THE DALMORE UNVEILS VINTAGE 2022

The Dalmore announces two Limited Editions – Vintage 2003 and Vintage 2007

The second release of the ‘Vintage’ collection offers exceptional Single Malt matured in

hand-selected rare casks 

The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has unveiled two new limited editions from the Vintage collection, The Dalmore 2003 Vintage and The Dalmore 2007 Vintage.

Created by pioneering Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass and Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE, The Dalmore Vintage collection showcases exceptional whiskies of distinguished character, each hand-selected in November, following a five decades-old Dalmore tradition.

Once a year, The Dalmore whisky makers visit the distillery to reacquaint themselves with their rare casks laid to mature in their historic warehouses, on the banks of Scotland’s great natural waterway, the Cromarty Firth in the Scottish Highlands.

November marks the optimum time for The Dalmore whisky makers to return to the distillery to assess their rare casks and the whiskies laid maturing within, as the cooling climate allows their potential to truly shine. Only the most exceptional whiskies reviewed during this special time and considered to have distinguished character are chosen to become a Dalmore Vintage.

The Dalmore 2003 Vintage offers on the nose – Manuka Honey, dark toffee, aged vanilla-pods; on the palate – warm honey, maple syrup and spiced dark fruits; and finishing notes of antique honey, old English marmalade and sweet spice. This elegant whisky was first matured in ex-Bourbon American oak casks, then enhanced through a carefully balanced recipe of hand-selected casks; Rivesaltes sweet wine casks, rare Matusalem and Amoroso sherry casks and small-batch Bourbon barrels.

The Dalmore 2007 Vintage offers on the nose – Honey, fresh baked brioche and ice ginger cake; on the palate – orange blossom honey, spices and mandarins; and finishing notes of patisserie sugars, ginger snaps and cinnamon. The antique qualities of this whisky are created through an initial maturation in ex-Bourbon American white oak barrels, then enhanced with a harmony of rare-hand-selected aged casks – Matusalem, Apostoles and Amoroso sherry, alongside sweet Marsala wine barrels.

Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass comments: “The time we take each November at The Dalmore is a true highlight of my year. At The Dalmore every cask is special, but when it comes to a Dalmore Vintage, we assess rare casks by hand, reacquainting ourselves with the character of each whisky. For a whisky to become a Dalmore Vintage we are looking for a distinctive characteristic that distinguishes that Single Malt above all else that year, a whisky with true potential to shine”

The Dalmore 2003 Vintage (RRP £350, 46.9% ABV) and 2007 Vintage (RRP £150, 46.5% ABV) and available from December at select outlets worldwide. UK outlets include; Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Master of Malt, Whisky Exchange and The Whisky Shop.

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About The Dalmore

Founded in 1839, The Dalmore has been making masterpieces of whisky for over 180 years.

The 12-point silver stag emblem which proudly adorns each bottle was bestowed upon the first chieftain of Clan Mackenzie in 1263 by King Alexander III of Scotland. When descendants of the clan took over the distillery in 1878 the royal stag became The Dalmore’s emblem.

Located on the banks of the Cromarty Firth, in the Highlands of Scotland, The Dalmore distillery’s collection of idiosyncratic stills creates a New Make spirit of unique depth and character. That robust and fruity New Make spirit is particularly well-suited to maturation for extended periods in carefully curated casks.

This allows pioneering Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass and his team to express their art, continuing a tradition of visionary whisky-making, using rare casks from some of the world’s finest wineries and bodegas to develop the exceptional character of The Dalmore Single Malt.

The Dalmore Vintage Collection is presented non-chill filtered and natural colour.

Whyte and Mackay – Award-Winning Whisky Makers

The Dalmore is the pinnacle of an award-winning collection of Single Malt Whiskies, produced by famed whisky house Whyte and Mackay. The collection includes Jura, the UK’s Number 1 [1] Single Malt, Tamnavulin [2], the world’s (IWSR, 2021) Single Malt and Fettercairn, home to enlightened whisky making.

