The Whisky Exchange

The Whisky Show’s New ‘Normal’ Introduces A Virtual Segment!

May 20, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

A virtual “Cheers!”

The 12th year of the renowned The Whisky Show, taking place in London October 2nd. – 4th., will see an exciting development with the introduction of a virtual segment!

Following the success of April’s Virtual Cognac Weekend, The Whisky Exchange are pleased to announce Whisky Show 2020 will be open for virtual attendance around the globe.

While the team still plan to go ahead with the physical The Whisky Show at Old Billingsgate in central London, the Virtual Whisky Show will allow whisky lovers from all over the world to be there in spirit with a line-up of incredible experiences for all fans, old and new of the water of life. The live stream will include stage demos, VIP talks with industry heavyweights and even exclusive tastings, with attendees being sent their own bespoke tasting packs, ensuring whisky fans everywhere can still taste along with the experts.

I am really excited to be going digital this year and adding another dimension to our show. Over the past few months we have seen how successful virtual tastings are, especially after the success of taking Cognac show online with over 70,000 views across the weekend.

We recognise that many of our customers may not be able to attend show this year due to the current situation. However we wanted them to still be a part of the show and the obvious way was to hit the internet. Not only will doing this allow us to reach our current audience but it will also allow us to take The Whisky Show to a whole other level
– Dawn Davies MW: Show Organiser

With Whisky Show set to take place later in the year, The Whisky Exchange will be taking all government guidelines surrounding COVID-19 with the utmost seriousness, ensuring preventative measures will be in force throughout the weekend.

The 12th year of The Whisky Show sees some changes, but we are certainly sure this will become one of the most memorable years yet!

Sampling The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Malt 2019 – Patience Required – But The Wait Is Certainly Worth It!

November 28, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Malt 2019!

An Exclusive limited edition 21 year old whisky for
Black Friday!

Set your alarm clocks and get a good nights sleep tonight!

Only 1,800 bottles available!

Why?

Because at 06.00 GMT on Friday 29th. November The Whisky Exchange are releasing their Exclusive limited edition 21 year old whisky for Black Friday!

Early birdness is a must though as previous editions have sold out VERY quickly, hence the alarm clocks and an early night!

This one-off single malt (limited to just 1,800 bottles) has been bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange from a handful of outstanding casks of whisky distilled at a secret distillery – and at a great value-for-money price.

“Founded in 1810, this mystery whisky-maker sits between Forres and Elgin in Speyside, and is known for making a light and elegant style of whisky which is rarely seen as a single malt.”
– The Whisky Exchange

Way more fun than any Black Friday event in the known universe(!) this one is a genuine never-to-be-repeated purchase of the year!

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks @WhiskyExchange!).

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

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Malt 2019 (53.1%)

Distilled at … Glenburgie Distillery??? (Just guessing!)
Aged for 21 years
1,800 70cl bottles available – limited to two per customer.
£79.95

Colour: Very pale straw.

Nose: This dram gives up it’s secrets quite slowly so patience is required!
Light, tropical fruitiness, iced tea, green apples and much later on – thick vanilla fudge.

Palate: Sweet tropical fruits with a nice hint of bitter seville oranges and chocolate. There’s also some creamy vanilla, cloves and a dusting of cinnamon spice – very nice!

Finish: Quite a dark, fiery finish but that lovely chocolate bitter orange continues coupled with tropical sweet loveliness. The sweet fruit gets stronger and more prevelant the longer you leave it in the glass – if you have that much will power!
Quite a dry finish at the end.

Overall: This is a lovely dram, perfect for Christmas and the winter months after that. The tropical fruit is a happy reminder of sunnier days past and looking forward to sunnier days ahead.
The spice, chocolate and oranges are a perfect match for Christmas.
It’s a slow burn dram though that needs time to develop – but the wait is certainly worth it!

Sampling The Whisky Exchange Christmas Malt 2019 – More Fire Than A Flaming Xmas Pud!

November 20, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Whisky Exchange Christmas Malt 2019!

You can’t keep a good idea from being repeated! With that thewhiskyexchange.com have released their second Christmas Malt – called un-surprisingly – The Whisky Exchange Christmas Malt 2019!

Only 2696 bottles available!

Once again, Billy Abbott from The Whisky Exchange has penned a little Christmas ditty:-

Amid presents and family
And bright festive lights
A whisky that’s perfect
For long winter nights

So pour for yourself
And others invite
To all a good whisky
And all a good night

This is an exclusive Christmas Malt for 2019, distilled and bottled in Speyside, having matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon and sherry-casks, triggering the wonderful flavours of Christmas with a core of fruit and festive spice.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks @WhiskyExchange!).

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

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange Christmas Malt 2019 (54.2%)

Distilled at Linkwood distillery
Aged in bourbon and sherry casks for 10 years
2696 70cl bottles available
£56.95

Colour: Pale straw, crisp and clear.

