LCBO new products

[Frodo]

Glen Breton 10yr Icewine CS: Doesn't say if the whisky is finished in Icewine casks or has the full 10yr maturation in them - I suspect the former. At $85 cdn for a CS malt whisky with a finish, I'd say that's decent value. Curious about this, but won't buy unless I can try first.

Karuizawa 8yr: Would like to try an older Karuizawa but this sounds interesting. At $60 it doesn't seem overpriced given that it uses (mostly) sherry casks from what I've heard.

The Irishman 70: The tasting notes in the last Vintages mag as well as the price ($40) seem to make this one worth taking a chance on. I have more tequila than I know what to do with so I'm not tempted, but looks interesting. Is competing with Redbreast 12 Jameson 12 and Blackbush's price point - will need to promote this to compete with those methinks.

[Iain M]

The icewine is a finish if its the same product as this :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... 0000037883

I'll say one thing - I hope you get a bigger bottle than our options

[Frodo]

Yup. I believe ours is 750ml but I'll confirm.

[Yello to Mello]

I am going to try the Karuizawa upon its release....that might be all I have money for.

[Yello to Mello]

What about these that are also being released in 2 days?


PRÀBAN NA LINNE POIT DHUBH 8 YEARS OLD MALT GAELIC WHISKY $55.95

EDRADOUR THE DISTILLERY EDITION 10 YEARS OLD HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY $74.95

EAGLE RARE SINGLE BARREL 10 YEARS OLD KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY $54.95

[Frodo]

Hi M2Y:

None of those raise my interest. I wouldn't get anything from Edradour as I don't like their soapy character - I like the Bowmore soapiness just not Edradour style. The Praban Na Linne sounds good, but I don't think of it as a bargain at $55. Be willing to try it at a tasting tower if one comes up. The Eagle Rare is fairly priced and good whisky to boot. I'm just not feeling it for me.

[Nabil]

I think that the Eagle Rare is as desirable as any single malt...LOVE the stuff! At 54 bucks, I'll wait until I cross the border and buy it for 27$ I wish they would stock the standard Buffalo Trace! I generally don't buy in Ontario ANYMORE!

[Yello to Mello]

I never seen some of these before in LCBO and I just clicked on the Premium Spirit link on the site:

http://www.lcbo.ca/premium_spirits/index.shtml

Some they have in stock and some they dont, I dont know when they got these ones in that they never had...Im not listing them all, just a few that stuck out:

Caol Ila Unpeated 10 Year Old 139204 | 700 mL | $109.95

Clynelish Distillers Edition 139188 | 750 mL | $99.95

Cragganmore Distillers Edition 139170 | 750 mL | $79.95

El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum 045450 | 750 mL | $109.95

Glenkinchie Distillers Edition Single Malt 503375 | 750 mL | $79.95

Jameson Gold Reserve Irish Whiskey 139287 | 750 mL | $89.95

MIDLETON VERY RARE IRISH WHISKEY 641589 | 750 mL | $179.95

Strathisla 12 Year Old Pure Highland Malt Scotch 394437 | 750 mL | $53.50

[Yello to Mello]

I was at the Promenade store and they had A'bunadh #23 in a cabinet and more #28 on the shelf....about 10 bottles.

[The Craw]

From the Scotsman newspaper:

Innis & Gunn expanding as it eyes record £5m in sales
By PETER RANSCOMBE
BUSINESS REPORTER
INNIS & Gunn is toasting a double-digit rise in third- quarter turnover as the Edinburgh-based brewer looks set to post record annual sales of £5 million. Revenue in the three months to the end of September rose by 12 per cent to £1.2m, bringing sales for the first nine months of the year to £3.3m, equalling 2008's total turnover.

Managing director Dougal Sharp yesterday predicted that 2009's revenue would reach £5m and that the company was on course to meet its target of selling 500,000 cases before the end of December, 20 per cent more than in 2008.

Sharp said the figure could be even higher if the key Christmas period is a success for the company, with Sainsbury's heavily promoting a gift pack featuring his beers.

The pack is also being promoted by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in Canada, where Innis & Gunn is the biggest-selling UK bottled beer.

This year's limited edition beer for the home market is an Indian pale ale, brewed at 7.7 per cent alcohol by volume.

Sharp said the growth of his beers – which are aged in oak barrels – was outstripping the market, with the British Beer and Pub Association reporting beer sales in UK shops rose by 4.4 per cent in the third quarter.

He told The Scotsman: "We're seeing a trend towards consumers spending their cash on better-quality treats, rather than standard beers. They're spending their money more wisely.

"Sales are gangbusters at the moment. Consumers are trading in standard beer for premium speciality beers that deliver flavour and a story. People are also using beer differently, treating it more like wine, which is a great development for the beer industry as a whole."

