The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Raise a glass to Cairngorm!
New release from Tullibardine
Tullibardine Distillery in Blackford, Perthshire, has unveiled the newest addition to its award-winning Fine Aged Collection – the Tullibardine 15-Year-Old.
A single malt, distilled after the reopening of the distillery in 2003, has been carefully matured in first-fill bourbon barrels, under the watchful eye of Tullibardine’s master distiller, Keith Geddes.
Keith said: “It is a joy to introduce the 15-Year-Old to the world. This whisky really is something special, with an abundance of beguiling flavours that sync perfectly together.
“The whisky has a sweet and warm character that fills the senses with nostalgic aromas.”
On the nose are delicate dried hay and parma violets, with touches of baked apple, cloves and vanilla ice cream.
Then, there are notes of freshly baked scones with hints of strawberry jam and clotted cream, married with delicate spices.
With a finish of subtle nuttiness, this whisky is pleasantly nostalgic of summer days gone by.
National Trust for Scotland gin
Conservationists for the National Trust for Scotland are celebrating 25 years of protecting and restoring the ancient pine forests in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park with the launch of Pinewood Gin, a brand new drink with a clear conservation message.
Pinewood Gin is created using botanicals from the pinewoods of Mar Lodge Estate – including juniper, pine needles, birch leaves, bog myrtle, wood sorrel and blaeberries.
The botanicals for the gin, the brainchild of Mar Lodge Estate ecologist Shaila Rao, were hand-foraged by estate staff, while the gin was distilled in partnership with Glenshee Craft Distillers.
“Simon Fairclough, the managing director of
Glenshee Craft Distillers, is incredibly supportive of the work at Mar Lodge to protect our unique pinewood, and he has helped us through the whole development of the gin,” explained Shaila, who came up with the concept.
“We were inspired by this progress to create the Pinewood Gin, which is literally flavoured by this place, plus every bottle sold supports our efforts to protect the Caledonian pinewoods of Mar Lodge Estate and restore them to their former glory.”
Pinewood Gin, priced £32 for a 50cl bottle, is available at www.nts.org.uk and will shortly be available at Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Inverewe, Glencoe Visitor Centre, Crathes Castle and Culzean Castle and Country Park.
First beer from Ardbeg
Ardbeg Distillery on Islay has released its first-ever beer – The Shortie Smoky Porter.
The beer was created in aid of the charity Brewgooder’s Global Gathering for World Water Day, and all profits from The Shortie Smoky Porter will be donated to support clean water projects in Malawi.
A four pack of the beer, priced £14, can now be bought from the distillery visitor centre, at selected stores and online at Ardbeg.com
It’s a rum do...
Supermarket Aldi’s own-label rum range has been praised by industry experts at one of the world’s most highly regarded blind-tasting competitions, the Spirits Business Rum Masters.
Judges awarded Sea Dog Premium Spiced Rum (£14.99) a gold medal, while the store’s Crossbones Premium Dark Rum was awarded a Silver medal.
Julie Ashfield, from Aldi, said: “Rum continues to be a popular product with Aldi shoppers, and in 2019 alone, we sold over 2.5 million bottles of the spirit.”