Whiskey

The world of collectible whiskies is an extraordinary place - and it has undoubtedly travelled a very long way since we've been actively writing about whisky. I distinctly remember the moment when it dawned on me that people actually 'covert' whisky; not just for its simple unctuous enjoyment, but to hold, to gaze upon and to store behind glass, like precious possessions. The Macallan 'Peter Blake At 80' setFast forward to 2013 and the world of the collectible whisky is of course still dividing opinion and sparking mass hysteria within the whisky drinking community. A quick glance at Scotch Whisky Auctions will tell you that the likes of The Macallan, The Balvenie and Port Ellen are the barometers for how profitable whisky has become. The Macallan in particular has, like no other brand, managed to create not only objects of desire (consider last year's Diamond Jubilee bottling, or the Sir Peter Blake box of curiosities) from their special limited edition releases, but couple them with outstanding liquids. It creates quite a conundrum really: To drink, or to covert? Well, the conundrum is likely to get even more tricky from today, as The Macallan are back with another limited edition bottling, this time to celebrate the Queen's Coronation 60 years ago. However, this time, unlike the Royal wedding bottling, or the aforementioned Diamond Jubilee release, the distiller has decided to release a brace of 350ml bottles that form a set to commemorate the celebration. The Macallan Diamond Jubilee bottlingDesigned by long time The Macallan collaborator, Art Director David Holmes, each bottle will feature a different image of the Queen, one taken in the year of the coronation by Cecil Beaton and another taken in 2004 by portrait photographer Julian Caulder. Two sides to mark the remarkable life the Queen has undoubtedly lived. The liquid types could not be more different. Neither carries an age statement, but the hallmarks of both vibrant American oak and intense sherry cask maturation are on display. Both the Royal Wedding and Jubilee bottlings were superb expressions. Quite how many are actually open is anyone's guess (not that many, by the looks of SWA) so will this new release only serve to bolster the collectors market for The Macallan? Without even trying either whisky, only a fool would bet on them not selling out, but what we're really here to discuss are the different liquids themselves and fortunately, our two slightly-less-beautifully-packaged sample bottles will do more than enough justice. The Macallan - Coronation Bottling - Cecil Beaton - 58.1% - 35clNose: Initially, a lively zesty affair, but given a few minutes in the glass, this really is a breathtakingly sweet affair: vanilla bean-rich white chocolate, golden syrup, tonka bean, Victoria sponge cake and vanilla pipe tobacco notes swirl elegantly with a light orange blossom. Superbly light weight, perfumed and rich.Palate: The strength gives this a punchy mouthfeel, but after a burst of spice (liquorice and ginger) the vanilla rich aromas are transported to the palate, with a buttery richness developing. Water calms down the spice and brings out more of the vanilla, with some sweet cereal notes helping to deliver a very pleasing and fatty mouthfeel. Finish: Lingering oakiness gives way to a return of the vanilla/golden syrup and a touch of menthol right on the very death. Overall: The Macallan, but wearing a plush velvet suit with a soft ermine collar. It's the sort of whisky that drapes itself over you - a comforting blanket of sweet treats and satin textures. Superb stuff. Next up, a more mature and complex side to the Queen... The Macallan style...The Macallan - Coronation Bottling - Julian Caulder - 55.7% - 35clNose: If the Beaton bottling was white chocolate personified, this is its nemesis. Layers of cocoa and fattened rum-soaked raisins and figs mix with an overly woody spice note of cinnamon and nutmeg. The vanilla of the other bottling hasn't

Knob Creek Small Batch Rye Whiskey 50% ABV $40 Website What the Distillery Says: Made with a blend of the finest quality rye to create an extraordinarily smooth yet spicy finish. Color Shades of gold to light amber. Taste Bold rye spiciness with undertones of vanilla and oak. Aroma Expansive notes of herbs and rye [...]

Famous Newfoundland Screech can trace its ancestry back over 300 years to a time when fishing fleets from Newfoundland, with their cargo of Northern Cod and North Atlantic tuna, traveled south and established a tradition of trade with Jamaica for that elixir of the Caribbean, known as rum. This trade established Newfoundland as one of the major portals for the legal import (and of course a little illegal smuggling) of rum into Canada. There have always been a good variety of rum brands on the shelves of my local liquor store which began their journey westward across Canada from the easternmost Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; the most famous of these brands is certainly the Screech Rum. Recently Screech has added two new members to it family, Famous Newfoundland Screech Spiced Rum (100 proof) and, Famous Newfoundland Screech Honey Flavoured Rum. Theses rums are produced by the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC) from the same 4 marques of Jamaican Rum which are used to produce their Famous Screech Rum, although the treatment of these marques will not necessarily be exactly the same (Screech Spiced Rum is bottled at a full 50 % alcohol by volume, and Screech Honey Flavoured Rum at 35 % alcohol by volume). The new family members are just now hitting the store shelves in Newfoundland and Labrador, and will soon be making their way across Canada and into parts of the USA. My own samples arrived just this morning, and you can expect my reviews in the next few weeks. Tagged: Flavoured Rum, Honey Rum, Newfoundland and labrador Liquor Corporation, Overproof Rum, Rum, Screech Rum, Spiced Rum

