Fathers Day 46
A Macallan Journey of Discovery With Steve McCurry
STEVE MCCURRY CAPTURES THE MACALLAN’S EXTRAORDINARY WOOD JOURNEY
Spanning two continents and thousands of miles, the incredible wood journey undertaken to create The Macallan’s hand-crafted, sherry seasoned oak casks has been chronicled in extraordinary new detail by iconic Magnum photographer Steve McCurry.
His exclusive photographic journal, which is revealed in full for the first time, showcases the people, places and processes involved in the production of The Macallan’s exceptional oaks casks.
Crafted to unique specifications, The Macallan’s oak casks are the single greatest contributor to the outstanding quality, natural colour and distinctive aromas and flavours of The Macallan’s peerless single malts.
The images also provide a compelling new insight into the mastery of wood and spirit for which The Macallan has been renowned since 1824.
Steve McCurry said: “The thing I admire about The Macallan is their passion for craftsmanship, their excellence and their integrity for their processes.
“Sometimes you have to choose a different path – the one less taken – to go beyond hardship, to reach excellence.”
Firstly, the photographer, recognised as one of today’s finest image makers and synonymous with evocative colour photography, made the trip to the vast green forests of Northern Spain, the source of European oak for The Macallan casks. Then he journeyed to Jerez, Southern Spain where The Macallan’s casks are hand-crafted and seasoned with sherry – one of The Macallan’s defining strengths.
McCurry also travelled to Pennsylvania to discover the influence of American oak. Grown in the lush forests in the North East of the US, it is key to the unique flavour of The Macallan’s highly successful Double Cask range that balances both American and European sherry seasoned oak casks. After leaving America, these casks are also shipped to Jerez to be crafted into casks and filled with sherry, using the same traditional processes applied to the European oak.
When fully seasoned, each cask is transported to The Macallan Estate home to the award-winning Distillery on Speyside. It is then filled with the finest quality, new make spirit ready to be matured under the watchful eye of The Macallan Whisky Mastery Team.
As well as evoking the sights, sounds and even the smells of the forests where the oak trees that form The Macallan’s casks are grown, McCurry also reveals the mastery and commitment of those who craft The Macallan’s casks, including the coopers – professional cask makers – who spend many years learning and perfecting their art.
Stuart MacPherson, Master of Wood, The Macallan, said: “Steve McCurry is one of the world’s greatest documentary photographers and we are privileged that he has expertly captured The Macallan’s wood story through his incredible lens.
“Our people and their craftsmanship have defined The Macallan for almost 200 years and Steve’s outstanding images provide a unique insight into the intensive process of sourcing, crafting and seasoning our exceptional oak casks.
“With up to 80% of The Macallan’s final flavour and character determined by cask quality, Steve has recorded the painstaking commitment and attention to detail that we uphold to deliver the uncompromised excellence that lies at the heart of our brand.”
Steve McCurry’s interpretation of The Macallan’s wood journey is his latest partnership with The Macallan. It follows his previous work with the brand to document the build of The Macallan Distillery, alongside fellow Magnum photographers, in 2018.
For further information visit www.themacallan.com
Choose a Fine Malt Whisky Gift For Father’s Day 2020
Help Ease Lockdown With a Malt Whisky Gift This Father’s Day
Father’s Day is just around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to gift an exceptional whisky, patiently matured and rich with flavour, to show appreciation to your father figure on Sunday 21st June.
Bringing together the finest ingredients and flavours, here is a selection of stand-out Single Malts to gift this Father’s Day, including classic expressions from the sophisticated Bowmore, the iconic peated flavour of Laphroaig and the smooth triple distilled taste of Auchentoshan. All of which are perfect to raise a glass to.
If your Dad enjoys a true classic Islay malt, with strong peat character and depth, choose Laphroaig. For a complex flavour experience, gift him Bowmore for its combination of tropical fruit, mild peat and a hint of sea air. And for a fresh and fruity smooth malt that is easy to drink, neat or in a delicious cocktail, go for Auchentoshan.
Bowmore No. 1
Exclusively matured in first fill Bourbon casks, Bowmore No.1 Malt is singularly special.
Sip a dram of Bowmore No.1 and taste vanilla sweetness, cinnamon spice and oak smoke. This all culminates in a peat smoked, bourbon vanilla and lime finish.
Available for £29.90 at Master of Malt
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Drinkers of the Bowmore 12 Year Old can taste warm and delicious flavours on the palate with subtle dark chocolate taste notes.
Bowmore’s 12 Year Old is both complex and perfectly balanced. Subtle lemon and sweet heather honey complement Bowmore’s trademark peat smoke, leading to a delicious, long and mellow finish.
