Armorik Original Edition

In Brittany, cousin to Ireland and Scotland, where the Celtic soul continues to thrive, our whisky has found a coastal heathland environment perfect for ageing under the best possible conditions. The sea, wind and rain have forged its character that is second to none.

Two copper stills for a traditional double distillation, an ageing cellar enabling different types of casks to thoroughly mature the products and a cellar master passionate about obtaining the right aromatic balance are all elements that make our Armorik Whiskies great.

Aged in oak casks

Its Breton origins forged the character of Armorik, the first single malt Breton whisky. Produced by double distillation in traditional copper stills, it is then aged for many years in oak casks in our Breton cellars where the sea, wind and rain imbibe it with the subtle nuances of the Celtic soul.

Nose: Fine and elegant, with floral and fruity notes (apple, citrus)
Mouth: A full-bodied, fruity attack, lightly spiced, with an overall refinement of delightful woody notes. Fine marine and invigorating touches accentuate the palate.
Finish: light with smoky, cereal notes.

The distillery

Located in Lannion, Brittany, the distillery Warenghem has been making high quality liqueurs and spirits for over 100 years. In 1900, Leon Warenghem created his first product, the Elixir d’Armorique, a distillate of 35 plants which won awards at international exhibitions in 1902. Since then, from one generation to the next one, the distillery has created a small range of unusual fruit and plant based liqueurs, honey liqueurs, apple brandy, beers, and whiskies.

30 years ago, Warenghem was the first and only distillery to ever produce double distilled whisky in France and today it remains the most renowned.

The making of Armorik:

The grain: 100% French malted barley

The environment: the soil is mostly granitic, the air is very iodized (the sea is less than 6 miles away) and the weather is as rainy and windy as in the Scottish Highlands, but overall warmer, which favors the aging of the whisky. The humidity level is the same as in the Highlands.

The water: the distillery sits on a water source by the name of Rest Avel (it means the house of wind) which gives a pure and crystal clear granitic water.

The distillation: double distillation in traditional copper stills.

 

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://distillerie-warenghem.com/en/

*Info taken from website and data sheet

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Knockando 15 year old Richly matured

Knockando 15 year old – Richly matured

The distillery of Knockando which in Gaelic means “little black hills” lies in the heart of Speyside home of the finest malt whiskies.

Aged for a minimum of 15 years, Knockando Richly Matured shows generous accents of rich fruits and sweet spices, with subtle hints of almonds, giving way to a deep finish.

The distillery of Knockando stands on the banks of the river Spey, which gives its name to Speyside, a region of Scotland long renowned as the home of the finest malt whiskies.

Built in 1898, the distillery lies in the village of the same name, Knockando, derived from Gaelic ‘Cnoc-an-dhu’, meaning ‘little black hills’.

Only the purest natural ingredients are used to make Knockando, according to the traditional methods of the distillery, honed by the years. Cask selection lies at the heart of Knockando’s expertise: gentle maturation in oak casks slowly reveals the subtle aromas of Knockando, delicate with a distinctive fresh almond note in its young versions, it gains weight and depth of flavour over the years. Although distillation continues throughout the year, each year of production is still referred to as a ‘season’ at the Knockando distillery. Today, Knockando is still bottled one single ‘season’ at a time, and each bottle proudly states its year of distillation.

Matured both in sherry and refill bourbon casks for a minimum of 15 years, this Knockando Richly Matured has inherited from each type of cask wood different accents. European oak Sherry Casks import a rich fruity intensity, while American Oak refill bourbon casks reveal sweet, subtle almond notes.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:

*Info taken from bottle

Highland Park 10 Year Old Viking Scars

My great ancestors are not gone, you find them in my flesh, blood and soul.

– Old Viking Saying

Highland Park 10yr old – Viking Scars. Centuries ago, long before Orkney became part of Scotland, it belonged to a vast Viking Kingdom. Does that shape the character of our whisky? Without a shadow of a doubt.

