Hello to one and all and welcome back our newsletter, which will cast an eye back over the month of August and give all you, lovely folk, an idea of what we’ve been up to. Now one we thing to fill you in on. This edition might be a little bit shorter than normal as I am back on the road as autumn festival carousel has kicked in, so back to living out of suitcases, airports, train stations, but for what it’s worth, here it goes!
NEWS
Now as you all know the news section can get crazy busy when a new release has just hit the shelves as our Summer Release 2023, which came our tight great delay due to paper shortages and bottling slot queues, is now in glass and is on the way to most of our export markets. I can promise you some beauties coming your way. I have just had the arduous task of bobbing around Berlin with some of the sample from this outturn to show to some new retailers and I can tell you, they were incredibly well received so watch this space, ladies and gents. Speaking of samples we got the great news that our first samples have arrived in Central America: Argentina and Columbia namely, so working on some export volume going there too. Staying with Spanish speaking countries I would like to turn my attention to Spain (apparently they speak a lot of Spanish there!). We noticed on a post that a retailer called Spirits Akkers Selection has started selling our new blended malt Dumbarton Rock, so welcome on board! It might be a good idea for the warm Catalonian climate when chilling by a swimming pool to try our Dumbarton Rock Cooler, created by our Polish importer Unique Spirits.
There just wouldn’t be a newsletter worth it’s salt without something to shout about in the new section so here it comes…. It was with a massive smile on my face that I can welcome to the Dràm Mòr family our first ever distribution partner in Japan, Rudder Limited. Based in Tokyo but with a substantial reach around Japan’s islands it has to go down as a landmark day for us at Dràm Mòr and especially for Viktorija who has put so much work into getting this one over the line and making it happen. To all at Rudder, we are delighted to have you representing us and we very much look forward to a long and happy relationship. Who knows, I might eventually get to for fill a dream and head over to the land of the Rising Sun one of these days! So that’s your August news round up. Not the most chaotic of months, but massively important to us nonetheless.
EVENTS
In summer I had more time to turn my attentions to more home grown concerns. When I say home grown our first event couldn’t be more fitting as we headed for extremely familiar ground in the shape of the Mòr Whisky Club. Now Viktorija and I, along with our great pal Andy Robertson have been running the Mòr Whisky Club now for 9 and a half years but it is very seldom that I get the chance to showcase our own drams to our club members, but that exactly what I was lucky enough to do in August. Now August can be a little bit hit and miss at the club what with holiday season being in full flow but I am delighted (and a wee bit surprised) to say that we had a full house on the night. It was fantastic to be able to welcome a few new faces too as our new friends from 360 Architects joined us as did someone who I have known for quite some time, but never met and that’s the whisky maniac, Hong Fu Panda. Panda has suffered many an online tasting with me in the past when I have been talking to Singapore, but it was so good to finally chink glasses together as we shared as dram (or more). To everyone who made this such a memorable night, thank you so much.
Next up is one that I wasn’t sure to put into events or socials but I think that when you get the chance to be interviewed on such a well respected blog as Whisky Unscripted then it is an event for sure. This excellent blog is run by two of the best folk in the whisky industry and both hailing from the fantastic Ian MacLeod Distillers. Gordon Dundas and Gordon Dallas have been running this podcast for a good wee while now and can I just say to all of you whisky fans out there, if you haven’t had a listen in then your missing out. With Mr. Dundas on his Far Eastern travels it was up to my mate Mr Dallas to extract all the info he required from me and you know how hard that must have been for him what with me being so shy and retiring.Anywhooo….Gordon and I had a lovely chat in the stunning surroundings of Cameron House on the banks of one of the countries most beautiful spots, Loch Lomond. It was so good to get a wee catch up with Gordon and hats off to his professionalism as he has made even my nonsense sound ok to b honest. Hope to see you again soon pal.
Staying very close to home it was time to run my first even night in the Good Spirits Co. in Glasgow’s Bath Street. If this is a place that you are not familiar with then I would suggest you change that asap. Such a great selection of drams in there although other spirits are very much available. Many of you home grown readers will know Viktorija from her years working in the Good Spirits so it was a little like the return of the prodigal only with a daughter rather than a son this time. What a fantastic night we had with some old friends and I hope, some new ones too as we looked at not only Dràm Mòr whiskies but a couple of our single cask, cask strength rums too.
