New releases > Bowmore Tempest Batch No.3

This whisky is a new limited edition single malt release from the Islay distillery of Bowmore. The Tempest batches are released at cask strength and are matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon casks - 55.6% ABV and first filled casks respectively in the case of this Batch No.3. The two previous batches, hauled in the prizes at various prestigious whisky awards and have built up a cult following of fans. There are 11,000 bottles and they are available worldwide with a suggested price of £50.

Bowmore's Brand Manager Cara Laing comments, “We’ve released a small batch of Bowmore Tempest annually to great response. Every batch is slightly different but always reflects Bowmore’s raw spirit – it’s like tasting a dram straight out of a first fill bourbon cask in our famous No.1 Vaults." 

The Bowmore distillery is located on the famous whisky island of Islay, which lies off the west coast of Scotland. Islay is well known for producing the smoky, peaty style of whisky. Bowmore was founded in 1779 by John Simpson, making it the oldest of the eight distilleries currently operating on Islay and one of the oldest in all of Scotland. The distillery is located on the shores of Loch Indaal and the name of Bowmore translates as 'sea rock' from Gaelic. The distillery in currently owned by Morrison Bowmore, a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory, and has an annual production capacity of two million litres.  It is one of the biggest selling single malt whisky brands in the smoky, peaty style.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Tempest Batch No.3 is a pale gold, almost lemon yellow.  However, any thoughts or assumptions that such a pale colour will lead this to be a light, subtle whisky are instantly dispelled by the nose.  The initial aromas are a feisty, 'in your face' combination of lemon zest, spicy chilli and ashy coal smoke.  With time in the glass (and a little persistence) there are softer notes of sweet vanilla, oat cake biscuits, honey,  butterscotch and gentle sweet damp earthy moss.  There is also a slightly savoury, almost meaty barbeque note.  On the palate, a similar thing happens - it is initially assertive and powerful with plenty of alcohol and notes of hot chilli spice, lemon zest and medicinal smoke hitting the taste buds, before softening to reveal a lovely combination of flavours.  These show the classiness of the whisky and add excellent depth and complexity.  Sweetness comes from notes of honey, toffee, vanilla and that damp, earthy moss from the nose, while some bittersweet cereals, oat cake biscuits and lemon sherbet add balance and a pleasant tang.  The finish is long, lingering and a little hot (think of the chillis again), with the prominent peat smoke fading and leaving distinct notes of burnt biscuit, honey and a hint of dried grass.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely whisky and a good example of the smoky, peaty style.  It is initially powerful but this gives way to be a well balanced and complex dram.  The high ABV suggests adding water and this will certainly bring it within more consumers taste boundaries - it softens the initial 'blow' and makes the palate creamier with the honey and toffee notes knocking the smokiness and zestiness back a bit.  However, we like the refreshing zesty/sherbet kick and the way that the softer notes develop. 

It is only natural to want to compare this to the previous two batches but they were richer and some of our favourite ever whiskies, so it is a little unfair.  This is good but in a different way and with different characteristics - click the links to read our previous reviews of Batch No.1 and Batch No.2.

The Last Vatted Malt by Compass Box

The time is one minute to midnight on Tuesday the 22nd of November and we were standing on Westminster Bridge watching two men filling a bottle with whisky in the cold. Were we mad? No. Were we slightly tipsy? Maybe a little. Were we witnessing history? Yes.

The reason that we were there is to see the last bottle of whisky that can legally be called a 'vatted malt' being bottled.  The new name of 'blended malt' would legally have to be used on the same product if it were bottled just over one minute later thanks to a UK Government law change. The two men were John Glaser and Chris Maybin of artisan whisky company Compass Box and their business is based on creating 'vatted malts'.

The term 'vatted malt' has been legally used since the 19th century and refers to a Scotch whisky that is created using a combination of two or more single malts.  These single malts can be from different distilleries, be of differing ages and of differing styles.  They are created in the industry by highly skilled whisky makers - they use the characteristics of the differing single malts to produce a final whisky with aromas and flavour profiles that a single malt could not produce on its own.  This is the style of whisky in which Compass Box specialise and also what has gained them many awards around the globe.

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by John Glaser and is based in west London.  They also now have offices in Edinburgh. Their ethos is to buy whisky from a small number of distilleries and then craft them together into their own unique products. All are produced and released in small batches, often using only two or three whiskies to create a unique product with a catchy name. By doing their own blending and vatting, Compass Box have less restrictions than traditional independent bottlers and is a former winner of the prestigious Whisky Magazine's Innovator of the Year.

Compass Box believe that the new naming regulations will create ambiguity with consumers, who may confuse the new 'blended malts' with regular 'blended whiskies' (these contain single malts plus whisky made from other grains).  Therefore, they are on a massive education drive to inform the public of the new changes and legal definitions.  The five new definitions fall under The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, which came in to force on 23 November.  They are ...

Blended Scotch Whisky
A blend of one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies.
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
A blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery. (previously known as Vatted Malt or Pure Malt Scotch Whisky).
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
A blend of two or more single grain Scotch whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery. (previously known as Vatted Grain Scotch Whisky).
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A Scotch whisky that has been distilled in pot stills in one or more batches at a single distillery from water and malted barley, without the addition of any other cereals.
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
A Scotch whisky that has been distilled at a single distillery except 'Single Malt Scotch Whisky' or a 'Blended Scotch Whisky'.

