Fresh From The Preiss
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A Reminder Of Online Newsletter Archive
You can now access all of our single malt newsletters in an online archive. Please make note of the link -
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs052/1102498794592/archive/1102544704796.html
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Currently Available Malt List
If you would like to know all the whisky we have available, you can download a pdf product list here
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Greetings!
After a short hiatus over the summer, I would like to welcome you back with our new newsletter.
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself, I am all the way over from Scotland doing an internship with Preiss Imports up until September 2011, and will be involving myself in sales and marketing, promoting the whisky side of the business.
I am come from a whisky background, my Father is currently in the industry and my Grandfather was the distillery manager at the GlenDronach distillery from the 1960s to 1980s, and I have worked for Duncan Taylor & Company, the merchant bottler, for the past six years.
I am taking over newsletter duties from Ken so you will be hearing all the whisky news from myself.
To the newsletter.
In this issue we have a first from Glendronach, some very special single cask whiskies, some very radical blends and a very delightful gift pack.
Please read on.
Cheers,
Andrew Shand
Preiss Imports
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Dronach With a Difference
First Batch Wood Finishes
Glendronach is known for it's full-bodied sherry cask matured whiskies, but now a first in it's 180 year history, whisky connoisseurs can enjoy a variety of wood finishes.
Each expression is initially matured in European oak casks and then spends a final (finishing) period of maturation in respective barrels, giving each whisky a unique character.
To give maximum flavor and aroma, each whisky is unchill-filtered and of natural color, bottled at 46% abv (92 proof).
Glendronach 14 Year Old Sauternes Finish
This particular Glendronach is finished in a Sauternes wine barrel. Sauternes is a sweet desert wine and this lends the characteristics of green and red fruits, fresh cream and gives the whisky a clean and lively feel.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Bright lemon straw
Nose: Juicy and fresh. A blanket of creamed soda and wild strawberries backed up lush late harvest desert wine. Hints of sherbet and ripe cherries. Very fruity.
Palate: Apples and rhubarb drenched in home made custard. Sweet desert wine influences emerge with ripe sultanas and a lovely creamy heart.
Conclusions: Sweet fresh and fragrant with balanced acidity. Lots of finesse and elegance, whilst still maintaining the lively youthful elements.
 GlenDronach 14 Year Old Virgin Oak
A tropical fruit and nut surprise here from GlenDronach. Using virgin European oak casks, the wood really influences the so much so that smoked oak flavors can be detected.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Light gold. Freshly harvest straw.
Nose: Toasted oak elements which are so intense that smoky attributes emerge. Sweet and lush tropical fruits rise with prominence. Banana and cacao, with roasted coconut.
Palate: Spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist. Creamed desicated coconut and fresh buttered toast with a handful of hazelnuts on the side.
Conclusion: A glorious nut feast with superb depth.
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Raging Bulls
Two pedigrees from Duncan Taylor's stable
Following on from the hugely successful Black Bull 30 year old are these beauties.
Firstly, we have the Black Bull 12 year old, a blended Scotch whisky created to a formula of 50/50/50 - 50% malt whisky, 50% grain whisky and 50% abv (100 proof).
Following, we have the Black Bull 40 year old, this blended Scotch whisky contains a higher quantity of malt whisky (90%) to grain whisky (10%) and at a bottling strength of 40.2% abv (80.4 proof).
Both whiskies are untampered with meaning no-chillfiltration and completely natural color.
Black Bull 12 Year OldOnly the finest 12 year old malt and grain whiskies are used to produce this special blend. This blend being unique in the way that 50% of malt whiskies and 50% of grain whiskies are the components, differentiating it from most other blends which use a higher quantity of grain whisky to malt whisky.Tasting NotesColour: Full amberNose: Robust, chunky aromas. Chocolate, toffee, sherry, vanilla and lemon sherbet.Palate: Smooth, mellow and rounded. Milk chocolate, treacle toffee, pears, green apples and lots of sweet vanilla.Finish: Some heavier fruity notes emerge, and lots of creamy notes coming through.Comments: A very creamy whisky with a lot of fruity toffee notes
Black Bull 40 Year Old
The Black Bull 40 year old, the flagship of the Black Bull range contains some of the rarest and oldest whiskies in the Duncan Taylor inventory. The whiskies used as components in this blend range from 40 to 44 years old, with the malt whisky coming from: Bunnahabhain, Glenburgie, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet, Highland Park, Miltonduff Springbank and Tamdhu and using a 43 year old Invergordon as the grain whisky component.
