Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 405: Dalmunach 6 Year Old 2015 The Octave for Saint Mac

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tastes a young malt from a new distillery! Dalmunach is a new distillery, operational since 2014. It was built on the site of the old Imperial distillery. Our friends at Saint Mac, a Belgian whisky shop, selected this octave – a small cask of sherrywood – from Duncan Taylor. It contains a 6 year old Dalmunach at cask strength. Only 65 bottles were available and they sold out in a flash.

https://youtu.be/qTh2sCUXSvQ

Apollo Trilogy
of Single Cask Whiskies

Apollo Trilogy of Single Cask Whiskies

Thursday the 30th of September, 2021, Fife, Scotland

Specialist online Scotch whisky merchant and bottler TheWhiskyBarrel.com, is proud to expand its whisky series commemorating the Apollo Missions with a new trilogy of single cask Scotch whiskies featuring illustrated labels depicting some of the most famous moments of the Apollo missions.

Tomatin, Highland Park & Glenrothes Single Casks

Three new bottlings have been released today, each has matured in a first fill sherry hogshead and represents an event that took place on the Apollo Missions. Each has been illustrated by celebrated London based artist Jamie Coe.

APOLLO 12 Lightning Strikes Twice

Tomatin 10 Year Old 2011 Vintage “SCE to AUX”

Just after lift-off the Saturn V rocket was twice struck by lightning affecting telemetry measurements on the spacecraft. To avoid a potential disaster, EECOM engineer John Aaron in Mission Control suggested the pilot switch the Signal Conditioning Electronics to auxiliary.

Selected from a first fill Oloroso sherry Hogshead cask distilled at the Highland distillery, Tomatin. 271 numbered bottles at cask strength 56.4% abv.

APOLLO 14 Golf on the Moon

St Ola® 15 Year Old 2006 Vintage “Miles and Miles and Miles”

Landing in the lunar Highlands, the third mission to land on the Moon. Commander Alan Shepard, using a makeshift fold up club, struck two golf balls which remain on the lunar surface to this day and proclaimed that the second Moon shot went “miles and miles and miles”. The 6-iron resides at the USGA Museum in New Jersey, planet Earth.

Selected from a first fill Pedro Ximenez sherry Hogshead cask at the Orcadian distillery, Highland Park. 316 numbered bottles at cask strength 61.8% abv.

APOLLO 15 The Genesis Rock

Glenrothes 12 Year Old 2009 Vintage “Get that Unusual One”

Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin travelled to the Spur crater designated Geology Station 7 using the lunar rover vehicle. On the rim of the crater the Astronauts collected the Genesis Rock sample amongst 77kg of lunar samples returned to Earth.

Selected from a first fill Oloroso sherry Hogshead cask distilled at the Speyside distillery, Glenrothes. 312 numbered bottles at cask strength 61.1% abv.

About The Whisky Barrel Apollo Series

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 2019 TheWhiskyBarrel.com released a single cask bottling from the Deanston distillery, which promptly sold out. Subsequent releases commemorating the Apollo Missions now achieve over £1k at specialist auctions as collectors bid to accumulate the complete series.

Available exclusively from TheWhiskyBarrel.com, shipping to customers Worldwide including the North America, Europe and Asia.

PRICING

Each bottle retails at: £90 GBP inc. VAT / €88 EUR / $100 USD / c$130 (+ P&P) *

Notice:-

Q) What is the product called?
A)
– Tomatin 10 Year Old 2011 “SCE to AUX”
– St Ola® 15 Year Old 2006 “Miles and Miles and Miles”
–  Glenrothes 12 Year Old 2009 “Get that Unusual One”

Q) When will this product be released/was it released?
A) Thursday 30th of September, 2021.

Q) Where is it available?
A) Scotland, off-trade, TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

Q) Is this product already available in other markets?
A) Scotland only, TheWhiskyBarrel.com ships worldwide.

