Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (December 16, 2016)

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 - Rampur Select

Rampur Select is a new Indian single malt whisky that was launched in October.  It made and matured in the foothills of the Himalayas and has been influenced by the extremes of temperature experienced there - blazing hot Summers and bitterly cold winters.  The casks included have been hand selected by Anup Barik, the Master Blender of Rampur.  The Select is bottled at 43% ABV and is non chill-filtered.  It is available in specialist whisky retailers in selected worldwide markets including Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Singapore, Uganda, the UK and the USA.  The recommended retail price is £41.95 per bottle.

Review - Compass Box 3 Year Old Deluxe

The 3 Year Old Deluxe is a new limited edition that formed part of artisan whisky company Compass Box's Autumn releases.  It is a blended malt formed of just three components, one of which is just three years old. This makes up just 0.4% of the whisky but legally has to be named - the youngest whisky included must be shown if declaring an age statement.  The whisky is released to support Compass Box's Scotch Whisky Transparency campaign - to read more about that, click here.  This was launched after Compass Box were informed that they were communicating information about the components within their whiskies in an illegal way.

Review - Benromach Hermitage 2007 Vintage

This whisky is the latest expression to be released in the Wood Finish series from the small Speyside distillery of Benromach.  The Hermitage 2007 Vintage has been initially matured in ex-bourbon casks for six years before being transferred to casks that had previously held red wine from the Hermitage Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône region of France for 31 months. Benromach is located on the outskirts of the town of Forres in the north of the Speyside region and was founded in 1898 under the name of Forres Distillery.  It was one of the last designed by the renowned Victorian distillery architect Charles Doig.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (December 2, 2016)

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 - Timorous Beastie 40 years old

This 40 years old expression is the latest limited edition in the Timorous Beastie series from independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co. As with the regular bottling of Timorous Beastie this blended malt whisky is created using single malts from Highland distilleries. In this case the minimum age of the whiskies are 40 years and include malts from Dalmore, Glen Garioch and Glengoyne amongst others. Timorous Beastie forms part of Douglas Laing's Remarkable Regional Malts range - this features blended malts from each whisky producing region of Scotland and includes Big Peat (Islay), The Epicurean (Lowlands), Rock Oyster (Islands) and Scallywag (Speyside).

Review - Tullamore DEW Phoenix

The Phoenix is a new cask strength whiskey that is a blend of pot still, single malt and grain whiskeys.  It has a high percentage of ex-sherry cask maturation within the blend and this has then seen a finishing period in virgin American oak casks. The Phoenix was launched during the Summer to celebrate the second anniversary of the new distillery at Tullamore, which began production in August 2014.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 25, 2016)

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 - Ardbeg 21 years old

The Ardbeg 21 years old is a limited edition single malt that was released in September to members of the Ardbeg Committee, a group operated by the brand for its fans.  The whisky is one of the oldest to be released by the distillery in modern times and was created from some of the last remaining casks from the mid-1990s.  After this time the distillery was closed for some time before current owner LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) took over. The casks were selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation at LVMH, and Mickey Heads, the Distillery Manager at Ardbeg and Chairman of the Ardbeg Committee.

Distillery Visit - Leven

Nestling deep within Diageo's Leven global supply plant is something special and unexpected - the Leven Distillery or PLDA (Process Liquid Development Area) as it is less romantically known.  It is Diageo's least known and smallest whisky making facility, and their 29th that produces single malt.  Leven distillery has quietly been going about its business of innovation and experimentation since production began in 2013.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 18, 2016)

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.

The Whistler 7 years old & 10 years old

The Whistler is a new range of Irish single malt whiskeys from the independent distillery of Boann. The distillery itself is nearing completion and not yet in production, but this stock has been purchased from the Cooley distillery under agreement.  This has then been aged for the last two years by the Cooney family, the owners of Boann.  In addition to the two whiskeys reviewed here, there will also be 5 years old and 10 years old Cask Strength bottlings.

