Inbox > January 28, 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. This week seems a bit quiet as most companies have been concentrating on Burns Night events or recovering from Burns Night events! Anyway, here goes ...
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Dewar's announce new bottle design
The famous Scottish blend has undergone a small face-lift across its range, which includes the popular White Label plus a 12 and 18 years old and the Signature. The bottle shapes have remained the same but the label designs have been given a more contemporary look. Every label will now include 'brand heritage features' including a 1846 age statement - the date that Dewar's was founded - plus founder John Dewar's signature and the Royal Warrant symbol, which has been awarded to Dewar's by every reigning monarch since Queen Victoria. Dewar's senior brand manager Demetrius Giouzelis says “Dewar’s believes in making full, well-rounded whiskies that are enjoyable to drink. It is this well-rounded taste which was the inspiration for our new packaging design".

Early Times bourbon to return to USA
Brown Forman, the owners of the Early Times bourbon brand, have announced that they are to relaunch the famous whiskey back in to the US market for the first time since 1983. It has previously only been available in various export markets and these will be phased out over time. The bourbon's packaging (pictured, left) will pay homage to the packaging of post-Prohibition 1930s Early Times and will retail for $15-20. The launch will be backed up by information and adverts in several US trade magazines. The Early Times brand manager Joe Murray says, “the results of the taste test were what really told us we had a winner. Early Times offers a quality product, at an accessible price point, capitalizing on the growing number of consumers entering the bourbon category”.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago we reported that Ardbeg were about to launch an iPhone app. This has now happened and it includes interactive features such as a distillery profile and facts, tasting notes for Ardbeg's core range of single malts, news updates and access to the online Ardbeg shop. The app can be downloaded from iTunes or the App Store on an iPhone.

New releases > Glenmorangie Finealta

The name of Glenmorangie is one of the most famous in the world of whisky. The distillery is located in the Highland town of Tain and is approximately 40 miles (65km) north of Inverness. The distillery was founded in 1843 by William Matheson and is now one of Scotland’s largest whisky distilleries with an increased annual production capacity of six million litres, following the recent addition of two new stills. The stills at Glenmorangie are the tallest in Scotland at 5 metres (16.5 feet) high and make the still house resembles a cathedral. They are all exact replicas of the original stills that were purchased from a gin distillery in London in 1843. The current owners of Glenmorangie are the drinks giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey), who took control in 2004.

Their single malts whiskies are multi award winning and are consistently in the top three for world sales. Glenmorangie Original is also the best selling single malt in Scotland. We have more information and history about Glenmorangie on its distillery profile page within our website, whiskyforeveryone.com.

The Finealta (pronounced fin-alta) is the newest release in the current Glenmorangie single malt range. It was first released in Autumn 2010 to be sold in the travel retail/Duty Free market but has just received a wider general release this January. Finealta is the second release in Glenmorangie's Private Editions range (the first being the Whisky For Everyone favourite that is the Sonnalta) and is a Glenmorangie with a difference - it is made using peated malted barley. The word 'finealta' means 'elegant' in Gaelic and this whisky has been inspired by an old recipe that was found in the distillery archives, dating back to 1903. At that time, peaty Highland whiskies were more common than now and the practice died out with the introduction of coal and steam as fuel sources for drying malted barley. The Finealta is bottled at an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV and has been matured in a combination of American oak and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. A bottle should cost £60-65 from whisky retailers.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Finealta is a rich gold and the nose offers a splendid mix of aromas - think of vanilla, honey, dried tropical fruits (especially mango and pineapple), toasted/burnt almonds, malted barley grains and something biscuit-like that reminds us of shortbread. These aromas are complimented by some wood spice (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and a lovely, delicate peat smoke that has a subtle earthiness to it. On the palate there is an initial pleasant tangy quality that is reminiscent of orange/lime zest and white grapes, before some lovely rich, sweet barley notes kick in. This makes the whisky feel slightly thick in your mouth and it clings to the palate. Many of the characteristics from the nose are evident here also - plenty of honey and vanilla, the dried mango and pineapple, cinnamon and distant musty, earthy peat smoke. In addition, there are notes of toffee, spiced orange and charred/toasted oak that come through. Absolutely delicious! The finish is long with a lingering gentle bitterness. There is honey sweetness to begin with, plus a hint of dark chocolate, before the wood spices, toasted oak and a light smokiness (think of burning embers) give a drier edge.

