Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. Inbox features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Here is this week’s whisky news…
Benromach
The Speyside distillery of Benromach has announced the latest addition to its experimental Contrasts series – the Benromach 10 years old Virgin Oak. The series presents Benromach’s gently peated single malts with a twist.
This edition has been matured in barrels made from fresh American oak and used for the first time. It is a limited edition and released at 46% ABV – it is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The Benromach 10 years old Virgin Oak is available via selected specialist retailers globally and www.benromach.com. A bottle will cost £60.
“Having matured for a decade in Virgin American Oak casks, the result is a liquid packed with fruity aromas from the offset, followed by zesty citrus and sweet butterscotch flavours. It’s a cracking dram and perfect for whisky enthusiasts looking to explore something a bit different.”
Keith Cruickshank | Distillery Manager at Benromach.
Echlinville
The Northern Irish distillery of Echlinville has announced the release of the first ever whiskeys produced at their distillery. The Echlinville – The Beginning features two whiskeys, one single malt and one single pot still, and these have been double distilled and produced using barley grown, harvested and malted at the distillery’s farm in Co. Down. It is a true field-to-bottle whiskey and Ireland’s first single estate distillery.
Both whiskeys are bottled at seven years of age and at 50% ABV. There are just 750 sets. The single malt has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, while the single pot still has seen full maturation in ex-bourbon barrels. The bottles are presented in a wooden casket and are available from selected specialist retailers in Ireland and the UK, plus from the Echlinville distillery on the Ards Peninsula, Co. Down. A set of Echlinville – The Beginning cost £350/ €395 but is now sold out.
Ardbeg
The Islay distillery of Ardbeg have released one of their oldest and rarest single malts to date – Ardbeg The Abyss. The spirit was distilled and filled to ex-bourbon casks in 1989 – a time when Ardbeg was undergoing financial struggles and sporadic production as a result. The whisky was transferred to heavily charred French oak barrels in the mid-2000s and have remained there ever since.
Ardbeg The Abyss consists of just 400 bottles and is released at its natural cask strength of 48% ABV. The whisky has been nurtured and selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg. It will be available via Ardbeg Embassy retailers and Moët Hennessy Private Client channels, plus via www.ardbeg.com and the distillery visitor centre on Islay. Each bottle will cost £21,250/ €25,000.
