Clandestine Whisky Magazine Issue 2

Table of Contents 08

64

14 24 28 34 38

72 78 82 88 92

Bourbon With Friends

FEW

Dads Hat

Tin Shed Distilling

wWw - Nairobi

Tamhdu with Jamon

Penelope

Litchfield Distillery

Wiggly Bridge

Whisky and Annimation

Duchess of Islay

Ole Smoky

42 52 60

100

Buying a Cask Journeyman

Whisky in Germany

Is Scotch Kosher

110

Dallas Bourbon Club

Hello

Editor’s Letter Welcome to the community.

What a fantastic response from the community regarding Issue 1 of the magazine. Thank you for all your kind words and offers of contributions - this is a magazine for all of you, and this is what makes it so special.

Issue 2 focuses on the USA, a country I am longing to get back to once global travel is truly opened up again. I have chatted over Zoom with a number of them which you can read in this issue.

For this magazine to succeed it is really important that you help us. All we ask is that you take out a subscription which is free, or pay $20 for a year (1012 issues) which is sent to you via PDF to view on your laptop which is far easier. That is less than $2 per issue so really no reason not to and support this publication.

The next issue will be out in 6 weeks time and then monthly.

Published by Oliver Cameron Publishing Ltd Associate Editors - Martin Raymond and Annie Bowles Senior Feature Writer - Ian Robinson Creative Director - Torie Advertising - david@clandestine-whisky.com Premium Subscriptions - clandestine-whisky.com david@clandestine-whisky.com clandestine-whisky.com Copyright 2022

BOURBON WITH FRIENDS DAVID PEARCE CHATS WITH PAUL FROM THIS INCREDIBLY POPULAR WHISKY PODCAST.

‘There will always be more whiskey…’

Paul is the driving force behind Bourbon With Friends, a podcast which, it’s safe to say, has been a phenomenon not just in the US but around the world. From the first episode in June 2020, it has enjoyed stelar growth. The debut podcast got several hundred downloads straight away. And for context, for a new podcast, fifty downloads is enough to get you into the top fifty worldwide.

Bourbon with Friends was the no 1 whiskey based podcast on Apple in the summer of 2021 and is picked up in 64 countries.

When we spoke Paul from BWF was in London, on his way to Edinburgh and points North. Business. Obviously. Well, up to a point.

‘It’s business this time,’ says Paul. ‘But I’m in the UK 4-5 times a year. I love the culture , the country. And I’m a huge fan of

Manchester United. Plus, Ronaldo is my favourite player in the world, so when he signed then I’ve been over here as often as I can.’ That’s a lot of air miles, which took us on the vital topic of booze and travel: ‘I like to set off without a bottle. Because I find its much more fun to see what’s available when I get there. I’m also not so enthusiastic about drinking on planes - less fun than you think it’s going to be.

Some red wine as a tranquiliser and a good long sleep is preferable.’

We begged to differ on that one, as sleeping wastes valuable drinking time on aircraft, in my opinion. But we moved on to talk about the origins of the podcast, a story that suggests that its only on aircraft where Paul is naturally temperate in his attitude to booze consumption.

‘Well, you know, in the early stages of the pandemic I was so bored. And one evening my good friends AJ and JC and I sat around a wood fire and opened a few bottles and had some fun. In fact, we decided we were so funny that we should preserve it on a podcast. And that’s

basically where it came from. A big night on bourbon and scotch. And let me tell you we learned that evening that bourbon and scotch is not a good mix. But even with that spectacular hangover, we still thought we had something worth listening to.’

We have some good things in the diary though. We have a charity event in April for Folds of Honour - an organisation that helps families of fallen and wounded service personnel. We are great supporters of our military and veterans.

Thousands have agreed and in the fast-moving world of digital Paul, AJ and JC quickly became go-to people for smart and funny chat on whiskey. Connor has come on board too since then. And, while we take our whiskey seriously, we continue to believe that having fun is what should be at the core of what we do with the podcast.’

‘We’ve also got tasting festivals in New Orleans and in Colorado. And we have a thing brewing away with Yellowstone – currently one of the biggest shows on US TV.’

The fun element has also brought in a sparking array of industry guests, including Michael Paladini from Penelope Bourbon. Great minds – for Michael features in this very issue. But guests have come from the world of entertainment as much as the world of whisky. How does Paul attract such big stars?

‘I’m not shy. I ask. What are they going to say? No? I’m a big Outlander fan so I contacted Graham McTavish – just asked if he’d like to talk about whisky. We had him on live, post the tornado which hit Kentucky, and we raised $3,000 in fifteen minutes on air and $13k over 2 days. Then we got Sam Heughan. There’s a lot of Outlander followers out there and so that helped build our following too.

‘We also got Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder on the show. They, famously, took their roles as vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries as a lunch for their whiskey brand Brothers Bond. These are real whiskey enthusiasts, with plans for their own distillery. It was great to have them talk about their passion.

‘Then we were approached by Warner Music in Nashville and wondered if we’d like to speak with Michael Ray. He’s been No 1 in the US with Whiskey and Rain. So, yes, you bet we would. ‘Just ask. It’s my style. And the whole approach of the programme is unfiltered, fun, non-pretentions.’

As if to underline this point Paul is wearing a T-shirt which says - ‘Shut the f?!k up, we’re doing a podcast.’

The very words spoken by a podcast guest to quell some noisy revellers in the background. Which isn’t to say that the podcast isn’t a professional operation.

‘I’ve learned fast how to improve sound quality, how to cut extraneous words from introductions, how to ask the best questions.’

There are lots of plans for Series Two this year. But not too many: We’ve got plans through to July. But not beyond that. We want to always leave the door open.

That’s the joy of this world there’s always something new over the horizon we don’t know about yet.

Not unsurprisingly for someone dedicated to the message that good whisky is for everyone, Paul has strong views on pricing and controls over stock allocation that distort the market for whiskey in the US. ‘A $1000 bottle is not ten times better than a £100 bottle. I’ve made my own blend for my son for when he’s twenty-one. But that’s to be drunk. And I’ve no argument against collecting and using whisky as an investment. But ultimately it’s there to be drunk.’

It’s a debate as old as the hills and Paul and I shoot the breeze for some time about questions of pricing and investment. Personally, I think environmental issues adds another dimension to collecting. Perhaps we are custodians of whiskies that will be very different in the future due to climate change. But Paul returns to his core belief – that whisky is for drinking.

‘My favourite whiskey ever I probably an Old Elk, sour mash, a limited edition, maybe thirty barrels but it cost $90. It’s not about labels and price tags.

‘Drink, don’t save! In football season we have great tailgate parties. We keep the best bottles for that. To share with our friends. Even the rare ones. I always think about the film of Freddy Johnson of Buffalo Trace, he’s maybe third generation with that whiskey.

He speaks of drinking a Pappy twenty-year-old with his father and his brother. He made to put the cap back on and his father says: “No stop. There will always be more whiskey; there isn’t always going to be more moments.” Freddy goes on to say that within six months the other two were no longer with us.

‘There will always be more whiskey.’

It’s a good philosophy for a podcast and for life.

Bourbon With Friends

DADS HAT

DADS H AT

TR ADI TION AND INNOVATION IN PENNSYLVANIA I MEE T HER MAN MIHALICH AND JOHN S COOPER .

I N TER VI E W BY DAVID PE AR CE AR T I CLE BY MAR T I N R AYMOND

I

n Europe, we like to think our drinks have the longest, richest history. Big mistake!

The United States might be comparatively youthful nation, but that doesn’t mean to say that it lacks strong traditions and fabulous stories from the past.

Take Pennsylvania rye whiskey for example. What a story. The hills and hollows of Western Pennsylvania were full of the distinct smell of copper stills in action from the eighteenth century onwards. Even when the industry was tamed by the Federal Government’s whiskey tax in 1791, the traditions lived on, and by 1810 the state was producing 6 million gallons of legal whiskey a year. Pennsylvania Rye whiskey was the rye. It’s reputation and popularity grew through the 19th century. By the early 20th century there were 168 distilleries in the state.

Then, disaster. Prohibition. What were they thinking of? As misguided government legislation goes – and that is a very competitive field – the crushing of an entire industry must be in the top three. Bootleg rye might have given customers the alcoholic effect, but it did nothing for their taste buds – or the enamel on their teeth. The reputation of the entire sector took a hit from which it barely recovered. By 1990 the once proud Pennsylvania tradition of rye production was over.

Luckily for that tradition all was not lost. A revival was stirring. Above Mihalich’s bar in Monessen PA, young Herman was intrigued by his grandfather’s loyalty to the distinctive Pennsylvania rye.

Impressed too by its medicinal powers - grandad was 95.

Jump a few decades and Herman Mihalich and his old mate John S Cooper get together and single handedly – or two-handedly – bring a noble tradition roaring back to life.

‘My Grandpap had some of the last rye made in Pennsylvania in the 1970s (Sam Thompson Rye) and cherished that as his before dinner tipple. It made a big impression on me as a boy.

It was the starting point for what we have here in Bucks County.’

What he and John have in Bristol Buck’s County, is an Award-winning range of

whiskies which is going well beyond the revival of an old tradition to develop exciting new ideas about finishes that are showing that you can take established liquors into fresh territories.

Herman and John started to plot in 2010 and took their first cask from the still in 2011. They showed me a half empty bottle all that’s left of that first batch. Their approach was careful and painstaking from the get-go. They took a course at Michigan State University and, working with the University, they tried out different recipes until they felt ready to start.

Herman’s background in chemical engineering was handy, up to a point. ‘My project in graduate school, when getting my MBA at Wharton was a business plan for brewery’ says Herman.

As I always say, distilling is an art as well as a science.

A product of their

collaboration with Michigan State was their use of 2-row brewer’s style malt. ‘Most US distillers use a malt that’s high in enzymes. But it tends to be low in flavour. We opted for a malt that’s more like the ones used in Scotland. It gives a better biscuity flavour with fruit tones,’ says Herman.

And for more history how about this? ‘Our grain all comes from the same farm. It’s a farm that’s been continuously worked by the same family since 1716.’ That’s proper heritage. But in case you equate heritage with looking backwards, John tells me that the farmer, the distillery, and the Delaware State University are working together on a project to reintroduce heritage ‘Rossen Rye.’ We’re looking to add to the distinctiveness of what we do. Pennsylvania rye is dry and spicy – not to be confused with bourbon. We don’t do gin, we don’t do vodka, we don’t do any other style of whiskey,’ says John.

Their location, close to site of one of the most prestigious pre-prohibition distilleries, is a local landmark, a building with two-foot thick walls – ‘perfect for ageing whiskey in,’ says John. They have a pot still and column still giving them flexibility in cut-offs from the process for different products. Herman even has his grandfather’s 5-gallon still – ‘it’s great for experiments. It’s fully legal,’ he adds.

The spirit of experimentation extends to the barrels and to their innovative approach to finish.

‘We were inspired by Laphroaig ¼ cask. There’s no reason why good whisky can’t come out of small barrels,’ says John. ‘Our Classic 90 Proof Rye is aged 10 months in 15-gallon barrels.’

For their Straight Rye they use more traditional 53-gallon casks, aged for an average of 5 years.

But the two core styles are aged with as much care as they are distilled. The casks primarily come from The McGinnis Wood Products in Cuba Missouri. But they also source oak casks from West Virginia and from the Adirondack Cooperage in New York State. And always they taste test before committing to a new cask.

Dad’s Hat produces several finishes. John explains: ‘We do a port and a vermouth finish plus a honey and maple finish. The vermouth finish came about when we were having a whole company meeting one day down at the loading dock. The whole company being Herman and myself at that point. We were in our aluminium

lawn chairs enjoying a cigar and a Manhattan when the idea came to us.

‘We work with the Quady Winery in California, using their vermouth barrels and their port-style barrels.’ John continues: ‘Some finishes taste like they took the original product – port or vermouth - and just pitched a glass of whiskey in afterwards.

‘That’s not our approach. You should taste the rye first and foremost and then, as a bit of a surprise, the flavour of the finish should sneak up on you.’

Dad’s Hat also does a honey and maple finish.

Herman explains: ‘We take a 15-gallon cask fill it up with locally sourced maple or honey and let it age. We then drain off and jar the honey and maple before filling it up with cask-strength whiskey. Let that age too and then bottle.

Simple process, nothing fancy - no chemicals, no colouring, no additives. It’s labour intensive, but it’s worth it.’

Again, tellingly, the boys don’t seem to have a full jar of honey or maple to show me. These products clearly go off the shelves very fast.

The effort and dedication of the company has not gone unnoticed or unrewarded. Critics love the products and amid a slew of awards since 2011, last year Whisky Magazine awarded them Craft Producer of the Year for bout their US and International categories. A brilliant accolade. Less good timing. ‘Right in the middle of a pandemic isn’t the best time to make the most of and Award like that,’ says John, ruefully.

Nevertheless, there is a real tide of support for

Dad’s Hat among writers and influencers, acknowledging both the distillery’s unique product on its own merits but as a cocktail base. ‘Speak to John on that,’ says Herman, ‘he’s your man for cocktails.’

So, what is Dad’s Hat good for in a mixing glass?

‘Manhattan,’ says John.’ Three parts Classic Rye to one part vermouth. We don’t stint on the whiskey. And also, an Old Fashioned. Definitely. We use two types of bitters – Angostura and Peychaud, from New Orleans.

And Sazerac, with our own vermouth finish rather than adding vermouth. And then, of course, Whiskey Sours. A classic. Paying careful attention to the quality of lemons.’

John could have filled the interview with his enthusiasm for cocktails and the versatility of his products as a base.

Dad’s Hat has made a significant impact in the world of craft whiskey. Their success is due to their distilling flair and a relentless attention to detail. From the ingredients to the process, to the ageing - every aspect is treated to the same forensic scrutiny. Everything they use, even the bottles, are sourced locally. The later has been a great boon when supplies in the industry have been disrupted in recent months; ‘they come from just down the road,’ says John. ‘It’s a short supply chain!’

The whole operation is sustainable, they use the water from the condenser to clean the tanks, for example. It is very much a 21st century approach to distilling based on a 200-year-old heritage.

‘We stick to the knitting here,’ says John. ‘ We’re genuine and real. Just rye. Nothing else.’ That’s more than enough. Dad’s Hat’s success is a fitting testament to Grandad’s still and his good taste. Herman and John’s conversation is as rich and entertaining as their whiskey.

I can’t wait to visit.

Dads Hat Rye

NAIROBI

WOMEN WHO WHISKY INTE RVIE W DAVID PEARCE

WRITTEN BY MARTIN RAYMOND

So. I am a storyteller.’ Says Mary-Ann who runs the Women Who Whisky chapter in Nairobi, Kenya. ‘And I fell in love with the stories behind the whiskies.’