In 2020 the company were publicly recognised by the First Minister of Scotland for their support of the national pandemic response. Whyte and Mackay are official partners to SAMH – Scottish Association for Mental Health, which saw Whyte and Mackay employees worldwide complete a virtual-race-around-the-world to raise awareness for the charity.

Founded in Glasgow 1844, the whisky makers recently celebrated their 175 year anniversary, and were recognised as Distiller of the Year 2021. Today Whyte and Mackay have offices from New York to Singapore. In Scotland, Whyte and Mackay operate a state-of-the-art Bottling Hall and Distribution Centre in Grangemouth and a Whisky Production and Warehousing Centre in Invergordon.

[1] Nielsen UK Off Trade MAT 26.03.22

[2] IWSR 2020

The Isle of Raasay Distillery has appointed South San Francisco based ImpEx Beverages Inc. as their new Exclusive USA Importer.

The inspiration for the Isle of Raasay Single Malt came from some older styles of Hebridean Single Malts. Styles that have been lost through the ages and are not as prevalent anymore. This became the inspiration for the Isle of Raasay Single Malt’s signature flavor profile: a lightly peated whisky, balanced with rich dark fruit flavors.

ImpEx Beverages launches Isle of Raasay Single Malt in November 2022 with four expressions, their flagship Isle of Raasay Single Malt Whisky, bottled at 46.4% abv., and three Peated Single Casks (Ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Cask, Ex-Rye Whiskey Cask, and Virgin Chinkapin Oak Cask). These three casks are one half of the distillery’s coveted six-part “Na Sia” Single Malt recipe, with the other half of the recipe due as Single Cask bottlings in 2023.

When asked about the partnership, William Dobbie, Commercial Director, Isle of Raasay Distillery stated, “We are very excited to be partnering with ImpEx, who have had many successful years building spirits brands in the USA. The Isle of Raasay Distillery team and I are delighted to be working with ImpEx and bringing our island spirits to US shores. ”

Sam Filmus, President, ImpEx Beverages stated, “Isle of Raasay Distillery and its team are dedicated to their rich history and live their story every day.  ImpEx Beverages is delighted to partner with them to share this passion with the US and delight the palates of its consumers with this very special liquid.”

Every drop of Isle of Raasay Spirit is lovingly distilled, matured, and bottled on Raasay, maximizing the influence of the island on the spirit and the distillery on the island.

Join the #RaasayWhisky journey in the U.S.A. by sharing your experiences with @impexbev | @raasaydistillery on all social platforms.

Isle of Raasay Single Malt will be available at specialty retailers across the United States.  For more information on this award-winning Single Malt including where to buy please contact us at Office@ImpExBev.com.

ImpEx Beverages Inc.
360 Swift Ave
Side B # 9
South San Francisco, CA 94080

CASKSHARE LISTS RARE THE MACALLAN 30YO SINGLE CASK

– Ballot Open Until Sunday 11th December for £2,850 Bottles –

Hot on the heels of a ballot sale for a cask of Springbank 30YO, which saw over 600 people sign up to buy one of 135 £1.6k bottles, Caskshare has released a ballot for a single cask malt that is set to be even hotter property: The Macallan 30YO.

One hundred and eighty bottles of the rare malt are now on sale at £2,850 each.  Maturing in a first-fill Sherry cask, the 30 year-old expression is due to be bottled in May 2023, bearing one of the highest single-cask ABVs on the market at 51.5%.

According to a recent report by investment bank Noble & Co, The Macallan, produced by Famous Grouse owner Edrington, is the number one brand for both volume and value in the secondary market. Using data collected from over 580,000 whisky auction transactions over the last decade, the report also shows a 21% increase in the value of fine and rare single malts in 2022, with the volume of bottles sold increasing by 23%. In October, a single bottle of The Macallan 80YO sold at auction in Sotheby’s for £300,000.

John Robertson, MD of Caskshare, said: “The Macallan is undoubtedly one of the most aspirational single malt whiskies, with a global reputation for quality and provenance.  It’s really not often that a cask of such rarity comes up and we’re expecting it to be hugely sought-after by both connoisseurs and collectors.”

