The first one out is a very special Glengoyne expression – Glengoyne Swedish Oak Finish 16 Years (46.2% abv).

This is (I think) a dual cask bottling comprising of 660 bottles only available through the Swedish monopoly stores – Systembolaget. The price is to be 679 SEK (532 NOK/£58/€61) when it hits the stores in May. The plans for this edition started when Glengoyne in 2007 bought two casks made from Swedish oak from the Thorslundkagge Cooperage in Dyltabruk (Central Sweden, some 120 miles west of Stockholm).

The other is a limited edition whisky bottled at Cask Strength – Bowmore Laimrig (50,3%). Laimrig is gaelic for pier (or wharf, jetty, quay or landing according to Wiktionary). A total of 4.500 bottles have been made and are awaiting release, this also in May.The price for this one is 559 SEK (437 NOK/£47/€51). The whisky itself is 15 years old and has matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to ex-Oloroso casks for a period of 5 years.

Tasting notes: Dark amber colour, the nose brings a sweet aroma of Oloroso Sherry, figs and cocoa with a finely tuned smokiness and a hint of saltiness. On the palate it’s dark chocolate, sherry and dried fruits (rasins) with a lovely, long and lingering finish with smoky notes.

Had a bit of a doubt of the reality of this price and finally it’s been proven. As of April 1st this bottling will be made available in Sweden, through the state monopoly – Systembolaget. The price in Sweden, fully taxed, will be 649 SEK (£54.75/€59.35) – one whole Swedish krone less than Thomas Cook. But Thomas Cook still claims that the Systembolaget price is 1650 SEK – they’ve even got it written up as a “Special Offer”!

Still a bit steeply priced for a vatted malt though.

This is also the date when prices change, even thought there was a bit of a price jump just before Christmas (explained with the strong Euro), but no decrease for Scottish whiskies – despite the weak Pound. According to my information a couple of whiskies will increase a couple of NOK’s, a couple will decrease a bit while most stay the same as they are today.

On to the disappearing and new malts:

Discontinued Products:

- some malts might be available at some airport until stocks run out, while others have sold out already

• Bowmore 17yo
• Glen Elgin 12yo (just as well, it was £5 cheaper at Royal Mile Whiskies)
• Glengoyne Burnfoot
• Glengoyne 10yo
• The Glenlivet 18yo
• The Glenmorangie Signet (also cheaper at Royal Mile)
• Highland Park 30yo (about the same price as both Royal Mile and Vinmonopolet)
• Highland Park 18yo (same price as Royal Mile, but more than £10 cheaper at the Swedish Systembolaget)
• Highland Park 12yo (now, that’s a shocker)
• Macallan 1851 Inspiration
• Macallan Fine Oak Maker’s Selection
• Macallan 10yo Cask Strength (sad to see this one go)
• Macallan 12yo Elegancia (a Duty Free classic)
• Scapa 14yo
• The Singleton of Dufftown 15yo
• Talisker 57°North
• Glenfarclas Family Casks (several vintages)

New additions:

- will pop up in stores from around April 1st and in the following weeks (1 litre bottles if nothing else is stated, prices are subject to change):

• Auchentoshan 12yo – 279 NOK (£30.43)
• Bowmore Cask Strength (we like cask strength expressions) – 375 NOK (£40.89)
• Bunnahabhain Darach Úr – 405 NOK (£44.16)
• Glenmorangie Extremely Rare 18yo (70cl)  -  1119 NOK (£122.07 – more than £40 more than the standard prices in the UK)
• Highland Park 21yo (70cl) – 769 NOK (£83.88)
• Highland Park Vintage 1997 – 339 NOK (£36.98) (now this it interesting)
• Laphroaig Triple Wood – 559 NOK (£60.95) (long awaited, but a bit dear)
• Macallan Whisky Makers Edition – 595 NOK (£64.87) (new expression?, or just a renaming of the Maker’s Selection)
• Macallan Selected Oak – 389 NOK (£42.41) (another new expression)
• Oban Distillers Edition  – 709 NOK (£77.30 – very expensive)
• Mackmyra Swedish Single Malt Whisky (70cl) – 339 NOK (£36.98 – not as expensive as it’s usually is)

But first a bit of a recap: The first trip was called “Return of the Vikings” and included a specially chartered flight from Stockholm to Orkney (with a whisky tasting en route), two nights accomodation, dinners, tours, lots of whisky and a “very speical” bottling of Highland Park called – “Return of the Vikings”. All that cost a mere €1200. Participants felt a bit cheated a few months later when the Highland Park Ambassador’s Cask #4 was released, as it was the same cask – though this cost a mere £225 (€284 with the rate at that time). This created a bit of noise which resultet in the participants receiving a further bottle (35cl) called “Return of the Vikings 2″ – this time with a expressed guarantee that the rest of the cast would not be bottled as a single cask bottling.

