Inbox > October 28, 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. Here we go with the whisky news ... there's quite a bit this week!

Auchentoshan > Switch contest reaches finale

Martin stirs it up

A few weeks ago, we wrote in Inbox about an initiative being run by the Scottish Lowland distillery of Auchentoshan.  The Switch is a contest that sees a bartender from either side of the Atlantic swap countries to work in a top bar for one week.  We attended the UK final which was held in London earlier this week, which saw 18 top mixologists go head-to-head for the chance to work in the famous Apotheke bar in New York. The winner was Martin Ball from Corridor in Manchester, who created the Tight Corner Fizz using Auchentoshan Three Wood whisky and then had to present an Auchentoshan Master Class in the final.  The US winner was Charles Joly from The Drawing Room in Chicago. He will work at the legendary 69 Colebrooke Row in London for a week.

Ballantine's > Christmas Reserve 2011 launched

Christmas comes early

The popular blended Scotch whisky has announced the release a new product for Christmas.  The Ballantine's Christmas Reserve has been created by Ballantine's Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and has been designed to have a seasonal profile of dried fruits, cinnamon, spiced orange, pears and apples.  It will appear between now and Christmas in limited quantities and in limited markets including France, Spain, Taiwan and the UK. To support the the 2011 launch, Ballantine’s Brand Ambassador Fredrik Olsson has created a series of seasonal cocktails using the Christmas Reserve - the Golden Saffron Martini, the Spiced Hot Chocolate and Hot Christmas Punch - which we hope to have a go at making! Check out www.chivasbrothers.com for more info.

Bowmore > Tempest Batch No.3 released

A stormy dram?

The famous Islay distillery of Bowmore, which is the oldest on the island (founded 1779), has released Batch No.3 of its popular Tempest bottling.  The Tempest batches are released at cask strength and are matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon casks - 55.6% ABV and first filled casks respectively in this case.  Batch No.3 follows the two previous batches, which hauled in the prizes at various prestigious whisky awards and built up a cult following of fans.

Bowmore's Brand Manager Cara Laing comments, “We’ve released a small batch of Bowmore Tempest annually to great response. Every batch is slightly different but always reflects Bowmore’s raw spirit – it’s like tasting a dram straight out of a first fill bourbon cask in our famous No.1 Vaults." There are 11,000 bottles and they are available now worldwide with a suggested price of £50.

Buffalo Trace > Antique Collection 2011

The famous five

The popular Buffalo Trace distillery from Kentucky has announced that this year's Antique Collection will get a limited release in the UK, following the full release in the USA back in September.  The distillery makes numerous brands and they have been releasing some special editions of these on an annual basis since 2000. This year's highly anticipated bottlings are - Eagle Rare 17 years old, George T. Stagg 71.3% ABV, Sazerac 18 years old Rye, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye and W. L. Weller Wheated Rye.  Previous bottlings have been highly awarded at various shows and also in past editions of Jim Murray's Whisky Bible.  The bourbons will be distributed in the UK by Hi-Spirits. For further info, check out this article on the must read www.bourbonblog.com.

Chivas > Employ Oscar winning director for project

The Chivas Regal blended Scotch has teamed up with Oscar winning director Joachim Back to produce two films about friendship.  The films, entitled Big Bear and Twinkle, centre around a group of four friends and follows them through the trials and tribulations of life. The films form part of Chivas Regal’s ongoing Live with Chivalry campaign which launched in 2008 and encourages men to aspire to not just to have more, but to be more. Film and Chivas Regal lovers can raise a glass to Big Bear or Twinkle and discover the full story online at www.chivas.com from 31 October 2011.  In the meantime, below is a short trailer ...



Drinkaware > New interactive video

The UK Drinkaware initiative, of which we are proud to be part, have released a new interactive video to help parents explain to their children about the effects of alcohol on their bodies and behaviour.  Drinkaware are an independent charity that aims to change the UK's drinking habits for the better by promoting responsible drinking of alcohol.  They do this by spreading knowledge and setting up initiatives to change the nation's drinking culture and help to reduce alcohol misuse. This new video, which you can take part with below, tackles the tricky subject of how to communicate with children and break down some of the 'myths' about alcohol by talking with them. Have a go and see where your conversation leads ... it's good fun and cleverly done, but with a serious message.

Bowmore Great Outdoors whisky tasting & photography workshop

We were recently invited to a special evening at the London branch of The Whisky Shop to celebrate an event held by Bowmore single malt whisky to celebrate the launch of the National Geographic UK 2011 International Photography Contest. The competition asks budding photographers to enter their favourite photograph for the chance to be featured in a future issue of UK National Geographic magazine and to win a trip to the isle of Islay, the home of Bowmore.

