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3rd Party Tasting Notes
Colour: Amber gold with touches of crimson.
Nose: Aromatic, fruity notes of red berries, blackcurrants and rich fruit cake with hints of vanilla pod and caramel.
Palate: Warm, sweet flavour of figs, maple syrup and toffee apple with notes of peaches, decadent chocolate ganache and a touch of coffee.
Finish: Rich, smooth and aromatic. An elegant Speyside malt.
Nose: Aromatic, fruity notes of red berries, blackcurrants and rich fruit cake with hints of vanilla pod and caramel.
Palate: Warm, sweet flavour of figs, maple syrup and toffee apple with notes of peaches, decadent chocolate ganache and a touch of coffee.
Finish: Rich, smooth and aromatic. An elegant Speyside malt.
Tamnavulin
The Distillery: Tamnavulin
| Established: 1966 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Ballindalloch |
| → website |
The Tamnavulin distillery (the name is Gaelic for 'mill on the hill') was built relatively recently (in 1965/1966) by Tamnavulin-Glenlivet Distillery Co Ltd. - a subsidiary of Invergordon Distillers Ltd. The Tamnavulin distillery was constructed in response to the growing demand for malt whisky by blenders.
The Tamnavulin distillery (some of the sources use an alternative spelling of the name; Tomnavoulin) has six stills that have mainly produced malt whisky for blends like Mackinlay, Whyte & Mackay and Crawfords. It has eight stainless steel washbacks, as well as a Saladin box which was used for the malting of the barley. The relatively modern equipment enabled Tamnavulin to annually produce an impressive amount of malt whisky; four million litres (most of it used for blends).
Tamnavulin is the only distillery in the part of Scotland that used to be called 'Glenlivet' which is actually situated next to the river 'Livet' - all the other distilleries in the area are located further away from the river. In 1993 Whyte & Mackay bought Invergordon Distillers for £382,000,000.- The purchase included the Bruichladdich, Isle of Jura and Tullibardine malt whisky distilleries, as well as the Invergordon grain whisky distillery on the Cromarty Firth. The new owners closed down Tamnavulin distillery in May 1995 and changed their name to JBB (Greater Europe).
JBB was the new name for 'American Brands' from the United States. In the continuing corporate take-over dance they were taken over by Kyndal International in 2001 as part of a management buy-out. At this point the price was a little over 200 million pounds, so the sale probably didn't include all the distilleries that had been part of the package when Whyte & Mackay bought Invergordon Distillers in 1993. The new owners changed their name back to Whyte & Mackay in 2003. They were bought by United Spirits (an investment vehicle from Indian businessman and politician Vijay Mallya) in 2007. With this purchase, the influence of Asian interests in the Scottish whisky industry grew significantly.
The international credit crisis reared its ugly head not long after United Spirits had taken over Whyte & Mackay. Interestingly enough, the consortium of banks that were involved with the purchase (including ICICI Bank & Citibank) pushed for a far higher purchase price than what others felt was reasonable. Since Vijay Mallya had relied heavily on credit in order to afford the purchase of the company, the credit crisis significantly influenced the strategic possibilities that were available to Whyte & Mackay. So, Mallya was looking to sell off W&M again in 2009. When I wrote this update (May 2009), the further future of Tamnavulin was still uncertain.
Tamnavulin is a modern, efficient distillery that's capable of producing four million litres of alcohol a year. The stillhouse heats the incoming wash with the most recently distilled batch of spirit. Tamnavulin's water supply (for distillation) is stored in an underground reservoir which is connected to the distillery via an underground pipe. Cooling water comes from the Livet.
The history of Tamnavulin is fairly similar to that of Tullibardine. The Tullibardine distillery is fairly modern. It was founded quite recently (in 1949) and was obtained by Brodie Hepburn a few years after it was founded. They were bought by Invergordon two decades later, in 1971. In 1993 Whyte & Mackay (part of Fortune Brands) gobbled up Invergordon. Just like Tamnavulin, Tullibardine was mothballed temporarily by Whyte & Mackay.
Tamnavulin was mothballed by Whyte & Mackay's previous owners, but after being taken over by Vijay Mallya in early 2007, the company invested significant sums of capital to get it re-opened again to meet the large demand for whisky. Operation at Tamnavulin resumed in July 2007. However, when the credit crisis broke loose all around the world one year later in '08, demand for whisky (and especially the more expensive single malt whisky variety) diminished. I wrote the last update of this profile in the summer of 2009, at which point the credit crisis was still raging. It remains to be seen how the whisky world will look in 2010 when the first distillations of Tamnavulin will be mature enough to be called whisky. In 2008 a spokesperson for the company said: "Once we are in a position to bottle the whisky then we will be looking at other markets such as travel retail, and the US . It's just a bit premature at the moment, but for a small, lesser known brand it's amazing how many people have been following its progress since we re-opened the distillery."
