This recently released, highly looked after bottling of Springbank distillery will be available at the THISTLE WHISKY CAFE on Sunday 2nd December 2018.
One more reason to drop by.
Springbank Local Barley
Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish – 3th week of Islay Month
Sauternes Cask Finish, a limited edition release of just 30 casks.
The Sauternes Cask Finish follows a range of wine cask releases we’ve bottled over the previous five years. This latest offering differs in that it was initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred into fresh Sauternes hogsheads for five months prior to bottling. This finishing period allows the caramel and vanilla influence of bourbon barrels to be accentuated by the buttery sweetness of the desert wine casks. Meanwhile the classic peat smoke and citrus character of the Kilchoman spirit brings a distinct depth and punch to the whisky, emphasised at the increased strength of 50%.
We have previously favoured full-term maturation for our wine cask releases, bottling fully matured Port, Madeira, Red Wine and Sauternes editions every other year since 2013. The Sauternes Cask Finish approach has arguably provided a more balanced character, combining both the maritime peat smoke and tropical fruit typical of Kilchoman with the softer buttery floral notes characteristic of the Sauternes casks.
As with all recent limited editions, a neck tag details the number of bottles (10,000), casks, ages and cask types used in the vatting; in this case, the Sauternes Cask Finish is a combination of thirty 2012 bourbon barrels married in Sauternes wine casks for five months before bottling.
Anthony Wills Kilchoman Founder and MD, “The full-term wine cask maturations that we’ve released in the past have been hugely successful, but we wanted to show a more measured approach this time around. The five month Sauternes finish has allowed a more subtle sweetness and buttery character to be imparted into the spirit while maintaining the fresh fruit, citrus and vanilla notes so typical in Kilchoman releases.”
Last Thistle Whisky Cafe of 2018
What better time to organize a whisky cafe?
With all the holidays in sight it is the perfect opportunity to get out of the house and do some gift shopping for friends, family and why not yourself.
After being recovered of a fun, tiring weekend full of nice discoveries at Spirits in the Sky, in Brussels, I feel the urge to share these newly discovered delights with you.
During the cafe all purchases of stock bottles will get a 10% discount!
Islay Month – week 2
Laphroaig Distillery is beautifully situated in the south of Islay and is one of the three “Kildalton Distilleries”. The Gaelic name means “the beautiful hollow by the broad bay”.
In 1994 the Friends of Laphroaig Club was established, members of which are granted a lifetime lease of one square foot (<0.1 m²) of land on the island of Islay. The annual rent is a dram of Laphroaig which can be obtained upon visiting the distillery where you can also visit your plot of land. In spring 2013 there were already more than 600,000 friends of Laphroaig worldwide.
The 2014 Cairdeas release (“Cairdeas”, pronounced ‘car-chase’, means ‘friendship’ in Gaelic) was matured in bourbon barrels and Amontillado hogsheads.
Created by Laphroaig Master Distiller John Campbell, it’s bottled at 51.4% abv.
ISLAY month – 1st week
The Scottish Isle of Islay is part of the southern Hebrides and is inhabited by about 3,228 people. The Isle of Islay is also called Queen of the Hebrides. With 8 working whisky distilleries, the stunning scenery, amazing wildlife and all the friendly people, Islay is a five star holiday destination.
This month we like to focus on some of the whisky coming from this renowned island.
Our first bottle is a 28 year old Bunnahabhain, independently bottled as part of the Cask Strength Collection by Signatory.
This distillery is often overlooked for some reason, but so far I’ve never had a bad Bunnahabhain. Maybe it is because they often make unpeated whsky, which is rather an exception for distilleries from this island?
This full-bodied Islay single malt was distilled in October 1989 and left to age in a single hogshead cask until March 2018, when it was bottled with an outturn of just 215 bottles.
48,4% vol.alc.
70 cl.
