The sun is finally shining here in Glasgow and our glorious (if brief) summer is upon us, and to celebrate why not buy a bottle of something special from our now live 144^th auction!  It’s a very healthy auction this month with well over 7000 lots of fantastic drams to choose from, whether that be a top-shelf beauty or a summer drinker we’ve got the lot.  Here are a few special bottles from this month’s offerings to check out.

W & A Gilbey from the Wreck of the SS Politician

We often say bottles are ‘historic’ or ‘legendary’ but in the case of the W & A Gilbey from the Wreck of the SS Politician we really mean it.  The inspiration for the famed Ealing comedy Whisky Galore from 1949, The SS Politician was a cargo ship bound for Jamaica which ran aground off the coast of Eriskay in 1941.  This bottle was salvaged by a diver from the slumbering wreck and is accompanied by a letter, magazine article and USB stick full of research documenting the bottle’s journey from the seabed back into circulation.  A truly one-of-a-kind lot.

Macallan 1950 Exceptional Cask #13 2018 Release

Next up is a bottle of unmistakable quality, the Macallan 1950 Exceptional Cask #13 2018 Release.  Distilled over seven decades ago by the Speyside giant, Macallan, this tremendous liquid was then aged for a jaw-dropping 67 years in an American Oak 1^st Fill Sherry Butt.  One of only 336 bottles released this dram comes in at hugely respectable ABV of 53.4%, impressive given its long slumber in oak.  This is your chance to own by far the most sought-after bottle in the Exceptional Cask series.

Yamazaki 1990 ‘The Cask’ Sherry Butt

Japanese whisky has long been growing in popularity amongst consumers and investors impressed by its impeccable production, smooth flavours and robust value.  And this Yamazaki 1990 ‘The Cask’ Sherry Butt certainly ticks all the boxes.  Distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2008, this delicious looking dram is one of only 471 bottles released and weighs in at a rather hefty cask strength of 60% ABV.  If you haven’t experienced Japanese whisky at its finest this would be a great place to start.

Laphroaig 1960 Vintage Reserve

Finally, we have an absolute corker from Islay (the undisputed heartland of peaty whisky) the Laphroaig 1960 Vintage Reserve.  Distilled at the start of the swinging sixties and bottled in 2001 at the birth of the new millennium, this is a rare example of a very old Laphroaig.  After spending four decades ageing in wood this dram is described by Laphroaig as being “surprisingly smooth and gentle” while still packing that peaty punch so admired by their legions of aficionados worldwide.There are literally thousands more fantastic bottles just waiting to be discovered in this month’s auction, so now is the time to get scrolling through them and picking your favourites.  Best of luck to all and remember…………don’t lose your bottle.

Kentucky Senator Bourbon Announces Its Newest, Small Batch Bourbon: The John Sherman Cooper Release

This marks the fourth very small batch
released by award-winning Kentucky Senator Spirits.

LEXINGTON, KY — Kentucky Senator Bourbon is set to unveil its fourth release of Kentucky straight Bourbon whiskey, named after U.S. Senator John Sherman Cooper of Somerset in Pulaski County.

Hitting shelves this summer, the John Sherman Cooper Release comes on the heels of the announcement that Kentucky Senator Spirits won an ASCOT Award – the famed international bourbon competition – for quality of taste of previous releases.

This highly anticipated release is named after the esteemed U.S. Senator John Sherman Cooper. Aged eight years in oak barrels, this Bourbon is 107 proof with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley.

Kentucky Senator Spirits will distribute approximately 1,000 bottles of this 2023 limited edition small batch Bourbon, to be sold with a suggested retail price of $134.99. It has been distilled and aged in Kentucky, bottled at Bluegrass Distillers in Lexington and is being distributed by Kentucky Eagle Wine & Spirits.

The John Sherman Cooper Release will be rolled out at select Kentucky retailers, with a single barrel private selection at all Liquor Barn stores. This limited-edition release is also available online at www.BourbonOutfitter.com

In addition to the small batch bottles available next month in Kentucky liquor stores, bars and restaurants, Kentucky Senator Bourbon will feature a limited quantity for sale at the world-famous Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C.

“Damon and I have been able to unleash our passion for Kentucky’s native spirit,” said co-founder Andre Regard. “Our very first batch was honored with an ASCOT Award for taste, and we have been pleased to let our subsequent releases speak for themselves. This fourth release demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver only the finest taste in each pour.”

