ralfy review 969 – Ledaig Rioja @46.3%vol: (NAS)

The Rarest Midleton Very Rare In The World?

Four fantastic new bottles are available to buy now on the Mark Littler Shop, including a Midleton Very Rare 1988. 

The Mark Littler Shop is infamous for listing incredibly rare and collectable whiskies such as the Balvenie 1937 50 YO (sold in 2021) and the Springbank 1919 50 YO (sold in 2022). Now another spectacularly rare bottling is available for one lucky purchaser, the Midleton Very Rare 1988.

The Midleton Very Rare 1988 is perhaps the rarest release in the series, the first of which was the 1984 release. It is said that only one cask was bottled for the 1988 version, hence the fact that this bottle has only appeared at auction 16 times since 2009. When the bottle does appear at auction, it sells almost exclusively in Ireland, making this UK-based opportunity one that shouldn’t be missed.

This particular bottle was purchased by Mark Littler Ltd’s client in Dublin in 1991 for just £32 whilst the family were in Dublin celebrating a birthday and is available to buy now on the Mark Littler Shop. 

Also available to buy on the Mark Littler Shop are two Macallan James Bond 60th Anniversary bottles. These bottlings were released via ballot on the Macallan website in September 2022 to great fanfare, and prices on the secondary market skyrocketed within days. Is there a gap in your collection?

The Macallan James Bond Decade IV and Decade V are now available to buy on the Mark Littler Shop.

And finally, a stunning Dalmore 1973 33 Year Old is also available to purchase. Dalmore distillery is often credited with being the first distillery in Scotland to perform a luxury rebrand in the year 2005. As such, the twelve-point stag has become synonymous with the brand. This beautifully presented vintage whisky sold just 5 times in 2022 and is now available to buy.

The Mark Littler Shop carries rare and collectable Scotch, Irish, Canadian, and Japanese whiskies with free UK delivery and 1-3 day shipping.

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit www.marklittler.com

If you are interested in the Macallan James Bond Series or would like to chat to one of the team about our other services, please get in touch.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718

Melbourne-based whisky website, Skull and Barrel, has launched its own retail site offering a comprehensive selection of rare, old, and collectible whiskies and spirits. With over 15 years of experience, the company’s team is passionate about connecting these rare bottles with those who share their enthusiasm, and actively supports customers in their aims, whether that be consuming, collecting, or investing.

Skull and Barrel’s range includes The Macallan, Ardbeg, Springbank, and Glenfiddich, with an emphasis on limited edition and rare bottles. They offer a range of services, including valuations, selling collections of bottles, and queries about buying.

A spokesperson for Skull and Barrel said, “We are excited to launch our own retail site and bring our passion for old, rare, and collectible whiskies to a wider audience. Our aim is to make the market more accessible to buyers and sellers of any background and geography, and to connect these rare bottles with those who share our passion.”

Skull and Barrel’s range of Macallan whiskies is particularly noteworthy, with a wide variety of vintages and expressions available, including rare and limited editions.

Springbank, another of the company’s featured distilleries, is known for its small-batch, handcrafted approach, producing some of the most highly regarded whiskies in Scotland. Skull and Barrel’s selection of Springbank whiskies includes rare and hard-to-find bottles, making it a must-visit destination for whisky enthusiasts.

Skull and Barrel’s expertise, knowledge, and commitment to quality make it a go-to destination for rare and collectible whiskies and spirits. For more information about Skull and Barrel and their range of whiskies and spirits, please visit their website or contact the team directly.

www.skullandbarrel.com.au
2/31 Makland Drive
Derrimut, 3026, Victoria,
Australia
sales@skullandbarrel.com.au

Five New UK Exclusives!

Today, excellent independent Scotch whisky bottler, Murray McDavid has launched five new UK Exclusives! Using a variety of exciting casks for these new expressions, this really is cask maturation at its best.

Explore these new UK exclusives via the link below.

Some great news also just in regarding our Lindores Single Cask! (see below)

As ever, if you have any questions or queries, please just get in touch.

Slàinte

SHOP MURRAY MCDAVID

SPEYSIDE CLASSICS

MACALLAN DOUBLE CASK

Founded in 1824, Macallan has grown over almost two centuries to become one of the most respected names in whisky. Famed for its generously sherried style, this old Speysider sets the standard for luxury single malts.

