Cask & Still Magazine Issue 14

ISSUE FOURTEEN | FREE

REFLECTED GLORY Why are leading whiskies teaming up with luxury brands like historic car marques, top clothes designers and cultural icons such as Scottish ballet?

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From the

ON THE COVER: Scottish Ballet dancer Alice Kawalek with The Sleeping Beauty cask of Royal Lochnagar (Gavin Smart).

Bottom right: Dave Foster Photography

EDITOR

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In over thirty years as a journalist I’ve interviewed too many interesting people to mention. Yet there have also been the ones which got away – I once had an interview with the irrepressible George Macdonald Fraser, the author who penned Flashman and Quartered Safe Out Here – postponed, only to find out weeks later that he would never give another interview.

So my approach now is to make sure that I speak to interview subjects as soon as possible. One such potential interviewee I’ve long wanted to sit down with is Sir Geoff Palmer, who arrived in Britain from Jamaica as a 14-year-old in 1955 but who has gone on to become a colossus of the brewing and distilling industry not just in his adopted homeland, but across the world.

Speaking to Sir Geoff, who set up the world-leading International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt

University and still lives in Scotland’s capital almost six decades after he first crossed the border, didn’t disappoint. He turned out to be a remarkable interviewee with a compelling life story.

I hope that you enjoy reading the story of his life as much as I enjoyed hearing about the ups and downs of a brewing and distilling legend.

EDITOR Richard Bath

Contributors

BLAIR BOWMAN The in-demand whisky consultant and founder of World Whisky Day is known for his discerning taste buds, and is passionate about introducing the world to amber nectar.

GRAHAM MCTAVISH The Hobbit and Outlander star knows what he likes when it comes to the water of life – and as far as he’s concerned, it’s a drink best served beneath the stars.

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4 | What’s inside

In this

ISSUE 38

10

Cover line 20 ADDING A SPLASH OF LUXURY

In a case of mutual back-scratching, luxury brands and whisky collaborations are on the rise

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Cask and Still Magazine | 5

&

S MAY 2022 ISSUE FOURTEEN

44

@caskandstillmag

The team

DESIGN & EDITORIAL Editor: Richard Bath Design: Grant Dickie Production: Andrew Balahura

12

Inside

06 NEWS Remember, you heard it here first...

08 BAR SNAPS

47

Whisky tasting heaven awaits at Ayrshire’s Dundonald Links

10 ME & MY DRAM

The Hobbit and Outlander star Graham McTavish talks all things water of life

12 MEET THE BOSS

Few individuals in brewing and distilling are as revered as Sir Geoff Palmer

18 THE RANT Blair Bowman has a bee in his bonnet over NFTs 26 ALL IN THE MIX

Piracy cocktails from The Register Club’s Ruben Goncalves

28 CHINA RISING

The Far Eastern country’s whisky scene is on the rise

35 WHISKY BY NUMBERS 36 A BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO WHISKY CASKS

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38 MUSIC TO MAKE BOOZE BY Hitting the

right notes is the key to these whisky profiles

44 WHISKY HERO

Nick and Alex Ravenhall smuggle whisky and swim the Corryvreckan for charity

47 CONNOISSEURS SELECTION 62 BALLOTS AND BOTS Mark Littler talks

about the pros and cons of automated programs

Chief Sub-Editor: Rosie Morton Staff Writers: Kenny Smith Morag Bootland Contributing Editor: Blair Bowman Contributors: Dr Brooke Magnanti, Mark Littler, Federica Stefani, Geraldine Coates, Peter Ranscombe, Davin De Kergommeaux Email: editor@caskandstill magazine.com

ADVERTISING Head of Drinks Division: John Boyle jboyle@caskandstill magazine.com Tel: 0131 551 7911

64 HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? No alcohol and

PUBLISHING

70 SPIRIT LEVEL

Publisher: Alister Bennett, Fettes Park, 496 Ferry Road, Edinburgh EH5 2DL. Tel: 0131 551 1000

low alcohol drinks could be the future

It’s all about the sake with Dr Brooke Magnanti

73 OVER THE BARREL Gluten-free

pints have become more accessible and drinkable

74 DRINKING WHISKY IN CANADA with Davin

Published by Wyvex Media Ltd. While Cask & Still is prepared to consider unsolicited articles, transparencies and artwork, it only accepts such material on the strict understanding that it incurs no liability for its safe custody or return.

The views and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of Wyvex Media Ltd.

De Kergommeaux of the Canadian Whisky Awards

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6 | News feed

A LOT OF BOTTLE

The world’s largest bottle of Scotch whisky, The Intrepid, standing at 5ft 11 inches tall and filled with a record-breaking 311 litres of 32-yearold The Macallan, will be auctioned by leading international auction house Lyon & Turnbull on from bidders across the globe. It is hoped the bottle may break the world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold, which is $1.9m. For any amount the sale achieves above £1.3m, 25 per cent will be donated to the Marie Curie charity. The Intrepid was officially certified

by Guinness World Records when it was bottled last year. The bottle contains the equivalent of 444 standard bottles of whisky. To find out more visit www.lyonandturnbull.com

News FEED

25 May. The auction is set to attract interest

LITTLEMILL, BIG PRICE

Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery, Littlemill, has sold the final bottle of its oldest liquid to date, Testament Special Edition, for approximately £20,000 in Singapore. With only four produced worldwide, the special edition is a whisky collectors’ must-have due to its unique case and liquid which was taken from a single distillation dating back to October 1976, making it the oldest release to date from the now-closed Littlemill distillery, once of Bowling on Scotland’s west coast. The distillery closed its doors in the 1990s and was further lost to fire in 2004. The remaining casks are owned and cared for by Loch Lomond Group which is located a short distance from where Littlemill distillery once stood.

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YES THEY CAN

LOCAL HERO

Lagavulin has appointed an Islay local as the

Douglas Laing & Co has released its first ever

new manager of its iconic island distillery. A

ready-to-drink cocktail in a can: Rock Island

former pupil of Islay High School, Jordan Paisley

Whisky & Tonic. Presented in a slimline, 250ml

travelled the world before returning to the island

can, the packaging highlights the fact that

with Diageo. He has been working with the team

it is less than 100 calories per can, and 5%

at Lagavulin alongside Diageo’s portfolio of other

alcohol by volume (ABV). The Rock Island brand,

Islay distilleries as performance improvement

launched in 2015, uniquely combines single

lead since 2019 and will now step up. Jordan

malts from some of the family firm’s preferred

will take the reins from Pierrick Guillaume who

island distilleries, including those distilled on

joined Lagavulin in 2020, but is returning to

Islay, Jura, Orkney and Arran.

his native France after a decade with Diageo.

www.douglaslaing.com

www.diageo.com

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Cask and Still Magazine | 7

NEW

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

EXPRESSIONS

year with two limited edition launches. The first is the next chapter

GLEN SCOTIA FESTIVAL RELEASE 2022 Campbeltown Single Malt, 56.5% ABV, RRP £55

The 8-year-old expression has been matured in heavily peated, first-fill bourbon barrels before a 12-month finish in Pedro Ximenez hogsheads.

Tamdhu Single Malt Scotch Whisky is celebrating its 125th anniversary in the much-loved Dalbeallie series, priced £100. Two years after the distillery opened, Dalbeallie station was completed on site – bringing barley, passengers and sherry casks from Spain. The Dalbeallie Dram takes its name from the Victorian train station, the second is an exclusive cask strength limited edition of Tamdhu’s recent 18-year-old release, priced £195. Only 1,000 bottles of each have been released. www.tamdhu.com

BALVENIE FRENCH OAK 16 YEAR OLD

Speyside Single Malt, 46.9% ABV, RRP £123

This expression explores Pineau from the French Charentes vineyards, marking the first use of French Oak in the distillery’s 129-year history, after maturing for 16 years in American Oak barrels.

FETTERCAIRN WAREHOUSE 2 BATCH 3

Single malt, 50.6%, RRP £60

Limited to just 9,600 bottles, Fettercairn Warehouse 2 Batch No. 003 was distilled in 2015 and matured in a selection of handpicked ex-Bourbon barrels (57%), rum barrels (16%) and French red wine barriques (27%).

JURA 14 YEAR OLD AMERICAN RYE CASK

Single malt, ABV 40%, RRP £42

The dram begins its journey in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, and the spirit is then further matured in hand selected American rye whiskey barrels. Time spent in these casks adds distinctive layers of cinnamon, vibrant vanilla, cacao and warm honey flavours.

GLASGOW GLASS GOES

The Glasgow Distillery has launched its new 70cl bottle across its range of Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky as they step up their global presence with a more environmentally friendly bottle. The new design uses proportionally less glass than the original 50cl bottle, in unpeated, peated and triple distilled drams. www.glasgowdistillery.com

£88 MILLION WHISKY INVESTMENT Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard, has

announced an £88 million investment into Aberlour and Miltonduff, two of its single malt distilleries. The investment will go into upgrading sustainable distillation technologies at the Speyside distilleries along with significant production capacity expansions. Aberlour will see its production capacity double to 7.8 million litres of alcohol per annum. Miltonduff will get a brand new sustainable distillery. www.chivasbrothers.com

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8 | Whisky bars of the world

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DUNDONALD LINKS WHISKY TASTING ROOM If you’re as partial to a round of golf as you are to a quality dram then Dundonald Links, on Ayrshire’s golf coast, is sure to float your boat.

Here you can play a round on the par-72 course, before relaxing into leather seats, surrounded by over 100 bottles, to enjoy whiskies with fellow drammers in the luxurious tasting room. dundonaldlinks.com/the-whisky-room

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10 | Me and my dram

Me & my

DRAM The Hobbit and Outlander actor Graham McTavish believes whisky is a drink best served beneath the stars Interview by Rosie Morton

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When did you first try whisky?

My dad gave me whisky whenever I was ill. Any time I had a cold he would just give me a hot toddy. That was his cure-all for absolutely everything: ‘You need a hot toddy.’

He would make one up and I remember that I would always love it. I would just think, ‘This is the best.’ That was really from a very early age. Before I was ten I would have tried that.

When did you start to really appreciate whisky?

That was later on, at university. Early university was just all about the beer. Massive quantities of beer. Then I started to accidentally get into whisky at parties, and then think, ‘Oh, actually this is quite nice.’ That’s when I started buying it myself, although I didn’t really have drink in the house until I was in my forties (and now I’m never without it). It was incredible restraint. I mean, I was in the pub every night, but it just wasn’t at home. I remember pints when they were sixty pence. People talked about rumours of a pound a pint and people said, ‘No, that’ll never happen. They could never charge a pound per pint.’

What is it that you love about whisky so much?

Compared to my co-star Sam Heughan I am a mere dilettante when it comes to whisky. Sam is the real deal.

I’m the guy that stands there nodding and sniffing going, ‘Yes, yes, yes. I can tell those notes. Very interesting.’ But I do know what I like. The one I’m into at the moment is Springbank which I had never tried before. It’s really great.

The flavour is a combination of the Highland flavour and the island flavour.

Left: Graham McTavish [Credit: Dave Foster Photography].

Above: Graham and his Outlander co-star Sam Heughan enjoying a dram while fiming for Men in Kilts [Courtesy of STARZ].

Where’s the best place to partake in a dram, whether that’s beside a riverbank or round a Christmas tree?

I love having a whisky outdoors. I’ve really enjoyed some whiskies with Sam [Heughan] just in a flask when we’ve gone to the top of some ridiculous mountain or we’ve just survived a day of filming.

I remember the millennial New Year – I had made a promise to myself many years earlier that when we went from 1999 into 2000 I would be somewhere in the Highlands on a beach, not surrounded by hundreds of people. I just wanted to be there and to reflect on what was happening. I was there with my then girlfriend.

Of course, one thing I forgot was that being on a beach on the Isle of Skye at the end of December, it was so dark that we were constantly falling over. But it wasn’t raining and I was able to see the stars. That was my favourite place ever to have a whisky. We had a whisky to commemorate the turning of the century.

‘Compared to my co-star Sam Heughan I am a mere dilettante when it comes to whisky’

What’s your favourite whisky bar?

I love having a whisky in the Blue Blazer in Edinburgh. It’s not a whisky bar, per se, but they have a decent selection. I just like the ambience. It’s a proper old pub. I used to go in there all the time when I was working at the Royal Lyceum and at The Traverse and doing The Fringe. I have a soft spot for it.

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12 | Sir Geoff Palmer

Meet the boss There are few figures in brewing or distilling with the kudos and intellectual heft of Sir Geoff Palmer, a titan of the industry and a man with a fascinating back story Written by Richard Bath

S

ir Geoff Palmer’s rags to riches story is one of outrageous fate, of unlikely turning points, of unforgettable mentors who changed the course of his life. It’s not all highlights though, he has experienced some toe-curling racism and its bedfellow, rejection.

But at its heart, his story is of a little boy called Godfrey who grew up in a tough district of Jamaica’s capital Kingston and then in straitened circumstances in North London but would go on to morph into Sir Geoff, one of the most influential figures in the history of distilling and brewing in this country.

His list of achievements is awe-inspiring. He started the world-leading International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, and saved the industry many millions by his discovery of the revolutionary process of abrasion, which at one stage was used in the production of 60% of beer made in the UK. He also made significant advances in the production of sake, and while in Africa pioneered producing Guinness from

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sorghum, an innovation with far-reaching ramifications for the continent’s farmers and brewers.

As if that wasn’t enough, he launched and ran the influential Chivas Regal Academy for twenty years, is an honorary member of the Keepers of the Quaich, and in 1998 became the first European (and fourth person overall) to be honoured with the American Society of Brewing Chemists’ Award of Distinction, considered the Nobel Prize of Brewing. And partly for his contribution to brewing, but also for his work as a prominent anti-racism campaigner, he was knighted in the 2014 New Years Honours.

‘It might look as if I had a plan,’ says the genial 82-yearold, ‘but I didn’t. I let things happen, but somehow I always had direction. I see life in terms of purpose.’

