{"title":"Our Whiskies","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"balblair-2000","title":"Balblair 2000","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith the emphasis on unique Single Vintage Whisky, only around 10% of the 26,000 casks maturing in the eight traditional dunnages is actually reflected or earmarked as Single Malt. The remainder finds its way into world-renowned blends such as Chivas Regal, Ballantines \u0026amp; Hankey Bannister.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBalblair uses several varieties of barley with minimal peat levels of 1-2 PPM, and its silos have a 30 tonne collective capacity, meaning that the distillery can operate self-sufficiently under the worst winter conditions for up to 3 weeks. At Balblair, one tonne of barley produces just over 400 litres of spirit and production reaches 1.3 million litres of new make spirit annually.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMashing (in stainless steel) takes place in three stages over a six hour timeline; firstly at 65C, secondly at 82C and finally at 92C. This slower natural drainage system assists in giving Balblair spirit its fruit driven characteristics by releasing the fatty compounds in the sugary wort of the mash. Fermentation takes place in six traditional Pine Oregon washbacks, each containing 21,500 litres of fermenting liquid at different times in the process. At 62 hours, the fermentation is one of the longest in the industry; this is to allow the micro-flora bacteria held in the wood of the washbacks to impart a secondary minor fermentation, thus adding further character to the finished ferment. Once finished, the fermented wash is in essence a fruity strong ale of around 8-9% ABV.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDistillation is done in two large stills, one wash \u0026amp; one spirit, which have very large, bulbous bases with thick necks to achieve the heavier, robust \u0026amp; oily spirit preferred by Balblair. Lyne arms run through the still-room wall to copper condensers that cool the vapour back into liquid new make spirit ready for Cask maturation. Maturation occurs in a mix of 95% American Oak ex-Bourbon casks and 5% European Oak ex-Spanish Sherry Casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhilst the impression, as with wine, would be to release consecutive vintages and once released, the vintage ended, this is not the case here. Some vintages enjoy a second and even third release with some individual casks requiring longer maturation periods, meaning a single vintage whisky based on cask readiness could be released at 10YO, 18YO or 21YO over time depending when bottled. The nature of these specialised whiskies means that vintages are released at random and it is not unusual to have a 2000, 1989 \u0026amp; 1978 vintage all available or released simultaneously on the market. Once again this contributes to the mystery and belief at Balblair that the whisky tells it’s owner when it is ready to move to bottle and be shared.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Balblair Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894256719,"sku":"WC0006","price":95.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/balblair_2000.png?v=1787700831"},{"product_id":"deanston-12-year-old","title":"Deanston 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eDeanston is a modern craft Scotch and is fortunate in that it is not bound by tradition in the way that much of the rest of the industry is, allowing things to be done a bit differently. For Deanston this means producing Scotch whisky in harmony with nature. In 2000 the Distillery started producing organic whisky certified by the Organic Food Federation using only Scottish grown barley free from pesticides and chemicals. Deanston’s green credentials were augmented in 2008 when the packaging was redesigned to better reflect the brand essence. All materials are now either recycled or recyclable, and gift tubes were replaced by cardboard gift boxes in order to further reduce weight and carbon footprint. One of the most distinctive things about Deanston’s production techniques is that everything is done by hand so to speak. No computers or technology is used and this allows the team to rely on their senses to ensure the best quality spirit is produced.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Distillery boasts some big toys including an 11-ton open topped mash tun, the only one of its size in Scotland, and Deanston has a production capacity of 3 million litres. Four pot stills (2 wash and 2 spirit) are used and the upward sloping lyne arms and boiling balls distill a beautiful, light spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeanston Single Malt is of natural colour (no spirit caramel is used), un-chill filtered and bottled at 46.3 % ABV. The consistent flavour profile of Deanston 12 YO is sweetness, balanced by a malty spiciness on the palate. Around 15% of the production is represented in the Deanston Single Malt range with the balance of whisky production contributing to blended brands such as Scottish Leader and the Black Bottle blends.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Deanston Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894289487,"sku":"WC0007","price":85.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/deanston_12.png?v=1787700835"},{"product_id":"adelphi-fascadale-batch-6","title":"Adelphi Fascadale Batch 6","description":"\u003cp\u003eFascadale lies on the north-west point of the rugged, and timeless, Ardnamurchan peninsula, just a few miles from the location for Adelphi’s new distillery – The Ardnamurchan Distillery – which recently opened in July 2014. Fascadale’s hidden, pebbled beach looks West and North towards the islands of Eigg, Rum, Muck and Skye and whispered tales of smuggling abound…\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFascadale Batch no. 6 is a special marrying of 5 American oak, ex-Bourbon hogsheads from the famous Highland distillery of Clynelish. It highlights the best of the coastal Highlands.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Adelphi Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894322255,"sku":"WC0008","price":125.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/adelphis_fascadale.png?v=1787700838"},{"product_id":"the-glenrothes-alba-reserve","title":"The Glenrothes Alba Reserve","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Glenrothes is matured in casks of both Spanish oak (Quercus Robur) and American oak whose Latin name is Quercus Alba. These casks are seasoned with either sherry or bourbon and the seasoned oak delivers up to 70% of whisky’s flavour.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis wide ranging wood policy gives The Glenrothes Malt Master, Gordon Motion, the broadest possible selection of tastes and flavours from which to create each individual expression of The Glenrothes. Despite the level of residual sherry in The Glenrothes measuring no more than 1250 parts per million, sherry is not kosher. On that basis former Malt Mater John Ramsay was asked to develop an expression of The Glenrothes to satisfy the many Orthodox Jewish whisky enthusiasts. For The Glenrothes Alba Reserve he selected solely American oak (Quercus Alba) refill bourbon casks – hence the name. Appropriately, Alba is also the Gaelic word for Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Glenrothes Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894355023,"sku":"WC0009","price":85.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glenrothes_alba.png?v=1787700839"},{"product_id":"ancnoc-16-year-old","title":"anCnoc 16 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eWholly matured in American Oak Re-Fill ex Bourbon Hogsheads allowing the characteristic intense citrus notes to shine through. anCnoc 16 Year Old has been bottled in its most natural form, neither chill-filtered nor coloured, and bottled at 46% ABV. As a result, it may develop a light haze with the addition of water or if kept at a cold temperature. This haze is a natural characteristic of whisky that is unchill-filtered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnockdhu has a racked warehouse and a two-storey dunnage warehouse. The dunnage warehouse has the optimum conditions for maturing Scotch whisky. Thick walls made from the local granite ensure a very stable temperature in the depth of winter, sometimes -20 outside. The low roofs and earth floors keep the humidity very high, causing water to enter the cask during maturation, resulting in a drop in strength over the years. Its intereting to note that in Tasmania, where the humidity is low, the strength increases over the years as alcohol eveporates out of the cask. The current warehouses hold 6000 casks. Refurbishment works on another warehouse will add capacity to store a further 1400 casks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Knockdhu Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894387791,"sku":"WC0010","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/ancnoc_16.png?v=1787700842"},{"product_id":"the-benriach-15-year-old-pedro-ximenez-cask","title":"The BenRiach 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask","description":"\u003cp\u003eBenRiach has become famous for it’s incredibly wide range of whiskies and is one of the only distilleries in Scotland to still do it’s own floor maltings, giving it the ability to produce both peated and unpeated malts. A production capacity of 2,800,000 litres means that we all have a hell of a lot of whisky to drink before the lads at BenRiach have to worry about production issues. The new management didn’t waste any time in getting things cranking again, and upon purchasing the distillery Billy Walker got the stills working within the year, redesigned the labels and launched their flagship range of 12, 16 and 20 year old single malts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis range best captures the smooth, complex, full flavoured character traditionally associated with the Speyside region. All have elegant full taste and aroma that captures fruity floral notes, with overtones of honey, vanilla, spices, toffee and apples.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe core range has been augmented over the years to include an ever-increasing number of special and curious releases that has earned Benriach its cult status among serious malt enthusiasts. Your whisky today comes from the highly acclaimed Wood Finish range. These whiskies are unpeated and are originally matured in American oak casks before being finished in a wide range of casks including Pedro Ximénez, Madiera, Dark Rum, Tawny Port, Claret, Burgundy, Rioja and Sherry Matured. Jim Murray rated the Pedro Ximénez Finish 94.5\/100 in his 2013 Whisky Bible, awarding it the coveted Liquid Gold status.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Benriach Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894420559,"sku":"WC0011","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/benriach_15.png?v=1787700844"},{"product_id":"benromach-10-year-old","title":"Benromach 10 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eToday, this truly unique distillery is run as if in a time warp, where a team of three carefully craft a pre-60s style of Scotch whisky with the minimal use of modern tools. The small scale of the distillery means that everything can be done by hand, and they joke that the only computer in the distillery is one used for emails, so much so that there are no temperature or pressure gauges on the stills. Everything is down to the stillman’s skills. The old-time processes mean slower fermentations using a combination of brewer’s and distiller’s yeast for bigger, maltier flavours, slower distillations to capture the sweetest part of the run, and a focus on local ingredients. Benromach only uses barley grown in their home county of Morayshire and spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. Only first fill casks are used for maturation, and all it’s sherry casks have spent at least three years in a Spanish bodega before being shipped to the UK for bottling and consumption, meaning that the sherry was actually used as drinking sherry (therefore of a higher quality) and not simply dumped after seasoning the cask for whisky maturation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther than it’s few heavily peated varieties, the bulk of Benromach whiskies are slightly peated to 12ppm and the malting is done locally by Crisp Maltings. This is key to Benromach’s pre-1960s style because all Scotch whisky was at least very lightly peat-smoked in that era as peat was a staple fuel. This changed in recent times as peat and even coal to a large extent have been replaced by electricity and gas, paving the way for the non-peated whiskies now available on the market.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you have a few minutes you can click here to watch a most touching film about the distillery and the passion of those behind it. Best enjoyed with a dram in hand!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Benromach Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894453327,"sku":"WC0012","price":85.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/benromach_10.png?v=1787700848"},{"product_id":"kilchoman-machir-bay","title":"Kilchoman Machir Bay","description":"\u003cp\u003eOur whisky for February 2015 was the signature expression to Kilchoman's range, the much acclaimed Machir Bay, so-named after the bay by which the farm is situated on the Rinns of Islay peninsula. Machir Bay is a non-age-statement (NAS) work in progress, with the whiskies becoming older with each subsequent release allowing devotees to experience the developments from release to release as the vatting age increases year on year. At the time of bottling, Machir Bay was a vatting of 5 \u0026amp; 6 YO malts that defy their younger age in terms of depth, quality and character.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result, for your enjoyment, is an exceptional craft presentation of a single malt, produced on the Islay farm using traditional methods and with no caramel or chill filtration.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kilchoman Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894486095,"sku":"WC0013","price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/kilchoman_machir_bay.png?v=1787700849"},{"product_id":"greenore-8-year-old-single-grain","title":"Greenore 8 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eGreenore is an extremely unique whiskey, being the first single grain whiskey ever released in Ireland. The grain make-up of this whiskey is 93% corn and 7% malted barley, and it’s aged for 8 years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. The corn used to make Greenore comes from the USA and lands at a deep water port in the nearby village of Greenore, hence the name. The classification of single grain may at first seem confusing, as there are clearly two types of grain used, but is based upon it being a grain whisky from a single distillery, in the same way as a single malt is defined. The whisky is also made even more unique by virtue of its production in a continuous still rather than a pot still. This method resembles that of bourbon production, and yet while many first timers may expect the flavour profile to then also slightly resemble bourbon, it doesn’t even faintly come close in any, way shape or form. Indeed Greenore is a whiskey incomparable to any other whiskey on the market in aroma and taste, with a production technique so unusual that it is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. Whatever the guys at Cooley were trying to achieve, they nailed it. The Greenore 8 Year Old Single Grain is now about to be rebranded as ‘Kilbeggan 8 year old Single Grain’ and Greenore will no longer exist, making this whiskey a collector’s item over the coming years.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooley Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894518863,"sku":"WC0014","price":95.