New on-line store

We, Highfern Ltd, the proprietors of Angels' Nectar Whisky, and UK importers of Langatun Swiss Single Malt Whisky, Smögen Swedish Single Malt Whisky, Strane Gin, Kinghaven Rum, and Seven Seals Whisky, now have our own on-line cellar door shop. You will find it at www.highfern.co.uk. Do please take a look, and let the Angels deliver your next bottle. (Yes, that is the address formerly used for this blog, which will continue but at the direct address https://highfern.blogspot.com).

Cheers!

How to make the perfect hot toddy

If ever there was a time for a Hot Toddy, that time is now. 

With its sweet fruity flavour and hints of honey and lemon, Angels' Nectar Original makes a great base for a Hot Toddy. So here is our rough guide for the perfect Hot Toddy. 

Find your favourite mug. Add one large measure of our Angels’ Nectar Original, a healthy dollop of heather honey, and a good squeeze of fresh lemon. Fill to the brim with hot water, stir and enjoy.

Cheers!

Perfect Hot Toddy

Introducing our new Angels' Nectar Islay Edition

We are excited to announce the release of our new Islay Edition. 

Bottled at 47% the Angels’ Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Islay Edition is dominated by a gentle island peat smoke, which on the taste is a touch more medicinal than the Rich Peat Edition. Exploring further reveals a biscuity sweetness and a hint of beeswax. This whisky has been matured for five years in former bourbon barrels. 

Our intention with Angels’ Nectar is to release a series of small batch releases which showcase different styles of Scotch Whisky, something which takes time. Having more or less sold out of the Rich Peat Edition, as its successor we have selected a parcel of Islay single malt casks to bottle as our new peat smoke expression. Celebrating inconsistency we have bottled the Islay Edition as a single malt (as opposed to Blended Malt), at a higher strength, and in a new improved bottle.  

Whilst there have been Angels’ Nectar single cask releases in Germany and the Netherlands, this is the first Angels’ Nectar single malt release in the UK. Following the lead of the Angels, as with previous releases, the Islay Edition has been bottled at natural colour and is non chill filtered. 

For a chance to taste, Angels’ Nectar will be exhibiting at The Whisky Show in London on the 28th and 29th September, and at the Alhambra Whisky Festival, Stirling, on the 5th of October. Stockists of the new Angels’ Nectar Islay Edition, which has a RRP of £49.50, include Balliefurth, Drambusters and Shop4whisky. Export orders are also already en-route to L'Explorateur du Goût in France, Haromex in Germany and Whisky Tartan in Netherlands. 

Angels' Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Islay Edition

Just Landed: Smögen 8 Years Old and Kinghaven Rum

Three new releases from our Swedish friends at Smögen, their first ever eight years old single malt whisky, and two rums from their foray into the world of independent rum bottling. 

Smögen Swedish Single Malt Whisky - Aged 8 Years 57.8% Vol. 

From first fill Sauternes Barriques, filled in March 2011, bottled in April 2019, at cask strength of 57.8% Vol. A limited edition of 1628 bottles. Whilst the spirit was Smögen's traditional heavy peat, this has been softened by the maturation in sauternes casks. Serge has scored this bottling 90 points, so do look up his review on Whiskyfun. Amongst others try Hedonism Wines, Shop4Whisky and the Whisky Exchange. 

Kinghaven Premium Single Cask Rum

Single cask rums, finished in Swedish oak and independently bottled by Smögen Whisky.  As you would expect these are bottled at natural colour, unsweetened, cask strength and non-chill filtered.  

Kinghaven Diamond distillery 8 years old, Port Mourant wooden stills, Guyana, 61% Vol. 

Intriguingly distilled in wooden stills, this has been finished for nearly eight months in Swedish Oak Barriques, which has mellowed the Rum. 

Tasting notes by Kinghaven proprietor Pär Caldenby ‘Nose – crystallised raw sugar, fresh greenhouse aromas, baked mushrooms, sunwarm skin, slight diesel, nutmeg, clove; dense and powerful. Palate – immediate big and sweet arrival with notes of molasses, liquorice, basil leaves, milk chocolate, lemon zest and a long development that tilts over towards… Finish - …a drier and spicier, though still on sugar/molasses notes, finish with nutmeg, Garam Masala and on the death, warm polished oak. Overall – a big character with great balance and development, firmly based on the raw molasses notes that envelops the whole experience; best taken quite strong, though in small sips, to maximise the flavour sensations.'

Kinghaven Foursquare 13 years old, Pot & Column stills, Barbados, 63.4% Vol. 

Briefly finished in new Swedish oak. 'Swims extremely well' according to Serge in his review on Whiskyfun, in which the Kinghaven Foursquare 13 Years Old scored 89 point. For Kinghaven Rum try Master of Malt and Nickolls and Perks. 

All three have also been reviewed on the Good Dram Show by Chris from Gauntleys of Nottingham. 

Cheers!

