Inbox > September 16, 2011

Inbox is back, after a few weeks break due to our trip to Cuba.  More will follow on that trip shortly. Upon our return, the Whisky For Everyone email inbox was bursting at the seams with whisky news.  As a result, there is so much to cover that we have split this week's bumper edition of Inbox in to two parts - the second part will be posted on Monday.

For those of you that are new to Whisky For Everyone, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. Inbox was born as we sadly 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 goes with part one ...

Ardbeg > Alligator on general release

Spot the alligator ...

The cult Islay distillery of Ardbeg have put a limited number of their Alligator single malt on general release.  The whisky was originally released to their Ardbeg Committee members earlier in the year and proved extremely popular.  The whisky is so named because it has been matured in special ex-bourbon casks, which have undergone heavy charring prior to filling.  This form of heavy char is called an 'alligator char' because the wood cracks and burns to look like alligator skin.  Ardbeg Alligator is released at 51.2% ABV and will retail for £65 from the Ardbeg website or selected specialist whisky retailers. To read our review of the Committee version - click here.

Benriach & Glendronach > New single casks released

Glendronach 1971

The two distilleries, both owned by Billy Walker's Benriach Distillery Co, have announced new additions to their popular single cask range.  Each vintage is hand numbered, bottled at cask strength and non chill filtered.  The Benriach range consists of 12 bottlings between 18 to 40 years old, and from a variety of different casks including finishes in Sauternes, Port and Barolo red wine. The Glendronach range has six new bottlings between 17 and 40 years of age, with all from their traditional Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

Bowmore > Ben Nevis Challenge takes place

Winners - 'Rosie's Runners'

A few months ago, we reported on the Ben Nevis Challenge - a charity race up Britain's tallest mountain sponsored by Bowmore, the oldest distillery on the famous whisky island of Islay.  The event was to raise much needed money for Capability Scotland, a charity that provides education, employment and support for disabled people throughout Scotland.  Eight teams, each consisting of a mix of disabled and non-disabled people, took part in the challenge and the winners were 'Rosie's Runners' who completed the climb in five hours twenty minutes.  The goal is to raise £100,000 for the charity.

Glenfiddich > 'One Day You Will' Summit 2011
The famous Speyside distillery are offering whisky fans the chance to attend their inaugural One Day You Will Summit, which will be held at the distillery over a two day period in October.  The summit is being attended by contemporary innovators and pioneers from around the globe, including polar explorer Pen Haddow.  The main theme is how technology is affecting all aspects of our daily lives and will incorporate seminars, lectures and Glenfiddich whisky tastings.  To get the chance to attend, whisky fans are asked to visit the special One Day You Will Summit 2011 webpage - click here.  The deadline is very soon on 19 September, so hurry up!  Winners will be notified shortly afterwards.

Join now!

Glenfiddich have also launched a new quarterly newsletter for its online Glenfiddich Explorers community.  The newsletter will give an exclusive insight in to the world and happenings at Glenfiddich.  The first edition features news on their new Age Of Discovery release, news from the distillery, the chance to enter win a once-in-a-lifetime prize and a guest article by our good friend Lucas Dynowiak of The Edinburgh Whisky Blog. You can sign up for the newsletter at the Glenfiddich Explorers website, but you can click here for a sneaky look at the first edition.

Glenmorangie > Royal opening for bottling facility

"Don't press the blue button, Your Highness"

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was the guest of honour at the recent opening of Glenmorangie's new bottling plant in Livingston.  The new facility is packed with environment friendly features to ensure the efficient use of energy and water.  The first bottling on the production line was from a single cask which was presented to Prince Andrew on a visit to Glenmorangie in 1997.  He was presented with 270 bottles, most of which will go

Malt Whisky Yearbook 2012 > Details announced

This year's colour is ... purple

Each Autumn the whisky world waits for the release of one of its best annual book releases - the Malt Whisky Yearbook.  The book was the brainchild of Ingvar Ronde and this year sees the seventh edition.  It is a must read for anyone who is interested in whisky, beginner or connoisseur alike.  We purchased a copy when we were starting out almost four years ago and have learned so much of what we know now from it.  This year's edition has the regular mix of articles about the industry and current hot topics, interviews with distillery managers, statistics and facts and in-depth distillery profiles and tasting notes from around the world.  For more information and to pre-order your copy, go to the Malt Whisky Yearbook website.

Shackleton's whisky > Wins innovation award

Anyone for ice?

A few months ago, Whyte & Mackay the famous whisky company released the Shackleton Highland Malt whisky - a replica of the whisky taken by Ernest Shackleton on his ill-fated trek to the South Pole in 1907/08.  This whisky was found under the Antarctic ice at Shackleton's base camp, before some was taken back to Scotland by Whyte & Mackay for analysis by their Master Blender Richard Paterson.  He created a replica so close to the original that whisky writer Dave Broom couldn't tell the difference when tasting the two side by side!  The whisky has now won a major award - The Whisky Magazine's Innovator of the Year 2011.  To read our tasting notes of the Shackleton whisky - click here.