ISSUE TWO | FREE
WHISKY GALORE Exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the remake of the classic film
HAAR OF THE DOG How to cook up a whisky cloud in your kitchen
Cask & Still Magazine | 3 cask and still
www.caskandstillmagazine.com
From the
EDITOR
It’s good to be back! Issue #1 of Cask & Still was a runaway success and we loved putting it together so much that as soon as the dust settled on our mighty inaugural effort we started working feverishly on this issue. Once again, the process of bringing you Scotland’s newest and best whisky magazine has been riotously good fun from beginning to end. We’ve met and interviewed some amazing people (and neatly sidestepped a few dullards too). We’ve necked – sorry, savoured – endless samples of whisky, beer, rum and sundry other booze in our quest to bring the best to your door. We’ve argued far too passionately (in a geeky, non-confrontational manner of course) about whether No Age Statement whiskies are a rip-off or the future. We’ve even gone all mad-scientist to see whether we can cook up a whisky haar in our own kitchen (answer, of course we can!). In short, we have gone out of our way to make sure casual lovers of the national drink and whisky hipsters and geeks alike can read to the end of these pages without pause for thought, and without ever needing to stifle a yawn. We also like to think that we’ve added to the sum of human happiness by enlisting the help of the country’s
leading whisky retailers and connoisseurs to help us choose their favourite drams. These are people who sell countless thousands of bottles of whisky each year and yet they have distilled (pun intended) decades of experience down to a handful of unbeatable recommendations. Hopefully there’s something for everyone in these pages, but if there’s anything you’d like to see or think we should discard then by all means let us know – we welcome all feedback.
EDITOR Richard Bath
ON THE COVER: Extras by Angus Blackburn
Contributors
BLAIR BOWMAN In this issue our contributing editor learns how to cook up whisky vapour in his kitchen, explains the arcane science of labelling, profiles Japanese whisky’s cult hero and delivers imperious tasting notes.
CHARLES MACLEAN The Godfather of Whisky (as we like to call him) opens the lid on the murky criminal practice of counterfeiting, explaining whodunnit (crims), why (money) and how (almost too many ways to list). This one’s a real eye-opener.
4 | What’s inside
In this
ISSUE 24 40 34
Cover lines 14 HISTORY IN THE REMAKING
An all-access behind the screen preview of the remake of classic film Whisky Galore
24 HAAR OFTHE DOG
How to concoct your very own DIY whisky cloud
Cask and Still Magazine | 5
&
14
S NOV 2015 ISSUE TWO cask and still
The team
DESIGN & EDITORIAL Editor: Richard Bath Creative Director: Mark Duncan
48
Photographer: Angus Blackburn
06 NEWS
Inside
Remember, you heard it here first...
53
42 SUSPECT AND UNUSUAL On the trail
of whisky counterfeiting
09 WHISKY BY NUMBERS The latest facts and figures
48 THE BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO WHISKY LABELS
10 BAR SNAPS
51 WHISKY HERO
Cocktails at Bangkok’s superlative Sky Bar
The octogenarian publican who runs Fiddichside Inn
12 ME AND MY DRAM
53 CONNOISSEUR’S SELECTION
New York tenor Noah Stewart shares his new found love of whisky
22 THE RANT
Are the makers of No Age Statement whiskies pulling the wool over our eyes?
32 SIX OF THE BEST Warming whisky cocktails to savour from Bramble
34 PIONEERING SPIRIT The rise of
Japanese whisky producer Ichiro Akuto
40 MOON SHINE
Guitar maker Jimmy Moon crafts a guitar from a whisky barrel
Our experts choose their top drams
76 DARK AND STORMY Dr Brooke
Magnanti – blogger Belle de Jour – on rum’s revamp
78 OVER A BARREL Chris Miller on craft beer brewed in whisky casks
81 WHISKY EVENTS GUIDE 82 WHISKY IN HONG KONG What consultant and spirits judge Eddie Nara looks for in a whisky
Staff Writers: Morag Bootland, Susan Windram, Kirsty Smyth Contributing Editor: Blair Bowman Contributors: Dr Brooke Magnanti, Charles MacLean, Chris Miller, Johanne McInnes Email: editor@caskandstill magazine.co.uk
ADVERTISING Sales Director: Brian Cameron Special Projects Manager: Janice Johnston Sales assistant: Mikaela MacKinnon
PUBLISHING Publisher: Alister Bennett Fettes Park, 496 Ferry Road, Edinburgh EH5 2DL Tel: 0131 551 1000
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.
6 | News feed
&
ASIAN GLORY
Benromach 100 Proof won the award o
(15 Years and Under) at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition. The award is one of Asia’s most prized accolades. Benromach 100 is bottled at o
57% volume and is an intense and complex whisky with notes of sherry, fruit, beeswax polish, vanilla and delicate smoke.
News FEED
for Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky
S
OUT OF THIS WORLD
The results of Ardbeg’s pioneering space mission, in which the distillery became the first ever to send spirit into orbit, have far-reaching implications for the single malt, experts say. Following their return to Earth, the samples were analysed in a controlled environment by independent whisky experts and scientists, and by Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s director of distilling and whisky creation. Dr Lumsden said: ‘When I nosed and tasted the space samples, it became clear that much more of Ardbeg’s smoky, phenolic character shone through – to reveal a different set of smoky flavours which I have not encountered here on earth before.’
FOLLOW US FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS:
@caskandstillmag
DOUBLE GOLD
GREEN GRANT Celtic Renewables in
Strathearn Distillery, near Perth, celebrated
Edinburgh has scooped
a double win at the Scottish Craft Distillers
an £11 million Government
Association Awards, scooping the Gold Award
grant to use waste
in the Scottish Craft Spirit of the Year category
products from the world-
in addition to Young Distiller of the Year. The
famous whisky industry which
country’s smallest whisky distillery has turned
would otherwise be disposed of and turn them
its hand to gin whilst it waits for its small batch
into biofuels, fuelling cars and lorries. The UK
single malt whisky to mature. Zak Shenfield,
government fund of £25 million was shared
a 22-year-old from Dunkeld, took home the
between three UK companies to help generate
Young Distiller of the Year Award.
new jobs and develop greener fuel technology.
Cask and Still Magazine | 7
NEW EXPRESSIONS
LOVE SHACK
A gin distillery in the Cairngorms, incorporating a farm shop, ladies waiting room and bar, has won the coveted prize of Shed of the Year 2015 in Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces competition. The shed at Inshriach was transformed by Walter Micklethwait from a dilapidated
GLENFIDDICH THE ORIGINAL
exclusive single malt 40% ABV, RRP £85.00
hen house into the home of Scottish gin brand Crossbill two years ago. Now officially the UK’s best shed, it boasts parquet flooring, a velour upholstered piano bar and a Wild West gin joint.
Inspired by the original 1963 ‘Straight Malt’, the first whisky by Glenfiddich to take on America. A taste of history from Malt Master Brian Kinsman.
GLENMORANGIE A MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DRAM
limited edition single malt 43% ABV, RRP £40.00
Inspired by the Scottish winter, a marriage of Oloroso matured Lasanta and whisky matured in American white oak Bourbon casks.
THAT’S THE SPIRIT
A brand new festival of whisky is being planned for September 2016 by the organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. Distillers
LAPHROAIG 32 YO
from all over the region will come together from
Islay single malt 46.7% ABV, RRP £750
9-11 September in celebration of the area’s most famed product. Elgin Town Hall has been
A celebration of Laphroaig’s bicentenary, aged for over three decades in ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Perfect for Christmas with plenty of fruit, nuts and spice to savour.
chosen as the central location for this Speyside showcase, which will also feature other drinks, including local gin and craft beer.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Whisky has entered the digital age with the launch of a new interactive
OLD PULTENEY 1989 Peated 16 year-old malt 46% ABV, RRP £135
A second peated expression from one of the UK’s most northerly distilleries. Matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels with notes of vanilla, coconut and orange.
gift experience which teaches whisky drinkers everything they need to know about Scotland’s amber nectar. Designed and created in Edinburgh and endorsed by whisky guru and Master of the Quaich Charles MacLean, I Want To Know Whisky is an inspiring online journey through the culture, crafting, tasting and serving of Scotland’s national drink. Priced at £24.95, it is the perfect stocking filler for whisky fans this Christmas.
MH-Cask & Still whisky A4 ad:Layout 1 10/11/2015 14:09 Page 1
Cask and Still Magazine | 9
Impress your friends with these facts and figures
More than
10,000
200
Scotch Whisky is sold in around 200 markets worldwide
3x
people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry – many in economically deprived areas
Âź Scotch Whisky accounts for around a quarter of UK food and drink exports
Scotch Whisky sells three times more than its nearest rival whisky
20MILLION
casks lie maturing in warehouses in Scotland
Source: Scotch Whisky Association, figures for 2015
www.scotch-whisky.org.uk
10 | Whisky bars of the world
SKY BAR, LEBUA HOTEL, BANGKOK Hold on to your beer mats; suspended over the city at 820 feet, this is one of the highest rooftop bars in the world. Innovative cocktails, a huge whisky collection and stunning views make for a heavenly hotspot. www.lebua.com/sky-bar
Cask and Still Magazine | 11
12 | Me and my dram
Image: Noah Stewart toasts uisge beatha in Glasgow’s Pot Still bar.
Cask and Still Magazine | 13
Me & my
DRAM
New York tenor Noah Stewart – currently debuting as Don Jose in Scottish Opera’s production of Carmen – shares his whisky ramblings Interview by Susan Windram
Do you remember your first whisky? It was Glenfiddich. It was 2012 and I was making my UK debut with Opera North in Leeds and there was a whole mix of guys there, not only English but also Scottish and Irish. My experience of whisky was very limited, so they took me out drinking and Glenfiddich was the whisky I liked out of all of them. It was the one I thought was the most interesting neat.
after his stressful day. For me, it personified a man’s drink. I just think it’s cool. If you look at videos of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr, they always had a whisky in their hand – it’s like a gentleman’s drink. The first video I ever made begins with me at a bar drinking whisky, although there is ice in there...
So, no mixers then? No, I like it neat because I get the pure taste of it. If I put ice in it then I feel I need to drink it fast.
When do you most like drinking whisky? Usually when it’s cold and during the week. I don’t like to drink whisky if it’s the weekend and I’m going on a night out on the town, because I really
What made you become a whisky drinker? It was October/November and pretty cold, so that was the reason I started drinking whisky. I wanted something that would help me relax after rehearsals and would also keep me warm because I like to wear as little clothing as possible. What do you enjoy about whisky? It’s smooth. When I was a kid, I remember watching Bewitched, and when Darrin came home the first thing Sam offered him was a dram
Peaty or crisp and clean? I prefer crisp and clean.
Frank Sinatra always had a whisky in his hand – it’s like a gentleman’s drink enjoy socialising. I’ll drink whisky after a meal or after rehearsals to wind down. I usually have it whilst watching TV because it helps me sleep. Again, it’s the warmth, especially at this time of year when the air in
Scotland, which I love, is a little more cool and clean compared to New York, where I’m from. Favourite whisky? I’m still a beginner when it comes to whisky. When I’ve been working in Scotland and gone out with the guys, I’ve tried Macallan and Glenlivet, and various other whiskies that I can’t remember the names of, but Glenfiddich has been the one I’ve enjoyed the most so far. Best distillery visit? I haven’t had the chance to visit a distillery yet, but I’d love to. The only distillery I’ve ever been to was in Milwaukee in Wisconsin, where they made bourbon and they made these specific cocktails. I had a good time. Do you have a favourite watering hole? Believe it or not, I don’t ... yet! I’ve been singing every day since I got here, so I’ve been on my best behaviour. I’ve been asking some of the crew and they have plenty of recommendations – The Pot Still on Glasgow’s Hope Street is popular and they also recommended The Ubiquitous Chip – they said, ‘Noah, this place is so you, you are going to love it.’
14 | Whisky Galore
xcitement is brewing among fans of 1949 hit film Whisky Galore, with the much-anticipated remake due to hit the silver screen next year. Filming has been taking place across Scotland this summer, with director Gillies MacKinnon pledging to bring new life and colour to the black and white classic which was nominated for the Best British Film BAFTA in 1950. Based on real life events, Whisky Galore tells the story of a group of Scottish islanders who try to steal thousands of cases of malt whisky from stranded cargo ship SS Politician, which ran aground off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides on 5 February 1941. Popularised by Compton Mackenzie in his 1947 novel, and then made into a film the following year by Ealing Studios, the charming tale of a community uniting to challenge officialdom and authority remains as relevant, comical and entertaining today as it was 65 years ago. The team behind the latest reinvention is hoping that fans will flock to Scotland to see for themselves both the real life and film locations, thus boosting the rural economy. Starring Gregor Fisher and Eddie Izzard, the remake also features a host of Aberdeenshire locals who welcomed the production team to Portsoy. Many really got into the spirit of the remake, answering an open call for extras.
