November 27th, 2008
I’m spending the rest of the extended holiday weekend down at the beach at the Jersey shore getting some R&R and doing a little fishing. I love the off season. It’s very peaceful.
I’ll be with some friends and probably won’t be blogging. (I’ll definitely be drinking, though.) I’ll be back sometime on Monday and have lots of new whisky reviews that I’ll be posting, along with other information to pass along to you.
Until then, have a great weekend everyone!
November 25th, 2008
We celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States this Thursday. I have a lot to be thankful for, and one of those things is you.
Thank you for being part of my network of whisky friends. Drinking good whisky is one thing. Being able to share whisky–and our experiences with whisky–just makes it all that more special.
Regardless of whether you just read this blog, or if you are “all in” and subscribe to Malt Advocate, come to WhiskyFest, attend my whisky tastings, etc., none of these things would be possible if it weren’t for you. For this I am very grateful.
November 24th, 2008
Thanksgiving this Thursday seems like a good excuse to have a special dram of something. I’m still debating on what I’m going to drink. When I do, I’ll post it up here.
How about you? Is there anything special you’re planning on drinking? Are you opening up a bottle of something?
November 22nd, 2008
There was a time a several years ago that, if a whiskey company put out old bourbon, it usually tasted too old, too woody, and past its prime.
But times are changing. A vast majority of new releases of old bourbon actually keep the oak in check. The producers are paying attention to the oak and making an effort to give us good old bourbon, not just old bourbon. Examples include the recent bottling of Pappy Van Winkle 23 year old, Parker’s Heritage Collection 27 year old, Eagle Rare 17 year old, and several of the recent 20-something year old Willett bourbon (and rye) bottlings.
I can understand charging a lot of money for a really good, very mature bourbon. But it’s wrong to ask us to pay $200 or more for for a bottle of old bourbon or rye that tastes like charred tooth picks just because you stumbled across some stocks (or bought some stocks) of old whiskey and want to make a quick profit on them.
I think we, as a collective whiskey-drinking voice, let the producers know this. And they are responding appropriately.
November 21st, 2008
I received this note from Frank McHardy, Director of Production at Springbank. It went out earlier this morning to me (and other select media sources). This is great to see Springbank starting back up in 2009, as they promised they would
(And yes, I was the writer referring to Springbank as the “canary in the coal mine,” with regards to what might be happening to the whisky industry, in the current issue of Malt Advocate.)
Here’s the letter from Frank:
It is now nearly six months since we took the difficult decision to temporarily suspend the production of spirit from both Springbank and Glengyle Distilleries. There were a few contributing factors which led to our decision and these included the high price of electricity, oil, empty casks and barley. The Still House roof also required replacing and this has now been completed. Our warehouses were pretty full of maturing stock but with bottling continuing to fulfil demand world wide for our products more warehouse space is now available. Six months ago we said that “the material market will be kept under continuous review” and “we can now clarify that we will commence production from both of our distilleries during early 2009.”
The price of utilities has dropped dramatically recently and we will take advantage of this to get the distilleries producing again. J & A Mitchell have recently been reported by one whisky writer to be like “the canary in the coal mine.” If you remember coal miners used to use a canary as an early warning system to detect gas at the coal face . We reckon that we have recognised the warning signals early enough and acted sensibly to protect our brands, and of course the canary. After 180 + years in distilling we think that we know how to react to trends within our industry.
This year we commissioned local farmer Robert Miller to grow 25 acres of Optic barley. The crop has produced 50 tonnes of barley which now lies in our barley loft and we await the barley to come out of dormancy. Distillery Manager Stuart Robertson is carrying out weekly “mini steeps” of the barley in small plastic food containers, they actually look suspiciously like his sandwich box. Once the barley “wakes up” and can germinate we will start malting. The local barley supplemented with malted barley already stored in our malt storage bins will ensure production of spirit at both our distilleries for up to six months next year. Great news.
F. McHardy
November 20th, 2008
Lots of Macallan news these days. This one came through the back door. None of my “regular” Macallan company contacts told me about this. We heard about it via their PR company–and seemingly quietly.
Maybe it’s because only five bottles will be available in the U.S., or that it’s only 15 years old (distilled in 1962?), via a collector. We’re not given a price. Only a price range of the Fine & Rare collection–not much help.
Here’s the press release. I didn’t get a review sample but, with only five bottles, I don’t think it really matters.
Rested in meticulously selected Spanish Oak casks for 15 years, The Macallan Fine & Rare 1947 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is now available for the first time in highly-limited quantities. This extraordinary 15 year old whisky was purchased by The Macallan from a noted single malt collector, which allows the expression to take its rightful place in the Fine & Rare collection.
With only five available bottles in the United States this newest addition to The Macallan Fine & Rare collection is a coveted item for any Scotch aficionado’s personal collection.
The Macallan Fine & Rare 1947 is unique not only for its rarity but also for its attributes:
Color: Natural rich beech color drawing from sherry casks, including second fill.
Nose: Peat balanced by citrus fruit, chocolate orange with vanilla, and oak notes in the background.
Palate: Light fruits, bitter chocolate and wood spice, with a touch of peat.
Finish: Lingering fruits and peat smoke.
Price: Available upon request. Bottles in The Macallan Fine & Rare collection range between $1,000 and $60,000.
November 20th, 2008
It arrived today. I checked the back label for the bottling date. It was bottled last Friday. Now that’s fast! I’m going to let it settle down for a few days before conducting a formal review of it (and I’ll post it up here on the blog).
But I couldn’t resist popping the cork of and having a taste as I’m posting this. My initial, informal thoughts on it? An elegant expression of EWSB. And very drinkable! I like it. (This is from Barrel #1. Keep in mind this is a single barrel bottling and yours might–probably will–taste a little different than mine.)
