Let's talk Whisky! [Archive] - Kung Fu Magazine Forums

GeneChing

10-04-2012, 10:22 AM

G Spirits

The quote below is from their NSFW website (http://www.gspirits.com/).

The idea of founding our own spirit label was born in our time as barkeepers in a ****tail bar.

Even in those days we only worked with the best spirits to achieve an optimal taste adventure. With age our experience and aspiration increased. However, we noticed quickly that it's not just the taste which makes you enjoy a drink fully. Good flavour is the basis, the conveying feeling, the highlight. Because of our great interest in the best spirits, we came across a Vodka, filtered above diamonds. A nice idea to convey the feeling. However, for us there is nothing more than the erotism of a beautiful woman. To create the perfect taste we let every single drop of our spirits run over the breasts of a special type of woman, a type we recognize in this liquor.

This sensuality awakens the true character of our brands and gives them an identity, a soul, a spirit, a G-Spirit.

And of course, the whiskey...would this be overly peaty or teaty?

The G.Whisky No.1 (http://www.gspirits.com/whe/)

What concerns our G-Whisky No.1 we are highly proud we found it. What we are most proud to, is that we won the current Playmate Of The Year over for this whisky. Gorgeous Alexa Varga put the finishing touches to our singlemalt and makes it to something special.

G-Spirits: First of all congratulation on becoming Playmate Of The Year! A title you have more than derserved.

Alexa: Thank you very much! Yes, all in all it was a quite exciting evening and of course I´m very proud to hold that title. To become one of the first G-Spirit-Girls a moment after, honours me.

G-Spirits: The pleasure is all ours. How do you continue after all this success?

Alexa: After all this media hype I'll take some time off. I really love my job, but it can be exhausting, too.

G-Spirits: Thats true, we understand that. At 8 a.m. this morning, you even gave a TV interview, and just moments later you went to Munich by airplane to join our campaign.

Alexa: Like I said, quite exhausting, but however, I was full of anticipation towards the Shooting.

G-Spirits: The G in our label stands for gentleman. What characterizes a real gentleman in your mind?

Alexa: A real gentleman distinguish himself by being obliging and caring. He knows how to treat ladys.

G-Spirits: Other characterisitcs a man must have?

Alexa: He has to be honest, faithful and needs a sense of humour.

G-Spirits: We award our whisky a high degree of class, intensity and versatility. Features you apply to?

Alexa: Hm, I would say it's for others to judge if you have class or not. What belongs to intensity, I approach everything with great ambition and I try to implement it thoroughly. I always give my best. Moreover I have an open mind towards new things, so I guess I'm quite versatile. That’s why I didn’t consider long about your job offer.

Syn7

10-04-2012, 02:06 PM

really??? :confused:

I couldn't even finish that. A good whiskey may make women look better, but no woman can make whiskey taste better.

GeneChing

10-05-2012, 10:19 AM

:p

I'm just wondering about exactly how the liquor is poured over the women in an industrial factory. Is it some kind of sluice contraption? How do I get that job? ;)

Syn7

10-05-2012, 04:59 PM

:p

I'm just wondering about exactly how the liquor is poured over the women in an industrial factory. Is it some kind of sluice contraption? How do I get that job? ;)

You got gold, er I mean tittie fever, Gene???

I have never had whiskey off a womans chest. I have done shots off other areas tho.

But honey, that's another story!!! Yeah it's a bit sweeter, but that's all about the anticipation. When it's your turn.... ahhhhhh. :D

GeneChing

10-05-2012, 05:03 PM

I have done shots off other areas tho. D Ok, ok, you win! I don't want to know.

It was off a human, tho, right? Wait, wait, I stick to my original thought. I *really* don't want to know. :p

Syn7

10-05-2012, 05:52 PM

Ok, ok, you win! I don't want to know.

It was off a human, tho, right? Wait, wait, I stick to my original thought. I *really* don't want to know. :p

Small of the back(female) is a great chalice!!!

Syn7

10-05-2012, 06:52 PM

Anyone tried the honey jack?

Lee Chiang Po

10-05-2012, 09:05 PM

Anyone tried the honey jack?

I have a friend that lives on Honey Jack. I have drank it and it is pretty good. Gentleman Jack is just Jack that has been filtered an extra time through fruitwood charcoal. I also like good vodka that is distilled by fractionation rather than the standard pot still. It is clean at about 195 proof and does not have all the aldihydes and conjoners in it that the standard pot stilled whiskeys have. Less headache in a jug compared. Well, you still have to dilute it with distilled water to make it drinkable. I have a theory. It is when you begin to detox that you start feeling the effects of all the higher alchohols, so rather than do that to yourself, just never detox. Stay at that point where you have a really buzz going on and never sober up. Never experience that hangover. I have messed up a few times and over slept, and I am certain that I have caught a glimpse of the grim reaper a time or two, but thank Daniel's for that little hair of the dog that bit me. That is the antidote.

Lee Chiang Po

10-05-2012, 09:13 PM

It's a bottle a week.

Or, about 5 oz a day, every day.

I am guessing that LCP is perma buzzed at all times. :)

Like the entire adult population of the UK. slightly buzzed all day. :p

Yes, I am. I was told years ago by a brain scientist that just quiting cold turkey from booze can kill you. I do not want to die, so I continue to maintain my buzz. I have tried all sorts of drugs, but never did find one that agreed with me, until I started drinking this elixor called alchohol. I have always considered beer and wine to be stage one for good whisky or vodka.

Syn7

10-05-2012, 09:40 PM

I have a friend that lives on Honey Jack. I have drank it and it is pretty good. Gentleman Jack is just Jack that has been filtered an extra time through fruitwood charcoal. I also like good vodka that is distilled by fractionation rather than the standard pot still. It is clean at about 195 proof and does not have all the aldihydes and conjoners in it that the standard pot stilled whiskeys have. Less headache in a jug compared. Well, you still have to dilute it with distilled water to make it drinkable. I have a theory. It is when you begin to detox that you start feeling the effects of all the higher alchohols, so rather than do that to yourself, just never detox. Stay at that point where you have a really buzz going on and never sober up. Never experience that hangover. I have messed up a few times and over slept, and I am certain that I have caught a glimpse of the grim reaper a time or two, but thank Daniel's for that little hair of the dog that bit me. That is the antidote.

Word, just get your drunken style jug with a good cork and tie that b1tch to your waist. Drinks all day! Stay drunk, my friend. :)

Honestly, I'm not a big drinker. I never let it get a hold of me and I never get hammered. EVER. I never lose control. I'll stop at a nice wobble, where I feel good but I can still throw down some windmills in the cypher. Nothing worse than a hammered B-Boy. "wait wait, I can do this, lemme try again" lol. Train wreck. Just say no.
I likes me some ganja more. Much healthier. As I age I smoke less and less tho. Nothin like a nice blunt after a long day. Way better than a whiskey, for me anyways. Although I do enjoy a nice drink before bed sometimes.

Syn7

10-05-2012, 09:44 PM

It's a bottle a week.

Or, about 5 oz a day, every day.

I am guessing that LCP is perma buzzed at all times. :)

Like the entire adult population of the UK. slightly buzzed all day. :p

Especially if he's drinking other spirits or liquors on top of that.

Syn7

10-05-2012, 09:47 PM

Yes, I am. I was told years ago by a brain scientist that just quiting cold turkey from booze can kill you. I do not want to die, so I continue to maintain my buzz. I have tried all sorts of drugs, but never did find one that agreed with me, until I started drinking this elixor called alchohol. I have always considered beer and wine to be stage one for good whisky or vodka.

Whoa, I was just kidding around. You need help bro. Seriously, that sh1t will kill you. The DT's suck, but it shouldn't take too long to taper off if you're serious.

I've seen guys comming off benders look worse than opiate addicts detoxing. And opiate withdrawl is CRAAAZY!!!

Lee Chiang Po

10-07-2012, 08:17 PM

Especially if he's drinking other spirits or liquors on top of that.

Winston Churchill was something of a statesman. I think he was reputed to consume a quart of Scotch a day. Large man, large thirst. I on average consume 3, 1.75 Liters of beverage in a given month. I will consume various other beverages in much smaller amounts occasionally when socializing with friends that also drink. I used to do the snuff blasters. That is weed reduced to a dust in a coffee bean grinder. In the manner of the old timers I would take a pinch between thumb and forefinger and sniff it as though it were snuff. Instant blast.
I am what most call a functional drunk. Most people do not know I am buzzed. I never seem to get slobbering drunk, or staggering drunk or whatever. I seem to maintain my posture as a sober person. I will admit that it has been one of my more positive attributes where my fighting skills came it. Being buzzed all the time also ment I was completely without moral boundries so to speak, and fear was never a factor in whatever I decided to do. I will admit that it did not always lead to making positive decisions and could have even lead to an aggressive nature.
I am working on a fresh jug right now. My doctor tells me that it does not make sense that I should stop now. We both know what is going to kill me, we just don't exactly know when.

Syn7

10-07-2012, 11:21 PM

I am working on a fresh jug right now. My doctor tells me that it does not make sense that I should stop now. We both know what is going to kill me, we just don't exactly know when.

Wow. Your doctor doesn't have issue with you drinking enough to stay permabuzzed? I dunno bout that, man. I sure hope he knows what he's talking about.
Is he a drinker too?

GeneChing

10-08-2012, 09:57 AM

I must try some. I like good ol' straight JD. It was my father's drink of choice, and I still favor it for its honesty. I've also developed a taste for Green Label Jack. As you might know, the East Coast Tiger Claw (https://www.tigerclaw.com/home.php) office is in TN, and when we've crossed paths on the road, they've treated me to a bottle of that fine local pleasure. I'm not into Gentleman Jack. If I'm going to drink a higher end whiskey, it's going to be a single malt.

I suspect I won't like Honey Jack because I don't really care for sweet liquor, but thanks for the tip, guys. See? I knew there was some value in this forum here. ;)

YouKnowWho

10-08-2012, 12:15 PM

The Trader Joe's Blended Scotch Whisky is cheat ($9.99 1 Litre) and not bad.

Lee Chiang Po

10-08-2012, 10:12 PM

Wow. Your doctor doesn't have issue with you drinking enough to stay permabuzzed? I dunno bout that, man. I sure hope he knows what he's talking about.
Is he a drinker too?

He is not fine with my drinking so much, but he realizes that stopping or even slowing down will not really make much difference. You see, I have terminal cancer. So, I can still do what I can to keep the industry solvent. He, as well as a few others, have told me that they feel that cancers can more easily be linked to heavy drinking than it can to actual smoking of tobacco.

Something to think about. Most whisky's get their taste from the impurities that are left in it during distillization. Then more impurity is put into it in the charred barrel process. You can add flavor without adding sweeteners, such as soaking white oak wood in peach syrup or honey in water, then upon drying it is burned to add these carmalized sugars to the flavor. I find most scotch whisky to have heart burn in them because of the peat and burned wood tastes. The safest and cleanest alchohol is vodka that is like everclear, reduced with distilled water. You can purchase mixes to flavor this diluted alchohol to taste like most anything you favor, thus not having to consume the aldehydes that most boose has in it.

Syn7

10-08-2012, 10:49 PM

He is not fine with my drinking so much, but he realizes that stopping or even slowing down will not really make much difference. You see, I have terminal cancer. So, I can still do what I can to keep the industry solvent. He, as well as a few others, have told me that they feel that cancers can more easily be linked to heavy drinking than it can to actual smoking of tobacco.

That sucks man, sorry to hear that. My grandfather was a heavy smoker. He quit then was diagnosed with emphysema. He fought it for a bit, then he just started smoking again and enjoyed what time he had left.

On that note, I totally understand what you were saying before. Makes more sense now. Still, it ain't over till it's over. Best wishes, and I hope you have good times ahead.

So is the cancer caused by the impurities or the alcohol? Or both? What about light but consistent drinking?

brothernumber9

10-09-2012, 12:52 PM

didn't know this thread got revived. I've never really drank much whiskey until fairly recently.

I got a 4.5 L bottle of Johnnie walker Black 12yr for my birthday over the summer.
It's really smokey and the taste doesn't really change too much from the first taste to the after. It's got a fair kick and it mixes fairly well in coctails as well unless you don't like the smokeyness.

I also got a bottle of an Irish Whiskey called Redbreast 12yr. It was maybe the easiest drinking whiskey I've ever tried. The taste and kick are rather diminished, with a little bit of a floral and zest kinda aftertaste.

Otherwise I've only tried some of the standards that are at every liquor store. Jack, Jim Beam (White label), Jameson, Crown, Glenlivet 12 and 18yr. I do tend to like the bourbons and sour mash whiskeys for thier sweetness, but that may be because i've always been a rum guy.

Lee Chiang Po

10-09-2012, 02:23 PM

That sucks man, sorry to hear that. My grandfather was a heavy smoker. He quit then was diagnosed with emphysema. He fought it for a bit, then he just started smoking again and enjoyed what time he had left.

On that note, I totally understand what you were saying before. Makes more sense now. Still, it ain't over till it's over. Best wishes, and I hope you have good times ahead.

So is the cancer caused by the impurities or the alcohol? Or both? What about light but consistent drinking?

I don't think anyone really knows these things, and being linked to something is only circumstancial at best. I know some really old dudes that have drank all their lives and have never had a sick day, and that usually includes smoking too. I think it is just the luck of the draw. I am 67 years old, been lots of places, done lots of things. I read that we are normally alloted 3 score and 10 years on average, give or take a couple. That pretty much puts me right there so when I go, be it 2 months or 2 years, I will have been taken by natural causes I suppose. In the mean time, I have a lot of booze to take care of.
A pretty decent 80 proof vodka can usually be purchased for around10 or 11 bucks per 1.75 liters. That's pretty cheap. You can usually taste the charcoal used in filtration however. There are several sites on the web where you can purchase what is called Essense, which you use to change this cheap vodka into anything you want. Crown Royal, Rum, Tequilla, Canadian Blends, Scotch, Gin, whatever you like. It mixes well with various mixes, and for sipping can hardly be distinguished from the real thing.

Syn7

10-09-2012, 05:09 PM

Lee Chiang Po

10-11-2012, 02:43 PM

So whats the diff between pure shine(diluted with only water) and vodka? One is from corn and the other from potatoes? Would a moonshiner in Russia call his sauce vodka? Whereas a shiner from the US calls it whiskey? Otherwise, same thing with a different mash???

I love your enthusiasm Lee. Whatever you choose, good luck with that.

To answer that question, there is really no difference. Alchohol is alchohol. Bourbon is made from corn, but allows up to 20% malted barley. Regular corn squeezings might have other malted grains, but is going to be mostly corn based. Vodka is made from lots of different grains, and in Poland potatoes were commonly used. Russian vodka was usually made from all grains.
Whisky is usually made from beers, brandy is made from fruit wines. Distilled to concentrate the alchohol. Rums are made from sugars and residue left from making sugars.
In order to make wines we simply extract the juices from fruit or berries since they usually contain high sugar contents. Grain on the other hand doesn't. It has starch. So, some if not all the grains will be sprouted as if to plant it. This creates enzymes that break the starch strands into sugars that can be fermented into alchohol. Once it is converted to alchohol, you simply extract it by distilling it.
You can distill the product several times and get a really pure alchohol, or you can use a special still that extracts all the alchohol at one pass. Either way it is alchohol. And of course, you can not drink 195 proof alchohol, so you break it back down with a clear, pure form of water. Between 80 and 90 proof seems to be the range of good taste. Now that makes Vodka. If you only distill it down with a pot still until you get 80 proof, it will not be Vodka. It will be some form of whisky, depending on the base. That is the difference between shine and vodka. Shine usually retains some of the beer base that gives it a measure of flavor. All that is cooked out of vodka and then replaced with clean, clear water.
Back many years ago, when alchohol was prohibited, the local bootleggers would not make their own, but would pay the local people to do it for them. They would provide a small pot still and sugar or corn, then give them a quick crash course in making Bathtub Gin. The amount that they were able to make would vary and sometimes they would have a bathtub leak and end up with less than called for. So that they would get paid, they would sometimes add stuff to it to make it kick harder. Lye, acids, rubbing alchohol, anti freeze. They would add it before they distilled it. When enough people did that and the entire collection was in one vat, it sometimes caused serious poisonings. The bootleggers would kill you if they caught you juicing your alchohol. Bad for business. There is really no way of poisoning yourself making booze unless you do it on purpose.
Making vodka from potatoes can be sketchy. The eyes that sprout have enough enzyme to convert a bunch of potato starch to sugar, but they are toxic. Most of that toxicity is removed on distillation however. The Polls used grain malt as well as potato eyes, but the finished product can only be drank by a Poll. Destinctive taste and is definately an acquired taste. You can't taste the vodka, but you can definately taste the process in which it is made.