Yet his is a life of decisive moments. The first came in March 1955, when his mother, who had left her son in the care of his eight aunts in Jamaica seven years earlier while she went to work in London as a dressmaker, had sent her 14-year-old son £86 for a one-way plane ticket to the UK.

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DRINK IS PART OF OUR CULTURE IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME I

Cask strength: Sir Geoff at Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh Photo: Phil Wilkinson.

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w 14 | Sir Geoff Palmer

One minute he was in St Elizabeth, the next he was arriving on his own at the airport in rainy Liverpool.

‘I have no idea how I got to Paddington from there, which is where my mother met me,’ he laughs, which he does a lot.

‘She took me home and the next morning she was taking me to work, but as we left the house a man was standing there and said “is that Godfrey Palmer?”, which was my name. And he said to my mother, “you can go to work but he can’t, he’s not 15”. My birthday was in April, so if I’d have been a month older my life would have been very different.’

That turned out to be a transformational moment in his life, even if it didn’t feel like it. He was designated educationally sub-normal but taken by a local secondary modern school and allowed to stay on to the end of that school year. That was crucial because it turned out that he was such a talented cricketer, playing for London, that he was ‘poached’ by the headmaster of Highbury Grammar School, where he went on to get six ‘O’ levels and ‘A’ levels in botany and zoology.

If that unnamed man who stopped him being taken to

work as a 14-year-old was the first key meeting of his young life, the second was with Professor Garth Chapman at London University’s Queen Elizabeth College where he got a job when he left school. ‘What’s your name young man?’ asked Chapman. ‘Godfrey Henry Oliver Palmer,’ replied the youngster. ‘We can’t have a junior lab technician with four names so I’m going to call you Geoff, is that ok?’ said Chapman. ‘I said yes,’ he replied, ‘and I’ve been Geoff ever since.’

Chapman soon saw something in his young protégé, and sent him off to a local poly one day a week. Despite gaining the requisite qualifications, racism was rife in 1960s Britain and Geoff was rejected by every university in the country – ‘no-one wanted me’ – before Chapman got him into Leicester University to do a degree in botany. Six months as an absurdly over-qualified potato peeler in a London restaurant followed (‘that gave me the gift of humility and allowed me to help my mother’).

‘I had no expectations,’ he said. ‘When you are brought up with privileges you have expectations, but I didn’t. I was just getting by. But I still wanted to do a slightly higher

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I

I ALWAYS HAD DIRECTION I SEE LIFE IN TERMS OF PURPOSE

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Cask and Still Magazine | 15 >>>

Man o’ pairts: Sir Geoff at this year’s Keepers of the Quaich Banquet with Charles MacLean; Supping from the quaich; Sir Geoff made his name as a scientist studying grain. Images (l-r): Shannon Tofts, Phil Wilkinson.

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degree, and worked at the restaurant until I saw an advert for Nottingham University to do a masters sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture.

‘I was interviewed by the country’s second most powerful politician, Sir Keith Joseph, but as soon as I entered the room he said I should go back to where I came from and grow bananas. I told him it’d be difficult to grow bananas in Haringey, which he didn’t find funny. I was brought up to respond to this sort of thing with dignity. I had no fear of him.’

His search for the next step on his journey brought him to Professor Anna Macleod at Heriot-Watt University with a view to doing a PhD in grain science and technology. She, it turned out, would be the next great mentor in his life. But after arriving in cold, wet Edinburgh in December 1964, their first meeting in Chambers Street was a curious event.

‘I’d never been to Scotland although I knew about Robert Burns. Scotland was all around me in Jamaica, but I never knew it. The next street along from me was Elgin Street, the next parish was St Andrews, and my church was started

by Scottish people. My family still live on what was Earl Balcarres’ slave plantation.

‘Anna was an iconic figure in both brewing and distilling.

All the brewers and distillers around the world knew her, whether it’s China, Nigeria or wherever. I called her Tweedy

because when I first met her, there she was in her tweed suit smoking Senior Service packets of fifty. My interview lasted ten minutes as she went on about distilling and I looked out the window. Then she said “I’m going to take you” and I said “really, why?” She said “because you won’t bother me – I hate keen people”. The truth was, Anna took me as part of her belief in wider education access for all. She was ahead of her time.’

To his surprise, he found grain deeply fascinating, and during the course of his PhD made a revolutionary discovery. Contrary to accepted wisdom, in the malting of barley it’s not the germ that produces the enzymes which digest the grain through malting, it’s the bran. By using a hormone, the grain will process itself from both ends, rather than just one, cutting the malting time from ten days to seven. In the stuffy world of brewing, Geoff’s ‘abrasion’ technique was huge news, although the big breweries were initially sceptical that a PhD student could identify a major advance that their well-funded research units had missed. But it was not long before the majority of beer brewed in Britain was produced using his abrasion technique.

After nine years with the elite Brewing Research Foundation in Surrey from 1968, Geoff returned to Heriot-Watt as a lecturer in 1977. It was part research, part mentoring, which he loved. ‘Maximising human potential has given me a lot of pleasure. I didn’t know what my potential was so it’s been a privilege to be able to discover what other young people are capable of doing.’

His reverie was, however, ruined when in 1980 he got a letter saying that the brewing department may be shut down. ‘I completely panicked,’ he laughs. ‘I didn’t know what to do so I

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got in my car and I went to Ellersley Road where Ronnie Martin, who was production director of United Distillers, was based. I went to the HQ and asked “which one of those guys is Ronnie Martin”, and they pointed him out so I said “Mr Martin, may I have a word with you?”

‘Ronnie was very Scottish and when I told him they were going to close down the department he said “go away and write me a page of what you need, and what you think will save the department”. A month later Ronnie rang me and said “Geoff, I’ve got you some money”. He made it sound like fifty pounds, but it was a million pounds, which was a huge sum in the 1980s.

The Principal was over the moon.’

When the brewing and distilling industries donated a further £400,000, the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, the industry gold standard, was born. Students from all over the world came to do its honours degree, and as its director Geoff was in high demand around the world. Coors asked him to Colorado to do some research on barley and malt, while Suntory and Kirin asked him to Japan, where he produced significant findings on the koji rice used in sake.

Guinness heard that he’d been investigating sorghum and invited him to Nigeria where the government had banned the import of European grain and malt (Geoff joked with the company that ‘I left Nigeria two hundred years ago under very difficult circumstances’). His subsequent discovery of how to make Guinness using sorghum, but tasting exactly like the original, was game-changing.

Like his beloved mentor Anna Macleod, Geoff has been at the centre of the country’s brewing and distilling community. He became a research Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1985 before producing the book Cereal Science and Technology, and was also awarded several Honorary Degrees from different universities.

As the president of the Scottish section of the

Institute of Brewing, he attended industry dinners, many of which were raucous affairs (he is apparently a talented boat racer – as pint racing is known – and has catholic tastes when it comes to alcohol: ‘People always ask what my favourite drink is, and I say the one that I get free. The drink you should drink is the one you like most.’)

These days he still lives in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, and is approaching a half-century with his educational psychologist wife Margaret. He remains a sprightly but insanely busy octogenarian who is still deeply involved with Heriot-Watt University, where he was appointed Chancellor for a five-year term in April 2021, and has a multitude of directorships and positions with schools and charities. He is also deeply involved in human rights advocacy, writing a book on the history of the slave trade and serving as the Honorary President of Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council.

In 2020, he was named as one of the ‘100 Greatest Black Britons’.

But booze also continues to play a large part in his life. ‘Drink is part of our culture,’ he said. ‘It’s how we relax, how we socialise. It’s been good to me.’ Drink could say the same of Geoff.

SCOTLAND WAS ALL AROUND ME IN JAMAICA BUT I NEVER KNEW IT

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18 | The Rant

CRYPTO

CRAZY

Buying and selling a token representing a bottle of whisky that you’ll never have the chance to drink is a very modern madness Written by Blair Bowman

I

f you happen to follow me on Twitter to take advantage of in the highly unregulated world of (@MrBlairBowman) you’ll have no doubt seen blockchain. The unregulated nature of blockchain and that I’ve been flagging some major issues I have cryptocurrency is perhaps its main USP. with NFTs tied to physical bottles of whisky.

As I have been repeating ad nauseam on Twitter lately, you If you’ve not seen or heard of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), can’t open, share and enjoy a digital token, in short you can’t they are, according to their advocates, ‘the future of digital drink an NFT, so what is the point? One of the reasons seems transactions’ in Web 4.0, the supposed next phase of the to be that this new way of ‘purchasing’ whisky via an NFT is internet. I don’t have the space to go into the finer details really aimed at those who have no interest in ever opening or of blockchains and NFTs here, so I will start by making the drinking whisky. They can effectively resell the tokenisation of assumption that you have Googled this information. the whisky at a future date for profit.

I am not entirely against the idea of blockchains, NFTs and One of the other major issues around NFTs at the moment the like. I actually own a few cryptocurrencies that I have been is that the amount of energy used to create the transaction investing in for a few years. What I do have a problem with on the blockchain is mindboggingly enormous. According is the idea of a digital token representing a physical object. It to a Fortune Magazine article from 2021: ‘Currently, a single makes no sense. The non-fungible token is non-fungible, it’s in Ethereum transaction consumes as much electricity as an the name (non-fungible meaning something that is unique and average U.S. household uses in a workweek – and has a carbon cannot be replaced). But a bottle of whisky, in our example, footprint equivalent to 140,893 Visa credit card transactions is inherently very fungible, meaning or 10,595 hours of watching YouTube.’ that it could very well be lost, stolen, So, if you are to buy an NFT on the damaged, copied or faked. This is Ethereum blockchain, be it a computer why I am so vehemently against the generated image of a cartoon ape or a You can’t open, share idea of a digital token representing token that represents a whisky, this is and enjoy a digital token, the amount of energy used to create the a physical asset. In my opinion it is the Emperor’s New Clothes of Web 4.0 entry on the blockchain. If at a future so what is the point? and wide open for corrupt charlatans date you decide you wish to take physical

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LEFT: VKILIKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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ownership of the bottle of whisky from the seller (forgetting for a second that it might have been damaged, lost, stolen etc, but let’s assume it’s fine) then the NFT will be ‘burned’. This is another separate transaction on the blockchain to delete the entry and again uses the same amount of energy. So, to buy and then take physical ownership of an NFT tied bottle of whisky it uses 10 days of average US household energy use. The same applies for each transaction or trading of the bottle on the blockchain. Energy use varies on different blockchains and hopefully will improve in the future.

Another area that is rife right now in the whisky NFT space is the blatant passing off and breaches of intellectual property. I’ve flagged this with several whisky brands in the last few weeks and sent them dozens of examples of people selling NFTs that look as if they may come from the whisky brand. Both Nike and Hermès are suing NFT ‘artists’ who have been selling NFT images of their products in NFT marketplaces. So, I suspect whisky brands will be similarly concerned about breaches of IP. I’m also incredibly wary of people selling ‘fractions’ of a whisky bottle via NFTs. Essentially decanting the whisky into miniatures for selling as an NFT or ‘share’ of the whole bottle. Firstly, if rebottling happens it could be in breach of laws protecting Scotch whisky, not to mention IP issues around labeling. I’ve seen examples of people literally doing this in their kitchen. How does the buyer know that what they are buying is really what they think it is? Same goes for individuals listing whole bottles as NFTs. How can this be verified as authentic? Where is the bottle stored? Is it insured?

Is the seller even licensed to sell alcohol? So many red flags.

To make it more bizarre they are often trying to sell the NFT for more than the real cost of the actual bottle on a shelf.

Recently, in the space of a week over two hundred and fifty four tokens valued at $1.7m were ‘stolen’ in an online phishing attack on OpenSea, a major NFT marketplace. So even though an NFT is

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supposedly a ‘smart contract’ it’s not that smart if you accidentally give your password to a cyber criminal.

At the start of this rant I did mention that I’m not entirely against the idea of blockchain, NFTs or crypto. There are several ways that I think whisky brands could cleverly and effectively engage in this space. However, I do have concerns about anything really tied to a physical asset.

The main area that I could see whisky brands using NFTs would be in a membership concept. Many whisky brands already have their own whisky clubs. However, membership could be offered as an NFT token that could be gifted, bought, sold or traded. There could be bronze, silver, gold tiers with only a limited number of each. All of this could be a really nice proposition if handled well by the brand owner and make a pretty fun ‘exclusive’ club for consumers. Another idea that distilleries could start using would be the use of POAPs (Proof Of Attendance Protocol). Basically, think of this like getting a digital sticker or a badge for visiting an event or place. At Diageo’s twelve distilleries that are open to visitors you used to be able to collect a stamp in a mini passport book. Once you’d collected all twelve stamps you could send it off and receive a quaich as a prize. It’s essentially a digital way of doing this.

Another space that could be interesting in the future for whisky is that of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organisations). It’s basically a way of creating a transparent organisation where voting rights are assigned via NFTs. As mentioned above I do have concerns around NFTs tied to physical assets for all the reasons mentioned. However, if handled directly by an established and legitimate whisky distillery a DAO could work well for a group of friends, or small syndicate, that want to pull together to buy a cask.

Knowing that the cask will be held safely in a bonded warehouse by the distillery.

I have however already spotted a few projects looking to build a DAO distillery. But, the information I can find gives no indication of who is behind the project, if they have any experience of running a business, let alone a distillery, and has no mention of where in the world the distillery would actually be. Nice idea, in theory, but as you can see several people are jumping into this space just so that they can be the first to do it.

The same applies to the whisky and spirits brands who have already sold official NFTs tied to bottles. I get the strong feeling that they just wanted to be the first to do it and hadn’t really considered the wider implications of environmental impact and future risks. Many whisky brands have cited that they want to use NFTs to get in front of a new audience. I would question if an audience who only wants to speculate on the future value of your product to profit from it, never having even taken a sip of your whisky, is really the audience you want to be speaking to?

