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Saturday, 5 March 2016
The Most Incredible And Simple Invention That Will Change Our Future
Sunday, 14 February 2016
THE BEST CRYSTAL SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY GLASSES IN THE WORLD
THE GLENCAIRN CRYSTAL SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY GLASS
The Glencairn Glass |
These glasses sound tinny when tapped with a fork or spoon. They are every bit as good as Glencairn glasses in terms of utility, but lack the class and longevity of the original brand. When washed, they do not appear to shine as crystal glasses should, but need a dedicated rub with flannel.
Glencairn has also released
a limited-edition black Glencairn Glass. For the first time ever the iconic
Glencairn Glass will be available to buy in black – but only a few thousand are for sale.
These unique glasses will be the first to be officially sold to the public by the award-winning, Scottish family business, Glencairn Crystal. Never before have black Glencairn Glasses been available to buy so now is a chance to procure a piece of whisky industry history. Available from Friday 29 November and for as long as stocks last, each glass costs £7 and comes in a special edition black box.
The glasses can only be purchased via the Glencairn Crystal online store where you can also find a 20% discount across all Glencairn Glassware items over the weekend and Monday. The perfect place to find extra special sparkling gifts for Christmas for whisky-loving friends and family.
The Glencairn Glass is
endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association as the official glass for whisky.
Glencairn Crystal makes over 3 million per year, across hundreds of brands,
distributed to over 90 countries worldwide.
Glencairn has previously
won The Queen’s Awards as follows:
- The Queens Award for Enterprise 2017 and 2012
- The Queens Award for Innovation 2006 (with the Glencairn Whisky Glass)
Using the glass:
Colour
Is your whisky pale gold, deep gold, copper or rich amber in colour?
How to use
This indicates the type of cask in which the liquid has been matured.
Nose
Which aromas do you recognise when you nose your whisky – is it smoky, fruity, chocolaty…?
How to use
Give it
time; the scents change in the glass all the time. Add a drop of water -The
amount is up to you (but enough to remove any prickle or burning sensation felt
on the nose) – and sniff again. Has the spirit opened up or closed down?
Body
Does your
whisky have a light, medium or full body?
How to use
As you swirl
the whisky in the glass does it cling to the sides and do the “legs” slide down
slowly or quickly? Thick, slow running “legs” indicate a more dense texture;
whilst thin fast moving “legs” suggest the opposite. Both are good!
Palate
Which
characteristics do you notice when you taste the whisky?
How to use
First, sip
the whisky without adding water. Identify the balance of ‘primary tastes’ –
sweet (on the front of your tongue), salty and acidic (at the sides) and bitter
or dry, spicy and smoky (at the back). Then add a little water. This makes it
easier to hold the liquid in your mouth for longer and further explore its
taste. If you can resist temptation and leave a little liquid in the glass for
20 minutes or so, return to nose and taste to explore how the flavour has
developed.
Finish
Does the
flavour remain for a long time or does it disappear quickly?
How to use
Whiskies from the Glencairn Glass are best enjoyed neat or with a little water. Consider
whether the flavours linger, slowly change or disappear quite quickly.
THE INTRIGUING HISTORY OF THE BLACK DOG SCOTCH WHISKY
OF INTERNATIONAL APPEAL BUT OF INDIAN CONCEPT
The leading Scotch whisky of its time |
Phipson's Black Dog has become a collector's item which my coursemates and I possibly drank in our halcyon days-I,for one, certainly did on my commissioning party. I kept my eyes and ears open for any future mention of this brand, and found them stocked by the 12-bottle cases in our Navy's Duty Free stores. Obliging naval coursemates provided me with a bottle or two till stocks ran out.
When the British started to leave India in 1942, Phipson and Co. battled hard to stay on, well beyond 1947 when India gained Independence. Walter Millard died in England in 1952. Carew and Co., a smaller liquor dealer, and Phipson & Co. were partly taken over in 1963-64 and merged with itself by McDowell & Co, owned by United Breweries Group (UB), an Indian alcoholic beverages company. in 2002, the company acquired Phipson Distillery marking the demise of Phipson Black Dog. In 2006, McDowell & Co Limited, Herbertsons Limited, Triumph Distillers and Vintners Private Limited, Baramati Grape Industries India Limited, Shaw Wallace Distilleries Limited and four other companies were merged to form United Spirits Limited, the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is now a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered in Bangalore. USL exports its products to over 37 countries.
