scotch whisky

First 40-Year Old Whisky From Balvenie

Filed under: Spirits

Independent distiller William Grant & Sons has unveiled a new, limited edition 40-year old expression of The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The 40 year-old expression is a batch of just 150 hand numbered bottles, which will be available exclusively in travel retail from July, with each one priced at around £2,500. The new bottling was aged in sherry casks and refill hogsheads.

"This is the first time we have created a 40yo for The Balvenie," said Balvenie master distiller David Stewart. "I'm lucky to work for a family that allows its whisky stocks to age on...The whiskies used in this expression date from the mid 1960s, and it's important that we took our time to find the right mix of casks and get this new expression right."

Each bottle is presented in a bespoke wooden box, handmade in oak by Scottish craftsmen Sam Chinnery and hand-engraved by his

Tags: 40-year old Scotch, 40-year old whisky, Scotch whisky, single-malt whisky, The Balvenie, whisky

Drinks by the Dram Offers Sample-Size Whiskies

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

We've seen the tiny bottles concept take off for wine sampling, now online retailer and independent bottler, Master of Malt, have launched a similar service for whisky. Drinks by the Dram offers 3cl (30ml) samples of a rapidly growing range of Scotch whisky and other spirits from across the globe. The UK company offers small bottles from distilleries including Glenfarclas, Bruichladdich, Edradour, Macallan and more as well as a selection of port and dessert wine samples. The drams are labeled with handmade paper, and each bottle individually wax dipped to seal it. A full list of samples is available at: http://www.masterofmalt.com/drinks-by-the-dram.

Tags: drugs, samples, scotch whisky, tinybottles, whisky, whisky sampling, whisky tasting

Whisky Explorer's Club for Adventurous Tipplers

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Exploring uncharted territory can be fun – breaking a trail, building a fire, pitching a tent – but the best part usually comes at the end when you sit down and pour yourself something special. Why not just cut straight to the drinks? With the newly-founded Whisky Explorers Club you can do just that. Designed to be a year-long adventure in tasting and exploring sensational Scotch whiskies usually only accessible to an intrepid few, membership gets you a shipment of four hard-to-come-by whisky samples six times a year, selected by a panel of malt experts who roam Scotland seeking out rare and sensational spirits. That adds up to 24 different whiskies a year. There are different levels of membership starting at $120 per year, with higher grades getting additional shipments; only a limited number of memberships are being offered.

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Tags: clubs, Scotch, scotch whisky, Scotland, single malt, whisky

40-Year Old Glenfarclas Single-Malt Scotch

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The acclaimed Speyside Scottish distillery Glenfarclas has added a 40-year old expression to its portfolio. Glenfarclas 40 Years Old has been bottled at 46% vol. from casks filled in the late 1960s, and selected by George S. Grant, director of sales and the sixth generation of the family that owns the distillery.

The color of the 40 is spectacular--dark amber with red hues. The layered aroma is full of chocolate, raisins, prunes and touches of mint and licorice. Pricing is set at GBP 350.00, or $520.00.

No more than a drop or two of water is needed to open up the full flavor and nose of this gorgeous whisky.

For those looking to try before purchasing a bottle, The Coburg Bar at the Connaught Hotel, in London's Mayfair, and the Mash Tun Pub in Aberlour, Speyside, are among the first two outlets offering drinkers the chance to try it by the dram.The distillery debuted the 40 at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival on April 29.

Tags: Glenfarclas, Highland malt whisky, scotch whisky, single malt, Single-malt whisky, Speyside whisky, whisky

Big Dollars for Rare Macallan and Glenfiddich Single-Malts

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

A rare single malt has sold at auction for over £12,000, becoming the most expensive bottle of 60-year-old Macallan ever recorded.The whisky was at the center of an international bidding war at the world's largest whisky auctions in Glasgow this week. It was sold for £12,350 to an anonymous collector from New York.