The ballot is open to UK and international customers and closes at midday on Sunday 11th December.

A cask-to-glass service, Caskshare was founded in 2019.  As well as selling whiskies from 13 new-wave distilleries including Arbikie and Raasay, Caskshare acts as an independent bottler, acquiring rare single malt casks direct from distilleries to enable people to get a taste of one-of-a-kind whiskies across a range of price points that can’t be found anywhere else.

To enter the ballot, head to: https://www.caskshare.com/ballot/macallan-30-gb

The winners in the national awards programme for Scotch whisky have been announced following a St Andrews Day dinner and celebration held in Edinburgh last night.

The 4th annual Scottish Whisky Awards revealed the winners from its comprehensive competition that included the blind tasting of nearly 200 Scotch whiskies and the assessment of product from 61 Scottish distilleries and independent bottlers.

430 representatives of the Scotch whisky industry gathered to celebrate the news of the winners.  Read all about them here.

Sláinte!

The Scottish Whisky Awards Team

New Edradour 10 Years Highland single sherry cask 🎁

Bottled November 2022 – single sherry cask #306 distilled June 2012. The perfect malt whisky for the Holiday season as a gift or treat for yourself. Edradour 10 Year Old 2012 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Single sherry butt #306 bottled 2022 by Signatory Vintage for the Un-Chillfiltered series.

Buy – Edradour 10 Years UCF – £64.75 / $65* / €62*

Edradour Distillery was formed in 1825 by a group of eight local farmers. Situated at Milton of Edradour near Pitlochry and still just a farm sized distillery equipped with a Morton refrigerator to cool the worts and two wee stills with their spirit cooled in a single worm tub. Whilst ranked amongst the small working distilleries in Scotland its owners Signatory Vintage have plans to increase its size and output. Official distillery releases include the Edradour 10 Year Old, Barolo Cask and Sherry Cask Ibisco decanters.

Stunning Exclusive Casks from an All-Time Favorite Bottler

It’s difficult to say who is definitively our favorite independent bottler, but on any given day, the answer could easily be Hunter Laing. The staggering number of truly singular, out-of-this-world casks we’ve brought in through this stalwart firm is virtually unmatched. From both the Old & Rare and the Old Malt Cask lines, our inventory is full to the brim with jaw-dropping drams that will please any Scotch connoisseur, and the best way to get a sense of what’s on offer is to dive into our trove of Advanced Sample bottlings from the Old Malt Cask line. These 200ml formats are the ideal way to get familiar with some of the greatest Scotch values on the market, and it seems they’re tailor-made for gift giving and stocking stuffing—as spirits buyer Andrew Whiteley notes, “How often can you pop several pours of 15-year-old single malt in someone’s sock for under $35 bucks?” As much as we love the Old Malt Cask offerings, the Old & Rare line is the heart and soul of our relationship with Hunter Laing. Some of the most important casks we’ve ever bottled have come from Old & Rare, including a mind-blowing Cragganmore 25-Year-Old rarity that Andrew calls “one of the most extraordinary casks we’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting, let alone bottling.” And this is just one of myriad treasures you’ll find below. Now is the time of year to think of your favorite Scotch aficionado and make their holidays that much brighter, especially if that aficionado is you.

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

https://youtu.be/tlqi7llIOTw

I’m a big fan of Clynelish and Lagavulin, two of my favourite distilleries that have ever existed in all of whisky.

Cutting a long story short… these whiskies are wonderful. They’re genuinely complex, classic examples of what these distilleries became famous for. However, there is a crux to this praise, and that comes in the way of a £310 price tag for two twelve year old whiskies. Stop me when you think this is getting absurd.

Price increases on special release bottles aren’t unusual, and I expect it when it comes to the really old, very rare, very unique examples of any type of whisky. But for two bottles of an average age that are classic examples of distillery character, where’s the price justification?

