Distillery Newsletter

[o_koulos]

Laphroaig live online whisky tasting

Dear ******,

I am really excited to announce something of a first for Laphroaig; we are holding a live, global, online whisky tasting and debate! We hope you will join us in making this one of the biggest online whisky tastings in the world! Therefore, we would like to invite all of our Friends of Laphroaig to come online and take part in this unique event.

We will be holding the event on Wednesday 21st November at 20:00 (GMT). It will last around 40 minutes and will include a live question and answer session where you will be invited to put your questions to the panel. This will include Robert Hicks - master blender, Jim Murray - author of the famous ‘Whisky Bible’ and of course myself.

The event will cover four highly distinctive Laphroaig expressions; 10 Year Old, 10 Year Old Cask strength, Quarter Cask and our new Oloroso expression the 27 Year Old. You will also have the opportunity to vote live for a fifth expression for the panel to taste.

Once you have registered (see below), you will be able to submit your questions for the event. I’m anticipating that we will get a lot of questions and forty minutes won’t be enough to get through them all. We will therefore be asking you to vote on your favourite questions with the winning questions being answered on the night. Don’t worry though - even if your question isn’t picked you will still have the opportunity to submit your question live during the event itself.

To take part in this unique event go to the web address: www.laphroaig.com/live

Pass this email onto your friends

As you know we always ask our ‘friends’ to help us spread the word about Laphroaig. This live tasting would be the perfect way to introduce all your friends to our unique single malt so please pass it on – unlike normal whisky tastings the web can accommodate everyone!

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you on 21st!

Slainthe,

John Campbell

Distillery Manager

[o_koulos]

σκέφτηκα να γράφουμε εδώ τα e-mail που παίρνουμε απο διάφορα αποστακτήρια που τυχαίνει να είμαστε μέλη/φίλοι κτλ κτλ, ώστε να ενημερώνονται και οι φίλοι που δεν είναι μέλη για οτι νεώτερο!

[Theo]

Πολύ σωστός o_koulos (διαβάζεται με ομοιοκαταληξία)

Βέβαια, όσοι ενδιαφέρονται, καλό είναι να γραφτούν σε όλες αυτές τις ομάδες γιατί κάποιες φορές κερδίζουν. Πρόσφατο παράδειγμα η εμφιάλωση για το Feis Isle του Laphroaig που δόθηκε σε ιδιαίτερα χαμηλή τιμή στους Friends of Laphroaig (ακόμα βαράω το κεφάλι μου που πήρα μόνο ένα μπουκάλι!!!).

[giorgos]

Εγώ πάντως σε θεωρώ από τους τυχερούς Theo

γιατί υπάρχουν και άλλοι που δεν πήραν τίποτα.

Του χρόνου μπορεί να είμαστε πιο τυχεροί(αν ξαναβγεί βέβαια...)

[Theo]

sorry mate, δεν το σκέφτηκα.

[McChariz]

Dear Forum Member,

I�m taking delivery shortly of a 1982 Butt of Port Ellen (25yo) This

will be bottled at a strength of approximately 58% abv � exact strength

to be confirmed.

Price to forum members is £45.00 plus postage. This is substantially

more than the last 24yo Port Ellen which we offered but unfortunately the

broker felt that this whisky was readily saleable at exactly 33% more

than I paid last time round.

In the first instance the offer is restricted to one bottle per member.

If you are interested please email

Δεν θέλω άγχος,άλλωστε ξέρετε με ποιους θα το πιώ!

[McChariz]

You may recall how I wrote to you a while ago moaning how little whisky coverage there is in the media. It is especially perplexing when you bear in mind that single malt Scotch whisky is the most wonderful thing in the world...

Strange as it may seem, I'm not the only one to have ever had this thought. F. Paul Pacult, a US-based spirits and wine journalist, launched his quarterly newsletter, Spirit Journal, in the winter of 1991. Having recognised that wine received ample media exposure, Paul decided to give a voice to the world's distilled spirits through publishing a subscription-only newsletter.

