Homage to Michael Jackson

No, not that Michael Jackson. This coming Sunday marks exactly two years since the Legendary Michael Jackson (Whisky Chaser and Beer Hunter extraordinaire) passed on. For those of you that are not familiar with the Whisky Michael Jackson, he is often thought of as the father of modern whisky writing and appreciation. A prolific writer on both beer and whisky, his book the Malt Whisky Companion (with five editions) provided many of us with a handy reference and introduction to the world of Scotch. This Sunday we'll be commemorating the real Michael Jackson with a selection of whiskies that all gained 90/100 or higher in his last Malt Whisky Companion (some modern editions, but I have kept it close). Although I'm not a great fan of whisky ratings - we can for sure expect some great whisky - In MJ's words: "the 90s are the greats."

Yet another quiet month for the club with many of you managing to escape the heat and humidity - things will be picking up again soon. Aside from this evening's Beer Festival, for which there are some seats left, there is no other club news. There will be more events coming from September on.

Cheers,

Glen

As always do please think of the club when traveling internationally, we are always reliant on our members to keep up our supplies, please drop me a line if you can help.

Our thanks to Martin, Paul, Nathan and Markus this month.

Upcoming Events:

LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH (30th August): 25th Monthly Clan Gathering - : from 13:30 - O'Malleys, upstairs.  200RMB (50 discount for paid up members) for the whisky and food and as usual there will be happy hour drinks prices and 10% off food over the bar. As always, guests are welcome.

Please, as always, confirm in advance if you will be attending so we can gauge how many bottles to bring along!

2nd WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH (9th SEPTEMBER): Tam's Blind Tasting: Wednesday 8th, from 20:30 - O'Malleys, upstairs. 150 RMB for four drams. Test your taste and enjoy fine whisky, most of which is not normally available in Shanghai. More details later.

Next Month's Gathering: As always last Sunday of the month - September 27th.

Some Particularly Interesting Industry News:

Single malt whisky crowned "the best in the world"

Highland Park scoops leading accolade from drinks expert for second year in a row

HIGHLAND Park's 18-year-old single malt Scotch whisky has been crowned best spirit in the world for a second consecutive time.

The accolade was awarded by US independent whisky expert Paul Pacult in industry publication Spirit Journal.

Highland Park's latest honour marks yet another milestone for the Orkney brand, which has seen strong growth over the past four years.

Sales are up by 80% over the period, catapulting the Edrington Group subsidiary into the world's top 10 single malt Scotch whiskies for the first time in the distillery's 211-year history.

Highland Park global controller Jason Craig said: "We have had an incredible four years since setting out on an ambitious £18million masterplan for this hidden gem"

“It has since received numerous accolades for the quality of its spirit in markets such as the US but the icing on the cake has got to be being named best spirit in the world by one of the world’s leading drinks experts.”

The UK remains Highland Park's most important market but the brand is increasingly successful in Asia, where there is fast-growing demand for premium blends.

Mr Craig said: We are now well-placed to grow sales of Highland Park and other Edrington expressions through two new sales-and-distribution companies we have established in Taipei and Seoul plus a regional headquarters in Shanghai.â

Article Courtesy of Press & Journal

Rare 50-year-old whisky auctioned

A single bottle of whisky has sold for £11,750 at auction in Glasgow.

The 50-year-old Macallan, a bottling of three casks distilled between 1926 and 1928, sold to a private collector in California at McTear's auctioneers.

It is the most expensive bottle sold this year and the most expensive 50-year-old bottle of Macallan ever sold.

The auction of collectable whiskies saw 574 lots sold for a total of almost £155,000, making it the largest sale of its kind in the world.

Also among the lots was a 60-year-old Royal Brackla which sold for £3,800 and a limited edition 1965 bottle of Ardbeg, which sold for £3,000.

The auction featured a record collection of 60 bottles of Macallan and also included bottlings from all the major distilleries in Scotland, including Springbank, Rosebank and Highland Park.

Andrew Bell, McTear's whisky specialist, said: "We knew that out of almost 600 different lots the Macallan Anniversary 50-year-old was the stand out bottle in the sale and it's quite clear that others agreed.

"Whisky collectors from across the world joined the sale by phone and through the internet and the price paid is a reflection of its importance to collectors and investors in whisky."

Article Courtesy of BBCi

Whisky Collection Of Over 3,000 Bottles To Go Up For Auction

I love the stories of methodical, obsessed collectors, it's always worth checking out their collections when they come up for auction. When it comes to whisky, Willard S Folsom was a man consumed. According to Bonhams, which will auction off his collection, a USA Today article of all things started Folsom's interest in single malts. This led to an 18-year love affair that took Folsom to Scotland and England, taking his wife and son along with him, not just to show them the world but to have them carry suitcases full of whisky. 

The resulting collection spans over 3,000 bottles and includes some of the great names in the whisky world such as Ardbeg, Bowmore, Dalmore, Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Springbank, Kinclaith, Killyloch, Ben Wyvis, Glen Grant, Glenmorangie, The Glenlivet, Strathmill, Mortlach and The Macallan. Martin Green, Bonhams Whisky Specialist says that in his over 20 years of conducting whisky auctions this is "the most exciting collection I have ever handled. Many of the bottles included in the collection will never be released again or repeated by the whisky industry and so the sale of the collection provides the opportunity to buy many collectables of the future." 

The first section of the collection of the Late Willard Folsom will be offered for sale on November 18 at Bonhams Edinburgh, with the remaining stock sold in New York and Hong Kong in early 2010. Folsom's philosophy was "Some say the glass is half empty, others say it's half full. I say, pour the water out and put some Scotch in that glass." His collection offers many opportunities to do that. 

[via BBC News]

Glen Coppin
Chieftain

Shanghai Malt Whisky Society