Brauerei Locher and Authena Present a Swiss Premiere:

First Swiss Whisky Embraces NFTs

In cooperation with the start-up Authena, Appenzell-based Brauerei Locher presents a Swiss first: Authena provides the “Karl Locher’s 60th – Founder’s Anniversary Reserve”, a 60-bottle limited edition of the Swiss Säntis Malt whisky, with both physical and Blockchain-based protection in the Metaverse. Thanks to NFT digital rights, each bottle becomes a unique collector’s item, with NFC tags making it counterfeit-proof. The renowned Appenzell artist, Martin Fuchs, has created an exclusive painting for this special edition, depicting 60 select scenes from the Appenzell region and showcasing the beauty of the Appenzellerland, home to the Säntis Malt whisky and founder Karl Locher. Buyers of an anniversary-edition whisky also obtain a corresponding NFT image which forms an integral part of the bottle and can only be traded freely in connection with it.

This special bottling by Brauerei Locher is offered as an exclusive, limited, and numbered edition of 60 bottles and is dedicated to Karl Locher himself, who turned 60 and initiated this project. The distillate from eight different exclusive casks, matured in the largest whisky cellars in Switzerland, was combined to produce an exquisite Single Malt whisky. Amongst other distillates, the “Karl Locher’s 60th Founder’s Anniversary Reserve” contains the very first Swiss single malt whisky. The new make spirit matured on the premises for at least two years in 80- to 140-year-old beer casks soaking up a fascinating history of our ancestors. Afterwards they get the second maturation in carefully selected cask of different origins, giving the whisky its distinctive flavour and colour. A personal statement by Karl Locher, the 60 whisky bottles tell company and family history in their own unique and authentic way.

Bottle and image belong inseparably together

“Innovation always starts in the mind with a bold idea and the courage to take risks. The idea for this limited edition arose in a conversation with Authena about novel technical possibilities of an NFT insert, in which real objects can be secured and inseparably encoded with virtual images. The picture accompanying the whisky shows an Appenzell landscape, where essential raw materials for the production of these exclusive whiskies come from,” says Karl Locher, owner of Brauerei Locher and founder of the renowned Säntis Malt. Karl Locher collaborates with 40 Swiss farmers who grow two-row barley in Appenzell’s and the Bündnerland region’s highlands (1100–1400 masl), which is used in the whisky alongside Alpstein spring water.

First Swiss whisky on the Blockchain

Information about the individual whisky bottles can be accessed at any time by using a smartphone to read the NFC tag applied to the bottle. At the heart of the system is Authena’s blockchain-based technology, which makes it virtually impossible to counterfeit exclusive bottles by protecting each individual unit with an NFC physical-digital. As soon as the bottle is opened and thus the seal is damaged, a corresponding message appears the next time the NFC tag is read by any user via smartphone.

This technical solution offers the greatest security to the clientele and at the same time enables permanent interaction between the involved parties and the final product. “This new crypto technology promises a new level of security for top global products. Our blockchain-based technology combined with physical-digital seals make product counterfeiting economically non-scalable and therefore unprofitable worldwide,” says Matteo Panzavolta, CEO of Authena AG.

Each of the special-edition bottles of the Karl Locher’s 60th Founder’s Anniversary Reserve”, strictly limited to 60, corresponds to an NFT. In this particular case, the NFT is proof of authenticity and ownership in the form of 1/60 of the 60-part Appenzell art piece by Martin Fuchs.

Each NFT image corresponds to a specific bottle and cannot be separated from it. As exclusive property of the owner of the respective bottle, it is recorded in a crypto wallet, making counterfeiting impossible. All owners become members of an exclusive circle at Brauerei Locher, giving them access to invitations to events, guided tours, special discounts and subscriptions.Brauerei Locher

Brauerei Locher AG is the most sustainable brewery in Switzerland and has been an independent, family-owned business for five generations. Diverse and high-quality specialist products are inspired by a drive for innovation and include way more than renowned beer specialities such as Quöllfrisch. Next to its core business, Brauerei Locher is the only Swiss brewery to employ ten people to develop, produce and market high-quality foodstuffs from by-products. https://www.appenzellerbier.ch/en/home.html

