Strane Gin matures

We are excited to release the new Limited edition Strane Oaked Gin.

Based on Strane London Dry Navy Strength Gin, Strane Oaked Gin has then been matured for eighteen months in a former Sherry butt, which has also previously matured heavily peated Smögen Whisky, and then bottled at 55% vol.. The sherry cask has added flavour and structure, and the result is a wonderfully fragrant sipping gin. Or for a long serve, Pär Caldenby, Distiller/Proprietor at the Smögen distillery, suggests replacing the whisky in your Whisky & Soda with Strane Oaked.

Strane Oaked Gin offers an astonishing crossover between Gin, Whisky and Sherry, which we are sure will delight fans of craft spirits.

Amongst others Strane Oaked Gin is now available from Hedonism Wines, Nickolls & Perks, Master of Malt, Robertsons of Pitlochry and Shop4whisky. 

Strane Oaked Gin

Join us for a Dram - Whisky Festivals and tastings

Do come and join us for a dram!

Friday 8th July 2016
Sampling at The Storehouse, Foulis Ferry, Dingwall, from Noon to 4pm. Alongside Angels' Nectar we will also be sampling Strane London Dry Gin.
www.thestorehouseathome.com

Saturday 9th July 2016
Sampling at DeliMair, Aviemore, from Noon to 4pm. On taste will be the First Edition and Rich Peat Editions of Angels' Nectar.
www.delimairaviemore.co.uk

Join us for a Dram - Whisky Festivals and tastings

Do come and join us for a dram!

Friday 8th July 2016
Sampling at The Storehouse, Foulis Ferry, Dingwall, from Noon to 4pm. Alongside Angels' Nectar we will also be sampling Strane London Dry Gin.
www.thestorehouseathome.com

Saturday 9th July 2016
Sampling at DeliMair, Aviemore, from Noon to 4pm. On taste will be the First Edition and Rich Peat Editions of Angels' Nectar.
www.delimairaviemore.co.uk

Join us for a Dram - Whisky Festivals and tastings

Do come and join us for a dram!

Friday 8th July 2016
Sampling at The Storehouse, Foulis Ferry, Dingwall, from Noon to 4pm. Alongside Angels' Nectar we will also be sampling Strane London Dry Gin.
www.thestorehouseathome.com

Saturday 9th July 2016
Sampling at DeliMair, Aviemore, from Noon to 4pm. On taste will be the First Edition and Rich Peat Editions of Angels' Nectar.
www.delimairaviemore.co.uk

A visit to Smögen Whisky

After many years of eager anticipation, last week I had the opportunity to visit the Smögen distillery. I first met Pär Caldenby ten years or so ago, and I have followed his progress with interest.  We have been importing Smögen whisky to the UK since it first came of age, so it was a privilege to spend the day with Pär at his distillery.

Pär more or less designed the Smögen distillery himself and runs it single handedly. This makes for long days, and requires an ability to multi-task like a solo yachtsman. The mashtun and wash backs have been adapted from former dairy tanks. The whisky stills and spirit safe were built to order by Forsyths of Rothes, whilst the gin still and its copper worm tub came from Portugal. The compact layout relies on gravity; why bother with less reliable pumps?

The scale can at times seem small, at one point Pär explained that the next job was to clean the heat exchanger. I pictured something the size of a washing machine, but the heat exchanger in question was more toaster size. That said, the compact size of Smögen is for me part of the charm. Many have dreamed of building their own distillery, and here Pär has proved it can be done, in a way which means he has managed to keep control of every aspect. This is distilling solo, with a single minded determination to produce spirit the way you want to do it. So far Pär, as the distiller proprietor, has distilled every single drop of Smögen and Strane personally. Not many distillery owners can say that!

Robert Ransom

Named after a nearby island, Smögen Whisky AB, is located on a small farm on the outskirts of Hunnebostrand, a couple of hours north of Gothenburg.  The main building houses, from the camera, tasting room, malt store and mill room, still house, bottling hall and maturation warehouse, all under one excise bond. 

Golden Promise malted barley, waiting to be milled. 

The mill, with peated barley. 

Mash tun, in the attic, so the wash backs and wash still can be fed by gravity. 

Cleaning the mash tun. The orange draff shoot is actually a plastic apex for a roof, purchased from the local builders merchant. 

Where the magic happens, wash still back left, spirit still back right, with the Strane gin still and copper worm tub in the foreground. See how the spirit receiver tank is directly below the spirit safe, and the cask filling area directly below the receiver tank. Gravity is more reliable than pumps.  

Filling the morning's production, 106 litres of Smögen råsprit, or new make spirit, into a quarter cask made by the Swedish cooper from former bourbon barrels. 

Rolling the results of the mornings labours to the warehouse. 

Smögen Whisky staff photo - Pär Caldenby and Dante the distillery hound. 

Smögen's warehouse.

The weeks production. 

Sherry casks

Smögen Jubilee, distilled from 50ppm optic barley, matured in sherry quarter casks, and long since sold out!

Strane "Uncut" is the strongest Gin*

We have recently launched Strane "Uncut" in the UK. At 75.3% vol., Strane "Uncut" is the strongest commercially available gin.

How do we know Strane "Uncut" is the strongest gin? Well first of all we are not aware of another gin which is stronger.

