A handful of news
The last few days have brought a whole wave of market debuts that cannot be overlooked. And since the trade media has mastered the news of charity auctions, openings and finds, we are concerned that interesting new editions will not go unnoticed. Therefore, we will try to introduce our readers to the more important news announced in the last literally few days. Alphabetically, so that we are not accused of bias.
Deanston Virgin Oak Cask Strength (58.5% vol.) is a limited edition whisky from a distillery in the southern Highlands. It was matured initially in bourbon barrels before being transferred for the final 12 months of maturation to fresh American oak barrels provided by the Kelvin Cooperage facility in Kentucky. The new whisky from Deanston is expected to offer spice notes, creamy English sauce and candied fruits in the aroma. In taste we have fudge, heather honey and crisp green apples in it. Sources are silent on the size of the edition. What we do know, however, is that for a single bottle at retail you will have to pay the equivalent of £60.
Glenmorangie - A Tale of Tokyo (46% vol.) is a blend of distillates matured in bourbon, sherry and those made from Japanese mizunara oak barrels. A whisky with no age declaration, inspired by the Japanese travels of its creator, Dr. Bill Lumsden, serving as Direktor of Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie. The whisky is expected to offer contrasting accents in its bouquet and taste - pepper, bitter cherries, coconut, orange peel, incense and sweetness of oak. The retail price of a single bottle has been set at £76.
Laphroaig - The Wall Collection - Peat 36yo (42.5% vol.) is the first whisky in the new series The Wall Collection. This whisky spent the initial maturation period in a bourbon refill barrel, but for the final maturation stage it went into bourbon casks... Laphroaig. That's right, the old Laphroaig has been subjected to a finish in barrels of young, heavily peated Laphroaig. The whisky is expected to offer notes of passion fruit, strawberries, sultanas, leather and sweet cinnamon in the aroma. On the taste we should expect accents of orange peel, pineapple, liquid honey, vanilla, English sauce and marzipan. When it goes on sale, Laphroaig The Wall Collection Peat will cost 4,500 pounds per bottle, of which exactly 200 have been prepared.
Meikle Tòir is a new whisky brand native to Glenallachie, the result of Billy Walker's work to improve and diversify the distillery's whisky-making process. The brand's name is Gaelic for "great pursuit," and the goal of this pursuit is to create an excellent peated whisky from Speyside. According to its creator, the character of Meikle Tòir is to be planted in the combination of a smoky style with the classic honey character of the Glenallachie distillate. As part of the series, versions of The Original,The Sherry One,The Chinquapin One i The Turbo. Whisky 5 years old, made with peat smoked to 35 ppm, subjected to an unusually long 160-hour fermentation and matured in a variety of barrels. The Original (50% vol.) matured in first-fill bourbon barrels, fresh American oak barrels, and American rye whiskey barrels. The Sherry One (48% vol.) is the result of maturation of the distillate in bourbon barrels and the finish in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry puncheon barrels. The Chinquapin One (48% vol.) matured in bourbon barrels and was finished in fresh Chinquapin oak barrels. Finally The Turbo (50% vol.) is the product of the distillate that is the very heart of the middle fraction, with the highest phenolic content. This edition is a blend of the contents of three fresh American oak barrels and five oloroso sherry hogshead casks. Naturally, all four whiskies have not been cold-filtered and no colored caramel has been added to them. The price of individual editions within Meikle Tòir fluctuates around £50 per bottle.
Old Pulteney Port (46% vol.) is the second piece in a new limited edition collection from the Pulteney distillery, the Coastal Collection. The whisky with no age declaration was initially matured in second-fill bourbon barrels before being transferred to ruby port barrels (pipes & barriques) for final maturation. The first edition in the Coastal Series was Old Pulteney Pineau des Charentes, released a year ago. The new whisky, Old Pulteney Port, offers accents of raisins, vanilla, candied orange peel, gingerbread, cherries, marzipan and dark chocolate. The taste includes notes of baked apples, caramelized sugar, cinnamon cookies, vanilla, English sauce and a whiff of rose water. A bottle of Old Pulteney Port retails for £75.
Port Ellen 1983 40yo (52.4% vol.) is the latest offering from independent company Duncan Taylor. Whisky distilled on March 16, 1983, matured in a European oak sherry butt cask. Limited to 209 decanters, the edition comes from cask number 667, filled shortly before the distillery closed in May 1983. The barrel was kept in storage on Islay until 2010, after which it was transported to Duncan Taylor's warehouse in Aberdeenshire. We are dealing with a real gem, which, when poured into the glass in the aroma, is supposed to offer notes of toffee, leather, berries, strawberries with cream, citrus, beeswax, sea breeze, kombu seaweed, stony sea beach and fruits native to the sherry profile. On the palate we should expect accents of dark toffee, fruit, pecans, leather, cloves, cumin, roasted wood brought by the sea, fruit chutney and peppermint. A single decanter of Port Ellen 1983 40yo is priced at £5700.
In the current offer of the Whisky House you can find in a wide selection of whiskies from all the distilleries mentioned above. We invite you to visit and see what you can also find on our shelves from the distilleries Deanston, Glenmorangie, Laphroaig, Glenallachie, Pulteney, even Port Ellen. Some for sipping in the evenings while watching a TV series, others for a collection that is sure to impress other whisky lovers and collectors.
[29.09.2023 / Photo: Duncan Taylor]