Review / A Fine Christmas Malt 2020 Edition

A Fine Christmas Malt is the annual festive limited edition bottling from leading specialist spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange. Each year the whisky goes in a different direction and the 2020 Edition is a blended malt that features single malts with a heavy influence of ex-sherry cask maturation. There are just 1,918 bottles and these are only available from The Whisky Exchange website or three stores in London. Bottles can also be engraved with a personal message. A Fine Christmas Malt 2020 Edition is released at 44.5% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. The price is £74.95 per bottle.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (December 18, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. 

 

This will be our last Inbox of 2020 before the festive break and what a strange/ difficult/ weird/ unpredictable/ unprecedented* year it has been (* delete as appropriate, haha). Inbox will return in the New Year. Anyway, here is the news from this week ...

Review / Dartmoor Whisky

The Dartmoor Distillery has released its second batch of single cask single malts. The three whiskies follow an earlier inaugural release in February from some of the very first casks filled and matured by the distillery, including Cask #1. In this second batch there are three single casks that have been selected - an ex-bourbon cask, an ex-red wine cask from Bordeaux and an ex-Oloroso sherry cask. Again, these are some of the first casks to be filled after production began in February 2017. All three are bottled at 46% ABV with the Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Bordeaux costing £59.50 each. The Ex-Oloroso costs £89.50. They are available from the distillery shop or via the Dartmoor Whisky website.

Allotment Drams / Scarabus 10 years old & Tamdhu 15 years old

We have two more episodes of our increasingly popular Allotment Dram series for you. The colder weather is calling for a more robust style of whisky so first Matt goes smoky with the brand new Scarabus 10 years old, an Islay single malt from the guys at Hunter Laing & Co. Then on his next visit he takes a look at a big and bold sherry cask classic - the Tamdhu 15 years old from Speyside. Watch to find out his thoughts and tasting notes on these two whiskies.

If you like our video content and want to keep up-to-date with new episodes, then please visit or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

 

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Review / Tamdhu Batch Strength No.005

This whisky is the latest bottling in the annual Batch Strength series from the Speyside distillery of Tamdhu. The Tamdhu Batch Strength No.005 is a limited edition that has been created using different ages of whisky and only from ex-Oloroso sherry casks. These casks are both first-fill and re-fill, and of differing size - hogshead, puncheon and butt - with some made from American oak and others from European oak. There are just over 20,000 bottles available and these are released at a batch strength of 59.8% ABV. The whisky is non chill-filtered and of natural colour.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (December 11, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review / Scarabus 10 years old

This whisky is a new addition Islay single malt brand of Scarabus, which is bottled by family-owned independent bottlers and distillers Hunter Laing & Co. It is one of two new additions that will sit permanently in its newly created core range. This Scarabus 10 years old, plus the Scarabus Batch Strength, will join the re-named Scarabus Specially Selected that was launched last year. Scarabus translates as 'rocky place' in Nordic and refers to the rugged location on the north eastern coast of Islay where Hunter Laing have built their Ardnahoe distillery. The Scarabus 10 years old has been matured for a minimum of a decade in re-fill ex-bourbon and virgin American oak casks.

Review / Glendronach Batch 18 Single Casks #2091 & #5897

These two whiskies form part of the latest batch of the highly anticipated annual single cask series from the Highland distillery of Glendronach. The Glendronach Batch 18 consists of 18 single casks, which span a range of ages and vintages, and each was hand-selected by Dr. Rachel Barrie - the Master Blender of Glendronach. The oldest was distilled and filled to cask in 1990, while the youngest is from 2009. 

