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Glasgow Distillery Win ‘Scottish Whisky Distillery of The Year’!

November 20, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Glasgow Distillery Win Scottish Whisky Distillery of The Year!

The winners of the annual Scottish Whisky Awards were revealed last night via a live digital broadcast awards ceremony, where guests waited with baited breath to find out who would be crowned the crème de la crème in the world of Scotch Whisky.

Glasgow Distillery picked up the ultimate award of the competition, Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year, beating stiff competition from fellow industry peers, GlenAllachie Distillery and Ardbeg Distillery.

The team behind Glasgow Distillery were praised by the judging panel for great progress in product development, marketing and securing a range of new international deals.

The Glasgow Distillery are offering a wide selection of gifts this festive season!

As well as scooping up the most prestigious award of the night, the distillery’s Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky and recently launched Malt Riot Blended Malt managed to capture the attention of the 32-strong judging panel consisting of some of the world’s foremost experts in Scotch, taking home two gold medals in the blind ‘Taste’ categories.

We really are over the moon to have won Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year and two gold medals in the taste categories.

We are very humbled by our Gold medal win for Glasgow 1770 Peated Release No.1, particularly after hearing that it won the toughest category of the entire competition, with an astonishing thirty one single malts competing for the same spot!

We are equally as pleased that our recently launched Malt Riot Blended Malt won a Gold medal in its own taste category, particularly as the brand has had an undeniably interesting introduction to the world having been launched at the height of a global pandemic.

The quality of talent, not just from the winners, but from those who were nominated as finalists clearly demonstrates the strength of the Scotch Whisky industry today and we are so proud to play our part in something that is so loved and respected around the globe, not just here in Scotland.
– Liam Hughes: CEO & Co-Founder of The Glasgow Distillery

The Glasgow Distillery are offering a wide selection of gifts this festive season, including the chance to personalise a bottle of award-winning Glasgow 1770 Single Malt! Browse Glasgow Distillery festive gift items at glasgowdistillery.com

Glasgow Distillery products are also available to buy from:-

Master of Malt

Cotswolds Distillery Releases ‘Cotswolds No. 2 Whisky Amaro Liqueur’!

November 18, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Cotswolds No 2 Whisky Amaro!

The Cotswolds Distillery has released its second Amaro Whisky Liqueur expression: Cotswolds No 2 Whisky Amaro!

Available to purchase exclusively from Cotswolds Distillery!

Following on from the successful launch of Cotswolds No 1 at the beginning of the year. Cotswolds No 2 Whisky Amaro will make an excellent addition to the home bar and is the perfect after dinner digestif. Best served well-chilled on the rocks and ideal for Christmas celebrations!

The base for Cotswolds No 2 is Cotswolds Peated Cask Single Malt whisky. A selection of botanicals including chamomile, citrus and herbs are added, resulting in a complex, herbaceous liqueur with notes of spice and a slightly bitter finish.

Cotswolds Peated Cask Single Malt Whisky was awarded ‘Best World Whisky’ at the International Whisky Competition 2020. As the spirit is matured in ex-peated quarter casks the resulting whisky is wonderfully balanced, rich and fruity with subtle notes of peat smoke.

As a comparison, Cotswolds No 1 Whisky Amaro has the flagship Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky as the base with a blend of selected botanicals including vanilla, citrus and spice have been added to create a lighter Amaro liqueur with pronounced herbal and floral notes.

The perfect after dinner digestif

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Treacle tart, lapsang souchong tea, full of rich, smoky and sweet aromas.

Palate: Light smoke with sweet burnt caramel and bittersweet herbal notes

Finish: Smoke fades with a touch of caramelised peaches and long bittersweet finish.

Cotswolds No 2 Whisky Amaro RRP: £34.95 for a 500ml bottle ABV: 40% – non-chill filtered.
Available to purchase exclusively from cotswoldsdistillery.com

Top 10s To Celebrate Christmas At The Whisky Exchange!

November 18, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Chrimbo Top 10’s!