Magnus Eunson, who founded Highland Park in 1798, was a direct descendant of those first viking pioneers who settled on our island home. They became part of Orkney and part of us, leaving their mark on our landscape, our culture and out people. Even today, 1 in 3 islanders bears viking DNA and we continue to craft Highland Park with a fierce independence that’s driven through our Viking bloodline.

Viking Scars is a tribute to our ancestors’ enduring influence. Combining flavours of sun-ripened citrus fruits, creamy vanilla and a hint of peppery spice with the aroma of soft heathery peat, we’ve created an intensely balanced Single Malt Scotch Whisky that truly stands apart.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.highlandparkwhisky.com

*Info taken from bottle and website

Laphroaig Four Oak

Laphroaig Four Oak is matured in four different casks for a uniquely peat-smoked malt.

The most richly flavoured of all Scotch Whiskies.

Four different casks are selected by hand; ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin American oak barrels and European oak hogsheads.

This complex combination creates a golden, creamy peat-smoked Islay malt with warm, toasted vanilla notes and hints of sandlewood, pine, fir and willow.

Vigilance and craftsmanship hold the key to this amazing fusion of flavours.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.laphroaig.com

*Info taken from bottle

 

Bowmore 10 year old – Dark & Intense

Intense depth from the marriage of Spanish Oak Sherry Casks and Hogsheads.

Bowmore is home to the world’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse, the legendary No.1 Vaults. Some of the world’s most coveted single malts have been meticulously matured here, steeped in more than 230 years of heritage, matured in the finest casks.

Bowmore’s 10 years old pushes the boundaries with bold flavour fusions. Spanish Oak Sherry Casks develop spicy notes on your signature peat smoke in an intense marriage of fire and earth. Experience the layered spectrum of baked Seville orange, toasted maple, peat smoked walnuts and sherry.

Open the door to a story of deeper character.

Tasting Notes

On The Eye: dark amber

Breathe In: sun-dried fruit, baked Seville orange and toasted maple

Sip: sultanas, sea salt and dark fruit oils

Savour: peat-smoked walnut and spices

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bowmore.com

*Info taken from bottle

Aberlour 2006 White Oak (10 year old)

Nestling in the heart of Speyside is the village of Aberlour where a source of exceptionally pure spring water known as St. Drostan’s Well inspired James Fleming to build his distillery in 1879.

The richness of the natural environment combined with the soft and pure water creates Aberlour single malt, a distinctive whisky of generous character.

This vintage expression Aberlour has been carefully matured in American White Oak casks. The White Oak (quercus alba) wood influence provides characteristic notes of vanilla and coconut. This is a Single Malt of exceptional charm and smoothness that showcases the distillery character of Aberlour.

Colour: Gold

Nose: Very fruity with sweet orange flavours and hints of butterscotch

Taste: Incredibly sweet, creamy and smooth. Syrupy fruit flavours.

Finish: Long and sweet with hints of spicy liquorice.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.aberlour.com

*Info taken from bottle

Arran Smugglers’ Series Vol. III ‘The Exciseman’

A treatise on the History of Scotch Whisky Distillation on the Isle of Arran by Illicit means in days of old. “Spirit to fire the imagination of the drouthy”. Limited edition of 8,700 bottles. The third in a series of Three Volumes.

For over a century islanders considered whisky production and smuggling as part of their cultural identity and a mainstay of the island economy. Arran smuggling and illicit whisky manufacture was at its height in the early 1800s. The scale of the activities was so great that the minister of Kilmory declared that, “there are few, if any, in the parish, who, at some point in their lives, were not engaged in some department of smuggling”.

Throughout the 1820s and 30s, smugglers and illicit distillers throughout Scotland were tracked down with vigour, following the introduction of the 1822 Illicit Distillation Act and the 1823 Excise Act.

