As we embark on 2022, we’d like to take a moment to look back on some of our favourite whiskies from the past year – our Stars of 2021. At The Whisky Exchange, we’ve always prided ourselves on finding the best spirits for our customers and 2021 was no different.

In December, we announced our Whisky of the Year 2022, the sweet, fruity and distinctively honeyed single malt, Deanston 18 Year Old. To follow on, we highlight a few more of the drinks we’ve loved from the last twelve months for when you seek your New Year tipple. Cheers, and here’s to many more in 2022!

https://youtu.be/wA68zEArkaI

Dunphail Distillery appoints Matt McKay as Director of Whisky Creation and Outreach

Dunphail Distillery today announced that it had appointed Matt McKay as the distillery’s Director of Whisky Creation and Outreach. Matt, who has previously been closely involved with the development and promotion of London’s Bimber Distillery, will take up the newly created position in March 2022.

Dunphail Distillery aims to shift the perceptions of what Scotch can be – crafting the finest spirits the way they used to be made through time-honoured processes such as on-site floor maltings, long fermentations and direct-fired distillations. Matt joins the distillery in a varied role which will see him working alongside Founder and Master Distiller Dariusz Plazewski to define and develop Dunphail’s wood policy, create and manage the site’s cask inventory and shape the profile and quality of all spirits bottled under the Dunphail Distillery brand. In addition, Matt will manage the production of whiskies sourced from the finest distilleries across the world for a new independent bottling operation, the details of which will soon be announced. He will also lead on all marketing and communications activities for both Dunphail and Bimber (as Director of Marketing and Communications).

“Over the last two and a half years, Matt has become an integral part of our team,” said Dariusz. “His passion, knowledge, palate and pursuit of excellence marks him out as a rising star in the whisky world and it is therefore my great pleasure to welcome him into this new role supporting both the creation and the promotion of world-class whiskies.”

Matt has been a leading voice in whisky communication for a number of years, writing the popular website www.thedramble.com. He holds the IBD General Certificate in Distilling and is a Founding Chartered Practitioner and Chartered Assessor at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Speaking of his appointment Matt said: “It is a great privilege to be appointed as Director of Whisky Creation and Outreach for Dunphail Distillery. I am truly excited to have the opportunity to explore my passion for cask experimentation and to be able to develop and deliver new exceptional whiskies. I’m honoured to be continuing to work alongside Dariusz and to assist with defining and developing what we believe will in time become an iconic distillery house style.”

About Dunphail Distillery

Our firm belief in the importance of high-quality barley and the use of onsite traditional floor malting and kilning ensures that Dunphail’s spirit is a product of uniqueness, shaped by generations of rich distilling heritage. We craft the finest whisky the way it used to be made – by hand and by heart.

Burns Night is soon approaching and if you’re looking to raise a dram to the birthday of Scotland’s bard, Robert Burns, then look no further.

Our Burns Night whisky selection includes our top picks for celebrating the life of The Ploughman Poet, as no great Burns Night gathering should pass without some fine Scottish whisky. Even if you’re not hosting a Burns supper, it is still a great excuse to share some of your favourite Scottish whiskies or discover something new.

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To celebrate Burns Night this year, we’re going to be holding a special live Virtual Whisky Tasting Experience on Tuesday 25th January which will be hosted by our Whisky Brand Ambassador, Rob Patchett. Before sampling our single malt whiskies from the comfort of your own home, Rob will introduce you to our whisky range and offer some of his favourite serve suggestions including easy cocktails which you can make at home. If you’d like to purchase a tasting experience kit and book a place on our Burns Night live tasting, head to our website by clicking the link below.

BOOK HERE

CRAGGANMORE DISTILLERY

25 Year Old 1995 Old & Rare

Cragganmore 25 Year Old 1995 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Single sherry butt bottled April 2021 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Old & Rare series. 298 bottles. This burnished gold coloured whisky has a deep, rich, sweet nose of treacle, dried fruits and butterscotch. On the palate it is full bodied with a slight tongue prickle alongside stewed prunes and sultanas, all leading to a long, satisfying finish with a fruity aftertaste.

£279.79

Cragganmore Distillery in 1869 in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside whisky region. This is a malt whisky distillery equipped with four very short stills and is one of the few Scottish malt whisky distilleries that continues to cool its new spirit in traditional worm tubs. The few distillery bottlings including Cragganmore 12 Year Old and Distillers Edition are well enhanced by those of independent bottlers.

