JOHN CRABBIE & CO LAUNCHES NEW 25 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT

John Crabbie & Co, has announced the launch of a new limited-edition, 25 Year Old single cask, single malt Scotch whisky bottling.

Crabbie 1994 Island Single Malt (46.2% ABV) was distilled at the Tobermory Distillery, and matured in an ex-sherry hogshead.

Crabbie 1994 Island Single Malt

This latest release from John Crabbie & Co, is said to be dark gold in colour, with notes of fruitcake, dark chocolate and warming spices.

Commenting on the news, John Kennedy, Head of Sales for Scotland at John Crabbie & Co, said: “Crabbie 1994 Island Single Malt is one of our most carefully planned releases to date. We’d had cask samples from distilleries all across Scotland and it was a difficult choice, but this sherry cask from Tobermory was absolute stand out with its nose of sweet macerated dates, fruit cake, warming spice and its orange marmalade and rich dark chocolate finish. It will most certainly appeal to those who take their whisky seriously.”

Limited to 247 bottles, Crabbie 1994 Island Single Malt, will be available later this month from specialist retailers, for a RRP of £300.00.

Posted by Steve Rush

BUFFALO TRACE LAUNCHES NEW WELLER WHEATED SINGLE BARREL BOURBON

Buffalo Trace Distillery, has announced the launch of a new Weller single barrel wheated bourbon.

Weller Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel 2020 Edition (48.5% ABV) is the first bottling of a new annual release, starting this Summer.

Weller Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel 2020 Edition

Weller Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel 2020 Edition, is said to deliver notes of cherry, mint, vanilla on the nose. Followed by notes of caramel, baking spices, cocoa, cinnamon, coffee and a hint of pepper on the palate.

Commenting on the news, Joshua Steely, Marketing Manager of Bourbon at Buffalo Trace, said: “Many of our Weller fans have been asking for a single barrel bourbon for quite a while, and we’ve planned for this addition for a number of years, so we’re excited to be able to make this happen. Our rye bourbon mash bill has a variety of options, like Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Stagg Jr. George T. Stagg and E.H. Taylor, Jr. bourbons, so it’s nice to be able to offer some variety in our wheated bourbon mash bill as well.”

Weller Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel 2020 Edition, will be available later this Summer from specialist retailers in the US, for a RRP of $49.99.

Posted by Steve Rush

DIAGEO LAUNCHES NEW 40 YEAR OLD PORT ELLEN BOTTLING

Diageo, has announced the launch of a new 40 Year Old expression from the Port Ellen Distillery; the second release in its Untold Stories series, which explores the story of Islay based distillery’s past ahead of its return.

Port Ellen 9 Rogue Casks (50.9% ABV) is a 40 Year Old cask strength single malt Scotch whisky, matured in a combination of five European oak butts and four American oak hogsheads.

Port Ellen 9 Rogue Casks

Port Ellen was distilled for just sixteen of the last ninety years, and not a cask more since its closure in 1983, making the original dwindling stocks finite and incredibly rare.

In 1979, a small parcel of stock was identified as holding unusual flavour characteristics that stood out from the typical Port Ellen distillery character. Unsuitable for the needs of the blenders at the time, the casks were marked and set aside for further maturation and blending in the future.

Forty years on, today’s master blender Dr Craig Wilson selected nine special casks from the original stock: each was identifiably Port Ellen but with its own defining character. He blended together the nine casks, four American oak hogsheads and five European oak butts, to create what is said to be a Port Ellen unlike anything seen from the distillery before.

Diageo has also announced, that a donation of 20 signed bottles including the Port Ellen 40-Year-Old bottle and bottles from Islay distilleries Lagavulin and Caol Ila will be donated to the Islay Feis Ile Committee. The 20 special bottles, worth a total value of £10,000, will be used to support fundraising activities to raise money for Islay based charitable organisations and community groups.

Limited to 1,380 bottles, Port Ellen 9 Rogue Casks, will be available next month from specialist retailers, for a RRP of £6,500.

Posted by Steve Rush