KILCHOMAN LAUNCHES ITS LATEST 100% ISLAY BOTTLING

The Kilchoman Distillery, has today announced the launch of the 10th edition of its 100% Islay single malt Scotch whisky.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 2020 Edition (50% ABV) was produced using Optic and Publican barley varieties, which were grown at the Kilchoman distillery farm in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Kilchoman 100% Islay 2020 Edition

This latest release was peated using local Islay peat, and matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Sherry butts, each of which was personally selected by Distillery Founder, Anthony Wills.

Kilchoman 100% Islay, is the only whisky in Scotland to be produced entirely on one farm, from barley to bottle. 

Commenting on the launch, Anthony Willis, said: “Our 100% Islay whiskies are special, they both reflect the traditions of Scotch whisky production and examine the increasing interest in the detail of how single malt is made. With our 100% Islay range we control every element of the whisky-making process ourselves, from barley variety through to individual casks selected for bottling.  It means we are able to adapt our methods and inputs to maximise the character of the whisky in the glass.”

He went onto say: “The Optic and Publican varieties used for the 10th Edition, paired with a light peat smoking, long fermentation and high spirit cut creates a bright, floral nose of citrus sweetness that gives way to prunes, cinnamon and cooked apples & pears on the palate. The finish brings waves of mildly spiced peat smoke, lasting sweetness and rich sherry notes”

Kilchoman 100% Islay 2020 Edition, will be available later this month from specialist retailers, for a RRP of £71.94.

Posted by Steve Rush

SLIABH LIAG DISTILLERS BREAKS GROUND ON NEW DISTILLERY

Sliabh Liag Distillers, has announced that members of The Ardara Town Traders’ Association gathered yesterday, to turn the sod (break ground) on their new distillery,

The news comes at a busy period for the Donegal based distillery, which over the last two weeks has raised €1.5 million via crowdfunding to fuel the next phase of its expansion.

Sliabh Liag Distillers breaks ground on new distillery

The new Ardara distillery, which will be the first to distil whiskey in Donegal for the first time in nearly 200 years, will have the capacity to produce over 1.2m bottles of whiskey per annum.

The company plans to create a number of brands, including the Ardara and Sliabh Liag single malt and pot still whiskeys, which will be heavily peated and authentic to the style of 19th century whiskeys from the county.   

Commenting on the news, James Doherty, who founded the distillery along with his wife Moira, said: “We’ve been a little overwhelmed by the response to our crowdfund with over 800 new investors becoming part of the Sliabh Liag Distillers’ family in the past two weeks. Our funding took yet another giant leap forward this week with the announcement that three of our existing shareholders have committed an additional quarter of a million euros to the business; seeing existing investors of such industry standing confidently expand their stake in our company is a fantastic endorsement of what we are aiming to achieve by reclaiming Donegal’s distilling heritage.”

In August, Sliabh Liag Distillers also marked the first time that a batch of spirits from Donegal was dispatched to the United States, in nearly 200 years.

Posted by Steve Rush

THE LAST DROP DISTILLERS APPOINTS NEW MASTER BLENDER

The Last Drop Distillers, has today announced the appointment of Colin Scott as their new Master Blender.

Colin, the former Custodian Master Blender at Chivas Brothers, will now utilise his 50 years of industry experience to develop a series of unique blends.

The Last Drop Distillers Master Blender - Colin Scott

The news marks the first stage of The Last Drop Distillers, using their extensive library of maturing Scotch whisky casks, to not only ‘curate’ but to also ‘create’ whisky.

This is not the first time that Colin Scott and the families who founded The Last Drop have worked together. This longstanding friendship and rapport began in the 1990s when The Last Drop founders James Espey and Tom Jago, worked with Colin at Chivas Brothers.

Commenting on the news, Colin Scott, said: ‘’The Last Drop is a family business, founded by two men I have the pleasure of knowing as friends and colleagues for many years. I have spent the majority of my career working and learning from family-owned brands and long may that continue. The Last Drop is very much a luxury brand in a very niche market. They have global reach, but have maintained their integrity and vision since they began, which is hugely important to me. This is a new chapter that I am very much looking forward to carrying on the story that began with Tom and James some decades ago.”

The Last Drop Distillers Inaugural Signature Blend, created by Colin Scott, will be released in 2021.

Posted by Steve Rush