Bowmore Single Malt Whisky launches Tempest V
Bowmore, Islay’s first single malt whisky, is proud to announce the highly anticipated launch of Tempest V, the fifth in the award winning Tempest series. Non-chill-filtered and aged for a decade in first fill bourbon casks,Tempest V is a true product of its environment with the salty ocean breeze and signature dark Islay peat detectable in every mouthful.
As with each release in the Tempest series, Tempest V carries the hallmark style with subtle nuances of mandarin, tangy lime and cassis whilst establishing its own personality, setting it apart from its predecessors, presenting a fuller, richer and sweeter 1st fill bourbon character.
Master Blender Rachel Barrie describes the fifth release , “Bowmore matured in the very highest quality of 1st fill ex bourbon cask maturation revealing harmonious and enveloping layers of honeycomb, rich bourbon vanilla and ripening fruits carried on an ocean breeze. Tempest V’s highly complex layers of silky smooth vanilla and luscious fruit-infused peatiness transport you to the elemental beauty of Islay. “
Tempest V is available from April 2014.
TASTING NOTES:
On the eye, deep gold
Breathe in succulent white peaches, nectarines and juicy cassis carried on an ocean breeze with the clarity of fresh lime. Oaky caramel-rich bourbon vanilla brings warmth gently spiced by cloves and star anise.
Sip a wave of vanilla bringing juicy bursts of mandarin, tangy lime, and cassis. Sugared almond and salted honeycomb meld with candied fruit and sea-salt.
Savour rippling layers of nectarineand bourbon vanilla on a salty ocean breeze.
Add a splash of water and Tempest explodes with flavour releasing tangy seaweed tempered by sweet vanilla ice cream and sugared almonds.
The latest Bowmore Tempest release follows previous award-winning Tempest batches, which include Tempest 2, which won Best Islay Single Malt 2011 at the World Whisky Awards and Tempest 1 which was awarded Gold at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2010.
RRP: £46.99
these where official tasting notes, expect some of mine later next week.
OLD PULTENEY CELEBRATES THE HOMECOMING OF ITS CLIPPER YACHT WITH A COMMEMORATIVE BOTTLING
This week Old Pulteney – The Maritime Malt – celebrates the completion of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2014 by the crew of brave men and women on board a yacht named after the iconic Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The race started eleven months ago and saw the Old Pulteney rose of winds carried proudly to France, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, China, United States of America, Panama, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands and back to the starting point in London, UK. The brand’s involvement in this classic feat of sea adventuring is a natural continuation of the long and rich maritime heritage of the town of Wick on the Caithness Coast in the Northern Highlands of Scotland, where Pulteney Distillery was built in 1826 and where it produces its multi-award-winning Scotch whisky until this day.
The staff and management at Pulteney Distillery took the opportunity to thank all the crew members and the Skipper Partick van der Zijden for their tremendous effort and for representing Old Pulteney all around the world this past year. The Old Pulteney crew have shown rare determination and courage and successfully completed the race despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Margaret Mary Clarke, the Old Pulteney Global Brand Manager, said:
“As a whisky built on its maritime history and connections, it has been an enormous thrill to be part of the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Race and to have witnessed the ‘Old Pulteney’ speed from port to port over the past year.”
Old Pulteney Clipper Commemorative Bottling
To mark the occasion Old Pulteney will release a special commemorative bottling of its whisky. Old Pulteney Clipper will be made available in July 2014 at select retailers world-wide. The limited release will feature a Clipper Round the World Yacht Race -themed packaging and the whisky itself will be a classic expression of Old Pulteney, matured in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The whisky will be presented at its natural colour, non chill-filtered and at a premium strength of 46% ABV. Only 2,700 cases of this rare bottling will ever be released and the recommended retail price in the UK is £50.
The appearance of the whisky is that of polished gold. On the nose the sweetness of dried fruits and crispiness of green apples is accompanied by notes of fresh vanilla and white chocolate. On the palate waves of honey and orange zest, a rounded oaky structure and an unmistakable coastal note set this fresh and elegant Old Pulteney apart. The finish is smooth and long-lasting.
The Kininvie 23 Years Old Batch Number Two Launched by William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons is launching the highly anticipated second release from the Kininvie Distillery – Kininvie 23 Years Old Batch Number Two. This scarce single malt, is only the second house release to be released by the distillery which was opened in July 1990 by Janet Sheed Roberts, granddaughter of William Grant. In the intervening 23 years, production has focused solely on blending so no products were released under the Kininvie name until 2013 when Batch Number One launched exclusively in Taiwan.
Kininvie® is a premium 23 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and it marks a significant milestone in William Grant & Sons’ history. It is the first new Speyside single malt created by the family since The Balvenie. It has a classic Speyside character with a rich, fruity, floral aroma and an ABV of 42.6%.
Every bottle will display the year of distillation, batch number and individual bottle number. The beautiful, discreet and minimalist packaging and bottle have been inspired by Master Blender Brian Kinsman’s painstaking efforts to produce a liquid of incredible quality. The Kininvie is the result of carefully maturing and marrying the product in hogsheads and sherry butts over nearly a quarter of a century.
Craig Cranmer, the Kininvie’s distillery manager, commented: “At William Grant & Sons we believe the quality of our product is paramount. Being family owned we also enjoy the luxury of patience. Now into its third decade, the liquid has come of age and we believe The Kininvie is ready for release.
With remarkable foresight, the William Grant family forecast in the late 1980s that the global demand for Scotch whisky would continue to grow and took the then highly unusual step of building a new distillery to provide another malt for the blended market. Since then, the Kininvie Distillery has produced consistently high quality whisky and the time has now come for it to release its first ever single malt under the Kininvie name to the world.