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/greenore_8_year_old_single_grain.png?v=1787700851"},{"product_id":"miyagikyo-12-year-old","title":"Nikka Miyagikyo 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Miyagikyo Distillery is owned by the Nikka Whisky company. The story of Nikka Whisky, and indeed that of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/japanese-whisky\"\u003eJapanese whisky\u003c\/a\u003e, begins with a remarkable man called Masataka Taketsuru, famously known as the father of Japanese whisky. Born in 1894 to a family of saké producers, Taketsuru was working for an Osaka based spirits manufacturer called Settsu Shuzo Company, when, at the age of 25, he was chosen to travel to Scotland and try learn how to make proper \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/scotch\"\u003eScotch whisky\u003c\/a\u003e. Such was the appetite for Scotch whisky in Japan in those days, that this mission was regarded as critical. Arriving in Glasgow in April 1919, the young man set about door knocking the Speyside distilleries in the hope that someone would give him an apprenticeship. He was well received, and after stints at Longmorn, Bo’ness and Hazelburn he returned to Japan in 1920 newly married with a Scottish wife and armed with sufficient knowledge to start making proper Scotch style whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1922, Masataka left Settsu Shuzo Company after their plan to make Scotch was abandoned and joined Suntory on a 10 year contract to establish the Yamazaki distillery. However, he always knew that to make whisky the way he wanted to, he would have to become independent, and in 1934 he left Suntory to establish Nikka Whisky and built the Yoichi Distillery. The first Nikka Whisky was released 6 years later in 1940. Masataka Taketsuru would spend the rest of his life dedicated to honouring the development of whisky in Japan becoming known forever more as ‘the father of Japanese whisky’.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Miyagikyo Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894551631,"sku":"WC0015","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/nikka_miyagikyo_12_year_old.png?v=1787700853"},{"product_id":"the-hive-12-year-old","title":"The Hive 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn creating The Hive with the master blender, the Wemyss family wanted a whisky that had the honey, vanilla and fresh fruit flavours that truly represented the Speyside region.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArtfully balancing 16 single malts before introducing the signature malt, The Hive is a delicious example of a Speyside whisky. With a rich and luscious nose, the sweet honey and citrus notes come to the fore and slight woodiness developing over time that beautifully balances this out. The whisky is matured in both fresh and refill bourbon and sherry casks for a rich, sweet and spicy dram with the emphasis on honey, a rounded spice gently mellows into waxy smooth finish.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wemyss Malts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894617167,"sku":"WC0017","price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/the_hive.png?v=1787700856"},{"product_id":"amrut-peated","title":"Amrut Peated","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn Indian Single Malt Whisky, peated to a phenol level of 24ppm and bottled at 46%, non-chill filtered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the Indian climate is too tropical for peat to develop, Amrut reached out to a Scottish malting company in Aberdeenshire to produce a peated barley to their specification using mainland peat, which has a distinctive smokiness. For the rest of their portfolio, made up mainly of un-peated malts, Amrut uses Indian barley grown in the foothills of the Himalayas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis dry grain then crosses the seas to arrive at Amrut Distillery in Bangalore, India, where it is mashed, brewed, distilled and decanted into first-fill and re-fill ex-bourbon American Oak barrels to mature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Bangalore sits at an altitude of 3,000ft above sea level, with distinct wet and dry seasons and a high average temperature; this combination of factors causes the maturation of whisky to occur at a much faster rate – Amrut Master Blender, Surinder Kumar, estimates that one year of barrel-ageing in India is equivalent to three years of ageing in Scotland. Guided by this, Amrut’s Single Malt Peated reaches its peak quality by 5 years when it is bottled at 46%ABV and not chill-filtered, to capture the best characteristics and maintain the luscious nose and distinctive toasted element with a spicy edge on the palate.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Amrut Distilleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894649935,"sku":"WC0018","price":105.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/amrut_peated.png?v=1787700858"},{"product_id":"balvenie-12yo-1st-fill-american-oak-single-barrel","title":"Balvenie 12YO Single Barrel","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf you were to take a guided tour of The \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-balvenie\"\u003eBalvenie\u003c\/a\u003e distillery, you’d be able to draw whisky directly from a cask in Warehouse 24. With The Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill, you can essentially enjoy a similar ‘straight-from-the-cask’ experience. That is because each bottle of The Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill has been matured exclusively in a single first fill American oak ex-Bourbon barrel for 12 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican oak barrels are very popular in Scotland, it’s estimated that up to 90% of all Scotch is matured in American oak casks, because they impart beautiful notes of vanilla and spice to the maturing spirit. The “first fill” part comes from these barrels being used to mature Scotch whisky for the first time, after that they’ll be known as “second fill” and later yet, as “refill” casks and first fill casks impart the strongest amount of flavour to the new malt spirit. Each bottle is drawn from a single cask of a single distillation run, with each cask yielding no more than 300 bottles. No two casks, even of the same wood type and filled with spirit from the same distillation will produce identical single malt, making each Single Barrel bottling unique and unrepeatable. The process is completed when each bottle is hand-numbered with the number of the cask in which it was matured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStewart samples hundreds of casks using his exceptional nosing skills, refined throughout his remarkable 50-year career, and selects for Single Barrel bottling only those casks that share a consistent character of sweetness and subtle vanilla oak. Speaking of the process, he said. “There are very subtle differences from cask to cask and it gave me great satisfaction to sample these casks to find the finest ones. Each cask is unique and that is what makes each bottle of the Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old so exceptional.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old is a non chill-filtered release with an ABV of 47.8%.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Balvenie Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894682703,"sku":"WC0019","price":140.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/balvenie_12.png?v=1787700861"},{"product_id":"arran-lochranza-reserve","title":"The Arran Lochranza Reserve","description":"\u003cp\u003eJames MacTaggart is the Master Distiller at Arran and since taking over the job in 2007 he’s brought his simple but effective philosophy of “a contemporary whisky, a traditional distillation” to bear with exceptional results. Arran uses the traditional methods of distilling including wooden washbacks for fermentation and copper pot stills designed to their exact specification. No caramel or artificial colourants are tolerated and all Single Malts are non-chill filtered, which as we all know means they’re natural in pigment and exactly the way whisky should be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery uses two types of barley, Optic and Oxbridge, both selected because of their superior yields of fermentable sugars for the distiller to convert into alcohol. The malted barley is put through the distillery’s grist-mill before being mashed, yielding around 13,000 litres of wort per batch, before being fermented in the distillery’s Oregon Pine washbacks. There’s an age-old debate as to the use of wooden washbacks vs. stainless steel with traditionalists arguing that the residue build up in the wooden washback adds more flavour to the whisky. You be the judge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Arran Single Malt is double distilled in the traditional Scottish style, first in the wash still, followed by the spirit still. The liquid is boiled in the wash still by means of internal steam fins, and driven off as a vapour that passes through the tall, swan neck of the still. This vapour then passes through a condenser where it is brought back to a liquid form, known as Low Wines. The Low Wines are collected in the receiver from the first distillation at around 23% ABV.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Low Wines are then filled into the spirit still for the second distillation. Again, the liquid in the spirit still is boiled by internal steam fins and after 30 minutes foreshots begin to appear in the spirit safe. Foreshots appear at 74% ABV but contain too many volatile compounds to be collected as spirit so these are diverted into the Low Wines\/Feints receiver. After a further 20 minutes spirit known as the heart or middle-cut of the run can be collected at an average strength of 68% ABV. This is reduced with local water to 63.5% ABV and is then filled into oak casks for maturation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArran are currently filling about 75% first fill bourbon barrels, 15% first fill Sherry Hogsheads and about 10% refill Sherry Hogsheads and Butts. Interestingly, until 2007 a proportion of the casks were stored off the island at nearby Springbank Distillery in Campbelltown due to a lack of room at the distillery caused by legal restrictions preventing the extension of the existing warehouses. But as we know, problems lead to innovative solutions and the distillery now has a revolutionary storage warehouse on site that allows greater storage capacity and easier access to barrels. Today there are six warehouses onsite at the distillery, a mixture of dunnage, racking and palletised, and there plans to build further warehouses as production increases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Arran Lochranza Reserve is a classic edition of the Arran Malt created specially by James MacTaggart to highlight the lighter side of Arran’s vibrant island character. Bottled at 43%, the Lochranza Reserve emphasises the delicious, sweet fruit notes, which are the hallmark of the Arran distillery and makes for the ideal Spring whisky for our Club.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Arran Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894715471,"sku":"WC0020","price":85.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/arran_lochranza_reserve.png?v=1787700863"},{"product_id":"the-benriach-15-year-old-tawny-port-cask","title":"The BenRiach 15 Year Old Tawny Port Cask","description":"\u003cp\u003eBenRiach has become famous for it’s incredibly wide range of whiskies and is one of the only distilleries in Scotland to still do it’s own floor maltings, giving it the ability to produce both peated and unpeated malts. A production capacity of 2,800,000 litres means that we all have a hell of a lot of whisky to drink before the lads at BenRiach have to worry about production issues. The new management didn’t waste any time in getting things cranking again, and upon purchasing the distillery, Billy Walker got the stills working within the year, redesigned the labels and launched their flagship range of 12, 16 and 20 year old single malts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis range best captures the smooth, complex, full flavoured character traditionally associated with the Speyside region. All have elegant full taste and aroma that captures fruity floral notes, with overtones of honey, vanilla, spices, toffee and apples.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe core range has been augmented over the years to include an ever-increasing number of special and curious releases that has earned BenRiach its cult status amongst serious malt enthusiasts. October’s whisky comes from the highly acclaimed Wood Finish range. These whiskies are unpeated and are originally matured in American oak casks before being finished in a wide range of casks including Pedro Ximenez, Madiera, Dark Rum, Tawny Port, Claret, Burgundy, Rioja and Sherry Matured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnly 340 cases of the Tawny Port Wood Finish were made and due to the scarcity and high cost of Tawny Port casks, sadly there are no plans to repeat it – good thing we got our hands on these!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Benriach Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894748239,"sku":"WC0021","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/benriach_15_year_old_tawny_port_wood_finish.png?v=1787700865"},{"product_id":"glendalough-7-year-old","title":"Glendalough 7 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eNow you may wonder how a distillery founded in 2011 could possibly have a 7 Year Old whiskey, let alone a 13 Year Old and this is where some real Irish magic comes into play, something quite unique in the whisky world. Many of you will recall our March whiskey, the Greenore 8 Year Old, made by Cooley Distillery. Aside from making whiskey for their own brands, Cooley made vast amounts of whiskey that it sold under “private label” deals to independent bottlers. Internationally recognised as the finest single malt in Ireland, these whiskeys are in very high demand, even more so now that Beam Suntory, who bought Cooley in 2012, put a stop to “private label” production.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe crew at Glendalough have somehow managed to get hold of a bit of this liquid gold, which has been matured under their stewardship before being cut to 46% with Wicklow water to produce what is arguably one of the most remarkable \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/irish-whiskey\"\u003eIrish whiskies\u003c\/a\u003e ever to come to market.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W1zs_ZClXjE\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Glendalough Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894781007,"sku":"WC0022","price":95.