We have a couple more episodes from our Allotment Dram video review series for you. In both we take a look at a new product that has recently been released on to the market. First watch as Matt talks about the Jameson Black Barrel Proof, a high strength version of the popular Black Barrel from the leading Irish whiskey brand.
Then on his next visit Matt pops the cork on Caisteal Chamus, a heavily peated blended malt that uses only single malts from Hebridean island distilleries. Watch both episodes to discover more about the bottlings and to hear his thoughts and tasting notes.
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This whisky is a new seasonal limited edition single malt from the north Highland distillery of Glenmorangie. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter is inspired by the cosy quality of a thick winter jumper and was created by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie. It follows last year's A Tale of Cake in the series. The whisky was initially matured in ex-bourbon casks before finishing for a period of time in ex-Marsala wine casks sourced by Lumsden from Sicily. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter is bottled at 13 years of age and 46% ABV. It is also non chill-filtered and will be available globally via selected specialist whisky retailers. A bottle will cost £75/ $105 US.
This whiskey is a limited edition higher strength version of the popular Black Barrel expression from Jameson. The Jameson Black Barrel Proof is bottled at 50% ABV (100 Proof in old money) and has been created to show extra depth and richness. The whiskey is a combination of triple distilled pot still and grain whiskeys, and these have been matured in three types of cask - American oak, ex-sherry and double-charred ex-bourbon barrels. It is also non chill-filtered. The Jameson Black Barrel Proof will only be available in selected retailers in Ireland, including at Dublin airport, and will cost €60 a bottle. However, the exact number of bottles in the limited release has not been revealed.
We have two more recent episodes of our Allotment Dram series for you. This series sees us talk about different whiskies in the surroundings of our north London allotment. First, Matt takes a look at the new Method and Madness Rye & Malt, the latest innovative whiskey from the Irish Distillers micro distillery. Find out more about the limited release and the micro distillery, before hearing his thoughts and tasting notes on the whiskey.
Then on his next visit he reviews the first release from Ailsa Bay. This peated Lowlander caused excitement at the time as it was almost the total opposite of what a classic Lowland Scotch whisky normally was. Watch to learn more and then discover Matt's tasting notes.
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We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram whisky review series for you. Both whiskies have been recently released. Firstly, Matt is at the plot and takes a look at the Aber Falls 2021 Bottling, the first of an expected annual series from the Welsh single malt distillery. Watch to discover more about the distillery and the whisky, before finding out Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.
Then on his next visit Matt opens and samples a small bottle of the new Redbreast Pedro Ximenez Edition, the latest product from the popular Irish single pot still brand. Again learn more about the release as well as his tasting notes and thoughts.
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This new whisky is the fifth release of rye spirit produced at The Oxford Artisan Distilley (or TOAD for short) - the English distillery that has celebrated its fourth anniversary this year. The spirit was made using heritage varieties of grain that were harvested in Autumn 2017 from fields just seven miles from the distillery. The composition of the mash was 90% maslin (a blend of 70% rye and 20% wheat that were grown in the same field) and 10% malted barley.
The whisky has undergone a journey through three different cask types. It began in two American oak ex-bourbon barrels, which were then combined into one ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry butt. This was then finally split between two vintage Port barriques for its final maturation. The Red Red Rye follows the first four batches that have been released over the last year or so.
This whisky is the latest addition to the Cask Collection series from Cotswolds, the award-winning English distillery. The Cotswolds Bourbon Cask has been created using 100% Cotswolds barley with the spirit then undergoing full maturation in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels made from American white oak. It joins the Founder's Choice, Peated Cask and Sherry Cask in the collection. The Cotswolds Bourbon Cask is bottled at 59.1% ABV and both is non chill-filtered and of natural colour. It is exclusively available via www.cotswoldsdistillery.com and their three retail shops. These are located at the distillery in Stourton and in the towns of Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water. The price is £64.95.
This whisky is the fourth bottling in the Blue Label Ghost & Rare series from Johnnie Walker. The best selling Scotch whisky brand created the limited edition series to highlight old and rare whiskies from closed distilleries. This new release focuses on the 'ghost' Speyside distillery of Pittyvaich, which only operated from 1974 to 1993 and was located in Dufftown. The whisky's creator is Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and features two other 'ghost' closed distilleries of Carsebridge and Port Dundas. Other rare whiskies included come from the Highland and Speyside distilleries of Auchroisk, Cragganmore, Mannochmore, Royal Lochnagar and Strathmill.