And when she says storyteller, she’s not kidding. What fabulous stories she has to tell. I could have listened all night – she had me enthralled.

Her Presidency of the wWw chapter in Nairobi is an amazing yarn in its own right which overturns any lingering outdated attitudes you might have about the relationship women might have with whisky.

As you know, this publication has a particular mission to break any last remaining dusty, tweedy, elitist ties with a stereotypical view of what whisky drinking is about. Mary-Ann’s raw enthusiasm and discerning nose for a good dram comes down the Zoom wire like a fresh breeze. She is wise and fun in equal measure.

‘My first whisky?’ she says. ‘Johnny Walker Black Label. I was at a party. The movers and shakers were all drinking this special whisky. “Oh no, this is not for a young woman like you – too strong.” They said. So, I

thought, well I’ll just try a sip. Then another, then a bit more. What a fine party that was! Or so I was told later.

cousin!’

‘I was never very keen on clear spirits, or beer, or alcopops. Rum, I drank, but, you know, rum is always the same.

No two whiskies are the same. I graduated from Johnny Walker to Glenfiddich.

I looked at the lovely green bottle, I was intrigued and set about exploring the full range. I’d say my favourite is the 15-yearold. I always have a bottle nearby, like a favourite

wWw was set up ten years ago in New York by Julia Ritz Toffoli who wanted women to explore the wide world of whisky, as she said, ‘free of mansplaining.’ A New York exile, Julia took the flame to Nairobi, MaryAnn became a close friend, and when Julia returned to the USA Mary- Ann took up the Presidency and in two years transformed the chapter.

‘Two covid years,’ she clarifies. But two years when the membership went from 120 to 700. Yes, that’s not poor proofreading – that is 700 membes ‘We are the second or third biggest chapter in the

ENJOY AGAIN AND AGAIN

Wiggly Bridge Distillery York, Maine

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wWw network. After New York and maybe Los Angeles. Anyway , we are up there.’

these might be of value to a future child I might have.

And then I think: No, I’ll drink them instead!’

Nairobi has its whisky scene. There are a number of whisky bars, but its is true to say that Mary-Ann and her club enthusiasts have played their part in galvanising the city’s interest in whiskies.

Their programme, even in the height of a global pandemic, sounds about as much fun as you can have while not spilling your glass. Or maybe spilling it a little.

Favourites?

‘Where do I start? I’m exploring Japanese whiskies currently. Hibiki, Chita, Nikka. I’ve got six bottles in my pantry right now. I’m coveting a Yamazaki 18-year-old. I always hope I might find a store where they don’t realise what the price is currently!

‘From Scotland I love Speyside– Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie and Balvenie. I’m in contact with the team at Balvenie – I’m going to turn up one day and say, “this is your family from Kenya”. I’m determined to tour the distilleries. I’m also a fan of the Bruichladdich from Islay.

‘We were all set to have a big tasting. We’d lined up Glenfiddich. And then the night before – bang – lockdown. It was the second, or maybe third wave.

Anyway, that was the end of our face-to-face tasting.

But we just switched to online tastings. For example, we recently had Jack Daniels night. There was Chris Fletcher, the Master Distiller at Jack Daniels over in Tennessee, and here we were with our JD cocktail tasting kits all round Nairobi, and we had a great evening.

‘Part of what we are doing is about education. Learning the stories about these amazing drinks. I’ve a friend who came to the Jack Daniels tasting. When we went round the virtual room and came to her, the brand ambassador asked what she could smell. “Alcohol”, she said. But now after a few months she’s in our tastings finding toffee, pear and vanilla with the rest.

‘We cater for the curious, the connoisseur and the collector – and everyone in between.’

The chapter recently sampled the special release from Fukano Distiliery created for Women Who Whiskey to celebrate the career of Chizuru Fukano, the doyenne of Japanese whiskey.

Lockdown has been no barrier to imaginative, fun events: ‘Our Hang-Outs are intended to be relaxed ways to enjoy whisky, but also to talk. We developed Women Words and Whiskey. It’s a happy-hour thing – we meet up online between 7 and 8pm. We get a drink, and then we talk. We pick a different topic each event – things we all have opinions about – careers, impostor syndrome… love! Sometimes it’s serious, usually it’s not. We get thirty or so at a time.

‘Of course, I’m really keen to get back to proper meetings. Sip and Chill evenings. A few open fires, some camping chairs, a mixologist, some music. A chance to chill and network and talk to friends.

‘My dream is one day to have 500 of our members there – all raising a glass to toast our friendship.’

Mary-Ann’s own whisky preferences are diverse and exciting. As we talk she’s out of her seat more than once to check a label in her wide collection.

‘I do buy these as investments sometimes. I think –

‘ I also love bourbons – Buffalo Trace is possibly one of the best value, high quality whiskies out there.

It’s such good value I almost don’t want people to discover it in case it becomes scarce.’ Mary-Ann’s tastes are truly global. ‘Do you know French whisky?’

She is an enthusiast that embodies the adventures that lie out there in the world of whisky.

The Nairobi chapter of wWw sounds like so much fun, I regret being the wrong gender. But Mary-Ann offers hope. ‘You’re very welcome. We have coed nights. We felt that as women, we were often excluded from events that were clearly designed for men only. So, we didn’t want to be exclusive in the same way. All that elitist business is nonsense.

‘I can’t wait till we can get back to our Hang Outs.

Each whisky has a different story to tell, and there are lots I haven’t followed up yet. It’s a never-ending journey to find out what makes each one unique. It’s like a story where you never get to the end.’

For an epic tale of friendship, adventure and exploration, Mary-Ann and the Women Who Whiskey, Nairobi would be hard to beat.

@womenwhowhiskey.nairobi

PELELOPE BO something unique and intriguing.’

And then his daughter Penelope c

‘I just wanted to mark that momen let’s just do it. Let’s create a bourb

‘There was no business plan. And I got a bit out of hand.’

Two trading years on, Penelope th ‘We’ve just never had time to draw little and take stock, it’s been full o UK, Canada and Australia. Just as

Interview by David Pearce Written by Martin Raymond

There are few waymarks in anyone’s life as significant as the birth of a child. We often find ways to mark the event. Plant a tree. Buy a cask that will mature on their eighteenth birthday. Or maybe an investment bond as a future nest egg.

Michael Paladini decided to go one better.

Working for Silicon Valley tech startups, his relaxation technique involved a bourbon or two: ‘Nothing particularly esoteric, I wasn’t a super bourbon hunter.

I went for Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, good, interesting brands that reflected the market at that time, five years ago,’ Mike told me. ‘ I’d drink all sorts of whiskies not just bourbon – Scotch, Irish, Japanese and Australian brands. But with the bourbons I’d start going down an organic rabbit hole. Exploring the way that the oaks worked on the spirit to create

OURBON

came along.

nt. Do something, create something, that would be a marker. So, I spoke to my neighbour, Danny Polise, and we decided, bon. And we did. Named for my daughter.

I don’t have long family history in the bourbon business – no grandfather’s recipe hidden away! It was like a hobby that

he toddler is just great, and Penelope the bourbon brand is doing just fine too. w breath. It’s been 1000 mph. Even in the post-Christmas period, where you might think we are able to settle back a on. I’m not complaining though. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re now trading in thirty states and shipping to the important, we’ve pulled a fantastic team together and we have lots of plans to develop the business.’

The core Penelope offer focusses on a Four Grain and a Barrel Strength Bourbon, with a number of limited edition runs. The company buys the spirit from MPG in Indiana and sources barrels via Speyside Cooperage. Suppliers are very much part of the team.

The products have garnered fabulous reviews and the company has made an impact on the industry out of proportion to the youth of the enterprise. ‘We spent much of the first year just collecting the permits,’ says Mike. ‘So, we are pleased to have come so far, so fast. But there’s always a challenge round the corner.’

The first couple of years were very much a textbook, kitchen-table start-up.

‘We started with six barrels. We made our own labels. Drawn with crayons – almost. We got a quote from a professional agency. Wow! So, we didn’t have much option to do the design ourselves. Proper bootstrapping. The packaging was all done on Microsoft.

‘We did our own selling and distribution - sold out of the back of our car. Mainly to retailers.

‘Right at the start, when there were delays with our New Jersey permit to wholesale alcohol, we used our Federal permit and drove down to Washington DC. DC is not a state so the Federal document worked just fine there, and sold to our first retailer. We were there taking photographs when the first customer took it off the shelf.

‘Once we were up and running we did go to a small start up boutique designer in Virginia – someone we’re still with – and got them to develop the branding and packaging. It gave us a chance to refresh and ensure we had a contemporary look to the brand.’

The look of the product is particularly strong.

It has a wide, inclusive feel that takes bourbon away from its traditional, more masculine image.

‘We don’t see the brand as being either masculine of feminine,’ Mike explains. ‘It’s more that as a family company we have a brans that appeals across the genders. It’s all cask strength, there’s no compromise there, but we don’t want to exclude anyone from the products.’

It’s a business with a close-knit team. A team that includes the suppliers, vital for a producer buying in everything – glass, labels, spirits and barrels. Mike explains: ‘Every supplier, of the sprits, glass, barrels are part of the operation. As we move to bigger batches we’ve also moved to new-fills. That takes a fair bit of planning ahead, and careful financing. It is vital for us to

maintain consistency. We still have comparatively small production runs but we have specific mash-bills and so we need a very close relationship with our partners.

‘Our Rosé Cask Finish, for example, was due to Speyside Cooperage sourcing barrels from their French operation. Very few vineyards use casks for rosé, so they’re very rare. We got hold of oak barrels that had held Grenache Rosé. It was perfect for our four-grain mash-bill with its lighter sweeter taste. It’s been a great success, but it starts from partnerships.’

Penelope Bourbon’s elegant distinctive bottles are likely to become more part of the drinks landscape over the next few years: ‘We’re very keen to look at export. There’s growing interest in Europe and South America. The UK has emerged very quickly as land or bourbon enthusiasts.

If the UK was a state it would be in the top five in terms of social media and email enquires and contacts. It’s an interest we’d like to develop further.

‘We’re also keen to do much more with the offpremises, bars and restaurants. There’s lots of scope for cocktails. We’ve worked with a few hospitality customers in New Jersey and New York, but we can take that further.’

Their bottles would, I believe, look spectacular on a gantry. But whether on the shelves of a whisky shop or a bar shelf, Penelope is definitely worth looking out for. It’s come from tiny beginnings, a family’s desire to make a mark for their daughter, but both Penelopes have got great futures to look forward to.

Penelope Bourbon is available in the UK from thewhiskyworld.com but I imagine they will sell out pretty fast!

You will be able to read my tasting notes in the next issue of the magazine.

Penelope Bourbon

1. Lets get the boring technical question out of the way. What camera and lens do you generally use?

Sony alpha A7R 2 & A7III, my main lenses for whisky photo shoot would be Sigma 85mm DG DN F1.4 and Sigma ART 35mm F1.4 2. Do you generally prefer to shoot at a particular aperture?

No, it’s always about what outcome you’re looking for. Quite often nice bokeh demands for big aperture usage.

Spotlight on @whiskymug

3. Your photography always incorporates beautiful soft light.

How early do you generally go out to photography whisky?

I prefer the time before dusk. But I live in Finland, so this means that during winter there is only few hours of daylight and in summertime the sun barely sets. So I would say in winter time, actual time does really not matter. I also use ND filters if needed.

4. Do you travel far to your preferred locations?

Occasionally yes, but I am lucky to have few nice spots close to my house as well.

5. How bottles do you usually take with you on each photography session?

Usually only 1, rarely 2.

6. What got you into whisky?

Curiosity I guess.

7. What is your most memorable whisky moment?

First visit in Islay Scotland with my good friends

@whiskymug

“Quite the level up from their inital experiment”

“...and to our surprise that barrel wasn’t rum!”

Wiggly Bridge Distillery Located in the town of York in Maine, the distillery takes its name from the smallest suspension bridge in the USA.

David Pearce chats to David Woods, founder of Wiggly Bridge Distillery in Maine, USA, on obsession to profession, hand-making stills and never giving up. Written

by Annie Bowles When David Woods was young, he was always tinkering with metal, fiddling around with cars and creating, even making a pick-up truck out of an old Volkswagen beetle. Years later, his son, David, mentioned at the dinner table that he wanted to build a still and make whisky in his basement – his father didn’t think this was a great idea, but that spark ignited the hobby which would lead to obsession, and ultimately, a profitable profession for both father and son. David and his wife had a little house in the Caribbean where they could play around with building a 10 gallon pot still without the tedium of getting a federal permit to do so in the US. Although not a ‘college guy’, David

loves research – from learning about stills, to manufacturers to processes to moonshiners. Even more than profit, he loves research. Meticulously noting down and experimenting with every aspect of distilling reveals the joy and dedication behind the process for Wiggly Bridge.

What could they do by hand? The father and son duo decided to make a sixty gallon pot still when they got their permit, welding copper to stainless steel, teaching themselves skills such as TIG welding from YouTube videos.

David praises his son for becoming quite the proficient welder through this self-taught process; the last still they built was 750 gallons – quite the level up from their initial experiment. They created shapes through paper patterns drawn with string compasses, which they would cut out of the copper. David’s philosophy and approach to the process is simple, old fashioned problem solving.

Trying again and again until you get it right – using logic and research to figure out challenges that will inevitably arise.

Some of the things he learned not to do include picking up hot copper with your bare hands – the importance of good gloves always present with metal work, evidenced from plenty of slices on his well worked hands. David and his team are incredibly meticulous with their surveillance of the distillery, checking on the process every hour. Doing for that for nine years with five different stills ends up pretty consistent – what they build, works.

When asked if they built their own fermenters, David replied that although they could have, they found a gentleman in the Southern States who could build them from Louisiana Cypress wood, at a cost that was less than what they could buy the wood alone for. The power of knowing where to source your products in full force. .

Wiggly Bridge is focussed on creating a pre-prohibition style of whiskey. Their careful approach extends to their treatment of the spirit. Their mash bill consists of 58% corn, 37% rye and 5% malted barley is classed as an ultra-high rye bourbon (most high ryes being between 16%-26%) which carries an inherent sweetness due, according to David, to their still running slow and the addition of proofing water continually throughout the process. They handle the spirit gently, understanding it and taking their sweet time. Unlike other artisanal or craft distilleries, David keeps a basic view – never sacrifice spirit for yield, and keep copious notes of everything you do. The differences documented can be huge – their barrel 303 was apparently their worst product after a tasting two years ago, but now after evaluation is the finest bourbon Wiggly Bridge has ever made. Having just been released they have written it’s story on the website which I have copied here :We lost this barrel for a while. We think the bourbon gods had something to do with it because by losing it, it has become one of the most delicious, smooth, and unbelievable barrels that has come out of Wiggly Bridge Distillery.

