Sampling — Page 19

Tasting Notes – Sampling The Teeling “The Revival” Vol V!

May 2, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

The fifth and final bottling of “The Revival”

Teeling Whiskey Unveils Final Release of The Revival Single Malt

Teeling Whiskey has unveiled the fifth and final bottling of “The Revival”, a limited edition, award winning, commemorative Single Malt.

“The Revival” is Limited to just 15,000 bottles

The Revival Volume V is another unique addition to The Revival Series, which was originally crafted to celebrate the opening of the Teeling Whiskey Distillery and with that, the revival of the tradition of distilling in Dublin.

The final bottling of The Revival precedes the launch of the first new Dublin distilled whiskey for over 40 years. Teeling Whiskey’s Single Pot Still Irish whiskey, fully distilled in the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin’s Newmarket, will be released later this year.

The Revival Vol. V joins Teeling Whiskey’s range of award winning Irish whiskeys, which have collected over 175 international awards over the last five years. The fifth bottling of The Revival consists of 12-Year-Old Single Malt that was aged initially in ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in a combination of Cognac and Brandy barrels, imparting distinct hints of toasted almonds and freshly pressed grapes.

Limited to just 15,000 bottles, the resulting Single Malt is then bottled at 46% with no chill filtration, a signature of all Teeling Whiskeys.

We are delighted to launch the last release in our award-winning Revival Series, just a few months before our first Irish whiskey will come of age from our Dublin distillery.

The Revival Series was originally launched to celebrate the rebirth of distilling in Dublin, so the timing is fitting to end the series now, as we enter a period of renaissance for the capital with the launch of the first Dublin distilled Irish whiskey for over 40 years.

We are also very excited to announce plans for the release of a very special celebratory Single Pot Still bottling of one of our very first casks of new whiskey scheduled for August. To celebrate the launch, we will auction 100 of the very first bottles of our new whiskey, with all profits going back to local Dublin 8 charities. This will be followed by the commercial release of the Teeling Whiskey Single Pot Still in November.
– Jack Teeling: Founder and Managing Director of Teeling Whiskey

The first 100 bottles will be auctioned online with the balance to be sold in the distillery itself. One of the core founding principles of the company was to give back to the local community that has welcomed Teeling Whiskey so well over the last 3 years, so they are incredibly proud to be giving back all profits from this first release to a selection of local Dublin 8 based charities.

The Revival Vol V 12 Year Old will retail for €140.00 The product will be available in Ireland at the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Newmarket, Dublin Airport, The Celtic Whiskey Stop, all good independent off licences before being launched into international markets such as the UK, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Italy.

To find out more information on the Teeling Whiskey and the Teeling Whiskey Distillery visit teelingwhiskey.com or visit Teeling Whiskey on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

The Revival Vol V 12 Year Old will retail for €140.00

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of the Vol V from Teeling Whiskey (Many thanks!), so what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Teeling “The Revival” Vol V (46%)

Colour: Pale honeyed colour.

Nose: Red apples, tropical fruit and caramel. A refreshing tang of citrus comes a little later.

Palate: Creamy honey, tropical fruit, caramel and some punchy spice!

Finish: Dry wood finish with strong spicy overtones that are held in check by honey caramel. There’s also slight hints of lemon.

Overall: There’s a lot to appreciate in this dram and the flavours develop very nicely over time.
It is an excellent dram for those searching for great flavours without being too intense in either spiciness or being over sweet.

Go for it and “Revive” those tastebuds!

Teeling is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Master of Malt
The Whisky Exchange
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop
Whisky Online

THE TEELING WHISKEY REVIVIAL SERIES

Launched in 2015 the Teeling Whiskey Revival is a commemorative bottling initially released to mark the opening of their new distillery in Dublin. Each release consists of aged Single Malt that have unique cask maturation and bottled at 46%. Each bottling comes in a high end decanter style packaging. Released every six months the series consists of 5 unique bottlings and is ending this year when the first Teeling Single Pot Still produced in 2015 in their Dublin distillery comes of age and can legally be sold as Irish whiskey.

