Clandestine Whisky Magazine Issue 3

CLANDESTINE WHISKY MAGAZINE FOR THE COMMUNITY

GLENTURRET THE BALVENIE GLENFARCLAS COTSWOLDS DISTILLERY COPENHAGEN DISTILLERY TAMDHU FOUR SQUARE BIRKENTREE GLENMORANGIE GLEN MORAY GLENLIVET BOURBON BLIND TASTING CAMPBELTOWN SPEYSIDE HOTES

#3 PLUS DOZENS OF TASTING NOTES, FEATURES AND ARTICLES BY POSHSCOTCH, WHIKSY RABBI, MALTCASK AND INTERVIEWS WITH SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR WHIKSY INSTAGRAMMERS. 128 PAGES OF WHISKY KNOWLEDGE JUST FOR YOU!

Table of Contents 07

64

Glenlivet by PoshScotch

Tamdhu

10 16 22 28 36

68 74 80 92 94

The Balvenie

Speyside Hotels

Whisky Sisters

BirkenTree

Copenhagen Distillery

Glenfarclas

Sherry

Whisky Sorensen

Glenturet

Cotswold Distillery

46 52 56

102

Glenmorangie

Glen Moray

Campbeltown

106

Four Square Rum

60

The Scotch Girl

Bourbon Blind Tasting

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

Hello Happiness and a desire to please.

Editor’s Letter

For anyone in the service industries these are a prerequisite for the job. They set the tone, which in turn effects the guests mood and, ultimately, how the establishment is perceived. There’s a lot at stake in a simple smile, or lack of it.

So why is it the owners or staff in some whisky shops are as miserable and unhelpful as can be? It is not geographical. I have experienced what I call “Sales Prevention” from Speyside to London.

If I have entered a whisky store I have every intention of buying. My guess is that the vast majority of people do as well.

Maybe with the exception of those traveling – we all know the risks of bottles in luggage. I don’t expect any special treatment or a freshly hoovered red carpet. Just a hello and a smile is a good start, then maybe asking if they can help.

To my mind there are three types of buyers who enter a whisky shop:An enthusiast who is easy to engage in conversation and who shares a mutual passion. It is easy to find out what they like and then make some suggestions or offer a tasting sample. If the customer prefers to browse alone, they will usually say so. I personally always ask what they’d recommend personally. Why on earth wouldn’t you?

The gift buyer. Again, the member of staff can ask what sort of price point they’re looking at and if they know what the person enjoys. The person progressing on from Core Range of NAS and 12 years olds, ready to spend a little more now to develop their palates and explore.

I once went into a store and asked if they had any Springbank 25 or Local Barley. The staff member hardly lifted their head. I was there ready to spend quite a serious amount of money and no response. If I owned the business, I would have been furious. Don’t companies work really hard to get clients these days? There were a number of bottles he could have sold me but I spent my money elsewhere 45 minutes later with someone who actually engaged with me.

Is it really too much to ask for staff (and owners) to be friendly and polite?

On a more positive note, I hope this edition inspires you to visit Speyside. I certainly fell in love with area on my visit and can’t wait to get back at least once later this year. It is quite magical driving past so many iconic distilleries in a relatively small area. Even more magical to stop and visit.

Do subscribe to the magazine - it is free - and follow me on Instagram - clandestine_whisky_magazine

IAN ROBINSON

Encapsulating the spirit of The Glenlivet @POSHSCOTCH

THIS WAS BY NO MEANS A TRADITIONAL NIGHT OF SCOTTISH FAYRE Glenlivet recently hosted an altburnsative Burns Night to celebrate the opening of a pop-up collaboration between the distillery and The Den in Soho, London, and I was lucky enough to be invited along.

This was by no means a traditional night of Scottish fayre, as I was greeted by mood lighting, a DJ, and well-dressed mixologists preparing a host of Glenlivet-fuelled cocktails in the achingly cool surrounds of the bar. For those that get to go along before the end of February, there’s a variety of cocktails available at the bar, each one of which is then paired with one of the infamous Glenlivet capsules.