“We are featuring the same mash bill as our second and third bottling, this time aged eight years instead of seven or six,” said co-founder Damon Thayer. “As always, Kentucky Senator will be released at 107 proof and, this time, we have paired our release with the popular Senator Cooper, who was one of the most consequential Kentuckians of the 20^th Century.”

Each release is named for a U.S. Senator from Kentucky. To learn more about why John Sherman Cooper was chosen for Kentucky Senator’s fourth release, visit the company website, www.KentuckySenatorBourbon.com

The Kentucky Senator Bourbon brand was revived in 2019 by co-founders, Andre Regard and Damon Thayer. They are passionate about offering the finest-tasting Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, serving up great Kentucky Bourbon with a side of Kentucky history.

Andre Regard (left) and Damon Thayer (right)

BOILERPLATE:
The Kentucky Senator brand originated from Crigler and Crigler in northern Kentucky. The brand was later distilled and bottled by Double Springs Distillers, Inc. in Bardstown. Today, Kentucky Senator has been given a fresh look thanks to local co-founders Andre Regard and Damon Thayer. Both men possess a unique background in Bourbon that they bring to the management team of Kentucky Senator Spirits, LLC.  More can be read about the management team in their online bios (https://www.kysenatorbourbon.com/).

AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
Kentucky Senator Bourbon’s inaugural release, the Alben W. Barkley Release, was highlighted in Forbes Magazine.

Noted Bourbon author, Fred Minnick, also honored Kentucky Senator’s first release in his ranking of the Top 100 Whiskeys of 2021.

Fred Minnick reviewed the Alben W. Barkley Release for his YouTube Channel, acknowledging the release as a “top-rated, 15-year-old Bourbon.”

Kentucky Senator also made the ranking for Minnick’s subsequent Top 100 Whiskeys of 2022 list.

Kentucky Senator Bourbon was recognized by the American Spirits Council of Tasters in 2022, receiving a Gold ASCOT Award for taste and a Double Platinum ASCOT Award for overall marketing and brand design.

Ardbeg Day 2023

ARDBEG HEAVY VAPOURS

Released for Ardbeg Day – the last Saturday of Islay’s annual whisky festival, Fèis Ìle – Heavy Vapours is an experimental limited edition single malt distilled without a copper purifier, resulting in less of the Islay distillery’s typical floral fruitiness and more of its pungent and aromatic peat.

SHOP NOW

Mac-Talla PX Editon, Feis Ile 2023

Sumptious PX Sherry Wood, rich with the flavours of luxurious grape of Southern Spain, picked at the peak of sweetness and natural acidity. Creating a complex whisky with the perfect balance of jammy sweetness and peat. A sweet, smoky symphony of burnt toffee, stewed berries and maritime smoke. The influence of PX sherry casks bring a rich, fruity sweetness, as well as structure and depth to this smoky Islay malt.

£71.90 >

Secret (M)acallan

Single Bourbon Hogshead from the Secret Easter Elchies Distillery

Secret Speyside 14 Year Old 2009 for TWB

Distilled at a Speyside distillery that is now so revered it is only to be spoken of as its entire region.

Matured in a single ex-bourbon hogshead #163 and bottled May 2023 by Signatory Vintage for the Un-Chillfiltered series at cask strength 64% abv.

Expect a soft and creamy palate, with oak spices and a basket of tropical fruits.

373 bottles… WHILE STOCKS LAST!

Shop – Speyside 14 Year Old 2009 – £79.99 / u$81* / €76*

MYSTERY MALT SINGLE MALT WHISKY

Mystery single malt that don’t want to reveal their true identity. Rummage around and with a bit of investigation you are sure to find a rare unspecified bottling from independent bottler.

Our signature core range have been downsized…

Our core range – The Hive, Peat Chimney and Spice King – have been tapped off into miniature 5cl portions just for you. Now you can buy and try all three, at the same time if you really wanted to (though we wouldn’t advise it). These vivid expressions in whisky were crafted by our Production Director Isabella Wemyss to showcase the three main avenues of scotch: Sweet, Spicy and Smokey.

The Hive 5cl Miniature

£5.00

Buy Now

Peat Chimney 5cl Miniature

£5.00

Buy Now

Spice King 5cl Miniature

£5.00

 Buy Now

Another of our Fynest single casks:
Ben Nevis 1996 25 Year Old #1402

We have dropped yet another incredible single cask dram, if we do say so ourselves! But the real work was done by our friends up at Ben Nevis, and an incredible refill hogshead cask for a quarter of a century. Secure a bottle to add to your collection today.

