Scotch

Glenlivet Decades from Gordon & MacPhail

Filed under: Spirits

Gordon & MacPhail have set down a new benchmark with its Generations series. The label started with the 70-year-old Mortlach, and has now been followed by a Glenlivet of the same age. But since not everyone will be able to buy the 70yo Livet -- quantities being both extremely limited and expensive -- the independent bottler has accompanied it with the Glenlivet Decades private collection.

The Decades collection is comprised of five bottles representing five decades of Glenlivet history: one bottle each from 1954, 1963, 1974, 1980 and 1991.

The enticing range is available as a five-bottle pack for £2,850, or individually at prices ranging from £95 to £1,250 depending on the age.

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Tags: decades, glenlivet, glenlivet decades, gordon and macphail, gordon macphail, private collection, scotch, single malt, single malt scotch, spirits, the glenlivet, whisky

Ruaraidh Special Edition Single Malt from Arran

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Enthusiasts of Scotland's island whiskies may already be familiar with The Arran Malt. Distilled in Lochranza on the Isle of Arran, the single malt scotch has gained a following among drinkers and tourists alike. Now the distillery is launching the latest bottling in its special Icon of Arran range.

Ruaraidh (apparently pronounced "roo-ree" – don't get us started on Gaelic) honors the distillery's de facto mascot, distillery manager James MacTaggart's Scottish terrier. If you've visited the distillery you may have seen Ruaraidh running about the grounds, and now his face and name adorn this unique bottling.

The product of 12 years of maturation, the Ruaraidh malt was laid down in ex-Olorosso sherry hogshead barrels back in 1998, and is now being offered in a limited edition, non-chill filtered and uncolored series of 6,000 bottles.

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Tags: arran, icon of arran, icons of arran, isle of arran, ruaraidh, scotch, single malt, the arran malt, whisky

Glenlivet 70 Generations from Gordon & MacPhail

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail stole headlines last year in the whisky world when they released the oldest single malt ever bottled. That was a 70-year old scotch from the Mortlach distillery, launching the company's Generations series. Now G&M has followed up with another classic, this time from the world-famous Glenlivet.

Tags: glenlivet, Glenlivet 70 Generations, gordon and macphail, gordon macphail, scotch, single malt, spirits, the glenlivet, whisky

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Highland Park Leif Eriksson

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Highland Park is preparing to unveil a new limited-edition single malt scotch whisky later this month. Named after Leif Eriksson, the special scotch is set to debut at the International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) trade show later this month and will be exclusive to travel retail outlets.

The special bottling honors the first European to reach America. Legend has it that Leif Eriksson set out on his voyage from the Scottish Isle of Orkney, which sits in between Norway and Iceland (where Eriksson was born) and which serves as Highland Park's home.

Bottled at 40% ABV, the 700ml Highland Park Leif Eriksson will retail at $88 in the United States before being rolled out in markets around the world.

Tags: highland park, leif eriksson, scotch, single malt, whisky

First Taste: Highland Park 50 Year Old Single Malt

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

With gale-force winds that would make Mount Washington shiver, and scant winter sunlight, the northern Scottish islands of Orkney provide little reason to spend much time outside, unless it's for the annual game/riot of Ba'. But while not ideal for sunbathing, those conditions do lend themselves to other pursuits, namely, distilling whisky-which is what Highland Park has been doing since 1798. As we told you last October, Highland Park announced the release of the oldest island region single-malt yet, a 50 years old bottling housed in five kilos of hand-made silver designed by fellow Scot, Maeve Gillies.

Gillies, along with Highland Park's Martin Daraz and Gerry Tosh, were in town recently to share a dram of the precious release, which the US will only see five of this year, currently priced at $17,500.

Having spent a half-century in Sherry oak casks, the nose and palate evidenced the pleasantly expected notes of almond, clove, and candied orange. And while mellowed by age, I nonetheless picked up a healthy amount of vanilla and wood, which Daraz pointed out was most likely due to the fact that after 50 years in cask, the liquid moves beyond the portion seasoned by the Sherry and deeper into the wood staves. At just 2% peat concentration-which Highland Park still cuts by hand-the smokiness hovered at the periphery of the tongue, never feeling intrusive.

While obviously meant for the collector, both in terms of aesthetics and content, Gillies pointed out that her bottle design holds a reward for increasing the ullage: When viewed from behind, a rose window design becomes visible on the reverse of the Highland Park sandstone emblem as the level drops. "So you can pray to God for more," quipped Tosh.

Tags: Highland Park, scotch, scotland, single malt, tasting, whisky

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Glen Garioch Releases Ltd. Edition 1991 Single Malt

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Glen Garioch Releases Ltd. Edition 1991 Single Malt

The Distillery Manager at Glen Garioch, one of the oldest operating distilleries in Scotland founded in 1797, has delved into his library of well-aged whisky to release a limited batch of single malt featuring a peated production style that hasn't been seen from the Highland landmark in nearly two decades. The Glen Garioch (pronounced "Geery") 1991 is limited to only 120 bottles in the U.S. priced at $100 apiece. More than two centuries ago, the brothers John and Alexander Manson built the Glen Garioch distillery in the Scottish town of Oldmeldrum.

