Balvenie Port Wood 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
To create The Balvenie PortWood 21 year old single malt whisky, a marriage of rare Balvenie is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines. Here it is sampled regularly by The Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE to ensure that just the right amount of character is imparted by the port casks, enhancing and developing the single malt whilst preserving its original characteristics. Considered by many to be David’s finest creation, this whisky is one of his proudest achievements and has won an array of highly coveted industry awards since its release in 1996. A perfume of fruity and ripe raisin notes is backed by a nuttiness on the nose. The palate is refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes and a long, gentle nutty finish.
Balvenie French Oak 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Balvenie create a unique range of single malt Scotch whiskies hand-crafted in Speyside using centuries-old skills passed down through generations. The Balvenie's' process is a combination of expertise, skill and ambition which is the same now as it has been through generations. Balvenie's use of 5 key crafts is key to maintaining their high standards. Home grown barley, craft of the cooperage of the barrels, the malting floor where the grain is prepared, the copper stills that create the base spirit and the malt master who oversees the refining of the end product. The Balvenie French Oak is a vibrant single malt finished in casks previously held wine from the French Charentes vineyards. Pineau des Charentes is a fortified wine made from unfermented grape juice, to which a Cognac eau-de-vie is added and then matured. Sixteen years of maturation in American Oak casks brings an abundance of vanilla spice and warm honey notes. The finishing in Pineau casks brings energizing grapefruit, geranium, glazed fruit and ginger. This is the first of The Balvenie finishes to explore French Oak. Pineau is akin to cognac in terms of production and flavour, allowing us to capitalise on the rise of this flavour profile and its premium credentials. The Balvenie USA brand ambassador Lorne Cousin suggested Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE explore these casks after a trip to the region with his family where he fondly remembers sipping an aperitif. Beautifully balanced light floral notes from lotus and geranium flowers dance between hints of fresh meadow grass and pealed apple skin. On the palate there is an energising zing from tangy lemon rind and grapefruit meet the delicate subtle sweetness of glazed fruits and spice from root ginger, with a refreshingly concise finish.
Hibiki Blender's Choice Blended Japanese Whisky
Suntory Whisky was founded in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii. For over three generations, Suntory's master blenders have devoted themselves to pursuing the harmony of Japanese nature and craftsmanship. Shaped through masterful technique and served with a reverence for Japanese omotenashi, Suntory whiskies are among the most awarded and admired in the world. Hibiki is the paragon of harmony - launched in 1989 to commemorate Suntory's philosophy on living in harmony with people and nature. The name Hibiki means "resonance" in Japanese. Suntory Whisky Hibiki resonates with the subtleties of nature infused by the twenty-four reasons of Japan's traditional calendar and reflected in the twenty-four facets of its bottle's designs. Hibiki is a noble blend of innumerous malt and grain whiskies from Suntory's globally acclaimed Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries. These whiskies are meticulously blended to created a sense of "wa" - a oneness which unveils a full orchestra of flavours and aroma. Hibiki is embraced as an icon of Japanese luxury from the award winning House of Suntory Whisky.
Mars Distillery Komagatake Voyager Estate Wine Finish Single Malt Japanese Whisky ( Release)
This is Mars Komagatake Single Malt ‘Wine Cask Finish’ was produced in collaboration with Voyager Estate from the famous Margaret River region located in Western Australia. Only 924 bottles have been produced. This is the 2nd collaboration and this special whisky is sold only in Australia and Japan. This Single Malt was distilled at Mars Shinshu Distillery in 2016 in Nagano Prefecture and matured in a bourbon barrel for more than 3 years. It was then aged for another 15 months in French Troncais oak. This oak cask was previously used to age Voyager Estate’s flagship red wine, their ‘MJW’ Cabernet Sauvignon, and was sent to Japan in early 2020 once the wine came out of the cask. This special whisky shows the harmony between the world of whisky and wine. The attractive pale red rose colour is evidenced from red wine cask, fruity notes on the aroma with grapes, berry, pomegranate. Elegant smooth mouthfeel with grape fruit character. The finish is long, viscous umami, and well balanced with sweetness.
Benriach 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (New Release)
In 1898, John Duff built the Speyside Distillery, BenRiach. It is one of the few distilleries with its own on-site floor malting and draws its water from the Burnside Springs. This exquisite single malt has been crafted from a combination of unpeated and peated spirit and four cask matured for at least twenty one years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, virgin oak casks and Bordeaux red wine casks. During long maturation, Benriach’s sweet Speyside smoke mellows and integrates with the fruit, malt and oak. After twenty one years, rich layering develops into an elegant honey smoke, enriched through multi-layered cask maturation. The whisky from each cask type, imbued with particular flavour characteristics, is then expertly married together to create a rich and elegant single malt, layered with lush orchard fruit and toasted pine wood with a honey smoke finish. All in perfect balance. This whisky has a honey gold colour. Aromas of berry fruit, orchard apple, wild honey and mountain oak spice. Candied grape, rich cocoa, smoked pine nut, across the palate finishing with caramelised pear and honey smoke.
The Shin 15 Year Old Pure Malt Mizunara Finish Japanese Whisky
Mr. Ken Usami, the master blender at the Shinobu Distillery, selects the selected finest malt whiskies and finish them in casks made of Japanese Oak, Mizunara Wood to create the Shin Malt Whisky range. Shin stands for integrity; one of the core principles of Samurai tradition. Shin Malt Whiskies are well balanced between the woody flavor and incense of sandalwood from Mizunara Oak and the bold aged maltiness, which brings The Shin Malt Whisky a fruit forward and with a bit pepper and spice aftertaste. Significant wood aroma, Mizunara Oak, dark ripe fruit like blueberry, cinnamon. Sweet malty note with significant woody flavor like sandalwood, that brings out different level of spices. All natural without colouring. Non-chill filtered.
Togouchi 15 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky
Not strictly a Japanese whisky, Togouchi source grain whiskies from Scotland & Canada and aged them in Japan. This is a blend from Chugoku Jozo, who mature their whiskies in a tunnel rather than a warehouse. The temperature of the tunnel is always 15 degrees while the temperature of the cellar at the headquarters in Hatsukaichi city is a little higher than that. Nutty, spicy whisky with a lovely butterscotch mouth feel. On the palate it expresses vanilla sweetness and a fine peat iodine, with hazelnuts and chocolate on the finish. Almost feels like a whisky/bourbon hybrid.