How does a barrel get “lost”? Here’s the story.

Barrel #303 had an entry proof of 107.2 and is made from our mash bill of 58% corn, 37% rye, and 5% malted barley. Two years went by from the date we filled it (6/2/17) and it was in a grouping of barrels that would be our next batch of Small Barrel Bourbon to be dumped in 2019.

When we tasted barrel #303 at that time, to our disappointment, it was disgusting, bitter and with a lot of heat. Not pleasurable at all. So, we didn’t include it in that batch and decided to skip over it and leave it out on the second floor of the rick house.

For the next few months or so we got tired of tripping over it. A slot opened up in the ricks and we just put it there to get it out of the way. A month or two later we were barreling rum and we needed that slot that we had temporarily put barrel #303.

Remembering it’s unpleasant taste we pushed the barrel all the way to the back slot and we forgot about it.

Another two years went by which is the period of time that we age our small barrel rum and we pulled all the barrels to make our next batch of rum. Barrel #303 came up to be tasted and to our surprise that barrel was not rum! We had to go back and pull the logbooks to find out what it was and to our surprise it was 131 proof and the taste was unbelievable and it was extremely smooth. Pure delight to say the least.

It was so incredible that we decided it needed it’s own bottle separate from our Small Barrel Bourbon batches – so would begin The Daves’ Special Barrel Projects. We decided to call this one an orphan barrel (as the story goes) and would be Project #1 of the Daves’ Special Projects series. Project #1 is bottled at 130.55 proof.

The label has significance and if you follow us on social media you see that we use blue painters tape to label and make notes behind the scenes. We wanted to incorporate it in our bottle design to bring you as close to our behind the scenes process as possible. I guess you could call it Wiggly Bridge’s Blue Label –

small batch style.

We wanted this bottle to be something that brings you as close as you could be to being in the rick house with the Daves’ sampling our barrels without actually being here with us.

It is unfiltered so if you see a bit of char from the barrel in there it’s supposed to be there. So we guess you could say that barrel #303 is actually a barrel in a bottle.

This is a single barrel extremely small limited release as there are only 118 bottles.

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for David’s business ventures – in his early days, he was infatuated with the creation of profit, which he believes led to failures.

However, after a mysterious mentor came into his life, he had a paradigm shift – instead of chasing money, create good work. The money will take care of itself. The distillery is certainly a success – after ten years, it appears they will be in the black. In fact, despite obvious challenges from a certain international pandemic, 2021 was the best year for sales at Wiggly Bridge, better than 2020 and 2019 combined. Thankful for the failures, it had led to overnight success after sixty-five years, says David. ‘I wanna be the dumbest guy in the room,’ he says, clear that his journey of learning and creating continues. Failure, for David, only happens when you give up, which he has never done in his life. A simple philosophy of humility, hard work, logic and effort have served him and Wiggly Bridge well.

Before ending our chat, I was curious to know where the name Wiggly Bridge came from. It transpires that the name was coined by a girl scout group and is reportedly the smallest suspension bridge in the USA. If the allure of Wiggly Bridge Bourbon isn’t enough to entice you to visit, then the opportunity to cross this bridge, set in a idyllic location must be.

Wiggly Bridge

5 Tips to grow your instagram by @duchessofislay My two most frequently asked questions on Instagram are “What’s your favorite whisky?” and “How can I grow my whisky account on Instagram?”

While I don’t have one specific bottle I love more than any other, I do love Instagram more than any other social media site. Facebook is not as user friendly, and the people on TikTok are typically too young to appreciate good whisky.

Instagram is a sweet spot for spirit aficionados to take the time to pour up a dram, and then leisurely scroll through whatever interests them. Although the platform is going through major changes, these 5 tried and true tips will help connect you with more whisky lovers right now

1

Put yourself in front of the camera. It doesn’t matter what you are posting - a reel, video, story or post. The people that consistently put their face in the photo with their whisky create a relationship with followers. You might be rolling your eyes, but there are tons of Instagram whisky accounts with 20k+ followers that are run by men that look like they just finished cutting down a forest of trees for the past 3 months, sustained by a diet of straight up full-bodied beer and cheese.

People want to see the person behind the bottle. Give it to them.

2

Spend time on your captions. You don’t have to be a whisky expert, or a historian. I’ve been highly entertained by whisky accounts that pair whisky with music, movies, mental health, travel, or personal journeys. If you have something to share with people, do it! Stick to that format and people will keep coming back, because they know what kind of information they will get from you. They are going to want whatever you offer.

3

Do a reel at least once a week. Instagram really wants to see you use their tools they have spent months/years creating and they will push your content to more people if you use it. Take a reel of you opening a bottle and pouring whisky in a glass. Add a song and you are done. If you follow tip #1 sit in a chair like Nick Offerman and drink to a song. 30-60 seconds and you are done.

Reels will be taking over more of the platform in the future, so jump on that band wagon right now.

4

Be consistent. Figure out what you have time for and stick to it. 3 posts a week + 1 reel and 1 story per day will keep your content current. Instagram gives more weight to people that regularly post on their platform.

5

Key words and hashtags should be relevant and specific. Gone are the days when you could put #dogs in your whisky post and get more exposure. Stick to whisky related hashtags and but sure to include those words in your caption. Lower level hashtags (such as #singlemaltscotch vs. #whisky) also get pushed to the top of the explorer page and this is where you want to be if you want to increase your followers.

This isn’t necessarily a tip, but most of all, be patient and enjoy what you are doing. Your enthusiasm will come through as great, entertaining content to your followers, and you will build real relationships with some amazing, like-minded people.

@duchessofislay

(PHOTO)

BREAKING NEW GROUND

Buying A Cask:

THE “WH” QUESTIONS BY

@WHISKY_AT_HOME

A couple of years ago we bought our first Whisky Cask. It was a momentous occasion as we started the fill of Cask 1024 at Lindores Abbey Distillery, but also one that triggered lots of questions (or maybe interest?) from folks. Most of these questions began with “Wh” and to be honest, we had previously asked ourselves as well.

So here is the Who, What, Why, Where, When and How of buying your cask of Whisky. How you do it is well documented, and we’ll come to that later.

Who? Who was actually the only question we were never actually asked.

Who are we?

We are BAMS, not the Scots definition (Scottish colloquial: Below Average Mentality. See also ned), though we maybe are a bit of that too, but rather three friends, or “Brothers And MaltS”.

The three of us, Shaun, Stephen and Graeme, have a friendship that goes way back, initially working together in IT in a small company in Glasgow, a friendship that grew through football, music, and whisky (not necessarily all at the same time).

Whisky is the one that had lasted, even to this day, with virtual zoom tastings, and drives to drop off or collect sample bottles. Note: We are not in the Whisky industry, we know a lot of people who are, and paid a lot of attention to their advice and opinions, this is our view.

like Haggis.

Whisky tastings were the next thing for the three of us, and we rocked up to the Bon Accord in Glasgow (one of the greatest Whisky bars – look it up), dived in headfirst and were instantly hooked.

The first two whiskies I tried at these tastings were so far apart on the flavour spectrum that you would not even have thought they were the same drink. One was light and grassy, crisp and clean. The other, like chewing on a tarry rope that had just been thrown ashore by a trawler in Peterhead Harbour! I loved them both. I’ve not idea what they were, but they were brilliant, and is why I now take notes (though the written ones are often in secret code as you can see on Insta).

What to do next? Let’s buy some Whisky together, lets got and see what we have to do to follow this through and also Why? Why? Why is the question asked most often: We asked ourselves – Why are we doing this?

Others asked – Why did you do that?

The distillery even asked – “Why do you want to buy a cask of Whisky”! The fact that the distillery asked, was one of the reasons we went ahead, as they clearly didn’t want to sell to anyone that wasn’t sure why they were doing this.

What?

What do we do next?

This was probably the trigger question for the three of us. We had worked together for years, but then all gone our separate ways, though always keeping in touch. We made a point to meet at least a few times a year, take in a football match, a couple of drinks and a bite to eat. This brought us to exotic locations such as: Greenock, Hamilton, Firhill, Motherwell, Falkirk and Mount Florida (Hampden, for a Queens Park game). You will note a lack of distilleries in these places, well there is one in Falkirk now, but distilleries will come later.

Somewhere in the middle of this we discovered Whisky. Well not discovered, it was always there, but we discovered good Whisky, and more importantly Whisky Tastings, and a night out that did not involve a cold pie and Bovril, while sitting in a drizzly damp football stadium.

Whisky it seems is not only the rough fiery stuff that you toast the haggis or the New Year with, before you go back to whatever you might normally drink.

In fact, I didn’t really like Whisky at all, though I do

“The fact that the distillery asked, was one of the reasons we went ahead”

money is not the driver here. At least not for Cask 1024.

One cask is not going to make you any money anyway, look at the number of independent bottlers out there, who invest a lot of time and money to enable them to source casks, bottle them, market them, distribute etc. We’ll need to have more than one cask to make any money out of this.

Where?

Next up is Where do you buy a Whisky Cask?

There are several options here: Distilleries, Brokers, Cask Shares, Investment Firms, The Internet.

Four of these were ruled out pretty quickly, as this was more than just a financial transaction, and with “The Internet” there was nothing to say you would actually own a Cask, or Whisky in some cases.

I might write more about Brokers, Cask Shares another day, but today is Distilleries.

No, we were going straight to source, or the Still, as the source is where the water comes from, not the whisky. Distillery was the way to go.

Not all distilleries sell casks. They simple don’t need to in some cases, so you need to do your research and see who is selling. We had a fairly long list, Arran, Raasay, Annandale, NcNean, Glengoyne, Lagg, to name but a few.

So, Why would you buy a cask of whisky?

This was one we thought long and hard about, and it took many years to pull the plan together, and many evenings of “research”.

There are many different reasons to invest, and to be honest, it is an investment, but its maybe not only a financial investment. “Are your investments making 8-15% per annum” is the sort of thing you will see attracting you to invest in Whisky. There are numerous sites, brokers, etc advertising quick wins in the whisky market, but beware, with some of these, you don’t actually own any whisky. You buy a share in the investment vehicle, the cask that is holding the whisky, and hopefully the profit when the whisky is sold on, probably as a whole cask, not bottled. This was not for us, we wanted to have some whisky at the end of it, and we are in it for the long term.

Friendship was what we are investing in, the key reason we went ahead, the answer we gave the distillery, and in general something that we look forward to having for a long time yet.

There is a financial investment, it costs money, you need to hand over your hard-earned cash at the start of the process, and then again at the end, where the Customs Man becomes your new “friend”, but the

Over time we had visited several distilleries, did the tour, public and private, and thought a lot about where we would like to buy into. Part of cask ownership is being able to go and visit your cask in the distillery. To hug it and pat it, and have a wee sample, which ruled out a couple that were maybe a bit further away or remote for the day trip etc.

Lindores fitted the bill, mainland, not too far away, and easy to get to. Lindores it is!

In the summer of 2019, we rocked up to Lindores Abbey Distillery, Fife, Scotland. This was a research mission, a look around, a tour, tasting etc. Elliot and the team at Lindores were superb, go look them up.

Lindores is a new distillery, at this point less than two years old, so they don’t even have any Whisky, their spirit is not old enough yet (fyi – Scotch Whisky needs to age for 3 years in the cask before it is whisky).

When?

When? Well, not time like the present. JFDI (Just F’ing Do It) as Graeme says! Part of the when is selecting a cask, and then confirming a fill date with the distillery. A bit more of this in the “How?” Section.

It took us 5 years, yes FIVE, to pull the trigger. In

fact, once we had settled on Lindores, it was maybe 12 months before we filled the cask! I did say there was a lot of research involved. The real When question is, “When is the next one?”

The other side of When is not a question at all, but rather a recommendation. When you are going to fill the cask, enjoy it, this is where the best part is (well, before bottling anyway).

We had the day at the distillery, the closed tour so to speak, and in the warehouse from rolling out our cask to hand filling and stamping it. These were great times!

Located in the Newburgh, Fife, Scotland’s arable farming heartland, as we approach the distillery, there are acres and acres of crops, bright in the summer sun, waving in the gentle breeze.

Barley. Barley that is then malted and mashed for Lindores and would ultimately make the spirit that would fill our cask. Knowing that everything is local, there is a sense of pride in knowing that we were making a small contribution to supporting the distillery and the wider community.

The distillery itself nestles at the edge of the town near the site of Lindores Abbey, where Whisky was distilled as far back as 1494, and was built using and enlarging the old far buildings on the site.

We enter the distillery, sympathetically modern to the old buildings, and from the visitor centre can see the Cloisters, a long arched roofed room, leading down to the still room, where three bright copper stills look out onto the ruins of the old abbey.

As we tour round the distillery the aromas fill your head, from the pungent malty smells of fermentation, to the crisp clean aromas of the still room. As we move to the warehouse, this changes to woody, oaky, spicey aromas.

Casks of all sizes, Firkins, Quarters, Hogsheads and Port Pipes are stacked out before us. This is where it all happens, this is where the spirit will mature, and after a minimum of three years in the oak cask will become whisky.

Our Cask 1024 is rolled out, weighed and logged, and ready for the fill. The clean clear new spirit fills the cask until overflowing (don’t worry, we didn’t spill too much), and then sealed with the bung, before being rolled into place in the warehouse. We will return to visit and sample over the coming years, and check on the progress of our whisky, and the distillery. We have secured a further 10 years of friendship and adventure!

How? How do you buy a whisky cask? Well, once you have decided on the Who, What, Why, Where and When, it’s pretty simple.

As mentioned, we had visited Lindores and expressed an interest in buying a cask, and they outlined the process, and provided the detail for review at our leisure. Distilleries that sell casks all supply information on How is done.

Simple steps are: Register your interest with the distillery (normally an online form) Speak to them, go and see them. You don’t buy a made to measure suit without visiting the tailor (or you shouldn’t) Select the type of Cask you want to buy. Lindores for example offered several different types, STR Wine Barriques, Oloroso Sherry Butts, Bourbon Hogsheads, Firkins and Port Pipes for starters. Raasay similarly have a range of casks.

There are a couple of key things to consider when selecting a cask: Finish – the cask has a big impact on the final flavour, consider your preference carefully, as not point in buying something you don’t like Size – Casks are all different sizes, and therefore, different costs. I really fancied a Port Pipe; it was quickly ruled out.

Paperwork (and payment) as part of this, make sure you read and understand the full Terms and Conditions, and walk away with your Certificate of Ownership.

Maturation takes at least three years for your cask to become whisky, but you will probably wait for at least 5, more likely 10, before you come to bottling.