To mark the passing of the new law, Compass Box have released a special whisky entitled The Last Vatted Malt (pictured, below).  This was the whisky which we witnessed being filled on Westminster Bridge as Big Ben struck midnight.

The whisky is made up of just two un-named single malts - a 36 year old distilled in 1974 and from Speyside which has been matured in first-fill ex-sherry casks, and a 26 year old distilled in 1984 from Islay which have been matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks.  It is being released at the natural cask strength of 53.7% ABV and there are just 1,323 bottles, retailing at £175 each. We will be reviewing this shortly, so watch out for our tasting notes.

This is joined by The Last Vatted Grain, which is even more limited in number (only 297 bottles).  This is constructed from four different grain whiskies - Cameronbridge 1997, Carsebridge 1979, Invergordon 1965 & Port Dundas 1991 - all of which have been maturing in first-fill ex-bourbon casks.  This is bottled at 46% ABV and retails at £130 (rumours are that it has already sold out!).

So after a few hours warming up in the über cool basement bar of DuckSoup in Soho (by 'warming up' we mean supping on well made cocktails, especially the Last Vatted Punch - a mix of Compass Box Spice Tree whisky, tea and herbs - created in honour of the occasion), the group moved down to Westminster Bridge for the final act.  Under the view of Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament, where the law was made, we witnessed the last vatted malt being bottled.  We were felt privileged to be part of a selected group of people that were invited to be there. We also recorded the short clip below to capture the moment, we hope that you enjoy watching ...

Inbox > November 25, 2011

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. So here we go with this week's news ...

Aldi > 40 year old single malt for £50

The discount supermarket chain Aldi have announced two UK exclusive additions to their single malt whisky range. And they are sure to raise a few eyebrows!  The first is a 40 year old single malt and makes Aldi the first supermarket to offer such an 'own brand' product.  Named GlenBridge 40, the whisky is from a "famous Speyside distillery" according to the Aldi PR team and has been aged in European oak ex-sherry casks.  There are 3,000 bottles which will go on sale in Aldi's 450 UK stores on 8 December for the staggeringly low price of £49.99.  In addition, there is the Glen Marnoch 24 years old which will sell for just £24.99.  Details of this are a little sketchy but our friends over at CaskStrength have reviewed both, with tasting notes - click here to read.

Bowmore > Team up with Savile Row tailor

The iconic Islay single malt of Bowmore has joined forces with a leading Savile Row tailor to offer 'the ultimate Christmas gift for the whisky loving gentleman'. Leading establishment Malcolm Plews and Bowmore have created the premium gift - a bespoke tailoring session including fitting of a made-to-measure Bowmore Tweed jacket followed by a one to one whisky tasting with a Bowmore expert. The package also includes first class travel to London from anywhere in the UK, a night’s stay for two at the Malmaison hotel in Clerkenwell, and lunch for two at the Sartoria restaurant in Savile Row. A bottle of Bowmore 15 year old single malt plus whisky glasses complete the package. The Bowmore Tweed Savile Row Experience can be purchased for £3,000 from the website www.singlemaltwhiskyshop.com.

Cutty Sark > New book released

The famous Cutty Sark blended whisky was first launched in 1923 and a new book has just been released that charts its rise to become one of the best selling brands of whisky in the world. The book, titled The Making Of A Whisky Brand, has been edited by whisky writer Ian Buxton and he has assembled a number of leading whisky experts, each of whom have written a chapter. Ian was granted exclusive access to the historical archives and met with some of the former Master Blenders of Cutty Sark when researching the book. Each chapter explores the brand, its influence on society and popular culture around the world and what has made it so successful.  The book also includes both classic and newly invented cocktails using Cutty Sark.  It can be purchased from specialist book and on-line retailers now.

Glengoyne > Free entry for St. Andrew's Day

The Glengoyne distillery, which is located just 30 minutes drive north of Glasgow, is opening its doors for free over this coming weekend. This is to celebrate St. Andrew's Day, which is Scotland's national day and is on 30 November.  Entry will be free on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th and the distillery is open from 10am-5pm (the last tour is at 4pm).  The tour (usual price £6.75) includes a short film about the history of the distillery and Glengoyne brand, a guided visit around the distillery and a dram of their 10 year old single malt at the end.  For directions to Glengoyne and for further details of the event, please visit www.glengoyne.com.

Master Of Malt > Blend your own whisky

Innovative online retailer Master Of Malt have created an interactive new product which allows you to make your own whisky.  The Home Blending Kit comes with a selection of 3cl sample miniatures, which contain a variety of grain and single malt whiskies, and some measuring equipment. 

The idea is that you can then construct your own blended whisky to your own personal taste.  The process is similar to The Blogger's Blend that we took part in earlier this year (the final product for this will be released shortly).  For a full list of the samples and equipment and to order your own kit (priced £49.95) - click here.  There is then another page where you fill in the quantities of each sample in your 'final blend' and the cost is calculated - that can be viewed by clicking here. Good luck, it's plenty of fun.

