Showing posts with label monkey shoulder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monkey shoulder. Show all posts
Friday, August 4, 2017
Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 4, 2017)
Friday, March 8, 2013
Inbox - March 8, 2013
Friday, November 30, 2012
Inbox - November 30, 2012
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.
As with the previous weeks, this last week has proved super-hectic for all four of us as we have hit Christmas trading in our day jobs. It has proved difficult to get any blogging done as a result. Please bear with us over the coming weeks - posts will appear, but less frequently and when we have any spare time. Here is what has caught our attention this week ...
Friday, August 3, 2012
Inbox - August 3, 2012
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. Here is what has grabbed our attention this week ...
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The Bowmore distillery - the oldest on Islay - has announced the release of two new whiskies in its limited edition series of vintages. The two were distilled in 1964 and 1985, and both have been hand selected by Bowmore's Distillery Manager Eddie MacAffer. Both expressions follow in the footsteps of similar award winning releases and are available globally from specialist whisky retailers.
The 1964 (pictured, above) has been matured for nearly half a century in a combination of predominantly ex-bourbon American oak casks and finished in an ex-Fino sherry cask. This stunning whisky is released at the natural cask strength of 42.9% ABV and is limited to just 72 bottles. The recommended retail price is £8,000. The bottle is a specially designed creation by renowned Scottish glass artists Brodie Nairn and Nichola Burns, each of which has been hand blown. The finishing touches, including habd engraving and a bespoke silver neck collar and stopper, have been applied by leading Edinburgh jewellers Hamilton & Inches.
The 1985 has been created from a combination of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. This has also been released at the natural cask strength of 52.3% ABV and is limited to 727 bottles, each of which has a recommended retail price of £300. This release is presented in the regular Bowmore bottle but with an accompanying wooden casket which includes features such as a leather strap with a copper buckle and a certificate signed by Eddie MacAffer.
The north Highland distillery of Dalmore released its premium Constellation Collection - a series of 21single cask whiskies spanning four decades - to much fanfare earlier in the year. Now the first full set, carrying a price tag of £158,000, has been sold to a USA based whisky investor.
Atlanta based property entrepreneur Mahesh Patel (pictured with his set, above) has purchased set number 13, as it is his lucky number. Patel has an extensive private whisky collection totalling over 3,000 bottles and rumoured to carry a value of $2 million USD. The set was purchased through The Whisky Shop, the UK's largest whisky retail chain and current exclusive retailer for The Constellation Collection.
Mahesh Patel comments, “The Dalmore is up there with the best when it comes to quality, rarity and investment – and of course taste. I’m a big fan and The Constellation will have pride of place in my collection.” Andrew Torrance, Managing Director for The Whisky Shop adds, “The creation and sale of this prestigious collection shows that whisky goes from strength to strength. We have seen sales increase in the last year, and premium bottlings like this have grown in our stores.”
The award winning Highland Park is set to make its fans a permanent part of its distillery on the isle of Orkney through the creation of a new, innovative piece of artwork. The Highland Park ‘mosaic’ is a collection of faces crafted into an image capturing a striking views of the island. Highland Park is giving its Inner Circle members, the free to join members club of Highland Park, a unique chance to be immortalised on the walls of the distillery itself.
All that members have to do is upload a picture of themselves to the mosaic and in return they will become part of the distillery's rich history, by joining our living artwork. Photographs can be submitted in three ways - by downloading the Highland Park App from iTunes; on their Facebook page or via www.highlandpark.co.uk (you can also sign up as a member of the Inner Circle on this website).
Daryl Haldane, the Global Brand Advocate for Highland Park, says, “When this unique 'family portrait' is completed, it will adorn one of the walls in the distillery, meaning that no matter how far away you happen to live from our beloved home, you can always say that you've left a lasting impression.”
The innovative Monkey Shoulder whisky brand have announced a series of one-off UK events for the late Summer/early Autumn. The events will be held under the banner of For One Night Only and will involve transforming anumber of disused and derelict urban spaces around London. Each event, which will be held once a week (mostly on Fridays) for three months, will be themed around classic cocktails for which Monkey Shoulder is being used as the star ingredient.