Being a man of some integrity, Paul was convinced that the only way to maintain critical and editorial impartiality was for Spirit Journal not to accept advertising. Instead, the costs of publishing would be paid for by subscriptions. Paul opts for a simple-to-understand star-rating system, from one to five, on every one of the 120-140 products reviews in every issue of Spirit Journal.

Anyone who is interested in spirits in general or whisky in particular should check out Paul's website - it is an information goldmine - and you can subscribe to Spirit Journal from anywhere in the world.

You can imagine the party we had a Kirkwall when Paul published a list of his top 110 spirits and Highland Park 18 Year Old was numero uno. As Paul said, “it fits my profile of what makes a perfect whisky, which is to say it's totally in harmony, there are no rough edges and everything is melded together brilliantly.” Which is nice.

For further information and to subscribe to Spirit Journal visit www.spiritjournal.com

For information on “The Best Spirit in the World” visit www.highlandpark.co.uk

[Celtic]

ΦΡΕΣΚΟ ΦΡΕΣΚΟ ΑΠΟ HIGHLAND PARK

I was hoping to use this opportunity to add my very own gong to the

long list of recent Highland Park achievements. In this particular

instance, second place will have to do as I was pipped to the post as Whisky

Ambassador of the Year at the recent Icons of Whisky awards. The winner,

Ronnie Cox of The Glenrothes, fully deserves the recognition for his

tireless promotion of Scotch whisky around the world.

Based on the unparalleled success of my first two cask selections, I

have been let loose in the Highland Park warehouses again - I know, but

someone has to do it - and found this little beauty.

Cask number 9035 was distilled in 1974 (a fine vintage according to my

mother, as it is the year I was born). Normally a 33 year old Highland

Park is going to be a little on the pricey side for most, so we are

releasing it in a 35cl bottle.

The guys with the calculators inform me that this will have the dual

advantage of halving the price and giving more people (indeed, twice as

many) the opportunity to taste this fantastic 33 year old whisky.

Cask number 9035 was one of five under consideration before finally

being selected as the third release in the Ambassador's Cask series; its

big chocolate nose and the lingering aftertaste of dried fruits set it

ahead of the other casks on my shortlist.

My tasting notes for Ambassador's Cask 3 are:

Colour: Bright gold.

Nose: Dark chocolate, orange peel and toasted smoky almonds. Then, the

dark fruits arrive, fig first, slowly revealing a plum jam flavour.

Palate: Tingles the sides of the tongue hinting at a citrus note

within. Candied lime and liquorice with a nutty fudge flavour developing.

Finish: Clean finish with dried fruits and the signature dry smokiness

of Highland Park.

There are only 372 bottles available at £95 each. Do bear in mind both

of my previous selections sold out very quickly...

For information on 'The Best Spirit in the World' visit

www.highlandpark.co.uk

Gerry

Head of Brand Education, Highland Park

Highland Park

http://www.highlandpark.co.uk

[Theo]

Με συγχίζουν καθώς δεν πωλούν εκτός UK. Τι μας τα στέλνουν τα newsletters, για να μας παιδεύουν;

Άσε που αντί να ρίξουν τις τιμές μικραίνουν τα μπουκάλια. Κάτι σαν τα διαμερίσματα στις πόλεις της ελλάδας. Ο κόσμος αδυνατεί πλέον να αγοράσει 100-130 μ² και η λύση είναι τα νέα διαμερίσματα να είναι 65 - 100 μ2... Άντε και σε λίγο καιρό θα πωλούν μινιατούρες σε τιμές κανονικής φιάλης!!!

