Whisky News

25/6/2006 Springbank launches new homepage.
Springbank Distillers have launched a new and better looking hompage. They now also have a forum for their Springbank Society.
Springbanks hompage >>

14/05/2006 New Colorado Whiskey!
Jess Graber, majority owner and manager of Stranahan's. Colorado Whisky has just tapped the distillery’s first barrel, produced in April 2004. The 2004 output was 1,000 cases only, so interested customers should hurry if they want a sip of the 2004 batch. Another chance will come next year when the 3,000 casks from 2005 will be made available.

The whiskey is selling in select stores in the Denver area for around $54.95.

12/5/2006 Glenfiddich moves parts of bottling operations
The owner of Glenfiddich has shifted some of the bottling operations at the Dufftown distillery to a site at Bellshill, near Glasgow, it emerged yesterday.

A spokesman for William Grant and Sons said the move was because of increased sales of its Glenfiddich single malt, the world's biggest seller.

Industry sources said it was more likely because of the increased costs of having its bottling operation at a site so far away from the marketplace.

The whisky firm's spokesman said about 25-30% of bottling previously carried out at Dufftown was now done at Bellshill. The move has had no implications on jobs and he said it did not mean any dilution of the marketing claim that Glenfiddich was the only Highland whisky to be distilled, matured and bottled at its own distillery. He said the whisky being bottled at Bellshill was still being "cut" to bottling strength with local water at Dufftown.

Worldwide sales of Glenfiddich are now running at about 840,000 cases a year; too much bottling for the Dufftown site to cope with, said the spokesman, adding: "We are now paying the price for years of success."

He said the group would not be bottling any of its Glenfiddich premium range off site, and added that Grants - which also owns the Balvenie distillery at Dufftown- had ambitious plans for its Highland brands.
Source: This is North Scotland

8/5/2006 The Macallan enhances Fine and Rare Collection!
The Macallan has released the latest vintage single malt to join its Fine & Rare collection, the 1975 Macallan.

According to the company, The 30 years old single malt whisky takes its place alongside The Macallan’s unparalleled selection of 39 Fine & Rare vintage single malts ranging from 1937 through to 1975. Expressions from the range are highly sought after and the 1926 and 1972 vintages have now all been sold.

The extraordinary expressions of vintage Macallan from the Fine & Rare collection are each carefully selected for their unsurpassed quality and rarity representing the finest single malt from that year.

Bob Dalgarno, whisky maker at The Macallan, comments: “It is a great privilege to select the latest vintage to join the Fine & Rare collection, which we expect will be warmly received by whisky lovers worldwide. The precious cask chosen, number 8845, is an American oak hogshead previously seasoned with bourbon. Remaining undisturbed for 30 years, it is a truly outstanding example of The Macallan from this year.”
Source: Scottish food and drink

5/5/2006 Severe storm damage Buffalo Trace Distillery!
Severe thuinderstorms and high winds have moved through central Kentucky, damaging two historical warehouses at Buffalo Trace Distillery. Warehouse C (1881) and B (1879) both suffered significant damage. Fortunately there no injuries. Source: Press Release

30/04/2006 Scots toast landmark victory on Indian whisky!
EDINBURGH: Scotland's whisky industry is toasting a landmark legal victory after a court blocked an Indian company from claiming that its whisky was Scottish-made.

The Scotch Whisky Association said its members would be protected from unfair competition by the decision of a court in Delhi to stop Golden Bottling, a company based near Jaipur, from using the name "Red Scot" on one of its brands. The ruling could have ramifications for attempts by Scotland's whisky producers to increase their share of the spirits market in a country with more whisky drinkers than anywhere else in the world.

About 600million litres of whisky are consumed in India each year, and this figure is expected to rise dramatically over the next few years as the country's wealthy middle class continues to expand and import taxes are reduced.

Whisky exported from Scotland currently accounts for less than 1 per cent of the Indian market, but Scotch whisky producers have little doubt that India has the potential to earn them billions of dollars.

