Speyside

Diageo Inaugurates £40 Million Roseisle Mega-Distillery

Filed under: Spirits

Some will lament it as the industrialization of scotch whisky production. Others will hail it as the answer to growing demand for scotch around the world. But whichever way you look at it, Diageo's enormous Roseisle distillery is now up and running.

Culling expertise from the 27 distilleries currently owned by the drinks consortium, Roseisle is the product of three years of construction. It cost Diageo £40 million to build, employs 25 workers and encompasses 3,000 square meters of space. On the premises Diageo expects to produce 10 million liters of whisky each year through fourteen new stills crafted by the coppersmiths at Abercrombie, Alloa.

The Speyside facility was built not to replace the individual distilleries under the Diageo umbrella, but to supplement them, in response to increased market demand which those distilleries have been struggling to meet. The spirits produced there will be used in Diageo's profile of blended whiskies, which include Johnnie Walker, J&B, Bell's and Black & White. No plans have been announced to ever bottle a single malt from Roseisle, but you never know what time may bring.

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Tags: bells, black white, diageo, distillery, jb, johnnie walker, roseisle, roseisle distillery, scotch, speyside, whisky

New Vintages and Alba Reserve from The Glenrothes

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

To devotees of the Speyside variety of single malt scotch, The Glenrothes holds a special status. Such devotees will be eager to learn of three new expressions released from the highly acclaimed distillery, hitting shelves just in time for the Fall season as temperatures begin to drop and a warming dram looks all the more enticing.

The latest Glenrothes bottlings include the Vintage 1994 ($79.99), the Vintage 1998 ($54.99) and the Alba Reserve ($59.99). The two new Vintage expressions follow the popular 1991 edition, supplies of which will soon be exhausted, while the smooth Alba Reserve, aged in American oak refill casks, follows the likes of the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg (as well as the special wood finishes from Bruichladdich) in earning kosher certification.

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Tags: alba, alba reserve, glenrothes, kosher, scotch whisky, speyside, the glenrothes, the glenrothes alba reserve, the glenrothes vintage 1994, the glenrothes vintage 1998, vintage 1994, vintage 1998, whiskey, whisky

BenRiach Releases Ten New Single Cask Expressions

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Even amidst the constantly changing scene of Scotch whisky distillers, BenRiach has had a bumpy ride. Since its establishment in 1892, it has changed hands from an independent to a Glenlivet subsidiary, then purchased by Canadian consortium Seagrams, which in turn sold it to drinks giant Pernod Ricard. For the last six years BenRiach has been in private hands once again, releasing a core range of 12, 16 and 20 year-old single malts.

BenRiach has now added a new batch of special editions, each matured in a different type of barrel and hailing from a different year. The ten individual expressions in the Batch 7 collection, which is just now coming to market, includes vintages from 1976 through 1993, representing 17 to 33 years of aging.

The distillery's unique expertise in cask aging has been applied to include Pedro Ximinez sherry casks from Spain, peated Tawny Port hogsheads, Tokaji hogsheads from Japan and virgin oak barrels from America, to name just a few. Each is bottled at cask strength and non-chill-filtered for the connoisseur's enjoyment.

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Tags: ben riach, cask strength, highland, single cask, single malt, speyside, whisky

Aberlour Gets a Make-Over

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

They told us when we were kids not to judge a book by its cover. But when buying a bottle of scotch, many customers don't have much else to go by than its packaging.

Aberlour, for example, has had a rather staid label and packaging. But in a bid to make their quality product stand out amidst an ever-growing selection on liquor-store and duty-free shelves, parent company Chivas Brothers has given the brand a new look.

The new design updates on the old one with a more contemporary look. As it stands Aberlour claims the mantle as the top selling single malt in France, the largest market for scotch in the world. Who knows how much of the worldwide market it can capture with its fresh duds.

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Tags: aberlour, chivas, chivas brothers, highland, pernod ricard, scotch, single malt, speyside, whisky

Glen Grant Launches 170th Anniversary Super-Premium Commemorative.

