New release - Mackinlay's 'The Journey'

Whyte & Mackay have recreated a second edition of their popular Mackinlay's whisky.  This new version is called Mackinlay's The Journey and was launched back in Autumn 2012 in New York, although it was only officially released and available to buy this Spring. The original Shackleton Blend was released in early 2011.  It was a recreation of whisky which had been specially created for Shackleton's failed expedition to the Antarctic in 1907/08.  It had been found by explorers in a hut used by Shackleton's team as a base, and had laid undiscovered under the ice for a century.

Inbox - November 2, 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 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.  Here is the news that has attracted our attention this week ...

Whisky gift ideas for Father's Day

This Sunday is Father's Day in the UK and whisky is traditionally a popular choice as a gift. For many it may be the only time in the year that they purchase a bottle of whisky and it can be a daunting experience with the ultimate question being - which one of the vast array of bottles on the shelves is the right one to go for? Here is our quick guide and a few suggestions at different price points to help you purchase the correct present for your dad.

What do I need to consider?
It is a common misconception that you as a shopper need to know lots about whisky in order to buy something other than the big popular brands. This is not true. How much you know about whisky is actually not important at all - what has to be considered is what you think your father would like or prefer – light, rich, sweet, smoky? It may be that you know a whisky that he likes and you can ask for help to select something similar. Also think about if you want a famous brand/distillery or something a bit less well known.

How much do I want to spend?
Your budget is an important consideration. Set an upper limit - any salesman worth their salt will try and get you to spend more but stick to it! Single malt whiskies start around £25 for a 70cl bottle and most will be under or around £50. Blended whiskies can start for as little as £10 (sometimes even less if it is a supermarket own brand). There are whiskies that can fit any budget, including those costing hundreds and even thousands of pounds!

What are my shopping choices?
There are a few options - specialist whisky retailers, supermarkets and the internet. Specialist retailers, offer a wider range of whiskies and will have knowledgeable staff that can explain the differences and advise you to make the correct decision. These shops can be daunting but if you go in having considered the first two points, then they will be able to recommend you some great choices. Supermarkets are different in that they sell the products but staff may not know a great deal about them, especially as many have cut back on specialist wine and spirit staff in the recession. The distilleries marketing departments help you here, as many of them now print basic tasting notes on their packaging. The internet has many places to buy whisky - some are online specialists, while others are websites of the specialist whisky retailers or supermarkets - and many of these print helpful tasting notes on each page, with some giving more information, customer reviews and distillery facts to help you make your choice.

Our five whiskies for Father’s Day

£20-30 > Balvenie 12 years old ‘DoubleWood’
This is a classic single malt and the whisky that got me interested in whisky. It may be widely available but this doesn’t detract from its quality. The nose is full of rich, sweet fruits (peaches, raisins, sultanas) combined with vanilla, coconut, caramel and honey. The palate, this is so soft, mellow and creamy that your taste buds go into ecstasy. There is a glorious dried fruity sweetness (raisins, sultanas), distinct malty cereals, nuts (almonds), orange zest and a hint of woody spiciness (nutmeg, cinnamon). The finish is long, rich and deliciously sweet. An excellent whisky offering a gorgeous and complex drinking experience.

£30-40 > Penderyn Madeira finish
Fancy something non-Scottish? How about this single malt whisky from the only Welsh distillery? The nose is light and vibrant with vanilla, honey, fresh green fruits (apple, pear), cereals and dried fruits (sultanas). The palate feels creamy and velvety with initial oaky woodiness (cinnamon, nutmeg) quickly fading to caramel, malted barley, vanilla, green fruit and almond notes. The dried grassy note also appears later. The balance is lovely and the finish is long and refreshing, with the enjoyable sugary sweetness giving way to a nutty, slightly spicy and woody bitterness. Delicious, fresh and very more-ish.