Secondly, David T Smith of Summer Fruit Cup, who has reviewed over 300 gins, is also not aware of a stronger commercially available gin. Interestingly David notes in his review of Strane "Uncut" that the previous holders of the title would be Blackwoods and Finsbury, both at 60% Vol. for unaged gin, and for aged gin, an Alambic bottling.  

Thirdly, Strane "Uncut" is the strongest gin available at The Feathers Hotel, a hotel which offers a choice of 264 different gins.  

Fourthly we have enjoyed some coverage of Strane "Uncut" in the drinks press over the last couple of days, and so far no one has come forward to say another brand is stronger!

So Strane "Uncut" would appear to be the strongest available gin in the UK, if not the world. I doubt we will hold the title for long. Someone somewhere is probably working on something as I type. It has not been our intention to start a ‘strength race’, "Uncut"’s release has led from the unusual way Strane gin is created; three differently balanced base gins; junipery, citrusy and herbal, are distilled and then blended to create different expressions in bottle; Merchant Strength 47.4% vol., Navy Strength 57.1% vol. and now “Uncut”. With the blending taking place before the addition of water, the distiller Pär Caldenby, regularly samples and noses Strane gin at receiver strength.  Pär simply felt Strane in its uncut form was ‘too good to hold back’. With an increasingly crowded gin shelf we need to shout about what is different, and with Strane "Uncut", it is the strength.

Strane Uncut will only be produced in limited quantities. Intriguingly as it is over 70% alcohol, our order was shipped from Sweden as Dangerous Goods, or to be more precise as ‘UN3065 / Alcoholic Beverage / Class 3/ PG (packaging group) II in limited quantities'. This, as you probably guessed, costs extra.

Whilst exceptionally strong, Pär suggests trying Strane “Uncut” neat, ice cold, in very small sips, with a glass of water on the side. At first it will be (relatively) discreet due to the ice, then progressively increase in strength of character and power, until it simply goes into gin overdrive. With “Uncut” there is a mighty surge of power and strength of character, and it is rich in juniper, lemon peel, sage and mint. Strane “Uncut” is not an everyday gin, but a remarkable experience for gin lovers. Of course you are also welcome to experiment with Strane "Uncut" in your favourite cocktail.

Strane “Uncut” is now available to try at The Feathers Hotel in Oxford, the first bar outside Sweden to offer this extraordinary gin. A limited number of bottles are also available to purchase from Drinkfinder (Constantine Stores), Gauntleys of Nottingham and Master of Malt.

*possibly

Strane at The Feathers

Smögen Svensk Single Malt Whisky and Strane London Dry Gin arrive in the UK

Smögen Primör, the first chance to taste single malt whisky from Sweden’s Smögen distillery, and Strane London Dry Gin, also produced at the Smögen distillery, are now available in the UK.

The Smögen distillery was designed and built in 2010 by pioneering distiller Pär Caldenby, on the west coast of Sweden, north of Gothenburg. With a production capacity of just 35000 litres, the comparatively small size of the distillery allows for an attention to detail not seen elsewhere. Until now every drop of Smögen Whisky has been distilled and blended by Pär Caldenby personally.

Smögen Primör is produced from optic barley of 45ppm and distilled by hand in small batches in a 600 litre spirit pot still. The spirit has then been matured in a combination of new European oak casks and former Bordeaux casks. Smögen Primör is heavily peated, powerful and rich for its age, and is bottled at natural colour and cask strength of 63.7% vol.. Primör is the first chance to taste Smögen, and indicates that the distillery has a exciting future. In Pär’s words ‘When I set out to build a distillery I was aiming to take inspiration from the best that Scotland, France and Japan could offer and make a very distinctive malt whisky, in fully traditional pot stills. The decidedly coastal location and use of heavily peated malt alongside virgin or first fill casks means a fast maturing whisky. Our first bottling, Primör, shows part of our progress to date and I am quite delighted with the result’.

Released alongside Primör is Strane London Dry Gin, Smögen’s handcrafted small batch gin. Twelve botanicals are used to produce three base gin styles; juniper, citrus and herbal, in batches of 45 litres. The base gins are then blended to produce the three expressions; Merchant, Navy and Uncut. Strane Merchant, the core expression is bottled at 47.4% Vol., and is blended to emphasize the smoothness that the high copper contact in the tiny whisky pot still gives to the spirit, while also providing depth and strength of character. Strane Merchant’s flavour is led by juniper, coriander and mint. Strane Navy is bottled at 57.1% Vol., or “100 proof”, is powerful and blended to highlight citrusy notes. Strane Uncut, at 75.3% is one of the strongest gins on the market, and will only be available in very limited quantities. Explaining his approach to Gin creation, Pär said ‘As a whisky man, it struck me that the art of blending should work very well with gin, as a good gin is about character and also – most importantly – about balance. To create the massive depth of character while retaining balance, the tiny pot still with its worm tub is important, but the blending makes it whole. Eminently sippable and makes for an enticing G&T’.

Smögen Primör is available from The Green Welly Stop, Single Malts Direct and The Whisky Exchange, whilst Strane is available at The Good Spirits Co., The Green Welly Stop, and The Whisky Exchange.

Strane & Tonic with Brambles