The SWA has estimated that there may be as much counterfeit as real whisky sold in India, largely because import taxes of up to 525 per cent for genuine Scotch make it a product that many Indians, while aspiring to drink it, cannot yet afford. The ruling in Delhi brings to an end a legal battle, begun in April 2004, when the SWA sued Golden Bottling under Indian legislation designed to bring the country into line with global trade standards on product descriptions.

Judge Madan Lokur of Delhi High Court said the words "Red Scot" suggested that the whisky was produced in Scotland.  Source: The Australian

19/02/2006 Distillery For Sale!
Do you want to own a distillery? If you have around £200 million you could get your hands on the largest grain distillery in Europe, the Scottish Invergordon Distillery on the Cromarty Firth. But don’t get too confident - the world’s second biggest distiller, Indian United Breweries, is rumored to have taken an interest in the grain distillery.

Invergordon Distillery was founded in 1961, employs 180 staff and is one of eight grain distilleries left in Scotland, and the last one in the Highlands. Source: The Daily Record

12/02/2006 Heaven Hill Fills Five Millionth Barrel Of Kentucky Bourbon
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the nation's largest independent family-owned distilled spirits producer and the world's second-largest holder of aging Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, celebrated the 31st of January the filling of Bourbon barrel 5,000,000. Heaven Hill is only the second Bourbon producer to reach the historic benchmark.

"Heaven Hill recognizes this milestone first and foremost as a celebration of the legacy of my father and his four brothers. They played a major role in the development of a unique American industry," said Heaven Hill Distilleries President Max L. Shapira. "This occasion is also testament to the craftsmanship of the Beam family. The result of their stewardship is unique and innovative American Whiskey enjoyed worldwide."

Between yesterday's milestone and the time the first barrel was filled on Friday, December 13th, 1935, Heaven Hill has seen dramatic changes in the country and the industry, but remains true to its mission as a family-owned and operated Kentucky company. "As we continue on our journey to ten million barrels and beyond, our family will navigate the future by building on the wisdom and hard work of earlier generations," said Shapira.

The five millionth barrel was "bunged off" by sixth- and seventh-generation father and son Master Distillers Parker and Craig Beam in a brief ceremony at Heaven Hill's new cistern room on the Bardstown company's campus. Every drop of Heaven Hill whiskey has been distilled by a Beam.

The occasion also recognized 45 years of service by Master Distiller Parker Beam. Parker Beam is a "Lifetime Achievement Award" winner by Malt Advocate Magazine. He will be presented with a commemorative yeast jug at the ceremony.

09/02/2006 The Bruichladdich Bar
The Spirited Soap Company uses whisky to make transparent soap. Ailsa Hayes, as a pharmaceutical research chemist with Glaxo SmithKlyne, learnt that to make transparent soap it requires alcohol to clarify it.

Made from vegetable oils using the traditional ‘cold process’ technique, the soap is cooked with sugar, vegetable glycerine and finally the spirit is added. The soap is then scented with essential oils – so you don’t smell like an alcoholic.

Commissioned by the distillery, The Bruichladdich Bar is made by the same technique to capture the very essence of whisky-making:

Instead of girly perfumes, the soap is naturally scented using whisky-drenched oak shavings from the inside a Bruichladdich cask. It gives a toasty, cold-tar sort of aroma – altogether more butch. And because the casks are charred on the inside in the barrel-making process the soap is both transparent and almost jet black.

Ideal for the true single malt enthusiast....

22/01/2006 New whiskyrange from Wemyss Vintage Malts.
A new range of whisky is launched by Wemyss Vintage Malts. The company is Scottish and is owned by the family with the same name. They have just recently started and have had help from the whiskyexpert Charles Maclean to select casks for their whiskyrange. The whisky are bottled "by region" and are Highland, Speyside, Islay and Lowlands. ABV is 46% and they cost (RRP) £35 each. Read more about Wemyss >>

09/01/2006 Michael Collins -New Irish Whiskey From Cooley Distillery
Cooley Distillery, the only independent Irish-owned distillery in Ireland will release a new whisky brand in march 2006. The whisky has been named for Michael Collins, the Irish hero who was at the forefront in Ireland’s struggle for independence and the man behind the treaty of 1921 creating the Republic of Ireland.
 