[Celtic]

Police hunt whisky galore thieves

More than 10,000 bottles of single malt Scotch Whisky have been stolen in a raid, police have revealed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7131900.stm

[McChariz]

(Με φωνή Πάνου Σόμπολου)

Εκλάπη εχθές το βράδυ και περί ώρας 8 και 30 απογευματινή το Arran Anniversary με αριθμό φιάλης 1192 από το All About Whisky της Γλυφάδας.

Χωρίς πλάκα πάει το μπουκαλάκι. (μη γελάς εσύ από Σαλονίκη)

[McChariz]

NEWSLETTER December 2007

Welcome to the second Bladnoch Distillery Newsletter � they may not be very frequent but as with our whisky, we hope you'll think it�s worth waiting for! It's been a very busy year at Bladnoch and I�d like to tell you a bit about the people and events at the distillery over the past twelve months, though in no particular order�.

DISTILLING

Anyone visiting Bladnoch this year will have experienced the sights and smells of a distillery busy at work � and the staff of course. John and Hugh, helped by Richard, have been milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, filling and racking continually since January. The warehouses are looking healthily full. This years� production of our Spirit of the Lowlands is likely to sleep peacefully under the watchful eyes of our Angels until 2017, when it will be marketed to celebrate Bladnoch�s Bi-Centenary.

BLADNOCH WEBSITE

Our website will be undergoing a few changes over the coming weeks. The most significant being the addition of an on-line store where you will be able to stock up with lots of Bladnoch goodies at the click of a mouse! In the meantime a price list is accessible from www.bladnoch.co.uk/whiskyprices.htm

We would love to see any photos you've taken during your visits to Bladnoch � we plan to have an ongoing section on the website to display some of them � so search through them and send to Sue at bladnoch@talktalk.net

BLADNOCH DISTILLERY FORUM

Last month we welcomed our 1000th member to our lively discussion forum. Members are encouraged to take part in discussions, debates and downright silliness � depending on how the mood takes them. We're not restricted to talking about whisky.

Of course an added bonus for forum members is the opportunity to buy the interesting whisky we�ve selected from other distilleries at very reasonable prices � because we bottle it ourselves straight from the casks. The latest of these was an exceptional PORT ELLEN. So if you haven't already signed up go to www.bladnoch.co.uk and click on the �discussion� tab to register. Make sure you include something in the section that asks about you're interests, then we know you're not an automated Spammer.

NORWEGIAN GOLD WING VISIT

The air was filled with the throaty roar of dozens of Honda Gold Wing motorcycles as their annual Viking run visited Bladnoch. The impressive machines were displayed to great advantage in the courtyard as Raymond toured the distillery with the group.

BLADNOCH WHISKY SCHOOL

October saw the WILD SCOTCHMEN return to Bladnoch for another Whisky School. Running from Thursday evening through to Sunday afternoon, the world now has another dozen Certified Whisky Experts on the loose � apparently all with red hair and called Jimmy!!

MUSIC AT BLADNOCH

Bladnoch Distillery has long been recognised as an excellent music venue and 2007 has proved exceptional���.

In August among numerous other events we hosted the first Bladnoch Folk and Blues Festival featuring international artistes as well as local and national performers. We welcomed Martin Taylor, Michael Marra, Michael Roach and of course Lightnin' Willie & the Poor Boys. World-renowned cellist Rebecca Rust performed with bassoonist Friedrich Edelmann in October-A charity performance, which brought world-class music to our corner of Galloway.

Of course there has also been the regular run of Weddings, Birthday Parties, Book Events and the local flower show � even a performance by the Scottish National Theatre.

NEW STAFF AT BLADNOCH

This year has seen a few changes at Bladnoch. The tour guides of the last four years have moved on to �real� jobs with new girls taking their places � only Jennifer remains from last year to keep the new recruits in check.

Sue moved to Ulverston in April, thinking she was retiring, but we couldn't let her sit down there doing nothing so she's now our �Lakeland Office�.

