News — Page 96 — Malthound

Benromach Wins Scotch Whisky Masters Medals

May 16, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Benromach Organic

Benromach, Speyside’s smallest whisky distillery, has done it again!

Two of its Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, Benromach Peat Smoke and Benromach Organic, has won a gold and silver medal respectively in the Scotch Whisky Masters 2012 competition.

One of the most respected competitions in the industry, The Scotch Whisky Masters attracts entries from leading distilleries from around the world. The awards are decided by independent, expert judging panels after an extensive and rigorous blind tasting process.

David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, commented: “It’s wonderful to see Benromach Peat Smoke and Benromach Organic honoured by such a prestigious competition. The win is a true testament to the hard work of the Benromach Distillery craftsmen. Their skills and dedication that go into the making of our whiskies is reflected in the medals won.”

The list of awards for the whiskies of Speyside’s smallest working distillery keeps on growing: Their flagship Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Benromach 10 Years Old was awarded gold at the 2011 Great Taste Awards and in November 2011 it gained gold at TheFiftyBest.com awards in New York.

What makes this all the more amazing and undoubtedly adds to the charm of Benromach is that the distillery employs just two men!

You can buy Benromach Malt Whisky from:-

The Whisky Exchange
Master of Malt
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Drink Shop
Whisky Online

Benromach Peat Smoke
Full bodied, intense and challenging with a smoky character, yet balanced with the fruity elegance of Speyside.

Benromach Organic
Initially launched in 2006 as the world’s first bottled Single Malt to be fully certified as organic. The whole process, including the use of the raw ingredients, distillation, maturation and bottling, is certified to the rigorous standards set by the UK Soil Association. The whisky is matured in virgin American oak casks from environmentally managed forests which has added a unique robustness and depth which complements the traditional Benromach spirit.

The Whisky Exchange – Glen Garioch Tasting with Malt Master Iain McCallum!

May 16, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

A date for your Diary: Monday 28th May at 7:30pm

Some very special whisky tasting news here: There’s to be a Glen Garioch Malt Whisky Tasting with Morrison Bowmore Malt Master Iain McCallum at TWE Vinopolis. The tasting will take place on Monday 28th May at 7:30pm.

Glen Garioch has been part of the Morrison Bowmore group since 1970 and is often seen as one their quieter distilleries. However, this is not quite the full picture.
Their whisky range was relaunched in 2009, breathing new life into the brand and their recent whiskies have revealed that they are anything but ‘quiet’.

Glen Garioch is now seen as a connoisseur’s dram, with the standard expressions now bottled un-chillfiltered at 48%. They’ve also complimented their range by yearly releases of cask strength vintage bottlings.

So it’s a rare honour to be joined by the company’s Malt Master Iain McCallum to lead us through a selection of their whiskies.

Iain will take us through the Glen Garioch range, showing the evolution of the whisky over the last 40 years and its emergence as a formidable single malt.

The Masterclass will start with the Founder’s Reserve and the World Whisky Award-winning 12 year old, before moving through the 1994, 1991, 1986 and 1978 vintage whiskies, ending on the excellent 1971 single cask, bottled in conjunction with The Whisky Exchange and launched at their Whisky Show in 2011.

Tickets are priced at £25 and will go on sale on Wednesday 16th May at 3pm.

As ever, tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis and are limited to two per customer. You can book your place at the tasting by phoning the shop on 020 7403 8688 or by calling in.

Generations Glenlivet nominated for industry Oscars

May 8, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Glenlivet 70 Years Old

The Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old is the only whisky to be shortlisted in this year’s Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards, widely regarded as the Scottish food and drink industry’s ‘Oscars’.

The Glenlivet 70 Years Old was released by Gordon & MacPhail in 2011 as an addition to its ‘Generations’ range.

The range features the world’s oldest and rarest Scotch single malt whiskies and this is the second 70 year old single malt to be released by Gordon & MacPhail.

It also has the distinction of being one of the oldest single malt Scotch whisky in existence.

This cask of The Glenlivet was laid down on 3rd February 1940, on the instruction of John Urquhart, grandfather and great-grandfather of the company’s current owners.
Since then, successive generations of the Urquhart family waited for the day when it would be ready to share with fellow whisky lovers. And now, 70 years on, the whisky has been bottled at a cask strength of 45.9%.

David Urquhart, joint managing director of Gordon & MacPhail, said: “This nomination is recognition of the Glenlivet 70 Years Old’s superb quality, luxury and its rarity.