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at the character of the spirit produced at Mortlach.

https://youtu.be/kfI1uezXquM

EXPERTS RECOGNIZE CANADA’S BEST WHISKY

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 13, 2022 /CNW/ – Nine independent whisky experts have named Crown Royal Nobel Collection Winter Wheat, Canada’s best whisky and Canadian Whisky of the Year at the twelfth annual Canadian Whisky Awards.

From among well over 150 Canadian whiskies tasted, Crown Royal also took top honours for Best Blended Whisky and Sippin’ Whisky of the Year.

“This is a truly stunning whisky,” said Davin de Kergommeaux, head judge and founder of the awards. “Incredibly complex, flavourful and well-balanced.”

Other major winners include Pendleton Director’s Reserve 20-Year-Old which was named Connoisseur Whisky of the Year in the multi-market category.

J.P. Wiser’s Red Letter 15-Year-Old, is the Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Canada Exclusive, and Best Line Extension, while Royal Canadian Small Batch is 2022’s Sippin’ Whisky of the Year – Export Exclusive.

Black Velvet Original took home accolades as Best Whisky Value in the export market, and Canadian Club 100% Rye was named Best Whisky Value in multiple markets. Innovation of the Year went to the truly original and delicious Forty Creek Master’s Cut. Vancouver’s Odd Society Spirits won Best New Whisky with its Maple Whisky.

As enthusiasm for Canada’s single malt whiskies grows world-wide, the Canadian Whisky Awards acknowledged Smoke Point 3 from Shelter Point Distillery as Single Malt of the Year.

Diageo Global Supply – Gimli is the 2022 Distillery of the Year, while Okanagan Spirits in Vernon, British Columbia earned notice as Artisanal Distillery of the Year. Crown Royal blender, Joanna Zanin Scandella was acknowledged for Lifetime Achievement.

“The judges’ results are confirmed every day on liquor store shelves across North America and around the world,” said de Kergommeaux.

The winning whisky was distilled at Diageo Global Supply distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, and blended in Diageo’s blending lab in Montreal.

The Canadian Whisky Awards, held annually since 2010, recognize the very best Canadian whiskies and encourage distillers to maintain the highest quality standards. To qualify, the whisky must be distilled and matured in Canada. An independent panel of whisky experts selects the winners after tasting each whisky blind. Operated on a not-for-profit basis, the Canadian Whisky Awards are fully independent of the Canadian whisky industry.

For full results: canadianwhisky.org

FIRST CASKS AT NEW ARDARA DISTILLERY FILLED WITH SPIRIT 

Donegal’s Sliabh Liag Distillers has completed the first distillation of spirit at its new Ardara Distillery.  Ex-bourbon oak casks have been filled with a smoky, heavily-peated, triple distilled single malt, with operations commencing just 51 weeks after the foundation stone was set for the distillery in the festival town of Ardara, on Donegal’s Wild Atlantic Way.

This phase one build of the distillery is the latest chapter in the company’s mission to reclaim the distilling heritage of Donegal.  Built with local contractors and Forsyth’s of Rothes, Scotland – the revered coppersmiths – to the specifications of James and Moira Doherty, the distillery can produce 500,000L of whiskey per year, in both single malt and traditional pot still styles.

James Doherty, who co-founded Sliabh Liag Distillers with his wife Moira, is delighted with the progress to date: “Construction of the Ardara Distillery began in October 2020, and despite the many challenges that these past few years have thrown at us – from the pandemic to Brexit and everything in between – we managed to go from putting in the foundations to distilling in less than a year.  We couldn’t be prouder of all the team who pulled off such an amazing feat in super-quick time. It’s a standout building housing some truly beautiful copper stills – a fantastic new landmark for the county.”

“As a company, we want to create spirits that honour the deep traditions of whiskey making in this part of the world, so we’re distilling a rich, smoky whiskey in an authentic Ulster style.  The first spirit to have flowed from the stills is truly outstanding – I’m sure my grandfathers, who were both poitín men, would approve.  I think the spirit will take wood well, but we must now let the magic in the casks happen and busy ourselves with patience to see what effect maturation has” added James.

Moira Doherty commented: “Sustainability has also played a huge factor in the design of the new distillery, with a focus on waste and energy reduction through initiatives such as our ‘all grains in’ approach that also sees waste going on to being used as cattle feed.  We have also moved Meabh, our gin still, to the Ardara Distillery.”