Yolanda is Visitor Centre Manager, working with Janis, who joined the team in September. Hazel has taken over the administration side of the Distillery and endeavours to bring a little sanity into the proceedings.

Jasper now has two assistants to help patrol the Distillery. At least they will help when they grow a bit bigger and decide to leave the comfort of the armchair in the Visitor Centre!

Malt and Barley are the two new kits on the block and delight visitors with their antics, while Jasper saunters away to find a cosy fireside in the cottage next door, or in the pub across the road.

STAFF PROFILE - HUGH

Although local to Galloway I've worked in various places. I bought a house at Whauphill and heard about the distillery being reopened, so I took leave from my job, went to work in Glengoyne Distillery to find out how things worked � all with a view to getting a job at Bladnoch. And here I am.

I�m a keen whisky lover and my main ambition is to be fast enough to outrun Raymond in a race to the end of the warehouse. I�m also a very important member of the Bladnoch Raft crew.

If you see me around the distillery � ask about my fishing trip to Ullapool � you won�t believe it!

I�m married to Mary and we have one son, Lochlan.

RAYMOND�S THOUGHTS FROM THE DRAMMING ROOM

� We�ve been busy and throughout most of the year, we�ve been mashing and distilling on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Friday.

The sugary wort from Monday�s mash is transferred from the mash-tun to our large wooden washbacks to ferment and this is ready for distilling on Thursday. Likewise Tuesday�s mash has fully fermented into a rough beer of about 7% alcohol by Friday morning, when it is pumped from the Washback via the Wash charger into the Still.

A mash at Bladnoch requires five tonnes of malted barley and produces 2000 litres of pure alchohol measured at 100% strength. In reality after two distillations the amount is about 2800 litres and the strength is about 71% abv. Four mashes each week require 20 tonnes of malt costing £7500 and are filled each Wednesday into approximately 63 barrels. The filling strength is 63.5%

We buy our ex-bourbon barrels from Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky and they are delivered every three weeks by train to Norfolk in Virginia and thence by boat to Grangemouth in Scotland. Each container holds 210 barrels.

Everyone familiar with running a small business will be aware that �cashflow� is an important word. When you consider that the time period between when we buy our barley until we finally put the whisky into a bottle and sell to you, can be 10 years and often longer, you will appreciate why my hair is now white.�

RE-VISIT YOUR FAVOURITE DISTILLERY

Have you seen Bladnoch on youtube?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdp3g3GJMZE

Five candles on a bed of holly with red and yellow animated flames.

To our many friends all over the world we would like to say Thank You for your continued support and a very Happy Christmas!

BLADNOCH DISTILLERY

BLADNOCH

WIGTOWN

DG8 9AB

01988 402605

www.bladnoch.co.uk

[Celtic]

(Με φωνή Πάνου Σόμπολου)

Εκλάπη εχθές το βράδυ και περί ώρας 8 και 30 απογευματινή το Arran Anniversary με αριθμό φιάλης 1192 από το All About Whisky της Γλυφάδας.

Χωρίς πλάκα πάει το μπουκαλάκι.

Πως εγινε αυτό ρε φίλε?

[Abulafia]

Γαμώτο κλάπηκε τελικά; Φοβάμαι ότι εγώ ήμουν ο άγγελος κακών επών. Πέρασα τη Δευτέρα να πάρω ένα κρασί (μη γελάτε, για δώρο ήταν) και παρατήρησα ότι έλειπε το μπουκάλι, ενώ υπήρχε η τιμή και το κουτί. Στην αρχή νόμιζα ότι κάποιος το αγόρασε, αλλά μετά ψάχναμε με τη Βιργινία και δεν το βρίσκαμε.

Καραγκίοζηδες. Να δώ τι θα το κάνουν. Το μπουκάλι είναι αριθμημένο. Αν πουληθεί στο ebay ή σε οποιαδήποτε γνωστή κάβα, θα βρεθεί. Και δεν είναι πολλοί στην Ελλάδα που θα το αγόραζαν.

