Whisk(e)y
musings, news & notes
May, 2008 vol 1 | Glen Karlovitch
A periodic
collection of select whisky news and our
personal rants. You won’t find any
industry profit/lose nonsense here;
we’ll let other sites cover that
THRILLING subject.
Glengyle - Scotch
Several of us at the Whisky Guild just
completed a cross country tour of
Scotland and managed to fit in seventeen
distilleries, one castle and a little
golf. We came back tired but thrilled by
some of the great experiences we had.
After the first dozen distilleries our
little group thought we could make it an
even twenty but we all agreed that
seventeen distilleries were about our
limit. We started the tour in the
Lowland Region at Glenkinchie which
seemed like a perfect way to start our
country wide odyssey.
Our next stop was in Campbeltown where
we we’re given a private tour by
Springbank legend Frank McHardy. It was
a Sunday so it was just us and Frank
wondering around the many different
buildings that make up the distillery.
One of the highlights of our trip was a
tour of the new Glengyle Distillery
where Springbank is distilling the new
Kilkerran spirit. The distillery was
designed and renovated by Frank and the
Springbank team and is really one of the
nicest and well laid out distilleries we
visited. Glengyle is a stark contract to
Springbank which is very industrial and
ancient. At Glengyle, all the equipment
is on the same floor and in the same
building so no up and down stairs or
separate rooms like most other
distilleries. Glengyle stills were
salvaged from the famed Ben Wyvis
distillery and most of the other
equipment was bought second hand from
various sources. This allowed them to
renovate the distillery for a fairly
modest sum. Glengyle seemed to fit in
perfectly with Springbank’s approach of
individual craftsmanship and limited
production. Production could be
increased dramatically at Springbank
which contrary to almost every other
distillery in Scotland is not a priority
for them. Springbank, Hazelburn, Longrow
and Kilkerran are all produced in very
limited quantities to maintain the
scarcity and quality of the brand. We
finally made it back to William’s office
for a nice afternoon sample of some rare
whiskies, the highlight being Springbank
25 year old and several individual cask
bottlings.
We then visited Islay and Oban before
making it out to Speyside but I’ll leave
that for another blog.
Jim Beam –
Bourbon
Vote Robby!
As the proud sponsor of Robby Gordon,
and the No. 7 Jim Beam Dodge, we?re
standing behind our driver, encouraging
you to vote Robby into the NASCAR
Sprint All-Star Race on May 17 at Lowe?s
Motor Speedway. And you can make
your vote count, too.
The only way Robby can win the final
spot is if he wins the Sprint Fan Vote.
And
that’s where you come in. Vote for Robby
now at NASCAR.com.
You can also text ‘NASCAR’ to 7777 on
your Sprint phone. Each vote placed via
text messaging counts double!*
You can also vote at Sprint retail
locations, and trackside at the Sprint
Experience.
Gordon has been tremendously
appreciative of the support from Jim
Beam and
the fans. “Earlier this year, Jim Beam
and the fans stood behind me with the
‘Rally for Robb’ campaign following the
Daytona 500 penalty,” said Gordon,
“and now they are showing their support
once again. If the Jim Beam Racing team
gets voted in by the fans, it would be
very exciting for both the team and
myself!”
Vote now! And vote often!
www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/vote
Voting
begins April 17 and closes at 7 p.m. ET
May 17, 2008. Race fans may vote
multiple times. This year, votes placed
on Sprint phones will count twice. The
winner will be announced shortly before
the Sprint All-Star Race green flag is
waved.
*Sprint phones only. Standard text
messaging and data rates apply.
-------------------------
As always, we want you to savor the
mellow, smooth taste of Jim
Beam® Bourbon. All we ask is that you
drink smart®.
Jim Beam Brands Co. | 510 Lake Cook Road
| Deerfield, IL 60015-4964
Highland Park –
Scotch
Highland Park 21 year old
If you have had the good fortune to
escape the almost incessant rain in
March, you may have noticed, whilst
killing time at the airport, a new
expression of Highland Park.
Last year we released Highland Park 21
year old and it is exclusive to duty
free. Why so? Well in the complex world
of global distribution, channel
management and other such marketing
department speak, you have to be seen to
offer something different. In duty free
received knowledge is that the traveller
doesn’t want to buy what he – or she
(I’m not making that mistake again) –
can pick up in their local supermarket.
However, with Highland Park we wouldn’t
just bring out a whisky to satisfy the
guys who run the duty free outlets. This
is a cracking dram, right up there with
the Bicentenary bottling which was 21
years old too. Remember that one?
Highland Park 21 year old has, like the
30 year old, a slight emphasis on
American oak in maturation. This results
in notes of toffee, fudge and chocolate,
as well as the balance between smoke and
heather honey sweetness you expect in
Highland Park. It is bottled at 47.5%
abv which, for this particular
expression, delivers maximum flavour.
Dave Broom in Whisky Magazine found it
“spicy with plenty of ginger and nutmeg.
Good length, dry smoke, then heather.
Mellow, yet firm enough to add a layer
of complexity. A drier expression of HP
from the norm and all the more
fascinating for that. Recommended.”
Highland Park 21 Year Old is available
in duty free priced at an RRP of
£60/$99. Buy a bottle to enhance your
holiday experience.
For more information about the Best
Spirit in the World visit
www.highlandpark.co.uk
Gerry
Head of Brand Education, Highland Park
Drams You Need To Try (if you haven’t
already)
Scotland
Macallan 15 Fine Oak: The best of
the Fine Oak range.
American
Evan William
Select Reserve 1996: If you can
still find it the 1996 is the best of
the select reserve series.
Irish
Jameson’s 12 year
old: A real step up over your
standard Jameson’s.
Cocktail of the
Week (PLEASE!!! just don’t use anything
too expensive)
Mint Julep
3 parts Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Fresh mint
1 part simple syrup
1 tbls granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Add a four fresh mint leaves and sugar
to a glass and crush together with a
wooden spoon (use a silver mint julep
cup if you have one). Fill the glass
with shaved ice and add bourbon and
simple syrup. Stir and garnish with mint
and dust with powered sugar.
Link of the
Week
www.laproaig.com
Are
you a friend of Laproaig.
Quote of the
Week
“Giving money and power to government is
like giving whiskey and car keys to
teenage boys.”
P. J. O'Rourke
Remember to always drink responsibly and
like what YOU like & how YOU like it.
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