Bacon

10-11-2012, 02:54 PM

The only thing I know about whiskey is that it's delicious and part of a nutritious St Patrick's Day breakfast :D

Syn7

10-11-2012, 06:03 PM

To answer that question, there is really no difference. Alchohol is alchohol. Bourbon is made from corn, but allows up to 20% malted barley. Regular corn squeezings might have other malted grains, but is going to be mostly corn based. Vodka is made from lots of different grains, and in Poland potatoes were commonly used. Russian vodka was usually made from all grains.
Whisky is usually made from beers, brandy is made from fruit wines. Distilled to concentrate the alchohol. Rums are made from sugars and residue left from making sugars.
In order to make wines we simply extract the juices from fruit or berries since they usually contain high sugar contents. Grain on the other hand doesn't. It has starch. So, some if not all the grains will be sprouted as if to plant it. This creates enzymes that break the starch strands into sugars that can be fermented into alchohol. Once it is converted to alchohol, you simply extract it by distilling it.
You can distill the product several times and get a really pure alchohol, or you can use a special still that extracts all the alchohol at one pass. Either way it is alchohol. And of course, you can not drink 195 proof alchohol, so you break it back down with a clear, pure form of water. Between 80 and 90 proof seems to be the range of good taste. Now that makes Vodka. If you only distill it down with a pot still until you get 80 proof, it will not be Vodka. It will be some form of whisky, depending on the base. That is the difference between shine and vodka. Shine usually retains some of the beer base that gives it a measure of flavor. All that is cooked out of vodka and then replaced with clean, clear water.
Back many years ago, when alchohol was prohibited, the local bootleggers would not make their own, but would pay the local people to do it for them. They would provide a small pot still and sugar or corn, then give them a quick crash course in making Bathtub Gin. The amount that they were able to make would vary and sometimes they would have a bathtub leak and end up with less than called for. So that they would get paid, they would sometimes add stuff to it to make it kick harder. Lye, acids, rubbing alchohol, anti freeze. They would add it before they distilled it. When enough people did that and the entire collection was in one vat, it sometimes caused serious poisonings. The bootleggers would kill you if they caught you juicing your alchohol. Bad for business. There is really no way of poisoning yourself making booze unless you do it on purpose.
Making vodka from potatoes can be sketchy. The eyes that sprout have enough enzyme to convert a bunch of potato starch to sugar, but they are toxic. Most of that toxicity is removed on distillation however. The Polls used grain malt as well as potato eyes, but the finished product can only be drank by a Poll. Destinctive taste and is definately an acquired taste. You can't taste the vodka, but you can definately taste the process in which it is made.

Thanx for taking the time. I knew alot of that, but you mos def filled in some gaps for me. Grazie

Lee Chiang Po

10-13-2012, 09:20 PM

The only thing I know about whiskey is that it's delicious and part of a nutritious St Patrick's Day breakfast :D

LOL!! Definately one of the 5 major food groups. Bourbon and grits will get your head straightened out.

Syn7

10-13-2012, 11:27 PM

NO NO... That is gritz then bourbon!!! The order is important :p

PalmStriker

10-17-2012, 08:37 PM

Of course there's the Nectar of the Gods: :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drambuie

pakuakid

10-19-2012, 03:19 PM

Well being in TN it's jack all the way. Single barrel as its 86 proof like jack should be instead of the 80 the black label is. As for bourbon the woodford reserve is delicious and the best bourbon for a mint julep imo. Buffalo trace is also quite good.

David Jamieson

10-20-2012, 07:20 AM

Of course there's the Nectar of the Gods: :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drambuie

To be fair, that's a liquer and though scotch based, can't really be called "whisky" per se. Great to warm your guts on a cold evening though.

SenseiShellie

10-29-2012, 05:39 PM

nice drinkies.

Shellie, you like the Irish whisky eh?
Ever tried a scotch? It goes beyond! lol.

Finally had one...JW Black. I thought my throat was on fire! lol

Brule

10-31-2012, 09:39 AM

What's Barenjaeger (sp?) classifies as because i had some last week and it was pure bliss. Never knew honey and whiskey got along so well.....

Syn7

10-31-2012, 09:20 PM

I would call that a liqueur. With a vodka base, I believe.

GeneChing

12-03-2012, 12:38 PM

The Whisky Advent Calendar (http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/drinks-by-the-dram/the-whisky-advent-calendar/)
(72cl, 0%)

Interesting fact… The Whisky Advent Calendar whisky spells its name whisky as it originates in Scotland. Had it been produced in America its name would be The Whisky Advent Calendar whiskey, instead of whisky.
$240.53

In stock, worldwide delivery available.
Can be delivered within the UK the day after tomorrow (Wednesday 5th, Dec) if ordered in the next 20 hours and 24 minutes and selected at the checkout.

Whisky Advent Calendar Bottling Note
We love Christmas and we love the excitement of advent calendars, but we've always longed for something a little more interesting than a small piece of cheap milk chocolate on the other side of each door… Well folks, we've got the perfect solution - the Whisky Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Dram.

Behind each of the 24 doors is a different 3cl sample of delicious whisky! We'll keep the contents a surprise, but we can tell you that behind one of the doors is a sample of 50 year old Scotch whisky, the full-sized bottle of which is worth £350!

Merry Christmas! Shoot, I'm already 3 shots behind...

Syn7

12-03-2012, 04:55 PM

Well, you could always just put a bottle and a shot glass by the calendar!

GeneChing

05-14-2013, 03:48 PM

The Top 10 Most Expensive Whiskies in the World (http://www.only4realmen.com/interesting/the-top-10-most-expensive-whiskies-in-the-world/)

Judge Pen

05-15-2013, 10:19 AM

Single malt?
Blends?
Bourbon?
Rye?
Scotch?

What's your posion and why?

I like a single malt scotch, not too peaty and not to medicine like. Soemwhere in between and I like a quinto rubana where teh scotch has taken on flavour from sitting in a port barrel for a few years.

How about you? Or do you like lite beer with a nipple on the bottle? :D

Just found this thread. This I can talk about. Quito Rubana is good. I prefer 21 year Old Pultney. Very light on the peat and the salty air of the highland coast makes for a smooth and complex finish. But that's when I'm drinking single malt scotch.

http://www.whiskymarketplace.com/old-pulteney-whisky#shopping

Bourbon. Maker's Mark is the best bang for the buck, but my favorite is Elmer T. Lee. Lots of other good ones, but those are my top two.

http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php?id=66&task=displaybottling

Judge Pen

05-15-2013, 10:31 AM

Judge Pen

05-20-2013, 08:51 AM

I just found this in my local package store and I have to say it is divine.

http://sourmashmanifesto.com/2012/06/27/review-high-west-campfire/

GeneChing

05-20-2013, 09:26 AM

I thought of you when I was at the Jack Daniel distillery last week. Nice to be thought of. I'm not a fan of Gentleman Jack at all. At that price, I can get Glenfiddich. But classic JD, well, that holds a special place in my heart...and my liver. :o

Dale Dugas

05-20-2013, 10:09 AM

Just put some Ginseng in it.

Make it medicine.

GeneChing

05-20-2013, 11:29 AM

You blasphemer you. :mad:

Actually, with JD, it probably wouldn't make a difference. But with a fine single malt...BLASPHEMY!!!

;)

Judge Pen

05-20-2013, 12:31 PM

Nice to be thought of. I'm not a fan of Gentleman Jack at all. At that price, I can get Glenfiddich. But classic JD, well, that holds a special place in my heart...and my liver. :o

I don't like the Gentlemen Jack either. Actually I was surprised that the three main labels, Old No. 7, Gentlemen Jack and Single Barrel are all regular old Jack. The difference is they don't rotate the barrels in the warehouse while it is aging. The single barrel is at the top of the warehouse and it is worked in the wood more aggressively because of the more significant heat differences at the top. Gentlemen Jack is at the bottom and gets less of the temperature change. They also charcoal distill it twice. So it is very mellow. Regular Jack is the middle part of the warehouse.

I like the single barrel as its flavor is slightly more robust, but it's not worth the price difference for old no. 7. And you can get single malt scotch for the same price as either GJ or SB.

PalmStriker

05-20-2013, 07:38 PM

Smokum PeacePipe. Drink fireWater. Beat up foreign devils who steal our lands. :) https://www.google.com/search?q=american+indian+whiskey&client=firefox-a&hs=cqd&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Ct2aUcCgII2AygGq5YC4DA&ved=0CEcQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=807

TenTigers

05-20-2013, 07:43 PM

i heard it tastes like sh!t... but ive never tried, myself... real wormwood apparently needs to be mixed well to be drinkable... true???

wormwood booze is illegal in most if not all states correct??? im still suprised salvia is legal pretty much everywhere... that sh!t is crazy... but pot is NOT OK... and they will even extradite(sp?) activist politicians over it... big money in that drug war stuff... big money...
absinthe ban was lifted in the states in 2009. It's totally legal. And no, it's not a hallucinogen...although after about four glasses you are in a different world, no doubt.
Before 2009, I used to order my absinthes from eabsinthe..it gets expensive-they charge 40-50 bucks for shipping, so a forty dollar absinthe will cost you eighty. But I was able to sample several nice French absinthes and a few swiss varieties. Never had any of the Czech stuff. Heard it was rotgut.
I'm looking to try Mansinthe-Marilyn Manson's brand. I heard it was actually very good.
Here in NY, you need to travel around. Every time I pass a liquor store I've never seen, I go in to see if they carry absinthe. So far, on L.I. all I've seen is Lucid and Kubler, and Grande Absente..still not sure about that one..it used to not have real wormwood, now they claim it does. I'll have to sit down and have 4 glasses or so...
I did get to kill a bottle of Nouvelle Orleans over a few weeks. They actually had it behind the bar at Big Daddy's. The bartender didn't even know what it was, and thank Godz, he didn't know to charge me $$$ for it..so....;-)

PalmStriker

05-20-2013, 08:08 PM

GreatGrandMaster DevilMan: :D:):D http://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article5009.html

PalmStriker

05-20-2013, 09:00 PM

Prefer Canadian Indian friendly blends, esp Mist. :) http://www.canadianmist.com/OurStory.aspx

GeneChing

05-15-2017, 12:03 PM

This changes everything (at least for Saturday at KFTC25 AF (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69762-KUNG-FU-TAI-CHI-25TH-ANNIVERSARY-FESTIVAL-May-19-21-2017-San-Jose-CA))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkIQH2bPXac

See you all this weekend!

GeneChing

08-10-2017, 10:15 AM

Wuxia (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?51641-Wuxia-resources) writing & whiskey (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!). wow.

Chinese tourist pays $10,000 for a single whiskey shot at Swiss bar (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/08/10/expensive-whiskey-shot.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON AUG 10, 2017 4:50 PM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/expensive_whiskey.jpg

How much would you pay for a shot of whiskey? $10? $100? How about, $10,000?
Because that's apparently how much one Chinese tourist forked out to gulp down a shot of Macallan at the luxury Waldhaus Hotel's Devil's Place Whiskey Bar in Switzerland last week.
The whiskey was made in 1878 by the revered Scotch maker Macallan. As the last of its kind, it could be the most expensive whiskey in the world.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/expensive_whiskey2.jpg

Meanwhile, the wealthy whiskey enthusiast wasn't just any deep-pocketed tourist, but Zhang Wei, China's highest-paid online novelist, beloved by fans for his series of wuxia novels. Last week, he stunned Weibo with a post describing how he had paid 9,999 Swiss francs ($10,331) for just a single shot of whiskey.
“I was in Switzerland and saw a 100-year-old whiskey. I didn’t spend long weighing up whether to get it,” he wrote. “In a nutshell, it tasted good. I was drinking not so much the whiskey but a lot of history.”
Zhang also noted that the 139-year-old whiskey was older than his 82-year-old grandmother who he had brought along for his trip to Switzerland.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/expensive_whiskey3.jpg

After reports of Zhang's extravagant purchase went viral, rumors started to circulate that the Macallan was, in fact, a forgery, prompting the hotel to submit its bottle of 1878 Macallan for "extremely rigorous" testing, a process which could take several months.

David Jamieson

08-10-2017, 11:02 AM

The very best I've had was the Macallan cask strength.
It was like suckling on the goddesses nipples really. Divine!
It was from an old Scots mate of mine who had it for a long time.
I have never had anything like that before or since.

It was a 25 yr old that he had had for a while.

GeneChing

11-02-2017, 08:32 AM

NOT 10K after all (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!&p=1304227#post1304227).

World's priciest whisky bought by Chinese millionaire revealed to be fake (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/02/worlds-priciest-whisky-bought-chinese-millionaire-fake/)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2017/11/02/TELEMMGLPICT000145448831_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqrWYeUU_ H0zBKyvljOo6zlkYMapKPjdhyLnv9ax6_too.jpeg?imwidth= 1400
Zhang Wei, centre, splashed out £7,600 on the world's most expensive whisky shot in the Waldhaus am See hotel in St Moritz, Switzerland CREDIT: SANDRO BERNASCONI

Nicola Smith, taipei
2 NOVEMBER 2017 • 12:48PM

When Chinese millionaire, Zhang Wei, splashed out £7,600 on the world’s most expensive whisky shot in a Swiss bar, he boasted to his fans that it was the same age as his great, great grandmother would have been – 139 years old.

Unfortunately for the martial arts fantasy writer, the headlines generated not only admiration, but suspicion by experts who doubted the authenticity of the spirit’s true provenance when they spotted discrepancies in the bottle’s cork and label.

An analysis from Scottish experts has now confirmed that Mr Zhang was unwittingly duped into buying a fake dram, and the Waldhaus am See hotel in St Moritz has recently flown its manager, Sandro Bernasconi, to China to reimburse him, reported the BBC.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2017/11/02/TELEMMGLPICT000070043865_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqQfMTxcT zWVbqCFMGyzs1iOyUq2cNTq2A9BNg5VCQiY8.jpeg?imwidth= 1240
Analysis has shown the whisky was not as advertised CREDIT: DAVID CHESKIN/PA WIRE

The whisky had been poured from an unopened bottle labelled as an 1878 Macallan single malt, and Mr Zhang’s shot is believed to have been the largest sum ever paid for a poured dram of Scotch. Had the bottle been genuine, it would have been worth £227,000.

When doubts emerged about its provenance, the hotel sent the whisky to specialists in Dunfermline who carried out carbon dating tests that showed it was probably made between 1970 and 1972. Further lab tests revealed it was probably a blended a Scotch and not a single malt.

Mr Bernasconi flew to China to break the bad news to Mr Zhang and to pay him back but he said the author was not angry. “He thanked me very much for the hotel’s honesty,” he told the BBC.

Wuxia (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?51641-Wuxia-resources) writing + whiskey (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!) = fake (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57980-Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs)

GeneChing

01-25-2018, 09:50 AM

24th January
Secret plan to change the formula for Scotch whisky (http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15896305.Secret_plan_to_change_the_formula_for_Sco tch_whisky/)
Stephen Naysmith

http://www.heraldscotland.com/resources/images/7320543/http://www.heraldscotland.com/resources/images/7320513/?type=responsive-gallery-fullscreen

WHISKY traditionalists are fighting a rearguard action against plans to shake up production of Scotland’s national beverage – with suggestions including maturing malts in tequila casks, using chocolate malt in the mash and even marketing low-alcohol “infusions” under big brand names.

Diageo, the world’s single biggest producer, has confirmed the existence of documents exploring ways to create more innovative products, as Scotch whisky faces increasing pressure on its market dominance.

Scotland exports around £4 billion worth of whisky annually, but while Scotch used to make up 60 per cent of the world market, that has declined to less than 50 per cent amid intense competition. Uncertainty over how Brexit may affect the £1.2 bn of exports that go to Europe is adding to the concern.

Diageo’s proposals, first unveiled by the Wall Street Journal, come from a secret task force seeking to change the laws and rules which govern how whisky is made, but are likely to face resistance from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The trade organisation oversees the rules about how whisky is made helping produce guidelines to police innovations and clarify ambiguities.

Suggestions put forward in the documents prepared by the task force include ageing and finishing the spirit in old tequila barrels – rather than the traditional oak casks previously used only for wine, sherry or port.

Another suggestion is a new category of blended whisky, to be sold under existing brands, but made to be flavoured or lower in alcohol content. One document warns of “overreach” on the part of the SWA.

However the rules governing the production of Scotch dictate that it has to be distilled in Scotland from water and barley, has to be aged for at least three years in oak casks and must be at least 40 per cent alcohol.

Diageo insists it is “unwavering” in its commitment to the integrity, history and tradition of Scotch. But a spokeswoman added: “As champions of Scotch, we are always looking at ways to innovate to both protect and secure the future success of the category.

“In doing so, we work with the Scotch Whisky Association on a range of ideas that seek to strike a balance between tradition and innovation, in a way that ensures consumers get the great products they want.”

Others are also seeking a loosening of the rules, to allow a more varied range of products. They point to the success of craft breweries and craft gin in seeking a wider customer base by offering more unusual drinks.

Paul Miller, of Eden Mill Gin abandoned plans to incorporate chocolate malt in the mash used to make his new Scotch, after the SWA told him it might “lead to the production of a spirit which differs from traditional Scotch Whisky.”

Mr Miller, whose first single malt Scotch will be produced later this year, says he too understands the need to protect the uniqueness of Scotch Whisky.

He added: “I respect the job the SWA does in upholding the value of Scotch.” But he added: “It it has always been a pioneering industry. The challenge is to uphold the Scotch Whisky Act, while not restricting creativity.”

Mr Miller thinks the act – which sets out in detail how Scotch should be produced – should be subject to periodic review.

“We have the best educational institution for brewers and distillers in the world at Heriot Watt university. It would be a real shame for these people not to have an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity.”

There is also an economic imperative, to allow diversification while not losing the uniqueness of Scotch whisky, he said. “To ensure there is not a limitation on the potential growth of the business we need to manage that tension rather than ignoring it. If we are not prepared to innovate, we risk becoming obsolete.”

Mr Miller also called for a relaxation of the rule which prevents distilleries from being identified in the marketing of blended whisky. “We need that transparency. If we use our creativity to produce a blended whisky we ought to be allowed to attach our credible name to it.”

