October 8th, 2009

Review: Sazerac Rye 18 year old (a 2005-2009 retrospective)

John Hansell

SazeracRye18year-loThis whiskey has been around this entire decade. I still have one bottled “Summer 2000.”

However, you should know that, from the 2006 release to now (the past four vintages), it has been the same juice stored in stainless steel tanks. (Kudos to Buffalo Trace for their openness and transparency about this.) This is because it will be six or so more years before Buffalo Trace has new rye whiskey aged 18 years. They need to preserve what they have and ration it annually until the new stocks mature.

You would think that the whiskey wouldn’t change. So did I. In fact, I didn’t even review the 2006 or 2007 formally, thinking it was the same as the 2005. (I was initially led to believe that the stuff in the stainless is the same as the 2005 release. In actuality, the 2005 was a different batch of whiskey.)

But, while at Buffalo Trace a couple years back, I tasted the 2006-2007 releases and they WERE different. I realized that whiskey DOES change when stored in stainless steel. Most likely it’s oxidation, but who knows what else?

The whiskey had been stored in one big 13,500 gallon tank–plenty of room for oxidation. Recently, BT transferred they whiskey to three 2,100 gallon tanks, hoping for less oxidation, less change. What will be the impact? Who knows?

I reviewed all five vintages, from 2005-2009, live on Twitter yesterday, and here’s my summary of the whiskeys.

2009: I gave it bonus points for its balance and soothing nature. Very enjoyable.

2008: Sort of starts off like the 2009, but has a very harsh, dry, leathery finish which really distracts. Thus my lower rating.

2007: Better defined, crisper than the 2008 or 2009. More rounded, not as harsh as the 2008 on the finish. A nice whiskey!

2006: Very pleasant. Nicely rounded. Not harsh like the 2008, but the flavors are a little muted. It’s not as crisp as the 2007

Of the four “stainless steel” vintages (2006-2009), the 2007 is my favorite.

2005: Malt Advocate’s American Whiskey of the year. What can I say? A stunning whiskey. It has the balance, the crispness, the vibrancy, nothing harsh. The best of the bunch. A benchmark!

 So, my favorite vintages over the past five years are, in descending order: 2005, 2007, 2009, 2006,  2008.  There was no consistent trend with time that I could see (other than the whisky becoming intermittently softer and less vibrant), but they were all distinctively different. Ah, the mysteries of whiskey…and aging in stainless steel.

My formal review of the new 2009 vintage follows.

Sazerac Rye 18 year old, 45%, $65
This whiskey has been getting intermittently softer, less vibrant since the 2005 release. Additionally, this new release is slightly sweeter on the palate too, when compared to last year’s release. Is this good or bad? That depends on how you like your rye whiskeys. Personally, I’d like to see more rye zing, but the pleasing, soothing nature (for a rye) in this new release makes up for it. Notes of toffee, cinnamon, creamy vanilla, date, mocha, bramble, glazed citrus and soft mint, and dusty spice (nutmeg, cocoa), with a dry, polished leather finish.  I like it slightly better than last year’s release, which I rated an “87.” That was my least favorite vintage over the past five years. This new vintage is still not in the class of those classic Sazerac 18’s bottled in the first half of this decade (which I consistently rated 95 and higher), but it is still a very nice whiskey.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 91

Category: Reviews,Rye whiskey Tags: 15 Comments

October 7th, 2009

Review: Diageo’s “The Manager’s Choice” whiskies

John Hansell

ManagersChoice_Range_1_LoRes (2)In case you are new to my blog and missed my post a while back announcing these whiskies–and the whopping 174 comments about them–please go HERE first to get the background on these highly controversial whiskies.

The Manager’s Choice whiskies consist of one carefully chosen cask from each of Diageo’s 27 malt whisky distilleries, bottled at cask strength and not chill-filtered. This is a one-time deal. The whiskies are being released in groups through 2010. They will not be available in the U.S. Here are the first six.

My overall opinion of these six whiskies? Very high quality whiskies, especially for their relatively young age. I am impressed for the most part. However, I am not thrilled with the prices and the extremely limited number of bottles available. I’d like to see annual releases like this, at a more reasonable price, with whiskies from alternating years being imported to the U.S.

