Michael Hepworth
William Grant & Sons Launches Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserve
An exceptional one-time expression from silent distilleries
New York, NY(Spiritsman)8/25/15/– William Grant & Sons is thrilled to announce the release of Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserve 26 Year Old, the brand’s first blended malt to contain exclusive whisky hailing from ‘ghosted’ distilleries Inverleven (operational from 1938 to 1991) and Ladyburn (operational from 1963 to 1975). For the first time in William Grant & Sons history, these whiskies have been married and now released for a limited number of true whisky enthusiasts to enjoy.
Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserve is not just rare, it is truly unrepeatable. To create this remarkable release, William Grant & Sons’ Master Blender Brian Kinsman selected malts from two silent distilleries – Ladyburn and Inverleven – and married both whiskies in hand-picked oak casks. He then allowed time to take its course, enabling the flavors to meld and mellow.
This exquisite blended malt inherits deep, oaky and slightly oily notes from Ladyburn and sweet fruitiness with hints of floral blossom from Inverleven.
Employing his world-renowned whisky artistry, William Grant & Sons’ sixth Master Blender Brian Kinsman personally combed the warehouse ledgers with the intention of blending some of the finest aged rare single malts and grains in William Grant & Sons’ possession. The result is William Grant & Sons Rare Cask Reserves, an unrivalled finite batch collection of handcrafted blended whiskies, which explore new boundaries in fine whisky artistry and offer a blend of a few of the rarest whiskies in the world.
Kinsman, noted, “Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserve bears testament to the vision and skills of the five Master Blenders who came before me. This exceptional release is a whisky that gives me enormous personal pride. I see it as truly a high point of what blending can bring to the finest whisky, and a spirit that would win the deepest respect of our founder, William Grant.”
The marriage of spirits from Ladyburn and Inverleven has resulted in just 4,100 exquisite individually numbered bottles globally with 2,000 bottles available in the US.
Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserve has an ABV of 42% and retails for $400 a bottle.
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Tasting Notes
Nose
· Rich malted barley notes enveloped in an oaky sweetness and hint of zesty citrus fruit.
Taste
· Deep and intense with lovely malty, creamy notes and a touch of almond oil. With time the sweet oakiness develops and is accompanied with some delicate spice and toasted almonds.
Finish
- Long-lasting and malty
Rare Cask Reserves
The William Grant & Sons Rare Cask Reserves is an exquisite collection of Scotch whisky blends crafted by Master Blender, Brian Kinsman. The group of elegant blends was created from rare and precious whisky, sourced from Scottish distilleries, many of which are ghosted distilleries that have fallen silent and no longer exist.
William Grant & Sons Rare Cask Reserves
The Annasach 25 Year Old Launches in the United States
Finite signature whiskies blended from our cherished archives
(New York, NY) William Grant & Sons is proud to announce the launch of Rare Cask Reserves The Annasach 25 Year Old, an exciting release of four rare and finite signature blends, handcrafted from its cherished archives.
The exceptional range of whiskies released from the William Grant & Sons Rare Cask Reserves, which is exclusive to the United States, offers only a select few whisky specialists a rare insight into the artistry of whisky blending. The Annasach release is comprised of four ancient blended malt expressions, which have been personally selected by four key customers and blended by William Grant & Sons’ sixth Master Blender Brian Kinsman.
The four unique expressions of Rare Cask Reserves The Annasach 25 Year Old have been selected by whisky specialists from Binny’s, BevMo!, Total Wine and Spec’s Liquors, and are available exclusively in their respective stores due to the exclusive nature of the products that are available to all retailers. Employing his world-renowned whisky artistry, Master Blender Brian Kinsman has personally combed William Grant & Sons’ warehouse ledgers with the intention of blending some of the finest aged rare single malts and grains in the family’s collection. It is from these venerated stocks that these four key customers selected the malt whisky to create their custom blend.
Over the past 20 to 40 years, these whiskies have been hand selected for the private collection of the proud distilling family of William Grant, founder of The Balvenie and Glenfiddich. In this sense, Kinsman’s work lies firmly on the shoulders of giants – the five Master Blender predecessors who contributed to the family’s tradition of laying down the very best for the future.
For the first time in William Grant & Son’s history, these whiskies have been married and released for a limited number of true whisky enthusiasts, invited to craft their bespoke whisky under the creative guidance and tutelage of Master Blender Brian Kinsman.
William Grant & Sons sixth Master Blender, Brian Kinsman noted, “With remarkable foresight, the Grant family has built an unrivalled collection of Scotch whiskies. Some of the single malt that has been used to create Rare Cask Reserves The Annasach 25 Year Old is extremely rare and this is an incredibly exciting release from our archives.”
Limited batches of 66 x 9L cases of The Rare Cask Reserves Annasach 25 Year Old were produced for each of the 4 stores. Each expression will be available exclusively to customers of Binny’s, BevMo!, Total Wine and Spec’s Liquors at $299 with an ABV of 40%.
Tasting Notes
Binny’s
750 ml bottle with 40% ABV
RRP $299
Tasting notes:
Nose
· An intriguing balance of oak, old English apple and burning embers. The addition of a little water releases more of the fruity sweetness and soft vanilla.
Taste
· The palate is remarkably soft with a lovely balance of smoke and sweetness. The smoke does not dominate but meanders around the mouth creating a complex but rewarding flavor.
Finish
· Exceptionally long lasting with a noticeable smokiness.
BevMo!
750ml bottle with 40% ABV
RRP $299
Tasting notes:
Nose
· Reminiscent of Christmas spice with an abundance of dried fruits, caramelized sugar and vanilla sweetness. Just a whiff of bonfire smoke.
Taste
· Velvety smooth with a beautiful silky texture and deep sweetness. The oak notes are balanced with some zesty citrus and a little wood smoke.
Finish
· Lingering, slightly dry with a long lasting hint of smoke.
Total Wine
750ml bottle with 40% ABV
RRP $299
Tasting notes:
Nose
· Rich fruitcake and candied citrus fruit. Soft brown sugar and creamy toffee notes develop over time.
Taste
· Deep and intense with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and oaky spice. The flavor is complex and with addition of a little water it unfolds to reveal layers of fruit, spice and toasted oak.
Finish
· Very long lasting and sweet.
Spec’s Liquors
750ml bottle with 40% ABV
RRP $299
Tasting notes:
Nose
· Rich and fruity with subtle woody spice notes. With a little water a sweet vanilla creaminess develops.
Taste
· A full bodied and rich flavor with caramelized sugar and toasted almonds. The flavor evolves over time with layers of spice, fruit and oak.
Finish
· Very long lasting and sweet.
About William Grant & Sons Rare Cask Reserves
The William Grant & Sons Rare Cask Reserves is an exquisite collection of Scotch whisky blends crafted by Master Blender, Brian Kinsman. The group of elegant blends was created from rare and precious whisky, sourced from Scottish distilleries, many of which are ghosted distilleries that have fallen silent and no longer exist.
About William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch Grant’s® along with iconic premium spirits brands Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey and Milagro® Tequila.
William Grant & Sons has been honored as “Distiller of the Year” by the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition and International Spirits Challenge eleven times over the past 15 years, and most recently named “International Spirits Producer of the Year” by the IWSC in 2014.
Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the USA with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Flor de Caña, Drambuie, Grant’s, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson’s Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Montelobos Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Lillet, Art In The Age, The Knot, and Raynal French Brandy. For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.
Michael Hepworth
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