Q) How much is it?
A) Each bottle retails at £90 GBP inc. VAT / €88 EUR / $100 USD / c$130 (+ P&P)

Q) Who handles the product’s distribution?
A) In-house at TheWhiskyBarrel.com.

Q) How many bottles are there?
A) 899 bottles across three single casks.

Q) What is the ABV of this product?
A) Natural cask strength.

Q) Why has this product been launched?
A) Limited Edition single cask exclusives for TheWhiskyBarrel.com online whisky shop.

Notes

The Whisky Barrel is a specialist online whisky and spirits merchant based in Fife, Scotland and was established in 2007. In 2019 The Whisky Barrel won The Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade. The Whisky Barrel is also a winner of the Whisky Magazine Online Retailer 2018 and was International Wine & Spirits Competition runner-up in 2016.

*N.B. Prices correct at the time of publishing and are subject to currency fluctuation.

The Whisky Barrel    E: info@thewhiskybarrel.com
Visit www.thewhiskybarrel.com
T: +44 (0)1334 655 499

REDBREAST ANNOUNCES THE IBERIAN SERIES

A DEDICATED NEW RANGE INSPIRED BY THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition revealed as first new release to celebrate Redbreast’s deep ties to the peninsula’s finest cooperages and wine makers

Redbreast Irish Whiskey, produced by Irish Distillers at Midleton Distillery, has unveiled a new collection of whiskeys. The Iberian Series celebrates the brand’s long-standing connection to some of the Iberian Peninsula’s most celebrated cooperages and winemakers.

Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition will join the award-winning Lustau Edition[1] in the inaugural Redbreast Iberian Series line up in yet another stunning example from Midleton’s skilled whiskey makers of how Ireland and Iberia’s rich heritages, as the purveyors of some the world’s finest spirits and wines, can combine to create whiskeys that are truly extraordinary.

The first limited edition release to join the series, Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition is a single pot still Irish whiskey, triple distilled and initially matured in ex-bourbon and oloroso sherry casks before being re-casked into delectable Pedro Ximénez hogsheads from the southern tip of Spain for a minimum of 12 months. Just half the size of a standard sherry butt, the increased surface area of the hogshead intensifies the flavour contribution from the Pedro Ximénez-soaked wood, imparting notes of treacle, raisins and orange zest thanks to the sweeter grape variety used in the world renowned sherry.

Redbreast Lustau Edition – launched in 2016 to critical acclaim around the globe – will remain the anchor expression in the Redbreast Iberian Series and will be joined by a new Limited Edition release from time to time.

Master Blender Billy Leighton comments: “Iberia has been central to the history of Redbreast, and my colleagues and I have been visiting the peninsula since the 1980s. The close relationships fostered there over decades have led to many delightful discoveries that take the region’s influence on our whiskey to another level, while sitting comfortably within the Redbreast family. It gives me great pleasure that the new Iberian Series gives us an outlet to bring our best discoveries to consumers around the world. The collection will add new and exciting chapters to the Redbreast Family story with whiskeys finished in casks sourced from the sun-drenched bodegas of Spain and Portugal, suffused with the natural warmth and sweetness of the Iberian Peninsula.”

Dave McCabe, Blender at Irish Distillers adds, “The creation of the Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition came about thanks to strong relationships and good fortune. A number of years ago, our friends in Antonio Páez Lobato Cooperage in Jerez presented us with an exceptional opportunity to trial casks which had been pre-seasoned with Pedro Ximénez sherry for two years. Finding that the wood contributed a very different flavour profile to the traditional Spanish sherry cask, we finished our Redbreast whiskey in these hogsheads for between 12 and 22 months, adding a distinctive twist to the signature Redbreast character.

“Underpinned by the much loved Redbreast Lustau Edition, each subsequent expression in this series will represent a new chapter in exploring the casks, flavours and aromas from this region.”

Crafted to the exacting standards of Irish Distillers Master Blender Billy Leighton and Blender Dave McCabe, Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Pedro Ximénez Edition is bottled at 46% ABV and without chill-filtration. It will be available in Ireland from 27^th September, in the UK, Finland and Global Travel Retail from late September, and in the US from November at RRP of €80, £72, $86.