All casks are either ex-Oloroso sherry, ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry or ex-Port in origin and are bottled at their natural cask strengths - these range between 48% and 61.9% ABV. All are also non chill-filtered and of natural colour. The price range is £97/ $129 US to £861/ $1,140 US. Each cask will only be available to purchase in an allocated region. The two reviewed here will only be for Europe and the UK. Full details of each cask are listed in our recent Inbox blog post here.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (December 4, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review / Mackmyra Körsbärsrök

This whisky is the latest in the limited edition Moments range from the Swedish distillery of Mackmyra. The Mackmyra Körsbärsrök, which translates as 'cherry smoke' from Swedish, has been created by Angela D'Orazio - Master Blender at Mackmyra. She used a combination of smoked and classic unsmoked spirits that were distilled in 2010. The smoky spirit is only produced for about one month every year and the malt is smoked using Swedish peat and juniper twigs. The whiskies were matured at Bodås, Mackmyra's warehouse in an old iron ore mine, in two sizes of ex-bourbon cask (100 and 200 litres) and two sizes of ex-cherry wine casks from Germany (100 and 128 litres).

Review / Glen Moray Sauternes Cask Matured

This whisky is a new limited edition single malt from the Speyside distillery of Glen Moray. The Glen Moray Sauternes Cask Matured launches their new Warehouse 1 Collection, which will showcase some of the innovation going on in the distillery's most well-known warehouse. This single malt is constructed of just five casks that had previously held sweet Sauternes dessert wine, which were sourced from France, before being filled with Glen Moray new make spirit in August 2006.

Allotment Drams - Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 years old & Glen Moray Sauternes Cask Matured

 

We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram series for you. First, Matt revisits a classic blended Scotch whisky - the Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 years old. Watch as he talks about one of the world's best selling whiskies and what makes it so popular, then gives his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit he takes a look at a new whisky - the Glen Moray Sauternes Cask Matured - on a very chilly November afternoon. Watch as he talks about the limited edition single malt and the new series of releases that it kicks off, before Matt gives his thoughts and tasting notes.

To keep up-to-date with our new videos, please subscribe to our YouTube channel - click here.

#AllotmentDram

 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 27, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Glen Scotia 11 years old Sherry Double Cask Finish

This 11 years old Sherry Double Cask Finish is a new limited edition single malt from the Campbeltown distillery of Glen Scotia. The new whisky is created using first-fill ex-bourbon barrels that were filled with Glen Scotia's unpeated spirit in 2008, which were then split between ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a finishing period. It is unusual as Glen Scotia normally has a small amount of peat. These casks were then married back together in ex-bourbon casks for a short period, before bottling at 11 years of age and at the natural cask strength of 54.1% ABV. The whisky is also non chill-filtered and of natural colour. 

Review - Benriach The Thirty

This whisky sits at the pinnacle of the newly revamped core range from the Speyside distillery of Benriach. This range is designed to showcase their eclectic range of casks from around the world (these come from 20 different origins) and the three different spirit styles that are produced there - classic Speyside, peated Speyside (produced for only 5-6 weeks each year) and triple distilled (produced for just 1-2 weeks each year). The range has been entirely created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach. The Thirty uses only peated malts, which are very rare at this age, and features four cask types - ex-bourbon, ex-Port wine, ex-sherry and virgin oak. 

Review - Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 years old

The Johnnie Walker Black Label forms part of the core range of best-selling blended whiskies from Scotch whisky giant Diageo. It sits between the Red Label and Gold Label in the range that also includes the Green Label 15 years old, 18 years old and Blue Label as permanent expressions. These are often joined by numerous limited editions and bottlings created for specific markets. All are created by a team of 12 blenders at Diageo, which is headed by the legendary Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE. The brand sells a staggering 18.5 million cases of whisky per annum worldwide - that is just over 220 million single bottles each year.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 20, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ... 

Allotment Drams - Talisker 8 years old (Diageo Special Releases 2020 Edition) & Jura Winter Edition

 

We have the two latest episodes in our ever-increasing Allotment Dram series, the short videos where we talk about different whiskies in the surroundings of our north London allotment plot. Both are from Scottish islands. First, watch as Matt pops the cork on a new bottle purchase - the Talisker 8 years old from this year's Diageo Special Releases, which is the first ever sngle malt from the Skye distillery that has been part-matured in ex-rum casks from the Caribbean.

Then on his next visit he talks about the recently released Winter Edition from Jura, the second bottling in the island distillery's Cask Edition series. Watch as he shares his thoughts and tasting notes on both whiskies. We hope that you enjoy.

To keep up-to-date with our videos or to subscribe to our YouTube channel - click here.

