Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 27, 2019)

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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (April 13, 2018)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, 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 (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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (March 11, 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 Famous Grouse Mellow Gold

The Famous Grouse blended Scotch whisky brand has a new permanent addition to its core range named Mellow Gold.  The new blend has been created by Gordon Motion, the Master Blender for The Famous Grouse, and features a higher percentage of single malt and ex-sherry cask matured whisky than the regular expression of The Famous Grouse.  The bottling features a new packaging design, which is appearing across the core range, and is available now from supermarkets and independent retailers in the UK.  The Mellow Gold is bottled at 40% ABV and a bottle will cost £22.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 11, 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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 21, 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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 17, 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.

Inbox - July 18, 2014

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 - May 30, 2014

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 - November 22, 2013

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 - October 4, 2013

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 - August 24, 2012

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 that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we 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.  So what has grabbed our attention this week?  Find out below ...

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Ardbeg - Galileo is about to arrive
The award winning Islay distillery has announced the forthcoming release of a new expression.  A new Ardbeg is always one of the most highly anticipated new releases in the 'whisky calendar' and the Galileo (named after the famous astronomer) is no different.  As ever, it is expected to sell out very quickly, with some retailers reporting that their pre-ordered stock has already been allocated to customers.

The whisky used in the Ardbeg Galileo was distilled in 1999 and it was bottled recently at 13 years of age.  The final whisky is a mix of casks, combining first fill ex-bourbon casks with some ex-Marsala casks from Sicily.  It has been bottled at 49% ABV, is non chill-filtered and will retail around the £70 mark.  It should be available from September 1 in the UK, Europe and selected Asian markets.  There will also be plenty of supporting activity for the launch on the Ardbeg website and a special Galileo Facebook page - keep any eye on these for further details.

Benriach - CaskStrength & Carry On 
Our fellow London whisky bloggers and good friends Neil and Joel of CaskStrength have announced their second single malt release.  Their aim is to work through the alphabet and release series of whiskies with one distillery from each letter.  Roughly this time last year, they released a very limited Arran and now they have moved on to Benriach for the second bottling.

They have selected a single cask which was distilled at Benriach in 1996 and was initially filled to an ex-bourbon hogshead.  In 2008 it was transferred to an ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry cask and it has spent the last four year maturing in that.  There are just 296 bottles and it has been bottled at the natural cask strength of 55.2% ABV.  The bottling is being sold via online retailer Master of Malt for a price of £54.95.  Rumour has it that it is selling fast, so if you fancy a bottle then don't hang around - click here to buy.

Famous Grouse - Record breakers
The popular blended whisky has broken the world record for the largest bottle of whisky.   The 228 litre bottle of The Famous Grouse was filled in front of Guinness World Record adjudicator Jack Brockbank and an assembled crowd of VIPs and fans at The Famous Grouse Experience on 12 August.  The Experience is located at the Glenturret distillery in the Highlands and has been celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The record beats that previously held by Jack Daniels of 184 litres.  The Famous Grouse record breaking bottle holds a staggering 9,120 pub measures of whisky and took three hours to fill.  The hand blown bottle (pictured, above) was made by Czech glass manufacturer Bomma and stands an impressive 1.75 metres tall.  The bottle will stay at the distillery and be on permanent display to those visiting The Famous Grouse Experience.

And the winner is ...

Last week, we launched a competition in conjunction with The Famous Grouse Experience.  The prize was a case (that's 6x70cl bottles) of Glenturret 10 years old single malt whisky.  The award winning Famous Grouse Experience is housed at the Glenturret distillery in the Highlands and the competition was part of the Experience's 10th anniversary celebrations which have been going on all Summer.

We decided to get you working for the prize, worth £180, and set the question of 'What is your best whisky related experience in the last 10 years?'.  We received some great answers and the final decision, which was taken between ourselves and a representative of The Famous Grouse Experience, was a difficult one.  However, one answer was the unanimous vote and that belonged to Steve Prentice from Taunton in Somerset.

Congratulations to Steve - we loved his answer, as was similar to our own experience of trying whisky for the first time.  His answer is below,

My wife and I got married a few years back, and decided to go to Scotland for our honeymoon. During the second week, we ventured up to Drumnadrochit/Loch Ness to stay in a cabin with marvellous views out over a forest. At this point I must tell you that I'd only ever drunk whisky out of my dad's drinks cabinet, and hated the stuff... I'm from the South West, strictly cider and ale only country!

