Distillery and Whisky News August 2023 - Glengoyne
Hello whisky lovers, and welcome to our August edition of Distillery and Whisky News.
Summer is here, although after an early June heatwave, the weather gods could do with a little nudge to remind them what season it is! Don't let the rain put you off though, Scotland is a dream destination whatever the weather. So pack up your bags, check out our Plan Your Trip page and make plans for your next big whisky adventure.
We've got some West Coast inspiration for you in this newsletter with Glengoyne and Glasgow's Bon Accord featuring as our distillery and venue of the month respectively. Find out more below...
We would like to dedicate this edition of Distillery & Whisky News to Paul McDonagh who sadly passed away in July. Paul was the owner of the Bon Accord, one of the world's best whisky bars. He was also a director of the Glasgow Whisky Festival and a truly great ambassador for the Scotch whisky industry.
Until next time...
Distillery Of The Month: Glengoyne
We're great believers of taking your time to savour every sip of whisky, so Glengoyne's processes are music to our ears, and our palates.
Before they even get to the whisky, they think long and hard about the casks it will mature in. They start by selecting their own oak from forests in northern Spain, insisting the wood is dried naturally by sun and air for three years. When the wood is ready, each hand-built cask is filled with sherry in Jerez in Spain, and left to absorb its rich colour and flavours for up to another three years.
Once emptied and delivered to the distillery – six years after they started their journey – the casks are then filled and over the next 10, 15 or 18 years the clear spirit takes on the rich gold, amber and copper tones naturally from the wood.
Not only that, but they dry their barley by air, and their bold flavours are the result of an equally bold pledge: to coax their spirit through the slowest whisky stills in Scotland. That's patience on an epic scale.
Treat yourself to the Collection Tour & Tasting where you will delve deeper into the whisky making process at the home of Scotland’s slowest stills and enjoy a tutored tasting of three whiskies from the Glengoyne Collection. Discover what happens when you pair world class Single Malt Whisky with the ‘Best truffle in the World’ from Iain Burnett, The Highland Chocolatier. Sounds yummy!
Find out more about Glengoyne Distillery, their whisky and their tours on their dedicated page on the DistilleryTours.scot website.
Venue of the month: The Bon Accord
Glasgow's Bon Accord began life as a pub specialising in real ale and pub grub, but it has since been carefully cultivated into a specialist whisky bar, it has even won UK Whisky Bar of the Year!
In fact, the venue has collected many such awards over the years including those for excellent beer and cider selection and is also proud to have received National Winner Independent Pub Category award 2015 for Best Bar None Scotland. A testimony to the safe and welcoming pub it is.
The pub sells more than 800 different real ales per year and there are more than 400 whiskies on the gantry, and yet the quality of selection does not suffer. There are many old and rare whiskies available to try, the pinnacle of the collection being a 70-year-old Glenlivet.
Find out more about the Bon Accord on its dedicated page on the DistilleryTours website.
Date With A Dram: Glenturret
This month's competition is with Glenturret Distillery to win a bottle of their 10 Year Old Peat Smoked Single Malt as well as a tour of the distillery.
Competition Time!
To be in with a chance of winning a bottle of Glenturret 10 Year Old Peat Smoked simply follow DistilleryTours.scot on Facebook or Instagram and share our 'Date with a Dram' post dated 1 August. The lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced in our September newsletter!
Congratulations to Stephen Hibbert from Derbyshire who has won a bottle of Fettercairn's 12 Year Old Single Malt. Enjoy Stephen!
You must be 18 years old or over to enter. Please note, will never approach you for your credit card details or personal information, send you friend requests or ask you to click on a link. Please stay safe online and remember to drink responsibly.
DistilleryTours Podcast - Scotch Whisky Experience
This month we speak to Angela Dineen of the Scotch Whisky Experience.
Angela tells us that the Edinburgh attraction is just about to launch a brand new immersive whisky experience which will enthral and engage anyone who visits.
We also learn more about its amazing whisky collection, which happens to be one of the largest in the world and contains some unique and very old bottles of scotch!
Thanks to Angels' Share for sponsoring the podcast - if you're looking for some beautiful glassware to enjoy your favourite dram in, then visit our shop for some inspiration.
Malt Of The Month - Glen Ord Celebratory Bottling
Our August Malt Of The Month is now live on the DistilleryTours.scot website featuring Glen Ord Distillery's Celebratory Bottling.
The Singleton of Glen Ord Celebratory bottling is a limited edition with only 3000 bottles ever produced. It is available to purchase exclusively at the distillery itself.
DistilleryTours Shop - Hip Flasks To Make You Happy!
If you are drinking great whisky you need a great hip flask, don’t settle for anything less. This highest quality 6oz hip flask is handmade completely in the UK by master craftspeople and will last for years.
Looking for inspiration for your next Distillery Tour? Follow us on TWITTER, FACEBOOK and INSTRAGRAM to hear more, and subscribe to this newsletter at DISTILLERYTOURS.SCOT/SIGNUP.