The evening was hosted by Colin Prior, renowned landscape and travel photographer. The event was an inspiring mix of photography workshop and informal whisky tasting. Throughout the evening we tasted Bowmore 12 years old, 15 years old 'Darkest' and the 18 years old.

We were handed a glass of each expression of Bowmore single malt whisky which Colin tasted with us in a refreshingly informal manner. He then got serious and ran us through a number of collections of his work while the crowd supped on their drams. All throughout the presentation Colin was imparting valuable tips and tricks to make any novice photographer get that bit more out of any holiday photos. Colin provided us with an insight into his choice of subjects, a few tales of his adventures while trying to get the 'perfect shot' and more than our fair share of helpful photography tips. we thought the best way we could pass on the experience was to pass on a few of his easy but intelligent photography tips and tricks.

Colin's Tips and Tricks
- Consider the background of any image. A simple plain background will work best for many posed images, however when the location is the key to the image ensure that you include a few key carefully positioned items in the background. Never make the background too cluttered.
- When the subject of the image is a person, make sure that their eyes are sharply in focus, as you will always look at the sharpest part of the image.
- Morning and dusk are ideal times of the day to take landscapes as the soft warm light helps bring out depth in the image making the composition feel more three dimensional.
- Use points of reference for scale. An object of know size can help give a larger object real scale and drama.
- Understand your camera's ISO. This feature is on almost all cameras and can really help you exploit the light available to you. A low ISO will suit bright sunlight and avoid images being 'washed out' while a high ISO will stop low light images being 'murky' and dull.

Have a look at some of Colin's inspiring images at www.colinprior.co.uk.
To enter the competition visit the National Geographic website. Don't dawdle. Closing date Monday 31st October 2011.

Have just tried > Old Pulteney 21 years old

The news story of this week has seen Old Pulteney gain a major accolade for its 21 years old expression. It was named as World Whisky of the Year in the latest edition of the Jim Murray Whisky Bible. The 2012 edition is the 9th version of the book, in which whisky expert Jim Murray samples a staggering 1,500 new whiskies in an intense four month period each year.  The 21 years old topped this years list with a record equaling 97.5 out of 100.  Jim Murray has a strict set of criteria that he follows with each whisky he samples and whiskies have to be exceptional to get marks in the high 80s or early 90s.  In the nine years of the book, Old Pulteney is only the second Scottish distillery to land this prestigious accolade.

The Old Pulteney distillery, or simply Pulteney as the locals call it, is the most northerly mainland distillery in Scotland. Located in the Highland fishing town of Wick, it lies just 15 miles south of the UK's most northerly point of John O'Groats. Old Pulteney is currently owned by Inver House Distillers, which is part of the larger Thai group InBev, and has a production capacity of three million litres a year. The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Henderson and was named after Sir William Johnstone Pulteney, the herring industry's leading light of the day. It is one of the few distilleries to be named after a person.

Last year we were lucky enough to pay a visit to the distillery and for more information about Pulteney - click here to read our report. Their core range consists of a 12, 17, 21 and 30 years old. The brand has grown massively in the last three years and this has seen Old Pulteney climb into the top 20 for world sales of single malts. This 21 years old is bottled at 46% ABV and has the highest percentage of sherry cask maturation of any whisky in their core range - 30% has been matured in ex-fino sherry casks, with the other 70% matured in re-fill ex-bourbon casks. The recent new re-branded packaging is pictured above.

Our tasting notes
The award seems the perfect time to re-visit a sample that we have at home and construct some more detailed tasting notes than we have offered before.  So, here goes ...

The colour is golden amber and the nose is packed with lovely aromas - something nutty (think of almonds), vanilla, oatcakes, crisp red apples, dried fruits and caramel (the combination of the last two is reminiscent of toffee apples). Other aromas are less prominent and appear with increased time in the glass, especially hints of ripe banana and malty cereals.  On the palate, this is drier than expected and is packed with oak, cinnamon and nutmeg notes initially. It feels buttery and creamy in the mouth with pleasant toffee-like sweetness complimenting the wood spices of earlier.  The dried fruitiness from the nose is also present, with notes of sultana particularly evident, along with further elements of almonds, vanilla, burnt sugar and a hint of saltiness that cuts through the richness to give balance. The finish is again dry and delicious, if not slightly short, and becomes saltier as the flavours disappear.

What's the verdict?
This is a lovely whisky and one that deserves to be in the spotlight, although only the individual whisky drinker can judge whether it is the World Whisky of the Year for them.  Naturally to come to this conclusion, the whisky has to be to your taste and style.  What this exposure will do is bring not just the 21 years old, but the distillery and its single malt range to a far wider audience.  This can only be a good thing and it is deserved as Pulteney has long been an under-rated or overlooked distillery. If you get the chance to try it, then we highly recommend that you do.

