The first month has already flown past. We had some fantastic sales in the shop over December and January and I hope you all managed to grab yourself a bargain, as there were some great bargains indeed.
Kat is back from maternity leave (yaay) and has taken on helping with the twitter and Instagram accounts. The feedback and responses we are getting are great with more people than ever joining us. Keep up the good work Kat!
Our events for the May festival are now planned and booked with another 5 days of fantastic tastings, tours and food ahead. The tickets have now gone live on the Spirit of Speyside website and are selling out very quickly so don’t miss out. We wouldn’t want you to be disappointed. Look out for the Head to Head tasting between Mike and myself which was a great hit last year.
We are continuously working on our website and other media sites so if any of you have any thoughts or suggestions of things you would like to see on there or any other information you would like putting on then please get in touch and let us know. We will always do our best to accommodate your suggestions where possible. As well as all the great whiskies on the website we now have over 60 gins for all you gin lovers out there.
As we settle into the year and peoples thoughts turn to Valentine’s Day, Mike, Kat and myself will put on the website our suggestions for what we think is a great dram to have with that special someone in your life with your Valentine’s meal. Not that any of us will be getting mushy but we will have a dram I’m sure.
Well that’s all from me for now but I will keep you updated as our plans for the year progress. Don’t forget you can chat to us on twitter, Instagram, Facebook, email or the website. You can even give us a call on the phone. Imagine that!
This year is flying by even quicker than usual. I started the year by enrolling onto the Spirit of Speyside Whisky School for 3 days held at Knockando Distillery, which was amazing. The guys who organise this do a fantastic job each year. We had theory work in the mornings with experts from every stage of the whisky process coming to Knockando to talk us through every step. In the afternoon we had field trips which related to the theory work we had done that morning. The school is a great opportunity to learn about whisky for people who are either in the industry or total novices. There is always something new to learn in the world of whisky.
For the shop, the season started off with a brilliant Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival which saw thousands of people come along to the shop and to the tastings we arranged. A great time was had by everyone with record numbers attending.
After the festival we had the arrival of the newest member of The Whisky Shop Dufftown team, my first granddaughter Thea Jean. She is absolutely gorgeous and has already been round for her first tour of the shop.
Now the season is in full flow and the shop and internet is busier than I have ever known. This will explain why if you come into the shop you may find either Mike or myself asleep in the corner or wandering around like zombies. We have a lot of new bottlings in the shop which we hope to be able to review for you over the next few weeks. You will also find these under the ‘new’ section on our website.
In the shop during the summer (June to September) we are holding free in store tastings every Saturday from 1pm to 5pm, where representatives from either independent bottlers or distilleries, or even breweries will come along to let you taste their latest bottling’s. Come along and join in the fun.
The Shop itself has had brand new windows and door and is looking very smart indeed. Come and see what you think.
Plans for the Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival are well underway and almost complete and will be published soon so keep an eye out for these on the website.
That’s all for now but I will keep you updated again very shortly.
With Spring coming up and snow on the ground in Dufftown it is about time for an update.
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2017
We are busy preparing for Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2017 which starts in 40 days time at the time of writing. We are now hosting 44 events. There is one new one which is an in-store tasting on Thursday 27 April from 12pm to 5pm which is looking at American and Swedish whiskies which have deep connections with Speyside.
We have sold nearly 70% of our tickets for our events and 10 are already sold out. If you are coming to the festival then please make sure you have all the tickets you want.
Exclusive Festival Bottlings
For each of our festivals we try and have some new exclusive to The WSD whiskies on the shelves. This year's first confirmed new exclusive is something a bit different. Working with Morrison & Mackay we have found some old stock which has been in glass since 2015. This is an excellent whisky and we just had to rescue it from the dark and dingy corner of their warehouse where it had been forgotten. It is a Strathmill, distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2015 from a refill ex-Sherry Butt. It has been bottled at 53.6% ABV. It is an absolute cracker. It is full of sherry but not over powering, giving it a wonderful complexity. The shelf price will be £105. The first 60 bottles are being launched at the festival with those attending Peter MacKay's tasting getting the first chance to buy them and at a discount, only £90, so you better get along to that tasting! They will then be on sale at The Last Drop and from Tuesday 2 May in the shop and on-line.
Another bottling for the festival is being created by Glenfarclas. Always popular at the festival this special whisky is only available from the visitor centre. Be sure to get your hands on one by coming on our 5 Decades Tour on Thursday 27 April - well it would have been a good opportunity but while preparing this newsletter the tour has sold out. You snooze, you lose!
New Releases
Many of you are probably not attending Spirit of Speyside this year but this does not mean that the next 6 weeks are not important to you. This is the time when we start getting in new bottlings on a weekly basis so keep an eye on the new products section of our website. We already have the following new lines in from Hunter Laing and Douglas Laing.
