To celebrate the club’s milestone 60th birthday, Ronnie Scott’s has created a bespoke, limited edition whisky; entitled Ronnie’s Scotch.
Crafted in Scotland, the whisky was blended by Iain Fortreath of Tomintoul Distillery, in conjunction with the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars. Iain Fortreath worked closely with the band to help create a 12-year-old blend that is as complex and well-rounded as the music that the All Stars play.
The most influential single malt in the blend comes from Tomintoul Distillery, which is situated in the Speyside whisky region of Scotland. The distillery sits in the famous Glenlivet Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms, and it is this natural environment and time honoured processes which produce the unique, gentle and sweet characteristics of the whisky. The Bourbon casks used by Tomintoul give a sweet and creamy base to Ronnie’s Scotch; with heavily peated Old Ballantruan lending a subtle, smoky backbone to the blend.
A limited edition run of just over 1,000 bottles of Ronnie’s Scotch has been created, and is available for the public to purchase in person at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club or on the Ronnie Scott’s website, retailing at an initial price of £75 per bottle. Ronnie’s Scotch comes complete with a personalised label in the style of the original 1959 Ronnie Scott’s membership card as a nod to the landmark birthday.
Simon Cooke, Managing Director of Ronnie Scott’s said “I’m a whisky drinker. The opportunity to create one in commemoration of the club’s 60th anniversary has been a real highlight for me, from the visit to the distillery in Scotland to the blending session and now sampling the finished product. I am really pleased with the finished blend, better than even I expected. As someone said to me, it tastes of late nights.”
Iain Fortreath of Tomintoul Distillery added, “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to collaborate with one of the best jazz clubs in the world. The Ronnies Scotch whisky was made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the club and what better way that to release a specially crafted whisky in the Clubs name. Myself and the Allstars spent an afternoon creating the perfect blend which boasts a great balance of sweetness, structure and character and I’m extremely happy with the end result.
The whisky itself is a complex mixture of fruity single grain whisky, creamy Tomintoul single malt matured in Bourbon casks, deep fruits and spice notes from Sherry Matured Tomintoul and a hint of peat smoke from our Old Ballantruan peated malt. This gives us a premium Blended Whisky that is rich, sweet and nutty boasting flavours of sultanas, pecans and wisps of peat smoke. It’s a real show stopper of a dram!”
Alongside the limited-edition whisky, Ronnie Scott’s has crafted a memorable calendar of events to mark their 60th year; including a classic, British, 60th Anniversary Street Party complete with a multi-generational jazz star line-up, taking place on Saturday 20th July around the club’s home on Frith Street.
60th anniversary celebrations will culminate in a spectacular, one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 30th October; the club’s official birthday. Acts include the unstoppable Van Morrison, Irish vocalist Imelda May and saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, in what is set to be an unforgettable night for the iconic jazz club.
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club
47 Frith Street
Soho
London
W1D 4HT
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