CHRISTMAS MALT 2020

A 19-year-old whisky full of festive spice and Christmas-cake fruit – bottled for us, just for you

BUY NOW >

New Tamdhu Whisky Arrivals At Edencroft – Classy Drams For Christmas!

November 17, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Tamdhu 15 Year Old.
£85.00

New Arrivals

Tamdhu / Batch Strength #004.
£79.50
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Age:
Strength: 48.4%

Summary:

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Tamdhu.

BOTTLER: DIstillery Bottling.

BOTTLING SERIE: Batch Strength.

CASK TYPE: Sherry Butt.

ABV: 48.4%

Introducing the fourth edition of our multi award-winning Batch Strength Series. If you’ve had a dram of Batch Strength 001, 002 or 003 then you’ll have an inkling of what’s in store for you. Rich natural colour and exclusively sherry cask matured intensity. As with each batch in the series, Batch Strength 004 is distinctive and differs slightly in style and strength, so your first sip is sure to hold some anticipation. Batch Strength 004 is bottled un-chillfiltered at natural colour and at 57.8%. Undoubtedly, a malt that whisky connoisseurs would be proud to have in their cabinet.

Tamdhu / Old Particular 12 Year Old Single Malt.
£70.00
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Age:
Strength: 48.4%

Summary:

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Tamdhu.

BOTTLER: Douglas Laing.

BOTTLING SERIE: Old Particular.

DISTILLED: March 2007

BOTTLED: May 2019

AGE: 12 Year Old.

CASK TYPE: Sherry Butt.

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 413

ABV: 48.4%

NOSE: A cigar box character with mocha and sweet spices (star anise).

PALATE: Deliciously thick treacle alongside Sherry-soaked raisins and sultanas.

FINISH: Long with golden barley, a spicy kick and lots of dark chocolate shavings.

Tamdhu / 15 Year Old.
£85.00
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Age:
Strength: 46%

Summary:

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Tamdhu.

BOTTLER: DIstillery Bottling.

CASK TYPE: Sherry Butt.

ABV: 46%

From your first sip of our new 15-year-old expression, you’ll fully appreciate that time maturing exclusively in the finest sherry oak casks. You’ll taste the intense burst of vibrant summer fruits on the palate and enjoy the rewardingly long finish it delivers. Bottled at 46% volume, natural colour and un-chillfiltered.

Compass Box Has Christmas Whiskies All Wrapped Up!

November 17, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

It’s a Compass Box Whisky Christmas!

Compass Box Whisky are celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year and to celebrate they have some luxury whisky gifts available for Christmas … and beyond!

It’s a Christmas taste bud temptation!

Juveniles
A collaborative whisky project inspired by the great friendship between Compass Box and Juveniles Bistrot à Vins in Paris. This release has one of his bells in the punt of the bottle, ready to give a jingle every time you pour.

Tasting Profile: Barley Sugar, Pear Drops and Vanilla.
ABV 46%
Buy Now: £89.95

Peat Monster Arcana
Created to celebrate Compass Box Whisky’s 20th Anniversary, Peat Monster Arcana explores the effect of maturing peated whisky in toasted French oak casks.

Tasting Profile: Chocolate and Cinnamon, Fruity and Dry
ABV 46%
Buy Now: £74.95

Hedonism
The first whisky created by Compass Box in 2000. It’s something special for both the collector and the new whisky enthusiast.

Tasting Profile: Vanilla Cream, Toffee and Coconut
ABV 43%
Buy Now: £57.45

The Spice Tree
Its rich, bold flavours make it great for after-dinner sipping, as an accompaniment to cheese, chocolate or spice cakes.

Tasting Profile: Clove, Ginger and Fruity Maltiness
ABV 46%
Buy Now: £43.70

Give A Gift, Get A Gift At The Whisky Exchange!

November 16, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

GIVE A GIFT, GET A GIFT!

