BALVENIE LAUNCHES NEW COLLECTION OF CURIOUS CASKS RELEASES

William Grant & Sons, has announced the launch of four new limited-edition expressions, from its Speyside based Balvenie Distillery.

The four new single cask releases which form part of Balvenie’s Stories Range: ‘A Collection of Curious Casks’, are said to bring to life the environment of the distillery’s warehouses, while celebrating the power of friendship and collaboration between Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie and Warehouse and Samples Coordinator George Paterson.

Balvenie launches new Collection of Curious Casks releases

These latest releases which have been hand-selected by Kelsey also take inspiration from the warehouse tastings run by George, which he uses as an opportunity to showcase the distillery’s ‘hidden gems’, featuring rare whiskies and unusual casks with unexpected character – which 'A Collection of Curious Casks' are said to bring to light.

The Balvenie’s Stories Range: ‘A Collection of Curious Casks’, is comprised of:

The Balvenie Hungarian Red Wine Cask

11 Year Old - 47.4% ABV (GTR Exclusive)

The Balvenie American Bourbon Barrel 

14 Year Old - 47.8% ABV

The Balvenie New Spanish Oak Cask 

17 Year Old - 47.6% ABV (Distillery Exclusive)

The Balvenie French Pineau Cask

18 Year Old - 47.9% ABV

The ‘A Collection of Curious Casks’ bottlings, follow on from the previous Balvenie Stories Range releases, which include: 12 Year Old The Sweet Toast of American Oak, 14 Year Old Week of Peat and the 19 Year Old A Revelation of Cask and Character.

Commenting on the launch, Kelsey McKechnie, Malt Master at The Balvenie, said: “This collection exemplifies the rare and limited Balvenie casks making their debut. Collaborating daily with talented craftspeople like George, who dedicates his time and expertise to our casks, is a privilege. I'm thrilled to share this opportunity with him, showcasing his knowledge of our warehouses.”

The Balvenie’s Stories Range: ‘A Collection of Curious Casks’, will be available later this month. RRP’s (tbc).

Posted by Steve Rush

ARDBEG LAUNCHES ITS SECOND ANTHOLOGY RELEASE

The Islay based Ardbeg Distillery, has today announced the launch of the second expression from its Anthology Collection.

Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn’s Tale (46% ABV) is a 14 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky, which was matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Madeira wine casks.

Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn's Tale

The Ardbeg Anthology Collection, comprises unusual single malts from the distillery, which cross classic Ardbeg with experimental stock for new flavour combinations. In homage to these whiskies’ “hybrid” style, each malt’s name and packaging are inspired by a different mythological creature - which some say they have glimpsed on the isle of Islay.

Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn’s Tale, is said to deliver notes of baked banana bread, syrupy sponge pudding, treacle, burning cedarwood, tropical fruits, eucalyptus oil and soft aromatic smoke on the nose. Followed by notes of lime, peach, smoked fruit, baked bread, antiseptic lozenges, creosote, aniseed, barley, nutmeg and peat smoke on the palate.

Commenting on the launch, Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Whisky Creation, said: “At Ardbeg we love to experiment with how we can push our spirit’s smoky balance into new worlds of flavour. Some time ago, we decided to try maturing Ardbeg in unusual cask types for the distillery to create sweet and smoky ‘hybrids’– and so the Anthology Collection was born. The Unicorn’s Tale is the second release in this series, which has been created by marrying classic Ardbeg matured in bourbon casks with a parcel of whisky wholly matured in sweet Madeira wine casks. The outcome is a whisky bursting with notes of banana bread and tropical fruit, fused with Ardbeg’s hallmark flavours of camphor, lime zest and wood smoke. This 14-year-old whisky may appear sweet in nature, but its smoky side is not to be underestimated!”

Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn’s Tale, will be available later this month from specialist retailers, for a RRP of £130.00.

 

Posted by Steve Rush