Pictured: Gregor Fisher, who plays Macroon.
Pictured: Robbie Reid in his workshop
Cask and Still Magazine | 15 >>>
On the set of Whisky Galore
in the Written by Kirsty Smyth
Photographer Angus Blackburn spent time on the set of the much-anticipated remake of Whisky Galore, which is due out next year
16 | Whisky Galore Clockwise from top left: Time out between takes during the filming of Whisky Galore, which is directed by Gillies MacKinnon, below, and stars Eddie Izzard and Gregor Fisher, right.
Cask and Still Magazine | 17 >>>
18 | Whisky Galore
Cask and Still Magazine | 19 >>>
For centuries the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean has not only shaped the character of the people of Islay but also the character of their most famous whiskies. In many ways this fine malt mirrors the character of Islay people strong yet gentle, warm yet mellow, but with a maturity beyond its years. Robust peaty, with that unmistakable breath of the seashore, The Ileach is a “true man from Islay� Distributed by Select Drams, Bay 1, Hamilton Road Industrial Estate, Strathaven, Ml10 6UB Tel: +44 (0)1357 521742 Produced & Bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd 2 Stewart Street, Milngavie, Glasgow, G62 6BW Tel: 0141 955 1700 www.vintagemaltwhisky.com
Cask and Still Magazine | 21
THE STORY SO FAR 1941
1949
2016
The SS Politician, an 8,000-ton cargo ship, left Liverpool on 3 February 1941. Heading for Jamaica and New Orleans, its cargo included 28,000 cases of malt whisky, but the ship encountered gale force winds off the coast of Scotland and ran aground off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides just two days later.
Based on the 1947 novel by Compton Mackenzie, the original film is released. Shot in Barra during a wet summer in 1948 and released in June 1949, the movie was an instant hit the world over. Starring Basil Radford, it enjoyed success in the USA under the title Tight Little Island.
The hotly anticipated 21st-century remake of Whisky Galore is due to hit cinemas. Filming took place throughout 2015, with the colour remake set to showcase Scotland’s beauty. It will also introduce new audiences to this wonderful story, and excite existing fans.
22 | The Rant
Ageing
POPULATION What is it with the lack of clarity on No Age Statement whiskies? Consumers need to know Written by Johanne McInnis
I
t’s enough to make any whisky lover choke on their morning coffee. On October 29 the news broke that the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) had officially advised one of the whisky industry’s most inventive and progressive mavericks, specialist small batch whisky maker Compass Box, that its recent activity was illegal. And just what, I hear you cry, had incurred the wrath of the SWA – or rather, one of its members? Nothing less than the heinous act of ... transparency. It would seem that by posting on its website the recipes of two recently released No Age Statement (NAS) whiskies, Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary and This Is Not A Luxury Whisky, Compass Box had done the unthinkable – it had provided too much information to whisky consumers. The company’s website offered up information on the distilleries and types of casks used, as well as how old some of these were, and – I hope you’re sitting down now – the percentages of each of the whiskies in the blends. So, let me get this straight. American John Glaser – the former wine aficionado turned whisky expert whose completely laudable rationale in starting up Compass Box was to ‘make great Scotch whisky more approachable and relevant to more people’ – has been ordered to take down the detailed descriptions of his two NAS blends because he has provided consumers with too much information about his products?
Now the SWA may simply be following the letter of the law by upholding the relevant EU dictat (if you’re interested, it’s Regulation 110/2008, which was drafted in 1989 and covers the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks). But the sheer ridiculousness of Compass Box being penalised for being honest and transparent in a world awash with marketing machinations has rightly raised whisky lovers’ hackles. Prior to my birth in the mid 60s, pretty much every whisky on the market was blended unless you were lucky enough to taste an aged 8 year-old Scotch. And then, along came the age of the Single Malts, the higher-margin product where provenance and age were the justification for charging a premium. Over the past 25 years, the industry’s marketing bods have consistently hyped the importance of age statements. On the ground, the message that old is good has been relentlessly rammed home. In the 25 years I’ve been a serious whisky drinker, virtually all of the marketing and masterclass brand ambassadors I trust have emphasised to me that age really matters. That orthodoxy has been with me for my entire whisky-loving life – until a spike in worldwide demand led to a shortage of suitably ancient amber nectar. All of a sudden, because it suited the industry’s need to drive sales, the tune changed. I recall the first NAS whiskies hitting the market around 2010 to a predictably splenetic response from whisky consumers who instinctively felt they were being conned. Even as recently as 2013 if you so much as whispered the words ‘No Age Statement’, you were guaranteed to be subjected to conspiracy theories about greedy corporations milking every cent out of the poor whisky consumer.
Virtually all of the marketing and masterclass brand ambassadors I trust have emphasised that age really matters
Cask and Still Magazine | 23
THE MOST EXPENSIVE NO AGE STATEMENT WHISKIES
Below: No Age Statement whiskies are increasingly common yet controversial.
THE MACALLAN M
I tuned out and switched off. I didn’t care, because the arguments were beyond ridiculous in some cases. Everyone seemed to be crying foul about the industry conning us into buying these inflated over-marketed sub-par whiskies. It was a divisive issue, with even the amiable whisky video reviewer Ralfy Mitchell going so far as to state he would not review any NAS whiskies in 2015. And that’s to say nothing of the heated debates I’ve gotten into on Twitter. I’m an advocate of paying for quality - period. But the cynics have a valid point about the lack of transparency on bottle labels and the ‘toe the line’ answers we get from the ambassadors. The rules state that whisky must be aged a minimum of three years but beyond that – who knows? What’s to stop a distillery launching a NAS whisky made up of 98% 3-year-old and 2% 15-year-old? Nothing. We’d never know. The conspiracy theorists ask why whisky companies can’t just be honest and tell them there is three-year-old in that bottle and let them be the judge of whether or not they want to spend that much money on the whisky? There is no sensible comeback to that question. So back to the original issue. On one hand we have a company in Compass Box which regularly discusses its whisky compositions with a master blender who wants to be transparent by telling his customers exactly what they are paying for. On the other hand we have the SWA, which gets a complaint by one of its members that nonmember Compass Box is not playing nicely.
Of course I understand that the SWA is simply doing its job, but in my opinion enforcing this vague law only fuels the already explosive argument about NAS and feeds the suspicion that producers have something to hide. Rules are not easy to change, largely because they are there to protect consumers from deceptive practices. But the regulations are also there to ensure market transparency and fair competition. Where in the name of the consumer is that right now? Whisky buyers are struggling with the idea of inflated prices and are demanding insight into what they are paying for, while the SWA is hiding behind the fact that the law is simply not meant to be broken, which seems no sort of defence. Did you know that it was once against the law in Missouri for a fireman to rescue a woman if she was wearing a nightgown? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Can a similar analogy be applied to Compass Box simply trying to do what is best for the consumer and ignoring an outdated regulation? I think so. And that’s when it hit me – as a consumer I really don’t have someone protecting my best interests right now. If the members of the SWA truly want their customers to buy into the fact that NAS whiskies are here to stay, it’s time to look at changing the regulations and stop hiding behind outdated laws. The SWA is clearly applying its mandate to protect and represent the interests of the whisky industry rather than consumers. And that really is ridiculous.
The rare ‘Imperiale’ version sold for £381,620 at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in January, a new world record.
THE YAMAZAKI SHERRY CASK Suntory launched this at around £100, but since Jim Murray named it ‘world’s best whisky’ it can fetch ten times that at auction.
THE BALVENIE TUN 1509
The scarcity of William Grant & Sons’ follow-up to the Tun 1401 series has seen its £225 price tag soar.
24 | Breathable alcohol
Haar
OF THE
DOG Breathable alcoholic clouds are having a bit of a moment, but we know how you can create your own. Take a deep breath... Written by Blair Bowman
Cask and Still Magazine | 25 >>>
26 | Breathable alcohol
hen I mentioned to our esteemed editor Mr Bath that it is now possible to make a cloud of whisky, I had no idea that within days I’d be dressed in a lab coat and goggles, looking for all the world like a nutty whisky professor. Ardbeg have created a specially designed machine that can produce a single malt ‘mist’ that can be poured over cocktails or whose vapour can simply be inhaled. Another company creating vaporised alcohol are Bombas & Parr, who recently created a room full of breathable gin and tonic clouds. Used mainly by the sort of achingly trendy style bars which are always looking for something new, using the machine is quite a unique experience. I was lucky enough to inhale my first Ardbeg Haar at the Ardbeg Distillery, where I was introduced to the new Ardbeg Haar machine (for non-Scots speakers, a ‘haar’ is the thick sea mist that often shrouds coastal areas of Scotland). In the words of L’Oreal, ‘Here comes the science bit, so concentrate.’ The machine looks like a carafe and uses a process called hydrodynamic cavitation to turn the whisky into a cloud of vapour. The mist is created by pouring the single malt into a vibrating crystal carafe, this creates ultrasonic pressure waves that change the water of life into micro droplets, turning the precious liquid into a good old-fashioned alcoholic pea soup. Got it?
Right: The tools required for making your very own whisky cloud at home.
In the words of L’Oreal, ‘here comes the science, so concentrate’
Fig. 1
WHISKY INVENTIONS JOHNNIE WALKER MOUSTACHE WAX
John Walker, a moustache bearer himself, would surely have approved of whisky flavoured waxes designed to
smooth stray facial hair while enhancing the taste of your drink. Choose from pepper, citrus or ginger root for a lingering below-nostril scent.
Cask and Still Magazine | 27 >>>
Fig
Fig. 2
.5
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
28 | Breathable alcohol
Below: Build up pressure in a plastic bottle using a pump.
Fig. 6
Cask and Still Magazine | 29 >>>
However, if you want one of these machines at home, it will cost you somewhere in the region of £150. You also need to use about a half bottle of whisky to get the desired effect. But I am a Scot and as such am proud of our nation’s invention and achievements in the field of science (and alcohol). I knew I could find a cheaper and more hands-on way of making a whisky cloud, so with the help of my willing and glamorous assistant and guinea pig, Cask & Still’s very own Morag Bootland, I embarked on an experimental afternoon that would involve a heady mix of science and cask strength whisky. Far be it from me to question the upbringing of my assistant, but on aiding me in gathering the tools to create our very own cloud, the lovely Morag seemed concerned that she was being asked to partake in a whisky bong. After my assurances that this was all above board and legal, we carried on with our preparations. Firstly we set up a sterile lab environment and gathered the slightly less-than-sterile equipment required. I plumped for the strongest whisky that I could find, ensuring that the liquid had the legs required to cling to the empty two-litre plastic bottle that is a key piece of kit in creating the cloud. After pouring the liquid into the bottle, a champagne cork with a hole drilled through the middle was inserted into the neck of the bottle and in turn the valve of a foot pump was shoved unceremoniously into this. Then, with an assured arm and a brave heart, Morag depressed the pump with all her might,
The lovely Morag seemed genuinely concerned that I was asking her to partake in some sort of whisky bong until the bottle could take no more. Next came the part that required my rather fetching goggles. In one swift movement, the valve was removed and the cork teased out of the bottle. As it shot halfway across the lab, Morag readied her lungs for a puff of the, ahem, bong. What had been a small pool of whisky in the base of the bottle was now a cloud which Morag inhaled with all the gusto of a woman who never wastes a drop. The cloud was described as ‘cool and not unpleasant’ by my chief tester while she said the flavour was more subtle than drinking a dram. Like experiencing all the wonderful flavours of whisky, but without the satisfying warmth. The aftereffects were certainly less dramatic than had my subject partaken of a dram and I’m sorry to report that she seemed disappointingly sober. Side effects were described as an ‘annoying wee frog in my throat, and a pounding headache’, so take from that what you will. So that’s my guide to making your own whisky cloud at home (follow these instructions at your own risk!). Please enjoy vaporised whisky more responsibly than the Cask & Still team!
WHISKY INVENTIONS BALLANTINE’S SPACE GLASS
Whisky-loving space travellers will be queuing round the block. Ballantine’s Space Glass was designed by
the Open Space Agency to work under conditions of zero gravity. Earth dwellers might appreciate the beautiful design and the warming element of the rounded base.
30 | Breathable alcohol
WHISKY INVENTIONS
THE WORLD’S FIRST BREATHABLE COCKTAIL BAR Bompas & Parr bring a new form of alchemy to London’s Borough Market in the shape of walk-in cloud bar, Alcoholic Architecture, where humidifiers turn
spirits and mixers into a cloud of alcohol. Customers don protective plastic ponchos and wander around, breathing in the cocktail vapour.