Brauerei Locher whisky

The production of high-proof beverages from grains or potatoes (staple foods) was illegal in Switzerland up until 1999. This law was repealed on July 1, 1999. Under the strict supervision of the Swiss Alcohol Board, Brauerei Locher had started producing the Appenzeller Säntis Malt whisky a year earlier and launched it in 2002. Both grains grown in the Swiss mountains and Alpstein spring water are used to produce this whisky. It is the only whisky worldwide that matures in beer casks that are up to 150 years old, embodying decades of brewery and tap tradition from over 100 breweries in Continental Europe. The distillates have been recognised on several occasions at international competitions, with the “Dreifaltigkeit” edition being voted the best European whisky by Jim Murray in 2010 with 95 out of 100 points.

Authena

Authena is the world’s leading provider of blockchain-based authenticity and traceability-as-a-service solutions that enable infrastructure-free end-to-end communication between producers and end consumers. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, the start-up was founded in 2018 and employs 22 people internationally. The company combats counterfeiting, parallel imports, and detours of e.g., pharmaceutical, and premium products worldwide. Using active and passive IoT devices, such as NFC physical-digital seals, brands can guarantee the authenticity of their products, detect unauthorized interactions with their goods in real time, and communicate their sustainability efforts directly to their consumers. Authena is committed to ecological and transparent production lines and sustainable trade systems.

Caption: Martin Fuchs, artist: 60-part “Wonder-Wanderland Appenzell”.

Landing page: https://saentismalt.ch/en/

NFT Collection in OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/saentis-malt-karl-locher-60th  

The 138th auction is now live with over 9000 bottles to choose from.  With an auction this large we thought we’d save you some scrolling time, so we’ve highlighted a few special expressions to get you started.

Macallan Red Collection 71, 74 & 78 Year Old 3 x 70cl

The Macallan Red Collection is one of the finest series of bottlings released in recent years.  This lot contains 3 of the oldest bottlings in the series, the 71 Year Old, 74 Year Old and the oldest bottling in the collection the 78 Year Old.  It’s rare to see even one of these come to the secondary market, so the chance to purchase all three in one fell swoop really doesn’t come around that often.  If this is something you’re collecting then this is an opportunity to purchase almost half the entire collection in one go.

Bowmore 1969 50 Year Old Vaults Series

This outstanding release is the final whisky in the acclaimed Vaults Series, the Bowmore 1969 50 Year Old. Matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, Bowmore themselves describe the flavour profile as ‘undefinable’ and boasting of an equally cryptic ‘enigma of flavours’.  This is the first time through one of our auctions for this grand old dram, and we expect there to be high demand for this vanishingly rare and exceedingly exquisite expression.

Springbank 1966 Local Barley Cask #441 75cl

The Campbeltown region, once known as ‘the whisky capital of the world’, produces some of the finest single malts in Scotland.  This Springbank 1966 Local Barley Cask #441 75cl is yet another spectacular dram from the Campbeltown distilling heavyweight.  Distilled way back in January 1966 this rare whisky was then held in a single sherry cask before finally being bottled in June 1990.  The 1966 vintages from the Springbank Local Barley Series have steadily grown in legend and stature in the whisky collecting world, using only local malted barley and bottled at a mighty 61.2% this dram is not for the fainthearted.

Macallan 1950 Tales of the Macallan Volume 1 Lalique Decanter

Finally, we’ll finish up with another remarkable expression from Speyside’s most famous distillery, the Macallan 1950 Tales of the Macallan Volume 1 Lalique Decanter.  We’ve had this through the auction a few times now and whenever we do it never fails to elicit a gasp or two from our staff.  As if the 1950 vintage malt wasn’t enough this breathtaking whisky is presented in a bespoke Lalique decanter which is itself housed in a weighty leatherbound almanac of the highest quality.

As well as these top-shelf drams we also have over 9000 other bottles to choose from.  With this many bottles in the auction there really is something for everyone so dive in to this month’s auction, start building your watchlist, and happy bidding to one and all!