Pricing : · 35cl bottle with 42.6% ABV – · RRP £97
GLENMORANGIE LAUNCH THEIR MOST EXCLUSIVE WHISKY TO DATE
Glenmorangie has revealed its finest – and rarest – whisky creation to date, Pride 1978, which has enjoyed the longest extra-maturation period of any single malt produced by the distiller in its 171-year history.
Following on from the success of 2011’s Pride 1981 – a sell-out collector’s item – the new 34 year-old addition, unveiled at an exclusive launch at New York’s Academy Mansion, started as a 19 year-old whisky before being extra-matured for 15 years in casks which had previously contained an exquisite French claret wine.
Dr Bill Lumsden, director of distilling and whisky creation and the only man to have won leading US magazine Whisky Advocate’s “Industry Leader of the Year” Award three times, believes this exceptional Glenmorangie is his greatest whisky creation yet.
Only 700 bottles will be made available worldwide, since only five casks of this rare liquid were laid down – making Pride 1978 extremely rare.
Dr Lumsden said: “The whisky’s birth date, as its name implies, was 1978. This is when the original liquid was distilled for maturation in Glenmorangie’s finest oak casks, transforming the spirit into a vintage 19 year-old. After this, it benefited from a further 15 years of maturation in only five precious casks.
“The resulting whisky is a luxurious burnished copper colour with rich, decadent and delicious scents of chestnut, toffee and cherries. I believe this is my finest expression yet, one that will be savoured by enthusiasts across the globe.”
To mark the release of Glenmorangie’s rarest single malt to date, internationally acclaimed artist Idris Khan has created a unique piece of artwork to accompany the whisky, titled ‘Disappearing Casks’.
He said: “I am absolutely delighted to work with Glenmorangie. When visiting their distillery in Tain I was immediately mesmerised. The vision of the casks has stayed with me and provided inspiration for my work, ‘Disappearing Casks’. I was born the same year the casks were laid down and it feels very fitting that I am helping to tell the story.”
Khan shares Dr Lumsden and the Glenmorangie brand’s pioneering spirit and devotion to craft. Dr Lumsden commented: “The opportunity to work with Idris Khan on Pride 1978 was an exciting one. Like Idris, we are always looking to push boundaries and innovate. Pride 1978 is the pinnacle of those efforts.”
The artwork features an artistic impression of the distinctive whisky barrels at Glenmorangie’s distillery in Tain where the maturation of the liquid takes place.
Bottled in 2012, only 700 decanters of Glenmorangie Pride 1978 will be available at a RSP of £3,400 from July 2014 at independent retailers, department stores and online. Each bottle isaccompanied by Idris Khan’s signed, limited-edition print.
BALLANTINE’S ANNOUNCES THE WINNER OF THE BAR PROJECT
“L’Epicerie”, a grocery-themed bar designed by Moroccan-born Abderrahim El Afsar, will be brought to life by Ballantine’s in the heart of Paris this autumn
Ballantine’s, the world’s No 2 Scotch whisky, today announced the winner of The Bar Project; an innovative and entrepreneurial challenge that took place in France earlier this year, offering consumers the unique opportunity to devise a concept for their own dream bar. The Bar Project by Ballantine’s saw more than 100 bar concepts submitted – via Facebook – by the French public. A jury including Simon Baldeyrou, CEO of Deezer in France and Laura Leonard, a renowned interior designer, selected their top three entries, which were then put to the public vote, with “L’Epicerie” achieving almost 50% of the overall votes cast.
The winner of the challenge, as voted for by the public, is Abderrahim El Afsar – more commonly known as “Abdou” – whose Moroccan-inspired, grocery-themed bar concept will now be brought to life by Ballantine’s this September, within famous Parisian club “Le Chacha”.
Abdou’s unique cocktail bar concept “L’Epicerie” enables the customer to select their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, with these ingredients then forming the base of their own sophisticated and delicious cocktail. Infused with plants, spice jars, fruit baskets and bouquets of fresh herbs, “L’Epicerie” evokes the sense of a Moroccan ‘night food market’. Customers will be able to browse the bar’s inviting shelves, filling their shopping basket with the finest ingredients of their choice. The experienced mixologists behind the bar will then create an innovative whisky cocktail with these ingredients, selecting the most appropriate expression from the Ballantine’s range to match, which customers will be able to drink around the large host table that forms the centrepiece of the bar.
Abdou El Asfari, the winning designer of this impressive concept, was born in Morocco and went on to become Head Bartender at several well-known bars in the country. He moved to France in 2013 to continue to practise his passion in luxury hotels and at private parties, always staying true to his Moroccan roots and taking inspiration from the country’s opulent spices, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Abdou commented: “I have always dreamed of creating my own bar and, thanks to The Bar Project by Ballantine’s, it’s finally come true. I have learned so much through the whole experience, and I can’t wait until the grand opening of my bar this September!”
Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s, added: “The Bar Project has been a hugely successful pilot initiative for Ballantine’s in France, and we were pleased to see such high quality entries from across the country. L’Epicerie is a hugely innovative concept and one that reflects Abdou’s own Moroccan heritage and back-story. We hope to now see some of our other Ballantine’s markets continuing the success of the campaign and launching The Bar Project in their own country, giving our customers around the world the chance to participate.”
“L’Epicerie” will open its doors to the public on the 4th September 2014, on the first floor of Le Chacha, situated in Paris’s first district.