Every order which includes a bottle of personalised gin or whiskies comes with a free £10 eGift Card!
(Ends: 23:59 GMT, 13 December 2020)

Malt of the Month: Talisker 18 Year Old With Free Engraving

A Fine Christmas Malt

The Distillery Reserve Collection

The Spirit Of Christmas

Glenlivet 1007 13 Year Old Sherry Cask Signatory for TWE

What Better Way To Celebrate Diwali Than With A Rampur Indian Malt Whisky Tasting!

November 13, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Rampur Indian Single Malt Whisky Virtual Tasting Line-up!

The team at Rampur Distillery invited me to an online virtual tasting of their four Indian Single Malt Whiskies yesterday to help celebrate Diwali – the Festival of Light – culminating on Saturday 14th November!

The online tasters had the pleasure of tasting four Rampur expressions led by Master Distiller, Anup Barik:-

Rampur Select Indian Single Malt Whisky
Rampur PX Sherry Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky
Rampur Double Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky
Rampur Asava Indian Single Malt Whisky

Anup with Rampur Whiskies

Rampur Indian Single Malt Whiskies are a range of luxury whiskies produced by one of India’s oldest distilleries, Rampur Distillery. These super premium malt whiskies, which are styled as “The Kohinoor of Single Malts”, are steeped in the rich Indian heritage and enduring traditions of the Maharajas. Rampur whiskies are named after the princely India state known for its rich heritage and royal traditions.

The Distillery

Rampur Distillery is owned by Radico Khaitan, which was established in 1943 and is the largest Indian beverage company. Radico Khaitan is also one of the oldest whisky distillers in India and Rampur Distillery has been distilling high quality and innovative malt for over 25 years. Rampur Whisky is distilled, matured and bottled in Uttar Pradesh in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Rampur Distillery

The Process

The Himalayas provide polar opposite climate conditions throughout the year, which means that Indian whisky matures significantly more quickly than other whiskies such as Scotch and Irish whiskies.

As Rampur Distillery is situated at the foothills of The Himalayas, the cold winters and hot summers give their whiskies added dimension and produce single malts with depth of flavour which are smooth and mellow tasting with a long-lasting finish. Master Blender, Anup Barik, was born into a family of blenders and brings decades of expertise and perfection to the blending of these fine whiskies.

I find that Rampur is a great dram for people who are new to whisky. Their sweet, tropical fruit trademark is an easy introduction to the world of whiskies!

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Rampur Select Indian Single Malt Whisky (43%)

Styled as “The Kohinoor of Single Malts”. It is their only dram of the four that contains caramel.
Rampur Select won the Double Gold Medal in The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017.
£49.95

Nose: Massive fruity hit of green apple closely followed by Lychee. The Lychee then takes over coupled with toffee – lovely!

Palate: Smooth and light with strong flavours of Lychee, mango, vanilla toffee.

Finish: Short finish with a growing spice.

Overall: Such a drinkable whisky with the tropical fruit flavours delighting every time!

Tasting Notes – Rampur PX Sherry Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky (45%)

A limited 48 Casks release.

A few exceptional casks of Rampur Single Malt Whisky matured in American Oak were handpicked by Rampur’s Master Distiller post maturation and transferred to PX Sherry Butts from Jerez, Spain for further maturation.
£68.95

Nose: Very sweet and fruity with tropical fruits including Lychee and mango. Then add in some creamy vanilla fudge!

Palate: Huge Lychee and Rose palate hit – very unusual but fantastic! Blackcurrant (which lingers to the finsish) and chocolate.

Finish: Very peppery, warming spice but that tropical fruitiness goes on and on!

Overall: I LOVED the Lychee and Rose flavours – so unusual. A big hit for me!

Tasting Notes – Rampur Double Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky (45%)

Handcrafted single malt whisky matured for two-thirds of its life in hand-selected American Bourbon barrels and one third in
European Oak Sherry cask.
£60.00

Nose: Apples and rich plump fruits with banana also thrown in for good measure. Old polished wood. Honey with a vanilla sweetnes.

Palate: Tropical fruits abound! There’s hints of pineapple but mostly gorgeous flavours of mango and even lychees!

Finish: Rich, fruity spiciness with honey and lots of tropical flavours. It’s a long finish that gets quite fiery – very warming!

