Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (May 19, 2017)

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.

Whisky Live, London 2013 - Our highlights

Last weekend was significant for two reasons - firstly, just when we thought that Spring had sprung, the weather came out fighting and gave London a bone chilling snowy blast from Siberia.  Secondly, the globe trotting Whisky Live show rolled in to town.  This year the event was once again held in The Honourable Artillery Company, close to the City of London. The impressive building is a historic 18th Century mansion set in six acres of garden.

Inbox - February 1, 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.

Our Top 10 whiskies of 2011 - Numbers 1 to 5

Welcome to our Top 10 whiskies of 2011. Some people like Top 10s, some don't. They are always subjective and therefore contentious as a result - everyone has differing opinions at the end of the day. We have tried to select our Top 10 on a ratio of quality, value for money and availability to the public. To this end, there are not really any single cask or independent bottlings included, despite some excellent ones being sampled throughout the year. However, some are limited edition bottlings that are still available to purchase.

We have split our choices in to two parts. In this second part we cover our Top 5, including our 'Whisky of the Year', plus a short list of some excellent whiskies that didn't quite make the final cut for one reason or another.  The first part covering numbers six to ten was published yesterday - to read this click here. Please feel free to leave any comments about our selections at the bottom of either post.

So without further delay, let's get down to business and announce our 'Whisky of the Year' and the Top 5.  Drum roll please ...

Whisky For Everyone's Whisky of the Year 2011

Great King Street

When boutique whisky blending company Compass Box released this blend back in the Summer, they cannot have imagined what a stir it would cause. Nicknamed 'The Artist's Blend', it has received a plethora of rave reviews and laughs in the face of those that think that blends are an inferior product to single malts.   

Great King Street (named after the street where the company's Edinburgh HQ is located) re-affirms the high standards of excellence that Compass Box have set themselves in the last decade and will surely go on to win a heap of awards around the world.

Not only is it our favourite whisky of the year in terms of quality, flavour and character but it is also highly affordable at just £25 a bottle. It ticks every box for us and is a fantastic product.
Reviewed on 9/8/11 - click here for original notes.

2 - Auchentoshan Valinch
This whisky was also released back in the Summer and the Lowland distillery came up trumps. To release Auchentoshan's soft triple distilled spirit with a powerful alcohol strength of 57.7% ABV could have been a tricky marriage, but it worked a treat.  Sympathetic casking and the skill of the Master Blender are evident here. It can take plenty of water also, and holds up very well. The Valinch is planned to become a regular annual feature for Auchentoshan and if each batch is this good, then we can't wait for this year's version. Another bargain at around £40-45 a bottle.
Reviewed on 25/7/11 - click here for original notes.

3 - Benriach Solstice 15 years old
The first 'wow' moment of 2011 was provided by this whisky from one of our favourite Speyside distilleries. Standing at the Whisky Live show in London the Solstice announced itself with a splendid mix of intensity, smoke, fruit, wood spice and warm biscuit notes. It is unusual for a Speyside single malt in that it is heavily peated and has been part matured in ex-Port casks.  The combination works superbly and makes you think that more distilleries should try it. A new 17 year old version has just been released in a similar vein, so we cannot wait to try that and hope it is as good as this beauty.
Reviewed on 9/3/11 - click here for original notes.

4 - Greenore 18 years old
Hailing from the Irish distillery of Cooley, this is the first single grain whiskey to appear on one of our Top 10 lists. To put it simply - this is the best single grain whiskey that we have tried to date and the only one to which we have returned on numerous occasions. If you have never tried a single grain whiskey before, then this Greenore would be a good introduction to the genre.  It offers wonderful bittersweet cereals, creamy vanilla and coconut, spiced orange and plenty of wood spice characteristics. All are perfectly balanced and the result is delicious and rich.
Reviewed on 6/2/11 - click here for original notes.

5 - Shackleton Highland Malt
Another blend in the Top 5 - what is going on?  This is a whisky with a difference - it has a unique story (synopsis - someone finds old bottle under Antarctic ice after 100 years, someone else brings bottle back to Scotland and recreates replica as near to the original as possible), but also a unique flavour profile. The original was from an era where single malts did not exist as a product and this was produced in the old Highland style with some richness and smokiness. The back story is great but for us the most important thing is that the whisky in the bottle stands up on its own.
Reviewed on 26/4/11 - click here for original notes.

