Whiskey

First of all, if you’re not based in the South-East, my apologies, but we haven’t been able to fully regionalise our mailing list. However, we will have a full UK news email in a week or two, with updates on Leeds Festival, hopefully Manchester and a whole sluice of summer tastings… If you are in the South-East, and London in particular, please read on! This Sunday’s ‘Jam & Dram’ session at The Village Underground, Shoreditch still has 75 places up for grabs and rather than perform to a half-full room, we would like to give you the opportunity to take up a crazy offer! We put this event together as a truly experimental day which we worked hard, along with the guys from CaskStrength Creative, to put together. What we now have is an event that will (hopefully!) successfully blend whisky and music together. Three bands, each containing not-insignificant industry personnel… A little more meat for you about the event first… The idea is to ‘blend’ music and whisky. We wanted something where people could come and sample the tasty wares of the exhibitors, have the opportunity to blend their own whisky and, at certain times, just relax and listen to some good, live music. Pretty simple really! We have already detailed the exhibitors on the website, so its time to tell you about the bands… The Copper Dogs - a good time rock and roll band featuring the talents of Dr. Whisky himself (Sam Simmons, Global Balvenie Ambassador), Cat Spencer from Master of Malt and Rob Allanson, the editor of Whisky Magazine. Prince Adewale & The Endeavours - Black Keys-esq shenanigans including Neil Ridley of CaskStrength Creative and Dr. Nick Morgan, Diageo’s very own ‘Master of Malt’! The Whisky Lounge Blues Band - Whisky-fueled….blues, with your very own, Eddie Ludlow of The Whisky Lounge and his band. Each band will play for around 30 minutes at predetermined times of the day and will be representing a whisky that you will then get to vote on at the end of the session. You will also get the opportunity to try your hand at blending, plus you’ll get a mini of your blend, a goodie bag courtesy of Cutty Sark and a whole lot more. Most of our Saturday exhibitors will still be on hand to provide you with samples and insight into a room-full of tasty whisky. This all takes place between 12pm and 5pm. The Deal If you have already purchased tickets for Saturday’s London Whisky Festival or Sunday’s Jam & Dram, we are offering you the chance to buy additional Jam & Dram tickets for just £12.50! That’s right, for today only, you can get a full days whisky and music – and all of the associated goodies – for the paltry sum of £12.50 – half the original ticket price. This is unrepeatable and limited to the first 75 to book on. Good old-fashioned, first come, first served. We have set up a new page on the website specifically for you, and to make this nice and easy for you to take advantage of. Simply click here to be taken to it. A word of warning though. This offer is only for those who have a previous booking – anyone found to have booked this offer without following this guideline will simply have their money returned via Paypal and with no ticket. Please be honest! A reminder of date, time and place; The Whisky Lounge ‘Jam & Dram’ Sunday 19th May 2013, 12pm-5pm The Village Underground Hollywell Lane Shoreditch EC2A 3PQ We hope you can make it and we know you’ll enjoy it! Cheers, Eddie