New releases > Jura 1976 'Feith A' Chaorainn'

The 1976 ‘Feith A’ Chaorainn’ vintage is the latest vintage single malt whisky to be released by the island distillery of Jura. Previous such vintages from Jura have proved popular amongst whisky connoisseurs.  The name of 'Feith A' Chaorainn' translates as 'the land around the rowan' and refers to a rowan tree on Jura which is believed to bring good luck to islanders. They place twigs from this tree on their homes and farm buildings to protect themselves and their livestock from bad luck, storms and ill health.

The whisky has been constructed from just three first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead casks and was distilled in 1976.  The three casks have been 'married' together and bottled recently at an age of 35 years.  There are only 500 bottles in the release and to reflect this the recommended retail price is £500 each.  It is available now in specialist whisky retailers around the world.  The strength is 46% ABV.

The isle of Jura lies off the west coast of Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1810 by Archibald Campbell and was originally called Small Isles distillery - named after the numerous small islands located in Craighouse Bay, which it overlooks. It was closed for a long period between 1901 and 1960, when it was rebuilt and re-named as Jura by Charles Mackinlay & Co. Production restarted in 1963. The distillery has an annual production capacity of two million litres, which is large when considering its remoteness and the small population of the island (only 220 people at the last count).

Jura was given its name by invading Nordic warriors and it translates as 'deer island', because of the large number of the animals that inhabit the island - they outnumber people by a ratio of 20:1. The current owners of the distillery are Whyte & Mackay, who are owned by the Indian drinks company United Spirits. They use Jura’s whisky in their popular range of Whyte & Mackay blends. However, they are putting more in to promoting Jura as a single malt whisky and sales have improved greatly.

Our tasting notes
The colour is a rich coppery gold and the nose is very promising, if not a little understated.  There are heavy aromas of rich wood spice (especially cinnamon) and plenty of oak, complimented by a good dose of spiced/cloved orange zest.  Then come more subtle notes of vanilla, toffee and honey, backed up by a hints of peat smoke and coal tar soap.  On the palate, this is surprisingly fresh for something of this age and this manifests itself with a lovely tropical exotic fruit note (think of dried mango and pineapple in particular) and a hint of 'maritime' saltiness.  The freshness settles down to give a pleasant creamy feel that shows elements of sultana, vanilla, honey, oat biscuit, faint drying smokiness and a good hit of wood spice (imagine cinnamon, oak, sandalwood).  The classiness of this whisky is confirmed with lovely notes of milky coffee, chocolate and tangy orange zest, which add great depth and complexity.  With time in the glass (5+ minutes), a fantastic hazelnut praline note appears.  The finish is delicious but slightly short and a little dry, although the chocolate note reappears to rectify this.

What's the verdict?
This is a very classy whisky that has plenty of depth, freshness and complexity.  These elements combine to give a stunning final result.  It shows what can be achieved with the use of quality casks over a sustained period of maturation.  The younger Jura whiskies in their range are good for what they are, but this shows that the spirit can benefit wonderfully from prolonged ageing. The 1976 Feith A' Chaorainn is expensive, but it is limited in numbers and a fine single malt.  Delicious.

Have just tried > Glenfarclas 'Movember 2011'

It’s getting towards the end of November and you may have seen increasing numbers of people sporting dodgy facial hair around your town or city - we certainly have in London!  So far, we have seen a decent variety of moustaches - our personal favourites to date include 'The Porn Star', 'The Charlie Chaplin', 'The Squadron Leader' and 'The YMCA Village People Special'.  Some look better than others, but what is it all about?  What has caused this spate of boycotting the razor?

The reason is a charity group called Movember, which was started in Australia a number of years ago. Movember aims to raise awareness and money for a series of male health issues, primarily The Prostate Cancer Charity and testicular cancer charities, and raises money during November through people growing moustaches (or a 'mo' - get it?) for the whole month. For further details or to donate to Movember, then check out www.movember.com.

Part of this large charity organisation is a UK division named Whisky For Movember.  The group is made up of people from across the whisky industry - writers, bloggers, retailers and drinkers and they grow a variety of facial hair for the cause. For more details, updates on this year's moustaches or to donate, please visit the official website or follow them on Twitter. We are sure that the participant's girlfriends, wives, kids and pets will all be relieved when the 1st of December arrives and these fashion abominations get shaved off, but it is all for a great cause.

Each year there is a special whisky bottled for Whisky For Movember.  This year's offering sees the Speyside distillery of Glenfarclas team up with online retailer Master of Malt.  The single malt was distilled in September 2002 and has been bottled at nine years of age.  It has been made from just two ex-Oloroso sherry casks and has been bottled at the cask strength of 53% ABV.  Each bottle will cost £39.95 and can be purchased from the Master of Malt website.  £10 from each sale will be donated to Movember.

