New Awards For Stalla Dhu!

We are extremely happy to see Stalla Dhu bottlings take home a new round of awards! The World Whiskies Awards 2023 have been quite lucarative for the most recently released bottles. Taking home 3 Silver and 2 Gold from the New Releases. In addition to those 2 other Silver and a Bronze was awarded to 3 of the Core Range.

A lot of time, effort, and most importantly quite a bit tasting goes into picking the right casks to be bottled under the Stalla Dhu label. Each one Ron chooses is one that he believes will give you a unique representation of the chosen distillery. Maybe a way you haven’t seen the distillery before.

Our two gold medal winners are:

Glenrothes Late Hour Port Finish Cask Strength

Toffee apples on the nose and toasted caramel notes emerge beautifully. The palate is complex and rich with notes of nougat and woody tobacco hints. Definitely one of our favourite’s!

Linkwood Reserve Cask Strength

This “handsome” release of 13-year-old Linkwood will surely surprise you, as even if bottled at the high abv of 57.3% it carries itself extremely well. Balanced notes of nougat richness, silky mouthfeel, and hints of salinity on the finish. Just delicious.

Check out the full list here!

15 Fettercairn Years Old Single Cask Silver
Linkwood Reserve Cask Strength Gold
Teaninich 15 Years Old 100 Proof Single Cask Silver
Glenrothes Late Hour Port Finish Cask Strength Gold
Soars Aois Single Cask Silver
Orchant Seleccion Highland Single Malt Whisky Silver
Islay Single Malt Whisky Silver
Speyside Single Malt Whisky Bronze

 

Slanj,

Andrew

Stalla Dhu Taking Home 2 More Amazing Awards!

The 2022 Whiskies Awards was another successful competition for the Stalla Dhu range! Two high awards have been given to the Caol Ila 11 year and Truth Be Told 22. With Caol Ila taking World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt and Truth Be Told taking Best Scotch Blended Limited Release. That’s an amazing showing from a small family built independent bottler. It’s fantastic to see the awards keep rolling in!

Fortunately/unfortunately, after the announcement all of the remaining Caol Ila sold out within a couple days! There are still bottles of the Truth Be Told in stock.

Truth Be Told 22:

Some famous distilleries are fiercely protective of their whiskies and adapted a process called tea-spooning; as in adding a teaspoon of another malt.

This is so ‘Independent Bottlers’ cannot call it a Single Malt or use the Distillery name.

This exceptional cask in its previous incarnations was known as ‘Wardhead’ and clues to its identity lie within the label.

Taste: Soft sophisticated spice, toffee touches, lovely lingering long finish.

Bruichladdich Octomore 12 Releases

We have just received our stock of the new Octomore releases, and we are super excited! I always enjoy receiving new stock from Bruichladdich because they do a fantastic job of keeping things fresh in an industry that sometimes is resistant to change. From their branding and packaging, to their flavour profiles, they are keeping things exciting.

Octomore is youthful experimentation at the highest levels! Careful calculations of wood, ingredients, and environment produces some of the best peat explosions that your tastebuds will experience. They push the boundaries of Islay whisky, in the best ways. If you’re not into the bold peaty and smoky whiskies, best to turn back now! Ha

Here are the Octomore 12 releases:

12.1 – 130.8 PPM – 5 Years – 59.9%

Nowhere is the dualism of our Octomore super heavily peated series more pertinent than in our .1 edition. Never as expected, delicate but powerful, this is unadulterated heavy smoke balanced with our vivacious and dynamic, fruity and floral distillate. While Octomore in itself does not conform to tradition, our Head Distiller Adam Hannett is inclined to mature Octomore .1 editions solely in ex-American whiskey casks for 5 vibrant years. Octomore 12.1 is the necessary control for the rest of the series, as experiments within an experiment, but our baseline should not be underestimated. Mainland grown Scottish barley is distilled in a patient and considered trickle. The stripped back maturation profile allows a sensory conversation that highlights the cereal-rich, malty notes of this barley-forward single malt. Vanilla, citrus and fudge culminate in an enigmatic challenge to received whisky wisdom.