£40-50 > Lagavulin 16 years old
This whisky is a single malt from the famous whisky island of Islay. Produced in the island’s famous smoky, peaty style, this whisky is a worldwide favourite. The nose offers a sumptuous, complex mix of sweet peat smoke (dried earth, moss), oak, leather, vanilla and dried fruit (sultanas, candied peel). There are also aromas of lapsang souchong tea and cloves. The palate is creamy, full bodied and slightly oily with a blast of smokiness (think bonfire), some damp moss, sweet vanilla plus hints of saltiness and menthol. The finish is long and dry with plenty of powerful peaty smokiness. A truly fantastic example of a smoky Islay whisky.

£50-100 > Shackleton Whisky
This whisky is a recreation of one from Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic in 1907/08. The originals were found under the ice after 100 years. The nose is clean, attractive and elegant with subtle aromas - vanilla, butterscotch, green pear, apple, walnuts, baked oat biscuits, wood spice, burnt sugar and a whiff of dry peat smoke. The palate has tangy sweetness (orange zest, honey), followed by creamy richness (butterscotch, toffee) and finishes with peat smoke and warming wood spice (cinnamon, nutmeg). The smokiness carries in to a long, lingering and pleasant finish. Absolutely delicious.

£100 + > Glenfarclas 40 years old
If you fancy getting the cheque book out and spending about £300, then this old whisky is a stunning choice. The nose is intense with sweet notes (vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, dried fruits - raisins, dates and prunes) mixing with darker ones (treacle and dark chocolate). The palate is surprisingly vibrant for a whisky of this age. Wood spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg) are followed by sweetness (raisins, prunes, candied orange peel), butterscotch and brown sugar. This whisky is rich, intense and full bodied. The finish is long and lingering with plenty of dried fruits, wood spices and tannins. The combination is superb.

We are delighted to say that a version of this article has appeared in The Sun newspaper today - our first appearance in the national written press. We would like to thank Luke O'Mahony for making this possible and the kind comments we have received throughout the day.

New releases > Mackinlay's Shackleton Whisky

It is rare that something truly unique comes along in the whisky world these days - Shackleton's Whisky (or Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky to give its full name) is one such thing. Whyte & Mackay have recreated a whisky that has been buried under the ice of Antarctica for a century! The original whisky was produced by Edinburgh based blending company Charles Mackinlay & Co and was specially commissioned by polar explorer Ernest Shackleton for his ill fated expedition to the South Pole in 1907. Charles Mackinlay & Co had a long successful history of blending between its foundation in 1847 and being acquired by and eventually amalgamated in to Whyte & Mackay in the 1990s. This included building the Glen Mhor distillery (pronounced glen-vor) in the north Highlands in 1892.

The company's Master Blender, Richard Paterson, has taken eight weeks to blend and marry the new whisky in order to achieve an exact replica of the original whisky. The abandoned whisky, still in the original wooden crates, was not discovered until 2007 and only recently three of the bottles were flown back to Whyte & Mackay's headquarters in Scotland by private jet. Here, Paterson analysed it and set about recreating a whisky that was over 100 years old. This includes using some whisky from Charles Mackinlay & Co's Glen Mhor distillery, which is now extremely rare as it was closed in 1983 and demolished three years later. The original bottles are to be returned to The Antarctic Heritage Trust and replaced back under the ice by law.