Glenfarclas is a distillery located in the Speyside region, close to the small town of Ballindalloch. It is owned by J&G Grant and is the second oldest family owned distillery in Scotland - the Grant’s have owned it since 1865 and are currently on their 7th generation of whisky makers. The distillery was founded in 1836 and was originally named Rechlerich. The name was changed to Glenfarclas when the distillery was completely rebuilt by the Grant family in 1896.  Glenfarclas translates as ‘the valley of green grass’ from Gaelic. The distillery has an annual production capacity of three million litres and boasts the largest stills in Speyside.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this special Movember 2011 bottling is dark amber, almost brown.  The nose is clean and rich, sweet and deliciously heavy.  There are obvious initial aromas of caramel, spiced orange and crumbly brown sugar.  Underneath, other aromas begin to come through - think of milk chocolate, espresso coffee, baking spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), almonds, treacle and vanilla.  On the palate, this is again rich and sweet and feels very velvety, almost treacly.  It sticks to your taste buds and has a sumptuous warming spiciness.  The obvious caramel and spiced orange notes are joined by raisins, dried apple, toasted almonds and hints of chocolate and coffee.  Some drying wood spices develop with time (think of cinnamon and nutmeg again, plus oak) and these carry through to the finish.  There is also a bit of heat from the cask strength ABV and this manifests itself as a white peppery note.  The finish is again intense and becomes increasing dry and tannic, gripping to your taste buds and not wanting to let go.  Plenty of barley comes through with delicious treacly caramel notes adding balance and sweetness.

What's the verdict?
This is a delicious whisky but one that packs a punch.  The 53% ABV gives great intensity which can be lacking in the regular core range of Glenfarclas - it reminds us a little more of the 105 bottling, which is the cask strength offering from this range.  It is also good with the addition of water, which bring out the brown sugar and orange zesty elements in particular.  This whisky offers great value for money at £39.95, especially when considering that £10 goes to the Movember charity.  You still have time to purchase a bottle if you wish but they don't have many bottles left, so hurry!

Inbox > November 18, 2011

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. So here we go with this week's offerings - you may notice that there is a bit of a Christmas theme ...

Glayva > Give 'The Best' gift

The popular and award-winning Scottish whisky liqueur brand has teamed up with The Whisky Shop - the UK's largest whisky retail chain - to produce a special limited edition label for the Christmas market.  The Glayva 'You're the Best' range is exclusive to The Whisky Shop and and only 150 bottles have been produced.  These carry one of three messages - 'You're the Best in the World', 'Best Mum' or 'Best Dad'.  Glayva has won more major awards than any of its competitors and is made from a combination of whisky, citrus fruits, heather honey and cloves. A 50cl bottle will cost £19.99 and they are available in one of the chain's 17 stores or online at www.whiskyshop.com.

Glenlivet > New Cellar Collection bottling

The famous Speyside distillery of Glenlivet has announced the latest whisky in their Cellar Collection series of bottlings.  The series highlights exceptionally rare or old casks within Glenlivet's warehouses.  The first single malt in this special series was released in 2000 and this is the ninth such bottling.  This expression was distilled and filled to casks in 1980 and has been constructed from just three specially selected ex-bourbon casks from the legendary Cellar No.1 at the distillery.  These were hand picked by Distillery Manager Alan Winchester.  It was bottled in August at the natural cask strength of 43.3% ABV and there are just 500 bottles, each of which will cost £1000.  The 1980 Cellar Collection will be available in the travel retail/Duty Free market, plus south east Asia and Portugal.

Jameson > Christmas packaging announced

Jameson, the world's favourite Irish whiskey, has launched a festive gift box for the Christmas period.  The regular Jameson blended whiskey is being backed up by a 'Perfect For Christmas' campaign.  The new modern presentation packaging has green front and rear faces, with the side faces and top in white.  It is available in major supermarkets, specialist retailers and off licenses with a starting price point of £19.99.  Brand Ambassador and mixologist Ed McAvoy has also created a number of mixers and cocktails using Jameson whiskey, which can be found on their Facebook page. For further information on Jameson, or to become a 'fan' on Facebook and see what Jameson has planned over the coming months, go to www.facebook.com/jamesonwhiskey.

Jura > Drink the Elixir

This week has seen the release of a new single malt expression in to the popular island distillery of Jura's core range.  Named Jura Elixir, the whisky is getting a 'soft' pre-Xmas release - this sees it being bottled in the half-bottle 35cl size.  The new whisky has been produced to be 'fruity and spicy' and takes its name from the fresh local water, which the islanders call the 'elixir of life' and was believed to have been blessed by St. Columba in 560AD.  It is this water that is used to make whisky at the distillery. Jura's Distillery Manager comments, “There’s something special about how whisky compliments the bracing cold of winter, and the Elixir’s fruitiness and spicy tones make it an ideal companion for the festive period". The Elixir will cost £16.49 and will be exclusively sold in stores of Sainsbury's, the major UK supermarket chain, from today.

Balblair Brand Home Opening

Thursday 3 November 2011 was "a significant date in the history of the Balblair distillery" to quote John MacDonald, the Distillery Manager.  That is saying something when you consider that Balblair is one of the oldest distilleries still in operation in Scotland, having been founded by John Ross in 1790. The date saw not only the launch of a new whisky in to the Balblair core range - the 2001 Vintage - but the 'significant' opening of the new Brand Home was the main event.  The guest list included some very senior people from Inver House Distillers and Thai Beverage (the distillery's owners), and a selection of influential alcohol/whisky journalists and bloggers.  Somehow I got on the trip.

The trip began the day before with an evening meeting at Euston station in London, where the assembled guests joined the overnight sleeper train to Inverness.  Twelve hours and a few bottles of complimentary Balblair single malt later, we awoke in the capital of the Highlands.  There was no hangover, just a nagging dull pain behind the eyes from disturbed sleep in a confined, moving space.  This wasn't helped by the minibus driver who collected us and drove us to the distillery, while trying to break the land speed record and choosing an unorthodox 'cross country' route.  However, it was helped by a welcoming black coffee and bacon sandwich combo upon arrival at Balblair, plus a good lungful of fresh Highland air.