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glendalough_7_year_old.png?v=1787700867"},{"product_id":"jura-16-year-old-duriachs-own","title":"Jura 16 Year Old Duriachs Own","description":"\u003cp\u003eIsle of Jura distillery is owned by independent bottler Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay, who bought it in 1993. This was a significant moment for Jura because it brought production under the umbrella of Richard Patterson, third-generation master distiller and whisky industry legend, who this year celebrates his 45th year in whisky. Also know as “the nose”, Patterson is best known for his work with Dalmore and creating Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay’s award winning range of blends, and has been instrumental in turning Jura’s single malts into the sought-after delights that they are today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJura is a relatively large distillery considering the size of the island, producing around 2 million litres of spirit per year, much of which goes to the popular Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay blends. The current distillery is built on the ruins of the old, and all the equipment was built to a new design including the introduction of very tall stills. These stills are unique, and set Jura apart from other distilleries because they give the distiller the flexibility to create a mix of whiskies ranging from sweet and mellow to rich and smoky. This ability to create a Jura for every palate has become the one of the distillery’s hallmark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother Jura hallmark is the move away from the heavily peated malts made by Small Isles Distillery to a lighter, fruity spirit. This fruity character allows Jura whiskies to develop flavour and body in a relatively short space of time resulting in the full-bodied and very complex malts that the island has become known for. In recent years heavily peated batches were reintroduced and these are run for a few weeks each year for the Prophecy and Superstition expressions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuriachs’ Own, so named because it’s the islanders’ whisky of choice, is Jura’s flagship expression. It’s made up of whiskies aged for a minimum of 14 years in American oak casks and specially selected for their body and complex fruit notes, before spending a further 2 years in ex-Amoroso Olorosso sherry casks. This finish and long maturation subverts the Jura light and floral house style and gives Diurach’s Own the very rich and full-bodied character that’s made it so popular and sought after worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wRRFaB9BE7Y\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Jura Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894813775,"sku":"WC0023","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/jura_16_year_old_duriachs_own.png?v=1787700870"},{"product_id":"tomatin-legacy","title":"Tomatin Legacy","description":"\u003cp\u003eTomatin makes a lighter, unpeated style of whisky that is often called “the softer side of the Highlands”. The late, great Michael Jackson described the house style as “Malty, spicy, rich. Restorative or after dinner”, and it’s basically a grown-up’s whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery operates twelve stills (each with a capacity of 16,800 litres), twelve stainless steel washbacks (each with a 7000 litre capacity) and one 8-tonne Lautner tun. Tomatin was the first distillery to switch from the traditional mash tun, which uses rakes to turn the barley, to a Lauter mash-tun, which employs the use of rotating knives to improve the extraction of soluble starch from the barley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile traditionally selling the vast majority of its whisky to third-party blenders, since 2002 the distillery’s main focus has been on producing single malt and today more than twenty percent of their whisky is bottled as single malt. The balance is used for blending, mainly for their own brands, which include Antiquary, Legendary Scot and Talisman. Tomatin have recently begun making lightly peated single malt called Cù Bòcan, production of which takes place over a seven-week period each year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe core range of single malts did exceptionally well in Jim Murray’s 2016 Whisky Bible with the Legacy bringing in 94.5 points, 12 Year Old 91.5 points, 14 Year Old 92.5 points, 18 Year Old 92.5 points, 1988 Vintage 95.5 points and the 36 Year Old romping home with 96.5 points.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis month’s whisky is the distillery’s flagship, the Tomatin Legacy. It carries no age statement, having been composed to specific taste rather than age and has been described as one of the best examples of a non-age statement whisky on the market. It’s comprised of whisky matured in ex-Bourbon and Virgin Oak casks and the use of Virgin Oak brings vibrancy and sweetness in the form of fresh tannins, lignins and vanillins that would otherwise have been lost to a previous life as a bourbon cask. The result is a beautiful example of Tomatin’s soft and delicate style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tomatin Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894879311,"sku":"WC0027","price":85.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/tomatin_legacy.png?v=1787700872"},{"product_id":"glenfiddich-15-year-old-distillery-edition","title":"Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt almost 13 million bottles a year Glenfiddich is not only the world’s biggest selling single malt but also the most awarded. It’s production operation is colossal, boasting a capacity of 10,000,000 litres of pure alcohol per annum. Their 31 stills are fed by 24 massive Douglas Fir washbacks, each with a capacity of 50,000 litres.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSurprisingly, Glenfiddich’s size allows them to apply a level of in-house craft and attention to detail that many smaller distilleries cannot afford in today’s crowded and competitive marketplace. Firstly, Glenfiddich employs their own team of coppersmiths to service and tend to their 31 stills. The shape of Glenfiddich’s copper stills are strictly identical to those first used when the distillery was founded and it’s the coppersmiths’ job to make sure they stay that way. Secondly, Glenfiddich is one of the only distilleries with an on-site cooperage to tend the distillery’s huge reserve of barrels. The team mend around 126 casks every day, a hugely important job when you consider that 60% of the flavour and 100% the whisky’s colour comes from the wood. Finally, it’s the only Highland distillery that still bottles it’s own whisky at the distillery. In fact, it’s the only Highland distillery to distil, mature and bottle at the distillery. Added to that, they are the only Highland whisky to use a single source of natural spring water from start to finish in the whisky making thanks to a sharp move by William back in 1892 when he bought 1200 acres surrounding the distillery to protect the purity of his water supply.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterestingly, it’s also the only distillery still using wooden marrying tuns. Glenfiddich is well known for marrying their whiskies for at least three months, longer than any other \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/scotch\"\u003eScotch\u003c\/a\u003e, and this marrying allows all the flavours to fuse together and create wonderfully well-rounded whisky. Strict adherence to tradition can sometime stifle innovation, but fortunately this is not necessarily the case at Glenfiddich and 1998 saw the invention of the Solara Vat, used exclusively in the marrying process of the Glenfiddich 15 Year Old (not the 15 YO Distillery Edition, mind you), a huge success that’s been met with critical acclaim.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor February 2016, we were extremely lucky to have the 15 Year Old Distillery Edition. First created in 2011, this expression has quickly become one of the most sought-after Limited Editions to come from the distillery. The thinking was to create a single malt that’s as close to the whisky you’d get at the distillery if you drew it from the cask yourself. As a result we have an exceptional malt that’s bottled at 51% and non-chill filtered. This is classic Glenfiddich, but with added complexity and character.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Glenfiddich Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894944847,"sku":"WC0029","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glenfiddich_15_year_old_distillery_edition.png?v=1787700874"},{"product_id":"glenfarclas-12-year-old","title":"Glenfarclas 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Glenfarclas operation is large, boasting the biggest stills in Speyside and the biggest mashtun in the industry. Great care has been taken, at the expense of forgoing more cost-effective modern technologies, to ensure that the whisky’s flavour remains consistent over the decades. Their stills are some of the few that are heated in the traditional manner by direct fire (from gas burners) rather than internal electric elements. The distillery experimented with elements the early 80s, but found that this method changed the flavour of the spirit and the experiment was canned, the spirit being sold off to blenders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVery early on the distillery replaced their wooden mashtuns with steel, and later stainless steel when the steel ones kept rusting through. The move away from the traditional wooden tun came from the need for consistent wash. Wooden mashtuns are favoured by some distilleries because an element of yeast remains in the wood after cleaning and can give the wash interesting flavours, but lacks the consistency of stainless steel, something that Glenfarclas values highly. Nowadays whenever a new system is trialled it’s run alongside the old and is only implemented once an identical result is achieved and current chairman, John Grant, personally oversees all barley and barrel purchasing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlenfaraclas has substantial onsite warehousing facilities with 28 traditional dunnage warehouses, some more than 200 years old, holding a massive 52,000 casks, the majority of which are traditional Spanish sherry casks. This is of course because, above all, Glenfarclas whisky is a traditional old style Speyside malt, unpeated and synonymous with sherry casks. In the early days sherry was the cask of choice for all Scotch whisky, but as the demand for whisky matured in these casks outgrew the amount of sherry that the world drinks, the resulting shortage drove the price up. This coincided with the expansion of American whiskey, where a law dating back to 1935 prohibits American distillers from reusing bourbon barrels. Suddenly there were vast amounts of affordable American oak barrels on the market, and with their very attractive vanilla and caramel influences, the Scots snapped them up. Such has been the popularity of the cheaper American oak casks that today around 97% of all Scotch whisky is matured in American oak bourbon casks. Glenfarclas and a handful of distilleries including Glendronach and Macallan resisted this temptation, remaining true to sherry casks despite the fiscal advantages of American oak casks. It is precisely this kind of long-term thinking that has ensured that the Glenfarclas that you taste today is identical to that which you would have tasted fifty years ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vh7HoM-alSg\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Glenfarclas Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894977615,"sku":"WC0030","price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glenfarclas_12_year_old.png?v=1787700876"},{"product_id":"armorik-double-maturation","title":"Armorik Double Maturation","description":"\u003cp\u003eLike most small craft distilleries, quality is the main concern for the team at Distillerie Warenghem and Armorik is thus fermented, distilled, matured and bottled at the distillery itself under the watchful eye of distillery manager David Roussier.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery’s water source is a 100m deep well called Rest Avel and unlike the rest of France, Brittany is on granite bedrock, not limestone. This makes the water slightly acidic and helps develop fruity aromas during fermentation. Distillerie Warenghem uses strictly French Non-GMO barley for its single malts, malting is done in Belgium and it is generally un-peated.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs with all single malts, the wash undergoes a double distillation in copper pot stills. The distillery currently produces around 100 000 LAP\/Year. In terms of output this makes it about three times larger than a distillery like Sullivans Cove in Tasmania but five times smaller than a small Scottish enterprise like Benromach. The stills are based on the Scottish style but engineered in Cognac and they are one of the only distilleries in France with traditional Scottish style stills.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough Armorik releases are generally matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill and Spanish oak ex-oloroso sherry casks from Bodega Jose Y Miguel Martin, the Double Maturation release is unique in that it’s matured in Breton oak, sourced in the local forests of Bretagne through a partnership with the last remaining Breton cooper. Breton oak is very dense, even more so than American oak and therefore limits the impact of woody flavours and tannin while bringing a nice spiciness and natural sweetness to the whisky. The warehouse is also full of all sorts of casks used for French wines and spirits like Armagnac, Cognac, Sauternes etc. and these are usually bottled as single casks…another huge advantage of producing whisky in a country like France!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArmorik Double Maturation is bottled at 46%ABV, un-chillfiltered and at natural colour.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Distillerie Warenghem","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895043151,"sku":"WC0040","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/armorik_double_maturation.png?v=1787700878"},{"product_id":"benromach-organic","title":"Benromach Organic","description":"\u003cp\u003eToday, this truly unique distillery is run as if in a time warp, where a team of three carefully craft a pre-60s style of Scotch whisky with the minimal use of modern tools. The distillery’s small scale means that everything can be done by hand, and they joke that the only computer in the distillery is one used for emails, so much so that there are no temperature or pressure gauges on the stills. Everything is down to the stillman’s skills. The old-time processes mean slower fermentations using a combination of brewer’s and distiller’s yeast for bigger, maltier flavours, slower distillations to capture the sweetest part of the run, and a focus on local ingredients. Benromach only uses barley grown in their home county of Morayshire and spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. Only first fill casks are used for maturation and all the sherry casks have spent at least three years in a Spanish bodega before being shipped to the UK for bottling and consumption, meaning that the sherry was actually used as drinking sherry (therefore of a higher quality) and not simply dumped after seasoning the cask for whisky maturation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther than it’s few heavily peated varieties, the bulk of Benromach whiskies are slightly peated to 12ppm and the malting is done locally by Crisp Maltings. This is key to Benromach’s pre-1960s style because all Scotch whisky was at least very lightly peat-smoked in that era as peat was a staple fuel. This changed in recent times as peat and even coal to a large extent have been replaced by electricity and gas, paving the way for the non-peated whiskies now available on the market.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaunched in 2006, Benromach Organic was the first certified organic single malt whisky. Making organic whisky isn’t easy because it requires compliance with the UK Soil Association’s rigorous standards but, fortunately for us, the team at Benromach were up to the task and we’re all the better for it today! Firstly the team had to source biological barley grown without the use of any chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other artificial chemicals. Secondly every element that touched the spirit had to be certified organic too — from the raw materials, right down to the style of cask. This requirement ruled out the use of ex-Sherry or ex-Bourbon casks, so Benromach sourced organic American Oak from environmentally managed Missouri forests and in so doing also became the first single malt to successfully mature in virgin oak casks, so much so that Jim Murray, everyone’s favourite whisky nut, gave it two thumbs up with 91\/100.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EHcfgCaMgZ8\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"The Benromach Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895075919,"sku":"WC0042","price":95.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/benromach_organic.png?v=1787700880"},{"product_id":"the-glenrothes-peated-cask-reserve","title":"The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis exceptional dram represents two great milestones for The Glenrothes Distillery; it’s both their first cask finish and their first peated expression, the inspiration for this very unusual peated Glenrothes coming from the distillery’s the 1887 merger with the Islay Distillery Co Ltd.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaking a peated Glenrothes required a bit thinking outside of the proverbial “box” because Glenrothes doesn’t produce peated spirit and therefore the only option was to finish some classic Glenrothes in Islay casks. The team decided on Vintage 1992 and the whisky was promptly given a temporary home in Islay casks. We haven’t been lucky enough to be told which Islay distillery the casks came from, but the smart money’s on Bunnahabhain as they were owned by the Islay Distillery Co Ltd. The finish lasted about nine months, in which time the Islay barrels added a kiss of peat smoke to complement the usual Glenrothes characteristics and the result is a deliciously smoky dram, packed with lemon fruitiness and spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y453CDCxsFE\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"The Glenrothes Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895108687,"sku":"WC0043","price":105.