|
|
Release Notes
When we go on the hunt for top quality single barrels at K&L, we do our best to provide variety as well. We try not to double up on too many names and we're always looking for whisky that's a bit different than last time around. That being said, we're now introducing our third barrel of privately-bottled Clynelish in less than four years because we just can't say no to this delicious single malt no matter how many times we've bottled it in the past. Unlike the two previous casks, however, this version of 16 year old Clynelish from a refill-sherry butt is the most classic of the three. Our 27 year barrel offered maturity, the 20 year old brought rich and heavy sherry flavor, but this 16 year barrel tops them all. It does everything the distillery is renowned for and it does it extremely well. Lemony citrus, candle wax, oily fruits, and rich vanilla round out this lightly supple spirit. The wax is what makes Clynelish so famous and has made the whisky an insider favorite (many distillers from rival companies will secretly confide that Clynelish is the best single malt in the business). We loved the two previous barrels because they were very un-Clynelish. We love this cask because it's vintage Clynelish. For $100, this is as good as whisky gets. At full proof, this malt needs a bit of water, so add a few drops when you pour it. Then sit back, nurse your dram, and enjoy the complexity of one of Scotland's finest single malt whiskies.
David Driscoll, K&L
The Bottler: A.D. Rattray
| Established: 2004 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Kirkoswald |
| → website |
In 2004 Tim Morrison, formerly of Morrison Bowmore Distillers, revived the Dewar Rattray company first established by his ancestor Andrew Dewar Rattray. His aim was to bottle single cask, single malt whisky. The firm also developed Stronachie, a single malt sourced from Benrrinnes distillery on Speyside, and intended to replicate whisky produced at the now long lost Stronachie distillery, located on the old Perthshire/Kinross-shire border.
Dewar Rattray also operates the Whisky Experience and Shop in Kirkoswald, Ayrshire, which offers a variety of sampling experiences as well as a wide range of whiskies for sale. Additionally, the firm has received planning permission to develop a distillery and visitor centre beside the River Clyde in Glasgow.
Andrew Dewar Rattray set up in business in Glasgow during 1868, trading as an importer of French wines, Italian spirits and olive oil, as well as blending and retailing Scotch whisky. Ultimately the firm was sold to the whisky broker William Walker, but was brought back into family ownership by Tim Morrison, who created the ‘new’ Stronachie in 2002. Back in the late 1800s A Dewar Rattray had acted as agent for Stronachie distillery, so there was already a historic connection.
Morrison also established the Cask Collection label for single cask bottlings, and in 2011 the peated blended malt Cask Islay was released, being transformed into a single malt two years later. 2012 saw the release of a five-year-old blend named Bank Note, a year after the Whisky Experience and Shop opened in Kirkoswald. Plans for the new Glasgow distillery were approved during 2014.
The company name is derived from the older family history of the Morrisons. In 1868 Andrew Dewar, an ancestor of the Morrisons, founded a wine and spirit trade company called Andrew Dewar Rattray Ltd. Beside trading, the company also exclusively distributed the products from the Stronachie Distillery. During the economic crisis of the 1920s the company had to be broken up. In 1928 also Stronachie was closed for good. Some decades later T. Morrison bought the rights to the names Rattray and Stronachie.
After legal quarrels with the blend producer Dewar's, the bottling company was renamed A.D. Rattray.
Dewar Rattray also operates the Whisky Experience and Shop in Kirkoswald, Ayrshire, which offers a variety of sampling experiences as well as a wide range of whiskies for sale. Additionally, the firm has received planning permission to develop a distillery and visitor centre beside the River Clyde in Glasgow.
Andrew Dewar Rattray set up in business in Glasgow during 1868, trading as an importer of French wines, Italian spirits and olive oil, as well as blending and retailing Scotch whisky. Ultimately the firm was sold to the whisky broker William Walker, but was brought back into family ownership by Tim Morrison, who created the ‘new’ Stronachie in 2002. Back in the late 1800s A Dewar Rattray had acted as agent for Stronachie distillery, so there was already a historic connection.