The burn at Balblair

The Balblair distillery is located in the picturesque village of Edderton, near to the town of Tain. It lies close to the shores of the Dornoch Firth, one of Scotland’s largest estuaries, with the Highlands rising up behind, the Inverness-Thurso railway track running next to it on one side, a burn (that's a stream to me and you) to the other and a 2,000 year old Pictish standing stone just a few hundred metres away. The current buildings were all constructed in 1893, when the distillery was moved a few hundred yards to utilise the new railway line. It is a glorious location and one I was pleased to re-visit.

The day began with a tour of the distillery, which was taken by John MacDonald.  He has been the Distillery Manager at Balblair since 2006 and this follows 17 years service down the road at Glenmorangie, where he worked his way up through the ranks to the position of Assistant Manager. He puts his current success at Balblair down to the fact that he has done every job within a distillery – warehouseman, mill-man, mash-man, still-man and then senior management. John's passion for the place is immediately evident and he leads us around the distillery and explains what makes it tick.  Check out the video below for more information and also the notes from our Distillery Visit last year.

The Brand Home shop

Next was a look at the new Balblair Brand Home.  When we visited in November last year, this project was being conceived as an idea.  The facility was much different now to the cold malting floor that we had previously stood in. Upon entering, there is a compact shop and relaxation area selling the range of Balblair whiskies and a few items of branded clothing. I learn later that most of this was decorated and built by John and the staff at Balblair.

Bottle #11

This area also houses a specially selected cask of whisky which visitors will be able to bottle themselves.  It is an ex-bourbon cask from 1992 and will cost £80 a bottle. Each guest was asked to fill their own commemorative bottling to mark the opening - John had the honour of filling Bottle #1, mine was Bottle #11.  These were the first bottles of whisky to ever be filled on the site of Balblair, as all other releases are bottled at other Inver House facilities. Tasting notes of this bottle/cask will follow once we open the bottle!  Watch the video below to see John filling his ceremonial bottle and firstly, explaining about the history of Balblair and facts about the distillery.

Balblair workers on film

Through a doorway is an area that is designed to host corporate events and formal tastings.  This is much larger and is housed what used to be the old malting floor.  Thankfully, this area has been sympathetically restored and many of the original features remain.  It consists of a small bar area on one side, a gallery space featuring photos of distillery workers on the other and a glass sided tasting/meeting room in the centre.  The subdued lighting adds to the ambiance and you can feel the history in the place.

What is refreshing is Balblair's stance towards the new facility.  By naming it as Balblair's Brand Home, rather than as a visitor's centre, they are making a statement.  When talking to John MacDonald and other members of the Inver House team at the opening event, they made it clear that they wanted to attract discerning single malt fans and whisky connoisseurs, rather than the bus loads of tourists which the larger distilleries cater for.  This philosophy seems to fit in well with Balblair's image, ethos, location and size and should be applauded.  It is hoped to be used more as an educational tool about the brand and its vintages, rather than selling high margin goods such as whisky fudge, shortbread and tartan in the gift shop.

The next stage in what was becoming an action packed day was a tasting of the range led by John MacDonald and Andy Hannah, the UK Brand Manager for Inver House.  Here, we were led through a series of the Balblair Vintages, after starting with a sample of the new make spirit which had been produced the previous day.  The samples were accompanied by some snazzy videos showing things that happened in each of the years of each Vintage.  We tried two cask strength samples from 1990 (one peaty cask and one non-peaty), the 1989 and 1978 releases, followed by the stunning 1965 Vintage.  This is the oldest Balblair released to date and costs around £1,500 a bottle - it was a phenomenally good dram!

This led on to a wonderful lunch which was cooked and served for us by the Good Highland Food company.  A starter of smoked trout terrine was followed by a lovely fillet of Caithness beef and finished off with an extremely chocolatey torte which was infused with Balblair whisky.  The lunch was accompanied by a cask strength version of the newly launched Balblair 2001 Vintage, which John described as "my favourite of the younger Vintages released to date".

The Balblair 2001 Vintage is a landmark whisky for the distillery and Inver House. It is the first of their single malts to be released with a combination of being non-chill filtered, at a higher strength of 46% ABV and with no artificial colouring. It also features more stream-lined packaging.  Going forwards, all Balblair releases are being planned to have all of these factors. This whisky has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 10 years of age. It is available from specialist whisky retailers and on-line retailers and has a recommended price of £32.99. To read our full review and tasting notes - click here.

Then we were ushered back in to the minibus, after vigorous handshaking all round, and whisked back to Inverness by the same driver and at the same speed that we had arrived.  I saw some seals basking (if you can do such a thing in Scotland in November) on the shores of the Cromarty Firth and before we knew it, we were at Inverness airport.  Whilst checking in we saw movie actress Tilda Swinton, and then had a quick look in the airport's much improved Duty Free shop.  A flight and a train later, I arrive back home in north London exactly 24 hours after I had left it.  It had been a long but very enjoyable day and one that I was grateful to be part of.

