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Master of Malt Launches “Dram Club” – A Monthly Spirits Sample Service!

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Monthly joy, delivered to your door, who could ask for more?!

Master of Malt has teamed up with Drinks by the Dram to create “Dram Club” – a monthly subscription service which helps people explore the world of fine spirits. Each month club members receive 5 carefully curated samples of Whisky, Gin or Rum to taste and enjoy.

Dram Club is a spirits subscription service where members receive a carefully curated selection of five 30ml drams of top whiskies, gins or rums delivered to their door at the start of each month. Each spirit also comes with a collectible tasting card, complete with detailed notes and room for members to add their own.

Priced from £24.95 a month including delivery, subscriptions are available for Gin, Rum, Whisky, Premium Whisky or Old & Rare Whisky, with a choice of 3, 6 and 12 month memberships that make perfect Father’s Day gifts.

Every member receives a welcome pack containing two crystal tasting glasses, perfectly designed for nosing and enjoying fine spirits. In addition, members will receive increasingly rare and unusual bonus gifts after 3, 6 and 12 months in the club. Such gifts include delights like a dram of 40 year old Glenfarclas, 33 year old Port Ellen or a bottle of Bathtub Gin.

Subscriptions are available for Gin, Rum, Whisky, Premium Whisky or Old & Rare Whisky

At first Dram Club will only available in the UK, however, the leading online retailer plans to roll the service out worldwide over the next few months, and introduce many more spirits to the service, including Cognac, Bourbon, Tequila, Mezcal and even Vodka.

A Doctor, Tiddlywinks & That Boutique-y Whisky Company!

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The UK’s seven-time Tiddlywinks World Singles Champion Dr. Patrick Barrie

Multi-award-winning independent bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC) proudly announces their sponsorship of the UK’s seven-time Tiddlywinks World Singles Champion Dr. Patrick Barrie with the release of a 24 year old Single Grain Scotch Whisky.

TBWC’s Cameronbridge 24 Year Old is a limited release of just 211 bottles!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company have released their first batch from the internationally renowned Cameronbridge Grain Distillery, a ‘squopping’ 24 Year Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky (RRP £64.95). TBWC is also proud to announce the exciting sponsorship of seven-time Tiddlywinks World Singles Champion, Dr. Patrick Barrie, who will be competing at the National Singles Competition at Downing College Cambridge this month in his bid to represent the United Kingdom in the next World Championship.

The World Singles is the game’s highest accolade”, he explains, “it’s played on a challenge basis where a player must become the National Singles champion in order to challenge the current World Singles champion to an official match.

While the exact origins of tiddlywinks are vague, the modern competitive version started in 1955. It may not be the most fashionable of sports, but it’s got a great mix of manual dexterity, strategy and tactics. I think that the image of tiddlywinks is set to change thanks to That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s sponsorship with their release from the Cameronbridge Grain Distillery, a distillery with nearly 200 years of history behind it.
– Dr. Barrie: Lecturer in Chemical Engineering – Cambridge University & playing tiddlywinks competitively since 1984!

Known for their fun graphic-novel style labels, as well as their award-winning whiskies, TBWC’s latest release features the seven-time champion in action at the World Tiddlywinks Final. There’s a respectful hush from the spectators as Patrick, squidger in hand, and carefully concentrating, lines up his second shot following the successful potting of his last wink.

TBWC’s Cameronbridge 24 Year Old is a limited release of just 211 bottles. A soft and gentle single grain, with notes of icing sugar, runny honey and rich golden syrup on the nose, while waves of vanilla, fresh pencil shavings and a gentle peppery spiciness come across on the palate.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s range of whiskies is available from fine retailers including Master of Malt, Amazon, Majestic Wine, Hedonism Wines, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.

Tasting The Half-Century Blend – a lesson in smoothness from start to finish!

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Joy in a glass!

My Tasting Notes – The Blended Whisky Company The Half-Century Blend (45.5%)

As promised – here are my tasting notes for this amazing blended whisky.

Nose: Very powerful sugar-laden fruity aromas. Green, waxy, apples. Thick, sticky, caramel fudge.

Palate: Sweet, syrupy with vanilla and caramel. Stewed apple and some lovely, dry oak undertones.

Finish: Smooth, so smooth! Slight spicinesss in a long, sweet caramelly finish.