The distillery peated its own golden barley from the Valley of the Garioch back then which gave their whisky a heathery smokiness, now recaptured for the 1991 expression. In 1995 the distillery was mothballed but was reopened in 1997 in time to celebrate its 200th birthday. The precious 1991 whisky, floor malted with small amounts of peat, has been maturing for 19 years in hogshead bourbon casks. The bottling is presented at cask strength and non-chill filtered to show the true expression of the single malt.

Tags: distillery, Glen Garioch, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, whisky

Ltd. Edition Balvenie 40 Year Old Comes to U.S.

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Last spring my colleague David Kiley wrote about the first batch of the exclusive new limited edition 40 year old single malt created by The Balvenie. Unfortunately it was never offered for sale in the U.S., but the famed distillery has now come out with a second batch with plans to make just 50 bottles (out of the total production of 150) available here starting this month, priced at $3,999. Balvenie malt master David Stewart kept careful watch on all of the casks of rare whisky in the Balvenie's warehouses in Scotland for many decades before selecting a small amount of precious elixir from six 40 year old casks for the second edition. The result is a beautifully rounded taste of sweet creamy vanilla, butter toffee and fresh fruit. The limited edition bottling comes in a bespoke wooden box, handmade in oak by Scottish craftsman Sam Chinnery. The second batch hopes to follow in the prestigious footsteps of the first batch, which won a gold medal at both the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and International Spirits Challenge (ISC) Awards.

Tags: Balvenie, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, spirits, The Balvenie, whiskey, whisky

The Dalmore Astrum: 40 Years Old and Finished in Rum Casks

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Scottish distillery The Dalmore is selling The Dalmore Astrum, a 40-year old expression limited to just 500 bottles.

Set to cask in 1966, The Dalmore Astrum, spent most of the next four decades in second use American white oak casks before being transferred for a final 18 month finishing to 30 year old Matusalem rum casks from Gonzalez Byass.

Each bottle is protected in a bespoke, high gloss black lacquer box. Price is $2,428 based on current exchange rates.

Color: Mahogany gold.
Nose: Blood oranges, crushed apples and pear. Melon, walnuts, cocoa and cinnamon.

Taste: Top notes of ripe mandarins, kumquats, black forest fruits and pineapple. Secondary notes of ginger, black treacle and liquorice. A lingering aftertaste of vanilla, creamy caramel and Swiss chocolate.

Tags: 40-year old scotch, dalmore, scotch, the dalmore, The Dalmore Astrum, whisky

The Dalmore Rivers Collection

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Drinkers know Scotland for its world-renowned single malts, but among fishing enthusiasts, the country is known just as well for its excellent finish rivers, where the Atlantic salmon swim free and the scenery is positively breathtaking. It's not every day that these two aspects of Scotland's lore are brought together, but that days has come in the form of the Dalmore Rivers Collection.

Composed of four specially-crafted single malts selected by master distiller Richard Paterson, the Rivers Collection seeks to promote and protect Scotland's greatest fishing rivers. Each is named after and dedicated to a specific river: the Dee, the Tay, the Tweed and the Spey (on whose banks many of the Scottish Highlands' finest malts are distilled).

Part of the proceeds from the sale of each of these special single malts goes towards foundations dedicated to preserving these rivers, which are working together in a joint fundraising effort for the first time in history. When the first of these, called the Dee Dram, went on sale last year, it sold out in a matter of nine short weeks and raised £35,000 to protect the River Dee. Speacialist Whisky in Perthshire, Scotland, is stocking all four at £41.99 per bottle. Visit the Dalmore website for more information.

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Tags: dalmore, dalmore dee dram, dalmore rivers collection, dalmore spey dram, dalmore tay dram, dalmore tweed dram, dee dram, rivers collection, scotch, single malt, spey dram, tay dram, the dalmore, the dalmore dee dram, the dalmore rivers collection, the dalmore spey dram, the dalmore tay dram, the dalmore tweed dram, tweed dram, whisky

Ballantine Introduces 2011 Championship Blend

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Sports

Australian professional golfer Marcus Fraser, the winner of the 2010 Ballantine's Championship, has collaborated with Ballantine's Master Blender Sandy Hyslop to create the 2011 Championship Blend. The Scotch contains whiskies aged for at least 38 years. Only 10 bottles are being produced and as reigning Ballantine's Championship winner, Fraser will receive one of the them. One bottle will also be reserved for the 2011 champion and another will be auctioned for charitable causes during the 2011 tournament, which will take place at Seoul's Blackstone Golf Club Icheon next April.

"It is very impressive seeing Ballantine's Master Blender Sandy Hyslop in his element," said Fraser, "with his enthusiasm, experience and knowledge of all the different flavours and how they can be used together to come up with a final product." Hyslop guided Fraser through the delicate blending process and describes the resulting product as being "extremely fruity, with lots of soft fruit flavours, allied with some lovely, creamy background flavours, and when you taste it the whisky's finish just seems to last forever. Marcus obviously has a bit of a sweet tooth, as some of the flavours he has chosen have given the Championship Blend a beautifully sweet top dressing."