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

To celebrate 170 years of uncompromising and passionate whisky making Glen Grant has created an inimitable experience with the launch of a 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky. A whisky lover's dream, the commemorative edition Grant has been specially crafted by Master Distiller, Dennis Malcolm, who has carefully selected the most valuable Glen Grant casks ranging 1976 to 1999 and married them together to create one unique Glen Grant expression.

"170 years on, we continue to build on the combination of tradition and innovation that the Grant brothers brought to their whisky making all those years ago," Glen Grant Master Distiller, Dennis Malcolm commented. "We wanted to celebrate the history of the brand whilst translating the unique Glen Grant approach into something new and unexpected with the 170th Anniversary Limited Edition whisky."

The commemorative expression is sure to be snapped by collectors, as well as imbibers. Big fruit notes, with a streak of peat through the middle of the taste profile.

It will be available starting August 2010 at a price of about 100 Euros, sold in a premium gift pack, across Europe, Taiwan, Duty-Free retail and the Glen Grant Distillery visitor centre in Rothes, Scotland, in a 70 cl bottle.

Tags: Glen Grant, Scotch Whisky, Single-malt whisky, Speyside, whisky

Tamdhu Distillery To Close

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

A classic whisky distillery is being shut down in a cost-cutting measure. The Edrington Group plans to close the Tamdhu distillery and malting operations in Aberlour next year resulting in a loss of more than 30 jobs. The group has decided to concentrate its efforts on its three main brands, The Macallan, Glenrothes and Highland Park. Another distillery Glenturret will also remain open. The closure is a response to the economy.

Whisky is still selling well but costs have risen and The Scotsman quotes Graham Hutcheon, group operations director for Edrington, who said that the move was done to make sure that the "business is the right size and shape to support current and future activity levels." Edrington employs about 2,200 people across the globe and also owns the Famous Grouse and other brands such as Cutty Sark and Brugal rum. The Tamdhu distillery opened in the late 1890s and went through several closures over the years including a long period between 1928 and 1947.

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Tags: distillery, edrington, edrington group, edringtongroup, scotland, speyside, tamdhu, whisky

World's Largest Whisky Bottle In Small Scottish Village

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

A small Scotch whisky distillery has put itself on the map by producing the world's largest bottle of whisky. The bottle of single malt was filled by hand with nearly 28 gallons of 14-year-old Tomintoul Speyside Glenlivet Scotch. The five-foot-high bottle holds around 150 standard bottles and the cork had to be hammered in with a huge mallet. The bottle will be on permanent display at the Clockhouse in the village square at Tomintoul village in Scotland. Tomintoul is said to be the highest village in the Highlands of Scotland in the Speyside region. Tomintoul Distillery uses water from Ballantruan Spring, a nearby natural spring in their Tomintoul Speyside Glenlivet Single Malt which is billed as "the gentle dram" on their website.

[via Deadline Scotland]

Tags: scotland, speyside, tomintoul, whisky, worlds largest, WorldsLargest

The Singleton - New Single Malt Scotch

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

A deliciously smooth 12-year-old single malt Scotch from the heart of Speyside in Dufftown, aka The Malt Whisky Capital of Scotland, will be available here nationwide for the first time this fall.

The Singleton of Glendullan is produced on the site of the original distillery, in a wooded valley along the banks of the rivers Dullan and Fiddich, which was built in 1897. Water from both rivers is used along with locally grown malted barley to create the Singleton, with its notes of toffee, spice and roasted nuts.

While we usually opt for smokier single malts like Lagavulin, that also tends to confine our consumption to the cooler months as they complement each other so well. We're quite taken with this smoother spirit however, which not only suits the milder weather perfectly, but isn't too heavy for a pre-prandial dram.

Gallery: Glendullan, Speyside and Dufftown

Tags: Glendullan, Scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, Single malt Scotch, SingleMaltScotch, Singleton, Speyside

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Up On eBay

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Auctions

A few weeks ago I mentioned the Speyside festival and the unique whisky from 26 different distilleries. Now the one and only bottle is up on eBay for bid. Bids were originally up over $1,000 but the auction got relisted and so now the bids stand at £300 (around $547). The auction listing cautions that "the value of the auctioned item is in the collectable container, not in its contents" and that any contents are purely incidental and are not intended for consumption" since eBay doesn't allow alcohol sales. So remember, you are buying it for the very plain bottle not for the carefully blended creation within. This auction ends on May 1.