Macallan grew from humble beginnings as a small farm distillery by the River Spey. From those early days, one of the things that distinguished this pioneer of single malt was its sourcing of excellent casks – originally from Spain and later from the United States. The Double Cask range is a continuation of that legacy, each one a perfect marriage of Macallan’s heavyweight spirit and finest quality oak.

  SHOP MACALLAN 

Heaven’s Door 14 Year Old “Caribbean Rum Finished” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)

$149.99 View

This wild offering is listed as 14 years old, but it was distilled on January 5th, 2005 from a mashbill of 84% Corn, 8% Malt, 8% Rye. It aged undisturbed for over 15 years before being transferred to a freshly dumped Venezuelan rum cask, likely Diplomatico, and aged for an additional two years before bottling at cask strength without chill-filtration of any kind. The whisky is almost certainly coming from the Cascade Hollow distillery in Tennessee, but has such a distinct character, it would be hard to pick it out as such without prior knowledge of the mashbill. Perhaps it’s the exceptionally high proof, which is rarely achieved with single cask offerings from the famous old distillery outside of Tullahoma. In fact, we’ve never offered a single cask from this distillery anywhere close to this age and proof range, a true oddity in that respect. Add the high-quality finish, the dense dark flavors of the rum have been fully integrated after the long finish at Heaven’s Door’s Nashville warehousing facility, and you’ve got a recipe for a legendary pour. Similarly aged products have sold for significantly more — Heaven’s Door’s own 17 year and the George Dickel 17 year, which went for $500 & $280 respectively — we’re actually very grateful they didn’t change the age statement and raise our price! We’d much rather tell this story and save you the $200-300 a bottle than insist on an accurate age statement! Lovers of Angel’s Envy bourbon will appreciate the opulence here.

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

Port Ellen 1982 40YO

This is the second release in the Eidolon Trilogy, bottled by Hunter Laing in anticipation of the distillery being brought back to life. Matured for 40 years and one of only 403 bottles produced. Bottled at 56.5% abv.

Click for more information

£4,600.00

Port Ellen Distillery closed in 1983, making this some of the last stock they produced before closing their doors. Unfortunately Port Ellen’s original stills and some of the buildings are gone but the maltings remain and continue to supply Islay’s many distilleries. Due to its closure, little of this single malt whisky remains.

This is the second release in the Eidolon Trilogy, bottled by Hunter Laing in anticipation of the distillery being brought back to life. Matured for 40 years and one of only 403 bottles produced. Bottled at 56.5% abv.

Caskshare Pairs Its One-Off Whiskies With Adventures In Art

Driven by a passion to share the magic of incredible rare whiskies, the team at Caskshare are embarking on a series of collaborations with bright young visual artists.

Specially created artworks will feature on the labels of Caskshare’s releases from January 2023, showcasing the designs of a collective of talented illustrators, the first of which are Martha Duncan, Phoebe Phillips and Evie Grace.

Each of their labels incorporates a different element reflecting the enjoyment of special whiskies – and offers an adventure for the senses.

Caskshare’s single-cask-to-glass service invites adventurous drinkers to sample a share of a truly unique whisky from a one-of-a-kind cask before it’s even bottled.

Making owning single cask malts accessible to everyone from collectors to the whisky curious, the premise is simple: one share = one bottle and single-bottle shares start from as little as £40.

Collaboration .1 – ‘Home’ by Martha Duncan, Blended 9 Year-Old Malt (for Collective members only)

The Glasgow School of Art graduate’s fun, colourful designs take inspiration from human quirks, overheard conversations, architecture and animals and she works mainly using the linocut printmaking technique and digital art.

Martha’s design for Caskshare depicts the beautiful Edinburgh New Town townhouse which is home to Caskshare.

Martha said: “I often use Scottish motifs, including tenement buildings, in my own illustrative work which makes the piece a perfect collaboration between myself and Caskshare.”

@marthaduncan.studio

www.marthaduncanstudio.com

Collaboration .2 – ‘Out of this World’, Phoebe Phillips, Agitator, £75

(a second work by Phoebe also features on Agitator’s Swedish Four Grain Whisky, £75)

Phoebe Phillips is an illustrator and screen printer based in Somerset. Drawing on inspiration from pop culture – past and present – she reimagines nostalgic curiosities with an unmissable vibrancy through illustration and hand-crafted screen printing.

Her love of the weird and wonderful pours through in her custom designs for these sister Caskshare labels. Depicted in her distinctively retro style of illustration, the labels combine to show a space robot and astronaut enjoying an out of this world whisky in an out of this world setting, together.

