Whisky Geek

• Busy this week at a conference (WWDC) — haven’t had a dram all week! #

Great episode this week from the WhiskyCast.

The best single malts in the world come from Scotland, right? Not any more, and the winner of Whisky Magazine’s World Whiskies Award as the world’s best single malt is proof. Nikka’s Yoichi 20-year-old took top honors this year, and it’s the latest honor for a distillery that remains a mystery to many whisky lovers. Japanese whisky expert Ken Noma helps us clear up some of the mystery about Nikka. In the news, new whiskies from Auchentoshan, Balvenie, and Benromach, along with a preview of Scotland’s 2009 year-long tribute to Robert Burns.

Listen now: [audio:]

Interesting article on Whisky and it’s current ultra-premium faction.  As it becomes more and more popular, the top end goes higher and higher very quickly.

On a recent trip to New York City a young man from Toronto stepped into Park Avenue Liquor Shop and bought a $10,000 bottle of single malt Scotch for his son.

“He wanted something very special,” says Vice President Jonathan Goldstein, who sold him his second-to-last Macallan 50-year-old in its Lalique crystal decanter. “I don’t think he actually has a son–yet,” says Goldstein. “In fact, I don’t even think his wife is pregnant.”

link to original article

Put on your topical shirt and grab a floppy hat! Wait… no, not THOSE islands. This month we are tasting the Tobermory 10 year and Isle of Jura Superstition from the Scottish Islands of Mull and Jura. We’ll be letting you know about a special scotch discount just for Scotchcast listeners, giving you an update on The People’s Choice standings, and looking at some listener reviews.

Listen Now:

While it’s the start of summer in Scotland, it’s the start of a winter of whisky in Australia. Later this month, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Australian chapter will revive an old tradition: the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship. The Society’s Andrew Derbidge gives us the details. In the news, word of a hedonistic new whisky from Compass Box and a rare chance to learn whisky blending from John Glaser, new distillery expansions in Kentucky, and another legal battle in India.
WhiskyCast

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British spirits company Compass Box has released a new limited edition bottling of its rare “Hedonism” Scotch grain whisky. Compass Box calls Scotch grain whisky the “forgotten” spirit and it’s origins date back to the early 1800s. Each bottle has a blend of eight to fifteen casks of grain whiskey, is an average of 20 years old, and was aged in first-fill American oak casks. This gives the whiskey richly textured flavors of vanilla and toffee. Hedonism is a limited run, and each bottle costs about $108 before shipping.
Vicepost » Compass Box Whisky’s New Hedonism Scotch

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It’s been available for a while on a promotional DVD, but this is the first I’ve seen it online. Fritz Maytag talking about Anchor Distilling Company’s Rye Whiskies. It’s an short and interesting video by a man that has revitalized American Rye Whiskey after previously revitalizing what are now some of the most popular American beer styles.

The Rebirth of America’s First Whiskey

This 10½-minute video features brewer/distiller Fritz Maytag, owner and president of San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing and Anchor Distilling Companies. He discusses the origins of America’s first whiskey as well as Anchor’s experiments in the early 1990s with rye malt and American oak barrels, which led to the release of Old Potrero® Single Malt Whiskeys.

Click Here to Watch

Scotchcast #12 has been posted — tasting a couple nice whiskies.

Sugar and spice and BOTH of these scotches are nice! This month we taste The Glenrothes 1994 and The Dalmore 12 year. In Scotch 101 we take a look at the US decision to use 750ml bottles and the effect that decision has on what scotches are available in the US market. And we announce The People’s Choice! This is your opportunity to decide what we’ll be tasting on an upcoming show!

Join us next month when we’ll be tasting The Tobermory 10 year and The Isle of Jura Superstition

WhiskeyCast has posted it’s latest podcast focusing on festival week on Islay:

It’s festival week on Islay, and we’ll hear about the plans for this week’s Islay Festival of Malt and Music from Laphroaig’s John Campbell, Ardbeg’s Michael Heads, and Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich. Every distillery on Islay and Jura has a special bottling for this week’s festival, and the guys will give us details on theirs. In the news, skyrocketing prices for crops and energy mean we’ll be paying more for whisky in the future, Constellation Brands sells a Quebec distillery to Diageo, and updates on new whiskies planned for later this year