StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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Distillers are passionate about what they do and it is helpful to try to impart the romance and passion behind a brand. Sharing insider information with a whisky aficionado is an irresistible hook, instilling the person with a sense of ownership in the brand that won't soon be forgotten. Stocking a limited selection requires considerably more thought to ensure that you market a balanced offering, one that best represents the varieties of styles of each Scotch-producing region. Again, what follows is a selective look at this vibrant segment. Located in the northern part of Scotland, the Highlands is the largest Scotch-producing region and the home to a majority of the country's dis- tilleries. The region's peat-laced waters and cool, moisture-laded air is perfectly suited for making classic malts. The heartland of the region is the Speyside. Its malts are known for their sophistication, elegance and complexity, the most famous of which are The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich. The Glenlivet range recently expanded with the release of THE GLENLIVET NÀDURRA, a single malt aged for 16 years in ex-bourbon American oak casks and bottled at cask strength (57.2% alcohol). The Glenlivet range also includes category leader The Glenlivet 12-year-old, 18-year-old, 12-year- old French Oak Finish, Archive (21-year-old), and Cellar Collection vintages 1983, 1959 and 1967. THE GLENLIVET 15-YEAR-OLD FRENCH OAK RESERVE is aged in American ex-bourbon barrels, after which a portion is matured further in new, Limousin oak barrels. Famous for use in aging cognacs, Limousine oak is an extremely fast-growing tree, resulting in the widest grain pat- tern of the species. Its loose pores allow a spirit to extract more flavo- rants from the wood. While still representative of the Glenlivet style, the French oak finish adds some welcome spice. Another lord of the Speyside is Glenfiddich, the bestselling sin- gle malt Scotch whisky in the world. The distillery's range of single malts took another leap forward with the release of GLENFIDDICH CASK OF DREAMS. Launched in conjunction with 32 their 125th anniversary, the whisky pays homage to the legacy of Glenfiddich founder William Grant who in 1887 pinned all his hopes on a dream to create "the best dram in the valley." The Cask of Dreams is a special marriage of Glenfiddich whiskies taken from a hand-picked selection of American oak casks holding matured whiskies of a variety of ages, with the youngest at 14 Years Old. This whisky was then decanted into the 11 inscribed casks and left to finish in the virgin American oak to bring an intense and powerful vanilla sweetness. The casks were closely monitored to ensure a desirable balance of the oak's vanilla and spice with fruity, floral aromas, with Kinsman finding perfect balance after 3 months of fin- ishing and at a high strength of 48.8% ABV. GLENFIDDICH SOLERA RESERVE SINGLE MALT is aged 15-years by a system modeled after Spanish Soleras. Three different types of wood are used in production—used bour- bon barrels, sherry butts and new oak casks. The whiskies are then aged in Solera vats with the core age being a minimum of 15 years. Solera aging creates a malt that drinks much older than its years. The Speyside district of the Scottish Highlands is also the home of the Balvenie Distillery. The Balvenie range is a compilation of five artisan expressions. Their flagship is the BALVENIE PORTWOOD 21-YEAR-OLD SINGLE MALT, a whisky double barreled, first in traditional oak and then 30- year-old, oak port pipes. The wine influences every aspect of the whisky. The Balvenie distillery also has a series of cask strength expressions that includes THE BALVENIE CARIBBEAN CASK, a 14 years old malt finished in Caribbean rums barrels; THE BALVENIEMADEIRA CASK, a 17 years old malt finished in Madeira barrels, THE BALVENIE SHERRY CASK, a 17 years old malt finished exclusively in Oloroso Sherry oak barrels and THE BALVENIE VINTAGE 1975 CASK. THE MACALLAN well deserves its lofty reputation among whisky aficionados. The distillery has the deepest whisky reserves in all of Scotland and a colossal range that includes 33 distinctive bottlings and vintages. Their famed sherry oak single malts are bottled at 10 years, 10 years at cask strength, 12 years, 18 years and 25 years. One of its latest is THE MACALLAN CASK STRENGTH SINGLE MALT HIGHLAND SCOTCH, a full-bodied malt bot- tled at a mouth-tingling 116.4 proof. A splash StateWays s www.stateways.com s March/April 2012 The Highlands