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The Whisky Shop Dufftown Challenge 2011

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The fifth annual Whisky Shop Dufftown challenge for Independent Bottlers was run during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival this last weekend.  With more entries than ever before it was a hotly fought contest.  Entries came from Adelphi, Duncan Taylor, Douglas Laing, Wemyss, The Creative Whisky Company and Gordon & MacPhail.  This remains one of the few whisky competitions where the result is decided by the public and from all of the entries.

In the Speyside Category the overall winner was a Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn 30 Years Old which also took the prize for the best whisky over 18 years old in this category.  The runner up was an Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 1990 20 Years Old.  The winner of the best Speyside 18 years old or under was a Gordon & MacPhail Linkwood 15 Years Old.

In the Rest of Whisky category the overall winner was a Duncan Taylor Octave Cameronbridge 1978 31 Years Old which also took the prize for the best whisky over 18 years old in this category.  The runner up was an Adelphi Bunnahabhain 1979 31 Years Old.  The winner of the best Rest of Whisky 18 years old or under was an Exclusive Malts Macduff 2000 10 Years Old (from The Creative Whisky Company).

Sherry cask whiskies faired very well again this year but it is excellent to see a grain winning and also David Stirk winning a prize in the first year he has entered.  Only 1 of the 19 whiskies entered did not have anyone voting for it as their favourite which underlines that peoples tastes are different and there is a whisky for everyone.

The winner of the best tasting note was from Canada.  Her favourite whisky was the winning Cameronbridge and the tasting note was:

Nose - Very sweet.  Like a warm summers afternoon on a terrace.

Taste - Quite strong.  Like a burly Highlander - rough but gentle.

Finish - Like the Highlander had his way with me.

Some other quotes from the winner’s tasting notes: "Mushy.  Like a mid-Eighteenth century gentleman", "Warm yet tingling down the centre of my tongue.  The tingly feeling of being in love" and "Bananas.  Tanning lotion sizzling of the six pack of a golden tanned volleyball player (or Brazilian pool cleaner)".  But our favourite note was from another entry, “Finish: Couldn’t”.

Not tasting notes Charlie MacLean might write but certainly one that appealed to our judging panel.  I personally feel Erika's mind may have been on something different to whisky and possibly a new judging panel next year!  Congratulations Erika, a bottle of the Cameronbridge is on its way to you.

Thank you to the companies that entered the competition and all those people that tasted the whisky and cast their vote.

The full list of entries:

Wemyss Benrinnes 1996 "Ginger Compote"

Gordon & MacPhail Linkwood 15

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Glen Elgin 1996 14 Years Old

Duncan Taylor NC2 Balmenach 2000 9 Years Old

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 1997 13 Years Old

Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn 30

Adelphi Linkwood 1984 26 Years Old (#5266)

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Tamnavulin 1989 21 Years Old

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 1990 20 Years Old

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Caol Ila 1997 11 Years Old

Adelphi Breath of Islay 1999 11 Years Old (#5882)

Exclusive Malts Macduff 2000 10 Years Old

Duncan Taylor Auld Reekie 10 Years Old

Douglas Laing Big Peat

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Royal Brackla 1991 19 Years Old

Wemyss Dalmore "Mocha Spice" 1990

Adelphi Bunnahabhain 1979 31 Years Old (#8893)

Duncan Taylor Octave Cameronbridge 1978 31 Years Old

Douglas Laing Clan Denny Grain Girvan 1990 20 Years Old

March 2011 Newsletter

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The WSD Newsletter – March 2011

Afternoon all from Dufftown where it’s beginning to look like winter is finally over and the snow is now well and truly retreating from the hills – at least we hope it’s over.

New Releases

Adelphi Distillery

We have a gaggle of new releases from Adelphi:

Adelphi Ardmore 2003 8 Years Old - Another great smoky Ardmore

Adelphi Bunnahabhain 1979 31 Years Old - Sensational sherried Bunnahabhain.  Its extra age produces a well rounded and smooth whisky.

Adelphi Caol Ila 2001 9 Years Old - This is a huge and powerful Caol Ila

Adelphi Highland Park 1995 15 Years Old - A very complex Highland Park.

