Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round-up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way into 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 …
Bladnoch
The Lowland distillery of Bladnoch has revealed the second bottling in its recently-released Wave Series. This is a five-part limited-edition series that reveals the five whisky making pillars used by Dr. Nick Savage, the Bladnoch Master Distiller. The Bladnoch Wave II – Distillery & Spirit follows Wave 1 – Time & Maturation, which was released earlier this year. Just five ex-Amontillado sherry casks were selected by Savage for this bottling. These were initally matured in ex-bourbon barrels.
The Bladnoch Wave II – Distillery & Spirit is bottled at 57% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. Each bottling in the Wave Series will be restricted to 1,817 bottles to reflect the year that the distillery was founded. It is available exclusively from the Bladnoch distillery shop and via www.bladnoch.com. A bottle will cost £125.
Through The Wave Collection we aim to take people on the unique journey of our whisky overtime. Each cask takes notes from the other, building year on year and Wave II: Distillery & Spirit brings to life how important it is to have a robust Lowland distillery style.
Dr. Nick Savage
Glenfarclas
The family-owned Speyside distillery of Glenfarclas has launched a limited edition that spans seven decades of ageing and six Distillery Managers. The Glenfarclas 70 Years Old was distilled and filled to first-fill ex-sherry casks in November 1953 and has been maturing in the distillery’s dunnage warehouse in Speyside ever since. It is made from barley malted during a time when Glenfarclas still had its own malting floor.
The 70 Years Old is the oldest release in the Glenfarclas Warehouse Series, and surpasses the 30-, 35-, and 40-Year-Old expressions. It is one of the last remaining casks from the 1950s that he distillery has. It is bottled at 42.9% ABV and there are just 262 bottles. These will be available globally via selected specialist whisky retailers. The price will be £20,000/ US$27,000.
Isle of Harris
The Isle of Harris distillery in the Outer Hebrides has announced the release of its first ever travel retail exclusive Scotch single malt – The Hearach Croft Strength. The new whisky will be available initially in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports from July 2, before a wider planned rollout across the UK later in the year. The Hearach refers to the name given to inhabitants of Harris. A croft is a small farm holding often found across the Highlands and Hebridean islands.
The Croft Strength is made using 100% Scottish barley, which is then lightly peated after malting. The whisky has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, plus ex-Oloroso and ex-Fino sherry. It is released at 52% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. A bottle will cost £65. The distillery is also releasing a higher ABV version of their award-winning Isle of Harris gin on the same date and airports. This is named Tidal Strength Gin, is bottled at 49.5% ABV and will cost £35.