We would like to take this opportunity to send our congratulations to Malcolm Waring, the Distillery Manager at Pulteney, and those people that we know at Inver House on this great award.  We raise a glass to you all.

New releases > St. George's Chapter 11

St. George's is the first whisky distillery to be built and produce whisky in England for almost 200 years. The distillery is located in the heart of East Anglia, close to the town of Roudham in Norfolk (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 locally grown Norfolk barley and is matured predominantly in ex-bourbon casks. The distillery has already won many plaudits for its innovation and quality of spirit and whisky produced to date, which are released as a series of Chapters.

Each Chapter signifies a different style of whisky or spirit.  Initially, the first releases were new make or part aged spirit, but now the range is expanding more as the whisky comes of age and reaches the three year minimum mark.  The amount of Chapters is only going to increase, especially given the experimentation with different casks that is happening at the distillery. We have listed a definition of what each Chapter is on a previous blog post - to read this click here.

These two whiskies are the first bottled as Chapter 11, which is made using heavily peated malted barley.  The regular version is bottled at an alcoholic strength of 46% ABV and costs £45, while the Cask Strength version is bottled at 59.7% ABV and costs £65.  Both are un-chillfiltered and were released in July of this year.  They can be purchased from The English Whisky Co. website or selected specialist whisky retailers.

Chapter 11 Heavily Peated - 46% ABV

The colour of this regular bottling is a pale lemon yellow and the nose is youthful and fresh, but full of interesting aromas.  There is initial vanilla and oat cake notes, with plenty of pungent peat which mixes grassy, earthy and mossy notes with iodine.  Other aromas develop with time - zesty lemon, red chilli and warm buttery toast (this last one is particularly pleasant). 

On the palate, this feels creamy and a bit soapy to begin with.  Fresh, tangy and acidic elements soon join in and these include notes of crisp green apple, lemon zest and vibrant chilli-like heat from the youthful spirit.  Underneath are vital, yet subtle, notes of vanilla, honey and oat biscuit.  These are all underpinned by robust mossy peat smoke.  The finish is of decent length and combines sweet honey and vegetal, leafy smokiness well.  This is a very interesting whisky and one that changes dramatically with time in the glass - it was almost unrecognisable after 15 minutes.  It grows on you, increasing with intensity and enjoyment.

Chapter 11 Heavily Peated - 59.7% ABV

This Cask Strength version has a pale lemon yellow colour and the nose is surprisingly light for a whisky of this strength.  However, it is vibrant, clean and fresh with plenty going on.  There is an initial whiff of surgical spirit which evolves in to a lovely vegetal peaty smokiness (think of wet leaves and moss).  There are also aromas of vanilla, lemon zest and olive oil.

The lightness of the nose lulls you in to a false sense of security, as the palate is feisty with plenty of initial hot spice (imagine red chillis and cracked pepper).  It quickly settles down with the saliva in the mouth and a  sweetness hits the tip of your tongue with a blast of gorgeous honey and oak.  Then come further vanilla, creamy coconut, tangy lemon and drying wood spices, reminiscent of cinnamon.  All of the time a warm dense peaty smoke burns away.  The finish is gloriously long with the smokiness, some dry wood spices and a hint of salt all combining well.  The taste of peat smoke can still be detected at least 10 minutes later.

What's the verdict?
Both of these whiskies are good but in different ways.  The regular 46% bottling develops dramatically in to a lovely dram given time and patience in the glass.  It combines creamy and tangy well and has numerous enjoyable characteristics.  The Cask Strength 59.7% bottling is more immediate, impactful and 'in your face' with plenty of feisty elements that settle down and mingle with time. 

Both whiskies are clearly youthful and some may shy away from them because of that.  However, these whiskies (as with most of the St. George's range) show what can be achieved in a relatively short time with quality workmanship and casking.  Long may it continue and we can't wait to see what the next Chapter will be ...

New releases > Diageo Special Releases 2011

Each Autumn sees the highly anticipated release of a selection of single malt whiskies from the portfolio of drinks giant Diageo, which owns 28 whisky distilleries in Scotland. For the Special Releases programme they have traditionally mixed limited edition expressions from some of their flagship distilleries with very rare and older whiskies from some of the lesser known parts of their estate. Some of these include whiskies from closed distilleries whose stocks have dwindled to almost critical levels. This year's selection of eight whiskies are mostly bottled at the natural cask strength and are non chill filtered.

We attended the launch of these products in London recently. Below is a round-up and details of each of the whiskies for the Special Releases 2011, with our tasting notes from the launch evening.

