Competition Time: Win A Pair Of Tickets to Jam & Dram 19th May

With a wonderful weekend of relaxing in the garden under our belts (with lashings of Bains Cape Mountain Whisky and ice) the weather shows no sign of abating today either, so whilst we're in a good mood, we've decided to give away TWO pairs of tickets (that's two lucky winners, innit) for the splendid whisky event Jam & Dram on Sunday 19th May run by our friends at The Whisky Lounge. Caskstrength will be compering the day, alongside hosting a series of blending workshops.  

On top of this, you'll also get chance to see Neil's brand new band, Prince Adewale & The Endeavours rockin' the Casbah with their debut gig, The Whisky Lounge Blues Band (featuring none other than The Whisky Lounge's Eddie Ludlow) and an unmissable, all-star performance from a beat combo, The Copper Dogs featuring our good friends and whisky cohorts: Sam Simmons (aka Dr Whisky), Cat Spencer from Master Of Malt, Whisky Magazine's Editor, Rob Allanson and Simon Roser from Simply Whisky. What's not to like about that!

To win a pair of tickets worth £50, all you need to do is email us at info@Caskstrength.net with your name, location, contact details and age. Entry for the competition closes at 12pm on the 13th May.  Please note that you'll need to make your own way to the event at London's Village Underground in Shoreditch, so if you're planning to enter from overseas, don't expect a pair of complimentary airline tickets too... ;-)

We'll be choosing the winning two entries at random on the 15th May.  

Good luck!

Neil & Joel x

Flask Me A Question: Win The Limited Edition Flask From The Macallan Worth £600

The great American comedian, Ernie Kovacs once quipped that “Television is a medium, for it is neither rare nor well done.”

This truism lives on today, with a plethora of dross gumming up your TV channels, making it harder and harder to find something to watch of value and substance on a  Saturday night.

As much as television is a neutral medium, being only as good or as bad as the programs it shows, we still hanker after TV’s of sheer quality, build and technological advancement. Thinner, brighter, higher definition and 3D... all of these are in our mind when we come to replace the goggle-box, upgraded from hiding in the corner of our livingroom, to pride of place on the main wall.

The same could be said for the humble hipflask: a neutral device which is only as good as the liquid inside it, previously hidden away in a dark drawer, only to see daylight when being filled, or swigged from.

Until now, that is... this has all changed, thanks to the chaps over at The Macallan who, in partnership with the top designers at Oakley, have created the ultimate ‘putting-the-hip-into-hipflask’ product.

Almost indestructible, this tough little number is limited to just 550 units with 400 of the US version coming with its own liquid, in the form of a 22 year old single cask known simply as The Flask, matured in Sherry seasoned American oak.

The Macallan – The Flask Edition – 400 bottles only - Single Cask – 43% abv

Nose: A rich nose of vanilla fudge, butterscotch, milk chocolate and runny honey jump from the glass, backed with some heather notes and cracked black pepper.

Palate: Honeycomb, royal jelly and quince jam are backed with fresh ginger, brown sugar and tinned apricots. A hint of peaches on the back of the palate.

Finish: Dry vermouth. Soft and smooth, this gives great tropical fruits and earthy moss on the finish, with a touch of pineapple / upside down cake.

Overall: vanilla and tropical fruit are the dominant flavours here. A very good expression of The Macallan.

As lovely as this whisky is, its partner-in-crime, its bouncer, the Commader-in-Chef of whisky is what comes with it: The Flask. Many of you will have seen the video which Oakley Inc, the architects of Flask, shot to show off the robust nature of this item (if you’ve not seen it, click here) and we have one to give away.

Yes! Another competition! Hot off the back of our last giveaway, we are offering one of these Macallan Flasks which retails at £600 (sadly without the whisky) to one lucky winner who can answer the following question:

"In which Oscar-winning 2012 action film was The Macallan featured?"

Answers on an email to: themacallan@caskstrength.net by 31^st March. As usual, T&C’s apply and, despite there being no liquid involved, you must be over the legal drinking age in your country to enter.

Best of luck. If you win, this could be you... if you have a supercar, friends with supercars, a helicopter and a day at a race track. Well, one out of the five isn't a bad start.

Competition Time - Win Exclusive Tickets to the Irish Open, Courtesy of Bushmills

Well folks, it's competition time for you and this time we have an absolute cracker.  Caskstrength have teamed up with Bushmills for an exclusive competition to win tickets to this years Irish Open Golf tournament.  

Bushmills Irish Whiskey are the official sponsor of the 2012 Irish Open, taking place at Royal Portrush Golf Club from 28^th June to 1^st July.

The Old Bushmills Distillery and Royal Portrush Golf Club are two icons of the North Coast of Ireland. Just four miles apart, both are known and loved around the world, both are award winners and both represent the very best of what the region has to offer.

To celebrate its sponsorship, Bushmills is offering Caskstrength readers the chance to win a VIP trip to the Irish Open on Friday 29th June, as well as a private tour of what is the unofficial 19^th hole at the tournament - the Old Bushmills Distillery.  