This brings us onto this year’s trip.

As said the destination this time is The Macallan Distillery in Speyside. The trip is called “Inside The Macallan” and includes transportation from Edinburgh or Glasgow to the distillery (you must get yourself to one of these cities before 1130am, as the bus leaves at that time), accomodation for two nights (at nearby hotels but a few rooms at Easter Elchies will be given to those who book early (randomly picked)), meals (BBQ and 6-course dinner) with drinks (including Macallan Fine & Rare 1976), tours, trips and of course a special bottling. This time it’s a bottling that will be made available for the general public, although in very limited numbers – ”The Burns Bottling” (celebrating 250 years of Robert Burns).

So the trip it self is without full transportation this time, and the pick up time (1130am) means that meny who want to go have to stay an extra day in Scotland to make the early pick up – in it self not the worst thing that could come to pass. But why not get everybody to come to Aberdeen instead, sparing people from a 187 mile bus trip. The trip from Aberdeen is just around 60 miles, driven in just over an hour. When flights to and from Scotland isn’t included you’d think the price would go down compared to last years HP-trip? But alas no, they’ve put it up to €1400 or 12.314 NOK. Even with just 50 spots to fill, the feedback from Swedish whisky fans can be summed up with one commet nicked from a Swedish whiskyforum: “gready bastards“.

What then about the whisky? Just 250 bottles will be made and with 50 gone to the participants of the trip (if fully booked) there are 200 bottles left to share with the rest of the world (although a handful will most likely be kept back at the distillery for internal uses and VIP-guests). As it’s a Macallan the price tag will probably be a hefty one, as it’s “a very special bottling”. But according to the fine people at Macallan/Edrington/Maxxium or whoever has written the invite to the trip the specially selected cask both have the same cask number, and lo and behold it just happens to be the number 1759 – the year of Robert Burns’ birth. What a coincidence! And it’s not as if it’s very old either, as the casks picked where distilled in 1997 and 1998 – so it’s a dual cask bottling of 10/11 year old Macallan. Cask selected for their cask numbers, not for quality or flavour. Give me a break. Just to make the bottles nice and collectable it’s bottled in an attractive (hopefully) decanter and comes with a box made from Ayrshire oak.

If anybody’s interested to spend €1400 on a trip to Macallan the tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 20th March – http://www.themacallan.se (just in Swedish I’m afraid). The trip it self is from Wednesday 3rd June 11.30am (pick-up in Edinburgh/Glasgow) to Friday 5th June 2pm (drop off in Edinburgh/Glasgow).

1) Do not insult a man’s work. A man’s work is his personal footprint in history; his achievement in life. It puts a roof over his head and provides for his family.

2) Do not mess with a man’s woman. She’s his love, his life, the mother of his children and the person he takes orders from.

3) Do not take away a man’s whisky. Because after putting up with the work and the wife day in and day out, a man, any man, if there’s any justice in this world, on any given day, deserves a drink … or 10.

Nicked (and sort of taken out of context) from the Bangkok Post.

Other options would be to sell off other assest in the company portfolio, which includes an airline, beers, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, media and several other interests. But getting a lot of money for anything might prove a problem these days.

Of the other companies that once were in the running for the company, none are lining up today. The only one with the financial muscle to do anything would be Wm Grant & Sons, but thay are not interested after building and opening their new Ailsa Bay Distillery. Accoring to industry sources the only company that might have a hankering for W&M is the french drinks company La Martiniquaise, who recently bought Glen Moray Distillery. The company has put forth plans on constructing a distillery in Bathgate outside Edinburgh, but these plans would probably be scrapped if they decided to buy Whyte & Mackay.

As for payment Mr Mallya would be lucky if he got a third of what he payed for it less than 2 years ago (he payed £595m).