Hunter Laing
Old Malt Cask Braeval 2001 15 Years Old
Old Malt Cask Blair Athol 1995 21 Years Old
Old Malt Cask Tormore 1988 28 Years Old
Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2005 12 Years Old
Hepburn's Choice Dufftown 2007 9 Years Old
Hepburn's Choice Inchgower 2008 9 Years Old
Douglas Laing
Old Particular Port Dundas 2004 12 Years Old
Old Particular Tamdhu 1998 18 Years Old
Old Particular Blair Athol 1998 18 Years Old
Old Particular Bunnahabhain 2001 15 Years Old
Old Particular Longmorn 1996 20 Years Old
Old Particular Glen Elgin 1995 21 Years Old
Xtra Old Particular Garnheath 1974 42 Years Old
Provenance Dailuaine 2007 9 Years Old
New Ranges
We are also extending the range of whiskies that we stock with new Bourbons and Swedish whisky lines coming to us that we have not stocked before.
Returning in to Stock
We had a surprise offer from Adelphi to re-stock some lines that we thought were long gone. Pick of those is the highly sort after and collectable The Glover 18 Years Old. There is not much of this left so don't delay.
The other Adelphi's are:-
Clynelish 1996
Glenrothes 1991
Linkwood 1990
Also back in stock but very limited are:-
Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 15
Gordon & MacPhail Linkwood 15
The Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival 2017
We also hope to have our master class programme for The Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival 2017 (21 to 25 September) completed shortly so keep an eye for that to launch.
The Whisky Shop Dufftown has launched its first Gin - Tenacious
In the beating heart of malt whisky country lies the award winning The Whisky Shop Dufftown. It may come as a surprise therefore to learn that their latest exclusive release is a gin. Managing Director Mike Lord said,We wanted to do something different to add to our exclusive products celebrating our 10th anniversary year. I have been developing my own gin recipe for almost 2 years and the opportunity finally came to get it produced with our friends at Shetland Reel as part of our 10 Year Anniversary. It's Juniper led with citrus notes and sweet gentle spices from Pink and Szechuan peppercorns. It is a bit of a push back against the many floral gins that are out there. It is for people that really like a flavoursome classic gin.
It is a very unusual name for a gin. Mike Lord said,Its our tenth year in business so that is part of the reason for the ‘ten in Tenacious but the gin coincidently contains 10 botanicals. We have certainly had to be tenacious to make it to ten years so the name seemed appropriate and matched our sense of humour.
The rise of craft gins, particularly in Scotland is phenomenal. Manager of The Whisky Shop Dufftown Vicky Keough, saidWe have taken the opportunity this year to expand our gin selection to over 50 expressions which are mainly Scottish but include some specially selected gins from elsewhere. We did this to reflect the demand from our customers for something different and we love our gins too. We have brought our style of selling whisky, friendly and informative, to gin. We like to help our customers make their next purchase with a conversation about what they like and what they want to explore. We can then help them choose their next purchase and may be even try a sip before they buy.
The journey for Tenacious started with a visit to Edinburgh Gin where at the end of the experience you have the opportunity to make your own gin. Mike says he was very inspired by his creation and spent over a year tweaking the recipe to finalise the perfect version.
With a new gin the producer is expected to say what theperfect pour is - the best way to serve the gin. Mike Lord said,We dont tell you how to drink your whisky. We have moved away from that. Drink it how you would like it. So we are not going to tell you how to drink our gin. We do recommend a good measure of Tenacious, some ice and a decent tonic. Then take it from there.
Tenacious gin is only available to buy by the bottle from The Whisky Shop Dufftown and at www.whiskyshopdufftown.com.
Notes:
The Whisky Shop Dufftown was formed in 2006 by Mike Lord. He left a career in financial services in London to follow his passion.
Tenacious Gin is priced at £36.95. The ABV is 47%. The full list of botanicals are: Juniper, Coriander Seed, Angelica Root, Orris Root, Lemon Peel, Nutmeg, Burdock Root, Pink Pepper Corns, Szechuan Pepper Corns and Almond.
Yes, it is that time of year for our special sale. We have selected 25 products to give your 25% off for the 25 days to Christmas. Only while stocks last as they say.
Here is our programme as it stands. We are very sorry but everything is not finalised. We want to get the best tours possible and ensure the companies that help us put on the festival have given us their full authority. This can take time and has been particularly difficult this year. The traditional date for the Autumn festival has been the last weekend in September and this always clashes with Whisky Live Paris which takes priority over Speyside although we do not know why. We are now free to choose our own dates for our festival so we will look at a more practical date for 2017. Tickets will go on sale on 17 July at 6pm BST. Click here to buy tickets but only from 17 July!