Overall: A dram in a league of it’s own! Not a trace of harshness, no rough edges, a lesson in smoothness from start to finish. Gorgeously sweet with a nice healthy fruitiness to balance. The world is a better place for this kind of dram!

Background

The Blended Whisky Company has revealed their newest limited edition release, The Half-Century Blend, honouring the era before the ‘whisky-boom’ and the quest for increased yields at all costs.

Just 768 bottles of The Half-Century Blend were produced

Just 768 bottles of The Half-Century Blend were produced

Following on from their two multi-award-winning whiskies, The Lost Distilleries Blend (World’s Best Blended Whisky – World Whiskies Awards 2014) and The Golden Age Blend (Best Scotch Blend – World Whiskies Awards 2016), The Blended Whisky Company has unveiled their latest limited edition release – The Half-Century Blend.

Only whiskies aged for over 50 years were used to create this astonishing blend, standing testament to the extraordinary complexity of these whiskies – distilled over half a century ago. The ‘whisky-boom’ of the late 1960s to the 1980s saw the beginning of an inexorable march towards modernisation, and the quest for increased yields at all costs.

Before this shift, distilleries were home to less efficient barley-strains, sprawling on-site floor maltings, inefficient brewer’s yeast, lengthy fermentation times, mucky direct-fired stills, bulky and inefficient worm-tub condensers and less active refill casks. The result of all this inefficiency, waste and lost commercial-opportunity? Flavour, subtlety, poise, an incredible depth of fruit-character and a beguiling, ethereal quality sadly missing from many of today’s whiskies.

Proving that patience has its rewards, the slow-maturing whiskies contained in The Half-Century Blend were produced in an era where flavour – not forecasts – ruled the roost.

Just 768 bottles of The Half-Century Blend (RRP £599.95) were produced in this first batch, with an ABV of 45.5%.

Many thanks to The Blended Whisky Company (@BlendedWhiskyCo) for sending the samples!

The Blended Whisky Company range is available from fine retailers including Amathus, Amazon, Harvey Nichols, Hedonism, Master of Malt and Ocado.

Drinks By The Dram Have Gone Crackers – Again!

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Four sets of crackers are available - choose from Whisky, Gin or Spirits & Liqueurs

Four sets of crackers are available – choose from Whisky, Gin or Spirits & Liqueurs

Introduced in 2014, the Drinks by the Dram Christmas Crackers Pooh! Pooh! run-of-the-mill cracker prizes such as plastic moustaches and tiny rulers in favour of superb spirits and liqueurs presented in 3cl wax-sealed drams. Every set comes with six crackers, each containing a different 3cl dram along with the traditional paper crown and naff joke.

The Premium Whisky Christmas Crackers

The Premium Whisky Christmas Crackers

Whisky fans can enjoy Christmas lunch with the Whisky Christmas Crackers (RRP £44.95), containing drams of whisky from top distilleries like Glenfarclas, Glengoyne and Kilchoman.

The Premium Whisky Christmas Crackers (RRP £69.95) are filled with altogether more exclusive expressions, including the Lost Distilleries Blend, named the World’s Best Blended Whisky (World Whiskies Awards 2014.)

The Gin Christmas Crackers (RRP £39.95) contain six different craft gins, including 1897 Quinine Gin and the multi-award-winning Bathtub Gin, while the Spirit & Liqueur Christmas Crackers (RRP £39.95) feature some delicious festive treats, from Ableforth’s Cherry Brandy and Rumbullion! to FEW Bourbon and an independently bottled single grain Scotch from That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

The Drinks by the Dram’s 2016 Christmas Crackers range will be widely available from leading retailers including Master of Malt with more to be announced when they launch in October.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

The 2016 Whisky Advent Calendars!

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Very old and rare whisky - walnut

Very old and rare whisky – Walnut Case

See The Range Here!

For the fifth year running, the range of Drinks by the Dram Advent Calendars has returned. The selection once again features classics like Whisky, Ginvent and Rum, while exciting new additions include calendars dedicated to Scotch, American, Irish and Japanese whiskies along with calendars full of Glenfarclas Single Malt, independent whisky bottlings from That Boutique-y Whisky Company and Origin Single Estate Gins made with juniper sourced from specific regions all around the world.