Sampling Kilchoman’s 2018 Limited Editions: PART 2 – The Loch Gorm!

April 26, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

Kilchoman 2018 Port Matured and Loch Gorm Limited Editions

Kilchoman Launch 2018 Loch Gorm and Port Matured Limited Editions

Kilchoman have released their first limited editions of the year! They are 2018 editions of Loch Gorm and Port Cask Matured that became available worldwide on the 23rd of April. Traditionally the spring has seen the Islay distillery release their 100% Islay and Loch Gorm expressions, however this year sees the iconic 100% Islay moved to an autumn release with the much-anticipated Port Cask Matured taking its place.

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

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman – Loch Gorm 2018 Edition (46%)

Colour: Pale sherry.

Nose: Smokey peat, orange, red apple and rich fruit cake spiciness.

Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, spicy, fruity, sweet vanilla topped off with a slight peat.

Finish: Punchy spice with a creamy vanilla, hint of tropical fruits, smoke and dry tobacco in a long finish.

Overall: A sweeter dram than the Port Cask Matured but full of rich flavours and aromas. My personal favourite of the two new releases!

You can catch up on what I thought of the Kilchoman Port Cask Matured – 2018 Edition (50%) here.

Kilchoman produces a portion of its whisky from barley grown on site

This will be the second Port Cask Matured expression released by Kilchoman, the first, launched in 2014 being one of the most talked about Kilchoman releases in the distillery’s thirteen-year history.

The 2018 edition is a vatting of thirty ruby port hogsheads filled in 2014, yielding a total of 10,000 bottles. The distillery’s commitment to full term maturation has continued, with the decision to age only in port casks rather than using such barrels for finishing, this gives the whisky an added dimension, with layers of red fruits, creamy vanilla and floral sweetness that flood in with the intensity expected of a 50% abv bottling strength.

Released alongside the Port Cask Matured is the well-established Loch Gorm release, the exclusively sherry matured limited edition has been a feature of the Kilchoman range since 2012. The 2018 release of 15,000 bottles is made up of nineteen oloroso sherry butts filled in 2007, 2008 and 2011, containing some of the oldest sherry casks ever filled at Kilchoman.

The Loch Gorm is the only global release from Kilchoman that is matured solely in sherry casks, with its combination of rich sherry notes, cooked fruits and subtle Islay peat, it’s not surprising that this is one of the distilleries best-selling single malts.

Both the Port Cask Matured and The Loch Gorm have peating levels of 50 ppm.

Historically our port and sherry matured releases have received a very positive response from the whisky community, I think the 2018 editions are probably the best versions of these expressions we’ve released to date so I’m excited to see the how these latest editions are received.
– Anthony Wills: Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director

Founded in 2005, Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 125 years. Kilchoman, the only independently owned Islay distillery is most famous as the only distillery to produce a portion of its whisky from barley grown on site, completing all stages of the whisky-making process themselves using traditional farm distillery methods.

Since the first bottling was released in 2009, Kilchoman has quickly established itself as a high-quality Islay Single Malt Whisky with these notable awards:

Kilchoman’s exceptional quality was recognised at the prestigious International Whisky Competition (IWC) when Anthony Wills was named Master Distiller of the Year 2013.
In 2016 both core expressions won major awards with Sanaig named Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky – no age statement at the IWSC and Machir Bay came awarded Best Islay Single Malt Scotch in the International Whisky Competition.
In 2017 the distillery’s flagship expression, Machir Bay, was named Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2017 as well as a rum matured single cask winning Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, Single Cask of the Year 2017

The Kilchoman Port Cask Matured – 2018 Edition will retail for approximately £85.00.

The Kilchoman – Loch Gorm 2018 Edition will retail for approximately £70.00.