The prize includes two tickets to the Irish Open on Friday 29^th June, flights for the winners to and from Northern Ireland, luxury hotel accommodation, transfers to the Irish Open and a tour of the Old Bushmills Distillery for the winners. What's not to like about this!

To enter, just answer this simple question below: 

In what year was the Bushmills area granted its licence to distil?

A: 1607, B: 1608, C: 1609?

Email your name, your age, contact details and location and your answer A, B or C to BushmillsGolf@caskstrength.net with the subject line 'Bushmills Golf'.

Good Luck!

Some important stuff- Bushmills have asked to remind you to enjoy Bushmills sensibly, drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.  Over 18’s only, terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found here Closing date is 11:59pm on Saturday 23^rd June, 2012 One entry per person

Whisky Live Competition! Drink with Pilots Ridley & Harrison

Well then- here we go. Another competition on Caskstrength. This time it ties in with our fun masterclass, which is happening at Whisky Live London. As mentioned in our last post, we'll be running a tasting covering a wonderful 'flight' of whiskies that you can only sample at Duty Free - so the only way to taste 'em is to hop on a plane (bad) or come and see us (excellent choice!)

So far, the line up of drams we have for you is exceptional, with new Travel Retail releases from Laphroaig, Auchentoshan and The Glenlivet and Bowmore sitting next to some amazing duty free drams from Highland Park, The Macallan and Jameson. And if that's not enough, there's also a surprise whisky, which will be announced at the end of the tasting...

We've got a pair of tickets to give away for Friday's Whisky Live London which also includes entry to our masterclass.

Getting your hands on them couldn't be simpler. Just email us at the following email address

info@caskstrength.net

with the following phrase as the title of the mail:

'Come Dram With Me'

Please include your age, name and location. For logistical reasons, please only enter if you can actually attend Whisky Live London -this Friday 23rd March

from 5pm until 10pm. Oh...and over 18's please. Kinda figures, right?

We'll let the winner know on Thursday midday!

If you don't win, you could always just come along anyway - tickets for Whisky Live London are still available from www.whiskylive.com

Good luck!

Have You Got The Bottle?

Guess what?! It’s competition time again here on CaskStrength.net

You lucky devils, you.....

In celebration of our brand new facebook page, we’ve partnered up with Jameson Irish Whiskey to offer a bespoke bottle to one lucky reader. But it's going to take a lot of 'bottle' to win it....

Sine Metu is the Jameson motto. Translated, it means 'Without Fear'. According to legend, John Jameson was so fearless, that he once jumped overboard to save a barrel of his beloved whiskey which broke loose on a treacherous ocean voyage. John Jameson's courageous spirit lives on through his smooth Irish whiskey and he earned the right to have his name on every single bottle of Jameson.

And now you can too!

Courage is defined as "The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery." And now we want to hear from you about your most courageous moment!

It could be an extreme display of bravery, chivalry or just something downright amusing and absurd.

One lucky winner will win a bottle of Jameson 12 Year Old Distillery Reserve, with your name earning its place alongside John Jameson's famous signature on the label. The winner will be announced by us on Jameson FM on St Patrick's Day, March 17^th.

To enter, send your most courageous moment, in no more than 200 words, to:

courage@caskstrength.net

In your email, please make sure you include your name, age, location and contact details.

Terms and Conditions Apply. Please see here for further details.

In the meantime, to start you thinking, you can read about our most courageous moments, starting with Neil’s very own boys-own adventure, on the Caskstrength facebook page. For further information on Jameson, check out their facebook page too!

Good luck and above all else...Sine Metu....

I Could Be So Good To You

Just a quick reminder that entries for the limited space tasting of some interesting whiskies from The Glenlivet, on November 30th at Boisdale of Belgravia at 6pm, is still open until midnight tonight (12 November 2010).

There are only 15 spaces available so if you'd like to come along, drop us an email to info@caskstrength.net with the following phrase:

"“Me, please. I’d like to come along and drink some Glenlivet with you.”

along with your age (you must be over 18) and we'll stick your name in the hat. Winners will be notified on Saturday 13th November 2010.

Further details here.

Competition Time!!!

Folks - we've got a fantastic competition opportunity for you- Win a pair of tickets worth £200 to The Whisky Show on Friday 6th November 2009.

As many of you will already know, The Whisky Show is the UK's premium whisky tasting event, presenting many aged and exclusive whiskies plus a fine two course whisky infused meal. For full details of the show to take place in London's Guildhall, please visit www.thewhiskyshow.com

If this all sounds tantalising, all you have to do is answer the following question.....

Which two whisky brands will be included in the Masterclass tastings on Friday 6th November?

Please send answers to office@thewhiskyshow.com with
"caskstrength.net competition" in the subject box.

Competition closes 8pm on Friday 30th October.

Best of luck and we'll see you there!!

www.caskstrength.net