Oh wow, Those last few days were noisy on the Whisky news front. Distilleries and bottlers announced new whisky bottling – from super-expensive and top-range Dalmore collection (Named after their master blender Richard Paterson) to new single cask bottlings by Wemyss, BenRiach.

Harrods and The Dalmore Create World’s Rarest Whisky Collection

The world’s leading luxury retailer has teamed up with one the world’s finest malt whisky brands to create a truly unique collection of rare whiskies.

The Dalmore Paterson Collection – the only one of its kind in the world – goes on sale and will take pride of place in the newly refurbished Fine Spirits Room at Harrods from 16 July 2013 for £987,500.

Consisting of twelve bottles, each rare expression has been individually assessed, nosed, tasted and selected by Richard Paterson, master distiller of The Dalmore, from some of the rarest, oldest and most valuable stock in the world. But he was not alone in this enviable task as Nick Fleming, wine and spirits buyer for Harrods, used his unrivalled expertise to help choose the whiskies.

Wemyss Malts Single Cask Releases July 2013

Of the 6 casks released this month, 2 of them were distilled in 1991 – the year which saw the dissolution of the USSR, the first website go on line, Dublin become European Capital of Culture, and Silence of the Lambs win Best Picture in the Academy Awards.

Each cask is a celebration of the unique and contrasting appeals of the different Scotch whisky regions. Wemyss whiskies are each identified by their natural taste and aroma and the full cask list of this release comprises:

“Apple Pastry” – 1991 single cask from Linkwood, Speyside
“Salted Caramels” – 1991 single cask from Glen Scotia, Campbeltown
“The Smokery” – 1980 single cask from Caol Ila, Islay
“Maritime Embrace” – 1989 single cask from Bunnahabhain, Islay
“Melon Cocktail” – 1994 single cask from Aberfeldy, Highlands
“Spiced Chocolate Cup” – 1997 single cask from Clynelish, Highlands

BenRiach Releases Latest Batch of Single Cask Whiskies

The award-winning BenRiach Distillery has today, 17th of July, released Batch 10 of its eagerly-anticipated single cask bottlings. Selected by Master Blender Billy Walker, the superlative twelve-expression batch from the Elgin distillery was bottled last month and all bottlings are available as of today.

Batch 10 comprises sublime Speyside vintages ranging from 1976 to 2005. Cask types vary from Moscatel and Virgin American Oak Hogsheads to Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheons and Barrels.

As always, they offer a mouth-watering range of classic BenRiach malt charm – zesty tropical fruits, dark roasted coffee beans, soft vanilla, banana, toffee, cinnamon…and even campfire-roasted apples with a touch of black pepper! Unusually for BenRiach, one expression – the 1998 cask # 7633 – has been triple-distilled. The taste is sensational – lively crisp pineapple explodes and gradually softens into creamy toffee.

And also included in the new batch is an intriguing young 8 year old, an amazing 2005 cask # 3782 which is rich gold and, on the nose, bursts with sweet heather smoke, ripe soft fruits and a touch of citrus zest – ideal for summer drinking.

The cask details are:

1976 cask # 2013 / 37 years old / Classic Speyside / 49.6%vol
1977 cask # 1031 / 36 years old / Moscatel Finish / 54.9%vol
1978 cask # 1047 / 35 years old / Moscatel Finish / 51.1%vol
1983 cask # 296 / 30 years old / Classic Speyside / 43.9%vol
1984 cask # 1051/ 28 years old / Peated / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish / 49.9%vol
1985 cask # 7188 / 27 years old / Peated / Virgin American Oak Finish / 48.9%vol
1988 cask # 4000 / 24 years old / Tawny Port Finish / 52.6%vol
1992 cask # 986 / 21 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish / 53.3%vol
1994 cask # 4385 / 18 years old / Virgin American Oak Finish / 55.5%vol
1996 cask # 10306 / 17 years old / Marsala Finish / 56.0%vol
1998 cask # 7633 / 15 years old / Triple Distilled / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish / 56.1%vol
2005 cask # 3782 / 8 years old / Peated / Virgin American Oak Finish / 58.1%vol