Many thanks to Matthew and Shane for giving me the opportunity to showcase what we do and most importantly for allowing me to get my name on the wall at long last.
One last one for my events diary and it was virtually off to very sunny Israel for a tasting with the lovely folk of the Southern Coast Whisky Club led by their whisky maestro… It was a real pleasure, folks, and as I am winging my way out to Tel Aviv tomorrow I am hoping to see some of you at Whisky Live over the next few days. So that’s events tied up. Be warned, it’s gonna be a bigger section next month!
REVIEWS
A few reviews to have a wee look at this time round and it’s a great big hello to a new name to our newsletter, Ms Fiona Shoop, who had the dilemma of what to do whilst supping a dram in the wonderfully named Cut Your Wolf Loose on England’s south coast resort town of Brighton. Did she buy the Dumbarton Rock that she was loving but knew we be available again or would she grab hold of one of the single cask bottles that experience has taught her don’t hang around for long and once their gone, their gone. Well being a woman after my own heart I am happy to tell you that she plumped for option C… buy both of them and here is the very kind review that she was good enough to publish on Dumbarton Rock. Now Fiona, like the two Gordon’s before her, runs her own show and this one is the Cocktail Hour Radio Show so have a look out for that and see if Fiona can give you lads and lassies some inspiration to get creative. On a personal note I am hoping to say thank you to Fiona in person tonight as I I’m on my way to the very same venue for a tasting tonight and I hope she will be there. Not easy typing on a train by the way!
Top Whiskies are next on the review list this month and it was the first of two Benrinnes reviews that will be here for you to read. I loved this dram in what you would think was an unassuming refill Bourbon cask but you would be very much mistaken for thinking that. What with Benrinnes use of the old school worm tubs as condensers the spirit as much heavier than a classic Speyside and all that additional copper contact brings some fabulous flavours to the table but don’t take my word for it. In fact you don’t even have to take the reviewers word for it. Probably best you try it for yourselves!
Last review for this month is an old pal to these pages and it’s Sjoed of Malt Fascinations who again turned his well tuned taste buds to the Benrinnes. Always good to have two reviews of the one dram as I love to see the variations on people opinions. To all of you, many thanks.
SOCIALS
Last up as always are the social media posts that you good folks have been kind enough to post but as always there are far too many of them for me to include you all so as with every newsletter please forgive me if I have missed you out. Let’s start with my mate Nico De Keyser who was not only celebrating all things Dràm Mòr Inchmurrin but doing what he is meant to do and with the help of some friends has kindly killed a bottle. Cheers mate, much appreciated. It’s any other pal of mine next and it’s over to Ines as she appears online who we were delighted to welcome to whisky club along with everyone else. Now Ines is a bottler in her own right so it’s always heartwarming when someone promotes what you do. Hope to see you again soon my friend.
Over to WALA WALA Cafe Bar in Singapore, thanks fora great pic from you bar! Next, Mr John Klinkenberg (what a great name!) who like our Mannochmore so much that he didn’t buy a bottle…… Nope, he bought two of them and was kind enough to share his purchase (though only pictorially) with us all. Many thanks John. Much appreciated. Two of our favourite retailers are up next and it’s a great big hello to both my mate Mr Olaf Mann’s at Westwood Whiskies as well as our pals in Munich at Seiberts and my buddie Mr Stephan Lyncker, owner of my favourite shop in Mannheim, Genuss im Quadrat who have made good use of our new distributors in Germany to restock their shelves. A massive thanks from us, gents, for your continued support. Last up on the socials this month is bizarrely ourselves.
Now, Viktorija works harder than anyone I know and that includes making sure that we have some stunning photographs to share on social media and we always get really nice feedback and plenty likes on these posts, but we were not prepared for the feedback on a reel that she posted a few weeks back. Luckily, for us one of the girls at one of our bottling partners tat D&M Winchester had taken a wee video of our whisky getting bottled and sent it to us and Viktorija thought she would share it with you. What a response! Apparently you all like watch whisky going into bottles and we got nearly 3000 likes on that wee reel. Personally, I prefer watching it coming out of them but each to their own.
So that’s us for this month. As I big fairwell to Wigan train station I can hang my keyboard up for a wee while and try and catch 40 winks (don’t tell Viktorija, please!). Till what will be a busier September round up I will wish you all as always aw the very best. Be safe and always, come hail or shine, raise the glass!
Slàinte!
Kenny
