BLACK BULL LAUNCHES NEW SPECIAL EDITION COLLABORATION WITH SIR NICK FALDO

The Aberdeenshire based spirits specialist, Duncan Taylor, has today announced the launch of four aged special edition Black Bull blended Scotch whiskies, in partnership with golfing legend, Sir Nick Faldo.

The Black Bull Tale of Two Legends series, is comprised of; 18 Year Old (50% ABV), 30 Year Old (50% ABV), 50 Year Old (48% ABV) and 55 Year Old (57% ABV) bottlings.

The Black Bull Tales of Two Legends Series

The 18 Year Old and 30 Year Old whiskies, were matured in Sherry casks and created specially to represent major milestone events in Sir Nick’s illustrious professional career.

The 50 Year Old (limited to 600 bottles) which contains malts from distilleries including Caperdonich, Macallan and Glen Grant, was matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks.

The 55 Year Old (limited to 600 bottles) is said to be a very special and complex whisky trifecta, using sherry, grain and malt whiskies produced at Lochside Distillery, which stopped production in 1992.

The ‘Tale of Two Legends’ series coincides with an overhaul of the Black Bull branding worldwide, and a planned launch at the prestigious Pro-Am in Bangalore, India this week - where Sir Nick Faldo will be playing alongside an elite field of other golfing greats.

Commenting on the launch, Euan Shand, Chairman of Duncan Taylor, said; “This year we are going big and bold with our releases and the ‘Tale of Two Legends’ series comes hot on the heels of one of the oldest Macallan whiskies we’ve ever launched.  Together with Sir Nick, we’ve handpicked some of our best whiskies within our archives and blended them meticulously to create four stunning blends that are worthy of celebrating some of the iconic times in his life.  Timing it with our re-brand of the entire portfolio is perfect and we look forward to launching these new releases as the official sponsor of the Pro-Am golf event in Bangalore this week, followed by a global distribution.”

The Black Bull Tale of Two Legends series, will be available later this month from specialist retailers. RRP’s starting at £120 for the 18 Year Old.

Posted by Steve Rush

BRUICHLADDICH LAUNCHES THE FIRST ISLAY RYE WHISKY

The Bruichladdich Distillery, has today announced the launch of the first Islay rye whisky.

Bruichladdich – The Regeneration Project (50% ABV) is a single grain Scotch whisky, which was matured in a combination of first-fill Bourbon barrels and first-fill American Virgin oak casks. It was produced using a mashbill of 55% Islay grown rye and 45% locally grown Islay malted barley.

Bruichladdich - The Regeneration Project

This third release in Bruichladdich’s Project series, which is made primarily from locally grown Islay rye - a first for the distillery, and the Hebridean island, is the first whisky to be classed as an Islay Single Grain Scotch Whisky.

Back in 2016, Bruichladdich’s Production Director, Allan Logan, and long-standing farming partner, Andrew Jones, had a conversation on how crop rotation could be beneficial for Andrew’s land at Coull Farm. Keen to combat the growing cost of agro-chemicals, avoid monoculture, reduce input and diversify his crops, Andrew decided to add rye to his rotation.

Rye has the ability to sequester excess soil nitrate and its fibrous root system increases soil drainage, helping to conserve moisture. Not only does this improve soil health, but it reduces costs for the farmer by being less reliant on artificial pesticides and fertilisers.

With no market, rye has never been commercially grown in Islay before. But keen to support its farming partner, Bruichladdich agreed to purchase Andrew’s entire crop if he was going to trial the alternative grain and turn it into whisky.

Although rye is more common in American whiskey production, making up approximately 5% of the value of total US whiskey, consumers around the world are continuing to explore the flavours of a more diverse set of grains. Currently, there has been little experimentation in Scottish Rye, with only a small number of distilleries releasing a rye whisky.

Bruichladdich hopes that the latest release will push the conversation further on the subject of regenerative agriculture and finding alternative solutions to modern farming practices.

Commenting on the launch, Douglas Taylor, CEO at Bruichladdich Distillery, said: “As a whisky distillery we are accountable for our impact from the ground up, and that starts with understanding where our essential raw ingredients come from, and how they are grown. We learned that rye is a hugely beneficial rotational crop which not only reduces the need for artificial input but improves soil health and structure - which matters. But with no market for Scottish grown rye, it begs the question - why would a farmer grow it? Well, we could buy it - and create a delicious whisky. All while supporting our vital farming partners, helping the environment and promoting soil health. Pursuing flavour while reducing our impact, The Regeneration Project is the start of something much bigger than whisky.”

Limited to 1,800 bottles, Bruichladdich – The Regeneration Project, is now available from the distillery website, for a RRP of £125.00.

Posted by Steve Rush