What's the verdict?
This Finealta is very good. The whisky is clearly well crafted and is superbly balanced, with expressive sweetness and drier, lightly smoky notes working very well together. We are fans of most things Glenmorangie but this offers something different to their portfolio by being lightly peaty. Some may question the idea or the reasons for producing it, but it is a lovely whisky that compliments the rest of their single malt range and must be tried. It would be a good choice to introduce a beginner to the idea of the peat smoke aromas and flavours in whisky, as these elements are sympathetically reproduced in this dram.

Have just tried > Talisker 12 years old 'Friends of the Classic Malts'

Talisker is an iconic Scottish whisky distillery on the isle of Skye. The island lies off the north west Highland coast and forms part of the Hebrides. The distillery is the only one on the island and is located close to the village of Carbost, in the shadow of the imposing Cuillin hills. Despite its remote location, the distillery is one of the most visited in Scotland. Talisker was founded in 1830 by two local brothers, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, and has a current annual production capacity of 1.9 million litres. The distillery is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and its sales are increasing rapidly, thanks mostly to the ever popular Talisker 10 years old.

To read more history and information about the Talisker distillery then visit the Talisker distillery profile page on our website whiskyforeveryone.com.

This 12 years old was released in November 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Friends of the Classic Malts - the Classic Malts are a range of whiskies from within Diageo's portfolio of 28 Scottish distilleries (you can join the Friends by going to Diageo's single malt website at www.malts.com). It was a limited release (if you can call 21,500 bottles 'limited'!) and has an alcoholic strength of 45.8% ABV. The original price was around the £45 mark - it appears that a few bottles are still floating about three years later and we found some for sale online at approximately £70. The release compliments a strong core range that includes a 10 and 18 year olds, the Distiller's Edition matured in ex-Amoroso sherry casks and the 57° North at 57% ABV. These are supplemented by annual releases at 25 and 30 years of age, plus other occasional limited bottlings.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden amber and the nose is vibrant and very pleasant. There are lovely toffee and caramel aromas to begin with and these are quickly joined by some rich, sweet peat smoke, some malty cereals (think of oatcakes) and understated fruitiness - this combines subtle aromas of stewed apple and dried fruit, especially sultana. Underneath are notes of honey plus damp earth and leaves/foliage. On the palate, this whisky feels warm, sweet and syrupy with plenty of the malty cereals kicking things off. The cereal notes are quickly softened by delicious sweeter flavours of honey, caramel, toffee, stewed fruits (that apple again, plus some pear) and dried fruits (especially juicy sultanas). All of these sweeter notes are balanced by a lovely, gentle peat smoke that is reminiscent of a leafy bonfire and cigar tobacco smoke, some wood spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and a hint of salty brine. The finish is long and has a bittersweet quality - it begins sweetly before becoming drier with plenty of warming spicy notes, especially cinnamon and white pepper. The finish is spicier than the nose or palate suggest.

What's the verdict?
This Talisker 12 years old is a very good and well crafted whisky. It offers something different from the popular 10 years old, as the additional time spent maturing in an ex-sherry cask has given a good level of sweetness and fruitiness that seems to absorb some of the signature Talisker pepper/chilli-like spiciness. It is a shame that there are only a few overpriced bottles left and we hope that Diageo are planning a new release of something similar soon. We would like to thank Colin Dunn of Diageo for allowing us the chance to try this lovely whisky.

New releases > Auchentoshan 1977 Sherry Cask Matured

Auchentoshan (pronounced ock-en-tosh-an) is one of the last remaining Lowland whisky distilleries and is unique as it is the only distillery in Scotland to continually practice triple distillation of their spirit. Other Scottish distilleries occasionally do this (for example, Springbank release Hazelburn which is triple distilled but they only produce it for a small part of the year). Triple distillation produces a smoother, lighter spirit that many people find easier to drink and the process is more commonly associated with Irish whiskey. In fact, only five whisky/whiskey distilleries in the world practice triple distillation as a matter of course - Auchentoshan in Scotland, Bushmills, Cooley and Midleton in Ireland and Woodford Reserve in America.