Kid Rock and Jim Beam Looking for One Lucky Fan to Serve as Rock Star’s Personal Bartender Clermont, KY (May 8, 2013) – Kid Rock is upping the ante on his tour with a bold request– his very own personal bartender to create and serve Jim Beam® cocktails during his cross-country “Best Night Ever” tour. Through a nationwide search, Jim Beam and Kid Rock are accepting applications from fans 21 and over who are ready to take on this challenge and join the rock star himself as his resident bartender this summer. The winning fan will receive a prize package, personal mixologist training and the opportunity to bartend backstage for Kid Rock during three of his summer tour stops. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be awarded to one lucky fan who embodies the spirit, enthusiasm and creativity of our seven generations of Beam distillers to join Kid Rock on tour. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to join the tour for three separate concert stops throughout the summer: Irvine, Calif. (July 26); Detroit, Mich. (August 10); and Chicago, Ill. (August 30); receive a training by Beam Master Mixologist Bobby “G” Gleason and a $10,000 prize package. Now through June 7, fans interested in applying can visit www.JimBeam.com/Music/Kid-Rock for more information, the official contest rules and application instructions. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be 21 or older to participate. Void where prohibited. Subject to complete official rules. Contest begins May 6, 2013, and ends June 24, 2013. “Kid Rock has helped make Jim Beam’s decades-long music legacy even stronger” said seventh-generation Master Distiller and Jim Beam’s great-grandson Fred Noe. “We figure it’s time to pour him a drink or two, and we need our fans to help us make Kid Rock’s perfect cocktail. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!” This year marks the fifth consecutive year that Jim Beam and Kid Rock have come together to bring legendary music experiences to fans across the country. Since partnering back in 2009, the World’s No. 1 Bourbon and Kid Rock have launched breakthrough consumer programs that have provided one-of-a-kind opportunities for music and bourbon fans alike. This year builds on those groundbreaking music experiences as Jim Beam and Kid Rock honor their loyal fans with Jim Beam’s Mix for Kid Rock Contest. Jim Beam is also sponsoring Kid Rock’s 2013 concert tour, which kicked off earlier this year and concludes this September in Tampa, Fla. For more information about Jim Beam’s Mix for Kid Rock Contest, the “Best Night Ever” tour, or Jim Beam’s music legacy, visit JimBeam.com/Music/Kid-Rock, www.Facebook.com/JimBeam or follow us on Twitter @JimBeamOfficial. About Beam Inc. As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World.  Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials.  Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,400 passionate associates worldwide generated 2012 sales of $2.5 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 38 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index.

Whisky expert outlines investment potential ahead of World Whisky Day THE second annual celebration of World Whisky Day takes place this Saturday 18 May, an important day in highlighting the global significance of whisky and how important it is to Scotland and the UK. David Robertson, formerly Rare Whisky Director at The Dalmore and Master Distiller at The Macallan, recently set up The Whisky Trading Company, to take advantage of the increasing demand for the rarest bottles of Scotland’s most famous export. The company has identified 3,000 bottles of rare whisky as part of its initial stock, many distilled before World War II. The investment opportunity to acquire shares in the new business is currently being widened as it seeks to raise an additional £2-4 million to capitalise on market opportunities. The shares are issued under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and attract certain tax benefits for qualifying UK tax payers. Commenting ahead of World Whisky Day, David Robertson said: “It’s a fantastic day to celebrate what is truly a global drink. Not only will people be raising a glass in Scotland, but millions more will be enjoying a dram at home or in the pub, from Boston all the way to Beijing. “The whisky industry is vital to the UK economy, bringing in billions of pounds in revenue, and its growing value as an investment is truly dynamic. Whisky is rarely viewed as such, but having spent my career in the industry I have seen rising prices and returns first-hand, which is why I have started The Whisky Trading Company last year. “The volume of premium bottles being traded continues to grow significantly, with more than 20,000 expected in the UK auction market through 2013. If you had invested in the top 100 performing whiskies in 2008, you would have seen returns of 306 percent. With knowledge and insight there are huge returns to be made and it’s time to take whisky investment seriously. “I hope by World Whisky Day in 2014 the whisky investment market will have become far more prominent in the minds of alternative asset investors and whisky enthusiasts alike.” Notes: EIS: The Whisky Trading Company qualifies under EIS rules in order to deliver tax benefits for investors, depending on their circumstances. The main benefits are: Income tax relief of 30 percent of the subscription (£1m cap per investor); The ability to carry back the income tax relief to 2011/2012 for tax relief at 30 percent (£500k investment cap per investor); Unlimited capital gains tax deferral relief; Capital gains tax exemption on disposal of the shares; and Unlimited 100 percent IHT relief after two years. Investment in alternative assets or exotic assets are becoming increasingly popular. An increasing number of investors are putting some of their wealth into more tangible assets such as investments in fine wine, art, classic cars, coins, jewellery, stamps, watches and now whisky, which diversifies their portfolio. They are deemed to be investments that are less correlated with macroeconomic shocks, the performance of the macro economy and the volatility of the stock market. Global socio-economic trends have led to an increase in the demand for luxury goods, which includes premium whisky around the world in both mature and emerging markets. The most valuable whisky ever sold at UK retail was 64-year old The Dalmore Trinitas, which fetched £120,000 in Harrods in 2010. The most valuable globally was a 62-year-old The Damore Sinclair, sold at Changi Airport, Singapore, which sold for £135,000 in 2011. (First sold in 2002 for £25,000 at auction, a second bottle was acquired and drunk at Penny Hill Park Hotel in April 2005 for £32,000 and the final bottle was then placed with Changi airport in 2011.) The value of rare and collectable whisky depends on reputation of distillery and the quality of the whisky itself. The most sought after whiskies usually originate from a number of places: extinct distilleries, classed as “silent stills” – Brora, Por