Thursday 22 September 2016
11:00 to 15:00: Blind Blends (The Shop) - Our annual competition to find the best blended whisky. The current champion Adelphi's Glenborrodale (if we can get some) will go up against 4 specially selected challenger which have not been in the competition before.
18:00 to 19:00 The First Drop (St James Hall) - Mike's traditional opening to the festival with a fun look at some of the new releases from the whisky industry which have caught his interest for good or bad reasons.
Friday 23 September 2016
09:30 to 13:00: Five Generations of Glenfarclas (The Shop) - We travel from The Whisky Shop Dufftown to Glenfarclas Distillery for a guided tour and then to sample 5 Glenfarclas from 5 different decades
11:00 to 15:00: Blind Blends (The Shop)
12:00 to 17:00: In-store tasting with Angels' Nectar - Come to the shop for a free tasting of some great whiskies from this new independent company.
13:30 to 14:45: Masterclass (St James Hall) - Slot currently open.
15:00 to 16:15: Masterclass with Fred Allan of Murray McDavid (St James Hall) - A local character and down right honest bloke, "Fred's Enterprises" will show case some samples from independent bottler Murray MacDavid..
17:00 to 18:15: Materclass with Rick Drysdale of Douglas Laing (St James Hall) - Rick will take you through a selection of the very best of the latest releases from Douglas Laing.
19:30 to 23:15: Whisky Dining at The Dowans Hotel (The Shop) - We travel from The Whisky Shop Dufftown to The Dowans hotel in Aberlour to experience a fabulous dining experience with dishes paired with whisky. Working in Progress at the moment to get the right unique magic.
Saturday 24 September 2016
09:00 to 13:30: Distillery Visit to Glenlivet (The Shop) - We depart from the shop to Glenlivet for a specially arranged event. We will have a special tour of the distillery and then we stay on for the legendary Legacy Tasting Experience.
10:00 to 10:30: A Bacon Roll and 4 Nips (St James) - Our annual attempt to find the best whisky with a bacon roll. Arran Lochranza, the current reigning champion will be pitted against 3 specially selected contenders who have not been in the competition before.
11:00 to 15:00: Blind Blends (The Shop)
12:00 to 17:00: In-Store tasting with Spey Craft Brewery (The Shop) - Come along to the shop for a free tasting of the range of beers from this excellent brewery.
12:00 to 12:30: Haggis and 4 Nips (St James) - Yet again we will be trying to find the best dram to go with Haggis. Neeps and tatties will be around but they are only there for support. The current reigning champion, Glen Scotia 15 Years Old, will be challenged by 3 specially selected single malts.
13:30 to 14:45: Masterclass (St James Hall) - Slot currently open.
15:30 to 16:45: Masterclass with Antonia Bruce from Adelphi ( St James Hall) - Antonia will take you through a selection of the very best of the latest release from Adelphi.
17:30 to 18:45: Masterclass with Mark Watt (probably) from Cadenheads (St James Hall) - Mark will present the latest from the oldest independent bottler in his own inimitable style.
20:00 to 22:00: Bollywood Comes to Dufftown with Vicky Keough of The Whisky Shop Dufftown and David MacDonald of Spey Valley Brewery (St James) - In essence this will be the most extraordinary tasting you will have every been to. This tasting will pair in sets, whisky and beer and curry in an amazing fusion of flavours.
Sunday 25 September 2016
09:00 to 13:30 - Distillery tour to be confirmed
10:00 to 10:30: A Bacon Roll and 4 Nips (St James) - Our annual attempt to find the best whisky with a bacon roll. Arran Lochranza, the current reigning champion will be pitted against 3 specially selected contenders who have not been in the competition before.
11:00 to 15:00: Blind Blends (The Shop)
12:00 to 17:00: In-Store Tasting with Wemyss Malts (The Shop) - Come along and try the range of blended whiskies from Wemyss for free.
12:00 to 12:30: Haggis and 4 Nips (St James) - Yet again we will be trying to find the best dram to go with Haggis. Neeps and tatties will be around but they are only there for support. The current reigning champion, Glen Scotia 15 Years Old, will be challenged by 3 specially selected single malts.
13:30 to 14:45: Masterclass (St James Hall) - Slot currently open.
15:00 to 16:15: Masterclass: Vintage Speyside with Angus MacRaid (St James) - You may have been to a tasting before with old whiskies but this is different. This is old whiskies, bottling's of whisky from the past so you can experience how whisky has changed over the decades.
17:30 to 18:45: Masterclass with Jonny MacMillan of Berry Bros & Rudd (St James) - Jonny will take you through the best of the new releases from BBR and a touch more. Intrigued? Come along and find out!
20:00 to 21:45: Music, Songs and Laughter with Robin Laing (St James) - Robin will entertain with his singing and a few good drams.
Monday 26 September 2016
09:00 to 13:30: Distillery Tours - One company to confirm week commencing 18 June.