A spokesman for the SWA said: “Scotch Whisky is a product renowned for its quality, craft and heritage. The regulations which govern the production of Scotch Whisky are the solid foundation on which the industry’s success is built, generating over £4bn in exports to almost 200 market worldwide in 2016.

“The SWA regularly engages with our membership on a broad range of ideas to ensure that the category is well-placed to grow in an increasingly competitive global market place.”

I gave up Scotch. Well, I'll still drink it for sure, but ever since Into the Badlands (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67844-Into-The-Badlands) took me to Ireland, I'm only buying Irish Whiskey for myself.

David Jamieson

01-25-2018, 12:27 PM

Och Aye!
Happy Robert Burns day!

GeneChing

02-08-2018, 10:01 AM

dalmore eos whisky fetches a whopping hk$918,750 at bonhams auction in hong kong (http://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2132422/dalmore-eos-whisky-fetches-whopping-hk918750-bonhams)
with only 20 bottles released, the dalmore eos 59-year-old is highly sought after by private collectors
by melissa ko
7 feb 2018

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/landscape/public/images/methode/2018/02/07/28b2dc9a-0bcc-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_1280x720_164618.jpg?itok=gsewfi-h
the dalmore eos 1951 59-year-old, which sold for hk$918,750. Photo: Mark french photography

british auction house bonhams had its one of the most successful whisky auctions ever in hong kong last friday, led by dalmore eos 59-year-old going for a whopping hk$918,750.

The whisky sale of 358 lots, which took place at bonhams, started with two exceptional bottles from the dalmore legendary release, a limited edition showcasing the depth and quality of the celebrated distillery’s aged stock and supervised under the skills of its master distiller, richard paterson.

With only 20 bottles released, the dalmore eos 59-year-old, which is sought after by private collectors, surpassed expectations by fetching hk$918,750 at the auction compared to previous estimates of hk$220,000 to hk$280,000.

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/02/07/9cf30518-0bcb-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_972x_164618.jpg
the dalmore legendary release. Photo: Mark french photography

from the same collection, only 30 bottles of the dalmore selene 58-year-old fetched hk$673,750 despite an estimate of hk$200,000 to $260,000.

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/02/07/85089b50-0bcd-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_972x_164618.jpg
the macallan select reserve 1946 52-year-old sold for hk$147,000.

The sale yielded hk$13.1 billion, indicating that the hong kong and asian auction market are poised for more significant growth.

Whisky makes for good investment as demand for aged and rare single malts grows

in addition to two dalmore bottles, the auction featured a selection of karuizawa and macallan decanters.

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/02/07/e8a8e62e-0bcd-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_972x_164618.jpg
the dalmore selene 1951 58-year-old sold for hk$673,750.

Karuizawa decanters did quite well, with karuizawa 1960 48-year-old snapped up for hk$502,250, karuizawa 1964 fetching hk$306,250 and karuizawa 1981-1984 cocktail series (4 bottles) selling for hk$147,000.

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/02/07/b3d024e0-0bcc-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_972x_164618.jpg
the karuizawa 1981-1984 cocktail series sold for hk$147,000.

Several lots of the acclaimed macallan bottles sold particularly well, with macallan fine & rare 1950 52-year-old going for hk$269,500, macallan select reserve 1946 52-year-old selling for hk$147,000 and macallan red ribbon 1940 fetching hk$122,500.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/02/07/dc437e22-0bcc-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_972x_164618.jpg
the macallan red ribbon 1940 sold for hk$122,500.

During the auction, bonhams previewed two rare 60-year-old bottles from macallan, that will go under the hammer at the next fine and rare wine and whisky sale in hong kong on may 18.

In asia, investment in wines beats drinking them

the two 1926 bottles feature works by the renowned british artist sir peter blake and italian artist valerio adami, and have not been seen in public for more than three decades.

https://cdn4.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2018/02/07/45395802-0bcd-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_972x_164618.jpg
the macallan millennium decanter sold for hk$428,750.

Daniel lam, bonhams’ head of fine wine and whisky in hong kong, said: “these bottles are incredibly rare, and whiskies of this calibre stand in themselves as works of art inside out.”

melissa ko

$918,750hk=$117,498.94usd

GeneChing

02-16-2018, 10:43 AM

JOHNNIE WALKER® BLUE LABEL YEAR OF THE DOG LIMITED EDITION DESIGN (https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/our-whisky/limited-edition-whiskies/blue-label-year-of-the-dog/)

https://www.johnniewalker.com/media/3773/cny_hero_new.jpg

Celebrating this Chinese New Year, Johnnie Walker Blue Label announces the launch of Year of The Dog.

https://www.johnniewalker.com/media/3538/cny_bottles_1000x1000.jpg

This limited edition design is inspired by the Dog as a symbol of prosperity. This unique and intricate design tells the story of Johnnie Walker and his clever canine companion journeying around the world, bringing good fortune to all as they rejoice in the arrival of the new year.

Personally I find Johnnie Walker a little overrated for the price. But I wouldn't say 'no' to a taste of this.

Thread: 2018 Year of the EARTH DOG (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70579-2018-Year-of-the-EARTH-DOG)
Thread: Let's talk Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

03-13-2018, 09:41 AM

India’s Craft Distillers Are Shaking Up the World’s Biggest Whisky Market (https://vinepair.com/articles/indian-craft-whisky/)
David Fuhrmann-Lim
4 MINUTE READ

Close your eyes and imagine a distillery making exceptional, single malt Scotch.

You might envision gray Islay or scenic Speyside. Or perhaps the fecund woods of Kyoto, where Yamazaki is made. A cooler climate locale, certainly, where distillers wear wool sweaters to brave the chill.

India probably does not immediately come to mind. But that might change, once you open your eyes.

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/amrut-internal-2.jpg
Credit: Instagram.com/amrutmalt

India’s centuries-old whisky history is evolving, from record-breaking import figures to high-quality homegrown expressions. Two distilleries, Amrut and Paul John, based in Bangalore and Goa, respectively, have spent the better part of the last decade quietly and quickly gaining an international reputation for their spirits.

Last year, Whisky Advocate named Amrut Spectrum the World Whisky of the Year, and the U.K.’s Independent called Amrut Fusion, a single malt made with Scottish and Indian barley “a wonderful whisky.” Meanwhile, among the many accolades for Paul John Single Malt was a Double Gold at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

In other words, India isn’t the world’s next big whisky market. India’s modern whisky movement is already well underway.

CENTURIES OF WHISKY

The British Raj is believed to have brought Scottish whisky to India as early as the middle of the 19th century. Among the earliest records of India importing the stuff is from 1909 (though many locals strongly opposed the introduction of this “foreign poison”).

Fast-forward to 2018, and the Scotch Whisky Association reports that India is currently its third-largest export market. Over the past five years, whisky sales in India grew by 15 percent, according to the IWSR. Indians consumed 1.5 billion liters of whisky in 2014, versus America’s 462 million liters.

India’s homegrown whisky distilling began more recently. Bangalore’s Amrut Distilleries, a rum and brandy producer founded in 1948, began producing single malt whisky using locally grown barley. The company introduced its Amrut Single Malt in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004, before selling it in India. Amrut now sells in 22 countries worldwide.

Paul John followed suit, launching its first whisky in the U.K. in 2012, and in India in 2013.

EMBRACING THE ELEMENTS

The country’s tropical humidity doesn’t strike one as ideal for whisky making or, more importantly, barrel aging, because, well, heat. But Amrut and Paul John have found success by embracing what is unique about their weather conditions, and using it to their advantage.

Let’s start with angel’s share, the mysterious portion that disappears from barrels as the spirits lay sleeping. In cooler whisky regions, the loss rate might be 2 percent per year. According to Amrut’s head distiller, Surinder Kumar, its barrels in the Bangalore warehouses lose up to a whopping 15 percent a year into the ether.

“I think as much as the heat creates problems in terms of angel’s share, it also helps us to bottle the whisky at an average age of five years,” he says. “This can be compared easily with some 15 year olds in Scotch scale.” In other words, Bangalore’s heat speeds up the aging process, resulting in beautifully matured spirits in a fraction of the time. In 2013, Kumar estimated that “one year of maturing in India would be equal to three in Scotland.”

In these compressed timespans, Amrut, which is the Sanskrit word for “nectar of the gods,” has been able to produce intense and mature whiskies that, coupled with its six-row barley, soil conditions, and creative use of casks, are now being sought by collectors.

“We use varieties of American and European casks. The former is both virgin oak and ex-bourbon barrels,” Kumar says. “A specialty from Amrut is the Spectrum barrel (a hybrid barrel made with five different types of oak staves, the first in the world). The Spectrum barrel is something we are proud of and no one else has done this before.”

Amrut Spectrum has bold flavors of butterscotch, nuts, rum, licorice, and chili-spiked chocolate.

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/amrut-internal1.jpg
Credit: Facebook.com/AmrutMalt

THE NEXT WAVE

While Amrut has been the pioneer in creating Indian single malt whiskies, younger upstart Paul John is no less creative or competitive.

The distillery is based in Goa, an area better known for raves and gap-year hippies than culinary culture. But from the get-go, the plan was to make full-bodied, world-class whiskies; so Paul John’s distillers imported peat from Scotland to get a head start.

Because Paul John faced the same climate issues as Amrut, it decided to focus on the flavors of the whiskies, and not the age statements.

“We decided to work with the environment,” Michael D’Souza, master distiller, says. “We designed two warehouses, one underground and the other above ground level, we chose our casks carefully, and our brewing and fermentation procedures had to be tailored differently.”

In 2012, the first Paul John Single Malt was produced and was quickly followed by new flagship expressions Brilliance and Edited. Brilliance has a sweet, spicy smoothness offset by cocoa and slight saltiness (Goa is known for its beaches), and Edited is a peaty, smoky spirit with hints of mint and mocha.

The accolades started flowing faster than the distillate: Gold awards at both the International Whisky Competition as well as at the World Whisky Masters. Whisky authority Jim Murray of “The Whisky Bible“ also gave the Edited a rating of 96.5. (To compare, the Laphroaig 10 Years is 90, the Talisker 12 Years is 86.)

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/pauljohn-internal1.jpg
Credit: Instagram.com/PaulJohnWhisky

THE VALUE OF TASTINGS

The tropical climate and humidity helped in a quicker extraction of certain wood compounds such as Demerara sugars, vanilla, orange blossom honey, and chocolate, giving the distillers a more intense and richly flavored spirit in a much shorter timespan.

But the two brands still had to overcome one prejudice: the fact that they were making Indian whiskies.

“When we started there was no benchmark,” Kumar says. “Indian single malt was unheralded and Indian whisky [thought to be] IMFL.” (That stands for Indian Made Foreign Liquor, which comprises rum, brandy, or whisky. Such products are often made from molasses and considered crude.)

Much in the way that the Judgement of Paris put American wine on the global stage, blind tastings helped both master distillers get their single malts noticed.

“We believe blind tasting is the best way to crack the myths and prejudices,” Kumar says. “Consumers are more open to the idea of world whiskies now, but we still have a long way to go in terms of education.” The heat is on.

Published: March 12, 2018

I must make a point to try some before pre-judging it.

GeneChing

05-15-2018, 08:39 AM

Yes I would try a shot.
No I don't think it will be good.

This Tabasco Whisky Will Make You Forget All About Fireball (https://www.foodandwine.com/news/george-dickel-tabasco-whisky)

https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-image.foodandwine.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F styles%2Fmedium_2x%2Fpublic%2F1526328555%2Fgeorge-dickel-tabasco-barrel-finish-1-FT-BLOG0518.jpg%3Fitok%3D1j6jagHb&w=800&q=85
COURTESY OF GEORGE DICKEL
George Dickel teamed up with the hot sauce brand for this pepper barrel-aged whisky.

ADAM CAMPBELL-SCHMITT May 14, 2018

Sure, there are quite a few cocktails that incorporate a splash of hot sauce—Bloody Marys and Micheladas come to mind. And when it comes to whisky, if spicing things up was your jam, you could always opt for a cinnamon whisky, including the infamous Fireball brand. But one of America's classic whisky distillers is kicking it up a notch with the help of one of America's classic hot sauce makers as Tennesee's George Dickel launches a Tabasco Barrel Finish whisky in collaboration with Lousiana-based McIlhenny Company's Tabasco brand, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

The whisky is aged for 30 days in barrels sourced from Tabasco which are used to age the peppers used in the iconic red sauce. Then actual Tabasco sauce is distilled into an essence and blended into the batch. The final product apparently offers imbibers a 70 proof whisky with a spicy kick with a smooth finish.

The company recommends enjoying the Tabasco-flavored whisky as a shot with a celery salt-rimmed glass, with pickle juice, or with an ice chaser. If you're wondering how well a "Hot Dickel" will be received by the distilling community, apparently the spiced-up whisky also won a gold medal at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“George Dickel Tennessee Whisky and Tabasco are two of the most iconic brands the South has to offer for a reason—the craftsmanship that goes into creating these products is the real deal,” Jeff Parrott, Director of American Whisk(e)y Development at Diageo (George Dickel's parent company), said in a statement. “Both brands have such a rich history, and we’re proud to collaborate with our friends at McIlhenny Company to marry their unique flavor with our quality Tennessee whisky.”

George Dickel Tabasco Barrel Finish is hitting shelves nationwide this month, and will retail for $24.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle, but will also come in 50-milliliter and one-liter sizes.

THREADS
Let's talk Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)
Hot Sauce! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66863-Hot-Sauce!)

GeneChing

06-25-2018, 09:29 AM

Thousands of Bourbon Barrels Come Crashing Down in Kentucky (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/us/bourbon-spill-kentucky-bardstown.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/06/23/us/23xp-bourbon/merlin_140061120_3e045cf1-9e1d-4855-a53f-46253b76f59a-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp
Warehouse No. 30 on the Barton 1792 Distillery campus in Bardstown, Ky., partly collapsed on Friday. About 9,000 barrels were amid the rubble.Credit Chief Billy Mattingly/Bardstown Fire Department, via Associated Press
By Maya Salam
June 22, 2018

Bourbon is flowing in Kentucky, but don’t grab a glass.

Thousands of full barrels of bourbon, and possibly other spirits, came crashing down when a storage warehouse in Bardstown, Ky., partly collapsed on Friday.

The collapse at the Barton 1792 Distillery campus was called in to emergency services about 10:55 a.m., Milt Spalding, an emergency services director in Nelson County, said during a news conference on Friday.

The structure houses about 20,000 barrels, and an aerial video showed half of the building demolished. About 9,000 barrels were amid the rubble, Mr. Spalding said. Each barrel holds 53 gallons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeXPFdinUAI
Thousands Of Bourbon Barrels Smash To Ground In Distillery Collapse Credit Video by CBSDFW

The cause of the collapse was still unknown as of Friday evening, but it did not appear to be weather related, Mr. Spalding said. No injures were reported.

The Environmental Protection Agency responded to the collapse because of concerns that alcohol may have seeped into the area’s groundwater.

Early tests came back clean, Mr. Spalding said. But the state’s emergency response team — the Division of Waste Management and the Division of Water — had been on the site and was expected to collect more samples soon, John Mura, a spokesman for Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet, said in an email on Friday afternoon.

“There is a stream of bourbon and water running down the hillside that has taken much time to properly and thoroughly assess,” Mr. Mura said.

The spill has affected nearby Withrow Creek, a tributary to Beech Fork, but “it appears to be minimal,” he said.

While most of the visible barrels appear intact, Mr. Mura said, “there is a large pile of debris that is undoubtedly hiding a number of ruptured barrels.”

Mr. Spalding said that cleanup would be handled by Barton Brands, which is owned by Sazerac.

Barton has been able to “quickly construct containment and an environmental contractor is on site to start recovery,” Mr. Mura said.

According to its website, Barton 1792 Distillery was established in 1879 and is the oldest fully operating distillery in Bardstown, about 40 miles southeast of Louisville.

The distillery is on 196 acres, and there are more than two dozen barrel aging warehouses. The collapse was of warehouse No. 30, which houses a mix of distilled products at various ages, Amy Preske, a spokeswoman for Sazerac, said in an emailed statement. Ms. Preske said they had not yet been able to confirm what spirit was in each barrel as of Friday evening.

In its statement, Sazerac said that it was “assessing how many of the impacted barrels can be recovered” and that it may take days or weeks before a full report is complete.

The collapse and spill will not affect normal operations and the distillery should be open for tours on Saturday, according to Sazerac.

When asked on Friday if that area smelled overwhelmingly like bourbon, Kevin Grayson, the acting lieutenant for the Bardstown Fire Department, said, “This is Bardstown, it kind of always smells like bourbon.”

According to data shared in 2017 by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, 95 percent of the world’s bourbon supply is crafted in Kentucky, where it is an $8.5 billion industry.

A version of this article appears in print on June 22, 2018, on Page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Kentucky Collapse Destroys Thousands of Bourbon Barrels

Meh, as whiskey disasters go, this is nothing compared to the Great Whiskey Fire (aka 1875 Chamber Street fire) which claimed some 13 victims - each died from alcohol poisoning.

highlypotion

07-01-2018, 06:27 AM

I love Evan Williams Bourbon Whiskey! I like the range of flavors on it.

GeneChing

07-06-2018, 09:15 AM

http://jamestkirkbourbon.hmdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/UpperShot.png

http://jamestkirkbourbon.hmdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/jtkb-signature-1.png

Among Starfleet’s legendary space explorers, it is Admiral James T. Kirk who most embodies the spirit of bold adventure.