Adelphi Macallan 1993 17 Years Old - One of the best Macallan’s I’ve tasted from Adelphi.



AD Rattray

We’ve got a smattering of new releases from AD Rattray:

AD Rattray Caol Ila 2000 – A huge Caol Ila.  A little bit tamer than the cask strength Adelphi.

AD Rattray Miltonduff 1980 30 Years Old – This is a spring time bundle of tropical fruits.

AD Rattray Tamnavulin 1989 21 Years Old

Gordon & MacPhail

Gordon & MacPhail have been up to it again.  They have released a 1940 70 years old Glenlivet.  It’s very rare to get access to a whisky from the war years and this is a superb whisky.  I was lucky enough to be invited to Edinburgh Castle for the launch where we were allowed to give it a try.  It was an extremely windy day and that may have influenced my tasting notes below.

Nose: Polished leather (shoes polished yesterday and not warn), apricot jam, fruit pastels, candid orange peel, marmalade on hot buttered toast, bees wax, velvet, honey and cigarette boxes.

Taste: Brown sugar sweet, very full and rounded, spiced wood, orange bitters, candle wax and vanilla pods.

Finish: Extremely long with gentle spices, a touch of tannins, and a pleasant dryness.

A snip at £13,000.

G&M has also released a series of Glenlivets under its Private Collection label which is worth taking a look at.  The older ones from sherry casks are particularly good.

Wemyss

Not yet in stock, but will be shortly, are some new releases from Wemyss:

Smoke Stack – 1996 - Caol Ila – 324 bottles (Hogshead)

The Honey Pot - 1996 - Glen Moray – 270 bottles (Hogshead)

Ginger Compote -1996 – Benrinnes- 768 bottles (Refill Butt)

Orange Tree - 1989 – Glen Garioch – 264 bottles (Hogshead)

Mocha Spice - 1990 – Dalmore – 324 bottles (Sherry Hogshead)

Coming Up

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2011

Ticket sales are going well.  We have increased the number available for the Adelphi and Duncan Taylor tastings.  Adelphi sold out again but there are few tickets left for Duncan Taylor.  Click here to see what WSD events are still available.  Here are some updates on the events we are offering:

David Stirk is returning to the masterclass crew in Dufftown this year.  This has to be a must go to tasting for the regulars and new comers alike.  The Creative Whisky Company is a very popular independent bottler and their releases sell out very fast so David can’t confirm his line-up yet but it will include Aberfeldy 1983 and a Tomintoul 1966.

For those that like a bit of brain teasing and completion during the festival there is the whisky quiz at Strathisla.  We at The WSD are offering tickets which include travel by bus from The Square in Dufftown.  So come along and pit your wits against the celebrity teams and The Whisky Shop Dufftown All Stars which are to whisky knowledge what the Harlem Gobetrotters are to synchronised swimming.

Robin Laing will be giving a world exclusive preview of his new CD, “Whisky for Breakfast”.  The songs which are all by Robin and whisky related will be paired with the relevant whisky.  Breakfast rolls will also be available.

Steven McConnachie will be showing not only the full River collection in his tasting but also the brand new Castle Leod which is being heralded as one of Dalmore’s best special releases.

Whisky News

There seems to be mixed progress in the plans of the independent bottlers who are intending to expand into distilling.  The 2 that are strongly rumoured to be buying distilleries do not seem to have got ink on to contracts yet.  Duncan Taylor seems to have kicked their distillery plans into the long grass (or should that be barley).  The other independent with their eyes on building a distillery of their own is quietly pressing on and may be making an announcement soon – I won’t say more for fear of jeopardising my invitation to the opening.

Diageo seem to be expanding some of the expressions in their core range.  Singleton of Dufftown 18 years old is to hit the streets soon.  And look out for further new age expressions in some of their other ranges.  I think this underlines that rumours of Roseisle spelling the demise of several core Diageo malt brands were false.