Morrison also established the Cask Collection label for single cask bottlings, and in 2011 the peated blended malt Cask Islay was released, being transformed into a single malt two years later. 2012 saw the release of a five-year-old blend named Bank Note, a year after the Whisky Experience and Shop opened in Kirkoswald. Plans for the new Glasgow distillery were approved during 2014.
The company name is derived from the older family history of the Morrisons. In 1868 Andrew Dewar, an ancestor of the Morrisons, founded a wine and spirit trade company called Andrew Dewar Rattray Ltd. Beside trading, the company also exclusively distributed the products from the Stronachie Distillery. During the economic crisis of the 1920s the company had to be broken up. In 1928 also Stronachie was closed for good. Some decades later T. Morrison bought the rights to the names Rattray and Stronachie.
After legal quarrels with the blend producer Dewar's, the bottling company was renamed A.D. Rattray.
from ScotchWhisky.com, Whisky.com
The Distillery: Clynelish
| Established: 1967 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Brora, Sutherland KW9 6LR, United Kingdom |
| → website |
2005 - Clynelish is included in the expanded range of "classic malts" by whisky industry giant Diageo.
This profile is dedicated to the new Clynelish distillery, constructed in 1968 by SMD. The old Clynelish distillery right across the street is now known as Brora and was built in 1819 by the Marquess of Stafford. When the new distillery (circa three times larger than the first) went into operation the old Clynelish distillery remained operational and was re-named after the town.
Which reminds me; the occasional single malt Scotch whisky drinker might not be familiar with Diageo - so please allow me to quickly explain. Clynelish was initially licensed to a company named Ainslie & Heilbron (Distillers) Ltd., Glasgow. The Clynelish distillery became property of United Distillers in 1986. United Distillers merged with IDV (International Distillers & Vintners) in 1998 to form UDV, which is short for United Distiller & Vintners. If I understand the "Gordon Gekko" corporate structure correctly, UDV is either part of whisky industry giant Diageo or sort of synonymous with it. Diageo owns almost 30 different malt whisky distilleries.
When the new Clynelish distillery was built in 1967 and 1968 the stills were copied as closely as possible from those at the old distillery. I"ve been told that they achieved a close likeness to the old Clynelish house style - lightly peated but a much lighter style of whisky than the "Islay style" malts that were produced at Brora between 1969 and 1983. While most bottlings of Brora do very well on the Malt Maniacs Matrix the opinions about the average bottling of Clynelish tend to be more divided. Members of "the wine brigade" (like Serge and Olivier) who appreciate subtlety usually enjoy a Clynelish more than some of the "Nordic" maniacs who prefer heavier, stronger flavours. But that"s the beauty of the malt whisky world - the wide variety in styles keeps it interesting...
Meanwhile, the brand new Clynelish distillery fared better. The old malt had been popular among blenders and the spirit from the new distillery served their needs just as well. The new distillery used exact copies of the stills at Brora (simply more of them), so I guess that worked out pretty much as they had planned.
Partly due to the initial focus on blenders, Clynelish wasn"t easy to find as a single malt in the 1990"s. At some point a 14 years old semi-official "Flora & Fauna" bottling became available. This was replaced with the proper official bottling depicted above in 2003 - also bottled as a 14yo. Clynelish was included in Diageo"s "Classic Malts Selection" in 2005, along with (among others) Caol Ila, Cardhu, Glen Elgin, Glen Ord, Knockando and Royal Lochnagar. As the sole representative of the "Coastal East" region on Diageo"s new distillery map (you can find it on their website), it mirrors the lonely position of Oban in the "Coastal West" area.
Well, actually - it"s slightly more complicated than that. The old Clynelish distillery was closed in May 1968 and the new one went into production a month later. That could have been the last that we ever heard of the old distillery - if it hadn"t been for the weather in another part of Scotland, on the Western island of Islay. Due to a severe drought on the island, brand owners DCL (the owners of SMD) find themselves short on peated malts.
