April 2010

Turning Japanese…

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Richard's Blog

Pardon the pun in the title. It was just too easy.

This past Friday and Saturday the Apostles were co-located in the same place for the first time since WhiskyFest NYC 2009. To celebrate we did what you would expect…drank whiskey! We did a lot of tasting and a catching up but we also got some site-related work done too. Matt was kind enough to bring me a bottle of the Hibiki 12 Year Old (sorry, still not available in Atlanta) so we decided a Japanese tasting was in order. We tasted three of the only four Japanese whiskies currenlty available in the States. Unfortunately, the Yamazaki 1984 is a little out of my price range at the moment. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be posting reviews of the Yamazaki 12, Yamazaki 18 and Hibiki 12. I should have the first review up tomorrow so check back soon!

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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New U.S. Releases – March ‘10

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Scottish Whisky

Wow…here we are almost half way through April and I haven’t posted the March new release roundup. Many apologies for this oversight. I’m a new dad which is a constant source of distraction and on top of that there was a death in my family last week. Regardless, there were a number of intriguing March announcements in the whiskey world. Here’s what we heard about.

Amrut Indian Whisky
Timeframe: April 2010
There are a host of Amurt whiskies coming stateside in April. They should be in New York and New Jersey first and then trickle into Chicago, Kentucky, and Massachusetts by mid-April. Of all the ones we tried at WFNYC 2009 the Fusion was our favorite.

Amrut Single Malt Whisky
Amrut Peated Single Malt Whisky
Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky
Amrut Peated Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky
Amrut Fusion Whisky

Crown Royal Black
Timeframe: April
ABV: 45%
Price: $30
This is supposed to be a higher proof and more robust Crown with deeper bourbon notes. I’m not a huge CR fan but they’ve peaked my interest. I guess I’m going to have to start buying Canadian too.

Four Roses 100th Anniversary 17 Year Old
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 55%
Price: $75
My growing adoration for Four Roses is nearing Buffalo Trace level fervor. Mr. Rutledge is making great Kentucky bourbon with Japanese ingenuity. This is on my short list.

Glen Garioch
Timeframe: Spring 2010
Glen Garioch had revamped their range and a new Founder’s Reserve and 12 Year Old should be coming soon to a market near you. I tried them both at the SMSW Extravaganza last month and was pleased with what I tasted.

The Dalmore Mackenze
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 46%
Price: TBD
This was launched on March 17th and we posted Dalmore’s release at the time but I’m still waiting on U.S. information on distribution and pricing. There are only 3,000 bottles worldwide so it will be limited.

Seagram’s Dark Honey
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 35.5%
Price: $16.99
Seagram’s is throwing their hat into the continuing flood of new whiskey-type releases following Wilde Turkey American Honey and Jim Beam Red Stagg.

That’s what I heard about last month. If you heard anything that I missed then please shoot me an email. On a positive note, the Apostles will be together in Atlanta this weekend. We might even get some site-related work done between drams. Stay tuned for new reviews!

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Buffalo Trace Releases Canadian Whisky?

/ / Matt's Blog, Other Whisk(e)ys

Straight on the heels of Richard’s momentous discovery that Buffalo Trace is now available in Atlanta, John Hansell breaks news that the Sazerac Company (makers of Buffalo Trace and countless other fine spirits) will have two new Canadian whiskies on store shelves by the end of the month.  How can an American distillery release a Canadian whisky, you may be asking.  Well, the answer is simple.  The Sazerac Company acquired some Canadian whisky stocks (no word on the source) and now they are making them available.  I have to say that I’m torn about this news.  As you well know, Richard and I are not huge fans of Canadian-style whiskies.  The only Canadian whisky we really enjoy comes from Forty Creek which is hardly Canadian-style despite meeting all the requirements to be called “Canadian Whisky.”  We are however, fans of Buffalo Trace Distillery on a level bordering religious zealotry.  So, we have to give these a try.  The two whiskies will be Caribou Crossing Single Barrel ($49.99) and Royal Canadian Small Batch ($29.99).  For the full press release and some pictures (including the ridiculously campy Caribou Crossing bottle), check out WDJK.  Some of you may have also noticed that Crown Royal announced a new expression recently (Crown Royal Black).  We will try that one at some point too.  I’m all for the idea of a bolder/richer Canadian whisky.  It certainly can’t get less bold…

Drink well, drink responsibly.

Matt

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The Buffalo Has Landed!

/ / Bourbon, Richard's Blog

For all you rabid Atlanta Buffalo Trace fans out there, I have visible confirmation that we now have Buffalo Trace Bourbon in Atlanta! Matt and I cornered the BT representative at WhiskyFest NYC 2009 demanding to know when we’d be seeing Buffalo Trace in Atlanta. At the time he said that they were just moving into Chattanooga before year-end and he anticipated getting it to Atlanta by the end of 2010.

Well, it’s here and it’s early. I’ve only seen it at the Tower Package Store on Piedmont but I’ve seen it. I went in looking to pick up a bottle of Yamazaki 18 and I decided to look around a little. I don’t get to Tower very much anymore since I moved to the ‘burbs. As I was checking out the tasty array of bourbons I noticed a familiar bottle three shelves down. 1 liter bottle of BT for around $30! Woohoo! I’m sure you know what I had to do. If you’re also having a hard time finding Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel (I know I have) they also have that in 750ml bottles for around $30.

If anyone else sees Buffalo popping up around town please let us know in the comment section of this post.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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