This whisky is the latest addition to the Speyside distillery of Glen Moray's limited edition Warehouse 1 Collection. The series is designed to show some of the experiments and hidden gems maturing in the Elgin distillery's premium warehouse. The new whisky is the oldest in the collection to date and follows Tokaji and Sauternes wine expressions. It was distilled and filled to ex-bourbon casks in 1998, before being finished for 18 months in ex-Barolo wine barrels sourced from the Piedmont region of Italy. There are just 863 bottles available and they will be exclusive to the UK market including specialist whisky retailers and the distillery shop.
This whisky is the new core product from the north Welsh distillery of Aber Falls. The Aber Falls 2021 Bottling is just the distillery's second ever single malt expression and follows the Inaugural Release from earlier this year. The three year old single malt features whiskies matured in ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry, plus virgin oak casks. These have then been married together by Dr. Kirstie McCallum, the Master Blender for Aber Falls. It is bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in the UK via Tesco supermarkets (Wales only), online retailer Master of Malt and from the distillery website www.aberfallsdistillery.com. A bottle will cost £26.
Welcome to our new video series - Matt's Chats. In these short episodes Matt will chat with figures from the whisky industry that will help to bring their roles and brands to life. The first two videos are now live and saw Matt talking with Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie, and Ewan Gunn, the Scotch Whisky Global Brand Ambassador for Diageo. Watch as Dr. Bill discusses about Glenmorangie and the new experimental Lighthouse distillery, and Ewan chats about the 2021 set of Diageo Special Releases. We hope you enjoy and like the format.
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This year is one of the smaller recent collections and sees just eight bottlings. The eight have been put together to show the stories of whisky from different environments and terrains across Scotland. This incorporates a set of mythical creatures that reside in the sea, lochs and mountains and can be seen on the packaging. The 2021 collection is subtitled Legends Untold as a result. The striking artwork has been created by illustrator Ken Taylor.
We have two more recent episodes from our Allotment Dram review series for you. Both are exciting and brand new releases. Firstly Matt discusses the Glenmorangie Lighthouse 12 years old, a distillery exclusive that he recently picked up when visiting. It has been created to celebrate the opening of the new experimental Lighthouse distillery that has been built next to Glenmorangie up in the north Highlands. Watch to find out more about the innovative project and the whisky, before Matt pops the cork and gives his thoughts and tasting notes.
Then on a very warm late September afternoon, Matt returns to the allotment and takes a look at the new Irish single pot still whiskey of Redbreast Pedro Ximenez Edition. Watch to discover more about the whiskey and the new range that it is joining, plus his thoughts and tasting notes.
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The Allt Gleann is just the second ever single malt release from Torabhaig (pronounced tora-vaig), the newest distillery on the isle of Skye. This follows the inaugural Legacy Series 2017 bottling that was released earlier this year in February and sold out immediately. Allt Gleann, meaning 'old glen' in Gaelic, is the second of four planned releases for 2021 and 2022 in The Legacy Series. The new whisky has been created from just 30 first-fill and re-fill ex-bourbon barrels that were distilled and filled in 2017. It is bottled at 46% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. Torabhaig Allt Gleann is available from the distillery shop and via selected specialist whisky retailers. A bottle will cost £50.
Glenkinchie is now the official Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky of which its single malt is an important component. The distillery is one of four dotted around Scotland that each play a similarly influential role within the famous blended range. The other three official regional homes of Johnnie Walker that form Diageo's Four Corners of Scotland are Caol Ila on Islay, Cardhu in Speyside and Clynelish in the Highlands. Each has been renovated to tell each distillery's individual story within the wider Johnnie Walker tale.
These three new whiskies form part of the 2021 range of single malts from the Highland distillery of Glenturret, which is the oldest currently operating in Scotland. The range follows 2020's Maiden Release series and features the same six expressions - the no age statement Triple Wood, 10 years old Peat Smoked and then age statements at 12, 15, 25 and 30 years old. However, each whisky is different to its 2020 version. They have been created by Bob Dalgarno, the Whisky Maker for Glenturret.
This new whisky is the third bottling in the French Red Wine Cask Collection from the Highland distillery of Aberfeldy. The series kicked off in 2019 with the 15 years old Pomerol Finish and was followed in 2020 by the 18 years old Pauillac Finish. This third release has been finished in Côte Rôtie wine barrels sourced by Stephanie Macleod, the Malt Master for Aberfeldy, from the famous Rhône Valley in France. The Côte Rôtie appelation is located in the northern Rhône and covers around 500 hectares. There are 60 vineyards with most growing the Syrah and Viognier grape varieties. The wines are known for their elegance and finesse with fruity and floral characteristics.
