Page 41 - Thirst Magazine Issue 2 June 2017

1ST RELEASE
EILING LIM’S INDEPENDENT BOTTLING RELEASES TO DATE
LITTLEMILL 1990/2013
(49.8%)
2ND RELEASE
BEN NEVIS 1970/2014
43YO (44.8%) 60 bottles
GOOD WHISKIES ARE BOUGHT UP AT CLYNELISH 1997/2014
3RD RELEASE
THE SPEED OF LIGHTNING AND THERE IS 16YO (50.2%) 70 bottles
SIMPLY NO ROOM FOR PROCRASTINATION. LITTLEMILL 1991/2013
4TH RELEASE
22YO (47.2%) 41 bottles
5TH RELEASE
Whiskies that are picked out during the GLEN KEITH 1992/2014
first tasting will be put into a second tasting 21YO (48.2%) 48 bottles
the following day, right after breakfast before 6TH RELEASE
noon, while the tasters’ palates are still IRISH “PEATED” SINGLE MALT 1991/2014
fresh. The second tasting will then determine 22YO (48.6%) 116 bottles
whether the whiskies are truly the ones they
want to bottle. 7TH RELEASE
Lastly, its pricing. It has to be a reasonably BUNNAHABHAIN 1980/2014
priced and affordable whisky. In recent years, 34YO (46.3%) 50 bottles
whisky has become an item of investment 8TH RELEASE
with high price bids during auction. Many LITTLEMILL 1990/2014
high value whiskies are not in fancy bottles 24YO (46.8%) 113 bottles
because people buy for its contents and not
9TH RELEASE
for the packaging. An example would be AUCHENTOSHAN 1992/2015
Eiling’s first bottling, Littlemill 1990 that is
now triple the original price when it was first 23YO (45.7%) 132 bottles
released in 2014. 10TH RELEASE
GLENLOSSIE 1992/2015
A PROJECT OF PASSION 23YO (51.1%) 100 bottles
IN SMALL BATCHES CAOL ILA 2006/2015
11TH RELEASE
“Many major independent bottlers buy a big 9YO (51.2%) 109 bottles
lot of barrels to bottle from. They have to do
this because selling whisky is their bread and FIRST OFFICIAL DISTILLERY BOTTLING:
GLENFARCLAS 1979 CASK #8818
butter.” For Eiling, this is a project of passion
with her husband and they make sure that 37YO (46.9%) 188 bottles
whatever they bottle are whiskies that they
will drink themselves if they don’t sell out.
So far, all Eiling’s bottles are snatched up
even before they are released.
Being an independent bottler might sound
glamorous but it is also a lot of hard work.
There aren’t many of them out there simply
because it’s not easy to get casks, hence the
source is the key. Distilleries don’t sell their
Durian flavour casks to anyone, even with good relationships.
In a tasting Distilleries are normally owned by big
with the Boozy brands and have their own bottling plants
Buggers, a and blends. Their limited edition is 20,000
bottles compared to independent bottlings
12TH RELEASE
group of alcohol with as little as double digit bottles. There OLD SPEYSIDE 1973/2016
connoisseurs is really no incentive for distilleries to sell 43YO (47.8%) 118 bottles
who regularly individual casks. EXTRA-ORDINARY RANGE BOTTLING:
Eiling allocates 40% of the stock to
get together Malaysia, 60% to Canada and Europe, BESSIE’S DRAM ISLAY SINGLE MALT 2016
and do informal with small quantities going to Taiwan and (51.3%) Limited
tastings picked Australia upon request. Wholly Spirits TENNESSEE WHISKY 2016
up durian flavour distribute Eiling’s bottles, and drams are (51.5%) Limited
available to taste in The Whisky Bar KL.
in Eiling Lim’s For updates on new releases, visit her BLENDED MALT ‘OLDER THAN OLD’ 2015
Littlemill 1990. website at www.eilinglim.com. (46.5%) Limited
13TH RELEASE
GLENROTHES 1997/2016
19YO (50.2%) 201 bottles
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