Brora 32 years old 

Single malts from this coastal north Highland distillery, which closed in 1983, are now very rare. This bottling consists of just 1,500 bottles and rumour has it that this may be one of the last ever releases that Diageo can bottle. It is their oldest ever bottling of Brora and this had been matured in a combination of re-fill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The alcohol strength is 54.7% ABV and it will have a recommended retail price (RRP) of £300.

The colour is dark gold and the nose is initially reserved, but reveals more with time - there are aromas of honeycomb, vanilla, cereals, icing sugar, dried grasses, bonfire-like ash and a hint of mint.  On the palate, this whisky is oily, soft and mellow.  The honeycomb and vanilla sweetness from the nose is there but is joined by more fruit, especially dried fruit like raisins and candied lemon peel.  These are backed up by soft cereal notes and hints of sea salt and mint.  All the time a bonfire-like ashiness is burning away in the background.  The finish becomes drier than expected, with more smokiness prominent.  The addition of water releases a previously undetected floral note, which is reminiscent of honeysuckle, and makes it feel even creamier and softer than before.

Caol Ila 12 years old Unpeated

This Islay distillery is well known and regarded for it soft peaty single malts, but once a year they produce a small batch of unpeated whisky. Most of this is used within Diageo's range of popular blends but some of the best casks are kept for release. This is the sixth such release and has been matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, which has yielded just under 6,000 bottles. It has been bottled at an eye-watering 64% ABV and will have an RRP of £55.

The colour is a delicate lemon yellow and the nose is unexpectedly restrained for a whisky of such high ABV.  There are subtle notes of vanilla, honey, green apples and floral blossoms, with a hint of surgical spirit.  However, it lulls you in to a false sense of security - it wakes up on your palate and the high ABV hits it with a BANG.  The whisky feels light and tangy with plenty fighting for your attention.  There are notes of feisty cracked pepper, lemon zest, vanilla, burnt icing sugar, buttery oat cakes and surgical spirit.  The finish is clean, fresh and dry.  This whisky benefits from the addition of water, and can take quite a lot.  This takes away the surgical spirit aspect, giving a lovely creaminess and more delicacy.

Glenury Royal 40 years old
Whisky from this east Highland distillery are extremely rare and highly sought after. Glenury Royal closed in 1983 and has since been demolished. Recent releases have been scarce and this is one of the oldest ever expressions that Diageo have bottled from the remaining stocks. There are just 1,404 bottles, each of which is individually numbered, and it has been maturing in the same re-fill ex-bourbon casks since 1970. It has an RRP of £525.

This Glenury Royal was unfortunately not available for tasting at the launch event, due to the highly rare nature of the whisky.  This was a shame, as we have never tasted anything from this closed distillery and we plan to update these notes if we ever get the chance to try it.

Knockando 25 years old 

The 12 years old bottling from the small Speyside distillery of Knockando is one of Diageo's best sellers, but older expressions such as this one are much harder to come by. This has been maturing in first fill ex-sherry casks since 1985 and has been bottled at a slightly reduced strength of 43% ABV. There are fewer than 4,500 bottles in this limited release and each one carries an RRP of £135.

The colour is a dark amber and the nose is rich and intense.  There are aromas of butterscotch, toffee and raisins immediately, after which some further understated oak spices (especially cinnamon and nutmeg) come through.  There is something savoury in the background also, which is difficult to pinpoint. The palate is rich and oily, with that savoury note becoming more immediately prominent - maybe there is a whiff of peat smoke?  There are sugary fudge notes, which are supported by plenty of dark dried fruits such as raisins, figs and dates.  In addition, there are further background notes of cocoa, coffee grounds and baking spice. The long, warm finish begins sweetly before becoming pleasantly drier and almost like an Armagnac.

Lagavulin 12 years old

This Islay distillery is one of Diageo's flagship single malts and the popular 16 years old forms part of their iconic Classic Malts series. It is well loved for its peaty, smoky style of whisky and this one will be no different. This expression is bottled at the natural cask strength of 57.5% ABV and has become a regular feature in recent Special Releases programmes. It has been matured in re-fill ex-bourbon casks and will have an RRP of £63.

This whisky is pale gold in colour and the nose is fiery, intense and complex.  There is initial chilli spice and heavy peat, which is interlaced with iodine and damp moss aromas.  Underneath is further aromas of coal tar soap and some much needed sweetness in the form of vanilla and honey.  The palate is lightly oily and pleasantly salty with some initial chilli heat.  This subsides as the whisky mingles with the saliva in the mouth to give some creamy, buttery vanilla, honey and cereal notes.  The peatiness is always present but is now a combination of being sweet and earthy and a little bonfire-like and ashy.  There are also hints of mint and liquorice.  The finish is powerful, smoky and bittersweet.

