A few new releases this week, and some news from Talisker.
New Expression from Kilchoman – Loch Gorm
Islay’s independent farm distillery, Kilchoman, has added a new range to its award winning Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky collection, Loch Gorm.Named after the famously peaty loch near the distillery, the Loch Gorm range will be the only sherry cask-matured release from Kilchoman. Only 10,000 bottles of the inaugural five year-old bottling will be available worldwide and is expected to sell quickly. Aged in Oloroso sherry butts and finished in Oloroso sherry hogshead casks for six weeks, Loch Gorm adds a new dimension to Kilchoman’s portfolio, bringing depth of colour and fresh character to the Islay Single Malt.
Anthony Wills, Managing Director of Kilchoman, said: “Over the years we have released a limited number of sherry-matured Kilchoman bottlings, all of which proved very popular with our customers. Loch Gorm shows wonderful balance between the peat smoke and spicy rich flavours, typical of sherry cask maturation.”As with the two other ranges in Kilchoman’s portfolio, Machir Bay and 100% Islay, a new bottling of Loch Gorm will be periodically released as the whisky matures, with each bottling differentiated by distillation and bottling years printed on the label.
Founded in 2005, Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and the first distillery to be built on Islay for 125 years. A working farm distillery, it is one of only a handful of distilleries still practicing floor malting. Kilchoman also grows its own barley, and completes all parts of the production process, from barley to bottling on the island.
Loch Gorm is bottled at 46% ABV (70cl) and is now available from specialist drinks and whisky stores, priced at RRP of £56.
Laphroaoig releases a new Duty Free (and UK) expression : QA
After the very successful Triple wood, and PX cask releases, Laphroaig is releasing a brand new expression only for travel retail by the name of QA. Don’t worry, QA doesn’t stand for Quality assurance here, but rather to Quercus Alba, the Latin name for American oak. This new expression has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon cask and un-charred American oak barrels, which are then married together to produce a harmonic spirit. The QA will sell for £47. So next time you’re flying keep an eye for this one, should be a nice one.
Talisker opens a revamped visitor centre
THE world-famous Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye has opened its doors to its spectacular new visitor centre following a £1million redevelopment.
Distillery manager Mark Lochhead officially opened the new centre in time for the Easter tourist season following a major revamp and expansion of the distillery’s visitor facilities.
Talisker is the only distillery on Skye and is a leading tourist attraction on the island, welcoming almost 60,000 visitors last year. The major investment has significantly extended the visitor centre and dramatically enhanced the offering for visitors to the iconic distillery.
Mark Lochhead said:
“We are absolutely delighted with the investment we have made here at Talisker and with the new facilities we have created. Talisker is going from strength to strength as a brand and the distillery is growing in popularity with people coming from all over the world to visit the home of our iconic single malt.
“The new visitor centre gives us a wonderful stage to tell the story of Talisker with its rich history and heritage and also to give our visitors a really high quality experience which matches the unique whisky we make here.
“We are also delighted for the local economy here on Skye. This investment has seen a significant number of contractors staying in the area benefiting local businesses and the increasing tourism will also have a great knock-on effect for local businesses.”
The investment has seen the creation of a new welcome area for visitors and a spectacular enhanced viewing gallery in one of the distillery warehouses. New tasting rooms have also been created in which visitors can savour Talisker™ single malt Scotch whisky in surroundings which reflect the heritage and provenance of the whisky.
Have a good weekend!
G