Each unique For One Night Only event will be part art installation, part bar and part adventure playground for whisky fans. The events will run throughout September, October and November, providing topical serves to celebrate everything from London Fashion Week to Halloween and Bonfire Night. The experience will take place every Friday night in two sessions - the first is from 6pm to 8pm with the second from 9pm to 11pm. Tickets cost £20 per person. To buy tickets and for further information about the theme of each night, then please pay a visit to - www.monkeyshoulder.com/foronenightonly.
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The headline says it all - we are currently running a competition in conjunction with The Famous Grouse Experience, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The Experience, which is based at the Glenturret distillery in the Highlands, are offering a case (6x70cl bottles) of their signature single malt whisky - the Glenturret 10 years old.
We have set a simple question so for further details about how to enter, the terms & conditions and more information - click here to read our original post. The closing time and date is 9pm BST on Sunday 5 August, so you don't have long to get your answer to us. Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you ...
Friday, March 23, 2012
Inbox - March 23, 2012
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.
The Irish whiskey brand was in the spotlight during the recent St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The Chief Executive Officer of Beam Global, who have recently purchased the independent Irish distillery of Cooley, met up with the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny.
During the meeting, at a pre-St.Patrick's Day event in Chicago, Matt Shattock (pictured, above right) spoke with Kenny about the upturn in fortunes for Irish whiskey and the take over of Cooley. To celebrate the fact that Irish whiskey is the fastest growing sprits category in the USA, Shattock presented Kenny with a bottle of their Kilbeggan whiskey.
It is always good to hear about the development of a new distillery, so the news about Kingsbarns is no different. It will be located in Fife in Scotland. The plan is to convert the old farm buildings of East Newhall Farm (pictured) so as to produce single malt whisky, gin, fruit liqueurs and schnapps.
The proposed distillery is the idea of Doug Clement, who has experience working in the craft distilleries of Tasmania. The idea is to bring a craft single malt whisky back to Fife and tap in to the massive amount of tourists who visit nearby St. Andrew's each year. Some funding is in place, but in order to help raise the £1.85 million Doug is giving everyone the opportunity to invest. This is via the online crowd-funding platform CrowdCube.
For further information on the Kingsbarns distillery, please visit www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com. If you are interested in investing in the project or just want to keep track of how the fund raising is going, please click the following link - click here.
The innovative guys behind the Monkey Shoulder whisky brand have created a fun, interactive experience for London fans over the forthcoming Easter weekend. The Monkey Shoulder Chocolate Trail is a subversive take on the traditional Easter egg hunt, but they say 'think less bunnies, more whisky'. Sounds plenty of fun!
The idea is that if you find an Easter egg in the specially created outdoor space, then you can trade it in for bespoke Monkey Shoulder cocktails or handmade chocolates. Again, sounds fun! The cocktails are being created by the team at The London Cocktail Club and the chocolates by renowned chocolatier Niko B.
The event will take place from Good Friday 6 April until Easter Monday 9 April and is open to the public between midday and 7pm. Entry is free. The venue is at 63 Broadwick Street in the heart of London and has been designed by renowned artists and designers such as Bobby Peterson and Anna Garforth.
The latest cocktails in Suntory's Japanese seasons series have been created - the Hakushu Semei (pictured, left) and the Hibiki Kokuu. The traditional Japanese calendar has 24 seasons and the Semei and Kokuu are the two for April. The 24 Seasons Cocktail Menu has been created by brand ambassador Zoran Peric, using Suntory's range of award-winning Japanese whiskies.
The Hakushu Semei is made using 50ml of Hakushu 12 year old, 12.5ml of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, 1ml of Absinthe and lemon zest - Coat an ice cube with absinthe and stir 10 times in a mixing glass. Add the rest of the ingredients then stir 30 times. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with grapefruit zest. The Hibiki Kokuu is a simple mix of 40ml of Hibiki 17 years old blended whisky and 25ml of Prucia golden plum liqueur - Stir the ingredients with ice for about 2 minutes and serve over an ice ball in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with orange zest.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Inbox - October 8, 2010
Inbox is a weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox has been born! It will feature items from around the world of whisky and will be published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a couple of lines about each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. So grab a dram and we hope that you enjoy ...______________________________________________________________
Bruichladdich – Organic whisky released
The self proclaimed 'Progressive Hebridean Distillers' have announced a full scale release of an organic single malt. This follows on from a limited edition organic release last year. This new version will retail at £35.99, has an alcohol strength of 46% ABV, contains organic barley from three different Scottish farms and is certified as 'organic' by the Biodynamic Agricultural Association. Bruichladdich's Managing Director Mark Reynier describes it as "one of a kind". For more details and to buy, go to www.bruichladdich.com.