Ben Nevis Fynest 25YO →

Aged for a whole 25 years in a refill hogshead, this Highland whisky has been bottled at 47.03% abv. With just 289 bottles in existence, it’s a limited-edition beauty. Discover some tasty notes on the palate of exotic fruits, vanilla and dark chocolate, with gentle peaty undertones. Another belter!

🔥 Free delivery over £99 🔥

Welcome to the second episode of the show for this week. In this episode I’ll be reviewing a few new-ish releases from Mossburn and a couple of older releases in Elixir’s elements of Islay range.

https://youtu.be/oo3ZcL66oZA

European Novelty. Full Maturation in a Mizunara Cask

The German Distillery St. Kilian in Rüdenau, Lower Frankonia, launched an exclusive whisky rarity: a single malt whisky fully matured in a single virgin Mizunara oak cask.

Common in several regions of Japan, Mizunara oak is among the rarest and most expensive wood used to mature whisky. The Japanese oak for this 225-litre medium toasted single cask is about 250 years old. It was harvested in the forests of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

“Mizunara or Japanese oak (Quercus mongolica) is growing across Japan, but in the North of Japan (Hokkaido) the tree grows slower results with a tighter annual ring which is suitable for producing a barrel. 

The wood delivers some particular taste on the spirits characterized as sandalwood and a much stronger coconut aroma than any oak especially when it interacts with whisky after a long time aging.” Source Ariake Sangyo

Experienced coopers of Ariake Sangyo carefully set up the casks. The treatment of the wood, especially of the staves, is very difficult to handle and only a few coopers are able to bind the casks together. The cask staves and the heads were completely made of Mizunara oak.

St Kilian Distillers imported four medium toasted virgin casks directly by plane from Japan in August 2019.

CTO and Master Blender Mario Rudolf: “The Mizunara oak is known for its unique aromas of sandalwood, oriental spices and exotic fruits, which give the whisky distinctive characterful aromas. This masterpiece of whisky craftsmanship reflects the synergy of Japanese finesse with German distilling art in Scottish pot stills. The exceptional Single Malt promises an incomparable taste as well as an exquisite enjoyment experience for discerning connoisseurs.”

A more than delighted Managing Director Philipp Trützler says: “We are very proud to be able to present this exclusive whisky rarity made from Mizunara oak…According to our research, this is the first non-Japanese single malt whisky to be matured in a single, fresh, unoccupied Mizunara oak cask. A true treasure for whisky lovers and collectors alike.”

The result of the maturation provides a unique taste of ripe fruit and exotic melon paired with warming oak notes, oriental spices and fragrant sandalwood aromas.

The Angels’ Share of cask no.3886 was 4.7% of the initial content which is much higher than normal (2 to 3%). The age of the single malt is three years old plus a few months.

“The cask filling strength was lower than regular…at 55.2 % abv as we intended to generate more sweetness in the whisky,” Mario Rudolf reports. 

St Kilian’s EXCEPTIONAL MIZUNARA

The exceptional Mizunara single cask bottling at natural cask strength of 55.1% abv was limited to 300 bottles.

The Exceptional Bottling of Mizunara is the first of a new St Kilian range which will present further exceptional casks to the customer. The series will only be open for thematic exclusive Single Malts which have matured in one of the 371 different cask types in the nearby St Kilian Bunker City.

The Mizunara specialty whisky is presented in a printed 0.5 litre pot-still shaped glass bottle with noble packaging which will make for the uniqueness of the St Kilian product.

“After numerous tastings of bottlings with Mizunara finish, we wanted to find out what a St Kilian whisky with Mizunara full maturation would taste like,” Master Blender Mario Rudolf explains, “…Inspired by our trip to Japan in 2017, we filled the Mizunara oak barrels with our mild as well as  our peaty new make spirits. By doing so, the present result exceeds by far our expectation and confirms the magic that this extraordinary wood ignites in our whisky.”

Please note: At St. Kilian they intend to do only full maturation in casks and no double maturation or finishings. However, a revatting has to be done when casks accidentally are leaking.

Official Taste Notes

COLOUR. Warm amber

NOSE. A beguiling fruit sweetness, carried by ripe pear, apricot and exotic melon, underpinned by buttery cream toffee, aromatic sandalwood and oriental spices.