Following these legislative changes, smuggling on a large scale was virtually eradicated throughout Scotland by the 1840s. Nonetheless, smuggling lingered on in some parts of the country, including Arran where it continued to provide an additional source of income for many islanders. Well into the 1850s, locals and the Excise men were battling it out. The islanders may have landed their fair share of blows but in the end the Excise men won the fight. At the turn of the 20th century large scale smuggling was a thing of the past as islanders were absorbed into newly emerging legitimate employment mainly provided by the development of Arran as a popular tourist destination.

Although large scale smuggling around the Firth of Clyde has been unheard of since the 19th century, the story of this illicit Arran trade forms an important part of the islands cultural heritage and traditions. The Smugglers Series has re-awakened this aspect of Arran’s history and although legally produced, the nature of this 3rd edition ensures that the spirit and endeavour of the 19th century smugglers remain in modern day Arran whisky production. The Madeira casks used in this final volume are similar to the ones utilised by Arran’s illicit distillers, who often stored and transported locally produced whisky in old Madeira casks brought over from the continent by their smuggling counterparts. The Quarter Casks are a nod to the type of small casks which would have been the easiest to transport. The resulting liquid is complex, full of character and a wonderful way to end a series which has so perfectly paid tribute to the independent characters of Arran over the centuries.

CONTENTS:

Arran Single Malt – Quarter Cask……………………..…… Matured in 125L Ex-Bourbon Barrels

Arran Single Malt – Madeira Cask Maturation………….Matured in 225L European Oak Barrels

Penderyn Icons of Wales series 5/50 : Bryn Terfel

Penderyn Bryn Terfel – Bourbon Matured

This whisky celebrates Welsh opera singer Bryn Terfel and his favourite roll. The whisky is well-rounded, spicy and sumptuous and has a theatrical element to the design which all reflect the wonderful character of Falstaff.

Penderyn is the rural village that hosts our Distillery and gives its name to Wales’ only Single Malt Whisky. Like ‘Welsh Gold’ (‘Aur Cymru’), this golden whisky is as rare and precious as the Celtic jewellery worn by the old Welsh Princes and by Royalty.

This privately owned distillery in the Brecon Beacons National Park revives a whisky distilling heritage in Wales that goes back centuries; indeed early Welsh distillers were the founding fathers of the American Bourbon industry.

Our unique copper stills are charged daily with a specially fermented malted barley wash to produce a limited quantity of pure Single malt spirit. This is married with spring water (drawn directly from our own source) before being laid down to mature in selected first quality oak casks.

Penderyn is known for maturing our unique spirit in American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and a selection of other premium casks to produce our award-winning whiskies, including our house style Madeira finish as well as peated, portwood and sherrywood expressions. This Icons bottling is a first for us, as this whisky has been fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels only. Think of it as Penderyn in its purist form yet … no make-up, no costume, just primed and ready to perform.

The nose is smooth and creamy. There are notes of honey, vanilla ice-cream and a hint of banana chips. On the palate the experience is well rounded and rich, and full of fruits, sweet apples, vanilla and a tone conjuring up a nostalgic memory for a banana split. The finish contains honey which is followed by another evocative tone – cream soda – along with the late arrival of a lingering woody spice.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Smooth and creamy. There are notes of honey, vanilla ice-cream and a hint of banana chips.

Palate: The experience is well rounded and rich, and full of fruits, sweet apples, vanilla and a tone conjuring up a nostalgic memory for a banana split.

Finish: Contains honey which is followed by another evocative tone – cream soda – along with the late arrival of a lingering woody spice.

Bryn Terfel

Bryn Terfel CBE was born in Pant Glas, North Wales, in 1965. He sang traditional Welsh songs from an early age, regularly competing on the Eisteddfod platform before going on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 1989. Ten years later, inspired by Sir Geraint Evans’ anecdotes about his own experiences playing Falstaff, Bryn first took on the role at the Sydney Opera House.

Bryn Terfel’s Falstaff has come to be regarded as one of the great opera characterisations of modern times, with critics commending his sheer power, charm, humour, nobility, exceptional command of tone and language and his intoxicating exuberance.

