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…
Ardbeg
The Islay distillery of Ardbeg has announced a new series of whiskies and the inaugural bottling in that series. The Ardbeg 13 Years Old ‘The Harpy’s Tale’ kicks off the Anthology Collection, which will explore experimental and rare cask types.
It is curated by Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation for Ardbeg, and this edition is inspired by the harpy. This is a mythical winged creature said to inhabit the seashores of Islay. The whisky has been matured for 13 years in ex-bourbon and ex-Sauternes dessert wine casks, which are a first for Ardbeg.
The Ardbeg 13 Years Old ‘The Harpy’s Tale’ is on sale now via www.ardbeg.com plus at Ardbeg Embassies and specialist whisky retailers worldwide. It is bottled at 46% ABV and will cost £140 per bottle.
“We have embarked on a bold maturation experiment to fuse Ardbeg’s signature smokiness with more nuanced, sweeter notes for our new release The Harpy’s Tale. This is a dram that represents a battle between sweet and smoke.”
Dr. Bill Lumsden.
Deanston
The Highland distillery of Deanston has launched a new experimental whisky that is inspired by the Highlands of Scotland and Mexico. The Deanston 15 years old Tequila Cask Finish has been initially matured in ex-bourbon hogsheads for 13 years before being transferred to ex-Tequila casks sourced from the Jalisco region of Mexico for a two year finishing period.
The whisky is bottled at the natural cask strength of 52.5% ABV and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. It is available now in specialist whisky retailers worldwide and will cost £95 per bottle.
“Deanston is a highly versatile spirit that can be complimented by a myriad of eclectic casks. I love exploring how our whisky works with different flavour profiles and discovered its citrusy, waxy character intricately pairs with the fruity, floral Tequilas from the Jaliscan Highlands region.”
Julieann Fernandez / Master Blender at Deanston.
Sliabh Liag
Sliabh Liag Distillers have released their inaugural whiskey bottling, and the first legally distilled whiskey from Donegal since the 1840s. The Sliabh Liag – The Kilcar Release is an Irish single malt that reintroduces the distinctive smoky style of Donegal whisky to the marketplace.
The whiskey has been made using local barley, which was dried using Irish peat. It was then double distilled at the company’s Ardara distillery in and matured in a single first-fill American white oak ex-bourbon cask.
There are just 100 decanters available and these will be sold via a ballot – contact [email protected] to enter. Each decanter is accompanied by a special glass (pictured, above left) and a 2cl sample of the whiskey. A bottle will cost €300.