There are two more Allotment Drams, the series of short videos where we sit and review whiskies at our north London allotment, for you. And they are two slightly different ones too. Firstly, Matt takes a look at a new Mexican whisky called Abasolo, which is made from 100% Mexican heritage corn varieties and uses ancient techniques during the whisky making process. Watch to discover more about the groundbreaking distillery where it is produced and then Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.
Then he is back on a hot September afternoon and is back in Ireland for his next choice - The Whistler Marsala Cask from their small batch single grain range of whiskeys. Find out more about the brand and the Boann distillery that it is associated with and then discover Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.
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We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram series. Within this we record whisky reviews in the surroundings of our north London allotment. For these two new episodes we have gone Australian and Irish. First, watch as Matt talks about the Starward Two-Fold - a whisky made from berley and wheat at the Melbourne-based distillery. Discover some background behind the distillery and bottling before finding our his thoughts and tasting notes.
Then on his next visit he takes a look at the Power's John's Lane 12 years old, a classic single pot still whiskey from the famous old Irish brand. Learn a bit about the history of Power's and its old distillery in John's Lane, Dublin. Then he pours a dram, so discover his thoughts and tasting notes.
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This whisky is a very special new limited edition from the innovative Speyside distillery of Benriach. The Benriach Malting Season is the first in over a century that uses barley malted exclusively at the distillery using the traditional floor maltings that were restored in 2012. This First Edition has seen the spirit produced from the floor malted barley then matured in ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks. There are 23 casks in total and they were married together by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach, to create the final product. This inaugural release used a variety of barley called concerto. Benriach is one of only two distilleries in Speyside to have an operational floor malting. Balvenie is the other.
This whisky is the second release in the annual Warehouse 2 limited edition single malt series from the east Highland distillery of Fettercairn. The small batch series is designed to showcase the variety of cask types maturing in Warehouse 2 - a traditional dunnage warehouse at the distillery where some of their finest whiskies are stored. Batch 002 follows last year's inaugural bottling and also released as no age statement. It is a combination of differing ages that have been matured in first-fill ex-rye whiskey barrels and first-fill ex-bourbon casks, both sourced from America. These casks have yielded just 6,000 bottles. The whisky is also non chill-filtered.
This new whisky is the third release of the rye spirit produced at The Oxford Artisan Distilley (or TOAD for short). The English distillery has bottled this to celebrate its fourth anniversary. The spirit was made using heritage varieties of grain that were harvested in Autumn 2017. The composition of the mash was 90% maslin (a blend of 70% rye and 20% wheat that were grown in the same field) and 10% malted barley. The spirit was then matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels for 17 months, before being transferred to ex-Moscatel wine barrels sourced from Portugal. The Oxford Rye Batch #3 follows the first two batches that were released earlier this year in April and July respectively.
Matt is back at the allotment and has two more whiskies to review. First, he takes a look at Batch #4 of the Bimber Oloroso Cask and talks about the London-based distillery and its phenomenal early success. Then discover his thoughts and tasting notes on this limited edition single malt.
Then on his next visit to the plot, he heads back to Scotland and the small Speyside single malt brand of Spey. This is distilled at the Speyside distillery near Kingussie and is beginning to gain some decent awards. Watch as Matt gives a few details about the distillery and the Chairman's Choice bottling, before going on to give his thoughts and tasting notes.
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It is unbelievable to think that our lockdown side project has reached its 100th episode. Watch as Matt talks about the idea behind the Allotment Dram and then takes a look back over the previous 99 episodes. And he has selected a suitably decadent whisky to sip and savour as he does ...
We would like to thank everyone that has watched, liked and commented on our Allotment Dram videos over the last 16 months and look forward to the next 100 episodes.
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We have two more Allotment Dram episodes for you. This is where we sit and talk about different whiskies in the the surroundings of our north London allotment. First watch as Matt takes a look at the single ex-Port cask Kavalan Solist and talks about the Taiwanese distillery. Then discover his thoughts and tasting notes as he pops open the bottle.
On his next visit Matt goes Irish in the form of the Jameson Crested, a slightly under the radar member of the famous brand's core range. Find out a bit about this Irish whiskey and what makes it different from the regular Jameson expression. Watch further to then hear his thoughts and tasting notes.
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The coastal distillery of Glenglassaugh in the east Highlands has announced the released of an extremely old and rare single malt - the Glenglassaugh 50 years old. The whisky comes from a single ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry cask that has been maturing in a warehouse at the distillery for half a century. The cask was hand selected by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender at Glenglassaugh.
