Archives for June 2011

Highland Park 50 Year Old / 1960 – Island Single Malt Whisky

June 19, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Highland Park 50 Year Old / 1960 - Island Single Malt Whisky

70cl / 44.8% / Distillery Bottling – Another stunning packaging job for this limited release of fifty-year-old Highland Park 1960, featuring a sterling silver abstract ‘cage’ around the bottle by Scottish artist Maeve Gillies and a natural-look wooden box. The official tasting notes suggest a sherry influence on this, with tobacco, raisins and cooked fruit..

Price: £ 8,550.00 BUY IT NOW

You can buy it here: Highland Park 50 Year Old / 1960 – Island Single Malt Whisky

Or you can compare prices from a selection of suppliers here.

A Nice Bit Of Crystal From John Walker & Sons

June 18, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Diamond Jubilee Blended Scotch Whisky

I have to admit I’m a bit of a sucker for a nice bit of packaging. And the crystal decanter shown above from John Walker & Sons is simply stunning.

It’s been produced to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and is an extremely limited edition of 60 crystal decanters of ‘Diamond Jubilee Blended Scotch Whisky by John Walker & Sons’.

It is a unique blend of whiskies distilled in 1952 and finished in a marrying cask of English oak from The Queen’s Sandringham Estate.

These rare editions will be offered, by invitation only, for private sale at £100,000 each so I won’t hold my breath waiting for an invite and I guess the old piggy bank is safe from being raided for a little while yet.

John Walker & Sons will donate all profits from the sale, with a guarantee of at least £1 million, to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. This will support the QEST Diamond Jubilee Appeal, through which it aims to grow its scholarship base, build a mentoring programme and enable traditional craftsmanship to flourish in Britain.

John Walker & Sons has harnessed the collective skills of some of the finest craftsmen and women, including fellow Royal Warrant Holders and QEST Scholars, to create exclusive, bespoke pieces to accompany the whisky; a stunning showcase of craftsmanship.

‘Diamond Jubilee Blended Scotch Whisky by John Walker & Sons’ will be presented in a lead crystal decanter adorned with a Britannia silver collar that features a half carat diamond set by hand, and an individually numbered silver seal. This will be accompanied by a pair of hand-engraved lead crystal glasses and a leather bound, personalised, hand-embellished artefact book, all housed in a bespoke cabinet incorporating woods from The Queen’s Sandringham and Balmoral estates.

David Gates, Royal Warrant grantee at John Walker & Sons said: “As a holder of the Royal Warrant, we felt compelled to mark this truly historic occasion with something truly exquisite. We look forward to sharing further news on this exceptional liquid very soon.”

Jim Beveridge, Master Blender for John Walker & Sons said: “These are extraordinary grain and malt whiskies that have been maturing slowly since 1952. It’s a huge privilege to work with them using all our resources and experience to craft a John Walker & Sons blend that’s fitting for this special anniversary. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Sixty editions of ‘Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons’ will be bottled on 6th February 2012, exactly 60 years to the day since The Queen acceded to the Throne.

Macallan 1973 / 30 Year Old Miniature – Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky Miniature

June 18, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Macallan 1973 / 30 Year Old Miniature - Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky Miniature

5cl / 60.6% / Distillery Bottling – Please note that this is a 5cl miniature.

Price: £ 220.00 BUY IT NOW

You can buy it here: Macallan 1973 / 30 Year Old Miniature – Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky Miniature

Or you can compare prices from a selection of suppliers here.

Singleton Of Glen Ord Wins More Honours

June 17, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Singleton of Glen Ord Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Singleton of Glen Ord Single Malt Scotch Whisky (which apparently is the fastest growing Single Malt in the Asia Pacific region) has scored a major win in the prestigious Scotch Whisky Masters competition.

The Scotch Whisky Masters wins are decided by an expert judging panel after an extensive and rigorous blind tasting process. The panel included mixologists, managers of luxury hotels, bars and restaurants, global retailers, and leading whisky commentators including two former editors of Whisky Magazine.

They awarded The Singleton of Glen Ord 12 year old a ‘Master’ which is the highest award in the competition.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 12 year old, together with The Singleton of Glen Ord 15 and 18 year old releases have taken the Asia market by storm since their release in 2006 breaking the 100,000 cases barrier in 2010.

The Singleton of Glen Ord can be obtained from The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt.

About The Singleton of Glen Ord

Glen Ord is a Highland distillery on the edge of the Black Isle west of Inverness in the north of Scotland. It continues to malt its own barley and use the long fermentation and slow distillation methods followed there for generations since Robert Johnstone established the distillery in 1838.

For The Singleton of Glen Ord, a high proportion of the liquid has been matured in European oak, delivering a rich, smooth-tasting, well-balanced and accessible style.

It has been praised for its smooth, sophisticated and fragrant taste.

Ben Nevis 1993 / 17 Year Old / Un-chillfiltered Collection – Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

June 17, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Ben Nevis 1993 / 17 Year Old / Un-chillfiltered Collection - Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

70cl / 46% / Signatory – A single cask sherried Ben Nevis 1993 bottled by Signatory for their Un-Chillfiltered Collection..

Price: £ 37.25 BUY IT NOW

You can buy it here: Ben Nevis 1993 / 17 Year Old / Un-chillfiltered Collection – Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Or you can compare prices from a selection of suppliers here.

Benromach Adds To It’s Range

June 16, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Benromach has added three new expressions of the famous single malt whisky to its range.