[via The Scotsman]

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Tags: auction, distilleries, malts, scotland, speyside, whiskey, whisky

Speyside Festival To Feature Unique Whisky

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events

How many different types of single malt can exist harmoniously in one bottle? The place to find out is the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival being held later this month. The Scotsman reports that over 150 bottles of single malt from 26 Speyside distilleries will be blended to create a one-off blend. The unique product is the creation of Ed Dodson, who was a master distiller at the Glen Moray distillery and Jim Cryle who is a retired master distiller at The Glenlivet. The malts range from ten-year-olds to 21-year-olds including some rare offerings. Only one 700ml bottle will be produced and auctioned off. The bottle will probably go to a collector for an exorbitant sum but there will be also be 2,000 souvenir miniatures available at the festival.

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Tags: scotch, scotland, single malt, speyside, spririts, whisky

Quarter Century Macallan in Lalique

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The Macallan decided to go all out, where an ordinary glass container would not be adequate to hold their special 50 year single malt. Lalique will be hand blowing an exclusive 470 decanters made to resemble the Spanish sherry barrels in which the Scotch rested for five decades. Only 20 will be for sale in the UK, which makes me feel pretty special here in the US where we will get 100 at about $6,000 each. The whisky is presented in a leather and silk box, with a crystal stopper and a leather-bound collectors guide with The Macallan’s Easter Elchies House Stamp of approval. The burnish gold-colored malt is rich with flavors of cardamom, black cherries, and chocolate.

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Tags: Craigellachie, Edrington Group, EdringtonGroup, macallan 18, macallan 25, macallan scotch, Macallan18, Macallan25, MacallanScotch, malt of the people, MaltOfThePeople, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, single malt scotch, SingleMaltScotch, speyside, the macallan, TheMacallan

Blended Scotch Whiskies

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Forbes released an article telling us the detailed background on the history of blended Scotch and what to look for in the crowd this year. Master blenders recognize the right components to harmoniously marry single malts to grain whiskies which give us blended Scotch whiskies. An Edinburgh merchant was probably the first to do so in 1853 when he mixed the malt whisky from The Glenlivet with other whiskies to be labeled as Old Vatted Glenlivet, O.V.G. The merge proved to be less aggressive and soothing then the challenging drink of single malts. This and other blends corroborated that two styles of Scotch whisky was more attractive to the general consumer than when sold separately. Even though some of us snobs might refuse to consider Scotch blends, I suggest you give a try from the short list of current respected blends. When a single malt is not around, from the list, I personally enjoy Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year and the 12 Year, Johnnie Walker Gold 18 Year, and Dewar’s Special Reserve 12 Year. What are your favorite blended Scotch whiskies?

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Tags: Ambassador Royal Deluxe, AmbassadorRoyalDeluxe, Argyll, Blended malt whisky, Blended Scotch Whiskies, BlendedMaltWhisky, BlendedScotchWhiskies, Cragganmore, Edinburgh, Grain whisky, GrainWhisky, Highlands, Islay, Isle of Skye, IsleOfSkye, Lagavulin, Old Smuggler, OldSmuggler, Pinch The Dimple, PinchTheDimple, Prohibition, scotch, Single malt whisky, SingleMaltWhisky, Speyside, Strathisla, Talisker, Teacher’s Highland Cream, Teacher’sHighlandCream, whiskey, whisky, White Horse, WhiteHorse

Live Aid Whisky

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Two special decanters that contain Speyside malts are being sold to make money for Make Poverty History. The whisky was created for the 20th anniversary of Live Aid and all the whisky used is at least 20 years old. The malt whisky was collected from a variety of distilleries by a team from Whisky magazine during a charity walk for Make Poverty History. The whisky was blended by Richard Paterson of Whyte & Mackay and there was only enough whisky for two bottles. The two decanters were designed by Glencairn Glass and one will be auctioned off at the Whisky Magazine whisky show in New York in April. Whisky Magazine is accepting bids for the other decanter.

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Tags: malt, scotch, scotland, speyside, spirits, whisky