PALATE. Fruity sweet start with ripe pears, apples and apricots, at the same time warming with spicy oak and sandalwood notes as well as some pepper, before the creamy fruit melange takes over again.

FINISH. Long lasting with creamy fruit jam, accompanied by dry sandalwood aromas as well as a hint of buttery toffee.

ALCOHOL STRENGTH

55.1% abv “

The St Kilian Exceptional Mizunara is a well balanced harmonious young single malt with some rather pleasing sweetness and a basket full of fruity notions of ripe fruit like apples, pears and some melon along with some lingering spiciness. The soft mouthfeel is long lingering with toffee notes and surprisingly the strong alcohol of 55.1% abv is well embedded and makes for the enforcement of the fruity notes.

St Kilian Honorary Brand Ambassador Udo Sonntag said:

„This whisky  is the opposite of ordinary.

That’s quite a cracker…“ 

There are only a few Exceptional Mizunara St Kilian bottles left at the distillery for direct sale. No wonder most of the 300 bottles were sold within five minutes after the web presentation show on Saturday 6th May 2023 for  €249.00 (0.5l).

NB: There will be further Mizunara St Kilian releases in future. Whisky geeks loving peated whiskies will certainly be pleased when the next Exceptional Mizunara cask will be released.

Website: www.stkiliandistillers.com

This is an exciting time here at Shelter Point, the 2023 release of our 10 Year Old is getting underway. This release is kicking off with our 10 Year Old as a part of the BC Liquor Summer Spirit release. This is the first time that any of our products have featured in this prestigious event and it is fantastic to be a part of. The release is on 17^th June but our 10 Year Old is available for online pre-order from June 1^st to 3^rd. If you are interested in acquiring a bottle then we would recommend pre-ordering if possible as this is only a limited release. Be aware there is a 1 bottle limit through the BCL pre-order process.

The 10YO can be found here on the BCL website and their tasting notes do this delicious whisky justice: “Sweet, with a hint of brine and smoke, this special whisky is rich in fruit, baking spices and subtle tannins, finishing long and smooth.” The 10 Year Old is one of the few Shelter Point whiskies to come in a presentation box so it is definitely one to get hold of.

There is also a chance to try the 10 Year Old at the BC Liquor Store in Langley, a tasting event is running there from 10am – 2 pm. More details can be found here.

It might not be a coincidence that the date of the Summer Spirits release, June 17^th,  coincides with Fathers Day Weekend. We think that a bottle of whisky or a tour and a tasting at the distillery is a great way to give a treat to the Dad or father figure in your life. We’ll be offering free tastings for Dad and in-store discounts on Saturday June 17^th. Come on down and give them a gift to remember.

Also we are extending our opening hours for the summer. We will still be open from 10-5 from Wednesday to Saturday but we are now open from 12-5 on Sundays too. If you are in the area, stop in and say hi and take the chance to try a whisky before you buy. We will be making tours available on Sunday soon, so keep an eye on our booking page.

Recent Events

We had a great time at the Victoria Highland Games Whisky School. The masterclass was great fun and the atmosphere of the Highland Games was excellent as always.

The evening masterclass at Artemis in Victoria was a great opportunity to showcase not just our products but how well they work as a part of a cocktail too.

The Vancouver Island Porsche Club gathered in Comox last weekend. We were on hand to provide a tasting at one of their evening gatherings and were also the final stop of one of their organised drives. It was great to see a range of Porsches, from classics to top of the range new models parked up out front of the distillery while their owners were inside learning more about how we make our whiskies.

Upcoming Events

If you are in the Tofino area this weekend come and visit the Tofino Wine and Dine event on June 3^rd. We’ll be there showcasing our products alongside some of the areas best producers, it will be a great event for sure.

June 17^th Fathers Day weekend – join us here at the distillery for the usual tours and tastings and instore discounts. Dads get a free tasting!

June 24^th – we’ll have a booth at the Storey Creek Golf Club for the Brind’Amour / Nugent Hopkins Cystic Fibrosis Golf Classic – one of the highlights of the year in Campbell River this golf tournament is a great fundraiser to help people with Cystic Fibrosis. After being postponed since 2019 due to Covid this year the event will be back with a bang for sure.

We hope you’ve been able to enjoy the sunshine we’ve been blessed with for the last few weeks and here’s hoping there’ll be more to come over summer!

Cheers

Chris