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

10 Winter Warming Spirits

Are you looking for some more ideas to warm up those winter evenings? We like to put out these little lists to hopefully help introduce you to spirits you may not have thought about. From Highlands of Scotland to the Island of Japan, and back to Northern Wales!

1-Glenfiddich Orchard Experimental Series – 43% 70cl

A Fruity, juicy creamy dram, this whisky combines the Scottish and Somerset influences in a beautiful way! Aged in casks that formerly housed Somerset Pomona Spirit from the Somerset Cider Brandy Co.

2-Glendronach Port Wood – 46% 70cl

A classic that’s now back on our shelves, this exquisite expression enjoys a second maturation in Port pipes from the Douro Valley in Portugal, giving it a gloriously rich, fruity palate.

3-Nikka from the Barrel – 50cl 51.4%

The unique square bottle symbolises the concept of “a small block of whisky” and embodies the powerful and rich flavours of the liquid contained within. Long after its release, this bottle remains a classic and admired for its ultimate simplicity.

4-The Lakes Whiskymakers Reserve No.5 – 52% 70cl

An exquisite and Moorish evolution, holding the same sherry-led, wood-forward qualities as its predecessors, having been matured in the finest, bespoke Oloroso, PX, and red wine casks made of Spanish and American oak.

5-Foragers Soulful Sloe Gin – 30% 70cl

Using hand-foraged native botanicals such as the freshest Late Harvest Sloe berries and the clearest Snowdonia Mountain waters, this Sloe is rich, fruity, and just fantastic! Gold medal winner.

6-Glenmorangie A Tale of Forest – 46% 70cl

Glenmorangie’s first whisky crafted from barley kilned with woodland botanicals. Whirls of peppermint. Bursts of eucalyptus. Rustles of bitter orange. All floating on notes of vanilla with intriguing hints of black liquorice.

7-Bowmore 12-year-old – 40% 70cl

This bottling from Bowmore presents a classic character of the distillery with plenty tropical fruit notes and of course smoke! A slightly peated expression with pepper, mango, and sweet honey on the palate.

8-Eminente Reserva 7 Year Old Rum – 41.3% 70cl

Aged in ex-whisky barrels, this Cuban rum is light and delightful! The palate offers notes of vanilla, soft smoke, ginger, tobacco, and coffee flavours that linger in the finish.

9-Tomatin 12-Year-Old 2008 Sauternes Cask – 46% 70cl

This limited-release bottling was inaugurated in 2021. Benefiting from a second maturation in Sauternes Wine casks, the palate presents flavours of coconut, ginger, and creamy peaches.

10-Stalla Dhu Single Cask Glen Elgin Port Wood – 48% 70cl

Silver Winner at the World Whisky Awards 2022, this excellent Single Cask is a perfect dram to share with your loved ones this Christmas! Toasted nuts, nougat and delicate plum sweetness followed by mellow gooseberries notes appear on the palate, with a long, fruity finish.

Happy Holidays from The Whisky Merchant

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

Balvenie 25 y/o Rare Marriages

Balvenie is a distillery I have all the time in the world for! They may be one of the largest distilleries out there, but they sure have been disconnected from what the people want. I don’t care if it’s their entry level bottlings, i have room on my shelves for any of it! Caribbean Cask is an all time favourite.

As you slowly work your way up to the higher age releases you realise the phenomenal work and skill the team has! The 21 year old PortWood is a fantastic shift in complexity and complex flavours. You can tell how the aged spirits from Balvenie has a whole new set of flavours that just sets them apart from the younger bottlings.

This 25 y/o is one of three in the new Rare Marriages Range designed by David Stewart, Balvenie’s Malt Master. A selection of individual casks perfectly married together and matured in traditional American & European Oak.

On the surface, these whiskies are immediately The Balvenie with the distinct runny honey and underlying rich oakiness, they are exceptional drams. But to those who enquire further, who give the whisky time, let the flavours unfold; they will discover the flavours slowly dissipate to reveal layers of toasted marshmallows, fresh fruit and cinnamon, a continuous unveiling of discovery.

Not only do the folks at The Balvenie have the talents to create a whisky symphony over and over again, but you can tell creating something special means everything too them.

It takes skill to make something great. It requires heart to make something extraordinary.

NOSE

Smooth and honeyed on the nose with mellow oaky tones and hints of candied orange peel.

TASTE

The initial bold vanilla oak flavours slowly dissipate to reveal layers of toasted marshmallows, fresh fruit terrine and cinnamon infused apple tart.

FINISH

Exceptionally long lasting sweetness.

Grab yours here!

Until Next Time.

– Andrew