The Whisky Advent Calendar was launched in 2012, and has since become a tradition among whisky enthusiasts, letting them count down to Christmas and explore the world’s best whiskies. Each handmade, wax-sealed dram allows whisky fans to sample a new expression, tasting everything from single grain and bourbon to rare Scotch worth up to £600 a bottle.

2016 marks the debut of the Drinks by the Dram Very Old & Rare Whisky Advent Calendar (RRP £9,999.95), developing on the concept introduced by the Old & Rare Advent Calendar launched in 2015. Each calendar is a bespoke wooden box built by hand by cabinet-maker Simon Jewell Designs in Kent, and is available in a walnut or macassar ebony finish. Within every calendar sit 24 individually numbered 30ml drams of some of the world’s most sought-after whiskies, including expressions from long-closed distilleries, a 60 year old single malt and a whisky worth up to £19,000 a bottle.

Drinks by the Dram’s 2016 Advent Calendar range also includes calendars filled with single cask whiskies, mezcal, gin and more. The full range of calendars (listed below) will be available later this month.

Drinks by the Dram’s 2016 Advent Calendar range also includes calendars filled with single cask whiskies, mezcal, gin and more.

Drinks by the Dram’s 2016 Advent Calendar range also includes calendars filled with single cask whiskies, mezcal, gin and more.

Calendars:-

Very Old & Rare Whisky Advent Calendar
Old & Rare Whisky Advent Calendar
Premium Whisky Advent Calendar Craft
Premium Whisky Advent Calendar Red
Whisky Advent Calendar Craft
Whisky Advent Calendar Red
Glenfarclas Whisky Advent Calendar
That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Advent Calendar
Single Cask Whisky Advent Calendar
Japanese Whisky Advent Calendar
Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar
American Whiskey Advent Calendar
Bourbon Advent Calendar
Irish Whiskey Advent Calendar
Cognac Advent Calendar
Armagnac Advent Calendar
Rum Advent Calendar
Mezcal Advent Calendar
Tequila Advent Calendar
Absinthe Advent Calendar
Ginvent Calendar
Gin Advent Calendar
Vodka Advent Calendar
Origin Single Estate Gin Advent Calendar
Naga Chilli Vodka Escalation Advent Calendar

See The Range Here!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Adds Age Statements To ALL Bottlings!

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TBWC is the creator of the award-winning Blended Whisky #1, which was named World’s Best Blended Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards 2015

TBWC is the creator of the award-winning Blended Whisky #1, which was named World’s Best Blended Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards 2015

Multi-award-winning independent bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC) is adding age-statements to its future releases. Amongst the first releases to be announced are Girvan 52yo, Macallan 25yo, Ardbeg 12yo, Blended Whisky #1 35yo and Invergordon 43yo.

When many distilleries are moving towards no-age-statement (NAS) bottlings, TBWC (which has, to date, offered only a NAS range of bottlings) is taking the unprecedented step of going ‘the other way’ – adding age statements – in order to give consumers more information about its whiskies.

This categorically doesn’t mean that we now believe that age is the most important thing about our whiskies. The most important thing is, and always has been, flavour – and we continue to make cask and parcel selections on that basis alone. When we launched TBWC, we wanted the liquid to be judged on its absolute quality – not its age.

We’re 3½ years on now, and feel that we’ve established a reputation for exceptional liquid, and the feedback we’re consistently getting from our customers is that they’re really interested in how old the whiskies inside are. This and the recent launch of the campaign for transparency by John Glaser of Compass Box – which we wholeheartedly support – combined to make adding age statements to our bottlings somewhat of a no-brainer.

It’s not just super-punchy age statements we’ll be listing either. We’ve got some extraordinary whiskies in the pipeline with tiny age statements; a 3yo from Slyrs in Germany, a 6yo from a famous Islay distillery which has been matured in fresh Bourbon casks, and a heavily-peated 4yo Blended Malt that’s been matured in ultra-active Madeira casks to name but a few – these are all *awesomely* good whiskies, and are certainly fully mature despite the low age statements.

We are also committed to revealing all the information we have on the breakdown of the ages of the various whiskies that make up each bottling as soon as the campaign for transparency is successful, and the EU legislation – which is at best a blunt instrument – is modified to allow us the freedom to do so.