04/05/2022 14:44:36

20 | Luxury Brands

I

LUXURY MARQUES ARE SEEN AS THE IDEAL BEDFELLOWS FOR HIGH END SCOTCH

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A

dding a splash

of luxury

Whisky brands are teaming up with a wider and wider range of luxury goods and cultural bodies, and coming up with creative ways to promote each other’s products and events Written by Peter Ranscombe

S Left: The Macallan Distillery is visited by a couple of Bentleys.

Right: Bottles of The Macallan 18YO and Red Collection 40YO given to Scotch Club members.

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ome things were meant to go together – fish and chips, neeps and tatties, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham. But how about whisky and cars?

Or whisky and hotels? Or whisky and art?

Scotch marketing was once a simple game; pick the tartan to go on the tin and then spin the dice to work out if it was the season for sponsoring a rugby match or a fitba game. If the advertising budget stretched then hiring a stand-up comedian to do a short television advert was about as exciting as it got.

Nowadays, product launches have become ‘activations’. I’m still not 100% sure what that made-up word means but, having attended dozens of them, I’m pretty sure they’re what we used to call ‘events’ back in the days before social media, plant-based sausages and alcohol-free ‘spirits’.

A key part of an ‘activation’ is teaming up with the right partner

– and whisky distillers are getting more and more creative when it comes to the luxury goods brands and high-brow artistic troupes with which they form their alliances.

Twee bagpipes and shortbread are no longer an option.

While drink driving has been consigned mercifully to the 1970s – along with the three-day week and Alf Garnett’s rants – several whisky labels have motored ahead with links to the crème-de-la-crème of the car industry. Luxury marques are seen as the ideal bedfellows for highend Scotch.

Islay distillery Bowmore has taken a ride with sportscar marque

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22 | Luxury Brands

Aston Martin in recent years. Just 25 bottles of its Black Bowmore DB5 1964 went on sale in 2020 as part of their ongoing partnership.

‘Exceptional experiences’ are on the agenda for the pair, highlighting the opportunities for the brands to tap into each other’s customers. More joint products are also on the cards.

The Black Bowmore DB5 1964 – costing £50,000 a bottle – was designed to mark an important year for both firms. In 1964, Bowmore installed a gas boiler to heat its stills, replacing its old coal-burning furnace, with the first spirit to be bottled after the changeover going on to become its legendary ‘Black Bowmore’, a richer whisky that’s only been bottled on six occasions.

Although Aston Martin’s DB5 hit the road in 1963, it

wasn’t until the following year that Sean Connery drove it onto the big screen in Goldfinger, the seminal James Bond film, cementing its place in popular culture. That heritage was even reflected in the packaging for the Black Bowmore, which included ‘a genuine Aston Martin DB5 piston’.

In July 2021, The Macallan unveiled a partnership with luxury carmaker Bentley. Initially, their deal will cover the environment, with each brand sharing lessons with the other about reducing their carbon dioxide emissions, sourcing sustainable materials, and finding local suppliers.

Eventually, the companies aim to collaborate on products, events, and ‘curated customer experiences’. The Macallan is also taking delivery of two of Bentley’s new hybrid vehicles for use on its Speyside estate, home to its new Hobbit house-like distillery.

The Macallan has also teamed up with The Balmoral

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hotel in Edinburgh to create a ‘Scotch Club’. Basic membership begins at £710 a year, and includes a bottle of The Macallan double cask 18-year-old single malt, which is stored under lock and key in one of the ‘keeps’ in The Balmoral’s Scotch bar.

Membership also includes a private whisky tasting in the bar, along with advanced invitations to masterclasses, and discounts on hotel suites. Members who pay the top rate of £17,700 a year get upgraded to a bottle of The Macallan red collection 40-year-old whisky.

Partnerships between whisky labels and luxury goods makers can bring benefits for both parties, explains branding expert Susie Davidson. ‘These partnerships can give access to new customer groups, as the luxury partner audience can often be distinct from the whisky partner demographic,’ she says.

‘Investment in the partnership for the long term is key.

To truly build awareness and relevance in the luxury space, there are no quick fixes.

‘It takes time, commitment, and investment. Where the consumer cannot see or understand the link or connection between the partners, it will be difficult to drive a brand engagement, recognition, or equity building.’

As well as luxury goods, whisky makers are also building links to the high arts. At the end of 2020, Dalmore signed a four-year deal with the Victoria & Albert (V&A) design museum in Dundee, which will include supporting collaborations and commissioning a film about ‘design, design education, and the value of design to Scotland’.

The initiative began with Dalmore donating the proceeds from a silent auction of its 60-year-old 180th anniversary whisky at Harrods. An auction in Hong Kong in October 2021 also raised £100,000 for the V&A after six malts bottled between 1951 and 2000 sold for a record £830,000.

Diageo, Scotland’s largest distiller, also held a sale with Whisky Auctioneer to raise money for Scottish Ballet: 470 bottles from a Royal Lochnagar cask known as ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ raised just over £230,000 for the organisation’s endowment fund to commission ballets, support dancers, and finance engagement programmes.

‘The tremendous interest this auction attracted is a testament to the increasing appeal of top-quality Scotch whisky as a collectable object of desire, and we’re delighted with

04/05/2022 10:56:47

Cask and Still Magazine | 23 >>>

the contribution this has made to Scottish Ballet,’ says James Mackay, Diageo’s head of rare and exceptional spirits. ‘With our “Casks of Distinction” programme, Diageo is proud to join Scottish Ballet in showcasing Scotland as a source of globally-admired products, culture, and arts.’

Fiona Wollocombe, chair of Scottish Ballet’s endowment fund, adds: ‘Surpassing all our expectations, the values achieved at auction from the sale of The Sleeping Beauty form both a historic donation and a special moment in Scottish Ballet’s history. I would like to say thank you to everyone involved for turning our dream donation into a fairy-tale ending.’

From left: Bottles of The Macallan stored at the Balmoral Hotel; the Dalmore 60YO; Scottish Ballet dancer Alice Kawalek with The Sleeping Beauty cask of Royal Lochnagar whisky [Credit: Gavin Smart].

TWEE BAGPIPES AND SHORTBREAD ARE NO LONGER AN OPTION

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04/05/2022 10:58:25

info@northstarspirits.com www.northstarspirits.com

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04/05/2022 09:13:28

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LUXURY GOODS ARE JUST THE TONIC FOR GIN LABELS

Top: The finished tweed jackets designed

by Judy R Clark. Left: Creating the tweed.

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Few brands scream ‘luxury’ like Harris tweed. From jackets and trainers to cushion covers and tea cosies, the Western Isles’ most famous export is still seen by many as the epitome of class and sophistication.

It’s little surprise then that Isle of Harris Distillery teamed up with Scottish designer Judy R Clark in 2020 to launch a made-to-measure Harris tweed jacket. Following the success of the initial partnership, the pair have now unveiled made-to-order jackets at £660 a pop.

Isle of Harris Distillery – along with Harris Tweed Hebrides, the Harris Tweed Authority, and the islands’ education services – ran a competition for children to design a tweed, while learning about the history of the cloth. The winner was 14-year-old Scott Murray from Sir Edward Scott School on Harris, with Judy R Clark turning his design into reality.

Some of the world’s most tightly-controlled partnerships involve big sporting events, including the Olympic Games. Cameron McCann, owner of Stirling Distillery, took advice from the British Olympic Association on how to market his ‘OlympiGIN’.

‘We had an incredible response – lots of sports fans wanting a keepsake and gin fans wanting a limitededition gin,’ he explains. ‘Dame Kelly Holmes was a big fan and reviewed it on her gin Instagram account, and Colin Jackson was a great supporter – he’s also given advice to one of our members of staff taking on a running challenge during August. What a nice guy.

‘We were delighted that Judy Murray did a post about it and encouraged people to shop local. She, of course, used the image of the OlympiGIN in front of Andy’s gold letterbox in her post. And Rebecca Adlington was really supportive of the gin, posting about it and thanking us.’

McCann adds: ‘Many gold medal winners have been sent bottles, including BMX gold medallist Bethany Shriever, triathletes Georgia Taylor Brown and Jess Learmonth, and both pentathlete gold medal winners Joe Choong and Kate French, to name a few.

Some asked for extra bottles for family or for parties they were throwing.

‘We also had Stirling local athlete Kathleen Dawson come into the distillery with her gold medal from the swimming relay. We have been blown away with the response.’

04/05/2022 11:01:26

26 | The Register Club cocktails

THE MIX

ALL IN

Drink up me hearties! The head barman of Edinburgh’s The Register Club takes us back in time with four cocktails inspired by the piracy era

L

ooking to craft the ultimate cocktail menu? Ruben Goncalvez, head barman at Edinburgh’s The Register Club, is your man, writes Rosie Morton.

The multi-lingual mixologist, who hails from the Algarve in Portugal and lived in Spain, France, Italy and London before moving to Auld Reekie in 2017, can create cocktails that not only taste good, but also have a story to tell.

‘I tend to take inspiration from people’s stories, from my personal experiences, and from places I’ve been travelling,’ says Ruben. Inspired by tales of discovery during the piracy era, Ruben’s recipes will speak to your

OUTRE-MER

Name inspired by French overseas territories, many of which were involved in piracy in the Caribbean.

Mainly French ingredients used.

SERVE IN: Highball glass 40ml cognac 15ml peach liqueur 20ml banana oleo saccharum 20ml lime juice Top up with soda water METHOD: Shake all ingredients, apart from the soda, and strain over ice in a highball glass and top with soda. Garnish with some sliced lemongrass.

inner Jack Sparrow....

GETTING PREPARED...

FOR THE BANANA OLEO

FOR THE STRAWBERRY

Use a ratio of 200g banana peels

SYRUP

to 200g sugar

200g sliced strawberries 200g sugar

METHOD: Let it rest overnight, strain the syrup the following day.

METHOD: Strain the syrup the following day. Keep and reuse the same sliced strawberries for

SYRUP

garnish. Spread them on a baking

200ml coconut water

tray and simply place them in the

200g caster sugar

oven at lowest temperature for around 3 hours. (Check on them

METHOD: Add the coconut

often as temperatures and times

water to equal parts of caster

may vary according to the oven

sugar. Stir to dissolve.

used).

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PHOTOGRAPHY: PHIL WILKINSON

FOR THE COCONUT WATER

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Cask and Still Magazine | 27

NELSON’S FOLLY

The name is 19th-century naval slang for ‘rum’.

SERVE IN: Vintage cocktail glass

NEW WORLD

This expression pertains to the newly discovered countries during the golden age of piracy. The cocktail name was chosen due to the mix of ingredients coming from either ends of the world.

SERVE IN: Old Fashioned glass

ROYAL FORTUNE

This was the name of the ship of the famous Bartholomew Roberts who was an English pirate. It was chosen to place emphasis on the provenance of the spirit used, gin.

30ml dark rum 20ml Amontillado sherry

50ml Tequila

10ml Aperol

20ml coconut water syrup

20ml strawberry syrup

20ml yuzu juice

15ml verjuice

SERVE IN: Coupette cocktail glass 40ml of gin 20ml falernum

METHOD: Shake all ingredients and

15ml lime juice

strain over ice into a rock glass (Old

15ml coconut water syrup

for 30 seconds minimum and serve up

Fashioned Glass). Garnish with some

50ml pineapple juice

(no ice) in a vintage cocktail glass.

grated nutmeg.

Dash of angostura bitters

METHOD: Stir all ingredients over ice

METHOD: Shake ingredients and strain in a coupette cocktail glass. No ice. Garnish with some coconut flakes or grated lime zest.

*Syrups can be made in bigger or smaller quantities if needed by following the same ratios.

Ruben’s Top Tip: If you want to elevate your cocktails even further, try using fresh ingredients to make as many components as possible from scratch (e.g. strawberry syrup). Investing the extra time goes a long way and packs a punch with flavour! Find out more about The Register Club at www.theregister club.com, follow them on Instagram @theregisterclub, or look at Ruben’s page @rubengoncalvesg

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04/05/2022 10:45:19

28 | Whisky in China

a n i Ch

g n i s i R The Chinese whisky industry is still in its infancy, but with exports of Scotch on the rise, demand for the amber nectar has never been higher

Written by Blair Bowman

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Cask and Still Magazine | 29 >>>

Y

Top: Looking into the stills at Chuan Emeishan Distillery.

Above: Bottles of baijiu (Heng Lim / Shutterstock.com).

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ou may be aware of baijiu, China’s national sorghum or rice-based clear spirit that has a 5,000-year history, which is in fact the spirit with the highest volume of consumption globally. If you’ve ever visited China for work or leisure you will no doubt have been treated to various rounds of baijiu ‘gambei-ing’ (‘cheersing’) which may have left an indelible mark on your consciousness. Some 17 billion litres of baijiu are produced every year, yet only 20,000 litres are exported outside of China.

However, over the last several decades China has grown to develop a huge desire and interest for Scotch whisky. A decade ago direct exports to China were worth £66m. Now that figure is closer to £200m and makes China the fifth highest market in terms of value of Scotch whisky.

04/05/2022 14:20:59

30 | Whisky in China

More recently it seems that whisky made in China is about to take off.

2021 appears to have been a significant landmark year for this, with several major projects in the single malt distilling space announced or in production.

China has grown to develop a huge desire for Scotch whisky According to one source, there are currently 165 companies registered as ‘whisky production’ enterprises in China. Since 2019, this has resulted in investments in domestic whisky production in the region of 6-10 billion RMB (£720m - £1.2bn) although this figure varies depending on the source of the information.

In August 2019, Pernod Ricard broke ground on The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery with a 1 billion RMB investment (£120m) and are now

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distilling a Chinese-made single malt. The architecturally driven design of the distillery shows how the future of malt whisky making might look.

Not to be outdone by this move, in November 2021 Diageo announced their own plans for a 500m RMB (£60m) China-made single malt whisky, The Diageo Eryuan Malt Whisky Distillery. Again this clearly has ambitions to be a distillery of the future with innovative architecture and consideration for the visitor experience at the heart of the plans.