Born in the great state of Iowa on planet Earth in 2233, Kirk spent part of his youth on planet Tarsus IV, where he narrowly escaped death at the hand of the infamous Kodos the Executioner. Admitted to Starfleet Academy in 2250, Kirk was the only cadet to beat the infamous “Kobayashi Maru” test of character. As an ensign, he served on the Starship Republic, and his first posting after graduation in 2254 was aboard the U.S.S. Farragut.

James Kirk took command of the Starship Enterprise in 2264 on a five-year voyage of deep-space exploration that made him a legend. During that time, he led one of the first missions beyond our galaxy, he averted a new war with the Romulan Empire, and he literally saved Earth history by going back in time to undo a temporal accident.

Intensely loyal to his crew, Kirk did not hesitate to risk his career to rescue Spock, his first officer and friend, who was believed dead on the Genesis Planet. In one of Kirk’s most celebrated missions, he defied Starfleet Command to commandeer a stolen Klingon ship to prevent an ecological catastrophe from devastating his home world. Kirk entered a temporal anomaly in 2293 while helping to save the Starship Enterprise-B on its maiden voyage. He emerged in the year 2371, where he was killed while protecting the inhabitants of the Veridian system. He is buried on a mountaintop on Veridian III.

Kirk explored strange, new worlds, led humanitarian missions, and brought peace to planets in conflict. He made first contact with new life and new civilizations, pushing outward the frontiers of knowledge as he explored boldly, where none had gone before. He represented humanity at its best, doing the things that humans do best.

James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon (http://jamestkirkbourbon.com/) celebrates his bold spirit of adventure.

Should be brandy.

Saurian brandy.

That was Kirk's drink of choice.

THREADS:
Let's talk Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)
kung fu star trek people (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?33187-kung-fu-star-trek-people)

GeneChing

08-23-2018, 03:23 AM

Japanese Whisky Sells for Record $343,000 (https://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/3221057/japanese-whisky-sells-for-record-343000)
BY BLOUIN ARTINFO | AUGUST 23, 2018

https://www.blouinartinfo.com/sites/default/files/bonhams_screen_shot_2018-08-21_at_1.53.43_pm.png
“YAMAZAKI-50 YEAR OLD"
(Courtesy: Bonhams)

A 50-year-old rare first edition of Yamazaki whisky sold for a record $343,000 in the Bonhams Whisky Sale in Hong Kong on August 17, 2018. The cost for the whiskey was estimated at HK$1,800,000-2,400,000/£175,000-235,000. Previously, an expression of Karuizawa 1960 52-year-old 'The Dragon’ fetched HK$2.45 million at Bonhams in Hong Kong. Yamazaki single malt aged 50 years sold for HK$2.337 million at a Sotheby's auction in January in Hong Kong too.

"The oldest expression from the famous Japanese distillery, the whisky was matured in casks made from mizunara (Japanese Oak) before being bottled and released in 2005. Only 50 bottles were produced, making it one of the scarcest Japanese whiskies,” saidBonhams.com/press_release/26301/"> Bonhams.

The sale presented the finest of Japanese whiskies along with some of the most sought-after names in Scotch whisky such as Macallan, Port Ellen, and Ardbeg. In more than 620 bottles offered, there were 40 bottles of Yamazaki — which included the Yamazaki-35 year old priced at (HK$350,000-500,000/£34,200-48,400) and the Suntory-Rolling Stone 50th Anniversary (HK$280,000-360,000/£27,300-35,200). A bottle of Hibiki-Arita-35 year old, produced to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Japanese porcelain production was also offered for sale. Apparently only 150 bottles of the same were released.

Other selections included the finest Macallans — a Macallan Fine & Rare-1937-37 year old that cost HK$260,000-320,000/£25,400-31,200, and Macallan Fine & Rare-1946-56 year old that costs about HK$250,000-300,000/£24,400-29,300.

There was also a vertical collection of Port Ellen Annual Release, 17 bottles from 2001-2017 costing HK$280,000-360,000/£27,300-35,200. Besides these, on the block were pre-prohibition and medicinal bourbon whiskies from the early 20th century, including a bottle of Antique Whiskey-1912 costing HK$15,000-18,000/£1,400-1,700.

http://www.blouinartinfo.com

Founder: Louise Blouin

Japanese whiskys are blowin up.

GeneChing

09-17-2018, 02:03 PM

£10,000 = $13,158.35

I love Teeling, especially their Single Grain. I had the chance to tour the distillery in Dublin when I did a set visit last year for Into the Badlands (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67844-Into-The-Badlands). I highly recommend that if you're in Dublin - it's not as historic as Jameson, but it's an active distillery (Actually you can do both in one day which is exactly what I did - it's walk-able, even stumble-able).

World record price for a bottle of Teeling Whiskey (https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/0911/993134-world-record-price-for-a-bottle-of-teeling-whiskey/)
Updated / Tuesday, 11 Sep 2018 17:39

https://img.rasset.ie/00086edb-800.jpg
The sale of the bottle of whiskey surpassed a previous whiskey world record of £7,900 sold in auction from a new English distillery held earlier this year.

The first bottle of Teeling Whiskey Celebratory Single Pot Still has secured a world record price of £10,000 in an online auction, making it the most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold at auction for a new distillery.

Partnering with WhiskyAuctioneer.com, the auction ran from August 31 until September 10, with all profits raised being donated to charitable causes based where the Teeling Whiskey Distillery is located in Dublin’s Liberties.

The sale of the bottle of whiskey surpassed a previous whiskey world record of £7,900 sold in auction from a new English distillery held earlier this year. All 100 bottles sold at auction, achieving an average per bottle price of £600, excluding the first bottle.

Jack Teeling, Founder and Managing Director of Teeling Whiskey said, "The release of the first Dublin distilled whiskey for nearly 50 years is truly a landmark occasion for the revival of Dublin as an urban centre for whiskey distillation and I can think of no better way to honour this than the first bottle achieving a world record price. This is another chapter in the revival of the craft of distilling in Dublin and heralds the beginning of our own range of Dublin distilled whiskeys on a wider scale, with the release of our commercially available Teeling Single Pot Still Whiskey later in the year."

GeneChing

09-19-2018, 08:10 AM

Let's see now. When it comes to drinks, Bruce Lee has a posthumous line of teas (https://www.bruceleetea.com/). And Conor has...:p

But still, I luv Irish whiskey and must try this.

‘NOTORIOUS’ MMA STAR CONOR MCGREGOR DEBUTS HIS OWN IRISH WHISKEY (https://vinepair.com/booze-news/notorious-mma-debuts-whiskey/)
1 Minute Read
Produced by Cat Wolinski / @beeraffair
Updated on 2018-09-18

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/proper12-header.jpg
Photo Credit: Conor McGregor Official / Instagram.com

Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) star and former UFC champion Conor McGregor announced on Monday the launch of his own whiskey, Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, in Ireland and the U.S. this month.

Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey is produced by Erie Born Spirits, a company founded by McGregor, who will also serve as its chairman and majority owner, according to a press release. He has been referring to the venture as “Project Notorious.”

McGregor worked with master distiller David Elder to develop the blend. “We created close to one hundred blends and ultimately selected what we knew was the one and only proper whiskey blend. We took the time to develop an incredible whiskey and I’m excited to share it with the world,” McGregor said. The whiskey is described as “complex and sophisticated yet smooth and approachable with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood.”

Proper No. Twelve is named for the Dublin district from which McGregor hails, Dublin 12. “It’s a place dear to my heart. It’s where I learned how to fight; it made me who I am today. It’s a place I’m still very much a part of every single day of my life,” McGregor said, continuing, “I respect other Irish whiskeys, but I am coming in strong, with passion and with purpose. I am the founder of this company and I am going to give it my all.”

Proper No. Twelve will launch in liquor stores starting this month, retailing for $25 per 750-ml bottle (between €20 to €25), the Irish Post reports. In addition to its relatively affordable price tag, this whiskey gives back: $5 of every case, up to $1 million a year, will be donated to local first responders and charities.

“First responders all over the world are the unsung heroes who act with courage and answer the call of duty every day for people in need. I have great respect for these men and women,” McGregor said.

Mad respect, McGregor.

THREADS
Conor McGregor being compared to Bruce Lee (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69168-Conor-McGregor-being-compared-to-Bruce-Lee)
Let's talk Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

09-21-2018, 08:01 AM

Reminds me of Doris Olive Netting (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57037-Give-it-up-to-the-elderly!!!!!&p=1308872#post1308872). I'm beginning to think these elderly people are just scamming free drinks. Which is super wise.

112-year-old woman credits longevity to nightly dram of single malt whiskey (https://thetakeout.com/112-year-old-woman-credits-longevity-to-whiskey-1829202941/amp)
Allison Shoemaker
Yesterday 1:45pm
Filed to:WHISKEY

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--nE8crvFj--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/aatrpp4ls2xxibpq6zhm.jpg
Photo: Marina113 (iStock)

The oldest person in Great Britain celebrated her 112th birthday this week, and to mark the occasion, she gave away her secret to longevity: A dram of single malt whiskey, every night for the last sixty years.

Grace “Amazing Grace” Jones, who was born in Liverpool in 1906, told the Daily Mail that she has a nightcap of Famous Grouse Single Malt Whiskey nightly, and has done so for 62 years. That means she began this tradition in 1956. One hopes she is being sent a large case of free Famous Grouse right now as thanks for the loyal patronage and great publicity.

“I never miss my nightcap,” she told the paper:

All I have is the whisky at night. Whisky is very good for you. I started having a nightly tot of it when I turned 50 so I’ve been having it every night for the last 60 years and I certainly have no intention of stopping now. My doctor said, ‘keep up with the whisky Grace, it’s good for your heart’.”

THREADS:
Give it up to the elderly!!!!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57037-Give-it-up-to-the-elderly!!!!!)
Let's talk Whisky! (www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

10-16-2018, 07:38 AM

Celebrity endorsed liquors like this are usually notoriously bad, but I'm still intrigued. A friend of mine got some and said it was good but he only knew about one kind of Jameson, so he's obviously no connoisseur of Irish whiskey.

https://img.resized.co/irishpostcouk/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvczMtZX Utd2VzdC0xLmFtYXpvbmF3cy5jb21cXFwvc3RvcmFnZS5wdWJs aXNoZXJwbHVzLmllXFxcL21lZGlhLmlyaXNocG9zdC5jby51a1 xcXC91cGxvYWRzXFxcLzIwMThcXFwvMDlcXFwvMTcxODI0NDRc XFwvUHJvcGVyLU5vLVR3ZWx2ZS1Db25vci1NY0dyZWdvci1tYW luLnYxLmNyb3BwZWQtMTAyNHg1NzYuanBlZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhc Ijo2NDcsXCJoZWlnaHRcIjozNDAsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodH RwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5pcmlzaHBvc3QuY29tXFxcL2lcXFwv bm8taW1hZ2UucG5nXCJ9IiwiaGFzaCI6ImY0OThhOGNhNjk3Mj kyOGE0MjkxZDQ2Mjg1NmVkODgxOGI2Yzc0MjQifQ==/proper-no-twelve-conor-mcgregor-main-v1-cropped-1024x576.jpeg

Conor McGregor's Irish whiskey smashes sales records…despite terrible reviews
Jack Beresford
BY: Jack Beresford
October 15, 2018

CONOR MCGREGOR is celebrating more success away from the Octagon after his Proper No.12 Irish whiskey set new "sales" and "buy" records.

The Irishman might be endured a tough time of things in UFC but he's going from strength-to-strength in the business world, with Dana White tipping him to become the first MMA fighter to make a billion.

McGregor's Irish whiskey has proven a hit back in Ireland, where bottles were flying off the shelves with such frequency that Tesco had to introduce a two-bottle limit per visit to for customers.

thenotoriousmma (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo1H5IqACI1/?utm_source=ig_embed)
Verified
•

2,910,115 likes
thenotoriousmmaThe sales record and the buy record.
Thank you to you, the fans ❤️
@properwhiskey @ufc

Those purchasing the spirit could be left disappointed, however, if the current crop of reviews is anything to go by.

To say McGregor's Proper No.12 Irish whiskey scored poorly with whiskey connoisseurs would be an understatement.

When Brin-Jonathan Butler presented the whiskey to a panel of experts for Bloomberg, their comments were scathing, to say the least, with one taster describing it as "watered-down."

"Obviously artificially coloured," another added, singling out the unappealing "notes of turpentine interlaced with the musk from a crowded, poorly-maintained Turkish bathhouse sauna."

https://media.irishpost.co.uk/uploads/2018/09/17182235/Proper-No.-Twelve-Irish-Whiskey-Conor-Mcgregor-Whiskey-irish-post.jpg

Over at Business Insider, a similar meeting of established whiskey drinkers produced equally poor reviews

"It smelled like ethanol and tasted only marginally better," one noted.

"A small initial sip was deceptively okay, but subsequent snifters were like vanilla flavoring trying to cover up rubbing alcohol."

Despite the lukewarm reviews, the McGregor machine is showing no signs of slowing down, despite his humbling defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC 229.

Not only did the fight break the record for the most-watched pay-per-view in MMA history but McGregor has since released his own clothing line which sold out in less than 24 hours.

THREADS
Conor McGregor being compared to Bruce Lee (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69168-Conor-McGregor-being-compared-to-Bruce-Lee)
Let's talk Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

11-29-2018, 08:43 AM

http://www.startrek.com/uploads/assets/articles/montgomery-scott-scotch-awaits.jpeg

Your Montgomery Scott Scotch Awaits (http://www.startrek.com/article/your-montgomery-scott-scotch-awaits)
StarTrek.com Staff
November 28, 2018

Aye, laddie, Scotty would drink to this: Silver Screen Bottling Co. has just announced that Montgomery Scott Scotch will join James T. Kirk Bourbon, James T. Kirk Bourbon Reserve and Ten-Forward Vodka as part of the line of Star Trek branded spirits they've launched this year.

The blended scotch whisky -- and, yes, the Scots spell it without the "e" -- is available for pre-sale starting today, priced at $49.99, at www.MontgomeryScottScotch.com. Shipping will begin in March 2019.

http://www.startrek.com/uploads/assets/content/inset-whisky.jpg

Montgomery Scott Scotch is a limited batch produced in Glasgow by one of the most-awarded distilleries in Scotland. It's exceptionally smooth, with just a slight smoky note.

http://www.startrek.com/uploads/assets/content/liquor.jpg

The entire Star Trek line of spirits is available for purchase at www.silverscreenbottling.com. Additional products will be added in the future.

THREADS
kung fu star trek people (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?33187-kung-fu-star-trek-people)
Let's talk Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

12-04-2018, 09:15 AM

Hold the phone...whisky in a pouch?

THIS LONDON HOTEL HAS A WHISKY VENDING MACHINE AND EXACTLY ONE GUEST ROOM (https://vinepair.com/booze-news/hotel-whisky-vending-machine/)
1 Minute Read
Produced by Tim McKirdy / @timmckirdy
Updated on 2018-12-03

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/whisky-me-header.jpg
Photo Credit: Whisky-Me

Minibars and vending machines aren’t usually synonymous with quality drinking experiences. At London’s Napoleon Hotel, however, there’s a new and novel way to enjoy a late night dram of high-quality Scotch.

The hotel, which is home to three bars and just one, luxury suite, recently installed the city’s very first whisky vending machine, Travel and Leisure reports.

London-based subscription service Whisky-Me owns and stocks the machine with a selection of 1.7-ounce pouches of Scotch. Labels include Macallan, Aberfeldy, and Royal Lochnager, as well as a commemorative release celebrating the start-up’s first year in business.

The vending machine is located in front of the hotel’s entrance and can be accessed by the general public as well as hotel guests. To make sure buyers are of legal drinking age, special tokens for the machine must be purchased from the hotel’s Devil’s Darlings bar. Tokens retail for £7.95 (roughly USD $10), and are on sale between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m.

Other attractions to entice whisky-lovers include the hotel’s Black Rock Bar, which features an 18-foot-long table filled with aging whisky to sample. The bar also stocks an impressive selection of whiskey from Japan, Ireland, Finland, and France, making for a dram good drinking experience.

Published: December 3, 2018

GeneChing

12-06-2018, 09:27 AM

Here's a Macallan that doesn't come in a pouch.

‘ULTRA RARE’ MACALLAN WHISKY SELLS FOR $1.5 MILLION, SMASHES AUCTION RECORD (https://vinepair.com/booze-news/macallan-whisky-smashes-auction-record/)
1 Minute Read
Produced by Tim McKirdy / @timmckirdy
Updated on 2018-12-04

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/macallan-dillon-header.jpg

Photo Credit: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2018

It’s been quite the year for whisky auctions, especially those featuring bottles of 60-year-old Macallan.

In May, a bottle of Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 sold in Hong Kong for just over $1 million, at the time setting a record for the world’s most expensive whisky. Last month, that record was broken by another bottle of the same whisky, which sold for $1.1 million.

Finally, on November 29, a bottle of 60-year-old Macallan sold at a Christie’s auction in London for £1,200,000 (roughly $1,528,800), smashing the world record for the third time this year.

The whisky, which Christie’s describes as an “ultra-rare elixir,” is presented in a one-of-a-kind bottle, painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon. The bottle’s illustration depicts the Easter Elchies House of The Macallan against the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.

This year’s prior two record-breaking bottlings came from a collection of 24 numbered bottles, 12 of which artist Peter Blake decorated, with the other 12 designed by Italian artist Valerio Adami. All three contain the same Scotch, a 1926 Macallan single malt which spent 60 years maturing in ex-sherry casks.