Michael Collins will be available both as a blend and as a single malt. The blend is a mix of pot- and column-distilled whiskeys which are aged for five years minimum. Because the whisky has been aged in small casks, the whisky has matured rapidly and should be in good ’drinking condition’. The single malt is pot distilled and created from both grain and barley. Peat is used during the drying process, which means that Michael Collins will be an addition in the peated range coming from Cooley distillery.

Cooley Distillery also produces Kilbeggan and Locke’s as well as Tyrconnell Single Malt, Connemara Peated Single Malt and a few others.

Read more about Cooley Distillery >>


Michael Collins will be available in both Ireland and in the United States in March, 2006. The blend, Michael Collins Irish Whisky, will be available in the liter, 750ml, 375ml, and 50ml sizes. The Michael Collins Single Malt Irish Whiskey will be available in the 750ml size. Source: PR Newswire

03/01/2006 New Glen Garioch Visitor Centre
The Glen Garioch Distillery at Oldmeldrum near Aberdeen has just opened its new visitor centre. The £200,000 facility is owned by Morrison Bowmore and is the newest addition to the visitor centers Morrison Bowmore are establishing on Islay and at Auchentoshan, near Glasgow. Source: Thisisnorthscotland.

02/01/2006 New Owner of Glen Grant Distillery
Italian drinks group Campari has purchased Glen Grant distillery in Rothes, Scotland for €115m. Glen Grant was established in 1840 and is the leading single malt whisky in Italy and sells 350,000 nine-litre cases internationally. Source: BeverageDaily. Read more about Glen Grant Distillery

13/12/2005 New Laphroaig Campaign
Jim Beam Brands, who recently acquired Laphroaig from Allied Domecq, are soon launching a new campaign to boost sales of the famous Islay Single Malt. The campaign will be focused on key countries such as UK, the US, France and on the duty-free market. Laphroaig currently sells 140,000 cases per year. Source: Sunday Herald

07/12/2005 New Web Design by Morrison Bowmore
Morrison Bowmore Ltd, the owner of Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glen Garioch, have launched their new website. The previous heavy flash page has been replaced with a clean and modern design. Visit Morrison Bowmore

03/12/2005 Luxury Bottling by The Macallan
Together with the luxury brand Lalique, The Macallan launches a limited range of 50 years old single malt bottled in a crystal decanter. The 470 individually numbered decanters are valued at £3,500 and will be sold in select stores in the UK, America, Russia and Asia. Source: Scottish Food & Drink
 

21/11/2005 Glenfiddich Enters China
William Grant & Sons, the largest independent distiller in Scotland is in the process of establishing business in Shanghai, China. The new company will be named William Grant & Sons Shanghai and will be fully operational in January 2006.

William Grant & Sons are the firm behind Glenfiddich, one of the world’s most successful whisky brands. Recent sales figures show a surge in profits by 4.1 per cent to £71.5 million last year, mostly due to a strong sales growth for the company’s premium brands. Source: Scotsman

19/11/2005 Whisky Gains in Russia
Most people know that Vodka is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Russia. Ever since 1812, the top imported spirit besides Vodka has been Cognac; however, if the sales statistics for 2005 prove to be correct, this year single malt Whisky sales will exceed premium Cognac for the first time.

Single Malt whisky is the fastest growing spirit in Russia and is the preferred drink for the Russinan elite, consisting of ex KGB, oligarchs and gangsters. The top four best selling single malts in Russia are Glenfiddich, Macallan, Glenmorangie and Bruichladdich.

15/11/2005 The Macallan Woodland Estate
Macallan Distillery now offers whisky buffs the opportunity to buy a package including a tree which will be planted next to the distillery and a 12 year old bottling called The Macallan Woodland Estate.

No more than 1,000 trees will be planted. The Macallan Woodland Estate will be priced at £95 and the offer will be limited to The Macallan website. Source: Edrington Group.