Visiting - Don’t worry though, in this time you can visit and sample your cask to see how its developing. Some distilleries also run exclusive events, sampling nights etc for Cask Owners Bottling – finally we get to bottling. As part of the T’s & C’s you will have understood how this works, things like bottle options, labelling etc are all covered in here, as well as estimated costs, as you were looking into the future 10 years ago. You would also consider the ABV at which you bottle, lower ABV, less excise per bottle, but more bottles, High ABV, less bottles, higher excise etc.

I have deliberately left the How section a bit vague, as you should really to your own research here, decide if its for you or not, and things change, make sure you are up to date.

When and What?

Finally, there is the double barrelled “Wh question”: When it matures, What are you going to do with it?

Drink it is sadly not an option, at least not in the distillery, you must take it out to do that. So, you have a choice: bottle it; sell the cask whole; let it rest for another X years.

Cask 1024 will be bottled, which takes us back to What. What are you going to do with 200 plus bottles of whisky?

This is our whisky, so most will be with friends and family, or left to the kids in wills if no one wants it.

@whisky_at_home

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got to try it. My friend took a picture of it for posterity. Hahaha. But fortunately, I was able to get a new dram!

Spotlight on @annadrinkswhiskey

What is the most patronising question you have been asked about whisky and did you put them straight?

Haha, to be honest, I don’t get a lot cause I can easily match energy, and if a pretentious dude comes at me sideways, he gets it back x1000. Most of what I get in that vein is rich men that don’t know a lot about whiskey, and ask for the “best/most expensive/rarest one” and then ignore my recommendations and ask for Blanton’s.

Do you prefer a particular style?

My favorites are cask strength and barrel proof ryes, but also a big fan of rum and Sauternes-finished whiskies.

You like punk rock - what is a good band to drink whisky too and have a good conversation?

What got you into whisky?

I started drinking whiskey when I was I my late teens, always wanted to be a bartender and open my own bar. I loved Marker’s Mark-that was my gateway dram. I drank a lot of Jameson in my early twenties. From there, I got into all the styles, and can appreciate all good whiskey now.

What is your best whisky related story?

So the first time I had Brenne whisky, I was so excited because I had heard amazing things about it from the whisky community. A former ballerina, Allison Parc, invested her life’s savings to make France’s first French Limousin oak and cognac-finished whisky, and started selling it by bike in New York City. Fantastic whisky-great origin story. So I’m hyped up and my buddy and myself go to a local store and see it there, and I’m finally about to try it. It’s a nice spring day out and we go out to their patio. We sit down, and are about to drink, and in the minute it took to sit down, a fly had made its way into my dram and died before I

Lucero is my favorite band. They’re like alt country/punk rock/Americana, and are definitely a whiskey drinker’s band.

So are Social D, Rancid, the Menzingers, Against Me!, the Lawrence Arms, the Gaslight Anthem, Bouncing Souls, old Dropkick Murphy’s, Flogging Molly, the Offspring…

How can the whisky community help the world?

By giving back and doing our part. I love that brands like Macallan, Bruichladdich, Nc’Nean, Oban, Johnnie Walker, etc are focusing on sustainability, reducing their carbon footprint, recyclable or compostable packaging, and environmental stewardship.

Very happy to endorse distilleries that care. On a personal level, I love that the international whisky community that I engage with on Instagram cares so much about each other and the world. It really is a wonderful group. I have seen so many people step up to support each other, whether it’s having a charity raffle for someone that develops cancer, or making a whiskey or selecting a barrel pick with proceeds going to a worthy charity, it’s incredible and uplifting to see and be part of.

What whisky cocktail do you love to drink?

Absolute favorite is a Vieux Carré, but I won’t turn down a Kentucky Mule on a hot day. Love a proper hot toddy, too.

Do you have any whisky inspired tattoos?

I do, on my inner right arm I have a glass of whiskey being toasted with barley and hops around it (cuz I love beer too), and it says “Hold Fast” above and a banner that says “Drink Slow” underneath.

Do you have a favourite location to enjoy whisky?

I haven’t been out of the States yet, but myfave bar in the US is Delilah’s, a punk rock bar in Chicago. Amazing whiskey selection, fantastic service, chill atmosphere, and they have pinball!

What whisky region would you most like to visit and why?

I am absolutely dying to visit the Highlands and Glenmorangie in particular, but would also love to visit Islay and tour Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, Laphroaig…although I still haven’t been to Kentucky, so I need to get on that first.

@annadrinkswhiskey

JOURNEYMAN Interview by David Pearce Article by Martin Raymond

Corsets, Whips and Whiskey

Don’t worry about the headline - I’ll explain later.

But first - what did you want to be when you grew up? Rock star? Racing driver? Golf champion? These were my aspirations. All three - I was an ambitious boy. How many did I achieve?

OK, at this point we shall pass on quickly to Bill Welter from Journeyman Whiskey.

Like me, Bill was no Axl Rose or Lewis Hamilton. But unlike me, he was a very, very good golfer. As we spoke – he in a chilly Michigan, me in a comparatively balmy Kent – his dual passions, for whiskey and the little white ball, intertwined throughout our conversation. These enthusiasms, propelled by an entrepreneurial family heritage, have taken him from the kitchen dish-pit of the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews to one of the most exciting new developments in the US distilling scene.

‘Washing dishes in the Old Course Hotel, my first job after finishing

my studies in St Andrews, was my initiation into the world of hospitality.

I’d played golf at a high level through high school and won a scholarship which ultimately took me to St Andrews. How brilliant was that - the home of golf, conveniently located in the birthplace of whisky? I fell in love with it all. As a resident of the town, I could play all links courses for a modest annual fee. And I was introduced to whisky. It was a happy time,’ says Bill.

I’ll mention, as Bill is a modest man, his score of 68 on the Old Course. I asked if his whiskey was not stocked in the bar at the hotel - ‘The Old Course Hotel doesn’t have our whiskey behind the bar. Yet. We do sell across 33 states in the US and have started to export to Europe and Australia. But, in the US we say, “stay out of Kentucky.” It’s a tough market for whiskey there. And Scotland is too – but we will get there soon!’

A friendship formed with Greg Ramsay in the steamy kitchens of St

Andrews took Bill to Tasmania – this is a truly global story – and introduced him to craft distilling. ‘I did a stint in my family’s banking business back in the US - a business which was subsequently sold. Then, in 2010, I got a call from Greg. He had opened the Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course in Tasmania – now world famous - and had developed a distillery nearby. That trip was transformative. The dynamism and enterprise of the Tasmanian craft distilling industry opened up a whole new world.’

Back in the USA, Bill launched his own enterprise. With all that banking heritage in the family there must have been a very robust business plan? ‘You kidding? “Leap and the net will appear” – is the family motto. I took my lead from my grandfather who “retired” from the autosales business in his mid-fifties and got into the banking – a sector in which he had no previous experience or training – and made a great success of it.

‘When we got our Federal Distilling Licence in 2010 we were one of only 250 FDL holders. Now it’s nearer 2500 in the US. But at the time no one knew that craft distilling was going to grow in that way. ‘Sure, there were tricky times at first. But I saw this as something to be there for the future of my family. I’m a huge admirer of the Glenfarclas brand – a company that has been owned by the same family for seven or eight generations.’

Bill’s premium whiskey products are at the heart of the company. We will speak the about whiskey range

in a moment, as well as the corsets, whips, etc. But Journeyman is more than just the bottled spirits – it’s a complete experience. ‘We are in an area of Michigan that has a high volume of tourist traffic.

The town of Three Oaks is small – population of 1000 - but we’re five miles from Lake Michigan and its beaches. The area has a long-established wine industry, twenty craft breweries and another distillery, so we provide a top destination within that wider visitor offer. We welcome around 200,000 people a year.

‘As well as the distillery tour, we have a restaurant, we host eighty weddings a year and we have accommodation for over thirty-five people. We tie the whiskey business into the weddings. For example, we can supply a barrel as a signing book for guests.

The couple ultimately own the cask’s contents after its been filled and the whiskey is mature. It’s also the sort of wedding venue that you can come back to again and again. We’re not just for the big day.’

But the centrepiece of the hospitality offer at Journeyman is the 30,000 square-yard putting green.

‘This is my garden! Welter’s Folly. It brings together my love of golf, and Scotland. It’s modelled on the Himalayan Putting Green in St Andrews - established in the 1850s and still open to the public. Here, we let kids on free – we want to get them off the iPads and on to the green, out in the open air. It’s my belief that golf should be fun and it should be for all the family.

We want Mom, Dad and the kids to all go away

smiling, after a great day out.’

While Journeyman is a great hospitality success-story, the whiskey product is the cornerstone of the whole thing.

But Bill is probably even more proud of his whiskey than he is of his putting green. And that’s a high bar.

Journeyman produce four core whiskeys, each one a distinct statement of his craft. Bill explains: ‘Our Last Feather Rye is part of the company’s strong connection to the history of the USA. Long before bourbon, rye whisky was the whiskey of America. It is the original taste of the country. Rye production in the US had fallen to around 1% of production. Now it’s 12 - 13%, driven by products like Last Feather and a rediscovery of the uniqueness that rye whiskey can bring to cocktails. Old Fashioneds, Manhattans – were all initially developed using rye.‘We do a Bourbon. It’s not a Kentucky bourbon. Again, a unique product linked to the farms and the heritage of our area.

‘Silver Cross is my homage to Scotland and my love of golf. It’s a four-grain whiskey – equal parts rye, wheat, corn and malted barley. It’s named after the Silver Cross Medal that was awarded in the old days in the British Open Championship - I guess you’d say The Open Championship! We give 1% of all revenues from this bottle to our golf charities – 1st Tee which introduces inner-city kids to golf and the Chick Evans Scholarships for caddies.

‘And, finally, Corsets, Whips and Whiskey is a 100% wheat, cask-strength whiskey. It’s unique and very popular.’

And has a quite unusual name – I suggest? ‘Well – the building we occupy was once the Buggy Whip and Corsets factory established in 1850 in Three Oaks by EK Warren. It’s part of our heritage!’ So, now you know.

Bill’s story sums up much of what makes the craft distilling business so fascinating – a top-class, unique range of products, a global perspective, a fierce entrepreneurial spirit, an imaginative vision of what customers want, a willingness to experiment and learn every working day. In Bill’s case though there are other factors. His love and passion for golf as well as whiskey, his love of Scotland – his daughter is called Islay. But the other two vital influences that resurface time and again through Bill’s story are family and friends, a reminder of the things that are really important in life.

Journeyman Distillery

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

SPEYSIDE

Issue Three will have a focus on David’s visit Speyside in Scotland, reporting on his trip with distillery profiles, inteviews and films.

Also included will be features on Daftmill, GlenTurret, Glen Moray, Glenfarclas, The Balvenie, Dowans Hotel, The Mash Tun and Cotswold Distillery amongst others.

Plus columns and articles from some of your favourite instagram accounts.

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True grit.

We know a bit about that. Experimenting in the back room of a former corset and buggy whip factory to create award-winning spirits. Flying down a two lane road of life, knowing where our local organic and kosher grains come from. Navigating a family-owned endeavor through this crazy ride. The journey is the reward.

We’ll see you out there.

91 Points

Jim Murray’s whisky Bible

WHISKY IN GERMANY I asked Nadyn (_whiskywoman_) to write a few words about the whisky scene in Germany -: What can I tell you about German whisky?

After all, it hasn’t been around that long.

Distilling and drinking schnapps is common in Germany.

Grain in the north and fruit in the south. In the middle, plenty of beer and wine.

And now whisky, too!

Distilling schnapps and the fine art of beer brewing were a good foundation for producing good whisky in Germany as well. The question of who first brought German whisky on to the market is a controversial issue.

More importantly than who distilled the first whisky, however, is how the product tastes. Especially now that it is being sold in over 400 distilleries. Quite right!

Germany now has more distilleries producing whisky than Scotland. However, Scotland produces far more litres of whisky than the Germans.

This is due, among other things, to the fact that many German distilleries which produce fruit and grain brandies are simply expanding their product range to include whisky. This means that fruit stills are used for distilling. These have an elongated shape and multiple floors. So you have more of a column distillation, which provides a fruity taste.

The Slyrs distillery set a milestone in German whisky production at the end of the 1990s. The distillery from Bavaria had its own stills made, which are a custom product from Germany. These ultimately led to the great success of Slyrs.

German whisky is made in most distilleries with a lot of manual work in small batches and within family businesses, which is why the final product is then sold in small quantities, not tending to reach the international market. To me, that is what makes them so special.

What’s great is that more and more distilleries are focusing on sustainability. The grain is grown in-house and the stills are fired with wood from their own forest.

After firing, the newmake must be stored in the barrel as usual.

In Germany, the type of wood for the barrel is not specified. It is therefore unnecessary to ensure that it is oak, as is the case in Scotland. Thus, sometimes it happens that a German whisky matures in chestnut barrels.

However, German whisky must mature in barrels for at

least three years before it can be called whisky according to EU spirits regulation. Which is why German whisky likes to mature in smaller casks. As a result, the barrel contact is greater and the maturing process more intensive. Thus, a three- to six-year-old year old whisky can already be mature and ready for bottling.

German whisky distillers are very willing to experiment.

Diverse finishings and impressive storage locations give the whisky its special touch and make it unique. For example, the Slyrs distillery has a cask storage facility for its Mountain Edition at 1501 metres on a mountain peak, and the St. Kilian Distillers distillery has its casks mature in a wooded ex-NATO ammunition bunker.

St.Kilian Distillers is now the largest whisky distillery in Germany. Since 2016, they have been producing multiaward-winning whisky based on the Scottish model.

This includes genuine Scottish copper stills in which the traditional double firing takes place. The finished whisky is hand-filled and sold in strictly limited quantities. Since it is very popular, you have to be quick!

German whisky: a mixture of tradition, craftsmanship, experimentation and heart and soul.

So you see, I did have a little to say about German whisky and as the whisky distilleries keep growing, we won’t run out of topics or whisky.

Slainte!

Follow Nadyns Instagram account here

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT Do you struggle finding time to work on your instagram account properly?

Posting a photo, writing a caption and generating targeted hashtags is just the start. Your account needs love and attention, and we can help give it to you.

At Clandestine Whisky we are happy to discuss how we have help you for a low monthly fee. Email David today for more information david@clandestine-whisky.com

WE WORK WITH SMALLER DRINKS BRANDS TO BUILD THEIR INSTAGRAM PROFILE

SCIENCE, ART & CRAFT copenhagendistillery.com

FEW Spirits David Pearce of Clandestine Whisky chats to Paul Hletko, founder and master distillery of FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, on creativity, family and state history, and passion for people.

Written by Annie Bowles.

its responsibility.

The FEW story is rich in all kinds of history.