- Matt

Have just tried > Bowmore 18 years old

The Bowmore 18 years old is a premium single malt whisky in the core range of the well known Islay distillery. It was first released in 2007, when it replaced the popular 17 years old version. The whisky is bottled at an alcoholic strength of 43% ABV and uses a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for the maturation. It can be purchased in specialist whisky retailers, Duty Free/travel retail and the occasional larger supermarket for around £75 a bottle.

As mentioned, the Bowmore distillery is located on the famous whisky island of Islay, which lies off the west coast of Scotland. Islay is well known for producing the smoky, peaty style of whisky. Bowmore was founded in 1779 by John Simpson, making it the oldest of the eight distilleries currently operating on Islay and one of the oldest in all of Scotland. The distillery is located on the shores of inland sea loch Loch Indaal and the name of Bowmore translates as 'sea rock' from Gaelic. The distillery in currently owned by Morrison Bowmore, a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory, who also own the two other Scottish distilleries at Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch. Bowmore has an annual production capacity of two million litres and is one of the biggest selling single malt whisky brands in the smoky, peaty style.

Our tasting notes
The colour is a dark gold with a hint of amber. The nose is pleasantly scented and full of perfumed aromas. There are lovely sweet notes of honey, brown sugar and dark dried fruits, especially raisin. The softness continues with aromas of vanilla, oatcake biscuits and sweet earthy peat smoke. This sweetness is balanced by some pleasant, more bitter notes - there is a gentle whiff of ashy bonfire, something slightly acrid which is reminiscent of coal tar soap, a hint of sea salt and a lovely note of spiced orange zest.

On the palate this whisky is again soft and sweet at the beginning. A delicious combination of notes - sweet fudge, caramel, dark dried fruits (raisins again, plus sultanas) and a good dollop of honey – make this appear warming and very classy. Depth and balance is again added by delicate, soft and sweet peat smoke, which has a slight yet pleasant acidity to it towards the finish. This occurs as the smokiness becomes more ashy, rather than peaty/earthy, with time. The fantastic note of spiced orange zest is also there (think of thick cut marmalade), as is a subtle hint of parma violet sweets – a signature note that gives away older Bowmore whiskies.

The finish is long with the sweeter characteristics fading in to a gentle, drying ashy smokiness that lingers for ages.  The bittersweet orange note is not as prominent but adds tang and bite.

What's the verdict?
This is an excellent whisky and one that is a great all-rounder.  It has a lovely and almost perfect  combination of richness, smokiness and complexity, without going too far in any direction.  The Bowmore 18 years old has won numerous awards since its release to back this up.  If you like the smoky style of whisky, then you should try this.  If you don't, then you should still try it as it demonstrates how peat/smoke can be incorporated and balanced with other elements.  It is soft, velvety and classy and well worth splashing out the extra cash for.

Inbox > November 11, 2011

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. It's 11/11/11, so here we go ...

Glenfiddich > Announces new Vintage Reserve selection

The famous and multi-award winning Glenfiddich distillery has announced the release of its annual Vintage Reserve bottling.  The new single malt was chosen by a select panel of 16 people, which included Glenfiddich's Malt Master Brian Kinsman, 14 of their Brand Ambassadors from around the globe and Hans-Henrik Hansen, who owns the largest collection of Glenfiddich in the world. In a change from previous years, the panel did not select a Vintage from a single cask. Instead they were presented with three vattings of premium casks - one from 1973, 1974 and 1975.  The 1974 was selected after rigorous analysis and will be available through specialist whisky retailers shorlty.  There will be just 1,000 bottles.

Jura > Win one of 42 special samples

The island distillery of Jura is offering the members of its fan club the unique opportunity to taste a new whisky before it is released. Jura are inviting members of The Duirach's (this is the name for an inhabitant of Jura) to tell them their secrets to a long and prosperous life in the 'comments' section of the Ambassador's blog. The best 42 answers will receive a free sample of a new whisky which is to be released in early 2012.  In return, Jura is asking each recipient to review the whisky (which is as yet un-named) on The Duirach's Facebook or Twitter page. Why 42? Apparently, someone at the distillery really likes The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  To become a Duirach and to enter the competition, visit the www.isleofjura.com.

Shackleton > Whyte & Mackay challenge 'City Explorers'

Following the airing of a new documentary about the Shackleton whisky adventure in the USA, the whisky's creators Whyte & Mackay are challenging 'City Explorers' to find and win 10 bottles of this unique whisky. These bottles will be positioned in major UK cities throughout November and December. One bottle will be located in each of the 10 cities involved.  To find each bottle, you will have to download the Repudo app on your iPhone, Blackberry or Android (it's free from the App Store).  For full instructions on the competition and how to track down the bottles, go to the Whyte & Mackay blog. A great idea but if you get stuck or start wondering what the hell is going on (like I did - Matt) then go to this useful 'Help' page on the Repudo website.

Teacher's > New Christmas packaging

The popular blended whisky has announced that it will be packaged in a presentation box for the forthcoming Christmas period.  The 70cl bottle will be sold in a carton for the first time since the 1980s.  Teacher's, which was first produced in 1830 and has one of the highest single malt contents of any regular blend, is in the Top 5 for sales of blended whiskies in the UK and the move is to strengthen its position in the market.  Peter Sandstrom, the Marketing Director of Maxxium UK, the brand's distributors, comments, “Teacher’s is one of the only blends to be in a gift carton this Christmas, which will provide an enhanced on shelf presence, and appeal to consumers looking for a premium and authentic blend this festive season".