Tasting notes for Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition:

Nose: Hints of fruit, spices and toasted nuts combine with the subtly sweet aroma of Pedro Ximénez sherry seasoned casks.

Taste: A zesty, syrupy mouthful with the perfect balance of fruit, spice and toasted notes.

Finish: Satisfyingly rich and long, sweet flavours linger on the palate.

Tasting notes by Redbreast Lustau Edition:

Nose: Rich infusion of dark fruits, prunes, dates and figs with liquorice, marzipan, toasted oak and Redbreast spices

Taste: Creamy pot still with Redbreast spices balanced with richness of sherry finish and contribution of fresh Spanish oak

Finish: Endless. Sweetness and Pot Still spices endure while Oloroso Sherry and Spanish Oak have the last word 

[1] In 2021, Redbreast Lustau Edition was awarded a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a Gold medal by the International Spirits Challenge and Beverage Testing Institute.

New indie sherry bomb alert from Darkness!

Those new to the world of Scotch might find the term ‘sherry bomb’ a bit threatening… But fear not, the reality is actually pleasing, deep red hues and rich, full bodied character – think liquid Christmas cake! The Darkness range are all finished in sherry octaves – very small casks which create intense interaction between the wood and the spirit. Have a gander at the new bottles we have in!

View all new Releases → 

1990 Inchgower 30 Year “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Hogsheads Cask Strength

Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Pre-Arrival)

$249.99 View

Review by: David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/10/2021 

https://youtu.be/-_17oKR4C04

Kilkerran is adored. But what happens when it’s heavily peated…for less than £50. Magic.

A breathtaking combination of delicate peat (84PPM) and remarkable seeetness from some time being open. In all honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a peated whisky that balances these flavours like this. The sweetness is unexpected, but arrived in the nose with aplomb of vanilla sponge and Madeira cake. The smoke is gentle but writhing constantly at corners of your mouth.

Genius.

MAKER’S MARK® INTRODUCES LIMITED RELEASE: FAE-02, COMPLETING TWO-PART SET OF 2021 WOOD FINISHING SERIES BOURBONS

Fall Release is a Sensory Showcase of Wood’s Impact on Texture and Mouthfeel

Loretto, Ky. – Maker’s Mark®, the iconic Kentucky bourbon brand, today debuted the latest entry in its innovative Wood Finishing Series, Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021 Limited Release: FAE-02. The distillery’s newest stave-finished bourbon is the second of a complementary pair of 2021 limited edition releases and was thoughtfully crafted as a texturally rich, softer complement to spring’s FAE-01.

Every whisky in the distillery’s Wood Finishing Series tells a story about the purposeful way Maker’s Mark has been crafted since its inception. Maker’s Mark has never chill-filtered its whisky, a decision that allows the classic bourbon to retain its signature character and depth of flavor by leaving naturally present fatty acid esters (FAEs) in the whisky. Using the distillery’s pioneering wood stave-finishing technique, the 2021 Limited Releases FAE-01 and FAE-02 celebrate and amplify characteristics that stem from that choice – namely dark, woody notes and a rich, full-bodied texture, respectively.

2021 Limited Release: FAE-02 is produced using double-heat-treated virgin French Oak barrel staves that undergo an infrared exposure prior to a flame toast finish. The process yields a Maker’s Mark bourbon that exhibits a distinctly luscious mouthfeel. Unlike FAE-01, which used American Oak staves to amplify notes of dark leathery tobacco and barrel-aged fruit, FAE-02 is characterized by a gentler, mouthcoating palate of light caramel and deep oak.

“Our first 2021 release was crafted to hit you in the face with big, bold aroma and flavor, just like standing in a barrel warehouse – wood, tobacco and spicy dried fruit,” says Jane Bowie, Director of Innovation at Maker’s Mark. “With FAE-02, we wanted to explore the softer side of our 2021 taste vision by placing more of the focus on rich, consistent texture and tone that stems from fatty acid esters. Just like the things we find so comforting about artisanal butters, olive oils and creamy spreads, FAE-02 delivers a fattier, full-bodied, mature Maker’s Mark bourbon that makes for an ideal sip on a Fall evening.”