WHAT YOU NEED: • A bike or foot pump. • An empty plastic drinks bottle – at least one litre capacity, but larger is better. • A cork with a hole drilled in it – Champagne is better as it makes a tight seal around the bottle. • Whisky; the higher the abv the better the reaction, so go for something cask strength.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
JOHNNIE WALKER’S VIBRATING WHISKY GLASS Making a brief appearance this year in London and giving a glimpse of possible future bar culture, the hightech glass could send audio signals
through the lower jaw as vibrations with each sip. Bespoke audio tracks were developed to enhance the brain’s perception of the whisky’s flavour.
• Pour a small amount of the whisky into the empty bottle. • Put the lid of the bottle back on and roll the bottle around to coat the inside of it. • Pour any excess whisky out of the bottle. • Fit the cork into the top of the bottle. • Note this step takes two people: Person 1 hold the nozzle of the bike/foot pump flush against the drilled hole on the cork. Person 2 - pump the bike/foot pump until you can’t do any more. • Once the bottle is pressurised, hold it in place for a few seconds. • In one swift movement release the bike/foot pump nozzle and remove the cork. If you’ve followed the steps above, the bottle will now fill with a whisky cloud when the pressure is released.
Above: The Ardbeg Haar. Below: The Macallan hip flask was designed in collaboration with Oakley.
WHISKY AUCTION Wednesday 9 December 2015 Edinburgh Entries Invited
ENQUIRIES 0131 225 2266 martin.green@bonhams.com Bonhams 22 Queen Street Edinburgh EH2 1JX
Our whisky specialist offers free and confidential valuations with a view to selling in our forthcoming auctions.
THE MACALLAN SELECT RESERVE52 YEAR OLD-1946
bonhams.com/whisky
32 | Whisky Cocktails
THE MIX
ALL IN
Feel like mixing it up? Six perfect whisky cocktails to get the party started
KISS FROM A ROSE
ORDER OF THE SAINT
COMMODORE 64
35ml Date-infused rock oyster;
40ml Monkey Shoulder; 10ml
35ml Great King St. Glasgow Blend;
15ml Lucky Liquor Co. rose liqueur;
Benedictine; 20ml homemade
25ml Lucky Liquor Co. coconut
20ml lemon juice; 12.5ml simple
grapefruit oleo saccharum;
liqueur; 20ml lemon juice; 10ml
syrup; 10ml Fino sherry; 15ml egg
1 barspoon orange marmalade
Grenadine; 15ml egg white; 1 dash
white; 1 dash Angostura bitters METHOD: Add all ingredients
saline solution METHOD: Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill with cubed ice. Stir for
METHOD: Add all ingredients
to a shaker, dry shake briefly
approximately 30 seconds. Double
to a shaker, dry shake briefly
without ice. Then, add cubed ice
strain into a Prohibition Martini
without ice. Then, add cubed ice
to the shaker and shake hard for
glass and garnish with an orange
to the shaker and shake hard for
approximately 20 seconds. Double
twist.
approximately 20 seconds. Double
strain into a coupette glass and garnish with a dry rose bud.
strain into a coupette glass.
Cask and Still Magazine | 33
FORTUNATO
CAMPBELTOWN COCKTAIL
SAY CHEEEESE!
syrup; 15ml lemon juice; 10ml egg
45ml Springbank 10yo; 15ml Cherry
galia melon syrup; 7ml ginger
white; 1 dash Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s
Heering; 10ml Green Chartreuse
extract; 20ml freshly squeezed
40ml Ardmore Legacy; 10ml Gutierrez Colosia Amontillado sherry; 10ml white Creme de Cacao; 10ml homemade demerara vanilla
Aphrodite Bitters
40ml Stilton-washed Islay Mist Scotch whisky; 15ml homemade
lemon juice; 15ml egg white METHOD: Add all ingredients to
METHOD: Add all ingredients
a shaker, fill with cubed ice. Stir
METHOD: Add all ingredients
to a shaker, dry shake briefly
for 30-40 seconds (this needs
to a shaker, dry shake briefly
without ice. Then, add cubed ice
quite a lot of dilution). Strain into
without ice. Then, add cubed ice
to the shaker and shake hard for
a Prohibition Martini glass and
to the shaker and shake hard for
approximately 20 seconds. Double
garnish with a lemon twist.
approximately 20 seconds. Strain
strain into an old-fashioned glass
into an old-fashioned glass with a
and garnish with a lemon twist.
large block of ice and a lemon twist.
Our cocktails were made by Bramble, The Last Word Cocktail Saloon and The Lucky Liquor Co. www.bramblebar.co.uk
www.lastwordsaloon.com
www.luckyliquorco.com
34 | Japanese whisky
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Pioneering
Written by Blair Bowman
A maverick from a family steeped in centuries-old sake tradition, Ichiro Akuto has single-handedly turned Japanese whisky into a worldwide phenomenon
36 | Japanese whisky
Pictured: Ichiro Akuto, raising the profile of Japanese whiskies.
chiro Akuto is something of a living legend within the world of whisky. This quietly-spoken maverick is the man who revolutionised the once-sleepy world of Japanese whisky, who brought innovation and imagination into the most conservative of industries, and who then exported the best of the Land of the Rising Sun to the rest of the world. Jim Murray may be credited with catapulting Japanese whisky to the top of the international spirits tree, but it was Akuto who planted the seed and nurtutred it. Without Akuto there
would be no international prizes and the world of Japanese whisky would have remained the sleepy backwater it was when he entered it. The irony is that the modern-day Godfather of Japanese whisky represents the twenty-first generation of a family that has been producing sake in Japan for more than four centuries. Indeed, his family’s original drinks operation is ongoing on the same site in the village of Chichibu, producing sake and shochu, but the story begins in 1941 when his grandfather, Isouji Akuto, established a second sake brewery
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The new owners had no interest in whisky production, let alone maturing casks and shochu distillery in the city of Hanyu. In 1946, Isouji was granted a licence to distil whisky, naming the distillery after the city. Fast forward to 1980 and the family, headed by Ichiro’s father, Yukata, took the risky decision to switch production to a single malt Scotch whisky. Until now, the whisky produced had been made from grain and distilled in a continuous steel still, which was blended with imported Scotch whisky and bottled. Single malt Scotch whisky continued to be produced until 2000, when financial concerns halted production.
After working as a brand manager for Suntory, Japan’s largest whisky company, Ichiro left to help save the family firm, and in 2004 took the difficult decision to sell Hanyu Distillery to concentrate on the family’s core business, sake and shochu production. When the distillery was dismantled, Ichiro bought up the distilling equipment with a view to one day owning his own distillery. The distillery was sold to a Kyoto-based shochu producer, with the sale including around 400 casks of maturing whisky. The new owners, however, had no interest in whisky production, let alone maturing casks of whisky. The casks were about to be used to make shochu when Ichiro stepped in and managed to buy them back. These rescued casks became the basis for the hugely successful Playing Card series. In 2005, Ichiro’s dream of owning his own distillery finally came true. Having purchased land in his home town of Chichibu, he set about building a distillery – the first to be built in Japan since the 1970s. But instead of using the old Hanyu equipment, he started from scratch, buying new equipment; copper pot stills from Forsyths and eight wooden washbacks made from the Japanese oak Mizunara. Ichiro’s story cannot be told without a mention of Marcin Miller, the founding publisher and editor of Whisky Magazine. In 1999, he flew to Japan to taste a range of Japanese whiskies and having tried little in the way of Japanese whisky before the trip, fell in love with the country and its drink. During his time in Japan, Marcin met David Croll, who ran a successful Scotch whisky distribution outfit in Tokyo. Keen to share Japanese whiskies with a wider audience, Marcin and David set up the Number One Drinks Company in 2004 and set about introducing Japanese whisky to the worldwide market. Their first project was securing the worldwide rights to distribute the Playing Card Series. This series of bottlings had been
Cask and Still Magazine | 39
RITA SETS UP FIRST Born in 1896, Scot Rita Cowan, a doctor’s daughter from Kirkintilloch, is considered the mother of the domestic whisky industry in Japan. She met Masataka Taketsuru, founder of the renowned Nikka Whisky Distilling Co, while he was studying organic chemistry at Glasgow University for his employers Suntory, one of
made up of the remaining casks of Hanyu that Ichiro purchased when the distillery closed and have gone on to gain an iconic status within the world of whisky. So much so that a full set of Ichiro’s Playing Card Series, comprising 54 bottles, sold for more than £319,000 at auction earlier this year. Another major coup came in 2011 when they bought the remaining inventory of Karuizawa whisky – the distillery stopped production at the same time as Hanyu – as well as worldwide distribution rights. At the same auction that saw the sale of the Playing Card Series, a bottle of Karuizawa 1960 sold for £77,000, breaking the record for the single most expensive Japanese whisky ever sold at auction. It all adds up to Ichiro not being your average whisky producer. A pioneer, he likes to stand out from the crowd and is meticulous in all that he does, from sourcing peat in Scotland to constant experimentation with different casks and techniques. Everything he does is famously well planned and orchestrated. The company makes an annual trip to the UK, bringing all ten distillery staff to learn about
Japan’s biggest wine importers. Having expressed his love to Rita, Masataka revealed to her his wish to help make real whisky in Japan. He worked as an apprentice in distilleries across Scotland before returning to Japan where, with Rita’s devoted support, he opened the renowned Nikka Whisky Distilling Co distillery in Yoichi in 1934.
A full set of Ichiro’s Playing Card Series sold for more than £319,000 at auction this year new brewing and distilling techniques which they can implement on their return to Japan. Thanks to innovative marketing by Ichiro and Number One Drinks, the increase in popularity of Japanese whisky has added a substantial premium to the price of a bottle of whisky from Japan. On one hand it is good news that Japanese whisky is receiving the attention it so rightly deserves, but on the other it runs the risk of pricing itself out of the market. In a similar manner to Scotch whisky, Japanese whisky stocks are now depleted, which is leading to more premium-priced, no-agestatement whiskies being released. Time will tell whether Japanese whisky in general will return to a more acceptable pricing level, but one thing is for sure – any whisky made or bottled by Ichiro will always be in high demand.
Below: A selection of the 54 bottles that make up the Playing card series.
40 | Guitar Maker
Pictured: Jimmy Moon, who made all of Dougie MacLean’s signature guitars, with the Caledonia guitar.
Cask and Still Magazine | 41
Moon SHINE
Music and a dram are a match made in heaven, which is why a guitar made from a whisky barrel makes perfect sense
W
hen singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean wrote Caledonia, he had no idea it would connect with so many people. And not just the public, it also struck a chord, quite literally, with Glasgow guitar maker, Jimmy Moon. ‘In 2009 Edradour distillery owner Andrew Symington created a special bottling of his Edradour 12-year-old single cask and called it Caledonia,’ Jimmy explained. ‘So as a way of promoting the whisky, and because Dougie was receiving a Tartan Clef award at the Nordoff Robbins event that year, we thought we could make a guitar out of the first barrel and auction it for the charity.’ With oak not the usual material for making a guitar, Jimmy had his work cut out for him. ‘It was quite difficult as we had to work out how we could dry it quickly because we had very little time. There were only three or four spars wide enough for the sides, and the neck
was made out of the top/bottom of the barrel. We were looking for a certain cut to make the neck stable and we laminated it, using three different pieces. One of the lads that worked with us, his cousin was a violin maker from Fair Isle. He found a spruce log on the beach on Fair Isle, so we used it for the soundboard – I was thinking very commercially for the auction and it gave the guitar a great story.’ With the guitar complete, the success of the project was always going to be in the playing. ‘While you wouldn’t choose to make a guitar out of oak, when I actually tried playing it I was surprised at how good it was. It also smells of whisky. ‘It was great fun working on the project. We even managed to get a half-bottle of whisky out the bottom of the barrel, which we sieved through our teeth.’ The guitar was bought at the auction by Edradour’s owner Andrew Symington and now has pride of place at the distillery.
For more information about Jimmy’s work, visit www.moonguitars.co.uk
42 | Counterfeiting
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at otch th c S o t ks er it olic Drin d all ov h e o p lc m A a t rain e’ s From G has ‘fak y k is h me w isn’t, so n by Writte ean s MacL Charle
, Roberts two, Ian ther e th f o eo ger Sons; th he youn Rome. T John Walker & Italy. They are in r a b t f r r in rs o tch ma enter a s ly by the directo lker’s distributo ost popular Sco wo men m Ita e is , Wa th to le te , a t a r n it e d e V e s alk Th has been o Wax of Wax & s of Johnnie W forgery. ric ttle rable to : s e it is Dr En r counterfeit bo the most vulne r berts w fo a result sses, Ro hunting y as t, and as t back to his bo e k r a , as man m in the repor rger bars idence to is la h e th In . in 56 ple ev played April 19 mises I here is am h are dis s of Scotc r is prominent. T In some dozen pre ost n io ct le se e m . e s lk fe a a iv ri w ss W ’ is hnnie alker ‘get up ‘…impre e shelf. Jo tion of Johnnie W he Swiss f one Swiss n T o … n ts o e s d rk o 20 bran r importa t up’ for other ma e contents th was o t irregula I tasted th harsh; the streng s… le show tha nd Black Label ‘g tt o b d n ry a to six da original.’ d, was fie ties of up noted Re in quanti h was badly filtere ed, as labels were d n a t n e evid , whic en refill e whisky iously be bottle. Th is bottle had obv Th at 26UP.