“The cask this whisky came from was laid down by my grandfather in 1940 and it was carefully watched over by successive generations of the Urquhart family until we decided to bottle it ourselves 70 years later.

A limited number of bottles were released by Gordon & MacPhail in 2011, creating excitement among whisky connoisseurs across the world.

Only 100 70cl decanters were released, selling at around £13,000, the smaller, 20cl decanters sold at £3,500.

Each bottle is beautifully presented in a tear-shaped hand-blown crystal decanter with an elegant British Hallmarked silver stopper. The decanter nestles in a sterling silver base and is framed in a handmade box, crafted in Scotland using Scottish elm.

The Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards will be held on Thursday 24 May in Dunblane, Stirlingshire.

Tasting note Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old

Appearance: Deep amber, with tawny lights.

Aroma: A mild nose-feel. The first aroma is of an old cocktail cabinet, with Sherry notes predominating; polished wood, soft leather and a trace of candle wax. Behind this are fruity notes, lightly baked apples (even Tarte Tatin), but also fresh orange juice, and just a thread of smoke or ash in the distance. Adding a drop of water suppresses the fruity notes and slightly enhances the sweetness (now tablet) and smokiness.

Taste: A waxy, teeth-coating mouthfeel; smooth and voluptuous. The taste is sweetish to start, then savoury, with a trace of salt – might this be a rare example of ‘umami’ in whisky, the elusive fifth primary taste? The finish is long, with a faint smokiness in the aftertaste. Drinks well at natural strength. With a drop of water the flavours remain intact.

Development: Fades gracefully towards vanilla fudge and sanded wood.

Comment: A stupendous whisky! Although it resonates with aged character – and, indeed, characteristics from another era – it retains vitality, both on the nose and on the palate.

Benromach’s The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart Goes To The US!

May 1, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Left to right: Aly Macrae, Madeleine Worrall, Andrew Clark, David McKay (Photo: Drew Farrell)

Benromach Single Malt Whisky is set to go ‘across the pond’ with the National Theatre of Scotland as it continues to sponsor an international tour of the Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart in America.

The successful partnership with the National Theatre Scotland started with its support of the production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year. And now the production will tour Scotland, England and internationally in 2012 and 2013.

Benromach Single Malt Whisky will sponsor some US dates, with American audiences being offered the opportunity to share a dram of the Speyside Scotch Malt during the show. This sponsorship will cover all US venues where state legislation allows and is part of Benromach’s venturing into the arts and their first foray into international arts touring.

The production will be staged in taverns, breweries, and community spaces and studios with bars built in, where stories are told, re-told, sung and passed on. It’s an evening of supernatural storytelling, music and theatre inspired by the Border Ballads, Robert Burns and the poems of Robert Service.

The show opens at the Wicked Wolf Tavern, Festival of New Ideas, New Haven in Connecticut on 20th June before moving on to North Carolina, Chicago, Massachusetts, Ohio, Purdue, Washington DC, Michigan, Texas and California. The production will also be visiting Vancouver, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and Brazil.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Michael Urquhart Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, owners of the Benromach Distillery in Forres, said: “We’re proud to be supporting this tour as it goes international. Scotland has many world-class artists and this individual and artistic performance deserves to be shared with the UK and people internationally. The US already enjoys one of Scotland’s other fine traditions being one of the largest export markets for Scotch whisky so we hope the audience enjoys sharing a free dram of Benromach with this great performance.”

The tale of Prudencia Hart, an uptight academic, follows her as she sets off to attend a conference one wintery morning in Kelso in the Scottish Borders. As the snow begins to fall, little does she know who or what awaits her there. Her wild journey through the night takes her into and out of different supernatural and natural realms looking for folk songs.

Elly Rothnie, Development Director, National Theatre of Scotland said: “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart was a huge success at the Fringe last year and our audiences loved sampling one of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies as part of the experience. We are thrilled to continue this important partnership in 2012 where we will take the production and Benromach whisky to new audiences across the globe.”

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart originally toured Scotland in February 2011 subsequently playing at a number of top venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The production has won two awards, a CATS Award for Best Music and Sound and a Herald Angel.

You can buy Benromach Malt Whisky from:-

The Whisky Exchange
Master of Malt
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Drink Shop

About Benromach
Located on the outskirts of the ancient market town of Forres, the Benromach Distillery is one of Scotland’s best-kept secrets. From Speyside’s smallest whisky distillery emerged a single malt with distinctive qualities reflecting its exclusive hand-made credentials as well as encapsulating the self-reliance, sophistication and modern values of Scotland today.