These drams will sell out fast!
“As usual be quick,
because Kilchoman on the shelf,
they do not stick!”

Many thanks to Kilchoman (@Kilchoman05) for the samples!

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Master of Malt
The Whisky Exchange
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop
Whisky Online

Sampling Kilchoman’s 2018 Limited Editions: Loch Gorm & Port Cask Matured!

April 23, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

Kilchoman 2018 Port Matured and Loch Gorm Limited Editions

Kilchoman Launch 2018 Loch Gorm and Port Matured Limited Editions

Kilchoman are set to release their first limited editions of the year; 2018 editions of Loch Gorm and Port Cask Matured will be available worldwide from the 23rd of April. Traditionally the spring has seen the Islay distillery release their 100% Islay and Loch Gorm expressions, however this year sees the iconic 100% Islay moved to an autumn release with the much-anticipated Port Cask Matured taking its place.

Kilchoman produces a portion of its whisky from barley grown on site

Both the Port Cask Matured and The Loch Gorm have peating levels of 50 ppm.

Historically our port and sherry matured releases have received a very positive response from the whisky community, I think the 2018 editions are probably the best versions of these expressions we’ve released to date so I’m excited to see the how these latest editions are received.
– Anthony Wills: Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director

Since the first bottling was released in 2009, Kilchoman has quickly established itself as a high-quality Islay Single Malt Whisky with these notable awards:

No news yet on prices but …
“As usual be quick,
because Kilchoman on the shelf,
they do not stick!”

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

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman Port Cask Matured – 2018 Edition (50%)

Colour: Sherry with port redness.

Nose: Sherry, port coupled with a lovely smokey peat and a hint of red apples.

Palate: Rich sweet fruit, port and apple.

Finish: Peaty, vanilla sweet and spicy with a slight salt finish and hints of tobacco.

Overall: A full-bodied dram, bursting with flavours: well blended peat, fruit and vanilla with an added dash of peppery spice – Glorious!

I’ll be sampling Kilchoman’s Loch Gorm 2018 Edition soon!

Many thanks to Kilchoman (@Kilchoman05) for the samples!

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Master of Malt
The Whisky Exchange
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop
Whisky Online

Tasting The Glenlivet Code & Cracking The Ultimate Whisky Mystery!

March 23, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Glenlivet challenges consumers to crack the ultimate whisky mystery

The Glenlivet launches their latest limited edition ‘The Code’ to push the boundaries of flavour exploration & challenges consumers to crack the ultimate whisky mystery!

I was lucky enough to be invited to #TheGlenlivetCode Hackathon on Wednesday (at The Black Bar in London) to sample Glenlivet’s latest Limited Edition offering – The Code.

It was also a great pleasure to meet and chat to the great Alan Winchester, The Glenlivet’s Master Distiller. Not that he gave away too much about the tasting notes for their latest dram!

The Glenlivet Code is a mysterious Single Malt Scotch whisky which is being released without cask information or tasting notes to take whisky connoisseurs on a journey of discovery whilst also putting their Single Malt knowledge to the test. Inspired by the iconic British Code breakers, the limited edition is a labyrinth of flavours that will test the senses of even the most discerning whisky drinker.

Maintaining the exceptional quality that The Glenlivet is famed for, The Glenlivet Code presents the brand’s smooth and fruity house style with some additional twists for a moment of definitive pleasure. Its release is supported by an interactive digital experience, inspired by the famous British codebreakers and aims to test consumers’ knowledge and understanding of Single Malt whisky.

The Glenlivet Code digital experience invites whisky connoisseurs to scan a code on the back of their bottle carton using the Shazam app to enter a virtual underground room. Here, they will be greeted by a hologram of The Glenlivet’s Master Distiller, Alan Winchester, who will challenge them to decode the taste of the liquid by selecting four aromas for the nose and four flavours for the palate from thousands of possible combinations.