Like all Wood Finishing Series offerings – including Maker’s Mark 46® and Maker’s Mark® Private Selection – FAE-02 was crafted by finishing fully-matured, cask strength Maker’s Mark in secondary barrels fitted with the proprietary wood staves. The barrels are stored in Maker’s Mark’s limestone cellar for additional aging, where the cask strength bourbon interacts with the wood staves to develop the expression’s unique taste profile.

Bottled at 109.1 proof, the Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021 Limited Release: FAE-02 is rolling out now in limited quantities to retailers across the country, available while supplies last. The new bourbon will retail for a suggested price of $59.99. FAE-02, along with FAE-01, will also be included in the September shipment of The Whisky Drop, a new direct-to-consumer program from Maker’s Mark available in very limited quantities in Kentucky and Washington D.C. Each season, eligible program subscribers age 21 and older will receive a package containing two hand-selected, limited bottles of Maker’s Mark, delivered right to their doorstep.

About Maker’s Mark® Bourbon

In 1953, in Loretto, Kentucky, Bill Samuels, Sr., fulfilled his dream to create a handmade and delicious bourbon. He decided to make his whisky in small batches, using soft red winter wheat to enhance the softness and sweetness. He then rotated each barrel by hand for consistency, and finally, aged each barrel to taste. Bill Samuels, Sr., transformed bourbon from a “commodity” into a premium handmade spirit, and today Maker’s Mark® continues to make its bourbon the same way. In recent years, Maker’s Mark has introduced thoughtful, super-premium innovations to its portfolio including Maker’s Mark 46®, Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark® Private Selection, the brand’s first-ever custom barrel program. In 1980, the Maker’s Mark distillery became the first distillery in America to be designated a National Historic Landmark and has also been decreed as the “world’s oldest operating bourbon whiskey distillery” by Guinness World Records. It remains one of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. For more information, visit makersmark.com.

WE MAKE OUR BOURBON CAREFULLY.  PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY.

Maker’s Mark®, Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength and Maker’s Mark 46® Bourbon Whisky, 45-57% Alc./Vol.

Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc., Loretto, KY.

OCTOMORE 12s 

Octomore defies logic. Rewards the unreasonable. It takes courage and belief. But, for the seeker of truth there is light.

The industry norm is not accepted here. Assured in its convictions, Octomore is five years old, super heavily peated and bottled at cask strength. The makers of the world’s most heavily peated spirit challenge you, like the spirit itself, to push beyond the expected and explore new realms of flavour. This endlessly alluring, delicate but powerful, supercharged single malt must be experienced to be believed.

Now entering its 12th series, Octomore demonstrates its 100+ PPM prowess with muscularity in each youthful drop. As with previous editions, the 12.1 acts as the base or control of the experimental range, as a necessary springboard for new domains of discovery. The 12.2 offers an alternative maturation to its .1 counterpart, this time in a sublimely balanced ex-Sauternes cask profile. Finally, the 12.3 explores Islay grown barley and the terroir of the distiller’s home-grown grain combined with sherry maturation for the first time in history.

The troika will appear together in specialist retail stores for the first time ever. Offering a cohesive schooling on Bruichladdich Distillery’s most experimental peat endeavours, this series will become available in October, 2021.

OCTOMORE EDITION: 12.1

PPM: 130.8

AGED: 5 YEARS

Nowhere is the dualism of the Octomore super heavily peated series more pertinent than in the .1 edition. Never as expected, delicate but powerful, this is unadulterated heavy smoke balanced with vivacious and dynamic, fruity and floral distillate.

While Octomore in itself does not conform to tradition, Head Distiller Adam Hannett is inclined to mature Octomore .1 editions solely in ex-American oak casks for 5 vibrant years. Octomore 12.1 is the necessary control for the rest of the series, as experiments within an experiment, but this baseline should not be underestimated.