So, why are Auchentoshan the only place to consistently triple distill in Scotland? The theory is that during the Irish potato famine in the early 1800s, immigrants came over to the Glasgow area, where the distillery was founded in 1823 and is still located, to escape the poverty and brought the process with them, maybe introducing the idea to the new distillery's owners. Auchentoshan's current owners are Morrison Bowmore, a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory, and have carried on this tradition. The annual production capacity of Auchentoshan is 1.75 million litres and the name translates as 'corner of the field' from Gaelic. Also, the visitor centre at the distillery has been voted one of the best in Scotland and is one of the most visited, helped by its close proximity to Glasgow.

Details of the whisky
This whisky is a new limited edition of Auchentoshan which has been released, along with a 1998 Fino sherry cask bottling which we recently reviewed, to compliment to core range. This core range consists of 12, 18 and 21 year old whiskies plus the Three Wood, which has undergone maturation in three different casks (hence the name!). This 1977 whisky has been bottled at 32 years of age and at an alcoholic strength of 49% ABV. It has been matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks and released as a very small and exclusive batch containing just 240 bottles. To aid the feeling of exclusivity, the whisky has been packaged in a suede lined box that is adorned with a brushed pewter label. It is available now from specialist whisky retailers for £370 a bottle.

Our tasting notes
The colour is a pale amber and the nose is rich, fragrant and one to spend plenty of time over. It has a wonderful intensity, with plenty of complex scents and aromas giving away its increased age. There is initial wood spice (think of cedar wood and cinnamon) that is joined by further savoury notes including old furniture, waxy furniture polish, gristy malted barley and the inside of a cigar box. The aroma of barley increases with time and some subtle, almost understated fruitiness also develops (imagine stewed pears and apples especially). The nose is much less fruity than expected from an ex-sherry cask whisky at 30+ years of age and is very promising. On the palate, it does not disappoint and feels syrupy in the mouth. The whisky is again quite woody and spicy to begin with (notes of oak, nutmeg and allspice) before revealing much more fruit notes than the nose did. This is an intense, complex combination of stewed/baked apples and pears plus dried fruits, especially raisins, sultanas and prunes. Other notes detected add to the classy feel of this whisky - some spiced orange, sweet honeycomb, coffee, dark brown sugar and milk chocolate. The finish is long with sweetness (the honeycomb and dried fruits), before becoming drier and almost bittersweet with the cereals and wood spices particularly prominent.

What's the verdict?
Wow - what a fine whisky! This Auchentoshan 1977 Sherry Cask Matured could well be an early contender for our Top 10 Whiskies of 2011, as it is of outstanding quality. Yes, it is rare and it is expensive but this whisky is a league above any other Auchentoshan's that we have tried to date, or indeed a number of other older ex-sherry matured whiskies from other distilleries. It is well crafted and more importantly, well selected - it has been released because it has been deemed ready rather than waiting for a set age, such as 30 or 35 years. The sympathetic use of the casks means that the sherry influence does not overpower the spirit, which can happen in older whiskies, but compliments it beautifully. We feel privileged to try such a rare whisky and thank DK Cheung from Auchentoshan's marketing department for allowing us to sample it.

Have just tried > The Belgian Owl single malt

The Belgian Owl is a single malt whisky that is the first to be produced in Belgium. The Belgian Owl distillery is located in the town of Grâce Hollogne, near the city of Liege, and was founded by Etienne Bouillon, who also owns a fruit liqueur distillery and business named Lambicool. The distillery was originally named Pure and the company was set up by Bouillon and two partners in 1997, although the first spirit did not flow until October 2004. The name was later changed to The Belgian Owl Distillery - the name being chosen as the owl symbolises wisdom. For further information on the distillery and their whisky, visit the website at www.belgianwhisky.com.

The barley for the whisky making is grown in the fields around Liege and the malting, mashing and fermentation processes take part in an old converted farm on the city's outskirts. The fermented wash is then transferred to the distillery for its double distillation, before the new spirit is put in to first fill ex-bourbon casks and then matured. The single malt is matured for three years and then bottled in small batches at an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV. The current annual production capacity is approximately 50,000 litres and the bottling programme has five batches of single malt released each year. They also release new make spirit and part matured spirit within their range. The Belgian Owl is currently only sold in Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Sweden, with the single malt selling for around €45-50 for a 50cl bottle.

For a further insight in to this fascinating distillery, please watch the short video clip below - you will need to know a bit of French to follow the commentary, but they do have an English version on their website homepage.