Tasting Notes
Colour:
TawnyNose: Sweet, Grapefruit, vanilla, iced buns, apples and mint.Palate: Mild, juicy fruits, slight touch of oak and a soft coastal note. Raisins and cinnamon, exceptionally smoothFinish: Vanilla, some kiwi fruits, freshly cut grass and a faint hint of aniseed.Comments: The best Bull yet! An exceptionally good whisky.
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Single Cask Delights
Get these before they are gone
Another recent innovation by BenRiach and sister distilelry GlenDronach is their range of single cask bottlings. So far we have seen some exceptional cask bottlings from the 1970s and some very drinkable releases from the 1980s and 1990s. Here are a few more from the 1990s. Once again a very limited quantity will be available in the United States.
BenRiach 15 Year Old 1995 Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 7165The malt for this release was actually dried for a number of hours over a peat fire and was finished off in the choicest Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheons, which gives a deep level of smoke aromas and a concentration of fruit flavours. Bottled at a cask strength of 52.3% abv (104.6 proof) and a limited release of 685 bottles. Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep amber gold
Nose: Sweet peat and dried sultanas on a bed of stewed fruit drizzeled with honey
Palate: Intense sweet peat and briny wood smoke. Big and bold with superb fruit nuances
GlenDronach 15 Year Old 1995 Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 2045GlenDronach have widely been known for their exceptional sherry cask matured whiskies and this one is no different. Matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, this whisky is a fruit lovers dream. Bottled at a cask strength of 58% abv (116 proof) and a limited release of 642 bottles.
Tasting Note Appearance: Dark amber with a rich russet edge.
Nose: Nuts and Honey and a concentrated mocha and date aroma. Marzipan and almond notes create depth and balance of sweet sherry notes.
Palate: Enticing jammy fruits and bitter chocolate moulded around a base of Pedro Ximenez sherry and candied nuts.
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A life's work
Springbank's CV in one pack
Campbeltown Malts CV Gift Pack
The CV or resume can be called the starting point and this is what Springbank has done with their new gift pack, offering the chance to try some of their starter malts.
This gift pack contains a 200ml version of each of Springbank's CV malts - the triple distilled and lightly peated Hazelburn, the two-and-a-half times distilled Springbank and the double distilled and heavily peated Longrow.
All malts are distilled at the Springbank distillery and following the trend of this newsletter, non chill-filtered and of natural colour with a bottling strength of 46% abv.
Tasting Notes
Hazelburn CV
Nose: Passion fruit, malt, orange peel. As the nose opens up the sweetness & malt notes really come to the front. Sweet vanilla also comes through as the whisky breaths.
Palate: The texture and body of this whisky is quite surprising. Subtly spicy notes hint at some sherry casks in the mix, however the velvet vanilla flavours are an indication that most of the Hazelburn CV has been matured in fresh bourbon casks.
Finish: Lingering and mellow, with sweet malty notes
Springbank CV
Nose: The initial nose is a mix of subdued sherry sweetness, subtle peat notes, menthol & eucalyptus. Further nosing revealed a meaty character with complex hints of sesame oil and soy sauce
Palate: Subtle sherry notes come through along with a depth of oak and spice. These then evolve into notes reminiscent of our traditional Dunnage warehouses.
Finish: The flavours remaining are mainly coming from the sherry casks, although right at the end a hint of port tannins can be detected, perhaps suggesting the pedigree of casks used for the Springbank CV.
Longrow CV
Nose: Very creamy, vanilla custard. The smoke develops gradually, like a slow burning log fire, never overpowering but always reassuring. Like marshmallows toasted on a campfire -crisp on the outside and sticky sweet in the middle!
Palate: Incredibly well balanced - rich and creamy with a slight medicinal hint. The smoke is always present, washing over the palate in waves, like the soft billows of smoke from the kiln.
Finish: The gentle smoke lingers and lingers leaving you yearning for more!
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Thank you for reading and until the next time...
Preiss Imports
10360 Sorrento Valley Road
San Diego, California 92121
Tel: 858 458 9172
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