November 20th, 2008
The Macallan will be introducing to Travel Retail four new whiskies under “The Macallan 1824 Collection” title. They are describe, in detail, in the press release I received.
None of the whiskies have age statements. And there’s a very wide range in price. (Prices are in Euros. To convert to dollars, multiply by 1.25.)
I’ve posted the pertinent parts of the press release below. I have samples of all four whiskies and will let you know my thoughts in a future blog posting.
The Macallan launches new range of Single Malts in Global Travel Retail
The Macallan and Maxxium Global Travel Retail are launching The Macallan 1824 Collection at this year’s TFWA world exhibition in Cannes. The range is exclusive to Travel Retail, where the brand has been the fastest growing major Single Malt in the last five years and is number two in volume.
The 1824 Collection of four variants – Select Oak, Whisky Maker’s Edition, Estate Reserve and 1824 Limited Release – offers the ultimate flavour journey for whisky lovers and the expressions have guideline retail price ranging from 46 to 1,450 euros.The 1824 Collection has been created by John Ramsay, Master Whisky Maker for parent company The Edrington Group, and Bob Dalgarno, The Macallan’s Whisky Maker; who between them have over 50 years of experience of making whisky. They have been inspired by the distillery’s long history and rich traditions to create a very special range of Single Malts. For John in particular, this is his legacy to the industry, being the last range he will develop before retiring next year.
The collection consists of four individual expressions which showcase the spectrum of flavour characteristics in any one range from The Macallan, the world’s most iconic whisky. Each expression tells a story about four of the defining elements of The Macallan family.
John Ramsay explains: “We set out to develop a cohesive family range that would further enhance The Macallan’s reputation for innovation. We have identified and benchmarked an optimum flavour profile but because of the individuality of each cask, the age profile will change from bottling to bottling in order to meet this and ensure consistency of colour, nose and character. Each one of these exceptional products has a unique product point of difference which provides a distinctive taste experience to appeal to consumers around the world. The range represents the broadest flavour spectrum of Macallan that we have ever produced.
“As part of our new product development process the Collection has undergone rigorous consumer testing, performing outstandingly well again and again and giving us the confidence to launch a range of non-aged single malts from The Macallan distillery.”
The Macallan 1824 Collection will be available in Global Travel Retail from April 2009 with the 1824 limited release decanter on sale from October 2009.
The Macallan Select Oak (40%): Superior knowledge, crafting & investment in our casks.
We typically invest over 10 times more per cask then any other single malt. Can we prove this if asked? Each cask has been hand crafted & selected under the supervision of George Espie, The Macallan Master of Wood – this bottling being given an extra depth by first fill, sherry oak seasoned hogsheads.
RRP: 46 Euros (1 litre)The Macallan Whisky Maker’s Edition (42.8%): Expertise of our Whisky Maker.
Individually crafted by The Macallan’s Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno – this is his personal bottling prepared to his preferred taste and strength of 42.8%. Containing rare whisky distilled from barley grown on The Macallan’s Estate. This whisky brings a distinctive heavier & ‘oilier’ texture to the final dram.
RRP: 69 Euros (1 litre)The Macallan Estate Reserve (45.7%): Legacy of traditional methods of distillation.
Non-chilled filtered and bottled at the old- style 80’ proof strength, more commonly known as ‘20 under’ in order to increase the flavour and deliver an extraordinary mouth feel. During its distillation and maturation, each bottling has been attended to by four generations of craftsmen, each patiently nurturing this whisky’s exceptional quality.
RRP: 165 Euros (70cl)The Macallan 1824 Limited Release (48%): Rarity & quality of our older stock.
The 1824 Limited Release honours The Macallan’s founder, Alexander Reid, who was officially granted a licence to distil whisky in 1824.
One of only 1,824 decanters released each year, this Single Malt has been selected from some of the oldest and rarest casks at The Macallan’s Estate. Each chosen cask had been marked as a future Fine & Rare bottling.
Drawing on so few and such individual casks, each year’s bottling will be subtly different. This first release is drawn exclusively from European oak solely grown, cared for & crafted by the Tevasa cooperage in Jerez, Spain.
These casks are sherry seasoned for a single-minded richness of character and darkness of colour.
RRP: 1450 Euros (70 cl)
November 18th, 2008
At WhiskyFest New York last week, a friend at the Ardmore table let me have a wee dram of an Ardmore 25 year old whisky that will be available at Travel Retail (formerly Duty Free), but not the U.S. He pulled out a small dram from his own private stash.
I really liked it!
It was at a higher strength (above 50%) and had a good dose of peat smoke combining with the oak and other Ardmore flavors. I didn’t take notes on it. All I remember was how good it was!
So, for all of you who ask me what to bring back when traveling overseas, here’s one to buy.
November 18th, 2008
We’ve been in one, but it might be a short one.
I’ve been in this business for close to 20 years and have seen ups and downs. When the industry falls on tough times, one of the first things they cut back on is advertising. And the smaller companies pull out first, because they don’t have the momentum the big guys have to sustain themselves.
I just received this note from one of my advertisers (and WhiskyFest participants):
We have decided to not participate in your Chicago WhiskyFest (in April) and to pull our ad. The reason is that given the tougher times, we need to re-allocate the funds toward distributor and retailer activities which we control better and will deliver additional points of distribution.
I’m not going to say who this came from, but it looks like this global recession (or whatever the hell you want to call it) is beginning to take the wind out of the sails of this industry.
Maybe the boom isn’t over. Maybe this is just a bump in the road. Time will tell.
But don’t worry, Malt Advocate and WhiskyFest will still be around to see the next boom (and bust). And there will always be whisky.
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