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/the_glenrothes_peated_cask_reserve.png?v=1787700882"},{"product_id":"glenlivet-nadurra-first-fill-american-oak","title":"Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill American Oak","description":"\u003cp\u003eGaelic for ‘natural’, Nàdurra was launched in 2004 as a cask-strength, non chill-filtered single malt whisky based on the style of whisky enjoyed in the 19th century. As in the old days, the whisky is bottled straight from the cask, and does not undergo any processing such as chill filtration – so you get the real thing as it’s meant to be drunk. All Nàdurras are made in small batches, each at a different ABV as alcohol content varies between casks. The range was originally headed up by the now discontinued 16yo (Hot tip: grab a bottle if you see one of these floating around!) and was recently overhauled to comprise three NAS expressions named after the cask used for maturation; Olorosso, American Oak and Peated Cask.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis was the official Australian launch of the Nàdurra First Fill American Oak and we were privileged to receive a special shipment of the latest batch FF0115. Our main man Jim Murray nearly wet himself when he tasted Batch FF0714, awarding it a massive 95.5\/100 while musing “mmm… a sumptuously rich delivery, and though the oils are healthy there is never a threat to the complexity….Red liquorice and treacle pudding fills the mid-ground; walnut oil subtly adds a further oaky presence….a long interweaving between the oak and the barley, although it is the malt which fades faster…. now that is what I call a whisky!”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Glenlivet Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895567439,"sku":"WC0044","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/the_glenlivet_nadurra_first_fill_american_oak.png?v=1787700885"},{"product_id":"glenglassaugh-revival","title":"Glenglassaugh Revival","description":"\u003cp\u003eGlenglassaugh makes highly complex, full-bodied whiskies that tend towards a fruity style. There’s sherry influence in some expressions and the range also includes two peated expressions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalt comes from the three major maltsters, Crisps, Boort and Baird, and is unpeated other than a few batches peated to 30ppm for the Torfa and Octaves expressions. Mashing takes place in a traditional mashtun with a grist weight of 5t and fermentation, using Mauri pressed yeast, runs for a minimum of 60 hours. The distillery has six washbacks (four wooden and two stainless steel) and two boil ball shaped stills with the capacity to produce up to 1,000,000 litres per annum.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the name suggests, the Glenglassaugh Revival is the first core expression from the distillery since resuming operations in 2009, and follows an interesting maturation regime involving ex-bourbon and ex-red wine casks, before being revatted for a double maturation in Oloroso sherry butts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Glenglassugh Revival is bottled at 46%, non-chill filtered and of natural colour.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glenglassaugh Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895632975,"sku":"WC0045","price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glenglassaugh_revival.png?v=1787700887"},{"product_id":"benriach-12-year-old","title":"The BenRiach 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eThose of you who’ve been with the Club for a while will know that one of the undisputed highlights of the year is our annual pilgrimage to the BenRiach Distillery. To date it’s one of only two distilleries we’ve ever returned to, and for good reason.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBenRiach is famous for it’s incredibly wide range of whiskies and is one of the only distilleries in Scotland to still do it’s own floor malting in order to produce both peated and unpeated malts, something that it does incredibly well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery’s core range is unpeated and includes a signature NAS, 10yo, 16yo and 20yo. This range embodies the smooth, complex, full flavoured character traditionally associated with the Speyside region. All have elegant full taste and aroma that captures fruity floral notes with overtones of honey, vanilla, spices, toffee and apples. The core range has grown over the years to include an ever-increasing number of special and curious releases that has earned BenRiach it’s cult status amongst serious malt enthusiasts. This includes the Peated Range, Wood Finish Range, Premium Expressions and Limited Releases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis month’s whisky comes from the highly acclaimed Wood Finish Range. The rest of the whiskies in the range are all generally matured in American oak casks before being finished in a wide range of casks including Pedro Ximenez, Madeira, Dark Rum, Tawny Port, Claret, Burgundy and Rioja.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe multi-award winning BenRiach Aged 12 Years Matured in Sherry Wood is matured exclusively in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and boasts an IWSC Trophy, a Liquid Gold award and a whopping 95.5\/100 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. Bursting with mocha, dark chocolate, sultanas, figs, vanilla and rich spices it’s one of the world’s most sought after “sherry bombs” and a must-have for any whisky collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Benriach Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895665743,"sku":"WC0046","price":110.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/benriach_aged_12_years_matured_in_sherry_wood.png?v=1787700889"},{"product_id":"hyde-no-1","title":"Hyde No.1","description":"\u003cp\u003eHibernia Distillers’ focus is on wood finishing, a relatively modern innovation introduced in the 1980s, which has since become hugely popular and widespread practice through the industry. As we can all attest to, the results often vary in quality due to the various factors at play in maturation. Most important of these is the quality of the casks, while other factors include climate, maturity and quality of the spirit. Judging by their early releases the team at Hibernia Distilleries have shown a level of maturity and understanding of whiskey making that belies their fledgling status, impressing whisk(e)y critics across the world with two incredibly well finished releases; Hyde No.1 President’s Cask 10 year Old Sherry Cask Finished and Hyde No.2 President’s Cask 10 year Old Rum Cask Finished, the former being named Best Single Malt \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/irish-whiskey\"\u003eIrish Whiskey\u003c\/a\u003e at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday’s malt is the flagship Hyde No.1 President’s Cask 10 year Old Sherry Cask Finished. This remarkable whiskey is initially matured in American oak ex-Bourbon casks for 10 years before undergoing a second 10-month maturation in Oloroso sherry casks to add a deeper complexity to the underlying flavours. The prestigious award winner is non-chill filtered, bottled at 46% ABV and produced in very small batches of only 5,000 bottles. Each bottle carries a unique bottle identification and batch number allowing it to be traced right back to its original wooden cask and fill date. It’s a stunning example of why we’ll all be drinking much more Irish whiskey in the years to come.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hibernia Distillers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489895993423,"sku":"WC0049","price":125.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/hyde_no.1_presidents_cask_10_year_old_sherry_cask_finish.png?v=1787700891"},{"product_id":"port-charlotte-islay-barley-2008","title":"Port Charlotte 2008 Islay Barley","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis month’s whisky is the very special 2008 Port Charlotte. Part of the über-provenance Islay Barley Series, it is the first time a Port Charlotte (or any heavily peated Islay whisky for that matter) has been distilled exclusively from 100% Islay grown barley. This barely, from six farms; Coull, Kynagarry, Island, Rockside, Starchmill and Sunderland, was harvested in September 2008, heavily peated to 40ppm and distilled December 2008. Full term maturation took place on Islay in American and European Oak Casks before bottling in 2015 at 50% using Islay spring water. Non chill filtered \u0026amp; colouring free, of course.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ELwX1jsCQiQ\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Bruichladdich Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489900286031,"sku":"WC0050","price":110.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/port_charlotte_islay_barley_2008.png?v=1787700893"},{"product_id":"the-glenrothes-sherry-cask-reserve","title":"The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve is the very first Glenrothes to be fully matured in 100% first fill sherry casks. This is significant because while The Glenrothes pride themselves on using sherry matured whisky in every expression excepting the Bourbon Cask Reserve (Alba Reserve), this is usually a combination of first-fill, second and third fill casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo fully appreciate this whisky it’s important to understand that a first fill cask is one that is used for malt whisky for the first time, irrespective of what it may have held before, or for how long. The result is that cask’s previous contents have the greatest effect on the first batch of whisky matured in them, with this effect diminishing with every subsequent refill. The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve’s harmonious balance displays the superb influence of fresh sherry casks, evident from the first sip, with perfectly balanced notes of fruit cake, ginger, orange peel and vanilla.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s interesting to note that over 90% of all the casks used in the Scotch Whisky industry have once contained Bourbon and the reason for this is quite simply because Bourbon casks are far more widely available and are therefore a lot cheaper. Sherry casks are made to specification in Jerez, southern Spain and cost approximately 5 times more than the ex-bourbon casks resulting in far fewer distilleries using them for 100% maturation, by and large opting rather to use them for cask finishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe are very fortunate this year to have secured an exclusive shipment of the Sherry Cask Reserve and are delighted to present it in Australia for the very first time, just in time for Christmas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bcplHcpSy_E\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"The Glenrothes Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489900384335,"sku":"WC0053","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/the_glenrothes_sherry_cask_reserve.png?v=1787700897"},{"product_id":"edradour-caledonia-12-year-old","title":"Edradour Caledonia 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdradour produces a typical full and intense style of Highland malt with very small pot stills. Up until the 2002 purchase by Andrew Symington, the distillery’s range was limited to a 10 year old single malt and Edradour had built a pretty undesirable reputation for batch variation (inconsistent whisky). Behind closed doors this is attributed to the distillers at the time’s almost permanent state of inebriation…\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSymington however, together with new distillery manager Iain Henderson (ex-Laphroaig and retrieved from retirement), very cleverly turned this perceived weakness into what has today become Edradour’s key strength. By shifting the focus to single cask expressions and experimenting with a large variety of casks such as port, Sauternes, Madeira, Burgundy, chardonnay, super Tuscan and even other spirit casks such as rum, they celebrated and enhanced the variations in Edradour’s spirit, in so doing creating a huge amount of distillery bottlings, arguably the most diverse range of whiskies in the world, and a cult following of whisky fanatics of course. Ever the traditionalists, and no doubt thanks to Henderson’s influence, Edradour recreated the traditional peated style of highland whisky that had died out in the early 1900s. First released in 2006, this expression is called Ballechin and is peated to 50ppm, one of the most heavily opeated whiskies outside of Islay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite Edradour’s huge range, a very limited amount makes it to Australia and Dougie Maclean’s Caledonia Selection 12 Year Old is no exception. Singer\/songwriter Dougie Maclean is a Scottish legend who penned the song Caledonia in under 10 minutes on a beach in Brittany in 1977 during a bout of homesickness. Caledonia has gone on to become the unofficial Scottish anthem, resonating with the Scottish diaspora across the globe, much like Cold Chisel’s Khe Sahn amongst expat Australians. The bottling was originally conceived as a one-off single cask selected in 2009 by Maclean himself but it was so popular that Edradour decided to continue the bottling of this single malt but this time releasing it as a 46% single malt which is initially matured in ex-Bourbon casks followed by an Oloroso sherry maturation of four to five years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I wrote Caledonia, in 1977 on a beach in Brittany, France, when I was genuinely homesick for Scotland. My life has always been based in Perthshire. For me, the location of Edradour, with its neat cluster of whitewashed buildings, traditional equipment and employment of ancient methods of making single malt whisky, combined with its state of the art bottling facility, typify Caledonia. So it is great to be joining forces with Andrew Symington and Edradour Distillery, to bring you this wonderfully rich and complex 12 year old single malt.” Dougie Maclean.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond the Scottish sentimentality at the heart of its brand, this is a big and robust dram; a stand-out whisky from one of the largest and most diverse whisky ranges in the world which has attracted its cult following for very good reason. We’re delighted to welcome Edradour Caledonia 12 Year Old to our shores and about as far from Scotland as you can get, exclusively for our members’ enjoyment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Edradour Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489901760591,"sku":"WC0054","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/edradour_caledonia_12_year_old.png?v=1787700899"},{"product_id":"kilkerran-12-year-old","title":"Kilkerran 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eGiven the distillery name and background, you may be wondering why the fabulous stuff we’re drinking this month is called Kilkerran and not Glengyle! Well, Glengyle is also the name of another company’s blended Highland whisky, so aside from any legal considerations Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery obviously wanted to avoid possible confusion between the newest single malt to come from the Campbeltown region and a pre-existing Highland blend. But even more important, they tell us, is the fact that they’re so proud to be continuing and adding to the great Campbeltown distilling tradition that the name ‘Kilkerran’ so aptly reflects. Kilkerran is derived from from the Gaelic ‘Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain’, which is the name of the original settlement where Saint Kerran had his religious cell and where Campbeltown now stands. Kilkerran also happens to be a more suitable name for a new Campbeltown malt since it was unusual for the old Campbeltown distilleries to be called after a Glen, a custom more usually associated with the Speyside region.