The Ballantine's Championship began in 2008 as an event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours. It is Asia's fourth biggest golf tournament and the largest annual golf event in South Korea.

Tags: ballantine, ballantines, golf, marcus fraser, scotch, whiskies, whisky

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The Balvenie Caribbean Cask Single-Malt Whisky

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask Single-Malt Whisky The Balvenie recently launched a new rum-cask-finished expression, Balvenie 14-Year Old Caribbean Cask.

The release follows an enthusiastic reception of a limited release of a 17-Year Old Rum Cask, and the subsequent popularity of rum cask-finished whiskies in general.

After a 14 year maturation period in traditional oak whisky casks, the Balvenie is then transferred to the rum casks, leading to an exceptional Single Malt that exemplifies the signature smooth, honeyed character of the Balvenie, while adding unique notes of toffee and fruit that come from its innovative cask finish.

Retail price is $59.99.

Tags: balvenie, rum casks, rum-finished whisky, scotch, scotch whisky, The Balvenie, The Balvenie Caribbean, whiskies, whisky

Master Distiller Richard Paterson Takes A Nose To Shackleton's Whisky

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

When you want to recreate a whisky from over a hundred years ago you want to have one of the best noses in the business doing the testing. Master Distiller Richard Paterson, the man behind some of the world's most exclusive whiskies including some of the pricey Dalmore blends we've covered in the past, is analyzing some of the whisky found in a crate in the Antarctic hut of renowned explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The whisky was first discovered in 2006 but some of it was removed last year and carefully thawed at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. The bottles of Mackinlay's Scotch whisky had been wrapped in paper and straw to protect them. The whisky is believed to date back to 1896 or 1897.

According to BBC News, three of the bottles were returned to the Scottish Highlands on Whyte and Mackay's billionaire owner, Vijay Mallya private jet for analysis. Whyte and Mackay bought Mackinlay years ago and is considering creating a new whisky to honor the Shackleton find. Paterson has said that the whisky has a beautiful rich golden color and that his "initial reaction is very, very interesting but I must wait and see."

Tags: ernest shackleton, master distiller, richard paterson, scotch, whiskies, whisky

Ltd. Edition 1946 Macallan Albert Watson Edition to Sell for $16,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Art

Missed out on the the 64-year-old Macallan in Lalique Cire Perdue recently auctioned off at Sotheby's for a record breaking $460,000 (the world's most expensive bottle of whisky)? You can still get your hands on some equally precious elixir via an ultra-exclusive limited edition bottling from the famed Speyside distillery as part of its upcoming Albert Watson collaboration. Priced at $16,000 apiece, the offering stems from the Macallan's Masters of Photography series. Only 36 bottles of the rare single malt Scotch distilled in 1946 will be available early next year along with a one-of-a-kind platinum print from Watson's project.

If that's still out of your reach, you might still be able to lay claim to the regular but also quite special Albert Watson Masters of Photography bottling, above – a new, limited-edition 20 year old single malt priced at $1,000 apiece, of which only 1,000 bottles are being produced. Watson's images depict a young couple as they travel the path the wood used in the distillery's whisky casks takes as it moves from the Spanish forest to its "spiritual home on Speyside".

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Albert Watson, Macallan, photography, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, The Macallan, whisky

The Dalmore Launches Eos 59-Year-Old Single Malt

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Of all the distilleries in Scotland and indeed the World, The Dalmore has emerged as the veritable king of obscenely old whiskies. Over the past couple of years, we've brought you news of the record-selling 64-year-old Trinitas, the 45-year-old Aurora, The Dalmore 50 and the 58-year-old Siruis malt. These are only a few of the extreme vintages launched by the Highland distillery, and they're now joined by one more.

Called Eos after the Titan goddess of the dawn, this 59-year-old scotch is bottled form the same pair of sherry casks that filled the Selene last year, only now they've been aged for an extra year. Only 20 special decanters of this exclusive malt will be offered in select markets at an as-yet unconfirmed price sure to dip into five figures.

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Tags: damore, Eos, scotch, single malt, The Dalmore, The Dalmore Eos

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Ice Pillar

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Johnnie Walker has unveiled a stylish new gift set for its Gold Label Scotch whisky designed to serve the exclusive spirit ice cold, stemming from the connoisseurs' practice of freezing their Gold Label to release its true character as the whisky warms in the mouth. Inspired by frosted gold leaves, the outer case of the Ice Pillar opens to reveal a stunning display piece that works as both a chiller and an ice bucket, conceived by top design firm QSLD Paris. Gold Label, the famed brand's Centenary Blend, is crafted from blend of 15 different whiskies, each aged at least 18 years. It's rich and mellow with a creamy, honeyed body and a slight caramel and vanilla nose. The gift set is available at select retailers nationwide at a suggested retail price of $97.

Tags: gift set, gifts, gold, Johnnie Walker, Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Scotch, Scotland, spirits, whiskey, whisky

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