Again, we have quite a lot of whisky related news this week, with some new releases as well. check those out.
The finest tradition continues with the all new Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old
Following the international success of Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old released
originally in 2007, the multi-award-winning Blended Scotch Whisky brand, has just unveiled a new expression of its most premium offering. Only 1480 bottles of this rare whisky will be
made available over a three year period, starting with 500 released into
select markets and travel retail outlets this year.
The new Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is once again a creation of Stuart Harvey, the Master
Blender for Inver House Distillers, who hand-selected only the finest casks of whisky
maturing in Scotland and combined them artfully. On this occasion very rare Highland malt
whiskies, dating from 1970 and 1967, matured in exquisite Spanish sherry hogsheads and
butts were combined with even rarer Lowland grain whiskies to create a luxurious and full-flavoured Blended Scotch Whisky for the most discerning drinkers. The combination of the
most prestigious Highland malts, exceptional casks, over four decades of flavour
development and Master Blender’s unparalleled skills and experience, makes for a dram
which stands out in its category. Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is sure to impress and
surprise with its robustness, flavour concentration and balance.
Dark copper-gold in appearance, Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old has comforting sweet
vanilla and home-baked cake dough on the nose, with notes of butterscotch, spiced
caramelized bananas, candied apricot and baked apples. On the palate it is incredibly rich
and complex: spicy and peppery with fruity notes of figs, dates and cinnamon and a subtle,
lingering finish of autumn spices with sweet tinges of bitter chocolate and honeycomb
toffee.
Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is bottled at the natural strength of 44.3% ABV, it hasn’t been
chill-filtered and delights with a natural colour.
Exceptional whisky calls for appropriate packaging. Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old is
presented in a bespoke decanter crowned with a bold stopper. Each decanter is encased in
a keepsake box with a stunning engraved metal closure and supplied with a signed and
numbered booklet certifying authenticity.
Lynne Buckley, the Hankey Bannister Brand Manager said:
‘We once again congratulate Stuart Harvey on the great skill he has shown in creating this new Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old blend. It is an exquisite whisky that has surpassed our expectations and is delightful to taste and to look at, thanks to the dedication of our team in creating such striking packaging to reflect the quality and rarity of the whisky inside each limited edition box. We are now looking forward to this year’s allocation of 500 decanters
being released into select markets and to sharing this very special blend with lovers of fine whisky all over the world.’
The recommended retail price for Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old in the UK is £800.
Kilchoman Releases its Oldest Whisky to Date – 2007 Vintage
Islay’s independent farm distillery, Kilchoman, is to release the oldest whisky to date. Only 10,000 bottles of the limited edition 2007 Vintage will be made available worldwide and it is expected to sell quickly.
With a smoky vanilla and caramel nose with cooked lemon and citrus fruits, the 2007 Vintage is smooth in the mouth with hints of butterscotch and soft citrus fruit, complimented by a lasting sweetness that blends with the peaty and fruity finish.
Anthony Wills, managing director of Kilchoman, said: “This is an exciting development and sees us enter a long-awaited period in our history. Although we’re a relatively young distillery our Vintage six-year-old shows a level of maturity normally associated with much older whisky. We predict that this will sell quickly and hope Kilchoman followers share in our excitement in the development of our malt.”
Kilchoman’s portfolio now includes Machir Bay, Loch Gorm and a new edition of 100% Islay which is the only Single Malt in Scotland where every stage of the whisky making process, from the barley grown in the surrounding fields to the malting, distillation, maturation and bottling, takes place at the distillery.
With an ambition to take whisky production back to its traditional roots, Anthony Wills built and founded Kilchoman Distillery in2005 on a farm situated on the rugged west coast of Islay. The first distillery on the island for 124 years, Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland and one of only a handful left that still practise the traditional floor malting method.
The 2007 Vintage bottled at 46% ABV will be available from 7 October from specialist drinks and whisky stores, priced at RRP of £52.99, 70cl. Available from www.kilchomandistillery.com and from specialist whisky shops worldwide.
Industry world-first sees whisky fans name a Glenmorangie single malt – Taghta (Tuh-ta), Gaelic for Chosen
Whisky fans worldwide have, for the first time ever, chosen the name of a new Single Malt. The whisky – which has spent a number of years extra-maturing in exclusive Manzanilla sherry casks – has already been selected by the public when three casks of whisky were put to a vote earlier this year.