According to the Malt Whisky Yearbook, the Tamnavulin distillery employed 13 people in 2008. Working seven days a week they managed to produce 23 mashes within one week. This equals an annual production of 3,5 million litres of alcohol; a little below the maximum capacity of 4 million litres. Tamnavulin used one full-lauter mash tun and eight washbacks (four 'mild steel, four stainless steel). Out of the weekly production, only 200 casks are filled on site and stored in one of the two racked warehouses. The rest of the spirit is transported to Invergordon to be filled and matured there.
In the New Millenium
The Tamnavulin distillery (some of the sources use an alternative spelling of the name; Tomnavoulin) has six stills that have mainly produced malt whisky for blends like Mackinlay, Whyte & Mackay and Crawfords. It has eight stainless steel washbacks, as well as a Saladin box which was used for the malting of the barley. The relatively modern equipment enabled Tamnavulin to annually produce an impressive amount of malt whisky; four million litres (most of it used for blends).
Tamnavulin is the only distillery in the part of Scotland that used to be called 'Glenlivet' which is actually situated next to the river 'Livet' - all the other distilleries in the area are located further away from the river. In 1993 Whyte & Mackay bought Invergordon Distillers for £382,000,000.- The purchase included the Bruichladdich, Isle of Jura and Tullibardine malt whisky distilleries, as well as the Invergordon grain whisky distillery on the Cromarty Firth. The new owners closed down Tamnavulin distillery in May 1995 and changed their name to JBB (Greater Europe).
JBB was the new name for 'American Brands' from the United States. In the continuing corporate take-over dance they were taken over by Kyndal International in 2001 as part of a management buy-out. At this point the price was a little over 200 million pounds, so the sale probably didn't include all the distilleries that had been part of the package when Whyte & Mackay bought Invergordon Distillers in 1993. The new owners changed their name back to Whyte & Mackay in 2003. They were bought by United Spirits (an investment vehicle from Indian businessman and politician Vijay Mallya) in 2007. With this purchase, the influence of Asian interests in the Scottish whisky industry grew significantly.
The international credit crisis reared its ugly head not long after United Spirits had taken over Whyte & Mackay. Interestingly enough, the consortium of banks that were involved with the purchase (including ICICI Bank & Citibank) pushed for a far higher purchase price than what others felt was reasonable. Since Vijay Mallya had relied heavily on credit in order to afford the purchase of the company, the credit crisis significantly influenced the strategic possibilities that were available to Whyte & Mackay. So, Mallya was looking to sell off W&M again in 2009. When I wrote this update (May 2009), the further future of Tamnavulin was still uncertain.
Tamnavulin is a modern, efficient distillery that's capable of producing four million litres of alcohol a year. The stillhouse heats the incoming wash with the most recently distilled batch of spirit. Tamnavulin's water supply (for distillation) is stored in an underground reservoir which is connected to the distillery via an underground pipe. Cooling water comes from the Livet.
The history of Tamnavulin is fairly similar to that of Tullibardine. The Tullibardine distillery is fairly modern. It was founded quite recently (in 1949) and was obtained by Brodie Hepburn a few years after it was founded. They were bought by Invergordon two decades later, in 1971. In 1993 Whyte & Mackay (part of Fortune Brands) gobbled up Invergordon. Just like Tamnavulin, Tullibardine was mothballed temporarily by Whyte & Mackay.
Tamnavulin was mothballed by Whyte & Mackay's previous owners, but after being taken over by Vijay Mallya in early 2007, the company invested significant sums of capital to get it re-opened again to meet the large demand for whisky. Operation at Tamnavulin resumed in July 2007. However, when the credit crisis broke loose all around the world one year later in '08, demand for whisky (and especially the more expensive single malt whisky variety) diminished. I wrote the last update of this profile in the summer of 2009, at which point the credit crisis was still raging. It remains to be seen how the whisky world will look in 2010 when the first distillations of Tamnavulin will be mature enough to be called whisky. In 2008 a spokesperson for the company said: "Once we are in a position to bottle the whisky then we will be looking at other markets such as travel retail, and the US . It's just a bit premature at the moment, but for a small, lesser known brand it's amazing how many people have been following its progress since we re-opened the distillery."
According to the Malt Whisky Yearbook, the Tamnavulin distillery employed 13 people in 2008. Working seven days a week they managed to produce 23 mashes within one week. This equals an annual production of 3,5 million litres of alcohol; a little below the maximum capacity of 4 million litres. Tamnavulin used one full-lauter mash tun and eight washbacks (four 'mild steel, four stainless steel). Out of the weekly production, only 200 casks are filled on site and stored in one of the two racked warehouses. The rest of the spirit is transported to Invergordon to be filled and matured there.