07/11/2005 Johnnie Walker Anniversary Blend Released
To celebrate its 200th anniversary, Johnnie Walker releases 200 bottles of ‘Johnnie walker Blue Label 1805’. The youngest drop in the bottle is 45 years old and most of the single malts used to create this exclusive blend no longer exist.

The whisky is presented in a handmade Victorian- style writing case with an antique nib pen. In the pack is also included a replica of Alexander Walker's (John Walker's grandson) original handwritten recipe book. Source: Drinks-Business-Review.

06/11/2005 Tons of Whisky Lost at Sea
Tons of whisky and liquor have been swept into the sea off the coast of Wales. The container carrier Endeavour shed its payload near the Pembrokeshire coast. The four 40ft containers were swept overboard about 35 miles from St Ann's Head. Three of the containers each contained 22 tons of whisky while a fourth contained 26 tons of unidentified liquor. Source: ic Wales.

04/11/2005 New English Whisky Company
Andrew Nelstrop, a 33 year old English businessman, is planning to open his own distillery. However the site of his distillery will not be Scotland or Ireland as most people would presume -but in Norfolk, England. Nelstrop plans to invest £1 million in the Norfolk Whisky Company, which will eventually include a bottling plant, shop and visitor centre. The distillery will produce 100,000 bottles of cask-strength single malt whisky a year. Source: Scotsman.

01/11/2005 Two New Bottlings From Bunnahabhain
Islay distillery Bunnahabhain launches two new bottlings, 18 years old and 25 years old. Source: Scottish Food & Drink.
 

13/10/2005 Four-Grain Bourbon by Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve will launch its super-premium Master’s Collection. The roll-out starts in October, in Kentucky, with major markets to follow.

The bourbon is bottled at 92.4 proof and will retail at $79.99 for a 750mL. Whiskies in the Master’s Collection are limited in quantity and exclusively triple-distilled in copper pot stills at The Woodford Reserve Distillery. Even the whiskies’ unique bottle shape will mimic that of a copper pot still (see picture).

The launch introduces Four-Grain Bourbon. Traditionally, Kentucky bourbon distillers rely on a three-grain mash bill with corn serving as the majority grain, malted barley necessary for natural starch-to-sugar conversion, and rye as the preferred grain for creating a spicy, fruity character. According to Chris Morris, Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve, the use of wheat will give the whisky a softer, nuttier influence than regular Kentucky Bourbon.

11/10/2005 World's First Organic Scotch Whisky
The Organic Spirits Company, Surrey, UK, launches Highland Harvest -the first organic whisky to be accredited by the Soil Association (the leading certifier of organic produce in the UK).

Highland Harvest is a blended Scotch and is made from three organic malts and one organic grain whisky, which have been matured in oak barrels for four years. Chris Parker, managing director of The Organic Spirits Company says: "There is an assumption that all whisky is organic, when the reality is that modern techniques employed in the creation of raw materials such as barely and maize rely on the use of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides”.

According to Parker, there are much lower levels of methanol in Highland Harvest than in regular whisky. Since methanol is the main cause for hangovers, trying out this organic whisky might be a good idea. The interested customer will have to pay about £15 for a 70cl bottle. Source: Scotsman

30/09/2005 Arran Distillery releases 10 years old!
For the first time Arran Distillery releases a ten years old whisky to the public. The destillery started their production in 1995, and now they have bottled 1.200 bottles. Each bottle is signed by the Master Distiller.
 

16/09/2005 Bottle Your Own Scotch
Benromach Distillery in Forres, Speyside, offers its visitors the opportunity to bottle their very own Benromach for £50. Each bottle is numbered and signed by Distillery Manager Keith Cruickshank. This service is also available at other distilleries throughout Scotland such as Aberlour and Bruichladdich.
Source: This is North Scotland

11/09/2005 US Wheat Whiskey Launched by Heaven Hill
Kentucky Distillery Heaven Hill is launching a new product, the Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey. The bottle will be priced at $40 and will start appearing on the shelves in late September 2005.