After decoding the flavours of the new whisky, participants will be given a score which they can post on social media to see how they rank against their peers. The official tasting notes won’t be revealed until the end of the year to give Single Malt enthusiasts the time to discover and enjoy the liquid themselves.

With The Glenlivet Code, we had a unique opportunity to create a whisky that has never been crafted before, using new casks and techniques to push the boundaries of what people expect from The Glenlivet.

This year’s limited edition is a labyrinth of flavours that will test the senses of even the most discerning whisky drinker and we’re excited to invite consumers worldwide to take on the ultimate challenge by unlocking its mystery taste. The interactive experience will allow whisky enthusiasts at all levels to build their knowledge of the category while also developing a deeper understanding of The Glenlivet.
– Alan Winchester: The Glenlivet’s Master Distiller

The Glenlivet Code will launch globally from March 2018 across 28 markets with an RRP of $120 USD (probably around £100). Consumers can log onto www.theglenlivet.com to find out more about the digital experience and share their thoughts on social media using #TheGlenlivetCode.

Tasting The Glenlivet Code at The Black Bar, London

Tasting Notes – The Glenlivet Code (48%)

We were split into three teams of three and had to answer eight questions. The first team to get them correct had the honour of unveiling the Dram and getting to work nosing and sampling!

Our team, unfortunately, did not grab that honour but we did get through the ridiculously (!) hard questions to get our hands on our copy of ‘The Code’ and get sampling.

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

Colour: Who knows?! The bottle is a deep black, the tasting glass is a deep black! (Actually, it’s a warm, sherried colour.)

Nose: Toffee, lovely red apple, vanilla with a hint of smoke.

Palate: Tasty cherry and pineapple, plump raisin and mild liquorice.

Finish: Medium finish which is long and sweet with no hint of bitterness.

Overall: A very enjoyable dram but then I’m a big fan of The Glenlivet anyway.

Trying out the Tasting Wheel was a lot of fun and I guess if you’re really competitive you can keep trying again and again until you get your perfect score!

My tasting results: Could be worse!

Many thanks to all involved for the invite and for a fantastic evening and of course, the team at www.theglenlivet.com for the sample and without whom!

Glenlivet is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Master of Malt
The Whisky Exchange
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop
Whisky Online

Sampling SMWS Cask No. 76.135 – A Rich Dram That Is Generous To A Fault!

January 31, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

CASK No. 76.135: MOMENT OF SERENITY

I recently received a couple of whisky samples, courtesy of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society or SMWS (@SMWSUK). So, of course, I was eager to try them!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other. As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “To provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally.

The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask. Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system.

The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

I’ve already sampled SMWS “HONEY AND VANILLA SMOKE” CASK No. 53.242 which can be found here, so here’s sample TWO: SMWS “MOMENT OF SERENITY” CASK No. 76.135

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

Tasting Notes – SMWS “MOMENT OF SERENITY” CASK No. 76.135

AGE: 15 Years

DATE DISTILLED: 5th March 2008

CASK TYPE: First Fill Ex-Pedro Ximenez Hogshead

REGION: Speyside

OUTTURN: 1 of 192 bottles

ABV: 55.1%

Colour: Sherry.

Nose: Caramel toffee, honey, sweet tropical fruits and green apples.

Palate: Rich mouthfeel. Caramel toffee, sweet tropical fruits and green apples.

Finish: Punchy pepper, thick sweet honey and the finish is pleasantly long.

Overall: It’s amazing and rare to have all the aromas that are present in the nose available in the flavour!
A rich dram that keeps on giving – generous to a fault!

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for sending the samples!

Sampling SMWS Cask No.53.242 – A Young Dram That Punches Way Above It’s Weight!

January 18, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

CASK No. 53.242: HONEY AND VANILLA SMOKE

I recently received a couple of whisky samples, courtesy of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society or SMWS (@SMWSUK). So, of course, I was eager to try them!