– Ben Ellefsen: TBWC



The list of whiskies available on launch and for preorder is as follows (listed with their RRPs):-
Girvan 52 Year Old (Batch 1) £247.95
Macallan 25 Year Old (Batch 5) £497.95
Ardbeg 12 Year Old (Batch 7) £99.95
Blended Whisky #1 35 Year Old (Batch 3) £119.95
Invergordon 43 Year Old (Batch 5) £99.95
Islay Blended Malt #2 27 Year Old (Batch 1) £127.95
Port Charlotte 13 Year Old (Batch 2) £79.95
Ben Nevis 19 Year Old (Batch 4) £66.95
Aberlour 23 Year Old (Batch 4) £94.95
Paul John 6 Year Old (Batch 2) £99.95
The English Whisky Company 5 Year Old (Batch 1) £57.95
Glentauchers 17 Year Old (Batch 2) £79.95
Mortlach 27 Year Old (Batch 2) £273.95
Lagavulin 10 Year Old (Batch 2) £99.95
Glenrothes 10 Year Old (Batch 2) £54.95

They can be obtainded from Master Of Malt

Reference Series III.2 is the World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky!

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Reference Series III.2

Reference Series III.2

Reference Series III.2 is the World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky!

The educational Whisky Reference Series III.2 has been named the World’s Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2016.

The World's Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2016!

The World’s Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2016!

Reference Series III is created with a very high proportion (>50%) of incredibly well-aged single malts, making for a superb, incredibly complex blended malt in its own right. The .2 edition then adds ~10% heavily peated Islay whisky.

Reference Series asks questions such as “What would happen if you added some peated stock to an already excellent blend of Scotch malt whiskies?” The answer, it seems, is that you get the very best blended malt in the world!

More than that, though, whisky fans are granted the opportunity to taste this whisky before (III) and after (III.2) the addition of the peated component and be confident that any difference is down to the addition of the peated single malt, rather than the underlying whisky or any other production difference.

The range’s ongoing experiments have also dealt with questions such as “What would happen if you changed the proportions of younger or older whiskies within a blended malt?” and “What would happen if you finished parts of those blended malts in fresh, first-fill 50 litre ex-Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks?”

Reference Series III.2 (RRP £250.95) and the rest of the range (starting at an RRP of £52.95) are available now from Master of Malt.

The Golden Age Blend Crowned Best Blended Scotch 2016!

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The Golden Age Blend - Just 210 bottles are available worldwide

The Golden Age Blend – Just 210 bottles are available worldwide

The Golden Age Blend Crowned Best Blended Scotch 2016!

Named for the ‘Golden Age’ of distilling spanning the early ’60s to the mid ’70s, The Golden Age Blend has been named Best Blended Scotch at the World Whiskies Awards 2016.

Crowned Best Blended Scotch 2016!

Crowned Best Blended Scotch 2016!

A superbly rich, intense and full bodied award-winning blended whisky, it demonstrates the extraordinary depth of flavour that can be found in some of the marvellous whiskies distilled during the ‘Golden Age’. Just 210 bottles are available worldwide.

To create this whisky, The Blended Whisky Company took a selection of the finest venerable malts (all the whiskies used are aged for over 40 years) distilled at Macallan, Glenrothes and Tamdhu. Next, additional character and ‘seasoning’ was added in the form of gently peated whisky from Bunnahabhain.

Finally, an exceptionally well-aged grain whisky from North British was added to tie the other malts together and form the backbone of the blend, at a ratio of approximately 4 parts malt to just 1 part grain.

The Golden Age Blend is available to buy from fine retailers including Master of Malt (RRP £349.95).

Drinks By The Dram Has Sent Me Crackers!

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Paper Hats for Cuddly Teddies!

Paper Hats for Cuddly Teddies!

It’s Christmas – Go Crackers!

Following the success of their popular spirit-filled Christmas Crackers, Drinks by the Dram has introduced whisky and gin crackers for Christmas 2015.

'Lewis' The Bear modelling the fine paper hat - the joke has been hidden to protect the innocent!

‘Lewis’ The Bear modelling the fine paper hat – the joke has been hidden to protect the innocent!

