GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERY

10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 7 (2022)

The first 2022 release of cask strength ten year old GlenAllachie. Matured in PX and Oloroso sherry Puncheons, Virgin Oak & Rioja casks specially selected by Master Distiller Billy Walker.  These cask strength batches are increasingly sought after therefore these are limited to one bottle per person.

£75.00

NOSE: Waves of heather honey, dried fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg, followed by orange peel, mocha and treacle.
TASTE: Lashings of dark chocolate, figs and heather honey, with raisins, cinnamon, plums and hints of orange zest.

Buy – GlenAllachie 10 Years CS Batch 7

Glenallachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 7 Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in PX and Oloroso sherry Puncheons, Virgin Oak & Rioja casks specially selected by Master Distiller Billy Walker. Bottled 2022. MAXIMUM 1 BOTTLE PER CUSTOMER.

Glenallachie Distillery is a Speyside distillery sitting on the eastern edge of Ben Rinnes mountain where it is rather exposed to the elements and is often to be see sitting within the snowline. A modern building and its architect William Delmé-Evans created a distillery which is rather pleasing on the eye. Glenallachie was commissioned in 1967 with two stills which increased to four in 1989 in order to meet blenders ever increasing demand for Glenallachie malt whisky. Whilst official releases are few independent releases are more numerous with those from Signatory Vintage and Cadenheads proving popular.

Arran 10 Year Old

An absolute modern classic, and one we believe is a whisky shelf staple! This is a dram that is loved by complete beginners or seasoned whisky connoisseurs. Beautifully sweet with an apple and citrus character, surrounded by rich vanilla, warm cinnamon and perfectly balanced oak. So… just grab a bottle!

WAS £46.00
NOW £38.94
Buy Now

HAMISH SAYS

MARCH OUTTURN ALERT

We’re preparing for the fresh optimism of spring with 18 new uplifting spirits for the season. And if you’re looking for whisky recommendations, our spirits manager Euan Campbell makes some sipping suggestions for the lighter days ahead. Keep scrolling to discover some of his recommendations or click over to our website to read over the new Outturn. March Outturn is available from 9am on Friday, 4 March. 

VIEW NEW OUTTURN

VIEW ALL EUAN’S SUGGESTIONS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

 Michel Couvreur – Blossoming Auld Sherried Whisky 45%

Rare and Intricate

Michel Couvreur had a very personal and truly revolutionary vision of what whisky should be: more than terroir, more than the distiller’s touch; the maturing in oak casks truly helped the grain spirit become whisky.

From 1978 on from the French region of Burgundy, he decided to make it his life’s work and dedicate his research to a process he once compared to cross-fertilization.

He chose exceptional casks from the bodegas with whom he had strong relationships. Many will not sell casks to anyone else.

The result is extraordinary whisky; indeed auld school. Give it some time in the glass for it to show impressive depth and is intricacy at levels that you do not get the opportunity to see very often these days.

Put it in a glass in front of someone who will appreciate it. The response will probably be

Wow, what is this ?”

“Can you get me a bottle?”

Though this is not inexpensive, it feels so much better when you look at it as $12 an ounce.

Michel Couvreur – Blossoming Auld Sherry 45%

A Special Whisky

Only bottles available

First come, First served

$299.99

Click to Order

Bunnahabhain 30 Years

1990 vintage single cask bottled 2021 and exclusive to TWB. Maximum 1 bottle per person.

Shop Bunnahabhain 30 Years »

Buy Bunnahabhain 30 Year Old 1990 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask hogshead #TWB1025 bottled 2021. The first flight of the Artmeis Moon program, which if successful, pioneers the return of astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Launching from the Kennedy Space Center the Orion spacecraft will journey around the Moon before returning to planet Earth.

Commemorating the launch expected in 2022, The Whisky Barrel has selected a cask of Islay single malt Scotch whisky – The First Launch Edition. 285 numbered bottles.

Nose: Cosmic barley fields, galactic stem ginger, clusters of lavender honey, pulsar of lemon zest and brown bread nebula.
Taste: Orbital barley sugars, ginger eclipse, lemon juice pulsars, hot chilli rocket fuel, honey starburst, solar salt and pepper.
Finish: Milk chocolate supernova, pink grapefruit dwarf and a cereal flyby.

Bunnahabhain Distillery was established in 1881 on the north eastern tip of the Isle of Islay by the shore of Bunnahabhain Bay and overlooking the Sound of Islay. All the building materials were transported by puffer and unloaded at the distillery pier. Now tucked away at the end of the single track ‘main’ road with spectacular scenery all the way. Bunnahabhain Distillery is equipped with four huge pear shaped stills and produces Scottish malt whisky which is released in blends and in single malt and single cask bottlings. A participant in Feis Ile, the annual Islay Festival of Malt and Music. Core editions include Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old and 18 Year Old.

ralfy review 916 – Glenmorangie 13yo Cognac Cask @46%vol:

Caskshare X Isle of Raasay 30 Litre Project

Leading industry platform Caskshare is on a mission to democratise access to maturing single cask spirits. In collaboration with Isle of Raasay Distillery, the online whisky platform has offered a selection of 30L casks for reservation by the bottle. An ideal opportunity for whisky fans to get their hands on, the innovative product is not often seen in mainstream distillery production.

