Lindores Abbey Distillery | The Oct Newsletter

On the 5^th October we were delighted to celebrate the Distillery’s 6^th anniversary. With the help of renowned Tartan Noir author Ian Rankin and whisky legend Richard Paterson, the doors to the Distillery and Visitor Centre opened six years ago and the legacy of whisky making was reinstated to Lindores. Of course, in a way, we are celebrating our 529^th anniversary, and it has been a pleasure over the past years to share the incredible story of Lindores with visitors from across the globe.

It has been an amazing and eventful six years – even with the slight hiccup of a global pandemic, we have managed to achieve an awful lot. Our visitor centre team have won and maintained a five-star reputation, whilst our production team have been raking in the awards for our spirits: gold at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition and gold at the International Wine and Spirits Competition to name a few!

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the tireless work of our fantastic Lindores team and our loyal members and customers. We can’t wait to see where the next six years will take us!

Slàinte

Drew & Helen McKenzie Smith
Custodians of Lindores Abbey

Opening Day!

DISTILLERY NEWS

We are thrilled to have returned to mashing following silent season. Our break has allowed us to carry out some essential maintenance, and now we are back up and running with all guns (or mash tuns) blazing! Production has been running smoothly with October being an easier month to make spirit thanks to temperature and humidity sitting just right. The staff from the distillery and visitor centre alike are happy to be back working again amongst the delicious aromas of distillation.

We received a delivery of 60 casks from Casknolia in Spain. With three varieties of Sherry Butts on board, the team swiftly unloaded a mixture of Oloroso, Pedro Ximinez and Paulo Cortado casks. We can’t wait to see what complex flavours they impart on to our spirit – the hard part about whisky making is always the waiting!

The bottling hall has been busy bottling and labelling a variety of single casks for both export and home markets as well as producing our core products, the cask owners release and 1494 member’s release.

Slàinte

Gary Haggart
Distillery Manager at Lindores Abbey

 SQUAREMILE INTERVIEW

Have you ever wondered how we have managed to blend our desire for innovation with our respect for the 800+ years of Lindores history? Well, for those who missed it – our founder, Drew Mckenzie Smith, answers just that in a fascinating interview in Square Mile magazine.

READ NOW

ONE OF ONE AUCTION

On the 5^th October, Sotheby’s hosted the second edition of their Distillers One Of One auction at Hopeton House. We were delighted to donate a very special Thiron virgin oak cask to the auction to be included amongst some other incredible and unique lots.

The sale of the cask contributed towards the £2.25 million raised for the Youth Action Fund which helps to improve the lives of disadvantaged youth across Scotland. We hope that the successful bidder will join us in raising a dram for such a brilliant cause!

WHISKY LIVE WARSAW

Production Operative, Scott, was excited to attend his first international whisky show. He, and his girlfriend Lily (who handily speaks Polish!), jetted over to Poland for Whisky Live Warsaw as our Lindores representatives. They had a fantastic time and Scott reported that the show was great fun. He was pleased to meet so many Lindores fans (and to convert some new ones!) and he said that several visitors to the stand were “blown away” that our whisky was so young given its depth of flavour and complexity.

Judging by how much he enjoyed it, we’re sure he will be first to volunteer for the next show, so maybe some of you will meet him repping for Lindores at a stand in the future!

LINDORES INTERNATIONAL

On the export side of things, we have had a great beginning in Sweden, officially launching there on the 16th October. It was fantastic to receive a call just two days later that all of their Lindores had sold out. The second order is leaving imminently, and we have a feeling that we have a bright future with Sweden!

 DISTILLERY EXCLUSIVE

Our newest release hit the distillery shelves earlier this month and the reception has been excellent.

Available exclusively to buy at the distillery, our Old Forester Bourbon ASB has a delicious aroma and palette. On the nose you can expect, smooth buttercream and caramel, whilst the taste will give you mellow vanilla, apple and banana.