At Williams Grants a new travel retail expression of Glenfiddich coming in at 19 Years Old is getting good reviews.   It is also available at the distillery shop where if you are lucky you may be able to pick up a bottle of Snow Phoenix.  A small batch returned from one of the overseas markets will be available only from them.  Maybe if they had put more into the UK market in the first place things would have been easier for everyone.  I won’t name the market that could not sell its allocation of Snow Phoenix (despite the efforts of the voice of Scotland returning with a suitcase full) but may be Snow Cuckoo Clock would have done better.

Here at The Whisky Shop Dufftown we are helping our friends at Maltstock by selling tickets for their 2011 gathering.  They do everything they can to keep their costs down so currently you are only able to buy tickets from them using a direct bank transfer.  For many UK banks this seems to be a bridge to far unless you want to pay a hefty fee so we are helping our by offering the option to pay for tickets by credit card.  And what’s more if you do buy a Maltstock ticket you will get a 10% discount from The Whisky Shop Dufftown for all whisky purchases valid until the end of September.  You didn’t need an incentive to go but now you have one anyway.

We are also offering free festival delivery for anyone attending the Islay Festival or Maltstock.  If you are attending either of these festivals then you can buy from us and we will deliver your purchases to you at the festival free of charge.  If you want to take up this offer please email us.

Should Dufftown be Recognised as a Whisky Region?

If Campbeltown can get re-recognised as a whisky region then is there a case for Dufftown being recognised as one? Let’s look at the facts.  Dufftown has 5 working distilleries which have the capacity to produce some 28 million litres of pure alcohol per year.  So there is a lot of distilling going on.  There is also Kininvie which is currently not in production which has a capacity of 4.8 million litres.  You can also see the shells of 2 former distilleries at Parkmore and Convalmore and the site of the now demolished Pittyvaich.  Historically there were many more in and around Dufftown and including on the slopes of the Convals and Benrinnes.   Leaving Kinninvie aside, if Dufftown was a region in its own right then it would be 3rd by capacity easily out stripping Cambeltown, Lowlands, Islands and Islay.  It would be equal 5th with the Lowlands on number of distilleries.  But then maybe not.

Local News

The Royal Oak pub has taken a huge step down its planned rejuvenation.  It now sports purple walls, chrome, mirrors and new stools.  It’s divided the local population a bit but it certainly looks smarter.  We are still recovering from the draft Guinness being removed and replaced with Stella.  Don’t worry, surger Guinness is available and all-in-all it’s probably just as good.

The Masons has also had a face lift.  The place has been revamped and a much improved restaurant is now open daily for lunch and dinner.  A great addition to the eating options in Dufftown.

At the end of February we threw a party at La Faisanderie to celebrate 5 years of my ownership of The Whisky Shop Dufftown.  The attendees were split in two with one half who could not believe it has been as long as 5 years and me, who still thinks it’s more like 10. We toasted to the next 5 years with The Whisky Shop Dufftowns exclusive Glenfarclas 1971 40 Years Old which is at cask strength and available soon to buy.  It is sublime so a great time was had by all.  Thanks to all who could make it and didn’t use a poor excuse like being in Korea – you know who you are!

Focus on Adelphi

Adelphi Distillery was established by the Gray brothers, Charles and David, in 1826 on what had been a two-acre orchard. It stood just south of the Clyde's Victoria Bridge on the northern edge of the Gorbals.  The Gray family operated the distillery throughout its existence, but around 1880 its ownership was acquired by Messrs A. Walker and Co, who already owned two big distilleries in Liverpool and Limerick respectively. Walkers injected new capital and expanded the works to include a large Coffey still to make grain spirit.  In 1886, the Coffey still and four pot stills were all in full production, with an annual output of 516,000 gallons. It had ten 16,000 gallon washbacks, with two more under construction. Three wash charges held 45,000 gallons in all, the wash stills 6,000 gallons each and the spirit stills 4,500 gallons each. It had six steam engines - the largest a massive brute of 80 horse power - and six boilers ranging in size up to 28 by nine feet in diameter. The whole was dominated by huge circular chimney with a flared top.