The new whiskey is made from 51 percent winter wheat, 39 percent corn and 10 percent malted barley. The five year-old whiskey is distilled at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville but is bottled at the Heaven Hill Distillery in Kentucky.

Read more about Heaven Hill >>

11/09/2005 Penderyn Whisky at Harrods
Penderyn, the first Welsh single malt whisky in 100 years, will soon appear on Harrods shelves. The famous store will add Penderyn to its range of whiskies during a showcase of fine British food in the Harrods food hall during 5 September - 15 October 2005.

02/09/2005 Maxximum Acquires Canadian Club Whisky
Maxximum Acquires Canadian Club As a result of the recent Jim Beam Brands acquisition, Maxximum Canada announces the addition of Canadian Club Whisky to its premium spirit portfolio. Together with three other brands including Sauza Tequila this makes Maxximum the third largest spirits group in Canada as a complement to its number one position in imported wine. Source: Newswire

Read more about Canadian Club Whisky >>

24/08/2005 £30 Million Additional Tax Could Hit Scotch Whisky Industry
The Scotch whisky industry could be forced to pay an extra £30m in tax charges if the Inland Revenue have their way. The industry body the Scotch Whisky Association has just lost a cort battle but is planning to take the case to the House of Lords.

William Grant & Sons have previously won a test case on the issue which originates from a ruling by the revenue in 2002 that companies should pay tax on depreciated stock every year, rather than when stock is eventually sold. For most companies which sell and replaces stock often, this technicality is not important. However, for the whisky industry which stores their stock for at least three years, an implementation would mean a one-time charge of something along £25m-£30m in the next 5-10 years. Source: The Herald

23/08/2005 Triple-Distilled Islay Whisky By Bruichladdich

“Trestarig”, a long forgotten Hebridean whisky, is being re-created by independent whisky distiller Bruichladdich. Trestarig is pronounced “trace-arak”, and is according to a 300 year old manuscript a triple distilled spirit that may have it’s origins in ‘Arak’, the original Middle Eastern spirit distilled from wine.

The recreation makes Trestarig the first triple-distilled spirit in the western Isles in modern times, and maybe it was about time; Master Distiller Jim McEwan claims this is the best new spirit he has ever tasted fresh from the run –which was unusually long, 7 hours. The ‘middle cut’ was made between 86% & 81.5%.

Jim McEwan

Read more about Bruichladdich Distillery >>

19/08/2005 New Whisky Price Record Set
A rare bottle of Irish whiskey is for sale for £100,000, making it the world's most expensive single malt ever.

The bottle is believed to be from the Nun’s Island Distillery in Galway. The Distillery ceased production in 1913, but the bottle is believed to be from the late nineteenth century. Source: Scotsman

Read more about Irish Whiskey >>

06/08/2005 LVMH Acquires Marketing Rights for Glenmorangie
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) has acquired distributing and marketing rights for Glenmorangie from Brown-Forman. Brown Forman, one of the largest American-owned companies in the wine and spirits business, sold their shares in Glenmorangie PLC to LVMH in the fall of 2004. According to Christophe Navarre, CEO of Moët Hennessy, the transfer of marketing and distribution rights is a natural consequence of that purchase.

Read more about Glenmorangie >>

01/08/2005 New Vintage Glen Moray!
Glen Moray Distillery has launched a new vintage, Glen Moray 1989 40% first fill bourbon cask. RRP is £50.

Read more about Glen Moray >>

07/27/2005 Highland Park Named No1
The American Spirit Journal has named Highland Park 18 yo the best spirit in the world. The magazine has compiled a list of the world’s 100 finest distilled drinks. According to Paul Pacult, the Managing Director of the spirit journal who has compiled the list, the Highland Park 18 yo was his favourite among vodkas, tequilas, whiskies, rum and many other spirits from around the world. Several other Scotch whiskies did well on the list including Ardbeg, Bowmore and The Macallan. Highland Park was founded in 1798 and is the northernmost distillery on the Orkney Islands. Source: Scotsman

Read more about Highland Park >>

07/15/2005 Compass Box has five years anniversary!
The Compass Box whisky company located in London, celebrates its five year anniversary. The American John Glaser founded the company with the ambition to make high quality whisky for a new generation of whiskydrinkers. The whisky comes from 12 different distilleries around Scottland and are all blended to create new tastes. Peat Monster, Asyla and Hedonism are rapidly becoming known brands and are winning awards. As a result, Compass Box is expanding and constantly adds new countries to its list of export destinations.