Nose: Lovely whiffs of Sherry which get more intense as time passes. Banana, apples and white oak. Rich fruit cake and black treacle. Little wisps of orange and furniture polish.

Palate: Tingly, tongue-dancing sherbet sweetness. Rich Christmas cake and caramel. Creamy butterscotch, little Xmas tangerines (the kind you always get at Crimbo time!)

Finish: Peppery, chilli spice. Fiery – like a log fire – but don’t get too close!

The sweetness dampens the heat and stays right through the finish which is quite long.

Overall: The addition of water takes a lot of heat off producing a smoother, thinner dram.

Quite a handful this one, especially on Christmas day. Very morish so be careful how much you ‘sample’ or you might just burn the dinner – or maybe it won’t get cooked at all!

Merry (Early) Christmas!

Sampling The Whisky Exchange’s Exclusive Foursquare Hereditas Rum – I’m Now A Rum Fan!

June 5, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

Foursquare Hereditas

Foursquare Hereditas Rum – bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange!

The Whisky Exchange has introduced its first exclusive rum since unveiling a new classification system for the spirit earlier this month.

Foursquare Hereditas is bottled exclusively for
The Whisky Exchange!

Renowned Barbados distillery Foursquare has created Hereditas – a Single Traditional Blended Rum in the new classification – exclusively for the retailer.

Matured in Barbados for 14 years in a mixture of bourbon and sherry casks, it is rich and heavily-sherried – a style of spirit more often found in the whisky world.

It’s a release certain to excite rum and whisky drinkers alike!

The new classification system aims to give consumers and the trade a more informed understanding of the rum category based on flavour profiles and production methods, instead of the colour of the spirit.

The Whisky Exchange’s head buyer Dawn Davies has created the classification after extensive research and discussion with suppliers and producers.

They have taken inspiration from the classification system created by Luca Gargano of rum importer Velier and Richard Seale of Foursquare.

Davies has primarily focused on production method to create a technical classification and also devised a series of ‘flavour camps’ to give indication of how a rum will taste.

This gives rum drinkers more information to help them select their next purchase.

Foursquare Hereditas

Distilled at Foursquare Distillery in Barbados
A blend of pot- and column-distilled rum
Aged exclusively at origin for 14 years
Matured in a mixture of bourbon and sherry casks
Heavily sherried character
Our classification: Single Traditional Blended Rum
No added flavourings or sugar
Non chill filtered
Exclusively available from The Whisky Exchange

2520 bottles available.
70cl / 56%
£79.95

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!).

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

Nose: A fine looking rum that coats the glass. On the nose there’s Plump raisins, tropical fruits which then opens up to bananas. There’s tasty vanilla aromas mixed with rich sherry flavours.

Palate: Luscious mouthfeel revealing plump fruit cake with dashes of vanilla and sherry.

Finish: Some serious spice – but not too peppery – coupled with rich dark chocolate. A little bit of dryness at the finish finishes off this lovely taste bud experience!

Overall: I’m not very experienced with Rum but from sampling this one I can see why rum is increasing in popularity. If you like sherried malt whiskies then you’ll love this.
The flavours are awesome with plenty of depth and character – I’m now a Rum Fan!

Sampling The Whisky Exchange’s Exclusive Bottling – A 1973 Vintage Speyside – Taste Thats 43 Years In The Making!

February 1, 2019 by Gary Leave a Comment

Great things come in small Sample bottles!

The Whisky Exchange has once again collaborated with German independent bottler The Whisky Agency to release a 1973-vintage Speyside blended malt whisky, aged for 43 years and bottled in 2017 from a refill sherry butt.

The Speyside Region Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

It is one of a small number of similar casks that have been released recently, all to critical acclaim. They capture a very particular style of early-1970s spirit, which has been allowed to develop slowly over the past five decades, bringing together fruity character from both cask and distillery.

The Whisky Exchange believes it has been matured in a fino sherry butt, rather than the more usual oloroso cask, adding an extra dimension of flavour.

The whisky’s style is incredibly reminiscent of similarly matured whisky from a renowned family-owned distillery, bottles of which sell for many times the price of this excellent release.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!).

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

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange’s Exclusive Bottling Of A 1973 Vintage Speyside (47.4%)

Distilled: 1973
Age: 43 Years (Matured in a refill sherry butt)
Bottled: 2017 at 47.4%
Price: £399 (70cl.)

Nose: Massive, crisp, crunchy, green apple aromas hit you right out of the glass! There’s Vanilla, fudge and then glorious quantities of tropical fruits.
Following on comes some wood, old waxy polish and there’s a crisp, icing sugar headiness which increases the longer the dram is in the glass. Which wasn’t very long to be honest!

Palate: Bountiful Tropical fruits, hints of cherry and a nice, underlying vanilla creaminess.

Finish: Smooth and sweet with tropical fruitiness and vanilla. Spicy pepper is present to spice things up nicely! A slight dryness at the finish.

Overall: Smooth, creamy and tropical is a quick summary of this most excellent dram.
Getting hold of whiskies this old is getting increasingly difficult and getting hold of one at this price is nigh on impossible.
So if you fancy tasting a dram from a bygone age then this one could be for you!