New releases > Balblair 2001 Vintage

The 2001 version of Balblair is the latest in a line of Vintages released by the Highland distillery - a range of single malt whiskies which are specially selected on the basis that, "our whisky tells us when it's ready, not the other way round" according to Distillery Manager John MacDonald.  This policy started in 2007 and differs from the philosophy of most distilleries who release their whisky at various, well established age points such as 12, 18 and 25 years old.

Balblair is located in the picturesque village of Edderton, near to the town of Tain. It lies close to the shores of the Dornoch Firth, one of Scotland’s largest estuaries, with the the Highlands rising up behind and the Inverness-Thurso railway track running next to it. The distillery is one of Scotland's oldest (it was founded by John Ross in 1790), although the current buildings were constructed in 1893. Balblair is currently owned by Inver House Distillers, which is a subsidiary of the larger Thai Beverages group, and they have owned it since 1996. Balblair is currently running at full capacity, which gives an annual production of 1.8 million litres.

The Balblair 2001 Vintage is a landmark whisky for the distillery and Inver House. It is the first of their single malts to be released with a combination of being non-chill filtered, at a higher strength of 46% ABV and with no artificial colouring.  Going forwards, all Balblair releases are being planned as such. This whisky has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 10 years of age.  Balblair 2001 was launched last week at the distillery and we were delighted to be invited to be part of the festivities. It will be available from specialist whisky retailers and on-line retailers very shortly and has a recommended price of £32.99.

Our tasting notes
The colour of the new Vintage is pale lemon yellow and the nose is delicate and fresh with initial aromas of green orchard fruits (especially pears and apples), honey and vanilla. Underneath are a series of subtle aromas that are interwoven with the more obvious ones. These include malty cereals, coconut, something floral (think of honeysuckle), orange zest and hints of almond and nutmeg. A lovely and highly distinctive note of marzipan develops with significant time (15+ minutes) in the glass.  On the palate, a delicious zesty tangy kicks things off (imagine lime and lemon) and it feels like this whisky has been dipped in honey. This is followed by a pleasant combination of sweet malty barley, juicy and crisp green fruit (think of the pear and apple again), vanilla and a pinch of drying baking spices, especially cinnamon and nutmeg.  The finish again offers immediate and sustained freshness in the form of citrus zest, dry wood spices and the green fruits, although these are more reminiscent of dried pear and apple by this stage and this gives a good level of sweetness.

What's the verdict?
This Balblair 2001 Vintage is a fine example of a whisky in the lighter and fresher style.  It shows excellent delicacy, subtlety and what can be achieved with the sympathetic use of quality casks during maturation.  If you like your whiskies richer or smoky, then you may come away disappointed but this is a great whisky to sip on during warm weather or as an aperitif.  While talking with John MacDonald at the launch, he commented that "this is my favourite of the younger Vintages" - it's hard to disagree with him.

Inbox > November 4, 2011

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. Here we go with this week's whisky news ...

Bespoke Post > Launches with a whisky theme

Bespoke Post is a new venture hat has just been launched in New York.  The company is aimed at the discerning gentleman who want to learn about some of the finer things in life and discover about innovative products.  You can sign up to be part of this and for a small fee will receive a monthly 'Box of Awesome' - a specially selected box of awesome products that relate to the monthly theme.  The theme will change each month and the first theme is whisky.  We have teamed up with Bespoke Post to write a 'Whisky 101' beginners guide to go in this month's package, which includes two hand blown whisky glasses, a set of whisky stones (these are chilled in the freezer and replace ice in your drink) and a couple of other cool surprises. 

In return, Bespoke Post have offered our readers a special discount code if you sign up for the first three months of boxes.  The whisky 'Box of Awesome' retails at $45, as do the other two, and our discount code gets you $10 off each one.  Go to the Bespoke Post website, click on 'Join Now' and enter your details.  When you get prompted for the discount code enter WHISKYFOREVERYONE and you will automatically save $30.  Simple.

Glenmorangie > New Nectar D'Or released

Going for gold

The famous Highland distillery of Glenmorangie has announced that its popular Nectar D'Or single malt has been increased in age. The decision sees the whisky still matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks for 10 years before being moved to ex-Sauternes dessert wine barriques for five years - an addition of three years to the previous 12 years old release. The new version is non-chill filtered, bottled at 46% ABV and should cost around £45 - it will be available in specialist whisky retailers and larger supermarkets. According to Dr Bill Lumsden, the whisky's creator, “The result of extra-maturing for an additional three years has improved an already outstandingly voluptuous whisky; Nectar D’Òr 15 Years Old is characterised by rich flavours of luscious desserts and spicy oak tannins". 

Jameson > Special bottling for the USA

Black is back

The best selling Irish whiskey in the world has announced the launch of a new exclusive bottling for the USA.  The new whiskey is part of the Jameson Select Reserve series and is named Black Barrel.  The new expression is made from specially selected grain whiskies which have been produced in small batches - this happens only once a year at the Midleton distillery (where Jameson is made) and then only for a very short time.  The name Black Barrel refers to the fact that these special whiskies have then been matured solely in heavily flame charred ex-bourbon oak casks, before being blended in to the final product.  This creates a rich and luxurious taste experience.  The product was launched in Brooklyn last weekend.