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile the distillery was purchased in 2000, production didn’t commence until 2004 because major refurbishment works were required. In essence all that remained of the distillery were the buildings themselves. Inside, the place was a mess, overrun with pigeons, had a very leaky roof and needed a huge amount of work. The works were overseen by industry legend and Whisky Hall of Fame inductee Frank McHardy, who’s been with Springbank since 1977, and work progressed rapidly with the bulk done by the middle of 2003. A total refit was required and help was called in from all corners of Scotland. Interestingly the stills came from the closed Ben Wyviss Distillery and were carefully modified for the desired Campbeltown whisky profile, while the mill was a gift from Craigellachie Distillery who had recently purchased a new one for themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDistillation kicked off in 2004, but it wasn’t until last year that the flagship 12yo single malt was released. The extremely passionate team at the distillery chose to follow their own path, not bowing to the non age statement trend to which many of its younger peers have succumbed. Interestingly, despite the thorough refurbishment, the distillery also only runs for a very short period each year when the team at Springbank come down the road to run the stills for about six weeks, producing a precious 55,000 litres of spirit. This is about the same small output as somewhere like Lark or Sullivans Cove here in Australia, and as a result bottling is very limited and highly prized. Since 2009 the distillery has also teased connoisseurs across the world with its series of Work-in-Progress releases to showcase the progression of their works in the lead up to last August’s release of the flagship 12 Year Old, generating an enormous and loyal cult following in the process, all waiting with baited breath for the final product.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s no overstatement then to say that Kilkerran 12 Year Old is one of the most anticipated whiskies of the decade. Like its sister distillery Springbank, Glengyle attracted its incredible following among whisky connoisseurs thanks to an unwavering dedication to doing things properly in an age where more and more distilleries are finding creative ways to release younger and younger whiskies and cut corners to bring costs down, often at the expense of quality. They keep things very natural, using their local water source, Crosshill Loch, throughout the process, from steeping the barley to diluting the whisky at the bottling stage. Their Scottish barley is partially dried over a peat fire, helping to create its unique flavour profile, and they use a traditional Scottish double distillation. When the spirit runs off the Cambeltown style stills you get a light yet complex liquid which is fruity and nutty with what they call a hint of sea breeze. The spirit then matures at its own pace in the finest ex bourbon and sherry casks which give the whisky its richer character with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and honey covered dates. Like any good single malt, when it’s time for bottling they don’t chill filter the whisky, nor do they add any caramel colour to it. Their malt\/mash\/still men and women have worked so hard to develop all the character in the malt and the last thing they want to do is remove all of those good bits from the final product. The resulting Kilkerran 12 Year Old is the embodiment of the traditional Campbeltown philosophy and the proof is in the bottle… enjoy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mitchell's Glengyle Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489901793359,"sku":"WC0055","price":105.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/kilkerran_12_year_old.png?v=1787700902"},{"product_id":"the-irishman-12-year-old","title":"The Irishman 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost months the whisky information we cover is pretty straightforward, but in this instance it takes an intriguing turn. Thanks to their independent contract with Midleton Distillery (Jamesons, Green Spot, Redbreast, Powers…) Walsh have been bottling whiskey since 2007 under The Irishman and Writers Tears labels. This has allowed them to establish two strong global whiskey brands with distribution in over 40 markets worldwide while their own pot still, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/single-malt-whisky\"\u003esingle malt\u003c\/a\u003e and grain whiskey matures for release in 2019. More importantly for us though, this means Walsh consumers get access to a brilliant aged single malt expression not available directly through Midleton or elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Irishman Single Malt is especially exciting because despite Midleton supplying the whiskey, they hadn’t bottled any single malt themselves until recently, under their super premium ‘Method and Madness’ range which was unveiled in Dublin last week. Previously a certain mystique had crept in around The Irishman Single Malt’s provenance with some reviewers, including Jim Murray, speculating that the juice may actually come from the world’s oldest distillers, Bushmills, originally. Keeping our ear to the ground in the whisky trade we’ve also heard plenty of rumours that Midleton supplies \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushmills\"\u003eBushmills\u003c\/a\u003e with grain whiskey for their blends in return for its triple distilled single malt, but the official word from Walsh upon questioning them is that it’s Midleton whiskey, pure and simple! At any rate, whatever we make of the trade gossip, it’s safe to say this month’s whiskey is an absolute rarity and privilege to taste, and the annual limited edition release of only 6000 bottles is highly sought after.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAged exclusively in first fill flame charred American oak ex-Bourbon casks, The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt is triple distilled, natural non-chill filtered and bottled at 43% ABV. A handful of the best barrels were selected to make the cut for the 12 Year Old, producing a mere 6000 bottles. Aside from a few bottles we’re lucky enough to have scored almost the entire of the Australian allocation for the Club, and we hope you enjoy and savour this quintessentially \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/irish-whiskey\"\u003eIrish\u003c\/a\u003e Single Malt.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Walsh Whiskey Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489901826127,"sku":"WC0057","price":110.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/the_irishman_12_year_old.png?v=1787700905"},{"product_id":"tomatin-14-year-old","title":"Tomatin 14 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eTomatin makes a lighter, unpeated style of whisky that showcases the softer side of the Highlands. You may’ve seen their quirky ad campaign to match the softer side reputation, with burly Scotmen alongside fluffy pooches and Highland cattle in winter booties, as posted on our Facebook page recently. The late, great whisky writer Michael Jackson described their softer ‘malty, spicy and rich’ style as ‘either restorative or for after dinner’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery operates twelve stills (each with a capacity of 16,800 litres), twelve stainless steel washbacks (each with a 7000 litre capacity) and a one 8-tonne Lautner tun. Tomatin was the first distillery to switch from the traditional mash tun, which uses rakes to turn the barley, to a Lauter mash-tun, which employs the use of rotating knives to improve the extraction of soluble starch from the barley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile traditionally selling the vast majority of its whisky to third-party blenders, since 2002 the distillery’s main focus has been on producing single malt and today more than twenty percent of their whisky is bottled as premium single malt. The balance is used for blending, mainly for their own brands, which include Antiquary, Legendary Scot and Talisman. Tomatin have also recently begun making lightly peated single malt called Cù Bòcan, production of which takes place over a seven-week period each year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery boasts one of the strongest core range of single malts in Scotland, borne out by exceptional results as for example in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible with the Legacy bringing in 94.5 points, 12 Year Old 91.5 points, 18 Year Old 92.5 points, 1988 Vintage 95.5 points and the 36 Year Old romping home with 96.5 points. Jim also rated our whisky this month, the 14 Year Old Port Cask Finish, as brilliant, scoring 92.5 in the Whisky Bible. It’s a textbook end-of-night dram and you’d struggle to find a better example of an exceptionally well done Port wood finish. The whisky spends an initial 12 years maturing and mellowing in refill American oak ex-bourbon casks before undergoing a further two year maturation in first-fill casks, sourced from Symington Family Vineyards in Portugal’s Upper Duoro Valley, that had previously held their tawny port for 50 years. Graham Eunson, Tomatin’s head distiller has done a splendid job creating a powerful, balanced and textured whisky displaying ample lashings of strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, baked apple with cinnamon and nutmeg, red berries, raisins and of course rich toffee and butterscotch for good measure. A surge in global demand for this remarkable dram has totally depleted the distillery’s stocks, with no more available until late 2018. Fortunately we had our finger on the pulse and were in time to secure a whopping share of this liquid gold for the Club’s enjoyment in an Australian exclusive import.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tomatin Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489903562831,"sku":"WC0058","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/tomatin_14_year_old_port_cask_finish.png?v=1787700906"},{"product_id":"dalwhinnie-distillers-edition","title":"Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs would be expected, Dalwhinnie’s location plays an integral role in shaping the whisky’s profile. In the first instance there’s the water, as Dalwhinnie holds the exclusive rights to draw from Lochan an Doire Uaine, a gathering of pure snowmelt and rainwater high in the Drumochter Hills. It’s the unmistakable quality and purity of this water that’s largely credited with maintaining Dalwhinnie’s very clean malty taste.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNext there’s the new make spirit. Dalwhinnie goes out of its way to create a heavy, sulphury new make. Embracing the classic method, the distillery uses clear worts and long ferments to create a light waxy background before running the stills in a way to stop copper conversation and using traditional worm tub condensers. This is helped along beautifully by the distillery’s chilly ambient temperature which means that the worms are naturally very cold and condense rapidly, to create that trademark heavy new make. The heaviness of the sulphur is such that it takes about 15 years in refill casks for Dalwhinnie to fully emerge, but as we all know, it’s well worth the wait.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe final ingredient of course is the signature hint of heather, credited to the heather that surrounds the distillery and most likely due to the presence of wild yeast during the fermentation stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a capacity of 1.3 million liters of pure alcohol a year it’s a relatively small distillery, operating with only two stills, both a traditional shape with a large bulbous base and a very tall, gradually narrowing neck. Dalwhinnie is also one of the last remaining Scottish distilleries using wooden worm tubs. Malt is sourced from one of parent company Diageo’s malting sites and is very lightly peated, just enough to give it a hint of smoke. The best part of course is the two racked warehouses holding over 5000 casks of ageing whisky, a true sight to behold!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur malt this month is the 2016 Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition. Introduced in 1997, the Distillers Edition series is an annual, double-matured, limited edition release of the Classic Malts; Dalwhinnie 15yo, Cragganmore 12yo, Lagavulin 16yo, Talisker 10yo, Glenkinchie 12yo, Oban 14yo and Coal Ila 12yo. Each Classic Malt is matched to a Spanish or Portuguese fortified wine chosen to complement the characteristics of that whisky and undergoes a second maturation in specially prepared casks that previously held that wine. The result is a range of sublime, deep flavoured single malt whiskies, each very much still a Classic Malt, yet also possessing a depth, complexity and nuance of flavour not found in the regular releases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition was distilled in 2000 and released in 2016 after undergoing an exclusive second maturation in Oloroso sherry casks, its fragrant grapey notes carefully chosen to complement the signature moorland peat and heather-honeyed notes of Dalwhinnie. You’ll find its nose is far more forward and assured than the regular 15yo and the palate is richer and sweeter. There’s a wonderful rich winey sweetness, spicy complexity and a nice drying, oaky finish. In fact, the Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition cask finish is one of the best double maturations on the market, as observed in Jim Murray’s 2017 Whisky Bible, “More like a blender’s edition: I can count the number of genuinely successful double matured malts probably on both hands. There is some serious skill and understanding of this distillery at work here.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe resulting big, spicy, heathery well-defined malt, with tons of oak and vanilla is not to be missed and with just one batch of it produced the 2016 release will be another global sell out as usual soon. We’re delighted to present it exclusively in Australia for our members’ enjoyment this May.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dalwhinnie Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489903661135,"sku":"WC0060","price":125.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/dalwhinnie_distillers_edition.png?v=1787700910"},{"product_id":"tullibardine-the-murray-2004","title":"Tullibardine The Murray 2004","description":"\u003cp\u003eTullibardine Distillery was originally set up to produce malt whisky for use by blenders and operated this model until it was mothballed by Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay in 1994. It produced a light, nutty spirit and while the main focus was on blending, a few single malt releases came to market, most notably a 10 Year Old during the 1990s – which is highly collectable, so snap it up if you ever come across one!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Michael Beamish and Douglas Ross revived Tullibardine in 2003 it was with the intention of making it into a respectable single malt house and they did a very good job of it. Initially a few adjustments were required to get the flavour profile just right; the spirit run was tweaked to introduce more high-toned floral notes and the nutty notes were reduced, but the biggest challenge by far was an extensive re-casking operation to move much of the whisky from old, tired casks into fresh casks that would bring out the best in the spirit. Tullibardine’s fortunes were further bolstered when PV\u0026amp;S took over in 2011. The well-funded family owners brought an influx of cash and crucial access to a huge variety of excellent casks thanks to their wine connections in France, which were used to great effect in popular releases like the Sauternes Finish and Burgundy Finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Marquess Collection is a new set of whiskies from Tullibardine, named to commemorate the many historical figures that have over the centuries held the title of Marquess of Tullibardine. The Murray is the first in this collection, named after Sir William Murray, The Second Marquess of Tullibardine. The Murray is the first release in the Collection and is a classic Tullibardine that has spent all its life in 1st fill Bourbon barrels. This 12-year-old was barrelled in 2004 and bottled in 2016 and is also the first release of a Tullibardine made this century at cask strength. Exclusive to The Whisky Club in Australia, it represents the first official shipment of any Tullibardine to Australia in over a decade. The Murray has had a stellar year of awards so far, walking away with a coveted Gold medal and Top of Category at the 2017 Spirits Business \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/scotch\"\u003eScotch Whisky\u003c\/a\u003e Masters along with 95 points at the 2017 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you like your whisky straight from the barrel, the way it’s meant to be, you’re in for a real treat with this one. Enjoy it neat, but remember that the beauty of cask strength is the ability to also experiment with adding a few drops of water until you find your sweet spot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GEySAkb85HU\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Tullibardine Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489903693903,"sku":"WC0063","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/tullibardine_the_murray_2004.png?v=1787700912"},{"product_id":"glen-scotia-15-year-old","title":"Glen Scotia 15 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing a century in the limelight and another on the backburner, the 2014 takeover by Exponent heralds a new era in Glen Scotia’s history. New management tasked Master Distiller John Peterson, a highly-accomplished industry veteran with over 40 years’ experience, with the careful development and revival of Glen Scotia’s single malts. One of the advantages of its years spent as a supplier of fillings for blends means that Glen Scotia has a good degree of in-built flexibility, able to produce a variety of styles including medium, heavily and un-peated whisky with either nutty or fruity characters. The result is any whisky maker’s dream – a diverse barrel stock to work with!