Overall: This is a really great whisky. The strength of the tropical fruit flavours is a revelation! But it’s all well tempered with some nice spiciness.
A fantastic dram from a great whisky producing nation!

Tasting Notes – Rampur Asava Indian Single Malt Whisky (45%)

Matured in American Bourbon barrels and meticulously perfected in Indian Cabernet Sauvignon casks for the first time in History!
Non-chill filtered.
£68.95

Nose: Creamy biscuit, vanilla and tropical fruit. The blackcurrant is there but arrives slowly. Then make way for chocolate and coffee.

Palate: Gorgeous Lychee with very smooth creamy chocolate.

Finish: Very peppery with tannic and tobacco.

Overall: The red colour from the Cabernet Sauvignon casks is very Alluring – and so is the taste! Forget the dessert course – just have a Rampur Asava!

Rampur Indian Single Malt Whisky is available from The Whisky Exchange

Many thanks to Rampur Distillery (Instagram: @rampursinglemalt) for the lovely samples!

Sampling ‘Blue Spot’ Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey – If I Were You I’d Grab Your Spot!

November 12, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Blue Spot!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the online launch of Irish Distillers’ ‘Blue Spot’ Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey yesterday which has reunited the original Spot whiskey family for the first time since the 1960s!

Blue Spot is non-chill filtered & cask strength

The highly anticipated Blue Spot has been reimagined at cask strength, paying homage to the bonding tradition from which it was born and as part of the event launch via ‘Zoom’ I was sent an amazing set of ‘Spot’ Whiskey samples to try!

Blue Spot’s name was derived from the Mitchell’s practice of marking their maturing casks of whiskey with a mark or daub of coloured paint to determine the age potential of the whiskey.

Blue Spot was a 7 year old whiskey, Green Spot (10 year old), Yellow Spot (12 Year Old) and Red Spot (15 year old).

⬤ Blue Spot is a Limited Edition, non-chill filtered, cask strength release that will see ABV varying annually.
(This release has an ABV of 58.7%)
Cask strength releases are a bit unusual for Irish Distillers but the decision was based solely on taste and it was felt that a higher ABV was the best way to represent the dram.

It is now available at the RRP of €80 in Ireland, UK, France, Canada, Northern Ireland and Global Travel Retail, and in the USA from February 2021.

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – ‘Blue Spot’ Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (58.7%)

Nose: Lots of apple, closely followed by pear. Toffee makes an appearance coupled with refreshing tropical fruit flavours that come through a little later. Quite nutty as well.

Palate: Very smooth considering it’s formidable cask strength! Creamy toffee, chocolate and hints of tropical fruit. Cane sweetness tops it all off nicely.

Finish: Spicy, fiery pepper (that is reduced with the addition of water.) Well balanced by creamy toffee and fruit.

Overall: This dram is really lovely!

Very drinkable, even at cask strength and I certainly agree with the decision that cask strength presents this dram at it’s best!

It’s a limited edition so I doubt it’ll be available for long – so if I were you I’d grab your spot!

And the future?
I asked as there are still a few more colours left in the rainbow, would they broaden the range in the future? Orange spot? Indigo spot maybe?!
The answer:
“Well they would be new releases but you can never say never.”

So … watch this spot!

Many thanks to spotwhiskey.com (Instagram: @GreenSpotIrishWhiskey) for the invite & the chance to try such an amazing set of drams!
Slainte!

⬤ Green Spot is available to buy from these Merchants:-

⬤ Yellow Spot is available to buy from these Merchants:-

⬤ Red Spot is available to buy from these Merchants:-

About Blue Spot

Blue Spot was originally produced by the Mitchell family who commenced trading in 1805 at 10 Grafton Street in the heart of Dublin city as purveyors of fine wine and confectionery. Seven generations later, the company is still in the wine and spirits business under the stewardship of Jonathan Mitchell and his son Robert.

The Mitchell family expanded into the whiskey bonding business in the early 1900s, whereby they sent empty wine and fortified wine casks via horse and cart to the local Jameson Distillery which were then filled with new Pot Still spirit and returned to the Mitchell’s maturation cellars. There, the whiskeys matured for many years under bond until they were ready to be bottled and sold.