Both of these large-scale investments from Pernod Ricard and Diageo show their commitment to the long term prospects of

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Clockwise from top left: A room full of mash tuns at Chuan Emeishan Distillery; aerial impression of Diageo’s Eryuan Distillery; an artist’s impression of the view towards the still house at Eryuan Distillery; Eryuan in bloom; the exterior of Chuan Emeishan Distillery.

whisky in China and will no doubt be focused on wooing the younger generation of affluent Chinese whisky drinkers.

Interestingly, the current Chinese industry standards for whisky are pretty loose and have a few gaping holes that will hopefully be tidied up and refined in the years to come. One main example is that the current regulations state that a whisky should be matured for a

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minimum of two years, which is pretty much contrary to the rest of the world, which sees that a whisky becomes a whisky at three years. Pernod’s Chuan Distillery have already said they will wait for a minimum of three years and I suspect others will follow suit with this.

Speaking of others it can be quite tricky to find all that much information about the other malt-producing distilleries in China at the moment as many of them are still in the early stages of production and maturation.

04/05/2022 14:25:19

32 | Whisky in China

Opposite: Renders of what the Nine Rivers Distillery will look like.

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A few others of note are the first distillery in Inner Mongolia from Mengtai Group and Forfar-based Valentine International. The distillery has been designed

by Forsyth’s, of Rothes, makers of arguably the best copper pot stills in the world. The entire distillery was designed in such a way that it could all fit in shipping containers, including all the stills, flooring and pipework. Some 35 tonnes in total were shipped to Ordos and distilling is expected to start this year.

I was very impressed to learn about Dong-Wei Distillery, a relatively small malt whisky distillery that started production in summer 2020. The impressive thing about this distillery are the two beautiful looking copper pot stills as these were made by hand by the owner Weidong Wei himself. It took him two years to design and build the stills with his own hands. He recently shared a beautiful behind-the-scenes short video on Youtube of the process of making the stills. He already operated a micro whisky distillery since 2014 but stopped producing there in 2019, having filled some 120 casks, to focus on the new and larger distillery. Weidon Wei also says he will take the Chinese maturation rules a step further to ensure quality by only releasing his whiskies after six years of maturation.

Another project that I will be watching with close interest is the Nine Rivers Distillery which had a special ground-breaking ceremony

in February 2022. The interesting thing about this particular project is that it appears to be almost akin to a crowd-funded distillery, with many expats living in China on-board as founding members. In their own words the distillery is described as ‘a project born out of a shared passion for crafting world class whisky between more than 100 whisky lovers from 23 different countries all united through life and experiences in China.’

This seems like a very nice collaborative group concept.

I just wonder how it works in terms of strategic decision making and who gets the final say on production decisions.

I guess time will tell.

It’s really interesting and exciting to see the level of malt whisky making activity in China right now. It is still

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Cask and Still Magazine | 33

very early days for most of these projects and only time will tell if Chinese consumers are willing to switch from baijiu to Chinese-made single malt.

I guess a good precursor to this is the trend of Chinese-made wine. In terms of hectares of vineyards, China comes in third behind France and Spain. Previously Chinese-made wine had a reputation of being of low quality and generally pretty cheap. Having had a few bottles of this during my time in China

Time will tell if Chinese consumers are willing to switch from baijiu to Chinese-made single malt a decade ago I can confirm that this was the case. However, this has changed in recent years due to a combination of improved production quality and successful marketing. So hopefully the image of Chinese-made whisky will be seen to be of high quality and prestige, rather than cheap and low quality. I’m sure Scotch whisky will still have a place on the shelf in Chinese whisky bars though.

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04/05/2022 15:57:03

34 | Cask and Still Magazine

Scotch whisky from cask to glass

C

ask 88: small, independent, family owned and lovers of Scotch whisky. Its aim is to take consumers on a journey from cask to glass by uniting them with the most prized of rare treasures: their own cask of Scotch whisky.

Until recently, casks were almost exclusively traded within the whisky industry itself, and private cask ownership was barely seen at all. But it turns out that there are many lovers of whisky who want to become more intimately involved with the life of their favourite spirit and that is something that Cask 88 can help with.

Over the last decade Cask 88 has built up relationships within the Scotch Whisky industry that give them access to exquisite casks of maturing whisky at all ages, from all over Scotland. It was thus one of the first companies in the world to sell single casks of whisky in their entirety to private buyers on a broader scale.

As Scotch Whisky matures, it must remain under bond in an HMRC accredited warehouse - something the great majority of people don’t have access to. Cask 88 has agreements with many bonded warehouses, as well as exclusive use of a beautiful and spacious dunnage warehouse space in Speyside, enabling it to act as a custodian of casks on behalf of its customers. Under our care, each cask is properly tracked, insured, stored and maintained, freeing its owner to focus on the existential questions of what they want their whisky to become, and to decide when it has matured enough.

When you become the owner of a cask of whisky, you can guide its maturation, and choose its final form when you decide that it is time to bottle. Maturing casks can be re-racked; transferring the whisky into another cask to grant it new flavours; and samples can be drawn to taste how the maturation is progressing. Settle in, because some maturations can stretch on for decades - waiting for the right moment. You might even make a trip to visit a cask while it matures.

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Every cask is unique, an individual snowflake, and single cask bottlings crystallise a moment in time. Some people bottle their cask to create a uniquely-branded whisky to celebrate a wedding, or stock a personal bar. Meaningful anniversaries, company milestones, the birth of a child - all are occasions worthy of a unique whisky!

The style and form this bottle takes is entirely up to personal choice - Cask 88 has a team of designers and artisanal friends in the right places to ensure that the bottles look just right. Sometimes they can’t resist the temptation and bottle up one of their favourite whiskies ourselves.

Independent bottling breathes life into whisky, and they want to create whiskies that mean something personally to their team and their clients.

Cask 88: whisky enthusiasts who went the whole hogshead; building up the experience and connections that are needed to be able to oversee the safe journey from cask to glass. This is an open invitation to take the journey.

If you’d like to start a conversation with a member of the team, then please don’t hesitate to be in touch. You can find out more about cask ownership, and Cask 88’s range of independent bottlings, at cask88.com

04/05/2022 14:47:32

Cask and Still Magazine | 35

Whisky by numbers Impress your friends with these facts and figures

19% = £4 .

51 BILLION The value of Scotch whisky exports grew by 19% to £4.51 billion

£790

MILLION

21%

Growth was driven by the Asia Pacific and Latin American markets, with increases of 21% and 71% respectively 1.38bn 70cl bottles of whisky were exported in 2021, up 21% on 2020

1.38 BILLION

The largest export market by value was the USA, at £790m An average of 44 bottles of Scotch whisky were exported every second

71%

21%

8% Both US and EU exports grew by 8% respectively 176 million bottles of whisky were exported to France, making it the largest export destination for Scotch whisky by volume

176 MILLION

Source: Scotch Whisky Association figures from 2021. www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

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04/05/2022 14:38:14

36 | A bluffer’s guide to...

Written by: Federica Stefani

A BLUFFER ’SS GUIDE TO..

Whisky casks

When it comes to the flavour of whisky casks are key, so here’s a quick run through of the drinks that impart their flavour to your favourite drams through the medium of wood

W

e have previously delved into the world of wood and

It is made by using white grapes of varieties such as

whisky in our Bluffer’s Guide in issue five. When it comes

Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel, and its producers

to casks and flavours in the whisky, it’s the liquid that

use a special warehousing system known as a ‘Solera’, in

was in the cask before using it to mature whisky that is all important.

Bourbon barrels are the most popular choice, with their vanilla

which casks are arranged in tiers (known as criaderas).

Sherries can be divided into three main categories:

and coconut notes and the almost natural exchange that comes

dry sherry wines, naturally sweet wines, and sweet

from the bourbon industry not being able to use them twice. Drinks

sherry wines. Oloroso, Amontillado and Manzanilla are

including sherry, wines and spirits are also used to shape the flavour

all dry sherry wines and are among the preferred types

profile of our favourite drams. Learning more about these products

used in the whisky industry. The first is probably the

and how they are made can unlock new perspectives when it comes

most popular in whisky maturation – made from Palomino

to tasting or buying a whisky.

grapes, Oloroso is peculiar in that it is allowed to age

SHERRY

while exposed to oxygen, making it a multi-layered and complex sherry, rich and warm with a dry finish which

The most popular choice of cask for whisky, after bourbon, is sherry. It is

won’t overpower the whisky. Amontillado is herbal and

produced in Andalucia, specifically in the region of Jerez de la Frontera.

leathery, whereas Manzanilla is fresher and more floral.

Sherry is a fortified wine, meaning that a stronger alcohol, such as

Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez are naturally sweet

brandy, will be added to a traditionally produced base wine, increasing

wines. The latter is obtained by using overly ripe

the alcohol percentage from around 12% to 15-17%. This practice was

grapes of the Pedro Ximénez variety, which have a high

initially introduced so that the wines could better withstand long sea

concentration of sugar. The result is sweet, syrupy and

journeys, but it also helps halt the fermentation process at its peak.

resinous, which imparts notes of Christmas cake, dried fruits, figs and molasses. Moscatel, although sweet and juicy, will have a more light-bodied, fresh and fruity influence on the whisky.

PORT Another very popular fortified wine used for whisky finishing is port. Its origin is in the Douro Valley in Portugal and in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. It’s made with both white and red grapes and fortified with

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Cask and Still Magazine | 37

brandy, and is a quintessential dessert wine.

produced using a pot still. Countries formerly under

The most popular styles are Ruby Port,

Spanish rule like Cuba, Venezuela and Dominican

which is made with red grape varieties such as

Republic tend to produce lighter rums.

Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz

White rum is colourless and obtained by ageing

(Tempranillo) and is aged in large oak casks. Its

in steel vessels. For whisky purposes, it is dark rum

distinctive bright colour can often be found in

which is mostly appreciated. The term indicates

whisky matured in ruby port casks. Taste-wise,

rums which have been aged in charred oak casks,

it is sweet but fresher and lower in tannins than

or rums to which colouring has been added, as well

other fortified wines, with black fruit aromas.

as spiced rum (to which spices are added).

One of the most popular port varieties is Tawny, which is aged for at least seven years but

WINE FINISHES

can spend decades maturing. This makes it a

I could easily write an entire book about the

deeper and more complex port in which oxidation

amazing varieties of wine which lend their flavours

plays an important role, giving it nuttier and

to enhance whisky. These are some of the most

sweeter, dried fruit flavours and warm spices –

popular ones:

which we’ll later find in the whisky.

• Red wine: From the deep and rich notes of Bordeaux or Burgundy, these finishes tend to add

Vintage port is port which has been bottled and sold, allowing for a fermentation in the bottle, which brings very different flavours than the one in a cask. White port is made with white grapes, resulting in a fresher and drier flavour.

On the fortified side of the cask game, another one used for whisky finishes is Marsala.

RUM A finish that has become popular in the last few

unlock new perspectives when it comes to tasting or buying whisky

really interesting layers to whiskies with tannins, oak and berry flavours, as well as warm spices.

Amarone and Chianti, from Italy, have also been used in some experimental expressions.

• Sweet wines: Sauternes, Tokaji (from Hungary) or even Ice Wine (a rare type of wine produced from frozen grapes) add layers of fruitiness, freshness, acidity and sweetness.

• White wine: Experiments have been done using

years is rum cask finish, which brings into the

Champagne casks – the result tends to be fresh

whisky lovely notes of tropical fruits and a gentle,

and zesty with notes of grape.

warm sweetness and occasional spiciness.

Rum is produced by using sugar cane, mostly

COGNAC

in countries where the plant is widely grown like

This is a type of brandy obtained using Ugni

the Caribbean and South America. After harvest,

Blanc, a type of white grapes. It is a legal

the canes are cut into shorter pieces then milled

requirement that certain sulphites commonly

– this extracts all the sugary water that is inside.

used in wine production are not used in producing

The fresh sugar cane juice can be fermented and

this spirit. It is distilled twice in copper pot stills

distilled to produce varieties like rhum agricole in

and aged in French oak barrels for a minimum of

the French Caribbean or cachaça rum in Brazil.

two years. In whisky, a cognac cask will usually

However, most rums are produced by fermenting

deliver sweet, oaky and ripe fruity notes.

and distilling molasses, a thick black liquid byproduct of the sugar production industry.

Heavier, darker rums tend to be made in

We hope these examples, although far from exhaustive, will help you start your foray into the

former French and English colonies such as

many flavours of whisky and their origins. Enjoy

Jamaica, Barbados and Martinique, and many are

the journey!

036-037_cs05.indd 37

04/05/2022 12:10:10

38 | Sonic Ageing

Music to make

booze by...

From wineries to whisky distilleries, drinks makers are tuning into the magic of music by serenading their creations as they slumber in their barrels Written by Peter Ranscombe

S

tep inside a winery and there are probably sounds that you’d expect to hear – the squeezing of grapes to release their juice, the sloshing of that juice in tanks as it turns into wine, the rolling of barrels down into the cellar to age. But would the skirl of the bagpipes be on that list?

The distinctive drone of Scotland’s national instrument is a familiar noise in the cellar at Bruce Jack’s winery in South Africa. Having studied English literature at the University of St Andrews and with strong family connections to Scotland, it’s

perhaps little wonder that Bruce turned to the pipes when he needed to give his wines a little musical encouragement.

‘Making wine is part art and part science,’ explains Bruce. ‘You need to know about physics, and you need to know about organic chemistry.’

Grapes’ skins – along with their seeds and stems – contain tannins, the same substance found in tea that dries your mouth and makes you suck in your cheeks. When red wine is made, the grape juice is left in contact with the black grape skins to extract some of their colour and some of their tannins.

IF YOU PUT YOUR HAND ON THE BARREL YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE VIBRATIONS

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04/05/2022 14:57:03

Cask and Still Magazine | 39 >>>

Hitting the right notes: Bruce Jack uses music to improve his wines.

