Distillery and Whisky News December 2020
Hello whisky lovers and welcome to our December edition of Distillery and Whisky News. If you live in UK the past week has been hard to take - Tier 4 across mainland Scotland from Boxing Day means Christmas isn't quite what we'd all imagined.
But we're taking it in our stride and coming up with inventive ways to bring some Christmas cheer, with a few involving whisky!
- Our own blind tasting from our cupboard's whisky collection, sharing optional
- Zoom calls with our family in New Zealand (we hadn't caught up with them in 30 years before lockdown!)
- A hot toddy and a mince pie over the fence with our neighbours
Remember this virus will end. Maybe you've been vaccinated already, maybe it's still to come, but we will get there and life will feel free and easy again.
May you all have a wonderful Christmas - please do stay safe and don't forget to raise a dram to all our key workers - thank you for your incredible work over 2020. Slainte!
DistilleryTours Podcast: Lindores Abbey
Helen Mckenzie-Smith at the Lindores Abbey Distillery
This month we spoke to Helen Mckenzie-Smith, co-owner of the Lindores Abbey Distillery in Fife, whose first Scotch malt whisky has just come to maturation.
Helen tells us about the history of the monks at Lindores Abbey, how they raised the money to build a distillery and the importance of not being ‘Disney-fied’, their approach to bringing up people through their team at the distillery, and of course the release of their first Scotch malt whisky – the 1494!
If you enjoy hearing about the Lindores Abbey Distillery and would like to try a dram of their Aqua Vitae take a look at their dedicated page on DistilleryTours.scot. Their 1494 is all sold out, but be patient - their second release will be coming soon!
Date with a Dram: Glenlivet
The Glenlivet Distillery Reserve Collection 12 Year Old First Fill Butt 2019 bottling
Exclusive to the Glenlivet Distillery, their Reserve Collection 12 Year Old single malt has been matured in a first fill European sherry butt, and is bottled at 58% ABV in 50ml bottles.
This unique expression captures The Glenlivet’s signature style and the spirit of the glen itself, and the first fill sherry butt maturation gives the whisky a rich, spicy and sweet character.
The nose is of fruit loaf, cloves and cocoa; the palate is of dark chocolate, crystallised ginger and sultanas; the finish is long, slightly dry, with a warming spice.
Competition Time!
Want to be in with a chance to win a bottle of The Glenlivet Distillery Reserve Collection 12 Year Old? Simply follow DistilleryTours.scot on Facebook and share our Date with a Dram post dated 23 December. The lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced in our January newsletter!
And congratulations to Frank Whitty who won our December competition to win a bottle of Aberfeldy 15 Year Old.
Venue of the month: SMWS at Bath Street
Scotch Malt Whisky Society at Bath Street, Glasgow
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society at 38 Bath Street in Glasgow has an amazing 670 bottles available by the dram, and more than 500 bottles in the shop, while Manager Calum Lawson promises some very special bottlings and harder-to-find older bottles that you won't see elsewhere.
In line with the latest Government guidance they're open 11am to 6pm, Thursday to Saturday, and their Society Shop open with bottles to purchase and drams to takeaway. They're also offering a Christmas Home Dining option, which includes a bottle of Charles Heidsieck Champagne, Turkey Ballotine with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas Pudding.
Find out more about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and their whisky at DistilleryTours.scot and, if you're visiting, please adhere to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Distillery of the Month: Oban
Oban Distillery
The Oban Distillery is keeping it local at the moment, with two experiences on offer:
- The Oban Cask Signature Experience: immersing you in the craftsmanship and expertise involved in making their Oban single malt while tasting their signature Oban 14 year old. Concluding in their filling store with a unique cask drawn sample.
- The Taste of Oban: a tutored tasting of four drams of their Oban whiskies including their Distillery Exclusive Bottling. Served on a whisky cask stave and tutored by one of their experienced guides.
If you're further away and would like to taste one of their beautiful drams, you can pick up a bottle direct from their online shop.
Find out more about the Oban Distillery on their dedicated page on the DistilleryTours.scot website and, if you're visiting, please adhere to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
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