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn much the same vein as last month’s Loch Lomond, the Glen Scotia 15 Year Old is a seriously delicious and impressive malt unlike anything we’re used to. Dare we say it even goes one or two steps further. The highly complex dram starts off on the nose almost fooling you into thinking it’s a Speyside, but on the first sip the distinctive Campbeltown marine notes immediately remind you that you’re in possession of something far more special and unique. It’s incredibly well put-together with excellent balance and maturity and the critics agree; it landed Double Gold at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold at both the World Whiskies Awards and International Wine and Spirits Competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable in Australia for the very first time and exclusive to Club members only, Glen Scotia 15 Year Old is set to be your new favourite whisky, and alongside February’s Kilkerran 12 Year Old, like us you’ll be crying out for a Campbeltown whisky revival!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glen Scotia Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489903759439,"sku":"WC0064","price":110.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glen_scotia_15_year_old.png?v=1787700915"},{"product_id":"loch-lomond-12-year-old","title":"Loch Lomond 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eSet up to be totally self-sufficient, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/loch-lomond-whisky\"\u003eLoch Lomond\u003c\/a\u003e Distillery is one of only two remaining “dual” whisky distilleries in Scotland, distilling both grain and malt whisky in the same facility. While this was common practice in the 19th century, consolidation and efficiencies during the 20th century meant that distilleries nowadays are either one or the other. Loch Lomond’s set up is totally unique, featuring a set of traditional pot stills, three sets of Lomond stills and three sets of column stills. A Lomond still, as you’re no doubt wondering, is a hybrid style of still that features a traditional pot but is fitted with a rectifying head (like a column still). This allows a further range of characters to be produced, allowing the distiller to produce different kinds of whisky from a single apparatus. If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting McHenry and Sons distillery in Tasmania you’ll have seen exactly such a still in action. We mentioned earlier that Duncan Thomas, Loch Lomond’s founder, was one of the great innovators of the industry. In his early days at Littlemill he replaced the pot stills with hybrid refracting stills and later perfected this design when he commissioned what became known as the Lomond still for the newly built Loch Lomond Distillery. Lomond stills have since been used across the industry at distilleries like Miltonduff, Glenburgie, Inverleven, Scapa and most recently Bruichladdich.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn purchasing Loch Lomond, Glen Catrine had the means to heavily exploit the private label and bulk whisky market; an unglamorous but highly lucrative business. Over the next three decades they rapidly build up the distillery’s infrastructure to flexibly produce a wide variety of whisky styles for their customers including traditional peated and unpeated single malt, peated and unpeated single malt from Lomond stills (a lighter, floral style), single grain and blended whisky. In addition to producing for the private and bulk market, the company also bottled and marketed whisky under their own labels including Loch Lomond, Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Glengarry, Clansman and High Commissioner, but the malts never really got the attention they deserved and aside from a small annual output of original bottlings, Loch Lomond single malt was mainly the preserve of independent bottlers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe new management’s focus on single malts has meant that Master Distiller Michael Henry has free reign to create exceptional, unprecedented single malt whisky from one of the world’s most diverse barrel stocks. Loch Lomond 12 Year Old is an excellent example of this and is certainly unlike any whisky we’ve ever tasted at Whisky Club HQ. Matured in three types of casks; bourbon, refill and re-charged, the whisky has an incredibly succulent fruity character of peach, pear and apricot with a vanilla sweetness as well as the trademark hints of peat and smoke found in Loch Lomond whiskies. It’s a very well balanced malt whisky and this certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed with a whopping 93.5\/100 in Jim Murray’s 2017 Whisky Bible, Gold at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold at the 2017 Berlin International Spirits Competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable in Australia for the very first time and exclusive to Club members only, this is a sessionable malt like no other in my opinion. It’s captured the hearts, minds and tastebuds of critics and judges around the world, and to quote an enraptured Jim Murray: “…not sure if the distiller at the time was playing with some high propane yeast which just explodes with fruit, there is a richness to this malt that really does deserve applause…never before seen spice quite like it, or such a sublime balance with the fruity malt…”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Loch Lomond Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489905627215,"sku":"WC0065","price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/loch_lomond_12_year_old.png?v=1787700917"},{"product_id":"shelter-point-single-malt","title":"Shelter Point Single Malt","description":"\u003cp\u003ePatrick and the team say that sunsets and sea air are the crucial albeit unofficial ingredients in every bottle, and the personality of that statement and the region sure shine through in the dram itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShelter Point Distillery produces a small batch single malt whisky in traditional copper pot stills from two-row barley grown on the farm. Water is sourced on farm from a series of wells, and matured in a temperature controlled warehouse a few hundred yards from the ocean exclusively in first fil, single use American oak ex-bourbon casks sourced from Kentucky distilleries including Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill \u0026amp; Buffalo Trace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut as with all single malt, what makes Shelter Point unique is how all of these elements work together, from Vancouver Island’s soil for growing barley, to the farm’s water and of course the way in which the unique, maritime temperate rainforest climate influences the maturing spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a deliciously oily, full bodied malt with unmistakable marine notes and a near perfect balance of complexity and delicateness that’s got the undivided attention of the whisky world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe king of whisky gurus, Jim Murray, who of course had a hand in guiding the distillery to its success, raves about the dram in his Whisky Bible, particularly in terms of the way ‘the oils ramp up the intensity of the juicy malt to extraordinary levels’, as well as the charm and huge potential both of the wonderful people behind the whisky and the dram itself – which in his words all ‘ooze personality’. He scored it a whopping 89.5 and recommends you enjoy a dram at body temperature to get the very best from this next frontier in world whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA glowing recommendation from Jim, but it doesn’t stop there. Shelter Point Single Malt has already picked up a Gold Medal at the World Whisky Masters – one of the most distinguished blind tasting competitions of its kind. With all eyes on Shelter Point from the international trade, their success is only just starting to sink in for the ever-humble Canadian:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Early on we would test the whisky amongst ourselves and we would all nod. Then professional tasters seemed to like it, which was good. And then when the unsolicited good reviews started coming in, we were even more confident. But this (Gold at the Spirits Masters)… this is the icing on the cake and justification for many years of hard work.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUp until now Shelter Point has only been generally available in Canada, with only a couple of bottles sent to boutique stores in Japan and China. The Whisky Club has an International Exclusive on this first significant shipment outside of Canada which means that as a member, you’ll be one of the first people outside of Canada to try it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe’re incredibly privileged to encounter this remarkable little distillery just as it’s on the brink of international stardom and years from now we’ll all be able to sit back and remember when we first had Shelter Point, long before it was truly famous.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shelter Point Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489905659983,"sku":"WC0070","price":125.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/shelter_point_single_malt.png?v=1787700919"},{"product_id":"ballantine-s-the-miltonduff-15-year-old","title":"The Miltonduff 15 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Miltonduff is one of Scotland’s hidden work horse distilleries, having spent the vast majority of its life producing malt whisky for blenders. For the past century it’s provided all the warmth and power as the foundation for \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/ballantines-whisky\"\u003eBallantine’s\u003c\/a\u003e, but being the key ingredient for such a major blend means the Master Blender becomes very protective over his stock and The Miltonduff rarely sees the light of day as a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/single-malt-whisky\"\u003esingle malt\u003c\/a\u003e!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis month of course that’s all about to change as Ballantine’s launches their first ever single malt series to showcase The Miltonduff 15 Year Old, alongside the two other ‘signature’ hidden distilleries behind the blend. In addition to its foundation malt, The Miltonduff 15 YO, they’re also revealing the Glenburgie 15 YO, which delivers Ballantine’s concentrated fruitiness and honeyed sweetness, and the Glentauchers 15 YO, which provides the floral heather finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLucky for you, The Miltonduff 15 Year Old is a Whisky Club Exclusive, only available to our Members, not available anywhere else in Australia and with extremely limited distribution globally, but the good news if you want to collect all three is you can also pick up the Glenburgie at Dan Murphy’s and the Glentauchers at Duty Free. After all, you’re already one of a privileged few to have The Miltonduff, so why not complete your Ballantine’s single malt collection while you’re at it?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBallantine’s The Miltonduff 15 Year Old itself showcases The Miltonduff in all its glory, pure and unadulterated, the way we like it! Aged 15 years, this is a true Speyside; smooth, creamy and floral but also with a hint of cloves and cinnamon spice, lots of liquorice and a beautiful long, luscious finish. Quite simply, it’s one of Scotland’s biggest hidden gems by far and is hands down our coolest dram yet. Enjoy!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ballantine's","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489905725519,"sku":"WC0071","price":105.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/ballantines_the_miltonduff_15_year_old.png?v=1787700921"},{"product_id":"berry-bros-rudd-ardmore-2008","title":"Berry Bros. \u0026 Rudd Ardmore 2008","description":"\u003cp\u003eBerry Bros. \u0026amp; Rudd has been the British Royal Family’s official liquor supplier since the days of King George III and hold a Royal Warrant from both H.M The Queen Elizabeth II and H.R.H Charles The Prince of Wales. Today it’s recognised as one of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands, sitting at the very pinnacle of the liquor trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFounded in 1698 at No. 3 St James’s Street, London, it is the world’s oldest spirits and wine merchant. Today, some 319 years later, the business is still running from the same address, and owned by the same family. Originally a grocery store, Berry Bros. shifted their focus to liquor in the very early 1800s, later joining forces with fellow wine merchant Hugh Rudd to become Berry Bros. \u0026amp; Rudd in 1920.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistory and Royal Warrants aside however, Berry Bros. \u0026amp; Rudd is famous for the impeccable quality of their goods. While their range includes all of the biggest names in wine and spirits, it’s their “Own” selection, BBR’s independent label, that’s earned them their place in history. Drawing on centuries of experience and relationships, the Berry Bros. \u0026amp; Rudd team today have access to some of the world’s most extensive inventories and are able to pick and choose only the very best for their own releases. We’re incredibly privileged to be a part of that history this month as our collaboration has afforded us access to their inventory, and the result is a show-stopping Ardmore for the Club’s November release.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite Ardmore Distillery’s massive output, the demand for Teacher’s is so large that aside from the occasional independent bottling, there was no official Ardmore single malt until 2007 with the release of Ardmore Traditional, later replaced by Ardmore Legacy, a NAS expression bottled at bottled at 40%. While it’s wonderful that Ardmore single malt is now widely available, it’s a massive shame that this mighty distillery’s potential has been limited to only one standard release.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut where there’s a will there’s a way. Fortunately, Ardmore is open to the occasional independent bottling and over the years a few privileged bottlers have had access to their stores and what’s come out of that has been magic, inspiring a cult following for the last remaining true Highland peated whisky. Having said that, the whisky itself isn’t particularly peaty, officially described as “slightly peated” and much, much lighter than the typically peaty West coast whiskies. The allure however is the unique flavour of the peat; an earthier, delicate, less overpowering, richer flavour to mainstream peat and a truly rewarding drinking experience for both connoisseurs who prefer a bit of peat, and also for those who don’t.