Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 10, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. 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 what has caught our attention this week ...

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Dalmore - Exclusive bottling
The north Highland distillery of Dalmore has announced a limited edition whisky that will be exclusively available at their visitor centre in Alness.  The Distillery Exclusive 2015 has been created by Dalmore's Master Distiller Richard Paterson and is constructed from a combination of malts matured in ex-Madeira, ex-Moscatel and ex-Port casks.  These have then been finished in first fill ex-bourbon casks.   It has been bottled at 48% ABV and there are just 450 bottles, which will cost £150 each.

Richard Paterson commented: “The Dalmore Distillery Exclusive 2015 is a stunning whisky. Our artisanal approach to whisky making bestows this bottling with a bold, rich, sweet amber gold colour with aromas of caramelised orange, forest fruits and marzipan, and on the palate macerated plums, almonds and pecans.” 

Kininvie - Share a piece of history

William Grant & Sons, the owners of the Speyside distillery of Kininvie, have revealed that they are to bottle three very special casks of whisky to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the distillery.  The Kininvie Special Release #1 is comprised of three casks that were distilled and filled on Kinvivie's first ever day of production on July 4 1990.  These casks have been hand selected by William Grant's Malt Master Brian Kinsman and each single cask will be available in one of three selected markets - Europe, Taiwan and the UK.

The three Kininvie Special Release #1 casks will be on sale in November 2015 for Europe and the UK, with the Taiwanese release following in February 2016.  All three were disgorged from the barrels in preparation for bottling last Saturday (July 4).  This was exactly 25 years after they were filled.  Prices, exact quantities and strengths are yet to be revealed.

Craig Cranmer, Distillery Manager at Kininvie, commented: “Kininvie is something of a hidden gem, we have nurtured the casks for 25 years knowing they contained incredible whisky. Now the time is right to share the first drops of our history, straight from the casks that have been maturing since the distillery’s first days.”

Royal Lochnagar - Become a whisky maker

Diageo, the owners of the Royal Lochnagar distillery on Deeside, have launched a new consumer programme called the Distillery Director.  This is based at the Royal Lochnagar in Deeside and offers members the opportunity to have a go at making whisky and to select a new single malt to be bottled.  It has been designed with the curious whisky drinker in mind and is a 12 month programme.

Once signed up, members will receive a bespoke welcome pack and masterclass tasting notes.  This will be repeated with three further packs during the year long scheme that will include exclusive cask samples, a blending kit to create your own single malt and a special members only bottling of Royal Lochnagar named the Director's Edition.  Part of the scheme offers the chance to visit the distillery and work at whisky making in a unique 'behind the scenes' experience.  This can be arranged through a special concierge service team that is attached to the programme.

Distillery Director membership costs £1450 and you can sign up via the dedicated website www.distillerydirector.co.uk or by phoning 01224-515401.  Further information can also be found on the website or by visiting any branch of The Whisky Shop, the UK's largest high street whisky chain.  It is only available to residents of the UK at this time.

Jackie Robertson, Distillery Manager at Royal Lochnagar, said: “This is a unique opportunity for people to build and enhance their knowledge of whisky and be part of the whisky making process.  We’ve been making whisky at Lochnagar since 1845 and the Distillery Director programme offers a rare chance to be part of this heritage.  We look forward to welcoming members to share the knowledge and expertise.”