Is Rum The New Whisky?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 10/11/16.

A few weeks ago, someone asked me about which spirit would be the ‘next whisky’. By that they meant, which spirit would come out of the shadows in a similar way that whisky started to do about ten years ago? Whisky has become the ‘new Cognac’. My prediction skills have never been good, but after some discussion we came to our conclusion – rum.

Review - Tomatin Caribbean Rum, Cabernet Sauvignon & Oloroso Sherry Cask Finishes

These whiskies are a trio of new limited edition single malts from the Highland distillery of Tomatin.  They are designed to demonstrate the distillery's experimentations with different types of casks - the 9 years old Caribbean Rum, the 14 years old Cabernet Sauvignon and the 21 years old Oloroso Sherry. All are bottled at 46% ABV and will be available in selected specialist whisky retailers worldwide.

Visit - Cambus Cooperage

The Cambus Cooperage. (Image © Pat Roberts)

Cambus is a cooperage that rebuilds and regenerates whisky casks for the portfolio of Diageo's single grain and single malt distilleries in Scotland.  The cooperage, which is one of the most modern such facilities in the world, is built on the site of the old Cambus single grain distillery from which it takes its name.  The Cambus distillery was demolished in 1993 and the cooperage opened in 2011.

Why Is Old Whisky So Expensive?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 4/11/16. 

When details of the latest super premium Scotch single malt were released earlier this week, they seemed to cause quite a stir across social media platforms and the whisky drinking community. Comments such as “looks nice but way too expensive”, “outrageous pricing” and “what a rip-off” were vented, but were frankly predictable.

But do these comments have an element of correctness, or are they simply naïve and showing a lack of understanding about the economics of the whisky industry? Why are old whiskies priced as they are?

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 4, 2016)

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 - Black Bowmore 50 years old 'The Last Cask'

The Last Cask is the fifth and final edition of the fabled Black Bowmore series. The first expression appeared in 1993 and was followed by a further two bottlings in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Then after a hiatus of over 10 years, the fourth edition was launched in 2007. Now nine years later the final installment is released. As with the previous Black Bowmores in the series this whisky was distilled in 1964, shortly after the famous Islay distillery switched from coal-fired stills to steam.

Review - Longmorn The Distiller's Choice, 16 years old & 23 years old

These three whiskies form the first permanent range from the cult Speyside distillery of Longmorn, which is regarded as one of the 'best kept secrets' of the Scotch whisky industry.  The Distiller's Choice, which was released earlier this year, is joined by a re-invented version of the 16 years old and a new 23 years old expression. The three whiskies have been created by Trevor Buckley, the Distillery Manager at Longmorn, and they are designed for the premium single malt drinker.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 21, 2016)

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 - Chivas Regal Ultis

Chivas Regal Ultis is the first ever blended malt, a whisky made solely from single malts, to be released by the renowned premium brand.  It has been crafted using five rare single malts from within the Chivas Brothers portfolio of Speyside whiskies - Allt A'Bhainne, Braeval, Longmorn, Strathisla and Tormore.  The use of five malts reflect the fact that Chivas Regal has only ever had five Master Blenders since it was first released in 1909, with Ultis being created by the current Chivas Brothers blending team. The name is a combination of two words - 'Ultimate' and 'Fortis' (meaning 'strength' in Latin).

The Epicurean - October 28 & 29

We are delighted to announce that we are to be one of the official media partners of The Epicurean, a forthcoming and new food and drinks festival to be held in London.  This will see us working alongside esteemed publications such as Difford's Guide, Foodism, Hot Rum Cow and The World of Fine Wine during the event.

The Epicurean is a collection of over 100 UK artisan and craft producers of food, wine, beer and spirits and will see over 1,000 products available for the public to sample.  The festival will be held on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 October - there is one session on Friday (6-10.30pm) and two on Saturday (12.30-5.30pm and 6-10.30pm).