The distillery was bought in 1902 by DCL.   One morning in November 1906 disaster struck the distillery.  One distillery worker was supervising the horses and carts queuing at the draffhouse to be loaded up with spent grains stored in the draff tank when a loud bang was heard.  One witness described the noise as sounding like a cannon shot.  One of the wash chargers had toppled from its iron pillar supports releasing 45,000 gallons of hot wash from some 60 feet up which in turn toppled two more full washbacks on the platform below.  A torrent of wash and debris smashed in to the draff tank on the ground floor destroying it.  Many of the queuing farm workers were caught in the torrent and swept away with their horses and carts.  A boiling tidal wave poured into the nearby streets destroying the local bakehouse and flooding many shops.   The resulting tide marks were 20 feet above floor of the draffhouse and 10 feet up on the buildings on the street outside.  level and reached more than 10 feet above street level on the granary wall outside.   Perhaps it was a miracle that only one person was killed.  DCL closed the malt distillery in 1907 although grain whisky production continued until 1932. The remaining buildings were demolished between 1968 and 1970 with the distillery chimney coming down in 1971.

In 1993, the great-grandson of Archibald Walker, Jamie, revived the Adelphi name as an independent bottler.  Jamie was determined not to sacrifice quality for volume, and he was equally adamant that this should be continued when he sold the company in 2004.  Keith Falconer and his neighbour in Argyll, Donald Houston, had approached Jamie on a recommendation, to buy a hogshead of whisky.  In fact, they liked it so much they bought the company.

The team was rounded off by Alex Bruce.  Whisky is in Alex’s blood.  His mother, an Usher, is a direct descendant of Andrew Usher who is credited with pioneering blended whisky, and his father, Lord Elgin, is a patron and former Grand Master of the Keepers of the Quaich.   Alex was also made a Keeper of the Quaich in 2006. He has trained with Remy Martin and J&B, and latterly headed up a new office for Friarwood Fine Wines in Scotland.

Continuing in the family theme Alex has been joined by his sister Antonia, whose background is also in the wine trade, to help deal with increasing sales and Alex’s wife, Vicky, often helps out at whisky fairs and other events.  Alex clearly sees his family as a resource and we wonder when their daughters will be press ganged.

Remaining completely independent, Adelphi is able to offer bottlings from an extensive range of distilleries with Charles Maclean chairing their nosing team.   Adelphi continues to go from strength-to-strength and has recently opened a new warehouse and office complex which it shares with a wine company.  I was lucky enough to be shown round recently and I am geeky enough to be excited by the smell of a new warehouse.  They are well on their way to getting their own bottling line started as well.

Best Wishes

We wish Donald Colville the best of luck in his new job at Diageo as a Global Scotch Brand Ambassador.

And congratulations to Euan Shand of Duncan Taylor who is to wed later this year.  You are a brave lady Mojdeh.

Whisky Festivals - Maltstock

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postheadericon Maltstock - the Whisky Gathering

Maltstock is a non-commercial, unique and relaxed whisky weekend. It's gathering for all whisky clubs and whisky enthusiasts in the world. Everybody is welcome at Maltstock! A weekend of relaxed whisky fun for everyone! Organized by and for whisky enthusiasts.
9 & 10 & 11 September 2011

The Whisky Shop Dufftown is now selling tickets on behlaf of Maltstock

Maltstock 2011 (9th to 11th September 2011) - No Bed LinenThe Whisky Shop Dufftown Maltstock 2011 (9th to 11th September 2011) - With Bed Linen

The Whisky Experiments

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By Mike Lord

During the Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival I ran a tasting looking at some of the perceived wisdom about whisky drinking.  Here’s what happened.

Does the glass matter?

For this test we matched a wide mouthed tumbler against a copita (a sherry tasting glass).  From both glasses a sample of Mackillop’s Choice Imperial 1990 was nosed and tasted.

The results were outstanding.  The Imperial is from a single bourbon cask and is all bananas and tropical fruits interlaced with vanilla.  This nose was only too evident from the copita but it was almost impossible to get anything from the tumbler.  This is the perceived wisdom but the extreme difference was a surprise.

