Glasgow-based small-batch whisky blender Turntable has continued its strategy of ‘pairing great music and memorable whisky’ with the release of two new limited-edition blended whiskies for 2024.
The new bottlings – Track 4 and Track 5 in the business’s repertoire – are coming out to coincide with Turntable’s first anniversary on May 31, which is being celebrated with a combined launch’n’birthday party in Glasgow.
Founded by Glasgow brothers Gordon and Ally Stevenson, Turntable announced itself to the world with a trio of limited-edition expressions in April 2023 – Tracks 1, 2 and 3, which were limited to 1500 bottles each – closely followed by a core range of blends titled Paradise Funk, Smokin’ Riff and Bittersweet Symphony.
These bottling are now joined by Track 4 ‘One Way Or Another’, and Track 5 ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’, respectively named after iconic tracks by Blondie and Daft Punk.
Track 4 is described as ‘a harmonious blend of 78% grain and 22% malt whisky, showcasing a masterful balance of flavours drawn from a variety of casks including Strathclyde 1st fill bourbon barrels and Invergordon ex-red wine barrels’.
Track 5, which carries a natural strength of 59.1% ABV, promises ‘a bold, undiluted experience with components like Tamdhu 1st fill Oloroso sherry butts and Dalmunach 1st fill bourbon barrels.’
“With Track 5, our aim was to produce an extremely powerful yet well-balanced whisky,” said co-founder Gordon Stevenson. “These new releases represent the pinnacle of our blending expertise and passion for quality, and we can’t wait to celebrate them – and our first year – in Glasgow.”
Ally Stevenson added: “Track 4 was born from our fascination with vintage grain casks and our continued commitment to push the boundaries of blended whisky.
“What we really wanted to do was produce a blend that was distinctively complex yet strikingly balanced. With its notes of salted caramel and warm banana, I think we’ve achieved that.”
Approximately 2000 bottles of each blend will be available. The whisky launch and anniversary event will take place at The Haberdashery in Glasgow, in a building that once occupied a lady’s tailors and dates to 1923.
Since its inception last April, Turntable has expanded its footprint by bringing its blends to multiple markets. As well as being available from specialist retailers throughout the UK, the whiskies are sold in Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark, as well as further afield in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Canada.
It also recently joined forces with renowned Melbourne distillery Starward to release the limited-edition Collaboration Drop 01, a creation combining Australian red wine casks with the smoke and salt of Islay, some older grain whiskies and Speyside single malts.
Gordon and Ally plan to continue exploring new markets and collaborations, and are already working on a release with an as-yet-unnamed distillery scheduled for later this year.
