For those of you who do not know this is Robert Burn’s month. Burns is the National Poet of Scotland who wrote in the dialect of the working Scot and not English. If you have never been to a Burn’s dinner to here is address to the Haggis you might recall a tune called, “Auld Lang Syne” on New Years Eve which was written by Burn’s.

So grab some Haggis and a wee dram of Wild Scotsman and salute o’l Robert Burns.

The down side for 2011 was the ruthless and uneducated attack on Scottish Whisky Heritage and Tradition with the full ban of the historical terms “VATTED and PURE” to describe the blending of either Single Malt or Single Grain Scotch whisky from different distilleries. Now we must use the term “BLENDED Malt Scotch whisky” or “BLENDED Grain Scotch Whisky”. If being “accurate” in describing the contents of a bottle was truly at the heart of the issue the SWA would have fully demanded the the term “SINGLE MALT and SINGLE GRAIN” be accurately changed to “Single Blended Malt and “Single Blended Grain” as ALL Single are BLENDS unless they are only bottled out of one (1) cask with the cask number duly noted on the bottle.

We here at Wild Scotsman have taken a few steps backwards over the past few years due to the ailing economy but we have been working on expanding into our new direction of providing top quality privately labeled Scotch Whisky for both “on/off” premise license holders in the USA. With every adversity there is always an opportunity if one can look and work out side the box. For us 2012 is bringing new opportunities with our Private Label Scotch Whisky, Wild Scotsman Scotch Whisky, and whisky related talks and tastings.

New Brands arriving in January 2012!

21yr North Islay is aged exclusively in a Sherry Butt (sorry cannot name this distillery) bottled at 50% alc/vol, no added colour, no chill filtration.

38yr Bunnahabhain bottled at 51% alc/vol, no added colour, no chill filtration

From our Family to yours

Happy New Year!

Who's behind your brand?

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the distillery
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The casks were all stacked in the warehouses with care
In the hopes that the Angles would soon have their share.

The stillmen were nestled all snug in there beds,
Whiles visions of Cask strength whisky danced in their heads.
And Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just finished our drams for a long winter’s nap.

When out in the still house there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the distillery I flew like a flash,
Tore open the excise locks, and threw open the doors.

The moon on the copper of the old weathered stills
Gave the luster of midday to the warehouse below,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature angel and eight tiny casks.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be here to give my casks a nip.
More casks than a forest, his casks did roll in, and he whistled and shouted and called them by name.

Now Bourbon! Now Sherry!
Now, Hogeshead and Firkin!
On, Port Pipe! On Puncheon!
On, Pin and Kilderkin!
To the top of the lein Arm!
To the top of the pagoda!
Now Mash Away! Ferment Away!
Distill away all.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours
The Wild Scotsman

an original adaptation by Jeffrey Topping 2007, all rights reserved.