Distillery Newsletter

[Uisge-Beatha]

Ας ελπίσουμε ότι σύντομα θα ευωδοθούν οι προσπάθειες τους

και το σμαραγδένιο νησί θα αποκτησει και τέταρτο αποστακτήριο

[Celtic]

Aπό το Emerald Island και πάλι τα νέα που εχω σήμερα.

Τα Redbreast και Green Spot αλλάζουν εμφάνιση, ενώ στις νεες εττικέτες εμφανίζεται για πρωτη φορά ο όρος "single pot still" που αντικαθιστά τον όρο "pure pot still" (στο Redbreast γιατι στο Green Spot η μεχρι τωρα εττικέτα/συσκευασία/μπουκαλι δεν το ανέφερε καν, υπήρχε μόνο ο γενικός τιτλος "Irish Whiskey")

Mου αρέσουν, ελπίζω μόνο να μην υπάρχει και αλλαγή στην ποιότητα (προς τα κατω) και στην τιμή (προς τα πάνω).

[Celtic]

Οι Ιρλανδοί φίλοι μου έχουν βάλει μπρος και δεν τους σταματάει τίποτα. Διανύουμε τα χρόνια μιας επανάστασης του Ιρλανδικού ουίσκυ !!!

Following the relabeling of Pure Pot Still as Single Pot Still in April 2011, Irish Distillers today launched two new single pot still whiskey brand extensions as part of its initiative to celebrate the provenance and quality of this unique Irish whiskey style, and to showcase the diverse flavour spectrum of the reinvigorated Irish whiskey category.

Powers and Midleton will join Redbreast and Green Spot as brand names in a formidable new portfolio of single pot still Irish whiskeys emanating exclusively from the multi-award winning Midleton Distillery in Co. Cork. The company has also announced a whiskey development programme with the aim of creating and releasing regular new expressions of single pot still Irish Whiskey across its brand portfolio each year.

"Single pot still Irish whiskey is truly the jewel in the crown of Ireland’s rich whiskey tradition; a tradition which we have carefully nurtured over the years at the Midleton Distillery” said Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard Chairman and Chief Executive, Alex Ricard. “There has been tremendous interest in single pot still Irish whiskey in recent times so this is the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate and restore this exceptional whiskey style to its former glory. By adding the prestigious Powers and Midleton brand names to our range of single pot still Irish whiskeys, we will offer more flavour variety and create even more interest among whiskey enthusiasts and aficionados worldwide."

Power's "John's Lane Release" Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Powers John’s Lane Release honours the silent distillery and spiritual home of the Powers brand at John’s Lane in Dublin. This new expression features a distillate which is true to the pot still style of the original distillery and bears the distinctive honey and spice style that made Powers famous. Bearing a 12 year old age statement, the whiskey has been matured in first fill bourbon barrels with a contribution of whiskey which has been matured in Oloroso sherry butts.

Midleton "Barry Crockett Legacy" Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

The first ongoing single pot still Irish whiskey to carry the Midleton name – Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy – pays tribute to celebrated second generation Master Distiller who, more than anyone, has shaped with the world-famous Midleton style. Representing Barry Crockett’s personal selection of first fill bourbon whiskeys with the inspired inclusion of whiskey which has matured in unseasoned American barrels, this expression displays a distinctive pot still complexity yet is refined and poised on the finish.

Και νεο Kilbeggan από το Cooley

Kilbeggan 18yo Βlended Irish Whiskey

IRELAND RULES

[Uisge-Beatha]

UK: Burn Stewart switches Bunnahabhain distillery manager

15 June 2011 | By: just-drinks.com editorial team

Burn Stewart Distiller has confirmed a change of distillery manager at Bunnahabhain on the Scottish island of Islay.

The company, which is owned by Trinidad-based CL Worldbrands, said earlier this week that Andrew Brown has moved up to the role. Having worked at Bunnahabhain's facility since 1988, Brown has been a warehouseman, mashman, an on-call operator and the stillhouse manager.

He replaces John MacLellan who is now working at the recently-opened Kilchoman Distillery on the island, a spokesperson for the whisky producer told just-drinks yesterday (14 June).

In October last year, Burn Stewart switched the production of its Scotch whisky portfolio to un-chillfiltered.

