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$11,000 Single Malt & More in Bonhams Whisky Sale

An extremely rare $11,000 bottle of over 50 year old Glenfiddich single malt Scotch headlines the uncommon offerings in Bonhams' Whisky sale set for Edinburgh, Scotland on March 3. The coveted Glenfiddich was bottled in 1991 from rare casks filled in 1937 and 1939 distilled by William Grant & Sons Ltd., and comes in a wooden presentation cabinet. Also sure to draw fierce bidding are two rare bottles of The Macallan in special decanters, a 55 year old expected to fetch up to $10,000 and a 50 year old that could go as high as $6,500. Other highly-prized Macallans on offer include a Select Reserve 52 year old ($4,000) and two bottles of the 1938 vintage ($2,500). In addition a collection of six very special Springbank single malts (above) - 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 year old - is being sold as one lot carrying an estimate of up to $6,500.

Tags: Bonhams, Glenfiddich, Macallan, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, The Macallan, TheMacallan, whisky

The $90,000 Macallan Linley Whisky Cabinet

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Spirits

A one-of-a-kind bespoke cabinet designed by Viscount David Linley containing six extremely rare bottles of vintage single malt whisky from famed Speyside distillery The Macallan is on offer at Harrods in London for about $90,000. Macallan commissioned the royal cabinetmaker to produce the exquisite piece solely for Harrods, designed to be ultra luxurious and unique in every way. The six precious bottles are Macallan's prized 1937, 1940, 1948, 1955, 1966 and 1970 vintages. Handcrafted in Linley's workshop from solid English Burr Oak with mirrored interior panels the cabinet also includes six bespoke Linley-designed crystal whisky tumblers as well as a cigar humidor in the fold-out side compartments.

[via BornRich]

Tags: bespoke, cabinet, cigars, David Linley, DavidLinley, furniture, Harrods, London, Scotch, single malt, SingleMalt, 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

Continue reading “Getting Sirius: Luxist Samples The Dalmore's 58-Year-Old Scotch”

The $2 Million Scotch Whisky Gift Experience

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Continuing our series on the seasonal smorgasbord of over-the-top exclusives offered by that glossy chronicle of the filthy rich Robb Report, we present their $2 million single malt Scotch experience. The profligate publication's gift package includes the following: a private tour of the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, conducted by their malt master Biran Kinsman, where the recipient and a guest will learn firsthand how the famed single malt is produced before selecting a personal vintage cask of their own; a rare bottle of Glenfiddich 50 Year Old (above); two nights' accommodation at Ballindalloch Castle, home since 1546 to the Macpherson-Grant family, who will host a dinner in the recipient's honor; first-class roundtrip air travel for two from any U.S. city to Edinburgh; one night's stay and dinner at Edinburgh's renowned Prestonfield Hotel, plus a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle; private roundtrip helicopter rides from Edinburgh across the Scottish Highlands to the Glenfiddich Distillery; and a private tour of the historic Johnston's Woolen Mill and a traditional Scottish lunch with the owner.

Tags: Ballindalloch Castle, BallindallochCastle, castle, distillery, Edinburgh, Glenfiddich, Prestonfield Hotel, PrestonfieldHotel, Robb Report, RobbReport, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, whisky

The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old Gift Box

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, famed Scotch whisky distillery The Macallan is offering its acclaimed Sherry Oak 18 Years Old single malt in a gift box made of beautiful, solid oak, connoting the distillery's commitment and attention to the special interplay of spirit and wood.

Meanwhile, the distillery has also developed a smaller, 375ml bottle for the 18 Years Old, matured exclusively in oak sherry casks from Jerez, Spain, and a replica 1.75L bottle for The Macallan Sherry Oak 12, ensuring a range of gift options for lovers of fine spirits this season.

"The Macallan is always looking to enhance its original core collection with unique packs that appeal to consumer needs," notes Jim Brennan, Brand Director, The Macallan. "This year we're providing new sizing and packaging options at accessible price points to encourage sharing and to promote gifting."

The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old Oak Gift Box is priced at $149.99; The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old, in a stock-stuffer 375ml size is priced at $79.99; and The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old, in the 1.75L size is priced at $99.99, translating to plenty of extra spirit for sharing with friends and family and at virtually no extra cost.

Tags: gift box, GiftBox, holiday 09, Holiday09, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, The Macallan, TheMacallan, whisky, wood

Edradour Ballechin Discovery Series Single Malt

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Scotland's smallest distillery, Edradour, has released the fourth distillation of Ballechin, The Discovery Series, a program to age its heavily peated Highland single malt Scotch solely in wine casks instead of the usual bourbon barrels. The Oloroso Sherry Cask expression has been matured solely in first fill Oloroso sherry casks and and is being released in a limited edition of 6,000 bottles.