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04/05/2022 14:58:00

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w 40 | Sonic Ageing

As the winemaking process continues, some of those tannin molecules and colour molecules start to break apart. The wine turns a lighter shade of red and it tastes harsher or more ‘tannic’.

In big wineries, a small amount of oxygen is bubbled through the big tanks of wine to create tiny amounts of ‘ethyl acetate’ – the substance that gives nail varnish remover its smell – which acts as a glue to help the colour molecules and the tannins to recombine, a process called ‘micro-oxygenation’. The wine suddenly turns a darker shade of red again and becomes smoother or less ‘tannic’ because the tannins have joined together into longer chains, or ‘polymerised’.

‘That’s one way to do it – but there’s also a much cooler way to do it,’ Bruce grins. ‘If you pass a sound through a liquid then you make all the molecules jiggle.

‘By jiggling them around, you actually help them orientate themselves so that they can stick together.

It’s just physics and organic chemistry – there’s nothing smart about it.

‘I tried a whole lot of different instruments and the ones that worked really well were the cello and the trumpet – and the bagpipes. It’s the drone when you’re in a confined space, like a cellar – if you put your hand on a barrel then you can actually feel the vibrations of the drone going through it.

‘We did these experiments from 1998 until 2003. We had an 89% hit rate from winemakers who could tell the difference between a wine that had listened to music and wine that hadn’t listened to music.

‘My mum’s family is from Tiree, so I grew up with the pipes. I still get very emotional when I hear them.’

Bruce has recruited the pipe major from the Cape Town

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04/05/2022 14:58:30

w Cask and Still Magazine | 41 >>>

Highlanders army regiment for performances in his cellar. Visiting pipers from Scotland also have the opportunity to play for his barrels.

Closer to home, wine isn’t the only drink that’s being serenaded by the bagpipes. Last summer, Scottish neotraditional band Project Smok teamed up with whisky brand Wee Smoky to revive the ‘sonic ageing’ technique.

VIBRATIONS ACCELERATE THE SPEED WITH WHICH WHISKY INTERACTS WITH WOOD

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, when spirits were transported across the seas in oak casks, some distillers believed that the vibrations caused by the waves were an essential part of the ageing process. The ‘sonic ageing’ concept aims to recreate similar vibrations, which accelerate the speed with which the whisky interacts with the wood in the barrel, extracting more flavour.

Ali Levack – the band’s Dingwallbased frontman, piper, and whistle player – performed for the casks of whisky, which were then bottled for a limited edition ‘Project Smok x Wee Smoky Collab whisky’. Only 550 bottles were filled.

‘Playing to whisky casks was a new experience,’ says Ali, who was named

038-043_cs05.indd 41

Above: Project Smok seranading a bottle of Wee Smoky. Left: Wee Smoky Single Grain Scotch Whisky.

04/05/2022 14:59:05

42 | Cask and Still Magazine

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ottle Exchange is the alternative to online whisky auctions for Whisky collectors to buy, sell & swap whisky. We are quicker & cheaper for both buyers and sellers. We reduce the timescales of weeks, sometimes months that some online whisky auctions take to finalise transactions and transfer payments. By dealing through Bottle Exchange you have a multitude of options available when both buying and selling Whisky. You decide the selling price of your bottle(s) and have the option to accept cash only offers or exchange offers. You can also place cash only offers or if you have an active listing offer to exchange your listing for another but that’s not all – you can also offer to send or receive cash on top of the exchange offer.

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w Cask and Still Magazine | 43

…AND TUNES TO CHEW OVER WHILE YOU TASTE

as BBC Radio Scotland’s young traditional musician of the year back in 2020. ‘I loved being part of the whole process, from playing our music to the whisky while it aged, to drinking it while listening to our song.’

Rory Gammell, founder of Edinburgh-based Wee Smoky, adds: ‘Music is part of everything we do. Our whisky is best enjoyed with music, so it was natural to experiment to see how music could enhance the flavour.’

Across the pond, craft brandy maker Copper Kings at Louisville in Kentucky has set up five sub-woofers in its barrel room. The distillery favours pulses of bass notes, which cause the alcohol to move in waves and come into contact more often with the inside of the barrel.

Dark Island Spirits in New York state has gone a step further and created a ‘tactile immersed isolated maturation engine’ – or ‘TIIME device’ – to play different genres of music to its bourbon, brandy, rum, and whiskey. Its Eleanor Glen single malt whiskey matures while Celtic rock act Jane Espie plays in the background.

Meanwhile its Blues bourbon gets the classic rhythm and blues treatment, and its rum ages to a reggae beat.

Below, clockwise from top left: Dark Island Spirits casks; Eleanor Glen single malt; Copper & Kings Distillery; sonic maturation at Copper & Kings Distillery. Inset: Charles Spence.

As well as playing music to their barrels, whisky makers have also been experimenting with the top tunes to play as their drams are being sipped. One even turned to an academic for help.

Last year, blended Scotch whisky brand Black Bottle recruited Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, to ‘create the world’s first musical Spotify playlist that alters our perception of taste’.

‘I am fascinated by how our brains process the information from each of our different senses to form the extraordinarily rich multisensory experiences that fill our daily lives,’ explains Charles.

‘Whisky has a distinctive taste and smell, which produces a very specific multisensory reaction for drinkers.’

His playlist is based on ‘sonic seasoning’, a technique that alters perceptions of taste based on the sounds played. Proponents argue that high-frequency sounds enhance sweetness, while low frequencies bring out bitterness.

‘It has been fascinating working with Professor Spence on the impact that sounds have on our tastebuds,’ adds Craig Black, global brand manager for Black Bottle. The whisky is made by Burn Stewart, the East Kilbride-based distiller that was sold in 2013 by Angostura Bittersmaker CL World Brands to South Africa-based Distell. The company also produces blended label Scottish Leader and single malts Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Ledaig, and Tobermory.

‘The reaction that we had from the initial tastings was great and now we can’t wait to bring the experience to whisky drinkers everywhere. The sonic seasoning playlist will give whisky drinkers a truly personal experience, while also showcasing the layers of complex flavours within the spirit.’

SCAN THE CODE BELOW WITH YOUR SPOTIFY APP TO LISTEN TO THE BLACK BOTTLE PLAYLIST

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04/05/2022 16:01:00

44 | Whisky Heroes

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04/05/2022 14:47:04

Cask and Still Magazine | 45

Wild water Smuggling whisky and swimming whirlpools is all in a day’s work for Nick and Alex Ravenhall

T ‘

Clockwise from top left: Nick and Alex Ravenhall (aka The Whisky Smugglers); the brothers at Bimber Distillery ahead of their channel swim; swimming the Corryvreckan; adding smuggled whisky at Bowmore on Islay; coming ashore at Bowmore; swim team after the channel crossing.

Written by Morag Bootland

his adventure is really about telling a story. A story that hopefully reminds whisky drinkers that if you love your drams then you’ve got to care about water health and ultimately that means looking after the sea.’

So says Nick Ravenhall, MD of Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh who, along with his brother Alex, swam the Corryvreckan whirlpool to raise money for their Whisky and Waves campaign.

The intrepid Kiwi brothers each smuggled a dram in their wetsuits as they took on the treacherous mile long crossing from Jura to Scarba. The strait of Corryvreckan is renowned for strong tidal currents that create the world’s third largest whirlpool.

‘The currents are so unpredictable that you can’t aim for a point,’ says Nick. ‘The guides pointed us at Scarba and said, “aim for the island”.

We caught a current that went with us so the crossing was quick, just 25 minutes.’

But it wasn’t all plain swimming for Nick, Alex and their team who found themselves in the midst of a school of huge lion’s mane jellyfish and used up vital energy dodging around their long stinging tentacles.

‘Looking down the Corryvreckan and seeing the standing wave at the entrance inspires a bit of awe and gets the heart going, as does seeing the currents swirl in the strait,’ says Nick. ‘The key to swimming in these spaces is controlling that fear.’

Following the swim, the whisky that they smuggled was returned to the casks which were then vatted together and released as Whisky and Waves Storm Kelpie, which sold over 6,000 bottles to raise funds for Sea Shepherd, an international marine conservation organisation that campaigns to conserve the world’s oceans and protect marine wildlife.

The brothers are not new to swimming. Growing up in New Zealand they were never far from the water and went swimming with their father regularly. They still train year round, in the pool in winter and in the ocean in summer to build up endurance. They’ve tackled the waves around Islay, swimming from Bruichladdich Distillery to Bowmore, as well as swimming a relay across the Channel. Next on the agenda the duo plan to swim some of the big Highland lochs that feed Scotland’s iconic single malt distilleries.

the key to swimming in these spaces is controlling that fear

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04/05/2022 14:48:08

46 | Cask and Still Magazine

prestige whisky auction The sophisticated way to buy and sell whisky

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restige Whisky Auction is a family business set up and owned by Andrew and Nicola Loan.

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04/05/2022 14:39:30

Cask and Still Magazine | 47 >>>

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04/05/2022 14:51:49

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04/05/2022 12:37:55

23/02/2022 14:15:23

Cask and Still Magazine | 49 >>>

Speyside GLENALLACHIE 12 YO SINGLE MALT

48

46

The colour is fabulous and the nose and taste do not disappoint. Glenallachie just keeps getting better – the liquid is spectacular and it’s one I always recommend that my customers

TAMDHU 15 YO SINGLE MALT

85

46

Located in the village of Knockando in Speyside, Tamdhu distillery is owned by Ian McLeod distillers. The whisky here is matured in the finest oloroso sherry casks. With over 100 years since the distillery was first opened, the traditional methods are still used to create this Speyside single malt.

NOSE: Tasty caramel notes, fabulous sherry notes with lots of dried fruits and dates. Some dark chocolate with cherries, ripe plums and raisins.

taste. This is one of the richest 12 year

PALATE: Gingerbread and baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves).

old drams I have had this year, I love

Toasted oak and vanilla. Dark cherry and red delicious apples. Creamy.

it. It’s now my ‘go to’.

FINISH: A nice peppery and oily long finish. There’s a lot of good stuff

NOSE: Almond, sultana cake, flambéed

going on in this dram.

banana, vanilla pods, chocolate nibs and oak.

PALATE: Rich caramel notes, marzipan and a good baked dark spongecake. There are hints of chocolate and mellow coffee and spice.

FINISH: Leaves an oily mouthfeel which is smooth, rich and well balanced.

GLENFARCLAS 25 YO SINGLE MALT

190

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Glenfarclas means ‘valley of the green grass’ and the distillery was founded in 1836. In 1865 it was bought by John Grant, and his descendants still own and run the distillery making it truly independent.

NOSE: Booze-soaked cherries, chocolate, Christmas cake and dried fruits with a smidge of boiled sweets like cough candy, but very light and gentle.

PALATE: Deliciously and delicately spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, with hints of hazelnuts. Slightly tangy with hints of aniseed.

FINISH: Long and lasting with levels of rich spice and chocolate. It wouldn’t be out of place on a dessert menu.

Gillian Kirkland OWNER OF THE PIPER BAR AND WHISKY ENTHUSIAST

www.thepiperbar.com

049_cs05.indd 49

Gillian has owned the award-winning Piper Whisky Bar in Glasgow for eight years, and is incredibly passionate about whisky. She is a collector and is currently experimenting with some casks. She also enjoys exploring food and whisky pairings.

04/05/2022 12:14:20

50 | Cask and Still Magazine

E

ach whisky in the Mac-Talla range has been carved by Islay’s weather-beaten shores. It’s a taste of the untamed that leaves a lasting impression. Let Mac-Talla take you on a taste journey across the island, allowing you to discover the depth and variety this perfect whisky making environment has to offer.

Terra, meaning “earth”, perfectly reflects the peat smoke in this expression, deriving its characteristics from Islay’s ground.

Mara, is Scottish Gaelic for “of the sea” and this cask strength expression has been heavily influenced by the Atlantic Sea Salt atmosphere that engulfs Islay.

15-Year-Old Strata, the plural of stratum, refers to the many igneous rock formations that are visible along Islay’s rugged but breath-taking shores and landscape.

For more information on Mac-Talla Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, visit www.mactallawhisky.com

A TASTE JOURNEY ACROSS ISLAY.

Each whisky in the Mac-Talla range has been carved by Islay’s weather-beaten shores.

It’s a taste of the untamed that leaves a lasting impression.

WWW.MACTALLAWHISKY.COM

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04/05/2022 14:36:09

Cask and Still Magazine | 51 >>>

Highlands, Islands & Campbeltown DOUGLAS LAING ‘THE GAULDRONS’

BLENDED MALT

49

46.2

Meaning ‘bay of storms’, this is named after a beautiful beach off the west coast of the Kintyre Peninsula. The name matches its character, and it is made up of malt from two of the three Campbeltown distilleries. It seems to be agreed that it’s mostly Glen Scotia with a touch of something from Springbank added in there. How could that combo go wrong?

NOSE: Toffee sauce, brown sugar, light spice.

SCALASAIG SINGLE DISTILLERY VINTAGE – TOBERMORY INDEPENDENTLY BOTTLED MALT

67

46.5

We love most of what Tobermory produce

PALATE: Vanilla, toffee, warming ginger.

and we raved about the first Scalasaig release, the

FINISH: Sweet, malty, fresh, maritime coastal notes.

‘Island Hopper’ Blended Island Malt, so we couldn’t wait

GLENGOYNE 21 YO

at the distillery in 2013 and then bottled in 2021 after an

HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT

160

43

to try this and it didn’t disappoint. From four casks filled 18-month finish in the same oloroso casks that finished their previous release.

An oldie but a goodie! This was one of

NOSE: Salty sea air, sweet malt and fruit.

the drams that got Jen into whisky in the

PALATE: Peaches, vanilla custard and salted

first place. As a local distillery it was one of the first on the list to try. After trying a few other standard single malts this sealed the deal with its liquid toffee and

peanuts.