Our tasting notes
The colour of this three years old Belgian Owl single malt whisky is a pale gold. The nose is delicate and subtle with some lovely fresh aromas coming through - think of crisp green pears, vanilla, honey, lemon zest and more fresh fruit, this time reminiscent of greengages and unripe plums. These light, fresh aromas are backed up by increasingly distinct notes of malty cereal grains and dried grasses (imagine hay especially). On the palate, this whisky is tangy and very light to begin with. Here the three main descriptors are distinct cereals, grassy and fresh green fruits - these manifest themselves in notes of very malty/gristy barley, hay/straw and green pear/greengage respectively. With time, the number of characteristics again increase to include honey, vanilla, lemon zest and some hot, tangy spiciness (think of chilli-like heat). This heat carries on in to the finish, which is quite lively and zingy. The sweeter elements (honey and vanilla especially) appear, then fade to leave some pleasant dryness.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely, tangy, refreshing and mouthwatering dram that would be perfect as an aperitif or on a hot day. The whisky shows plenty of very good characteristics, considering its young age, and stands up very well to its contemporaries from other new distilleries. It will certainly be interesting to see how the Belgian Owl whiskies taste in any future older releases and with further maturation. We thank our friend James Grant, who bought us back a small sample of The Belgian Owl single malt from a recent trip to Belgium.

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 ...
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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.

Have just tried > St. George's Chapter 7 Rum Cask

St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk and about 2 hours north east of London. The distillery is operated by The English Whisky Company, which was founded in 2005 by Andrew and James Nelstrop. The construction of the new facilities began shortly afterwards and the first spirit came off the stills in November 2006. The St. George's spirit is made from barley which is locally grown in Norfolk and they are currently producing and maturing whisky in peated and unpeated styles.

This Chapter 7 whisky is made using unpeated malted barley and is released at three years of age. It has been finished for the final year in an ex-rum cask, after spending the first two years in ex-bourbon casks, and all future releases using this cask combination will also carry the Chapter 7 name. This first limited batch of just 660 bottles was released during in late Summer 2010 and has an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV. We thank David Fitt, the Chief Distiller at St. George’s for giving us this sample and for his time spent talking with us.

The other 'chapters' in the series are made up of new make spirit or partially aged spirit up to the age of three years (this is not legally allowed to be called 'whisky'), plus a number of three year old single malt whiskies that have been matured in various casks. Confused? We have listed each Chapter below to help, with links to the ones we have reviewed. The plan is to expand the range further as and when more stock reaches a suitable length of maturation. A bottle of Chapter 7 should cost £50-55, if you can still find one!

Definition of the St.George's Chapter series
Chapter 1 > Unpeated new make spirit
Chapter 2 > Peated new make spirit
Chapter 3 > Unpeated spirit matured for 18 months
Chapter 4 > Peated spirit matured for 18 months
Chapter 5 > First edition of three years old single malt
Chapter 6 > Unpeated three years old single malt
Chapter 7 > Unpeated three years old single malt with rum finish
Chapter 8 > First edition peated three years old single malt
Chapter 9 > Peated three years old single malt
Chapter 10 > Unpeated three years old single malt, sherry cask

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Chapter 7 is pale, almost lemon yellow. The nose is fresh, vibrant and youthful with an initial hit of tangy, sweet aromas - think of fresh green pears and apples, lemon zest and sugar cane. These are joined by notes of distinct cereal grain, something herbal (think of dried grass or hay) and a sawdust-like oakiness. Some white pepper spiciness and a hint of bitter cocoa powder compliment the other aromas very well. This is a very promising nose. On the palate, this whisky does not disappoint and is again light, fresh and vibrant. The obvious sweetness is prominent and driven by notes of fresh green pears and apples, icing sugar, honey and white chocolate. Other notes add balance - tangy lemon zest, cereal grains, oak, dried grasses and a white pepper spiciness that burns away in the background. The finish is short but is lovely, fresh and tangy. Again there is initial and intense sweetness, which has a mix of sugar cane syrup and sherbet to it. It then becomes dry and grassy right at the very end, which leaves your mouth watering and wanting more!

What's the verdict?
This is one of the best and most sympathetic uses of a rum cask that we have experienced in a whisky to date. The rum influence compliments the other characteristics and quality of the spirit, bringing a wonderful vibrancy and freshness. It makes you wonder - if The English Whisky Company's whiskies are this good now, then what will they be like with further time, maturation and experimentation? Chapter 7 is an excellent dram.