Mainland grown Scottish barley is distilled in a patient and considered trickle. The stripped back maturation profile allows a sensory conversation that highlights the cereal-rich, malty notes of this barley-forward single malt. Vanilla, citrus and fudge culminate in an enigmatic challenge to received whisky wisdom.

OCTOMORE EDITION: 12.2

PPM: 129.7

AGED: 5 YEARS

Octomore 12.2 follows in the footsteps of previous Sauternes legends. The now infamous Octomore 4.2 (Comus) became one of the most acclaimed and sought-aſter whiskies in our distillery’s portfolio, confirming that heavy peat smoke combined with sweet dessert wine of Sauternes is an incredible pairing.

This Octomore 12.2 would spend three and a half years in ex-American oak casks, building a solid foundation of fruity and floral spirit in our lochside warehouses before being recasked in to impeccable quality Sauternes casks.

The pivotal role of the Sauternes casks would add 18 months of supercharged fruit. Melon, white peach, honeysuckle and coconut add a real twist and sweetness to compliment the peat smoke of this heavily phenolic malt.

OCTOMORE EDITION: 12.3

PPM: 118.1

AGED: 5 YEARS

Octomore 12.3 is single vintage, single field, single malt. Raised in Church Field on Octomore Farm by farmer James Brown, this Islay grown barley was trickle distilled through tall narrow necked stills just two miles from where it was grown.

The terroir-driven spirit would take two separate journeys before being combined; 75% was filled into ex-American oak casks, while the remaining 25% spent five years maturing in genuine Pedro Ximenez Solera casks from Jerez-based bodega Fernando de Castilla.

This Islay barley spirit has breathed slowly and delicately for five aged years, its salty citrus marine note is an ode to where the barley was grown and the warehouse’s proximity to the sea. The Pedro Ximenez casks contribute sweet dried fruit notes which highlight the rich dry peat smoke of Octomore.

We know many of you share our delight in the details of whiskymaking. So as we launch Orchard House, we’d like to dive into some of the geekier aspects of its story. The fruity, spirit-forward style of Orchard House is a result of key decisions we’ve made in the whiskymaking process, as well as changes in barrel profiles over time. Here’s our whiskymaker James Saxon to explain more…

Finely judged filling strengths
Many years ago, the late, great Dr Jim Swan inspired us to begin filling spirit at 58% ABV, rather than the industry standard 63.5%. Research had found more sugars – many derived from the breakdown of cellulose and hemicellulose – can be drawn from the oak at strengths below 60% ABV. Orchard House is a great example of this, and with nearly two-thirds filled at the lower strength, you get added vanilla creaminess and citrusy sweetness. Also, once maturation is completed, less water is required to reach bottling strength and the finished whisky experiences less dilution.

The changing face of Bourbon barrels
Orchard House uses whiskies aged in ‘water-rinsed’ first fill ex-Bourbon barrels, Oloroso Sherry-seasoned butts and our French oak custom barrels. Water-rinsing barrels after they are emptied of whiskey in the US before shipping to Scotland has become widespread in recent years. This process extracts the maximum amount of alcohol from the barrel to the benefit of the American distillers, but also removes a degree of the oak’s intensity.

The sweet spot between first and second fill
This is serendipitous whiskymaking. We thought we were sourcing classic ‘first fill’ barrels, but the maturation profile of the casks falls somewhere between first and second, offering comparable quantities of vanilla and honey notes with less intense oily spice and creamed coconut flavours. This has opened up a whole new world to us, perfectly preserving and enhancing the fragrant nature and syrupy texture of our sourced spirits, enabling the delicate deliciousness of Orchard House to come to fruition.

Share & Enjoy!

James Saxon
Whiskymaker

P.S. You can buy Orchard House in Europe and other select regions now and from mid-October in the US. Please get in touch if you need any help finding your nearest stockist.