Allotment Drams / Redbreast 10 years old & Ardbeg 25 years old

We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram video review series for you, both looking at new releases. First, Matt talks about the limited edition Redbreast 10 years old, a single pot still Irish whiskey matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks and released exclusively for members of The Birdhouse - a private club for fans of Redbreast. Watch to discover his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit to our north London plot, Matt samples the rare Ardbeg 25 years old which was released a couple of months ago. This first batch has already sold out but more bottles are scheduled to follow. Watch to find out what makes this Islay single malt so rare and more background behind it, then hear his thoughts and tasting notes.

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Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (March 26, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 

Review / Magic Cask

The Magic Cask is from the artisan whisky blending company of Compass Box and was the final limited edition bottling that helped to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2020. It joined the Hedonism Felicitas, Rogues’ Banquet and Peat Monster Arcana special editions. The Magic Cask is a blended malt made using only Speyside single malts, including some that was distilled from the long-closed Imperial distillery near Aberlour. However, the Magic Cask is so named due to the inclusion of one very special cask (Cask #2) - a first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry butt that was filled by Compass Box with one year old Speyside spirit in 2016 as part of a controlled experiment. 

Review / Ardbeg 25 years old

This new whisky represents the oldest expression to enter the core range of Ardbeg to date. The single malt is particularly special given that the cult Islay distillery was out of production for large parts of the 1980s and 1990s when this was distilled. During that time, Ardbeg was only operated for short periods each year and often by staff from other distilleries on the famous whisky island. Therefore, the liquid is extremely rare and will be released in small batches. The Ardbeg 25 years old has been created by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Whisky Director for Ardbeg, using a tiny selection of casks that were filled in the mid-1990s.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (March 19, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 

Review / Fettercairn Warehouse 2 (Batch 001)

This whisky launches a new series of limited editions from the east Highland distillery of Fettercairn. The Warehouse Collection is designed to showcase some of the hidden gems maturing within Fettercairn's 14 dunnage warehouses. It kicks off with this bottling - the Warehouse 2 Batch 001. The new whisky features single malts distilled in 2010 and these have been matured in Warehouse 2 at the distillery in five different casks types made of American oak or European oak. These include virgin unseasoned casks, ex-sherry butts and barrels, ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Port pipes. These have then been married together by Gregg Glass, Whisky Maker for Fettercairn.

Review / Redbreast 10 years old

This whiskey is a limited edition one-off bottling by the Irish single pot still brand of Redbreast. It has been released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Irish Distillers resurrecting Redbreast back in 1991. The Redbreast 10 years old features three different pot still whiskeys distilled at the Midleton distillery in Co.Cork and they have been matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks for between 10 and 15 years. It has been created by Billy Leighton, the Master Blender for Redbreast, and Blender Dave McCabe. The packaging features a retro design that draws inspiration from when the 10 years old was last on the market in the 1950s and 60s.

Review / Mackmyra Björksav

This whisky is the latest single malt in the Seasonal Range, which appears each Spring and Autumn, from the pioneering Swedish distillery. The Mackmyra Björksav has seen the brand collaborate with the Swedish artisan winery of Grythyttan Vin and use ex-birch sap wine casks for part of the maturation. Björksav translates as 'birch sap' in Swedish. The sap can only be collected from the trees once a year as the sap rises each Spring. Other casks used include ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry, Swedish oak and even a dash of ex-raspberry wine barrel. Björksav has been created by Angela D'Orazio, the Master Blender at Mackmyra.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (March 12, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 

Review / Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg (Committee Release)

 

This whisky is a limited edition single malt from the cult Islay distillery of Ardbeg that celebrates the 13-year tenure of departed Distillery Manager Mickey Heads. Arrrrrrrdbeg has been matured entirely in ex-rye whiskey casks, which were sourced from the American whiskey industry by Dr. Bill Lumsden - the Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg. It is the first ever Ardbeg to have undergone such maturation. The bottle features an illustration depicting Mickey Heads as a pirate, which was created by renowned graphic artist Butcher Billy. The whisky has been released at its natural cask strength of 51.8% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour.

Allotment Drams / Aberlour 14 years old Double Cask Matured & Mackmyra Björksav

 

We have two more episodes of our Allotment Dram series for you that we have recorded over the last week, both on exceptional early Spring days and both looking at new whiskies. First, Matt talks about the second batch release of the Aberlour 14 years old Double Cask Matured and explains a bit about the history of the famous Speyside distillery, before opening the bottle and giving his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then he is back on an equally warm and lovely afternoon to talk about the Mackmyra Björksav, the latest single malt in the Swedish distillery's twice-yearly Seasonal Collection. The whisky has been part-matured in birch sap (björksav) wine casks amongst other cask types and turns out to be a perfect accompaniment. Watch to find out his thoughts and tasting notes, plus the details behind the release.

To keep up-to-date or to watch other Allotment Dram episodes, please subscribe to our YouTube channel - click here.

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Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (March 5, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 

Review / Aberlour 14 years old Double Cask Matured

This is a new whisky that is the latest to enter the core range of single malts of the popular Speyside distillery of Aberlour. The Aberlour 14 years old Double Cask Matured has undergone a double maturation process (as the name suggests, haha) with a minimum age of 14 years. First the whisky has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky, USA and then in ex-Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez, Spain. This process was overseen by Graeme Cruickshank, the Master Distiller at Aberlour, and his cask selection team. The whisky will be a constant bottling in the core range but created and released in small batches. Our bottle is from Batch 0002.

Review / Benriach Smoke Season

This whisky is a limited edition single malt that celebrates the 50-year heritage of producing peated spirit at the innovative Speyside distillery of Benriach. The Benriach Smoke Season is a small batch release designed to showcase the spirit that uses malt peated using Highland peat, which has been distilled for a short period each year since the early 1970s and remains a rare practice for a Speyside distillery. It has been created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach, and features peated spirit matured in toasted virgin American oak casks and first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. It is said to be the most intensely peated Benriach ever released. 

Allotment Drams / Starward Left-Field & Midleton Very Rare 2021 Vintage

We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram series of video reviews for you. The weather has warmed up and Matt is back at the plot with a new offering from the Australian whisky brand of Starward - the Starward Left-Field. This is an Australian single malt that has been matured in three different types of Australian red wine barrels sourced from the Barossa and Yarra Valley wine regions. Watch as he talks about this European exclusive.

Then on his next visit, he looks at another brand new whiskey. This time it is from Ireland and comes in the form of the 2021 edition of the legendary Midleton Very Rare. This is the first to be released under a new Master Blender, so watch to find out more about this super premium Irish whiskey and then discover his thoughts and tasting notes.

To keep up-to-date with our latest videos and to watch previous episodes of the Allotment Dram, please visit our YouTube channel here.

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