As such these casks represent the first output taking Caskshare customers through the whole journey from new filled casks through to maturation and bottling. The first of these casks are bottling now and shipping to the Caskshare customers who reserved early on in the cask’s life.

Exactly three years ago Isle of Raasay Distillery began filling custom built ex-Speyside Scotch whisky oak casks. This was the brainchild of co-founder Alasdair Day, who is a firm believer in bringing innovation and novel approaches to the whisky sector.

The 30 Litre Project deals with casks that have a much higher spirit-to-wood surface contact ratio means a much faster maturation process, cutting through the needs for longer maturation and making the craft producer able to release a well-developed spirit in a shorter time frame. Distilleries in hotter climates have already opened up the market to shorter (3-year) maturations, but the colder Scottish climates have traditionally not been favourable to this style of whisky in the larger cask sizes.

Alasdair worked with Speyside Cooperage to make bespoke small casks specially designed for this style of whisky. Each cask is completely unique and are made from the wood previously used to mature Speyside whisky in larger quantities. Alasdair Day, Isle of Raasay Distillery states: “It’s a well-known fact that the size of a cask has a direct impact on the maturation of the spirit within it. When my Great Grandfather created his blended scotch whisky, the age of the single malt was a major component in the quality of the blend. Now on Raasay we have the option to fill smaller specially coopered ex Speyside oak casks that impart their specific flavour in different ways and in much shorter timescales. Single malt evolves with much more flavour development yet to come.”

David Nicol, Founder of Caskshare commented: “The idea of using bespoke built casks is a great example of the innovation coming from Alasdair Day and the whole team at the Isle of Raasay Distillery. Scotch is an ever-evolving product and when we heard about these casks we were committed to bringing a selection of them to Caskshare.com for whisky fans to reserve by the bottle. We decided to bottle one at 46% for a wider audience, and the other at cask strength for a comparison at smaller quantities.”

An additional range of 30L casks are set to launch on Caskshare imminently, initially available exclusively to The Caskshare Collective, Caskshare’s membership program offering permanent discounts, early access to a selection of newly launched casks and bi-annual tasting packs of maturing or recently bottles exclusive single cask whisky.

www.caskshare.com
@caskshare

Sample bottles of Isle of Raasay Cask 19/117, bottled at 46% abv are available on request. Cask 19/118 will be bottled early March.

Award-winning whisky writers to host online tasting supporting Ukrainian refugees

Award-winning whisky writer Felipe Schrieberg and Whisky Exchange Drinks Ambassador Billy Abbott will be co-hosting a charity online whisky tasting supporting Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Poland from the violence in their country. 

Taking place March 28^th at 7 pm, packs containing six delicious whiskies will be sent to guests’ homes by whisky subscription service The Dram Team, and can then join Schrieberg and Abbott on Facebook and Youtube. All profits from the tasting will be donated to Polish Humanitarian Action, a relief organisation working with displaced Ukrainian refugees.

The tasting pack includes drams of:

• Compass Box Spice Tree
• Glenturret 12 Year Old
• Jura Seven Wood
• Lakes Distillery The ONE Sherry Limited Edition
• Glen Scotia Victoriana
• Royal Brackla 18 Year Old Palo Cortado Finish

Though the tasting itself is free to watch and accessible for anyone even if they don’t have a whisky pack, optional ‘viewing only’ tickets are also available to purchase, with all proceeds going to PAH as well.

Both Schrieberg and Abbott are extremely experienced tasting hosts – the former has welcomed over 3,500 people across more than 250 online tastings since April 2020 while the latter has fronted tastings at many whisky festivals both physical and virtual. For their work, they have both won the prestigious Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year – Rest of World award by Whisky Magazine (Schrieberg won this year’s prize, and Abbott received it in 2021).

Schrieberg, who is currently based in the Polish city of Gdansk, was inspired by the compassion shown by his adopted country when he decided to put together the tasting:

“Over half of the refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine are arriving here in Poland” he said.

“The response from Poles all over the country has been truly moving, and everyone coming here from Ukraine needs all the help they can get. We’re very excited to be able to share some very tasty whiskies to support an excellent organisation doing amazing work here.”

The tasting will be hosted on Schrieberg’s Facebook and Youtube pages for his online whisky tastings – The Virtual Whisky Masterclass.

Tickets are available to purchase on Designmynight.com

Event Information 

Event: Online Charity Whisky Tasting Supporting Ukrainian Refugees

Price: £45 (excluding booking fee)

           £15 for optional ‘viewing only’ ticket

Ticket link: https://tinyurl.com/2p8a57bz

About Felipe 

Felipe is a whisky writer, musician, author, spirits competition judge, and tastings host.

As a whisky writer, Felipe has been widely published across industry magazines and websites. He is a senior contributor for Forbes.com writing about spirits, and is regularly featured in Whisky Magazine, The Whiskey Wash, Unfiltered, and many other platforms. His book, London Cocktails, is published by Cider Mill Press and is distributed worldwide by Simon and Schuster.

