Ardray Blended Scotch Whisky - new from Beam Suntory
Beam Suntory announces the release of a new blended Scotch whisky designed to be a new interpretation of the genre. Whisky, in which the product of Scottish distilling traditions, characterized by natural qualities from the place of formation, is put into the hands of Japanese masters and artists of coupage, and we get the result of this juxtaposition.
Ardray is a 48% potency beverage, put together from Scottish distillates from the Lowlands, Highlands and Islands. According to an official announcement made to the media, the various components of the blend come from distilleries owned by Beam Suntory and Edrington. If so, we can assume with a high degree of probability that it consists of Bowmore, Laphroaig, Ardmore, Glen Garioch, Auchentoshan, Highland Park, Glenrothes and Macallan. All of them, or just some of them.
The event featured Beam Suntory's chief coup master, Calum Fraser, as well as a Japanese team from the Suntory stable. Nearly 200 distillate combinations were tested to finally achieve the ultimate harmony of aromas and flavors of the new Ardray.
According to Calum Fraser, the combination of what Scotland has to offer with the talents of the Japanese coupage masters has resulted in a beverage that is new, exciting, fresh. It has optimal balance and a complex, multi-layered flavor, according to Fraser, and "the beauty of this blend is greater than the sum of its ingredients."
In the aroma of the new whisky we find notes of apples, pears, plums, smoke, oregano and clementines. In taste, expect accents of citrus and vanilla sauce. The retail price of the new whisky has been set at £60 per bottle.
Beam Suntory is the world's third largest producer of alcoholic beverages. The company is headquartered in the United States and is part of a larger holding company that produces and distributes not only spirits, but also food products, beverages, wine and beer. The main focus of Beam Suntory's portfolio is whiskey, but it also includes brands of cognac, gin, vodka, or rum, and even tequila. Among the whiskies produced by the conglomerate, you can find significant brands from every major whisky-producing country. They include American Jim Beam, Irish Connemara, Canadian Canadian Club, Japanese Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki, and even Spanish DYC whisky, among others. Among Scotch whiskies, then, in addition to the products of the distilleries listed above, Beam Suntory's brands of blends include McClelland's and Teacher's Highland Cream.
Whether the new whisky will, colloquially speaking, "prove itself," or indeed prove itself worthy of the rather promising terms and phrases used in the press releases - will be revealed most reliably and fully once it hits the House of Whisky Online offering. So it's worth following our news section so you don't miss its release.
[06.06.2023 / photo: Beam Suntory]