Continuing our trilogy of blog posts on noteworthy whisky press releases, let’s have a bit about the new Gold Bowmore:
In contrast to Whyte & Mackay’s media-savvy pi$$-taking audaciousness, as discussed in my previous post and here, this press release is rather more of the preachy, hype-driven old school of whisky PR, where every new release is the most massively earth-shattering whisky ever released (until the next one):
TAGS:I’m delighted to have a preview bottle of the general release of Ardbeg Corryvreckan sitting on my desk, so I thought I’d dip in and share my thoughts in what has turned out to be the first blog post for a few weeks (due to me busting a gut on a separate project, about which more in the very near future).
Actually, I’ve had this bottle for over a week, but it’s been embargoed so I had to keep it under my hat. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you – for one thing, hats don’t suit me. Also, I have a very small head.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan - not ideal under headgear
This just in from Mark Reynier’s Bruichladdich blog:
New Octomore - same bottle, new box
Apparently this year’s release was peated to 140ppm before distillation. Yikes!
Octomore bottling line
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.
TAGS: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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Tim's belly trying to escape out the bottom of his shirt
Jeepers, these tastings just keep getting earlier and earlier! The alarm goes off at 7.30 and we’re blearily making tea and filling bowls of sugar puffs before leaving at 8.45 to our first tasting at Bowmore.
Last year’s festival bottling wasn’t our favourite by a long way so we were hoping for something a little bit more exciting this year. The tasting was a run through the distillery’s differing styles of whisky and use of cask- 3 different types of maturation examples; Bourbon, Sherry and Limousin oak, used predominantly for Bordeaux.
Day 5 –there’s no way a Chinchilla can play drums like that….
It was a beautiful day for a change
After shaking the bed out to check for any errant sand fleas that might have escaped the heel of a brogue the night before, our team assembled around the breakfast table for scotch pancakes and Sugarpuffs.
Darrell, looking particularly tired, remarked that room-mate Tim’s snoring was akin to a cornered Rottweiller, or, to be slightly more specific, a suffocating wild boar. As expressions of wonder and condolence were wished to the long-suffering Mrs F, an abashed Tim announced his intention to sleep in self-imposed exile on the sofa for the rest of the festival.
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Shame about the weather
The 6.30 wake up call resonated through our ears like plates being dropped in a restaurant; initial shock followed by reluctant applause. But you get on with enjoying your lot and pay your bill at the end. And a reasonable bill it seemed as we made our way up the A83 to Kennacraig for the 9.45 ferry to Port Ellen.
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