91 Oban, 2000 vintage, 58.7%, $£300
Matured in a sherry cask. Lush, with glazed citrus, caramelized peach, chewy toffee, roasted nuts and subtle pine needles. The sherry is a driving force throughout this whisky, but it’s obviously from a very clean, polished European oak cask. Very delicious, with a long, satiating finish. Quite impressive for such a young whisky. My favorite of the bunch. (534 bottles)

88 Cardhu, 1997 vintage, 57.3%, £250
Matured in a bourbon cask. Cardhu has always been a pleasant, but uninspiring, whisky to me. This is one of the best Cardhu whiskies I’ve tasted—richer and more distinctive.  (At this price, it better be!) It’s clean and tight, with orange, tangerine, lemon gum drops, ginger, delicate honey, butterscotch, and vanilla, with a dusting of powdered sugar. Straight-forward, pleasing finish. (252 bottles)

87 Linkwood, 1996 vintage, 58.2%, £200
Matured in a sherry cask. Chock full of ripe fruit, but still quite feminine in personality. Firm malt foundation and almost buttery in texture, with juicy oak, maple syrup, raspberry (red and black), strawberry, dates,  and peppered with gentle spice (cinnamon, ginger).  While this is a very enjoyable whisky, I have tasted some excellent Linkwood bottling, including the standard 12 year old from back in the early 1990s, which brandished less sherry, allowing more of Linkwood’s gentle nature to blossom. Still, the sherry influence here is pristine, and the sherry gives as much as it masks. (430 bottles)

87 Glen Elgin, 1998 vintage, 61.1%, £250
Matured in a “rejuvenated European oak” cask. Balance: that’s what I like best about this whisky. It’s not as individualistic or distinctive as the others. But that’s how I always think of Glen Elgin, so no surprise here.  Still, this is a very solid effort. Fruity and flowery, with notes of tangerine, marmalade, caramel apple, ginger, cut grass, cinnamon, almond paste, and underlying vanilla, which lingers on a satisfying finish. (534 bottles)

85 Mortlach, 1997 vintage, 57.1%, £250
Matured in a bourbon cask. Thick and creamy, with mouth-coating vanilla, ripe barley, toasted marshmallow, vanilla wafer, key lime pie, Golden Delicious apple, lemongrass and hay.  The vanilla sweetness lingers to the finish, mixing with dried herbs and hay. I was expecting more from a carefully chosen Mortlach, given its pedigree, but this is still nice.  (240 bottles)

83 Teaninich, 1996 vintage, 55.3%, $£200
Matured in a “rejuvenated American oak” cask. “ Tropical fruit” is the operative descriptor here. Bananas in cream, honey-kissed citrus (lime, Clementine), papaya, mango, hint of coconut, green tea, and gentle vanilla. Soft finish. Rather exotic. Almost tries too hard to be cool. Distinctive, but I could tire of it sooner than the others here. (246 bottles)

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Scotch whisky Tags: , 19 Comments

October 6th, 2009

How everyone evaluates whisky–and the concequences

John Hansell

Several of my blog postings have lead to drifts in the comment thread to how whiskies are evaluated, including my posting here yesterday on Jim Murray’s “World whisky awards for 2010″.

Let’s get it out in the open and discuss it.

There are A LOT of people reviewing and rating whiskies–more now than ever, thanks to the explosion of whisky blogs, forums, tweets, podcasts, videos, etc. Problem is, we all review whiskies differently, and HOW we review whisky has a big impact on our ratings and opinions of whiskies.

Is there a right or wrong way to evaluate whisky? Can you really evaluate a whisky properly if you are just nosing your way through a hundred samples without tasting (like blenders do), or if you are evaluating a dozen or more whiskies and just spitting without swallowing (lik many reviewers do and many spirits competitions necessitate)?

Can you be unbiased if you don’t taste blind? Should you review a whisky in groups of a whisky peers or by itself? Should you assign a rating to every aspect of the review (e.g. 25 points for aroma, 25 points for taste, etc.) or is it best to give it one overall score at the end? Should you use a 100 point scale? 10 point scale? No scale at all?

Since I always try to be open and honest with you (and more approachable than other whisky writers), I will tell you how I rate whiskies. Is it perfect? No. It’s just the way I do it and have been doing it for years. I’m sure that some of you won’t be happy with some aspects of it, and I’m okay with that.

I always try to taste a whisky at least twice before rating a whisky. This means I won’t be reviewing as many whiskies as some other reviewers, but that’s okay with me. The first time I taste a whisky is probably just like the way you taste a whisky. I pour myself a measure, nose it, taste it, and drink a little bit of it. This give me a general overall impression of the whisky, whether I like it or not, how much I like it (or dislike it), and why. I’ll usually jot down some general notes.