As mentioned, the selections for numbers 6-10 in our Top 10 were revealed in the first part- click here to read if you missed it.

We found it tricky to select our Top 10, as we have sampled so many good new whiskies throughout the year.  Naturally, some excellent products did not make the cut for one reason or another.  Below is a list of some others that we felt deserved a mention.  We have also attached the links to the original reviews, if you wish to take a look at them.

• Balvenie Tun 1401 (Batch No.2) - Reviewed on 28/9/11
• Bowmore 1982 Vintage -  Reviewed on 14/6/11
• Brora 32 years old - Reviewed on 24/10/11
• Jura 1976 Feith A' Chaorainn - Reviewed on 22/11/11
• Kilbeggan 18 years old - Reviewed on 27/4/11
• Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy - Reviewed on 28/9/11
• Port Ellen 32 years old - Reviewed on 24/10/11

Inbox > November 11, 2011

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently 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 will 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 if you want to. It's 11/11/11, so here we go ...

Glenfiddich > Announces new Vintage Reserve selection

The famous and multi-award winning Glenfiddich distillery has announced the release of its annual Vintage Reserve bottling.  The new single malt was chosen by a select panel of 16 people, which included Glenfiddich's Malt Master Brian Kinsman, 14 of their Brand Ambassadors from around the globe and Hans-Henrik Hansen, who owns the largest collection of Glenfiddich in the world. In a change from previous years, the panel did not select a Vintage from a single cask. Instead they were presented with three vattings of premium casks - one from 1973, 1974 and 1975.  The 1974 was selected after rigorous analysis and will be available through specialist whisky retailers shorlty.  There will be just 1,000 bottles.

Jura > Win one of 42 special samples

The island distillery of Jura is offering the members of its fan club the unique opportunity to taste a new whisky before it is released. Jura are inviting members of The Duirach's (this is the name for an inhabitant of Jura) to tell them their secrets to a long and prosperous life in the 'comments' section of the Ambassador's blog. The best 42 answers will receive a free sample of a new whisky which is to be released in early 2012.  In return, Jura is asking each recipient to review the whisky (which is as yet un-named) on The Duirach's Facebook or Twitter page. Why 42? Apparently, someone at the distillery really likes The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  To become a Duirach and to enter the competition, visit the www.isleofjura.com.

Shackleton > Whyte & Mackay challenge 'City Explorers'

Following the airing of a new documentary about the Shackleton whisky adventure in the USA, the whisky's creators Whyte & Mackay are challenging 'City Explorers' to find and win 10 bottles of this unique whisky. These bottles will be positioned in major UK cities throughout November and December. One bottle will be located in each of the 10 cities involved.  To find each bottle, you will have to download the Repudo app on your iPhone, Blackberry or Android (it's free from the App Store).  For full instructions on the competition and how to track down the bottles, go to the Whyte & Mackay blog. A great idea but if you get stuck or start wondering what the hell is going on (like I did - Matt) then go to this useful 'Help' page on the Repudo website.

Teacher's > New Christmas packaging

The popular blended whisky has announced that it will be packaged in a presentation box for the forthcoming Christmas period.  The 70cl bottle will be sold in a carton for the first time since the 1980s.  Teacher's, which was first produced in 1830 and has one of the highest single malt contents of any regular blend, is in the Top 5 for sales of blended whiskies in the UK and the move is to strengthen its position in the market.  Peter Sandstrom, the Marketing Director of Maxxium UK, the brand's distributors, comments, “Teacher’s is one of the only blends to be in a gift carton this Christmas, which will provide an enhanced on shelf presence, and appeal to consumers looking for a premium and authentic blend this festive season".

Inbox > September 16, 2011

Inbox is back, after a few weeks break due to our trip to Cuba.  More will follow on that trip shortly. Upon our return, the Whisky For Everyone email inbox was bursting at the seams with whisky news.  As a result, there is so much to cover that we have split this week's bumper edition of Inbox in to two parts - the second part will be posted on Monday.

For those of you that are new to Whisky For Everyone, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. Inbox was born as we sadly 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 will 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 if you want to. So, here goes with part one ...

Ardbeg > Alligator on general release

Spot the alligator ...