In the New Millenium
- 2001 - After Whyte & Mackay (who bought Invergordon in 1993) changed its name to JBB (Greater Europe) in 1996, they decide to change the name again after a management buy-out. The new name is Kyndal.
- 2003 - The name is changed yet again, back to Whyte & Mackay this time.
- 2007 - The distillery (which was mothballed in 1995) is re-opened again. In the same year owners Whyte & Mackay are bought by United Spirits, an investment vehicle of Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya.
- 2008 - The three wash stills are replaced, but the planned replacement of the spirit stills is postponed. 2011 - For the first time since the re-opening of Tamnavulin in 2007 the distillery runs at full capacity.
Trivia:
- lthough the Tamnavulin distillery itself is quite modern, the visitor centre which closed in the 1990's wasn't. It was located in the old wool mill at Tomnavoulin which was used to card the wool that shepherds collected from the numerous flocks of sheep that used to wander around in the area.
- There are two warehouses on site with a capacity of around 35,000 casks of maturing whisky.
- The water wheel that powered the machinery at Tamnavulin has been restored.
- The front label of the official bottling that was available in the late 1990's screamed 'This Naturally Light Rare Single Malt Scotch Whisky takes its colour from the Oak Casks, during it's Twelve long years of Maturation'. Yeah, right... A keen observer will soon notice that this is actually a LOAD OF CRAP! The EU back label clearly states that Tamnavulin is artificially coloured with E150a! For those of you outside the EU: that's plain caramel...
- In 2007, Vijay Mallya ranked #31 in the list of Forbes Asia's richest individuals in India. At that time his wealth was estimated at $1.3 billion - which means he could have bought Whyte & Mackay from his own 'pocket money'. However, he decided to borrow the money which was required for the acquisition.
from Malt Madness
The Owner: Whyte & Mackay
| Established: 1844 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Dalmore House, 310 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 5RG |
| → website |
March 2009 saw John Beard, former chief executive of Bacardi Brown Forman, replace Ashwin Malik as chief executive.
In October 2009, Whyte and Mackay Master Blender Richard Paterson announced on his blog site that the 30 year old Whyte and Mackay whisky had been voted the best blended whisky in the world in two different prestigious whisky competitions.
Whyte and Mackay were sponsors of the English football team Leeds United from 2003 to 2006, but their backing did little to save the club from a financial crisis which cost them their place in the Premier League. The brand currently sponsors Edinburgh club Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League, the PDC Premier League Darts and the Force India Formula One racing team (also owned by Dr Vijay Mallya).
In 2009 the company expanded into Social Media setting up Twitter accounts for Whyte and Mackay whisky and Jura Superstition. It also launched an online and offline game comprising of Twitter and GPS updates called the Whyte and Mackay Safari Hunt.
Charles Mackay and James Whyte started a company as whisky merchants and bonded warehousemen in Glasgow in 1882. W&M Special was their first blended whisky and it was successful in the United Kingdom and other English speaking countries around the world (particularly Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States). After World War II they focused on the home market and now sell more than 1 million cases a year.
The company transcends markets including Single Malt and Blended Scotch Whiskies, Liqueurs, and Vodkas. Their brands include the W&M 13/19/22/30/40yr old blends; Dalmore, Isle of Jura, and Fettercairn Single Malts; Glayva liqueur; and Vladivar Vodka.
Whyte & Mackay Ltd is a Scottish company producing alcoholic beverages. It was founded in 1844 and is based in Glasgow, Scotland. Since May 2007 Whyte & Mackay has been owned by United Breweries Group, a large Indian conglomerate.
from Wikipedia
The Owner: Emperador
| Established: 1990 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: |
| → website |
Emperador Inc. (EMP) is a holding company which operates an integrated business of manufacturing, bottling and distributing distilled spirits and other alcoholic beverages from the Philippines and Europe.
Through Emperador Distillers, Inc. (EDI), EMP has established its identity in the Philippine alcoholic beverages business with steady growth and production of high quality liquor. EDI is the Philippines’ largest liquor company and the world’s largest brandy producer.
The consolidated product portfolio is comprised of domestic and foreign brands led by Emperador Light, Emperador Deluxe, Andy Player Whisky, Smirnoff Mule, The Bar, The Dalmore and Jura Scotch single malt whiskies, and Fundador.
In 1990, Emperador Brandy was launched as Philippines’ first brandy label. This brandy was produced through a delicate blending and aging process. The result is a brandy of distinctive aroma flavor and consistent mellow quality. One look, one sip and it becomes clear to all that Emperador is a world-class product that is easily affordable.
Through dynamic marketing and by establishing a reputation for product quality, EDI created demand for brandy in the Philippine spirits market. Emperador Brandy has now started to expand its brand footprint outside the Philippines. It holds its position as the world's largest brandy by volume and it is now being distributed in 40 countries across Asia, North America, Africa, Middle East, and Europe.