Edradour is the last original "farm'" distillery in Perthshire and possibly the smallest legal distillery of any kind in the world. John Reid and his two assistants hand-craft Edradour without automation, using skills handed down through generations. At a weekly output of a mere 600 gallons - enough to fill twelve casks - what Edradour makes in a year, a typical Speyside distillery would produce in a week. Only the finest spirit is laid down by Reid into hand-selected oak casks for the ten year long wait before it can take the name of Edradour.

"Since acquiring Edradour distillery in 2002, I have pursued an extensive program of experimentation," notes Edradour Owner Andrew Symington. "Several heavily peated distillations have been produced initially on a very limited scale, and these are being matured in a wide range of wood types." Other Ballechin releases include a Burgundy cask matured, a Port cask matured, and a Madeira cask matured. Edradour is known for its smooth, creamy character with a touch of peat smoke.

Tags: distillery, Edradour, Perthshire, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, whisky

Tasting The Classic Malts Selection's Single Malts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Most of the world drinks blended whiskies and there are some good reasons for that. Blended whiskies are the work of master blenders who spend years perfecting their craft. They labor over their work combining single malts from various years to create the perfect taste and then maintain it, bottling after bottling. It is a symphony for the palette.

But there are times you don't want the whole symphony and that's where single malts come in. Single malts are used in the blending of whiskies and each hits a particular note that goes into the blending process. Some are fruity, some are smoky, some are grassy and each reflects its unique heritage. If you like a certain note in some whiskies you can pursue that interest through single malts. The Classic Malts Selection spans a wide range of tastes for whisky lovers who enjoy different tastes. For me, it's the smokies. There's something alchemical about an amber liquid that manages to contain the aroma and taste of smoke. In a recent tasting I attended they had us taste the Lagavulin 12 Year Old from Islay ($74.99) last because it's the one that sticks with you. One sip and you will be tasting smoke on your palate for hours. The sensation is not unpleasant. This is a strong whisky, one best opened up with a little water, but there's also an underlying gentleness beyond the immediate peaty char. The water helps the creamy sweetness underneath develop. It's a bit like a drinkable smoked Gouda. In my hastily-typed iPhone notes I called it a 'mac daddy whisky' not just for the taste but also for a certain sensation of swagger that comes with drinking a whisky so totally given over to the smoke. A less intense but still smoky option is the Talisker Distillers Edition ($79.99) it has a similar paneled library appeal, a nose of woodsmoke and leather and a taste that is smoky but a little more fruit-centered.

Source

Tags: classic malts selection, ClassicMaltsSelection, dalwhinnie, islay, oban, royal lochnagar, RoyalLochnagar, scotch, single malt, single malts, SingleMalt, SingleMalts, talisker, whisky

Continue reading “Tasting The Classic Malts Selection's Single Malts”

$24,000 Bowmore Trilogy Stars in Christie's Spirits Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Auctions

On Nov. 14 Christie's will auction fine spirits in New York for only the second time since Prohibition began in 1920, headlined by the first U.S. offering of the extremely rare 1964 Bowmore Trilogy of single malts estimated at up to $24,000. Some $2 million worth of wines and spirits will cross the auction block, including over 40 lots of carefully-curated whisky, bourbon, cognac, armagnac, and rum, plus a fine crop of champagne. The Bowmore Trilogy, comprised of White, Black and Gold Bowmore, was matured below sea level for 42 - 44 years at the famed distillery on Islay in Scotland. Other lots include the Ardbeg Double Barrel, a two-bottle lot sourced from two 1974 whisky barrels in a bespoke leather shotgun case with eight solid silver cups, estimated at $15,000 - $20,000, and a 100 year old armagnac from Baron de Sigognac, est. at $2,000 - $3,000.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Tags: armagnac, Bowmore, Christies, Islay, New York, NewYork, Prohibition, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, whiskey, whisky

The Balvenie Madeira Cask 17 Year Old

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The latest release from Scotland's famed Speyside distillery The Balvenie is a limited edition 17 year old single malt finished in Madeira casks. Matured in traditional oak and finished in casks previously used to make fortified Madeira wine, the whisky is rich and aromatic with flavors of spice and dried fruit.

Each year The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart uses different cask types and mature spirit to create a new expression of The Balvenie's uniquely honeyed character for limited release. The Madeira Cask 17 Year Old (right), which sells for $120 a bottle, is the latest in a series of six 17 Year Old limited editions bottled by Balvenie.