[Uisge-Beatha]

Ειδικά για τους μουσικόφιλους και ένα ξεχασμένο φίλο

Win a Highland Park signed guitar signed by Mumford and Sons

http://clicklink.highlandpark.co.uk/C2L/er.aspx?k=yyzW2its_KpFSiQsB4njKE5mrrdW6b5OGdN62zaqAz2qSHJ-H692Fw$$

[sir mihas]

Αποφραδα ημερα η σημερινη... Σαν σημερα αποδημησε σε υπερνεφελια λιβαδια ,γεματα με βαρβατα αλογατα και ζουμερες,σχιστοματες οδαλισκες ο μεγας Τζενγκις Χαν,σαν σημερα πρωτοκυκλοφορησε το αντισυλληπτικο χαπι που απογειωσε το φεμινιστικο κινημα και γειωσε τις αρχεγονα προσδιορισμενες αρσενικες ορμες,σαν σημερα μετουσιωθηκαν οι κλιμακουμενοι ψιθυροι σε συμπαγεις κραυγες και το αποστακτηριο Karuizawa αποτελει πλεον (οπως ,δυστυχως,κασσανδριζαμε σε προηγουμενα μηνυματα) τιμημενο παρελθον της ισιομαλλογενους βιομηχανιας whisky.

Μετα απο μια σχεδον δεκαετη παυση παραγωγης η ιδιοκτητρια εταιρεια Kirin αποφασισε οριστικα και αμετακλητα οτι στα επιχειρηματικα της σχεδια δεν χωρα ουτε εχει -κερδοφορο- μελλον το Karuizawa και εβαλε λουκετο στις εγκαταστασεις και μπουρλοτο στους συλλεκτες.

Οι μονες παρηγορες σκεψεις που καταλαγιαζουν τον οδυρομενο νου ειναι οτι 1) αναβαθμιζεται το αποστακτηριο Fuji Gotemba και πλεον μεγαλωνουν οι απαιτησεις και οι προσδοκιες μας για τις αναμενομενες νεες εμφιαλωσεις του και 2) τα οποια αποθεματα υπαρχουν δεν πεταχθηκαν σε βορβορολακκους αλλα αγοραστηκαν απο την φιλοδοξη Number One Drinks Company.

Σημαντικη αυτη η εξελιξη καθως η συγκεκριμενη εταιρεια που δραστηριοποιειται μολις τα τελευταια χρονια στην "ανιχνευση",εμφιαλωση και ευρωπαικη εισαγωγη ιαπωνικου whisky εχει δωσει λαμπρα δειγματα ποιοτητας και γευσιγνωστικης επαρκειας και ελπιζουμε οτι η θερμοτερη/στενοτερη συνεργασια του αρκουδοφιλου ιδιοκτητη Marcin Miller με τον ακουραστο εργατη και θεματοφυλακα της whiskiκης υπερειρηνικης παραδοσης Ichiro Akuto (θα αναλαβει χρεη αποθηκαριου-παρκαδορου-εμφιαλωτη-συνταγομεντορα των αποθεματων) θα αποδωσει λαρυγγικα αραβουργηματα (δυστυχως προβλεπω και σε μειζονες τιμες).

ΥΓ...συμβουλη προς συλλεκτας/μπουκαλοσκονολατρες...προλαβετε να αγορασετε τωρα τις εμφιαλωσεις που θελετε.Με τις αναμνησεις και τις Φουκουσιμοπληγες ακομα νωπες,τον καταναλωτικο δισταγμο της ευρυτερης μαζας και την ενεστωσα ελλειψη ενημερωσης βρισκονται ακομα εμφιαλωσεις Karuizawa σε συμπαθητικες τιμες. Μολις ανοιξει η μιντιακη κανουλα και γινει καθολικα γνωστη η δυσαρεστη ειδηση,τρεξατε-προλαβατε να τοποθετησετε τα μπουκαλια σε τραπεζικες θυριδες.Προβλεπεται να πιασουν τιμες ινδικου νεφρου σε δημοπρασια δυτικοευρωπαιων αξιοπαθουντων.

[Celtic]

Φίλοι του Laddie (that is Bruichladdich για τους νέους) σας έχω καλά νέα.

