International Whiskey Day is celebrated all over the world on the 27th of March. The celebrations began in 2008 when it was first announced, and since then, whiskey lovers, companies, and distillers all over the world have celebrated the very best that’s on offer. If you missed International Whiskey Day, however, there’s no reason why you can’t still celebrate. Get your favorite Glencairn glass and some ice-cold drink stones, and celebrate this drink with some of 2017’s amazing new releases.
1. Deanston 40-Year-Old
In January this year, Deanston released a new 40-year-old whiskey. Fewer than 500 bottles were produced, so this certainly won’t be the easiest to get a hold of. If you’re a real enthusiast, you can pick up a bottle of this 45.6% ABV whiskey for £1,000 GBP per bottle.
Deanston says that the luxury whiskey is ‘heavily influenced by the past’, and that the single malt whiskey was made using traditional methods and equipment.
2. English Whiskey’s ‘Malt ‘n’ Rye’
English Whiskey is a distiller located in Norfolk, which has in 2017 released the Malt ‘n’ Rye single grain whiskey. The company says that it celebrated ‘the uniqueness of Norfolk,’ with the whisky having been matured in bourbon casks, and made from malted barley and rye.
The release will see 1,962 bottles sold worldwide, as well as two other whiskies in the range, including ‘Farmers’ and the soon-to-be-released ‘Parched.’
Upon announcement, English Whiskey explained:
“This range of whiskies celebrates the county and its characteristics – a beautiful, well-kept secret, which is gloriously different, with unique flavors.”
3. Tomatin’s Five Virtues
Another surprising and limited whiskey release comes from Tomatin, with a range of single malts that are inspired by nature’s elements. Branded ‘Five Virtues,’ this new, limited-edition range of single malts includes five distinguished whiskies.
Each of the whiskies released is named for one of the five elements: ‘Wood,’ ‘Fire,’ ‘Earth,’ ‘Metal,’ and ‘Water.’
Each single malt will have a run limited to 6,000 bottles. The marketing manager of Tomatin, Jennifer Masson, commented on the release:
“As our brand grows we are increasingly inspired by global concepts and the Five Virtues series was born out of this inspiration. We wanted to release a creative limited-edition series focusing on the effect of different cask maturations, while linking it to a wider concept.”
4. The Dubliner’s Limited-Edition Single Malt
At the beginning of March this year, The Dubliner Irish Whiskey released a new, limited-edition single malt that has been matured for 10 years. Produced by a master distiller known as Darryl McNally, the whiskey has been distilled in the tradition of Dublin whiskey making.
On the release of the new single malt, McNally said:
“We lay the whiskey to rest for 10 years in casks that previously held Kentucky bourbons and carefully hand select each cask to give a smooth, rounded finish that lingers long on the palate and in the heart.”
Why not make April your international whiskey month? Pull out a Glencairn glass and treat yourself to some of 2017’s newest whiskey releases – and toast to many more!