As a cask strength bottling, this dram packs a punch at 60.8% ABV, but the delicious complexity of our spirit really comes through in this dram, with a sweet compliment lent from the impressive Old Forester casks.

The chance to get your hands on a bottle definitely makes a visit to the distillery more tempting than ever!

Caol Ila 8 Years

£125 / $126* / c$175* / €119*

Oily nebular of solar barbeque chocolate and cosmic coffee. Twinkling liquorice leading to a gingerbread pulsar and a cinnamon spice meteor. Total eclipse of rich nougat in a smokey crater finish.

Caol Ila 8 Year Old 2012 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. On July 20th 1969 Apollo 11 lunar lander call sign ‘Eagle’ undocked from command module Columbia and went into lunar orbit. The World held its breath and watched. Landing on the lunar surface, commander Neil Armstrong proclaimed “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed”. ”To mark this occasion we have bottled a single sherry butt distilled in 2012 bottled October 2020. 699 numbered bottles exclusive to The Whisky Barrel..2012 vintage single cask sherry butt celebrating the Apollo 11 mission.

Caol Ila Distillery is famous for the stunning view from its still house windows looking out across the Sound of Islay and for the objects which have passed by including naval battleships, submarines and whales. Caol Ila was established in 1846 by Hector Henderson on a sheltered but rocky stretch of coast on north east Islay. Now the largest malt whisky distillery on Islay it produces peated and some un-peated malt whisky with the distillery range including Caol Ila 12 year old and the Distiller’s Edition. Caol Ila participates in Feis Ile, the annual Islay Festival of Malt and Music.

WATCH: Whisky Magazine goes on tour in Kentucky

The teams from Whisky Magazine and American Whiskey have been on tour in Kentucky! A jam-packed itinerary of distillery tours, tastings, interviews, and more culminated in a visit to the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown — and we caught the whole trip on camera.

We’ll be releasing a video per week for the next 10 weeks and we don’t want you to miss a moment. Hit subscribe, enable notifications, and follow us on our journey as we receive some real Kentucky hospitality!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel now!

Let us make your Christmas shopping a breeze this year so you’ll have even more time to embrace the special moments this festive season, from eating mince pies by the fire. Our gift selection has something for everyone, from the curious to the connoisseur. Discover festive whiskies bursting with sherry-soaked fruit, smoky fireside malts and many more delightful Christmas tipples at The Whisky Exchange.

WHISKY GIFTS

Because there’s no better way to say ‘Merry Christmas’

ENGRAVING

Give them a one-of-a-kind gift with bespoke engraving.

WHISKIES OF THE WORLD
ADVENT CALENDAR

Take a tour of some of the finest whiskies around the world from blended whiskies to single malts, bourbon to rye, Scotland to Ireland, America and beyond.

ralfy review 1001 – Glen Breton Canadian10yo @43%vol: (2023)

New ‘Virgin Oak’ release unveils a new bold  side to

Wire Works Whisky

 -White Peak Distillery, Derbyshire-

White Peak, the award-winning Derbyshire distillery, is unveiling a bold dimension of its Wire Works Whisky this season with a rich Virgin Oak Cask whisky release.

Wire Works Virgin Oak is a progression towards a permanent addition to the Distillery’s portfolio – the first being Caduro that launched in March this year. This is the second whisky release from White Peak that has been matured in Virgin Oak – a development of a limited release in 2022.

Bottled at 50.5% ABV, Virgin Oak’s flavour profile is true to the Wire Works house style – made with lightly peated malted barley, live brewer’s yeast and a six day fermentation time to add deep fruit notes in the spirit. A vatting of lightly peated single malt whisky initially matured in premium, first fill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for several months at a lower ABV in virgin American oak barrels (with a select range of toast and char levels). The bold oak-forward flavours of the casks contribute to the intensity and combination of sweet & spice, showcasing the rich fruit flavours and elegant smoke profile of the core house spirit.