Το δάνειο εγκρίθηκε !!!! Μέσα στα επόμενα χρόνια θα δούμε πράματα και θάματα από το αγαπημένο σας αποστακτήριο από το αγαπημένο πολλών νησί του Islay. Bέβαια τους καρπούς θα τους απολαύσουν μόνο όσοι έχουν (ή θα) μεταναστεύσει εκτός Ελλάδας ζώντας έναν αξιοπρεπή βίο, καθότι εδώ στο Ελάντα η Τρόικα θα μας πάρει και τα σώβρακα και θα κάνουμε tasting σε σπιτικά τσίπουρα πλέον....

My link

(οι φήμες οτι για την έγκριση του δανείου του Laddie χρειάστηκε απλά και μόνο ένα απειλητικό βλέμμα του Mallios κατα την τηλεσυνδιάσκεψη που είχε με το ΔΣ της HSBC κρίνονται ανυπόστατες...... )

[Uisge-Beatha]

Σίγουρα είναι πολύ καλά νέα (αν και η συνεχιζόμενη σιγή σχετικά με το PC θα απογοητεύσει πολλούς )

απλά με προβληματίζει και με εκπλήσσει συνάμα η παρακάτω φράση

The company aims to increase production and broaden the range of single malts made at the distillery

πόσες ακόμα εμφιαλώσεις και πειραματισμούς θα κάνει αυτό το αποστακτήριο ...

Δώστε Laddie στον λαό ακόμα και δεκαράκι

[Uisge-Beatha]

Welcome to the

Glengoyne Newsletter

Friday 28 October 2011

http://email.wearetheweather.co.uk/t/ViewEmail/y/F41A747E4DFA3F19/A31A721911BFE49FF99AA49ED5AF8B9E

[Uisge-Beatha]

Batch 2 of The Balvenie 40 is finally ready to meet its audience. And, as a member of Warehouse 24, you could be one of the few to taste this precious, hand-crafted malt.

Just email us today with your name and telephone number and you could win two tickets to the launch event to be held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 2nd November at 6.30pm.

Our Malt Master David Stewart describes this unique malt as having “a beautifully rounded taste of sweet creamy vanilla, butter toffee and fresh fruit.” To read the full tasting notes, just visit our website.

With only 150 hand-numbered bottles available worldwide, this is a rare opportunity to sample this award-winning dram.

Slainte Mhath!

David Mair

The Balvenie Ambassador

http://clicks.thebalvenie.com/DC/ViewEmailInBrowser.aspx?646C76=313334343132&736272=%24%24E9VwakLVsYy0EEE&66=30

[sir mihas]

Intercaps Filling Systems Ltd is delighted to announce that Signatory Distillery in Edradour, Scotland (the smallest whisky distillery in Scotland; possibly the smallest legal distillery of any kind in the World) once more has decided to choose Intercaps Filling Systems Ltd as a supplier of key machinery for their existing bottling plant which Intercaps Filling Systems supplied in 2007.

Seeing an increase in demand for their miniature bottles, Signatory decided to invest in a new 6/6/1 rinser-filler-capper for both their 50ml and 200ml bottles which also handles two different ROPP cap sizes (20x12 and 25x18) as well as the conveyor system to connect the new fillerblock to the existing main conveyor line plus change parts for the existing labeller to run the miniature bottles too. This new filler block will be able to produce around 2000-2500 bottles per hour x 50ml. and will utilise a common end of line packing area with the existing main filler.

Οι Σκωτσεζοι,με γερακισια ματια στο μελλον και ελεφαντινα ποδια στο παρον επενδυουν πλεον σοβαρα και στα νανακια τους...

[Uisge-Beatha]

Intercaps Filling Systems Ltd is delighted to announce that Signatory Distillery in Edradour, Scotland (the smallest whisky distillery in Scotland; possibly the smallest legal distillery of any kind in the World) once more has decided to choose Intercaps Filling Systems Ltd as a supplier of key machinery for their existing bottling plant which Intercaps Filling Systems supplied in 2007.

Seeing an increase in demand for their miniature bottles, Signatory decided to invest in a new 6/6/1 rinser-filler-capper for both their 50ml and 200ml bottles which also handles two different ROPP cap sizes (20x12 and 25x18) as well as the conveyor system to connect the new fillerblock to the existing main conveyor line plus change parts for the existing labeller to run the miniature bottles too. This new filler block will be able to produce around 2000-2500 bottles per hour x 50ml. and will utilise a common end of line packing area with the existing main filler.