 

 

#AllotmentDram

 

Review - Glenallachie 10 years old Cask Strength Batch #4

 

This whisky is the latest release of the annual 10 years old Cask Strength bottling from the Speyside distillery of Glenallachie. The previous three batches have gained something of a cult status amongst whisky fans, with the first being released back in 2017. The Glenallachie 10 years old Cask Strength Batch #4 is a combination of ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, plus a small percentage of virgin oak casks. all with a minimum age of 10 years. These have been selected and married together by Billy Walker, the Master Distiller and owner of Glenallachie. Batch #4 is bottled at 56.1% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. 

Review - Blue Spot 7 years old Cask Strength

This whiskey marks the completion of re-establishing the Spot Whiskey range to its former glory by Irish Distillers in collaboration with Mitchell & Son. It joins the other members of its historical family - Green Spot, Yellow Spot 12 years old and Red Spot 15 years old. The new version of Blue Spot is bottled at 7 years of age and is bottled at the natural cask strength of 58.7% ABV - this is similar in strength to the original Blue Spot, which disappeared from market in the mid-20th century. It is a marriage of single pot still whiskeys that have been matured in ex-bourbon, ex-Madeira wine and ex-Oloroso sherry casks, and features whiskeys aged between seven and 20 years of age. 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 13, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Allotment Drams - Ballantine's 7 years old Bourbon Finish & Kilchoman 2009 Vintage

 

Matt returns to the allotment a couple of times to do some Autumnal work and share two Allotment Drams with you. First, he looks at the brand new Ballantine's 7 years old Bourbon Finish. Watch to find out about the latest permanent addition to the popular blended Scotch whisky's core range and to hear his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit he samples and reviews the limited edition small batch Kilchoman 2009 Vintage, which sees him talk about the family-owned farm distillery on Islay. Then find out his thoughts and tasting notes.

To keep up to date with our latest videos, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

#AllotmentDram

 

Review - Glenallachie Virgin Oak Finish Series

These three whiskies are first in a new series of limited edition single malts from the Speyside distillery of Glenallachie that will form The Virgin Oak Finish Series - the Glenallachie Chinquapin Virgin Oak Finish, the French Virgin Oak Finish and the Spanish Virgin Oak Finish. Each whisky has first been matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred for a short period to the three different virgin oak casks. All are released at 12 years of age.

Review - Ballantine's 7 years old Bourbon Finish

This is a permanent addition to the core range of the famous Ballantine's blended Scotch whisky range, released in September 2020. The Ballantine's 7 years old Bourbon Finish has been created by Sandy Hyslop, the Master Blender for Ballantine's. He blended single malts and single grain whiskies for a traditional Ballantine's expression with a minimum age of seven years, before then finishing them in ex-bourbon casks sourced from Kentucky. The new whisky is inspired by founder George Ballantine, who started selling his own 7 years old aged whisky in the 1870s. It was also a time when Ballantine's were one of the first companies to be importing ex-bourbon casks from America.

Review - Peat Monster Arcana

This whisky sees Compass Box, the innovative whisky blenders, continuing their 20th anniversary celebrations with the release of a limited edition version of their popular Peat Monster blended malt. Peat Monster Arcana is a cask strength version of the original Peat Monster recipe that has then seen a further two years maturation in French oak casks. This was then blended further with aged single malts from the Ardbeg, Miltonduff and Talisker distilleries. It is released at 46% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. There are 8,328 bottles and these will be available via specialist whisky retailers globally. Price - £75/ $95 US.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 6, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Cotswolds Sherry Cask

The Cotswold distillery has released its latest English single malt to its award-winning range - the Cotswolds Sherry Cask. This new whisky features spirit matured in both American oak and European oak casks that have been seasoned with either dry Oloroso or sweet Pedro Ximenez sherry. The casks are a mix of hogsheads and butts, and this is the first of what is planned to be an annual release. The Cotswolds Sherry Cask is bottled at the natural cask strength of 57.4% ABV and is non chill-filtered and of natural colour. It is available to purchase via the distillery shop, selected specialist retailers or via their website www.cotswoldsdistillery.com. A bottle will cost £64.95.