FINISH: Creamy with hints of bitter dark chocolate and coastal salt.

Christmas cake richness.

NOSE: Sweet, rich dried fruits, malt and sherry.

PALATE: Liquid toffee, sticky toffee pudding, Christmas cake and rich, deep spice notes.

FINISH: Long, rich and fruity.

Jen Laird & Rachel Grant CO-OWNERS, THE CALLANDER DRINKS CO.

www.callanderdrinkscompany.co.uk

051_cs05.indd 51

Jen and Rachel founded The Grail in Doune in 2018 having worked in the industry for a number of years at distilleries, whisky shops and festivals.

Today you can find them at the Callander Drinks Company which they opened in 2020. They also have a YouTube whisky channel.

04/05/2022 12:37:23

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Cask and Still Magazine | 53 >>>

Islay

PORT CHARLOTTE 10 YO SINGLE MALT

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Port Charlotte is a silent distillery that opened in 1829 and closed 100 years later. Bruichladdich acquired two of the distillery’s warehouses in 2007, which they now use to mature their Port Charlotte brand spirit, which was launched in 2001. Port Charlotte 10 YO uses a combination of first- and second-fill bourbon and second-fill French wine casks.

NOSE: Smoked bacon slathered in sweet barbecue sauce.

PALATE: Green apples, salted fresh shucked oysters and bonfire smoke.

FINISH: Long with salted buttered toast, smoked hickory and chocolate covered raisins. A stunning combination of smokey and sweet.

ARDBEG 25 YO SINGLE MALT

900

46

Founded in 1815, Ardbeg went through tough times in the 1980s and 1990s being mothballed, sold and resold. It wasn’t until Glenmorangie took ownership that full production resumed in 1998. Ardbeg 25 YO was bottled in 2020 from rare casks during the 1990s aka ‘The Darkest Days’ when the distillery was hardly producing.

NOSE: A rich balance of creamy toasted vanilla, a new box of band-aids, mint, lemon zest and campfire smoke.

PALATE: Surprisingly spicy for a 25 YO, with light soot, black tea and stewed berries.

FINISH: Long smooth finish of caramel, sweet pipe tobacco and medicinal smoke. The price may be painful but the spirit is not!

LAGAVULIN 11 YO GUINNESS CASK FINISH OFFERMAN EDITION SINGLE MALT

70

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Lagavulin, Nick Offerman, and Guinness – what’s not to love? Great marketing aside, Lagavulin has had a reputation for quality since it was established in 1816. This expression may sound gimmicky but it certainly holds its own. This 11 YO Lagavulin is finished for four months in ex-Guinness beer barrels.

NOSE: Classic Lagavulin with medicinal peat, vanilla and salty sea spray.

PALATE: Fresh cut apples, tobacco, leather and rich roasted coffee. A day at Grandpa’s cabin complete with Nick Offerman staring at you from the bottle.

FINISH: Medium long, with burnt ashes, wet autumn leaves and a bit of spice to round it out.

Amanda Young

DUCHESS OF ISLAY @DUCHESSOFISLAY

www.duchessofislay.com

053_cs05.indd 53

Amanda is a whisky collector, writer, and social media creator who educates and entertains new and old generations of whisky drinkers.

04/05/2022 12:33:08

Discovered BY OUR Malt Master STEPHANIE MACLEOD. Hand-filled AT THE DISTILLERY by you Exclusively available via Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, you can hand-fill, label and wax dip your own bottle at the distillery, or let us do the hard work for you.

Please enjoy our whiskies responsibly

054_cs05.indd 54

04/05/2022 11:18:36

Cask and Still Magazine | 55 >>>

Perthshire DEANSTON VIRGIN OAK SINGLE MALT

37.95

46.37

Finished in virgin oak casks.

NOSE: Vanilla, honey, green apples with citrus zest.

PALATE: Toffee creams, candied fruits and ginger.

FINISH: Spices, honey and sweet citrus oranges.

THE GLENTURRET 10YO PEAT SMOKED SINGLE MALT

52

50

The Glenturret 10 YO Peat Smoked brings together the two-spirit styles of the distillery, matured in both first fill and second fill European and American oak casks.

NOSE: Bonfire, salty embers, and flamed orange zest.

PALATE: Warming peat smoke and soft spices with cinnamon and anise.

FINISH: Ash and charred wood, followed by zest and salted caramel.

EDRADOUR 2010 IBISCO SHERRY DECANTER 12 YO SINGLE CASK, SINGLE MALT

105.95

58.6

Single cask, cask strength bottling of Edradour 12 YO. NOSE: Deep rich forest fruits, spices, orange and ginger.

PALATE: Pepper and spice, rich, velvety, warming and oily.

FINISH: Long, rich fruits, chocolate orange.

c Ewan M Ilwraith OWNER, ROBERTSONS OF PITLOCHRY

www.robertsonsofpitlochry.co.uk

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Ewan bought Robertsons of Pitlochry in 2013, an award-winning whisky shop and tasting room. Robertsons have their own range of Single Cask whiskies and a gin. A warm welcome is always on offer and friendly advice readily available at Robertsons of Pitlochry.

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56 | Connoisseurs’ selection

Lowlands

KINGSBARNS 2021 DISTILLERY RESERVE

SINGLE MALT

64.99

61.8

This is Kingsbarns’ latest annual release. The casks were hand selected by Isabella Wemyss, production director at the distillery.

LINDORES LOWLAND – ‘THE CASKS OF LINDORES, BOURBON’ SINGLE MALT

The whisky was aged in first-fill Bourbon barrels and first-fill STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred) red wine barriques. The result is a fruity and light whisky imbued with sweet spice and orange flavours.

NOSE: Baking spices immediately to the fore, with orange oil, vanilla pods, cherry tobacco and a touch of apricot.

PALATE: Sticky stem ginger pudding alongside freshly grated orange zest.

FINISH: Good length with wood spice, clove, rhubarb and ginger jam.

55

49.4

A limited bottling from Lindores Abbey Distillery. The whisky is made from local Fife barley and matured exclusively in Old Forrester bourbon barrels for over three years, developing a unique and distinctive flavour profile.

NOSE: Mellow fruity, red apples and pears with vanilla, butterscotch, custard and citrus.

PALATE: Vanilla mixed with orchard fruits like green cooking apples, citric pith with a hint of bitterness covered with oaky woody notes and spicy peppery touches.

FINISH: Long lingering finish.

LOCHLEA SOWING EDITION FIRST CROP SINGLE MALT

50

48

Lochlea is an independent family-owned distillery in the heart of Ayrshire. They have been quietly producing, casking and maturing their spirit over the last few years, keeping the whole operation a bit of an Ayrshire secret. They grow their own barley and have their own on-site water source, and full traceability over the ingredients going into the process. The Sowing Edition is the second release from this new distillery and is the first in an annual series of four small-batch bottlings.

NOSE: A waxy nose with pear drops, toffee, apple, butter shortbread and cereal.

PALATE: Velvety smooth palate with Madagascan vanilla, stewed apples in syrup, walnuts and cherries combined with French nougat.

FINISH: Long, sweet, fruity and flavoursome. A great young dram!

Robin Russell

OWNER, ROBBIE’S DRAMS WHISKY MERCHANTS, AYR

robbieswhiskymerchants.com

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Robbie’s Drams Whisky Merchants is an independent family-run business, situated in the seaside town of Ayr. Fine character, great whisky since 1984. Here Robin selects some of his favourite lowlands on the market.

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Worldwide AMRUT FUSION INDIAN SINGLE MALT

49.95

50

Amrut is a brand of Indian malt, it was the first single malt whisky to be produced in India.

The distillery was founded in 1948 in Bangalore, Karnataka. This particular expression was launched in 2009 and has 25% Scottish peated barley and 75% unpeated Indian barley.

NOSE: Lovely sweet notes of cinnamon and vanilla. With mellow mandarin and poached peaches with spiced cloves. This has malty and woody notes, giving it some earthiness.

PALATE: Peppery on the palate, a subtle smokiness. Fresh fruit and woody flavour balanced with sweet honey honey.

FINISH: A lovely long finish which lingers with the spiciness and fruit coming through.

MACKMYRA MOMENT KÖRSBÄRSRÖK SWEDISH SINGLE MALT

99

46.1

Mackmyra distillery is a swedish single malt distillery. All ingredients used in their production are locally sourced (apart from the yeast). All the malts are natural colour and no additives. This is an experimental distillery, not afraid of trying new things.

NOSE: Malty, toasted oak and a sweet cherry bakewell tart. Overripe raspberries and cherries with some smokiness and varnish.

PALATE: Some maraschino cherry, though not overpowering, subtle and almost creamy. Flavours of Eton mess, with hints of vanilla, smokiness and oak.

FINISH: Smooth with a buttery mouthfeel which is warming and delicious. It has a well-balanced richness which is very enjoyable. The cherry influence is not overpowering.

Gillian Kirkland OWNER OF THE PIPER BAR AND WHISKY ENTHUSIAST

www.thepiperbar.com

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YAMAZAKI 12YO JAPANESE SINGLE MALT

150

43

Yamazaki distillery is located in Shimamoto, Japan. This distillery is surrounded by greenery in a district which is well known for its quality water, a key ingredient for a great tasting whisky.

Japanese distilleries typically use Scotch method, although it is the climate in Japan which tends to give it a more refined and older taste.

NOSE: Ginger and cinnamon spice, citrus and unripened stone fruit. Woody, nutty and zesty and fresh.

PALATE: Orange peel soaked in nutmeg, cinnamon and all-spice. Vanilla and malty notes are tinged with fresh apple and citrus zestiness.

FINISH: This dram has some pleasant sharpness and freshness, a medium finish with light spice coming through.

Gillian has owned the award-winning Piper Whisky Bar in Glasgow for eight years, she is incredibly passionate about whisky. She is a collector and is currently experimenting with some casks. She also enjoys exploring food and whisky pairings.

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58 | Cask and Still Magazine

BRIG O PERTH I

B

rig O’ Perth Scotch Whisky was first blended

by Perth grocer and wines and spirits merchant Matthew Gloag & Son in the basement of the family shop at 20-24 Atholl

Street in 1896.

At the time, the ‘Fair City’ was one of the most important locations in Scotland for whisky blending, bonding and bottling and ‘The Brig’ grew to become one of the most popular brands locally, described

by The Lancet in 1897 as ‘desirably smooth and mellow to the taste’.

In 2021, on its 125th year anniversary, the brand was relaunched by Edinburgh-based independent bottler, The Whisky Cellar and its Perthshire-based founder, Keith Bonnington. The first bottling under the new owner was the 14-year-old ‘Special Anniversary Blend’ limited release of 1,125 bottles, which was sold to predominantly local wines and spirits specialists, grocers,

delicatessens and farm shops across the county.

The blend is made of up of a careful marriage of Highland Malts from renowned distilleries and sweet grain whiskies from a mixture of American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads.

The Whisky Cellar have created a blend which they believe is in keeping with the style of whisky bottled under the Brig O’ Perth label during the 20th century, with the malts being sourced from the same distilleries that Matthew Gloag & Son purchased from.

Bonnington describes it as being produced in “the old Highland style with an uncommonly high malt content, bottled at 46.7% - a higher strength than the typical blend, completely natural in colour and with no chill-filtration”.

‘Blended Scotch is enjoying a bit of a revival and an increased appreciation from whisky consumers and I think we have created one of the finest examples of the old style’.

Contact us at info@whiskycellar.co.uk or visit www.whiskycellar.co.uk to learn more.

The grocer’s blend.

THE LANCET

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3r d july 1 897

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Blends JOHNNIE WALKER 18 YO £71.99

40

A well-aged whisky from an iconic brand, Johnnie Walker 18 YO is a perfectly balanced blend that offers a lot of maturity in the flavour for the price.

NOSE: Rich with stewed fruits and creamy vanilla.

PALATE: Fruity flavours blended with floral notes and a hint of smoke smoke.

FINISH: Cinnamon and ginger linger on the finish.

BLACK BOTTLE £22.99

40

This ‘new’ version of Black Bottle was launched nearly 10 years ago and as much as fans will still miss the old Islay-based style, I prefer this one. It’s my go-to blend in the price category.

BALLANTINE’S 30 YO £299.99

40

The oldest core range Ballantine’s release contains whiskies from distilleries such as Miltonduff and Glenburgie but also rare single malts from closed distilleries.

NOSE: Sweet, fruity and well-rounded.

PALATE: Thick and rich with sweet fruity notes.

FINISH: Long-lasting and balanced winter

NOSE: Soft smoke in amongst toffee sweetness, ginger and tobacco.

PALATE: For me the current Black Bottle has a fuller mouthfeel than the old version with the virgin oak adding thick vanilla sweetness.

FINISH: A medium length finish with a honeyed sweetness lingering along with subtle charred oak notes.

spices and butterscotch notes.

Fraser Robson

WHISKY AMBASSADOR AT GORDON & MACPHAIL, SOUTH STREET, ELGIN

www.gordonandmacphail.com

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Based in the company’s Spiritual Home in Elgin, Fraser has been the Whisky Ambassador at Gordon & MacPhail South Street since 2018.

A massive fan of whisky – especially blends – this year marked Fraser’s first appearance at the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.

04/05/2022 15:18:40

011954 Cask _ Still Advert V1 PRINTFILE.pdf

1

12/04/2022

12:03

011954 Cask _ Still Advert V1 PRINTFILE.pdf

1

12/04/2022

12:03

Glenturret Distillery.indd 60

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Cask and Still Magazine | 61

O

Scotland’s oldest working distillery

riginally known as The Thurot Distillery owned

by Sir Patrick Murray of Ochtertyre, the first record of The Glenturret is written in the rental documentation from the Barony of Ochtertyre in 1763.