44 | Counterfeiting
et se mark e Chine th g in the to grow brand is ation’ in here the of his study he investig w , s l’ ie Dan urse hese bad omplete for Jack In the co scale. ‘T ntered ‘c and t seller. u ic s o o e c r b e n fake e h .3 y a s o e le N printed ud on places th us labels, capsu e, we ered fra ed fake bottles, e v m o o m c g o In some R n s o , u a b h ons’ – factur de Itali les wit ys manu n filled the bott ’ he reported falsificati n the Café Gran being used for o b ?), . ‘I bel d the was half contents ttle of Black La (sorghum ing that labels an he bottle e and the ble spirit employers, add d bo ‘T a . a ib ts d r r c n e s u b e ls fo fa Ro ind rican ing an e,’ wrote mpletely his Ame advertis the media. A bar trad bels were all co back to ur.’ eir own e u in th g iq d a L in la h d ne n nn full. The sted like scente ‘they eve al campaigns ru ture; a stand-alo ot a new n ta is n n y e ts o k v n ti his bal ting conte promo feiting w has a glo el marke Counter Scotch whisky lly parall iness.” is ta th French to d n . a s bu guished enon duct ld The unterfeit ently, the distin phenom as a quality pro ders seeking to o c c a lentin, to t n n e a o tr o r V ti s ti e e r n u ta g o r te u lo e p u M re e in rup nterne pert, S as n with th ges unsc r and ex rch 2008 that: ‘I to c e ll encoura tage by ‘imitatio is better known faker’s o c 16 Ma h ecome a s, old an tsman on ke eBay have b le take adv or defraud’, whic ny forms: co tt S o b ] e ma mpty sites li to deceiv ing. This takes uy old [e xes. There is auction b n a c u it fe . Yo y bo an be counter paradise ules and displa usly it c ut obvio Labels can b aps , c , is ls th e t b . la ou als illegal ab ulous individu and stains nothing ed crup c s u n d u o r y p b o misused pied, tax stamps efilled with wh co are r . s n le o tt ti c o be laser u b a hen the t up for added.’ T t liquid and pu a h w s AS A know COTCH NON-S A F F O ING Scotch Y 3. PASS WHISK nt of the tion’ e H C tm r T a O p SC func s De its ‘core al Affair The Leg sociation states h n “Scotc y NOWN hisky As scriptio K e isuse – b W d L m L e t E th c ITH tecting G OF W r indire o o W d r t IN n Y c ‘p a L L e s n L a ir IL o td SUA REF tiati ) ” agains 1. THE TLES, U on, nego laints.’ The ABOVE Whisky p ED BOT ROT-GUT (AS legal acti r , m D fo n o N o t c e l A ti a k a gal R r g B investi d crimin wyers, a parale vely ma MADE n li g Y a a L e in L is v e b ti A e r a s la e e tr e n 60 ic th is e v LOC r e s fi in p s ie adm higher les betw rld. countr mprise d h k o y n r c it n a o t a w h n (c , m e d s e n r o In ttle su ew departm ta assistants, a hisky bo ith its clo a major ll over th : empty w bottle comes w go two da e time, a ples from 2014 a n d s o n r a a y e n y n a e o t e m a n th m a s a x o if e e g S s r . a id g e in c a n p nd rto inin evelop and 70 g Highla le) or ca e enterta f a year d or capsu are thre company offerin with a e neck o n, e y spent r th n e a to H p in m ’, o e r c ed rian Malt whisky to be fitt urs Indian child A Bulga ink with r, with Eilean closure o e the holic Dr o e ip g p lc n g ti A a c refillable In less than 24 h b e in ite of th ‘Gra for coll ay a kilted le. w g le n tt a nd. In sp ib o ti s u d b n o ic n ame r o e p u n g p e th k s e fo d c e l r th a t, e b n r b ly e e e la h th large ontin that ‘neit astle in with ottle. who are les in the sub-c Donan C izarrely arguing cial association ing the b tt g o a b m a ty b e d p p y t s n u em a y o p n h a it m d o c r ha wn. ve it w bagpipe perial LES withdra to remo nor the D BOTT and was ertising Scotia Im r E b D e N th A ’ y adv Scotland G OF BR compan FORGIN CAL HOOCH . Ten n Indian d A e it 2. THE O fe L r counte WITH l FILLED ly Scotch that is taking a ‘specia r n e o d t n o u n It is d was o, a frien years ag
NG I T I E F R E T N COU A T O N S I Y K WHIS N O N E M O N E H NEW P
Cask and Still Magazine | 45 >>>
Pictured: Labels showing examples of non-Scotch whisky portrayed as originating from Scotland.
ARDSHIEL HOTEL Scottish Field “Whisky Bar of the Year” Winners for 2013 & 2014
A feast of Scotland at Arisaig Bar & Restaurant Arisaig is a contemporary Scottish restaurant and bar in Glasgow’s vibrant Merchant Square. Scotland’s fantastic natural produce is at the heart of our menus.
Award winning whisky bar with over 700 whiskies. Restaurant offering Scottish food made from the best regional ingredients. Whisky tastings and food matching arranged. Kilkerran Road, Campbeltown, Argyll PA28 6JL Tel: 01586 552133 info@ardshiel.co.uk
www.ardshiel.co.uk
facebook.com/ardshielhotel
We have an amazing collection of Scottish malt whisky. Comprising old favourites, independent bottlings and some rare gems, Arisaig’s Scotch collection repays in-depth exploration. Our knowledgeable staff are happy to help diners navigate it.
Come and see us. We promise a warm, Scottish welcome. +44 (0)141 553 1010 info@arisaigrestaurant.co.uk 1 Merchant Square, Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1LE www.arisaigrestaurant.co.uk
Cask and Still Magazine | 47
confusion with Scotch was clear and after an action was raised in the High Court in Pretoria the brand owner agreed to remove all indications of Scottish origin.
Above: Familiar colours and label design blur the lines between real and fake.
‘Blended Scotch Whisky’, with a tartan background and a small shield depicting a rampant lion in its print ads. The defendant claimed that ‘Scotia’ is an architectural term relating to a concave moulding, especially at the base of a column. Further, the whisky was ‘a unique blend perfected from Indian malts and select Scotch whisky.’ Thankfully the High Court in Bombay did not agree and the SWA was granted an injunction. A South African company producing Clan – described as ‘Ultra Fine, Ultra Smooth, Whiskey Flavoured Aperitif’ – featured an illustration of a kilted Highlander on the label. Although the label also stated that the spirit was ‘Produced and Bottled in South Africa’, the possibility of
THEY CLAIMED ‘SCOTIA’ IS AN ARCHITECTURE TERM
4. FORGING OLD LABELS AND (POSSIBLY) ATTACHING THEM TO OLD BOTTLES Such items are usually offered for sale at auction, and fall outside the remit of the SWA. They are often very difficult to spot. Dr Nicholas Morgan acquired a bottle of what purported to be an 1897 Talisker ‘Skye Malt Liqueur Whisky’ for the Diageo archive. It looked authentic, but he was suspicious and kept the bottle on his desk for months. ‘The description was odd,’ he mused. ‘The label and capsule both looked too clean, and the label, illustrated with an engraving of the distillery, too sophisticated. It was only after long consideration that the penny dropped: the illustration included the tall chimney the distillery has today, but which was only erected in 1961/62.’ In a sensational 2002 article in Whisky Magazine, my colleague Dave Broom explored the phenomenon of this and similar fakes. One example was an 1872 Macallan ‘Bottled by Roderick Kemp, Proprietors, Macallan and Talisker Distilleries Ltd’. Kemp did own both distilleries – but not at the same time. This and the exceptional number of 19th century Macallans coming to auction in the late 1990s has not gone unnoticed by aficionados. Many were bought by the distillery itself, for their archive; the rest were eagerly snapped up by collectors – Macallan was, and is, the most collected of all whiskies. Reluctantly, the brand owners were persuaded to have a number of their bottles examined by a lab in Oxford. Tests indicated that the bottles themselves and the paper used for the labels were genuine, but when samples of the whisky were assessed it was clear that the liquid had been made after 1946 – in common with all other organic material since the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it registered minuscule traces of radioactivity.
48 | A bluffer’s guide to...
Right: The C&S house tipple
A BLUFFER’ S GUIDE TO. .
Whisky labels
Baffled by jargon? Fear not, here’s our idiot’s guide to decoding those fiendish labels...
Something that can be quite daunting to the novice whisky drinker is interpreting a whisky simply by looking just at the label on a bottle. There is a lot of information to take in. However, thanks in large measure to the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 certain aspects relating to the labelling of Scotch Whisky are now legally requirements.
CATEGORY OF SCOTCH WHISKY By law the category of whisky will be displayed prominently on the front of the bottle as well as on any packaging. Ie: ‘Single Malt Scotch Whisky’, ‘Single Grain Scotch Whisky’, ‘Blended Scotch Whisky’, ‘Blended Malt Scotch Whisky’ or ‘Blended Grain Scotch Whisky’.
NAME OF DISTILLERY Normally the most prominent wording on a label is the name of the whisky, usually the
name of the distillery. The name of a distillery
SOMETHI N G THAT CAN BE QUI T E DAUNTI N G TO THE NOVI C E WHI S KY DRI N KER I S I N TERPRETI N G A WHI S KY BY LOOKI N G JUST AT THE LABEL ON A BOTTLE
can only be added to the label if that whisky has been wholly distilled at that distillery. This is what makes a single malt a single malt – it comes from only one distillery. Alternatively, Blended Scotch Whisky is made up of whiskies from a variety of different distilleries.
LOCATION The Scotch Whisky Regulations define five distinct regions with regards to whisky production. These are ‘Highlands’, ‘Lowlands’, ‘Speyside’, ‘Islay’ and ‘Campbeltown’. The only addition that can be added to the category description is the Scottish locality or region, which is allowed to precede the category. So, a Single Malt Scotch Whisky distilled in the region of Speyside may be labelled as ‘Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky’ (the words must appear in this order).
Cask and Still Magazine | 49
VOLUME EU directives mean that the standard size of bottle for whisky is 70cl (700 ml). In the USA their standard bottle size is 75cl (750ml). However, if you buy whiskies at Duty Free these are normally sold in 1 litre bottles. Note that whiskies can also legally be sold in smaller or larger volumes.
STRENGTH Another legal requirement is that the strength of the whisky in the bottle must be clearly visible. The legal minimum alcoholic strength for whisky is 40% abv (alcohol by volume), but higher strength whiskies can be sold (see ‘Cask Strength’ in the Geeky Glossary).
AGE STATEMENT OR NAME FOR BOTTLING The legal minimum age for all forms of Scotch Whisky is at least three years. Anything under three years maturation can not be sold as Scotch Whisky. The age statement on the bottle must show the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. For example if a whisky contains a blend of 10-yearold, 12-year-old and 15-year-old Scotch Whiskies, then the only age that can be added to the bottle is 10 years old. When no age is given on a bottle of Scotch Whisky this can be referred to as a No Age Statement bottling. There will be no reference to the age of the whisky. These are simply names given to that bottling.
DISTILLED AND BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND Again, this is another legal requirement. Since 2012, all Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be distilled, matured and bottled in Scotland. Prior to that whisky was often shipped in large vats to the country where it was going to be sold and then bottled locally.
THE GEEKY GLOSSARY NON CHILL FILTERED If you see this on the label it means that the whisky has not been chill filtered – a process where the whisky is cooled to a few degrees centigrade and then passed through filters to remove certain fatty acids, proteins and esters. This is done for cosmetic reasons as whisky that is non chill filtered will sometimes go cloudy in the bottle if it is cold, or cloudy in a glass when water is added. Purists don’t like their whisky being tampered with so will often look for whiskies that say Non Chill Filtered on the bottle. NO ADDED CARAMEL Some whisky producers add caramel colouring (E150a is the technical name for it) to darken the colour of the whisky. Again, this is done for cosmetic reasons, sometimes to make younger whiskies look older but mainly to create consistency of colour. The official line is that E150a is tasteless and that the amount used is so small that it does not affect the end taste. Again, purists will look out for bottles that proudly state No Added Caramel. CASK TYPE The type of cask is sometimes noted on the label. Most whiskies are matured in ex-bourbon barrels or ex-sherry butts but wine finishes have become more popular too. This information can give you an indication of the kinds of flavours you might expect. In simple tems: ex-bourbon means vanilla and fresh fruity flavours, while ex-sherry means dried fruits and sweet sherry notes.
