ralfy review 957 – Bunnahabhain 12yo @46.3%vol (2022)

Grade II listed Restaurant Releases Single Cask Malt Whisky to Pair with Modern Indian Cuisine Introducing The Fire Station Whisky – a brand new, limited edition single cask malt whisky from newly opened restaurant Yaatra, situated within the beautiful Old Westminster Fire Station in London.

Chosen to pair perfectly with Indian cuisine, the heath of the Highlands crossed with the spice of the Silk Road, the Fire Station Whisky is distilled by independent and family-owned distillery Tullibardine. The cask was sourced and bottled by London based luxury asset managers, Hackstons.

Aged in a first fill ex-Jack Daniels cask, this light single malt has floral, sweet barley notes and understated hints of vanilla, with pear drops and a soft spice on the finish. Yaatra’s expert Head Mixologist Nick Smith worked alongside Hackstons in selecting the whisky to perfectly complement the modern Indian dishes on Yaatra’s menu.

“Whisky and Indian cuisine make a natural pairing, both of which are famous for their storied histories and deep spiced flavours. Not only that but India is the largest market for scotch on the planet, which is why it was the perfect opportunity to marry these two icons.” – Nick Smith, Head Mixologist, Yaatra.

Only 356 bottles of The Fire Station Whisky have been produced, making this a rare and special gift for the whisky lover in your life this Christmas, with select Hackstons premium clients receiving a gifted bottle. The Fire Station Whisky is £70, can be purchased from Yaatra and delivered nationwide.

Yaatra – meaning journey – encourages diners to explore the territories, flavours and traditions of India, blending unique cooking cultures and styles from across the subcontinent.

Hackstons – located in the iconic Gherkin building in the beating heart of London, Hackstons is a multi-asset brokerage specialising in physical and tangible goods such as whisky casks, luxury timepieces, gold coins along with classic cars and designer handbags.

Yaatra Westminster

4 Greycoat Place, Westminster, London, SW1P 1SB 020 4549 1906 www.yaatrarestaurant.com

Hackstons

30 St Mary Axe, London, EC3A 8BF 020 3307 0410 www.hackstons.com

Enjoy this spectacular selection of one-of-a-kind bottlings, perfect to put on your Christmas list or to give to that someone special.

TOTALLY FANCIFUL

CASK NO. 19.53

INITIAL CASK:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  18 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Black Forest ham, cantaloupe melon, spring rolls with apricot-ginger sauce, followed by vanilla panna cotta and jellied strawberry consommé.”

ADMIRE THE ARCHITECTURE

CASK NO. 77.72

CASK TYPE:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

AGE:  12 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & dry

BOTTLE NOTE:  “A classical drier style of highland malt. Spicy, waxy, herbal, dominated by rich malty tones and beautifully structural and well-composed.”

GTR – GINGER, TOBACCO AND RUM

CASK N0. 85.68

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  1st fill #3 char hogshead

AGE:  13 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Dark Jamaican ginger cake before stepping into a drying room of tobacco leaves in Cuba and on the palate jerk ham with a sticky rum glaze.”

 ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE CASK

CASK NO. 72.109

INITIAL CASK:  Oloroso butt

FINAL CASK:  1st fill #4 char puncheon

AGE:  10 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & sweet

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Orchestral manoeuvres in the cask – earthy pepper, exotic woods and toasted oak – harmonising into toffee apples, heather and strawberries.”

NO VIKINGS NEED APPLY

CASK NO. 4.315

INITIAL CASKS:  Ex-bourbon hogsheads

FINAL CASK:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  13 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Oily & coastal

BOTTLE NOTE:  “An old school, refined and charismatic example of this great Orkney make. Single malt originally from bourbon hogsheads, married in this cask.”

A DRUID’S MAGIC POTION

CASK NO. G15.17

CASK TYPE:  2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  8 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Peated

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Quiche Lorraine with peat-smoked bacon lardons, followed by medicinal mouthwash and deep heat rub before we had a sip of that magic potion.”

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca

Register Your Interest: The Balvenie Sixty
+ Golden Dram Giveaway

A commemorative single cask release selected by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie in honour of our Malt Master, David C. Stewart MBE’s six-decade career at the distillery – the longest serving Malt Master in industry history. Register your interest below to stay up-to-date with this incredible release.

Purchase a bottle of The Balvenie 25 Year Old to also be entered into our latest Golden Dram giveaway to win a VIP tour of the Balvenie Distillery.

See all details here →

Register Your Interest Now →

The Balvenie 60 Year Old

The careful selection is a single European Hogshead cask from 1962, the year Malt Master David C Stewart started at the distillery, yielding only 71 bottles to be sold globally. Expect intricate aromas of lavender and heather honey on the nose. The palate brings baking spices, thick toffee, and toasted oak before leading into the outstanding, lingering finish with spicy notes appearing at the close.

£122,000.00
Register Your Interest

The perfect Christmas gift for a loved one, 

or as a treat for yourself!

Want to be kept in the loop with everything whisky? Or do you know someone who loves a wee dram? If your answer is yes, then Whisky Magazine is the perfect fit. Discover everything you need to know, read up on in-depth interviews, detailed tasting notes and so much more!

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Christmas gift ideas under £50!

With our varied selection of Christmas gifts you’ll manage to find something for every drinks lover, never mind just whisky! Below are a round-up of gifts under £50 for you to have a good browse over. Just over 2 weeks to go until the 25th!

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

Gifts under £50 →

Maker’s Mark Private Selection “Baklava Barrel” K&L Exclusive Stave Finished Cask Strength Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $69.99 View

This new barrel of Private Select continues our foray into experimentation with the new mendiant stave. If you’re just catching up to the Private Select program, this is a system for creating unique single barrels where Maker’s allows us to select from 5 stave types for a 90 day finish to make a unique selection unlike any other. Starting with the extremely delicious cask strength Maker’s product, we added 2 staves of Seared French Cuvee and 8 of the new Roasted French Mendiant. The idea was to evoke the sweet savory character of the mendiant chocolates for which they’re made, but the sweet wheated maker’s profile kept transporting us to some secret Turkish bazaar.

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

Phil will return next week…

BENROMACH PARTNERS WITH PAPER ARTIST HELEN MUSSELWHITE FOR HANDMADE FESTIVE SCULPTURE

As part of its ‘Firsthand‘ campaign, Benormach single malt looks to celebrate all things handmade. Their new collaboration is with renowned paper artist Helen Musselwhite who has created a sculpture themed around the Speyside distillery and its whiskies.

Helen’s meticulous process began with a trip to Forres, Morayshire, to meet distillery manager Keith Cruickshank and experience the whisky making process first hand, taking inspiration from the award-winning flavour profile of the Benromach 15 Year Old single malt and the distillery’s traditional process.

The resulting 3D sculpture, which stands at almost 1m high, celebrates the values shared by Helen and the distillery – that the care, skill, passion and patience that go into a handmade approach can deliver extra special results.

Visitors will be able to see Helen’s work of art first hand, on display at the distillery’s visitor centre from January 2023. Window displays of the design can also be viewed at Jeffrey St Whiskies in Edinburgh, and at Amathus City and Amathus Shoreditch in London from 5^th December.

The collaboration is part of Benromach’s Firsthand campaign, which brings people closer to makers worldwide who embody the passion and craft of handmade. Helen’s sculpture was created by a series of cuts, folds, scores and layers of various types of paper to create an intricate view of the distillery and its whiskies.

Keith Cruickshank, Benromach Distillery Manager, said: “It was wonderful to welcome Helen to the distillery and share our story and process, and explore areas where our worlds overlap. Both processes require a deep understanding of the layers, tools and complexities that go into creating something unique.

“The level of detail in Helen’s finished sculpture is remarkable. It’s a unique work of art guaranteed to intrigue and delight in equal measure. It’s the perfect illustration of the beauty of handmade things.”

Helen has honed her craft over 16 years and has worked with brands including Royal Mail, Molton Brown and Hoegaarden.

Helen Musselwhite said: “My visit to Speyside and the Benromach Distillery provided the ideal inspiration. I was struck by the age-old traditions employed in the whisky-making process and the passion and expertise of those who work there, The beautiful surroundings and aroma and taste of the whiskies also helped to shape my design.

“There are natural synergies between their craft and mine. Both take care, pay attention to detail and take time to make something worth waiting for – although my process is thankfully not quite as long! It took me around a month to make my paper sculpture, from initial sketches and a basic scale model through to the final piece. I got lost in the details which is always my favourite part, from the individual peppercorns to the roof tiles on the distillery roof.”

Visitors who purchase Benromach whisky at the distillery shop or website or at any of the retailers with window displays will receive a gift bag detailing Helen’s design, as well as a specially printed Christmas card.

For more information, visit the Benromach website.

About Benromach Distillery

Originally built in 1898, Benromach Distillery was brought back to life when the Urquhart family realised a lifelong dream to own a distillery in 1993. The distillery was extensively re-equipped over a five-year period before it was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Rothesay in 1998.

In reopening Benromach Distillery, the Urquhart family wanted to create a single malt whisky that has a classic Speyside character: beautifully balanced with a light touch of smoke.

Benromach Distillery is located on the outskirts of the ancient market town of Forres. A five-star visitor centre is open to the public throughout the year. Benromach Distillery is a member of the world-famous Malt Whisky Trail.

For more information, visit: www.benromach.com

Give a gift they’ll love

We know how stressful this time of year can be trying to find the perfect gift – so to help we’ve put together a collection of our top 3 whiskies that we’ll know they’ll love! Whatever your loved one’s preferences, there’s sure to be a gift here that they’ll adore.

Smooth, bright and lively like the islanders who make it – our trademark Jura 10 Year Old is a smooth all-rounder malt finished in the finest aged Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez, Spain. With sweet flavours of rich cacao and vanilla cream, this copper-gold whisky is smooth, bright, and lively. Perfect served neat, over ice or in a Jura Sunset

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Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon and hand-selected American Rye barrels, the casks deliver depth and complexity to our 14 Year Old single malt with layered spice, and aromatic, herbal and floral qualities. Every time you pour a glass you’re raising a dram with the islanders who make it and with every rye-spiced sip you will taste Jura’s bright and characterful spirit, a gift from our tiny island community to you.

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Looking to introduce them to something they’ve never tried before? Tropical might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Jura, but our Rum Cask Finish draws inspiration from the sun-soaked Caribbean, bringing the lively spirit of rum home to our shores. Mouth-wateringly smooth and fruity, it’s the perfect exotic escape.

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St Vincent Plaza, 319 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5LP
www.jurawhisky.com