The rare whisky, a bottling of three barrels distilled between 1926 and 1928, was one of more than 700 lots in the McTear's Rare and Collectible whisky sale. Macallan whiskies routinely top the list of most highly prized vintage whiskies. Others that usually draw high prices include Glenfiddich, Bowmore, Springbank, Glenmorangie, Highland Park and Ardbeg. A 73-year old bottle of Glenfiddich, one of the rarest single-malt whiskies in the world, is expected to fetch £20,000 when it is auctioned next month. There were only 61 bottles of this vintage produced. The sale will be held at Bonhams of Edinburgh, Scotland on June 16.

Tags: bonhams, Bowmore, Glenmorangie, Highland Park, macallan scotch, scotch, scotch whisky, single malt, Springbank, whisky

Luxist Samples The Dalmore Mackenzie

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

When it comes to scotch we are always-eager drinkers, yet we know our palate for the ochre-hued beverage has a few years of finesse left to develop before we can lay claim to a scotch maturity. Yet if we are known for anything, it is our willingness to do what it takes to hone those finer points of our humanity. It was the brand's parent, Whyte & Mackay, who flew us to Edinburgh to take the next step in our whiskey learning, and that is how we found ourselves seated in a table at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh, set before Benjamin West's 12-foot-wide, 17-foot-tall painting from 1786, Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald, about to taste The Dalmore Mackenzie. Our hosts provided us a powerful and delicious education.

Gallery: Luxist Tastes The Dalmore Mackenzie

Tags: scotch, scotch whiskey, scotch whisky, the dalmore, the dalmore mackenzie, whiskey, whisky, whisky tasting

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Five New Whiskies From Scotland's Tomatin

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Tomatin, a Highlands whisky distillery with operations dating back to the 19th century, is not one of Scotland's higher profile distilleries, but what it has lacked in marketing it is increasingly making up for in the blending house.

Tomatin, located in the Monadhliath Mountains just south of Inverness, is also one of the highest distilleries in Scotland at 315 meters above sea level, has released several new expressions recently that bear examining and tasting.

Tomatin, 18 year old: $60
This is a new expression of the distillery's 18-year old, bottled at higher alcohol level than its predecessors. Taste notes: toffee, maple, dates, toasted walnuts, very ripe fruit, cocoa.

Tomatin, 15 Year Old: $46
Aged conventionally in American Bourbon casks, the flavor profile is round and constant with peaches, citrus and vanilla shining through. It's a fairly gentle taste and finish, and I'd recommend it without water, but also as an interesting mixer, especially with apple spirits and a mint garnish.

The distillery has also bottled two new single-cask expressions and one limited edition.

Tags: Highland Malt, scotch whiskey, scotch whisky, Single-Cask Scotch Whiskey, Single-Malt Scotch Whiskey, Tomatin, whisky

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Whisky's Next Stop: Tasmania

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Lark Distillery, Whisky Makers in Tasmania, Australia

On the day I arrived in Hobart, Tasmania's harbor-side capital, I was not expecting to hear much about Scotland and whisky.

After all, I'd just traveled about 10,000 miles from New York to Australia, and Scotland is just about the same distance in the other direction; if anything, I was prepared to hear about France because Tasmania has vineyards, and as every luxury traveler knows, wherever grapes grow, conversations about France flourish. But that evening, I gamely battled jet-lag to visit Lark Distillery's cozy downtown bar, and had a chat with owner Bill Lark, it was Scotland that we discussed the most.

Lark, a former land surveyor who bears an eerie resemblance to Kris Kringle, is Australia's patron saint of whisky. A decade or so ago, he realized that Tasmania had what it needed for whisky -- pure water, barley, even its own peat bogs. (If you're Australian, you'd giggle at this, since "bog" is slang for a toilet.) Anyway, the only trouble Lark faced was the law: a 1901 distillery law mandated very large stills, and he didn't want to run a giant whisky operation. So he successfully lobbied the Australian legislature to change its 1901 distillery law, and when he opened in 1996, became the first to open a licensed whisky distillery in 153 years. After that, Lark traveled to Scotland to learn the craft, returned to Tasmania, found a still-maker who could make one small enough for his purposes, and got cranking.

It all worked: the whisky's award-winning (more on that in a moment), Lark now runs a distillery school and is a distillery consultant. There are now five other whisky makers who have opened in Lark's wake, and another two getting started in Tasmania, which would very much like to be known as "Australia's Whisky Isle".