Οι Σκωτσεζοι,με γερακισια ματια στο μελλον και ελεφαντινα ποδια στο παρον επενδυουν πλεον σοβαρα και στα νανακια τους...

Σίγουρα έχει πολύ ψωμί στη μινιατούρες με όλο και περισσοτερους καταναλωτές να ψάχνουν το θέμα ουίσκι σε συνδυασμό ότι τα περιθώρια κέρδους είναι αρκετά υψηλότερα από τις κανονικές φιάλες είναι πολύ λογικό

[Uisge-Beatha]

Hogmanay and New Year Greeting...

Posted: 31 Dec 2011 07:16 AM PST

Tomorrow we celebrate New Year’s Day in Scotland which is something our friends also celebrate around the world, albeit not always on the same date.Throughout the years it has become customary in Scotland to ‘First-foot’ your friends and neighbours on Hogmanay, which is what we Scots call New Years Eve......when the first people visit your house after the bell strokes 12pm on New Year’s Eve, then it is said that they will bring luck to you for the rest of the year.

Traditionally those first-footers should bring a coin, bread, salt, a lump of coal and whisky with them for everyone to enjoy on New Year’s Day. Often visitors are greeted and welcomed in with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek and then the party gets started and lasts into the wee small hours. It is also said the best and most luckiest first-footer is a tall, dark, handsome man. I’m always a popular guest but more because I always come with a bottle of whisky in hand!

However, I like to think of myself as a well travelled gent, so I was keen to find out from my friends across the globe how they would be celebrating on New Years eve, starting with a quick phonecall to Willie Cochrane over on Jura.

Willie told me that that the celebrations mainly take place in the village hall with music and dancing into the early hours. The Jura Hotel is also open but closes early to give people time to get down to the village hall or back home in time for the Bells at 12 o’clock. Willie also told me that the celebrations and first-footing takes place all week long so maybe I should think about getting myself and Mrs Paterson over this year for an extended New Year break in the Jura lodge.

I then contacted our man Aidan in Australia, as they are of course one of the first places to bring in the New Year. He told me that while we are all up to our elbows in snow (if we're lucky, more normally rain and wind) over in Scotland, they would be down on the beach with their mates having a BBQ and playing cricket. No stereotypes there then (but you cant help thinking they will be ‘throwing another shrimp on the barbie’ whilst enjoying a refreshing beer or two)!

In Sydney they enjoy a grand fireworks display that lights up the harbour in beautiful colours. Apparently the display is so amazing that people camp out for days to get the best viewing spots, so it really must be a sight to behold.

Over to Spain now, to our friend Veronica who celebrates New Year by eating grapes! Whilst in Scotland we think it’s lucky to first-foot, Spaniards bring themselves luck by eating 12 grapes – a grape for every chime of the clock come midnight. And then after partying the night away, it’s time for a further snack at 6am when they enjoy chocolate con churros, which is a breakfast treat made mainly from flour and eggs which is then dipped in melted chocolate. Veronica also tells me it’s is lucky to wear red underwear on New Year, which apparently has to be bought by someone else. I already received mine from Santa so I’m sorted in that department!

Over in Russia, my friend Anna tells me they like to write their wishes on a piece of paper and then burn it on a candle. The ash is then mixed in with champagne and drunk to bring good luck. Karine over in France, also tells us that they like to enjoy a selection of champagne, caviar and cheese along with champagne. However I cant help thinking that if they were to make their wish with a whisky it would bring them even more luck!

And then lastly onto Chinese New Year which of course follows the traditional Chinese calendar and is celebrated in January or February depending on how the calendar falls. This, much like Willie’s celebration on Jura, lasts more than one night and is in fact celebrated for 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival which sees the skies light up with beautiful paper lanterns. The traditions vary but cleaning the house and to sweep away ill-fortune is something that is commonly practices. As is filling your house with red decorations as red of course is a lucky colour for the Chinese.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world and Aidan over in Oz tells me that they Chinese-Australian community host a number of wonderful events to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The Great Dragon appears in Melbourne after having been aoken with a ceremony of offering to the Gods. It then dances through the streets in a ‘lion dance’ helped by 200 people who carry the dragon on its journey.

