Sept 13
You might want to check out the single malts page on the ANBL website you will notice a couple of new products coming in to NB, Highland park has launched the Highland Park 10 yr expression at $62.99. The 10 yr will only be available in Canada, it will be a collectors item to the rest of the Whisky world. I have not tried it yet but I look forward to my very first sample. You may notice that it is more expensive then the 12 yr priced at $60.29. I predict that by the end of the year Highland Park 12 yr will cost $69.99 to $79.99 at ANBL outlets. If your Highland Park fan my recommendation is to stock up now. It will never get cheaper. I mentioned to you a few years ago that the Balvenie 10 yr Founder's Reserve was going to disappear off the shelves of your local outlets. It was selling for approx. $35.00 a bottle at that time. If you can find a bottle today anywhere in the world you will be paying a minimum of $150.00. Makes it difficult to open your last bottle doesn't it?
The other new one is the Macallan Amber from the new 1824 range. I have been fortunate enough to have tried this one and I can report it was a wonderful whisky. I can not remeber ever having a poor quality Macallan.The new 1824 Range will be replacing the aged Macallans now available in NB. Expect to see the Gold, Sienna and Ruby follow in the coming months. The Amber is priced at $99.99 and it will replace the Macallan Sherried version 12 yr now at $84.79. Buy one now.
If your a fan of the Famous Grouse 12 yr you might consider buying an extra bottle or two. My sources have told me this will be a discontinued product. It's really not all that surprising. The whisky is a 12 yr old blended malt selling for less than $39.00 in New Brunswick. I can not think of any 12 yr old malts selling for under $40.00 anywhere. This Grouse punches way above it's weight in terms of a quality dram for value. I challenge you to go find a whisky that is this good for this price. I plan on picking up a few extra bottles over the next few weeks. ANBL does not have anymore in their warehouse just in stores around the province.
Whisky prices will not be coming down anytime soon. I am sure if you have been into the local liquor stores you would have noticed the dramatic price increases over the past 16 months. It is not going to stop. Demand for Single malts and scotch whisky in general has skyrocketed in Asia, South America, Russia.Taiwan is now a major importer of single malts. Many of the major companies have offices and presentation in all these markets. New developing markets have driven supplies lower tha ever before especially malts. During my last trip to Scotland, It was obvoius that many of distilleries are operating 7 days a week, ramping up production to new record levels. New distilleries and old ones that have been previously mothballed are opening or reopening all over Scotland. Diageo has been adding new stills to several of it's key distilleries such as Dailuaine, Mortlach, Dufftown,Glen Elgin, Linkwood, A new distillery is planned for the Black Isle near the Teaninich Distillery with plans to produce in access of 10 to 12 million litres per annum. Diageo opened up a state of the art distillery called Roseisle near Burghead, north of the A96 outside of the town of Elgin, Morayshire a few years ago that can produce over 10 million litres per annum.It is reported it can produce any style of new make required by the Master Blenders.
Chivas Bros are building a new 10-12 million litre distillery on the site of the old Imperial Distillery in Carron, Speyside to be called Carron Distillery. They have also re opened Glen Keith in June of this year after being shut down in the mid 90's. The Rogue has a botle of the old bottling Glen Keith prior to it closing down. Quite hard to fine now a days.
Glenlivet has built a new still house, new mash tun (a monster size I will put some photos on the Rogue Facebook page) and a slew of new washbacks to increase production (one of the prettiest still houses I have ever seen).
A slew of new smaller craft or farm distilleries are popping up all over Scotland. Kilchoman on Islay, Daftmill in Fife, ( the new smallest distillery in Scotland) both grow their own barley on their farms, Annandale, a long closed distillery in the borders, is now ready for the builders, Abhainn Dearg at Uig on the Isle of Lewis is now producing and selling product.