Review - The Singleton of Glen Ord 38 years old

This whisky is a new and exceptionally rare single malt from the Highland distillery of Glen Ord, which is released under The Singleton label. The Singleton of Glen Ord 38 years old has been created using just eight cask by Maureen Robinson, the Master Blender for The Singleton brand since it was first released in 2004. The whisky has been in these casks for the final 26 years of its life after being earmarked for greatness when only 12 years of age. This is the longest secondary maturation in The Singleton history. These casks are ex-bourbon, ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry and virgin American oak, which have then been married back together to create this 38 years old. 

Review - Benriach The Twenty Five

This whisky forms part of the newly revamped core range from the Speyside distillery of Benriach, which is designed to showcase their eclectic range of casks from around the world (these come from 20 different origins) and the three different spirit styles that are produced there - classic Speyside, peated Speyside (produced for only 5-6 weeks each year) and triple distilled (produced for just 1-2 weeks each year). The range has been entirely created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach. The Twenty Five combines both classic and peated malts together and features four cask types - ex-bourbon, ex-Madeira wine, ex-sherry and virgin oak. 

Allotment Drams - AnCnoc 12 years old & Crabbie's 8 years old

We have two more episodes of our Allotment Dram series, the short videos where we sit and talk about whisky in the surroundings of our north London allotment, for you. This time Matt has two Highland single malts that he is discussing and tasting. First, he looks at the AnCnoc 12 years old from the Knockdhu distillery on a lovely sunny Autumn afternoon. Find out why it is called a different name from the distillery where it is made, plus his thoughts and tasting notes. 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 30, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Glenglassaugh Coastal Casks #559 & #1346

These two whiskies form part of a larger set of 10 single casks from Glenglassaugh under the new Coastal Cask banner. All are either 10 or 11 years of age and have been distilled since the distillery re-opened after a 22 year period of closure in 2008. Each cask in the collection was hand selected from maturing stocks by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Glenglassaugh. 

The Glenglassaugh Coastal Casks collection are all bottled at their natural cask strengths - these range from 51.1% - 57.9% ABV - and are non chill filtered and of natural colour. Prices are £89 for the 10 year olds and £99 for the 11 year olds. Each coastal cask will be made available in different markets worldwide with pricing and availability varying with each location. Details of each cask are listed below. 

 

Review - John Walker & Sons Bicentennial Blend

The Bicentennial Blend is one of three special bottlings by Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky, that have been created to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The other two new whiskies are the Celebratory Blend and the Blue Label Legendary Eight. There is also a special commemorative pack for the regular Blue Label bottling. The three new whiskies are all limited editions and have been created by Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his team at Diageo. John Walker opened his grocery shop in King Street, Kilmarnock in 1820 and began blending his own whiskies in the cellar.

Review - The Wine Society Reserve Cask Selection 1989 Vintage

This whisky is the first release by The Wine Society in their new Reserve Cask Selection of single malts. It has been created from just nine casks (7x hogshead and 2x butt), all of which had previously held sherry for The Wine Society in the 1980s. Once emptied these were sent to Scotland to be filled with single malt at an un-named Highland distillery in 1989. They have been maturing every since until bottling earlier this year at 30 years of age. The casks had previously held Amontillado and Palo Cortado sherries prior to the whisky. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill-filtered and of natural colour. The exact number of bottles was not revealed in the press release but each one cost £95. All bottles have now sold out.

Allotment Drams - Weller 12 years old & Dalaruan by The Lost Distillery Co.

 

We have two more episodes of our Allotment Drams, the series where we talk about different whiskies in the surroundings of our north London allotment, for you. Firstly watch as Matt opens and tastes the Weller 12 years old wheated bourbon, which is made at the Buffalo Trace distillery on Kentucky, for the first time ever. Learn about what a wheated bourbon is and then hear his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit he takes a look at the Dalaruan, part of a series of blended malts from The Lost Distillery Co. that give modern interpretations to long closed distilleries. Dalaruan was located in Campbeltown and closed in 1925. Watch as Matt talks about the creative project and then gives his thoughts and tasting notes.