Port Dundas 20 years old

Port Dundas is a grain distillery in Glasgow which closed a couple of years ago. Whiskies from this distillery are very rare, as most are used to produce Diageo's range of blends. This is a 100% single grain whisky and is the first ever such release to appear in the Special Releases. It has been bottled at 57.4% ABV and there are 1,920 bottles. The bottling has been made from just three casks - one new American oak, one new European oak and one re-fill ex-bourbon cask - and has an RRP of £135.

The colour is a deep amber brown and the nose is expressive and tempting.  First comes some aromas of bitter orange (this is reminiscent of marmalade), dark chocolate and old furniture polish.  These are joined by aromas of bitter sweet cereal grains, distinct wood spices (think of cinnamon bark and nutmeg) and burnt brown sugar.  On the palate this feels viscous, oily and a bit heavy, with plenty of robust notes present - vanilla, molasses, dark chocolate, coffee, burnt orange, bitter sweet cereals and drying wood spices.  The impact is impressive.  The finish is long and complex with the orange and spices most evident.  The addition of water softens the whisky and brings out further creamy oak and the coffee note in particular.  Very interesting to try this.

Port Ellen 32 years old

This is the 11th release in the series from this fabled Islay distillery, which closed in 1983. Port Ellen stocks are said to be running very low and this release contains just 2,988 individually numbered bottles. This is Diageo's oldest release of Port Ellen to date and has been maturing in re-fill ex-bourbon casks since 1978. It has been bottled at 53.9% ABV and has an RRP of £300. Previous releases in this series have seriously increased in value, some by over 150%, so this is one to watch.

Everyone, as ever, was excited by this Port Ellen.  The colour is golden yellow and the nose is very subtle, almost understated. There are delicate aromas of honey, freshly baked bread, vanilla, lemon zest, bonfire ash and a hint of surgical bandages.  With time, some leafy green vegetation aromas come through also.  On the palate, this feels oily and there is a very good mix of sweet and savoury notes.  Sweet - hints of tropical dried fruit, vanilla, honey and toffee.  Savoury - oat cake biscuits, bonfire ash, fresh green vegetation, hints of menthol, tangy lemon and sea salt.  The finish is long and very warming with a nutty feel that develops, along with the distinct honey, lemon zest and increasingly dry ashiness.  The addition of water softens everything with the green vegetal smokiness being allowed to come to the fore finally.

Rosebank 21 years old

This whisky is from another closed distillery, this time from the Lowlands of Scotland between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Rosebank was founded in 1798 and would be one of Scotland's oldest distilleries if it were still in operation. However, it closed in 1993 and despite almost constant rumours of it re-opening, it never has. This expression has been matured in a combination of re-fill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and there are 5,886. Remaining stocks are low, so the RRP of £160 seems like a bit of bargain.

The colour of this is a pale gold yellow and the nose is full of delicious, yet subtle aromas.  There are notes of honey, oaty cereals, candied lemon, golden syrup, green apple, soft flowers (like honeysuckle) and sherbet sweets.  The light palate is initially full of tangy lemon citrus notes (similar to "lemon cheesecake" - © Colin Dunn), before these give way to softer and more delicate ones - honey, vanilla, a pinch of baking spice, coconut, bittersweet cereal grains, soft oak and a hint of cocoa powder.  The finish is dry and delicate, with everything in glorious balance and no one element dominating or overpowering another.  It is exceptional as it is, but with water it is also very good - plenty of white oak, creamy coconut and floral notes come out.

What's the verdict?
Well, the verdict is that all of the whiskies in this year's Special Releases are good!  The diversity of distilleries is thought provoking, mixing well known ones with much rarer or closed ones, as is the inclusion of a single grain whisky.  So, which was our favourite of the night?  This is a tough question as the quality was so high ... 

Let's start with the younger whiskies - the Lagavulin was delicious and feisty, while the Caol Ila unpeated is an interesting experiment but one that we have never really enjoyed or been as good as expected.  The single grain Port Dundas was also interesting to try and was full of dark characteristics, as was the rare Knockando. The Port Ellen won many plaudits (and quite rightly so) amongst those in attendance at the tasting, but our two favourites were the Brora and the Rosebank.  Both were exceptional whiskies and were the two that we went back for a sneaky second helping of before we left (thanks Tom and Colin!).

Inbox > October 21, 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. Here we go with this week's whisky news ...

Bowmore > Islay Taste Map launched

This Autumn, Bowmore - Islay's oldest single malt whisky dating back to 1779 - has collaborated with whisky writer Martine Nouet to create the Islay Taste Map. In a bold move to support the Islay category as a whole, the map is the ideal guide to the complex and varied characters of Islay’s eight distilleries - Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin & Laphroaig. It has been launched as an educational tool for both the on-trade and off-trade, and will be available for consumers to access online from November. The map brings to life the elements Earth, Air, Fire and Water using colour-coordinated taste profiles to illustrate how each of the elements is reflected in the whiskies from each distillery. The map also explains the character profile and whisky tasting notes for expressions from each distillery. In development for over a year, the map has been created with Martine Nouet, an Islay resident.