Whiskey stocks have been tight for the last decade or so, but there has been no shortage of rumors about brands or expressions being discontinued, prices being raised, or products being degraded through reductions in alcohol content or age.The problem is a simple one. Quantities needed for sale in 2013 were predicted in 2009 or earlier. Most of the bourbon being distilled today won't be available for sale until at least 2017. It's a nice problem to have compared with the alternative, but it can be difficult to manage, as Maker's Mark showed in February with the proof cut fiasco.The problem is so acute that Buffalo Trace Distillery (owned by Sazerac), no doubt in response to a barrage of inquiries from retailers and consumers, today felt compelled to issue a press release acknowledging the problem.Despite our producing more every year, it says, demand continues to outpace supply.“We are making more bourbon every day," says Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director at Buffalo Trace. "Our warehouses are filling up with new barrels. Waiting for the bourbon to come of age is the hard part. While we wait, there could be temporary product shortages, even on favorites like Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare.”Although the press release doesn't mention it specifically, Weller 12 has already experienced localized out-of-stock conditions. The entire Van Winkle line, which is produced by Buffalo Trace, has become scarce to the point of absurdity. Buffalo Trace predicts that fans of its other leading brands such as Blanton's, Buffalo Trace, and Eagle Rare may soon be greeted by bare shelves.Comstock wants you to know that Buffalo Trace is committed to quality. "We won’t take drastic measures to mitigate the shortages, such as raising prices excessively, lowering the proof or reducing the age of our whiskies,” says Comstock. And any shortages will be temporary.The only news in the release is that Buffalo Trace will add to its staff someone dedicated to watching and balancing bourbon inventory with sales.

Post by Stefan Van Eycken, Tokyo Suntory has just announced the follow up to their widely acclaimed “Hakushu Sherry Cask 2013” (released in February). On July 2nd, the “Hakushu Heavily Peated 2013” will go on sale nationwide (Japan only). It’s bottled at 48%abv and will retail for about 9,000 yen. It’s a limited edition of 3,000 bottles and if the response is anything like what we witnessed earlier this year with the “Sherry Cask”, it won’t be around for very long. Mark the date in your agenda now or start preparing yourself for disappointment. Read more about Hakushu Distillery here.

Whyte & Mackay 30 y.o. 40% abv Score:  92/100 The 21 y.o. Whyte & Mackay was spectacular.  Really spectacular.  For me, in my ignorance, it sort of came out of left field.  The bottle was brought in for a group tasting one night, underwhelming me in its ostentatious packaging and offensive ‘bling’, but one nosing was all it took to knock me back into the land of humble pie.  I subsequently tracked down two more bottles of it.  Now those too have sadly gone the way of the dodo.  Up till that point in early to mid 2012, that 21 year old was arguably the best blended whisky I’d tasted.  I say ‘up till that point’ for a reason.  Whyte & Mackay have done it again.  Not certain if this is a blend of older whiskies, or has been blended at some earlier point and allowed to mature a little further, but either way…the integration here is outstanding.  Much more than the sum of its parts, this one shines in how naturally and effortlessly appealing it is.  There’s such a pleasant and welcoming down home…well…just ‘goodness’ here.  While this is possibly a little less vivacious than the 21, the W&M 30 makes up for it with a slight smoky sensuality, austere sweetness and a much more refined carriage.  This makes me wonder why it is that if a mature blend can be this good and have such a distinct profile, something like the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, often considered the grandaddy of blends, still tastes…’blend-ish’ and homogenous. This is really quite a stunner, and again, much like the 21, I wouldn’t peg this as a blended whisky.  Snobbery takes one further step out the door. Nose:  Gorgeous nose, well beyond the realms of most blends.  Slightly smoky with some old oaken notes.  Tangerine(?).  Turkish delight and marzipan.  Nice sweet sherry notes (I’d guess Oloroso maybe).  Perfect amount of oak influence.  Creamy and balanced. Palate:  Nice orange/marmalade notes.  Paint and putty.  Soft fruits buried in nice fluffy white baking notes.  Christmas-y spice notes.  Hint of smoke again and old cask.  Great drink. - Reviewed by:  Curt - Photo:  Curt