Launched in 2014, Drinks by the Dram’s Christmas Crackers swap out the usual prizes of keyrings, whistles and tiny playing cards for a selection of delicious spirits and liqueurs, presented in 3cl wax-sealed ‘drams’. The set features 6 Christmas Crackers, each containing a different dram along with the traditional paper crown. Oh … and crap joke!

For Christmas 2015 they have extended the range of Christmas Crackers to include two sets focussed exclusively on whisky and a set focussed entirely on gin, alongside their classic set filled with an array of top quality spirits and liqueurs.

Luckily for me, I got sent some Drinks by the Dram Whisky Crackers – that’s generously bonkers of them!

The Whisky Crackers Contents are:-



– Glenfarclas 25 Year Old

– Kilchoman Machir Bay

– The Lost Distilleries Blend

– Dalmore 15 Year Old

– Deanston – Batch 2 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

– The Macallan Amber – 1824 Series

“Not bad!”, I hear you cry – well you didn’t and I wouldn’t have heard you anyway but you get the point. Anyway, in the spirit of spiritous research I decided to pull a couple myself and sample the liquid goodies (I couldn’t resist trying the hat on as well.)

I was on my own so it wasn’t as much fun so I had to make-do by tying one end to a door handle and cracking my crackers that way. Well. One must do what one must (I heard that said somewhere.)

Tasting Notes – Glenfarclas 25 Year Old (43%)

A premier bottling from a Premier brand – enough said.


Nose: Powerful sherry, fruit, vanilla and creamy sweetness.

Palate: Smooth and creamy sherry with a tangy zest. Sweet, fruity, spicy cake mixture.

Finish: Long finish with some nice spice.

Overall: A gorgeous dram this – make sure you win the pulling the cracker bit and claim this one for yourself. After all, who the hell said ‘Christmas is for sharing’? They obviously didn’t have a 3cl. sample of this bad boy!

Tasting Notes – Dalmore 15 Year Old (40%)

Launched in 2007 and matured in matusalem, apostoles and amoroso sherry casks.


Nose: Amazing colour to this dram, rich and golden. The nose has orange, sherry and sweet fruitcake.

Palate: Thick and luscious on the palate. Orange and chocolate battle it out with some tasty sherry.

Finish: Velvety finish with a great balance of syrupy sweetness and spicy pepper.

Overall: A fine dram from a trusted brand. Let this one go to someone else but only as long as they promise to do ALL the washing up!

Just to summarise, the full range of crackers are:-

Drinks by the Dram Whisky Crackers
RRP £64.95

Drinks by the Dram Gin Crackers
RRP £47.95

Drinks by the Dram Spirits & Liqueurs Crackers
RRP £37.95

Drinks by the Dram Premium Whisky Crackers
RRP £109.95

The Completely Crackers Range

The Completely Crackers Range

The Premium Whisky Christmas Crackers (RRP £109.95), feature altogether more exclusive drams like a 23 year old Bowmore, a 21 year old Balvenie and even a 50 year old single grain whisky.

Gin enthusiasts can also crack open some fantastic tipples with the Gin Christmas Crackers (RRP £47.95), containing drams of spectacular juniper-based-libations like award-winning Professor Cornelius Ampleforth Bathtub Gin, St. George Terroir and 1897 Quinine Gin.

And of course, there will be new jokes this year (but don’t expect them to be any better than last year’s jokes).

I’m NOT going to share the jokes with you, I’ll spare you that and let you discover them yourself – and then inflict them on your family and friends!

Time To Shop – Master of Malt Free Shipping On Orders Over £99!

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Master of Malt ditches Shipping Charges on orders over £99!

Master of Malt ditches Shipping Charges on orders over £99!

Starting at £99 for the UK, orders from masterofmalt.com won’t cost a penny to ship this Christmas!

Earlier this year, Master of Malt professed their deep hatred for charging their customers for shipping and began offering free UK shipping on thousands of whiskies and other fine spirits throughout their extensive selection (or £5 off of shipping outside the UK).

Today, the award-winning retailer has announced that as part of their continued effort to eliminate shipping charges, they’re offering free shipping on all UK orders over £99 until Christmas. This will make it even less expensive for their customers to prepare for holiday parties, stock up on stocking fillers, pick perfect presents or even choose something special for themselves.

Free shipping extends across Europe on all orders over £199 for customers in Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; £299 for customers in Austria, Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia and Spain; £399 for customers in Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden; and £499 for customers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.

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