Evanston was where the entirety of US prohibition started, as the women who led the movement lived there. The city had a proud 170 year history of being dry, alcohol never being produced there before. Which The Musician turned whiskey maker is why Paul was so surprised that the local government were so receptive to his dream, especially as he had to lobby to get A mile and a half north of Chicago, FEW Spirits the license to distill, essentially changing distillery is located in a grungy alley; a fitting location the law. for salt-of-the-earth rocker, founder Paul Hletko. A real character, Paul’s desire to create FEW came from Before FEW, Paul worked as a lawyer in artistic passion and determination to reconnect with Chicago – a job he desperately hated. his family history in a positive way. His grandfather’s As a self-described creative, pushing family owned a brewery in what was Czechoslovakia paper around his desk was not fulfilling prior to the Second World War. After the Nazis invaded for him. He is strikingly honest when in 1939, confiscating the brewery while his family were describing his dissatisfaction in his murdered in the camps, Paul’s grandfather survived and life at the time, his anger building spent the rest of his life trying to get the brewery back – throughout the day, snapping at his sadly, he never did. When his grandfather died, Paul realised family, before sinking a six pack of without the brewery, his family legacy and history was lost. beers and a bottle of whisky before By creating FEW, Paul not only was able to reconnect to getting up the next day to do it all his family, but to bring families and communities together in over again. So many people don’t the present, for the future. As Paul says, ‘Whisky is important like their job and don’t want to – but it pales in importance compared to family.’ A musician do it any more, says Paul, there’s himself, Paul brings in live bands to FEW all summer long, a support group for people like bringing the community together with live music, cocktails and that – it’s the bar. food. It is touchingly important the magic of bringing people together for FEW, sharing drinks, celebrations, commiserations.

Always a creative, Paul was a FEW is not just a distillery, but a social hub, which takes seriously

“There’s a support group for people like that - it’s the bar.”

pro guitar player and had owned a record label for a while, and felt the urge to make and create. He implores to find something you want to do so badly you will crawl through broken glass and fire to do it; he would do all of that to make whisky. It is clear to see the intensity and passion behind FEW, which makes it such an excellent product.

With their strong presence internationally, it is surprising that FEW is relatively small, producing just eight barrels a day with a small crew of dedicated, ‘insanely talented’ men and women. The distillery itself is small, just under 900 square metres. The work is hard, but worth it. The team individually hand pour 4000 pounds of grain per day into the mash tanks, fifty pounds at a time. Paul lauds his crew as passionate, creative people – the kind of you would want to sit down at the bar and share a dram with.

they have mutual friends. The band, one of Paul’s favourites, approached him looking for a deal to put a whisky on the market. Twenty years ago, Paul’s band almost opened at one of their gigs, so it feels satisfying cyclical for this collaboration to happen.

Paul doesn’t see much of a difference between musical art and the art of distilling whisky, both fundamentally creative processes. It is fitting that FEW thrives in a town with its rich history surrounding alcohol and music, a great place to be.

Paul learned distilling ‘the old-fashioned way’ – by distilling. Not adept at books, he would make mistakes in real time, and learn from them. The process of distilling is a creative one – Paul compares it to playing guitar, once you get good enough, your hands do the work automatically.

Learning how to distill, you have a flavor in your head, your hands don’t know how to make that flavour.

Although Paul is pretty modest whenever he sees his whisky sold in a bar, whether it be in London, Italy, LA, San Francisco, New York or Seattle, there was one occasion where he couldn’t resist a cheeky pic of his bottles behind a bar in Florence. Paul’s family legacy crossed the Atlantic and back again, reconnecting and reliving history of creating premium products, hopefully for generations to come.

I cannot wait to get back to Chicago to visit the plethora of music venues and enjoy a few glasses of FEW with Paul.

“A big hitter for the money with an explosion of flavour”

He started off by buying every bottle of Kentucky bourbon he could find, laying them out on the dining room table, grabbing a notebook and pen and taking notes. What did he like? What did he not like? Although an effective and simple research method, Paul warns of having your wife come home to find fifty open bottles of bourbon on the table.

It takes time, hard work and money but FEW is proud of the product they put on the market, lauding it as some of the best whisky out there with its bold, uniquely American flavours. They use a wine yeast from the Loire Valley in France, and as creative experimenters, FEW finishes with all sorts of casks – from Sauternes to Spanish wine casks.. They have a single malt coming out, of which they released a limited amount of every year.

Although Scotch and Irish whisky have a hold on the single malt, Paul enjoys the difference of flavours in his American single malt.

His go-to of his range is the bourbon, depending on his mood, but he will drink anything he produces. If there is something he doesn’t like, they don’t make it again. ‘I have to talk about that product every day for many years. If I don’t get excited, how can I expect you to?’ Fair point.

The success of FEW has led to a lot of fun opportunities for Paul – including collaborating with rock band Flaming Lips, of which

FEW Spirits

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Spotlight on TALISKER

Late last year I attended a tasting given by Jason Clark (jc_drinksgeek ) that was his last as a brand ambassador for Talisker. We tasted a range of expressios but the stand out ones, and hightlight of the tasting were the 41 and 43 year old. What an incredible occasion this was.

Talisker 43 year old Like an old oloroso. Slightly musty dare I say but is that old wood? Funky. The palate is quite thin, woody, missing on the mid-palate. Very oaky indeed. Great length though.

Too old? Certainly interesting. 49.7%. As time passed it changed in the glass to show rich damsons and prune within other dark fruits. The mustiness dissipated allowing the fruit to develop and sing. 1830 bottles produced.

Talisker Bodega 41 year old. 50.7%.

6 months in 100 year old sherry puncheons. Cream, salt, brine, nuts, sherry on nose. A delight on the palate. Fresh almost. Delicious. Flavours of pecan pie, marzipan and chilli. A fantastic spice running through it. Wonderful.

By The Sea

TIN SHED DISTILLERY

CAT ON A TIN-SHED

“We have a smoked whisky, Flustercluck”

Ah! A glass of malt, winking in the light of a roaring log fire as the sleet pelts against the window as you thaw out after a day on the heather moors. No one questions why they invented whisky in Scotland (or Ireland for that matter, but I don’t want to go into all that now), but it takes real passion to create an award-winning whisky when the temperature is in the high 40s and koalas are running for the shade.

Ian Schmidt and Vic Orlow haven’t time for these stereotypes or whisky snobberies. They don’t even have time to rub in the Ashes whitewash - North American readers can consult Google for an explanation. Tin Shed is not a place for pretentions, it’s the home of a nonnonsense approach to whisky production. It is a company that is part of a revolution that has seen the Australian craft distilling industry move from a tiny handful of producers to around 80 distilleries. A sector that crafts distinctive whiskies which in tastings can take on, and defeat, much more established brands.

‘It’s a grunty whisky,’ says Ian. ‘Ornier than most. Our short, fat still means what comes out the other end is jucier, fatter, oiler than many others. A whisky with lots of character.’

Like whisky, like proprietors. Ian and Vic have personality to spare. They’ve been in the spirits business for some time. But that’s not their only business experience. ‘I used to make flag-poles,’ Ian tells me. ‘My wife got fed up with my moaning about how hard it was and suggested I get a more sedentary job.’

Their initial whisky venture was the Southern Coast Distillers, a company which enjoyed rave reviews for the product but which faced more difficult challenges around the board-room table. The two friends moved on from there to set up Tin Shed in Adelaide.

It’s easy to see how well they work together. There is a strong connection between the two. They finish each other’s sentences; they take the mick from each other relentlessly. All of which suggests that they have been through times together but come out the other side with a deep friendship which has anchored their success.

ROOF

They have plenty advice for anyone with a romantic dream of setting up their own distillery: ‘Sell vodka and gin from the start!’ Vic laughs. He has genetic heritage in the white spirts world - Tin Shed now sell Piotr vodka named after his father - Piotr Mikhailovich Laptev. ‘What we didn’t do was what everyone does now, sell white spirts to fund the business while you wait for the whisky. We had to keep working at other jobs.’

Not that they had to wait too long – one of the many advantages that the Australian climate has over Scotland.

Vic explains: ‘We have a much shorter maturation time here. With a cold winter’s day at 12 degrees going up to 50 in summer, the process is much faster. We lose about 12% to the angels.’

TIN SHED DISTILLING The roaring heat of an Aussie summer has a downside as well as benefits. They make rum in the summer. ‘It’s our summer game, like cricket,’ says Ian, unnecessarily, I thought.

And all that warmth can play havoc with the fermentation process. As Vic explains: ‘We have to cool down the process, taking batches into the freezer. We also made the mistake of dropping huge blocks of ice into the wash. Not recommended. You end up wearing the wash.

But we all have to learn from our mistakes.’

The climate challenges have led Ian and Vic to a decision to relocate from the city centre to the Adelaide Hills, a move that will take them closer to South Australia’s other great beverage industry. ‘We’ll be going out to the hills, out by the vineyards.’ Says Ian. ‘The climate will be more moderate.’ ‘And handy for the casks too?’ I ask. ‘We do use wine casks,’ Ian continues. ‘White wines - Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Champagne. But the cask market is very tricky. Casks tend to be used first for white wines, then reds and finally tawnies – port and sherry. But the prices are now huge as fewer people drink tawnies and the best casks become more scarce. We experiment with different barrels, but it vital to get the right ones. The cask is probably the most important element in the process.’

Not that the distillation process isn’t complex in itself, and the preparation of the barley is unique. Let Ian explain how an Australian single malt is very distinctly different from a Scottish malt: ‘When we smoke our barley, we use wood from a Mallee tree. It’s a eucalyptus that grows in exceptionally dry places. It is an incredibly dense timber, highly prized by wood turners and excellent firewood. A single Mallee stump will burn all night.

Some people here import malt from Scotland.

We never do, what is the point of that? We use home produced peat too – from South Australia. In Scotland the peat is a reduction of sphagnum moss, pine needles, deer shit – all mulched down and matured through the centuries. Our peat is a bit sandier, made up of gum leaves and maybe some kangaroo shit.

Very different!’

The innovation and distinctiveness of the Tin Shed operation extends to the packaging.

There aren’t many booze websites where you can watch a box of premium whisky being drop kicked across the factory floor. And surviving intact. Don’t try it at home. The secret is the unique Z box, developed for Tin Shed by Spectrum packaging. No bubble wrap, no metals, no plastics – just very clever design. It helps the environment, helps the customer, helps the producer and ultimately, helps the industry.

‘No one benefits from broken bottles,’ says Vic. ‘We’re happy for Spectrum to share this with other producers – it’s their great idea and we are a better industry all round if we can reduce damage to our products in transit – and to the environment.’

‘We like to share here,’ adds Ian. ‘There’s a real collegiate relationship with other distilleries.

We’re competitors, sure, but we are all working towards the same thing and we’re all prepared to give each other advice.’

The company might be small scale by international drinks conglomerate standards: ‘We hand label the bottles, we pay decent wages;’ but Tin Shed is a great case study on how passion, determination and innovation can produce a suite of distinctive premium products. They have ambitions to export beyond their current modest shipments to China and the USA, to build the business. But whatever happens in the future I don’t see Ian and Vic changing much, their relationship and humour are the secret of their success: ‘We have a smoked whisky, Flustercluck. We call it that because it was the result of a few cluck-ups. Looking at no one in particular.’ Says Ian looking at Vic. ‘It’s not my fault if I assumed that some people knew what they were doing.’

Says Vic, demonstrating what any good working partnership needs, mutual respect disguised as mutual finger-pointing. It might have been a cluck-up but Flustercluck was named the 2022 Southern Hemisphere whisky of the year.

And sipping malt whisky at 45 degrees? ‘Put some ice in it!’

Tin Shed Distillery Interview by David Pearce Written by Martin Raymond

What is your most memorable whisky experience?

My whisky adventure to Islay with Sara (aka whiskywench on insta) last summer. We had an absolute blast exploring the island, visiting distilleries and of course drinking lots of whisky.

Spotlight on @themaltmaiden

What will probably be your next purchase?

I’ve had my eye on the Kilchoman Port Cask Matured….or Springbank 15. This is a hard question!

Do you have a favourite location to enjoy whisky?

It has to be The Pot Still In Glasgow.

However I also love filling my hip flask and heading out a walk and enjoying my whisky somewhere with a good view.

What whisky region would you most like to visit?

Only region I haven’t visited is Campbeltown so this is definitely on the cards this year.

@themaltmaiden

What got you into whisky?

Living in the highlands sparked my interest in whisky back when I was 20. I was surrounded by distilleries as I lived not far from the famous whisky trail. I began visiting these distilleries and quickly fell in love with the mysterious golden liquid!

What was your first non-supermarket whisky you purchased?

Kilchoman Machir Bay. Delicious drop!

Do you prefer a particular style?

For a long time I didn’t stray far from Highland or Speyside however I find Islay and Campbeltown malts very exciting at the moment.

You work at a distillery - tell me what thats like.

It’s the best job I’ve ever had! Being able to talk about something I’m so passionate about and share my knowledge with people from all over the world is an absolute pleasure.

IAN ROBINSON

Tamdhu with Iberico Jamons @POSHSCOTCH

FROM SPAIN TO SPEYSIDE: HOW A UNIQUE PAIRING OPENED MY EYES I’m fairly sure I once made a joke about how pairings were getting out of hand, and how someone would come up with a ham pairing. Fast forward to December 2021, and I’m sat in the Brindisa Spanish foods shop in Borough Market, London, surrounded by porcine treats and whisky from Tamdhu. Except I can’t make a joke about it; this was a sensory experience that has opened my eyes to properly prepared pairings, and made me realise there’s more to these tastings than whisky and cigars, or whisky and chocolate.

Tamdhu is a distillery on the rise again since being purchased by Ian MacLeod (owners of Glengoyne) in 2011.

Prior to then, the distillery had, despite being founded in 1897, endured prolonged periods of being silenced and had mostly been used in blends like Famous Grouse. With a new focus on sherry maturation, the team have expanded the range significantly over the last decade, most recently launching the Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction.

This new, limited-edition release celebrates the characteristics of (the more unusual) first-fill American oak sherry cask maturation. This expression began its journey in the oak forests of North America, before being imported into Spain, where these casks are dried, crafted, toasted, coopered and seasoned over the course of a six-year period.

Brindisa is one of the UK’s foremost traditional Spanish restaurants, importers and shops, having been established in 1988, before the first tapas bar opened in 2004, and quickly became a favourite Friday lunch spot of mine when moving to London in 2007.

So, you can probably work out this was not a pairing with

cheap supermarket wafer-thin ham slices, pumped full of water, hormones and chemicals. We were treated to 4 of the finest Iberico Jamóns known to humankind. And unusually, this was not a pairing of multiple whiskies.

Instead, it was a showcase of the pork with the aforementioned Quercus Alba Distinction.