The company’s operations in Carrick will become the hub for all administration, bottling and the home of Silkie with ten full time jobs based at the site. Sliabh Liag Distillers will provide up to 40 full time jobs in the area when the Ardara Distillery is fully operational.  The distillery’s interim visitor centre will open in time for the summer season 2022.  Plans are also underway to commence work on phase two of the distillery – a dedicated gin still-house and increased visitor centre capacity. There will be no café in the distillery, with visitors encouraged to use the town’s superb food and drink offering.

The distillery has also appointed Newcastle man Graeme Bell as its new Distillery Manager. Graeme has experience of working in the great whiskey making areas of the world, Speyside in Scotland for Scotch and Kentucky, USA for Bourbon and more recently Hamilton in Canada.

Speaking about his new role, Graeme said: “I feel fortunate to be in at the start for the Ardara Distillery, working in a beautifully designed new distillery with the finest copper stills from Forsyth’s in Scotland, which have been made specifically to reflect the distilling traditions of this area. Our goal is to use locally grown barley and oats to make both single malt and pot still whiskeys and to bring back many traditional whiskey-making methods from the past”.

“The opportunity to move to Donegal and be part of a very special revival was too good to miss” added Graeme. “Since moving to Ardara, I have been struck by the friendliness of the people and the magnificent scenery, and I’m delighted to be part of this community as we set about sharing the next chapter of distilling in Donegal.”

With casks now being filled, whiskey enthusiasts can become a ‘Seanchai’ and join the journey by buying a cask for themselves.  Just 600 are available, with full, transparent details of the costs involved available at www.sliabhliagdistillers.com.  If after five years buyers don’t wish to empty the contents for bottling, the company will buy the cask back off them for the purchase price plus interest (3% CAGR).

Notes  

Sliabh Liag (pronounced ‘sleeve league’) Distillers is an independently owned distillery committed to reclaiming the distilling heritage of Donegal. The distillery’s portfolio includes premium spirit brands An Dúlamán Irish Maritime Gin, An Dúlamán Santa Ana Navy Strength Gin, The Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey, Dark Silkie Irish Whiskey, The Midnight Silkie Irish Whiskey and Assaranca Vodka. The Company has distribution in 35 countries around the world.

Sliabh Liag’s new distillery at Ardara, Co. Donegal will open to the public in spring 2022. This state-of-the-art facility will combine the latest distilling technology and a unique “all grains in” process with ancient Donegal distilling knowhow to create a whiskey unlike that found in the rest of Ireland. Sliabh Liag Distillers will also feature on the Amazon Prime series, ‘The Three Drinkers in Ireland’ in early February 2022, shown in 130 countries and territories. For more information on Sliabh Liag Distillers, see www.sliabhliagdistillers.com

Cask-Whisky Investors Share Excitement for the Latest UK Australia Trade Deal

Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, the British government has been negotiating a number of new trade agreements with various nations such as the India – UK trade deal. The latest such deal is between Australia and the United Kingdom regarding exports between the countries.

The deal was agreed between Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, unlocking over £10.4 billion of additional trade. Furthermore the deal also includes the 100% removal of tariffs across all UK exports, giving Australian consumers increased access to scotch.

Before the deal scotch was tariffed at 5% causing much fiercer competition with the strong local Australian whisky industry, however, demand for scotches is still high among discerning enthusiasts. Now with scotch being released from these oppressive measures, Australian general consumers have a greater access to whiskies in supermarkets. For anyone who has invested in scotch whisky casks, this is a huge boon. When consumer demand for whisky rises so does the value of your whisky cask portfolio.

This trade deal is the start of something much bigger, it provides a launch pad for the UK to join the enormous Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), one of the largest free trade agreements in the world. The partnership is worth at least £9 trillion in exports with signatories including 11 nations from across the Pacific including Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico and Singapore. When the UK joins the CPTPP it will open the entire Pacific region up to scotch, allowing consumers to gain easy access to whisky, and allowing those who have invested in scotch casks to bask in their returns.

About 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 scotch casks, luxury timepieces, gold coins along with classic cars and designer handbags.

General Enquiries: info@hackstons.com

If you are interested in finding out more about why scotch whisky investing represents the pinnacle of alternative asset investing due to the government support the industry receives, get in touch with us at our website.