Claire Vaughan, founder of White Peak Distillery said: “In our latest release, we’re giving whisky enthusiasts the opportunity to savour the unique flavours of our lightly-peated spirit and explore the journey our whisky has taken in new wood. Matured in Virgin Oak casks from the renowned Kelvin Cooperage, celebrated for exceptional quality, this is a development of the limited edition 2022 release. The selection of char levels in this vatting introduces a delightful range of flavours, from lighter toasted nuts, vanilla, and sweetness to the richer notes of caramel and toffee. This whisky is a perfect dram for the fireside.”

White Peak Distillery was founded seven years ago by husband-and-wife team Max & Claire Vaughan – both originally from Derbyshire – and continues to go from strength to strength. Last year saw the Distillery winning multiple awards, not only for its whisky, but also for its Distillery visitor experiences and the much-celebrated, sustainable Wire Works Whisky packaging.

Wire Works Virgin Oak will be available from 20th October onwards, via the Distillery shop and online, as well as from trade partners including Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange and select independents nationwide, RRP: £67 per 70cl.

The Distillery is open Monday – Saturday for shop visitors, with tours available every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For availability, timings and to book, please visit: www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk

About Wire Works Virgin Oak:

50.5% ABV

2,769 individually numbered bottles

As with all Wire Works Whiskies, Virgin Oak is 100% natural colour and non-chill filtered.

 Virgin Oak Tasting Notes:

Nose: Banoffee pie, fruit salad sweets, pistachio and cranberries

Palate: Treacle tart, toasted nuts and sweet spice

Finish: Light lingering smoke

About Wire Works Whisky:

Wire Works Whisky from White Peak Distillery is Derbyshire’s very first single malt.

Provenance, heritage and flavour are at the heart of the Distillery ethos and whisky-making process, and its home at the dramatic former Johnson & Nephew Wire Works is celebrated within the whisky brand. The Distillery’s woodland home on the banks of the River Derwent has a long history of innovation and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wire Works Whisky celebrates its rich homeland and the brewing heritage for which the region is so renowned. Every aspect of production and maturation is done onsite at the Distillery to ensure that the unique location and environment can play their part in the provenance of the final spirit.

The lightly-peated single malt whisky has been created using a combination of English un-peated and peated malted barley. A flavour-focused four-day fermentation uses a unique yeast Blend incorporating live yeast sourced from a local Peak District brewery.

The Distillery’s traditional, bespoke copper pot stills have been hand-built by McMillan and are run slowly to help produce the desired flavour profile. The final spirit is matured in a variety of carefully selected first fill oak casks, including ex-bourbon, virgin and STR (re-conditioned casks that have been shaved, toasted and re-charred), adding the final rich flavours to the whisky.

White Peak Distillery Awards:

2022 and 2023 has seen White Peak also win numerous awards for their whiskies and packaging, as below:

UK Packaging Awards 2022:

• Corrugated Pack of the Year
• Best Packaging of a New Product
• Glass Pack of the Year, Spirits, Perfumes and Cosmetics

The Global World Whisky Masters 2022:

• Necessary Evil: Gold
• Small Batch: Gold

International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2022:

• Best Contemporary Design: Wire Works Whisky

International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2023:

• Caduro: Gold

People’s Choice Awards 2023:

• Best Whisky: Wire Works Whisky Small Batch – World Whisky Category

2023 World Whisky Masters Wire Works Caduro Gold

2023 World Whisky Masters Wire Works Alter Ego Masters

English Whisky Guild:

White Peak Distillery is one of the 15 members of the English Whisky Guild, that was founded in 2022 by the English whisky industry to represent the interests of the increasing number of English whisky distilleries (currently there are 40) on the world stage of whisky.