What you might not know is that the rearing of these animals shares more with whisky production than you might imagine. The pigs are fed on a diet of acorns, and therefore, like whisky or wine, the climate can affect a “vintage”, depending on the size and quality of the crop for the year. The piggies can scoff an incredible quantity of acorns, and so if the harvest is lean, this can have an effect of the build-up and marbling of the fat when it comes time to send the animals to the abattoir. And like whisky, these animals are aged for far longer than your supermarket fodder. The average age a pig is culled for meat in the UK is 9 months, whereas for Iberico hams, this can be 4 years or longer, one of the many reasons why the meat is so fantastically expensive compared to your 99p value pack.

It was possible to discern very different tasting notes for the hams too, with some being really nutty, whilst others are more savoury, earthy, even veering towards smoky too. It’s amazing how, as part of the tasting, we were also taught how temperature (like with whisky) can affect the flavour and texture too. On a cold December evening, the fats were still soft, but when left in your mouth for a few seconds, would really start to melt, adding in a whole other dimension to the texture.

(PHOTO)

But back to the whisky. American oak is predominantly used for ex-bourbon casks, whilst most distilleries stick to European Oak (Quercus Robur) for their sherry casks; although both Ian MacLeod and Edrington are both known for using the wood in this way. Bottled at 48%, this is a NAS whisky, with a beautiful golden hue. By no means a very dark whisky, despite all the casks in this release being first-fill. The nose was soft and plump, with lashings of stewed fruits, apple and mincemeat crumble and some vanilla ice cream that conjures up images of a relaxed family Sunday dessert.

The palate delivers an immediate hit of sweetness with demerera sugar, but an orange oil tartness and paprika spicyness join to add some immediate balance. Poached pear, a little brioche, juicy sultanas, and a fairly fat texture add depth. Further sips reveal a slight meatiness (maybe the ham, maybe the cask?!) and some clove and cinnamon spice start to join the party later on. A little furniture polish and quite delicate oakiness.

The finish is quite long, with some gentle peppery spice, a generous amount of tannic oak, and just a hint of cask char, without going to smoke. Despite some mocha and dark chocolate bitterness, it remains mouthwatering throughout, with some brown sugar cubes imparting a little lingering sweetness.

For me, this dram got better and better. The nose is sweet and pleasant, but the palate and then the finish really deliver in spades. For the price, the quality is excellent, and this has instantly been elevated to one of my favourites from Tamdhu. The American oak casks may not impart the same colour as their European counterparts, but the sweetness and gentle spice combine beautifully, to create a rewarding autumnal dram that paired stunningly with the Iberico hams.

For me, the way this tasting was expertly curated and presented by both the Brindisa staff and Tamdhu ambassador Gordon Dundas elevated it a notch above. This wasn’t a pairing that felt forced or contrived, and the jamón most certainly added to the experience. To be honest, whilst I had previous scoffed at some brand pairings, it’s made me think again, and I’ll actually be seeking out more pairings now as a resolution for 2022!

You can folllow Ian on Instagram at @poshscotch

(PHOTO)

BREAKING NEW GROUND

Litchfield Distillery:

AN INTERVIEW

BY STEVEN HILL

@whiskybythefire

Nestled peacefully in the green, rolling hills of Connecticut’s northwest corner, lies the quintessential New England small town Litchfield. Complete with requisite white, clapboard church, village green and quaint shops and restaurants dotting its Main Street, Litchfield seems stuck in time. But if you venture just outside of town, down the two-lane Route 202, you’ll stumble on an old, small converted sewing factory… converted to a distillery, that is.

Purchased in June of 2014 by the Baker brothers – David, Jack and Peter - the distillery opened its doors later that year. Launched with the commitment to distill the finest spirits in small batches, Litchfield Distillery has now come into its own, with a plethora of spirits to offer the thirsty adult palate. Apart from its regular lineup of gin, vodka, rye whiskey and bourbon whiskey, Litchfield also offers flavored vodkas and whiskies along with Port Finished bourbon, Cask Strength bourbon and a Double Barreled 5-year bourbon.

Standout Limited Release whiskies and a Blue Agave spirit have recently been added.

They’ve also jumped on the ready-to-drink cocktail can bandwagon by offering Spiked Lemonade (vodka based), Batcherita (agave based) and The Litchfielder (bourbon based). Armed with a rainbow of spirit offerings and the recent addition of a new still and rickhouse, Litchfield Distillery is poised to successfully ride the crest of the spirits and whiskey wave overtaking North America.

I recently spoke with Jack Baker to get a feel for what Litchfield is doing and how they’ve carved out a comfortable niche in the craft distillery scene: I’ve visited and toured your distillery a handful of times, tell us about your background in the spring water business and how you guys decided to get into the spirits business? Any challenges you had to overcome?

We grew up in the water business. Our great grandfather founded Crystal Rock Water in 1914 and my two brothers (David and Peter Baker) and I (Jack), all served in different roles over the years until we sold the business in 2018. About six or so years ago, the three of us started to discuss what else we might want to invest in and devote our energy to. We’ve always had an interest in bourbon, especially David. We thought the craft spirits industry was poised for significant growth.

Courtesy:Conneticut Office of Tourism

“Complete with requisite white, clapboard church, village green and quaint shops and restaurants dotting its Main Street, Litchfield seems stuck in time”

So, we decided to go for it. Having experience in another beverage category certainly helped us. We know the fundamental operating requirements needed to build and manage an efficient manufacturing facility as well as what it takes to distribute products effectively. Of course, distilling spirits has its own unique set of nuanced skills, which we’ve learned along the way and by utilizing some great industry consultants, like Donald Snyder, formerly of Buffalo Trace.

How did you come up with your company mission/tag line: The Spirit of Hard Work?

The line was born from our marketing consultant, Tony Vengrove of Miles Finch Innovation. When we first met with him, he reinforced the need to build a brand that had strong values and a positioning that would resonate with consumers across the country. As we shared our vision and values in that meeting, he simply summarized what we had said as, “you guys are about doing the work it takes to be great; you’re The Spirit of Hard Work.”

It just stuck and we’ve been centered on that idea ever since. We love the line because we feel our personal commitment to a strong work ethic, which was ingrained in us by our Mother, is what enabled us to be successful throughout our careers. We hope by honoring effort, hard work, and resilience—all those important, intangible traits that can make the difference between good and great, we’ll not only create a brand people can identify with, they’ll be inspired to roll up their sleeves and give 110% to the things they’re passionate about. This mindset certainly helped us navigate uncharted territory when the pandemic struck.

Can you shed a little light on distribution? We don’t often hear much about that end of the business.

As I mentioned earlier, we had a lot experience with distribution from our water days. However, distribution in the alcohol world is definitely different. We did our due diligence and researched several distribution companies in Connecticut, and finally partnered with Slocum & Sons, which has been a great collaboration.

We took the same approach when selecting Johnson Brothers in Rhode Island and Craft Brewer’s Guild in Massachusetts. In 2021, we partnered with Constantine Wines to expand distribution to Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC. We’re trying to manage our

distribution growth strategically so we can support the business adequately as our geography expands.

What’s Litchfield’s best-selling liquor? Whiskey?

Our Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a top seller in our bourbon lineup. It’s currently bottled at 4 years, 92 Proof.

Our 5-Year Double-Barreled Bourbon has become quite popular since we released it and in 2021 it earned a Gold Medal at the NY International Spirits Competition.

Among our flavored spirits, the Vanilla Bourbon is the top seller. We add a little bit of Madagascar Vanilla Extract when we proof it down and then place a vanilla bean in each bottle, which allows for more flavor development as the bottle rests. It’s exceptionally smooth. We’re really proud of it.

Can you tell us more about your new Rye just released, mashbill, how long aged, etc?

We continue to get great feedback about our Straight Rye Whiskey and it won a Gold Medal at the 2021 ASCOT Awards. Born from 70% Winter Rye and 30% Malted Barley, it’s aged for two years and bottled at 92 proof. It rested in special honey-combed cooperage that helped increase the whiskey’s exposure to caramelized sugars in the barrel’s char. We believe ConnecticutGrown Rye is something unique and special — perhaps our mineral-rich terroir enhances the spice and peppery notes that are accentuated in our Rye Whiskey.

What made you decide to distill Agave Spirits?

After we got our feet wet with the launch of our craft cocktail cans, we wanted to add a Margarita-style cocktail to the lineup, which we did under the name, “Batcherita.”

(The TTB wouldn’t let us call it a margarita.) To make this drink, we needed agave spirits, so we imported the finest organic Blue Agave Weber we could find in Mexico and fermented and distilled it here in Litchfield to produce agave spirits. We thought it tasted pretty good, so we decided to experiment and rest some for a few months in our retired bourbon barrels and see if we could create our own “resposado” style spirit. Well, folks loved it, so we decided to launch it as an ongoing item. As far as we know, we’re the only craft distillery east of the Mississippi distilling agave spirits. The judges at this year’s ASCOT Awards gave it a Platinum medal, which, for us, really validated the quality of this expression.

What’s in store for the future for LD? 2021 was a big year for us. We broke ground on a major expansion to help us manage our growth. Our new 7,000 sq/ft rickhouse is almost completed and in just a few weeks, we’ll bring back about 800 barrels that we moved into a temporary warehouse while the construction was underway. In addition, we added a second distillation line to double our production capability. We purchased another hybrid still from Müller in Germany and got it up

and running this past summer, which allowed us to fill more barrels in 2021 than in any other year.

We have a few new products in the works for 2022, but you’ll have to wait a bit before we announce what they are.

Litchfield Distillery is open for tours and tastings.

The tours, usually conducted by one of the Baker brothers themselves, are fascinating and educational, as one gets a peek into the daily life of a modern-day craft distiller. The tasting room is cozy and comfortable with enough seating for small and medium sized groups. Oriental rugs, leather chairs and a cast-iron gas fired stove give it that warm, homey feel. Of course, you can purchase any of their spirits or branded merchandise in the tasting room. If you plan to visit, please check the hours of operation on their website – www.litchfielddistillery. com – and to make tour reservations. Make sure you tell them Steven Hill from @whiskeybythefire sent you!

Other Interesting Facts/Honors: Nearly 100% of our power is generated by our roof-top solar panels.

Named “Best Distillery” for the past 5 years by Connecticut Magazine.

“CT Distillery of the Year” - NY International Spirits Competition (2018-2020) “CT Whiskey Distillery of the Year” - NY International Spirits Competition (2021)

@whiskybythefire

Litchfield Distillery 2021 ASCOT Awards Medals: LD Port Cask Finish Bourbon: Double Platinum LD Agave Spirits: Platinum LD Straight Rye Whiskey: Gold Litchfield Distillery 2021 NYISC Awards Medals: LD Double-Barrled Bourbon: Gold LD Straight Rye Whiskey: Silver “CT Whiskey Distillery of the Year”

David Chats With

@whisky_and_animation

I

I was fortunate to meet Claus in London last year when he was over for work. Having followed him on Instagram I was eager to meet and show him Hedonism Wines, a store full of incredible bottles of whisky. I was instantly impressed by the depth of his knowledge, especially when chatting with staff. He really knows his stuff!

What is your first memory of whisky?

That must be in high school at a New Year’s party having a Glenfiddich 12 and or was it Jack D nN 7?

The first big whisky moment was Midleton - Very Rare (Jameson), when I moved to Kilkenny Ireland in 2006 (such a beautiful expression). I worked there for 2 years doing production management on a television series for BBC. And with my family and friends living in Denmark I traveled a bit back and forth during the holidays and always picked up a bottle either at travel retail or in Dublin for €130. Very elegant and velvety. I recall the old version you could get in 2006 was simply outstanding, one of the best Irish whiskies I have tried along with the RedBreast 27.

What was your first stand out whisky?

The Springbank 12 Years Old Red Thistle, no question!

Wonderfully well rounded for a 12 year old, it felt much much older than that. The new SP cask strength 12 year old is also very good no doubt, another favourite of mine. However the red thistle is just a perfect 12 year old statement.

What was the first serious bottle you purchased and why?

It was at my local wine and spirits shop in downtown Viborg and it was The Macallan Fine Oak 25 years (old version/ not the wooden box) for as low as €375 … what a time, miss those. Sorry that may still sound expensive but Macllan has been extremely successful during the past years so the same bottle would go for approx. €1600-2000 at auctions.

How much time do you spend investing in your knowledge of whisky as it runs very deep.

Oh this has become a very dear hobby of mine with so many great friends in our amazing whisky community not only in Denmark but also around the world. So whenever I have time outside my filmmaking career I’ll jump right in researching and contacting friends discussing and talking new releases, barrel selections, finishes etc. meaning sometimes several hours per day.

How did you learn to taste whisky?

I took part in some tastings with more experienced whisky folks and collectors in the beginning. I also watched a ton of online tastings and reviews on

YouTube which is always a lot of fun hearing other people’s thoughts. Sharing not only samples but also opinions I find extremely valuable on my whisky journey.

What is our favourite style?

Oh that is hard to answer with so many fantastic different whiskies out there!!!

Oloroso Sherry is one alongside having a huge passion for cask strength adding so many more flavours to the table. Smoky/peated whiskies can be excellent, the same as bourbons/rye. Can’t really pick just one ... sorry.

Have you been able to visit many distilleries?

Unfortunately not but surly need to change that. I visited our famous Danish distillery STAUNING, who is very known for their young high ABV whiskies.

My job when there is no Covid lock downs, takes me on the road for 120 - 150 days every year so I do travel a lot being fortunate to seek out special releases in various countries but not distilleries yet. We have been talking a lot in our whisky club planning a trip to Scotland this Spring/Summer hopefully and the list is long wanting to experience Islay with Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, and a few others favourites such as Springbank, Glengoyne and Macallan with their new impressive distillery.

What is the next special bottle you have on your buy list?

The Willett Bourbon purple top 16 years is very high on my list, alongside The Lagavulin 25 - 200th Anniversary Edition from 2016, and we just managed to finally get the Ardbeg 25 years in our whisky club so very thrilled about tasting that one soon.

Do you have any fun whisky related stories?

Let me think 🤔 Sad more than fun : went to a bar in LA for a meeting and I saw they had a Macallan 18 sherry cask from 1990 on the self ... pure joy!!! So after the meeting the bar-man realized that I was a big whisky enthusiast…. he unexpectedly poured me a solid glass ( one of those big whisky glasses ) all the way to the top just to be nice! … but it was too much so I couldn’t finish it. Sadly had to leave half the glass as I couldn’t be drunk for my next meeting.

Do you like to pay bar prices to try rare whiskies or do you save your cash for full bottles?

Yes sometimes, especially if it’s a whisky I am not quite sure of…. so before buying a super rare whisky, I’d like to see if it’s worth it so it can be very nice to actually try a pour at a bar if not too expensive. Chasing down

those rare unicorns can be a big disappointment. Not only concerning endless hours spent searching for the bottle, then living up to both the time and the price tag which is never easy.