The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Whisky 2018 – Stay Cosy & Buy A Dram Online!

November 23, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

It’s An Orkney 18 Year Old!

NOW Available! The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Whisky 2018: An Orkney 18 Year Old!

Now a firm tradition at The Whisky Exchange, their limited-edition Black Friday Whisky is now on sale!

Last year’s limited-edition Black Friday Malt sold out in 20 minutes flat!

A one-off single malt that has been bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange by Elixir Distillers from an unnamed Orkney distillery.

Described as an “… 18-year-old dram with the gently smoky character typical of the distillery, autumnal notes and a hint of festive flavour.”

There are only 1400 bottles available and a 70cl. bottle is priced at £69.95. If it’s anything like previous years this dram won’t last long (last year’s limited-edition Black Friday Malt sold out in 20 minutes flat!) so you need to be quick if you want to catch this.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!). So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Black Friday 2018: Orkney 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (54.6%)

Nose: Sweet sherry hit with red apples. There’s a little smoke (just a hint), dark chocolate, spicy fruits and aromas of rain soaked undergrowth. After a while there’s creamy vanilla caramels.

Palate: A rich, sweet, tempered peaty cocktail with some burnt wood smoke, a little orange and dark choc

Finish: Fiery pepper with a fiesty dark kick that warms the cockles! It’s held in check by some chocolate orange sweetness. A dry tobacco finish with a pinch of salt tops the whole thing off.

Overall: Now this is a black friday deal I can get behind!
It may not be reduced to a ridiculous price but you do have the opportunity to get hold of a classy limited edition dram – certainly a bargain in itself!

So Stay Cosy This Black Friday – Buy A Dram Online!

Congratulations To Sukhinder Singh On His IWSC Achievement!

November 16, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

Sukhinder Singh

Co-founder and owner of The Whisky Exchange, Sukhinder Singh, is delighted to have been awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Scotch Whisky award at Wednesday night’s IWSC awards in London’s Guildhall.

Known around the world for his passion and enthusiasm for Scotch whisky, this recognition is the icing on the cake following a great year of achievements including being named Drinks Business Man of the Year and receiving the honour of becoming a Master of the Quaich.

As we approach 20 years since my brother and I started The Whisky Exchange, I am humbled that my dedication to the Scotch whisky industry has been recognised by the IWSC. I have always held the belief that any business owner will succeed if they live and breathe what they love and that passion is a big driver behind the businesses at Elixir House.

First and foremost I am and always have been an avid Scotch whisky lover. After all, there is no better insight into an industry than first being the consumer yourself. The big decision now is which bottle to open to celebrate.
– Sukhinder Singh: Co-founder and owner of The Whisky Exchange

Singh’s business is lead by The Whisky Exchange, his retail operation that will celebrate its 20th birthday next year, and is accompanied by a wide-ranging portfolio including Speciality Drinks, Elixir Distillers, Speciality Brands, Scotchwhisky.com and Drink Up London.

Introducing The Whisky Exchange Christmas Malt!

November 9, 2018 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Whisky Exchange Christmas malt

A Fine New Christmas Malt for 2018!

“… it’s a properly Christmassy whisky!”

For the nights before Christmas,
When snug in your house,
Or, carefully wrapped,
‘Neath the tree for your spouse.

A Christmas Malt
That’s been selected with care,
From a Speyside distillery,
Though we can’t tell you where.

Available exclusively from thewhiskyexchange.com is their very own and first-ever Christmas Malt!

A Speyside single malt Scotch whisky that captures the essence of Christmas with “rich buttery spice and sticky cherries, hints of holly-wreath leafiness and Christmas-tree pine.”

It has been matured for 17 years in oloroso sherry butts, creating a whisky packed with festive flavour. There are only 1800 bottles available and a 70cl. bottle is priced at £74.95.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!).
So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange Christmas malt (58.7%)

Colour: Satisfying sherry with a hint of port redness.

Nose: Sweet, caramel toffee, red apple and oranges. There’s stewed fruits mixing with sweet spice. As it develops aromas of port with a hint of lemon (sounds like a classic 70’s drink!) and fudgy vanilla come through.

Palate: A mighty kick of peppery, spicy plum pudding with added notes of sweet sherry. Hints of apple and creamy chocolate help balance the 58.7% spicy whoomph!

Finish: The formidable spiciness sustains all the way through this dram married with a tasty porty sweetness that ends in a tanin dryness.

Overall: A heart-warming dram. Perfect for fireside contemplation after sweeping up wrapping paper debris and searching fruitlessly high and low for “.. those extra batteries we bought …!”
It’s spicy heart surrounded by Christmas cake port sweetness will have you reaching for the bottle more than just once!
As Billy Abbott from The Whisky Exchange said, “Christmas can come more than once a year – just have another sip.”
I think that’s an excellent observation and an excellent idea!

Merry Christmas!