COOPER KING DISTILLERY LAUNCHES FOUNDING MEMBERS CLUB

Cooper King Distillery, has announced that it is seeking people to join its founding members club, ahead of Yorkshire Day on the 1st of August.

The initiative calls on whisky and gin enthusiasts to become part of the Cooper King family and help make English distilling history. Members will be rewarded with first-release products, rare bottlings, distillery merchandise and a lifetime membership.

Cooper King Distillery Founders; Abbie and Chris Stone

Located in the heart of Yorkshire, Cooper King Distillery is a family-owned micro-distillery built on the site of a stable, featuring a shop and spirit tasting area. Its initial batch of premium single malt whisky, made using Yorkshire barley, is scheduled to go into production in Winter 2017, with a projected release date of 2022.

Made using Yorkshire barley and inspired by Australia’s whisky connoisseur, Bill Lark, Cooper King Distillery will produce a 100-litre cask - 150 bottles - of whisky a month. This contrasts sharply with the vast whisky-manufacturing operations in Scotland, whose 120-plus distilleries average three million litres every year.

Their gin will be produced in micro-batches, each bottle being filled, labelled and individually numbered by hand at the distillery. Cooper King Distillery is the first in Yorkshire to combine innovative cold vacuum distillation with traditional hot copper-pot distillation in a process tailored to suit each individual botanical.

Commenting on the news, Cooper King Distillery Co-Founder, Chris Stone, said: “England’s whisky industry is still in its infancy, with only fifteen craft distilleries across the UK. The demand is growing, and we have the potential to be recognised world-wide as an exceptional whisky-producing region if we focus on flavour, terroir and experimentation. More young people are starting to drink whisky and they want something unique and fresh. Cooper King will be at the forefront of the micro-distilling industry.”

For more information on becoming a Cooper King Distillery, Founders Club member, visit: www.cooperkingdistillery.co.uk/founders-club
Posted by Steve Rush

DALMORE LAUNCHES NEW 40 YEAR OLD LIMITED EDITION SINGLE MALT

The Dalmore Distillery, has today announced the launch of a new limited edition 40 Year Old, single malt Scotch whisky expression.

The Dalmore 40 Year Old (42% ABV) has been maturated in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred into 30 year old Gonzalez Byass Matsualem oloroso sherry butts and then finally finished in first fill bourbon barrels.

The Dalmore 40 Year Old

Overseen by Dalmore’s Master Distiller Richard Paterson, who is celebrating his 50th year in the whisky industry, this latest limited release further underlines the distillery’s reputation for maturing its whiskies for longer and in a greater variety of casks, building on The Dalmore’s pioneering heritage in the art of maturation.

The Dalmore 40 Year Old, is said to deliver a multitude of aromas including Columbian coffee and marmalade. On the palate, gingerbread and honey is followed by a Sanguinello blood oranges over ripe Bramley apples and liquorice sticks.

Presented in a decanter designed by artisans at renowned French crystal house Baccarat, the hand-blown decanters are adorned with The Dalmore’s iconic 12 point Royal Stag emblem created by Royal Warrant Holders Hamilton & Inches.

Commenting on the launch, Richard Paterson, The Dalmore Master Distiller, said: “In the year that I reflect on my time in the whisky industry, and indeed at The Dalmore, it has been a great privilege to release two of our greatest ever aged expressions – first the champagne finished 50 years old and now this exceptional 40.”

He went onto say: “With each new release I strive for depth and complexity, pushing the boundaries of whisky making and building on the knowledge and skills passed down from my predecessors. It takes time, effort and vision to create an expression as complex as The Dalmore 40 years old, moving the rare stocks of whisky between casks to build layer upon layer of character. When you bring it all together, it creates something very special indeed.”

Limited to 750 bottles, The Dalmore 40 Year Old, will be available later this month from specialist retailers, for a RRP of £6000,00.

Posted by Steve Rush

RARE SCOTCH WHISKY ENJOYING RECORD RUN AT AUCTION

The UK Scotch malt whisky auction market, has enjoyed a record run over the last 3 months, according to new data released by whisky analyst, broker and investment experts Rare Whisky 101.

With the total value sold at auction surpassing £2 million during the last three months, the secondary market for rare Scotch malt whisky is said to have achieved its highest ever average price per bottle of £286.

Rare Whisky 101 Founders: Andy Simpson and David Robertson

21,617 bottles were sold on the secondary market during the months of April, May and June, versus 12,638 in the same period in 2016, a 71% increase.  Resulting in a cumulative total of £6.18M spent on rare whisky at auction compared to £2.80M in the same period in 2016, an increase of 121%.

The figures are said to underline the continued trend of value growth exceeding volume growth. In the past month (June) alone, RW101 has noted a 54% increase in volume and a 94% increase in value of Scotch malt whisky sold at auction, compared to June last year.

Commenting on the news, Andy Simpson, Co-Founder of Rare Whisky 101, said: “Any question as to whether the recent increases in the rare whisky market would begin to plateau can, for now, be summarily dismissed. Even we wondered whether the market could continue to expand at such levels, following another record braking year in 2016. The performance of Scotch malt whisky at auction over the past three months has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

He went onto say: “The growing popularity of online auctions, combined with recent moves by traditional rare whisky retailers to set up their own auction sites, continues to drive demand.  By joining the secondary market sector, these “bricks n mortar” retailers have finally realised that they can’t afford to lose rare whisky customers to the auction market.”

He concluded by saying: “Anecdotally we have seen growing demand from North America and Asia over recent times.   We have also experienced a dramatic increase in enquiries from Asian and USA professional buyers looking to set up new supply agreements to capitalise on this dynamically growing market.”

Rare Whisky 101, will be publishing their half year report later this Summer.

Posted by Steve Rush