CASK STRENGTH This indicates that the whisky has not been reduced down to the standard bottling strength (of 40% abv). Whiskies that are labeled as cask strength are normally bottled at the strength they were in the cask when the maturation had finished, hence the name ‘Cask Strength’. This lets you experience the whisky in its most natural state. Note: these whiskies could be anywhere between 50-60% abv. They pack a real punch. Some connoisseurs enjoy drinking them at this strength but it’s best to take a sip neat then gradually add water until you are happy with the strength and you have lost the alcohol prickle. DISTILLATION DATE / BOTTLING DATE Distillation and bottling dates are often seen on Single Cask Bottlings. This is when a whisky is bottled from just one cask of whisky. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society only bottle Single Cask Bottlings. Sometimes the bottle may even say the exact day, as well as month and year, that the whisky was distilled and then the bottling date. You can then calculate the age of the whisky if it is not already noted on the label. OUTTURN The outturn appears on Scotch Malt Whisky Society labels as well as other independent bottlers who bottle Single Cask Bottlings. This is the number of bottles that were bottled from the single cask (eg 1 of 250 bottles).
THE BOW BAR
Located in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, the Bow Bar has 310 whiskies to choose from and 8 real ales from across the UK. Independent whisky bottlers are well represented and up to 40 international bottle beers can be found here. Food is limited to lunch only including Steak Pies or Haggis Pies. Winner of: ‘Whisky Pub of the Year’ 2012, Dram Whisky Bar of the Year’ 2014. 80 West Bow, Edinburgh, Tel: 0131 226 7667 email: bowbaredinburgh@gmail.com
Passionate About Whisky Shipping around the world from The Malt Wisky Capital of The World
1 Fife Street, Dufftown, Scotland, AB55 4AL enquiries@whiskyshopdufftown.com 01340 821 097
www.whiskyshopdufftown.com
Cask and Still Magazine | 51
‘I haven’t drank since I started working in the bar’
Not your average Joe Octogenarian Joe Brandie retains the true spirit of Speyside behind the bar at the Fiddichside Inn Written by Kirsty Smyth
E
ighty-six-year old Joe Brandie is a Speyside legend. Proprietor of the Fiddichside Inn at Craigellachie, he has been single-handedly running the pub for the last six years. Owned by the same family for almost a century – it was taken over by Joe’s late wife’s parents in 1919 – the Fiddichside is a treasured relic of a bygone time before flat screen TVs, fruit machines and pub food. A cooper by trade, Joe worked for Macallan before a back injury forced a career change and he became a ghillie on the Spey, a job he held for 27 years
before retiring 20 years ago and taking a more active role in the pub alongside his wife Dorothy. Ironically, it was Joe’s cue to stop drinking. ‘Being a worker at Macallan I used to drink Macallan, but I haven’t drank since I started working in the bar,’ he explains. ‘I stopped drinking then – you can get too involved.’ Today the pub attracts visitors and locals alike. ‘It’s fairly well known, we get people from all over the world,’ Joe says. ‘Most of them drink whisky. We stock around about 40 different whiskies. We have quite a good local custom too, but it’s mainly at weekends. I’m a country sort of pub and a lot of
them nowadays are driving in the week, so they’re frightened to take too much.’ There have been other changes during Joe’s 56 years in Craigellachie. ‘There used to be a railway station which was quite near, that closed in 1968, and there was a cooperage down the road, but that closed as well.’ But one thing that hasn’t changed is the inn itself. Renowned for its traditional, cosy feel, the riverside pub has been a popular watering hole for nearly 150 years. And Joe plans to keep it that way for the foreseeable future. ‘I’ve no plans to stop. I’m fairly healthy and I like the company,’ he laughs.
WARM, FRIENDLY AND PERSONAL SERVICE
Every Time
FOUNDERS’ CLUB To celebrate its first anniversary Kingsbarns Distillery is delighted to introduce the Kingsbarns Distillery Founders’ Club. In addition to a welcome pack, members will receive one of the first bottles of Kingsbarns Single Malt ever bottled. This exclusive Founders’ Club Reserve bottling will be available mid 2018, followed by a further 4 Founders’ Club Reserve bottlings from 2019-2022.
Over-looking the picturesque and world famous Spey Valley, the Dowans Hotel is a family-run establishment which focuses on friendly, passionate and professional service, great local and seasonal produce from Scotland’s bountiful larder, fabulous whiskies from home and abroad all served in a lovingly rejuvenated Baronial mansion. The Dowans has become a destination of choice in its own right to both local and international clientele as a part of the larger Speyside offer.
The Dowans Hotel, Dowans Road, Aberlour, AB38 9LS 01340 871488 @TheDowansHotel /TheDowansHotel
T.B. WATSON LTD
15 English Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BU Tel/Fax: 01387 256 601 e: enquiries@tbwatson.co.uk
WWW.DRAMBUSTERS.COM • Over 750 whiskies and hundreds of other spirits available both on line and in store • Fast & friendly service with competitive pricing • Dedicated whisky club with regular tastings, trips and special offers • Personalised wines & spirits with corporate bespoke service available
• Gin & Rum tastings held regularly • Corporate whisky tastings available on request
ESTABLISHED 1909
Over 105 years of experience
/drambusters
@drambusters
Membership from £500 plus delivery. Subscribe to the newsletter on the website for more details. Available from 30th November 2015.
East Newhall Farm, Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8QE PHONE
01333 451300
info@kingsbarnsdistillery.com
www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com
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s ’ r u e s s i nno
Co
N O I T EC
L E S Befuddled by the dizzying range of
whiskies on offer? Feel the fog of confusion lift with our 21-page guide to what the real experts drink
S &
54 | Connoisseur’s Selection
Islay KILCHOMAN 2008 RELEASE
Robin Russell
PROPRIETOR, ROBBIE’S WHISKY MERCHANTS, AYR
www.robbieswhisky merchants.com
Robbie’s Drams Whisky Merchants is a family-run business situated in the Scottish seaside town of Ayr. Fiercely proud of its independent status and the personal service offered to customers as a result. Fine character and great whisky since 1984.
64.99
46
SELECTED BY ROBIN
This is a vatting of fresh ex-American bourbon barrels filled in July 2008 and bottled in August 2015. NOSE: Lemon, citrus and butterscotch notes are prominent with soft peaty aromas in the background. PALATE: Soft sweetness first with peat smoke and ripe fruit notes following. FINISH: Long, clean and sweet with peat smoke and soft fruits at the end.
ARDBEG 10 YEAR OLD 39.99
46
This revered dram is a
This is the fourth instalment of the legendary
NOSE: Salty with peatzesty citrus, swathed in bitter chocolate. PALATE: A popping candy
Linda joined Robert Graham Ltd in 2007, managing the West Nile Street store, helping to launch the globalwhiskyshop.com website and building up a customer base that spans Alaska to New Caledonia.
49.2%
SELECTED BY ROBIN
malt fan’s cabinet.
GENERAL MANAGER, ROBERT GRAHAM’S GLOBAL WHISKY SHOP, GLASGOW
199
SELECTED BY ROBIN
must stock in any Islay
Linda Marks
BRUICHLADDICH BLACK ART 4 1990 23 YEAR OLD
Bruichladdich Black Art. Aged in the finest American and French Oak casks for 23 years, Black Art is now a very limited release. NOSE: Inviting with sweet grapes, tangy citrus fruit and honey. PALATE: An explosively strong start gives way to a wonderfully
effect of peat
mellow palate of Bounty
on the tongue:
chocolate bars, clementines and
sharp citrus
a hint of tropical fruits with
with black
underlying spice of
pepper and
cinnamon.
cinder toffee
FINISH:
followed by layers of vanilla engulfed in that glorious Ardbeg smoke. FINISH: Long, full and smoky with star anise and mocha.
Juicy peach, barley sugar – full and long.
Cask and Still Magazine | 55
SMOKEHEAD 39.99
43
SELECTED BY LINDA
From an unnamed distillery and the subject of much discussion. NOSE: Fresh sea salt, peaty, with a hint of toffee. Some barley sugar, lemon rind and pineapple. PALATE: Soft, lightly smoked with the barley sugar coming through. Not as sweet as the nose suggests, but with a delicate spice and grassy note. FINISH: Soft and fruity with the smoke hitting on the back palate.
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE CAOL ILA 2003 48.99
46
SELECTED BY LINDA
A 2003 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice Series. Bottled in 2015 and aged in first fill bourbon casks. NOSE: Fresh, lightly peated, with a citrus sweetness shining through. PALATE: Lightly peated, with sweet, tropical fruit flavours, candied lemons and pineapple. Very tropical. FINISH: Long, with ripe bananas and a milk chocolatey feel on the back palate.
CARN MOR BLACK GOLD ‘CELEBRATION OF THE CASK’ - BUNNAHABHAIN 1995 250
51.1
SELECTED BY LINDA
From a very limited range of whiskies, matured in the best casks of Jerez. NOSE: Raisins, a hint of liquorice, cough mixture and massive sherry. PALATE: Mocha and espresso beans with a hint of iodine, some toffee and vanilla. The lavish Christmas cake intensity coats the mouth. Delicious! FINISH: Rich cocoa bean lingers on the front palate, followed by a dried prune sweetness.
MacKenzies’
Linnmhor House, Strathpeffer IV14 9BP Tel: 01997 420072 Mob: 07850532433 www.celticspirits.co.uk info@celticspirits.co.uk
By test the best Scotland’s Oldest Independent Bottler Whisky, Gin, Rum & Cognac Individually selected casks non chill-filtered and natural colour
www.wmcadenhead.com
172 Canongate Royal Mile Edinburgh EH8 8BN
Tel: 0131 556 5864
Cask and Still Magazine | 57
ARDBEG PERPETUUM 189.99
47.4
SELECTED BY MARK
Released for Ardbeg Day 2015, Ardbeg’s 200th anniversary. This is a blend of old and new whisky matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. NOSE: Sweet sherry. PALATE: Pears and bananas, FINISH: Peat smoke and sea spray.
BOWMORE DARKEST 15YO 63.25
BRUICHLADDICH LADDIE 44.75
46
SELECTED BY MARK
Oirthir Gaidheal – the coast of the Gaels, the land of the outsider. The water comes
43
SELECTED BY MARK
The distillery lies on the South Eastern shore of the Inner Hebrides, on the shore of Loch Indaal, one of the oldest in Scotland established in 1779.
from farmer and friend James Brown’s
NOSE: Complex but well-balanced
Octomore farm.
with smoke.
NOSE: Rich and creamy.
PALATE: Spice, honey, grapefruit
PALATE: Hints of bourbon and gingerbread. FINISH: Dry and crisp with a hint of mint.
Mark Angus
RETAIL SALES MANAGER, GORDON & MACPHAIL, ELGIN
www.gordonandmacphail.com
and dark chocolate all present. FINISH: Long with smoke and citrus notes to end.
Responsible for running Elgin’s flagship whisky shop, Mark selects the G&M Retail Exclusive range, organises Spirit of Speyside tastings and judges for the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
58 | Connoisseur’s Selection
Speyside
IMPERIAL 1995 BY GORDON & MACPHAIL
Chris Orsie SENIOR SALES AT WM CADENHEAD, CAMPBELTOWN
www.wmcadenhead.com
Chris started his whisky career in the Whisky Shop, working there for two and a half years before joining the staff at Cadenheads on Edinburgh’s Canongate, organising tastings for the shop to get the word out on Cadenheads’ own bottlings.
69.99
OLD BALLANTRUAN 35
This independent
50
bottling was matured
SELECTED BY CHRIS
in refill sherry butts.
An unusually peated expression from
NOSE: Gentle sherry
Tomintoul Distillery, this whisky gets its name from the nearby Ballantruan spring.
notes with some delicate
NOSE: Dark chocolate and toffee with
given some time, mingling with
orange. Chocolate emerges
an overlay of oak smoke as well as
the orange aromas.
some richer notes.
PALATE: Cracked black pepper
PALATE: Earthy, dry peat with
and more tangy marmalade on the
a touch of sulphur. Sweet red
tongue, leading to fresh vanilla and
fruits come forward as the
roasted barley.
smoke dissipates.
FINISH: Mellow with lasting citrus
FINISH: Long and floral with
notes, as well as some lingering toasted
gentle smoke, fruity sherry
oak.
notes and sweet caramel leading into cinnamon.
TOMINTOUL 25YO 180
43
SELECTED BY CHRIS
Distilled around 1990 and
Nick Sullivan
matured in bourbon casks. NOSE: Herbal and grassy
OWNER & MANAGER,
with dried vanilla and a touch
THE ABERDEEN WHISKY SHOP
www.aberdeen whiskyshop.co.uk
Nick oversees the smooth running of The Aberdeen Whisky Shop at the west end of the city’s Union Street. His top three Speyside drams can be found among an enormous range of whiskies, including several collectable bottles.
