The Whisky Exchange BLOG

Yes, it’s competition time again – and this time we’re upping the stakes with a truly fantastic prize: £500 credit at The Whisky Exchange!!  Our sister company Speciality Drinks Ltd are going to launch a new premium bourbon soon – and they want YOUR help.  They’ve been racking their brains for something to call this precious liquid- and though they’ve had a few ideas, they’re not totally convinced.  They reckon that there’s a great name out there, but they just can’t put their finger on it.  So they’ve come to The Whisky Exchange Blog: send me your ideas, and if SDL decide that yours is the best, they’ll stick it on the bottle – and you’ll get  £500 credit at TWE!!!   

SDL's fancy new bourbon - what would you call it?

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Okay, so the London transport network is f@cked, there’s more snow due this afternoon and I live too far away from work to risk trying to get in and find myself stuck in Park Royal when I try to get home – nearly three hours it took me yesterday.

I’ve also managed to get myself temporarily barred from remotely accessing my work computer by getting my password wrong too many times (because I’m a total numpty). So in fact the only thing I can work at from home today is Wordpress.

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Yes indeed, I’ve got TEN PAIRS of tickets for The Whisky Show to give away!!

This is what you get – the tickets are for FRIDAY 6TH NOVEMBER and the Show is on from 4pm-10pm:

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Whisky press releases.  There are several super-efficient whisky blogs and sites on t’interweb that post them up long before I’ve even read them. However, it has to be said that the vast majority of these releases are profoundly dull, so I normally pick and choose only the particularly noteworthy or exclusive to chat about.

But today I find not one, but three press releases hopping around in my inbox just begging to be commented on.   Cue a trilogy of short but sweet blogposts…

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After the positive response I got from my last blog post on the positive whisky stuff happening at the moment – and because I’m a person with a generally sunny disposition (once the sun’s over the yard-arm at least) - I thought I’d continue with more reasons for the whisky world to be cheerful.  And, I’m delighted to report,  this week there are several.

In fact, summery feelings of well-being and mischief seem to be somewhat contagious in the blogging community at present.  Followers of Whiskyfun.com will already be aware of the stunning arrival of Glen Wonka, the world’s most expensive faux whisky, endorsed by the amusingly pompous and pretentious (yet somehow eerily familiar), Angus W. Apfelstrudel Jr., the hirsute author of the Whisky Tora.

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After the last blog’s doom and gloom in the whisky world I thought I’d try and get a bit more upbeat, so this post is going to be more about fun events, websites, good news and other cool new whisky stuff.

First though, a word about the annual industry bunfights, and with gongs getting handed out left, right and centre, it’s been a great couple of weeks for Benriach and Cooley at the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Challenge) and the confusingly-similarly-named ISC (International Spirits Challenge).  Glenglassaugh also did well, with two trophies for its (sadly quite pricey) 30 & 40yo expressions.

A Cooley representative, yesterday

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This just arrived from the ‘Couldn’t-Make-It-Up’ department.  I assumed it was a joke, but there is in fact a website as well, so if it is a joke it’s been pretty thoroughly done:

“We would like to offer Your company a news products, ALCOHOL-FREE WHISKY “Black Zero” & ALCOHOL-FREE VODKA “Blue Zero”, 0.0 per cent ABV. This is a completely news products which is produced using only natural materials; it is matured and bottled taking into regard the strictest quality requirements.

[Editor's Note:  readers of a nervous disposition should look away now]

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Day 10:  A Kick In The Ballochs…

Aftermath: Hannibal before his Calmac fry-up

Bang on 7am and our alarm clock blasts into action, as welcoming a sound as a prize festival bottling smashing on a stone floor and the accompanying ‘yelp’ of despair.   Last night was our ‘big night out’ and boy, we were all paying for it this morning.  As the memories started returning to our hazy heads, it became apparent that both Murdoch and Hannibal had found temporary ‘accommodation’ on, respectively, the bathroom floor and the green of the local golf course.

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A bunch of prize tossers

Kilchoman Wash Still

It was another early start on Friday as we had a lot of ground to cover.  First up was a 9.30am tasting at Islay’s newest distillery, Kilchoman, where we were shown around by deputy manager Gavin Douglas who was filling in at short notice for Jim Swan who had been injured in an accident at home – our best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery.

We hadn’t realised just how small Kilchoman was – it really is tiny.  Small but perfectly-formed, I suppose.  Gavin told us that the small stills produce only enough 45ppm spirit to fill three casks per day (a mix of fresh and refill bourbon plus some fresh sherry, although we also saw some French wine casks in the warehouse).

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Day Seven

“Can I throw my apple-core in the sea?”

Joel and Neil got overly excited considering that they're English

Ahhh! A rare lie-in for the bloggers with just an 11am start to our day. Bliss! Today was another day of tastings and we were very much focused on Laphroaig, kicking off with an “Old vs New” tasting, which lined up the now discontinued 15 Year Old vs. the new 18 Year Old and the Old Cask Strength 10 Year Old vs the new Cask Strength 10 Year Old, Batch 001 (Feb 2009).

Presented by Simon Brooking, Brand Ambassador for Laphroaig for North America and Vicky Stephens, the Visitor Centre Manager, this tasting was a great way to compare the out-going product with the newer replacements.

Old vs. New Laphroaig

Especially nice is the Cask Strength 10 Year Old (Batch 001). Apparently, according to new laws, when bottling a cask strength vatting, distilleries must now publish a batch number and a year of bottling. This “first edition”, they said, would sell out extra fast as a result. They also said that there’d be 6000 cases, though, so probably no need to panic just yet.

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