Please note > the photograph above is taken from www.englishwhisky.co.uk.

Have just tried > Hankey Bannister 12 years old

Hankey Bannister is an award winning range of blended whiskies that are marketed and released by Inver House Distillers. The slightly strange name comes from a partnership of two business men (whose surnames were Hankey and Bannister) who set up a wine and spirits business in the West End of London in 1757. They were one of the first companies to take whisky from Scotland and blend it elsewhere. The popularity of their whiskies grew with time, especially amongst royalty and the wealthy. Previous fans have included King George V, King Edward VII and Sir Winston Churchill.

The Hankey Bannister brand is exported to over 40 countries, with the main markets being the UK, South America, South Africa and Australia. The core range consists of the Original, which is the most popular and widely available, plus this 12 years old, a 21 and a 40 years old (note that the age stated on a blended whisky is the youngest whisky that is present, with some older whiskies also included). The 40 years old was produced to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Hankey Bannister & Co and it was this that won the most prestigious award available of Best Blended Whisky at The World Whisky Awards 2009. The whiskies are based loosely on Hankey and Bannister's original recipe and contains around 30% of single malt whisky (predominantly from the Balblair distillery but also Balmenach and Knockdhu). The remaining 70% is grain whisky mostly coming from the North British and Port Dundas distilleries.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden amber and the nose has a number of interesting aromas that combine very well - there are distinct, robust cereal grains that have a slightly toasted/burnt feeling to them, honey, caramel, dark dried fruits (think of raisin and sultana), cinnamon, a delicious whiff of orange oil and a subtle hint of sour dried apple. On the palate, this is rich and mouth coating with a pleasant sweetness to begin with. This sweetness is driven by notes of caramel, toffee, sugary crystalised honey and dried fruit (imagine sultana and candied orange peel especially). Then the robust cereal grains from the nose to add balance, dryness and a hint of bitterness, as does some increasingly spicy wood notes (think of oak, cinnamon and nutmeg). The finish is slightly tangy with the orange notes coming through well, before it turns woodier and spicier. It ends with a pleasant dryness with notes of oak, burnt cereals and nutmeg giving a faint sour bitterness.

What's the verdict?
This is a very good quality whisky, especially when you consider that it sells for around £25 a bottle. The delicious combination of the sweet elements with the drier, spicier ones and the robust cereals makes this an enjoyable and well balanced dram. Well worth a try. We thank Cathy James of Inver House Distillers for supplying us with this sample of Hankey Bannister 12 years old.

New releases > Auchentoshan 1998 Fino Sherry Cask

A unique Scottish distillery
Auchentoshan (pronounced ock-en-tosh-an) is the nearest whisky distillery to Glasgow, being located just to the north west of the city. It is one of the last remaining Lowland distilleries and was opened in 1823. Auchentoshan translates as 'corner of the field' from Gaelic and is the only distillery in Scotland to continually practice triple distillation of their spirit. Other Scottish distilleries occasionally do this (for example, Springbank release Hazelburn which is triple distilled but they only produce it for a small part of the year). Triple distillation produces a smoother, lighter spirit that many people find easier to drink and the process is more commonly associated with Irish whiskey.

So, why are Auchentoshan the only place to consistently triple distil in Scotland? The theory is that during the Irish potato famine in the early 1800s, immigrants came over to the Glasgow area to escape the poverty and brought the process with them, maybe introducing the idea to the new distillery's owners. Auchentoshan's current owners are Morrison Bowmore, a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory, and have carried on this tradition. The annual production capacity of Auchentoshan is 1.75 million litres. Also, the visitor centre at the distillery has been voted one of the best in Scotland and is one of the most visited, helped by its close proximity to Glasgow.

