Distillery and Whisky News February 2021
Hello whisky lovers and welcome to our February edition of Distillery and Whisky News. Who would have thought we'd be in this position a year ago?
This time last year we were talking about all the whisky events we were looking forward to, including Fèis Ìle, which Paul and Fraser from the Ardnahoe Distillery talk about in their podcast below.
The virus continues but there are signs of Spring on the way - finally the snow has thawed here and the snowdrops are out in force - so we're keeping our chins, and our glasses, well and truly raised!
Don't forget to support your local distillery by purchasing from their online shop. A full list of our Premium Distilleries and their shop websites is here.
DistilleryTours Podcast: Ardnahoe
Paul Graham and Fraser Hughes from Ardnahoe Distillery
This month we had the pleasure of speaking to not one, but two of the Ardnahoe Distillery’s team – Paul Graham, Visitor Centre Operations Manager, and Fraser Hughes, Distillery Manager, who both moved back to the Isle of Islay after years away.
Paul and Fraser talk about what makes this brand-new distillery unique and what brings people back to Islay again and again; Fraser has an unusual way to find a job if you’re looking for one in the whisky industry; and Paul tells us about his favourite of the Hunter Laing whiskies – the Scarabus.
If you enjoy hearing from Paul and Fraser, would like to try a bottle of the Scarabus or find out more about their 20 Something tasting, check out their dedicated page on the DistilleryTours.scot website and click on Book Now.
Date with a Dram: Aberlour
The Distillery Exclusive Aberlour 13 Year Old Oloroso
Available only at the Aberlour Distillery in the heart of Speyside, this limited edition non-chill filtered Oloroso Single Malt has been aged exclusively in European ex-Sherry butts for 13 years, and is one of only 2,000 bottles.
The nose has powerful, rich sherry notes - sultanas, dried apricots, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are tied together with dark chocolate and treacle.
Spicy and tangy on the palate, with notes of orange zest, freshly baked ginger cake and homemade blackberry jam. Hints of poached pears, liquorice and a dusting of muscovado sugar.
The finish is long and luxurious, with smooth warming spice.
Competition Time!
Want to be in with a chance to win a bottle of Aberlour Distillery's Exclusive 13 Year Old Oloroso, worth £75? Simply follow DistilleryTours.scot on Facebookand share our 'Date with a Dram' post dated 23 February. The lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced in our March newsletter!
And congratulations to Helen Bowie from the North of Scotland who won our February competition to win a bottle of Scapa Distillery's Reserve Collection 18 Year Old Cask Strength edition.
Venue of the month: Good Spirits Co.
The Good Spirits Co. Glasgow
The Good Spirits Co. work with scores of distilleries and independent bottlers to ensure they always have a wide selection of new, interesting and tasty whiskies. Their range of single malts varies from week to week, but they usually have between 250 and 300 different expressions in stock, with everything from budget-friendly everyday drams to rare, collectable single casks from long closed distilleries like Port Ellen or Brora.
During lockdown they're running frequent online tastings, their next being a Whisky Tasting on Friday 5th March, 7pm-9pm. Tickets include six samples, along with a tasting mat with details of what you'll be sampling.
On the night their two co-hosts will present the drams, answer any and all questions, and enjoy a socially distanced drink or two (or six!). And, as always with their tasting events, you'll also get a 10% discount on purchases of any of the whiskies tasted on the night.
Find out more about Good Spirits Co. and, if you're visiting, please adhere to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Distillery of the Month: GlenAllachie
GlenAllachie Distillery in Banffshire
Nestled at the foot of Ben Rinnes lies one of the best-kept secrets in Speyside, GlenAllachie Distillery.
An independently owned distillery, it was crowned winner of the Scottish Distillery of the Year award at the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards in 2019.
The GlenAllachie still house has two separate spirit safes which allows them to operate each set of stills independently. The distillery was designed to be gravity fed, so they have horizontal condensors that makes it easier to maintain a consistent temperature, or increase/decrease to alter the character of the spirit.
Support the GlenAllachie Distillery and buy a bottle from the Good Spirits Co. or Luvians Bottle Shop.
Find out more about the GlenAllachie 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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