To keep up-to-date with our videos or to subscribe to our YouTube channel - please click here.

#AllotmentDram

 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 23, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight

The Blue Label Legendary Eight is one of three special bottlings by Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky, for its 200th anniversary. The other two new whiskies are the Celebratory Blend and the Bicentennial Blend, both released under the John Walker & Sons name. There is also a special commemorative pack for the regular Blue Label bottling. The three new whiskies are all limited editions and have been created by Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his team at Diageo. John Walker opened his grocery shop in King Street, Kilmarnock in 1820 and began blending his own whiskies in the cellar.

Review - Ardnamurchan AD/09.20:01

This AD/09.20:01 is the first ever single malt to be released from the west Highland distillery of Ardnamurchan. It follows limited releases of new make and part-aged spirits under the AD label. The whisky is a marriage of unpeated and peated styles, with the ratio being 50:50. The peated spirit is produced with a phenol level of 30-35ppm. Both styles have been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for this release. The distillery has been built to be self sustainable due to its remote location, and is one of the greenest and most eco-friendly in Scotland. The name of the whisky refers to AD (Ardnamurchan Distillery), 09.20 (September 2020), 01 (Batch No.1).

Review - Benriach The Twenty One

This whisky forms part of the newly revamped core range of single malts from the Speyside distillery of Benriach, which is designed to showcase Benriach's eclectic range of casks from around the world (these come from 20 different origins) and the three different spirit styles that are produced there - classic Speyside, peated Speyside (produced for only 5-6 weeks each year) and triple distilled (produced for just 1-2 weeks each year). The range has been entirely created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach. The Twenty One combines both classic and peated malts together and features four cask types - ex-bourbon, ex-red wine, ex-sherry and virgin oak.

Allotment Drams - John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend and Midleton Very Rare 2020 Edition

 

We have two more episodes from our ongoing Allotment Dram series for you and both feature brand new whiskies that have just been released. Firstly, Matt looks at the John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend. This forms part of a commemorative set of whiskies that have been created for the Johnnie Walker 200th anniversary by Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE and his team of blenders at Diageo. Watch to find out about the special blend and Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.

 

Then on his next visit, Matt showcases the latest bottling in the legendary Midleton Very Rare series. This series of whiskeys has been described in the past as 'the pinnacle of Irish whiskey' and this one is the last created by the now-departed Master Distiller Brian Nation. Watch as Matt talks about what makes each release special, plus gives his thoughts and tasting notes. We hope that you enjoy both videos.

To keep up-to-date with our video content or to subscribe to our YouTube channel - please click here.

 

#AllotmentDram

 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 16, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Midleton Very Rare 2020 Edition

This whiskey is the latest in the long line of releases by the Irish brand of Midleton. The Very Rare 2020 Edition is the 37th edition with the whiskey released annually since 1984. It is also the final one to be created by former Master Distiller Brian Nation.  This year's edition features single pot still and single grain whiskeys that range in age from 13 to 35 years and all have been matured exclusively in lightly charred American oak ex-bourbon casks. These were then married together by Nation who picked them from a small pocket of rare stock that is being matured only for use as Very Rare. The 2020 Edition sees a higher pot still whiskey content than many previous years and an increased use of re-fill casks.

Allotment Drams - Dalmore 12 years old Sherry Cask Select & Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake

 

We have two more episodes of our Allotment Dram series for you and both feature new whiskies from distilleries in the north Highlands. Firstly, Matt talks about the Dalmore distillery in Alness and their recently released 12 years old Sherry Cask Select that includes part maturation in ex-sherry casks specially constructed and seasoned for Dalmore.

 

Then on a gloomy Sunday afternoon he discusses the new A Tale of Cake from Glenmorangie, the famous distillery located in the town of Tain. Find out what is behind the strange name of the new single malt, which features a finishing period in ex-Tokaji dessert wine casks from Hungary. Watch to find out his thoughts and tasting notes on both whiskies.

 

To subscribe to our YOuTube channel, keep up to date with videos or watch other episodes of the Allotment Dram - click here.