Benromach is Speyside’s smallest distillery, based in the attractive Moray town of Forres, the gateway to Scotland’s famous whisky producing region.

Established in 1898, Benromach distillery changed hands many times and was virtually derelict when bought by family firm Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Drawing on generations of whisky expertise, the company carried out a painstaking refurbishment and the distillery was officially re-opened by Prince Charles in 1998.

Benromach Wood Finish Hermitage is a subtly smoky single malt Scotch whisky with a distinctly French flavour. The malt was matured in sherry and bourbon casks, before being transferred into oak casks for 22 months that had been used to produce wine from the Hermitage Appellation d’Origine Controlee, in the northern Rhone wine region of France.

Matured in first fill bourbon barrels, Benromach Cask Strength is a mouth warming and smooth single malt with hints of spice. Containing earthy influences it also has a delicate peaty edge and is bottled at 59.9% ABV.

Benromach 30 Years Old is a smooth and creamy single malt whisky with warming festive hints of sherry and spices. Matured in sherry casks the bright gold, medium malt also has hints of peat emerging.

Benromach can be obtained from The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt.

[Read more…]

Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old / Sherry Finish – Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky

June 16, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old / Sherry Finish - Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky

70cl / 46% / Distillery Bottling – Updated in summer 2010, Glenmorangie Lasanta now boasts an age statement of 12 years old. Lasanta is a sherry-finished Glenmorangie and is said to mean ‘Warmth & Passion’ in Gaelic..

Price: £ 34.75 BUY IT NOW

You can buy it here: Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old / Sherry Finish – Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky

Or you can compare prices from a selection of suppliers here.

Master Of Malt – The Glenfarclas Countdown Is Nearly Over!

June 15, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Go to Master of Malt for details

The competition to win the £4,000 (well £3,995 actually), 50 year old Glenfarclas (see: this entry) from the Master of Malt is nearly over with only 49 bottles left (at time of posting) to be sold to be eligible for entry into the draw.

The competition closes on June 19th. regardless.

So, if you’re tempted and have been holding back then hold-back no more or prepare to be disappointed and miss out on that chance to enter the competition and bag that gorgeous Glenfarclas.

Remember … tick-tock, tick-tock …

The 21 Bottle Royal Salute

June 15, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Royal Salute - $200,000 and it's yours

With only 21 bottles up for grabs (well 20 actually) and a price tag of £122,000, the Royal Salute from Chivas Brothers must rank as one of the most expensive whisky packages to date.

I say ‘package’ because an awfully big chunk of the price of this whisky is the cost of the flagon the whisky comes in, rather than the liquid itself.

The world’s only exclusively prestige Scotch whisky range, Royal Salute, has crafted a blend so rare that only one man in the world has tasted it – creator and Master Blender, Colin Scott.

‘Tribute to Honour’ has been introduced to pay homage to the oldest crown jewels of the British Isles: The Honours of Scotland. The narrative of the Honours comprises glorious legends and intrigue and remains a powerful and inscrutable ode to Scottish history. Royal Salute Tribute to Honour marks a historical pinnacle in whisky making.

The most exquisite, precious and scarce whiskies used to create Tribute To Honour, have been carefully selected from the Royal Salute Vault at Strathisla. Expertly blended by Colin Scott, just 21 bottles of Tribute to Honour have been created and also mark the pinnacle of Colin’s 21 years of expertise in blending.

Explains Colin, “Chivas Brothers has a phenomenal archive of high-aged whiskies, some of which, after decades of careful maturation, have acquired a rich intensity and deep concentration of sumptuous characters. It is these very few whiskies which I have personally selected to compose Tribute To Honour – this opulent and rarest of blends.”

Fittingly, only the finest aged whiskies – at least 45 years old – are presented in the spectacular bejeweled bottle, dressed by Garrardin flawless diamonds and shimmering gold.

As the world’s oldest jeweller to royalty Garrard has embellished the Royal Salute Tribute to Honour flagon – hand cast and perfected, black porcelain – with 413 flawless white and black diamonds. Some of these exquisite jewels form the shape of the Sword of State: one of the trilogy of treasures that are The Honours of Scotland. Set in gold and silver, 22 carats of gemstone adorn the decorative collar and stunning flagon’s visage. Golden lions sit either side of the diamond encrusted sword.

Craftsman at Garrard have spent days perfecting each flagon by hand. The prestigious jeweller has served six successive British monarchs and pays tribute to the ancient Scottish Sword of State as its landmark.

Each flagon of Royal Salute Tribute to Honour will be available from September 2011. The bottles are individually numbered and priced at $200,000 (about £122,000) . One of the 21 bottles will be kept in the Royal Salute Vault.

About Royal Salute
The pinnacle of Scotch whisky, award-winning Royal Salute was first created as a tribute by Chivas Brothers to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II upon her coronation in 1953. This defining luxury whisky has a very powerful and sophisticated style, and has become the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky brand.

Royal Salute has a long legacy of paying tribute to nobility and leadership, it is part of the brand’s DNA

• 1953: Royal Salute created to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen’s coronation
• 2003: Royal Salute 50 Year Old launched for the 50th anniversary of the coronation, also paid tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary’s and Sir Tensing Norgay’s on the anniversary of their successful ascent of Everest
• 2005: Royal Salute 38 Year Old launched – a tribute from Scotland, inspired by the Stone of Destiny
• 2010: Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute launched paying tribute to the craftsmanship of four master blenders who have safeguarded the Royal Salute legacy
• 2011: Royal Salute Tribute to Honour launched, the most notable and compelling symbols of Scottish royalty