Available for £34.95 at Master of Malt
Bowmore 18 Year Old
For an extra special gift, treat your Dad to a Bowmore 18 Year Old. This mellow mahogany liquid is cosseted away in the finest, hand-selected oak casks and allowed to mature at its own sedate pace
This is one of Bowmore’s rarest bottlings, but there is no end to its enjoyment for drinkers.
Available for £77.90 at Master of Malt
Laphroaig 10 Year Old
Laphroaig 10 Year Old is a peat smoked liquid with a surprising sweetness, hints of salt and layers of peatiness. The perfect gift for your old man.
The Laphroaig 10 Year Old is the original Laphroaig, distilled the same way today as when Ian Hunter invented it more than 75 years ago. The iconic, quintessential Islay Single Malt Whisky.
Currently available for £44.90 at Laphroaig Shop
Auchentoshan Sour
Buy your Dad an Auchentoshan American Oak, the perfect expression for whisky based cocktails, and use it to treat him to an Auchentoshan Sour.
Vanilla and coconut are found within Auchentoshan American Oak. This versatile liquid is triple distilled and matured solely in American bourbon casks making it the perfect component for whisky based cocktails.
For a refreshing beverage, try an Auchentoshan Sour.
- 35ml Auchentoshan American Oak
- 20ml Simple syrup (to prepare: dissolve one part sugar in one part water over a hob and let chill)
- 20ml Fresh lemon juice
Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. You can do this in some Tupperware at home if you haven’t got a shaker yet. Just shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, then garnish with your choice of a cherry or a lemon wedge.
Available for £31.99 at Amazon
Virtual Whisky News From Glen Scotia Distillery
Glen Scotia Releases Exclusive Dunnage Tasting Box Following Success of Virtual Festival
The Glen Scotia virtual festival has been heralded a huge success, after attracting over 8,000 visitors from all around the world.
Following the cancellation of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2020 which had been scheduled to run from 19-21 May 2020, the Glen Scotia Distillery announced it would bring its programme of events online for the first time at www.glenscotia.com/festival.
As part of the programme the distiller made its famous dunnage whisky tasting, which for many is the pinnacle of their Campbeltown Malt Festival experience, available for those outside the distillery for the very first time.
The theme for 2020 is The Casks of Campbeltown, featuring whiskies matured in casks from the town, and investigating the influencer they have on the modern Campbeltown style.
Only 200 dunnage tasting packs have been released in the UK, each containing five 25 ml samples along with password access to a specially created tasting video hosted by Iain McAlister. A further 1800 tasting boxes will be distributed to markets around the world.
In the UK, the Glen Scotia Dunnage Tasting Box is available to order from Dram Team priced at £55.99 (including postage).
The five samples will include:
- Glen Scotia Victoriana, 54.2% abv
- Cask 810, 2005 First Fill bourbon 60.1% abv
- Cask 486, 2002 Refill Sherry Hogshead 48.8% abv
- Cask 2/359, 2009 First Fill Bordeaux Red Wine 57.1% abv
- Cask 6/413, 2005 First Fill Tawny Port Hogshead 57.4% abv
Iain McAlister, Master Distiller at Glen Scotia, said: “We’ve been absolutely thrilled by the response we had to the Glen Scotia Virtual Malts Festival. We saw over 8,000 people join us from all over the world including Europe, North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia – wildly exceeding our expectations!
“We’re now considering making some elements of the festival permanently ‘virtual’ going forward. We know Campbeltown isn’t the easiest place in the world to get to so this will be a great way to allow our global whisky fans the chance to be a part of the celebrations in future years.
“The dunnage tasting is one of my favourite events in the Campbeltown Malts Festival schedule and we’re excited to be able to provide those who had hoped to join us in person, and perhaps quite a few who usually wouldn’t have had the chance, the opportunity to take part in our special dunnage tasting.”
Chris Borrow, Founder, DramTeam added “I could not be more thrilled to be working with the fantastic team from Glen Scotia to put together this incredible dunnage tasting set. Some friends and I had the privilege of being utterly spoilt by Iain McAlister on our first ever visit to Campbeltown, when he very generously hosted us for a Glen Scotia dunnage warehouse tasting. To this day, the best tasting experience of my life – and one that I am very excited to put in a box for other people to enjoy. This is legitimately the best whisky-tasting-by-post we’ve ever done!”
