Well, this week was REAL flowing with news. 2nd post this week with more great whiskies announced. Slainte!
SPECIALITY DRINKS LTD RELEASE GLENFARCLAS 1953 TO COMMEMORATE THE QUEEN’S CORONATION
Speciality Drinks Ltd will launch their latest bottling today. A very special crystal decanter filled with a single cask 1953 vintage Glenfarclas Single Malt Whisky, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6th February 1952, and was proclaimed Queen shortly thereafter. As tradition dictated that an appropriate period of mourning should be observed for the preceding sovereign, the coronation was held more than a year later on 2nd June 1953.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of this historic occasion, we are proud to introduce The Coronation Decanter. With just 60 specially commissioned crystal decanters being released, this is an exceptional, exclusive bottling that reflects the importance of The Queen’s Coronation.
The outstanding whisky has been matured in a single sherry butt at the distillery in Ballindalloch for almost six full decades and has been bottled at its natural strength. Only the natural elements of air, wood and time have influenced the development of its magnificent flavour profile.
Connoisseurs of fine whisky will recognise the rarity of any single malt reaching such a great age; for the whisky to still be in such amazing condition is little short of miraculous. This remarkable sherry cask has yielded a whisky of unsurpassed quality, with an exquisitely refined array of rich and complex flavours.
Tasting notes:
Nose – At first concentrated dark fruit, macadamia nuts and orange liqueur. Baked apples and raisins develop in the glass for a more subtle style of whisky, while shiitake mushrooms, autumn leaves and sandalwood add a wonderful savoury aspect. Spiced cake and dried fruit provide a balancing sweetness.
Palate – An initial launch into clove studded oranges and mulled wine, with fragrant arabica coffee, dark chocolate and umami. The flavours then lighten and lead towards an explosion of fruit – ripe mango and guava are balanced by grapefruit and juicy mandarin. Behind this, gentle honey sweetness and barley sugar combine with ground nutmeg and cinnamon to give a complex and rounded body. Given time, tarragon and cedar wood compliment leafy mint and cooked blackberries.
Finish – Soft orchard fruit and bread pudding linger on the palate, with touches of hazelnut, fresh mint and citrus juice leaving you ready for another sip.
Sukhinder Singh, Director of Speciality Drinks, says: “We are delighted to launch The Coronation Decanter to celebrate The Queen’s 60th regal anniversary. This whisky really is exceptional, it reminds me of a citrus, spiced Christmas pudding. The depth and range of flavour in this whisky really is extremely rare for its age and has only been achieved on few occasions. We have presented it in a beautiful crystal decanter that we had specially crafted solely for this one-off release. As there are only 60 bottles being produced, this is not only a fantastic investment opportunity for the avid collectors and enthusiasts but more importantly, it is a Single Malt the connoisseurs from around the world will truly appreciate.”
The Coronation Decanter is available to buy exclusively from The Whisky Exchange (www.thewhiskyexchange.com) with an RRP of £6000. It is not unjust to say that this is extraordinary value for a Single Malt of such a great age.
Auchentoshan Launches Silveroak 1990 Exclusively for Travel Retail
Auchentoshan, Scotland’s only triple distilled Single Malt Scotch Whisky, will add to its travel retail range with a new limited edition release of the Auchentoshan Silveroak 1990. Following on from the success of the first batch of Silveroak, this limited second release of the 1990 vintage has been matured for an additional year making it 22-years-old. Therefore the second release of the Auchentoshan Silveroak expression demonstrates the increase in complexity associated with longer maturation.
Established in 1823, Auchentoshan triple distils every drop meaning the spirit produced reaches 81.5% ABV, significantly higher than most distilleries in Scotland. The lightness of the liquid enables it to absorb every characteristic it is exposed to in the cask. It is this smooth distillate paired with the carefully selected oak casks that gives Auchentoshan an unmistakably light and fruity flavour. The Auchentoshan Silveroak is no exception to this rule.
Auchentoshan Master Blender Rachel Barrie says “Having spent an additional year maturing in fine North American bourbon and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks, the 2013 bottling of Auchentoshan Silveroak reveals additional complexity which lifts the taste with silky oak, mint and almonds.”