Then, at a later date, I’ll review it more formally. I’ll line up this whisky with a group of its peers (or previous bottlings from that distillery) and review it at the same time as my other formal reviews, in the same room as my other formal reviews, using the same nosing glasses as my other formal reviews. There’s usually no more than a half dozen whiskies.

I  nose and taste the whisky at bottle strength, jot down my thoughts, and combine them with my notes from the first tasting. Then I add water to the whisky and repeat the process. Finally, I rate the whisky. (As you can see, I don’t usually taste blind, and I know that some of you disagree with that.)

Oh, and one final note about how I review whiskies: I try to keep my tasting notes very simple and straight-forward without a lot of fancy words and descriptor. (Okay, sometimes I get a little carried away.) This is by design. I feel that reviews are supposed to help you, not alienate you.

So, lets hear what you have to say. Speak up.

(Note: If you already posted your thoughts on this topic on a different comment thread previously, if it is pertinent here, please feel free to re-post your thoughts here.)

Category: Media,Opinions,Reviews,Writers 38 Comments

October 5th, 2009

Live vertical tasting: five straight vintages of Sazerac Rye 18 yr. old, this Wednesday on Twitter

John Hansell

My live Twitter review for this week is a continuation of my review of Buffalo Trace Antique Collection whiskeys. This week, I’m expanding it a bit, and this should be very interesting!

In addition to reviewing the new 2009 release of Sazerac Rye 18 yr. old, I’ll also be lining up the four previous vintages too (2005-2008). I tasted each one of these when they were originally released, but it will be fun to line them up and compare them side-by-side!

Now, here’s what makes this even more special! Since the 2006 vintage, the whiskey being bottled is the SAME whiskey. (Including Jim Murray’s Whiskey of the Year in the 2010 Whisky Bible.) It has been sitting in stainless steel tanks to prevent the whiskey from additional oak influence. However, the one thing that has surprised me (and many others) is that this whiskey changes in flavor every year. So yes, whiskey does CHANGE (I won’t call it aging) while it is stored in stainless steel.

If you’re not doing anything, join me this Wednesday @ 4pm EDT on Twitter (http://twitter.com/JohnHansell). If you have any of these vintages, pour some in a glass and follow along with me.

Category: Reviews,Rye whiskey,Twitter Tags: 5 Comments

October 5th, 2009

New: Dalmore “Sirius” (@£10,000/bottle!)

John Hansell

Here’s another ultra-expensive, ultra-rare whisky coming on the market. Let’s see, the list is growing: Gold Bowmore, Glenfiddich 50 year old, Dalmore 50 year old, The Macallan Lalique 57 year old, Highland Park 1964, Highland Park 50 year old (coming next year). Amy I missing any?

The press release is below. Yes, I’m getting a review sample. (I know it’s my job, but I’m actually beginning to feel guilty.) Older Dalmores have the ability to be outstanding. I’ll let you know how this one turned out. 

Dalmore1951Decanter-LOWDalmore Releases £10,000 Malt Whisky

05/10/09: Glasgow, UK: A rare 1951-vintage single malt whisky with a RSP of £10,000 per bottle will be released today (Monday 5 October).

Only 12 decanters of the Sirius expression from premium whisky brand The Dalmore will be produced. Sirius will only be available to private buyers and through a limited network of World Duty Free (WDF) stores.

“The international market for high-end luxury products which have an investment value is buoyant – and the finest whiskies are playing an increasingly dominant role in this sector,” says The Dalmore’s Brand Director, David Robertson.

“Our partnership with World Duty Free allows us to reach an elite group of investors and whisky aficionados across the globe. We will be focusing on key target markets in Taiwan, USA and France.”

Sirius will be launched in the flagship WDF store at Heathrow Terminal 5. Nigel Sandals, Category Buying Manager for Liquor at WDF, adds: “Our customer base contains some of the most knowledgeable investors in spirits in the world.

“Being able to offer the absolute best-quality luxury goods is a very strong incentive for buyers to use travel retail and World Duty Free – as they would a specialist retailer – to get exceptional value and to see a real return on their investment.”

The Dalmore’s 1951 Sirius Vintage is a single-cask, single malt whisky, with a cask strength of 45%.

The Dalmore Master Distiller, Richard Paterson, says: “Distinguished and elegant, age has gracefully finessed this brilliant expression. Sirius is, quite simply, one of the world’s most perfect whiskies.”