#AllotmentDram

 

Review - John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend

 

The Celebratory Blend is one of three special bottlings released by Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky, for its 200th anniversary. The other two new whiskies are the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight and the John Walker & Sons Bicentennial Blend. The brand is also commemorating this year's significant date with a specially designed pack for the regular Blue Label bottling.  The three new whiskies are all limited editions and have been created by Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his team of blenders at Diageo. John Walker opened his grocery shop in King Street, Kilmarnock in 1820 and began blending his own whiskies in the cellar.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 9. 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ... 

Review - AnCnoc Peatheart Batch 2

This whisky is a new release from the east Highland distillery of Knockdhu. The AnCnoc Peatheart Batch 2 is a limited edition and forms part of the brand's ever increasing range of smoky whiskies. These are made for a short period each year, a process which started 15 years ago, and use Highland peat cut locally during the malting process. It follows on from the inaugural batch of Peatheart from 2017, which was exclusive to Sweden, and has a phenol measurement of 40ppm (phenol parts per million). The Peatheart Batch 2 has been matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. There are just over 10,000 bottles available.

Review - Dalmore Sherry Cask Select 12 years old

 

This single malt is the latest addition to the Principal Collection from the north Highland distillery of Dalmore. The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select is described as 'an elegant evolution of the distillery's legendary house style' and features casks seasoned with a bespoke sherry blend created especially for Dalmore in Jerez, Spain. This includes both Oloroso (three different types actually) and Pedro Ximenez sherries. The Sherry Cask Select began its maturation in American white oak ex-bourbon casks before a three year finishing period in these special ex-sherry casks. It is bottled at 12 years of age and 43% ABV.

Review - Jura Winter Edition

The Winter Edition is a new single malt that is the second release in the Cask Editions Series from Jura. The series highlights the role of different casks on a whisky during maturation and this bottling follows on from the Red Wine Cask release from earlier in the year. The Winter Edition has been matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in Spanish ex-sherry casks. It has been created by Gregg Glass and the team of whisky makers at parent company Whyte & Mackay. The Jura Winter Edition is bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in the UK, exclusively at supermarket Tesco to begin with. A one litre bottle will cost £44. 

Allotment Drams - Speyburn Bradan Orach & Glendronach 15 years old Revival

 

We have a couple more episodes of our Allotment Dram series for you. Firstly watch as Matt records the 50th episode (we could not have believed that the series would be so popular when we thought of it during lockdown six months ago ...) and talks about the Speyburn Bradan Orach, an entry level no age statement Speyside single malt.

 

Then on his next visit he discusses the sherry cask classic Glendronach 15 years old Revival, a perfect dram for an Autumnal October afternoon. Watch to find out his thoughts and tasting notes on both whiskies. We hope that you enjoy the videos.

 

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Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 2, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Talisker 8 years old Hepburn's Choice

This new whisky forms part of a set from the independent bottler, blender and whisky producer of Hunter Laing & Co. It also kicks off a major rebranding for their Hepburn's Choice range of single malts. The redesign is inspired by Managing Director Stewart Laing's maternal grandfather, William Hepburn and his travels around the world in the Diplomatic Service in the 1960s. New features include colour coding to show the Scottish region of origin and large graphic numbers to show age. The label and box also feature cask details such as filling date, botting date, cask type and the number of bottles yielded. All of this is packaged within a box showing a new smart grey livery and graphic touches.

 

Review - Lagavulin Jazz Festival Edition 2020

This whisky is the latest in the annual series from Lagavulin released as part of their sponsorship of the Islay Jazz Festival. This year's limited edition bottling is 22 years old, an age chosen to celebrate the 22 years that the annual festival has been held on the famous whisky island of Islay. The 2020 festival will be the first ever to be broadcast online due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and will be streamed live via the Lagavulin and Friends of the Classic Malts Facebook pages on October 3. The Jazz Festival Edition 2020 has been matured in both re-fill American and European oak casks, before some of the whisky has undergone a further finishing period in ex-red wine casks. 