It"s not that the "Islay style" heavily peated single malts were as trendy as they are today; DCL just needed peated malt whisky for their number one blend; Johnnie Walker. The blend had a fair amount of Islay malts in its recipe and sales were growing fast. So, DCL decided to experiment with the production of a more heavily peated malt whisky on the mainland. The old Clynelish distillery happened to be vacant, so it was re-named Brora - and the production of malt whisky resumed again at the location in 1969. Brora enjoyed the new lease on life for more than a decade, but in 1983 the distillery was closed again - this time for good.
In the new Millenium
2002 - After being used mostly as a "volume" malt whisky for blending, a 14yo official bottling is released.
Trivia:
- Out of dozens of active distilleries owned by Diageo (27 in 2006), only three have a higher production capacity than Clynelish"s 3,400,000 litres; Caol Ila, Glendullan and Dufftown.
- In 1529 the first (and only) coal mine in the Highlands was opened in Brora.
- Brora isn"t just the name of the harbour town, it"s also the name of a nearby river.
- Rumour has it that this river Brora is one of the very best spots for salmon fishing in Scotland.
- Compared to the Brora malts Clynelish seems light in style, but in fact medium peated malt is used.
- Some people pronounce the name of the distillery as klein-LISH or klein-E-lish instead of KLEIN-lish.
from Malt Maniacs
The Owner: Diageo
| Established: 1997 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 8 Henrietta Place, London, W1G ONB, UK |
| → website |
Diageo also distributes Unicum, its lighter-bodied variant Zwack and Jose Cuervo tequila products in North America. However, Cuervo operates as a separate company in Mexico and is not owned by Diageo. Similarly Grand Marnier is distributed by Diageo in many markets, including exclusively in Canada, and a deal was reached in 2009 to significantly expand this partnership in Europe.
Furthermore, Diageo owns the Gleneagles Hotel.
Diageo was formed in 1997 from the merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc. The creation was driven by the two executives Anthony Greener and Philip Yea at Guinness plus George Bull and John McGrath of Grand Metropolitan. The product portfolios of Guinness and Grand Met were largely complementary with little overlap.
Diageo is the world"s biggest whisky producer with 28 malt distilleries and two grain distilleries.The company operates the Scotch whisky distilleries of Auchroisk, Benrinnes, Blair Athol (situated at Pitlochry), Caol Ila, Cardhu, Knockando, Glen Elgin, Clynelish, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Glen Ord, Lagavulin, Oban, Royal Lochnagar, Strathmill, Talisker, Teaninich, Mannochmore, Mortlach and Glenlossie, which are sold not only under their own name but used to make the various blended scotch whiskies sold by the company, and owns the stock of many closed distilleries such as Port Ellen, Rosebank, Brora, Convalmore, Glen Albyn, North Brechin, Banff, and Linlithgow. The company have opened a new malt distillery adjacent to their maltings at Roseisle (1st new make spirit produced Spring 2009). This will be one of the largest malt distilleries in Scotland. The new building contains 14 traditional copper pot stills. An expansion programme is also underway at its Cameron Bridge Grain Distillery in Fife that will make it the largest grain distillery in Scotland. Diageo also owns the Port Dundas Grain Distillery in Glasgow, and jointly operates the North British Grain Distillery in Gorgie, Edinburgh, with The Edrington Group.
Diageo plc (LSE: DGE, NYSE: DEO) is the largest multinational beer, wine and spirits company in the world. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has American Depositary Receipts listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The word Diageo was formed from the Latin dia (day) and the Greek geo (World), symbolising the use of the company"s brands every day, everywhere. Its head office is located in the City of Westminster in London. It is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Trivia:
- In December 2003, Diageo provoked controversy over its decision to change its Cardhu brand Scotch whisky from a single malt to a vatted malt (also known as a pure malt) whilst retaining the original name and bottle style. Diageo took this action because it did not have sufficient reserves to meet demand in the Spanish market, where Cardhu had been successful. After a meeting of producers, Diageo agreed to make changes.
- In 2006, the Cardhu brand quietly changed back to being a single malt.