You travel a lot - do you have any favourite cities to drink or buy whisky in?

Seoul is amazing having a ton of fantastic whisky bars and ok fair prices!!! Paris has some great bars too but can be expensive / Austin Texas as well if you are into bourbon and rye. But mostly Los Angeles where I travel to the most offers great selections of Scotch, bourbon, rye and Japanese whiskies in various places.

You have a great number of very serious bottles open in your collection. Does everything get opened or do you invest as well?

Yes most will be opened at one point to try, absolutely! I like to have a collection primarily to enjoy! I’m not much for investing in bottles for their value alone especially if I don’t like the liquid inside at all. Whisky should be about passion.

But something important too: I do bottle-splits on high-end bottles with close friends of mine. That way the costs are lower and we all get to enjoy. We did this with the Glendronach Gandeur 27 years, the Highland Park 30, WhistlePig 18 and also the Yamazaki 18 just to name a few. Furthermore I have also been very fortunate to taste a Talisker 39 ( 1955 ) The RedBreast 27 Ruby Port Cask, the Pappy Van Winkle 20 years and a Macallan 18 from 1977 thanks to amazing whisky friends.

You can follow whisky_and_annimation on Instagram here.

Just Good Ole Boys

OLE SMOKY DAVID PEARCE CHATS WITHWILL AND STEPHANIE FROM OLE SMOKEY ARTICLE WRITTEN BY MARTIN RAYMOND

What could be more redolent of whiskey heritage than the moonshiners of East Tennessee – down in a holler with a hardwood fire and length of copper wire?

OK, OK, perhaps I’ve been listening to too many Country songs. Because what could also be more redolent of 21st century product and marketing innovation than a company that has joined the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the US? Tradition and cutting edge in one mason jar, Ole Smoky is a brand that matches tradition with experiment, making it one of the most interesting and dynamic outfits that we’ve spoken to.

I met two ‘shiners from Old Smoky, Will Ensign, in Gatlinburg Tennessee and Stephanie Warner in San Diego via the wonders of digital technology, and asked them why this company has seen such dramatic growth: ‘Great product.’ Said Will.

‘Great marketing.’ Said Stephanie.

Both are correct - but that’s just the tip of

the pot-still. They also have a great story. When Tennessee legalised the production of moonshine after a long and lively not-so-legal history, Ole Smoky was the first company to set up a distillery in Gatlinburg. It’s a town right on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – the most visited Park in the land that invented the National Park. Moonshine is unaged whisky – lacking the colours that ageing picks up from the casks. It’s a white, clear liquor that can be admired for its purity and unique taste, or it can be transformed with flavours and colours.

Will takes up the tale: ‘We were driven along initially by the huge volume of visitors to the National Park. We started out by making sure tourists got the authentic taste of the area and we’ve grown from there. After ten years development, we sell in fifty states and over twenty markets worldwide, but the cornerstone of our trade remains on-site sales. ‘We now have four distilleries with a visitor experience, The Holler and The Barrelhouse in Gatlinburg, The Barn in Pigeon Forge and 6th and Peabody in Nashville our most recent opening, a joint venture with Yee Haw brewery.’

Ole Smoky and Yee Haw. At this point I’m feeling so Southern that I might break into a Hank William’s number, but luckily Will has more to say on the visitor experience, and Ole Smoky’s legendary flavoured moonshine.

‘We focus on tastings at the distilleries – each visitor can sample up to seven flavours. It is the perfect way to promote the product. In Nashville - where we are at the heart of down-town, just off Broadway - we have a wider catering offer with lots of food options, but guests can try our products there too.

‘We see five million visitors a year. It makes us the most visited distillery in the world.’

Will lets that sink in for a second. In the world. More than Jack Daniels. And way more than the home of whisky. Will continues: ‘Across all the distilleries in Scotland there are around two million visitors a year.’

Now at this point I feel I should mention that the heritage of whiskey distilling in the Appalachian Mountains owes much to the Scottish and Irish settlers who first brought their skills here in the eighteenth century, but I say nothing, for this is a phenomenal marketing story.

Will also notes that the development of a hugely popular range of flavoured whiskies is partly due to the opportunities that come from having face-toface contact with customers while they sample your product: ‘The sheer volume of people tasting our products has allowed us to experiment and try out different flavour across out moonshine and flavoured whiskey

“WE SEE 5 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR”

ranges.’

Stephanie takes up another strand in the company’s marketing nous: their ability to play to different regional tastes. As we Europeans are often guilty of forgetting – the US is a very big place. ‘We have twenty-five moonshine flavours and seventeen whiskey flavours,’ she says. ‘Each one is strong and distinctive enough to stand on its own, either straight or on the rocks. But they are also a mixologists dream, giving a rich base for cocktails.

‘In the South, in our home territory, we have a sweet tooth. So, cocktails are often based on our Peaches or Apple Pie Moonshine. ‘Out here, where I’m located in Southern California, the taste is for something with a bit more edge. I’d recommend a Margarita Moonshine with soda water and lime. Our range is so wide that it covers all tastes.’

The marketing extends to the packaging. The moonshine range is packaged in distinctive (and very traditional) mason jars. But the labelling and the natural colouring of the flavours give the products a luminous glow which makes them almost irresistible on a back-lit bar shelf.

Personally, I have my eye on the Root Beer Whiskey.

The company recently released James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon, a premium whiskey named after the great-grandfather of James Baker, Ole Smoky’s founder. James Ownby has a mash of 79% corn, 13% rye and 8% barley and has been aged for five years. It has all the sweetness of the corn but with a spicy overtone from the rye. It is currently on a limited release of two hundred barrels.

‘Flavoured whiskies are often the entry point for consumers who then want to go on to try the un-touched product,’ says Will. ‘James Ownby gives us a whiskey that they can move on to. It’s very much a sipping whiskey – mountain mellow.

One for drinking on the back porch as you watch the sun go down behind the Great Smoky Mountains.’ I’m almost reaching for my guitar again. Appropriately - as there is live music every day at the Gatlinburg distilleries.

The company is wildly innovative. From Mint Chocolate Chip Cream Whiskey to Hot & Spicey Moonshine Pickles, from canned cocktails to whiskey candles. ‘It’s a fun place to work,’ says Will. ‘We’re never frightened to experiment. It’s my great regret that all the employees have had to work on their own for so long over the last couple of years. I’ve missed our regular get togethers to taste new recipes – always a highlight.’

It is little wonder the company has grown in such a spectacular way. There is no doubt about the heritage - those five million visitors are there for the smell of the mash and the traditional tang of the woodsmoke. But Ole Smoky’s ability to listen to customers, innovate, take risks and deliver a brilliant range of high-quality drinks has taken them to a level of success they richly deserve.

They’re modest in respect of established brands: ‘Jack Daniels? They’ve been around a bit longer than us!’ says Bill. But if I was Jack I’d be looking over my shoulder.

Now, where’s my hat? My boots?

Ole Smoky

A BESPOKE TASTE OF STYLE AND ELEGANCE...

42% ABV, 12 BOTANICALS

for the facts drinkaware.co.uk

To order online: savilerow-gin.co.uk

NEW DISTILLERIES

Is Scotch Whisky Kosher

BY AMIR @whiskyrabbi

As a rabbi who loves whisky, I am frequently asked, ‘Is all whisky kosher?’ To answer that I will focus on Scotch whisky as out of the world’s whiskies, scotch is arguably the most tightly regulated whisky.

What is Kosher?

As a Jew, we have regulations as to what we can and can’t eat, the things that we are allowed to eat are Kosher, and the things that we aren’t allowed to eat are called treif. Amongst the things that we are not allowed to eat or drink are grape based products that have not been supervised from the time of juicing. So we can only have wine, sherry, port, or brandy that have been made by an observant Jew. Even though most of today’s wines are made in the exact same way as Kosher wines, and the ingredients are the same, because they have not been made by an observant Jew, they are treif and not Kosher. The reasons are sociological, mystical, and spiritual.

To add an extra dimension to the laws of kashrut/kosher, if an object like a sherry cask had previously held a non-kosher sherry, that cask absorbs the non-kosher flavour, and then a kosher product like a whisky gets stored in that cask, and nonkosher flavours are imparted from the cask into the whisky, then on a simplistic level, that kosher whisky becomes tainted and is not kosher, because it contains certain non-kosher flavours.

If that would be the case, then why would you see on whiskyrabbi’s Instagram

account plenty of sherry cask whiskies? And how come I will drink them?

In Judaism there is never one opinion on any Jewish legality, two Jews means three opinions, and when it comes to allowing sherry casks, there have been fascinating debates over the last few decades about whether scotch is kosher or not.

problems. Even with a blended scotch, where there will probably be a miniscule amount of whisky that has been aged in a sherry or wine cask, it would have been annulled by a one in sixty ratio rule.

Before going into the debate there are a few Jewish legal rulings to consider. “One in sixty” If a kosher product had a tiny amount of non-kosher flavours absorbed into it, and if there is a ratio of more than 60 parts of kosher to non-kosher product, then the non-kosher product is annulled if the flavour is not discernible, and the whole item is ok for use.

So for example I am making chicken soup for my Friday night dinner, and by mistake a small piece of pork fat falls into the pot, if there is sixty times more chicken soup than pork fat, then the soup is Kosher.

“One in six”

The sherry cask that is being used to age the whisky.

Is it a solera cask that has had sherry absorbed in the cask for 40 or 50 years? There is a lot more sherry that has been absorbed into the cask year on year, and therefore there is more non-kosher product to factor in with the ratio of annulment. But on the other hand, a solera cask is likely to be less active as it is an old cask and therefore may not give out that much flavour into the whisky ageing in it.

When it comes to wine however, the ratio of annulment is more than 6 kosher to 1 not kosher.

The reasoning is that when you add another liquid to wine you destroy the non-kosher wine taste in a much smaller ratio. So imagine you are hosting a kosher new years eve party and the bowl of punch is full of great kosher alcoholic drinks, but someone decides to pour in a dash of a non kosher red wine to the punch, if there is six times more punch than the non kosher red wine, the punch would be ok.

What about a single malt that has been aged in a sherry cask? Here are some factors to consider.

Has the sherry cask been re-charred.

Meaning that a thin layer is shaved off, and the barrel burnt by a flame, to create a carbon surface.

In doing so you have taken away a lot of the nonkosher product, because it has been shaved off, and burnt.

“Even a thousandth can’t be annulled” If however, the non-kosher product was a specific flavouring that would enhance any amount of product it was added to, like something very spicy, then none of these ratios would make any difference, and the smallest amount of a non-kosher product may never be annulled, even a thousandth!

The last ruling to consider when dealing with amounts that need to be annulled is, does one annul the actual non-kosher item, or the non-kosher item plus the object that it has been absorbed into. So for example, if 10 litres of non-kosher sherry is poured into a barrel that its staves can absorb up to 50 litres, does one measure the non-kosher product to be 10 litres, or do we measure 50 litres because the staves have now all become non-kosher?

If you are not confused by now, then have another few drams, or perhaps the whisky has given you extra clarity!!

Let us take a regular single malt scotch aged in virgin oak, bourbon, or rum barrels. Due to the fact that Scotch legally can only contain yeast, barley, and water, with an optional caramel, all of which are kosher ingredients, then there are no kosher

Has the sherry cask really had sherry ageing in the barrel? Has the sherry casks had sherry ageing inside them for three to ten years?, or has the barrel simply been seasoned for a few months with sherry? If it is a seasoned barrel, not much sherry would have absorbed into the cask, whereas a young sherry barrel that has had a few years of sherry ageing in the barrel is a more active barrel and therefore would be able to impart a lot more flavour into the whisky ageing inside it.

When measuring the barrel and calculating how

much sherry would have been absorbed into the cask.

If we assume that the whole barrel has absorbed sherry into its staves, is there six times more whisky than the volume of the barrel staves? In my humble opinion, there is six times more whisky than barrel.

Even if we would calculate how much actual nonkosher product has been absorbed into the barrel, we would probably find that there is sixty times more whisky in the barrel than actual sherry absorbed into the wood, mainly because of the recharring and shaving of the barrel.

the impact of the size and shape of the stills, the impact of how long the distillation process takes, the impact of where the warehouse is located, whether it is by the sea or inland, the temperature of the warehouse, the location of where the barrel is in the warehouse, whether it is higher up, (where it may mature quicker than if the barrel was further down, where the air is colder), if the barrel is European Oak or American Oak. Since you cannot pin the taste of the whisky to the taste of the sherry that was previously held in the barrel, many Rabbis will allow sherry cask whiskies.

A defining factor in deciding whether whisky that has been aged in sherry casks is kosher or not, is whether you can taste the sherry or not, and whether the sherry has enhanced the flavour of the whisky.

So why get a Kosher certification?

Many Jews will only eat processed products that have a ‘hechsher’ or kosher certification, rather than relying on an ingredients list.

Getting a kosher certification allows you to enter the Jewish religious markets in North and South America, Israel and Australia, and in certain Jewish communities in the UK. Many kosher shops will not sell whisky unless it has a certification, and many caterers will not serve whisky without certification, so having a certification allows the whisky to be acceptable to all levels of religious requirements.

In Israel the major supermarkets will only stock items that have a kosher certification, therefore by getting a kosher certification, you will enter a large and growing market. In 2019 Israel ranked number 10 of its Single Malt scotch whisky import. A 14% volume and a 23% value. So gaining a kosher certification makes economic sense.

In getting a kosher certification, the organisation that supplies the certification will give you contacts into suppliers, agents, and other ways of how to get your product into the kosher market. They will come to visit the distillery and advise on how to achieve a kosher certification. It could be that only certain products would gain the kosher certification.

This question has been debated over the years not by rabbis but mainly by the whisky experts. Michael Jackson has shown in his book Whisky that when Macallan were using different sherry casks, they concluded that the wood is more influential than the sherry. That is to say that European Oak “Quercus Robur” has a greater impact on the whisky than the sherry it previously held. Indeed, the impact of the sherry does not improve the whisky, it improves the wood which improves the whisky.

When it comes to defining what really gives the whisky its taste, we need to compare the impact of what the barrel previously held to the impact of the terroir, the impact of the water, the impact of how long the fermentation process took, the impact of what barley was used, has peat been used in the malting process,

These days, many whisky companies will strive to get a kosher certification on their bottlings, such as Auchentoshan, Tomintoul, Ardbeg, Clynelish, just to name a few.

You will also have independent bottlers who will also try and get a kosher certification, some like DS Tayman and Ben Eideann will get scotch and finish them in Israeli kosher wine barrels. You have some Israeli whisky distilleries like Milk and Honey and Golani who produce whisky, all under kosher supervision, and use kosher wine barrels. Milk and Honey get kosher sherry especially made to age in the casks to age their whisky in them.