Glen Garioch > New 25 years old vintage launched

The Aberdeenshire distillery has announced its latest small batch vintage expression, the Glen Garioch 1986 - the fifth special addition to the Glen Garioch single malt range. Just 3,000 bottles are to be released in Canada, France, Netherlands, the UK and the US. To celebrate the release Glen Garioch has linked up with Mellis Cheesemongers to partner the dram with a specially selected cheese which complements and enhances the flavour - Criffel, voted Best Scottish Cheese at the 2011 Cheese Awards. The Glen Garioch 1986 will retail at £125 from selected specialist retailers. John Mullen, the Glen Garioch Brand Manager says, “Our small batch casks are handpicked at the peak of their perfection and are selected to display the quality of liquid produced by our artisan Highland distillery. The 1986 adds new flavour and depth to our limited edition range. With a cask strength 54.6% ABV and non-chill filtration, it’s firmly aimed at the whisky connoisseur.”

Glengoyne > New visitor centre opens

The Glengoyne distillery, located near Loch Lomond in Scotland, is celebrating the launch of a brand new shop and visitor centre. Over £300,000 has been invested in the visitor facilities, with further renovations planned in 2012. This comes in addition to £200,00 spent on renovating the Manager’s House in 2007 and £2.5 million spent on operational upgrades to the distillery such as new warehousing and stills. The features inside the new shop include a tasting area and a ‘Pour Your Own Dram’ facility, where guests can fill and label their own bottles direct from an exclusive single cask, before declaring it in the Customs book. The cask currently available is an American oak first fill ex-bourbon hogshead from June 2000, cask number 1016, which is priced at £75.00.  Further info can found on www.glengoyne.com.

Glenrothes > Vintage Maker 2012 competition

Following the success of this year’s Whisky Maker competition, which attracted close to 10,000 entries, the Glenrothes has announced the launch of Vintage Maker 2012. There will be three separate competitions resulting in four winners each from the UK, the USA and from the rest of the world. The winners will be recruited to work as The Glenrothes Vintage Makers to create the Glenrothes Vintage 2012.

This will involve learning the art of making The Glenrothes and spending time working at each stage of the production process - this includes testing the purity of the water source, milling the malt, mashing, adding yeast to the washbacks and overseeing fermentation, distilling new make spirit in copper pot stills and making casks at the cooperage. The winners will also nose single malt from maturing casks to assess whether the contents are of the quality and maturity expected and will stay in Rothes House, a private home belonging to the family that owns The Glenrothes. The competition will run until 31 January 2012. For further information and to enter, go to www.theglenrothes.com/vintagemaker.

The Whisky Lounge, Manchester - October 2011

The Whisky Lounge is a company that brings the world of whisky to the masses.  The company is founder by former Glenmorangie UK Brand Ambassador Eddie Ludlow and is multi faceted.  Eddie operates both corporate and consumer whisky tasting events, plus offers a consultation and training service for bars, companies and whisky brands.  Perhaps the most well known facet of the company to the wider audience are The Whisky Lounge Whisky Festivals - a series of shows that travel around the UK and that are aimed at attracting a new crowd to the genre of single malts and blended whiskies.

As Eddie puts it, "The Whisky Lounge is dedicated to the evangelism and enjoyment of whisky. Our aim is to preach the whisky word as far and wide as possible; making new friends, whilst giving people who are already converted a place to feel at home".

It was one of these shows that Eddie invited us to last weekend. The 2011 version of The Whisky Lounge's UK tour has taken in places such as Newcastle, Brighton, Liverpool and York to date, and last weekend was the turn of Manchester.  The event was held in the central location at the Lowry Hotel, which overlooks one of city's old canals.  Having only ever been to whisky shows in London, we were interested to see how the experience was going to be different, if at all.  The show was split in to two sections (11am-3pm and then 4pm-8pm) and after an early morning train journey from London, some retail therapy for Karen and some essential lunch, we headed for the show.

The line up of the festival mixed big whisky names such as Glenfiddich and Glenlivet with small, independent distilleries like Kilchoman and Arran, plus the independent bottling companies of Berry Bothers & Rudd and Gordon & MacPhail.  It also ran a series of 'master classes' throughout the day and these covered a variety of subjects, with the emphasis on the whisky beginner.