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Sample ONE is SMWS “HONEY AND VANILLA SMOKE” CASK No. 53.242

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

Tasting Notes – SMWS “HONEY AND VANILLA SMOKE” CASK No. 53.242

AGE: 7 Years

DATE DISTILLED: 1st June 2010

CASK TYPE: Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead

REGION: Islay

OUTTURN: 1 of 332 bottles

ABV: 58.4%

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Soft, heathery peat with sweet vanilla. I also detected a little bit of mint.

Palate: Smoke that’s Oh! so sweet! Vanilla, toffee, mint and a hint of orange.

Finish: Smooth, sweet smokey finish with a well balanced pepper. The finish is long with hints of tobacco.

Overall: The higher abv gives this dram some kick but don’t worry, it’s well tempered with some lovely smooth flavours. It’s a light, sweet peat so will appeal to many.
This 7 year old dram punches way above it’s weight!

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for sending the samples!

I shall be posting my notes on tasting sample TWO very soon!

Sampling The Kilchoman 2009 Vintage Single Malt – Bliss In A Glass!

November 10, 2017 by Gary Leave a Comment

Kilchoman 2009 Vintage

Kilchoman, Islay’s Farm Distillery, has released their 2009 Vintage limited edition, an eight year old single malt and one of the oldest expressions to be bottled since the distillery was founded in 2005.

Kilchoman 2009 Vintage is bottled at 46% ABV

The Vintage range is released by-annually from Kilchoman, with these whiskies spearheading the distilleries releases in terms of maturation. This will be the fourth release since the 2006 Vintage was bottled back in 2011. All three previous releases have been exclusively matured in ex bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace distillery, whereas the 2009 Vintage is a combination of carefully selected oloroso sherry butts distilled in 2008 and bourbon barrels distilled in both 2008 and 2009.

The evolution of Kilchoman single malt is well represented through our Vintage range. Now at eight years of maturation, the balance and depth of character coming through on both the nose and the palate is incredible.

The oloroso sherry influence in the 2009 Vintage compared to the previous releases has given this whisky a different dimension with layered fruit and added sweet notes.
– Anthony Wills: Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director

Founded in 2005, Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and was the first distillery to be built on Islay for 125 years. Kilchoman, the only independently owned Islay distillery is most famous as the only distillery to produce a portion of it’s whisky from barley grown onsite, completing all stages of the whisky-making process themselves using traditional farm distillery methods.

Kilchoman 2009 Vintage is bottled at 46% ABV and retails for around £67.00.

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

Tasting Notes – Kilchoman 2009 Vintage (46%)

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Fantastic, earthy, smokey peat. Creamy vanilla sweetness, a touch of green apples.

Palate: Sweet vanilla, charred wood, smokey peat, a little salt.

Finish: Clean, sweet, long, smokey finish with a little tobacco.

Overall: If you can manage to keep your hands off it (!) This dram gets better and better the longer you leave it.

So, be in no rush as the 2009 is well worth savouring. Conjuring up images of quietly sitting and watching glowing embers on a cosy night in with little to do except sip and relax.

Bliss!

The Kilchoman New Releases 2017

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Master of Malt
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
The Whisky Exchange
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop
Whisky Online

Taking a Liberty? Oh Yes! Tweet Tasting Dublin Liberties Whiskies!

November 2, 2017 by Gary Leave a Comment

Taking a Liberty … Yes Please!

Dublin Liberties was the dram of choice for Wednesday nights Tweet Tasting.

Hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, he gave us the opportunity to sample one of the fastest growing Irish whiskey brands. So much so that construction work began last March on a new €15 million distillery and visitors centre which will open in 2018.

The drams sampled were:-

Dublin Liberties Oak Devil

Dublin Liberties Copper Alley

If you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #DublinLibertiesWhiskey on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!

Tasting Notes – Dublin Liberties Oak Devil (46%)

Oak Devil was launched in 2015 and is a blend of Irish malt and grain whiskeys which have been matured in bourbon casks.