Others like Darach Whisky, a new independent bottler has managed to get a North American kosher

certification for their scotch whisky, and are making inroads into the kosher market. You will find that many whisky brands that have kosher certification are more appreciated by the Jewish public because of the effort that the distillery have made in getting their product supervised, and they will also get a larger share of the Jewish market.

To conclude, even though there are plenty opinions that would allow scotch whisky aged in sherry casks, there is a gap in the market for kosher certified scotch, and it would make business sense to go down that route. I have always said, if you are not sure whether your bottle of scotch is kosher or not, send it to me and I will know how to deal with it!!!!

I hope that I have shed some light into the kosher status of scotch whisky, I know that there are many other factors that have not been dealt with but would be happy to answer any questions you have at my Instagram page @whiskyrabbi.

I would like to thank my devoted wife Tova @sprinklesonmyfloor for her editing, Saul Zalmanowitz @scotchminiz Hayley @redwhiskygirl, and Ian Robinson @poshscotch for their immeasurable advice towards this article.

there is delicious whisky to be found everywhere and that even a lightly to medium peated whisky can be really enjoyable. After calling myself “An unpeated kind of girl” for a long time…

Spotlight on @gowiththeflownow

Have you visited many distilleries?

Only one. And it was the Bergslagen Distillery here in Sweden just in the beginning of the pandemic.

That is when I realize that I really wanted to visit more distilleries. It has, for obvious reasons, had to stop at dreaming for now. My biggest problem right now is figuring out which distillery to start with once I feel safe traveling again!

What is your most memorable whisky experience?

Oh dear, this was a hard one. Just being a part of the whisky community; talking to, sharing experiences with and meeting likeminded people and distillers! (the e-tastings and whiskytalks online is amazing!) from all over the world as you drink the whisky. That is what I most think of as THE memorable whisky experience.

What got you into whisky?

A dear friend, who is really into whisky, wrote and talked a lot about it; making the whisky and whisky history sound really interesting. I then got to try some really good whisky (from the kind that I had tried in my early adulthood) and started understanding how to look for whisky that would be more likely to be to my tasting. And from there the magic world of whisky opened up it´s doors to me.

What was your first non-supermarket whisky you purchased?

Here in Sweden all whisky has to be bought at the state owned chain called Systembolaget (SB) which means that sometimes the whisky I want to buy is harder to get a hold on. I better not get started on the pros and cons about SB as it tends to be more towards the cons… But, thanks to friends that travel, and friends abroad I sometimes get hold of the (for us Swedes) unavailable whiskies.

I do not remember the first “non supermarket” one, but the first bottle of whisky I bought for myself was The Balvenie Doublewood 12 yo.

Do you prefer a particular style?

I like it sweet and chocolatey, and Speyside distilleries was the first I explored. But now I know

What will probably be your next purchase?

I tend to splurge out a bit on my birthday (25/1) and buy something that is usually out of my whisky budget but this year none of the bottles I wanted was available at SB. I might go for The Balvenie Portwood 21 yo instead as it is a really tasty whisky.

Do you have any favourite whisky instagram accounts?

There are so many and some of them I truly see as friends now. Like all of the #brokebackwhiskyminions (we just started using the hashtag when posting stuff that are related to us in some way) as we have formed a small but warmhearted, fun and sometimes craaaazy little community that started off sharing whisky experiences and taste notes and have gone to be such a supporting friendship in all aspects of life.

Do you have a favourite location to enjoy whisky?

With friends anywhere but by myself it would be by the ocean or by any water really. The bathtub works as well haha.

Your photography is beautiful. How long do you take thinking or planning each shot?

Thank you so much!

This is where I sometimes feel a bit regretful. I do not plan as I understand many do.

I plan going out to take photos yes, and I sometimes have a plan on what bottles I want to take with me. But then I bring the bottles and my iPhone and walk, looking for spots that would work.

S s j I g c b

W v G v a fi r

@

Sometimes I come home without photos and sometimes I find a place that speaks to me and I just do it.

It´s all about the inspiration the place give me I guess. Nature is beautiful and I love when I can catch that in the photos as well as giving the bottle some of the limelight.

What whisky region would you most like to visit?

Going back to the above question on having visiting distilleries this is something I do think about. But I guess it will be the Speyside region first, when a region is to be visited, as it is the region from which my favorite whiskies flows.

@gowiththeflownow

I N S TA G R A M P O S T S

@THEWHISKYEXPLORER

MIKE BRISEBOIS Lets Talk About Wood story rack warehouses. This is to minimize temperature variations, which provides a gentle, undisturbed and more stable aging process, as well as bourbon with more consistent flavors, body and aromas.

This definitely is the bourbon for Whisky Explorers!

Now for the whisky, this one is a special one that is named after one of the best and most passionate brand ambassadors, Al Young.

He took great pleasure speaking of bourbon and of Four Roses during his travels. He was the distillery manager for 17 years before becoming the senior brand ambassador and people loved hearing him share his passion and love for bourbon, but more so the Four Roses Brand!

This is one of my favorite Bourbons!

Here we go, Sample Sunday is here again and we have a pretty legendary bourbon this week, the Four Roses Al Young Limited Edition!

Did you know that for over 40 years you could not buy a Four Roses Bourbon in the US? When Seagrams purchased the distillery in 1943 they decided to discontinue the sale of the bourbon in the US and make it only available in the Asian and European Markets.

Did you know that Four Roses is the only distillery that uses two mashbills and five proprietary yeast strains to produce ten distinct recipes. Each of the ten bourbon recipes has its own unique recipe.

They are also the only distillery that uses single-

He was a people person and he connected so well with everyone he met. “It’s all about forming relationships with people. So, when people tell me about their experiences … I love it!” Al Young.

In 2017, Four Roses released a 50th Anniversary Small Batch Bourbon in Al Young’s honor, celebrating his half a century of work at the distillery. This Small Batch Bourbon is made up of four of Four Roses’ 10 unique Bourbon recipes and was developed by Al Young and master distiller Brent Elliott. Made up of 5% OBSV (delicate fruit and creamly vanilla), 25% OBSK (fullbodied with caramel), 50% OESC (light and fruity), and 20% OBSF (herbal).

For me, when I drink this whiskey it’s more than just that. Yes it is absolutely delicious but I think back to the amazing person behind it. A man so passionate about bringing this award winning bourbon back to life!

The Speyside Whisky Shop is situated in the heart of Speyside and opened in October 2018.

We offer a range of gin and whiskies from a variety of different distilleries and specialise in highly collectable single malt bottlings.

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DISCOVERING

DALLAS BOU David Pearce chats to Daniel from about this very charitable and exclusive Bourbon Club. Written by Martin Raymond.

Club Rules Robin Dunbar, the anthropologist, calculated that the optimum size of any community is 150 people. That’s the maximum number of meaningful relationships that any one human can cope with. Best friends are different, of course, we can only handle five of them.

But for a wider circle we top out at 150.

The rule holds good for companies and working units too.

So, it might just be co-incidental that the Dallas Bourbon Club, the source of fine beverages and philanthropy in North Texas, has exactly 140 members - just under the magic figure.

‘We’re not a Facebook club,’ says Daniel, at the Club. ‘We want everyone to know each other. We don’t want more than one or two degrees of separation between our people. It means we’re all motivated and engaged.’

There’s a big thirst for bourbon in Texas.

Daniel reckons that Texas is in the top two states for sales of bourbon, though he concedes that; ‘ maybe Kentucky has the edge when it comes to sales per head of population.’

Nevertheless, there are a lot more than 140 people who would like to get their hands on interesting whiskies. How does AAA manage the demand?

‘Having limited membership has many advantages but I’d be lying to say it didn’t create pressures. We don’t like to turn people away, but if each barrel that we

have yields a maximum of 200 bottles we need to be sure that all members can have at least one bottle if they want.

‘We have a list of 1900 people who you’d like to join. And these people are very important to us – they are Friends of the Club. When we sell a barrel members have one day only to make their move on bottles. After that we make it available to the Friends.

Many people on the waitlist are enthusiastic purchasers. Some buy more then the members. It means we have a good idea of the sort of energetic people who we’d like to have as new members when vacancies come up.

‘And you have to actively renew. We want members who are active, who want to have a relationship with the Club and other members.’

The result of having committed members is a Club that benefits the community as well as its members. The point of the Club is partly to satisfy members passion for the native spirt, but also to raise lots of cold hard cash for charity.

‘Last year we raised $119,000. The year before, $65,000. The year before that $30,000.’

The totals are impressive and the details of how the money is raised is fascinating.

Daniel is very articulate with numbers, by the way. He’s a Certified Public Accountant, which helps. ‘We rely on the great relationship we have with sponsors.

We raised $10,000 for a local hospital from one barrel from Buffalo Trace. A

URBON CLUB barrel of EH Taylor raised $30,000 for the North Texas food bank, right at the height of the pandemic. A barrel of Stag Junior raised $55,000 for Café Momentum, a restaurant which offers jobs, education and a future for young people who have been in the juvenile criminal justice system.

growing national profile which is great as the city has so many visitors.’

‘Our members are generous. They donate on top of the price of a bottle to help the cause. We supplement that with raffles and auctions – all of which supercharge the monies raised.’

But as a bourbon enthusiast, Daniel seems like just the person to ask for advice on the best examples of the sector. His response is not to head for the eye-wateringly expensive end of the spectrum.

‘I’d say the current best value is all within the Buffalo Trace offer. And the range is so wide that you can experience the breadth of what bourbon can show and stay within the brand.

Generous, and welcoming too. One of the roles that the Club has, is as a point of contact for bourbon enthusiasts who find themselves in Dallas. It’s the sort of warm, fun club that you’d like to be a member of.

‘In normal times we have an event every quarter, a Happy Hour of tasting and networking. In the summer we have a barbeque. It is Texas. Some members stay up all night cooking up their own special brisket recipe. Then we have 100-120 people round, members and their families and we judge which two have the best BBQ brisket.

‘Then there is our Holiday Party, where we do some major fundraising. Last time we raised $25,000 on that one night.

‘In the pandemic, of course, we’ve had to adapt like everyone else. We’d meet up digitally every other week. We’d go round the virtual room, share what we’d been up to and talk about what we had in our glasses.

It sounds like the pandemic is as much fun as the old days - when we thought lateral flow tests might be a service that plumbers would invoice for.

I’d start with a bottle of EH Taylor, small batch – 100% proof, four-year-old pure bourbon. And then maybe a Russell’s Reserve. It’s a real find. Award winning, 13-year-old, which is unusual in a bourbon, and selling at $45.99 - $55.99 – great value.

The only problem is tracking it down. A Dallas retailer we work a lot with sold out a table of 60 bottles in four hours.’

Daniel isn’t narrow in his tastes; he has a soft spot for rye as well.

‘September is rye month. We have offered members a Roswell Union Rise, for example.

And recently we had a Sagamore Spirits Rye, a six -ear-old, pair of barrels found somewhere in the back of the warehouse.

We got some cases signed by Jordan Spieth, the GPA golfer, and the result was $13,000 raised for charity.’

‘Then the distilleries realised that this was a great way to do tasting economically and efficiently. They’d send us out tasting kits and we’d meet up with the brand ambassadors who’d take us through the tasting.

Texas is the home of hospitality, and The Dallas Bourbon Club reflect that tradition in their engagement with their community and their open welcome to travelling enthusiasts.

Maybe 140 is the precise optimum number for friends after all.

‘It’s also meant that we’ve developed our social media activity, which in turn has meant that we reach out to more supporters, Friends and charities. It’s important that we are an active part of the Dallas community, but now we have a

@dallasbourbonclub

Tast

ting

#01

#02

// ARMIN 6 (ARMAGNAC)

// ARMIN 10 (ARMAGNAC)

N - Toasted almond and hazelnuts P - Butterscotch, crumble topping, some orange notes T - This would make the perfect backbone for a cocktail. Although it is light it has the required depth.

N - Elegant, more armagnac than the 6. Marzipan, fruit cake and butterscotch.

P - Caramel, raisins, dark chocolate and orange.

T - More developed than the 6 and noticeably more structure.

#05

#06

// EDRADOUR SHERRY AND SAUTERNES 9 YEARS 55.9%

// STARWOOD NOVA 41%

N - Beautifully rich like a fruit cake.

P - Full, rich and fruity wth a hint of citrus.

T - A wonderful dram. Superb.

N - Red wine coming through with plum and damson.

P - A sweetness to it, peach melba drizzled with honey.

T - Very enjoyable. Has an alluring softness to it.

#03

#04

\\ GLENALLACHIE 12

\\ GLENALLACHIE 15

N - Honey, almonds, sherry.

P - Savoury, nice depth, carrot cake with frosting. Vanilla coming through afterwards.

T - A great introduction as has a wonderful depth to it.

N - More pronounced sherry notes.

P - Dried fruits, nuts.

T - Everything you expect from a sherry cask. Delicious.

#07

#08

// STARWOOD LEFT FIELD 47%

// STARWOOD FORTIS 50%

N - Savoury, lemon meringue pie P - Meringue follows through, vanilla, spice, red fruit T - I prefer the Nova

N - Definite red wine influence, vanilla, cherry P - Lovely, beautiful depth of flavour, red wine showing through nicely.

T - Perfect for wine lovers.

#09

#10

// MACNAIRS LUM REEK 21 YEAR OLD PEATED 48%

// SAGAMORE DISTILLERS SELECT 49%

N - Very subtle peat, citrus, vanilla, P - Dried figs, a hint of smoke, quite delicate flavours.

T - Nuanced, balanced, one to savour and contemplate.

N - Very distinctive. Gherkin smoothed in te juices of a fabulous burger made with chuck steak.

P - Follows through to the palate..

T - This is a marmite whisky - I love it and crave a burger now

#13

#14

// SCALLYWAG 46%

// BIG PEAT 46%

N - Honey, grain, toasted almonds P - Dried apricots, cereal T - A pleasant mid-week dram.

N - Classic smokey nose.

P - Smoke, some nuts T - Again, a fine smoley mid-week dram.

#11

#12

\\ SAGAMORE RYE DOUBLE OAK 48.3%

\\ FEW RYE

N - Typical Rye with vanilla P - Dry at first but then some sweeter notes come through. Bacon. Some spice at the back of the palate.

T - A easy drinking rye.

N - Spicy chocolate caramel. Pecans P - Quite rich, a little reserved, banoffee pie.

T - A nice rye that isn’t too spicy.

#15

#16

// GLEN MORAY SAUTERNES CASK 2006/2016 53%

//TULLIBARDINE 15 43%

N - Definite Sauternes notes with honey and heather P - Burnt orange, biscuit, cream, creme brulee T - A very pleasant whisky. Lots of character and well balanced.

N - Honey Suckle, vanilla, floral notes P - Victoria sponge drizzled in honey.

T - A good savoury element even with the honey notes.

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