Near the end of the holiday we went into the local village looking for a good meal and somewhere warm to relax for the night. We (luckily as it turns out) stumbled upon the Fiddler's Malt Whisky Bar. What an emporium! I was totally out of my depth and in awe of all the old looking bottles around the place, but I didn't have a clue what was what. We sat down and had a beautiful venison meal with some great local ales... but at the end of the meal I noticed various people taking whisky tastings.

With my interest aroused a little I decided that while in Scotland, what better time or place could there be than to try whisky properly. I asked them to go gentle on me and to select three well priced bottles to give me an idea of what I'd been missing. They talked me through trying their selections neat, and then adding a drop or two of water... it was a revelation! I left with a big smile on my face.

We went back the next night and did it all again, except this time I spent far too much money and came out with an even bigger smile on my face. I was already well and truly a 'peat head', although I hadn't quite realised it by then. On the long drive for home we stopped in Pitlochry, and on finding a great whisky shop there ended up taking 3-4 bottles home back to the West Country... and I've never looked back!

We hope that Steve enjoys his prize from Glenturret (especially as he will shortly have six bottles of it!) and when we contacted him he said,

"Thanks to the guys at WFE and the Famous Grouse Experience for such a great competition and prize! I'm chuffed to bits to win and to get to try a single malt that's new to me!"

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to write to us and enter - M&K.

Competition Time - Win a case of Glenturret 10 years old Single Malt Whisky

We are delighted to bring you our latest competition in conjunction with The Famous Grouse Experience, the pioneering whisky visitor centre, which is located at The Glenturret distillery. Glenturret was established in 1775 and is the oldest working distillery in Scotland.  The Experience is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and in the decade since opening it has been visited by almost one million whisky fans.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, a number of special events and competitions have been launched at The Famous Grouse Experience. These include an exclusive scratch card competition which offers visitors to the Experience the chance to win a cask of The Glenturret Single Malt whisky worth £7,000, that will then be laid down for 10 years to mature.  For further details – visit www.thefamousgrouse.com.

Our competition extends the celebrations to those who may not be able to get to The Famous Grouse Experience this year. They are offering one lucky reader of Whisky For Everyone the opportunity to win a case of The Glenturret 10 years old Single Malt Whisky. 

Our question is simple …

What is your best whisky related experience during the last 10 years? 

Your answer could be about a tour you’ve taken around The Famous Grouse Experience or another distillery, the moment that got you interested in whisky, a person in the industry that you may have met or anything relating to your enjoyment of whisky. Your answer should be emailed to us at whiskyforeveryone@gmail.com and the closing date for entries is 9pm BST on Sunday 5 August 2012. 

Good luck and we look forward to reading your replies.

Terms & conditions 

• You must be aged 18 years or above to take part. 
• You must be resident in the UK. 
• Only one entry per email address will be accepted in to the prize draw. 
• The closing date for the survey is 21:00 BST on Sunday 5 August 2012.  Any entries after this time will not be considered. 
• The winners will be drawn and notified shortly after the closing time.  At this point, the winner will be required to give a postal address for delivery of the whisky.  If the winner is not above 18 years of age or not a UK resident, then an alternative winner will be drawn. 
• The decision will be made between Whisky For Everyone and a representative for The Famous Grouse Experience.  The decision is final, once drawn. 
• The winner will receive a case (6x70cl bottles) of Glenturret 10 years old Single Malt Whisky. 
• No cash alternative will be offered as a prize. 
• By entering, you are allowing Whisky For Everyone to publish your winning answer. 
• Any personal information supplied is for the sole purpose of the prize draw.

Inbox - June 15, 2012

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 that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we 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.  Things seem to be warming up in PR-land following the Queen's Diamond Jubilee long weekend here in the UK, and this week includes a couple of bits of news for all of you keen photographers out there ...

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Famous Grouse - Win a cask
The Famous Grouse Experience, which is housed at the Highland distillery of Glenturret, has announced the latest competition to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of visitor centre's opening - a once in a lifetime chance to win a cask of Glenturret whisky worth £7,000.  Visitors taking a tour at the Famous Grouse Experience in Creiff will each be given a scratch card offering various prizes, including one for the grand prize of the winning cask.

The cask will be filled with Glenturret single malt and matured for 10 years  Scratch cards will be given to anyone taking the tour that is both over 18 years of age and a UK resident.  The closing date is 31 December this year.  For further information on the Famous Grouse Experience, the tours and the competition terms and conditions - visit www.thefamousgrouse.com.

Jura - Photo competition No.1

The Jura single malt whisky brand has teamed up with leading camera maufacturer Olympus to launch an online photography competition with the aim to find images from across the world that capture the theme of ‘community spirit’.

