whiskies

"Universal Whisky Experience" Set For Wynn Las Vegas March 18

The Wynn Las Vegas on March 18-19 will host The "Nth" Universal Whisky Experience, a weekend long fandango of tasting some of the best and rarest whiskies in the world, and mixing with master blenders and mixologists.

The event is organized by Atlanta-based entrepreneur and whisky collector Mahesh Patel. "The purpose of this weekend is to gather the country's most passionate whisky lovers for tasting experiences they would not normally have access to," says Patel. "Our guests will be wowed from the minute they check into their suites at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas," said Patel.

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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

World's Most Expensive Whiskies

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Catching on to the fact that collecting and consuming very old whiskies is one of the most popular trends of recent years, Forbes put out a list of the most expensive whiskies that they could find. Fortunately for those in the market, whiskies have not been at the forefront of popularity for very long, meaning that while supplies are certainly not unlimited, there are more special-edition and small-batch options to choose from. Forbes' top ten are listed in categories. For example, the most expensive in the world is the Macallan Fine and Rare Collection, 1926 ($38,000), while the most expensive that you can still buy is the Macallan Fine & Rare Collection, 1939 ($10,125).

The rest of the list is after the jump.

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Tags: forbes, list, most expensive, whiskey, whiskeys, whiskies

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A Personal Taste Of Compass Box: The Peat Monster

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

I finally got to try The Peat Monster by Compass Box this weekend and was quite impressed considering that your everyday urbane whisky drinkers are not too familiar with this brand. I have a personal infatuation for peaty whiskies and this truly hits the spot. The smokiness was so dynamic that it reminded me of a char cooked porterhouse on an open campfire. It coats the tongue quite copiously like a fine oil. Malty, sweet, and almost smokes off the tongue. It went well with the Spanish blue cheese I was having at the time. The Peat Monster is comprised of vatted 100% single malt whisky mainly made of Caol Ila and Ardmore, all aged between 10 and 15 years old.

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