In an example of things going full circle, Lark's now a consultant to and an investor in a Kingsbarns Farm Distillery in Scotland, in the beginning phases of start up, just a few miles from St. Andrew's . "I can't teach the Scots how to make whisky, they taught me," Lark says. But Scotch tends to be brewed on a large scale, and Lark's developed expertise in distilling on a smaller scale. In fact, Kingsbarns is buying its stills from Lark's Tasmanian supplier. More on Lark and Scotland here.

Want to taste Lark's whisky for yourself?

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Tags: australia, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, scotland, tasmania, whisky, whisky tasting, Whisky Tours, WhiskyPeats

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Glenfiddich 40-year Old Collectible Released

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Single-malt Scotch distillery Glenfiddich announced the launch of a limited edition 40 Year Old expression. It is the 6th set of Glenfiddich 40 Year Old, and only 600 will be presented on the world market at a price of $2,600 per bottle.

This whisky was aged in oak barrels for at least 40 years and then added to the rest of the whisky of the previous year. Glenfiddich's limited editions have been highly praised. But the last release of the 40-year underwhelmed the critics. Jim Murray, author of The Whisky Bible, for example, rated the last 40 Year Old release an 86.5 on his scale. There is more peat in this release than the last, which should make it more desirable.

The bottles make quite a display: the thick glass bottoms have their own numbers, have a hand-written signature and are sealed with wax and have a copper sign. The bottle is placed in a luxury case covered with calf leather; and an engraved copper sign on the top of the case is decorated with delicate filigree. This luxe packaging also contains a lock and a key. The case has a certificate signed personally by Peter Gordon, a CEO of William Grant & Sons and four oldest master of blending at the distilling house.

Tags: Glenfiddich, Glenfiddich 40-year-old, Glenfiddich40-year-old, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, Single-malt Scotch, Single-malt whisky, Single-maltScotch, Single-maltWhisky, whisky

The Glenlivet: 1973 Cellar Collection Out in June

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Highlands single-malt Scotch producer The Glenlivet will release its latest Cellar Collection in June, a limited bottling from its three best 1973 casks. This is the eighth release of Glenlivet's Cellar Collection, and will be bottled at cask strength, 49% ABV.The casks selected include one ex-sherry butt and two refilled American hogsheads. Out of the total bottling, 240 will be available in the U.S. at $1250.00.

This release, helped by its 36 years of aging, is incredibly smooth with big sweet orange and gingerbread flavors. The best way to obtain a bottle is to special order it through one of the better spirit retailers such as Spec's Liquor in Austin; Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston; Park Avenue Liquors in New York or The Whisky Shop in San Francisco.

As always, though, age and price is no guarantee of quality. The Malt Advocate, for example, rated the 1969 Cellar Collection a 96, but gave the 1972 release just an 89.

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Tags: liquor, Scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, single-malt, The Glenlivet, TheGlenlivet, whisky

Getting Sirius: Luxist Samples The Dalmore's 58-Year-Old Scotch

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

There are some opportunities that only come up once in a lifetime – if you're lucky. You may not know them before they present themselves, but you sure will when they have. Experiences like driving a Ferrari around Italy. Dining on the top floor of the World Trade Center. Shaking hands with the President. Or drinking a whisky that's old enough to have been your father.

The good folks at The Dalmore distillery in the Scottish Highlands were kind enough to oblige us on that last one a few weeks ago. And we've spent at least a few minutes every day since trying to figure out how we'd describe the experience to you, our loyal readers. Follow the jump to read how we found it.

Gallery: The Dalmore 1951 Sirius Vintage

Tags: dalmore, highland, paterson, richard paterson, RichardPaterson, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, single malt, single malt scotch, single malt scotch whisky, Single malt whisky, SingleMalt, SingleMaltScotch, SingleMaltScotchWhisky, SingleMaltWhisky, sirius, the dalmore, TheDalmore, whiskey, whisky

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Win A Scotch Whisky Nosing Kit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