Three amateur photographers will win a trip to the island of Jura, which is famed for its small, close-knit community and united by the island they love and the warmth of its people. Each of the three winners and their partners will enjoy a week’s stay in the exclusive Jura Lodge and a VIP tour of the Jura distillery and island. The winners will also receive an Olympus PEN E-PL3 camera (pictured and worth £370) and a photography workshop from photographer David Nightingale.

To enter, applicants must upload a photo via the special page on the Jura website that captures 'community spirit' with a description in 50 words or less. There will be one winner from North America, one from the UK and one from the rest of the world. The competition closes on Friday 3 August.

Macallan - Photo comp No.2
Following the recent launch of the third part in their Masters of Photography series, the famous Speyside whisky brand of Macallan have announced a consumer photo competition.  This year's work is produced by world renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz and the subject of consumers entries is to be portraits conveying 'The Last Word'.  The competition can be entered via the special website www.themastersofphotography.com.

Once submitted, each portrait will be live on the website and can be voted for by viewers.  Last year's competition pulled in 7,000 entries and this year sees the brand embracing social media for the first time with photos being used on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  Each week, the most popular portrait will be 'The Last Word of the Week' and be Macallan's Facebook profile picture for that week.  There are also to be monthly prizes and the overall winner will receive a photographic VIP trip to the Macallan distillery in Speyside.  The closing date is 5pm GMT on 23 October.

Tomatin - New release announced

The Highland distillery of Tomatin have announced a new limited edition whisky. The whisky is released at 15 years of age and will be available shortly in specialist whisky retailers worldwide. The majority of the maturation was in ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred to ex-Tempranillo red wine casks for the final three years. It has been bottled at a strength of 52% ABV and there are just 3,150 bottles in the release. The recommended price is £49.99.

Graham Eunson, the Distillery Manager at Tomatin, explains, "The intensity of the wine casks is gently softened by the use of second fill ex-bourbons to achieve a perfect balance. The combination of flavours and aromas achieved by the use of these differing casks is fantastic. There’s always a sense of anticipation and excitement when you experience a potential new whisky for the first time and in this case, those emotions were well justified.”

Have just tried - Glenturret 10 years old

Glenturret is officially the oldest whisky distillery that is still in operation in Scotland. It was founded on the same site as it stands today in 1775, and was a small farm operation called Hosh Distillery. It is located in the Highland town of Crieff, which lies between Perth and Stirling, and was legalised in 1837 when a man named John Drummond took over. On its 100th anniversary in 1875, the distillery was taken over by Thomas Stewart and he changed the named to Glenturret, which it has remained as ever since.

Glenturret is also one of the smaller distilleries in Scotland, with an annual production capacity of only 350,000 litres. In comparison, most Scottish whisky distilleries have capacities of between one and three million litres. It is currently owned by the Edrington Group, who took control in 1999. Whisky from Glenturret is used predominantly in The Famous Grouse range of blended whiskies, and it is because of this that the distillery is best known.

In 2002 The Famous Grouse Experience was opened at Glenturret, which is marketed as the 'signature malt' of the Famous Grouse, and it has become the most visited distillery in Scotland as a result. Over 100,000 people visit each year and it contains some innovative features, such as a consumer whisky sampling room built in one of the warehouses and an interactive 3D show that allows you to see the world from a ‘grouse eye's view’.

Due to Glenturret’s small production capacity and that its importance in the creation of The Famous Grouse blends, the amount of single malt released under the Glenturret name is miniscule. Only this 10 years old is on regular release, although other ages or single cask expressions do occasionally appear. The Glenturret 10 years old is bottled at 40% ABV and is available from specialist whisky retailers for around £30-35 a bottle.  Glenturret is a distillery that we have never tasted any whisky from, so it's about time that we did ...

Our tasting notes
The colour is a golden yellow and the nose has an interesting initial mix of fresh green fruits (especially apple) and distinct malted barley aromas.  With time, further aromas are detectable as the initial fruit and malt soften and subside - these include honey, vanilla, baking spices (think of nutmeg and cinnamon) and hints of almond and lemon peel.

On the palate, this whisky feels quite creamy, perhaps slightly oily, and grips the inside of your mouth.  There are plenty of the bittersweet cereals notes from the nose to start with and as these begin to fade, other elements start to appear.  These notes include some crumbly brown sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and green apples.  There are also increasing notes of zesty lemon peel and oak, both of which have the effect of balancing the sugary sweetness and giving a drier, spicier and bittersweet edge.

