The Alinta is the latest addition to the core range of the Lowland distillery of Bladnoch. It is the first known smoky expression in the distillery's history. The spirit was distilled from peated malt that is produced for just a short period each year and accounts for under 10% of all spirit made there. Alinta has been matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and first-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez casks. The casks were hand selected and married together by Dr. Nick Savage, the Master Distiller at Bladnoch. The word 'alinta' translates as 'fire' or 'smoke' from indigenous languages found in southeast Australia and references the heritage of David Prior, Bladnoch's Australian owner.
The Speyside distillery of Craigellachie has revealed a new range of single malts and the first whisky in that range. This Craigellachie 13 years old Armagnac Cask Finish bottling kicks off the Craigellachie Cask Collection. The series is designed to show off the distillery's heavy style of single malt, which is created through the use of traditional worm tub condensers. The concept will see whisky finished in barrels from other spirit producing regions that use similar traditional methods. Initial maturation was in re-fill and re-charred American oak ex-bourbon barrels. The whisky was then transferred to French oak Bas-Armagnac brandy casks sourced from a distillery in the Gascony region of France.
The Wiseman is a premium American bourbon from the brand of Kentucky Owl. The expression has just been released in the UK for the first time, following its launch in America last Autumn. The whiskey has been created by John Rhea, the Master Blender of Kentucky Owl. Rhea is a 40-year veteran of the bourbon industry with just over four decades of service at the Four Roses distillery. The Wiseman is a blend of four Kentucky-sourced bourbons - two four year olds (one with a high wheat content and one with high rye), a 5.5 year old and an 8.5 year old. The Wiseman forms part of a larger range in the USA. This range is scheduled to be introduced to the UK market in due course. Plans for the Kentucky Owl distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky are also being drawn up.
This whiskey is the first in a new series created by Jameson, the world's biggest selling Irish whiskey brand. The Jameson Anthology series will see new whiskeys put down one of two tracks - Remastered will be old classic expressions reinvented, while Remixed will have a more innovative and experimental edge. The first bottling sits within Remastered - the Jameson 15 years old Single Pot Still. This was an expression that last appeared in Jameson's range in 2000. The whiskey is constructed of three different pot still styles, all made at Midleton distillery in Co. Cork, that have been matured for between 15 and 17 years in either first-fill ex-bourbon barrels or first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry butts.