Talisker > Sponsor the the world's 'most difficult' race

The famous single malt from the Isle of Skye on Scotland's west coast has continued its recent nautical theme but announcing a sponsorship deal for what is regarded as the 'world's most difficult' race.  The Woodvale Atlantic Challenge is a biennial event and the sponsorship covers this years race, which starts on 4 December, and the one in 2013.  The race begins in the Canary Islands and finishes in Barbados, following the mid-Atlantic route taken by Christopher Columbus.  The route is 2,933 miles (4,720 km) long and is expected to take around six weeks to complete. Teams from Canada, Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the USA are entered for this year's race, named The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

Whisky 4 Movember > Glenfarclas & Master of Malt join in

It’s November, so that means it's time for Whisky For Movember - the official and fun UK charity that raises money during November through people growing moustaches (or a 'mo' - get it?) for the whole month. The group is made up of people from across the whisky industry - writers, bloggers and drinkers. For more details or to donate can be found at the official website or on Twitter.

Whisky For Movember is part of the larger Movember charity group, which was started in Australia. Movember aims to raise awareness and money for a series of male health issues, primarily The Prostate Cancer Charity and testicular cancer charities. For further details or to donate to Movember, then check out www.movember.com.

Each year there is a special whisky bottled for the cause.  This year's offering sees the Speyside distillery of Glenfarclas team up with online retailer Master of Malt.  The single malt was distilled in Spetember 2002 and has been bottled at nine years of age.  It has been made from just two ex-Oloroso sherry casks and has been bottled at the cask strength of 53% ABV.  Each bottle will cost £39.95 and can be purchased from the Master of Malt website. £10 from each sale will be donated to Movember.

The Whisky Round Table > November 2011

The latest edition of The Whisky Round Table is now available for all to read. For those of you that may have just discovered us, The Whisky Round Table is the brainchild of Jason Johnston-Yellin - the author of the 'must read' whisky blog Guid Scotch Drink. His idea was to gather together 12 whisky bloggers from around the world and get them to discuss a whisky topic once a month. The hosting of The Round Table is passed around the 12 members, with each host setting the question for each month - the subjects have been wide and varied to date. Links to the previous editions of Whisky Round Table articles can be found by clicking here.

This month's host was scheduled to be Mark and his excellent Glasgow Whisky (& Ale) blog.  However, he has had to leave his seat on the Round Table due to other (and numerous) commitments, which include running a whisky shop, forum and festival!  Therefore, Jason has stepped in as 'emergency host' and has set a lovely, simple question about festive gifts.  Click here to read the answers from the remaining Knights. We hope that you enjoy the answers and please feel free to add a comment at the bottom of Jason's posting.  What would your choices be?

The Whisky Round Table can also be followed on Twitter. Come and join us @WhiskyKnights for updates and news from the Round Table and its members.

New releases > Chichibu 'The First'

The youngest distillery in Japan has released its first single malt, named The First. Chichibu (pronounced chich-e-boo) started production in 2008 and was the first new distillery to be built in Japan since the 1970s. The distillery was the brainchild of Ichiro Akuto, a legendary figure in the Japanese whisky industry. It is located in the town of Chichibu, which is around 80km to the north west of Tokyo. The distillery has a number of interesting features, including rare washback tanks made from Japanese oak.

This three years old single malt is the first official whisky from Chichibu and follows on from two releases of new make spirit (one very young heavily peated version and one older non-peated version) . The First is constructed from just 31 specially selected ex-bourbon casks, which have yielded 7,400 bottles at a cask strength of 61.8% ABV. These will be sold through selected specialist whisky retailers in Japan, the UK and France for £90/€115 per bottle. The product was launched at Whisky Live in Paris at the end of September and in Japan on 10 October.

Our tasting notes
The colour of The First is a bright golden yellow and the nose is fresh and full of immediate vanilla and honey aromas.  Then comes some spicy oak notes, which are reminiscent of pencil shavings mixed with a pinch of nutmeg and ginger.  The nose is obviously sweet and has other delicious aromas which develop with time - think of vanilla custard, green apples and a hint of lemon zest.  On the palate, this replicates the gorgeous concentration of notes from the nose - especially the vanilla, honey and wood spices.  It feels creamy and a little oily with a pleasant softness that belies its high alcoholic strength.  The only hint of the 61.8% ABV is a bit of peppery heat burn in the background.  Lovely notes of coconut and dried mango come through also.  The overall feeling is surprisingly delicate.  The finish begins sweetly with the honey note prominent, before becoming drier with plenty of woody oak spice.  The addition of water accentuates the vanilla and makes the palate even creamier, without any of the peppery burn.

What's the verdict?
The friend that we were tasting this with commented almost immediately, "how can this only be three years old?" We have to agree - this is so gorgeously delicious, complex, developed and balanced (even at 61.8% ABV) that it deserves to be sampled by all whisky lovers.  If the results are this amazing at this point in time, you have to ask the question - how good are the next and older releases of this single malt going to be?  There is a new whisky on the block - it's name is Chichibu and it has arrived with a bang.