“I am always delighted to be asked to perform Falstaff. It is a complex and multi-layered role that requires tremendous commitment. The acting and singing is a wonderful challenge for any bass-baritone and the make-up, heavy costumes, wigs, beards and false bellies all help create the impressive ‘Falstaffian’ appearance. However, once the preparation is done and you stand on stage and bear the first chords, a smile spreads across your face which lasts the whole performance.” Bryn Terfel

Bryn Terfel – ‘ A Falstaff for our age’

Falstaff was the last opera written by Giuseppe Verdi, from a libretto by Arrigo Boito, and was premiered in 1893 at La Scala in Milan. A light comedy, based on the eponymous character who first appeared in three of Shakespeare’s plays, it is believed by many to be Verdi’s greatest opera.

The plot revolves around the tubby, egotistical, drunken yet charming knight, Sir John Falstaff, as he attempts to seduce two married women in order to gain access to their husbands’ wealth.

The image on the front of the special edition box is reproduced with the kind permission of Sheila Rock (photography) and Frank Philipp Schloessmann (costume design).

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.penderyn-distillery.co.uk

* Info taken from bottle

Highland Park 10yr Old – Rebus 30 Rankin

Rebus 30 Rankin

Celebrating 30 years of Inspector John Rebus 1987 – 2017.

2017 marks the 30th anniversary of one of fiction’s most enduring and best-loved characters. Created by a legend of British Crime, Ian Rankin, Rebus first appeared in Knots and Crosses and 30 years later the irascible old rogue remains a firm favourite amongst readers all over the world.

Centuries before Orkney became part of Scotland, it belonged to a vast Viking Kingdom. Then in 1798, our distillery was founded by Magnus Eunson, a direct descendent of those early Viking settlers, his legendary smuggling activities caused more than a few issues with the authorities…

This 10 year old single malt is a tribute to those with a strong independent spirit and know their own mind. Best shared with friends or when enjoying a dark crime novel.

STORY

The Rebus novels have been translated into 36 languages and are much-loved, global bestsellers, so we were delighted to be invited to collaborate with Ian Rankin to celebrate this important anniversary of a great literary creation, with a very special edition of Highland Park. Our 10 Year Old single malt was selected as the perfect tribute to an iconic detective who, like our whisky, truly stands apart. REBUS30 10 Year Old celebrates strong and independent spirits who know their own mind… and, like that irascible rogue Rebus, aren’t afraid to speak it!

Tasting Notes

Colour – Natural colour, Light and golden (average colour tint 10.8)

Flavours – Mature citrus fruits, creamy vanilla, a hint of peppery spice, heather peat and light smoke.

An intensely balanced dram fit for a detective who truly stands apart.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.highlandparkwhisky.com

*Info taken from bottle and website

The Glenrothes: Sherry cask reserve

Sherry Cask Reserve

The Glenrothes is bottled at its peak of maturity and flavour, rather than at a pre-determined age.

Distillation is unusually slow and takes place in tall stills, which delivers a sweet clear fruity spirit. Maturation is in American oak and Spanish oak casks which produces our award-winning Speyside single malt.

All of our malt is Vintage whisky, representing a single year or collection of years.

Our single Vintages, limited and rare, each capture a unique essence and flavour, never to be repeated.

Our Reserves give you the opportunity of enjoying a number of selected Vintages from different years – married together in perfect harmony.

Character: Spicy ginger, orange-peel and sherry oak

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Founded in 1698 at No.3 St Jame’s Street in London, Berry Bros. & Rudd is probably the world’s oldest win and spirit merchant.

As proprietors of The Glenrothes, it is Berry Bros. & Rudd’s values of quality and integrity which determine the philosophy behind this well-bred Speyside single malt: Vintage whisky, like vintage wine, matures at its own pace.

Our long history has provided us with the understanding and the patience to ensure that we only offer expressions of The Glenrothes to our discerning customers at the moment when our experts deem them to be perfectly mature and ready to be savoured.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.theglenrothes.com

*Info taken from bottle/website