| |
| |
|
|
|
A Private Owners Guide to Bottling Fine Whisky
The majority of private owners of whisky casks are looking for an assessment of their options. The purpose of this article is to help answer questions that private owners may have about bottling their whisky casks. Its always recommended that private owners bottle at cask strength as this minimises the number of bottles that you get making it cheaper for bottling and requiring less storage space. The materials needed for a single malt presentation include: tall round clear bottle, varnished wood topp stopper cork, gold coloured pure tin capsule and plain white outer cases. For private owners the use of a simple black and white label would be sufficient. On it would be your name, distillery from which the cask originated and the cask details including date of fill, cask number, strength etc. If you plan to print your own be aware that labels printed on ink jet computer printers are likely to have the ink run if the whisky is spilled on the label. A colour laser printer is however a very good option for short run label production. The typical hogshead cask will yield around 280 bottles at a strength close to 60% alcohol. If you were to bottle at 40% this would entail the addition of around 120 litres of water and would require an extra 171 bottles to contain the increased bulk volume. It would also mean that the whisky would need to be chill filtered to maintain it's clarity and brightness as the reduction in strength causes the whisky to become cloudy. Chill filtration impairs the flavour of the whisky and is therefore avoided by purveyors of fine malt scotch and it is normal for such products to be bottled at such high strength, i.e. 46% or more. There are options for defraying or deferring some of the costs involved: Syndicates Many people form a syndicate with family or friends. This reduces the cost burden but of course you get less of the whisky. This is not usually a problem as it will take five years to get through one cask at a bottle per week. A private syndicate who are not buying and selling can be treated in the same way as an individual private owner and does not currently need to be registered with Customs & Excise. Bonded Storage The majority of the expense when bottling is incurred in the form of duty and VAT which is also levied on the duty. You can choose to store your bottled whisky in a bonded warehouse. If you can locate one locally, and they are happy to support a private owner, then you can store the whisky under bond and pay the duty and VAT as and when you remove the goods for use. You are likely to be charged pennies per case per week for bonded but please do confirm this with your chosen warehouse in advance. Kevan Jones is the Director of Craigton Packaging Ltd., they are a small privately owned company that specialises in very short run bottling operations. The majority of their work is single cask bottling for trade customers servicing the specialist malt whisky sector, although they also deal with private owners and syndicates. Craigton Packaging Ltd. are based in Paisley and service UK and international customers. t: 0044 (0)141 887 0244
MORE RESOURCES: Constellation Europe has announced senior management changes to its wine, spirits and cider divisions as part of a major restructuring plan. Its the first week of a New Year, time to transfer birth dates and anniversaries out of our old, well thumbed calendars and into shiny new ones. So why not scribble in a few save the dates while were at it Happening this week: an appearance by Mr. Mojito, also known as David Nepove, director of mixology for Southern Wine Spirits. The nations economy in 2008 apparently drove more Pennsylvanians to drink in the second half of the year. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The Charmer Sunbelt Group , one of the countrys leading distributors of spirits and wine, and the Wine Spirit Wholesalers of America together with the Florida Department of Business Professional Regulation , The Brown Forman Company and TURF National Spokesman Joe Theismann today unveiled an integrated program designed to promote safe and responsible tailgating at both The University of Hawaii will host its seventh annual UH Baseball Grand Slam Celebration Jan. 19 at the Stan Sheriff Center. Access Beverage Inc. engages in the manufacture, marketing and sale of wine and spirit brands in the United States, with future brands planned for launch in China and Russia. Its brands include the wines Le Snoot, Mardi Gras, Bees Knees, and Lure , as well as Simply RAW Vodka. Mantra Restaurant Bar, in collaboration with Italthai Industrial Co., Ltd, recently held a fantastic Riedel Masterclass Wine Tasting Dinner. The evening began with a wine and glassware masterclass Annapolis Reiki will offer reiki sessions at 7 p.m. Jan. 5 at Unity by the Bay, 836 Ritchie Highway in Severna Park. These sessions are open to those interested in experiencing this relaxation method. For reservations and more information, call 410 268 2524 or contact patannapolisreiki.com. Six months after Sunday liquor sales became legal in Colorado, some liquor store owners find flattened Saturday and Monday sales and increased staffing costs for a net decline in revenue. The Eagle Valley Chamber of Commerce has sent a note of thanks to all those who helped make the the 2008 Extravaganza Citizen of the Year and Business of the Year celebration such a success. |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES Wine and Your Health During the 1990s, a physician voiced on a national TV show that drinking red wine reduces heart disease. It made all the