- In July 2009, Diageo announced that, after nearly 200 years of association with the town of Kilmarnock, they would be closing the Johnnie Walker blending and bottling plant as part of restructuring to the business. This would make 700 workers unemployed and caused outrage from press, local people and politicians. A campaign against this decision was launched by the local SNP MSP Willie Coffey and Labour MP Des Browne. A petition was drawn up against the Diageo plans, which also involves the closure of the historic Port Dundas Grain Distillery in Glasgow.
- In February 2009 it was reported in the Guardian that the company had restructured itself so as to avoid paying tax in the U.K., despite much of its profits being generated in the U.K.
- Diageo is engaged in a tax scheme in the United States of America, commonly referred to as the "Rum Bailout", which will guarantee it USD$3 billion in revenues and profits.
- The National Puerto Rican Coalitionplans to run a series of ads in New York City and Puerto Rico urging a boycott of Diageo-owned alcoholic drinks to protest the giant British-owned corporation"s controversial production move of its Captain Morgan rum from Puerto Rico to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
from Wikipedia
The Owner: Morrison Glasgow Distillers
| Established: 2012 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 100 Stobcross Rd |
Tim Morrison, formerly of Morrison Bowmore Distillers and owner of independent bottler AD Rattray, set up Morrison Glasgow Distillers (formerly Stanmorr) in 2012 with a vision to revive distilling in Glasgow. Morrison runs AD Rattray as an entirely separate entity.
The board is led by Tim Morrison as chairman and his son Andrew Morrison, who serves as commercial director. Independent whisky consultant Glen Moore, who also once worked with Bowmore as a stillman, mashman and head of marketing, serves as managing director.
The company is currently overseeing the construction of Clydeside distillery on the banks of the river Clyde in Glasgow.
Morrison Glasgow Distillers started life in 2012 as Stanmorr Ltd, a company set up to oversee the building of a new distillery in Glasgow, one that would ‘celebrate the role whisky has played in shaping both Glasgow’s and Scotland’s heritage’.
The brainchild of Tim Morrison, the distillery was to be built within the historic Pump House, at the mouth of Glasgow’s Queen’s Dock.
Planning permission for the site was granted in early 2014, but complications surrounding the foundations of the plot – the dock had been in-filled in 1977 – forced the company to orientate the distillery. This meant submitting a new proposal to Glasgow Council for planning approval.
By 2015 the company had changed its name to The Glasgow Distilling Company, to reflect its intentions to revive whisky production in the city. However, just the year previously, the confusingly named Glasgow Distillery Company beat Morrison and co. to open the first new malt distillery in Glasgow for over 100 years, with the Glasgow distillery in Hillington.
On 1 August 2016, now with full planning permission for its newly positioned distillery – which is now named Clydeside – and a more unambiguous company name of Morrison Glasgow Distillers, the group broke ground at the Pump House.
The board is led by Tim Morrison as chairman and his son Andrew Morrison, who serves as commercial director. Independent whisky consultant Glen Moore, who also once worked with Bowmore as a stillman, mashman and head of marketing, serves as managing director.
The company is currently overseeing the construction of Clydeside distillery on the banks of the river Clyde in Glasgow.
Morrison Glasgow Distillers started life in 2012 as Stanmorr Ltd, a company set up to oversee the building of a new distillery in Glasgow, one that would ‘celebrate the role whisky has played in shaping both Glasgow’s and Scotland’s heritage’.
The brainchild of Tim Morrison, the distillery was to be built within the historic Pump House, at the mouth of Glasgow’s Queen’s Dock.
Planning permission for the site was granted in early 2014, but complications surrounding the foundations of the plot – the dock had been in-filled in 1977 – forced the company to orientate the distillery. This meant submitting a new proposal to Glasgow Council for planning approval.
By 2015 the company had changed its name to The Glasgow Distilling Company, to reflect its intentions to revive whisky production in the city. However, just the year previously, the confusingly named Glasgow Distillery Company beat Morrison and co. to open the first new malt distillery in Glasgow for over 100 years, with the Glasgow distillery in Hillington.
On 1 August 2016, now with full planning permission for its newly positioned distillery – which is now named Clydeside – and a more unambiguous company name of Morrison Glasgow Distillers, the group broke ground at the Pump House.
from ScotchWhisky.com