Just two experienced distillers create Benromach using the finest Scottish barley and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. They personally ensure that only the highest quality spirit is filled into sturdy oak casks before being left to mature at Benromach Distillery for many years.

Benromach expressions include:
Benromach Ten Years Old
Benromach Ten Years Old is created from the finest Scottish barley and pure spring water from the nearby Romach hills. After being matured for at least ten years, it emerges golden in colour and displays rich fruit, sweet chocolate and delicate spicy aromas. With a rich sherry influence, the mouth-watering palate coats the senses with exotic fruit flavours, toasted malt and a delicate hint of smoke.

Benromach Traditional
A rich and mellow single malt with fruit and malty tones, balanced with a hint of smoke.

Benromach Peat Smoke
Full bodied, intense and challenging with a smoky character, yet balanced with the fruity elegance of Speyside.

Benromach Origins
A series of special bottlings crafted to highlight how small changes in the art of whisky-making can help to shape the character of the final single malt.
Please visit www.benromach.com for details.

About the National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government. Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in creating 137 update productions in 125 update different locations. With no building of its own, the Company takes theatre all over Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality. It takes place in the great buildings of Scotland, but also in site-specific locations, airports and tower blocks, community halls and drill halls, ferries and forests. The company has performed to almost 600,000 people, across three continents. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Whisky Fest ’12

April 27, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Have you heard about Whisky Fest ’12? Well if you haven't you'll be glad to know that at last there's something to do in your local airport apart from looking at the planes! The annual Whisky Fest 2012 is on now (18th April to 22nd May 2012) at World Duty Free Stores, situated in the majority of the UK's airports. Just pop in and immerse yourself in a World of Whiskies! There you'll find exceptional single malts, quality single grains, excellent bourbons and outstanding blended whiskies. All gathered in one place, together with the latest releases of the world’s most iconic whisky brands. During the Festival there will be up to 100 whiskies open for you to sample to your hearts delight. A great opportunity to expand your taste bud horizons and experience the diverse range of flavours and characters that whisky has. Plus, if you have any questions, the knowledgeable staff really know their stuff. Quiz them and find out! I worked in the Orkney Islands for over six months a few years back and while I was there I tried my first Highland Park. It's sweetness coupled with the wonderful smokey aroma captured me from the start and it's great to see that this is one of the Discounted whiskies that are on offer. So with savings of at least 20% (when compared to the Average UK High Street price) and some whiskies with discounts of up to 35% off you can safely say that Airport shopping just got a whole lot better! And don't forget to pick up their brochure. With articles and advice written by whisky expert Charles MacLean you can be sure of some excellent guidance when making your whisky choices. p.s. Whisky Fest 2012 is also on at www.alphaairportshopping.com and www.shopbiza.com

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Glenfiddich Distillery’s new whisky Bar

April 26, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

The newly re-designed Malt Barn whisky bar and restaurant

The Glenfiddich Distillery has opened the doors to its newly re-designed Malt Barn whisky bar and restaurant.

A six-figure sum has been spent on the venue that now features a whisky bar believed to offer a world-beating selection of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies. The stunning bar, created by Glasgow based craftsman Paul Hodgkiss is stocked with over 90 bottles, including the full range of currently available Glenfiddich whiskies, from 12 Year Old right through to 50 Year Old as well as specially sourced bottles that are no longer in production and an exclusive Malt Master selection not available anywhere else in the world.

Glenfiddich Brand Heritage Manager, Gordon Paul commented: “We are offering what we understand to be the biggest pouring range of Glenfiddich whisky available anywhere in the world. The new Malt Master selection – a series of whiskies specially bottled by our Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, is totally exclusive to the Malt Barn.”

In addition to the new whisky bar, the Malt Barn features a casual dining area offering a menu including coffees, cakes, snacks and full meals all created by Glenfiddich’s award-winning chef, Addy Daggert.

Gordon Paul continued: ”We believe we have created the perfect atmosphere for our visitors to enjoy a dram of Glenfiddich, a quick coffee and delicious home-bake or relax over a leisurely lunch. The Malt Barn boasts stunning bespoke furniture, impressive artworks – including specially commissioned works by American artist Michael Sanzone – a real fire and retains many of the building’s original features resulting in a truly unique venue. We hope it will not only appeal to distillery visitors but that will also become popular with the local community providing somewhere new and different for them to eat and drink.”

The Glenfiddich Malt Barn is open 7 days a week from9.30am – 4.30pm.