Now to tasting.  The perceived wisdom is that that the copita shoots the liquid in to the centre of the tongue and makes it difficult to taste whisky where as the tumbler spreads the liquid across your tongue making it more accessible.  This one was a difficult one to test as almost everyone in the room naturally worked the whisky from the copita round their mouths.  But the whisky tasted from the tumbler was again a lot less flavoursome.  We found that the copita was much better for tasting the whisky.  Had the large mouth of the tumbler caused the whisky to collapse releasing so many of both its aromas and flavours?  This is the only answer we could come up with.

So the answer is yes.  To enjoy both the full aroma and flavours of a whisky then use a glass with a narrow opening (and preferably only at one end).

Does the water matter?

For years now I have stood at the front of tastings saying that whisky is better diluted with a low mineral content water.  But is this true?  For this experiment we sampled Glenmorangie Original neat, with low mineral content water (Glenlivet) and with a high mineral content water (Strathmore).  The choice of Glenmorangie was deliberate as this is made with process water that is relatively high in mineral content and some say you should dilute whisky with water of the same mineral content as was used to make the whisky.

Nosing and tasting the Glenmorangie neat proved to be a good decision.  This fixed in people’s mind the origin of the aromas and taste of the whisky.  By adding a small amount of water more could be got from both the nose and the taste when adding the low mineral content water.  You could see the genesis from the undiluted to the diluted – you got more out of it.

The Strathmore and the Glenmorangie had an unsettling impact.  It changed the taste of the whisky adding bitter notes and taking away a good deal of what could be found in the undiluted whisky.  This was not a good combination.

As a further test we went back and tried the same experiment with the Mackillop’s Choice Imperial.  If anything this was an even bigger disaster for the Strathmore and Imperial completely stripping away many of the notes from the Imperial leaving something a bit bitter and salty.

So water does matter?  If you are going to dilute your whisky try to use low mineral content water even with whisky made with high mineral content (hard) water.

Colouring

This experiment looked at what actually is the effect of adding spirit caramel to whisky other than making it darker.  For this I chose Benromach 10 Years Old.  This is a fabulous all round whisky being a combination of sherry cask and bourbon cask whisky married together and then re-racked into sherry cask for an extra period of maturation.  It has a distinct and significant smokiness coming through from the Speyside peat that was used to dry the barley.

Again we all nosed and tasted the Benromach 10 as Gordon & MacPhail intended.  Each of us then added a touch of spirit caramel – just enough to coat the tip of the end of the handle of a tea spoon.  The colour change was as dramatic as the change to the nose and palate.  It killed it.  There was a vast reduction in the range of aromas and flavours after the caramel was added.  Some peaty smokiness was there but nowhere near as much as before.  While there was some difference in opinion about whether people preferred the original or the coloured version everyone had agreed that it had significantly changed the whisky.  For the record most preferred the un-coloured version.

I have tried this with a number of whiskies now and the results have always been dramatic.  It definitely splits people as to which they prefer, coloured or uncoloured – the colouring does tend to have a rounding effect knocking out any of the flavour / aroma spikes.  In our experiment, even knowing what had been done, most people admitted that the darker coloured whisky looked more appealing.

So colouring does have an impact but it depends on you and the particular whisky whether this is a good or bad thing.  My theory is that the caramel adds oil to the whisky which makes it difficult for you to nose and taste the whisky.  The oil traps the flavour molecules and interferes with you tasting them – the opposite of molecular discombobulation possibly.  And Gordon & MacPhail, well done for not colouring Benromach 10 – good job!

Chill Filtering

It’s next to impossible to get a sample of exactly the same whisky chill filtered and non-chill filtered.  So this experiment required some home improvisation.

Method: Take one sample of whisky.  If cask strength then cut to 40% ABV.   Split the sample in to two.  Chill one portion overnight in a very cold fridge.  Next morning pour it through a funnel lined with a coffee filter paper and collect.  You now have one chill filtered sample and one that is not.

We used 2 whiskies for this experiment: my own cask strength Exclusive Mortlach from a re-fill sherry cask; and a cask strength Imperial from Duncan Taylor (ex-Bourbon).  Part of the reason for using my Mortlach was to try and see if the thick haze that is created with the addition of water could be filtered out (only partially at best as it turned out) and the Duncan Taylor sample as their overseas sales director, Mark Watt, is fond of saying that chill filtering rips the heart out of whisky.