The cult Islay distillery of Ardbeg have put a limited number of their Alligator single malt on general release.  The whisky was originally released to their Ardbeg Committee members earlier in the year and proved extremely popular.  The whisky is so named because it has been matured in special ex-bourbon casks, which have undergone heavy charring prior to filling.  This form of heavy char is called an 'alligator char' because the wood cracks and burns to look like alligator skin.  Ardbeg Alligator is released at 51.2% ABV and will retail for £65 from the Ardbeg website or selected specialist whisky retailers. To read our review of the Committee version - click here.

Benriach & Glendronach > New single casks released

Glendronach 1971

The two distilleries, both owned by Billy Walker's Benriach Distillery Co, have announced new additions to their popular single cask range.  Each vintage is hand numbered, bottled at cask strength and non chill filtered.  The Benriach range consists of 12 bottlings between 18 to 40 years old, and from a variety of different casks including finishes in Sauternes, Port and Barolo red wine. The Glendronach range has six new bottlings between 17 and 40 years of age, with all from their traditional Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

Bowmore > Ben Nevis Challenge takes place

Winners - 'Rosie's Runners'

A few months ago, we reported on the Ben Nevis Challenge - a charity race up Britain's tallest mountain sponsored by Bowmore, the oldest distillery on the famous whisky island of Islay.  The event was to raise much needed money for Capability Scotland, a charity that provides education, employment and support for disabled people throughout Scotland.  Eight teams, each consisting of a mix of disabled and non-disabled people, took part in the challenge and the winners were 'Rosie's Runners' who completed the climb in five hours twenty minutes.  The goal is to raise £100,000 for the charity.

Glenfiddich > 'One Day You Will' Summit 2011
The famous Speyside distillery are offering whisky fans the chance to attend their inaugural One Day You Will Summit, which will be held at the distillery over a two day period in October.  The summit is being attended by contemporary innovators and pioneers from around the globe, including polar explorer Pen Haddow.  The main theme is how technology is affecting all aspects of our daily lives and will incorporate seminars, lectures and Glenfiddich whisky tastings.  To get the chance to attend, whisky fans are asked to visit the special One Day You Will Summit 2011 webpage - click here.  The deadline is very soon on 19 September, so hurry up!  Winners will be notified shortly afterwards.

Join now!

Glenfiddich have also launched a new quarterly newsletter for its online Glenfiddich Explorers community.  The newsletter will give an exclusive insight in to the world and happenings at Glenfiddich.  The first edition features news on their new Age Of Discovery release, news from the distillery, the chance to enter win a once-in-a-lifetime prize and a guest article by our good friend Lucas Dynowiak of The Edinburgh Whisky Blog. You can sign up for the newsletter at the Glenfiddich Explorers website, but you can click here for a sneaky look at the first edition.

Glenmorangie > Royal opening for bottling facility

"Don't press the blue button, Your Highness"

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was the guest of honour at the recent opening of Glenmorangie's new bottling plant in Livingston.  The new facility is packed with environment friendly features to ensure the efficient use of energy and water.  The first bottling on the production line was from a single cask which was presented to Prince Andrew on a visit to Glenmorangie in 1997.  He was presented with 270 bottles, most of which will go

Malt Whisky Yearbook 2012 > Details announced

This year's colour is ... purple

Each Autumn the whisky world waits for the release of one of its best annual book releases - the Malt Whisky Yearbook.  The book was the brainchild of Ingvar Ronde and this year sees the seventh edition.  It is a must read for anyone who is interested in whisky, beginner or connoisseur alike.  We purchased a copy when we were starting out almost four years ago and have learned so much of what we know now from it.  This year's edition has the regular mix of articles about the industry and current hot topics, interviews with distillery managers, statistics and facts and in-depth distillery profiles and tasting notes from around the world.  For more information and to pre-order your copy, go to the Malt Whisky Yearbook website.

Shackleton's whisky > Wins innovation award

Anyone for ice?

A few months ago, Whyte & Mackay the famous whisky company released the Shackleton Highland Malt whisky - a replica of the whisky taken by Ernest Shackleton on his ill-fated trek to the South Pole in 1907/08.  This whisky was found under the Antarctic ice at Shackleton's base camp, before some was taken back to Scotland by Whyte & Mackay for analysis by their Master Blender Richard Paterson.  He created a replica so close to the original that whisky writer Dave Broom couldn't tell the difference when tasting the two side by side!  The whisky has now won a major award - The Whisky Magazine's Innovator of the Year 2011.  To read our tasting notes of the Shackleton whisky - click here.