The Macallan - BourbonSphere

A Whisky Dream Comes True

Carin Luna-Ostaseski wanted an approachable Scotch whisky for newcomers, so she decided to blend her own. 11 years ago, the first bottles of SIA Scotch… Read More

Carin Luna-Ostaseski wanted an approachable Scotch whisky for newcomers, so she decided to blend her own. 11 years ago, the first bottles of SIA Scotch Whisky hit the market, becoming one of the first crowd-funded whiskies to successfully go on sale. We’ll catch up with Carin on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey sales took a hit on 2023, but remains one of the fastest-growing segments of the whisky market. We’ll have the details, along with the rest of the week’s whisky news and much more.

Episode 1048: March 17, 2024

Image courtesy SIA Scotch Whisky.

Mark Reynier: Whisky’s Enfant Terrible

Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier has no shortage of opinions about how he feels whisky should be made, and he’s putting those opinions into the… Read More

Waterford Distillery founder Mark Reynier has no shortage of opinions about how he feels whisky should be made, and he’s putting those opinions into the bottle. Reynier has butted heads with the whisky establishment many times over the years because of his passion for flavor above all else, critics be damned. He’ll share some of his opinions with us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Compass Box founder John Glaser is stepping down after 23 years, while there’s both good and bad news about whisky exports.

Episode 1046: March 3, 2024

Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | February 2, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.

Here is this week's whisky news ...

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Lodestar

The American whiskey brand of Lodestar has launched its inaugural bottling. Simply named, Lodestar American Whiskey, the new product is a blend of high rye bourbon and American single malt from unnamed sources, and comes with the tagline 'All Flavor, No Fuss'.

The brand was co-founded last year by cousins Anna Axster and Wendelin von Schroder in Los Angeles with the aim of creating an 'inclusive and approachable whiskey'. Lodestar American Whiskey is bottled at 45% ABV and is initially available in selected states of the US. It will retail at $US45 per bottle.

"As we began developing the brand, it is important to us that our whiskey is approachable, and can be enjoyed neat or in a cocktail. We wanted it to be inclusive and inviting to those who are new to the whiskey community while also satisfying those who enjoy whiskey regularly."
Anna Axster.

Longmorn

The Speyside distillery of Longmorn has announced two rare cask strength expressions that will initially be exclusive to the American market - the Longmorn 18 years old and Longmorn 22 years old. Both have been matured in a combination of American oak first-fill and re-fill ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads. The releases commemorate the 130th anniversary of the distillery being founded by John Duff in 1894.

Both whiskies show a contemporary new look and packaging that features a purple and gold livery. The Longmorn 18 years old is bottled at the natural strength of 57.6% ABV and will retail for $US280. The Longmorn 22 years old is bottled at 54.5% ABV and will retail for $US440. The pair will be available in selected states throughout the US.

Macallan

The famous Speyside distillery of Macallan have announced the first bottling designed to celebrate their 200th anniversary this year - Tales of the Macallan Volume II. The new whisky is the second in a planned series of remarkably rare single malts. It has been created by Euan Kennedy, the Lead Whisky Maker at Macallan, and was distilled in 1949 and bottled in 2022.

The whisky is housed in a bespoke handcrafted crystal decanter designed by renowned French crystal maker Lalique. The decanter is presented in a book that conceals it within its 800 pages. This was created by London-based bookbinders Shepherds, Sangorski & Sutcliffe and Zaehnsdorf. Each volume of the series is designed to tell the story of Alexander Reid, Macallan's founder, and he features on the packaging in the form of illustrations by British artist Andrew Davidson.

The Tales of the Macallan Volume II is limited to just 344 decanters and is bottled at 44.8% ABV. It is available at the Macallan distillery in Speyside, Macallan Boutiques worldwide and selected luxury retailers including Harrods, Selfridge's and Berry Brothers & Rudd. Each decanter will cost £77,400/ $US89,000/ €89,000.

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Tennessee Whiskey’s Lost History

History changes all the time as we uncover new facts about the past, and historian Drew Hannush’s new book shakes up some of the history… Read More

History changes all the time as we uncover new facts about the past, and historian Drew Hannush’s new book shakes up some of the history of Tennessee Whiskey. For starters, “The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey” sheds new light on the origin stories of Jack Daniel’s and the Lincoln County Process. We’ll talk with Drew Hannush on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Heaven Hill is closing its bottling operations in Canada, while Irish Distillers is getting out of the beer business.

Episode 1041: January 28, 2024

1926 Macallan Shatters World Record Auction Price

At least four different bottles of the 1926 Macallan 60-year-old Scotch Whisky have held the world record for the highest price ever paid at auction… Read More

At least four different bottles of the 1926 Macallan 60-year-old Scotch Whisky have held the world record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a whisky. The latest came Saturday at Sotheby’s in London, when a bottle featuring a label by Italian artist Valerio Adami shattered the previous record set by a Fine and Rare-labeled bottle in 2019. The winning bid came in at $2,414,250, beating the 2019 record price of $1.9 million and the pre-auction estimate by nearly three times.

Only 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 were produced in 1986, with 12 featuring labels by Adami. 12 more had labels created by British artist Sir Peter Blake, and 14 labeled as Fine and Rare. Of the remaining two, one was unlabeled, and one record-setting bottle was hand painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon.

