NYWC: Join us at MAN Show

MAN NEW YORK welcomes a special installment of The New York Whiskey Club

Monkey Shoulder

Monkey Shoulder is made from a trio of ne Speyside single malts - Glen ddich, Balvenie, Kininvie. It is one of the few remaining whisky distilleries in the world still using manual mixing techniques during the production process. In history, when turning the malting barley with the shiel, resembling a wooden shovel, malt men would develop a work injury which came to be known as “monkey shoulder”, for which this whisky is named. Today, Monkey Shoulder whiskey has adopted the same time-tested techniques - without the risk of personal injury - to create their signature triple malt Scotch whisky. 

Hakushu 12 Year

Sourced from the pristine mountain forest waters of the Southern Japanese Alps, the Hakushu distillery is one of the highest in the world. The blend of unpeated, lightly and heavily peated component whiskies bases its superior character o the peaked barley imported from Scotland for re nement and distillation in Japan. It is no wonder that Hakushu is a “green and fresh” whisky, praised by the most curious whisky connoisseurs and lovers of gastronomy. Its crisp and vibrant feel, unique in a single malt, enlivens and liberates your senses. 

Hibiki

Meaning “resonance” in Japanese, the soft yet complex taste pro le of Hibiki is created from unique bamboo charcoal ltering and plum liqueur cask maturation. Created from a symphony of whiskies, the aromas and extremely smooth palate are the result of ne craftsmanship and the unrivaled art of blending. Hibiki’s unique 24-facet bottle honors the whisky’s heritage by symbolizing the traditional Japanese lunar calendar, where the year is symbolically divided into twenty four equal parts. 

Yamazaki 12 Year

The rst and original Japanese whisky handcrafted at Japan’s oldest distillery built in 1923, Yamazaki is made from Scotti- sh barley, distilled and matured in Japan using Mizunara oak barrels. The master blender for this Suntory whiskey has eaten the same lunch for the past 28 years - a shrimp tempura Udon - so that his palate is exactly the same everyday when tasting and blending whiskies. Whisky drinkers will love the smooth, honeyed taste of Yamazaki 12 year single malt. 

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition

Released 80 years after the end of the era which it celebrates, Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition has been crafted as a salute to the notorious Captain William McCoy, who smuggled Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky into America during the Prohibition era of 1920-1933. Captain McCoy’s impeccable reputation for dealing only in the nest, genuine and unadul- terated liquor gave rise to Cutty Sark being referred to as “The Real McCoy”. This smooth Cutty Sark exhibits a lingering warmth and subtle hints of spics. 

The New York Whiskey Club brings together a group of discerning aficionados to discuss cultural happenings in fashion, film, politics, sex, music, art.

legal Mezcal x SoFar Sounds

legal Mezcal, the finest in Guatemalan handcrafted liquor, has been producing artisanal spirits for nearly a decade. With its origins in music and mischief, Ilegal has always been embraced by musicians and former tequila drinkers the world over.

In the summer of 2014, VOCAL introduced Ilegal Mezcal to the New York City music scene with two things it knows best — eclectic performances and plenty of Mezcal.  This buzz-worthy introduction included a music-fueled LGBQT pride brunch, and an intimate musical showcase in collaboration with SoFar Sounds. To further their passion, Ilegal Mezcal now occasionally transforms their stateside HQ into the exclusive, members-only #ILEGALSocialClub. 

ILegalMezcal.com

Ilegal Mezcal Confessions Campaign Takes Off This Summer

Ilegal Mezcal Gets the World’s Secrets, One Confession at a Time

Mexican artisanal liquor makers Ilegal Mezcal have been producing handcrafted spirits for nearly a decade. Already esteemed among mezcal and tequila drinkers, Ilegal Mezcal has launched an innovative engagement campaign to let everyone else know what they’re all about, and just why their products are worth filling glasses raised by the masses -- by letting the masses speak for them.

The Ilegal Confessions project utilizes social media to enable anyone in the world to contribute at any time by posting deep inner thoughts and secrets or defining moments with a picture on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and tagging @IlegalMezcal and #IlegalConfessions. Ilegal Mezcal will select the most interesting submissions and personally contact contributors to get the entire story to be included in their final project. The end result is a completely spontaneous and original set of stories that spans creeds, classes, and continents.   