Irish Distillers Releases ‘Blue Spot’ Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey – The Palette Is Complete!

November 11, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey!

Irish Distillers has once again joined forces with the Mitchell family to unveil its reimagined Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey!

With the most recent existing record of Blue Spot dating back to 1964, the launch will signal the end of a 56-year wait among the global whiskey community for the re-introduction of Blue Spot, reuniting the historic Spot Family for the first time in over half a century.

The story of the legendary Spot Irish whiskey range began in the early 1900s when celebrated wine and spirits merchants, Mitchell & Son, began maturing whiskey from the local Jameson Distillery in Bow Street in their underground cellars in Dublin City Centre.

Blue Spot is available from this month at the RRP of €80

Blue Spot takes its name from the blue daubs or ‘spots’ of paint that the Mitchells used to mark the barrels to signify that the whiskey in those casks were to be matured for a minimum of seven years.

Building on the foundation of bourbon and sherry casks, the reimagined Blue Spot includes whiskey aged in Madeira casks, inspired by the historical inventory of Mitchell & Son and typical of the Spot style of whiskey.

The Midleton masters, in collaboration with the Mitchell family, were influenced by archive documents dating back to 1935 showing Madeira wine casks imported to Ireland which, once emptied, would have been used to mature whiskey.

The team at Irish Distillers’ Midleton Distillery have been sourcing Madeira wine seasoned casks for over 20 years. These casks are carefully handcrafted in a cooperage in the north of Portugal and then sent to the island of Madeira.

Once seasoned, the casks are shipped back to Midleton and filled with pot still distillate and left to mature, allowing the Madeira wine influence to impart wonderful flavours of stewed apples, hazelnuts and sweet spices.

These Madeira casks, along with ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks are then hand selected and married together to achieve the perfect flavour balance. Bottled at cask strength, the result is a luxuriously rich and characterful whiskey.

It is with absolute pleasure that we reintroduce Blue Spot and bring a piece of Dublin’s rich whiskey history back to life.

Over the years I have had the honour of collaborating with the Mitchell family, who for generations have celebrated the influence of fine wines on Irish whiskey, as we have reintroduced expressions to the beloved Spot range.

I am incredibly proud to celebrate with Jonathan and Robert Mitchell on this historic day as Blue Spot takes its place alongside Green, Yellow and Red Spot, reuniting the whole family once again.
– Kevin O’Gorman: Master Distiller at Irish Distillers

“As the full Spot range comes back to life, we find ourselves bursting with pride for the role our family played in the creation of this treasured range of whiskeys.”

It’s been a privilege to shed light on the history of whiskey bonding in Ireland and the role our family had to play in it as we relaunch Blue Spot.

The inclusion of whiskey aged in Madeira casks adds flavours that would have been originally introduced into Irish whiskey by the Mitchell family.

As the full Spot range comes back to life, we find ourselves bursting with pride for the role our family played in the creation of this treasured range of whiskeys.
– Jonathan Mitchell: Managing Director at Mitchell & Son

⬤ Blue Spot is a non-chill filtered, cask strength release that will see ABV varying annually.
This release has an ABV of 58.7%
It is available from this month at the RRP of €80 in Ireland, UK, France, Canada, Northern Ireland and Global Travel Retail, and in the USA from February 2021.

Distillery Tasting notes:

Nose: A light mix of pineapple, kiwi, green banana and lime zest followed by Pot Still spices, baked apple, hazelnut and toasted wood.
Taste: A smooth mouthfeel with a subtle mix of fruit, a hint of clove oil and cracked black pepper corns. Sweet spices, vanilla and cinnamon add to the wood’s nutty contribution.
Finish: A lasting and distinctly palatable balance of exotic fruits and spices.

⬤ Green Spot is available to buy from these Merchants:-

⬤ Yellow Spot is available to buy from these Merchants:-

⬤ Red Spot is available to buy from these Merchants:-