For more information about The Dalmore visit www.thedalmore.com

Category: New Releases,Scotch whisky,Travel Retail 26 Comments

October 5th, 2009

Jim Murray’s “World Whisky Awards for 2010″

John Hansell

Okay, here’s the list (from a press release I received this morning). Let the discussions begin. What do you agree with? Disagree with? I’ll give you my thoughts too.

Jim Murray’s World Whisky Awards 2010

JMURRAYLR2010

Straight Rye Whiskey, the spirit of choice in pre-prohibition America and immortalized in Humphrey Bogart films, has been given top billing in the coveted Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible World Whisky Awards for 2010.

International whisky authority Jim Murray has named Sazerac Rye 18 year old as the finest whisky in the world after tasting almost 1000 new whiskies since April. It scooped the World Whisky of the Year title by gaining 97.5 points, only the second time such a score has been achieved.

Announced to coincide with the publication of the 2010 edition of ‘Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible’, which contains tasting notes on over 3,850 of the world’s whiskies, Sazerac’s success marks the return of a whiskey style that all but disappeared from the marketplace. Following the repeal of Prohibition, American drinkers had developed a taste for lighter spirits, resulting in a boom for bourbon and Canadian whiskies, while straight rye fell by the wayside.

Jim Murray comments, “A decade ago I wrote that it was likely that there would be a renaissance in rye whiskey.  I recognised that the combination of big, bold flavours and subtle, delicate fruity notes would be appreciated by connoisseurs, especially those who prefer smoky Islay single malts. Now American distillers can’t make enough of it. And in this particular bottling of Sazerac 18, we have a rye that is not just at the top of its game, but reaching previously unknown heights. In beating all other world whisky types, Sazerac 18, has set the bar for rye whiskey and it will be fascinating in forthcoming years to see what is bottled to try to at least match it.”

 Distilled at Buffalo Trace distillery Kentucky, Sazerac 18 pipped into second place one of the smokiest whiskies ever produced, from the Ardbeg distillery on Islay.

Another Award winner likely to cause a surprise was an Indian Single Malt, which was awarded the title of World’s Third Best Whisky.  Distilled in Bangalore, Amrut Fusion scored an outstanding 97 points. “It makes no matter where in the world a whisky is made. If it is magnificent, then it stands a chance of being recognized in the Whisky Bible Awards. Amrut have been bottling astonishing whisky for a few years now. But this particular bottling just made my hairs stand on end. It is hard to find a whisky with better balance. India has unquestionably arrived as a whisky nation” added Murray.
 
Category winners:

Scotch Whisky of the Year – Ardbeg Supernova
Single Malt of the Year (Multiple cask) – Ardbeg Supernova
Single Malt of the Year (Single cask) – Glenfarclas 1962 (3rd release)
Best Scotch New Brand – Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX
Scotch Blend of the Year – Ballentine’s 17 Years Old
Scotch Grain of the Year – Duncan Taylor North British 1978

Single Malt Scotch

No Age Statement (Multiple cask) – Ardbeg Supernova*
No Age Statement (runner up) – Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX
10 Years and Under (Multiple cask) – Octomore 5 Years Old*
10 Years and Under (Single cask) – SMWS 77.17 (Glen Ord)
11-15 Years Old (Multiple cask) – Tomintoul 14 Years Old
11-15 Years Old (Single cask) – Isle of Arran Sherry 353*
16-21 Years Old (Multiple cask) – Glen Grant 1992*
16-21 Years Old (Single cask) – Glendronach 1992 Cask 401
22-27 Years Old (Multiple cask) – Brora 25 Years Old 7th Release*
22-27 Years Old (Single cask) – Cadenhead’s Benriach 23YO
28-34 Years Old (Multiple cask) – Highland Park 30 Years Old*
28-34 Years Old (Single cask) – Douglas Laing Glencadem 32YO
35-40 Years Old (Multiple cask) – Glenglassaugh 40 Years Old*
35-40 Years Old (Single cask) – Whisky Fair Glen Grant 36 YO
41 Years and Over (Multiple cask) – Glenfiddich 50 Years Old*
41 Years and Over (Single cask) – Glenfarclas 1962 Release III

Blended Scotch
No Age Statement (Standard) – Ballentine’s Finest*
No Age Statement (Premium) – The Last Drop*
5-12 Years – Johnnie Walker Black Label*
13-18 Years – Ballentine’s 17 Year Old*
18 & Over – Chivas Regal 25 Years Old*

