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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 497: Dublin Distilleries
Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, has just returned from a citytrip to Ireland’s capital Dublin, visiting all the distilleries: Pearse Lyons, Teeling, Dublin Liberties, Roe & Co and Jameson. Needless to say, it made for a lifetime of memories. Join Mark on this tour during this 15min long Rambling. Enjoy!
Farm-to-cask Lochlea Distillery reveals
second crop of Harvest Edition single malt
Award winning farm-to-cask distillery Lochlea in Ayrshire today releases its second ‘crop’, or batch, of its seasonal release: Harvest Edition.
The distillery’s celebrated seasonal small batch release single malt whiskies showcase Lochlea’s household style across the year, with each season being celebrated through the selection of different casks being used for maturation.
The new release – Harvest Edition Second Crop – has been matured in a combination of carefully selected Tawny and Ruby Port casks, STR barriques and first-fill Bourbon barrels to offer a deliciously different twist to the Lochlea house style.
Production Director John Campbell said: “As a working farm, these expressions tie in to reflect our farming calendar here at Lochlea.
For this year’s Harvest Edition Second Crop we have incorporated a much higher proportion of Port casks as the spirit is another year older and we felt that it could stand up to the richness and intensity these casks add. This has really helped to enhance the whisky’s creaminess, whilst also introducing a delightful peppery, floral spice that the spirit gets from the STR barriques.
We are really proud of this release, which has been inspired by the end of summer, when our golden barley is harvested and eventually used for the next year’s production.”
Lochlea’s seasonal releases are as follows:
As with all of Lochlea’s whiskies, Harvest Edition Second Crop is non-chill filtered. It has been bottled at 46% ABV – the same strength as Harvest Edition First Crop, so that the annual releases can be compared and contrasted. RRP is £51.60, available now from Lochlea stockists.
In addition to the seasonal limited edition releases, Lochlea has a core whisky expression available all year round – Our Barley. This unpeated single malt has been matured in a combination of three different casks: first fill ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry casks and STR barriques, all of which add depths of flavour to the spirit. Launched in July 2022, Our Barley has received much acclaim as a superb example of a young non-age statement (NAS) Lowlands whisky, made entirely from the distillery’s own home-grown barley.
Harvest Edition Second Crop
Tasting notes:
Nose: Dates, ripe red grapes, thick cut marmalade
Palate: Pink peppercorns and dried fruit
Finish: A beautiful lingering creamy finish
ABV: 46%
About Lochlea Distillery:
Lochlea was originally a 222 acre livestock farm before being purchased by Neil and Jen McGeoch in 2006. After much consideration of the future of the farm and a successful trial to grow its own barley in 2015, the couple transformed the land and existing farm buildings into a fully-operational distillery in 2017 and started distilling the following year. The farming side has remained a unique part of Lochlea, with the move into barley production – paving the way for Lochlea to be one of the very few fully grain-to-glass distilleries in Scotland. It also has a rich Scottish heritage with strong links to Robbie Burns, with the bard having worked and lived on the farm a several years.
For a full list of Lochlea stockists, visit: Lochlea Distillery stockists
The Glenlivet introduces whisky cocktail innovation fashioned with boundary-breaking technology: new ‘Twist & Mix’ Cocktails
The Glenlivet’s collection of premium ready-to-serve cocktails can be mixed in the moment with a simple twist of an innovative cap, using spirits industry first, proprietary technology.
The Glenlivet Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, part of the Chivas Brothers portfolio, continues to break conventions with the introduction of The Glenlivet Twist & Mix Cocktails, a new line of premium, ready-to-serve, whisky-based cocktails – launching exclusively in the US this month.
Using first-to-market technology, the innovation proves that quality and accessibility are not mutually exclusive – simply twist the cap and the cleverly-designed mechanism will burst cocktail flavours into The Glenlivet single malt giving a freshly-mixed cocktail, in an instant. The newest offering from one of the world’s leading single malt whiskies provides a premium, crafted experience without the hassle of leftover ingredients, complex recipes and bar equipment.
The Glenlivet Twist & Mix Cocktails are a first not only for Scotch, but for the broader spirits category – setting a new standard for ready-to-drink cocktails using the patented Vessl® closure and mixing technology. The range enables whisky lovers to enjoy these iconic cocktails more often and as part of an elevated at-home experience.
The collection is debuting with the Old Fashioned and New Manhattan, bringing two of the most popular whisky cocktails to consumers’ homes. Maintaining the flavour profiles of the beloved classics, the silky taste of the Old Fashioned is achieved with the tasting notes of orange, nutmeg and cinnamon, while the New Manhattan is a testament to the timeless classic featuring notes of cherry and ginger.