Sharp added that focusing on the off-trade was paying dividends for the company and that Innis & Gunn now sat behind only Leffe and Hoegaarden in the specialist beer category in terms of sales.

He said the company had invested heavily this year in marketing and distribution in its export markets, including Finland, Norway and Sweden, where the brand is the second biggest- selling UK bottled beer behind Newcastle Brown Ale.

Exports account for two-thirds of turnover, although Sharp said earlier this year that the firm would have a renewed focus on the home market.

He yesterday revealed that his brother, Neil, was leaving the business to join Pernod Ricard, fulfilling his ambition to work for a major drinks company. Neil had most recently acted as Innis & Gunn's "brand ambassador" in Canada and the United States.

His departure has prompted Sharp to recruit more workers, with up to four people expected to join the existing six staff to support sales, accounts and administration.

Innis & Gunn was set up as a joint venture with William Grant & Sons in 2003 to develop a beer to finish a "cask ale reserve" whisky. The beer tasted good enough to sell and last year Sharp led a management buy-out.

The brewer's five-millionth bottle rolled off the production line this month and was presented to Norman MacLeod, owner of Maxies Bistro in Edinburgh, to mark the milestone.

Last Updated: 25 November 2009 8:25 PM
Source: The Scotsman
Location: Edinburgh

[Yello to Mello]

Not a bad choice if they want to push the units for their goal. I dont know how many UK beers they have listed though.

[Frodo]

I've tried this X-mas pack. It was $15 for a regular I&G, a rum finish 7+% and an IPA 7+%. as well as a specialty beer glass. The rum finish tends to come out at X-mas time the last two years and didn't light my fire, but the IPA I found to be outstanding. I wish I could buy this IPA on its own without the other stuff, but that's not the way it is right now.

The $15 pack is a decent value if you are going to use the glass they provide with the bonus being you can't get the IPA any other way at the LCBO currently.

[Yello to Mello]

I've tried this X-mas pack. It was $15 for a regular I&G, a rum finish 7+% and an IPA 7+%. as well as a specialty beer glass. The rum finish tends to come out at X-mas time the last two years and didn't light my fire, but the IPA I found to be outstanding. I wish I could buy this IPA on its own without the other stuff, but that's not the way it is right now.

The $15 pack is a decent value if you are going to use the glass they provide with the bonus being you can't get the IPA any other way at the LCBO currently.

yeah it always sucks when the best thing out of those gift packs the lcbo doesnt have. for whisky gift packs there are plenty like that (used to be like that).

i like specialty beer glasses from that packs though but the novelty you can only have once and then you want the singles.

matter of fact i might go out and get the pack later on since i need to take some empties back and do a comparison. i will make a thread in the beer forum if not already.

[Lawrence]

HELLO!!!!????

PRÀBAN NA LINNE POIT DHUBH 8 YEARS OLD MALT GAELIC WHISKY $55.95

IS OUT STANDING!

Frodo if you buy a bottle and don't like it I'll send you $55. You have my word on it.

http://www.whiskyintelligence.com/2009/11/poit-dhub-8yo-unchilfiltered-gaelic-whisky-43-ob-2008-scotch-whisky-tasting-note-whisky-review/

[Yello to Mello]

Looks like Balvenie 21 Portwood is coming back next week but it looks like the price increased by 70 bucks if Im not mistaken.

[Frodo]

HELLO!!!!????

PRÀBAN NA LINNE POIT DHUBH 8 YEARS OLD MALT GAELIC WHISKY $55.95

IS OUT STANDING!

Frodo if you buy a bottle and don't like it I'll send you $55. You have my word on it.

http://www.whiskyintelligence.com/2009/11/poit-dhub-8yo-unchilfiltered-gaelic-whisky-43-ob-2008-scotch-whisky-tasting-note-whisky-review/

Hi Lawrence:

Have tried this at a tasting tower and although I conceed that it's no bad, I like the 12yr much better. I didn't freak out at the 8yr old.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Glen Breton 10yr Icewine CS: Doesn't say if the whisky is finished in Icewine casks or has the full 10yr maturation in them - I suspect the former. At $85 cdn for a CS malt whisky with a finish, I'd say that's decent value. Curious about this, but won't buy unless I can try first.

Just noticed this post, and coincidentally just had a dram of this tonight. I don't think you'd be really impressed, Frodo...it's an interesting dram, maybe the best Glen Breton I've had, but that's faint praise indeed. I'll try to get a sample to you. I believe it is in fact finished in Jost icewine casks.

[Yello to Mello]

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/7 ... tch-accent

How much would you pay for a beer?

In the next week or so, the LCBO might just get the answer to that question. Ola Dubh 40, a whisky barrel-aged strong dark ale from Scotland, will be hitting shelves in limited quantities as part of the retailer's holiday gift offerings.