The replica Mackinlay's Shackleton whisky has just been released and retails at £100, with 5% of the proceeds going to the New Zealand based charity who maintain part of Antarctica and who found the original crates of whisky. It has been bottled at the original's strength of 47.3% ABV and a 'limited' 50,000 bottles have been produced. The packaging for this new whisky has also been replicated to be as original as possible, including imperfections in the glass of the bottle and wooden box! The series of events, from the discovery through to the blending process and release, has been recorded and will be released as a documentary by The National Geographic Society later in the year.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this whisky is pale golden yellow. The nose is clean, attractive and elegant but needs time in the glass to fully reveal itself. There are a number of subtle aromas that are asking for your attention here and not one overpowers another - vanilla, butterscotch, plenty of green pear and apple, walnuts, baked oat biscuits, wood spice, burnt sugar, hints of tropical mango and pineapple and a whiff of dry, slightly musty peat smoke. It is intriguing and makes you want to take a sip. On the palate, this goes through three distinct phases. Firstly, there is tangy sweetness (think of citrus, especially orange zest, and honey), followed by a creamy feeling richness (imagine butterscotch or toffee) and finishing with a hit of peat smoke and warming wood spice (cinnamon and nutmeg especially). Other notes are present and add depth and complexity to an already enjoyable palate - burnt sugar, something mineral and flinty, a hint of ginger and the green fruit are again there but more stewed in flavour than the nose suggested. The smokiness is stronger on the palate than expected and this carries through to a long, lingering and very pleasant finish. The spice, especially the ginger, grips your taste buds as does the tannic oak and tangy sweetness. Delicious.

What's the verdict?
Shackleton's Whisky is a lovely dram that offers not just a unique back story, but also something unique in its flavour profile. The combination of tangy citrus-like notes and soft peat smoke is rare and the marriage works very well here. The flavours present also indicate that the rumours of Highland whiskies previously being made in a smoky style could be true. Naturally, we will have to take everyone's word that it is a perfect replication of the original, but all we say is this - it is a really good dram in its own right and should be treated as such, almost ignoring all the story and histrionics.

Inbox > April 8, 2011

Inbox is our 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 was born! 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. Here is this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy!
______________________________________________________________
The Chivas Regal Cannes Experience
Chivas Regal, the premium blended whisky brand, has announced an extension to its sponsorship of the iconic Cannes Film Festival. This will be the third year that it will be an official partner of the festival, which will be staged for the 64th time this year. To celebrate, Chivas are offering a VIP trip for you and three friends to Cannes. The winner will have a whistle stop 24 hour experience that includes return flights, tickets to a movie premiere including walking along the red carpet, meeting stars, entry to an exclusive after-show party, luxurious accommodation and dinner at a top restaurant in Cannes. To enter, simply go to the Chivas Regal Facebook page. Good luck!

Spirit of Unity > A unique whisky to help earthquake victims
A group of seven independent Scottish distilleries have collaborated to create a unique whisky that will generate vital funds for the Japanese and New Zealand earthquake relief work. Each of the seven – Arran, Benriach, Bladnoch, Glendronach, Glengyle, Kilchoman and Springbank – have donated a single cask of whisky, which have been blended together to create a limited edition named Spirit of Unity. The bottle and container (pictured, left) has also been donated free of charge by Chesapeake Branded Packaging. There are only 2,000 bottles, with 1,200 being sold in the UK market through two nominated retailers – Royal Mile Whiskies and Loch Fyne Whiskies – at £59 each (plus postage). The remaining 800 bottles will be sent to Japan and New Zealand, where they will be sold. Every penny of the sales will go to the relief efforts in the two countries and this will total almost £120,000. Spirit of Unity can be pre-ordered from UK retailers’ websites.

Whyte & Mackay > Recreate 100 year old whisky
Whisky company Whyte & Mackay have recreated a whisky that has been buried under the ice of Antarctica for a century. The company's Master Blender, the legendary Richard Paterson, has taken eight weeks to blend and marry the new whisky in order to achieve an exact replica of the original whisky. This original was produced by MacKinlay's and was left by Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton on a failed expedition to the South Pole in the early 1900s. It was not discovered until 2007 and only recently three of the bottles were flown back to Whyte & Mackay's headquarters in Scotland, where Richard Paterson analysed the whisky. The originals are to be returned to the ice but the new version will be available shortly.

The replica Shackleton whisky will retail at £100, with 5% of the proceeds going to the New Zealand based charity who maintain part of Antarctica and who found the original crates of whisky. It has been bottled at the original's strength of 47.3% ABV and 50,000 bottles have been produced. The packaging for this new whisky has also been replicated to be as original as possible, including imperfections in the glass and wooden box! The whole series of events, from the discovery through to the blending process, has been recorded and will be released as a documentary by The National Geographic Society later in the year.