Boasting the same classically modern livery as its peers in the Auchentoshan Travel Retail range, the new Silveroak 1990 carton is masculine yet elegant. As with the liquid inside, the oak casks are the stars of the show on the pack. The North American bourbon and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks are pictured on three sides of the carton, reflecting how the flavours from the sweet bourbon oak perfectly compliment that of the rich Oloroso sherry.
Official Tasting notes:
To the eye: Rich golden.
To the nose: Honeysuckle and jasmine with traces of baked banana, spearmint and silky oak.
To the palate: Elegant and refined with apricot filo pastry, icing sugar and liquorice.
The finish: Creamy cappuccino, cooling mint and sugared almonds.
There will be 300 8.4ltr cases of Auchentoshan Silveroak 1990 available globally in a range of international airports priced at £90.00 with an ABV of 50.9%.
For more information visit www.auchentoshan.co.uk
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2013 Announced
Buffalo Trace Distillery earned a gold medal at the last year’s International Wine and Spirits Competition for its 2012 Antique Collection. Late this month, whiskey aficionados will be able to sample its latest candidate when the Frankfort, KY, distiller releases its latest collection.
The Antique Collection was introduced more than a decade ago and has become a favorite among whiskey collectors. The 2013 whiskeys will be available in limited quantities starting in late September or early October at a suggested retail price of $70 each. Once again, the collection features five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs. They are:
Eagle Rare 17 Year Old
The 2013 edition of this bourbon was distilled in the spring of 1993 and has been aging since then 19-year-old white American oak barrels.
George T. Stagg
The 2012 release of this perennial favorite was named the “World’s Best North American Whiskey” at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards. This year’s release of uncut, unfiltered bourbon was distilled in the spring of 1997. It is 128.2 proof (64.1% abv), not as strong as some years. It has been stored on lower floors of the aging warehouse, which means cooler temperatures there kept the proof down slightly.
Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old
Last year’s release was awarded a 95 rating and Liquid Gold Award in Jim Murray’s 2013 Whisky Bible. This 2013 rye whiskey release is considered dry and mellow.
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye
This is an uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey. The 2012 edition was named “World Whisky of the Year” in Jim Murray’s 2013 Whisky Bible. This year’s Handy was distilled in the spring of 2007, and comes in at 128.4 proof (64.2% abv).
William Larue Weller
This is the collection’s uncut, unfiltered, wheated recipe bourbon. The previous edition was named the “Second Finest Whisky in the World” in Jim Murray’s 2013 Whisky Bible. The 2013 offering was distilled in the spring of 2001 and registers at 136.2 proof (68.1% abv).
Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company with a tradition that dates to 1786 and includes such distilling legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.
Nose: Dried fruit, mostly sweet with a bit sour fruits thrown in, quite fresh and light, bright cherries, strawberry, low-key oak spice after all that time, cinnamon, more sour fruitiness (with tropic bearing), a very pleasant nose. Continue reading 
Nose: At first it smells young relatively to its age with strong malt, barley and vanilla notes. Then we some sherry notes joins the party in the form of a sweet dried fruit topping . After a few minutes the dried fruit gets stronger and are joined by mellow cinnamon, nutmeg, red currants and milk chocolate. With water: more vanilla and malt, milk chocolate, some ‘straight’ fruitiness with almost no dried fruit. 
Nose: Starts spicy with lots of ginger and honey. hints of peat and smoke. It’s a bit chewy and resinous and I feel dryness below the surface with dry, dark yet sweet honey and limestone/minerals. Slowly it gets fruity with red apples, pears, mild apricots and peaches and after a lot of time in the glass, red berries and a bit of chocolate. Further on: candied oranges. 
Nose: Old, dusty, sweet apples galore with a dash of lemon, honey – very sweet nose but also very flat and not complex. Might be an inactive cask? 
Nose: Fresh and young nose but not too young as there’s no evident new make notes. It’s sherried to the max and very sugary sweet but not overly so. Strawberry, cinnamon and there’s some bitterness that hides below all that sweet sherry.
Nose: Kicking, fresh and spirity with lots of fields and hey notes, vanilla, coconut and green fruits. Adding few drops of water reveals some lemony syrup, peels of citrus while turning it even more more spirity.
Nose: Fruity and floral, elder flowers, vanilla, dried banana slices.
Whisky Gospel 