The show gave us a chance to chat with some of our best 'whisky friends' that we have met in the three years that we have been writing Whisky For Everyone - Eddie himself, Lukasz Dynowiak of the Edinburgh Whisky blog who was working on the Inver House stand, Ronnie Routledge from the Glenglassaugh distillery, Colin Dunn of Diageo, Chris Maybin of Compass Box and Michael Morris from Cooley.  We thank them all for their time, their continued support for what we are trying to do and for the drams given on the day!

However, the highlight had to be meeting up with Ian Chang, the Master Distiller at the Taiwanese distillery of Kavalan (pictured, left).  Ian has always been very supportive of us and of Whisky For Everyone since our first meeting with him about two years ago.  This includes allowing us to become the first whisky bloggers in the world to write about his products and sending us samples of his ground breaking new whiskies as they are released.

We cannot thank him enough for this and were delighted when he extended a personal invite to us to attend his Kavalan 'master class' at the show.  Within the 'master class' the group sampled four expressions of Kavalan and were taken through the production processes, casking strategy and key differences between his whisky and Scotch.  Ian's presentation, which was designed to introduce the brand to beginners, was also filled with numerous interesting facts.  Our favourite one was that Kavalan gets one million visitors a year - this is 10 times as many as the most popular Scottish distillery (Glenfiddich)!

Kavalan whiskies have won many plaudits in its short life time and is currently only available in China, Taiwan and selected south east Asian cities.  But plans are afoot to distribute the brand in the UK and selected European markets, hence this first ever appearance at a European whisky festival.  We were also delighted to meet and speak at length to Ian's assistant Joanie Tseng and Dr. Jim Swan, the consultant who has helped Kavalan with their whisky production and selection of casks.

Overall, the show was very well organised and we enjoyed our time very much.  Nearly 1,000 people came through the doors - the first 11am-3pm session seemed especially chilled out and the opportunity to speak at length with those on the stands was better than during the second session, which seemed much busier but still maintained a more relaxed feel than most London whisky shows.  Our hats go off to Eddie and his team who pulled off a successful event and must have introduced many new whisky brands to the festival goers.  Everyone we saw or spoke had enjoyed it greatly.

Have just tried > Balblair 1978 Vintage

This old single malt whisky is from the Balblair distillery in the north Highlands of Scotland.  It was added to their core range of Vintage whiskies in late 2009, when it replaced the award winning 1975 Vintage, and was released as a 3,000 bottle limited edition. The Balblair core range is released as vintages, rather than the more common age statement in numbers of years.  Distillery Manager John MacDonald explains, "our whisky tells us when it's ready, not the other way round. Each vintage is hand picked from a selection of our finest casks, once its optimum maturation point is reached". The core range normally includes four Vintages, with a couple of others released exclusively for the Duty Free/travel retail market.

Balblair is located in the picturesque village of Edderton, near to the town of Tain. It lies close to the shores of the Dornoch Firth, one of Scotland’s largest estuaries, with the mountains of the Highlands rising behind it and the North Highland Inverness-Thurso railway track running next to it. The distillery is one of Scotland's oldest, having been founded by John Ross in 1790, although the current buildings were constructed in 1893. One cool story is that direct descendants of John Ross are currently working at the distillery and they feel this provides an important heritage link to its past. Balblair is currently owned by Inver House Distillers, which is a subsidiary of the larger Thai Beverages group, and they have owned it since 1996. The current annual production capacity is 1.3 million litres.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden yellow with an amber tint. The nose is an interesting combination of rich, deep aromas - there are dried fruits (raisins, sultanas and dates), toffee and spicy cinnamon bark - and lighter fresher ones - imagine green apples, cereal grains, fresh grass and a hint of gooseberry. The overall mix gives a very pleasant scent. On the palate, a similar thing happens - it is rich but with lighter elements coming through, which makes the whisky very complex. It also has a slightly oily texture in the mouth. The key notes detected are vanilla, coconut, honey, fresh green apples and pears, almonds, plenty of delicate drying oak spices, plus hints of pepper and tropical fruits (especially mango, banana and pineapple). The dry wood spices (especially some cinnamon) seem to increase with time and carry through to a decently long finish - this begins sweetly with pleasant vanilla and tropical fruit before distinct cereal grains come through.

What's the verdict?
This Balblair 1978 Vintage is a delightful whisky, although one which is hard to define.  It seems to begin with plenty of richness on both the nose and palate, but then reveals numerous light, delicate and subtle characteristics.  This demonstrates sympathetic and balanced casking during maturation.  The other pleasant surprise is the freshness of this whisky given its age of 30 years.  It combines this freshness (which is so often missing in old whiskies) with a depth and complexity which makes this a dram to savour.  A bottle should cost around £150 from specialist whisky retailers.

Inbox > October 14, 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. Here we go with this week's whisky news ...