"Each bottling is its own alchemy of spirit, wood and time, but knowing how well port and Oloroso sherry cask maturation complements The Balvenie's honeyed sweetness we were sure that a Madeira cask would produce interesting results," Stewart notes."The 17 year old whisky extracted some wonderful rich spice and distinct raisin flavours from the Madeira cask, which we hope malt enthusiasts will enjoy discovering in the glass."

Tags: Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, The Balvenie, TheBalvenie, whisky

Fall Sporting Style, Starring the Mercedes-Benz G-Class

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Sports, Men's Style

Photographed by Adrianna Ault for Luxist

Click above for high-res images & full credit info.

For us, fall in the country always evokes a sporting aesthetic which has its roots in England but is not necessarily strictly limited to the UK. Country pursuits pursued with panache as hunting and shooting are in England easily translate to picturesque parts of the States, while retaining elements of the sporting tradition that transcends fads and fashions. As Bernhard Roetzel remarks in his brilliant book Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion, "We have to thank these once feudal and even today only partly democratized pleasures of rural life for a style of dress that continues to demonstrate its timelessness," evocative as they are of "traditions that stretch back for generations and epitomize the English countryside."

As Roetzel notes, one does not need to be an enthusiastic hunter to take pleasure in certain pieces of clothing that were originally conceived for shooting; nor does one necessarily need to trek all over the countryside merely because one has purchased an SUV. However it is well worth putting both the SUV and the clothing to its original purpose, if only as Roetzel notes to "show them in their original environment just once before they become mere quotations in our everyday wardrobe." We are not quite so despairing of the fate of sporting authenticity, but even if your pleasure in such items is purely vicarious we feel no one of style can not be inspired by classic designs such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Barbour's British country clothing and even a fine Italian shotgun.

Gallery: Fall Sporting Style

As followers of The Classicist will recall, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class debuted back in 1979, and has been an automotive design icon known as much for rugged good looks as versatility ever since; what other vehicle after all can lay claim both to having won the famous Paris-Dakar Rally and being deemed a worthy means of transport for the Pope? The model featured here is the top of the line G55 AMG (you can read all about it here). Famed British clothing company J. Barbour & Sons, known for their iconic waxed jackets which are as practical as they are stylish, was founded in 1894 and holds Royal Warrants from HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH The Prince of Wales. The jackets shown here are from their great new fall collection.

As for some of the other elements featured herein, these include the amazing Apex from Caesar Guerini, makers of fine Italian shotguns; a chronoscope by Swiss watchmaker JeanRichard; classic handcrafted rubber hunting boots from Le Chameau, founded in France in 1927; the Classic Malts Selection, the prestigious portfolio of single malts from Scotland's six distilling regions; the Leica D-LUX 4 Safari edition digital camera; the latest model sunglasses from Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana, both available at Ilori, and Cinzia Designs; and items from Ralph Lauren, Loro Piana, Beretta and others. As for the setting, the picturesque Northern Catskill Mountains provided the backdrop. See the gallery for full details.

Tags: Barbour, Burberry, Caesar Guerini, CaesarGuerini, hunting, Mercedes-Benz, Scotch, shooting, shotgun, single malt, SingleMalt, sporting, UK

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

The GlenDronach Single Malt Returns to the U.S.

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

After being absent from the U.S. market for the past few years, The GlenDronach, one of Scotland's first licensed distilleries, is returning with its luscious line of single malts.

The Highland distillery was recently acquired by the independently owned BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd. from Pernod Ricard, allowing it to stay focused on producing some of the world's best Scotch without compromise.

GlenDronach was founded by the legendary James Allardice in 1826, just three years after the Excise Act was passed in 1823. Arguably one of the most unspoiled distilleries in Scotland, they are proudly using the same production processes today as they did in 1826.

Many of the distillery's unique attributes offer a distinctive character that you will not find anywhere else, and they are still producing the original, richly sherried style of single malt Scotch whisky associated with the distillery in its early days.

Preiss Imports will handle the U.S. distribution for this historical distillery, alongside the existing distribution for BenRiach. Initially, the 12, 15, and 18 year old (right) expressions will be available in the U.S. this fall, and a 33 year old expression will be available in early 2010.