In a statement, Sotheby’s Global Head of Spirits Jonny Fowle said “This record-breaking result for The Macallan 1926 is nothing short of momentous for the whisky industry as a whole. When we first set the record for the Fine & Rare back in 2019 it was a defining moment not just for Sotheby’s, but for me personally. This new record result for The Macallan Adami feels all the more emotional for me, having worked directly with the consignor and distillery to recondition, nose and authenticate this bottle, then finish this journey on the rostrum fielding bids in the room and on the phone. Bringing down the hammer for a new whisky world record is a feeling I’ll never forget.“

The bottle was the first 1926 Macallan to undergo reconditioning with a new capsule, cork, and new glue on the bottle label. Macallan Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell also authenticated the whisky with a 1ml sample compared with a known 1926 sample from the Edrington archives.

The record-setting price must still be certified as a world record by Guinness World Records.

The auction was part of Sotheby’s “Weekend of Whisky,” which also featured an extensive Japanese whisky collection that brought in a total of $2.2 million.

Links: Sotheby’s

The Macallan Melds With McCartneys For Meadow Whiskies

The Macallan has collaborated with sisters Stella and Mary McCartney to create The Macallan Harmony Collection Amber Meadow and Green Meadow – a pair of single malt whiskies inspired by the McCartneys’ shared memories of the Scottish countryside. The Macallan Harmony Collection Amber Meadow was matured in a combination of sherry-seasoned oak and bourbon casks, […]

The post The Macallan Melds With McCartneys For Meadow Whiskies first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

The Macallan Harmony Collection Amber Meadow was matured in a combination of sherry-seasoned oak and bourbon casks, bottled at 44.2% alcohol by volume [88.4 proof] and is said to offer notes of lemon, melon and orange.

The Macallan Harmony Collection Green Meadow was also matured in a combination of sherry-seasoned oak and bourbon casks, bottled at 40.2% alcohol by volume [80.4 proof] and is said to offer notes of almond, citrus and the ever-present vanilla.

Both the edition’s presentation boxes and bottle labels have been made using discarded meadow cuttings, with the packaging accompanied by photography of The Macallan estate, shot by Mary McCartney.

Both The Macallan Harmony Collection Amber Meadow and Green Meadow whiskies are being made available for $195 per bottle.

The post The Macallan Melds With McCartneys For Meadow Whiskies first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Signed, Sealed, & Delivered: A Look at Contract Distilling

What do you call a distillery with no brands of its own? A contract (or custom) distiller creates whiskies for its clients, and many of… Read More

What do you call a distillery with no brands of its own? A contract (or custom) distiller creates whiskies for its clients, and many of Kentucky’s largest distillers have often sold excess capacity by distilling for others. Bardstown Bourbon Company pioneered the current wave of contract distillers in Kentucky, and co-founder David Mandell is now one of the partners behind the new Whiskey House distillery. It will focus exclusively on custom distilling for its clients, and David Mandell will explain why on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Midleton Distillery’s brand-new visitors center is closed after this week’s flooding caused extensive damage, while time is running out to avoid a return to tariffs on exports of American whiskies to Europe.

Episode 1027: October 22, 2023

Ardray Arrives In The USA

Beam-Suntory-owned Ardray – a blended Scotch whisky – has officially arrived on USA shores after previously only being available in London and Shanghai. Ardray blended Scotch whisky is a blend of whiskies from Beam-Suntory-owned distilleries including Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and Laphroaig combined with Edrington-owned brands Glenrothes, Highland Park, The Macallan and others and […]

The post Ardray Arrives In The USA first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Beam-Suntory-owned Ardray – a blended Scotch whisky – has officially arrived on USA shores after previously only being available in London and Shanghai.

Ardray blended Scotch whisky is a blend of whiskies from Beam-Suntory-owned distilleries including Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and Laphroaig combined with Edrington-owned brands Glenrothes, Highland Park, The Macallan and others and was bottled at 48% alcohol by volume [96 proof].

Ardray blended Scotch whisky is being made available in the USA – albeit only in Los Angeles and New York – for $85 per bottle.

The post Ardray Arrives In The USA first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

An Exercise in Whisky Blending

Anyone can blend one whisky, but to blend a whisky with long-term consistency between batches takes a true talent. This week, we’ll share an informal… Read More

Anyone can blend one whisky, but to blend a whisky with long-term consistency between batches takes a true talent. This week, we’ll share an informal blending session with Widow Jane head distiller and blender Sierra Jevremov on WhiskyCast In-Depth, along with tasting notes for Widow Jane’s latest release, The Vaults 15-year-old Bourbon. In the news, Kentucky is getting a massive new distillery project, while we were on hand as The Hearach single malt from Isle of Harris Distillery made its U.S. debut in New York City Thursday night. We’ll have tasting notes for that one, too, along with the new Glenglassaugh 12-year-old and Bruichladdich’s Octomore 14.3 single malts.

The Outlander and the Distiller

Actor Sam Heughan is best known for his starring role on TV’s “Outlander,” but he’s a whisky lover, too. Sam started his own whisky brand,… Read More

Actor Sam Heughan is best known for his starring role on TV’s “Outlander,” but he’s a whisky lover, too. Sam started his own whisky brand, The Sassenach, and he’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth to talk about his love for whisky. We’ll also hear from the new master distiller at Angel’s Envy, Owen Martin. He’s just unveiled this year’s Angel’s Envy Cask Strength releases, a Bourbon, and for the first time, a Rye. In the news, Pernod Ricard is planning a new distillery on Islay, while Compass Box wants to build one in the Highlands.