Robin Tucek selects Royal Brackla and St Magdalene for the Blackadder Raw Casks

Posted on August 5, 2008
Filed Under Independent, Links, Lowlands, Speyside, Whisky websites |

Clydesdale, probably Sweden’s most interesting distributor of whisky released news about two new bottlings under the Blackadder Raw Casks brand - Royal Brackla and St Magdalene.

Blackadder does not believe in chill-filtering or in colouring whisky. They believe that the purest is the best. Quite simply, Blackadder RAW CASK is every bit a Blackadder whisky but even more so. They use a special bottling process to make sure that each and every bottle of Blackadder RAW CASK contains its own share of the cask sediments as well as of natural oils and fats that might otherwise be left behind when filling a cask strength whisky straight from cask. This ensures the maximum possible natural flavour is in each and every bottle. The only thing they do when bottling is to use a small filter to ensure that splinters of wood from the cask do not inadvertently pass into the bottle.

“We wanted to bottle whisky as it would have been when served direct from the casks behind the bar in Scotland’s pubs one hundred years or so ago.” says the Blackadder himself - Robin Tucek.

The St Magdalene is a 25 year old lady from the Lowlands. The distillery, also known as Linlithgow is now closed and houses fancy apartments instead. The St Magdalene was distilled 1982 and bottled just now by Blackadder. It’s a 61,8% peppery beauty. In Sweden the St Magdalene retails for approx €140

The Royal Brackla is a 13 year old gentleman from Speyside. It was distilled back in 1994 and bottled now just like the St Magdalene. This one is a 58,2% strong character. In Sweden the Royal Brackla retails for approx €103

Find out more on how to get your hands on some on Clydesdales website or the Blackadder website.

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Comments

7 Responses to “Robin Tucek selects Royal Brackla and St Magdalene for the Blackadder Raw Casks”

orangedogofglory on August 6th, 2008 2:06 am

I can always order from Sweden, but any idea if these are heading to the States?
orangedogofglory on August 6th, 2008 4:25 am

I should clarify - I know other Blackadder Raw Cask bottles are in the US - was just curious what release plans were for these two specifically.
Robin Blackadder on August 6th, 2008 11:56 am

Hi Folks,

I thought I should give some information about the availability of Blackadder whiskies in the USA.

We do have an importer in the USA, with imports being made through Federal Wine in Boston. The contact at Federal is Joe Howell, joe@federalwine.com 617-367-8605. Joe will be delighted to hear from both specialist shops and private customers looking to find Blackadder whiskies in the USA.

We already have an interesting selection of whiskies available through Joe and this will slowly develop over time. However, it takes time to build up the interest, contact and sales through the specialist whisky shops. There are perhaps only around 20 or so such serious whisky retail outlets in the USA, these are the businesses that should be approached for help in obtaining Blackadder whiskies. (If you run such a business get in touch with Joe, if you are not already in contact with him!)

The big elephant in the room, however, is the way things work in the USA – note: I am only talking about the importation of whisky!

The first problem is the ludicrous three tier system, which stops importation being simple a matter of what a local specialist shop might like to import. Second is the small matter of 750ml bottle size being required when most of the rest of the world is more than happy with 700ml size bottles. Third there is the matter of label approval for each and every bottle label. This means that for single cask bottlings, which is what Blackadder is known for, we have to get each and every single label approved because each cask will be a different distillery, strength and age. This still has to be done even if only a couple of cases of rare whisky are wanted. (I understand that this process can cost as much as US $200 for New York state.) Last, but by no means least, is the fact that each and every case and bottle shipped must have pre-notification of its shipment and impending arrival on US shores made to the US authorities.

Yes, all of this is flipping unbelievable in what is meant to be a sophisticated modern country operating within a system of supposed free and open trading with one of its closest trading partners but, believe me, that is the system and we have to live with it!

Anyway, more whiskies will gradually become available in the USA but because we only bottle single casks each USA order has to be placed before a cask is bottled. In this way we can then bottle some cases in 750ml bottles for the USA and the rest in 700ml bottles for the rest of the world. Sadly the St Magdalene (Linlithgow to some) and Brackla did not make it for shipment to the USA but Joe has a nice selection of other whiskies available and the latest shipment has just been collected from our warehouse and is now on its way to the USA.

