Gordon & MacPhail Discovery Range Tweet Tasting

Continuing our teeming throng of industry leading Tweet Tastings, we’re absolutely thrilled to announce that on June 13th, we’ll be teaming up again with our very good friends at Gordon & MacPhail, to help celebrate the launch of their dramspankingly new ‘Discovery’ range, of single malt Scotch whiskies.

The first expressions to be released within the new ‘Discovery’ range, are bottlings from the Balblair, Tormore, Miltonduff and Caol Ila distilleries, which were matured in Gordon & MacPhail’s own hand-selected casks.

This latest range of whiskies from the leading whisky specialist, have been grouped and colour-coded under three flavour profiles; ‘Smoky, ‘Sherry’ and ‘Bourbon’, and are designed to help whisky drinkers to begin an exploratory journey through the Gordon & MacPhail portfolio.

Full details to follow, but if you fancy being one of the first to pour and explore their way through some of the bottlings in the new ‘Discovery’ range from Gordon & MacPhial, click here to register your details by emailing your name, address and Twitter handle, remembering to mark the subject line: #GordonAndMacPhail

The closing date to register is June 1st, and if you are registering please make sure that you will actually be free on the evening of June 13th to take part!!!

Even if you're not one of the selected Tweet Tasters, it'd be great to have you following all the evening’s dramfotainment. So we look forward to seeing you over on Twitter on June 13th at 19:00 BST via #GordonAndMacPhail

Registration open to over 21's only!

 

For more info on Gordon & MacPhail, visit: gordonandmacphail.com

 

@TheWhiskyWire

@gordon_macphail

 

Be part of the dramfotainment!

The Singleton Malt Master's Selection Competition

To help celebrate the launch of the latest new expression from ‘The Singleton’ we've teamed up with the brand to give one of our followers the chance of winning a bottle of their dramspankingly new Malt Master’s Selection.

The Singleton Malt Master’s Selection, is said to offer a more delicate, slightly sweeter take on the classic Speyside style used in the Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old, with a greater proportion of refill wood allowing its sweet, yet refined distillery character to shine through.

To be in with a chance of winning a bottle of the new Singleton Malt Master’s Selection, Click Here and email us your contact details along with the phrase that dramming pays:

“I’d love to sip and savour the

dramspankingly new single malt

from The Singleton”

 

*Remember to mark the subject line of your email with: The Singleton MMS

If you’re on Twitter you can also follow us and RT one of our related comp tweets for another chance to win!

#TheSingletonMMS

@SingletonWhisky

@TheWhiskyWire

The Singleton Malt Master’s Selection, which is bottled at 40% ABV, will be available later this month from specialist retailers, for a RRP of £30.00.

For more information on The Singleton, visit: thesingleton.com

 

Competition closes at 23:59 on May 31st 2018. You have to be aged 21 years or over to enter.

Always Drink Responsibly!

Jameson Bow Street 18 Year Old Cask Strength

Without doubt, one of the most, if not ‘the most’ exciting and progressive categories in the whisk(e)y world over the last seven years, and indeed the one that is now experiencing the most growth, is that of all things Irish! In fact back in 2011, when we reviewed the then newly released Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength (our whisk(e)y of the year) and a number of other releases, including some stunners from the Cooley Distillery, we confidently predicted that it was the start of an Irish Whiskey Renaissance - and how right we were!

Moving forward to 2018, there’s now an ever-growing, great gaggle of new kids on the Irish whiskey distillery block, who are driving the category further forward. But those big established heritage brands, have well and truly kicked away any lingering cobwebs of complacency and are now giving the newbies a good run for their money, with regards to innovation and the targeting of a new younger generation of whisk(e)y consumer.

On the big heritage brand front, Irish Distillers are without doubt leading the way. Not only are they doing some truly exciting and innovative things at the Midleton distillery, including last year’s launch of their new Method and Madness range, but they’ve also managed to evolve and grow the most iconic of all Irish whiskey brands, Jameson!

Still and for very good reason, Jameson is the world’s best-selling Irish whiskey by a mile. After a busy couple of years, restructuring their portfolio, redeveloping their brand home in Dublin and doing some sterling work in making the whisk(e)y category as a whole more millennial friendly, they’ve just announced the launch of something special; an 18 Year Old Cask Strength expression, which we’ve recently had the pleasure of pouring and exploring.

The nose: Kicks off with an affluently alluring, richly rewarding, wondrous wave of teasing toffee, vivacious vanilla and seductive spice. Then it continues to seduce the senses with aromas of warm strawberry jam tarts, Jamaica ginger cake, dark chocolate covered coffee beans, smoked walnuts and oodles of opulent oak.

Sherry soaked sultanas, slightly overripened mango and slices of bread pudding and treacle tart make for the next set of nasal niceties, along with an infusion of sun bleached leather, grounds of white pepper, damp grass and a freshly polished oak table.

The palate: Kicks off with a tenacious taste of toffee, salted caramel and an abundance of wood and baking spices. Followed by a confident kiss of toasted oak, bourbon soaked cherries, sugared almonds, clove infused honey and another slice of that bread pudding.

Sheets of ready rolled cake icing, grilled peaches, dried apricots, mixed candied peel and wood varnish fumes (in the best possible way) make for the next plethora of palatable pleasures, before you're then left with a sassily sweet and spiced finish, which is fabulously full and feisty.

Having always been a huge fan of the Jameson range, and indeed a fan of their standard (though there’s nothing standard about it) 18 Year Old bottling, I have to say that this is one epic, cranked up to 11, cask strength cracker!

Could this be our dram of the year? We’ll nearly 6 months into 2018, it’s certainly lining itself up to be our dram of the half year!

Whisky Insiders Interview No.88 - Iain Robertson

Company:
R & B Distillers

Job:
Head Distiller at Raasay Distillery

Website:
raasaydistillery.com



How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
In July, it will be a year since I graduated and accepted the job at the Raasay Distillery, but I also spent three years working as a tour guide at the Scotch Whisky Experience.
 
What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
It would have to be filling my first cask. It was a great moment, and after four years of university studying distilling, it was well worth the wait.
 
Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
I can’t remember my first exact dram, but one of my first experiences was a comparison session involving a 12 and 15 Year Old Speyside. This was when my interest began.
 
What does whisky mean to you?
First and foremost, it’s my career. I studied to become a distiller and it’s a great feeling knowing that I’m now part of the industry. A big thing about whisky is the social aspect. I’ve spent many nights discussing whisky with friends, old and new, and have lots of great memories (some a bit hazy) of nights sitting and sharing a bottle and having a good time.
 
Where would you like to see yourself in five years time?
Five years’ time can’t come quick enough! By that point, we will have released our first whisky, so I see myself being very busy at the distillery!
 
What was your last dram?
I finished off a bottle of Laphroaig Brodir at a bonfire at the weekend.

Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
Whisky and food matching is a new thing to me. I see people recommending meals to go with whisky, but I prefer it with small nibbles. Cured meats and cheeses are great with whisky. A nice blue cheese with a smoky dram is a good combination.

What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
I normally have a hipflask on me when I’m camping. I really enjoy a dram by the fire at night with good company.

What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
Tough call on this one. So many new distilleries are opening and the older ones are experimenting more, so it’s really hard to tell.

What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
You’re finishing this interview off with the tough ones! All I’ll say is, if peat is still playing its part, I’ll be happy.

Many thanks to Iain Robertson. Who will be our next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!