The price? An eye-popping $18.95. That's not per six-pack or giant novelty bottle. It's $18.95 per standard, 330-mL bottle.

Just why is it so expensive? Shipping, which is sometimes to blame for premium import prices, isn't the culprit in this case; Ola Dubh is roughly the same price in Scotland.

There are a few reasons: one, the ingredients – stronger beers need more malt to produce higher alcohol (in this case, it's 8 per cent). Another is the ornate packaging, which includes a stylish box and a small medallion around the neck of individually numbered bottles.

The final reason, however, is the whisky barrels used to age the beer. Rather than using barrels from unnamed whisky or bourbon distillers, Ola Dubh's Harviestoun brewery uses barrels that once held 40-year-old single malt from Highland Park. (There are also versions of Ola Dubh using barrels that held younger Highland Park single malts; the LCBO will be stocking Ola Dubh 12 at $5.95 per bottle.)

"The older the whisky, the rarer and more expensive the barrels. Highland Park just doesn't make that much of the 40-year-old," explains Harviestoun managing director Chris Miller.

While some barrel-aged beers have an overwhelming vanilla character from the oak, the flavour and aroma of the Highland Park 40-year-old whisky comes through clearly. The notes of rich, dark coffee and bitter chocolate are complemented by the same distinct peat-smoke flavour and aroma found in the Highland Park 40-year-old. (The 12-year-old version of Ola Dubh has a slight boozy burn, but none of the peat flavour.)

Ola Dubh (Scottish Gaelic for "black oil") began as a stronger, barrel-aged version of Old Engine Oil, a rich, slightly chocolatey-tasting dark ale.

With a growing trend toward barrel aging beers, Harviestoun decided to get in on the act. Being in Scotland, of course, using single-malt whisky barrels made sense. Thus was born Ola Dubh in 2007, with 12-, 16- and 30-year-old versions. Last year, Harviestoun added a version aged in casks that held the 40-year-old Highland Park.

David Cacciottolo, who runs the LCBO's beer category, says the stunning success in Ontario of Innis and Gunn's oak-aged beers helped pave the way for ordering the Ola Dubh. So, he adds, did the popularity of single-malt Scotch here; $18.95 isn't a lot for someone used to dropping $100 on a bottle of single malt.

"This was just such a unique product, it made sense for a whole lot of reasons. And I think the market's ready for it," says Cacciottolo, who was nonetheless cautious to bring in what may be the smallest beer order ever – just 30 12-bottle cases of the Ola Dubh 40 were shipped in. (In the 12-year-old's case, there will be a few thousand bottles for sale.)

There could also be more pricey, rare bottles of suds coming to the LCBO in future, although Cacciottolo says that doesn't hinge on the success of the Ola Dubh 40. "We'll take a look at things on their own merits," he says.

The Ola Dubh 40 (LCBO product #143610) will be available in a number of Toronto-area LCBO stores.

[Frodo]

Glen Breton 10yr Icewine CS: Doesn't say if the whisky is finished in Icewine casks or has the full 10yr maturation in them - I suspect the former. At $85 cdn for a CS malt whisky with a finish, I'd say that's decent value. Curious about this, but won't buy unless I can try first.

Just noticed this post, and coincidentally just had a dram of this tonight. I don't think you'd be really impressed, Frodo...it's an interesting dram, maybe the best Glen Breton I've had, but that's faint praise indeed. I'll try to get a sample to you. I believe it is in fact finished in Jost icewine casks.

I've actually tried this at a tasting tower. I did remember liking it, but am not tempted to buy at this time.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Shouldn't think you would be...it's an "experience" dram, not a value one.

[Frodo]

Actually interestingly enough I did like it enough to say it is worth the $85 charged for it IMHO. Much better then the 10yr version. It's just that given my closet of 50 unopened bottles in my closet, I have to find something either at an absolute cut-rate deal or something that I can't get again. Something I'm thinking about is a Bunnahabhain 13yr offering by Dun Bheagan @ $80. Wonderfully expressive and I'd guess comes from a fino sherry cask. The Glen Breton Icewine Finish will be replicated I'm sure even though officially it was a limited edition...

[Yello to Mello]

Im going for the Karuizawa 8 that was released in Sept. I also would like to try an older one but I am giving this a try. Ill post a pretty bottle picture in the purchase thread tomorrow if I get around to getting it.

[Yello to Mello]

its seems that they are releasing a few things on the 29th. Yamazaki 12 for 70 and 18 for 134. I really lost out when they had the yama for 110 and really wanted to try it....the 25 increase was expected

[Yello to Mello]

Seems that Ardbeg Uigeadail is listed with no stock yet....$164? I guess that price comes with JM's whisky of the year.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

The Parkerization of whisky continues.