My colleague Jared Paul Stern recently wrote about The Balvenie 17 Year Old Madeira Cask. The latest release from Scotland's famed Speyside distillery is a 17 year old single malt matured in traditional oak and then finished in Madeira casks and sells for $120 a bottle. For those of you feeling lucky you can participate in The Balvenie's Discover Rare Craftsmanship Sweepstakes. The Balvenie is offering the chance to win a one-of-a-kind prize: a Scotch Whisky nosing and tasting kit. The kit contains 24 separate aromas and a dedicated nosing guide, as well as other essential whisky tasting tools. The winner will also receive a Balvenie hipflask. Visit this link to enter: http://www.thebalvenie.com/en-us/sweeps.php

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Tags: balevenie, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, whisky

Dalmore Releases the £10,000 Siruis Single Malt

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

How much would you be willing to spend on a bottle of whisky? A couple hundred? A couple of thousand, if you had the cash on hand? How about £10,000? That's the headline selling price for the latest release from The Dalmore distillery in Scotland.

The Sirius Vintage has been maturing since 1951, making it one of the rarest, oldest and finest malts available. But availability is a relative concept: Dalmore will only be producing 12 bottles of this most exclusive single malt scotch, available from a small selection of airport duty free concessionaires around the world.

With a cask strength of 45%, master distiller Richard Paterson describes the taste as "distinguished and elegant" with notes of "intense citrus and honeyed chocolate" followed by hints of "roasted coffee, crushed walnuts and liquorice spice". Sounds delightful, but at those prices and quantities, we'd better not get too attached.

Tags: dalmore, Dalmore 1951 Sirius Vintage, Dalmore1951SiriusVintage, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, single malt, single malt scotch whisky, SingleMalt, SingleMaltScotchWhisky, sirius, the dalmore, TheDalmore, whisky

Whisky Bottles Given as Gifts by the Queen Classified as a Matter of National Security

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Celebrity Shopping

Every year, Queen Elizabeth II awards miniature bottles of whisky to the guards at her estate in Sandringham. And we'd be telling you more about them – what kind, how much they're worth, how many she hands out annually – if not for a blanket classification issued on the subject by local police. That's right, the bottles of scotch handed out by the Queen are considered a matter of national security.

According to Norfolk police, if they divulged how many bottles were distributed, it would give away how many guards are stationed there. And if Al-Qaeda found out, it would make it easier for them to kidnap members of the royal family. That might seem like an extreme measure of paranoia, but not in the context of break-ins at royal residences in recent history. Aside from terrorism, one man infiltrated Buckingham Palace in 1982, the Queen awaking to find him sitting on her bed. Ten ears later a man was arrested on the premises twice, while another intruder broke into St. James Palace and had himself a scotch. Two years later, a drunken man knocked on Princess Anne's door to ask for directions to the railway station. The embarrassing intrusions have left local police on high alert to prevent further incidents, hence the refusal to disclose details of the whisky distribution. And there you have it.

[Source: The Daily Mail]

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Tags: buckingham palace, BuckinghamPalace, queen, queen elizabeth, queen elizabeth ii, QueenElizabeth, QueenElizabethIi, royal gift, RoyalGift, sandringham, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, whiskey, whisky

Johnnie Walker's Descendant Calls on Diageo to Keep Plant Open

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The last surviving descendant of Johnnie Walker is facing off with the international beverage consortium that owns the brand today over the closure of the eponymous whisky brand's historic distillery in Scotland. Diageo, which owns the Johnnie Walker brand, recently announced the closure of the facility at Kilmarnock, Scotland, as part of a comprehensive restructuring plan to help the company weather the economic storm. The closure of the Kilmarnock facility is expected to cost some 700 workers their jobs. But Betty Heath, 77, the great grand-daughter of the Johnnie Walker himself, has vowed to do all she can to help save those jobs.

"As I am the only surviving direct ancestor," pledged Heath, "I will fight in his name to do all I can to keep Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock and to help save those workers' livelihoods." She called for a meeting with Diageo executives to discuss the matter, and while she may hold no control over her ancestor's namesake company, her involvement could prove enough of a public relations disaster for the beverage concern to pressure them to reconsider.

[Source: Scottish Daily Record]

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Tags: betty heath, BettyHeath, diageo, johnnie walker, JohnnieWalker, scotch, scotch whisky, ScotchWhisky, scotland, whisky

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