The folks at the beloved Bruichladdich Scotch distillery on Islay just powered a racecar from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds on a tank full of of its X4 Scotch, billed as the most alcoholic single malt ever made. The car, a British-made Radical SR4 (above), was driven by Top Gear's James May and wine expert Oz Clarke for a segment on their upcoming BBC series Oz and James' Great British Adventure. The clear 180-proof quadruple-distilled spirit, which required no engine modification, produced 200 bhp, only 5 less than ordinary gasoline - but at about $200 a gallon it's a pretty pricey biofuel. A lower proof version of the X4 will go on sale (for drinking, not driving) in the fall. You can see a video of the run here.

[via Men.Style]

Bruichladdich, the brawny Islay single malt that won top honors on Men.Style.com's Scotch hotlist for its classic 15 Year, is coming out with a new Multi-Vintage Trilogy showcasing the whisky's full range of flavors.

The three new bottlings - Rocks, Waves and Peat - range from light to heavy smokiness and feature aggressively modern packaging that's a real departure from the vintage feel of the distillery's signature labels.

Rocks takes its name from the Rhinns of Islay, the "oldest rocks in the whisky world" through which the water used in Bruichladdich is filtered, while Waves reflects the Atlantic ocean buffeting the Hebridean isle and Peat is, well, pretty self-explanatory.

Rocks is available now and the others will be by the end of summer. See the gallery for more.

On June 18, Laphroaig Single Malt will host a live online tasting featuring the global unveiling of two yet-to-be-released whiskies. The 45-minute webcast, beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST, will be conducted by Distillery Manager John Campbell and Master Blender Robert Hicks from inside Warehouse 1 at the historic Laphroaig Distillery on Islay. As we reported earlier this month, longtime Laphroaig fan Prince Charles recently visited there (see above). The online tasting and educational seminar will include smoky classics Laphroaig 10 Year Old, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Laphroaig Cáirdeas, and two unreleased whiskies: Laphroaig 30 Year Old Cáirdeas and the yet-to-be-bottled Laphroaig Triple Wood. Participants of legal purchase age can download tasting notes and guides and submit their questions in advance at Laphroaig.com. For more information visit www.Laphroaig.com/live.

Yesterday Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, paid a visit to the home of his favorite Scotch whisky, the Laphroaig distillery on Islay. Laphroaig, established in 1815, is one of the richest, smokiest single malts and one of the very best Scotches ever produced. It holds a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales, which he confirmed while there, and bears his heraldic three-feather badge on its label. The kilt-clad Charles and Camilla - who are known as by their local title, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, while traveling in Scotland - toured the distillery, learned about (and leant a hand in) its production and nosed whiskies of different ages. The Prince also signed two barrels of maturing spirit and an ultra-rare 40-year-old bottle of Laphroaig, one of only a handful left in the world, all to be auctioned off for charity. The 40-year-old was worth about $5,000 before he applied the royal signature. The proceeds from the auctions will go to the charities of Charles' choice.

The Islay Weblog has another update on the question of the age of the "1851 Mutter Bowmore," the whisky bottle that fetched $59,200 in September. The actual age of the bottle has been questioned with a variety of people pointing out that the bottle and the label seem to indicate that the bottle might be younger than the date given. Iain Russell, the archivist at the Scottish Brewing Archive based at Glasgow University, has pointed out anomalies that would date the bottle in the 1890s.

Now whisky consultant Martin Green responds that the carbon dating results show that the spirit was produced between 1808 and 1854, so that the auction description of the bottle as being circa 1850 was accurate. Iain Russell told the local paper that the radio carbon date must indeed be the oldest known to be in existence, but the bottle in which the whisky is held, and the label on that bottle, date from much later than 1851. This doesn't jibe with the story that the Mutter family has told saying that this bottle was given to their ancestor William Mutter in 1851. The mystery continues.

UDPATE: Iain Russell weighs in below in the comments section clarifying his words to the Ileach paper. This story just gets more interesting!

In the past few years, we've seen wine producers in various countries fight to protect the integrity of their product. The UK government is figuring out how to enact a similar type of protection for Scotch whisky. The government is seeking to create a new law that will define Scotch's geographical origins and make it harder for foreign imitations to compete against Scotch in the world. Potential legislation would define the descriptions of Scotch whisky, such as single malt or blended grain, as well as the terroir such as Highland or Islay . With markets like China and India proving to be huge markets for Scotch and with the amount of whisky fraud steadily on the rise, it is becoming increasingly important for the identity of Scotch whisky to be firmly, and legally, established.

Oil shortages have brought the stills at the Bruichladdich distillery on the island of Islay to a halt. The Islay Whisky Festival is underway this week but no one is able to distill without the oil. Tankers have not been able to dock at the island due to low tides and a high degree of silting despite the fact that the area has been dredged. Islay is famed for its whisky and is home to eight distilleries including Bowmore, Ardbeg and Laphroaig.

Now this is a booze cruise. The Whisky School has put together cruises to the distilleries of Islay. Cruise leader Gordon Wright takes cruisers through three days of whisky adventure with two evenings of tutored whisky tastings on the boat. The cruises cost £895 per person sharing a twin or double cabin and includes food and beverages on board. The boat carries just 10 guests and the price includes to and from transfers from Glasgow to the boat. There are two cruises scheduled each month for May, June and August.

[via Islay blog]

Those wacky folks at the Bruichladdich distillery in Scotland are up to something special on Monday, a quadruple distillation that will result in a whisky with a 92% alcohol content. The legend of a quadruple distilled whisky known as usquebaugh-baul is mentioned in Martin Martin’s book of his 1695 journey in the Hebrides "The Western Islands of Scotland." The book explains the drink by saying that "… the first taste affects all the members of the body: two spoonfuls of this last liquor is a sufficient dose; and if any man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath, and endanger his life.” Wow. The creation of the potent brew will be shown on the distillery webcams. According to the Scotsman, there will be  5,000 bottles created for those willing to take on the drink.

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?

Lagavulin, an Islay whisky, is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, dating to about 1742. It is known as the aristocrat of Islays. Lagavulin is one of the few great classics not only from Islay but Scotland it’s self. The great peat smoke aroma adds to its robust body, and is well balanced and smooth with a gentle sweetness. The 16 year is among my all time favorites of all single malts with its heady and pungent smokiness. Lagavulin means “the hollow where the mill is”.