I find it fascinating to learn how other people bring luck to themselves and others in the New Year. Do let me know via the blog or the Whyte & Mackay facebook page, how you will be celebrating or how you have celebrated New Year.

And finally, as we prepare to say ‘hello, how are you?’ to a New Year, let me take this opportunity to wish all the Whyte & Mackay fans out there the best of luck for 2012. Thank you for your friendship, comments, tweets and warm, warm greetings from all across the planet.

http://www.whyteandmackay.co.uk/blog/2011-12-31-hogmanay-and-new-year-greeting.aspx

[Celtic]

ΟΚ UB, εγω και κάποιοι άλλοι μπορεί να καταλαβαίνουμε οτι το παραπάνω είναι από τον Richard 'The Nose' Patterson, τους υπόλοιπους δεν τους σκέφτεσαι;;;

(γι'αυτό σας λέω πάλι, καλύτερα γράψτε μια εισαγωγή και δώστε το link άν είναι εφικτό)

[Uisge-Beatha]

Ένα ενδιαφέρον on line tasting για τα μέλη του Warehouse 24 με δωρεάν δείγμα ενός νέου Balvenie

Όσοι πιστοί τρέξετε να προλάβετε

http://www.thebalvenie.com/en-gb/online_tasting_event.php?utm_source=ECOS&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20111220-Members+Bottling+Email

[Celtic]

Thanks UB !

[Uisge-Beatha]

[Celtic]

Glenfiddich distillery worker found dead in vat of whisky

Aτύχημα ή αυτοκτονία;

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/01/10/tributes-for-glenfiddich-distillery-worker-who-was-found-dead-in-vat-of-whisky-86908-23692843/

[Uisge-Beatha]

το βιντεάκι το live tasting event του Balvenie warehouse 24 αξίζει μια που είναι αρκετά εκπαιδευτικό

ειδικά για τους καινούργιους φίλους μας.

(σημείωση το συγκεκριμένο που δοκιμάζουν δεν κυκλοφορεί ακόμα)

http://www.thebalvenie.com/en-gb/online_tasting_event.php

[Uisge-Beatha]

Ένα special μήνυμα για τον φίλο μας τον Ambu

και όσους άλλους (έχουμε ) αμερικανο ξενιτεμένους

ένα πολύ καλο party έτσι όπως μονο το Makers Mark ξέρει

Fellow Ambassador,

At Maker’s Mark, we’ve decided that the election year doesn’t have to be about endless debate, broken promises, baby kissing, petty squabbling, Republicans or Democrats. The way we see it, a party should be fun. That’s why, as a Maker’s Mark Ambassador, you’re cordially invited to the very first gathering of The Cocktail Party!

Our inaugural event kicks off on Friday, March 2 from 7:30 p.m. –11:30 p.m. at the legendary Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. And instead of boring you with bad speeches and promises nobody intends to keep, we’ll be introducing you to the party of a lifetime while throwing one at the same time.

As with any awesome cocktail party, we will be mixing things up by bringing a bit of ol’ Kentucky to you (complete with a true, hands-on Maker’s Mark Distillery experience) along with a red, white and blue celebration you’ll have to see to believe. Enjoy a visit with Maker’s Mark Ambassador-at-Large Bill Samuels, Jr., kick back with some tasty Maker’s Mark cocktails (of course), sample some delicious appetizers, go home with some “Cocktail Party” surprises and join up with a party that only asks one thing of its members: Have a good time!

The best part is that by attending this event, you’ll be having a great time for a great cause! Tickets are just $20 each, and all proceeds will benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a leader in supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. Begun in 2000 under the auspices of the Intrepid Museum Foundation and established as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2003, the Fund has provided close to $120 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation. The Fund also helps provide specialized treatment and rehabilitation for severely wounded military personnel and veterans and is supported entirely with donations from the public.