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur collaboration with Berry Bros. \u0026amp; Rudd this month has given the Club access to Ardmore’s exclusive stores and the result is The Whisky Club team’s favourite whisky of the year by far. Following a lengthy and very enjoyable tasting and sampling process with Doug McIvor, the man with the enviable task of Berry Bros. \u0026amp; Rudd spirits selection, we settled on a set of seven sister casks to create a one-off vatting exclusively for the Club. Created to showcase all that is good about Ardmore, this is an imminently quaffable traditional Highland malt whisky fit for a King or Queen. Bottled especially for the Club, our whisky comes from seven American oak casks laid down in 2008 and matured for eight years before re-racking in traditional quarter casks from Laphroaig for a few months prior to bottling. It drinks perfectly at 46%ABV, is non-chillfiltered, natural colour of course and represents the very best of Ardmore, created exclusively for you, our Members.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lLpfTQCsDhE\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Berry Bros. \u0026 Rudd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489905791055,"sku":"WC0073","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/berry_bros_and_rudd_ardmore_2008.png?v=1787700925"},{"product_id":"official-whisky-club-cut-crystal-glencairn-glass","title":"Official Club Crystal Glencairn","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe absolute must-have whisky glass! The perfect Whisky Club dram demands the perfect accessory. Impress family, friends and the dog, with our hand-blown Official Whisky Club Cut Crystal Glencairn Glass, available now. Grab one or more today and savour each and every special whisky moment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Whisky Club","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906413647,"sku":"WC0074","price":70.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glencairn_1_2.png?v=1787700927"},{"product_id":"glenfarclas-10-year-old-50-abv","title":"Glenfarclas 10 Year Old 50% ABV","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Glenfarclas operation is large, boasting the biggest stills in Speyside and the biggest mashtun in the industry. Great care has been taken, at the expense of forgoing more cost-effective modern technologies, to ensure that the whisky’s flavour remains consistent over the decades. Their stills are some of the few that are heated in the traditional manner by direct fire (from gas burners) rather than internal electric elements. The distillery experimented with elements the early 80s, but found that this method changed the flavour of the spirit and the experiment was canned, the spirit being sold off to blenders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVery early on the distillery replaced their wooden mashtuns with steel, and later stainless steel when the steel ones kept rusting through. The move away from the traditional wooden tun came from the need for consistent wash. Wooden mashtuns are favoured by some distilleries because an element of yeast remains in the wood after cleaning and can give the wash interesting flavours, but lacks the consistency of stainless steel, something that Glenfarclas values highly. Nowadays whenever a new system is trialled it’s run alongside the old and is only implemented once an identical result is achieved and current chairman, John Grant, personally oversees all barley and barrel purchasing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlenfarclas has substantial onsite warehousing facilities with 28 traditional dunnage warehouses, some more than 200 years old, holding a massive 52,000 casks, the majority of which are traditional Spanish sherry casks. This is of course because, above all, Glenfarclas whisky is a traditional old style Speyside malt, unpeated and synonymous with sherry casks. In the early days, sherry was the cask of choice for all \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/scotch\"\u003eScotch whisky\u003c\/a\u003e, but as the demand for whisky matured in these casks outgrew the amount of sherry that the world drinks, the resulting shortage drove the price up. This coincided with the expansion of American whiskey, where a law dating back to 1935 prohibits American distillers from reusing bourbon barrels. Suddenly there were vast amounts of affordable American oak barrels on the market, and with their very attractive vanilla and caramel influences, the Scots snapped them up. Such has been the popularity of the cheaper American oak casks that today around 97% of all Scotch whisky is matured in American oak bourbon casks. Glenfarclas and a handful of distilleries including Glendronach and Macallan resisted this temptation, remaining true to sherry casks despite the fiscal advantages of American oak casks. It is precisely this kind of long-term thinking that has ensured that the Glenfarclas that you taste today is identical to that which you would have tasted fifty years ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow fortunately for us, in addition to being one of the most respected whisky distillers in the world, George Grant and the team at Glenfarclas also happen to be incredibly nice guys and were thrilled to partner with us to create a special small batch bottling just for the Club, ‘the perfect Christmas whisky’. The result, and a world-first for Glenfarclas, is the classic Glenfarclas 10 Year Old, bottled for the first time ever at a luscious 50% ABV exclusively for the Club. Mouth-watering maltiness and luscious sherry sweetness work effortlessly alongside hints of dried fruit, vanilla, honey, cinnamon and cloves to deliver what’s bound to become your favourite drink these holidays.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9VL8ugO71yM\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Glenfarclas Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906479183,"sku":"WC0075","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glenfarclas_10_year_old.png?v=1787700931"},{"product_id":"glenlossie-20-year-old-single-cask","title":"Glenlossie 20 Year Old Single Cask","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince inception, Glenlossie’s character has been defined by a delicacy of flavour. Rarely seen as a single malt, very few whisky connoisseurs have ever had the pleasure of enjoying this fantastic Speysider.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlenlossie’s unique flavour is primarily influenced by its location and still design. It’s situated by the Laich of Moray – a plain by the sea. This low-lying land has been farmed by generation upon generation, and its proximity to the sea imparts coastal notes along with a touch of smoke on the nose. The long fermentation times add a touch of grassiness, but the big point of difference here is the design of the stills. Carrying the same shape and design since day one, the onion shaped stills feature a purifier between the lyne arm and the condenser, which diverts some of the alcohol vapours back to the pot to be distilled again. This increases the amount of reflux, yielding a light, delicate yet oily textured whisky, characteristics which come through in spades in the Club’s bottle this month.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis has made the Lossie very popular with blenders, and it’s been an important part of many Diageo blends, in particular Haig (better known as Dimple) who’ve used the majority of production since the 1930s. The downside of this is that practically nothing is made available for bottling as single malt. In fact, the only official bottling in recent years was part of the discontinued Flora \u0026amp; Fauna series in the 1990s, where it appeared as a 10-year-old. Other than this, it’s hardly ever seen as a single malt: a massive shame given the few Lossie single malts that do see the light of day are consistently excellent, yet very, very few people ever get to enjoy them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFortunately we’ve found a way to remedy that for you. We’ve teamed up with Scotland’s leading boutique independent bottlers and owners of Edradour distillery, Signatory Vintage who’ve been successful in sourcing a series of outstanding Glenlossie casks distilled back in 1997. This 20 Year Old whisky has been bottled at 46% as a set of single casks, un-chillfiltered and natural colour and it tastes incredible. We’re very proud to usher in the New Year with this unprecedented Glenlossie as our first whisky for 2018, or as Jim Murray puts it, “getting harder and harder to find a dud Lossie these days: glad people are getting a chance to be in on one of the best kept secrets in Scotland”. Enjoy!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glenlossie Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906577487,"sku":"WC0076","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glenlossie_20_year_old_single_cask.png?v=1787700933"},{"product_id":"limeburners-px-sherry-cask-single-malt-for-the-whisky-club","title":"Limeburners Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a whisky of firsts – not only is this The Whisky Club’s first Australian whisky but it’s the first ever Limeburners P.X. Cask release.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike all true craft operations, this whisky has been handmade using traditional Scotch techniques. All ingredients are locally sourced and distillation is performed by Limeburners’ two copper pot stills; an 1800 litre wash still and a 600 litre spirit still; a very far cry from the giant stills of Glenlossie or Glenfarclas! This double matured whisky was initially matured in American Oak casks for six years before a second 12 month maturation in PX sherry casks specially selected from family reserve stocks in old third generation Swan Valley wineries. The Swan Valley has long been famous for producing stellar fortified wines from old vine stock brought in by early European settlers and Limeburners were very quick to establish relationships with their distinguished viniferous neighbours that would grant access to increasingly rare fortified barrel stocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result? A smooth and elegant whisky with double oak treatment, producing a fine, medium dry Pedro Ximénez finish. Rich gold in colour, expect sweet sherry and malt notes, dried fruit, raisins, light spice and sugared almond. A dash of water brings out lighter, more elusive floral notes and honey tones. It’s the perfect whisky to enjoy over the final days of summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorking in collaboration with the Club, the team in Albany brought together nine specially selected P.X. casks to produce this exclusive limited release, a first for Limeburners and a first for us. It’s Australian whisky history unfolding before our eyes, so make sure you’re a part of it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Limeburners Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906610255,"sku":"WC0077","price":125.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/limeburners_px_sherry_cask.png?v=1787700936"},{"product_id":"glendalough-13-year-old-mizunara-finish-single-malt-irish-whiskey","title":"Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish is a stunning evolution of Glendalough’s original 13 Year Old that won Best \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/irish-whiskey\"\u003eIrish Whiskey\u003c\/a\u003e, with an excellent choice of wood adding an unprecedented layer of flavour to Ireland’s first ever mizunara-matured whiskey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlendalough single malts are made from locally grown barley and double distilled in copper pot stills. The spirit is aged initially in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks before being transferred to a variety of very carefully selected finishing casks, each chosen to impart a unique characteristic to the final product. Glendalough’s Double Barrel is finished in Oloroso sherry casks from Montilla in Spain, the 7 Year Old finishes in Blackpits porter barrels from Five Lamps Brewery in Dublin, while the 13 Year Old finds its way into extremely rare Mizunara oak casks from Ariake Cooperage in Japan where it spends up to a year taking on some beautifully unique characteristics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMizunara is a very rare native species of Japanese oak. The wood is extremely hard to work with and casks are sourced from 200-year-old trees in the remote forests of Hokkaido Island in northern Japan. It’s also porous so it leaks woefully and as a result is rarely used for whisky, even in Japan. However, there’s a pay-off for those who dare. The porous wood allows more contact with the liquid, and these open-grained, lightly-charred barrels amplify flavour more than other oak while layering on sandalwood, coconut and much more vanilla. Compared to traditional American and European oak, Mizunara creates an extremely smooth liquid with an unusually creamy mouthfeel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJim Murray rated the Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt a whopping 96\/100 in his 2018 Whisky Bible describing it as “the spiciest Irish nose this year… probably the most sensuous chocolate finish in the history of Irish whiskey, different and adorable”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNon-chill filtered, natural colour and bottled at 46% ABV, Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish is about to become your new favourite malt!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ytfs4Bak6P0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JSpv3ny6fM4\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Glendalough Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906643023,"sku":"WC0079","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/glendalough_13_year_old_mizunara_finish_single_malt_irish_whiskey.png?v=1787700938"},{"product_id":"2008-arran-moscatel-cask-single-malt","title":"The Arran 2008 Moscatel Cask","description":"\u003cp\u003eJames MacTaggart is the Master Distiller at Arran and since taking over the job in 2007 he’s brought his simple but effective philosophy of ‘a contemporary whisky, a traditional distillation’ to bear with exceptional results. Arran uses the traditional methods of distilling including wooden washbacks for fermentation and copper pot stills designed to their exact specification. No caramel or artificial colourants are tolerated and all Single Malts are non-chill filtered, which as we all know means they’re natural in pigment and exactly the way whisky should be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery uses two types of barley, Optic and Oxbridge, both selected because of their superior yields of fermentable sugars for the distiller to convert into alcohol. The malted barley is put through the distillery’s grist-mill before being mashed, yielding around 13,000 litres of wort per batch, before being fermented in the distillery’s Oregon Pine washbacks. There’s an age-old debate as to the use of wooden washbacks vs. stainless steel with traditionalists arguing that the residue build up in the wooden washback adds more flavour to the whisky. You be the judge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Arran Single Malt is double distilled in the traditional Scottish style, first in the wash still, followed by the spirit still. The liquid is boiled in the wash still by means of internal steam fins, and driven off as a vapour that passes through the tall, swan neck of the still. This vapour then passes through a condenser where it is brought back to a liquid form, known as Low Wines. The Low Wines are collected in the receiver from the first distillation at around 23% ABV.