The finish is quite short and follows a similar pattern to the palate - the first element to fade is the malty cereals, then the sugary sweeter notes have their moment before the drying wood spices take over to finish things off.  It is this oaky dryness that leaves its lasting impression on your taste buds.

What's the verdict?
The Glenturret 10 years old is a pleasant and expressive whisky, but may not be to everyone's tastes.  It offers challenges in that it has a distinct bittersweet and drying spicy qualities but we feel that it is all the more interesting for that.  Because of this it has great depth and complexity compared to some of its 10 year old contemporaries.  We now want to try more Glenturret whiskies, but sadly they don't really exist.  Maybe we will have a look through some of the independent bottling companies current releases and unearth something ...

Inbox - April 13, 2012 (Part 2)

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 that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we 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.

This week is a little different, as Inbox is split in to two parts - the first part appeared on Friday.  This is due to Matt and Karen having been away to Australia and returning to a large amount of emails about all manner of whisky related things.  Here is the second part of what they discovered ...

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Balblair - New batch released
The northern Highland distillery of Balblair has won many plaudits for its 1989 Vintage, and it has now released the eagerly awaited third batch of this popular release.  In line with the recent policy change by the brand's owners Inver House Distillers, the Batch 3 is released in the new streamlined packaging, is non chillfiltered and bottled at 46% ABV.

The Balblair 1989 Vintage Batch 3 can be found in specialist whisky retailers now with a recommended retail price of £60.  It is to be available in numerous countries, with key focus on the French, Russian and UK markets. Distillery Manager of Balblair John MacDonald says, “The second release of the 1989 Vintage was many people’s favourite Balblair. I believe this variant – at a higher strength, uncoloured and non-chill-filtered – is even better.”

Ballantine's - Championship Blend
The famous Ballantine's blended whisky brand have announced a new and very limited edition to their range of super-premium whiskies.  The Championship Blend has been created to commemorate the 2012 Ballantine's Championship, which is this year being held at the Blackstone Golf Club in Incheon, Korea between the 26-29 May.

The whisky has been created by the Ballantine's Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, with the help of Lee Westwood who won the tournament in 2011.  They have put together a blend which uses some extremely rare whiskies, the youngest of which is 41 years old.  As a consequence, there are only 10 bottles available and most have already found a home.

Famous Grouse - 10 years on
The pioneering whisky visitor experience that is The Famous Grouse Experience is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.  In the decade since opening, the Experience has been visited by almost one million whisky fans.

It is located at Glenturret, which is currently the oldest distillery in operation in Scotland, and holds a prestigious 5* tourist attraction rating from VisitScotland.  To celebrate the anniversary, a number of special events are planned.  The first of these is a new tour named the Celebration Tour - this is priced at £14.95 per person and includes a tasting of five whiskies from the Famous Grouse family at the end.  For more information, visit their website - click here.

Glenlivet - Rare casks released
The Glenlivet, which is the second biggest selling single malt Scotch whisky in the world, has announced the release of a series of rare expressions in its Single Cask Editions range.  Each bottling is released at its natural cask strength.  Two of the whiskies - the Helios which is a 20 year old and the Josie, named after Josie's Well which is the water source for Glenlivet - are available globally.

Another bottling is the Guardians (pictured, above), which has just 631 bottles and is available exclusively to members of the Glenlivet Guardians club.  This has been matured in a second-fill ex-sherry cask and was hand selected by a group of Guardians at an event in London late last year (- Karen was there!).  Others include the Inveravon, which is exclusive to Taiwan, and the Kilimanjaro and Legacy, both exclusive to Germany.

Laphroaig - New travel retail bottling
The biggest selling smoky single malt whisky in the world has announced a new addition to its travel retail range.  The Laphroaig PX Cask replaces the Triple Wood in this sector and is the first Laphroaig whisky to be part-matured in ex-Pedro Ximinez sherry casks.  It has also been matured in ex-bourbon casks and quarter casks. The new whisky will be listed globally in travel retail stores and is available from mod-April.  It has a recommended retail price of £55/€65.

Royal Salute - Diamond Jubilee Edition
A special limited edition of the premium Royal Salute blended whisky is being released for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  The blend, which is produced by Chivas Brothers and first appeared in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's coronation, appears in a Royal blue glazed porcelain flagon.  This is accompanied by a hand made display box. It will be available in 20 markets around the world and has a recommended retail price of £105/$165.

Neil Macdonald, the Global Brand Director for Royal Salute, says “Royal Salute was originally created to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. We are delighted that this Royal Salute Limited Edition will celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, as it is only the second time in history that this milestone has been achieved by a British monarch.”

Inbox - April 13, 2012 (Part 1)

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 that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we 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.