Irish Whiskey of the Year – Redbreast Aged 12 Years*
 
American Whiskey
Bourbon of the Year – George T Stagg (144.8)*
Rye of the Year – Sazerac 18 Years Old (Fall 2008)*
 
Bourbon
No Age Statement (Multiple barrel) – Parker’s Golden Anniversary*
No Age Statement (Single barrel) – Blanton’s Single Barrel 316
9 Years & Under – Jim Beam Black Aged 8 Years*
10-12 Years – Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve*
13-17 Years Old (multiple Barrels) – George T Stagg (144.8)*
13-17 Years Old (Single Barrel) – Buffalo Trace Experimental Course Grain
18 Years & Over – Evan Williams 23 Years Old*

Rye
10 Years & Younger – Jim Beam Rye*
11 Years & Older – Sazerac 18 Years Old (Fall 2008)*

Canadian Whisky of the Year – Wiser’s Red Letter*
Japanese Whisky of the Year – SMWS 116.4 (Yoichi)*

European Whisky
European Whisky of the Year – Santis Malt Highlander Dreifaltaigkeit*
European Single Cask Whisky of the Year – Penderyn Port Wood Single Cask*

World Whiskies
Indian Whisky of the Year – Amrut Fusion*

(* denotes category winner)
 
To mark the sheer quality and standard of whisky making around the world Jim Murray has created a new Liquid Gold Award for all whiskies scoring 94 points and above.  Representing 10% of all the whiskies featured in the ’2010 Whisky Bible’ they are, says Murray “the elite; the very finest you can find on whisky shelves around the world. Rare and precious they are liquid gold”.

A full account of the 2010 World Whisky Awards can be found in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2010 published today (5th October 2009).  And with nearly 4000 tasting notes, including 946 of the very latest releases, the ‘Whisky Bible’ remains the definitive and most up to date guide available.

Published by Dram Good Books priced at £10.99, the ’2010 Whisky Bible’ is available through online retailer Amazon and other good book stores. Signed copies by the author can be obtained from www from www.whiskybible.com.

Category: Media,Opinions,Reviews,Writers Tags: , 54 Comments

October 4th, 2009

New book: World Whisky

John Hansell

World Whisky book coverThis showed up on the Malt Advocate doorstep last week. It sort of reminds me of Michael Jackson’s “Whisky” book from several years back. It’s edited by Charles Maclean, and there are several well-respected authors (Dave Broom, Tom Bruce-Gardyne, Ian Buxton, Charles Maclean, Peter Mulryan, Hans Offringa, and Gavin Smith). There are some great pictures, and it covers whiskies from around the world. There’s also maps and tasting notes on many distillery bottlings.

Unlike MJ’s Whisky book, World Whisky doesn’t identify the author for each chapter. (If it does, I couldn’t find it.) That would be nice to know. For example, I was looking to see who wrote about American whiskeys (given that none of the writers for this book live in the U.S.), but couldn’t find the answer. (The reason why I was looking is because I can think of a few of whiskey writers living here in the U.S. who would have done a great job of it.)

It looks like a nice book, and I look forward to reading through it.

As I’m typing this, I couldn’t help but get a little bit emotional though, as it hit me: we are now in the post-Michael Jackson era, with a new generation of whisky writers carrying the whisky torch. As we discussed here earlier in the year, no one person can really replace Michael. This doesn’t mean things will be worse (or even better): just different.

I imagine that we’ll be selling the book in Malt Advocate magazine and on our website. But if you need a contact at the publisher (DK Publishing), here it is: Susan.Stockman@DK.com.

Category: Media,Writers 5 Comments

October 3rd, 2009

New Isle of Jura whisky: Prophecy

John Hansell

Richard Paterson, Master Blender for Whyte & Mackay, just eluded to it here on my blog. Not chill-filtered and 46% ABV. Maybe we are having an impact? Details to follow.

Category: New Releases,Scotch whisky 6 Comments

October 2nd, 2009

More varieties of Maker’s Mark bourbon please!

John Hansell

Last week, I participated in a live webcast at the Maker’s Mark distillery with Kevin Smith (Master Distiller, Maker’s Mark) and John Campbell (Distillery Manager, Laphroaig). If you haven’t seen the video yet, here’s the link.

During the webcast, we tasted three different Laphroaig whiskies, including the new 18 and 25 year old expressions. We also tasted the one and only one expression of Maker’s Mark bourbon.

I was once again reminded how much I enjoy Maker’s Mark. It’s very gentle, smooth and easy to drink. This is partly because Maker’s is one of the few bourbons that use wheat as the spice ingredient rather than rye.