Phoebe turned to the pages of her vintage comic book collection to seek other-worldly inspiration which she realised initially in pencil. With the concept defined, she moved into Illustrator, selecting a bold and beautiful colour palette that reflects the tasting notes of the whiskey itself. The pieces were then finished with an intricate stipple shading to add depth and dimension to the artworks.

www.phoebephillips.co.uk.

Collaboration .3 – ‘Bothy’, Evie Grace, Daluaine, £85

Scottish freelance illustrator and designer Evie is currently based in Bristol and shares stories through bold, honest and witty concepts.

Evie’s inspiration comes from what’s going on in the world whether linked to the environmental or social, and from the stories she collects through life experiences and conversations.

A keen outdoor and cold-water swimming enthusiast, Evie said: “Whisky and adventures are one and the same for me – a Scottish bothy with a whisky is the perfect combination. I wanted to show both the magic of Scotland and the magic of adventures by adding mystical twists to the starry bothy scene.”

www.eviegraceillustration.com

@eviegraceillustration

Amy Macrae, Marketing Manager at Caskshare, said of the collaborations: “For us, whisky is about community, individuality and craftsmanship, and we’ve invited artists to help us convey this by sharing their work on our bottles.  Their designs are bright and beautiful expressions of what’s inside, taking elements from Scottish culture, myth and the feeling of ‘home’, along with playful takes on the experience of drinking whisky.

“We can’t wait to embark further on this journey, amplifying up-and-coming talent and sharing this range with the world.”

Further artists and label designs will be announced and updated over coming months, with full details at www.caskshare.com.

About Caskshare

It’s not just the angels who take a share of every cask, with Caskshare now everyone can. Offering a ‘cask to glass’ service, Caskshare makes it simple for anyone to have a share of fine and rare single malts. The premise is simple. One share = one bottle and single-bottle shares start from as little as £40.

Selling one-of-a-kind whiskies by the bottle opens up a world of possibilities – bottle shares can be bought for one cask, across a portfolio of malts or distilleries meaning buyers can stick to what they know and like or embark on a journey of flavour exploration, to enjoy for themselves, to keep or to gift.

How Caskshare works

Lowering the barrier of entry to cask ownership opens up a world of possibilities – bottle shares can be invested in one cask, one distillery, across a portfolio of malts or distilleries meaning buyers can stick to what they know and like or embark on a journey of flavour exploration, to enjoy for themselves, to keep for a long-term investment or to gift.

What are we drinking?

Since 2019, the stable of new-wave Scottish distilleries represented by Caskshare has grown to twelve: Annandale (Lowland), Arbikie (Highland), Ardnamurchan (Highland), Benriach (Speyside), Caol Ila (Islay), Cambus (Lowland), Glen Moray (Speyside), Glenwyvis (Highland), Holyrood (Lowland), Isle of Raasay (Highland), North Point (rum) and Tullibardine (Highland).

Caskshare also acts as an independent bottler, buying rare single malt casks direct from distilleries to enable people to get a taste of one-of-a-kind whiskies that can’t be found anywhere else. Its expanding range includes the oldest Port Charlotte on the market and GlenWyvis 3YO Pedro Ximenez (£95) and 7YO First-Fill Rum Cask (£85).

www.caskshare.com

@thecaskshare (Twitter)

@caskshare (Instagram and Facebook)

The Grand Whisky Auction is now LIVE!

There are 2800+ lots to browse and bid on this month with one of the highlights being this Dingle Cask.

The auction closes on the 27th March @ 9pm!

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

T. +44 (0)1463 210 427 –  sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

The first outrun of 2023 is here! 

Our first outrun for 2023 contains 6 exceptional single casks.

On the back of snapping up the Icons of Scotland Independent bottler of the year for the second year in a row and winning the National Whisky Awards Independent Bottler of the Year it is now back to the business of releasing tasty drams!

QTR 1 2023 is a slightly smaller outrun this year but no less interesting. We have decided to focus on slightly more obscure cask styles and present a broad range of spirit from different vintages. In this outrun we cover Speyside and Highland but we still have peat, full on rich fruity character and big vanilla Bourbon style treats!

All releases were bottled at our site in Dalgety Bay by hand.

If the bottle you want is sold out don’t worry as we have sent orders to various independent shops and traders across the UK!

Outrun 1 2023

Below are some selected highlights from our new outrun.
There are 6 casks in this outrun.

You can check them all out on our shop here.