For those of you trying to track down whiskies not available in your market (and this applies to any country), your best sources are probably the main stockists listed on our web pages at http://www.blackadder.com Full details can be found at the “Friends” links at the Blackadder web pages. Sources for mail order supply include the following: The Vintage House, London; The Whisky Castle, Tomintoul, Scoma, Germany; Excalibur, Germany; Whisky Koning, Holland. It is also worth contacting our Taiwan importer, Sun Favorite, and our Japanese importer Scotch Malt Sales (the contacts at these companies both speak excellent English),

However, the following health warning applies to all mail order purchases. Suppliers are not responsible for local duties and taxes and import regulations. This includes where your local well-meaning government official opens your package and bottle and enjoys the contents before shipping on the empty carton to you with a note telling you that he has protected your interests by not allowing the contents of a prohibited bottle to reach you. Believe me, I have heard of this happening and am certain that it was not an isolated incident. So don’t even think of attempting such imports if you live in such controlled places as California or Texas and if you live in Canada perhaps you should seriously think of re-tracing your European roots!

The funny thing is that most people think of Sweden being one of the most controlled societies on earth. It probably is, even if the Swedes do not want to believe this, but in terms of getting rare malt whiskies the controls largely work in favour of Swedes. This is because, unlike in Canada, for example, the law does not restrict the importation and stocking and supply of whisky to bars and restaurants. It restricts the sale to the private customer so that this can only be made through state monopoly shops (Systembolaget), but the monopoly cannot refuse to list a whisky. It has to give an order number but it does not have to buy the product until it receives an order from a customer. When it receives an order, and there are a great many of these received every week for whiskies listed by our Swedish importer Clydesdale http://www.clydesdale.se these have to then be delivered to the shop from which the order was placed. This can be anywhere in Sweden.

The plus side of all this for the Swedish malt whisky lover is that, whereas alcohol taxes are high at around £12 (US $24) on a bottle of 700ml 43% and the VAT (sales tax) at 25% is around 25% or more higher than in most other European countries, the state monopoly is able to operate on a much lower sales margin than it would have to if it were only a small volume specialist retailer. Therefore, as the margins it charges have to, by law, be the same for all suppliers of the same product, no matter how much the initial purchase cost, the price for a more expensive rare single cask bottling bought through the Swedish monopoly can sometimes be much lower than if the same product is purchased elsewhere in Europe. Not a lot of people realise this, even among Swedes.

An example of this is the Macallan Càrn Mòr 1965 whiskies which I have seen offered for the equivalent of nearly £200 a bottle more than the Clydesdale Sweden price offered through the state monopoly Systembolaget shops.

This is a first post on your blog. I hope that some of you find the information useful. If you are in the USA please send Joe Howell an e-mail or call him at Federal.

Best regards

Robin
BLACKADDER
The Man in the Grotto on August 6th, 2008 12:55 pm

Robin!

Wonderful post. Thanks for answering the question from ‘orangedogofglory ‘ with such great passion.

/Johan - Man in the Grotto
orangedogofglory on August 7th, 2008 12:58 am

Excellent reply Robin! A wealth of information - and thanks for the names of overseas suppliers. I often have to order from the UK or Germany.

“This includes where your local well-meaning government official opens your package and bottle and enjoys the contents before shipping on the empty carton to you with a note telling you that he has protected your interests by not allowing the contents of a prohibited bottle to reach you. Believe me, I have heard of this happening and am certain that it was not an isolated incident.”

Yes - this has happened to me (bottles removed en route in Texas). The bottles were “disposed of.” My protection indeed…
orangedogofglory on August 7th, 2008 1:00 am

I’m looking at that St Magdalene thinking “I’ll get you my pretty!”
mrking on August 7th, 2008 7:43 am

getting an empty carton instead of a highly anticipated bottle of whisky would drive me mad. i have heard of this happening with beer when being shipped in a trade (on sites like beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com you can trade beer with people from around the world). thankfully this has never happened for me (though I have only traded beer online, and never bought or traded whisky online).