43
SELECTED BY CHRIS
of citrus, becoming a little creamy with time. PALATE: Malty with equal parts earthiness and spiciness. A small amount of honey moving to a sweet apple flavour. FINISH: Stays earthy with some enduring oak and nuttiness. Finishes with a mouth coating of green apple.
Cask and Still Magazine | 59
GLENTAUCHERS CARN MOR STRICTLY LIMITED 5 YEAR OLD 35.99
46
SELECTED BY NICK
A unique single cask offering of a young sherry cask Glentauchers from independent bottler Morrison & MacKay. NOSE: Hazelnut chocolate pralines and vanilla. PALATE: Nutty, with cracked black pepper leading to creamy chocolate. FINISH: More spice, oak and warming sweetness. A gem of a young dram.
BENRIACH 15 YEAR OLD SAUTERNES 48.99
46
SELECTED BY NICK
A wonderfull Sauternes cask finish from one of Speyside’s finest distilleries. NOSE: Light and tropical – pineapples, peaches and honeydew melons. PALATE: Complex and rich with toasted oak and grapes. FINISH: Delicate mouth feel – creamy butterscotch, slightly nutty.
CAPERDONICH 21 YEAR OLD XOP 159.99
57.7
SELECTED BY NICK
A single cask, cask strength bottling from the now demolished Caperdonich Distillery. NOSE: Pepper, cinnamon, very spiced, giving way to tropical fruit and light oak. PALATE: More oak, softens out to honey, vanilla, lemon and a touch of milk chocolate. FINISH: Very complex – ginger, butterscotch and barley.
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Cask and Still Magazine | 61
STRONACHIE 18YO 49.50
46
Sourced from one of my favourite Speyside distilleries, Benrinnes, this dram shows amazing value and consistency. NOSE: Loads of fruit, pineapple, pear and a touch of peach. Some maturity with a touch of leather and tobacco. PALATE: Sweet, fruity and big. Loads of fruit, warm spice and a lovely touch of toffee. Lovely rich texture. FINISH: Long, intense and big. A really robust malt that delivers lots of everything you want from Speyside and then some.
OLD PARTICULAR INCHGOWER 20YO 85
BENRIACH 10YO 116.99
43
A distillery that was mostly forgotten about until it was resurrected by Billy Walker in 2004, a man who clearly knows what he is doing. NOSE: Malty with notes of red apple, spice, honey, lemon and a herbaceous note. PALATE: Apples come through on the palate, along with lemon curd, thyme, and some spicy aniseed notes. FINISH: A touch of pepper, which turns to
51.1
Douglas Laing never fail to impress with their fantastic single cask bottlings. This one is from another rarely-seen Speyside distillery. NOSE: Damp malt, creamy porridge, vanilla spice and green apples. PALATE: The palate is packed with pears and green apples, followed by some spice, barley sugar, sweet pastry and vanilla. FINISH: A lovely, surprisingly big dram from this distillery –
honey then spice with a touch of aniseed as
well matured, soft and intense
it slowly fades.
with a lovely malty finish.
Matt McFadyen CO-FOUNDER, THE GOOD SPIRITS CO., GLASGOW
www.thegoodspiritsco.com
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, or on the judging panel for the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
62 | Connoisseur’s Selection
Highland
TOMATIN 12 YEAR OLD 38
43
SELECTED BY BRIAN
GLENDRONACH 21 YEAR OLD 91
48
SELECTED BY BRIAN
Being matured in sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years gives this malt the amazing, intense fruitiness that GlenDronach is renowned for. NOSE: Delicate with notes of ripe plums, oatmeal cookies and a gentle spiciness. PALATE: Consumed with flavours of dark chocolate and plum pudding. Full bodied and velvety smooth. FINISH: Long and lingering, leaving behind traces of sweet raisins, coffee and caramel.
The flagship malt of the Tomatin whisky range. Matured in traditional oak casks before being finished in Oloroso sherry casks. NOSE: A fine combination of floral and fruity notes with just a hint of peat smoke. PALATE: Pleasant honey sweetness, combined with apples and pears, and a little spice. FINISH: Smooth and satisfying, with notes of caramel and hazelnuts perfectly complimenting each other.
DALMORE 15 YEAR OLD 58
40
SELECTED BY BRIAN
Matured in matusalem, apostoles and amoroso sherry casks after spending 12 years in American oak casks, this is a stunning dram. NOSE: Powerful and bursting with notes of citrus fruits, cloves and a hint of smokiness. PALATE: Delicate and smooth with a delicious combination of cinnamon, milk chocolate and stewed plums. FINISH: The milk chocolate notes linger through a delightful finish, leaving us longing for another.
Cask and Still Magazine | 63
GLENDRONACH CASK STRENGTH BATCH 4 54.7
43
SELECTED BY DOUGLAS
Limited release cask strength; Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks combine beautifully with the cask strength character. NOSE: Dark dried fruits – prunes and raisins – with exotic spices. PALATE: The power from the 54.7% is
Brian Gibson
rewarded with decadent notes of slow roasting coffee beans, Madeira and Jamaica cake and rancio characters
DIRECTOR, T. B. WATSON,
from the sherry casks.
DUMFRIES
www.drambusters.com
FINISH: Long and sublime. It wears its alcohol well, remaining balanced
T. B. Watson Ltd. has been trading in Dumfries since 1909, and now runs The Drambusters website and whisky club, with more than 300 members. Company director Brian, a Keeper of the Quaich, takes us on a tasting tour of the Highlands.
and vibrant despite the power on the palate.
WEMYSS MALTS ‘REDCURRANT JUS’ 1997 CLYNELISH 18 YEAR OLD 89
43
SELECTED BY DOUGLAS
Wemyss Malts bottle some wonderful single casks and this is one of our favourites. NOSE: As the name suggests, it leads with sweet redcurrants, becoming raspberry and raspberry leaf later with sweet marmalade on toast. PALATE: Creamy red fruits mixed with warm sweetened porridge, a touch of brown spice, muscovado sugar and very refined, beautifully integrated vanilla oak notes. FINISH: Toasted nuts and exotic brown spices.
MORRISON & MACKAY CARN MOR STRICTLY LIMITED LEDAIG 7 YEAR OLD 27.50
46
SELECTED BY DOUGLAS
Delicious independent bottling of Ledaig from two hogsheads by the lovely folk at Morrison and MacKay. NOSE: Light initially, with grassy and green fruit characters but then barbeque smoke mingled with the aroma of cooking marinated sausages. PALATE: White peach filling out into sweet marinated apricots with wonderful sweetness and soft peat characters. FINISH: Youthful, vibrant and really good for it.
Douglas Wood OWNER, WOODWINTERS WINES AND WHISKIES, BRIDGE OF ALLAN
www.woodwinters.com With shops in Bridge of Allan and Edinburgh, WoodWinters was born from owner Douglas’s desire to share the magic of great wine – not the mystery. The same can be said for whisky, as Douglas talks us through his favourite Highland malts.
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Cask and Still Magazine | 65
Lowland
GLENKINCHIE 12 YEAR OLD 41.99
AUCHENTOSHAN CLASSIC
43
29.99
A delightful dram from the
40
A real easy-going whisky; golden in
only distillery situated in the
colour and tropical in character. A
south-east corner of Scotland.
particular favourite of mine for any
This 12 year old offers great
occasion.
complexity.
NOSE: The nose is fresh and
NOSE: The nose is initially light,
clean with notes of vanilla, cut
giving the impression of floral
oak, banana, lovely coconut and
freshness and spice with hints
citrus fruits – lemon peel.
of citrus and a dash of herbs.
PALATE: The palate offers lush
PALATE: Malty with underlying
peaches and cream, more of that
vanilla tones, dried grass and a
beautiful oak, clementines, delicate
little peppery. Spicy yet fruity.
vanilla and a slight herbal note.
FINISH: A gentle warmth with
FINISH: To finish, crushed
a cereal tone. Lots of freshness.
vanilla pods, floral notes, orange
Medium and sweet. The finish is
peel and lemon juice – a fresh
further complemented by spice.
zestiness. Good mouthfeel and length.
BLADNOCH 1990 23 YEAR OLD DIMENSIONS CASK #3484 93
54
A whisky that you don’t often find bottled at cask strength, so this release from Duncan Taylor is quite a treat. NOSE: The nose is definitely sweet with hints of fruitcake, while dates add more sweetness. Notes of sherry, aniseed and sultanas. PALATE: The palate suggests the presence of liquorice, toasted oak, a surprising suggestion of mouth coating treacle. Slight hints of chocolate. FINISH: The finish is medium, smooth with underlying liquorice flavour. The final taste is of toasted oak and chocolate.
Jill Menzies SHOP MANAGER, WHISKIES OF SCOTLAND
www.whiskiesofscotland.com
Jill’s strong interest in whisky is fostered as a result of being born and bred in the heartland of whisky country – Speyside. Currently shop manager at Whiskies of Scotland in Huntly, Jill shares her favourite Lowland whiskies.
66 | Connoisseur’s Selection
Blends ISLAY MIST PEATED RESERVE 24.95
40
SELECTED BY EWAN
The bigger brother of the popular Islay Mist is much fuller in flavour and more structured – a great dram for the price. NOSE: The 40% Laphroaig in this whisky comes through, giving smoky, coastal notes. This is married with a sweet caramel note, old leather and a hint of grilled meats.
DOUBLE BARREL ARDBEG CRAIGELLACHIE
PALATE: Sweet and smoky with a
51.95
slightly sour, savoury tang. If left in
46
SELECTED BY EWAN
the mouth a little, then long,
An intriguing blended malt made of a smoky Islay and a sweet
sooty, smoky notes emerge with a
Speyside. A lovely marriage of sweet and salty.
touch of green pepper. FINISH: Much more savoury than the nose and palate with a peaty, meaty and salty linger.
NOSE: Bitter citrus notes, reminiscent of marmalade orange peels married with barbecue smoke, sweet vanilla and creamy smoke. PALATE: Salt caramel, again with orangey citrus, toasty oak, butter icing and smoky peat. FINISH: The finish is dry and smoky with a nice balance of citrus peels and salty sea spray.
THE ANTIQUARY 21 YEAR OLD 69.95
40
SELECTED BY EWAN
A delicious old blend made by the lovely folks at Tomatin Distillery. A dram of equivalent age to the big blends like Royal Salute and Blue Label and at fraction of their price. NOSE: Spirity and fruity with notes of pear, Riesling, vanilla, white stone fruits and just a hint of petrol. The nose reminds me of an old single grain whisky, which I find inviting. PALATE: Sweet, tangy and oily with emphasis on dried apricot, clover honey and pear brandy. There is a prickly sweet spice and a touch of clove rock which gives the smooth aged notes structure and balance. FINISH: The finish is warming and prickly with sweet pear compote and clotted cream on the finish.
Cask and Still Magazine | 67
CAMPBELTOWN LOCH 21YO 80
46
SELECTED BY CHRIS
What a cracking release this is from Springbank, with a make up of 60% Springbank malt and 40% Girvan grain. Seek it out! NOSE: A multi-layered nose with apricot, orange peel, Christmas pudding, brandy butter and a
Chris Lockett
touch of smoke. PALATE: Even more complex on the palate,
OWNER, LOCKETT BROS, NORTH BERWICK
with soft flavours of orange, sweet-spiced dried fruit, toffee and chocolate.
www.lockettbros. co.uk Chris opened wine and whisky merchants Lockett Bros in North Berwick in 2004 after returning from his travels through Australia and New Zealand – and goes on his travels once again to talk us through his top three blended whiskies.
FINISH: Pleasingly dry and crisp on the finish with incredible length. Pour yourself another one immediately.
COMPASS BOX HEDONISM 65
43
SELECTED BY CHRIS
A thrilling combination of 8-15 year old grain whiskies from Cambus and Cameron Bridge distilleries with the majority of the spirit coming from first fill American oak. NOSE: Subtle yet rich with cocoa butter, white chocolate, oak, vanilla and mandarin orange. PALATE: Get it on the palate and you discover a fullness and roundness with richly textured flavours of vanilla, cream, coconut and toffee. FINISH: The finish lingers perfectly and extremely gently. Chapeau to Compass box for this epic creation.
OLD PERTH BLENDED MALT 26
43
SELECTED BY CHRIS
What makes Old Perth blended malt superior quality to a typical ‘blended Scotch whisky’ is the use of only malt whiskies in the blend. NOSE: Barley malt and hints of spice alongside candy floss and toffee apples. PALATE: A rich flavoured and malty dram revealing banoffee pie, buttery caramel and honey balanced elegantly with a mature oakiness. FINISH: A finish of soft oak and vanilla candy merges with a lingering and warming spice.