Of course, The Cocktail Party is much bigger than a one-time event. If you can’t make it to our inaugural gathering in March, you should know about these additional gatherings at the following locations throughout the year:

New York – Rockefeller Center – June 8, 2012 (Openings available now)

San Francisco – The Ferry Building – July 27, 2012 (Openings available now)

Loretto, KY. – Maker’s Mark Distillery – November 2012 (More info to come)

http://www.makersmark.com/#!/cocktail-party/events

[Uisge-Beatha]

Ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον άρθρο σχετικά με την προέλευση του whisky

http://www.bruichladdich.com/news-webcams/product-releases/right-time-right-place

Right Time Right Place

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 POSTED BY Roddy IN history

Bruichladdich have been distilling a whisky that from an ancient cereal called Bere, to be bottled later this year, that may indicate a Viking origin for Scotch whisky.

The first recorded description of whisky production was in 1494 by Friar John Cor.

The accepted story is that Irish missionaries brought whisky distillation to Scotland, and this is what you will find regurgitated in every whisky book.

Here's an alternative suggestion: the first distillation of Scotch whisky may have been around six hundred and fifty years earlier than Friar Cor’s record, around 845 AD, courtesy of the Vikings.

The Viking Age is generally considered to be from 793 to 1066, though from genetic studies the Vikings are believed to have arrived on the west coast of Scotland earlier, around 400 AD.

Their first recorded appearance on the Hebridean stage was when the sea-faring warriors attacked the monastery of Iona on the Isle of Mull (30 miles north of Bruichladdich) in 794. And again in 802, and just to be sure, in 806. And there were possibly three more raids after that, but unfortunately there wasn't anyone left to note it down.

The Vikings not only summer-travelled westwards. The Varangians, "sworn people", with their oaths of fighting loyalty, voyaged eastwards. Using the mighty rivers of central Europe - the Volga, the Dniester, the Danube and the Dneiper - through what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, they reached the Black and Caspian Seas, and as far as Istanbul and Baghdad.

By 839, the Byzantine Emperor, Theophilus, used Varangian Vikings as mercenaries. We know from Arab authors that the first attack on Constatinople took place in 860. Basil II subsequently employed Varangians as his own personal bodyguard.

We also know the Varangian Guard fought in the Syrian campaigns of 870, 910 and 943 during the Byzantine - Arab wars that started in 780.

In Syria, around the year 800, Gerber the Arab became the first person to record the process of alcoholic distillation, the production of the water of life.

The Arab alchemist, buoyed by his success of extracting gold from rock, was seeking a medium to transform base metals in to gold. He believed that if a liquid could facilitate the change from corrupt metal to incorruptible gold, then it could do the same for life - eternal life. It would be ‘the water of life’.

The grain used was Bere, the precursor cereal to modern barley, which originated in the region 7,000 years ago. It spread around Europe with the earliest farmers that resettled after the last period of glaciation.

It is an intriguing possibility that the Varangians uncovered Gerber’s new secret potion - the wonderful, magical, Water of Life. Pretty useful stuff for a warrior. The Vikings, it seems, were at the right place at the right time.

And if they came down the Dneiper, Dniester, Danube and the Volga rivers they could have gone back to Scandinavia the same way. Silk, found in Viking York, came from this part of the world - so why not the knowledge (Gerber) and the wherewithal (Bere) to distil a warrior’s best friend, the water of life?

Though a variety of bere may have existed in the Hebrides already, tantalisingly, a few Bere barley plants recently discovered, and which Bruichladdich has helped to propagate and distil, can be traced by DNA to Norway.

Another clue to a possible eastern origin is the word "Trestarig" (pronounced “trace-arak”). It refers to a triple-distilled spirit first recorded in the Hebrides, as far as I can see, by Martin Martin in 1695. But the etymology of the word “Trestarig” is not entirely Gaelic; it is possibly a composite word from the Norse and Arabic.

True, ‘Treas’ is Gaelic for ‘triple’, but the Norse ‘trost’, infers ‘protection’. The second composite is even more intriguing: 'arig', pronounced arak. Its origin may well be ‘Arak’, the Arabic word for ‘sweat’ - a descriptive of the beads of condensed alcohol - used to describe a distilled spirit. To the pagan Viking warrior, "protection spirit", three times distilled for safety, may have been the ideal protection from death - or even missionaries.

So what about the old chestnut of the Christian missionaries being the origin of Scotch? St Columba arrived in Mull from Ireland in 563, 240 years before alcoholic distillation was even invented.