USL also owned Whyte and Mackay and as Phipson Black Dog died with the taking over of the company, it turned to Richard Paterson, Master Blender at W&M to recreate The Black Dog. This acquisition of Scottish major Whyte & Mackay, with one of the largest inventories of aged malts and grain whisky reserves saw USL bolstering Black Dog with better aged variants to prop up premium appeal. USL started premiumising Black Dog. Rather than just placing the product on retail shelves, the company took an account management approach and created a huge buzz around the brand.
Four versions of the Black Dog Scotch Whisky exist today:
Black Dog Black Reserve is a rich and rare premium blended Scotch whisky loaded with exceptional characters. It is blended to perfection with a multitude of malt spirits chosen from the various regions of Scotland.
- See more at: http://www.unitedspirits.in/scotch-brands.aspx?id=45&val=fifth#sthash.UktvoMsa.dpuf
Black Dog Black Reserve is a rich and rare blended Scotch whisky loaded with exceptional character. It is blended well with a multitude of malt and grain spirits chosen from various regions of Scotland. On completing 8 years in barrels, it is exported to India for bottling and sale. A few barrels are bottled for the local market as well. The whisky has a distinctive briny note, picked up in transit from Scotland to India.
.
Black Dog Gold Reserve Scotch Whisky
Black Dog Gold Reserve Aged 12 Years is a blend of 25 fine malt and grain whiskies from four regions of Scotland - Speyside, Islay, Highlands and Lowlands, each matured for a minimum period of 12 years creating a bouquet that captures all the flavours of Scotland, giving the blend its very distinctive flavour and taste. Over 95% of its output is bottled in India, the balance going into travel packs in Duty Free shops and other markets. There is a distinct difference between the two, possibly caused by the effect of maritime air on the barrels as they travel to hot and dusty India, where the angel is far more demanding-up to a 12% cut. Sadly, this version is but a pale shadow of the Black Dog 12 YO of yesteryear. Whyte & Mackay use a different source of water, have different stills and can NEVER replicate Mackinlay's whiskies. That said, Johnny Walker Black Label started to use unpeated Caol Ila 12 YO and Talisker, changing the flavour profile markedly and elevating this brand to No.1 in the Blended Scotch 12 YO range, from which it was displaced in India by the Famous Grouse 12 YO, which sadly has been discontinued. Teacher's 50, Ballantine's 12 YO, Dewar's 12 YO and Buchanan's 12 YO are currently vying for top honours in this category.
Black Dog Reserve Scotch Whisky
The Black Dog Quintessence is a 21 year old blend. It is pure liquid gold as it is handcrafted to meticulous perfection by Black Dog’s master blenders. Only 25 of the finest single malts and grain whiskies have been drawn from the Highland region of Scotland, in particular from Speyside to provide that special key – “finesse”. Like a loving partnership each individual part has made its own inimitable contribution. Balance and harmony prevails throughout this noble elegant spirit. After a long 20 year maturation in Bourbon barrels, the final year is spent in the finest Oloroso sherry butts. These aren't just any sherry butts; they are specially selected from Spain’s noblest Bodegas of Gonzalez Byass in Jerez de la Frontera; these Matusalem butts provide the perfect platform to marry and mould Black Dog 21 years old Blended Scotch Whisky. This whisky has been sold out, more's the pity. I did manage to taste it at The Patio in 2013 and can still recall that dram.
The Black Dog Gold Reserve 12 YO is available at most duty free shops at close to US$ 37.00 per 750 CL. These are all Bottled In Scotland whiskies but are rapidly fading out. They are far too expensive. In the free market in India, The Black Dog Gold Reserve 12 YO Bottled In India is freely available at US$ 28 and below. The rush for this brand at this price by people who don't care where it was bottled is unbelievable. The 12 YO is the brand that is selling the fastest globally when seen YoY, averaging 45-50%!
Black Dog's scorching growth contrasts with overall blended scotch sales coming under pressure globally, and within India, for different reasons. The only other blended scotch brands to report five year double-digit growth are Black & White (19.8%), Old Parr (14.8%), Passport (13.7%) and VAT 69 (10%) among a list of the world's 50 top scotch brands compiled by International Wine & Spirit Research.
How Scotch Whisky is faring globally |