11:00 to 15:00: Blind Blends (The Shop)
12:00 to 17:00: In-store Tasting (TBC week commencing 25 June)
13:30 to 14:45: Masterclass with Alastair Mutch of Tomatin Distillery (St James) - This will be a great opportunity to try a number of expressions from across the Tomatin range.
15:15 to 16:45: Materclass with Lucy Whitehall of Glenturret Distillery (St James) - Lucy will be a long with a selection of whiskies from the new Glen Turret range and a few surprises.
17:30 to 19:00: Masterclass with Peter MacKay of Morrison & Mackay (St James) - Peter will present the a selection of the latest releases from the indepencent bottler Morrison & MacKay
20:00 to 22:00: The Last Drop (The Shop) - The traditional close to the end of the festival with a fine array of odds and end of whiskies from the last six months and a selection from the tasting for you to try. The shop will also be open for purchases.
We are getting very excited here at The WSD HQ. It is now just 60 days until our 10th birthday!!! But why wait 60 days to start celebrating? So we have put own current 2 exclusive bottles on sale with 10% off. That's a festive present just crying out to be bought!!!!
Yes, it is the return of our most complicated titled sale!!!! Now in its second year. We have again selected 25 fine whiskies across the price spectrum to entice you to buy a little seasonal cheer at a knock down price.
There is the count down to Christmas. The count down to the New Year. Here at The Whisky Shop Dufftown we have another more important one. It is only 86 days until we are 10 years old!
6 February 2006 was when Mike bought the shop and created The Whisky Shop Dufftown. Things have changed a lot in those 10 years and there will be a few more changes before our birthday. We have come a very long way. Here are just a few of the changes:
We have increased the shelf space by 50%.
We painted over the tobacco-smoke-stained ceiling.
The value of stock is now over 20 times greater than back in 2006.
We got rid of the peg board partitions.
We have more than doubled the number of whiskies available.
We got rid of the fake grapes and plastic vines.
We gave the shop a distinctive logo and colour scheme.
The list goes on....
We have big plans to celebrate our 10th birthday. We will be having special events during Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2016 and our own Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival.
We will also have a set of products to mark the occasion. Obviously we will have our own exclusive whisky which will be bottled in the week before our birthday so it will be ready for our birthday. We may even have another one to mark our 11th Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. There will be the obligatory Glencairn Blenders glass. Still the most practical way to enjoy your dram. But there will also be a few surprises.
Each one of our celebration products will be connected with a characteristic that we (mainly Mike) has had to display to make it through our first 10 years. Don't worry we are also making plans for the future and in January we will be filling a cask at Ardnamurchan Distillery which will be ready for our 20th birthday (we hope).
The first item is now available. It is a fabulously creative T-Shirt from Whisky Impressions and sports our anniversary logo in the centre. It also promotes Dufftown as a whisky region in its own right. It should be worn with pride. Please note this T-Shirt should not be used as an actual map. View our range here.
Here is a round up of what's happening at The WSD.
New Releases
We have had many new releases coming in to stock over the last month or two. Picking out just a few....
Wemyss
We have had a great new set of malts in from Wemyss. This is the usual Wemyss gig where they have a phrase that sums up the flavour profile of the whisky. You get the idea. Click the links for more detailed tasting notes. Just in case you have a brain like mine "Sea Haar Bound" is no more than what it it says on the tin (or in this case bottle). It's just stuck in the fog but more romantically phrased. It is nothing more sinister. If you have met the ladies at Wemyss then what else could it be? Having a soft spot for old grain then the "Toffee Apple Crisp" really appealed to us and the Glen Scotia is like no other.
Finding Imperial's is like finding the tooth from a hen who has been bare-back riding a Unicorn so this Imperial 1996 from Gordon & MacPhail is a real treat. It's a delicate sherry cask whisky with possibly more bourbon cask characteristics on the palate. Warning! The supply is very limited.
Bargain Hunters
We have also obtained a small quantity of bargain priced single malts both from Provenance. It's always a good feeling to price a single malt below £30.
More of our new items can be seen by clicking here
Speyside Spirit Cocktail Competition
There is still time to enter our Cocktail competition to find the best cocktail featuring a Speyside Spirit. There's a great prize as well. Closing date is 1 September. Click here for the full details.
Festivals
The Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival
Tickets are still available for some events at our festival which runs from 24 to 28 September this year. You can see the full programme by clicking here.
Other Festivals
It is rumoured that other festivals are available in the coming months but none are as fun and exciting as ours. But if you can't get to Dufftown at the end of September that why not consider relaxing a Maltstock. Go along to the quiz. It will be shorter and far easier than the last 3 years.
*** I would like to personally apologise for the mistake that was in the paragraph above. I of course meant to say Maltsock, *****
