Distillery and Whisky News June 2020
Hello whisky lovers and welcome to our June edition of Distillery and Whisky News - we hope you and your families are all safe. By now, most of us are Zoom aficionados and, although longing to embrace our friends and family again, have begun to get used to lockdown. But happily, things are changing.
Here in Scotland, we're now allowed to meet people within our 'bubble', and with others as long as we keep 2m apart. The sight of others outside of our own houses is so welcome, albeit strange with no hugging.
There's also talk of tourist attractions opening next month - cross your fingers and toes! - meaning many distilleries could open again to the public.
It feels like a very long time coming and we want to thank all of you who have supported distilleries, hotels and shops by buying bottles and vouchers online - please do continue to do so.
We hope that next month's newsletter will be even brighter. Until then, stay healthy, positive and help each other in any safe way that you can.
DistilleryTours Podcast - Glenmorangie
Annette Mackenzie - Glenmorangie Distillery
This month we spoke to Annette Mackenzie, Visitor Centre Manager at the Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain. Annette’s love of whisky is palpable and, as she tells us about the traditions of Glenmorangie brought down through generations of families working in the Distillery, she inspires us to experiment with different kinds.
If you'd like to try a bottle of Ealanta for yourself, the best place to buy it is in the Visitor Centre itself. Keep an eye on their website for updates on when they plan to reopen, but if you just can’t wait, they’re now offering tele-sales through the visitor centre – phone 01862 892 477 to buy a bottle of Ealanta direct.
Find out more about the Glenmorangie Distillery, its tours and its whisky at DistilleryTours.scot
Venue of the month: SMWS at The Vaults
SMWS at The Vaults, Edinburgh
The team at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) have been busy since lockdown with virtual tastings from all over the world and, excitingly, they're giving a cautious welcome back to The Vaults, with social distancing measures in place.
They have a marquee set-up to protect people from the wonderful Scottish weather and will be open Wednesdays – Saturdays from 3.00-9.00pm to serve drams, a limited food and drinks menu and a bottle shop.
Social distancing measures include a capacity of 14 people per session, so each two hour timeslot must be booked in advance, and they've worked hard to put further safety measures in place.
In addition to their open sessions, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7.30-9.00pm they'll open for tasting sessions only. Each 90-minute tasting will feature three selected drams from the lockdown Outturns paired with food and hosted by one of their ambassadors. Again, tickets must be booked in advance.
If you can't make it to The Vaults themselves, their Virtual Tastings continue - July's UK event will be held on Friday 10 July. Their July Discovery Pack includes five 25ml drams that their ambassadors will guide you through on the night:
- 35.261 General Custard - 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
- 30.112 Umami heaven! - 1st fill ex-Spanish oak sherry butt
- 39.195 Starch of the penguins - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
- 53.325 When two powerful pearls meet - Refill ex-Madeira hogshead
- 46.91 Mulled whisky - 1st fill ex-red wine barrique
Find out more about the SMWS at The Vaults on their dedicated page on the DistilleryTours.scot website.
Distillery of the Month: Bunnahabhain
Bunnahabhain Distillery
The Bunnahabhain Distillery is the Isle of Islay's most northerly distillery and sits right on the Sound of Islay. First built in 1883, the Distillery relied upon sea trade until the road was built in 1960.
Bunnahabhain is known for being the unpeated Islay malt, but they also have peated expressions - 'Mòine', pronounced moy-nya and meaning ‘Peated’ in Scots Gaelic. All of their whiskies are non-chill-filtered and natural colour, meaning nothing is added and nothing is taken away, allowing them to showcase the true natural character of their Islay Single Malts.
Bunnahabhain is part of the Fèis ìle Festival of Music and Malt each year, and held a fantastic 'Fèis at Home' session on Facebook Live last month, with an expert panel holding a virtual tasting and Q&A session. The session has now had more than 8,500 views now, so if you missed it on the day do check it out now.
During lockdown, Bunnahabhain's owners Distell are donating 10% of all their online sales to the Scottish Licensed Trade Benevolent Society (The BEN), so treat yourself to a bottle of Bunnahabhain from their online shop now.
Find out more about the Bunnahabhain Distillery on their dedicated page on the DistilleryTours.scot website.
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