06/26/2005 New world record for whisky tasting!
The old whisky tasting record was set in sweden in 2001. That time 1210 people did the tasting toghether. The new record is 1610 and was set in Edinburgh. The sponsor, the Easy Whisky Drinking Company was delighted to bring the record "back home to were it belonged". Source: BBC News

06/20/2005 On the Rocks on Purpose
The privately-owned Islay distillery Bruichladdich has just launched a new single malt –The Bruichladdich Rocks. The new bottling is a challenge to whisky puritans since it is actually designed to be drunk on the rocks.

The whisky is matured in Bourbon casks before it is finished in Grenache wine casks from south west France. The whisky has been specifically designed by Master Distiller Jim McEwan and is composed of whisky from several contrasting years. Jim McEwan claims this allows for great complexity and also states that “I never thought I could actively recommend drinking a single malt with ice… but with Bruichladdich Rocks you most definitely can.” The Bruichladdich Rocks is bottled at 46%.

06/16/2005 New French Whisky Distillery!
The creation of the Glann ar Mor Distillery has been eight years in the making. The distillery is situated on the Northern coast of Brittany, France. Glann ar Mor means "by the sea" in Breton. The distillery will produce both peated and unpeated whisky. To make the peated whisky the distillery will use malt with a phenol level of 35-40 ppm.

Although the distillery is just about to open, there is already a bottling for sale, the Taol Esa 1999. The release is very limited, there are only 99 of the50 cl bottles. The Taol Esa 1999 is not representative for the whisky which will be forthcoming from the Glann ar Mor Distillery however; the founders wished to gain experience in the early stages of the planning process, and Taol Esa, which means ’The Essay’ in Breton, is the result.

The wash for Taol Esa was made by a local distillery and the whisky was distilled in a small wood-heated still. It is an undeniably unique whisky considering the circumstances under which it has been made. Taol Esa was bottled at 46% at an age of slightly more than 4 years. It is unchill-filtered and has no colour additives.

06/12/2005 New Vintage Bottling From Balvenie
Balvenie has recently launched a new bottling, The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1971. David Stewart, the malt master at Balvenie, has asked three retired Excisemen to help him select the four over 30-years-old casks. No more than 170 bottles of The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1971 will be sold in the UK.
Source: This is North Scotland

06/08/2005 Diageo Purchases Bushmills from Pernod Richard
Diageo has entered into an agreement with Pernod to purchase Bushmills, the world’s second largest Irish whiskey brand, for approximately 200 million. The deal will also grant Diageo to purchase the bulk of Allied Domecq’s Montana wine business for approximately 320 million. Montana is one of the leading New Zealand wine brands and the number one New Zealand export brand.

The agreements are conditional upon the successful completion of Pernod’s agreed bid for Allied Domecq which Pernod and Allied Domecq have both stated they expect to occur on 26 July 2005. Both acquisitions are expected to close in late 2005 or early in 2006.

06/06/2005 Glenburgie Distillery Re-opened!
On June 3, Allied Distillers inaugurated their completely rebuilt production building at the Glenburgie Distillery near Forres. Allied lost five months in production between the demolition of the old Glenburgie and the completion of its successor. The reason for the stop was that the old stills were moved into the new production facility rather than installing new stills and risk to alter the character of the Glenburgie whisky.

With the exception of the stills and the milling equipment, everything else in the building is new, including the state-of-the-art computer technology which allows every aspect of the distilling process to be controlled by just one person. The new Glenburgie distillery will be capable of producing 2.8million litres of spirit a year, compared to 2.3million at the old distillery. The new distillery is built to hold another two stills which would take capacity up to 4.2million litres. Source: This is North Scotland

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