The distillery is situated in a picturesque area of land on the outer edge of Crieff known as “The Hosh.” The Hosh lands have been home to smugglers and illicit distillers since the beginning of the 18th Century. In 1796 John Drummond was caught illicitly distilling in The Hosh. The House of Commons records from this time reveal that he was heavily fined as a result of his illicit activities. Although not related to the subsequent Drummond ownership of The Glenturret, The Hosh was indeed a hive of distilling activity in the 18th century and remains to this day one of the oldest areas of distilling in Scotland.

The Glenturret has had various owners over the years and has not always been known as The Glenturret Distillery. Through most of the 19th Century it was known as The Hosh Distillery. This former name was adopted by one of the original owners, Thomas McInnes. Thomas distilled at Glenturret at the same time as his uncle ran the Hosh Mill Distillery, another distillery located close to where the original distillery stands today. In 1873 Thomas Stewart purchased The Hosh Distillery and changed the name to The Glenturret Distillery, a name which has been synonymous with the distillery ever since.

The high duty rates and fall in whisky consumption in the early 1920’s forced The Glenturret to close its doors.

After an extended period of dormancy, The Glenturret Distillery was purchased by James Fairlie in 1957 after he saw enormous potential in the disused buildings. It took him three years to reinstate production once more.

James Fairlie was a great visionary, his ambition was “to preserve the traditional methods of distilling and to grow the appreciation for whisky.” James was also responsible

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for opening one of the first whisky tourist attractions in Scotland, a true pioneer of his time.

In March 2019, The Glenturret Distillery was purchased by a joint venture led by The Lalique Group. This latest sale in the distillery’s history brings forth a new beginning for Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery. Preserving the traditional methods of whisky making continue to be at the heart of the brand however there is an exciting and imaginative reinvention of this historic site taking place. The distillery is now home to The Glenturret Lalique Boutique, the first of its kind in Scotland and The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, recently awarded its first Michelin Star. This must see destination is brimming with history and experiences to delight visitors all year round.

To discover more and to join The Guild of Glenturret visit theglenturret.com

04/05/2022 14:50:15

n 62 | Investing in whisky

Whisky ballots

How profiteers are using bots to corner the market on popular – and very profitable – limited releases Written by Mark Littler

T

he world of single malt whisky continues to expand in a global market and distilleries are always looking for the best way to meet that demand in a fair and profitable way. Recently they adopted ballots as a way to address issues of getting limited releases to a global audience, but the rise of new technology is always eventually followed by ways to manipulate that new system, and ballots are no exception.

Automated computer programs known as ‘bots’ have been used for years to automatically buy stock and hack ballot systems. From concert tickets to computer consoles and now whisky, bots give an advantage to those who use them.

But what is a ballot, and should you be using a bot?

What is a ballot?

You may have come across a ballot when purchasing tickets online and since 2018 you may have seen them when buying whisky. A ballot works

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like a raffle, but the ‘prize’ is the purchase of the item that is for sale. As a buyer, you put forward your details to the seller, and when the ballot is drawn the ‘winners’ of the items are randomly generated. Modern ballots are usually set up so that the seller can automatically collect payment, guaranteeing that purchase.

In whisky there are predominantly two types of ballot style. A simple version that only requires an email address to register. Or a more complex one requiring an account to be made by the buyer, with a registered email address, home address and bank details. Both types can be hacked.

Why are ballots useful?

Ballots were adopted by the whisky industry as an attempt to combat two growing issues: the difference in demand versus supply, and how best to reach an international audience for limited releases.

Following the 2018 boom, the international market for Scotch single malt whisky has grown exponentially

and often those willing to pay a premium for bottles are found outside the UK. To limit exclusive releases to those who can get to the distillery or a shop in London excludes a significant proportion of the market. Releases direct from the distillery also began to cause some knock-on logistical issues.

In 2018, the Macallan Genesis release was announced. There were 2,500 bottles available and, with the exception of a few bottles at travel retail, they were only available direct from the distillery. The release went on sale at 9.30am on a first-come, first-serve basis, prompting Macallan fans to camp overnight to be in with a chance of securing a bottle. The result was traffic gridlock, with major roads being closed for safety.

Whisky ballots had already been introduced, but the event at Macallan was one of the factors that instigated their widespread introduction.

The first official whisky ballot was introduced by the The Whisky Exchange in 2017 for their Karuizawa Geisha bottlings. There were only

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Cask and Still Magazine | 63

limited numbers of each expression available and given the popularity of the previous Geishas, The Whisky Exchange believed that direct sales from their website would not cope with demand.

The ballot helped to ease pressure on the website. It also helped generate marketing hype around the bottles and presented a fair way to distribute a highly limited release to an international audience.

Alongside the rise of ballots we have also seen a rise in the use of bots.

What is a bot?

A bot is a software application that is programmed to do a task automatically.

They are used for repetitive, predefined tasks and can be used perfectly legally to replace human users for mundane jobs.

Bots are not inherently bad pieces of software; search engine indexing and chatbots are all done by bots. There is a well known group called Malt Release Radar which uses a bot to search for new releases and alert subscribers ahead of the official shop email. Indeed, most online databases use some kind of bot to collect the data that they provide.

When are bots bad?

Bots can also be used to bulk buy stock and to manipulate ballots by generating multiple entries. Bots have been known to automatically purchase an entire stock in seconds for everything from whisky to ticket sales.

In whisky it is becoming clear that bots are being used by professional ‘flippers’ to win multiple bottles in ballots. Surplus bottles are then listed on auction sites where people who missed out on the original sale often pay more to obtain the bottle.

While there is nothing illegal about buying bottles and selling the ones you do not want, industry contacts suggest that it is the same few people putting multiple ballot won bottles into auctions. This implies that people are disproportionately benefitting from ballots, which seems to

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negate one of the main benefits of using one in the first place.

Should you be using bots?

In an ideal world where no one cheats, ballot systems can be a fair way to address supply-demand issues and reach a global audience. Unfortunately, we do not exist in such a world and people that are more IT aware, or have funds to source technology, are using bots to give themselves an advantage. This means that an individual using a ballot in its intended way is much less likely to win the bottle compared to someone who is willing to cheat the system.

This is unfair in multiple ways.

Firstly, the ballot is no longer impartial.

Secondly, the bottles bought by flippers are sold on the secondary market, which often forces fans and collectors to

Distillery who have devised a system that is designed to be bot resistant, cut out flippers and get its whisky to drinkers. Their ballots require an account with a unique payment method and billing address and work with a tier system based on additional verification.

The other issue, of course, is that arguably for distilleries a sale is a sale.

In addition, having releases sellout at ballot and then sell at auction for higher prices are both positive outcomes for their marketing. Both outcomes make the product look appealing and generate brand hype and awareness, which in turn justifies future price increases.

Should you use bots to your advantage?

We do not condone, or otherwise, the use of bots, but should you wish to even

‘An individual using a ballot in its intended way is less likely to win than someone who is willing to cheat the system’ overpay as they rush to buy the bottles at the first auction. In turn, this can create market bubbles that often crash.

Rarely do these bottles end up with those who really care about the whisky and are building a collection or with that elusive creature, the whisky drinker.

Whisky fans should not have to pay over the odds for bottles just because someone hacks a ballot system. Therefore, whilst not ideal, it may be useful for anyone looking to enter a ballot to use similar methods; if everybody has multiple entries then it reverts to being fair.

Is there an alternative to ballots?

In practice there are changes that could be made to deal with loopholes in the ballot system. Bots are not just an issue for the whisky industry and many other markets are looking for solutions.

A good example of changes is from the Thompson Bros at Dornoch

the playing field while the distilleries improve their systems, there are ways.

Communities like Malt Release Radar can help with regular releases. For simple ballots, email generators such as Mailinator will generate hundreds of email addresses and link them to one inbox. Alternatively, any normal email address can be made into multiple email addresses by adding a plus or a full stop before the @. These variants will still be recognised as the source email and be sent to the same inbox.

For more complex ballots, YouTube has simple tutorials for creating a macro in Excel that will allow you to generate multiple entries in ballots that require accounts. Employing someone to make a macro for you will require you to hand over a lot of personal information and is not something we suggest.

Whatever you decide to do, we wish you luck in your whisky purchases!

04/05/2022 12:48:37

64 | NOLO

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HOW LOW

CAN YOU GO? Low alcohol, no alcohol – what on earth is it all about?

J

Written by Geraldine Coates

anuary 2022 saw the biggest participation ever in Dry January with almost eight million adults in the UK deciding to give up alcohol for the month. That’s almost one in six adults, up 22% on the previous year.

Whether all of them actually made it to 31 January alcohol-free is none of our business and people will have different reasons for going dry – over indulgence during the festive season, desire to lose weight and general health concerns being the obvious drivers. What it does show, however, is that even this temporary teetotalism is part of a bigger picture when it comes to consumer patterns and that the trend for healthy eating now well and truly embraces the concept of healthy drinking.

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The drinks industry is ever evolving and inventive and, having seen a fall in the sales of alcoholic liquor thanks to that pesky Generation Z (18-25 year olds), almost a third of whom don’t drink at all, a gap in the market has been identified. Where there is a gap there is usually an opportunity and if there isn’t, one will be created. Step in the latest drinks industry trend, a multitude of no alcohol and low alcohol drinks niftily titled “NOLO”.

First some definitions: by law ‘low alcohol’ drinks must be bottled at no more than 1.2% ABV and ‘no alcohol’ drinks at 0.05 ABV% (apparently at this level one’s body processes the minute amount of alcohol at the same rate as you consume it). Some are made as full-strength versions and then the alcohol is removed, while others are made by initial maceration and or distilling in alcohol and then adding water.

Low and no alcohol beers have been with us

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66 | NOLO

for a very long time ever since the laws on drinking and driving became something to be reckoned with.

Obviously there have been some ghastly mistakes – Kaliber anyone? But also great products like Heineken (0.0%) and the very delicious Adnam’s Ghost Ship (0.5%) have made non-alcoholic beer a crucial part of beer drinkers’ choices, with sales leaping by 58% between 2019 and 2020. One of the reasons for their undoubted success is that these beers satisfy that ‘I just want a nice long cold beer moment’, because brewers tend to turn up the hops to compensate for removing the alcohol so they actually taste like proper beer.

When it comes to non-alcoholic ‘spirits’, an oxymoron quite on the level of ‘military intelligence’, it’s a bit different. Whilst non-alcoholic bitters, liqueurs and brown spirits do exist, most of the NOLO action is centred around white spirits specifically gin substitutes, although, of course producers can’t use the word ‘gin’ as it is not bottled at the requisite 37.5% ABV. Here we find the word ‘botanical’ does a lot of heavy lifting, especially when you look at category leaders such as Seedlip.

Seedlip has been the drinks success story of the decade – non-alcoholic and botanically infused with natural ingredients, it comes in three different flavour profiles: spice, citrus and herbal. It is made in a complex process that involves distillation in a small amount of alcohol to extract flavour, maceration and blending. Now majority owned

by Diageo it has spawned a host of imitations.

Seedlip never comes out particularly well in taste tests and many question its

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price tag, which is in excess of £20.

But there’s no question that its very beautiful packaging and its back-to-nature back story have made it a hit amongst a particular audience, which could be defined as health conscious, aspirational, over 30-year-olds who like the social aspects of going out for a drink but want a clear head the next day. Research shows too that NOLO drinking is not totally confined to the yoga bunny crowd but is increasingly important on business related nights out where people will drink wine with dinner but cut down on alcohol before and after a meal.

Indeed so successful are Seedlip and its many imitators that they have literally invented a market that didn’t really exist five years ago. All the big gin boys – Tanqueray, Gordon’s, Beefeater etc – have now joined in with zero alcohol versions of their flagship brands and it is estimated there are close to 200 different NOLOs currently on the market, although that figure is not purely made up of gin substitutes.

But there is an elephant in this room.

The fact is that around 73% of the price of your average bottle of spirits is the tax charged on alcohol. My beef is that many of the low or no variants are priced at around the same level as a bottle of the real McCoy, so what is the justification for charging roughly the same price for drinks that attract no duties or taxes? Especially when there are so many new and sophisticated what we use to call ‘soft drinks’ available for a fraction of the cost if one wants to avoid alcohol.

I spoke to Sipsmith Master Distiller Jared Brown whose own alcohol free

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THE DRINKS INDUSTRY IS EVER EVOLVING AND INVENTIVE

ALCOHOL LOW GRAVITY

From left: Seedlip’s non-alcoholic range: Garden 108, Grove 42 and Spice 94; Sipsmith’s Free Glider Alcohol Free Spirit.

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(i.e. 0.05% ABV) Freeglider was recently rated the best of the bunch by Jane MacQuitty of The Times.

‘We realised we were not going to be the first NOLO but we really wanted to be the best, so we focused on how to recreate the actual experience of having a G and T without the alcohol. You can’t just make your standard recipe and then remove the alcohol, although some do.

It really affects the final flavour. We went back to the 1800s to see how distillers then were faking the taste of spirit using capsicum, and we looked at the techniques herbalists used to create tinctures. In the end we went through almost 200 iterations of the recipe and experimented with over 100 ingredients.

‘When it comes to price people should understand that making a bottle of Freeglider costs about the same as making a bottle of Sipsmith – the cost of the botanicals is always rising, the techniques we use to distil and macerate are very time consuming. We can’t make Freeglider at our own distillery, it has to be made off-site in a completely sterile environment.

When you take this all into account the price is about right.’

I get it. Judging these drinks solely on price is akin to comparing Chanel No 5 with a cheap perfume. There’s a big difference between what reputable distillers are producing and the ‘coloured water’ others make.

Also it’s worth remembering that, whilst some us remain a bit cynical, these products are aimed at a demographic who are not only very influenced by the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle but who are also extremely image conscious. Quality not price is what counts and consumers will vote with their wallets.