For further information visit:  English Whisky Guild

Rum Cask Release

This Rum cask release from Ardnamurchan Distillery brings together 28 reracked Jamaican Rum barrels and three bourbon barrels. It uses a unique blend of 58% unpeated and 42% peated spirit to create the perfect balance of flavours.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE Lemon Italian ice, overripe apricot, dusty hay, heavily salted cashew, vanilla extract, dried banana – fruit forward but still earthy and rich.

PALATE Candied grapefruit, stracciatella ice cream, red cedar, Kaiserchmarn, Nerds candy, guava, buttercream icing.

FINISH Medium-long finish

£70.00

Shop now

 Cask Strength 2023 Release

This limited edition single malt is crafted by Ardnamurchan Distillery. It’s a harmonious combination of 90% Bourbon and 10% Sherry casks, using mostly peated spirit.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE Coastal peat smoke, vanilla and tangy and bright citrus zest.

PALATE Maritime peat, ripe orchard fruit, warm oak and a gentle, warm black pepper spice.

FINISH Lingering peat with a subtle seaweed salinity.

£65.00

Shop now

An American Oak Old & Rare and a French Oak Second-Fill

Spring is an exceptional time for single cask whisky. As flavour and aroma compounds come out of their cold-weather funk, our bond-store comes alive. We have found two exceptional single casks, in full bloom, and ready for their new homes. One 16 year old American oak ex-Bourbon, and one second-fill French oak ex-Tawny. While these two casks are inherently unique, both are linked by our spirit, and our approach to maturation; patient, careful, and always nurturing each cask to its full potential.

French Oak Second-Fill TD0383

Incredible presence all the way through. Syrupy, sweet and could very well replace the sauce on your sticky date pudding. “Amazing. Have you ever wanted a brandy that had the body of a whisky?” Sullivans Cove Sensory Panel. Matured for 10 years in a second-fill 300L French oak ex-Tawny cask, yielding just 364 bottles of Sullivans Cove single cask whisky.

Read the full tasting notes here

16 Year Old American Oak ex-Bourbon TD0171

Textural and alluring. Juicy citrus, confection-driven fruit, bright pops and firm oak. It took 16 years for this exceptional whisky to find its flow, but that moment has arrived. With remarkable precision and care, all elements have come together in perfect harmony. Matured for 16 years in a first-fill 200L American oak ex-Bourbon cask, yielding just 208 bottles of Sullivans Cove single cask whisky.

Read the full tasting notes here

A note on our ballot system. 

These whiskies will be released via ballot. The ballots will open for 24 hours from 10am Hobart time on Wednesday 8th of November. Further details will be sent via email prior to the ballots opening. Our policy is one entry per person, per household, per ballot. Our fraud detection algorithm detects multiple entries and removes them to ensure our whisky lands in the hands of our genuine supporters, so to ensure your entry counts, please enter each ballot once only. If you have any questions around our ballot process, you can email us at info@sullivanscove.com Successful entries will be notified shortly after the ballots close.

MIDLETON
Forêt de Tronçais
70cl | 48% ABV

Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais is a harmonious fusion of Irish and French luxury and craftsmanship. This exceptionally small batch release showcases Ireland’s most renowned Whiskey, matured in the finest French oak casks sourced from the Tronçais Forest in France.

This release features Midleton single grain and pot still Whiskeys matured from the 1980s to 2000s in American oak casks. The Whiskey was finished for three years in bespoke French Oak to create the most elegant Midleton expression ever released.

£4,298.95

Pre-Order

NOSE: Woodland spices are brought to the fore by the elegant and measured influence of the fine-grained French oak, adding nuanced characteristics that enhance the pot still spices and floral grain Whiskeys in this complex and aged blend.

TASTE: Herbal at first, with notes of fresh peppermint and sage, weaving amongst the succulent orchard fruits and zesty orange. Elevated wood spices continue to evolve adding further complexity to this intricate Whiskey.

FINISH: Exquisitely long finish where the fruits and spices are enveloped by the enchanting nature of the toasted wood, showcasing a harmonious balance between Irish Whiskey and French oak.