[Theo]

Un-f@cking-believable! Πολύ κρίμα. Α ρε Πέτρο, πρέπει να βάλεις κλειδαριές στις προθήκες σου.

[o_koulos]

ελα μου ρε γμτ!

μήπως να αναθεωρήσουμε το μέρος που συναντιόμαστε για να αποφύγουμε τέτοια περίεργα;

[Celtic]

Γαμώτο κλάπηκε τελικά; Φοβάμαι ότι εγώ ήμουν ο άγγελος κακών επών. Πέρασα τη Δευτέρα να πάρω ένα κρασί (μη γελάτε, για δώρο ήταν) και παρατήρησα ότι έλειπε το μπουκάλι, ενώ υπήρχε η τιμή και το κουτί. Στην αρχή νόμιζα ότι κάποιος το αγόρασε, αλλά μετά ψάχναμε με τη Βιργινία και δεν το βρίσκαμε.

Καραγκίοζηδες. Να δώ τι θα το κάνουν. Το μπουκάλι είναι αριθμημένο. Αν πουληθεί στο ebay ή σε οποιαδήποτε γνωστή κάβα, θα βρεθεί. Και δεν είναι πολλοί στην Ελλάδα που θα το αγόραζαν.

Άρα τελικά η κλοπή δεν έγινε χθες το απόγευμα. Θυμηθείτε όσους κρατούσαν σκούρες βαθιές τσάντες ή χοντρό μπουφάν και χέρια στις τσέπες. Anyway, φίλε ambu, sorry αλλά δεν μπορώ να το δω έτσι αισιόδοξα όπως εσύ. Δύσκολα θα βρεθεί το μπουκαλάκι. Εύχομαι ο κ@ριόλης που το βούτηξε να το ανοίξει και να του κάτσει στο λαιμό.

Θα συμφωνήσω με τον Theo, τα πολύ σπάνια και ακριβά πρέπει μεν να είναι σε κοινή θέα αλλά κλειδωμένα και μάλλον ένα σύστημα "μαγνητικού συναγερμού" στην πόρτα, προϋποθέτει βέβαια μαγνητάκι σε κάθε μπουκάλι.

Koulos δεν σε κατάλαβα. Ίσα-ίσα που όταν μαζευόμαστε εμείς εκεί δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να συμβούν "τέτοια περίεργα".

[o_koulos]

Koulos δεν σε κατάλαβα. Ίσα-ίσα που όταν μαζευόμαστε εμείς εκεί δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να συμβούν "τέτοια περίεργα".

γενικά όταν υπάρχει συνωστισμός γίνονται πολλά [θυμήσου το άγχος του φίλου με τις μινιατούρες όταν έφευγέ]

πόσο μάλλον όταν αφοσιωνόμαστε στα νεκταρ και ξεχνάμε οτι άλλο υπάρχει τριγύρω!!

τέσπα όντως δεν είναι το σημαντικό σε αυτά που λέω, αλλά σε αύτο που έγινε το οποίο ακόμα δεν μπορώ να το καταλάβω!

[sir mihas]

Βρε koulos,αν ηταν οποτε συγκεντρωνομαστε να πιανουμε ολοι τοιχο και να κοιταει ο ενας τον αλλο μια στις τσεπες και μια στα χερια τοτε παει,χαθηκε το τοπι..Στο κατω κατω δεν ειμαστε μελη του "Ονησιμου" αλλα αποφοιτοι κολλεγιων Και αν καμια φορα χρειαστει ,εχουμε και τον giorgos να επιβαλλει την ταξη

[tzanis]

Αν τον βρούμε λέω να τον βάλουμε να πιεί με το ζόρι 1 βαρέλι χείριστης ποιότητας blended, έτσι για να μάθει ο *&%-*@!#

[Theo]

Να πούμε κάτι ρε παιδιά, έτσι για να μην πιάνετε η ψυχή μας. Ας πούμε ότι ήταν απένταρος malt lover και μόλις το είδε έπαθε την πλάκα του και δεν μπορούσε να φύγει χωρίς αυτό. Έκανε την καρδιά του πέτρα, έριξα τα μούτρα του και το'φαγε. Όχι πως αυτό έγινε, αλλά έτσι μπορώ να το χωνέψω πιο εύκολα. ΑΑΑ μόλις πήγε σπίτι το ήπιε δεν το κράτησε για συλλογή.