“The sale represents a landmark moment in the whisky market,” Christie’s International Director of Wine Tim Triptree MW said in a press release.

Published: December 4, 2018

GeneChing

03-27-2019, 08:43 AM

Cheers my friends!

INTERNATIONAL WHISK(E)Y DAY (https://www.internationalwhiskyday.org/?fbclid=IwAR2pFWynfzXyNDFDQs90x6KQHlkBW1ZmtgcT-UMuZsfmUgSO1bgEB63liCU)
RAISE A GLASS... AND MORE!

27TH OF MARCH
THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF WHISK(E)Y
On this date let every whisk(e)y lover annually raise a dram - whereever in the world he or she may be - to honour the many unsung heroes of the past and present, who have been crafting the King o'Drinks for centuries and will hopefully continue to do so till the end of time.

https://www.internationalwhiskyday.org/images/pic03.jpg

slink

04-20-2019, 09:36 PM

I am not against alcohol, but I just have a healthy way of life. Moreover, I drink only high-quality water, which I obtain from my home filter https://www.bestproductspro.com/refrigerator-water-filters/ (https://www.martialartsmart.com/). This is one of the best investments I have done in my entire life!

GeneChing

07-05-2019, 07:08 AM

Not like the great whiskey fire in Dublin, but still...:(

45,000 barrels of Jim Beam bourbon destroyed in massive blaze (https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Massive-fire-at-Jim-Beam-bourbon-Warehouse-in-Kentucky-512158401.html)
Massive fire at Jim Beam bourbon Warehouse in Kentucky
By WKYT | Posted: Wed 4:37 AM, Jul 03, 2019 | Updated: Wed 11:33 AM, Jul 03, 2019

VERSAILLES, Ky. (WKYT)- Multiple crews are on the scene of a major fire at a bourbon warehouse facility.

https://media.graytvinc.com/images/690*387/JIMBEAMFIREPIC.jpg

Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler tells WKYT two barrel warehouses at a Jim Beam aging facility caught fire around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Chandler says one warehouse initially caught fire with flames spreading to the second structure.

Crews were able to put out the flames in the second warehouse. Flames were still visible in the first warehouse five hours after the fire started.

Chandler says approximately 45,000 barrels of bourbon were in the warehouse that was still burning. He speculated crews could be on scene until late Wednesday night.

Multiple agencies are working to put the fire out. Bluegrass Emergency Response Team out of Lexington is bringing foam to the scene.

Chandler also said it's possible the fire was caused by a lightning strike, but that has not been confirmed.

A local business is bringing sand to control runoff into Glenns Creek.

GeneChing

10-04-2019, 08:40 AM

OCTOBER 2, 2019 / 2:14 PM / A DAY AGO
U.S. hits Scotch whisky, Italian cheese, French wine with 25% tariffs (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wto-aircraft-drink-food/us-hits-scotch-whisky-italian-cheese-french-wine-with-25-tariffs-idUSKBN1WH2G7)
David Shepardson, David Lawder
5 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration slapped 25% tariffs on French wine, Italian cheese and single-malt Scotch whisky — but spared Italian wine, pasta and olive oil — in retaliation for European Union subsidies on large aircraft.

http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?d=20191003&t=2&i=OVAZJTEA3&r=OVAZJTEA3

The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office released a list of hundreds of European products that will get new tariffs, including cookies, salami, butter and yogurt - but in many cases applied to only some EU countries, including German camera parts and blankets produced in the United Kingdom.

The list includes UK-made sweaters, pullovers, cashmere items and wool clothing, as well as olives from France and Spain, EU-produced pork sausage and other pork products other than ham, and German coffee. The new tariffs are to take effect as early as Oct. 18.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said it would “continually re-evaluate these tariffs based on our discussions with the EU” and expects to enter talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

Still some Italian foods — Parmesan Reggiano, Romano and provolone cheese — were hit with tariffs as were Italian fruits, clams and yogurt. Also getting new tariffs are German and British camera parts, industrial microwave ovens, printed books, sweet biscuits and waffles.

The main target of the U.S. tariffs is Airbus aircraft made in the EU, which face 10% levy that could hurt U.S. airlines such as Delta (DAL.N) that have billions of dollars of Airbus orders waiting to be filled. EU products winning reprieves include chocolate, Greek, French and Portuguese olive oil, helicopters, frozen fish, lobster, sparkling wine, stemware and tiles.

Joseph Profaci, executive director of the North American Olive Oil Association, said a substantial portion of the imports initially threatened with tariffs were not on the list.

“We’re still digesting what it will mean for the industry, but the total universe of oil affected has been greatly reduced,” he said.

https://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20191003&t=2&i=1436646008&r=LYNXMPEF911UC
FILE PHOTO: A glass of French red wine is displayed at the Chateau du Pavillon in Sainte-Croix-Du-Mont, France, July 29, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

Specialty food importers in August had urged the Trump administration to skip the tariffs, saying “there are few to no domestic products” that could replace the imported items.

The Specialty Food Association said the tariffs would affect 14,000 U.S. specialty food retailers and over 20,000 other food retailers.

Ralph Hoffman, executive vice president of New Jersey-based Schuman Cheese, one of the largest importers of hard Italian cheeses, said the tariffs could slash his firm’s imports by 30% in the middle of the critical holiday season.

“It looks pretty bad. They hit cheese hard,” said Hoffman, who is also a vice president with the Cheese Importers Association of America.

Hoffman said Schuman and other companies had bought extra amounts of cheeses with a longer shelf life, but there was a limit to how much hedging they had been able to do. He said the company brings in over 1,100 containers of cheese each year, serving big box stores such as Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club.

“This will put a massive dent in that,” he said.

Phil Marfuggi, president and CEO of Ambriola Co Inc, a unit of Auricchio SpA, one of Italy’s largest cheese producers, said 25% was lower than the 100% tariff initially threatened, but it came on top of 10-15% tariffs already paid on specialty cheeses.

Marfuggi, who also serves as president of the Cheese Importers Association of America, said his firm faced extra costs of up to $70,000 each for a dozen containers due to arrive in U.S. ports after Oct. 18, if USTR did not grant a shipping grace period.

Robert Tobiassen, president of the National Association of Beverage Importers, said the new tariffs on whisky, liqueurs and cordials, and wine from certain EU countries, would hit many of the United States’ 12,000 importers hard.

“These tariffs will devastate, perhaps destroy, many small and medium sized family businesses importing these products into the United States,” he said.

Many of the tariffs, especially those on alcohol, were not popular on social media.

Jacob Levy, a professor of political theory at McGill University, wrote on Twitter the tariffs were “an interesting strategy for lowering the trillion-dollar deficit: increase everyone’s need to drink to get through each day’s news, then tax the heck out of the good alcohol.”

Reporting by David Shepardson and David Lawder; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler, Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

THREADS
Whisky (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)
Cheese (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?12617-OT-Cheese)

GeneChing

10-07-2019, 08:02 AM

The Glenlivet's 'Capsule Collection' Is Sort of Like Gushers, but Whisky (https://www.foodandwine.com/news/glenlivet-capsule-collection)
The 23-milliliter cocktail-containing pods are made from seaweed.
By Mike Pomranz October 04, 2019

https://cdn-image.foodandwine.com/sites/default/files/styles/4_3_horizontal_-_1200x900/public/1570214507/glenlivet-capsule-collection-FT-BLOG0919.jpg?itok=QUHmg8bQ
GLENLIVET

People have likely been drinking Scotch whisky for over five hundred years. But eating Scotch whisky in capsules made from seaweed? Yeah, that's only been happening for a day or so.

Speyside distillery The Glenlivet—the world's second best-selling brand of Scotch—has unveiled its "Capsule Collection," described as "glassless cocktails" that are instead served in a casing produced from seaweed-extract, billed as "one of nature's most renewable resources." (Apparently, reusable glassware just isn't sustainable enough!) Each capsule contains 23 milliliters of booze that can be enjoyed simply by popping the whole thing in your mouth and biting for "an instant burst of flavor." Drinkers can then simply swallow the capsule which is "fully biodegradable" (which hopefully could have gone without saying!)

"As a brand that celebrates originality, we are always looking to break the conventions that have determined how single malt Scotch has historically been enjoyed," Miriam Eceolaza, director of The Glenlivet, said in the announcement. "The Glenlivet Capsule Collection does exactly that, and we're excited to see how people react when they try our glassless cocktails. Our founder, George Smith, always went against the grain, bucking tradition and doing things differently. The Glenlivet Capsule Collection continues his pioneering spirit today."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOOzjDE1Uy8

To create the capsules, The Glenlivet partnered with the London bar Tayēr + Elementary, where bartender and co-owners Alex Kratena and Monica Berg crafted original cocktails for the three different varieties they are offered in: Citrus, Wood, and Spice. Meanwhile, the capsules' casings come courtesy of Notpla, a sustainable packaging start-up. The Glenlivet says they are the first spirits brand to work with company. "At Notpla we want to create original solutions for how to serve and consume drinks, and The Glenlivet is a brand that is looking to do just the same," Co-founder and Co-CEO Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez stated.

The capsules launched today as part of London Cocktail Week. If you happen to be in England, you can give these wild capsules a try by dropping by Tayēr where they are being served as "an amuse-bouche on arrival" throughout the event, which lasts until October 13. A spokesperson for The Glenlivet tells Food & Wine that the capsules are not yet available or approved for consumption in the United States, but don't be surprised if that changes in the near future.

There's been a lot of backlash on the interwebz about this, but I would totally try them. ;)

MasterKiller

10-07-2019, 09:08 AM

The capsules ruin the entire process of drinking.

GeneChing

10-24-2019, 11:58 AM

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/kentucky-award-hed.jpg

Kentucky Whiskeys Claim Top Three Spots In 2020 World’s Best Whiskey Awards (https://vinepair.com/booze-news/kentucky-worlds-best-whiskey-2020/)
words: ASHLIE HUGHES
updated: OCTOBER 18TH, 2019

Jim Murray, industry expert and author of the annual best-selling Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, has awarded three of his top accolades for the best whiskeys of the year to the New Orleans-based Sazerac company.

Scoring 97.5 out of 100, the brand’s 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon, from the Barton 1792 distillery, took the top prize of World Whisky of the Year. The whiskey is described by Murray as being “melodious, mysterious, and slightly exotic.”

The 2020 release is noteworthy in that it’s the first time the book’s publisher has released a North American version, with a greater emphasis on American and Canadian producers compared to past editions.

“It’s as though Kentucky knew we were producing this first North American edition. But we had strictly kept it under wraps. If Kentucky was ever going to steal the show, this was the year to do it,” Murray said in a press release.

To confirm there was no preferential treatment shown, Murray followed up his book’s release with this statement: “Once I knew the top three were from the same company, I spent two extra days running through my top 10 [whiskeys] once more … and the results came out exactly the same!”

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020 features tasting notes for nearly 5,000 whiskeys and is available for purchase online. The book will make its way to U.S. retailers in late October.

Kentucky Tipples' Triple Triumph: Sazerac Brands Sweep the Board in 'Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible -- World Whisky of the Year' Awards (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kentucky-tipples-triple-triumph-sazerac-brands-sweep-the-board-in-jim-murrays-whiskey-bible--world-whisky-of-the-year-awards-300940778.html)
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible
Oct 17, 2019, 15:21 ET

FRANKFORT, Ky., Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Murray has handed an unprecedented triple crown to Kentucky whiskey in the latest edition of his best-selling annual Whiskey Bible. Upon unveiling the 2020 "World Whisky of the Year" Awards, the renowned spirits writer and industry expert has created another first by giving all top three accolades for the finest new drams on earth to the same whiskey company: New Orleans-based Sazerac.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1012811/Jim_Murrays_Whiskey_Bible_2020.jpg?p=publish&w=650
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

Top prize of "World Whisky of the Year" goes to the 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon from the Barton 1792 distillery, a whiskey Jim Murray describes as "melodious, mysterious and slightly exotic" with a nose of "near-perfect proportions" and with an "unfaltering" finish when tasted.

The runners-up, from 1,250 new expressions tasted throughout the world by Jim Murray this year, are both Buffalo Trace brands: bourbon William Larue Weller 125.7 proof, the latest version of last year's victor, and Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye 127.2 proof.

"There will be eyebrows raised and claims of favoritism which, of course, is never the case with the Whiskey Bible: I call it exactly as I see it," stated Jim Murray. "Once I knew the top three were from the same company, I spent two extra days running through my top 10 whiskies once more … and the results came out exactly the same!

"For the 1792 Distillery to win 'World Whisky of the Year' is extraordinary because when I first went there some 25 years ago, the then-owners had no interest in high-end whiskey. The oldest they produced was a 6-year-old, which I thought was one of the most complex on the market but still undercooked. I implored them then to bring out something much older.

"It is wonderful that my gut instinct of 25 years ago has been vindicated under the ownership of Sazerac, who have turned a potentially great distillery into something truly magnificent."

This year's release of the best-selling Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible is also notable in that it's the first time ever that Dram Good Books, Ltd. (the book's publisher) has released a North American version of the book. This unique edition has greater emphasis on the American and Canadian sections, highlighting the region's whiskies in the forefront of the 384-page guide.

Jim Murray added: "It's as though Kentucky knew we were producing this first North American edition. But we had strictly kept it under wraps. If Kentucky was ever going to steal the show, this was the year to do it. And, even by their own their high standards, they've exceeded themselves and duly obliged. Considering the quality of the whiskies they were up against worldwide, that's quite amazing, really."

"To not only be named 'World Whisky of the Year' but also to have our whiskeys named second- and third-finest is astonishing," remarked Mark Brown, President of Sazerac. "We could not be happier nor more motivated to continue to strive for perfection in the American whiskeys we make."

Sectional winners include the Taiwanese Nantou Distillery Omar Cask Strength Bourbon Cask (Single Cask of the Year); Glen Grant Aged 18 Years Rare Edition (Scotch); Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare (Blended Scotch); Penderyn Single Cask no.M75-32 (European); and Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt (Japanese).

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020 (SRP $19.99) contains tasting notes for almost 5,000 whiskies and is available for purchase now on www.whiskybible.com and can be found at U.S. book retailers in late October.

For press inquiries, contact Amber Gallaty (The Gallavant Group) at amber@thegallavantgroup.com or (917) 653-5244.

About Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible

Now in its 17th year of publication and approaching one million copies sold, Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible is the original and most comprehensive whiskey guide in the world. As a pioneer in whiskey writing and reviewing (in 1992, he became the world's first-ever full-time whisky writer), Jim Murray tastes every whiskey in the book under a proprietary process known as "The Murray Method" to ensure that each is evaluated fairly and accurately. Jim Murray's Whisky Bible is published in the U.K. and USA by Dram Good Books, Ltd. The 2020 edition marks the first year the company has released a North American version of the book.

Related Images
jim-murrays-whisky-bible-2020.jpg
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020 North American Edition

Related Links

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

SOURCE Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

Related Links
http://www.whiskybible.com
I should really give this a read...

GeneChing

11-26-2019, 08:40 AM

At this price, it trancends the term 'booze' :rolleyes:

https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/whisky-vietnam-hed.jpg

This Man’s Whisky Collection Just Won a Guinness World Record (https://vinepair.com/booze-news/worlds-most-expensive-whisky-collection/)
words: ASHLIE HUGHES
photo: WEBER SHANDWICK / PA
updated: NOVEMBER 25TH, 2019

One man’s impressive twenty-year booze-filled scavenger hunt has landed him in the Guinness World Records as the owner of the world’s most valuable whisky collection.

Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, owns a collection of 535 old and rare Scotch whiskies valued to be worth £10,770,635 (approximately $13.9 million), the Drinks Business reports.

With the 21-percent buyer’s premium that would be added if the collection were sold through an auctioneer like Sotheby’s or Bonhams, Guinness World Records officially valued the collection at £13,032,468 (approximately $16.7 million) on Nov. 1, 2019.

Among the Vietnamese businessman’s treasures are three bottles of the 1926 Macallan Fine and Rare whisky (considered to be the “Holy Grail” of whiskies) and a bottle of the oldest Bowmore ever released.

The quest to own such rare gems has been a lifelong passion for Viet. “Every spare moment I get, I’m searching auction sites and trading websites to find famous and rare whiskies from around the world,” he says. “Clearly this requires a lot of patience and no shortage of tenacity, but I’m proud of my efforts.”

He added: “As for my collection, I have no intention of selling any of it. Not one bottle. In fact, I’ll continue to hunt for more old and rare bottles and add to and enrich it.”

Here’s wondering what Viet’s glassware collection looks like.

GeneChing

03-03-2020, 03:31 PM

Irish, not Scotch. :D

https://img.resized.co/irishpostcouk/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL21lZG lhLmlyaXNocG9zdC5jby51a1xcXC91cGxvYWRzXFxcLzIwMThc XFwvMDZcXFwvMDcyMDA1MTdcXFwvd2hpc2tleS1mLTEwMjR4NT k4LmpwZ1wiLFwid2lkdGhcIjo2NDcsXCJoZWlnaHRcIjozNDAs XCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5pcmlzaH Bvc3QuY29tXFxcL2lcXFwvbm8taW1hZ2UucG5nXCJ9IiwiaGFz aCI6IjBmYTJjMTFmOTJkMjA3MzdhY2QzY2YyYTdjZWRiYzJlZj NmOTY4OTIifQ==/whiskey-f-1024x598.jpg

It’s international Whiskey Day (https://www.irishpost.com/news/international-whiskey-day-180867?fbclid=IwAR1XUNGiZNlblwdpYpDAksLM4gHMtIqt6b gu-G3k9ZD-DKtVvuCRoib05QE)
Jack Beresford
BY: Jack Beresford
March 03, 2020

IT'S THE most wonderful time of the year…for whiskey lovers.