Smögen Aged 8 Years, Kinghaven Diamond 8 Years Old and Kinghaven Foursquare 13 Years Old

Angels' Nectar Rich Peat wins two stars in the Great Taste awards

Great Taste, the world’s most coveted food awards, which celebrates the very best in food and drink, has announced the Great Taste stars of 2018. Out of over 12,600 products to be judged, our Angels’ Nectar Rich Peat Edition has been awarded a 2-star Great Taste award, which means the judges categorised the Rich Peat Edition as 'above and beyond delicious'.  

Judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers, as well as a whole host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected accreditation scheme for food and drink producers. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges. In a nutshell, the Great Taste awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the benchmark for the speciality food and drink sector, so this award is fantastic recognition for Angels’ Nectar.

Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging. Whether it is cheese, granola, bacon or whisky being judged, the judges do not see the packaging. The judging panel then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

One of the judges described the Rich Peat Edition; 'Lovely natural colour, with a clean smokey aroma and hints of spice giving it appeal. The taste is really lovely, with plenty of the anticipated peaty, smokey flavours, but quite nicely balanced with the sweetness and more of the spice. Very rounded, lingering spicy, fruity finish with good depth of flavour and really easy to drink'.

Across all categories there were 12,634 entries into Great Taste this year. Of those 1,207 products received a 2-star award. The panel of judges this year included; MasterChef 2018 champion, Kenny Tutt, chef and food writer, Elly Curshen, eco chef and food writer, Tom Hunt, author and chef, Zoe Adjonyoh, baker Tom Herbert, author and blogger, Izy Hossack, and baker and recipe writer, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges and Sourced Market. 

Worthy winner - Angels' Nectar Rich Peat awarded two Great Taste stars

'Whisky for the Gods' arrives in the UK

Langatun Single Malt Whisky, from Switzerland, of which the Old Bear Cask Proof expression has been described by Jim Murray in his renowned guide The Whisky Bible, as ‘Whisky for the gods…’, is now available in the UK for the first time.

With a history dating back to the 1860s, Hans Baumberger, grandson of the original founder Jakob Baumberger, reopened the Langatun Distillery in 2007.  Initially we are offering four triple distilled single malt bottlings from Langatun.  

Old Deer is the distillery’s classic single malt, distilled from un-peated barley, fermented with an English stout yeast, and matured in sherry and chardonnay casks. Bottled after six years maturation, Old Deer is offered at sipping strength of 40% and cask proof of ~62% Vol.

Old Bear, named as a tribute to the family’s former brewery, which had a bear as its emblem, is the distillery’s smoky offering. Distilled from peated malted barley and intriguingly matured in former Chateauneuf-du-Pape casks, again for six years. Like Old Deer, Old Bear is offered at 40%, and cask proof of ~62.5% Vol.

For a chance to taste Langatun (and Angels' Nectar Rich Peat), join Robert Ransom, at The Whisky Exchange’s Covent Garden store on the afternoon of Friday the 13^th of May, for a drop in tasting. Langatun is also available from Drinkfinder, Hedonism Wines, Lincoln Whisky Shop, Master of Malt, and Shop4Whisky. For more on Langatun, please also visit www.langatun.ch.

Introducing our new Rich Peat Edition of Angels' Nectar

We would like to introduce you to our new Rich Peat Edition of Angels’ Nectar. As the name suggests our Rich Peat Edition of Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky oozes peat smoke, like the welcoming smoke from the chimney of an old bothy, after a long day on the hill. The smoke is followed by a subtle fruity sweetness akin to toffee apples and dark chocolate.

Created from a selection of Highland malts, we have bottled the Rich Peat Edition at 46% vol., so it is also stronger and more robust than the First Edition of Angels’ Nectar. Like the First Edition, the Rich Peat Edition bottle features our Angels within Angel design, but this time the Angel is pewter in colour and is larger. We don’t want anyone getting the First Edition and Rich Peat mixed up!

So far we have shipped the Rich Peat to the Netherlands, Germany and South Korea, but closer to home the Rich Peat is available on line from Nickolls and Perks and Master of Malt. We hope you enjoy it. 

  
PS. Click here to read Dave Broom’s review of the Rich Peat Edition on Scotchwhisky.com

Angels' Nectar Rich Peat

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!

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

Welcome to the Highfern Blog

This is our story of the launch of a new drinks company and a new whisky brand. You will notice things look quite sparse around here. Apologies for that, but it is very early days, and brand design is one part of the process which is still very much under development. Without some nice fancy graphics, perhaps it is a bit early to start telling the story, but hey, here we go.

So where are we? To sum up as I type we have sampled and selected some very nice whisky, and after a less than smooth journey, we now have a trademark, but more of that later... We have a team of talented designers beavering away to create the label. We have a WOWGR, a what I hear you ask, well dear reader, it is the mysterious number issued by customs which allows us to trade in alcohol under bond. 

We are also working to introduce a selection of fine craft spirits from overseas to British drinkers. The first two are lined up; Smögen Whisky and Strane Gin, from Sweden. We will be bringing them to the UK soon (there is some bureaucracy to deal with, the details of which I won’t bore you with), but in the meantime, please follow @SmogenWhiskyUK and @StraneGinUK on twitter.

Cheers,

Robert Ransom