headlines. Uses of Mirror Tinted Contact Lenses Mirror tinted contact lenses have become a topic of interest among many Americans. This is because the market for crazy contact lenses has continued to grow and be popular, so, as a result, contact companies are continually faced with making the next best thing. Wine, Wine, Wine What in the world is up!Was there a full moon or something? As I went through this past week I was struck by what seemed to be the theme for the week. I came to the conclusion that there are some career whiners out there. The Ten Most Important Wine Label Terms For the average wine consumer, there is a plethora of intimidation associated with wine buying. This is a feeling that is most often associated with not understanding wine labels. The Truth About Red Wine and Heart Disease Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining ArmorWhat is so special about wine? What is it that makes it potentially more protective against coronary heart disease, and perhaps other diseases, that other forms of alcohol?In recent years, scientists have concluded without doubt that many human diseases such as heart disease, cancer and the aging process is caused or stimulated by a ravenous group of chemicals called free radicals, that act like hungry sharks. These highly charged little villains prowl the body and attack healthy cell membranes through a process that is called oxidation. The Cocktail Party A cocktail party can be more daunting than a dinner party if you don't remember the rules. However, it is a great way to kick back and relax with your friends. Tequila It was once a ritual usually performed by a man. He would put some salt where the bottom of the thumb met his wrist. Merlot Wine Merlot wine is a rich, soft wine with the flavor of blackberries, beloved because it is seldom harsh and not as acidic as a Cabernet Sauvignon with which it is often blended. Merlot wine has the added advantage of being rich and supple but only moderately tannic and, therefore, wonderfully drinkable from early on. An Introduction to Wine What is wine?Wine has been made for centuries from just a two simple ingredients: yeast and grape juice. Actually, just about any fruit juice can be used, but by far the majority of all wine is made from the juice of the grape. Hosting A Wine Tasting Party As your love and knowledge of wine grows, it is inevitable that you will want to share your revelations with friends and family. Hosting a wine tasting party is a great way to do this. Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Cabernet Sauvignon is the grape responsible for the wines of Bordeaux's Medoc region, arguably some of the finest reds in the world. Cabernet Sauvignon performs well practically the world over, as long as it's not too cold, but in certain appellations in France, and more recently in California's Napa Valley, it produces wines that astonish with their richness and complexity. Tempranillo's Role As A New Varietal Wine In Australia Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja region in Spain. It is now challenging Sangiovese as the up and coming star of the red varietal wine scene in Australia. Buying Wine, How to Read a Wine Label and Select a Great Bottle of Wine I must admit, that for many of us, walking into a store to buy a bottle of wine can be a little like visiting a foreign country and not knowing the language. If you're buying wine for yourself that's probably not a big deal, although it might be nice to be somewhat knowledgeable so that you're more likely to buy something you will enjoy. Build Your Own Wine Rack (In An Afternoon) A good drink is what even Gods enjoy and to most a good wine is the best drink in the world. The connoisseurs of wine say that to find out a good wine is to smell and taste it. White Zinfandel Wine White Zinfandel wine is a blush wine made in California from early-picked Zinfandel grapes. The red grapes are quickly separated from their skins during crushing and fermentation so that the resulting White Zinfandel wine is very light pink; thus White Zinfandel wines have far less color, alcohol and flavors than normally fermented Zinfandels. How To Open Champagne I manage a highly regarded web community for corporate flight attendants and the subjects we discuss on our forum include: how to get hired, appropriate business attire, taxes and accounting, safety issues, and food service. The latter category can, at times, be a real hot button issue with opinions divurging and colliding frequently, even on the simplest matters. Alchoholism, A Major Diesease? Alcoholism can be given a lot of definitions and all of them stress the fact that there is a terrible disease that involves addiction to spirits. Apart from the physical dependence on alcohol, there are other psychological, genetic and social factors that may play a role in the development of alcoholism. Barbera Wine Barbera is a wine grape variety from Monferrato in Piemonte, Italy. Babera produces an intense red wine with deep color, low tannins and high acid and is used in California to provide "backbone" for so-called "jug wines". Beer and The Commodities Market Most branded products and agricultural products are not commodities. However we will see the future as Cargill, Petroseed, Genetseed will have patented superior seeds which grow into corn, mustard seed, wheat, and other agricultural products which will have a brand name. Pairing Food and Wine is a Matter of Taste First off let me say that I am in no way a wine snob. I do not believe that there is an ultimate right and wrong way to pair wine with food.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