March 3 represents a momentous date in the calendar for anyone with an appreciation for Ireland’s greatest alcoholic spirit.

Now more than a decade old, International Whiskey Day is rare a chance to raise a glass in celebration to this most famous of tipples.

International Irish Whiskey Day or Irish Whiskey Day is celebrated March 3 because of the special significance the number has when it comes to whiskey in Ireland.

For example, there are three established styles of Irish Whiskey: Single Grain, Single Malt and Single Pot Still.

It’s also a well-known fact that Irish Whiskey must be matured for at least three years before it can be called whiskey.

Last but definitely not least, there’s the fact that traditional Irish Whiskey is triple distilled.

March 3 also represents the perfect date for anyone eager to warm-up for the imminent St Patrick’s Day celebrations – exactly two weeks away.

International Whiskey Day was first launched in 2009 at the Whiskey Day Festival in the northern Netherlands of all places.

https://media.irishpost.co.uk/uploads/2016/10/Whiskey-n-1.jpg

It was the brainchild of a group of seasoned whiskey writers who wanted to do something in honour of fellow critic Michael Jackson (not him), who passed away two years earlier.

Jackson’s birthday fell on March 3, making it the perfect day for participants to raise a glass in memory of their friend.

In the years since, it has evolved into a celebration of whiskey in its many forms and an opportunity for the Irish diaspora all around the world to get together for a drink.

Irish whiskey tasting events are common, while social media provides the perfect platform for enthusiasts to compare and contrast their experiences of the day under the hashtag #IrishWhiskeyDay.

The perfect excuse to indulge in a glass or two of your favourite spirit the only real question left is a simple one: what are you drinking.

GeneChing

08-05-2020, 09:42 AM

EDITORS' PICK|240,720 views|Aug 2, 2020,04:20am EDT
Scotch Whisky Salvaged From 80-Year-Old Shipwreck To Be Sold At Auction (https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradjaphe/2020/08/02/scotch-whisky-salvaged-from-80-year-old-shipwreck-to-be-sold-at-auction/#5b5b5ae56843)
Brad Japhe
Contributor
Spirits
You can find me at the confluence of food, beverage and travel.

https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f236369c68e681459cf29d5/960x0.jpg?fit=scale
A shipwreck off the coast of the Falkland Islands BRAD JAPHE

It’s called sunken scotch. And it’s practically a category unto itself: whisky rescued from the cargoes of a wrecked ship, resting for untold periods of time below the tides. Every few years tales of brown spirit raised from these depths grab headlines, while the liquor itself fetches top dollar at auction. The latest example happens to be scotch salvaged from perhaps the most famous shipwreck of the modern era. And it’s expected to earn as much as $20,000 in an on-going auction now live, online.

The bottle in question was retrieved from the wreck of the SS Politician. The ill-fated vessel ran aground during WWII and was at the center of a national firestorm shortly thereafter. On its way to Jamaica, by way of Western Scotland, the cargo ship was carrying some 28,000 cases of whisky when it foundered on rocks along the rugged shoals of the Outer Hebrides.

After official attempts at salvage had ceased, nearby islanders made their move on the coveted contents of the Politician. Although the UK government viewed such actions as thievery, the locals saw it quite differently. According to contemporaneous reports, a widespread effort among the Hebridean communities was labeled a ‘whisky rescue.’ This led to a protracted battle between the accused scallawags and tax collectors from mainland Scotland and, eventually, London. Because no duty had been paid on the whisky, members of HM Customs and Excise eventually went after anyone proven to have lifted cargo from the ship.

One local in particular helped immortalize these hijinks, attracting international attention. Compton Mackenzie, of Barra island, sensationalized the circumstances as the background for a novel called Whisky Galore. Published in 1947, it was adapted into a fairly popular British comedy of the same name two years later. A remake debuted at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2016.

But the bottle currently up for sale at the Grand Whisky Auction house isn’t part of that controversially recovered booty. It was raised by George Currie more than fifty years later. The deep sea repairman was working on a subsea cable off the Hebridean coast when he hit pay dirt. Along with a team of divers, they were able to recover a VAT 69, Ballantine’s and four bottles of a now-defunct brand known as Gibbey’s.

In 2013, a pair of similarly aged whisky from the SS Politician sold together for £12,050.

What does that particular offering taste like? Well that would be impossible to guess. There is no labeling of any sort on the glass. You won’t even get a chance to know where it was made nor a ballpark approximation of its age statement, let alone tasting notes.

Just remember: whisky doesn’t mature in the bottle. So the subsequent 80-odd years it has spent stored away undersea does not accumulate as part of its overall age. If this whisky was distilled in 1930, for example, and then bottled just before its notorious 1941 journey, it remains a 11-year-old expression.

Nonetheless, the liquid does wear a beautiful burgundy color up beyond the shoulders of the bottle. An airtight wax top and high fill-level suggest that there’s been little oxidation here. As a result, a sip of this spirit is likely to be quite close to how it originally tasted nearly 80 years ago.

If you’re on the fence about purchasing, perhaps this will convince you to take the plunge: The lot comes with a diving helmet, bricks from the actual SS Politician. and an original movie poster for the 2016 Whisky Galore remake, which currently holds a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hopefully the whisky aged better than the film it helped inspire.

Brad Japhe
Brad Japhe is a freelance journalist specializing in food, beverage, and travel. He moonlights as a beer and spirits consultant, hosting monthly craft pairings/educational dinners in both Los Angeles and New York, and curating drink menus for festivals and restaurants. He prefers Scotch to bourbon, IPAs before lagers, and In-n-Out over Shake Shack. His favorite breed of dog is unequivocally the Siberian Husky and he suffers from an irrational, unrequited love for the New York Knicks. Troll him on Instagram: @Journeys_with_Japhe

The flavor doesn't change once it's bottled. :rolleyes:

GeneChing

08-14-2020, 09:11 AM

https://media.timeout.com/images/105678572/1372/772/image.jpg
Photograph: Courtesy InterContinental Grand Stanford

Intercontinental's Whisky Chocolate Mooncake is back for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival (https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/news/intercontinentals-whisky-chocolate-mooncake-is-back-for-this-years-mid-autumn-festival-080420)
Take advantage of the early bird special of up to 35 percent discount for orders made on or before August 31
By Time Out Hong Kong Posted: Tuesday August 4 2020, 8:26pm

This year, Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong has launched an array of premium mooncake collections from classic flavours to innovative whisky infused chocolate creation.

The hotel's coveted Whisky Chocolate Mooncake ($428/box of four) is back this year, and it's sure to satiate whisky buffs and foodies alike. The signature mooncake features four different types of single-origin chocolates from Ghana, Ecuador, Vietnam, and Grenada. Each of these carefully chosen chocolates contains varying levels of cocoa and distinct characters that, when blended with the specially aged Speyside whisky, produces a unique whisky tasting experience. The whisky used for the mooncakes is aged in sherry-seasoned mini barrels at Tiffany’s New York Bar for six weeks to develop a more in-depth profile to the dram.

https://media.timeout.com/images/105678573/image.jpg
Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong's premium mooncake collections

Aside from the chocolate mooncakes, the Mini Lava Custard mooncake ($318/box of six) created by Executive Chinese Chef Leung Fai Hung is also making its debut this year. The mooncake features a velvety and luscious custard filling using premium butter and salted egg yolks from Gao You in Yangzhou City.

Mini Lava Custard mooncake

For those who prefer traditional flavours, there is also the classic White Lotus Seed Purée Mooncake with Double Yolk ($388/box of four) made using silk white lotus seed purée with savoury salted egg yolks.

https://media.timeout.com/images/105678574/image.jpg
These festive delights come in an elegant traditional lantern design packaging that is perfect as a gift for loved ones or colleagues. Place your orders today via Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong online shop and take advantage of the early bird special of up to 35 percent discount for orders made on or before August 31. The mooncakes will be available for redemption from September 11 to October 1. Elaine Soh

I just realized we have two threads on the Moon Festival:
Happy-Autumn-Moon-!!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58432-Happy-Autumn-Moon-!!!) & Happy-mid-autumn-festival (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48173-Happy-mid-autumn-festival). Maybe I should merge?

Also, there's my fav thread: Let-s-talk-Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

09-08-2020, 08:54 AM

Wish I had thought of this...

Son sells 28 years of birthday whisky to buy first home (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-54040307)
Published 2 days ago

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/0F42/production/_114260930_mediaitem114260924.jpg
Matthew Robson was given a bottle of 18-year-old whisky every year for his birthday which is now worth £40,000
A man whose father gave him 18-year-old whisky every year for his birthday is selling the collection to buy a house.
Matthew Robson, from Taunton, was born in 1992 and over the course of his life his father Pete has spent about £5,000 on 28 bottles of Macallan single malt.

The collection is now worth more than £40,000 and has been put up for sale.
The 28-year-old said it "probably wasn't" the best gift for a young boy but with "strict instructions never to open them" they had become a nest egg.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/F42A/production/_114260526_mediaitem114260525.jpg
Pete Robson said the whisky "wasn't the only present" he gave his son Matthew for his birthday
Macallan whisky

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/11CCA/production/_114260927_mediaitem114260926.jpg
Matthew said he was under "strict instructions, never, never to open" his whisky birthday presents

"Each year I received it as a birthday present," Matthew said. "I thought it was quite a quirky little present as I was slightly too young to start drinking.
"But I was under strict instructions, never, never to open them and I tried my hardest and succeeded and they're all intact."
His father Pete, who is from Milnathort in Scotland, said the first bottle of 1974 whisky was bought to "wet the baby's head".
"I thought it would be interesting if I bought one every year and he'd end up with 18 bottles of 18-year-old whisky for his 18th birthday," he said.
"It wasn't the only present he got from us. It was just meant to be a unique present but it was a little bit of luck that we kept it going."

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/0DB2/production/_114260530_mediaitem114260529.jpg
Whisky broker, Mark Littler, said has been "a lot of interest already" in the collection

Since then, experts say Macallan has become collectable and Matthew is hoping to sell his collection for £40,000 and use the money for a house deposit.
It is being sold by whisky broker Mark Littler, who has described it as a "perfect set".
"The value of Macallan has risen massively over the last five to 10 years," he said. "To have such a vast collection of bottles is the real selling point of these."
He said there had been "a lot of interest already" in the collection, mostly from buyers in New York and Asia.

GeneChing

05-09-2021, 11:36 AM

...hold the phone. Quinoa whiskey?

Gwyneth Paltrow drank whiskey ‘every night’ during COVID-19 lockdown (https://pagesix.com/2021/05/09/gwyneth-paltrow-drank-whiskey-every-night-during-covid-lockdown/?utm_campaign=applenews&utm_medium=inline&utm_source=applenews)
By Jesse O’NeillMay 9, 2021 | 12:28am
https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/05/gwyneth-paltrow-covid-drinking.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024&h=682&crop=1
Gwyneth Paltrow went "totally off the rails" in quarantine.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The actress, who is well known for her wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, concocted a lot of quinoa whiskey cocktails to help her get through the lockdown, according to The Mirror.

“I was drinking seven nights a week and making pasta and eating bread. I went totally off the rails,” Paltrow, 48, said, according to the article.

“I mean, who drinks multiple drinks seven nights a week? Like that’s not healthy. I love whiskey and I make this fantastic drink called the Buster Paltrow, which I named after my grandfather who loved whiskey sours,” the actress reportedly continued.

“And it’s this great quinoa whiskey from this distillery in Tennessee with maple syrup and lemon juice. It’s just heaven. I would have two of those every night of quarantine.”

Paltrow said she did not get “like, black-out” drunk, but was hankering for cigarettes during her nightly imbibing.

“I miss it,” she said of her former smoking habit, according to the British tabloid.

threads
Gwyneth-amp-Goop (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69410-Gwyneth-amp-Goop)
covid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)
Let-s-talk-Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

05-14-2021, 04:02 PM

https://www.worldwhiskyday.com/

15 May 2021
A day of global whisky celebration
World Whisky Day brings people across the globe together to celebrate the water of life. This year is an extra special one for us: we’ll be raising a dram to mark the tenth anniversary of World Whisky Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkIQH2bPXac

I hope you have your refreshments ready.

GeneChing

08-05-2021, 03:56 PM

|Aug 4, 2021,04:35pm EDT|67,899 views
Missing $5,800 Bottle Of Japanese Whiskey Given To Trump Administration Has State Dept. On The Rocks (https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/04/missing-5800-bottle-of-japanese-whiskey-given-to-trump-administration-has-state-dept-on-the-rocks/?sh=6338c53323c4)
Joe Walsh
Forbes Staff
Business
I cover breaking news for Forbes.

TOPLINE The U.S. State Department is trying to track down an expensive bottle of whiskey the government of Japan gave to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo more than two years ago, the department revealed in a filing Wednesday.
https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F610af97b549460 80354ae481%2FCZECH-US-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-POMPEO%2F960x0.jpg%3FcropX1%3D0%26cropX2%3D3480%26 cropY1%3D38%26cropY2%3D1996
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan hold glasses of beer during a visit to a brewery ... [+] POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS
The State Department’s 2019 list of high-value gifts from foreign governments — released Wednesday — says the $5,800 whiskey bottle’s disposition is “unknown,” adding the department is “looking into the matter and has an ongoing inquiry.”

Pompeo is listed as the gift’s recipient, but it’s not clear whether he personally received it: He was in Saudi Arabia the day the gift was recorded as having been given to the United States, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news, but he traveled to Japan and met with the country’s foreign minister less than a week later.

Pompeo’s lawyer William Burck told Forbes the former secretary of state doesn’t recall receiving the bottle and isn’t sure of its whereabouts.

Forbes has reached out to the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment.

CRUCIAL QUOTE
“Mr. Pompeo has no recollection of receiving the bottle of whiskey and does not have any knowledge of what happened to it. He is also unaware of any inquiry into its whereabouts,” Burck told Forbes in a statement. “He has no idea what the disposition was of this bottle of whiskey.”

KEY BACKGROUND
Federal employees are not allowed to keep gifts from foreign governments as souvenirs or for their own personal use, unless their value is under $415. When foreign gifts exceed that threshold, staffers can accept them if their refusal “would likely cause offense or embarrassment or otherwise adversely affect the foreign relations of the United States,” but they’re considered the property of the federal government unless the State Department allows them to be sold, according to federal law.

SURPRISING FACT
The gift’s $5,800 value isn’t unusual for rare and high-end Japanese whiskey, which can retail for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. In 2019, the federal government received at least two other bottles of whiskey: An $8,374 bottle the Japanese government presented to former Trump aide Matthew Pottinger, and a $2,525 bottle and ballpoint pen whose sender wasn’t disclosed, a common practice for gifts received by intelligence agencies.

TANGENT
Pompeo has faced ethics-related questions in the past. As secretary of state, he and his wife asked a State Department staffer and longtime family friend to conduct more than 100 personal tasks, including walking their dog, making dinner reservations and sending out family Christmas cards, the department’s inspector general said in April. Pompeo denied that he or his wife had committed any ethics violations and called the report “slander,” “political” and “filled with factual errors.”

I can see walking their dog but stealing whiskey is wrong.

GeneChing

06-23-2022, 09:41 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBY_zKwyyMk

GeneChing

07-12-2022, 07:58 PM

A distillery is fighting invasive crabs by turning them into whiskey (https://www.npr.org/2022/07/11/1110541257/invasive-green-crabs-whiskey-new-hampshire)
July 11, 20225:00 AM ET
KAI MCNAMEE

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/07/08/green-crab-eac527c890494b5e98f5380fbc52e4ce9ddb4e80-s1600-c85.webp
A green crab caught off the coast of New Hampshire.
Jennifer Bakos
They're small. They're green. They're crustaceans.

And now, they're in whiskey.

Green crabs are the invasive pests that have plagued North America's marine ecosystems for more than 200 years. A New Hampshire distillery is taking on the problem by using them to make green crab-flavored whiskey. Green crabs are so abundant that it's going to take a lot more than whiskey to curb the population, but some hope bringing awareness to the issue will lead to creative solutions.

Tamworth Distilling's Crab Trapper whiskey gets some of its flavor from green crabs caught off the coast of New Hampshire. The crabs hitched a ride to the United States on ships coming from Europe around the 1800s. Here, they eat tons of shellfish and destroy estuaries and fish habitats.

Will Robinson, the product developer at Tamworth Distilling who had the idea for the project, said the crabs were cleaned and prepared just like any other crab you might order at a restaurant.

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/07/08/_33a8808_vert-13bbbaadb8f86d4e31ac42606189afa3ab9cd86f-s1600-c85.webp
A fisherman pours green crabs into a bucket.
Jennifer Bakos
"People are going to hear crab whiskey, and I'd venture to say three-quarters of them are going to go, 'No, absolutely not,'" he said. "But if you can get them to taste it, they totally change their tune for the most part."

First, they make a crab stock. Then, they distill it using a vacuum still — a glass machine that allows for precise temperature control.

"It looks like a crazy piece of laboratory equipment," Robinson said. "It preserves the flavor and aroma molecules that would get destroyed if we were to boil it."

The stock is mixed with spices – like mustard seed, coriander, and cinnamon – then combined with a bourbon base.

Robinson calls it a "thinking, sipping" drink. "It's meant for you to explore your own perception through your olfactory senses."

