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

Great Places To Drink Whisky - The Bon Accord, Glasgow

The Bon Accord is located in North Street on the western edge of the city centre in Glasgow.  The pub was first opened in 1971 and has grown to become a Glasgow institution and a must visit destination for beer and whisky fans.  It is owned by Paul McDonagh, who purchased it fourteen years ago and who we were lucky enough to meet briefly during our visit.  Under Paul and his family's ownership the establishment has gone from strength to strength and regularly pulls in awards.  One of the most recent was for the Best Whisky Bar in the UK in 2014.

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

Review - This Is Not A Luxury Whisky

This Is Not A Luxury Whisky is the latest limited edition relase from the multi award winning artisan blending house of Compass Box.  The whisky plays on the concept that the liquid, rather than packaging, that defines quality and seemingly challenges other brands that think otherwise.  The whisky is a blended malt containing four different components and each were selected and blended by John Glaser, the company's founder, and his team. The name pays homage to the 1929 painting by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte entitled La Trahison des Images (The Treachery of Images), which famously states 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' ('This is not a pipe').

Review - The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish

This whisky is the third and final bottling in the revised Nàdurra range from The Glenlivet. The Nàdurra, which means 'natural' in Gaelic, is a series of cask strength whiskies designed to show the 'roots of The Glenlivet'. The latest releases is the Peated Whisky Cask Finish.  It joins the First Fill Selection and Oloroso expressions and sees The Glenlivet single malt finished in casks that have previously held heavily peated Scotch whisky. The original version of Nàdurra was launched in 2004 and was the first ever cask strength expression of The Glenlivet on the market. Subsequent releases have seen the series attain a cult status amongst whisky fans.

Review - Diageo Special Releases 2015

The Diageo Special Releases are one of the biggest and most talked about annual whisky releases. Each Autumn, the largest producer of single malt in Scotland announces the line up.  The Special Releases programme has been running since the early 2000s and is designed to showcase some to the finest and rarest stocks in Diageo's portfolio, both from their current 28 single malt distilleries and those no longer in operation.  All the bottlings are at the natural cask strength, non chill filtered and limited edition.  The 2015 collection features nine whiskies.

Karen and Matt C were privileged to be invited to a small private tasting of the nine whiskies in London last month. The tasting was hosted by Dr. Nick Morgan, Diageo's Head of Whisky Outreach, and Maureen Robinson, one of Diageo's Senior Master Blenders. Both are part of the Special Releases selection panel. A huge thank you to both for the invite.

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

Review - The Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter 1

The DCS Compendium is new super premium series of single cask whiskies from The Balvenie, the renowned Speyside distillery.  The series will be formed of 25 single cask bottlings, which are to be split in to five chapters, and is named after The Balvenie's long serving David C. Stewart.  He has worked for owners William Grant & Sons for 53 years and has hand selected each cask involved in the DCS Compendium, which designed to chart the knowledge and skills of David Stewart over the five decades that he has been there. 

Review - Chivas Regal 18 years old Ultimate Cask Collection

This whisky is the first in a new series of the popular Chivas Regal blended Scotch whisky that is to be exclusive to the global travel retail sector.  The Ultimate Cask Collection will be a set of three whiskies that aim to reinterpret the classic Chivas 18 years old expression. To achieve this the Chivas Regal 18 years old will undergo a different cask finish. The first release is the First Fill American Oak Finish, which has seen the whisky maturing in these casks for around six months.  Further bottlings are planned over the next two years.  The series will be presented in a robust and luxurious blue and gold embossed box.

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

Review - Dalmore 21 years old

This Dalmore 21 years old single malt is a new expression from the north Highland distillery that in conjunction with the 30 years old, which released at the same time, showcases some of their older stocks.  The limited edition whisky has been crafted using casks hand selected by Richard Paterson, the Master Distiller for Dalmore, who has just celebrated his 45th anniversary in the whisky industry.  The liquid included has been matured in American white oak before being finished in first-fill ex-Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks from the famous Gonzalez Byass bodega in Jerez, Spain.

Review - Laphroaig 32 years old

The best selling Islay single malt brand of Laphroaig has announced one of its oldest ever expressions.  The Laphroaig 32 years old rounds off a series of six special releases to celebrate the distillery's 200th anniversary year.  The whisky has been matured exclusively in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks, hand selected by Distillery Manager John Campbell, and is limited to just 6,000 bottles.  It has been bottled at the natural cask strength of 46.6% ABV.  These will be available globally shortly and a bottle will cost £750.  The whisky was launched at a lavish event at The Connaught Hotel in London last week (October 1st).

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

Review - Royal Brackla 12, 16 and 21 years old

This new range from the Royal Brackla distillery forms part of a larger range called The Last Great Malts.  This showcases whisky from each of the five Scotch distilleries owned by John Dewar & Sons. Ranges from Aberfeldy, Aultmore and Craigellachie are already on the market, both in domestic and travel retail, with Macduff (which will be bottled under the Deveron name) to follow shortly this Autumn. It is the first full range to ever be released from the distillery and one whose whiskies we were very unfamiliar with.