Oak Devil takes its name from the Liberties area of Dublin. A riotous quarter of the city known as ‘Hell’ in the 1700’s. Oak Devil is inspired, literally, by the fact that an oak-carved devil stood watch over the entrance to the Liberties!

Nose: Sweet toffee flavours, crisp green apples with oaky wood coming thru’ later on. The nose went more towards cognac the longer it was in the glass.

Palate: Tropical fruit with honey and vanilla creaminess. With a nice whizz of spiciness!

Finish: Punchy dram with lots of pepper coupled with a honey smoothness. Slight tobacco and waxiness at the end.

Overall: Cracking tasting whiskey with some interesting flavours and ever-changing aromas.

Tasting Notes – Dublin Liberties Copper Alley (46%)

Copper Alley is a 10 Year Old Irish single malt. It is then finished in 30 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Casks.

Copper Alley was the oldest street in Dublin, named after the coin which was minted there in the 17th Century. The alley was at the centre of the Liberties amongst the tanners, merchants, taverns and of course distilleries!

Nose: Getting the sherry and there’s honey and vanilla creaminess. A little aniseed and there’s something savoury lurkin’ at the back … smokey bacon maybe?!

Palate: Reduced sweetness with a creamier feel and lovely sherry! Some apples and a little chocolate.

Finish: Nice peppery spice coupled with honey again but the balance is more in favour of the spice than the Oak Devil.

Overall: A nice dram but less sherried than I thought it would be – this whiskey was very popular amongst my fellow tweeters!

My Favourite On The Night

Oak Devil – feisty spice tempered by honey sweetness – Yum!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening

and the team at Dublin Liberties (@DublinLiberties) for the samples and without whom!

My fellow Tweeters were:-

@TheWhiskyBoys @MaltMusings @brawspirit @whiskyfreak123 @Whiskey_JAC @JasonVaswani @spikeydog120 @AlpacaJo @moonbites @allthingsbooze @ocdwhisky @RealDramRob @WhiskyUnplugged @T_M_Cocktails @dbcwhisky @bigfootrunning @cache1337 @DaveMcKinnon__ @whiskyrepublic @JoeFHolmes @TheWhiskyphiles @PhilScott101 @Marc_Liberties @suzisgrapecrush @LaCaveDeCobalt @WhiskySpeller @dram_gazette @Girl_Whisky

Dublin Liberties is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Jura Celebrates Island Community With One And All Release!

September 1, 2017 by Gary Leave a Comment

Jura Single Malt Whisky toasts distillery team with specially selected limited edition 20 year old!

Jura releases new limited edition bottle celebrating island community!

One And All will be available online and in shops from 1st September.

Jura Single Malt Whisky has today, unveiled a new limited edition expression, created in celebration of Jura’s community and the team of distillery workers who craft the award-winning whisky. Chosen by them, it’s fittingly named One And All.

This celebratory 20 year old single malt assemblage, which is non-chill filtered and natural colour, raises a glass to the distillery team and island community who make the whisky what it is today. A must-have collectable for whisky fans, with the community at the heart of it, this small batch release (51% ABV – Cask strength) is available globally with an RSP of £120.

The community on Jura, a remote and beautiful island nestled off the West Coast of Scotland, has a unique bond with whisky. Around 200 people inhabit Jura’s landscape, outnumbered by more than 5,000 red deer which roam the island’s vast, empty planes. Together, the Diurachs (the name for people who live on Jura) and the distillery have rebuilt a thriving local economy since re-opening the distillery over 50 years ago. It’s this tenacity of Jura’s people, which makes the island and its whisky so special – a community of few, shaped by a passion for the island they live on, brought there through family, fate and history.

The realities of living on a remote island in a small community means that everyone has to work together for the benefit of one and all. Nowhere is this bond stronger than at Jura Distillery.