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/07/08/crab-trapper-67e01ad246ebe10b3e871389c681dc96bf1b9eb4-s1600-c85.webp
Tamworth Distilling's Crab Trapper Whiskey gets its flavor from invasive green crabs.
Jennifer Bakos
Each bottle of whiskey uses about a pound of green crabs, but one distillery alone isn't going to make much of a dent in the green crab population. That's because their numbers are out of control, says Dr. Gabriela Bradt, a marine biologist and fisheries specialist at the University of New Hampshire.

"They are probably one of the most successful invasive species that we have in North America, at least in the marine world," she said. "They can eat about 40 mussels a day, just one crab. And so you multiply that by a bazillion, and you have no more clams."

Climate change is making things worse. Warmer ocean temperatures offer more hospitable environments for the invasive crab to thrive.

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/07/08/bradt-5e5af8addb3b1de6f5cf35699c1cf209e52adf9e-s1600-c85.webp
A young volunteer (left) works with Dr. Gabriela Bradt (right) to collect data for The Great Green Crab Hunt, a citizen science monitoring project.
Tim Briggs/New Hampshire Sea Grant
Still, Bradt said creative projects like Crab Trapper can help address the problem by raising awareness. Her own research focuses on tracking where and when green crabs molt. The idea is that if you can catch them right after they molt, you can cook them like other soft shell crabs and get more people to eat them.

Right now, there's no commercial incentive for crabbers to harvest green crabs on a scale large enough to make an impact, she said. But she hopes new products that use the crab – like fishing bait, whiskey, fish sauce, and more – could change that.

Whiskey is just "the hook," Bradt said, to get people informed. "And the more people hear about it, then we get more and more people who might have a really great, innovative idea that we haven't touched upon."

200mL bottles for $65

GeneChing

01-01-2023, 07:00 PM

Thai Buddhist monk claims whiskey helps prevent COVID-19 after being busted for DUI (https://nextshark.com/drunk-monk-believes-whiskey-prevents-covid)
A Buddhist monk in Thailand claimed that rice whiskey with lemon prevents Covid-19 after police caught him driving a pickup truck while intoxicated.

Ryan General

July 22, 2022

https://nextshark.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdata.nextshark.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F07%2FDUImonk.jpg&w=1920&q=75

Phra Thanakorn, 63, is a Buddhist monk from Thailand’s Mueang Loej district who recently got caught driving intoxicated by local police.

The police officers said they received a report of a monk "causing mayhem" by driving around drunk and asking people for money in the market area.

When questioned by authorities, Thanakorn admitted to being drunk but said he drank rice whiskey mixed with lemon because he believes it helps prevent COVID-19.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “drinking alcohol does not protect you against COVID-19 and can be dangerous.”

Thanakorn is set to be kicked out of monkhood for breaking several monastic rules, such as leaving the temple grounds during the rain retreat, asking for money, getting intoxicated and drunk driving.

A Buddhist monk in Thailand claimed that rice whiskey with lemon prevents COVID-19 after police caught him driving a pickup truck while intoxicated.

According to local authorities, they received a report that a monk had been “causing mayhem” by driving around and asking people for money in the market area of Thailand’s Mueang Loej district on Wednesday.

At around 9:30 a.m., officers from the Loei Provincial Police Station found 63-year-old Buddhist monk Phra Thanakorn drunk while sitting inside a bronze-colored pickup truck parked outside the market. The vehicle had the name of a Buddhist temple emblazoned on its door.

Thanakorn, whose surname was withheld in local reports, was identified as a Buddhist monk from a local temple.

Upon questioning, Thanakorn admitted that he was drunk, saying that he did two shots of “40 Degrees” rice whiskey mixed with lemons before driving because he believed it helps prevent COVID-19.

On its website, the World Health Organization called such a belief a myth, warning the public that, “Drinking alcohol does not protect you against COVID-19 and can be dangerous. The harmful use of alcohol increases your risk of health problems.”

When the police asked him to exit the vehicle, the monk reportedly staggered and tried to talk but was “speaking nonsense.” He also did not have his ID card when the officers asked for it.

The police confirmed that he was indeed under the influence of alcohol after they breathalyzed him at the police station.

Thanakorn explained to the officers that he was observing the Buddhist retreat “Pansa” in the Na Din Dam subdistrict, which involves monks staying on temple grounds for three months.

The monk said that he and two other monks left the temple that morning to seek alms at the market. The other monks with him had already left, leaving Thanakorn to drive by himself as their usual driver had been in an accident.

Thanakorn’s stunt makes several offenses to monastic rules, including leaving the temple grounds during the rain retreat, asking for money, getting intoxicated and drunk driving.

Leoi’s Provincial Office of Buddhism will reportedly ask Thanakorn to leave monkhood for good due to his misdemeanors.

Featured Image via Thairath Online

Buddhists-behaving-badly (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68723-Buddhists-behaving-badly)
Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)
Let-s-talk-Whisky! (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)

GeneChing

01-01-2023, 07:05 PM

An extremely rare Japanese whisky once sold for $795,000 is now being offered again for $60,000 (https://nextshark.com/yamazaki-55-60k-price-tag)
Ryan General

September 14, 2021

https://nextshark.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdata.nextshark.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F09%2Fyamazaki-55.jpg&w=1920&q=75

Renowned Japanese whisky maker Suntory is gifting the world with its oldest release yet but at a much higher price than when it was initially released in Japan.

A taste of history: The Yamazaki 55, the oldest single malt Japanese whisky release in House of Suntory’s history, has a “deep amber color; robust aroma redolent of sandalwood and well-ripened fruit; sweet, slightly bitter and woody palate; and slightly bitter yet sweet and rich finish,” according to a press release.

In 2020, the company initially released just 100 bottles of the 55-year-old whisky, which were sold via a form of lottery for $27,000 (or 3 million yen), Forbes reported.
Later that year, a Yamazaki 55 bottle was purchased for around $795,000 at an auction.
According to the company, the release honors the legacy of “three generations of Master Blenders” as well as “the founding family of Japanese whisky.”
Components of the blend were “distilled in 1960 under the supervision of Suntory’s founder Shinjiro Torii and then aged in Mizunara casks; and in 1964 under Suntory’s Second Master Blender Keizo Saji and then aged in White Oak casks. Suntory’s Fifth-Generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo worked closely with Third-Generation Master Blender Shingo Torii.”
Fukuyo said that during the blending process of Yamazaki 55, he was inspired by “the passage of time and ‘Wabi-sabi’ – the Japanese belief that imperfections can help to ultimately contribute to perfection.”
He added that he considers the resulting expression to be more like a “Buddhist statue: calm and mysterious, requiring time to truly enjoy the inner beauty.”
Highly anticipated release: This month, limited quantities of Yamazaki 55 will be available in the U.S., the U.K., Mainland China and Taiwan with the same allocation and packaging, but at a more expensive price of $60,000.
Beam Suntory, the American subsidiary of the Japanese company, has pledged to donate $5,000 for every bottle in the 100-bottle international release to the White Oak Initiative. This organization works to ensure white oak forests’ long-term sustainability in the U.S.
The official tasting notes said the expression treats the palate to a “mixture of sweet and slightly bitter, followed by a woody note from the Mizunara cask.”
Yamazaki 55 reportedly has a “slightly bitter, a fragrance like scented wood and a hint of smokiness,” which amounts to a “sweet, rich, lingering finish.”
According to Robb Report, the initial sip from the whisky provides a “shock, soft and rich, almost rum-like in its sweetness, which transitions beautifully into Yamazaki’s characteristic tropical fruit notes. Then, a mildly bitter nuttiness with strong hints of smoked wood leading into a long, lingering finish, sweet and lightly smoky.”
Featured Image via The Whisky Wash
Way past my price point...

GeneChing

01-23-2023, 10:31 AM

Mini bottles of Fireball aren't actually whiskey, leading to a lawsuit (https://news.yahoo.com/mini-bottles-fireball-arent-actually-003745438.html)
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/we2X_8PF7OtiAIpTvUPBUA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTQ3MA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-01/d4145190-999d-11ed-bffe-f502e389972c
Marysville, United States - June 13, 2012: Studio shot of a bottle of Fireball brand cinnamon flavored whisky. Fireball is a whisky-based liqueur made by the Sazerac Company. It has gained popularity for tasting like an Atomic Fireball candy in a liquor form. (drial7m1 via Getty Images)
2.4k
Emily Heil
Fri, January 20, 2023, 4:37 PM PST·3 min read
People buying small bottles of Fireball at their local convenience store might be surprised to learn that they're not getting the same as the stuff that comes from the liquor store - and that difference is at the center of a lawsuit in which a customer is suing the maker of both beverages.

"Fireball Cinnamon Whisky," the spicy-hot booze sold in liquor stores, is the drink most people are probably more familiar with. But "Fireball Cinnamon," which is available at grocery stores, gas stations and other places that are not permitted to sell liquor, is something else. The drink, which debuted in 2020, is actually a malt beverage flavored to taste like whiskey; it's sold in small bottles that usually go for 99 cents.

A recent lawsuit filed against Sazerac, which makes both, claims that the convenience-store version is misleading, because the packaging is almost identical to its boozy older sibling, and one would have to read the very fine print on the bottle to know that it wasn't just a smaller version of the popular liquor. "The label misleads consumers into believing it is or contains distilled spirits," according to a class-action lawsuit brought by Anna Marquez, an Illinois woman who claims she purchased the small bottles assuming they contained whiskey.

Malt beverages are made by fermentation and are often categorized with beer and wine (popular examples include Colt 45 and hard seltzers). Distilled spirits, like whiskey, are typically more tightly regulated.

The lawsuit takes issue with the way the malt-beverage version's label describes its ingredients: "Malt Beverage With Natural Whisky & Other Flavors and Carmel Color." The lawsuit calls this a "clever turn of phrase" meant to trick consumers into thinking the drink contains whiskey and not just a whiskey flavoring. Shoppers "will think the Product is a malt beverage with added (1) natural whisky and (2) other flavors," the filing says.

The filing cited local news stories about the appearance of what seemed to be mini Fireball whiskey bottles in settings where liquor isn't usually sold, underscoring its claim of a common misconception. "You can't buy wine, or any other hard liquor at any stores like this, so why is Fireball OK?" one Hudson Valley radio personality wrote. "Yes it's convenient for Fireball drinkers, but what about vodka drinkers, or bourbon fans, I want to see a Tito's display right next to the Fireball . . . LOL!"

The lawsuit, which claims the company violated state consumer-fraud statutes, is seeking to cover anyone in Illinois, North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Arizona, South Carolina or Utah who purchased Fireball Cinnamon. It seeks unspecified statutory and punitive damages, although the filing states that the amount would likely be over $5 million.

The lawyer representing Marquez and others in her class is Spencer Sheehan, a plaintiff's attorney famous for filing hundreds of class-action lawsuits against food companies. Sheehan is sometimes called the "Vanilla Vigilate" for his litigation over products that contain artificial vanilla and not the real thing. His other cases have included one against Frito-Lay for not using enough real lime juice in its "Hint of Lime" Tostitos and another alleging that Kellogg's strawberry Pop-Tarts contain just as much apple and pear as they do the titular fruit.

A representative for Sazerac, the maker of Fireball, said the company would not comment on ongoing litigation. I knew it. Fireball is wrong on so many levels

GeneChing

03-22-2023, 08:18 AM

The Supreme Court ponders a surprisingly difficult case about poop jokes (https://www.vox.com/politics/23650136/supreme-court-poop-jokes-jack-daniels-vip-dog-toy-trademark-lanham-act)
A case about a silly, poop-themed dog toy is also a case about free speech and judicial humility.

By Ian Millhiser Mar 22, 2023, 8:00am EDT
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I2vNRrVWg-s3IsrEk2zdvYMwZx0=/0x0:5184x3456/1820x1213/filters:focal(2178x1314:3006x2142):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72101526/907114442.0.jpg
Chocolate banana poo emoji macaroons. Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Ian Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States. He received a JD from Duke University and is the author of two books on the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court will take a break on Wednesday from the unusually political mix of cases it decided to hear during its current term, to consider a case about poop jokes.

Jack Daniel’s v. VIP Products asks whether VIP Products, the nation’s second-largest maker of dog toys, infringed upon the whiskey maker’s trademarked bottle shape and label when it sold dog toys that resemble a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. The dog toy, named “Bad Spaniels,” juxtaposes imagery drawn from the whiskey maker’s trademarks with a gag about a dog dropping “the old No. 2 on your Tennessee carpet.”

Jack Daniel’s seeks a court order prohibiting VIP from continuing to sell this toy.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3AEZFTNMwhoYIr7lrBqs25LRTJA=/0x0:401x404/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:401x404):format(webp):no_upscale ()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24525939/temp.png
Petitioner’s brief in Jack Daniel’s v. VIP Products
Jack Daniel’s is, on the surface, a very silly case, which prompted some very silly attempts by the whiskey maker’s lawyers to explain why their client is so offended by this dog toy. Sample quote from their brief: “Jack Daniel’s loves dogs and appreciates a good joke as much as anyone. But Jack Daniel’s likes its customers even more, and doesn’t want them confused or associating its fine whiskey with dog poop.”

Lurking below the surface, however, are very serious questions about the First Amendment. And about how far courts should go in second-guessing Congress’s decisions about how to balance the needs of the marketplace with the demands of free speech. VIP has strong legal arguments that it should prevail in this case, but Jack Daniel’s also raises strong claims that the lower courts did too much to undermine federal trademark law.

Trademark law — that is, the body of law giving companies an exclusive right to use the imagery associated with their brand to market their products — necessarily limits free speech. Only McDonald’s, for example, may use its trademarked golden arches to sell hamburgers, and only Nike may use its trademarked swoosh simply to sell shoes — which creates a risk that companies may sometimes go overboard in filing lawsuits seeking to protect their trademarks.

And yet, we give companies like McDonald’s or Nike a monopoly over such commercial uses of their trademarks because the marketplace would function less reliably if consumers cannot readily identify which products are genuine Big Macs or Air Jordans, and which ones are knockoffs.

Additionally, the Court explained in Park ’N Fly v. Dollar Park and Fly (1985) that “trademarks foster competition and the maintenance of quality by securing to the producer the benefits of good reputation.” Because Pepsi, and only Pepsi, can use its distinctive labeling to market its products, Pepsi has a clear incentive to ensure that any beverage that uses that labeling will be high quality — because, if the quality suffers, consumers will know not to buy anything that uses Pepsi’s trademarked red, white, and blue label.

The specific legal questions that arise out of the Jack Daniel’s case are difficult, in part because federal trademark law sometimes permits companies to sell products that parody a famous trademark. But the federal appeals court that heard this case largely bypassed the hard questions that arise under federal statutes, and instead held that the First Amendment places strict limits on a company’s ability to protect its own trademarks.

Federal trademark law, however, already strikes a careful balance between the demands of the First Amendment and the benefits all of society gains from allowing companies to clearly and consistently brand their products. And it is far from clear why the appeals court should be allowed to upset that balance.

continued next post

GeneChing

03-22-2023, 08:19 AM

The Lanham Act, briefly explained

Jack Daniel’s argues that the Bad Spaniels dog toy violates the Lanham Act, the primary federal law governing trademarks, in two ways. The dog toy allegedly “infringed” Jack Daniel’s trademarks by using imagery that consumers would associate with the whiskey maker and not with pet products. And it allegedly “diluted” Jack Daniel’s trademarks by “associating them with dog poop” and other imagery that the whiskey maker does not want consumers to think about when they see a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

A trademark owner will prevail in an infringement claim if they can show that some other party used their trademarked imagery in a way that “is likely to cause confusion” about whether a particular product is being sold by the trademark owner. Imagine, for example, a soda manufacturer that sells “Popsi” cola, and that markets it in red, white, and blue cans similar to Pepsi’s branding. Pepsi would almost certainly prevail in a trademark infringement suit against the makers of Popsi because consumers could very easily mistake this newcomer cola for the more venerable brand.

Similarly, the classic Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America features a straightforward case of trademark infringement.

Dilution suits, by contrast, allow the owners of a “famous” trademark to prevent its imagery from being used in ways that might cause “tarnishment” of their brand. This is the core of Jack Daniel’s complaint that it does not want consumers “associating its fine whiskey with dog poop.”

These twin protections against infringement and dilution exist to protect the benefits trademarks provide to all consumers. If a trademark can be too easily infringed, then consumers may have no way of knowing which products are actually made by Jack Daniel’s (or any other company), and which ones are potentially inferior knockoffs. And, if trademarks can be too easily diluted, then companies may lose their incentive to ensure that their branding is only associated with high-quality products.

After all, why go to the trouble and expense of making a tasty and consistent product if consumers are just going to associate your product with dog poop?

Yet, while the Lanham Act provides robust protections for trademark owners, it also recognizes that there will be some instances where the First Amendment should trump a company’s desire to control its branding and keep it free of negative associations. A leftist political organization, for example, may want to incorporate several famous corporate logos into a pamphlet criticizing capitalism. Or a journalist may want to use an image of McDonald’s golden arches in a hypothetical newspaper article that reveals embarrassing information about McDonald’s labor practices.

This kind of political speech is at the heart of the First Amendment, and has historically been given the highest level of constitutional protection.

Accordingly, the Lanham Act contains several provisions ensuring that companies cannot wield their trademarks as weapons to cut down essential speech. The law, for example, explicitly forbids companies from bringing dilution suits against “all forms of news reporting and news commentary” and against “any noncommercial” use of a trademark — thus protecting journalists and anti-corporate activists. In some cases, the Lanham Act also protects speech “parodying” a company or its products from dilution suits.