For his work, he was named the 2022 Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year (Rest of World), and the 2021 Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year.

He is also the co-founder and one half of The Rhythm and Booze Project, a duo combining live music, tasting events, and multimedia.

www.felipeschrieberg.com

About Billy

Billy is a writer and trainer specialising in drinks. Starting as a blogger in 2009 and working full time in the drinks industry since 2011, he’s been writing, presenting and training people about drinks around the world.

While he is the drinks ambassador at The Whisky Exchange during the day, he also regularly runs tastings and training sessions, and also works as a drinks consultant and spirit competitions judge. He recently published his first book, The Philosophy of Whisky, through The British Library.

www.billyabbott.co.uk

About The Dram Team

The Dram Team are a whisky box subscription service, offering tasting packs of curated whiskies for subscribers and as gifts. The tasting packs are delivered right to your door, containing 6 different whiskies, deluxe tasting note cards, and a guided tour of the flight.

www.thedramteam.co.uk

A Singular Rye Whiskey from a Superstar Craft Distiller
Barrell Craft Spirits “Seagrass” Martinique Rum, Apricot Brandy & Madeira Finished Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey
(750ml) ($79.99)
Ranked #2 in Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys of 2021

The latest entry from our friends at the inimitable Barrell Craft Spirits is the incredible Seagrass, a stupendous rye beauty with an aging regimen that takes a mad kind of genius to pull off. The team at Barrell starts with top-quality American and Canadian rye whiskeys, then subjects them to successive finishing stints in some of the most expressive used barrels you can think of. The result is truly a multi-faceted, singular profile that’s unlike anything else in their portfolio. Each barrel shows its influence in concert with the others, with the spicy character of the rye taking on a kaleidoscope of luxurious tropical brandy notes, high-toned floral rhum agricole features, and a scintillating tinge of brine and nutty oxidative accents from the madeira cask. As if this wasn’t compelling enough, we also have a miniscule allocation of the incredible 16 Year Old Gray Label Seagrass, a highly limited, age-stated rye (this rendition made from 100% Canadian stocks) that underwent the same finishing process as the regular bottling. We never know what Barrell is going to come up with next, but we’re certain that whiskey aficionados who think they’ve seen and tasted it all are in for a real awakening with these two stunners.

K&L Notes: Seagrass is more proof that Barrell’s blending team is at the top of their game. Not only are they able to consistently create exciting new products with a diversity of flavors, but they’re able to imbue their blends with creative energy, all while making sure to keep the most important thing in mind: it must be delicious. This release is the perfect example of that, a product that’s able to transport us to a completely different place in the glass. Using the complex barrel finishes that Barrell has developed and their highest quality rye stocks, they’ve built this incredible expression. The deep tropical notes from the apricot brandy are tempered by a bevy of spicy and herbaceous rye. Soft, subtle grassy notes and pure floral character are added by the rhum cask, along with a top note of earth and salty ocean air from the madeira casks. The bevy of accolades that it’s received in the past year confirm it as easily one of the most exciting and delicious releases available right now.

Barrell Craft Spirits “Seagrass” Martinique Rum, Apricot Brandy & Madeira Finished Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($79.99)

• 2021 #2 Whiskey of the Year—Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys
• 2021 BEST OF THE BEST—The Robb Report
• DOUBLE GOLD—2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
• PLATINUM MEDAL—2021 L.A. Spirits Awards
• GOLD MEDAL—2021 Ascot Awards
• GOLD MEDAL—2021 John Barleycorn Awards
• 92 POINTS—2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge

Barrell Craft Spirits 16 Year Old “Gray Label – Seagrass” Release #1 Martinique Rum, Apricot Brandy & Madeira Finished Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($239.99)

K&L Notes: The 16 Year Old Gray Label Seagrass takes the original bottling and ramps up the singular character several notches. This highly allocated, extremely limited rendition was composed from 100% Canadian rye stocks and underwent a similar aging process. Two batches of rye were aged separately in the apricot brandy and rhum casks, and a final blend was compiled and aged in Malmsey Madeira casks. Every step of the process was undertaken with painstaking precision and meticulous care, and the result is a stunningly unique whiskey that offers something for every spirits aficionado under the sun. Bottled at full proof of 130.82, it’s a powerhouse of complexity that showcases each of its components with startling clarity and authenticity. This is a not-to-be-missed connoisseur’s gem of the highest order and will be a standout addition unlike any other to any collection of the finest craft spirits.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

In celebration of International Polar Bear Day on Sunday 27 February, we’re encouraging members to expand their flavour horizons by comparing contrasting characters.

If you love our Sweet, Fruity and Mellow flavour try our Lightly Peated profile as a polar opposite, where you will discover notes of garden bonfires, incense and vintage cars as well as smoked salmon, sea breeze and a dentist’s waiting room.

Or if you are feeling brave, go Peated where you can expect herbal notes and medicinal and maritime marvel!

BUY LIGHTLY PEATED WHISKIES

BUY SWEET, FRUITY & MELLOW WHISKIES

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video