Glendronach Cask Strength Batch #2 (55.2%) NEW 2013 Release Selected once again by Master Blender Billy Walker. Matured in the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Bottled at natural cask strength. Buy – $63.30

Abbey Whisky www.abbeywhisky.com Tel: 0800 051 7737 High West American Prairie Reserve 75cl / 46% Vol Named after a wildlife reserve in northeastern Montana, The American Prairie Reserve, which is an impressive 5,000 square mile of land and the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48 states of America. The whiskey is a premium blend of Bourbons. A 6 year old Bourbon, mashbill, 75% Corn, 20% rye, 5% barley malt and a 10 year old Bourbon, mashbill from 60% Corn, 35% rye, and 5% barley malt. High West donates 10% of their after tax profit from the sales of this bottle to the American Prairie Reserve. £45.75  (£38.13 ex vat) Click here to buy High West American Prairie Reserve High West Campfire 75cl / 46% Vol High West Campfire, a blend of sweet, straight bourbon whiskey, a spicy and floral, straight rye whiskey, both which are from the old Seagrams plant in Indiana along with a smoky, blended malt Scotch whisky, made from 100 percent barley malt. All whiskey/whisky used in this blend are 5 years or older. Campfire from High West Distillery was created by David Perkins (Proprietor) after a recent trip to Islay. Read the full story here… (worth a read) £53.75  (£44.79 ex vat) Click here to buy High West Campfire Fighting C#ck 6 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey 75cl / 51.5% Vol Fighting C#ck aka ‘The Kickin Chicken’, a 6 year old Kentucky straight bourbon, bottled at 103 proof (51.5% vol). Distilled and bottled by Fighting C#ck Distilling Co, a subsidiary of Heaven Hill Distilleries. £29.50 (£24.58 ex vat) Click here to buy Fighting C#ck Bourbon John E. Fitzgerald Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon 100cl / 46% Vol Created as a special small batch bourbon, John E. Fitzgerald Larceny is made from 100 barrels or less that have aged from 6 to 12 years. Bottled at 92 proof, or 46% alcohol by volume, Larceny bourbon continues the Old Fitzgerald tradition of using wheat in place of rye as the third or “small” grain in the whiskey’s grain recipe, or mashbill as it is commonly known. 94/100 – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2013 £47.50 (£39.58 ex vat) Click here to buy John E. Fitzgerald Larceny Parker’s Heritage Collection 6th Edition / Blend of Mashbills 75cl / 69.7% Vol The sixth edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection is a blend of Heaven Hill’s two Bourbon mashbills including rye-based Bourbon and wheat-based Bourbon. Bottled at cask strength, 69.7% vol (139.4 proof). Parker’s Heritage collection is a series of rare, limited edition American Whiskeys offered as a tribute to sixth-generation Master Distiller Parker Beam for his 50+ years of distilling experience. Parker has been practicing his family craft of distilling, ageing and selecting some of the world’s most critically acclaimed Bourbons and American Whiskeys since he began working alongside his father at Heaven Hill Distilleries in 1950. £108.50 (£90.42 ex vat) Click here to buy Parker’s Heritage Collection / 6th Release Roughstock Montana Pure Malt Whiskey 70cl / 45% Vol Montana Pure Malt whiskey, a small batch release from Roughstock distillery. Made from 100% Montana grown and malted barley mash, aged in lightly charred American white oak barrels. Official Tasting Notes The nose will open with touches of light fruit: pear, apple, and caramelized bananas, as well as soft barley. On the palate, the sweet malty grain flavor will dominate and then finish with the stronger barrel notes of vanilla, more caramelized banana, toffee, and a bit of tannin spice. A touch of smoke may linger in the background from the barrel char. It will warm as it goes down… £52.25 (£43.54 ex vat) Click here to buy Roughtstock Montana Pure Malt Whiskey Roughstock Montana Sweet Corn Whiskey 70cl / 50% Vol Clear whiskey? Distilled twice in a copper still, this western style American corn whiskey has been made from 100% sweet yellow corn. After distillation only the sweet clean heart of the distillate is collected, set aside to mellow for a minimum of two wee

