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Beam Suntory Launches ARDRAY®
Marking a New Era in Blended Scotch Whisky
Celebrating the ultimate expression of Scotland’s whisky heritage captured through a Japanese lens
· ARDRAY joins Edrington UK’s portfolio of Scotch Whiskies
5th June, London: Beam Suntory, world leader in premium spirits and producer of some of the foremost whiskies, has unveiled its latest creation ARDRAY® – an exquisite new interpretation of blended Scotch whisky. Balancing Scotland’s unique terroir and long-standing craft tradition with the precision and artistry of Suntory’s award-winning Japanese blenders, ARDRAY promises a fresh perspective on the excellence of blended Scotch and is set to boost the category. The new product joins Edrington UK’s portfolio of Scotch whiskies.
Beam Suntory’s Chief Blender for Scotch, Calum Fraser in partnership with Suntory’s blending team, tested nearly 200 different whisky combinations before arriving at the final harmony of flavours that make up ARDRAY. The wonderfully balanced blended recipe interweaves some of Scotland’s finest, most complex signature malts and grain whiskies together to an optimal precise ratio. The result is a whisky designed to challenge preconceptions, treating both malt and grain whiskies as equals to create a whisky that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
With inspiration from historic blend styles and the vision of Suntory’s founder Shinjiro Torii, ARDRAY celebrates the quest to reimagine the historic excellence of blended scotch and encourage a greater appreciation for the art of blending. A hundred years ago, inspired by traditional Scottish whisky, Torii-San envisioned a Japanese approach to create a subtle, refined, yet complex whisky that would suit the delicate palate of the Japanese. With this remarkable blend we honour Torii’s quest, from a reinterpretation of Scotch for the Japanese palate to ARDRAY: a new, elegant interpretation, designed to celebrate the excellence of blended Scotch Whisky,
Built on the premise that blended whisky is an art form that deserves both respect and reappraisal, each batch is precisely engineered to achieve the same harmony between malt and grain whiskies each time. By retaining a proportion of each batch, the team blend this with the next batch and harmonise the flavour of the whisky across the batches.
Calum Fraser, Chief Blender for Scotch, comments: “In creating ARDRAY we have combined an exceptional selection of the very best Scotch whisky has to offer with the inspiring talent of Suntory’s blending team to create something new, refreshing and exciting. The time, care and attention to detail taken to source both malt and grain whiskies from some of Scotland’s most noted distilleries has allowed us to explore hundreds of blends of Scotch malt and grain whiskies to achieve ARDRAY’s optimum balance of multi-layered flavours. Driven by the desire to ensure the true beauty of this blend is greater than the sum of its parts. ARDRAY promises a rich and complex taste, with a distinctive harmony of flavours: a mild, gently floral, and citrusy fruitiness, with a vanilla custard creaminess and a rich, silky mouthfeel and lengthy aftertaste that is unmatched.“
Drawing from just a handful of the finest Scotch distilleries from Beam Suntory, world leader in premium spirits and producer of renowned whiskies including Bowmore, Laphroaig, Yamazaki, and Hibiki and our partners at Edrington, (owners of The Macallan, The Glenrothes and Highland Park), this blended Scotch whisky that celebrates the role of terroir and the production traditions of Scotland’s distilleries which define each of their unique spirit character.
Presented in a bespoke bottle each marked with the year of release, the striking artwork of artist Lia Melia adorns each one, capturing Scotland’s raw beauty and terroir. Its richly textured rippling pattern representing malt and grain highlighting two fundamental ingredients in Scotch whisky. The unique feel of the glass bottle takes after the free-flowing water of Scotland’s streams and rivers and the patterns made by the wind blowing across barley fields.
ARDRAY is now available at The Whisky Shop, The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt with an RRP of £60.
For more information, visit the Ardray website at: Ardray.com
The Macallan Unveils Exceptional Single Cask 1950
THE MACALLAN UNVEILS THE 1950 – THE PINNACLE OF THE EXCEPTIONAL SINGLE CASK RANGE
(31 July 2019, London) The Macallan has unveiled the latest release in the Exceptional Single Cask range – an exquisite and delicate expression that was distilled in 1950.
The 1950’s represent a significant period in the history of The Macallan with investment in the construction of new buildings on site and modernisation of existing buildings, the purchase of additional farmland and the first of The Macallan highland cows take residence on site.
The single malt is the centrepiece of the 2018 release from the unprecedented range which invites consumers to explore the world’s most valuable whisky through a rare insight from the legendary Whisky Makers’ bench at The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience on Speyside.
The discovery of this First fill sherry butt cask was a special moment for our whisky making team that conjured intense and memorable aromas and flavours. The unmistakable combination of antique oak and subtle peach, with lingering peat warrants this cask being treasured in its own right, with only 336 bottles of this rare single malt available globally to savour.
This exclusive range of single cask whiskies, showcases the depth and diversity of The Macallan. Each whisky revealing a particular character, a subtly different flavour or an aroma in the background making each one truly unique and never to be repeated.
THE MACALLAN ESTATE
THE MACALLAN INTRODUCES ESTATE: A TRIBUTE TO OUR HERITAGE AND HOME
The Macallan has unveiled Estate, an extremely special new single malt containing rare spirit distilled with barley grown at Easter Elchies estate, the iconic home of the world-famous whisky.
A rich and complex whisky with a remarkably long finish, The Macallan Estate was created by Whisky Makers to celebrate the single malt’s peerless provenance and heritage.
It also represents a unique opportunity to experience a single malt containing spirit made from The Macallan’s precious home-grown barley, which is distilled just once a year over the course of a single week. Previously, this spirit has been limited to The Macallan’s most exclusive and sought-after releases.
The 485-acre Easter Elchies estate is set within the legendary Speyside region of Scotland, where The Macallan has been creating extraordinary single malts since 1824. Its carefully tended barley fields are located on the banks of the River Spey, overlooked by The Macallan’s new award-winning distillery.
The distillery, which was inspired by Scotland’s undulating hills and cut into the slope of the land to complement its Spey Valley setting, opened its doors to the public in June 2018.
Displaying a warm conker, chestnut hue, The Macallan Estate exudes aromas of wood spice and orange oil. The sweet, subtle hint of citrus acts as the perfect counterbalance to the traditional sherried richness associated with The Macallan’s distinctive single malts.
Sarah Burgess, Whisky Maker for The Macallan, said: “Our Easter Elchies estate lies within the legendary Speyside region of Scotland, a place of timeless natural beauty, and a place that we are proud to call home.
“With its wonderful sweet citrus hints and warming wood spice, The Macallan Estate is a rich, satisfying and complex spirit that pays homage to the fertile Speyside lands where The Macallan is located and celebrates the unrivalled craftsmanship for which we have been known since 1824.”
The Macallan Estate is presented in an elegant gift box featuring landscape-inspired designs and it reflects the natural stones found on our estate, with an inlay of slate. Inside, aerial photography showcases the estate’s impressive barley fields on the banks of the beautiful River Spey. Priced at £195, Estate will be available to buy from selected whisky specialists from July.
For further information, please contact:
Whisky-Online May Whisky Auction
May Auction of Rare and Collectable Whiskies and Spirits
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