You can buy Glenfiddich Malt Whisky from:-

The Whisky Exchange
Master of Malt
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Drink Shop
Whisky Online
The Whisky Barrel

Isle of Skye Whisky is the Winner at the Scottish Grand National

April 25, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Trainer alan King (right)receives the Isle of Skye sponsored Scottish Champion Hurdle award after RAYA STAR and Choc Thornton won at Ayr

Scotland’s number one National Hunt trainer, Lucinda Russell, owner of Arlary House Stables was presented with the Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky Scottish Jump Trainers’ Championship Award 2011/12 by Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, at Saturday’s Scottish Grand National at Ayr.

The official whisky partner for Scottish Racing, Isle of Skye Whisky also sponsored the high profile Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr Racecourse.

The Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky Scottish Champion Hurdle trophy was presented to winning jockey, Robert Thornton, Simon Munir (owner) and Alan King (trainer) of winning horse, Raya Star. The award was presented by Edith Russell, wife of Ian Macleod Distillers Chairman Peter Russell, owner of Isle of Skye Scotch Whisky.

Scotland’s leading National Hunt yard, Arlary House has earned a strong reputation, sending out winners the length and breadth of Britain, from Perth to Cheltenham. It has been a record-breaking season for Arlary House, having over 55 race wins, including Brindisi Breeze, who won the Albert Bartlett 3 mile Novice Hurdle at this year’s Cheltenham Festival race – the first Scottish Cheltenham winner for 10 years. Brindisi Breeze is owned by Sandy Seymour from St Andrews, was ridden by Campbell Gillies from Haddington and trained by Lucinda Russell, both of whom are sponsored by Isle of Skye Scotch Whisky.

Trainer Lucinda Russell receives the Isle of Skye sponsored Leading Scottish Trainer award from First Minister Alex Salmond at Ayr

Lucinda Russell owner of Arlary House Stables and winner of the Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky Scottish Jump Trainers’ Championship Award 2011/12, said: “I’m really proud to have won this prestigious award. The hard work of the Arlary team and support from everyone, including the Scottish public and especially Isle of Skye Whisky has been incredible.”

Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers, commented: “We’re delighted that Lucinda Russell has won this year’s Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky Scottish Jump Trainers’ Championship Award.”

“This is the second year that we’ve sponsored the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr Racecourse. The event’s values of tradition and excellence sit neatly with the exceptional qualities Isle of Skye 8 Years Old Blended Scotch Whisky possesses. Both are in perfect synergy in terms of their Scottish roots, passionate commitment to achieving excellence and determination to be the best.”

The Scottish Champion Hurdle was first run in 1966 when the winner was Blue Venom. It was awarded Grade 2 status in 1991 and was run on the opening day of the two day Scottish Grand National meeting until 1994 when it moved to the Saturday.

Isle of Skye Whisky is also the official Whisky Partner of Scottish Racing which encompasses all five of Scotland’s racecourses – Ayr, Hamilton Park, Kelso, Musselburgh and Perth. The sponsorship is part of the brand development for Isle of Skye, raising the profile of the award-winning Blended Scotch throughout Scotland’s racecourses and beyond.

Royal Salute Scotch Whisky Is Sent To The Tower!

April 25, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Royal Salute Seals Partnership with Historic Royal Palaces

Royal Salute Scotch Whisky has become the first ever brand to be officially associated with the Royal Gun Salutes at the Tower of London.

The partnership will support the work of Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity responsible for the Tower of London and through this will see Royal Salute, the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky, associated with the gun salutes at Her Majesty’s Tower of London that mark special royal occasions and other VIP salutes.

The partnership will be launched when the Royal Gun Salute is fired from the Tower of London, on 3rd June 2012 to signal the arrival of the magnificent river pageant in honour of Her Majesty’s The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Gun salutes are customarily fired, both on shore and at sea, as a sign of respect or welcome. For the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, Royal Salute will support the official 41 Gun Salute from the Tower of London: 21 rounds to mark a royal occasion, and a further 20 rounds fired as it is held in the Royal Palace of the Tower of London.

General Lord Dannatt, Constable of HM Tower of London, says: “The Gun Salutes at the Tower have marked important State and Royal events since Tudor times and are fired in accordance with the regulations of this fortress. As a Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that cares for the Tower of London, It is my great pleasure to thank Royal Salute for their valued and generous support.”

Neil Macdonald, Brand Director for Royal Salute, says: “We are delighted to be officially associated with the Royal Gun Salutes at the Tower of London. The occasion is particularly poignant as this royal tradition provided the inspiration for the brand’s name when it was launched on Her Majesty’s coronation in 1953.”