I cannot in any way claim this is an accurate representation of chill filtering as done by distilleries but it’s the best I could come up with.  The lack of reduction in the haze of the WSD Mortlach suggests to me that the process I undertook is quite possible filtering the whisky less than in is done in the industry.  You will be surprised how long it takes to filter whisky.

Again the results were stark.  The WSD Mortlach became in both nose and taste lighter, less oily but also with less depth and there was a distinct cardboard flavour.  Not good.  The Imperial, well it had had its heart ripped out (but no cardboard flavour so this had not come from the filtering).

We used 2 very different whiskies and all preferred the un-chill filtered version.  So the conclusion is buy a non chill filtered whisky if you can.  Of course chill filtering could remove a nasty heart from some whiskies!

Adding Ice to Whisky

The real heathen crime or so the perceived whisky wisdom is to add ice to whisky.  The idea to test this came about when I was drinking whisky in a very hot flat in London.  Frankly the Arran 10 I was sampling had the temperature of bath water.  I decided to add ice and from this I decided to go public with my findings.

At the tasting we had samples of Arran 10 and Lagavulin 16 in Glencairn glasses.  Starting with the Arran we nosed and tasted the whisky before adding ice and then we did the same with the Lagavulin.  I encouraged everyone to nose and taste as soon as the ice had gone in so we could see the effect of cooling the whisky as opposed to diluting it.  I used ice cubes made from Glenlivet Spring water.

Both whiskies became thicker and oilier with the ice.  With the Arran a much stronger aniseed note appeared and it was less malty than without the ice.  The ice had changed the flavour but definitely not destroyed it.  Different flavours were coming through.  You could tell it was Arran 10 but it was different on the nose and palate.  If anything the adding ice had generally reduced the nose of the whisky.  Ice made the Lagavulin bolder.  It becomes more strident.  The peatiness took on a heavier, drier, much ashier characteristic.  The change here was quite remarkable.

The conclusion is adding ice to whisky is not such a bad thing.  In certainly changes it and it may for some whiskies even improve them.  And to avoid drinking whisky which is like bath water, those people living in warmer climes than the North East of Scotland, please keep adding ice to your whisky!

Famous or Infamous Mortlach Quotes

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A direct quote from the film Apocalypse Now.  You can check it out.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/quotes

Kilgore is the American Lieutenant Colonel from the 1/9 Air Cavalry played by Robert Duval.

Kilgore: I love the smell of Mortlach in the morning. You know, one time, in a bar in Japan, we drank Mortlach for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked strangely. We didn't find one dram left, not one stinkin' dram left. The smell, you know that sherry smell, the whole bar. Smelled like
[sniffing, pondering]
Kilgore: victory. Someday this whiskies gonna end...

OK.  So slightly adapted

The Whisky Shop Dufftown's First Bottling

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Mortlach 1998

Working with Gordon & MacPhail The WSD has produced it's first bottling and it's a real stunner.  Being based in Dufftown our first bottling had to be a Mortlach.  This cask strength non coloured non chill-filtered Mortlach is from a Refill Sherry Hogshead.  It was selected by The Whisky Shop Dufftown owner Mike Lord.  We've nicknamed it 'The PM' , the peated Mortlach (well it is election time in the UK), as it has a defined smokiness which was described by one expert as like cigar smoke.  Until the end of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival it will be on offer at £40.00 per bottle (price after that £45.00).

We hope to work with other companies in the future to make available exclusive single cask malt whisky which is a bit different!

Tasting Notes

Nose: A complex noise of fruit cake and freshly baked chocolate cookies with further layers of plums, raisins, spearmint, menthol and hint of smoke from a heather bonfire.

Taste: Very rich and creamy in the mouth with flavours of chocolate fruit and nut, rum and raisin ice cream, honey and in the background definite phenol notes.

Finish: Long with a dark chocolate and raisins with a smoked chipotle chilli edge.

First bottling from The WSD

Christmas Whisky - What's the best Single Malt Whisky for Christmas?

