Ein wenig Geduld brauchen Whiskyfreunde noch, bis die erste Ausgabe der Jim McEwan Signature Collection, vertrieben durch Dramfool, erhältlich sein wird, nämlich bis Mitte März. Damit aber die Wartezeit auf die ersten drei Abfüllungen aus den Fässern von Jim McEwan etwas verkürzt wird, gibt es heute die ersten Infos zu ihnen – mit nachfolgender Presseaussendung:
Dramfool präsentiert die erste Serie der Jim McEwan Signature Collection
Erste Information über die Serie gibt es schon seit Anfang Januar rum und einige haben es hinter vorgehaltener Hand bereits im letzten Jahr gemunkelt. Jetzt stellt Dramfool (www.dramfool.com) um Bruce Farquhar erstmals die Serie 1 vor. (Über Serie 2 wird in der nächsten Woche berichtet.)
Insgesamt 9 Serien mit jeweils 3 Flaschen (Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte und Octomore) wird es über einen längeren Zeitraum verteilt geben. Die Flaschen sind nach dem Muster 1.1/1.2/1.3 und dann eben 2.1/2.2/2.2 bis 9.1/9.2/9.3 nummeriert. (Ja, das verwirrt ein wenig wegen der ähnlichen Nummerierung der Octomore Flaschen von Bruichladdich.)
Die erste Serie konzentriert sich vollständig auf Weinreifungen (jeweils Vollzeit, also keine Finishes)
Die Serie 1 (und nach aktuellem Kenntnisstand NUR diese) wird zu einem Teil bei Whisky Auctioneer versteigert. Ein Teil des Erlöses wird auf Jims Bestreben auf Islay gespendet.
Zeitpunkt der Veröffentlichung von Serie 1 ist ca. Mitte März.
Serie 2 (und in 2021 ggf. auch noch Serie 3) kommt dann im Abstand von einigen Monaten.
Der Preis ist noch nicht bekannt gegeben worden.
Es wird verschiedene (Online-) Verkostungen geben. Teilweise mit Jim selbst. Informationen dazu werden noch veröffentlicht.
Ein paar der Fässer von Jim werden noch für www.dramfoolcasks.com verwendet, so dass man selbst (Teil)Inhaber eines dieser oder eines anderen Fasses werden kann.
Die weiteren Informationen zu den ersten drei Fässern sind direkt von Dramfool und daher in Englisch.
Dramfool JMSC – RELEASE 1
What better way to start the Jim McEwan Signature Collection than with the inaugural Releases being all drawn from 1st fill wine casks. The use of interesting, unusual, and in all cases exceptional casks by Jim McEwan when revitalizing Bruichladdich, became a cornerstone of their production. Initially led to use wine casks by the scarcity of traditional sherry casks, this relationship between wine grower and distiller blossomed into a renowned partnership. Taking casks from some of the finest European vineyards, with a strong bias towards classic French wines, some remarkable connections have been made. Although it is not possible to put the Château origin of the casks on any labels or packaging for legal reasons, many of the casks are known to have held wine from iconic French Châteaux, some of which have the internationally acclaimed first growth status. Very keen, but not able to break the rules, we must keep these identities hidden, but our descriptions may offer a few clues as to the origins. As with all bottlings from the Jim McEwan Signature Collection they are bottled un-chill filtered, with no added colour and at natural cask strength, Jim would not allow it any other way.
1.1 Bruichladdich 2007 Distilled on 2nd November 2007 this whisky spent its whole 13-year life maturing in cask #RO8/153- 12. This maturation took place in a 1st fill Bordeaux red wine cask from a Château that must be considered ‘The Tour’ de force. The château being one of only four châteaux to be awarded the Premier Cru (First Growth) status in the 1855 Official Classification. A classic Bordeaux paired with a classic of Islay! Bottled in February 2021 as Release 1.1 of the Jim McEwan Signature Collection, like all bottlings within the collection, it was bottled un-chill filtered, with no added colour, and at natural cask strength of 61.8% (Jim would have it no other way!), it yielded only 265 bottles.
Bottling date: tba
1.2 Port Charlotte 2007 Distilled on 26th October 2007 this whisky spent its whole 13-year life maturing in cask #RO8/152-12. Maturation taking place in a 1st fill Bordeaux red wine cask. But as you would expect for a McEwan selected cask it was more than just any Bordeaux cask, it was a Pomerol cask. Considered amongst the rarest Appellation within Bordeaux this tiny corner of the region has sprung to fame in a relatively short time. Within its small number of châteaux names such as Petrus and Le Pin dominate the region in quality and price. The cask was made by internationally renowned Bordeaux cooperage Maison Demptos. A family business with over 200 years’ experience they have created the unique Bordeaux barrel used by many, if not all, of the top wine producing châteaux in the area. This unique barrel uses only French oak chosen while still standing in the forest, from trees over 200 years old which is then slowly air dried and coopered in an age-old tradition to facilitate long maturation of the finest wines. Uniquely the oak staves have the addition of chestnut-bound hoops to the ends. This not only protects the metal bands, as it sits higher above the floor when being moved but means if there are any insect infestations in the warm French climate (not as big a concern on Islay) that they attack the softer chestnut and not the oak structure. This iconic barrel and renowned cooperage, while based in tradition, still push the boundaries of the craft. To find out more, visit www.demptos.fr/ Bottled in February 2021 as Release 1.2 of the Jim McEwan Signature Collection, like all bottlings within the collection, it was bottled un-chill filtered, with no added colour and at natural cask strength of 60.9% (Jim would have it no other way!), it yielded only 299 bottles.
Bottling date: tba
1.3 Octomore 2007 Distilled on 19th December 2007 this whisky spent its whole 13-year life maturing in cask #3807, maturation taking place in a 1st fill Premier Cru Supérieur (Superior First Growth) Sauternes cask. The château which this cask originated was the only to be given this ultimate status in the 1855 Official Classification and still commands the highest regard and prices for any wine of this type. Few Octomores have been matured in such casks, and official bottlings have only been partially aged in Sauternes casks. Two independent bottlings have come before, both bottled at six years old. So it seems safe to say that rarity and age are both on this spirit’s side! Bottled in February 2021 as Release 1.3 of the Jim McEwan Signature Collection, like all bottlings within the collection, it was bottled un-chill filtered, with no added colour and at natural cask strength of 57.5% (Jim would have it no other way!), it yielded only 290 bottles.
Bottling date: tba