Similarly, courts have long understood that parodies of famous trademarks enjoy some protection against infringement suits because most consumers are smart enough to tell the difference between an authentic product and a joke seeking to mock or ridicule that product. As one consumer said in Louis Vuitton Malletier SA v. Haute Diggity Dog (2006), a lower court case that is strikingly similar to Jack Daniel’s and which involved dog toys made to look like handbags, “if I really thought that a $10 dog toy made out of fluff and stuff was an actual Louis Vuitton product, [then] I would be stupid.”

The makers of Bad Spaniels, in other words, have strong legal arguments that they did not violate the Lanham Act. The dog toy is clearly a parody. And is anyone really going to confuse a poop-themed dog toy with an actual bottle of whiskey?

That said, Jack Daniel’s does have a stronger trademark dilution claim than Louis Vuitton did in its case, which involved dog toys marked with the words “Chewy Vuiton” and which didn’t associate Louis Vuitton’s brand with feces.

Unfortunately, however, the lower court that decided the Jack Daniel’s case bypassed these legal arguments, instead ruling that the First Amendment provides such extraordinary protections to companies like VIP Products that trademark law could cease to function effectively.

The lower court made it “nearly impossible” for trademark owners to enforce their trademarks

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which heard the Jack Daniel’s case before it reached the Supreme Court, applied an unusually expansive reading of the First Amendment. Under the Ninth Circuit’s decision, when a work that infringes upon a trademark engages in “artistic expression,” then a trademark owner’s attempt to enforce the Lanham Act will nearly always fail.

As one federal judge explained, this approach is so protective of the free speech rights of trademark infringers that “it appears nearly impossible for any trademark holder to prevail.”

One reason why is, as Jack Daniel’s argues in its brief, “all trademark uses are expressive, by owners and infringers alike.” The whole point of a trademark is to associate a particular product with the company’s efforts to market that product, and with whatever reputation that product has earned in the marketplace. Similarly, the whole point of infringing a trademark is to try to falsely convey to consumers that the infringing product is just like the properly trademarked product.

In any event, Congress struck a perfectly sensible balance between the advantages society as a whole gains from protecting trademarks and the demands of free speech when it wrote the Lanham Act. As explained above, the law protects the very sort of political and other noncommercial speech that enjoys special protection under the First Amendment.

There’s also one other reason to prefer the balance struck in the Lanham Act to the one struck by the Ninth Circuit. The Lanham Act was enacted by the people’s representatives in Congress assembled. The Ninth Circuit’s decision, by contrast, is the product of a few lawyers in black robes.

Again, under the legal rules laid out in the Lanham Act, VIP Products has strong arguments that it sells innocent, obvious parodies that do not violate federal trademark law. They can potentially win this case without having to upend decades of law establishing that free speech and trademarks can coexist. The Ninth Circuit’s rule, by contrast, could eviscerate the very real benefits that society derives from trademark law.

As the Supreme Court said nearly 150 years ago, “the right to adopt and use a symbol or a device to distinguish the goods or property made or sold by the person whose mark it is, to the exclusion of use by all other persons, has been long recognized by the common law and the chancery courts of England and of this country.” The United States has a long history of protecting both trademark rights and free speech. It’s unlikely that a bunch of unelected judges will come up with a better way of protecting both of these important interests than the Lanham Act. This is too funny...

GeneChing

09-27-2023, 07:46 AM

https://vimeo.com/867167432

GeneChing

10-02-2023, 09:37 AM

Taiwanese Whisky Maker, Kavalan, Is Making Waves in the U.S. (https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/kavalan-distillers-select)
Kavalan's Distillery Select expression was crafted at the behest of American bartenders.

By Meredith Heil
Meredith Heil is a seasoned journalist covering food, drinks, travel, and culture. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Departures, and others. She is currently the editorial director of Thrillist Travel.

Updated on September 25, 2023

Japan is not the sole world-class whisky producer in Asia; Taiwan is steadily establishing itself as a nation with remarkable expertise in production and distillation techniques.

Since 2006, Yilan County whisky giant Kavalan has been chugging away at securing Taiwan a spot on the international spirits map. To date, the company’s increasingly crowded trophy shelf showcases a bevy of prestigious awards, including platinums and golds from the International Review of Spirits and multiple “World’s Best” titles at World Whiskies Awards, among others. If you know anything about Taiwanese geography, these accolades come as no surprise. Yilan’s surplus of fresh, clean, ice cold spring water makes it comparable to Scotland’s famed Speyside region, and the weather, a reliable mix of Kentucky-style heat and humidity in the summers and UK-style damp cold in the winters, causes the whisky to mature quickly, efficiently, and consistently. It’s the best of both boozy worlds.

Before the 2018 release of Distillery Select — the company’s first moderately priced and cocktail-friendly creation — Kavalan intentionally kept their line way up on the tippy top shelf, focusing on perfecting their art rather than flooding the market.

https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/sfdHWLDUbQcZ-U-Uj5i-_Jq5z8E=/750x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/kavalan-distillers-select-bottle-FT-BLOG1018-09f69b869f874557b38e809f0bcdc5d5.jpg
COURTESY OF HOTALING & CO.
“Since we launched in the U.S., we’ve had many suggestions and comments from the U.S. consumers, mostly mixologists and bartenders, saying that they would like to create cocktails with Kavalan,” Master Blender Ian Chang explained during a 2018 media presentation at the distillery. “But the thing is, even with the Classic or with the Concertmaster, which are the two, I would say, most entry-level single malts from Kavalan, they find that the cost is still too high. They wanted something affordable but also suitable for high-quality cocktails.”

Specifically formulated for the U.S. market, Distillery Select was designed to fit those needs. A good cocktail spirit demands versatility, and in order to ensure the final product was as mutable as it was tasty, Kavalan departed from the barrel-focused aging process that made it famous. Instead of letting their booze sit in casks well-saturated with the port, sherry, bourbon, or rum that originally filled their wooden bellies, a practice common among European-style distilleries not bound to Bourbon’s one-and-done barrel rule, Distillery Select only saw the insides of second- or third-use barrels resulting in a smoother, more delicate, and unadulterated taste.

“With Kavalan Distillery Select, what we try to showcase is the most fundamental qualities of Kavalan — the fruitiness, a bit floral, with this very nice honey type of character — without too much influence from the previous fill and without too much influence from the cask itself,” Chang noted. “Inside, you can nose a very nice green apple, mango, cherry, and also pineapple. And on top of that, you have honey and vanilla, without too much influence from the wood. The woodiness, I think, is just the right amount. It’s lighter and more fragrant. Our domestic bartenders, they find this one very good for mixing with cocktails. It has become an instant hit.”

How to Store High-End Whisky
That’s not all to say Distillery Select is mixed drinks or bust. “But if you don't like cocktails, this one is also perfect to be enjoyed neat or with water,” he continued. “I find this one really easy drinking, very, you know, smooth and mellow, that's all. At 43% alcohol, even a beginner will find this fairly easy to appreciate.”

Another thing that’s easy to appreciate? The price tag. “Our cheapest [release] in the U.S. used to be, I think, $89.99, and then the next one is $99.99. But this is $59.99,” explained Chang. “In terms of price, I think this is going to be very competitive. Personally, I describe it as our Model Three. Our Tesla ... you know, but not recalled.”

“Before, Kavalan was all about quality but not quantity,” the blender added. “I think for the future, we can have both quality and also quantity.”

Buckle up, Louisville, and hang onto your kilt, Islay. Taiwan has officially entered the ring.
Haven't tried this yet. Anyone?

GeneChing

10-23-2023, 09:42 AM

https://oldoakirishwhiskey.com/cdn/shop/files/jc-header.jpg?v=1696919926&width=1500
OLD OAK IRISH WHISKEY (https://oldoakirishwhiskey.com)

OUR PARTNER

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME
We are proud to announce Jean-Claude Van Damme as founder and partner of Old Oak. As a legendary martial artist and actor, Jean-Claude embodies the strength, character, and precision that are synonymous with Old Oak.

His passion for perfection and attention to detail make him the perfect representative of our brand. Join us in raising a glass to Jean-Claude Van Damme and the legacy of Old Oak Whiskey.

"I am very proud and honoured to be founder and partner of Old Oak Whiskey"
Motion Picture Artist Jean-Claude Van Damme

https://oldoakirishwhiskey.com/cdn/shop/files/jcvd3_c6c98b1c-ab2a-4503-8fca-1de455117577.jpg?v=1697577386&width=700

****. I gotta try this.

Let-s-talk-Whisky! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59392-Let-s-talk-Whisky!)
Van-Damme!!! (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44123-Van-Damme!!!)

GeneChing

10-28-2023, 02:17 PM

The World’s Most Valuable Whiskey Collection—According To Guinness World Records (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brittanyanas/2023/10/26/the-worlds-most-valuable-whiskey-collection-according-to-guinness-world-records/?sh=3f24ecae46d8)
Brittany Anas
Contributor
I cover travel, specializing in adventure and the great outdoors.

Oct 26, 2023,01:15am EDT
https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/6539f43ebbd989b9950d6e29/Whiskey-museum-in-Singapore/960x0.jpg?format=jpg&width=1440
The entrance to The Grand Whisky Museum in Singapore.THE GRANDE WHISKY MUSEUM

If you’re a whiskey lover, destinations like Scotland, Japan, and Kentucky are all probably high on your list of places to imbibe in between distillery tours. But you might want to add Singapore to the short list of great whiskey destinations. That’s because The Grande Whisky Museum in Suntec City, Singapore is the keeper of not just the world’s most valuable bottle of whiskey, but it also boasts the most valuable whiskey collection, according to the Guinness World Records.

The Guinness-adjudicated whiskey that was awarded the “most valuable” title is a bottle of Laphroaig 40-year old from 1960 that’s signed by Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, now King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The bottle was signed during the royal couple’s visit to the distillery on the Isle of Islay in June 2008. The Laphroaig is valued at $2.56 million U.S. dollars, according to the Guinness World Records.

As for the museum’s complete collection, which includes more than 7,000 rare and vintage whiskies? Its value registers at $91.12 million US dollars, according to Guiness.

A Guinness World Record adjudicator verified the museum’s collection a year ago, but the certificates were awarded to The Grande Whisky Museum (TGWM) during a ceremony on Oct. 25, 2023.

Singapore is a cutting-edge city known for its futuristic architecture, superb gardens and museums, plus rich culture. Now, tourism officials are hoping that the Southeast Asia island will be a destination for whisky enthusiasts who come to sip a dram in its high-end bars and visit the museum.

The 8,000 square-foot museum has sourced whiskies from distilleries around the world, including some that have shut down. Museum officials claim to own one of the world’s largest private whisky collections that’s also available to the public to see and sip. The collection is shrouded in some mystery, though, with bottles stashed behind steel vault doors and a strict “no photos” policy.

https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/6539f474c14472cfe11852ad/Whisky-bar-and-tasting/960x0.jpg?format=jpg&width=1440
Tasting room at the Saint-Louis House at The Grand Whisky Museum in Singapore.THE GRAND WHISKY MUSEUM
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Museum ambassadors lead multiple tours a day, diving into whisky traditions from around the world, highlighting Scotland’s famed distilleries and the history of whisky production in Japan. Afterwards, visitors can enjoy a “Whisky Tasting Experience.”

TGWM features a luxury Saint-Louis House lounge for VIP members and a lounge for the general public. The venue also overlooks the Suntec City Fountain of Wealth, a large bronze fountain that puts on synchronized music and light shows and that received its own Guinness record back in 1998 when it was deemed the world’s largest fountain. (The Palm Fountain in Dubai now holds the Guiness record).

https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/6539f50a604e9afd1ac1c8f0/Fountain-of-Wealth-in-Singapore-Suntec-City--Largest-Fountain-in-the-World/960x0.jpg?format=jpg&width=1440
The Fountain of Wealth illuminates at night in Suntec City, Singapore. Built in 1995, it was once ... [+]GETTY
The Grande Whisky Museum has been a serious and renowned collector of rare and vintage whiskies for more than two decades, says Manjit Gill, group managing director of The Whisky Trust Group, which owns the museum.

“It is proud to showcase its collection to the world and has developed a global reputation as a genuine rare whisky collector,” Gill said in a press statement announcing the Guiness distinction.

Distilleries bottle special casks and editions for the museum, so visitors can see bottles that they’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, he says.

Art lovers, too, can appreciate the whiskey collection, which includes hand-blown glass bottles, hand-painted porcelain sets, and designer crystal bottles. Some of the whiskey bottles are signed by Master Blenders or even royalty.

Guinness has awarded several records in the world of whiskey, including a determination of the oldest whiskey, which, the record agency says, is a bottle of Baker’s Pure Rye Whiskey distilled in 1847.

Brittany Anas

I was struck with wanderlust at an early age. As a curious kid, I’d go to the library and flip through the atlas and encyclopedias, imagining I was traveling to far-off places. My grandma bought my fictional travel stories for $1 apiece. After graduating from the University of Colorado and working as the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, I spent more than a decade in daily newspapers, reporting and writing. I also did a brief stint as a federal background investigator before becoming a full-time travel and lifestyle writer. I’ve been a contributor to publications like Men’s Journal, American Way, Apartment Therapy, Simplemost, Better, TripSavvy, Livability, AAA publications, Reader’s Digest, The Denver Post, Yoga Journal, 5280, and more. I’m based in Denver, Colo., and I enjoy writing about adventure travel and the great outdoors. I also love finding quirky travel stories, and I am always on the hunt for a great spicy margarita.
Next time I'm in Singapore...

GeneChing

04-02-2024, 09:00 PM

The Macallan Horizon: The S$67,400 whisky made by Macallan and housed by Bentley (https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/macallan-horizon-whisky-bentley-244111)
As the most complex and visionary whisky project undertaken by the 200-year-old whisky house, the limited edition The Macallan Horizon is a work of art thoughtfully crafted to capture Bentley’s world of luxury.

https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--1ihE42-P--/c_crop,h_1125,w_1500,x_0,y_1/c_fill,g_auto,h_622,w_830/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/04/01/hero_the_macallan_horizon_1_whisky_bentley.jpg?ito k=v408cl0P
The Macallan Horizon's sculptural design – to be displayed horizontally – challenges the conventions of a traditional whisky bottle. (Photo: The Macallan)

3 min

by JAMIE NONIS
03 Apr 2024 04:47AM (Updated: 03 Apr 2024 05:01AM)

As rare as the privilege of owning a Bentley comes The Macallan Horizon, an exceptional story of time-honoured craftsmanship between two hallowed houses; one over a century in age as the other celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.

Priced at S$67,400 a bottle, the limited-edition release is housed in a vessel designed and crafted in collaboration with Bentley.

The sculpture, conceived to be displayed horizontally, challenges the conventions of traditional whisky bottling with its unique presentation featuring a 180-degree twist design detail precisely engineered to unleash the spirit.

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Part of the sculpture’s frame is made from recycled copper from The Macallan’s distillery, and finished with Bentley’s Crown Cut Walnut veneer, a specification developed for its cars. (Photo: The Macallan)

Influences from Bentley’s automotive world abound in this work of art crafted with oak wood from one of the six casks used in the maturation of the single malt whisky and inspired by the aesthetics of the Bentley Drive Dynamic Control rotary dial. There is also the aluminium ribbon that envelops the bespoke glass receptacle, in homage to this key material used in the sculptural foundation and bodywork of a Bentley.

Meanwhile, the vessel itself is lined with the finest low carbon leather in a chestnut colourway to finish and protect the whisky.

Part of the sculpture’s frame is made from recycled copper from the copper stills of The Macallan’s distillery, with the objet d’art finished with Bentley’s Crown Cut Walnut veneer, a specification meticulously developed for its cars.

“The Macallan Horizon is the most complex and visionary whisky project that The Macallan has embarked upon, and has required a profound and ongoing exchange of expertise with the team at Bentley Motors. Our collaboration with Bentley and the knowledge exchange we have undertaken has inspired us to see things very differently. In the spirits world, everything is vertical, such as our stills and our bottles. When we looked at the horizontal plane that Bentley’s grand tourers occupy, it made us consider if and how we could adapt this format for whisky, which ultimately requires to be poured and enjoyed,” said Jaume Ferras, creative director of The Macallan.

“The beautiful design we have created together for The Macallan Horizon and the unique materials that have been incorporated are testament to the incomparable craftsmanship, innovation and creativity for which The Macallan and Bentley are renowned,” he added.

https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--toNlD4tN--/c_crop,h_843,w_1125,x_1,y_560/c_fill,g_auto,h_523,w_693/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/04/01/the_macallan_horizon_-_9_whisky_bentley.jpg?itok=shSHgerL
The Macallan Horizon. (Photo: The Macallan)
To create this rare whisky, The Macallan Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell had selected six first-fill sherry seasoned oak casks from the stocks maturing in the warehouses at The Macallan Estate, which were then meticulously crafted and blended to capture the essence of Bentley.

The result is rich flavour notes of dried fruit and spice, balanced with oak and leather – aromas abundant in Bentley’s world. The whisky’s rich and long finish also mirrors the car’s timeless quality and design, evoking the senses through both taste and texture.

“We’ve spent years working with The Macallan through our partnership, taking time to craft this incredible first joint product that represents the best of both brands. Centred on innovative materials throughout that reflect our focus on the future, the end result – both the whisky and the vessel that contains it – are stunning, and represent a new benchmark for design, materials and quality in this space,” said Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of Bentley.

Wow. Just wow. :eek: