Whisky Newsflash , Feb 19th

Quite a bit of whisky news for this weekend so let’s start:

The Dalmore Releases Castle Leod Whisky

The Dalmore has released a limited edition whisky called Castle Leod, named after the spiritual home of the Mackenzie clan, to raise much needed funds to help return the Scottish castle to its former glory.
The move follows the successful launch last year of the brand’s Mackenzie expression, which saw 3,000 bottles sell out in less than nine months across the world, raising more than £20,000 towards castle restoration and other clan projects.
This time there will be 5,000 bottles of Dalmore Castle Leod produced with an RSP of £100, and according to Richard Paterson, the creator of this new release, this one will sell even faster than the Mackenzie whisky.

The Dalmore has a long association with the Mackenzie clan. Not only did the family once own the Highland distillery, their clan symbol – the royal stag – sits on each and every bottle of the Dalmore in a tribute to its regal heritage and aristocratic pedigree.  In 1263, a member of the clan saved King Alexander III of Scotland from a charging stag and was subsequently granted the honour of using the 12-point royal stag as their crest. That in turn has been adopted by The Dalmore, along with the clan’s motto I Shine, Not Burn.

Castle Leod is nestled in the Scottish highlands just 14 miles from the Dalmore distillery.  Built in 1606, it is still one of the few castles in Scotland that was built and occupied by direct descendents of the original family owners.

Our favorite master blender “The nose” Richard Paterson who created this whisky talks:

“Castle Leod is an exceptional single malt. It’s the first time we have released a whisky matured in barriques from one of the most revered and iconic Bordeaux houses in France.

“Having spent its initial maturation in American white oak and Spanish sherry wood, this whisky still retains The Dalmore’s ‘house style’ of orange marmalade, vanilla and spice. But its final 18 months in Bordeaux adds an extra level of pure luxury, as well as a sensual finish of kiwi, sweet pear and sweet mango.”

Master of malt to release a  Malt Liquor

Master of Malt have created a whisky liqueur for single malt Scotch whisky drinkers.
Master of Malt’s Whisky liqueur is made exclusively with all-sherry matured, 10 year old single malt whisky from a very famous Speyside distillery. It is flavoured with many Christmassy spices including cinnamon and cloves, and two kinds of orange peel. The result is a rich and complex liqueur aimed at the discerning single malt whisky connoisseur.
Master of Malt’s Sales Director, Ben Ellefsen, described the thinking behind the new venture: "We wanted to go against the grain and say "here’s a liqueur that a whisky connoisseur can enjoy". Our new liqueur is made with all natural ingredients, based around an absolutely superb 10 year old Speyside single malt whisky, which was matured solely in sherry casks. The flavours we added were chosen to complement the Scotch, and bring it to a new level – this is in contrast to many of the mass-marketed liqueurs which use huge levels of sweetness and flavourings to hide the lack of complexity in the (often cheap, young, grain) whiskies they are based on."
"Our new whisky liqueur is delicious neat or in a Rusty Nail cocktail, but we heartily recommend you have it in an ice-filled tumbler, garnished with a freshly cut strip of orange zest…"

the liqour is already on sale on the MoM site

Tasting notes coming Soon…. (for both new releases)

Have a great weekend.

Slainte!

Gal.