Newsy Bits

Hello everyone

My favourite news of this last week is that Adam Hannett has been made Master Blender at Bruichladdich. Some of you may think he already was but his title was Head Distiller. He has been working the blender role for a long time so this accolade is a public recognition of talent. 

A release in from Kilchoman this week with more on their 20th anniversary bottlings. They have launched a prize draw, offering whisky lovers the one and only chance to win the very first bottle of 20 Year Old Kilchoman, drawn directly from Cask No.1. Commenting on the Cask No.1 prize draw Anthony Wills said, “As we considered how to mark this milestone, it became clear that selling a bottle from cask No.1 would put it out of reach for many people who have supported Kilchoman from the beginning. Instead, we decided to offer a bottle as part of a prize draw. While only one person will ultimately win, it gives everyone an equal chance, not just collectors or investors with the deep pockets, and hopefully, the winner will open and enjoy it as it was meant to be.” A laudable aim and I hope it goes to someone who will open it, drink it and enjoy it.

Tickets can be bought from their website and the draw closes in December once the cask turns 20 years old. The cask was filled on 14th December 2005.The pic here shows how the pack will look . It’s not the actual liquid in there. 

One of my favourite Bunnahabhains is back in stock. It‘s this year‘s 12 Year Old Cask Strength release, matured in a „mix of second-fill Oloroso sherry casks, with a touch of first fill and refill“. That‘s more than good enough for me for likely aroma and flavour profile. Their notes are:

Nose: Golden raisins and apricots are balanced with toasted nuts and a light floral note.

Palate: Malty sweetness, soft oak, and dried fruit intertwine with sultanas, hazelnuts and gentle spice.

Finish: Oak spice and light tobacco, with a gentle touch of sea salt and cocoa powder.

At 56.4% abv and not chill-filtered, you‘ll find it on the Bunnahabhain website for £90 or in selected specialists.

Other tantalising newbies out recently (and it‘s not even Christmas yet!) are:

1) Sinteis Part ll, The GlenAllachie 2015 Scottish Virgin Oak & Oloroso Sherry Cask Matured. It‘s available with a UK RRP of £73.99 from The GlenAllachie Distillery and online at www.theglenallachie.com now. Expect to find it in other world markets in the coming weeks.

And

2) Jura is now leading its core range with a Jura 12 year old rather than the 10YO. This as a result of consumer testing. They are also introducing a new travel retail-exclusive range called the Islanders Series. This comprises four expressions: White Oak Cask, 13 Year Old, 16 Year Old and 19 Year Old, the new travel retail range is inspired by the values of Jura’s islanders, they say. Now, I understood when I asked the Jura Master Blender that Jura Perspectives 01 was a riff on the old Jura 16 with some tweaks to percentages of bourbon and sherry casks used and a previous expression called Diurach‘s Own which was also a 16 year old beloved of the islanders so I‘d like to get to the bottom of this new one too and find out what the differences are as, at the moment, I‘m a bit confused by the need for more than one. Jura 12 Year Old will replace the 10 Year Old on shelves in the UK in October this year, before being rolled out around the world. There’s a new Jura pack out too which will be on shelves in the UK in September before spreading out globally. The travel-retail exclusive Islanders Series is expected on-shelf in select outlets from October too.

More details have come out of a couple of the lots in the Distillers One of One auction in October. We have House of Hazelwood Customised Blend Experience as reported last time. This latter is „a custom whisky blend, aged up to 60 years, resulting in 6 x 70cl decanters, and bespoke cashmere tweed jacket, working with Huntsman’s Head Cutter and Creative Director Campbell Carey“. Now, I know someone who would love that last offer but unfortunately, neither my budget nor his is likely to cover it. One mentioned last time that definitely excites me in this auction is ‘Arias in Time’ from The Glendronach (pictured here)

which features four unique whiskies from 1993, 1989, 1972, and 1968, drawn from sherry casks, presented upon a bronze sculpture by Osanna Visconti. I have a bottle (still unopened) of The Glendronach 1968 that I had bottled for a specific customer when I looked after its marketing. As that was bottled a long time ago, it won’t be the same age as this one but should still taste damn good. I have no doubt that if Rachel Barrie has picked these four for this auction, they’ll be well worth the large sum I hope they achieve for the charity.

I can’t finish this time without flagging up the Hebridean Whisky Festival for which there are a couple of events on Tiree on Tuesday 9th September. All info is in this poster pic below. Unfortunately, I still can’t attend but would urge you to do so if you can and if tickets are still available. Go to the Isle of Tiree Distillery website to find out.

 

I‘m working on a couple of interview options for the autumn period but that‘s all from me for August. France and Belgium were beckoning and I had hoped to try some of their whiskies again this year but we’ve had to cancel the trip. Hoping to get that reinstated as soon as practical.

Meantime, happy dramming as we begin to change seasons whichever half of the world you are in.

Slainte mhath,

Caroline