The Ilegal Confessions project comes as an extension of the company’s origins. Born from founder John Rexer’s illegal smuggling of thousands of bottles of mezcal from Mexico to his bar Café No Se in Antigua Guatemala, the company’s history and namesake are a sort of personal confession from Rexer to the world. According to Rexer, the process in which Ilegal Mezcal is made is as distinguished as its origins, and those who drink it: "It's like old hand-tooled leather versus cheap pleather. It's seductive. People from all walks of life understand the difference. It's a way of thinking and wanting to live as much as it is fine liquor."

To confess your personal story, visit www.ilegalconfessions.com.            

For more information please visit www.Ilegalmezcal.com. 

For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

NYWC: Raise a glass with us

The New York Whiskey Club brings together a group of discerning aficionados to discuss cultural happenings in fashion, film, politics, sex, music, art.

NYWC: Whiskey Wise

Whiskey Wise

Like taking candy from a baby, Prohibition in the US caused a popular tantrum that resulted in an era of decadence and disregard that still captures the public imagination. The New York Whiskey Club presents Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition”.

The excise tax on alcohol was such a significant contributor to the US economy that it seemed the pietistic efforts of the teetotaling Anti-Saloon League would remain in vain. However, the introduction of a nationwide income tax dissolved this dependence and paved the way for over a decade of merriment and mayhem.

The National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act, was passed into law in 1920 outlawing the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. As actual consumption was never illegal, the subsequent untaxed and inflated alcohol prices motivated immense investment in the party scene, giving rise to an era of celebration that appears in hindsight as a decadent public bender.

Indulging their love booze with such unanimous disregard for the law, the people reinforced the inevitable failure of Prohibition. Reinstated with their right to intoxicate, Prohibition ended in 1933, remaining to this day the only Amendment to the United States Constitution to have ever been repealed.

Cutty Sark celebrates this public victory by honoring one of Prohibition’s most notorious smugglers, Captain William S. McCoy. Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition” is a handcrafted, small batch Scotch blended from top quality grain and single malt whiskies. Matured in American oak casks and non‐chill filtered, this 100 proof whiskey gives a super smooth finish with lingering warmth and subtle hints of spice.

The next New York Whiskey Club event is to be held at the MAN show during Men's Market Week NYC from January 21-23, 2014, spotlighting this rare and refined Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition” whiskey.

Product Fact:

When most Prohibition alcohols were diluted to maximize profit, Captain William S. McCoy earned his honorable reputation as a rumrunner through consistently selling his merchandise unadulterated. This gave popular contemporary reference to the historical idiom “The real McCoy”, signifying something as being the genuine article.

Whiskey Tip:

Given the limited availability of ice during Prohibition years, whiskey was often drunk neat (without ice). Neat whiskey is best appreciated from a tulip-shaped glass, allowing the spirit to be appropriately agitated and capturing the aromas for nosing.

Drop Prohibition knowledge instead of ice into your Cutty Sark “Prohibition Edition”:

The earliest records of prohibition of alcohol date back to the Xia Dynasty (ca. 2070 BC–ca. 1600 BC) in China.

To conserve grains for the war effort, the Wartime Prohibition Act was introduced as a precursor to the Volstead Act on June 30, 1919, with July 1, 1919, becoming known as the "Thirsty-First".

A “speakeasy” is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages, originating from the need to speak of them quietly, and to be quiet within should the police be alerted. Also known as a “blind pig” or “blind tiger”.

Although homebrewing wine and cider from fruits remained unaffected by Prohibition, beer was prohibited. Al Capone’s empire was built largely on the sale and distribution of beer, earning his organization up to $60 million per year (somewhere in the ballpark of $600 million today).

The phrase "The real McCoy" is a corruption of the Scots "The real MacKay", first recorded in 1856 as: "A drappie o' the real MacKay," (A drop of the real MacKay). This appeared in a poem Deil's Hallowe'en published in Glasgow and is widely accepted as the phrase's origin.