This week in whisk(e)y #17

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph & I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...


Ardbeg Day 2015 announced

If you only read one of these news bits, read this one. Ardbeg Day 2015 has been announced, to be held on 30th May 2015. Mark the date in your calendar, and if you lve in Sydney (and probably Melbourne), then you'll most definitely want to keep the date completely free.

Why? Because Ardbeg Day is usually one of, if not the best whisky event of the year in Australia (no word yet on if there'll be a Hong Kong one in 2015, but we hope so).

2013 was fantastic. 2014 possibly even better. Do you want to be the person who misses out on 2015?

(Trust me, you don't.)

Details will be posted here when available:
http://www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/ardbeg-day-2015



New World Whisky Distillery Tours and Tastings
You may know New World Whisky Distillery from their Starward Australian single malt whisky, their brilliant single cask and one-off bottlings, or from our private tour back in Dec 2013. Either way, they're an incredibly exciting young (though now well-established) distillery doing some incredibly exciting things (ginger beer cask-finished whisky anyone), who don't seem to be slowing down the pace any time soon.

Since our tour, they've added a bar, and a series of formal tours/tastings, which can be found on their events page. While they've just run a whole bunch of tours throughout early Feb, they have an open day coming up on 28th February which is sure to be a cracker.

Do yourself a favour if you haven't, and get into this exciting distillery (literally, if you're in Melbourne and are free this coming Saturday).



The Glenrothes to release Vintage 1968 Exceptional Cask in Australia
It wasn't that long ago that we attended the Hong Kong launch of the 1969 Exceptional Cask, and now the 1968 vintage has been announced in Australia (previously only being available at Singapore duty free).

For those who like the geekier details:

"The Glenrothes Extraordinary Single Cask 1968 has been bottled from the contents of Cask #13507 – a second-fill hogshead cask, filled on 19th November 1968. It has yielded just 145 bottles at a natural strength of 41.9% ABV. The hallmarks of The Glenrothes are quality and purity, evident in the beautifully-balanced, elegant and well-mannered single malt with peerless texture, perfectly expressed by this single cask bottling. This expression is unchill filtered and, like all Glenrothes’ bottlings, of completely natural colour."

The Glenrothes Extraordinary Single Cask 1968 #13507 will be available in Australia from March 2015. Prices will start at "$10,000AUD and upwards" per bottle.



Highland Park "Odin" has arrived
Back in November we attended the Hong Kong launch of the Highland Park "Freya", and the next in the series has now been announced - none other than "Odin", joining "Freya", "Thor" and "Loki" to complete the Valhalla collection.

Odin weighs in at 55.8% ABV and, judging from the comments online, has been very well received.

No word on a HK release just yet, but we'll be sure to look into it and update this post with any details.



anCnoc 1975 Vintage released
Another new anCnoc release - this time a very well-aged 1975 release, bottled in 2014 (making it 38 or 39 years old in my books, depending on distillation/bottling dates).

To quote the press release:

"On February 1st 2015 anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky will unveil its latest creation – anCnoc 1975 Vintage. Bottled late in 2014 this is the oldest expression ever released from Knockdhu Distillery and promises to be the ultimate treat for anCnoc fans and the most discerning whisky drinkers around the world.

The whisky comes from only three American oak and Spanish oak ex-sherry casks laid down in 1975. The release consists of 1590 bottles. The whisky comes in its most natural form, it has not been chill-filtered or coloured and is presented at the cask strength of 44.2% ABV.

The recommended retail price is £300. anCnoc 1975 Vintage will be available in several key markets around the world including the UK, USA, Russia and Canada.

In-keeping with anCnoc's ethos of 'Modern Tradition', the 1975 Vintage is presented in a simple, striking bottle and encased in an elegant black tube.

anCnoc Assistant Brand Manager Stephanie Bridge sheds light on where the new Vintage fits within anCnoc's recent string of acclaimed releases.

“The last 12 months have been a very ambitious and a very successful time for anCnoc. We unveiled the limited Peaty Collection to a global audience and launched two travel retail expressions as well as our popular 18 Year Old. The 1975 has been anticipated for a number of years, it’s distinctively anCnoc, a fantastic whisky and a superb addition to any whisky collection.""

Visit the world with LABEL 5 fans
In another example of whisky companies seeking to engage their audience in new and exciting ways (e.g. The Glenlivet's The Guardian's Chapter and Maker's Mark's ongoing excellent Ambassador program) LABEL 5 (which we tried back in November) recently asked their fans to film a 5 second video of their city, for inclusion in a "round the world" compilation produced by LABEL 5.

The compilation has now been completed, and can be found at: http://youtu.be/TNXhGn9QXZg


Cheers, 
- Martin.