Last month it was revealed that Glenmorangie had asked enthusiasts to choose the name of its new Single Malt Whisky. Scotland’s favourite malt whisky producer received thousands of suggestions, which were whittled down to a shortlist of three, translated in to Gaelic by expert Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich, and put to an online vote.
The winner is Taghta (Tuh-ta), Gaelic* for Chosen. Coileanta (Coh-lahn-tah), Gaelic for Mastery came second while Salainn (Sahl-ing), Gaelic for Salt came third. Glenmorangie is keen to maintain links with its Gaelic heritage; many of its whiskies boast Gaelic names while Glenmorangie itself means “Glen of Tranquility”.
Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich is a researcher in the history of the Highlands at the University of Strathclyde. He was formerly a tutor in Celtic and Gaelic at the University of Glasgow and grew up speaking Gaelic as a first language on the Isle of Lewis. Dr MacCoinnich helped Glenmorangie choose the shortlist and translated the names into Gaelic.
He said: “As predicted, it was really difficult to pick out the best three names from the thousands of entries we received from across the world. The public have now chosen their favourite and I’m very pleased with the result. It really is a good ‘choice’ in all senses of the word. ‘Taghta’ is widely used in Gaelic meaning something that is ‘excellent’, ‘choice’ or ‘chosen’ and is used to convey the idea of something that is well done.”
The initiative is part of Glenmorangie’s unique crowdsourcing Cask Masters whisky creation programme which aims to get members of the public involved in the whisky-making process. It was launched on 2 March 2013 and will run for 18 months with the new limited edition Glenmorangie whisky ready for release in the autumn of 2014.
Stage three of the five-step Cask Masters programme begins now; members of the public can upload pictures and ideas to an online gallery to inspire the packaging of the new limited edition Single Malt Whisky.
Cask Masters is being overseen by Glenmorangie’s Dr Bill Lumsden, together with an expert in every field of the five-step process. Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation at the Glenmorangie Company said: “This name truly resonates and I don’t think we could have done any better if we’d chosen it ourselves! Glenmorangie has already taken inspiration from Gaelic for the names of some of its most famous creations and we are delighted that this unique whisky has such an intriguing name.
“Stage three of Cask Masters is now open and it’s going to be very interesting. Have you ever wandered through Duty Free at an airport wondering just how companies come up with the wonderful designs on the packaging? We’re sure the public won’t disappoint: we’re certainly impressed with the results so far.”
NEW CHAPTER WRITTEN FOR THE GLENLIVET AS THE GUARDIANS OF THE GLENLIVET ARE INVITED TO SELECT ITS NEXT SINGLE MALT
The Glenlivet, the original single malt Scotch whisky, is calling on its global community of
consumers, The Guardians of The Glenlivet, to create a piece of history by inviting them to
select its next limited edition release, The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter. Three exciting new single malt whiskies have been created by Master Distiller Alan
Winchester from the distillery’s exceptional cask collection and classified by their taste –
CLASSIC, fruity with soft sweet caramel and toffee notes, EXOTIC rich with warm spicy notes and REVIVAL, fruity with a creamy sweetness*.
The three whiskies will be taken on a worldwide tour and showcased at tasting events
in dozens of countries; Australia, USA, UK, India, South Africa and Japan to name but a
few. Guardians will come together to sample, savour and select the expression they want
to become The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter and share their passions with other kindred
whisky spirits.
A new, content-rich online space has also been created exclusively for Guardians, where
they can cast their vote for which expression becomes Guardians’ Chapter. The site
explores the Classic, Exotic and Revival themes in other areas of cultural appreciation aside
from whisky, such as art, design, style and technology. In addition to tasting notes with
a twist, the hub will include short films, photography and interviews aimed to capture the
imagination of new and existing whisky fans.
Following the final tasting event in December, the Guardians’ votes will be counted and the
winning whisky will be proclaimed “The Guardians’ Chapter”. A limited run of 2000 9 litre
cases will be released globally from February 2014.
Nikki Burgess, Brand Director for The Glenlivet, comments: “Choosing a Scotch whisky is
normally a privilege reserved for a very select handful of experts revered for their knowledge, passion and experience. With The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter, we wanted to recognise and reward the knowledge, passion and experience of our Guardians and invite them to write the next chapter in The Glenlivet’s history. We’re excited to see which whisky our Guardians choose and hope it brings members – new and old – closer together.”