04/05/2022 11:53:38

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THOMPSON BROTHERS ORGANIC MEDITERRANEAN GIN 28.50

45.7

Gin

FOUR PILLARS OLIVE LEAF GIN 38

43.8

Four Pillars have been producing great gin just outside

The Thompson Brothers are two passionate drinks nerds,

Melbourne in the Yarra Valley for several years now, and their

I don’t think they would mind me calling them that, who

overproof gin is just fantastic. This is a relatively new addition

have been champions of great drinks for years. They have

to their line-up and took them five years to perfect. They

now turned to making gin and whisky at their distillery

blended together three types of cold-pressed extra virgin olive

in Dornoch. As you can imagine they have put a huge

oil and olive leaf tea. By adding botanicals like rosemary and

amount of thought into this gin.

bay leaf and macadamia nuts and lemon myrtle they bring a

NOSE: You are greeted with a bright citrus note. With

southern European feel while giving a lovely textured gin.

lemons, orange and bergamot leaping out of the glass

NOSE: Savoury and soft with herbaceous notes of thyme, bay

to be joined with some fresh herbal notes of thyme,

leaf and olive then just a hint of citrus toward the end.

rosemary and bay leaf.

PALATE: Soft, silky and herbaceous, this is beautifully

PALATE: Soft and intense with bright citrus notes.

balanced with herbal notes and citrus.

FINISH: The olive oil and macadamia nuts bring a round soft

FINISH: The finish is long and intense

texture that makes the finish go on and on.

with citrus fading to herbal notes, juniper, then just a touch of anise.

BOATYARD OLD TOM GIN 37

41

Boatyard are on a mission to try and make everything themselves (which is not common in the gin world where most gin producers buy in neutral spirit to be redistilled with botanicals to create their gin). This is a richer style of gin that has then been matured in fresh Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels to create a great rich treat of a sipping gin.

NOSE: The nose is rich and intense with dates, figs, sultanas and a touch of juniper.

PALATE: Rich, sweet, and intense with dried fruit, Christmas cake and some lingering juniper on the finish.

FINISH: Decadent and rich, this is not like other gins. A wonderful nightcap.

c MatthewM Fadyen CO-OWNER, THE GOOD SPIRITS CO., GLASGOW

www.thegoodspiritsco.com

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Matt can usually be found at the helm of The Good Spirits Company on Glasgow’s Bath Street, hosting monthly whisky, gin and cocktail tastings.

04/05/2022 15:19:03

70 | Spirit Level

L

For goodness sake When a trip to Japan is impossible find a moment to say kanpai with sake, says Brooke Magnanti

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Cask and Still Magazine | 71

L

ike most of the rest of the world my last few years have been something other than what was planned. In late 2019 my husband and I were planning a winter trip to Japan for our tenth anniversary, replete with backcountry ski touring, hot soaks in onsens and, of course, plenty of food and drink from Nagano to Hokkaido.

And now? Our twelfth has been and gone, and still I am no closer to sampling sushi and sake slopeside. Not unless I take my own, that is.

Mr Belle, for those who don’t know (so pretty much all of you) lived some years in Japan where he taught English and trained in martial arts. We met not long after his return to the UK. Ever since I have been fascinated by tales of a land where seasonality and local ingredients mean everything, not only when it comes to the food, but also – dare I say especially – the drink.

Sure, the Japanese love their beer and I am told do a great line in whisky, but sake was their thing, and so it became his thing.

Seasonality may be the rule in Japan, but as regular readers will know I’m a traditionalist until I’m not. If we’re talking pizza or cocktails then yes, I will be that person. No pineapple to grace my Margherita, and no premix in my Margaritas. But sake, it seems to me, begs to break out of its chains and be taken to places it has never been before no matter what the calendar says.

These days we live in the southern edge of the Rockies, where great massifs burst out of endless desert into a sky so blue it makes your eyes water.

We are further from the ocean than Mr. B has ever lived.

What even is seasonality at over a mile high, when you can be applying skins for an uphill ski in the morning, and sweltering in 30

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WORTH A LOOK

degree heat by the afternoon? Rules, as they say, are made to be broken.

So armed with sunscreen, a backpack, and touring bindings, I load a backpack with Japanese treats and off we head for a high altitude lake that will hold ice until at least July.

This time of year when the champagne powder melts into slush is perfect for cooling bottles of sake in the icy pockets between the aspens. To start with, a small bottle of Tozai Snow Maiden, bottled in delicate frosted pink, to toast the previous winter. Unfiltered and lightly fruity, it has hints reminiscent of the radishes in my vegetable garden at home. This is followed

by Hanagoi Happoshu. Made in Akashi City, it is bottle conditioned and sparkling like a fine Devon cider, perfect when chilled. And yes, we drink ours cold, when the style and weather suits.

Because I can’t resist a good marketing angle, I picked out Marumoto Brewery’s Joto One Cup. It comes as a single serving in an unforgettable graffiti-style package designed by street artist Shiro. In her homeland she is bigger than Banksy and I am hoping for the perfect blend of old and new, like the Japan I imagine.

The contents live up to the image, with juicy watermelon notes foreshadowing what I hope will be a summer of joy and fruitfulness as the world wrenches itself out of pandemic darkness.

We push on to the lake, half frozen and sparkling, with the sound of wind in bare branches and water tumbling over rocks. What good is honouring locality and seasonality only with drinks from half a world away? So for the North American angle we’ve chosen Momokawa Silver. I’m panting from the effort of hauling our things up this hill, my mouth is dry, and I’m looking forward to a leisurely ski back to the car – our last of this season. It’s a big ask for a drink to live up to the moment. Yet it does. It actually doesn’t come more traditional than this, light and minerally with an almost sourdough finish. Another refresher to serve cool when the temperature is hot.

My husband smiles and snaps his boots into skis as we prepare to return to base and our normal life. It may not be the anniversary I dreamed of, but it will be one where memories are made.

SOTO

Meaning ‘outside’ in Japanese, this high grade Junmai Daiginjo sake boasts crisp hints of cucumber and melon with pepper and subtle fruitiness. The bottle is topped with a square of denim.

KANPAI KUMO

Distilled in Peckham, this sake is made using premium Japanese Gohyakumangoku sake rice. Cloudy sake lovers will enjoy its fruity hints and savoury finish.

Perfect with curry or ice-cream.

AKASHITAI GINJO YUZUSHU

Infused with the flavour of yuzu fruit, this sake hails from the city of Akashi. The fruit is macerated in ginjo grade sake to provide a delicious citrus kick.

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72 | Connoisseurs’ Selection

Beer

TWO THIRSTY MEN SPEY IPA 2

3.5

A traditional-style India pale ale from Grantown-on-Spey’s microbrewery, which now also has its own excellent bottle shop on the Strathspey town’s high street.

NOSE: Malty IPAs feel like they’re out of fashion these days, so the aromas of cinder toffee from the malt and lemon from the hops are a real treat.

PALATE: That malty theme continues on the palate, where it’s balanced by metallic hop tones.

FINISH: It’s the hops that win out on the finish, which keeps the ale from getting too heavy and means a second can beckons.

WILLIAMS BROS JUICY JOKER NEW ENGLAND IPA 1.80

5

Joker IPA is among Williams Bros’ best beers and here the Alloa-based brewery has triple hopped its classic to create a New England interpretation.

NOSE: Invigorating aromas of grapefruit and lemon slap you around the nose and get you ready for the ride ahead.

PALATE: Juicy by name and juicy by nature, with the citric bitterness from the hops balanced by a touch of rounded lemon curd.

FINISH: The metallic note from the hops isn’t overdone, while a

BELLFIELD MÄRZEN FESTIVAL LAGER 2.08

5.7

Edinburgh’s Bellfield Brewery scooped a gold medal at the Scottish Beer Awards for this classic Bavarian-style lager and it’s easy to see why.

NOSE: Lots of red apple on the nose and a twist of toffee too – really rich for a lager.

PALATE: Bellfield is famous for its balanced beers and Marzen continues that trend with its rich texture yet controlled toffee notes.

FINISH: The German hops – Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and Saphir – come to the fore on the finish with tangy, bitter lemon flavours. Gluten-free.

marmalade richness completes the ensemble.

Peter Ranscombe WINE COLUMNIST AND DRINKS BLOGGER FOR SCOTTISH FIELD

scottishfield.co.uk/category/ grapegrain

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Peter has reviewed beer, wine, and spirits for Scottish Field magazine since 2014 and is a former CAMRA Champion Beer of Scotland judge.

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n Cask and Still Magazine | 73

Over a

BARREL Scotland’s talented brewers are making pints more accessible thanks to their gluten-free beers Written by Peter Ranscombe

P

eruse the labels of beers in your local bottle shop or scan the clippumps in your local pub and there’s one phrase that’s appearing more and more often – ‘gluten free’. From big players like BrewDog and Tennent’s through to international brands, it feels like every brewery is getting in on the act.

Yet, as with so many emerging trends, it’s Scotland’s talented craft brewers that are leading the charge. Chief among them is Edinburgh’s Bellfield Brewery, the UK’s first beer maker dedicated to producing only gluten-free brews.

Two of the brewery’s three directors – who founded the business in 2015 – have coeliac disease, a condition in which their immune systems attack their own body tissue causing damage to their guts when they eat gluten, which is found in grains such as barley, oats, rye and wheat. While coeliacs must avoid gluten, other people are choosing to cut it out of their diets.

Bellfield began by brewing its gluten-free beers in other breweries before opening its own premises at Meadowbank in 2019, complete with a fun taproom and beer garden. Its range has expanded from its initial Bohemian pilsner and Lawless Village India pale ale (IPA) to now include a selection of ales, lagers, and porters.

While Bellfield’s brewing process is a closely guarded secret, I remember touring the brewery during its opening night and hearing whispers that its technique involves a slower pace than standard beer making.

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‘As with so many emerging trends, it’s Scotland’s talented craft brewers who are leading the charge’

Interestingly, that slower pace is also one of the reasons why Scotland’s new generation of craft distilleries is able to produce whiskies of a high-enough quality that they can be drunk at a younger age than many of their mass-produced competitors. Slow and steady does indeed appear to win the race.

Now, pay attention – here comes the science bit. Most gluten-free beers are made using an enzyme called ‘Clarex’, which is employed primarily to clarify the beer and improve its stability and therefore shelf life, but which also has the useful trick of breaking down gluten.

Bellfield uses Clarex at the end of its process, but only for its clarifying properties, because the company’s own clever brewing processes are what makes its beers gluten-free. It selects paler malts with less gluten and sometimes uses non-gluten containing ingredients (NGCIs) such as maize and buckwheat, as well as favouring specific yeasts.

The result is beers approved by Coeliac UK after independent testing. To be labelled as ‘gluten-free’ under European Union regulations – built into UK law before Brexit – products must contain fewer than 20 parts per million (PPM) of gluten, with Bellfield’s brews registering fewer than 10PPM. While Bellfield is setting the pace, other Scottish craft breweries are also producing gluten-free beers.

Examples include Black Isle Brewery’s excellent Goldfinch session IPA, and many of Tempest’s brews, such as Long White Cloud NZ extra pale ale, Modern Helles lager, Pale Armadillo session IPA, and Sleight of Hand alcohol-free pale ale.

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74 | Whisky in Canada

very fine connoisseur whiskies as well. The leading brand, Crown Royal, sells more than the next six put together.

It has some outstanding higher-end drams and is a leader in innovation. Black Velvet is number two and has a fine eight-year-old as well as some older and highly prized whiskies available in Scandinavia and sometimes in Canada (under different names). Canadian Club, Canada’s third best-selling whisky, also releases some wonderfully flavourful whiskies (all over 40 years old) and some much older than that in the Australian market.

Award-winning author and founder of the Canadian Whisky Awards Davin De Kergommeaux guides us through Canada’s finest drams Writing has interested me since high school and it was mostly music and social commentary until the late 1990s when I discovered some of my tasting notes in a brochure at Glengoyne. Johannes van den Heuvel had started the Malt Maniacs and wanted whisky stories for the e-Pistles he was publishing on what was one of the very first non-commercial whisky websites. So, I came into whisky through writing.

After five trips to Scotland I was a confirmed Scotch single malt snob until a Japanese whisky won the Malt Maniacs Awards. That opened my eyes to the world of whisky.

Canadian whisky was comparatively unknown at the time, so I decided to try tasting it. It was different from Scotch, but really quite flavourful. I started making notes about Canadian whisky and distilleries, and once I started filling binders, my daughter said: ‘Dad, you know you’re writing a book.’ Here I am, 25 years later with a second edition of Canadian Whisky, and a new book profiling about 200 Canadian distilleries.

It is little known that Canadian whisky has been the best selling whisky in North America since 1865. Until 2010, when bourbon surged, Canadian whisky outsold Scotch, Irish and bourbon combined. Much of this has been mixing whisky, but each of the brands has also been making some

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Around 2000, John K. Hall introduced his Forty Creek whiskies, and these really changed the face of Canadian whisky in the eyes of connoisseurs. His approach was to make his whiskies a little bit bigger and more flavourful at each price point. Forty Creek began as a small ‘craft distillery’, but has long since surpassed that designation.

However, it really kicked off the craft movement in Canada. The new wave of craft distilleries is coming of age, and there are some real beauties – Shelter Point, Two Brewers, Still Waters, Okanagan Spirits, Dubh Glas, North of 7, Cirka, Eau Claire and so many more are in high demand among knowledgeable drinkers.

British Columbia has become the whisky epicentre of Canada and the province certainly has its share of top distillers. Vancouver, Victoria and the Okanagan Valley are the hotspots but the whole province is blossoming. Here, craft distillers are restricted by government regulation to using locally grown grains which can be a challenge to source, but also is beginning to lend British Columbia whiskies a recognisable character.

In many ways, whisky lovers tend to treat Canadian whisky like single malt Scotch, sipping, nosing and tasting, and often taking notes. Cocktail culture is also creeping into this crowd with some really wellmade whiskies finding their way into cocktails. Almost every city has at least one whisky festival and most cities have one or more whisky clubs.

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The design, brand recognition and overall form lures you in. But it’s the drinking experience that hooks you. The glass rests well in your hand and brings the best out of your whisky.

Erik Eriksson - Sweden - School teacher

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