Details of the whisky
This whisky is a new limited edition of Auchentoshan, which has been released to compliment to core range. This core range consists of 12, 18 and 21 year old whiskies plus the Three Wood, which has undergone maturation in three different casks (hence the name). This 1998 has been bottled at 11 years of age and at the cask strength of 54.6% ABV. It has been matured in ex-Fino sherry casks - Fino sherry is a light, dry and nutty aperitif style of sherry and its casks are rarely used to mature whisky, so it will be interesting to taste the effects. There are only 6,000 bottles of this release and it is now available from specialist alcohol retailers for about £45 a bottle.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this is golden yellow with a hint of coppery amber. The nose is fragrant with plenty of sharp woody aromas to begin with (think of oak and in particular, sawdust). Other aromas appear of dried fruit (imagine sultanas and pear), malty cereal grains, caramel and some burnt sugar. The dried pear and sultana notes are particularly aromatic and increase with time in the glass. While each of the aromas are pleasant in their own right, the problem seems that they never seem to integrate fully. On the palate, this is intense with the woody, slightly dusty, notes from the nose appearing first. These are joined by notes of drying wood spice (think of cinnamon and nutmeg) and toasted nuts (especially walnuts and almonds), before sweeter characters come through to add much needed balance. These include lovely notes of toffee, raisin, sultana, cereals and finally, a hit of brown sugar. The finish goes the opposite way to the nose and palate by starting sweetly with the brown sugar note particularly prominent. Then it becomes much drier with plenty of wood spices and nuts (think of cinnamon, nutmeg and almonds).

What's the verdict?
This is a very interesting and unique whisky, because not many whiskies are matured in ex-Fino sherry casks. It somehow seems slightly disjointed, especially on the nose which lacks integration between the very woody aromas and the sweeter, fruitier ones. The palate and the finish are pleasant and enjoyable, exhibiting better balance than the nose. This whisky is worth trying as the Fino sherry has imparted different flavours than the traditional styles of sherry used in maturation.

Have just tried > St. Magdalene 1975 'Rare Old' from Gordon & MacPhail

St. Magdalene is a Lowland distillery that has been closed since 1983. The distillery originally opened in 1795 in the town of Linlithgow, which lies between Edinburgh and Stirling, and whisky distilled at St. Magdalene is also occasionally released under the name of 'Linlithgow'. It was one of Scotland's oldest distilleries until its closure. St. Magdalene was regarded as having one of the most perfect locations in Scotland for both whisky production and transportation links, being situated very close to some of the main barley growing areas, the main Edinburgh to Stirling road and the Union canal. The distillery buildings are still standing and have been sympathetically renovated into apartments.

A rare single malt
St. Magdalene and Linlithgow whiskies are now extremely rare and are naturally running out, so are highly sought after by drinkers and collectors alike. The majority of the remaining dwindling stock is owned by drinks giant Diageo, who occasionally release special bottlings. The rest of the stock is held by independent bottling companies, who carefully select when to release it. This one is released by renowned independent bottling company, Gordon & MacPhail, in their Rare Old series. It was distilled in 1975 and bottled in 2005 at 30 years of age. Bottles can be found at specialist whisky retailers and should cost around £125 - this is a bargain considering the age and rarity of this whisky.

One of Scotland's oldest independent bottlers
Gordon & MacPhail are a company based in the city of Elgin in Scotland and they continue to operate from their original premises that were constructed when the company was set up by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail in 1895. The company started off by bottling whisky for the numerous local distilleries and also did some blending and vatting. The business grew rapidly and they were soon joined by John Urquhart, whose family still own and manage the company today. Currently, Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest independent bottling companies in Scotland, with over 300 own label bottlings in their current catalogue. The whiskies are selected from distilleries all around Scotland and released in a number of ranges.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden with a hint of amber and the nose is captivating and very promising. The combination of attractive and aromatic notes is alluring - lots of vanilla and cereal grains up front, followed by aromas of honey, toffee, orange peel, dried grasses, a hint of ginger powder and a deep scent of very ripe pears. On the palate, this whisky is soft, silky and slightly oily in feel. It grips your palate with fairly robust and malty cereal notes to begin with. Then come some lovely soft oaky flavours, plus notes of vanilla, honey, butterscotch, demerara sugar and lots of dried pear. These are balanced by hints of wood spice (imagine cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger), some tangy citrus zest (think of lemons especially) and some dried grassy notes, which add a pleasant bitterness and balance. The finish is long, soft and warming with plenty of cereal grain notes again, honey, vanilla and a dash of that ginger powder. Delicious!

What's the verdict?
This is a fabulous whisky that has plenty of subtle yet complex characteristics. It is well balanced and shows how good older whiskies can taste if matured sympathetically in quality casks. A big well done to Gordon & MacPhail for this excellent release. However, it does create a bittersweet dilemma - do you mourn the fact that whisky from a distillery that produced this sort of quality will soon run out or celebrate the fact that such great stuff is available, even for a limited period? We say, if you haven't tried any St. Magdalene whisky yet then you must do before it's gone forever.