THE DUBLIN LIBERTIES DISTILLERY OFFICIALLY OPENS ITS DOORS

The Dublin Liberties Distillery, has opened the doors on its new €10m state-of-the-art whiskey distillery and visitor experience, in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties district.

Production of the Dublin Liberties Distillery’s whiskey portfolio, which includes the award-winning The Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties brands, will now commence at the distillery under the supervision of renowned Master Distiller, Darryl McNally.


The Dublin Liberties Distillery officially opens its doors


The new distillery boasts a world-class cocktail bar and an industry-leading visitor experience, providing an exciting addition to Dublin’s increasingly vibrant whiskey tourism scene, which saw over one million visitors to Irish distilleries and whiskey experiences in 2018.

The development of the new distillery has seen a complete renovation of a 400-year-old building preserving its original architecture and façade. The distillery combines traditional distillation practices with the very latest in modern technologies and features a unique natural spring water source on site to be used in the distilling process.

The new distillery opens as the popularity of Irish whiskey continues to soar worldwide, with growth in the Irish whiskey category faster than almost any other category in the global spirits sector today.  The Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties brands are currently sold in more than 30 markets around the with sales in excess of 37,000 cases in 2018 but has ambitions to sell upwards of 50,000 cases globally in the year ahead.

Commenting on the news, Darryl McNally, Master Distiller at The Dublin Liberties Distillery, said: “Making whiskey is my passion, my lifeblood, and to be doing it in the heart of Dublin’s historic distilling district is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I believe the future for Irish whiskey is in innovation and pushing the boundaries – and that’s what I’ll be working with the team here to deliver – the best Irish whiskey you could have the luck of getting on your lips. We’re inspired by the past, but not bound by it, and can’t wait to show the world just how diverse Irish whiskey can be.”

The Dublin Liberties Distillery Visitor Experience, will open to the public on Monday 25th February, offering visitors an up-close view of modern Irish whiskey-making as it happens, with daily tours around the working distillery.

Posted by Steve Rush

RARE 60 YEAR OLD MACALLAN LEADS BONHAMS LATEST WHISKY AUCTION

Bonhams, has announced that a very rare bottle of Macallan 60 Year Old – 1926, will lead its latest whisky sale on the 6th of March, at its Edinburgh auction house.

The whisky which features a label designed by acclaimed, British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, is expected to fetch between £500,000 - £700,000 at auction.

Macallan 60 Year Old - 1926

Only 12 bottles with the label designed by Sir Peter Blake were released. One sold in May 2018 at Bonhams Hong Kong for £751,703. At the time, it set a world record for a bottle of whisky sold at auction, and is still the highest price paid for a Macallan 60 Year Old – 1926, from the Blake series.

Commenting on the whisky, Martin Green, Bonhams Whisky Specialist, said: "It’s dark honey-gold in colour, and is almost inconceivably smooth with a luscious hint of dry-sweetness in the malt."

Other highlights in next month’s auction, include a Laphroaig 14 Year Old - 1970, bottled in Scotland for Osteria Apostoli, Milan, and two bottles of Dalmore 50 Year Old - 1926.

Posted by Steve Rush

WEMYSS MALTS LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EXCLUSIVE CASK CLUB BOTTLING

The multi-award winning, Edinburgh based boutique spirits company Wemyss Malts, has today announced the launch of the first expression available exclusively through its new Cask Club.
 
Wemyss Malts - Smoky Nectar (46% ABV) is a 35 Year Old single cask, single malt Scotch whisky, from the Caol Ila distillery, which has been matured in a single sherry hogshead.

Wemyss Malts - Smoky Nectar

As with all Wemyss Malts single cask bottlings; “Smoky Nectar” has been selected by the celebrated whisky writer Charlie Maclean and has been bestowed a descriptive name illustrating the whisky’s character.
 
The new Cask Club, which has been launched alongside a brand new Wemyss Malts website, will offer its members the chance to access unique bottlings released solely to the members, as well as previews of their latest malt whisky releases.
 
Commenting on the launch, William Wemyss, Founder and Managing Director at Wemyss Malts, said: “We have selected one very special bottling; a 35 year old Caol Ila named “Smoky Nectar” to be the first exclusive release to our Wemyss Malts Cask Club members. Anyone interested may join the club for free via the newly launched website. Whether you are a newcomer to whisky or an experienced imbiber the Wemyss Malts Cask Club also aims to delight and enlighten with regular features and competitions.”

Limited to just 211 bottles, Wemyss Malts - Smoky Nectar, is available to Wemyss Malts Cask Club Members for a RRP of £296.95. You can sign up to be a member via: wemyssmalts.com

Wemyss Malts - Smoky Nectar, will also be featured in The Whisky Wire’s latest industry leading Tweet Tasting on February 20th. You can follow the event on Twitter, on the night using the hashtag #WemyssMalts

Posted by Steve Rush