[Wisdom]

Ρε παιδιά για μισό λεπτό. Εδώ δεν μιλάμε για καρφίτσες. Ολόκληρο μπουκάλι ήταν αυτό. Ούτε το All About Whisky είναι σούπερ μάρκετ να έχει μέσα συνεχώς πολλά άτομα. Πώς μπορεί να κλάπηκε δηλαδή; Ακόμα και αν μπήκαν μέσα επιτήδειοι (ο ένας να απασχολεί τον McChariz σε άλλο σημείο του καταστήματος και ο άλλος να το παίρνει στα κλεφτά) είμαι βέβαιος ότι ο McChariz θα καταλάβαινε την απουσία μέσα σε λίγα λεπτά. Άσε δηλαδή που τέτοιοι κλέφτες δεν κλέβουν τέτοια εξειδικευμένα αντικείμενα γιατί δεν ξέρουν πού και πώς να τα πουλήσουν.

Ρε Πέτρο για σκέψου καλύτερα μήπως συμβαίνει τίποτα άλλο.

Α και κάτι άλλο σημαντικό: Είχες καρτελάκι με τιμή ή όχι;

[mallios]

Πέτρο τα είπαμε.

Δυστυχώς....έγινε και αυτό.

Βάλε ένα τζάμι στα συλλεκτικά και από εδώ και εμπρός λίγη προσοχή. Όσο για εμάς.... ούτε να το σκεφτώ θέλω.Ο κ@#$#@λης να το κάνει κλ@#@#@σμα.

[giorgos]

Στην αρχή νόμιζα πως πρόκυτε περί αστείου.....

Δυστηχώς απ'ότι φαίνεται όμως τα πράγματα έχουν αλλίώς.

Εγώ θα πρότεινα αν βρισκόταν το εν λόγο άτομο αντί ένα βαρέλι blended

να του δίναμε το μπουκάλι από τον ..@...@....@...

[McChariz]

Dear peter

If you have had the good fortune to escape the almost incessant rain in March, you may have noticed, whilst killing time at the airport, a new expression of Highland Park.

Last year we released Highland Park 21 year old and it is exclusive to duty free. Why so? Well in the complex world of global distribution, channel management and other such marketing department speak, you have to be seen to offer something different. In duty free received knowledge is that the traveller doesn’t want to buy what he – or she (I’m not making that mistake again) – can pick up in their local supermarket.

However, with Highland Park we wouldn’t just bring out a whisky to satisfy the guys who run the duty free outlets. This is a cracking dram, right up there with the Bicentenary bottling which was 21 years old too. Remember that one?

Highland Park 21 year old has, like the 30 year old, a slight emphasis on American oak in maturation. This results in notes of toffee, fudge and chocolate, as well as the balance between smoke and heather honey sweetness you expect in Highland Park. It is bottled at 47.5% abv which, for this particular expression, delivers maximum flavour.

Dave Broom in Whisky Magazine found it “spicy with plenty of ginger and nutmeg. Good length, dry smoke, then heather. Mellow, yet firm enough to add a layer of complexity. A drier expression of HP from the norm and all the more fascinating for that. Recommended.”

Highland Park 21 Year Old is available in duty free priced at an RRP of £60/$99. Buy a bottle to enhance your holiday experience.

For more information about the Best Spirit in the World visit www.highlandpark.co.uk