In addition the price could be pushed further down if another distiller also came on the marked. The Trinidad-based conglomerate CL Financial are in difficulties as well and was recued by the Trinidadian government in January, this might force them to off-load Burn Stewart Distillers. Burn Stewart it self is goung quite well, and is to spend £1m on expanding their facilities with a new bottling line at Kilbride and 2 pairs of new stills at Deanston Distillery.

With 2 companies, both big in the bulk whisky marked, it’s a matter of “how low can you go”.

Whyte & Mackay whiskies: Isle of Jura, Fettercairn, Dalmore and Whyte & Mackay.

Burn Stewart whiskies: Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tobermory, Ledaig, Black Bottle and Scottish Leader.

But alas the marketing people has yet again failed, as this is not the worlds first non-alcoholic whisky (or should we say, non-alcoholic beverage with a whisky-like flavour?). That honour (?) befalls the Spanish product Whissin. It’s been available for some years already (more than 10 according to a quick web search), and is sold for just a few Euros or Pounds from selected retailers across Europe and the world (i.e. those that bother stocking such items – the main British retailer is Lono).

So how does it taste? Haven’t got the foggiest. Tried to order it on-line several times from different retailers when I’ve visited Britain, but no luck – always been out of stock. It can’t be that popular, can it? Getting it shipped to Norway costs too much in postage to bother with, but if anybody has a bottle and want to supply me with a sample I’d be grateful.

The new whiskies are:

Auchentoshan 12 Years (449,90 NOK/£44.54) is the first whisky out this month. This replaced the previous 10yo when the new packaging was introduced. A richer and more sherried expression this, with hints of spices following the light fruity notes. A clear improvement in my book, though it would probably have been even better with a bit higher abv (it’s 40% abv). Not exactly cheap, but then again it’s Norway – priced on the same level as JW Green, Balvenie 12yo DW, Glenfiddich 15yo Solera and The Glenlivet 15 French Oak.

Auchentoshan 18 Years (699,90 NOK/£69.61) is a grand example of a aged lowlander. Rich and spicy on the palate with a sherried tone coming through after a while – even though it’s a 100% ex-bourbon maturation. Some very old casks have gone into this mix. Carries the extra 3% abv. compared to the 12yo very well (it’s 43% abv.). Quite good value for Norway.

Auchentoshan 21 Years (900 NOK/£89.51) is a classic avec-whisky, to enjoy after a good (but not to spicy) meal. Pour a glass, sit down in a recliner, light a cigar og pipe and comtemplate over things that were, are and might be – or simply just drink the stuff. A great example of that Auchentoshan needs to age for quite a bit before reching it’s potential, a world away from the Three Wood and the Classic. It’s bottled at 43% abv. Pricewise it’s about the same here in Norway as in Britain, even with the weak pound.

Thousands of expression are ready to be assembled (both OB’s and IB’s) on your personal shelf, with comments and ratings. Compare your notes with other patrons of the site, amongst them several renowned whisky experts. A list of what malts to try next can also be made.

So if you want to show off your collection, or just need a handy place to keep you notes and ratings – visit The Balvenie Warehouse 24.

After dragging their feet for a while and trying their best to postpone the inevitable Norway finally said thei would “look into” changing the rules. They then spent almost a year looking into what needed to be done and just before Christmas they sent out the new rules for comments.

In short they will:

1. make it legal to receive alcohol from abroad without applying for permission first
2. make it legal to purchase alcohol from abroad and have it shipped to Norway
3. allow travellers to bring as much alcohol as they want into Norway

as long as

1. proper taxes are paid (as of 2009 it’s 6,07 NOK per percent and litre, plus VAT of course (25%))
2. see point 1
3. you pay if you have more than 1 litre with you. This litre is the duty free allowance, the next 4 litres can be declared and paid for with the simplified rate (260 NOK/litre) while anything above has to be paid for using the normal taxes (point 1)

Some regulations are proposed:

1. Times for delivering the beverages are, usually, to follow the times set for the state run Vinmonopolet
2. Delivery companies must register themselves as a “alcohol approved delivery company”, and employees must go through training for this.
3. Delivery employees must be above 18 (for delivering beer or wine) or 20 (spirits) years of age
4. Delivery employees must make sure the receiving party is above the apporved age (18/20) and not drunk at time of delivery

That’s the short version of what the government has used 46 pages to say. All comments must be received by the proper authorioties by March 5th, and after the proposal with be refined a bit and go before Parliament – hopefully before the summer break. Most likely the new rules will be in effect from January 1st 2010 – after that: On-line whisky retailers, here I come!