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Low Wines are then filled into the spirit still for the second distillation. Again, the liquid in the spirit still is boiled by internal steam fins and after 30 minutes foreshots begin to appear in the spirit safe. Foreshots appear at 74% ABV but contain too many volatile compounds to be collected as spirit so these are diverted into the Low Wines\/Feints receiver. After a further 20 minutes spirit known as the heart or middle-cut of the run can be collected at an average strength of 68% ABV. This is reduced with local water to 63.5% ABV and is then filled into oak casks for maturation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArran are currently filling about 75% first fill bourbon barrels, 15% first fill Sherry Hogsheads and about 10% refill Sherry Hogsheads and Butts. Interestingly, until 2007 a proportion of the casks were stored off the island at nearby Springbank Distillery in Campbelltown due to a lack of room at the distillery caused by legal restrictions preventing the extension of the existing warehouses. But as we know, problems lead to innovative solutions and the distillery now has a revolutionary storage warehouse on site that allows greater storage capacity and easier access to barrels. Today there are six warehouses onsite at the distillery, a mixture of dunnage, racking and palletised, and there plans to build further warehouses as production increases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs we discussed earlier, in the early days Arran was known for releasing a variety of NAS cask finish expressions. One of these was a mostcatel finish released for the German market in 2008, however the casks did such a good job that it would have been a shame to do away with them and they were promptly filled with new make spirit with a view to releasing a small batch of 100% moscatel cask maturation at some point in the future – a serious rarity in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/scotch\"\u003eScotch\u003c\/a\u003e terms. We’re pleased to say that the future is now and we’re the lucky devils to get our hands on it. Thanks to a very convivial distillery collaboration we’re thrilled to present the first ever batch of 100% moscatel cask matured Arran single malt whisky, created exclusively for The Whisky Club from nine specially selected sister casks, all distilled on the same day in May 2008.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Arran Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906675791,"sku":"WC0081","price":125.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/2008_arran_moscatel_cask_single_malt.png?v=1787700941"},{"product_id":"2009-inchmurrin-manzanilla-finish-single-cask-single-malt-for-the-whisky-club","title":"Inchmurrin 2009 Manzanilla Single Cask","description":"\u003cp\u003eSet up to be totally self-sufficient, much like a Japanese distillery, Loch Lomond is one of only two remaining “dual” whisky distilleries in Scotland distilling both grain and malt whisky in the same facility. While dual distilleries were common in the 19th century, consolidation and efficiencies during the 20th century meant that nowadays distilleries are either one or the other. Loch Lomond has bucked the trend and taken it a step further. Today the distillery features a set of traditional pot stills, three sets of Lomond stills (the last in Scotland) and three column stills. This enviable set-up allows Loch Lomond to not only make grain spirit, but also eight completely unique styles of malt spirit, from which they can make countless combinations of both single malt and blends. Most importantly, unlike anyone else, they don’t have to rely on other producers to supply whisky for their blends\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Lomond still, as you’re no doubt wondering, is a hybrid style of still that features a traditional pot but is fitted with a rectifying head (like a column still). This allows the stillman to create various styles of whisky on the same still; everything from heavy, oily whiskies through to very light floral whiskies, all at various strengths and all from a single apparatus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/loch-lomond-whisky\"\u003eLoch Lomond\u003c\/a\u003e Distillery produces four single malt styles, each under a separate brand. Loch Lomond (slightly \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/peated-whisky\"\u003epeated\u003c\/a\u003e) and Inchmoan (heavily peated) combine spirit from both traditional pot stills and Lomond stills, while Inchmurrin (unpeated) is made exclusively from high strength spirit off the Lomond stills. It is the last and only remaining example of this style of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/scotch\"\u003eScotch whisky\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhich brings us to our whisky this month, the 2009 Inchmurrin Manzanilla Finish Single Cask Single Malt for The Whisky Club.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTruly unique in every sense; not only is it the last remaining Scotch brand made exclusively on Lomond stills, it’s also been finished in first fill Manzanilla casks, a style of sherry rarely used in whisky. The result, of course, is just delicious as you’ll soon discover for yourself upon opening this month’s malt. But first a bit more on Manzanilla to fully appreciate it…\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eManzanilla is a young, pale, dry, Fino style sherry from the coastal region of south-west Spain and maturation is concentrated around the harbour town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Its seaside location off the Atlantic Ocean gives Manzanilla sherry a salty, fresh marine flavour which comes through beautifully in the whisky. It adds a fantastic layer of hazelnut, apples and caramel to the typical raisin and sultana notes expected from a sherry cask, while also bringing a beautiful tangy, salty dryness that you don’t get with other types of sherry casks. Quite simply, this is a beautiful malt that very few whisky lovers around the world have had the pleasure of savouring and it deserves a special spot on your shelf!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInitially filled into cask on the 20 March 2009, it was recasked into first-fill Manzanilla sherry butts in November 2016 before being bottled for us in January 2018, non-chill filtered and natural colour, just the way we like it!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lufGKhLMl2E\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Loch Lomond Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906741327,"sku":"WC0083","price":110.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/inchmurrin_manzanilla_sherry_single_cask_single_malt.png?v=1787700945"},{"product_id":"tullibardine-the-murray-chateauneuf-du-pape","title":"Tullibardine The Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape","description":"\u003cp\u003eTullibardine Distillery was originally set up to produce malt whisky for use by blenders and operated this model until it was mothballed by Whyte \u0026amp; Mackay in 1994. It produced a light, nutty spirit and while the main focus was on blending, a few single malt releases came to market, most notably a 10 Year Old during the 1990s – which is highly collectable, so snap it up if you ever come across one!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Michael Beamish and Douglas Ross revived Tullibardine in 2003 it was with the intention of making it into a respectable single malt house and they did a very good job of it. Initially a few adjustments were required to get the flavour profile just right; the spirit run was tweaked to introduce more high-toned floral notes while the nutty notes were reduced, but the biggest challenge by far was an extensive re-casking operation to move much of the whisky from old, tired casks into fresh casks that would bring out the best in the spirit. Tullibardine’s fortunes were further bolstered when Picard took over in 2011. The well-funded family owners brought an influx of cash and crucial access to a huge variety of excellent casks thanks to their wine connections in France, which were used to great effect in popular releases like the Sauternes Finish, Burgundy Finish and indeed our June malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur whisky this month is the next evolution of the The Marquess Collection, a limited edition luxury collection of annual releases showcasing the best casks from Tullibardine. The collection is named after the many historical figures that have over the centuries held the title of Marquess of Tullibardine and the current instalment celebrates Sir William Murray, The Second Marquess of Tullibardine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2005 Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the highly anticipated follow on from the multi-gold-medal-winning 2004 Murray. Barrelled in 2005 it was initially matured in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks before undergoing a six month maturation in specially selected first fill Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wine barriques from the Rhône craft winery, Grandes Serres, before bottling in 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis double maturation has resulted in a dangerously quaffable whisky by layering Tullibardine’s signature fresh, sweet and spicy style with juicy red fruit notes. Deep russet in colour, the nose is equally fresh and playful with an abundance of red fruits; raspberries, blackcurrant, blackberries, cherries and grapes. Hints of spice and toffee come through. It’s big and full on the palate with red fruits, spice and delicious mint chocolate, leaving you with an enduring, warm finish with more mint chocolate, barley and just a touch of spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe never-to-be-repeated Limited Edition Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a must-have for your whisky collection, and your glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1EubpCnxCkQ\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Tullibardine Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906839631,"sku":"WC0085","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/tullibardine_the_murray_ch_teauneuf-du-pape.png?v=1787700948"},{"product_id":"armorik-whisky-de-bretagne-small-batch-single-malt-for-the-whisky-club","title":"Armorik Whisky de Bretagne Small Batch","description":"\u003cp\u003eLike most small craft distilleries, quality is the main concern for the team at Armorik and their whisky is therefore fermented, distilled, matured and bottled at the distillery itself under the watchful eye of owner David Roussier. Click here to see David’s special message for the Club.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distillery’s water source is a 100m deep well called Rest Avel and unlike the rest of France, Brittany is on granite bedrock, not limestone. This makes the water slightly acidic and helps develop fruity aromas during fermentation. Armorik uses strictly French Non-GMO barley from the Champagne region, namely the Prestige, Sebastian and Beatrix varieties, malting is done in Belgium and it’s generally unpeated. Fermentation takes place over four days using two yeasts, one to generate fruity notes and the other for alcohol yield. As with all single malts, the wash undergoes a double distillation in copper pot stills, with Armorik using a very high cut point to preserve fruity esters. The stills are based on the Scottish style but engineered in Cognac and they are one of the only distilleries in France with traditional Scottish style stills.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArmorik currently produces around 150,000 LAP\/Year. In terms of output this makes it about 1.5 times larger than a distillery like Sullivans Cove in Tasmania but roughly 3.5 times smaller than a small Scottish enterprise like Benromach.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArmorik releases are generally matured in a mix of American oak ex-bourbon casks from Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill, Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks from Bodega Jose Y Miguel Martin and locally sourced Breton oak, sourced in the local forests of Brittany through a partnership with the last remaining Breton cooper. The warehouse is also full of all sorts of casks used for French wines and spirits like Armagnac, Cognac, Sauternes etc. and these are usually bottled as limited edition single casks – clearly another huge advantage of producing whisky in a country like France!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur release this month is a little bit different from the typical Armorik release – created and bottled exclusively for the Club, it’s the first 100% American oak matured Armorik single malt in Australia. The selection and vatting of the casks was made to obtain a balance that showcases both the exceptional quality of Armorik’s rich, fruity distillate and the quality of the selected casks. Ten casks were used to create our release; one virgin American oak cask distilled in 2013 provides structure, five first fill ex-Jack Daniel’s American oak casks distilled in 2014 provide sweetness and smoothness, while four refilled American Oak ex-bourbon casks distilled in 2012 accentuate the distillate’s fruity notes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBottled at 46%ABV, un-chillfiltered and at natural colour, this is a stunningly moreish malt whisky that oozes confidence and shows just how good the rest of the world can be at making whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E7C3K_ZeXxM\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Distillerie Warenghem","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906872399,"sku":"WC0086","price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/armorik_small_batch_whisky_de_bretagne_single_malt.png?v=1787700950"},{"product_id":"the-english-single-malt-whisky-small-batch-release-for-the-whisky-club","title":"The English Single Malt Small Batch Release","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst a word about size. Despite being the largest distillery in England, this is a tiny operation and very comparable to our own industry. At 50,000 lals\/annum (litres at 100%ABV\/annum) St. George’s produces a similar amount of whisky to Sullivans Cove and Lark and as a result the whisky is truly made by hand in every sense of the word… and every last drop counts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProduction is led by chief whisky maker David Fitt. A brewer by trade, he joined St. George’s to work under Iain Henderson’s wing, learning all he could about the art of whisky from one of Laphroaig’s and indeed Scotch whisky’s most revered names, until the beckoning of retirement became too much for Iain. The student in turn has become master, and David was named Icons of Whisky 2017 Distillery Manager of the Year in recognition of his passion which shines through in the quality of his whiskies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid prefers a very short cut of spirit, which gives a clean and crisp texture to the new make spirit. He’s given a free run at the distillery, letting his creative juices flow, and with the casks stored on site, he can keep a watchful eye – and nose – on their development. To date, near 3,000 casks have been laid down, in both peated (the Laphroaig influence lives on) and unpeated expressions. By far the majority of casks are ex-Jim Beam casks, shipped from America as whole casks – not a cheap way of doing it by any means, but one they firmly believe to be money well spent. A smattering of sherry and wine casks have also been used, David keen to experiment with different casks in a rolling program of cask trials.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe whisky is batch made by hand, the old fashioned way, with no help from computers by the way of automation as is common in larger operations and is bottled by hand too. Needless to say, chill filtering and artificial colours are dirty words at St George’s Distillery. This is the pointy end of craft whisky folks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe’ve teamed up with David to showcase his best work to Australia’s biggest community of whisky lovers – and it’s spectacular. David selected ten ex-Jim Beam casks, all filled in March 2011, to marry together and bottle exclusively for The Whisky Club in this very special release. The result is the scrummiest single malt we ever did meet; (dangerously) irresistible, bursting with tangy tropical fruits and layers of vanilla ice-cream and milk chocolate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUn-chillfiltered, natural in colour, and 100% flavour, this is as good as craft whisky gets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sRdG3_3caB0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"St George's Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489906905167,"sku":"WC0088","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/the_english_single_malt_whisky_small_batch.png?v=1787700952"}],"url":"https:\/\/thewhiskyclub.com.au\/collections\/our-whiskies.oembed?page=38","provider":"The Whisky Club AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}