Hunter Laing unveils six rare Islay whiskies
Hunter Laing has unveiled ‘The Kinship’, a range of six bottlings of exceptionally rare Islay whiskies, which will only be sold at their new shop on Islay during and after the Feis Ile whisky festival.
The six single cask Islay whiskies in the Kinship collection have a combined age of 181 years and were hand-picked by iconic whisky distiller Jim McEwan. The legendary master distiller was recently appointed Production Director of Hunter Laing’s Ardnahoe Distillery, which will become the ninth whisky distillery on Islay when it opens early next year.
The Kinship range has been bottled for the Festival as a tribute to Ardnahoe’s neighbours on Islay and to herald the start of the construction of Ardnahoe on the island. The whiskies will only be available at Hunter Laing’s new shop at Islay House Square, Bridgend from 10am on Friday 26th May, the first day of Feis Ile, and will be on sale during the Islay Festival of Music and Malt while stocks last. The shop, which will remain open for at least a year until the build of Ardnahoe Distillery is complete, will also sell a range of Hunter Laing bottlings.
Glencadam reveals 13-year-old malt to mark distillery anniversary
In 2000, the Glencadam distillery was shut down for three years, and was reopened in the autumn of 2003 by Angus Dundee Distillers. As such, the new bottling commemorates “the reawakening” of the distillery.
Bottled at 46% abv, Glencadam 13 Year Old has not been chill-filtered and no colouring has been added.
Each of the 6000 bottles produced are individually numbered.
“We are fortunate enough to be able to produce excellent malt at Glencadam and we are also blessed by being able to retain age statements on the vast majority of our releases,” said brand development director, Duncan Baldwin.
“The Re-Awakening 13 Year Old edition is characterised by its rich flavours of ripe fruit accompanied by smooth vanilla sweetness, resulting in a taste to meet the most discerning of whisky lovers preferences.”
The new bottling joins three variants in 2016: the 17-year-old Triple Cask Portwood Finish, the 19-year-old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish and the 25 Year Old. (read more)
Glenmorangie to purify waste water
ouis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) has announced plans to purify and clean the waste water from its whisky distillation process at Glenmorangie.
The group has revealed two ‘ambitious’ projects for cleaning out the waste from its Scottish whisky distillery. First it will create an anaerobic digestion plant to purify byproducts from the distillery on the coast. The second plan is called the Dornoch Environmental Enhancement Project, or DEEP, which aims to reintroduce native oysters to the Dornoch Firth estuary.
The anaerobic plant is designed to reduce the environmental impact of the distillery by 95%. LVMH said that this initiative ‘reaffirms Glenmorangie’s commitment to protecting and improving the natural environment around the distillery and to being a sustainable business’.
In order to return the native oysters to their old habitat, Glenmorangie has forged a partnership with Heriot-Watt University and the Marine Conservation Society. Together, the three groups have launched the DEEP project in order to improve water quality, and promote biodiversity in Dornoch Firth. (read more)
Diageo secures go-ahead for new Irish Whiskey distillery
Diageo has secured the go-ahead for its €25m plan to construct a new distillery at its St James’s Gate base in Dublin for its new premium blended Irish whiskey, Roe & Co.
The maker of Guinness has also received planning permission for a visitor experience at the new facility at the former Guinness Power House on Thomas Street.
Diageo said that the visitor experience will celebrate the Roe & Co whiskey brand and the revival of craft brewing in Dublin. It aims to attract 50,000 visitors a year.
Production on the site is expected to begin in the first half of 2019. That means the first whiskey distilled at the site won’t be available for sale until 2022.
The new Diageo whiskey is named in honour whiskey maker George Roe, who is credited with helping to usher in the golden era of Irish whiskey in the 19th century.
Mr Roe’s distillery extended over 17 acres on Thomas Street and was once Ireland’s largest distillery.
The new distillery will have the capacity to produce 500,000 litres each year. The whiskey product is to be matured and bottled off site. (read more)
Record-breaking numbers for Bourbon tourism!
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association says more than one million guests visited distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour in 2016.
KDA says the tourism attractions had double-digit attendance growth compared to 2015. Attendance has shot up 300 percent in the past decade.
It says the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour, showcasing nine distilleries, had a record 888,733 visits in 2016. Those distilleries produce bourbon’s biggest brands, including Jim Beam, Evan Williams, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark, Four Roses and Woodford Reserve.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, with 11 participating distilleries, had 177,228 visits. (read more)