“For nearly 200 years The Glenlivet has broken tradition, so it’s in our pioneering spirit to, together with Vessl, develop a new way to enjoy ready-to-drink cocktails – unleashing a fresh, elevated at-home experience that meets global consumer demand. We caused a bit of a stir when we launched The Glenlivet Capsule Collection back in 2019 —but now we think the world is ready for perfectly-made single malt whisky cocktails.”
said Jayne Murphy, Global Marketing Director, Malts at Chivas Brothers.
Yogesh Gandhi, Global Head of Innovation at Chivas Brothers added,
“This project provided us with the challenge of reinventing the ready-to-serve experience within a highly competitive market segment. What has been achieved puts the consumer at the heart – no mess, fuss or skill required to create a bartender-level, freshly mixed cocktail in seconds.”
“We are impressed with how The Glenlivet has adopted our technology to create high quality, freshly mixed ultra-premium craft cocktails at home,”
said Walter D. Apodaca, Jr., Founder and CEO, Vessl, Inc.
“This is exactly the kind of forward-thinking use of the Vessl® technology we envisioned, and it tastes even better than we imagined.”
The range follows on from the 2019 launch of The Glenlivet Cocktail Capsule Collection, which turned the idea and format of ready-to-drink cocktails on their head by enabling consumers to experience glassless single malt cocktails served in an innovative sea-alginate based sphere.
The Glenlivet Twist & Mix Cocktails debut in 375ml bottle size, each containing eight servings, exclusively in the US for RRP $21.99 from August 2023, with further markets to be announced. The offering is housed in packaging designed by JDO.
Innovations in Whisky
Three of the videos in our new series that sees whisky experts discuss innovations in whisky are now available to watch. The fermentation chat covers key parameters – such as temperature, pitching rates and time – and explores why they are important for developing flavour and crafting spirit identity. The sustainability discussion illustrates how the global challenge requires local, community-rooted solutions. And, the discussion around distilling with different grains – such as malted and unmalted barley, rye oats and wheat – explores how each are processed and combined to influence new make spirit flavour.
Cardhu 11 Year Old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in refill, new, and ex-bourbon American oak casks bottled for the Diageo Special Releases 2020 series.. A rare treasure from 2020! Back in-stock. Matured in American oak casks.
NOSE
Mellow in feel, with light prickle. A hint of new wood pencil cases introduces freshly juicy, fruity top notes of green apple, green grape and pineapple, which gradually come together with a trace of lemon peel as a sweet fresh fruit salad, on a faintly mossy base. A drop of water adds a further juicy note of boiled fruit sweets.
PALATE
At natural strength, a creamy-smooth texture and a sweet then juicy taste with traces of fondant mid-palate; deliciously buttery, hot and spicy, recalling toasted hot-cross buns. Slightly sweeter at reduced strength and buttery-soft, with enhanced pepper. Drying lightly overall.
FINISH
Quite long, with some white pepper for a lingering warmth.
John and Helen Cumming began producing malt whisky using a single illicit still at their Cardhu Farm in 1811. This ditillery was officially established at Cardhu in 1824 when it was equipped with two small stills and output was necessarily quite small until a new purpose built distillery was constructed just up the road and equipped with four stills. Cardhu Distillery is a malt whisky distillery situated in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region and a contributor to Diagio’s Johnnie Walker blended scotch. Featured in the distillery range are the Cardhu 12 year old, 15 year old and Amber Rock.
Lochlea Harvest Edition Second Crop
Lohclea is an independent, family-owned distillery is the heart of Ayrshire. This bottle is a part of their seasonal small-batch releases, which showcases the signature style of Lochlea. All those expressions tie in to reflect the farming calendar. The Harvest Edition (Second Crop) combines carefully selected Port Casks, STR barriques and first-fill bourbon barrels to create a delicious, fruity liquid with delicate spice.
TASTING NOTES
NOSE Dates, ripe red grapes, thick-cut marmalade.
PALATE Pink peppercorns and dried fruit.
FINISH A beautiful lingering creamy finish.
The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 521 – It’s a Glen Min-Toul Episode!
Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at some new wood finishes from Glencadam and Tomintoul. Filmed in The Study Nottingham
Featuring
Tomintoul Small Batch White Port Cask Finish 40%
Tomintoul 14 year old White Port Cask Finish 46%
Tomintoul Small Batch Merlot Wine Cask Finish 40%
Glencadam Small Batch ‘Reserve de Burgundy’ Pinot Noir Cask Finish 46%
Glencadam 15 year old ‘Reserva de Jerez’ 2007 Limited Edition 46%
Glencadam Small Batch ‘Reserve de PX’ Pedro Ximinez Cask Finish 46%
Elijah Craig Bourbon Releases Limited-Edition Toasted Barrel Finished in European Oak Barrels
Commemorating the 2023 Ryder Cup
(AUGUST 9, 2023) Today, Elijah Craig is proud to announce the release of its Limited-Edition Toasted Barrel finished in European Toasted Oak Barrels to commemorate the 2023 Ryder Cup. Earlier this year, Elijah Craig announced a multi-year partnership which makes the Bourbon brand the “Official Bourbon” and a Worldwide Supplier of the biennial competition.
This limited edition starts with fully-matured Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon and finishes it in new European Oak barrels that have been toasted with a profile inspired by those used in the Lazio wine growing region. Lazio wines are grown in and around Rome, Italy, where the 2023 Ryder Cup is being held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club September 29th through October 1st.
The European oak, with its ability to integrate flavors subtly and softly, effortlessly balances the sweetness and spiciness of the Lazio-inspired toast profile and the elevated bright fruit character from the fully-matured Elijah Craig. This edition leads with a nose of caramel and crème brûlée and once tasted, the bright fruit notes burst onto the palate after initial notes of baking spices. The finish is moderately long and is dominated by spice. This release represents a marriage of the U.S. Team’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – America’s native spirit – with the famed wine growing region and host city of the European Team.
Speaking about the release, Max Stefka, Group Product Director, Elijah Craig Bourbon, said: “We are thrilled to raise a glass to the 2023 Ryder Cup with this new limited-edition release of Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel. The unique marriage of toasted European Oak and our extra-aged Kentucky Bourbon offers a taste experience fit for one of the world’s greatest sporting events.”
Guy Kinnings, Ryder Cup Director, added: “Elijah Craig’s award-winning Bourbon is going to further elevate the spectator experience in Rome, and their new limited-edition bottle will both taste incredible and become a sought-after souvenir commemorating the greatest team contest in golf.”
Jeff Price, Chief Commercial Officer, PGA of America, said “The PGA of America is ecstatic to have Elijah Craig as part of the 2023 Ryder Cup experience in Rome. This extraordinary limited-edition release of the Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel is the perfect way to celebrate the world’s premier golf competition.”
Each bottle will be adorned with a neck label featuring the Ryder Cup trophy, a gold coin emblazoned cork featuring the Ryder Cup logo, and a face label prominently featuring the “Official Bourbon” designation and Ryder Cup logo. The bottles will come packaged in a gift box which further details the story of this one-time offering. The Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Ryder Cup Limited Edition release will become available nationally in August on an allocated basis with an SRP of $99.99.
Elijah Craig continues to leave its mark on the golf world, where it is also known as the Official Bourbon and Whiskey Supplier of the PGA of America, PGA Championship, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and an official partner of the PGA National Club Championship. Elijah Craig is also “The Official Bourbon” of PGA TOUR Professional Golfer Max Homa, sports broadcaster Amanda Balionis-Renner, and the AT&T Pebble Beach Tournament.
About Elijah Craig Bourbon
Known as “The Father of Bourbon,” Elijah Craig is credited with being the first distiller to age his wares in charred oak barrels to make Bourbon. The clear, unaged corn whiskey became transformed into a bold amber liquid with a distinctively smooth flavor that makes Bourbon what it is today. Elijah Craig’s community impact continues through Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week, providing total donations of up to $300,000 to date to organizations supporting the hospitality industry. Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and led distillery and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon, the Elijah Craig lineup includes: Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Elijah Craig’s accolades have included Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year, Best Small Batch Bourbon and Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon and Best Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon at Whisky Magazine’s 2023 World Whiskies Awards. For more information, please visit www.elijahcraig.com. Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”
About Ryder Cup Europe
Ryder Cup Europe – which comprises representatives of the European Tour (60%), of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%) and the Confederation of Professional Golf through the vehicle of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust (RCEDT) (20%) – owns the rights of the Ryder Cup when the competition is held in Europe.The European Tour group is the Managing Partner and has prime responsibility for all matters concerning the European Team; the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland is the Founding Partner; and the Confederation of Professional Golf is responsible for the management of the Trust, which is the Development Partner.
About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Our series of weekly whisky Journals continues this week as we share more information about our forthcoming release of The Hearach Single Malt. Last week’s Journal was full of answers on how to buy your bottle on 23.09.23, and what to expect when you visit our online store and Tarbert shop.
The week before also answered your most frequently asked questions so if you missed either emails or want to know more then simply click HERE and HERE to get all caught up. This week, we invite you to meet The Hearach itself, and learn everything from how it got its name to what to expect when you finally get to enjoy the dram.
