Inventory for November 16th, 2014

This week the Craigellachie opens its new bar doors with over 1,000 whiskies, the Pappy van Winkle case remains unsolved, Jim Beam now bottled in India, two great new whiskies hit the market, and St. George NOLA coffee liqueur is now available in the UK.

This week’s inventory is all about whisky. In that spirit, we’ve found a New York Sour recipe that we’re itching to try over at Food52. But whisky shouldn’t just be confined to the realms of drink mixing, no no. ‘Tis the season to pack on some extra insulation and this crunchy maple french toast with maple whisky butter (!) will do just the trick.
1) Craigellachie Hotel Opens Bar of 1,000 Whiskies
The Scottish Craigellachie Hotel was purchased by Piers Adam last year and has since gone through a £3 million refurbishment. Located in the hotel and a tourist favourite The Quaich bar boasts with 1,000 bottles of malt whisky. Those include rarities and collector’s spirits such as the complete set of the Glenfarclas Family Caska.
The bar plans on expanding its whisky collection over the next 12 months, though quality not quantity will always be prioritized.
2) Pappy Van Winkle remains Unsolved
Last year $26,000 worth of Pappy Van Winkle was stolen out of its distillery and now the sheriff in charge of the investigation, Pat Melton, has spoken up stating that he doesn’t believe the case will ever be solved. The theft is believed to be an inside job and the 65 bottles of 20-year old Pappy Van Winkle seem to have left the state of Kentucky.
3) Jim Beam Bourbon now Bottled in India
In a rare move, that was first reported by the Economic Times, Jim Beam Bourbon is now being bottles outside of its US market. The spirit is being bottled in Rajasthan and locally-bottled versions are being distributed, which allows for a 20% – 25% cost discount.
Beam Suntory India’s director of marketing and sales Neeraj Kumar is quoted as stating “India is an exciting emerging market for premium international spirits and the number of new consumers is growing steadily. Indians are the biggest consumers of whiskies in the world and new consumers entering the category are searching for flavourful expressions of whiskies”.
4) Two (Fantastic) New Whiskies hit the Market
Larry Olmsted, a regular Forbes contributor, has been bored by the whisky market lately. Not one to despair he’s found two single malts to brighten his spirits (yes – pun intended). First up is the Auchentoshan American Oak, made in the Lowland distilleries it is the first ever aged in former bourbon barrels of American Oak.
Olmsted highly enjoys the smooth, almost light, single malt that offers sweet notes of vanilla, caramelized sugar and a hint of spiciness. At a suggested retail price of $40 it’s available for 31,90 – Euro here.
The second new Scotch is produced by the famed distiller Bowmore. With a production base located right into the seaside walls this Bowmore isn’t as smoky as many of its counterparts but rather gentle, with a hint of peat smoke, salt, citrus, and vanilla. Olmsted mentions that this is a great bridge bourbon drinkers to move to Scotch.
5) St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur now available in the UK​
Last week Maverick Drinks announced that it had introduced St. George Spirit’s NOLA Coffee Liqueur to the UK market. Made with roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans, French chicory root, Madagascan vanilla pods, and organic cane sugar the coffee liqueur is said to add dimension and depth to a mixed drink.
The coffee beans are roasted before being ground and used in a cold-infusion method, allowing for a more mellow flavor extraction. While it works over ice, neat or in a cocktail we prefer it poured over some creamy, freshly churned vanilla ice cream.