Tags: distillery, Glendronach, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, The Glendronach, TheGlendronach, whisky

The Classicist: What Makes a Scotch Worth $15,000?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, The Classicist

In this case the answer to the question is an extremely rare single malt in a limited edition decanter: The Macallan 57 Lalique "Finest Cut". Containing an exceptionally rare 57 year old single malt whisky from the famed Speyside distillery founded in 1824, the Finest Cut crystal decanter is valued at $15,000 and will be available by special order beginning in October. The precious bottling comes on the heels of the recent record-breaking £11,750 ($19,000) sale of one of The Macallan's 50th anniversary bottles at an auction in Scotland that my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported on.

The Finest Cut is inspired by the fraction of the new make spirit which is filled into casks for maturation. At The Macallan, this fraction is a mere 16%; the best of the best, it's delivered at a very slow rate of distillation to maximize flavor and produce a distinctively rich, fruity, viscous character. Designed exclusively for The Macallan by the legendary French crystal house Lalique, The Finest Cut decanters are individually numbered and produced in a very limited quantity - only 72 of the 400 launched worldwide will be available in the U.S.

"In homage to the beauty of Lalique's Finest Cut decanter, we chose a particularly rare 57 years old Macallan single malt whisky," says David Cox, Director of Fine & Rare Whiskies for The Macallan. "It is the second oldest The Macallan whisky ever released, only surpassed in age by the legendary 1926, a 60 year old bottled in 1986." The 57 follows in the footsteps of its two predecessors in the Six Pillars series, a 50 year old Macallan celebrating the exceptional oak casks and a 55 year old inspired by the distillery's insistence on natural color, both coveted collector's items.

Gallery: Macallan 57 Lalique "Finest Cut"

The 57 year old has been vatted together from six casks made from two different species of oak; the first, a 1950 American oak sherry butt, and the second, a vatting of Macallan from first fill Spanish oak sherry butts originally filled in 1949, 1951 and 1952. The result is a sumptuous single malt, showing off the classic dried fruits, spice and hints of peat redolent of The Macallan house style of the early 1950's. The age statement of 57 years old is determined by the youngest cask which was filled in 1952.

The decanter features the 'stilligoutte' of a perfume bottle, the long piece of pure crystal flowing down to a point from the base of the bottle stopper. A portion of the stopper has been left completely clear and not "satinee," running from the top down to the point. This clear portion represents the 16% "finest cut". Crafted at Lalique's crystal making facility in Wingen-sur-Moder, Alsace, each piece was worked on by up to 15 craftsmen.

Tags: crystal, decanter, Lalique, Mcallan, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, The Macallan, TheMacallan, whisky

Laphroaig Launches 18 Yr., Hosts Live Online Tasting

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events

On Friday, Sept. 25, Islay single malt Scotch Laphroaig is hosting Distillery LIVE 2009, an interactive, online webcast tasting for whisky fans across the globe. The star of the show is their new limited edition 18-Year-Old (right).

The 18-year aging process results in a Scotch bright gold in color enhanced by soft, sweet and spicy Islay peat smoke with a hint of the sea. The full-bodied whisky tastes of a tang of smoke that fades into smooth floral scents, which blends seamlessly into an oaky nuttiness and a lasting smooth, sweet finish.

Hosted in the United States for the first time, Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell is traveling to bourbon country to join Maker's Mark Master Distiller Kevin Smith for the live-broadcast event at the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky.

Together Campbell and Smith, along with Malt Advocate magazine's John Hansell, will celebrate the relationship between Laphroaig and Maker's Mark, specifically the maturation process of Laphroaig in former Maker's Mark bourbon barrels, while educating consumers on traditional Laphroaig expressions.

The webcast is taking place at 8 p.m. EST on the 25th, and is accessible at www.distillerylive.us.com.

Tags: Islay, Laphroaig, Makers Mark, MakersMark, Scotch, single malt, SingleMalt, whisky

Ardbeg's Single Malt Named For A Whirlpool

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

If you tangle with a spirit named after one of the world's largest whirlpools don't say we didn't warn you. Ardbeg has launched a new single malt Corryvreckan that takes its name from the Corryvreckan whirlpool, part of the Gulf of Corryvreckan, which runs between the islands of Jura and Scarba off the west coast of Scotland. The whisky is at 57 percent strength and Dr. Bill Lumsden, Head of Distilling at Ardbeg, says that the whisky is 'heady, intense and powerful.' It has been maturing in French oak casks. Ardbeg released 5,000 preview bottles of the blend in 2008 and are now adding it to the regular Ardbeg range. It will be available starting September 21 for around £60.

Source

Tags: ardbeg, corryvreckan, scotch, single malt, single malt scotch, SingleMalt, SingleMaltScotch, whisky

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