Read on to learn more, and if you still have something to ask then drop me a line and I’ll try to answer your query.
Slàinte mhor, and as ever here’s to The Hearach!
Le gach deagh dhùrachd,
Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller
Be Here With Us In Harris – 22.09.23 and 23.09.23
WHAT IS ‘THE HEARACH’?
The Hearach is the first (legal) single malt whisky to come from the Isle of Harris, our small Outer Hebridean island situated off the north-west coast of Scotland.
WHY IS IT CALLED ‘THE HEARACH’?
‘Hearach’ is a Scottish Gaelic word which simply means ‘a native of Harris’. We chose this word for our whisky as we wanted it to represent the people of our island, and capture much of their character and home.
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE ‘THE HEARACH’?
We know Gaelic words can be tricky to say! And even Gaelic speakers can pronounce things a little differently depending on where they come from. So, to help you along we’ve made a fun wee film featuring our fellow islanders. Feel free to “Say The Hearach” with us and send us your best efforts.
WHERE IS YOUR WHISKY MADE?
Every drop of our whisky is distilled at the distillery in Tarbert. We also ‘marry’ our recipe here in Harris, and all the maturation takes place in our warehouses in the coastal village of Ardhasaig just a couple of miles away.
WHO MAKES YOUR WHISKY?
The Hearach is made by local men and women, each trained from scratch in the art and science of distilling. Right now, we have a young team of of distillers with a team of four having an average age of 25, all led by head distiller Norman Iain Mackay. The youngest is Rebekah Morrison from the village of Bowglass, who is just 21 years old.
HOW DOES HARRIS INFLUENCE YOUR WHISKY?
We believe we use the softest water of any distillery in Scotland, which flows over Lewisian Gneiss, some of the oldest rock on earth. Island pace of life and Sunday traditions are reflected in our longer fermentations, while the stable climate of Harris is very conducive to maturation. We also prefer a hands-on operation to bring the final human touch from local people to our spirit.
WHAT DOES ‘THE HEARACH’ TASTE LIKE?
We believe our dram will be different for everyone, as we all have different tastes and memories associated with smells and flavours. We’re also releasing our whisky in batches so there may be subtle variations in flavour between each. So, we don’t have official tasting notes and instead will provide accompanying words from local people and friends from further afield.
GREAT…BUT WHAT DOES ‘THE HEARACH’ REALLY TASTE LIKE?!
Ok…well, it’s a lightly peated dram, full of complexity and character, and the patient drinker will enjoy a revelation of flavours over time. Our blenders would say it’s floral and fruity with sweet spices, and that the long finish has a gentle smoke. But, be sure to share your own thoughts with us when the time is right…
WHAT SORT OF CASKS ARE USED?
We mature our spirit in hand-picked first-fill Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace bourbon casks (American White Oak / Quercus Alba), along with oloroso and fino butts (Spanish Oak / Quercus Robur) from Andalusia in Spain.
WHAT ARE THE BATCH CODES ALL ABOUT?
Each batch is drawn from small collections of casks and married for a minimum of 12 weeks after maturation, which creates subtle variations in flavour. Each batch has its own code on the stopper seal which then connects you to an accompanying set of batch notes and other information online.
WHAT IS THE ABV, AND DO YOU CHILL-FILTER OR USE COLOURING?
We bottle our whisky at 46%, we definitely do not use chill-filtering, and there is no artificial colouring at all.
FINALLY, WHAT DOES THE BOTTLE LOOK LIKE?
As with anything, it’s what’s inside the counts. But, suffice to say we’ve created a special bottle to hold our first whisky. Made in collaboration with the wonderful team at Stranger & Stranger, who also made our much-loved Isle of Harris Gin bottle, we think you’ll love this new member of the Harris distillery family too. All will be revealed on 22.09.23
Got More Questions? Click To Learn More!
Our mailing address is:
Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd is registered in Scotland.
Tarbert, Isle of Harris, HS3 3DJ
The Balvenie is a distillery built upon stories and tradition, with the craft of making its whisky handed down through the generations since it was built by William Grant in 1892. The Stories collection is a range of whiskies inspired by these tales, and the latest release, A Revelation of Cask and Character, is the story of the distillery’s coopers – the craftsmen who maintain The Balvenie’s casks.
The Balvenie is one of the few distilleries in Scotland with an on-site cooperage, where casks are repaired and maintained. Head cooper Ian McDonald has been working with casks for 50 years and this release taps into his extensive knowledge, as well as that of his colleagues who build sherry casks in Spain. The result is this 19-year-old oloroso-sherry-cask-matured expression with layers of dried fruit, nuts and spice.