Summer is almost here and we’ve got a couple of new drink recipes perfect for warm weather imbibing.  Enjoy! ________________________________________ When sourcing standbys for your summer bar, be sure you’re well-stocked with versatile base spirits – such as Brugal Extra Dry Rum – that mix up perfectly with refreshing summer flavors. Check out some simple pitcher cocktail recipes below that will help you stir up some fun with friends and family at the BBQ. CITRUS SIPPER 1 bottle of Brugal Extra Dry Rum 20 oz. of Fresh Grapefruit juice 20 oz. of Club Soda 10-12 lime wedges Pour all ingredients into a pitcher, lightly stir and pour over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve. Serves 12-15 people. THE PEG LEG PUNCH Created by Kenneth McCoy – Rum House, Ward III 1 bottle of Brugal Extra Dry Rum 2 oz. Highland Park 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 2 oz. Gran Classico Bitters 8 oz. Cocchi Americano 2 oz. Agave syrup 6 oz. Fresh squeezed orange juice 6 oz. Fresh squeezed lemon juice 6 to 8 slices of orange rind 6 to 8 slices of lemon rind Pour all ingredients into large pitcher and add ice, chill for at least an hour, sweeten to taste, top off with champagne serve with an orange and lemon rind in chilled rocks glass with 1 large cube of ice. Serves 15 to 20 people. The post Pitcher Drinks appeared first on Rum Connection.

Another Tweet Tasting you say? Well in addition to our current bounty of branded events, we’re absolutely thrilled to announce our second themed night of tweet tastery, this time exploring the wondrous world of ‘Liquid Americana’. Yet again we’ll be teaming up with Arkwrights Whisky and Wines, to bring you a dramspanking evening of dramfotainment, as we sample blind a clutch of cracking

I guess you all know Big Peat whisky, a rather excellent blended malt which has been around for a couple of years, and the brainchild of Douglas Laing. Initially they release a standard edition that includes a bit Ardbeg,Caol Ila, Bowmore and some Port Ellen, and later that year released a Xmas edition of the same blend at cask strength, ...

ISLAY FESTIVAL OF MALTS & MUSIC – SPECIAL FESTIVAL BOTTLINGS ANNOUNCED FOR CAOL ILA AND LAGAVULIN by Pat Roberts To celebrate this year’s Islay Festival of Malts & Music, Caol Ila and Lagavulin distilleries have again announced exclusive Festival bottlings for visitors to the distilleries. 18-year old Lagavulin from European Oak The LAGAVULIN™ 2013 special festival bottling, from whisky distilled in 1995, has been aged in ex European Oak Sherry Butts, and was personally selected by Lagavulin warehouseman Iain McArthur. Feis 2013 Special Bottlings – Lagavulin Triple-matured Caol Ila This year’s CAOL ILA™ special festival bottling  is a little special and unusual, explains distillery manager Billy Stitchell, who personally selected the whisky: “Spirit distilled in 1998 has been triple-cask matured. For 12 years it rested in a combination of Refill Butts, Hogsheads and Barrels. The vatted whisky was then allowed to mature for several months in active hogshead casks to impart a spicy/oaky note to the existing delicate Caol Ila smoke. Finally it was treated to a final gentle maturation in European oak.” Feis 2013 Special Bottlings Caol Ila Volumes and prices Bottles will be on sale to individual visitors at the distilleries priced  at £99. The Lagavulin festival bottling goes on sale at the distillery at 10:00 am on Saturday 25 May (Lagavulin open day); the Caol Ila bottling goes on sale at 10:00 am at the distillery on Monday 27 May -  in both cases with an allocation of two bottles per customer. Each release has been bottled at natural cask strength and comes in limited editions of 3,000  individually-numbered bottles. Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Head of Whisky Outreach, commented: “We are again delighted to have two exceptional whiskies from Lagavulin and Caol Ila which we have bottled for the enjoyment of those visitors who come to celebrate Islay’s great whiskies and whisky-making traditions with us during the Fèis. “In the past our special single-cask Festival bottlings have sold out very rapidly, leading to disappointment for some visitors, and unfortunately allowing others to profit from their misfortune by re-selling bottles at inflated prices. This was never our intention. “So this year we are releasing slightly more generous volumes without compromising the quality of our offering. We hope this  will enable all Fèis visitors who want to buy a bottle as a memento of of their visit to do so.” Feis 2013 Special Bottlings x2 NOTES The 2013 Fèis Ìle (Islay Festival) runs from 24 May to 1 June. See also http://www.malts.com/ and http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/