The location for The Epicurean is the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, a regenerated site in Shoreditch that is a hub for artists, creatives, independent retailers and bespoke eateries.  Tickets are priced at £25 for each session and this includes a free gin and tonic on entry, a festival bag (including an event catalogue and a few other goodies) and the opportunity to sample everything in the show.


To book your tickets - please visit www.epicurean.online.

You can also follow The Epicurean on Facebook and Twitter (@epicureanLDN) or by using #TheEpicurean on both.

The Rise and Rise of Irish Whiskey

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 11/10/16.

The Irish whiskey landscape is changing.

Whiskey in Ireland is experiencing an unprecedented boom. On the back of a general increased global demand for whisky as a spirit, the Irish side of the industry is witnessing something of a re-birth. But can this growth be sustained or will the market reach a saturation point somewhere in the future?

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 14, 2016)

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 - Johnnie Walker Red Rye Finish

The Johnnie Walker Red Rye Finish is the first part of a new experimental series from the world's biggest selling Scotch whisky brand named The Blenders' Batch.  This first expression features just four whiskies, including single grain from the now closed Port Dundas distillery, and has been matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks and then finished for six months in ex-rye whiskey casks.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 7, 2016)

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 - Glenfiddich IPA Experiment & Project XX

The Glenfiddich Experimental Series is a new permanent range of single malts from Scotland's most famous distillery and it kicks off with two expressions – the IPA Experiment and Project XX. Both of the new whiskies have been created by Brian Kinsman, the Glenfiddich Malt Master, who continues to work on forthcoming additions.  the series is designed to highlight the continual experimentation and innovation that Glenfiddich has undertaken since its foundation in 1887.

Review - Tullamore DEW 14 years old & 18 years old

These two new whiskeys are the latest to join the range of popular Irish brand Tullamore DEW.  They are limited editions and single malts. Both the 14 years old and 18 years old expressions have undergone a rare cask combination for maturation - they have been predominantly matured in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to a mix of ex-Oloroso sherry butts, ex-Port pipes and ex-Madeira drums. They were launched in tandem at the lavish Harrods department store in central London in mid-August.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 30, 2016)

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 - Redbreast Lustau Edition

The Redbreast Lustau Edition celebrates the historic working relationship between brand owners Irish Distillers, based in Midleton Co. Cork, and the Emilio Lustau bodega, based in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain. The new whiskey becomes the fifth permanent addition to the core range of Redbreast single pot still whiskeys - it joins the 12, 15 and 21 year olds and 12 years old Cask Strength versions.  It has been initially matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before being transferred for one year to specially selected sherry butts that have previously held Lustau Oloroso sherry.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 23, 2016)

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 Diageo Special Releases 2016

The Special Releases are a limited edition range of whiskies that are bottled each Autumn by Diageo, Scotland's largest whisky producer.  The series started in the early 2000s and is designed to highlight some of the best and rarest Scotch whiskies from Diageo's extensive estate of single malt and single grain distilleries, including some that are no longer in production.

In 2016 special release there are 10 whiskies - nine single malts and one single grain - and all are bottled at the natural cask strength and all are non chill-filtered.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 16, 2016)

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 - Glen Grant 12 years old, 12 years old Non Chill-Filtered & 18 years old

These three new whiskies are the latest additions to the expanding single malt range of Glen Grant, the often unsung distillery in central Speyside.  The new 12 years old and 18 years old expressions will join the current 10 years old in a revised domestic range, while the 12 years old Non Chill-Filtered will be available exclusively through the travel retail market.  They have all been created by Dennis Malcolm, the legendary Master Distiller at Glen Grant.

Which Whisky Would You Like? Let Me Guess ...

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 12/9/16.

