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!

Strane "Uncut" just got Stronger

The second batch of the exceptionally strong Strane “Uncut” London Dry Gin, bottled at 76% vol., from pioneering Swedish distiller Smögen Whisky AB is now available in the UK. At 76% vol., Batch 2 is stronger than the 75.3% vol. of Batch 1, and thus we believe this is strongest gin available in the UK.

Strane is created in a 100 litre copper pot still with worm tub condensers, at the Smögen Distillery. Established in 2010, Smögen was one of the first distilleries in Sweden to produce Single Malt Whisky.  Unusually Strane is created by distilling three differently balanced base gins; junipery, citrusy and herbal, and then blending to create different expressions in bottle; Merchant Strength 47.4% vol., Navy Strength 57.1% vol. and “Uncut”.  With the blending taking place before the addition of water, the distiller and proprietor Pär Caldenby, regularly tastes ‘uncut’ gin, and felt ‘it is too good to hold back’, which led to this unusually high strength bottling.

Whilst exceptionally strong, Pär suggests savouring Strane “Uncut” neat, ice cold, in very small sips, with a glass of water on the side. At first it will be discreet due to the ice, then progressively increase in strength of character and power, until it simply goes into juniper overdrive.

Smögen have not set out to start a 'strength race', more the exceptional strength of Strane “Uncut” reflects the unusual way Strane Gin is produced, borrowing techniques from whisky production. Blending is common practice in whisky, and in some ways Strane “Uncut” is a similar concept to Cask Strength whisky. The result is exceptional, and an experience for gin enthusiasts to savour with care and respect. 

Strane “Uncut” Batch 2 is available to try at bars including the Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore, the Greenroom in Perth, the Jolly Botanist in Edinburgh and the Lazy Lounge in Leeds. Or for a bottle amongst others visit J.L. Gill of Crieff, Gauntleys of Nottingham, Master of Malt and Shop4Whisky. 

Strane Uncut - The Strongest Gin

Angels’ Nectar toasts shortlist success

Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky has been shortlisted in two categories in the Highland and Islands Food and Drink Awards, for the New Product Award and Best Drink Award.

Highfern’s entry was among a record-breaking 100 entries to this year’s awards.  The Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards are now in their 11^th year and include 13 categories ranging from the Young Shining Star and Restaurant of the Year to Export and Healthier Food & Drink. Speaking as he received the good news about their shortlist success, Highfern founder Robert Ransom said:

“We launched Angels’ Nectar just seven months ago, so to be shortlisted for two awards at this stage is fantastic news, and comes in the same week as we dispatched our first order to Belgium”.

Inspired by the Angels' share, the traditional name given to the evaporation during the maturation of Scotch Whisky, the First Edition of Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky has been created from a selection of Speyside and Highland malt whiskies, and is smooth and sweet with hints of heather honey and lemon on the taste.

Judging for the awards took place last week at The Storehouse of Foulis with a panel of thirteen judges examining the entries and tasting produce from across the Highlands and Islands and Cairngorms National Park.

With 2015 marked across Scotland as the Year of Food and Drink, this year’s awards look set to be higher profile than ever before.  The winners will be announced on Friday 23^rd October at a glittering awards ceremony at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness.   The host for the night is comedian and broadcaster, Fred MacAulay who is returning for a third year by popular demand.

For full details of the Highland and Islands Food and Drink Awards, please see www.hifoodanddrinkawards.com

Angels' Nectar - Blended by Angels, Shared by Friends

Angels’ Nectar, our new Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, inspired by the Angels’ Share, is now ready.

At any one time, there are an estimated twenty million casks maturing across Scotland, all exposed to what is affectionately called ‘the Angels’ Share’, the evaporation from casks during maturation.  The Angels take their pick; enjoying some casks more than others, whilst hard working distillers watch their efforts disappear. The Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is our re-creation of the Angels’ Share, bottled for you to savour.  Carefully created from a selection of Speyside and Highland malt whiskies, Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is unusually bottled at natural colour, has a sweet nose of apple and fruit syrup, a taste of heather honey and lemon, and a hint of spice on the finish. The Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is vibrant and fresh, just the way the Angels’ like their dram.

The label for this new whisky brand features a striking fractal design, with an Angel shaped ethereal mist, within which, a series of Angels can be seen enjoying their share.  

The Angels’ Nectar is now available from whisky specialists in the UK. We will be sampling Angels’ Nectar (along with Strane London Dry Gin) at Robertsons of Pitlochry on Saturday the 13^th of December (1pm to 3pm), and at the Green Welly Stop on Saturday the 20^th of December (11am to 2pm), so do come and try Angels’ Nectar. 

Hammerfall Single Malt Scotch Whisky

For friends in Sweden, Hammerfall Single Malt Scotch Whisky, one of the bottlings we have been working on has now gone on sale in Systembolaget. See http://www.systembolaget.se/85600 

Hammerfall selected this Single Malt for their bottling based on taste alone. It is heavily peated and the use of both former bourbon and former sherry casks in the maturation adds body and complexity. It is a limited edition of 5000 bottles, and is only available from Sweden's Systembolaget.

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