The ecclesiastical grip on spirits, of the alcoholic kind, dates from after the crusades and the subsequent interaction with the spread of Islam around the Mediterranean. And the First Crusade occurred in 1096, 240 years after we know the Varangian Vikings were marauding about in Syria where alcoholic distillation was invented.

Could a bunch of raucous, hell-raising, rebel-rousers-on-tour be the real originators of Scotch whisky? They might have seen the potential of this new discovery before the t-total Moslems or the pious, party-pooping clergy of celibate, reclusive monks. A bit more Keith Richards than Archbishop of Canterbury don’t you think?.

Besides, for the men of God, the very concept of 'the water of life' ought to have been heretical.

Just as well the Spanish Inquisition never got to Islay.

[Uisge-Beatha]

Glenfiddich to auction rarest of whiskies

3rd February, 2012 by Alan Lodge

Glenfiddich has announced a charity auction of one of its rarest ever whiskies,

the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve, in aid of Walking With The Wounded

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/02/glenfiddich-to-auction-rarest-of-whiskies/

[Uisge-Beatha]

Rare Glenfiddich sales for £44,000 at Charity Auction

WWTW - SB | February 13, 2012

The Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve sold for £44,000 at an auction in London last night and every penny from the sale goes directly to the charities supported by Walking With The Wounded.

Walking With The Wounded is a charity dedicated raising funds for the re-training and re-education of our injured servicemen and women. Glenfiddich is lead sponsor of Walking With The Wounded’s forthcoming Everest 2012 Expedition and the team of wounded servicemen embarking on this challenge attended last night’s auction to witness the bidding and final sale.

The rare 55 year old single malt Scotch whisky was created in honour of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of William Grant – founder of the Glenfiddich distillery – who celebrated her 110th birthday in August, making her the oldest living person in Scotland.

Edward Parker, co-founder of Walking With The Wounded, commented: “We’re delighted that Glenfiddich auctioned this rare single malt Scotch whisky on behalf of Walking With The Wounded. The live auction was thrilling to watch and we couldn’t be happier with the amount raised – it is a great boost to our wounded serviceman heading off on the Everest expedition. Every penny raised will go to re-training and re-educating wounded servicemen and women from our armed conflicts. Together, alongside companies like Glenfiddich, we can take steps for a better future.”

http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/blog/2012/02/13/rare-glenfiddich-single-malt-scotch-whisky-sells-for-44000-at-charity-auction/

[Uisge-Beatha]

IRELAND: Diageo readies 'Bushmills Live' music festival

8 March 2012 | By: Olly Wehring

Diageo has lined up a whisky and music festival at its Bushmills distillery in Northern Ireland this summer.

'Bushmills Live' will run on 20 and 21 June, with attendance open only to competition winners from the brand's Facebook page, Diageo said earlier today (8 March). Consumers are invited to submit a photo of themselves and a friend, and explain why they and their friend should be in the audience for the festival.

Winners will also be offered the opportunity to make their own blend of Bushmills.

Details of which artists will play the festival will be announced in the coming weeks.

The competition runs until 27 April.

See below for a teaser clip, featuring Bushmills' master distiller, Colum Egan.

[Celtic]

ΠΡΙΝ ΑΠΟ 3 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΦΟΡΟΥΜ...

Distillery to make whisky again

Production at a 133-year-old Scottish distillery will restart for the first time since 1986.The Glenglassaugh distillery, built in 1875, was a contributor to Famous Grouse, Laing's and Cutty Sark blends. It is expected the reopening of the distillery in the village of Portsoy on the Moray coast, will result in the creation of up to 20 jobs. It comes after a Dutch investment house, Scaent, agreed a £5m acquisition of the business from Edrington Group.

Massive potential

Stuart Nickerson, the firm's new managing director and Scottish whisky expert, said: "Start-up funding will cover running costs for the first year - we estimate it will take six or seven months to bring the distillery back to full working order. "Glenglassaugh has the capacity to make one million litres of whisky a year and has high-growth potential. The product will appeal to malt collectors, those on high-disposable incomes and target markets include Eastern Europe."

Jonas Garbaravicius, Scaent group executive vice president, said the company recognised that the Glenglassaugh distillery had massive potential and was a perfect opportunity to bring an historic Scottish business back to life for future generations to enjoy.

The deal has also been backed with £2m start-up funding from Barclays commercial department.Production will start by the end of the year.

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