Johnnie Walker - Double Black gets full launch
Diageo, the multi national drinks company that own the Johnnie walker brand, have announced plans to launch the Double Black worldwide. Previously, it was only available in selected travel retail/Duty Free markets. The Double Black is a smokier version of the best selling regular Black Label that also contains some older whiskies than the regular version. A Diageo spokesman said that the launch was "to counter some of the growing interest in smoky Islay single malts such as Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin".
London Cocktail Week – starts next week
The 2010 version kicks off on Monday 11 October and runs until Sunday 17 October. There are a multitude of events and masterclasses being offered, covering most genre of spirits, as well as a wristband scheme which allows you cocktails for £4 each at participating venues! Whisky names involved include Diageo, who are holding various Johnnie walker based events, Pernod Ricard, who are doing likewise with Chivas Regal, and Four Roses. For further information, go to www.londoncocktailweek.com.
Monkey Shoulder - The Legend of the Blind Monkey
Those innovative, creative types that do the marketing for the Monkey Shoulder vatted whisky have come up trumps again! They have launched 'The Legend of the Blind Monkey' - an interactive game that allows you to win prizes along the way and to ultimately be entered in to a prize draw for the chance to win tickets to the 'Mobster's Ball'. This event is the culmination of the campaign and 400 players will be guests of honour at a secret London location on 4 December. The 'Ball' offers a night of music, Monkey Shoulder based cocktails and the chance to win further prizes. To start play, go to www.blindmonkey.co.uk.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Have just tried ... Monkey Shoulder
Monkey Shoulder is a vatted whisky from William Grant & Sons. A vatted whisky is one that contains only single malts, compared to a blend which contains grain whisky as well. Monkey Shoulder contains whisky from each of Grant's three Speyside distilleries - Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie. The three monkeys on the bottle represent these three distilleries. Whilst Glenfiddich and Balvenie are both world famous, few have heard of or know much about Kininvie as they do not release any whisky under the distillery name. Kininvie was built in the early 1990s next door to Balvenie, with the function of producing whisky to be used in the popular Grant's blended whisky range. The idea being that this would then free up more Glenfiddich and Balvenie to be released as single malts, in order to meet demand. Kininvie is now the major contributing whisky to Monkey Shoulder.The term 'Monkey Shoulder' refers to an affliction that used to strike down distillery workers in the past. Balvenie is one of the few remaining distilleries to have its own malting floor and here the barley is left for a number of days to germinate, turning the starch in the barley to sugar which in turn gets turned into alcohol in the mashing process. To ensure an even germination, the barley has to be turned regularly by hand and the repetition of doing this over many years led the distillery workers to develop a 'Monkey Shoulder' (a historical version of repetitive strain injury!).
The colour is golden amber and the nose is light with vanilla, honey, some crisp fresh fruit (think of pears) and a hint of spice (imagine nutmeg) all present. These elements are carried through to the palate, where they blend really well together. It feels creamy and buttery in your mouth with heaps of vanilla being joined by a lovely malted barley sweetness flavours. There is some oaky woodiness, some honey and a hint of citrus (orange especially) combining also. The finish is fairly long, smooth and creamy again with the vanilla and warm spice (nutmeg again) coming to the fore. This is an extremely enjoyable and easy drinking whisky and certainly one of the best blended or vatted whiskies that we have tried to date. It is a cross between the richer, sweeter Balvenie style and the lighter, fresher Glenfiddich.
Monkey Shoulder has been designed and is marketed at the younger whisky drinker and the bar trade, who are encouraged to drink it with a mixer or as part of a cocktail. A bottle should cost you between £20-25. The website is also very good (www.monkeyshoulder.com) and if you try the whisky and like it, then you can even join the Monkey Shoulder Appreciation Society there!
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