In 2010, Emperador Light was introduced in response to a growing market for alcoholic beverages with lower alcohol content and targeted the younger alcoholic beverage consumers. In 2014 and 2015, the company acquired Whyte and Mackay, and Bodegas Fundador, respectively. Through Whyte and Mackay Group Limited (WMG or Whyte and Mackay) of United Kingdom, EMP has entered the global Scotch whisky business.
WMG has a rich heritage of a Scottish spirits company, which is the fifth largest Scotch whisky manufacturer in the world, and its products are distributed in over 50 countries. And with EMP’s most recent purchase of the brandy and sherry business from Beam Suntory (Bodegas Fundador, completed in February 2016), EMP has fortified its brandy and sherry business, and has strengthened its overall liquor business.
As a global company, Emperador Inc. is now able to capitalize on its worldwide distribution network catapulting its full range of brandy and whisky products led by Emperador and Fundador brandy as well as single malt whisky The Dalmore and Jura plus Whyte & Mackay and John Barr blended whiskies.
Through Emperador Distillers, Inc. (EDI), EMP has established its identity in the Philippine alcoholic beverages business with steady growth and production of high quality liquor. EDI is the Philippines’ largest liquor company and the world’s largest brandy producer.
The consolidated product portfolio is comprised of domestic and foreign brands led by Emperador Light, Emperador Deluxe, Andy Player Whisky, Smirnoff Mule, The Bar, The Dalmore and Jura Scotch single malt whiskies, and Fundador.
In 1990, Emperador Brandy was launched as Philippines’ first brandy label. This brandy was produced through a delicate blending and aging process. The result is a brandy of distinctive aroma flavor and consistent mellow quality. One look, one sip and it becomes clear to all that Emperador is a world-class product that is easily affordable.
Through dynamic marketing and by establishing a reputation for product quality, EDI created demand for brandy in the Philippine spirits market. Emperador Brandy has now started to expand its brand footprint outside the Philippines. It holds its position as the world's largest brandy by volume and it is now being distributed in 40 countries across Asia, North America, Africa, Middle East, and Europe.
In 2010, Emperador Light was introduced in response to a growing market for alcoholic beverages with lower alcohol content and targeted the younger alcoholic beverage consumers. In 2014 and 2015, the company acquired Whyte and Mackay, and Bodegas Fundador, respectively. Through Whyte and Mackay Group Limited (WMG or Whyte and Mackay) of United Kingdom, EMP has entered the global Scotch whisky business.
WMG has a rich heritage of a Scottish spirits company, which is the fifth largest Scotch whisky manufacturer in the world, and its products are distributed in over 50 countries. And with EMP’s most recent purchase of the brandy and sherry business from Beam Suntory (Bodegas Fundador, completed in February 2016), EMP has fortified its brandy and sherry business, and has strengthened its overall liquor business.
As a global company, Emperador Inc. is now able to capitalize on its worldwide distribution network catapulting its full range of brandy and whisky products led by Emperador and Fundador brandy as well as single malt whisky The Dalmore and Jura plus Whyte & Mackay and John Barr blended whiskies.
from Emperador
The Owner: Alliance Global Group
| Established: 2006 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Quezon City |
| → website |
Alliance Global Group, Inc., styled on its logo as AllianceGlobal and also known as Alliance Global, Inc. (AGI), is a large holding company with business activities spanning the food and beverage industry (including both production and restaurant operations), gambling, and real estate development.
It is one of the largest companies based in the Philippines, and is controlled by the family of its chairman and CEO Andrew L. Tan. The company headquarters is in the Bagumbayan area of Quezon City in the Manila metropolitan area (the national capital region of the Philippines) on the island of Luzon.
Alliance Global Group is composed of several companies, including:
It is one of the largest companies based in the Philippines, and is controlled by the family of its chairman and CEO Andrew L. Tan. The company headquarters is in the Bagumbayan area of Quezon City in the Manila metropolitan area (the national capital region of the Philippines) on the island of Luzon.
Alliance Global Group is composed of several companies, including:
- Emperador, Inc. – A beverage production company best known for its Emperador brandy. As of December 2015, Emperador is also the owner of Fundador Pedro Domecq, Spain’s largest and oldest brandy, as well as three other brands, Terry Centenario, Tres Cepas, and Harveys, having acquired them from Beam Suntory. In 2014, Emperador, Inc. purchased the Scottish whisky company Whyte and Mackay from India-based United Spirits Ltd for 430m.
- The Bar Vodka
- Megaworld Corporation, the Company's Main Real Estate Arm.
- Empire East Properties / Megaworld Central Properties
- Travellers International
- McDonald's main Franchise in the Philippines.
- Global Estate Resorts Inc
from Wikipedia