The five-year partnership will play an important role for Royal Salute as it continues to build upon its unique heritage. The partnership embeds a long-term relationship between Historic Royal Palaces and Royal Salute, which will be sealed with an official marque to be applied to Royal Salute Scotch Whisky packaging, and will allow the brand to provide unrivalled hospitality opportunities for guests in London.

Win Rare Compass Box Whisky with Master of Malt!

April 21, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Compass Box Canto Cask 48

Award-winning online spirit retailer Master of Malt is giving away three rare bottles of Compass Box whisky to one lucky customer this month.

Compass Box creates some of the finest blended whiskies available on the market today, from the superlative Spice Tree to the powerful Peat Monster.

The first 250 people to buy a bottle of Compass Box from Master of Malt’s online shop will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win three superb bottles: the exalted Canto Cask 48, the original illegal Spice Tree blend, and Canto Cask 20.

In addition to the prize draw, every bottle of Compass Box will come with a free 3cl dram of one of the company’s other whiskies to savour.

Here’s a list of eligible Compass Box products.

Every bottle bought increases the odds of winning, and remember there are only 250 chances, so there is no better time to discover the Compass Box range at Master of Malt.

The Prizes:

Canto Cask 48

The Canto Cask Range was a first for Compass Box, a fascinating experiment into the effects of oak. Compass Box took sixteen single cask, cask-strength Scotch malt whiskies. Each cask held the same whisky, but for the last 18 months the whiskies were aged in a range of different new oaks, both French and American, in a variety of different toasts. Number 48 used a heavily toasted French oak cask.

Illegal Spice Tree

When the award-winning Spice Tree was first launched back in 2005, the Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) decided the practice of using new oak staves in the finishing process was against the rules, and threatened to take Compass Box to court unless the company stopped making its popular blend. To cut a long story short, the process was modified, Spice Tree was resurrected in 2009, and there was much rejoicing. But Master of Malt has an original, illegal bottle of Spice Tree to give away… keep it under your hat.

Canto Cask 20

Number 20 is strikingly different from 48; it was finished in medium-toasted American Oak, and the effect has produced a very different whisky to the heavily toasted French oak matured 48.

Edencroft Offer – 12 Year Old Lagavulin

April 19, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Lagavulin 12 Year Old

Mark from Edencrofts has a great offer on at the moment (while stocks last of course! 😉 ) and a great opportunity to grab one of Islay’s finest malt whiskies.

It’s a limited edition, natural cask strength Lagavulin 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Situated on Islay’s rocky south coast, Lagavulin is one of the essential Islay distilleries. This malt is the Tenth of a series of special 12 year old releases from the original distiller’s stocks.
It is Vatted from refill American Oak casks, each at least 12 years old. Consequently, there are very limited stocks available.

DESCRIPTION: Extremely well constructed and highly complex: full of wood smoke, peppery and spicy, this 12 year old shares much with its immediate predecessors – not least the capacity to instantly defibrillate the taste buds: the texture and taste, both straight and dilute, are splendid.
APPEARANCE: Pale gold. Good beading, with oily legs.

NOSE: Mild nose-feel. Starts oddly rounded and well-mannered. Soon grows increasingly com-plex. A waft of linseed oil, then newsprint splashed with vinegar, and fragrant, sweet wood smoke, with carbolic notes rising, then falling. Struck matches. Later, beeswax polish meets rich fruit mincemeat and coal tar, as chocolate and cumin tease. With water: more of the same, but greater clarity, a fabulous subtle interplay of tastes, and a little more smoke.

BODY: Rich, firm.

PALATE: Pleasing texture, lightly oily. At natural strength, the taste starts sweet, and is then dominated by wood-smoke. Charred newspaper and aniseed balls. Red berry notes. More powerful, with a dusting of pine shavings, then cooling, carbolic and herbal. With water the texture is smoother still; the taste long and slightly sweeter, with some fresh acidity; still herbal, with notes of aniseed and wood; very savoury.

FINISH: Char-grilled fennel with lashings of peppery olive oil; powerfully bitter-sweet. Lengthened by adding water: drying and warming, with elegant savoury notes again and a late whiff of lingering, fragrant smoke.

PRICE: £52.50 per bottle – saving 16% on the standard retail price of £62.50.

More information can be obtained from Mark at:-
EDENCROFT FINE WINES
8-10 Hospital Street
NANTWICH
Cheshire
CW5 5RJ

www.edencroft.co.uk

Tel: 01270 629 975
Mob: 07974 650 998