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks Ben Nevis 1996 15yo Ben Nevis 1996 15yo 55.4%abv £81.00 inc vat £67.50 ex vat ‘…A rich chocolatey palate that reminds me of my old school classroom…’  Best regards, Loch Fyne Whiskies david@lfw.co.uk

You probably come here for the content in this column, but it's the stuff in the column to the right that supports it. There are books, such as Bourbon, Straight and The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste. There's the newsletter, The Bourbon Country Reader. And there's also the one-hour documentary, "Made and Bottled in Kentucky."The reason these are being brought to your attention today is that there have been some changes made that will interest you dear readers who reside outside the United States. The prices for all of these items, for delivery outside the USA, have been recalculated in light of postage rate changes but also due to the way we now manage our e-commerce. While the prices of some items have gone up, a few have gone down. For instance, the price for subscriptions to The Bourbon Country Reader sent to non-U.S. addresses have gone down, from $28.50 USD, to $25.00 USD, only $5 more than the domestic price.Again, these changes are only for delivery outside the USA. Domestic prices haven't changed, although they probably will have to the next time postage rates are increased.Here are a few tips for saving money. Some of these apply to domestic shoppers too. Both books and the DVD are available from Amazon. Because they often will be shipping from inside your country, their prices may be lower for you shoppers outside the U.S. Also, sometimes Amazon does deals and sells below the prices here.Another way to save money is via Amazon Sellers. This only applies to Bourbon, Straight, but we always have some books that are slightly damaged (and we do mean slightly) available through our Amazon Sellers store at a reduced price. Look for Made and Bottled in Kentucky as the shop name.Please note that books bought through this web site can be signed by the author, if you wish, at no additional cost. Look for a fill-in space on the order form that says "inscription." Please write exactly how you would like the book inscribed. Please remember that it's the author signing the book, not you. He can't write "All my love, Mom," although he might be willing to write something like "your mother sends her love."Another suggestion for saving money on the books, especially for The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste, is the e-book option. The e-book edition of Best Bourbon costs about a third of what the print version does. Both books are available for either Kindle or Nook. You can use a Kindle book on virtually any platform (i.e., i-book for Apple devices) except Nook, and you can use a Nook book on virtually any platform except Kindle.For newsletter subscribers who want to renew their subscription, there is no separate 'renewal' button. Just use the standard "subscribe now" button. If you want to write 'renewal' in the special instructions box, that's helpful, but we will recognize the name and address of a current subscriber. If you want to renew for more than one year, just buy two subscriptions, although in that case an instruction is helpful, so we know you didn't just subscribe twice by accident (it happens).That you for accommodating this advertising message. We try to keep this sort of thing to a minimum and we hope you appreciate that we don't clutter up the page with Google Ads or other advertising. We appreciate your support.

Port Ellen (OMC) Cask #6397 50% abv Score:  92.5/100 The most knowledgable chap I know when it comes to Port Ellen insists that the true embodiment of the distillery’s character is best found in the Douglas Laing bottlings from about 1983.  Anywhere from 22-27 years old.  Who am I to argue?  The guy has more Port Ellen stocks than Wilt Chamberlain had notches on his bed posts. This Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Port Ellen from 1983, the year of the distillery’s closure, is an absolute killer.  This is the distillery at the top of its game.  Vibrant…defined…balanced…exceptional.  It is releases like this that have helped escalate Port Ellen into the stratosphere. I’m somewhat in awe of the perfect seesaw act happening here.  There is an interplay between fruit and phenol here that relies on the bottler finding that elusive spot in the maturation process between young and old.  This PE is perfectly centered.  Almost as bewildering is the fact that the finish here is like one long sustained note.  Something akin to the perfect melodies on Miles Davis’s flawless ‘Kind Of Blue’.  Usually as a whisky fades, the finish goes through stages of evolution and the denouement is a mere hint of the magnificence of the preceding crescendo.  In this case, it sorta seems like the crescendo is simply having the volume slowly…ever so slowly…turned down until ultimately you strain to hear that same sustained beauty.  Brilliant. This Port Ellen came from a refill hogshead that managed to produce 199 bottles at 50% abv.  Very low numbers, but fortunately I do know of a not-so-dusty shelf in a friend’s basement where two more bottles of this PE rest in peaceful slumbers.  Hopefully, long after my bottle is empty, I’ll one day get to try again, as this is one of my favorite Port Ellens to date. Nose:  Nice mild phenols at first.  Some peach and pears in syrup.  Orange and lemon.  Tar.  As it develops there are bigger notes of dry smoke and dunnage.  Somewhat dusty.  Briny seaside notes.  Delicate, yet the billows of smoke become ever more pungent and impressive.  Mature and lovely.  An absolutely great Port Ellen nose. Palate:  Oh, wow…what an arrival.  First the playful smoke…then apples.  Lemon and smoked white fish.  Licorice.  The hallmark of mature Islay malt whisky.  Long, long, long finish.  Beautiful and glides through with no off notes or decline in quality as it fades.  Amazing dram. - Reviewed by:  Curt - Photo:  Curt