Campbeltown was known as the whisky capital of the world during the Victorian era and was home to over 30 working distilleries. The annual Campbeltown Malts Festival is a celebration of Scotland’s fifth and smallest malt producing region and its whisky making heritage. This year’s event was set to take place from 19-21 May, however in line with Covid-19 government guidance, the festival has been cancelled for the first time since it launched in 2009.
Founded in 1832, Glen Scotia reflects centuries of craftsmanship and experience associated with the region and its award-winning whiskies are renowned for their distinctive maritime influence and Campbeltown character. For those who missed out on the festival this year many of the tastings and tours are still available to watch www.glenscotia.com/festival.
Issued by BIG Partnership on behalf of Glen Scotia.
Christmas Sales Reveal The Famous Grouse is No.1
The Famous Grouse Overtakes Jack Daniel’s to Become Britain’s No.1 Whisky by Value
Sales topped £71m over Christmas
Value grew +2.6% compared to the year previous
No.1 whisky in the No.1 spirits category with total whisky sales larger than both gin and vodka at £393m
The Famous Grouse enjoyed an outstanding Christmas in the UK off-trade, with sales topping £71m – making it the number one whisky in the UK.*
The whisk(e)y category in total was valued at £393 million, larger than both vodka and gin making The Famous Grouse the number one whisky in the number one category this Christmas.*
While The Famous Grouse has a long-standing streak as the UK’s favourite whisky, the brand has returned to No.1 Whisk(e)y by value this Christmas. The Scotch blend reports +2.6% value growth over the festive period compared to the previous year, in turn, overtaking Jack Daniel’s. The US whiskey had held the top spot in 2018 but saw value drop -9.3%.
The news comes despite the wider blended Scotch category continuing to struggle, with value down -4.1% over Christmas.
Mark Riley, managing director, at Edrington-Beam Suntory UK says: “The Famous Grouse for years has been the UK’s favourite whisky and driving force behind the blended Scotch category, so we are delighted to have reclaimed our number one spot in the UK’s largest spirits category.
“It’s fantastic to see a Scotch back in the top spot, particularly for The Famous Grouse, where success has been driven by our strong equity, premiumisation and increased demand for smaller bottle sizes.”
Source: Nielsen ScanTrack, Off-Trade Total Coverage, 12wks To 04.01.2020.
NEW EXPRESSION FROM AUCHENTOSHAN®
AUCHENTOSHAN® ANNOUNCES NEW SAUVIGNON BLANC EXPRESSION
The Amazon Exclusive Will Target Urban Drinkers With a Brand-new Addition to the Single Malt Category That’s ‘Better Shared’
Monday 11th November – Auchentoshan®, the urban malt inspired by the city of Glasgow, has today announced the launch of Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc, a new special edition whisky available exclusively on Amazon.
Available to purchase on 15th November (pre-order here), Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc is a unique combination of two worlds – the smooth triple distilled taste of Auchentoshan and the unique flavour of Sauvignon blanc casks that gives a fresh, vibrant take on Auchentoshan, setting out to reflect the ever-changing needs of the urban millennial.
The brand new urban malt is matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Sauvignon Blanc Barrique casks, which gives it a distinct, smooth and high-quality taste. Distilled at 47% ABV, the result is a unique single malt that’s ‘best served chilled’ allowing the fresh flavours of citrus and apple to excite the pallete.
The release of Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc follows the recent announcement of the brand’s vibrant new look packaging and brand positioning, aiming to reach a new generation of whisky drinker who are looking for a smooth and exciting whisky to be enjoyed together with friends.
Eileen Livingston, Senior Director of Scotch Whisky for Beam Suntory, comments: “Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc is a unique innovation that disrupts the category and provides consumers with a drinking experience out of the norm. This enables us to connect with urban millennials who are looking to sample new expressions and shared experiences.”
Ron Welsh, Master Blender for Auchentoshan, says: “We set out to create a never-seen-before whisky on the market. Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc was crafted to be enjoyed chilled, allowing us to innovate on the key occasions when the product is shared.”
Auchentoshan Sauvignon Blanc tasting notes are included below:
Ex-Bourbon barrel matured, followed by Sauvignon Blanc Barrique finish
47.0%
Pale Gold
NOSE
Subtle citric notes of white grapefruit with light sweetness of white peaches and green apple, light perfume of eglantine, honeysuckle, Scotch broom and Jasmine.
TASTE
Lightly peppery with zesty notes, green grapes, light acacia honey and lemon curd, vanilla sweetness, lychees and honeydew melon, but also dried grass and hay notes.
FINISH
The finish is hot and peppery with lingering notes of custard apple with a salty mouthfeel.
The limited edition whisky will be available as an e-commerce exclusive on Amazon from 15th November.