12.2 – 129.7 PPM – 5 years – 57.3%

Octomore 12.2 follows in the footsteps of previous Sauternes legends. The now infamous Octomore 4.2 (Comus) became one of the most acclaimed and sought- after whiskies in our distillery’s portfolio, confirming that heavy peat smoke combined with sweet dessert wine of Sauternes is an incredible pairing. This Octomore 12.2 would spend three and a half years in ex-American oak casks, building a solid foundation of fruity and floral spirit in our lochside warehouses before being recasked in to impeccable quality Sauternes casks. The pivotal role of the Sauternes casks would add 18 months of supercharged fruit. Melon, white peach, honeysuckle and coconut add a real twist and sweetness to compliment the peat smoke of this heavily phenolic malt.

12.3 – 118.1 PPM – 5 years – 62.1%

Octomore 12.3 is single vintage, single field, single malt. Raised in Church Field on Octomore Farm by friend and farmer James Brown, this Islay grown barley has been trickle distilled through our tall narrow necked stills just two miles from where it was grown. This terroir-driven spirit would take two separate journeys before being combined; 75% was filled into ex-American whiskey casks, while the remaining 25% spent five years maturing in genuine Pedro Ximenez Solera casks from Jerez bodega Fernando de Castilla. This Islay barley spirit has breathed slowly and delicately for five aged years, its salty citrus marine note resulting from the locale of where the barley was grown and our warehouses proximity to the sea. The Pedro Ximenez casks contribute sweet dried fruit notes which highlight the rich dry peat smoke of Octomore.

We do still have a few older releases as well, so make sure to check them out as well here.

Till next time. -Andrew

Diageo Special Releases 2021 Announced

Diageo has announced the lineup for this fall’s Special Releases, and they look exciting! This year’s releases, for the first time, are featuring artwork from a popular illustrator.

Each bottle will feature a different ‘Legend’’ that the master blender felt best represented the core characteristics of each chosen distillery. Theses legends being the mythical creatures that inhabit the lands surrounding each distillery. Each bottle will contain a QR code for an auditory tasting experience that will mix the mythical world.

The stories and Legends will be revealed later this autumn during their release! Until then, here’s the quick breakdown of what’s being released.

Singleton of Glendullan 19 Years Old

ABV: 54.6%

Region: Speyside

Cask: Refill American oak casks, finished in Cognac casks

Talisker 8 Years Old

ABV: 59.7%

Region: Island/ Isle of Skye

Cask: Heavily peated refill casks

Oban 12 Years Old

ABV: 56.2%

Region: Coastal Highland

Cask: Freshly charred American oak casks

Royal Lochnagar 16 Years Old

ABV: 57.5%

Region: Highland

Cask: American oak and European oak refill casks

Cardhu 14 Years Old

ABV: 55.5%

Region: Speyside

Casks: Refill American oak casks, finished in red wine casks

Mortlach 13 Years Old

ABV: 55.9%

Region: Speyside

Cask: Virgin and refill American oak casks

Lagavulin 12 Years Old

ABV: 56.5% ABV

Region: Islay

Cask: Refill American oak casks

Lagavulin 26 Years Old

ABV: 44.2%

Region: Islay

Cask: PX/oloroso-seasoned first-fill casks

Until these amazing looking releases come out, go check out some of the previous Diageo releases HERE.

Be Well. -Andrew

Laphroaig 33 Ian Hunter Story Book 3

We have received our shipment of Book 3 of the limited edition series honouring the last member of the founding family, Ian Hunter. Ian was the member of the family to own and run Laphroaig Distillery. This is release 3 of 5, with each being released once a year.

Book one was created to show appreciation for the decision to introduce American white oak into maturing Laphroaig. Book Two was matured in Sherry casks and highlights Hunter’s distillery expansion/innovation.

This book, Book Three, puts a spotlight on the history of the Kilbride stream and Hunter’s desire to make sure the distillery is run by steam. As well as the subsequent battle with neighbours to protect the stream, which was the distiller’s lifeblood.

This release has been fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels for the length of it’s 33 year aging! Sweet syrup, creamy liquorice, and some smoky vanilla. And for sure those Laphroaig peat flavours punching through.

Grab yours here!

Till next time.

-Andrew