Inbox > January 21, 2011

Inbox is back after its festive break and is ready to bring you more news! 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 features items from around the world of whisky and is 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. There is quite a lot to get through this week, so grab a decent dram, sit back and we hope that you enjoy ...
______________________________________________________________
Arran > Machrie Moor released
The award winning Isle of Arran Distillers have released their first ever peaty, smoky whisky on to the market. It is called Machrie Moor and is named after the moorland on the west of the island where the peat for the whisky was dug up. The whisky will be released annually and this first release contains just 9,000 bottles. It is being sold in Arran’s key worldwide markets – France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the UK and the USA. The release is also in new packaging with the bottle made from dark green glass with gold lettering. Machrie Moor is bottled at 46% ABV and will retail at around £40 from specialist whisky retailers and Arran’s website. Isle of Arran Distillery Managing Director Euan Mitchell says “we’re very proud of our first peated whisky and thought it merited a new look to separate it from the regular un-peated Arran malt. This peated expression of the Arran single salt perfectly captures the rugged beauty and lore of the landscape”.

Maker’s Mark > President steps down
The President of Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky is stepping down this April. Bill Samuels Jnr. has been the head of the famous American bourbon distillery for 35 years and has announced that he will retire shortly. He has overseen the growth of the brand from cult bourbon into a best seller. Bill Samuels Jnr. is the son of the founder of the modern Maker’s Mark, Bill Samuels Snr, and the seventh generation to continue the family’s tradition of bourbon making which was first started in Kentucky by Robert Samuels in 1784. His role will be taken over by his son, Rob Samuels. You can hear an interview with Bill Samuels Jnr. about the announcement, his time at Maker’s Mark and his thoughts for the future by downloading last week’s WhiskyCast podcast (episode no.298 16/1/11).

Midleton > new releases announced
The Irish distillery of Midleton have released two new limited edition whiskies under the Midleton name. The first is exclusive to the new Irish Whiskey Collection in Dublin Airport Terminal 2 – this is a 19 year old pot still whiskey matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at a cask strength of 53.7% ABV. There are only 200 bottles and each will cost €260. The second is exclusive to The Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dawson Street, Dublin. It is 14 years of age, has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and is bottled at 46% ABV. There are just 270 bottles released and each will cost €225. The brand’s owners Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard CEO Alex Ricard said, “we are giving consumers more opportunities to experience the wonderful whiskey complexities of Midleton with these new single cask, single pot still expressions”.

Rabbie’s Trail Burners > two new tours for 2011
Luxury tour company Rabbie’s Trail Burners have announced two new whisky based tours for their 2011 portfolio. Both are eight days long and take in some of the most spectacular landscape and distilleries that the whisky world has to offer. The first is the Whisky Coast Explorer Tour, which will take in visits to the isles of Mull, Skye and Islay and Scotland’s west coast. It includes visits to Bruichladdich, Bowmore, Kilchoman, Laphroaig and Oban distilleries. The second is the Islay, Edinburgh & Speyside Tour which will take in many of the distilleries on the first tour, before moving on to Dalwhinnie, Benromach and Glenlivet plus the Speyside Cooperage. To book or get further information, go to www.rabbies.com.

Whyte & Mackay > Shackleton whisky returns home
The whisky that was recently found preserved under the Antarctic ice has been flown back to Scotland by private jet. The bottles of Whyte & Mackay whisky, which accompanied polar explorer Eric Shackleton on his failed expedition to the South Pole in 1907, have been temporarily returned by The Antarctic Heritage Trust to Whyte & Mackay for analysis. Three bottles have been removed and will undergo the analysis by Whyte & Mackay’s legendary master blender Richard Paterson, before being returned to Antarctica to be placed back where they were discovered. For further information, go to www.whyteandmackay.co.uk or watch the short video below.