On the 6th of February 2017, the Jura Distillery team got together to choose this year’s Limited Edition bottling. An uncommon single malt, One And All is matured in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels and specially prepared with Jura aged in Sherry wood, Sparkling Cabernet Franc casks, Cabernet Sauvignon casks and Pinot Noir barriques.

There’s no better way to mark the distillery team’s dedication and craftsmanship, than by creating a limited edition expression in their honour – chosen by them.

In tribute to their passion and tenacity – the shared spirit that each person brings to every last drop – this special whisky is the perfect dram to toast one and all. We can’t wait to hear what people think.
– Graham Logan: Distillery Manager

One And All is now available online and in shops.

Jura has very kindly sent me a sample to try.
So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Jura One And All (51%)

Non Chill-filtered, natural colour.
A single malt assemblage, aged in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels and specially prepared with Jura aged in Sherry wood, Sparkling Cabernet Franc casks, Cabernet Sauvignon casks and Pinot Noir barriques.

Colour: Rich, honey golden brown.

Nose: Fudge, caramel and honey straight away closely followed by tropical fruit. Light oak. Port.

Palate: Sweet, tropical fruit flavours, chocolate and vanilla fudge.

Finish: Long, honey sweet finish with a little pepper. Slight bit of dryness at the end.

Overall: It packs a punch this one! Strong alcohol but nicely tempered by some lovely creamy sweetness.

There’s a great tropical fruit flavour to this dram but the overall taste is a vanilla / fudge / caramel indulgence!

One And All. One great set of flavours – suitable for all!

Sampling Abbey Whisky’s Glen Garioch 21 Year Old – Why You Will LOVE This Offering!

June 9, 2017 by Gary Leave a Comment

GLEN GARIOCH 21 YEAR OLD – 1994 / THE RARE CASKS RELEASE 6

Whisky Magazine Recommended Award – Issue 143

In Stock and Available for £99.98!

Only 126 bottles have been filled exclusively for Abbey Whisky!

The Rare Casks story continues with this magnificent Glen Garioch, the sixth release in the series. Distilled in 1994 and fully matured in a refill hogshead until 2016, only 126 bottles have been filled exclusively for Abbey Whisky.

As with each previous release in The Rare Casks series, the whisky has been bottled in it’s natural form, at full cask strength, without chill filtration or colour additives.

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

Tasting Notes – GLEN GARIOCH 21 YEAR OLD – 1994 / THE RARE CASKS RELEASE 6 (55%)

Colour: Pale gold colour.

Nose: Very fruity, citrus with notes of grapfruit most prominent, barley and inviting sticky, sugary vanilla.

Palate: Prominent grapefruit sourness counterpointing pineapple and warming vanilla sweetness.

Finish: Warm and spicy finish which is long with a satisfying glucose sweetness to top it off.

Overall: It’s got some tasy 55% Oomph! to it this one and the strong grapefruit notes surprised me at first but with added sipping (I am very dedicated) this became very morish indeed!
If you like a little sourness to your dram you will LOVE this offering!

Empty bottle, kind thoughts …

Many thanks to Mike at Abbey Whisky (@abbeywhisky) for sending me such a great dram sample!

Tasting Notes – Sampling The Teeling “The Revival” Vol V!

Teeling Whiskey Unveils Final Release of The Revival Single Malt

Tasting Notes – Teeling “The Revival” Vol V (46%)

THE TEELING WHISKEY REVIVIAL SERIES

Sampling Kilchoman’s 2018 Limited Editions: PART 2 – The Loch Gorm!

Kilchoman Launch 2018 Loch Gorm and Port Matured Limited Editions

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman – Loch Gorm 2018 Edition (46%)

Sampling Kilchoman’s 2018 Limited Editions: Loch Gorm & Port Cask Matured!

Kilchoman Launch 2018 Loch Gorm and Port Matured Limited Editions

Tasting Notes: Kilchoman Port Cask Matured – 2018 Edition (50%)

Tasting The Glenlivet Code & Cracking The Ultimate Whisky Mystery!