Very smart packaging idea by Ballantine’s.
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This little beauty is the latest crème de la crème from Johnnie Walker and it’s called…John Walker. You may not have known before but Johnnie’s real name is actually John.
The John Walker represents the top notch of the Blue Label bottlings. The John Walker is created from a small number of fine whiskies, chosen from over seven million casks. Only nine distilleries (six malt and three grain whiskies) made it into The John Walker, some of which hailed from remaining casks from distilleries that have already closed, such as Glen Albyn and Cambus.
The first bottle, bearing the signature of Master Blender Jim Beveridge, will be auctioned off, with bids starting from $3,000 and proceeds going to The Smile Train charity, which is dedicated to offering free surgery to poor children from developing countries suffering from cleft lips and palates.
According to the press release, the taste will reveal notes of fresh citrus slowly replaced by mature fruits on the nose. On the palate, you will be able to recognize the classic Walker Speyside whiskies – Mortlach and Dailuaine – with hints of vanilla oak sweetness, finally capped off by a smooth and mellow finish in rich smokiness.
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Sales director Alistair Walker pulls of a big smile as the BenRiach Distillery Company is celebrating their win of ten top awards in the prestigious 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition this week.
In results published today this Thursday, the company entered 10 whiskies from both its BenRiach and GlenDronach brands, and won 10 medals – 1 Gold, 8 Silver and 1 Bronze.
GlenDronach has four expressions and all four won medals including a Gold and Best in Class for its 15 year-old ‘Revival’ while BenRiach won a further six awards including two Silver and Best in Class.
BenRiach and GlenDronach scotch single malts awards were:
GlenDronach Medals
Gold Best in Class GlenDronach 15YO ‘Revival’
Silver Best in Class GlenDronach 33YO
Silver GlenDronach 12YO Original (new 2009 version)
Silver GlenDronach 18YO Allardice
BenRiach Medals
Silver Best in Class BenRiach ‘Maderensis Fumosus’ 13YO Peated / Madeira Finish
Silver Best in Class BenRiach 16YO
Silver BenRiach 12YO
Silver BenRiach ‘Curiositas’ 10YO Peated
Silver BenRiach ‘Authenticus’ 21YO Peated
Bronze BenRiach 15YO Dark Rum Finish
The judges’ Tasting Notes for the GlenDronach 15 year old “Revival” commented: “Great concentration of complex aromas on the nose including treacle toffee, chocolate, orange, toasted nuts and vanilla. Great depth in the mouth, with all the nose promised, plus some Demerara sugar, sweet malt and lots of toast. Great balance with firm tightness which is offset to a degree by lots of mellow notes. Long finish has distinct gingery note.”
Managing Director Billy Walker said: “We are absolutely delighted that ten of our expressions have been recognised at such a prestigious competition. The award reflects the incredibly hard work of our team and underscores the outstanding quality of our two brands.”
The company has won a number of awards in recent years. In February this year the BenRiach Distillery beat off competition from around the world to win the coveted “Icons of Whisky” award in London.
BenRiach was also “Distillery of the Year” in the 2007 Malt Advocate Magazine Whisky Awards.
Whisky Magazine named it the “Best Rare Speyside” (for BenRiach Authenticus 21 Year Old) at its World Whisky Awards, also in 2007.
And it won Gold Medal (for BenRiach 16 year old) at the 2006 International Wines and Spirits Competition.
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This is the first ever guest post here at Whiskygrotto.com. Sarah wrote me a while ago and asked if she could contribute with a guestpost. Of course! I said as long as it’s about Scotch Whisky or Whiskey. Here it is:
The history of this whiskey-based cocktail is so extensive that it traces back further than the martini itself. Dating back to the nineteenth century, the drink was originally called a “whiskey cocktail” until the martini and manhattan of the late 19th century forced purists to order an “old fashioned” whiskey cocktail, thereby securing the name for the centuries to come.
The first documented instance of the word cocktail as referencing the current “Old-Fashioned” dates to May, 13 1806 in which the Balance and Columbia Repository defined the drink as the concoction of whiskey, bitters, water, and sugar. When the martini and manhattan became revitalized during the 1970sand 80s, this previous whiskey cocktail developed a new taste, resulting in the old-fashioned as we know it to be today. The austerity which defined it before as holding simple rye with minuscule touches of water, bitters, and sugar was revolutionized to include an orange slice, maraschino cherry, and a diluting dose of soda water. The recent popularity the drink has had among trendy bars in New York stands as a testament to the whiskey cocktail’s staying power and ability to transcend through generations.
Most cocktail aficionados maintain that the old-fashioned is one of the original cocktails, in the true sense of the world. Most modern cocktails do not hold a candle to the drink that is the old-fashioned. While the drink remains popular in bars across the country, many newcomers who think they have a handle on what they consider to be a cocktail are still amazed at the “bitterness” which the drink gives off. However, there are still a few bars which allow the drink to return to its true roots (its integrity), by appealing to a very specific cocktail connoisseur. Many “purists” refuse the addition of soda water to an old-fashion and argue that this is not the proper way to make the drink.
The practice of adding fruit to the mixture likely began during the Prohibition in an effort to hide the bitter taste of the drink itself. However, there are many other theories to explain why the many fruits are now added to the drink, including replacing the fruit with bitters in areas where only citrus fruit grow (Florida and California). Within the whiskey world, true purists will resort back to the original inception of the drinking, letting go of the “new” practice of fruit and soda water, instead opting for the bitters, water, and sugar in the way their ancestors drank it.
This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the top rated colleges. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com
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I am glad to report that The Macallan has taken a step into the future of communication with their latest scotch whisky tasting. One of my favorite idea and design blogs – The NotCot reports on The Macallan’s latest whisky tasting and how they used Twitter to get the mouth water pouring.
It’s a great Idea even though I do think it’s a little bit early as the number of whisky fans on Twitter is probably limited. From a PR perspective though it’s great – look at me, I just had to write about it.
Head over to the NotCot site and read more.
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