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Benrinnes Walk 20090310 10

What's a good Christmas whisky?  We've asked a few industry experts to select their best single malt for Christmas:

Mark Watt of Duncan Taylor & Co

Anyone who has met me for more than three and a half seconds would be expecting me to pick Caperdonich  for the best Christmas single malt, but I thought I would go with something a little different.  The dearly departed Black Bull 30yo would be a  great choice or its younger brother the 12yo [more] however this year my Christmas pick would be our (DTC’s) Glen  Grant 1970 [more].  A dram to savour something to sit back relax after a healthy Christmas dinner and put the world  to rights.  A nice creamy dram with a touch of spiced oak, some delicate stewed fruits and a hint of spice! Cracking stuff!

WSD Challenge 2009 MW 04Black Bull 12DT Ardbeg v2

Alex Bruce of Adelphi Distillers

The best Christmas dram is “the free one” or “the one in the biggest glass”, but if I was to select one from the Adelphi stable then BREATH OF SPEYSIDE 1991, 18 year old Speyside 54.3% vol, 1 of only 612 bottles from cask no. 5142 [more] is my best Christmas single malt. Hot on the heels of its sister cask (no. 5145), this is the 4th sherry butt in the Breath of Speyside range from Adelphi.  A rich amber hue, we were immediately struck by how clean this whisky was. A lovely nose of well-aged balsamic vinegar with marmalade, plums and Maraschino cherries in the background. The whisky keeps opening, now revealing prunes, marinated in Armagnac; then hints of Calvados and plenty of brown sugar.  To taste, the sugar is now more burnt and caramelized, with a thread of dark chocolate and Christmas cake wrapper. A rich, viscous texture to finish with Old English marmalade, and no tannins. Christmas in a glass.  Reasons: kind of puts its own case forward…

Alex BruceAdelphi Breadth of Speyside 1991Alex Bruce of Adelphi
Steven McConnachie of Whyte & Mackay

I recommend My Winter Warmer - Jura Prophecy [more] as the best Christmas whisky. If you like the darker/smokier side of whisky but not necessarily some typically heavy islay malts, then try this. Uncharacteristic of what is expected of Jura, its peatier than the sumptous Superstition with slightly more of a raw edge to it. Sit in front of a log fire and enjoy! Slainte.

Jura Prophecy

Mike Lord of The Whisky Shop Dufftown

The above are all good suggestions for the best Christmas single malt.  If you want to go with the sherry theme then ADR Benrinnes 13 [more] and Wemyss Barbeque Sauce [more] are both outstanding drams.  If you want something old then I still have a couple of bottle of Duncan Taylor Caperdonnich 36 years [more] old which is phenominal.  And if you want to go with the peat there are peated Bunnahabhain's in the NC2 [more] range and from Adelphi [more].

Merry Christmas from the WSD!

New Shipping Rates

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New UK Shipping Rates

For the winter we have reduced our UK shipping rates for single malt whisky and our other products to £9.50 for two bottles and above.  So whether you buy 2 bottles or 12 bottles (one for each day of Christmas) then you only pay £9.50 in shipping for UK delivered orders.    The £8.50 charge remains the same for the first bottle.

New Shipping Rates for France, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark

We have also reduced are shipping rates for France, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark for the winter.  For any purchase of 2 or more bottles of single malt or any of are other products the shipping rate is a flat fee of £18.00.

Scottish Field Whisky Awards

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We went down to Edinburgh yesterday to see the Scottish Field Whisky Awards.  Thanks to everyone at Scottish Field - we had a great day.  The winners were:Bowmore 12

Best Under £30 - Bowmore 12 Years Old:

Best £30 to £75 -  Glengoyne 21 & Strathisla 30 (Joint Winners):

  • But Glengoyne 21 and Strathisla at the WSD

Best Over £75 - Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 32 Years Old:

  • Buy at The WSD.  This was also joint winner The Speyside category in May's.  Just a few bottles remaining.

Old Malt Cask New Dark

Best Distillery Bottling -   Glengoyne 21:

Best Independent Bottling - Strathisla 30:

Best Blend - Black Bull 30

  • Of course this won the Blend's category.  It was also a runner up in the £30 to £75.  But saddly no more of this fabulous whisky left.  Its younnger 12 year old brother is now available.

Black Bull 12