Port Ellen 1982 25 y.o. Cask # 2847 (Signatory) 57% abv Score:  87.5/100 Here’s an interesting Port Ellen. It’s also a great whisky to illustrate a prevalent misconception out there.  The misconception that a distillery’s storied reputation means that all of their whiskies are/were exceptional.  Port Ellen holds an almost mystical cache among nearly all of us whisky geeks, and I’m not arguing against that.  I’d simply like to make the point that Port Ellen is held in the esteem it is for more reasons than purely quality of the dram. Port Ellen was a good whisky.  There’s no denying that.  It does need to be taken into account though, that Islay whiskies have been very much in demand for years now, and the lure of a rare Islay malt from a distillery that closed almost three decades ago?  How can you resist that call?  Most releases you’re liable to get your hands on (if at all) are in the mid twenties to early thirties age bracket.  Generally speaking (very generally…not saying this is a rule) older whisky is better than younger whisky.  So…here’s what  we end up with: Good whisky + appeal of scarcity + age = 3/4 of the Port Ellen mystique. The other 1/4?  For me anyway is that this is a glass of history.  Every drop consumed is one less in the world.  There is something infinitely heartbreaking about that.  Each time I sit down to a dram of Port Ellen it is an occasion and gives pause for relection.  And that plays right into why we love single malt whisky. Make no mistake…I love Port Ellen.  I adore the malt and the tale behind it.  But I also love honesty, and it is important to let others know that not all Port Ellen releases are ‘holy grails’ or ‘white whales’. This is a 25 year old Signatory single cask release.  It was matured in a refill sherry butt and arguably boasts the most sherry influence I’ve ever seen levied on a Port Ellen.  The bottle says ‘matured in a refill sherry butt’.  Note the word ‘matured’, as opposed to ‘finished’.  I can only assume the whisky spent its entire life in this butt.  417 bottles were pulled from the cask after 25 years in wood and the whisky itself was still at a healthy 57%.  This is a flawed Port Ellen, for sure, but really still quite enjoyable. Nose:  A touch of sulphur right off.  Raisin tart.  Far off cherry and a little orange.  Leather and tobacco.  Camphor.  Somewhat barn-y.  Deep smoke that, with a swirl, expands exponentially.  Wet rocks.  Some burnt notes atop the peat.  Citrus. Palate:  Smoke.  Again…you can taste a bit of sulphur and ash.  Cherry and plum stand out amidst juicy sherry notes.  Chocolate.  Some licorice and iodine.  Granny Smith apple and smoked wood chips in tandem.  Wet hay.  Really, really nice finish, lingering on fruits and…yeah…more smoke. Extra half mark is for such a deep and resonant finish. The sulphur note is a little tough to get around, but fortunately it is cushioned in a vast assortment of velvety fruit notes and some rather typical and comforting sherry familiarities. And hey…it’s Port Ellen.  Isn’t it always going to be enjoyable?  This is history in a glass, people.  You’re drinking the intangible. - Reviewed by:  Curt - Photo:  Curt

Happy Friday! Pack up the rum drinks, we’re heading over to Sandy Island. Who’s coming along? The post TGIF #25 appeared first on Rum Connection.