Benriach & Glendronach > Announce two exclusives

Vote for Pedro

The independent Benriach Distillery Company, who own both the Benriach and Glendronach distilleries, have announced two UK exclusive bottlings.  Both are from a single Pedro Ximinez sherry cask, with one from each distillery, and both were distilled in 1995, before being bottled in August of this year.  The Benriach version was distilled in May 1995 and the cask has given 695 bottles (all hand numbered) at a natural cask strength of 58.3% ABV.  The Glendronach was distilled in November 1995 and there are 725 bottles at the natural cask strength of 56.2% ABV.  Both bottlings are available now from selected UK specialist whisky retailers and should both cost around the £60 mark.

Dalmore > Partnered with Lutwyche shoes

A nose of leather, autumnal leaves & gravel

The luxury tailor Lutwyche has teamed up with the Highland single malt of Dalmore to produce a gift pack with a difference.  They have produced their first pair of shoes under the Lutwyche name and are packaging it with a bottle of Dalmore whisky.  The shoes are hand made in the traditional way from deerskin and feature the Dalmore stag logo, plus will be personalised with each customers name.  They are presented with a bottle of Dalmore's King Alexander III, which is worth £150 on its own.  Each package will cost £550 each and will be available at Lutwyche's store in Clifford Street, London from the 27 October.  The offer will only be available for one month.  Further info can be found at www.lutwyche.co.uk.

Glenmorangie > Visitor Centre re-opens

Inside the new visitor centre

The famous Glenmorangie distillery in the north Highlands is re-opening its revamped Visitor Centre this weekend (15 & 16 October). To celebrate they are holding special 'family friendly' activities over the two days.  The new centre includes a new exhibition space which plots the history of the distillery (pictured, left) and a 'dramming room' where visitors can sample whiskies from the Glenmorangie range. It is hoped that the revamp will help add to the current 25,000 people a year that visit. The Distillery Manager at Glenmorangie, Andy MacDonald, says "The completion of our new visitor centre is very exciting for us. It provides visitors with a unique insight into the Glenmorangie whisky making process and makes the distillery at Tain a must-see attraction."

New releases > Arran 12 years old Cask Strength

This whisky is the newest single malt release from the award winning Arran distillery.  The 12 years old Cask Strength is planned to be released in batches at regular intervals and this will compliment the regular core range from the distillery.  This is the first batch and it was released at the end of September.  The first batch consists of 12,000 bottles and is released at a strength of 54.1% ABV.  The whisky has been made using first-fill and second-fill ex-sherry casks, each of which was specially selected by Arran's Master Distiller James MacTaggart.  It can be found in specialist whisky retailers and should cost £45-50 a bottle.

Arran is one of the youngest single malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. It was founded by an independent group called the Isle of Arran Distillers Limited in 1993 and production began in 1995, using as many traditional techniques as possible.  The first single malt whisky released in 1998. The distillery is located on the isle of Arran, which lies between the Campbeltown peninsula and the west Lowland coast, near to the village of Lochranza. It became the first legal distillery on the island since the 1840s. Arran is also one of Scotland's smaller distilleries, producing approximately 750,000 litres per year. The visitor centre is one of Scotland's most visited, despite its relatively remote location, due to the island being served by frequent ferries from the west coast and being within relatively easy reach of Glasgow.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this 12 years old Cask Strength is golden amber and the nose is lovely, with many promising aromas combining well.  These include an initial sumptuous mix of malted barley, vanilla, golden syrup and juicy sultanas.  They are accompanied by a whiff of alcohol vapour which catches in your nostrils.  This is not unpleasant and subsides as your senses become used to the strength.  Underneath are more subtle aromas of green apple, brown sugar and baking spice.  On the palate, this is initially big, intense and hot with the high alcohol prominent.  However, like the nose, this settles with time to reveal a decent mixture of characteristics.  There are plenty of the golden syrup and juicy sultanas, plus some very green pears (think of pear drop sweets), oat-like cereals, some tangy orange zest and a pinch of cinnamon.  When it has mixed with the saliva in your mouth, this whisky feels quite oily and creamy.  The finish is bittersweet with notes of burnt brown sugar and dry woody spices prominent.

The high alcohol strength and 'feel' of this whisky suggests the addition of some water.  A few drops sees the alcohol less evident on the nose, with more cereals and green apple aromas coming through.  The palate is softer with plenty of honey and vanilla backed up by dried fruit and some spiced orange zest.  Water definitely helps this whisky, but we recommend trying it without first and making your own mind up.

What's the verdict?
The nose of this whisky is very good and promises much on the palate.  The palate is good, but both ourselves and the person we tasted this with agreed that it was not quite as good as the fantastic nose suggested.  It is still a good whisky and one which benefits from a few drops of water.  Arran are continuing to release some very interesting single malt whiskies and to push boundaries - we look forward to whatever is next on the horizon.