Allotment Drams - Jura 21 years old & Bowmore 15 years old

We have two more episodes of our Allotment Dram series for you and both take us across to the Hebrides. Firstly Matt takes a look at the Jura 21 years old, which sits at the pinnacle of the the island distillery's core range. The single malt has been matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period in virgin oak. Watch to find his thoughts and tasting notes.

On his next visit to the allotment he hops over the water to Islay and talks about Bowmore, the oldest distillery on the famous whisky island. Watch to discover his thoughts and tasting notes on the award-winning 15 years old. We hope that you enjoy both videos.

To watch more of our videos or subscribe to our YouTube channel - please click here.

#AllotmentDram

 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 25, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ... 

 

Review - Benriach The Twelve & The Smoky Twelve

These two whiskies form part of the newly revamped core range of single malts from the Speyside distillery of Benriach. The new range is designed to showcase Benriach's unique eclectic range of casks from around the world, which come from close to 20 different origins, and the three different spirit styles that are produced their - classic Speyside, peated Speyside (which is only produced for 5-6 weeks each year) and triple distilled (produced for just 1-2 weeks each year). The range has been entirely created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach. 

Review - Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake

 

A Tale of Cake is a new limited single malt that is the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden - the Director of Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie. For this release, he has been inspired by memories of baking pineapple upside down cake, firstly with his grandmother and then with his daughter. The spirit involved was earmarked for use as Glenmorangie Original, having been matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. This was then finished in ex-Tokaji dessert wine casks from Hungary. These highly prized and rare barrels were sourced and hand selected by Dr. Bill for A Tale of Cake. The release also features bespoke packaging designed to represent a cake and the whisky is bottled at 46% ABV.

Allotment Drams - Talisker 8 years old 'Hepburn's Choice' & Tomintoul 25 years old

 

Two more episodes of the Allotment Dram for you following a couple more visits to our north London plot. Firstly, Matt delves in to the world of the independent bottlers and takes a look at a single cask of Talisker 8 years old from Hunter Laing. Watch as he talks about the Hepburn's Choice range that it is part of, the new packaging and then gives his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit, Matt has selected one of the jewels in the crown of our personal whisky collection - the Tomintoul 25 years old. Watch as he talks about this single malt from an under rated Speyside distillery, plus gives his thoughts and tasting notes. We hope that you enjoy both videos.

To subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch more videos - please click here.

#AllotmentDram

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 18, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...

Review - Benriach The Original Ten & The Smoky Ten

These two whiskies form the entry point in to the newly revamped core range of single malts from the Speyside distillery of Benriach. The new range is designed to showcase Benriach's unique eclectic range of casks from around the world, which come from close to 20 different origins, and the three different spirit styles that are produced their - classic Speyside, peated Speyside (which is only produced for 5-6 weeks each year) and triple distilled (produced for just 1-2 weeks each year). The range has been entirely created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach. 

Review - Mackmyra Jaktlycka

This is the latest single malt in the seasonal limited edition series from Swedish distillery Mackmyra. Bottlings in the series are released each Spring and Autumn and this Autumn's whisky is named Jaktlycka, meaning 'hunting luck'. The whisky is inspired by the ancient forests that surround the distillery and come to life with fruit and berries each Autumn, and are popular hunting grounds for Swedes. Jaktlycka has been matured in American oak and Swedish oak casks that have previously held blueberry and lingonberry wines from the Grythyttan winery in Sweden.

Allotment Drams - Glen Scotia 25 years old & Benriach The Original Ten

 

We have two more episodes for you from our Allotment Drams series, our whisky review videos that are recorded in the surroundings of our north London allotment. Firstly, watch as Matt talks about and samples the Glen Scotia 25 years old from Campbeltown. Listen to find out a bit about Campbeltown's whisky heritage and Glen Scotia's part in it, plus his thoughts and tasting notes of this whisky that sits at the pinnacle of their core range.

 

On his next visit, watch as Matt talks about the brand new Benriach The Original Ten, part of a totally revamped core range with new packaging for the Speyside distillery. Find out about the inspiration behind the redesign and the new whiskies, before he then gives his thoughts and tasting notes on The Original Ten - the entry point in to the new range of single malts.

#AllotmentDram

 

 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 11, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to 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. Here is the news from this week ...