Ewan McIlwraith OWNER, ROBERTSONS OF PITLOCHRY www.robertsonsof pitlochry.co.uk
Ewan took over Robertsons of Pitlochry in January 2013. His extensive background in drinks retail has led him to discover some top-class blends, but none finer than these.
68 | Connoisseur’s Selection
ADELPHI INVERGORDON 1972 43 YEAR OLD 215
42.2
You have to have a sweet tooth for this Adelphi, but if you do, this is alchemy in a glass. NOSE: Sweet candy and sherbet dabs. Sweet caramel and baked apples coated in icing sugar, with melted coconut bars drizzled over. A touch of varnish. PALATE: Smooth, sweet liquid caramel with a hint of oak. FINISH: Get a good spoonful out and pour it over your vanilla ice cream.
OLD PARTICULAR NORTH BRITISH 1991 21 YEAR OLD 77.95
50.9
This is a sophisticated dram. Daniel Craig as James Bond in his dinner jacket would approve. NOSE: Thick liquid fudge over subtle notes of chocolate raisins. Also notes of sweet dessert wine. PALATE: Lashings of milk chocolate toffee. The centre of a Twix bar, warm and melting. Then the notes return to dessert wine and toffee treacle biscuits. FINISH: Toffee-coated icing sugar.
THE CLAN DENNY GIRVAN 2007 7 YEAR OLD £34.95
52.9
When you think grain, you usually think the older the better, but this one really bucks that trend. It’s young but subtle and has a neat complexity. NOSE: Sweet, orange flavoured icing sugar on the nose with a hint of aniseed underlined with coconut. Hard toffee sweets after time. PALATE: A citrus wave, followed by spiced honey and vanilla pods. Very gently lip tingling. FINISH: The finish is all about chewy toffee.
Mike Lord
OWNER, THE WHISKY SHOP DUFFTOWN
www.whiskyshopdufftown.com
Based in the heart of Speyside, The Whisky Shop Dufftown offers an exceptional selection of over 600 whiskies. Owner Mike Lord takes us on a tasting tour of his three favourite grain whiskies.
Cask and Still Magazine | 69
Bourbon BASIL HAYDEN BOOKER’S STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY 54
63.7
Cask strength, uncut, unfiltered and untamed. If you like wood and all the flavors that come with virgin oak then this is your dram. NOSE: Strong oak and vanilla.
35
40
A higher than usual rye content makes this a bit spicier than the average bourbon. It is lighter in body but has some really nice fresh notes. NOSE: Spiced wood and fresh herby notes. PALATE: Light honey, peppery, mild vanilla and delicate wood. FINISH: Fresh and clean, dry
PALATE: Very intense wood,
and short.
burnt sugar, vanilla and nuts. FINISH: Super long lasting.
MICHTER’S AMERICAN WHISKEY 54
41.7
A stunning, small craft distillery with lots of different production processes. Legally this is not a bourbon as the barrels have been previously used to produce the Michter’s bourbon, but that is just a tiny formality we have to overlook. NOSE: Light, woody notes and caramel. PALATE: Vanilla, soft butterscotch, crème brulee and dried fruit. FINISH: Smooth, ripe fruits.
Raphael Marinoni SHOP MANAGER, A.D. RATTRAY’S WHISKY SHOP, AYRSHIRE
www.adrattray.com
The A. D. Rattray Whisky Experience and Shop in Kirkoswald, Ayrshire, offers an extremely diverse range of drams – from popular brands to lesser-known gems and individual cask bottlings.
70 | Connoisseur’s Selection
Worldwide TEELING SMALL BATCH IRISH WHISKEY 35
PAUL JOHN EDITED 42
46
46
A delicious Indian single
A very tasty small batch
malt with a nice hint of peat.
blend from the boys at
This whisky is made from a
Teeling Distillery that
combination of Indian malted
has, interestingly, been
barley and Scottish peated barley
matured in rum casks to
and in a blind tasting this could easily
give it some extra spice
be mistaken for a Scotch whisky.
and tropical notes.
NOSE: Lovely malty notes initially. Malt
NOSE: Quite grassy
loaf with salted butter. Cinnamon swirls with
and vegetal to begin
fresh green apples.
with but this leads
PALATE: Curly Wurly chocolate bars. A lot
to soft oranges and
of nice spices and orange peel.
floral notes. Spices
FINISH: A surprisingly long finish with lots of
and pepper with hints
orange and spicy malty-ness.
of vanilla syrup. Apple crumble with mixed red berries and custard. PALATE: A spicy and rich palate with turkish delight and citrus. Creamy vanilla custard with hints of dried spices. FINISH: Floral and vegetal with a sweetness towards the end.
3 DUNEDIN DOUBLEWOOD 15 YEAR OLD 75
40
Aged for 15 years in both American oak and French pinot noir casks this whisky from New Zealand is very tasty indeed. NOSE: Soft floral and fruity notes at first followed by sweet toffee and caramel. PALATE: An amazing explosion of flavours hit your tastebuds. Fruitiness and spices prevail. FINISH: Creamy vanilla and soft hints of dried fruits linger.
Blair Bowman CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, CASK & STILL
www.blairbowman.com
Blair is the genius who set up World Whisky Day. The whisky columnist for Scottish Field and contributing editor to Cask & Still, Blair’s day job is as international business development manager for Uisge Source.
Cask and Still Magazine | 71
HIBIKI JAPANESE HARMONY 52.99
43
A blend of Japanese malt and grain whiskies from Yamasaki, Hakushu and Chita. NOSE: Very floral sweetness with hints of pine and sandalwood. PALATE: Caramelised honey, orange, cinnamon – reminds me of Christmas, with a little smoke to finish. FINISH: A lovely light whisky with lots of floral flavour.
Japanese SUNTORY HAKUSHU 18 YEAR OLD 160
NIKKA BLENDED WHISKY 33.99
43
An amazingly well-defined Japanese malt. NOSE: Very savoury – peaty, coffee and chocolate. Very exciting. PALATE: Much sweeter than the nose; velvety with citrus tones. FINISH: Amazing! Lots of flavour and well worth the money.
Angela Costello MANAGER, J.A. MACKAY, THURSO
www.getwhisky.com
40
This shows off the skills of Nikka’s master blenders. A perfect starting point in the Japanese market. NOSE: Medium to light, with coconut, almonds and bourbon. PALATE: Light, fruity and crisp with hints of liquorice and oak. FINISH: Short and clean with a malty finish.
J.A. Mackay is a family-run licensed grocer shop in Thurso, established for more than 40 years, with an extensive range of malt whisky, liqueurs and spirits. Shop manager Angela puts forward her top three Japanese whiskies.
72 | Connoisseur’s Selection
Investments THE ILLICIT STILLS SMUGGLERS SERIES NO.1 84.95
56.4
Limited to 8,700 bottles worldwide. NOSE: Bonfires, meaty barbecues, oily tar, lemon sponge cake, spicy seaweed. PALATE: Chinese plum sauce, hot white pepper, Jamaican ginger cake, sweet grapes, lots of wood smoke.
GLEN GARIOCH - THE RENAISSANCE 1ST CHAPTER 15 YEAR OLD 72.95
46
Limited to 12,000 bottles worldwide. NOSE: Orange blossom, heather honey, medium bodied sherry, waxy grapefruit, roasted walnuts. PALATE: Rich honey, nutty sherry, sweet buttery oak, grapefruit peel, full bodied, spiciness. FINISH: Sweet oak, long and lingering finish. Outstanding.
FINISH: Dried fruits, salted apricot jam, salty seaweed and plenty of peat smoke comes back.
MACALLAN SPEYMALT 1973 42 YEAR OLD 699.95
46
A must-have in any collector’s cabinet. NOSE: Rich blackcurrants, orange liqueur, massive sherry influence, dried juicy prunes. PALATE: Milk chocolate, chocolate orange liqueur, juicy sherry character, mouth coating. FINISH: Extremely long, dark chocolate, coffee liqueur. An absolutely stunning whisky.
Joe Ellis
STORE MANAGER, HARD TO FIND WHISKY, BIRMINGHAM
www.htfw.com
Joe has worked in the whisky industry for seven years and has great experience in both luxury whisky retail and cocktail bartending. He has competed in national cocktail competitions for Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam and Auchentoshan, and has now found his calling as store manager at Hard To Find Whisky in Birmingham.
Cask and Still Magazine | 73
Editor’s choice ROCKET CAT SPIRIT DRINK TBC
34
The finest Scotch whisky and spicy cinnamon, this spirit drink will warm your cockles on the coldest of days. NOSE: Hot cinnamon, spicy tar. PALATE: Boisterous cinnamon and spice with a medicinal touch and a fiery warmth. FINISH: Long and fiery.
PINKSTER GIN 33
37.5
Fresh raspberries are hand-steeped into this refreshing, dry spirit. NOSE: Juniper with a hint of pepper and subtle notes of berries. PALATE: Sweet raspberry jam with underlying tones of juniper and coriander. FINISH: A peppery, extremely smooth finish.
KING’S GINGER LIQUEUR 22
41
A high-strength liqueur created by the maceration of ginger root, enlivened with citrus lemon oil for a fresh lift. NOSE: A warming aroma of ginger, zesty lemon, sherbet and golden syrup. PALATE: Initial sweetness followed by a sharp bite of ginger and lemon tart accompanied by a warming mouth feel. FINISH: Lingering and remarkably long.
Richard Bath
EDITOR, CASK & STILL MAGAZINE
caskandstillmagazine.co.uk
With Glenfarclas 40yo for special occasions and the Auchentoshan triple-distilled 12yo his usual favourites, here game enthusiast Richard chooses three warming tipples which form the perfect partner for a day’s shooting.
Highlander Inn at the epicentre of the ‘Malt Whisky Universe’
Popular throughout the year with local SpeysidePopular residents and international visitors. throughout the year with local Speyside With more than 400 different, and interesting and international visitors. whiskies, includingresidents a large number of Single Cask Malt whiskies, and real ales & lagers on draft. With more than 400 different, and interesting whiskies, Bar lunches and dinners are available every day from 12 noon till a 1:45pm 5:30 to 9:00pm, including largeandnumber of Single Cask Malt whiskies, food all day Sat & Sun from 12 noon till 9:00pm.
and real ales & lagers on draft. www.whiskyinn.com 01340881446 info@whiskyinn.com Bar lunches and dinners are available every day from 10 Victoria Street, Craigellachie, Aberlour, Banffshire AB38 9SR 12 noon till 1:45pm and 5:30 to 9:00pm, food all day Sat & Sun from 12 noon till 9:00pm.
ander Inn
PLEASE VIEW OUR WEBSITE TO SEE DETAILS ON OUR
of the ‘Malt Whisky Universe’ WINTER WHISKY DEAL & OUR FESTIVE MENUS.
The Eddrachilles Hotel
Whisky Bar
The Whisky Bar is situated in the lounge area of the hotel with spectacular views over Badcall Bay and Eddrachilles Bay, a nice place to sit in front of a fire and enjoy a wee dram. We have over 150 single malt whiskies and 17 blended or grain whiskies available and the list is continuously changing and increasing. Whisky tastings by arrangement.
local nal visitors. d interesting r of Single Cask ers on draft. able every day 0 to 9:00pm, oon till 9:00pm.
01340881446 info@whiskyinn.com www.whiskyinn.com 01340881446 info@whiskyinn.com
10Banffshire Victoria Street, Craigellachie, Aberlour, Banffshire AB38 9SR raigellachie, Aberlour, AB38 9SR
Tel: 01971 502080 WWW.EDDRACHILLES.COM
Craigellachie Hotel
Victoria Street, Craigellachie, Speyside, AB38 9SR Tel: +44 (0) 1340 881 204 reservations@craigellachiehotel.co.uk
craigellachiehotel.co.uk
Cask and Still Magazine | 75
Other NEWS
A STAR IN THE NORTH This single cask bottling of Highland
Park 16yo from Hunter Laing’s Old Malt Cask range is a superb expression of the iconic Orkney distillery. Expect notes of citrus peel and vanilla on the nose, sweet pears and honey on the palate, and a long, sweet finish with just a hint of smokiness. www.hunterlaing.com
AT HOME AT MELDRUM HOUSE
Out with the old and in with the new – snug surroundings in which to relax, unwind and recall the past 12 months are essential at this time of year. The beautiful Cave Bar at Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire is tucked away in what used to be the old stables of this 13th century baronial house, where whisky tastings from the 100-strong menu are held by candlelight. www.meldrumhouse.com
UNDER THE HAMMER
Bonhams’ recent whisky auction in Edinburgh saw this rare bottling of Glenfiddich 50yo auctioned for a staggering £13,750. This highly sought-after expression from the Dufftown distillery includes four casks filled in July 1937 and a further five filled between November and December 1939. An heirloom for the serious whisky collector. www.bonhams.com
76 | Spirit Level
dark and
stormy Spirits lover Dr Brooke Magnanti – aka blogger Belle de Jour – warms to the idea of a revamp for rum as a new Scottish offering spices up palates
Above: Brooke tries Dark Matter, the first rum to be distilled in Scotland.