For those of you who haven’t been drinking whisky as long as me, there once was a time when there were three different Maker’s expressions: the standard one at 90 proof, a gold label 101 proof (which was the same formula as the standard bottling), and 95 proof black label called “Maker’s Mark Select,” which was a different formula (aged a little longer). The latter two were essentially for Travel Retail and the export markets.

Bottom line here: I liked all three, and I wish we still had all three! I have a bottle of Select which I’ve been hanging on to, but my bottle of the gold label 101 proof is long gone.

I kept thinking this past week how nice it would be to have more than one Maker’s Mark expression to chose from–especially given that there are so few wheated bourbons on the market.

I asked Kevin Smith about it before the webcast. He said that they are having enough trouble just making enough of the standard Maker’s to put out anything else. He also told me he would pass my comment on to Bill Samuels. (And I also hope he passes it on to Beam management, who now controls Maker’s Mark.)

It was nice to taste and enjoy the three Laphroaig whiskies. I wondered what life would be like with just one version of Laphroaig? Or to broaden this thought a little more: “What would life be like with just one Beatles album?” I think you get my picture.

Maybe we can start a petition or something?

Category: Bourbon,Opinions Tags: 16 Comments

October 1st, 2009

New Glengoyne 12 yr. old

John Hansell

This just came in. Press release is below. I asked for an image. When I get it, I’ll insert it.

Hmm, didn’t they already have a 12 year old cask-strength version? Yes indeed, because I still have part of a bottle.

UPDATED: Here’s what my contact had to say about the cask strength version, and the new version:

There was indeed a Cask Strength 12 Years Old, originally launched in 2004. 

Just to confirm a few details:

The Glengoyne Cask Strength 12 year old still is available. For your information, we are shortly to launch a 12 YO Cask Strength 1 litre version later this month which will be available through travel retail outlets worldwide only.

The new 12 year old a 43% ABV is a completely new vatting, introducing some first fill bourbon barrels that aren’t used in any other Glengoyne expression.  The sherry percentage also differs. 

All of the Glengoyne core range is specially selected refill American Oak and European oak casks.  A healthy percentage of first fill sherry casks are used allowing us to bottle at natural colour, as with all Glengoyne products, and first fill Hogsheads make up a significant percentage of this vatting, adding different elements of flavour in comparison to other Glengoyne products.

And here’s the information directly from my press release:

Dumgoyne, 1 October 2009: Glengoyne Distillery is launching an exciting new edition to its acclaimed core range: Glengoyne 12 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Like all of Glengoyne’s Single Malts, the 12 Years Old is distilled from air-dried barley, untainted by harsh peat smoke, capturing the authentic ‘Real Taste of Malt’. At 43% strength, with a natural, golden colour, the 12 Years Old has scents of coconut oil, lemon zest, honey and dried malt. With a warming mouthfeel, its initial palate is of toffee apples and cinnamon spice, while a touch of water brings out ginger, fresh orange and shortbread.  The balanced finish is further mellowed by hints of sherry and soft oak.

Developed by agency, Ron Burnett Design, the bottle and tube presentation perfectly aligns the 12 Years Old within the existing Glengoyne 10, 17 and 21 Years Old core range. The metallic gold/copper coloured tube mirrors the rich colour of the malt within, while tasting notes and details on Glengoyne’s tradition, craftsmanship and whisky making process, bring the Single Malt to life. 

Available to domestic and international markets, Ian Macleod Distillers, brand owners of Glengoyne, plan to export the 12 Years Old Single Malt to over 60 markets worldwide and predict it will rapidly become a top best seller with specialists, second only to the Glengoyne 10 Years Old in overall sales volumes.

Iain Weir, Marketing Director for Ian Macleod Distillers, commented: “The 12 Years Old is a very welcome addition to the Glengoyne core range.  The decision to introduce the 12 Years Old is an integral part of our ongoing successful marketing and sales strategy to continue to grow and develop the Glengoyne brand. It is also in response to international demand, particularly from Western Europe, where our customers are looking for a high quality, intermediate step between the Glengoyne 10 and 17 Year Olds.” 

Glengoyne 12 Years Old will be available from October to UK and international markets RRP £33.99 ($56.00 €39.50).

For further information on UK distribution contact: Harvey Miller Wine & Spirit Agencies www.hmwsa.com08445 611 252. For international distribution contact Ian Macleod Distillers www.ianmacleod.com  

Category: New Releases,Scotch whisky Tags: 2 Comments

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