“Taste is the least understood of our senses”
Dr. Adam Moore

Something caught my eye recently – a press release from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society telling me that they could predict the type of whisky I like from my personal characteristics. It seemed an interesting idea and one that potentially makes sense, but can it really be achieved? Do your own personal traits mean that you will like certain flavours over others?

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 9, 2016)

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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 2, 2016)

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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 26, 2016)

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 - Benromach 1974 Vintage

The 1974 Vintage is the latest limited edition old single malt whisky to be released from Benromach, the small independently owned Speyside distillery.  It is the latest in their Vintage series.  The whisky comes from a single ex-sherry butt (Cask #1583) that has yielded just 452 bottles at a cask strength of 49.1% ABV.  The cask is one of the few remaining from before current owners Gordon & MacPhail took control in the 1990s.  The whisky is presented in a hand blown decanter and dark wooden casket, and both are decorated with copper detail.  The 1974 Vintage will cost £1200 each and is available through specialist whisky retailers in selected international markets. 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 19, 2016)

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 - Tobermory 42 years old

This new whisky is one of the oldest ever single malt expressions from the island distillery of Tobermory.  The Tobermory 42 years old will be available exclusively through the travel retail sector around the world and there are just 650 bottles. These come presented in a bespoke 'rotating' box and an exclusive painting of the waterfront of Tobermory, the capital of Mull, by renowned local artist Angus Stewart. Older versions of Tobermory are extremely rare as the distillery was closed for much of the late 1970s, 80s and early 90s.  This bottling reportedly contains some of the first whisky distilled after Tobermory was reopened in 1972 and has been matured ex-sherry casks.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 12, 2016)

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 - Black Bull 40 years old

Black Bull is an award-winning super-premium blended whisky from the independent bottler of Duncan Taylor.  This 40 years old expression, which is bottled in small batches and was first released in 2010, has yielded just 1,500 bottles.  It contains a high single malt content of 84% for a blended whisky and some of the rare single malts included are Aberlour 1975, Glenlivet 1968 and Macallan 1967. The oldest whisky in the blend was distilled in 1966.  The Black Bull brand has been around for over 75 years since it was originally produced in the early 1930s, with Duncan Taylor taking it over in 2001.

Visit - The Speyside Cooperage

The Speyside Cooperage is located on the outskirts of Craigellachie, just off the main road between the village and Dufftown in the heart of Speyside.  It is the largest independent cooperage in the UK and the only one with a visitor centre.  This won a prestigious Icons of Whisky award in 2011 for Visitor Attraction of the Year and includes a gift shop, cafe and small cinema.  Many times we have sped passed and contemplated a visit, but on a recent press trip there were finally a couple of hours free to pop in.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 5, 2016)

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.

Distillery visit - Boann

The Boann distillery is a new venture that is located in the Boyne Valley, close to the town of Drogheda in Ireland, and about 45 minutes drive north of Dublin.  Boann is the first distillery that we have visited that is still being built and yet to begin production. The distillery is housed in a former car showroom that was built in 2004 and is named after the legendary Celtic goddess Boann, who is said to have lived in the valley.

Review - Tomatin 1971

This whisky is the first release of the new luxury Warehouse 6 Collection from Tomatin. The collection will feature a series of rare single casks from the maturing stock with the first being distilled in August 1971 and bottled in May 2016. The 44 years old has been matured in a single ex-Oloroso sherry hogshead cask, which has yielded just 252 bottles. The whisky is presented in a bespoke hand-blown crystal decanter made by Glencairn Crystal and sits in a varnished wooden plinth with gold metal trim alongside two crystal tumblers.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 15, 2016)

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 - Jameson The Whiskey Makers Series

The Whiskey Makers Series is a new range from Jameson, the biggest selling Irish whiskey brand in the world.  The range will be available through domestic retail markets and forms part of a major restructuring for the brand.  This sees the the core range get a design update with the Select Reserve being renamed Black Barrel with the Crested Ten being renamed Crested and getting a worldwide distribution.