to experience this Speyside distillery in unadulterated form.

Secure your release from our online store now, or pop in to our Soho shop and bar. It’s available by the bottle to take away, or by the dram to taste!

Shop now

Milroy’s of Soho
3 Greek St, London W1D 4NX

Caol Ila 2007 15 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice #311967

This peated 1994 vintage has spent its entire life in a single Oloroso sherry puncheon with a yield of only 653 bottles. As part of the revered Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseurs Choice range of single casks, this Caol Ila was distilled in 2007 and is exclusively available from The Whisky Shop. It spent its life in a first-fill sherry butt for the whole 15 years, before being bottled at a cask strength of 59.2% abv, free from chill filtration and at natural colour.

Discover aromas of rich smoke, vanilla, and raspberry, moving to a palate of warming love, tangerine, and black pepper. The finish is spicy with lingering forest fruits and the smoky embers of a bonfire.

£175.00
SHOP NOW ❯

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 ❯

Scotch Whisky

The Whisky Magazine Annual

Get ready to dive into the 3rd edition of Scotch Whisky, packed with distillery focus features, blind-tasting reviews, and interviews with leading figures in the Scotch whisky world. In this year’s edition, look behind the scenes at Torabhaig Distillery and Glasgow Distillery, tour the Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience, and read about F1 champion Jenson Button’s Scotch whisky project. Created by the team behind Whisky Magazine, Scotch Whisky is a valuable addition to any whisky lover’s bookshelf.

BUY TODAY

Buy your copy today! Single issue price includes delivery direct to your door!

ralfy review 995 – Kilkerran Heavily Peated (Batch 8) @58.4%vol

GORDON & MACPHAIL UNVEILS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ 74-YEAR-OLD WHISKY FROM GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the latest addition to its prestigious Private Collection range – a single malt described by acclaimed whisky writer, Dave Broom, as ‘extraordinary’. 

Gordon & MacPhail 1949 from Glenlivet Distillery was laid down in a refill Sherry butt selected by Gordon & MacPhail on New Year’s Day 1949 and bottled on 6^th March 2023. Priced at £35,000 RSP and retaining a cask strength of 49.3%, only 192 bottles of the ultra-rare whisky are available for sale.

Its remarkable age means the whisky is among one of the oldest Glenlivet released by Gordon & MacPhail, having been aged in its warehouse for over seven decades. Adding an extra layer of rarity, the single malt is the company’s last ever 1949 cask from Glenlivet Distillery.

Layered with complex notes and full of vibrancy and character, the whisky displays sweet, stewed fruit aromas that combine with fragrant cinnamon, aged leather, clementine, and beeswax polish. On the palate, autumnal spices and fruitcake are balanced by cracked pepper, with undertones of garden mint, dark treacle, and charred oak.

Dave Broom, whisky writer, said: “To find a whisky of this age is absolutely extraordinary. What comes across immediately is the fruit – there’s richness and there’s depth. You have this wonderful interplay of distillery character, of oak and oxygen. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

“When you taste it, you taste time. You can taste all the vintages and everything that’s happened. The concentration of fruits, the layers and the complexity are off the scale. You’d think it’s an old whisky but it’s not just an old whisky. It’s an extraordinary whisky.”

Ewen Mackintosh, Managing Director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: “Patience, knowledge, skill, and a commitment to quality are all principles exemplified in this greatly aged single malt. Gordon & MacPhail 1949 from Glenlivet Distillery is extremely scarce – our very last cask of Glenlivet from 1949, making it a must for whisky enthusiasts looking to savour a remarkable greatly aged single malt exuding layers of character and decades of maturation expertise.”

Those looking to be among the first to taste this latest Private Collection release can purchase the whisky at Dubai International Airport. Launching in partnership with Le Clos on Friday 1^st September, the Dubai airport store will have an exclusivity period, before the whisky becomes available worldwide on the 19^th of September.

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has bottled spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries, developing unique experience of how to mature single malts for many decades in their own casks.

For more information, visit www.gordonandmacphail.com

#GordonandMacPhail 

RSP: £35,000 ABV: 49.3% 

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet stewed fruit aromas combine with a fragrant cinnamon spice and aged leather. A hint of aniseed gives way to clementine and beeswax polish.

Palate: Autumnal spice and fruitcake flavours are balanced by cracked black pepper. Undertones of garden mint come to the fore alongside dark treacle and charred oak.

Finish: A spicy finish with lasting citrus fruit and mixed nuts.

About Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies

For over 125 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality. Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries to its casks. It is this unique depth and breadth of experience that enables Gordon & MacPhail to combine oak, spirit and time to create a portfolio of iconic whiskies found nowhere else in the world.

ELEMENTS OF ISLAY LAUNCHES NEW LIMITED EDITION

 BEACH BONFIRE GLOBALLY 

Elements of Islay, the award-winning independent whisky brand, is releasing its limited-edition whisky Beach Bonfire to global markets following an initial launch at Islay’s iconic whisky festival Fèis Ìle earlier this year.

The team wanted to create a whisky that captured the essence of the island’s rugged wilderness and transport the drinker to the heart of this untamed land with each sip. Head Blender Oliver Chilton took inspiration from a bonfire night where colours, smoke, flames, and sand all collided on a beach – truly representing the unique spirit and terroir of Islay.

The new release, bottled at 54.5% to be consistent with Elements of Islay’s core range, is matured in new oak, bourbon refill and sherry casks. The result is a powerful, herbaceous Islay malt with a rich, complex profile, laden with bonfire ember smoke and a sweet spice finish. Similarly to the rest of the range, Beach Bonfire is non-chill filtered and retains its natural colour.

“We’re thrilled to be releasing Beach Bonfire to markets across the world following its limited release at Fèis Ìle 2023,” said Elixir Distillers Head Blender, Oliver Chilton. “Beach Bonfire takes three distinct Islay spirits matured in a variety of different cask styles to bring a singular location and experience to life through flavour. The chance to condense and reimagine the incredible atmosphere of Islay’s coast by bonfire light into a glass of whisky is another step on our journey as blenders.”

The whisky is the first limited edition release from Elements of Islay since the re-launch of its core range in 2022.

Elements of Islay, Beach Bonfire, 70cl, 54.5% ABV, RRP £79.95, $115.00, €85.00 will be available in key markets across Europe in October 2023. It will be rolled out to Asia and the US from 2024.

Tasting Notes by Oliver Chilton, Head Blender

Nose: Oyster shells and bonfire smoke blend with rich baking spices and subtle notes of cherry and tarragon. Hints of mint and black pepper temper lemon oil and caramel cooking on a wood burning stove.

Palate: Bourbon-soaked Amarena Cherries, with baked vanilla pods, cinnamon and light ginger are surrounded by rich wood smoke. Touches of traditional, medicinal Islay peat play against a wonderful herbaceous character.

Finish: Warm and long, with more wood fire and soft brown sugar. A gingerbread spice starts to develop long after the last sip.