This week is a little different, as Inbox is split in to two parts - the second part will appear over the weekend.  This is due to Matt and Karen having been away to Australia and returning to a large amount of emails about all manner of whisky related things.  Here is the first part of what they discovered ...

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AnCnoc - Something is coming soon ...
One of the more surreal emails that we received was from the guys at AnCnoc. The up-and-coming whisky brand, which is made at the Highland distillery of Knockdhu, has released a short video alluding to a new project which is just around the corner.  It is meant to whet your appetite and we will let you know as soon as we know what it is all about.  For now, the video is below ... any guesses, please leave a comment below.

Bell's - Jubilee Decanter announced
Within this two part edition of Inbox, you will read about a number of whiskies being released to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June. These represent just a few of the plethora of such releases associated with the event.  The Bell's brand has a strong tradition of releasing such limited edition decanters for Royal occasions, as well as  for each Christmas.

The Diamond Jubilee Decanter has been specially designed and shows a change in style and colour from previous decanter releases.  This edition of Bell's has a heavy bias towards the single malts from Blair Athol and Caol Ila in the blend. It is available exclusively to the UK market and will retail for 85.  Numerous specialist whisky retailers in the UK are currently taking pre-orders.

Chivas - Cannes Film Festival
About this time last year, we reported on the third year of sponsorship of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival by the Chivas Regal whisky brand.

To celebrate the continued association, the brand has announced an extension to the sponsorship until at least 2014.  This will also see Chivas Regal continue to support the FilmAid International charity.  The brand will host various events in the French town during the Festival, which runs from 16-27 May. James Slack, Global Brand Director for Chivas Regal says, “We are delighted to continue our support as official partner of the Cannes Film Festival. Like Cannes, Chivas Regal is synonymous with discerning style, luxury and legend, which makes this partnership a perfect one".

Famous Grouse - Jubilee special
The biggest selling blended whisky in the UK is launching a limited edition commemorative version in order to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Famous Jubilee is a new take on the classic Famous Grouse blend that has been specially constructed by the Master Blender of the Edrington Group (the brand's owners), Gordon Motion. It will be available in the UK only, exclusively to the Waitrose supermarket chain, and will cost £24.99.

The brand is also issuing a revised Jubilee package box for the regular Famous Grouse, which will be available in the supermarket chain of Sainsbury's for the Jubilee period.

Speyburn - New packaging and club
The Speyside distillery of Speyburn have announced a new set of packaging for their single malt range.  The brand, which is owned by Inver House Distillers, has gone for a fresher and more contemporary look with the new packaging, which includes a new bottle, label and tube.  This will initially be applied to the two most popular malts in the range - the Brandan Orach and the 10 years old (pictured, left) - with the aim to increase brand exposure in retail outlets.

The brand has also just opened a new members area, called Clan Speyburn, on its newly refurbished website.  When you sign up you will receive a welcome pack, receive a regular newsletter and be able to enjoy special offers which include limited edition bottlings just for club members.  To sign up - click here.

Tullamore Dew - New distillery
William Grant & Sons, the owners of the Tullamore Dew whiskey brand, have announced plans to construct and open a new distillery in the brand's spiritual hometown of Tullamore, County Offaly. Tullamore Dew is currently the second biggest selling Irish whiskey brand behind Jameson, and the new pot still facility is to help maintain the current level of growth and demand for the product, which is growing by 15% per annum.

The new distillery will bring whiskey production back to the town for the first time since 1954, when the original Tullamore distillery closed.  William Grant is investing €35 million in the project and will created 100 temporary and 25 permanent jobs in the town.  The building work is estimated to take two years and the facility will incorporate an environmentally efficient pot still distillery and a visitor centre.

Whisky Round Table - April 2012
The latest sitting of the newly re-vamped Whisky Round Table is now available for you to read.  The April edition is hosted by one of the original members of the group - Gal Granov of the excellent and informative Whisky Israel blog.

Gal set an interesting question about whether the procedure of maturing casks in two or more locations actually benefited the whisky or whether it was simplay a PR stunt.  Read the answers of the twelve Whisky Knights, including us, by clicking here.

New Release - The Famous Goose

Watch the birdie

I was listening to a radio programme on Britain's disappearing bird species, some of which were very common when I was growing up, and now all but vanished. Was it due to loss of habitat, climate change, migratory bird populations competing for the same food source...? Various twitchers chirped away amongst themselves, and then all of a sudden...kerrr plunk! A large brown package fell heavily on the doormat, and a couple of minutes later The Famous Goose broke free from the wrapping's shell, and fought for my attention.