Cask and Still Magazine | 77 WORTH A LOOK
oes in the sand. Sun on your face. What was your first experience of rum? Of course I mean the spirit, not the craggy island of the Inner Hebrides ... or do I? Because with the launch of Scottishdistilled rum Dark Matter, we might be on the cusp of a new revolution in this wonderful drink. Rum has been undergoing a much-needed refit in the last few years, with adventurous drinkers finding new brands outside the usual ‘dark or light’ brands we all know. There was Kraken in its distinctive bottle, evoking sea lore. Then Ron de Jeremy, endorsed by (wait for it…) porn legend Ron Jeremy. Instead of the same old navy strength we’ve been having in trebles in student bars since days of yore, these were more grown-up takes, and they were only the beginning. For far too many of us, rum is still a distant fourth to whisky, gin and vodka in the spirits stakes, made more for mixing than sipping au naturel. But rum has always been a great spirit. At its best, it is as suitable for savouring as any fine single malt – ask a fan of Jamaica’s Appleton Estate or Guatemala’s Ron Zacapa. And yet for most people the only exposure to it is thrown back with cola or lost in a complex cocktail. I grew up in Florida, where snacking on the core of sugar cane – the principal ingredient in rum – was a seasonal speciality from October onwards. You chew the tough inner fibre until the syrup is gone. Or for extra flavour dip it in first-boil molasses. A sweet treat, absolutely, but complex and strange, with a slightly bitter note unlike the sickly candies most kids grow up on. The mineral complexity that makes a fine rum is enhanced when the spirit is put down for aging. Hints of Scottish heritage echo through Florida, from the white tartan kilts of Dunedin’s high school marching band to the Southerner’s love of all things deep fried. In the Everglades and all the way through the Caribbean, Scottish family names and place names come up again and again, as do
sugar-fine sandy beaches. If you squint, you could just about imagine you were in Mull or Arisaig! It is impossible to explore the connection between rum and Scotland without encountering the history of the Transatlantic slave trade. Molasses was traded from Caribbean plantations to produce rum, with the profits used to buy manufactured goods that were traded for slaves who were then sent to the Caribbean. Scotland profited and Scots represented a large proportion of Europeans in the Caribbean – by some estimates, as many as a third in the 18th century. That experience also inspired Scotland’s notable abolitionists. In 1787, Zachary Macaulay, a former plantation bookkeeper and foundermember of the Anti-Slavery Society, became Governor of Sierra Leone, the British colony for freed slaves. William Dickson, secretary to the Governor of Barbados, toured Scotland making speeches on the brutality of slavery and submitted evidence to the House of Commons. Dark Matter, distilled in Banchory, is completely modern and the spiced rum brings something new to the game. While sugar has been added post-distillation, thanks to the absence of vanilla the overall flavour is not cloyingly sweet. Rather, the aroma is reminiscent of ginger cake with a dash of allspice and a black pepper tang intensified by the use of young rum. Don’t expect to see a straight rum offering from these people until they’ve had time to lay down aged stores. Like much of Scotland’s fresh new food and drink output, the mix of old and new invigorates the palate. The rum flavour profile has been turning up subtly in other places, from Innis & Gunn’s rum-finished beer, to Bruichladdich’s rum-casked whisky expressions, for some time. It is still early days for Scotland’s new run at rum. But perhaps, as we have seen with the explosion of local gins, this will become a whole new industry. Imagine, for example, a spiced rum with foraged ingredients, following the example of Rock Rose gin – or estates putting their walled gardens into service, a la Gordon Castle. Whatever happens, I’ll be there, enjoying every smooth, spicy sip.
BRUGAL ANEJO Edrington
Produced in the Dominican Republic, this is the perfect base for cocktails. Clean and dry with a woody aroma and light caramel flavour. brugal-rum.com
DIPLOMATICO RESERVA EXCLUSIVA
Destilerías Unidas S.A. A fine sipping rum from Venezuela, aged for up to 12 years. Intensly sweet and fruity. rondiplomatico. com
RON DE JEREMY XO
One Eyed Spirits A sipping rum from Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana, aged for up to 15 years in American oak bourbon for an oak, nut and honey finish. rondejeremy.com
78 | Craft brewing
Over a
BARREL Marrying craft beers with whisky casks is at the heart of a successful new relationship Written by Chris Miller
raft breweries are renowned for their innovation and experimentation, for revamping traditional recipes and turning old ideas on their head, for mastering flavours and styles to create exciting new beers for a growing wave of discerning drinkers. Back in the day when I ran the Clackmannanshire-based Harviestoun business we developed Ola Dubh (gaelic for ‘black oil’). This porter-style black ale was brewed to high gravity then matured in various expressions of second fill sherry hogsheads for six months in the first ever collaboration between a craft brewery and a named distillery, in this case Highland Park of Orkney. The results were incredible, as was the initial demand, which was driven by the discerning Matthias Neidhart of B. United International in Connecticut in the USA. Much of the early innovation in barrel ageing was done in the USA during the 1970s, when home-brewers – inspired by visits to Europe where they tried English bitters, Scottish heavies, Belgian Dubbels, German lagers and Czech pilsners – took these traditional beers and re-created them, putting their own twist on the recipes, often adding the pungent local hops that were growing nearby in ready supply. Fast forward thirty years and breweries – still seeking out new ideas – started sourcing whisky, bourbon, wine and sherry casks to condition their
The idea was that the spirit-soaked wood would imbue the beer with new flavours
beers, the idea being that the spirit-soaked wood would imbue the beer with new flavours and bring out added complexities. It worked a treat and barrel-aged beers gradually became another way for breweries to expand their offering, demonstrate their brewing skills, and, crucially, attract new drinkers. In the States, oak casks can only be used once to store bourbon, meaning they’re in plentiful supply; in Scotland, however, quality single malt whisky casks are rare in availability, and a little bit more sought after, making them that little bit more special. The Craft Beer Clan has been working hard exporting Scottish craft beers to international markets such as Thailand, Hong Kong, UAE, Taiwan and China. The Clan collaborates with more than twenty craft brewers and distillers, and has just returned from whisky shows in Asia where craft beer, spirits and woodfinished beers are hugely popular among a new generation of discerning consumers seeking only the very best products. But for a while at Clan HQ in Glasgow we have been wanting to bring something of our own to the table, which is why we’ve just launched the Clan Brewing Co. Working with master brewer Scott Williams and world-renowned whisky guru Charlie MacLean, for more than a year we’ve been developing an initial range of four craft brewed whisky barrel-aged beers. The real trick, of
Cask and Still Magazine | 79
course, is knowing both the spirit and the brewing process well enough to be able to marry the two, so all the flavour profiles work together to create a beautifully balanced, harmonious beer. Some breweries manage this, others don’t. Charlie hand-selected the freshly disgorged casks from the four regions, Highland, Lowland, Speyside and Islay, and we set to work to devise the right brewing recipe to marry flavour with the characteristics of the whisky barrel. Scott and Charlie, together with the brewing team at Drygate in Glasgow, spent months developing, tinkering and honing each of the four recipes until their flavour profiles perfectly matched the distinctive and subtle nature of each barrel. The brews are due for bottling next month having been maturing in Alloa since the start of the year. SPRUCE ALE: A classic combination of two traditional methods of creating uniquely Scottish liquids: smoky peat on a sweet, resinous full body. Smoky, fruity, intense, full-bodied. Aged in Islay whisky casks for an absurdly long time. IMPERIAL STOUT: A rich, dark and intensely flavourful Imperial Stout, packed with burnt coffee and lemon scents, skilfully balanced by sweet sherry and raisin flavours derived from a short period in Lowland malt whisky casks. A smoky, slightly acrid mouth-feel and a long burnt finish.
RED RYE ALE: Subtly peppery rye malt, warm fermented to increase its fruity character, offset by a blend of citrus dominant hops, then finished for a lengthy period in Speyside whisky barrels to create a wonderfully complex ale.
These are beautifully complex beers. They pack a punch in flavour and strength
GOLDEN ALE: An elegantly complex ale carefully brewed to allow sweet malt and tropical fruit aromas to emerge, without overpowering. Finishing in Highland whisky casks adds subtle sherry and fruitcake to this delectable ale. The beers were stored for different lengths of time; some a few months, another almost a year – just until we decided they were perfect. The whisky casks have worked wonders with the four beers, imbuing them with their own qualities, passing on, for example, flavours of vanilla, oak and sherry, and enhancing the many layers already in the beers themselves. The results are intense. These are beautifully complex beers, all of which come in at 8% abv, so they pack a punch in terms of flavour and strength. These beers promise to be very popular, both domestically but especially in countries such as China and Taiwan, where the demand for and interest in whisky is huge. These established markets have already helped the Craft Beer Clan bring some great Scottish craft beers to bottle stores, hotels and bars across the Far East, and we hope that demand for these four new whisky barrel-aged beers will prove insatiable.
80 | Directory BAR
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Curly Coo Bar
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All hand made in Scotland
51 Barnton Street Stirling FK8 1HH
Tel: 0772 522 1267 Email: workshop@robbiereidfurniture.co.uk
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Cask and Still Magazine | 81
From a first-time festival to premier tastings, whisky lovers can plan their diary for the next six months Dornoch Whisky Festival
counter’ drams. As well as workshops, there
27 - 29 NOVEMBER
will be samples at all the stands and you
Dornoch and Highland distilleries Dalmore,
can quiz the exhibitors about their whisky.
Glenmorangie, Balblair, Clynelish, Glen Ord
www.thewhiskylounge.com
and Pulteney have established a three-day festival which takes place for the first time
Whisky Live, London
in November. The festival kicks off with a
18 - 19 MARCH 2016
pipe band parade and features over 30
The world’s premier whisky tasting show
events that include tastings, masterclasses,
is in central London and offers both rare
dinners and distillery tours. You can also try
and mainstream brands, teamed with
drams from the closed Brora distillery.
masterclasses, food pairings, the VIP
www.dornoch.org.uk/whisky-festival.asp
Lounge and exclusive private VIP pourings, attracting tourists from all over the world.
Blind Islay Fury VI, Edinburgh
www.whiskylive.com
UNTIL 5 DECEMBER The Islay blind tasting tour of the UK
London Whisky Weekender
returns for a sixth year, with the two-week
1 - 3 APRIL 2016
whistlestop tour coming to Edinburgh
The third year of this festival at The Oval
on 27 November before finishing in York
features workshops and masterclasses.
on 5 December. Drams from Islay’s eight
www.thewhiskylounge.com
distilleries are presented in blind tastings. www.thewhiskylounge.com
NIP Scotland 2016, Inverness 2 APRIL 2016
Newcastle Whisky Festival 2016
Whisky and gin tasting in the unusual
12 MARCH 2016
environs of Bogbain Farm in Inverness.
Geordies and visitors can try the best
Your ticket entitles you to ten different
Scottish whiskies, plus a selection of
drams, a tasting glass and notes.
international whiskies and ‘under the
www.thenip.scot
82 | Whisky in Hong Kong
partners, we are delivering this in Hong Kong and Asia. We try to organise at least one course per month. So far in Hong Kong we have trained close to 60 ambassadors. Whisky has become very popular in Hong Kong over the last three years. People’s palates are getting more sophisticated – a lot of wine drinkers are drinking more whiskies and whisky is way ahead of other spirits.
Eddie Nara is an international spirit judge and whisky consultant based in Hong Kong As a kid my parents drank a lot of Cognac and whisky at home, but I wasn’t allowed to drink it as the alcohol was so high. I would nose it instead and probably enjoyed the aroma of Cognac more than whiskies at that time. About six or seven years ago I went to my usual bar. Normally I drink wine or beer, but that day I decided to order a whisky neat. It was the Yamazaki 12 year old and from that moment onwards I decided to focus on whisky. I attended the Whisky Ambassador programme, the UK’s only accredited whisky training course, in Glasgow in April 2014. Now, with a few
There were a lot of wine-related associations in Hong Kong, but none when it came to whisky, so in 2014 I decided to set up the Malt & Grain Whisk(e)y Appreciation Society of Hong Kong to educate and promote whisky drinking here. I like all kinds of whiskies – it all depends on the occasion and mood. As a judge of spirits, an important element I look for is typicity, so a whisky matured in ex-sherry casks should still have the malt character and still taste like a whisky, not like a sherry or some other spirit. Then, like wine judging, I always look for BLIC (Balance, Length, Intensity and Complexity).
RARE, EXPENSIVE, HANDMADE. AND THAT’S JUST THE CASKS.
THAT’S THE GLENGOYNE WAY. glengoyne.com
IAN28168 cask and still 245x200.indd 1
29/10/2015 15:09