When these were launched, they seemed to be much-derided by the whisky enthusiast community, although to be honest I just saw them as a bit of fun. I do understand that having the whisky sealed within a seaweed capsule makes it impossible to nose the spirit, and I think HQ picked up on this, so Glenlivet have gone back to the drawing board and re-purposed the idea as pairing cocktail balls, which I think is probably for the best, and works really well when paired with another contrasting drink presented in a traditional glass.

But for me, the main experience was the guided pairing and tasting session, “dramming in the dark”.

Hosted by ambassador David Robinson (no relation!), everyone was led into an intimate side part of the venue, with even dimmer lighting, to be presented by a tray of mixers, ice, cocktail capsules and drams of 3 Glenlivet expressions, the Founder’s Reserve, Caribbean Reserve and 12yo.

Glenlivet has been through a bit of a re-brand in the last

couple of years, with the 12 now able to return to the core lineup some years after it was removed due to declining stock levels. Unlike many single malt brands, Chivas appears to be taking the brand down a more youthful, cocktail-oriented path, with a number of finished NAS whiskies being released at an accessible price point, with a focus on mixing, cocktails, pairings and concentrating on core flavours rather than detailed and flowery tasting notes. It seems to be working for the brand, which has amassed a huge social media following, and remains the biggest selling single malt in the USA. Each of the three experiences started with a nosing and tasting of the neat whisky, with the re-introduced 12 remaining a good whisky which can be appreciated either on its own or mixed. For each tasting, the already dim lights were reduced further, and music was played to supposedly heighten the senses. Being frank (or old), I found it a bit distracting, and I’m not sure I got any more notes as a result of being able to see less. However, I’m not sure that was genuinely the aim. Was it a bit silly?

Yes. Was it fun? You bet, and that’s the most important thing. This is an event that is aimed more at the total whisky novice than the seasoned expert, and in that context, it was appropriate, and it certainly encouraged conversation and thought in a way I’m sure some attendees will have never considered whisky in before.

Next, it was time to add some ice to some pre-prepared mixers, before adding in the whisky, stirring, and of course, tasting. The three cocktails were very different, and suited each of the drams well, from the red-fruit laden Red Velvet to a coconut-led Caribbean highball. And then it was the turn of the capsule!

(PHOTO)

I never experienced the previous ones, but my understanding is that these are deliberately a bit smaller, and were set out on spoons to help actually get them successfully into your mouth. There’s absolutely no seaweed taste from the container, with them just feeling neutral (albeit slippery) in your mouth until you pop the seal.

Again, it’s a fun way to experience the drink as you have no idea what you’re actually about to drink until the flavours start hitting your tongue. And with little colour

LIFESTYLE & FASHION

LIFEST YLE & FA SHION

5 / 43

LIFEST YLE & FA SHION

NEWS MAGAZINE

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giveaway, you do have to focus; apart from the expresso whiskini that went with the coconut highball. The coffee notes were a bit of a giveaway!

The tasting experience, with glowing balls of light that rhythmically change colour and brightness to the beat of the music, verges on silly, but not in a bad way. It’s refreshing to be part of something that’s so different. Scotch is expanding rapidly into the on-trade and cocktail bars and many brands are putting in a huge effort to diversify across ages, races and gender to dismiss the myth that scotch is an old man’s drink. Brands are constantly looking to create new mixed drinks or bring a new twist to a classic. And whilst the traditional tasting absolute still has value, I applaud the Glenlivet for their innovation and attempting to do something a bit different. Building your own cocktails is always a good experience, regardless of the spirit. And whilst there was limited chance to get too creative, at least it meant you could guarantee they tasted good! And of course the capsules alone will certainly leave people talking, and imprint the brand in the memory, which I am sure are really the two main aims of the pop-up anyway.

So - mission accomplished. I look forwards to seeing what sensory experiences The Glenlivet come up with next!

You can folllow Ian on Instagram at @poshscotch

NEWS MAGAZINE

7

THE BALVENIE DAVID PEARCE VISITS JAMES ROBERTS FROM THIS HISTORIC DISTILLERY

‘This was a visit I was looking forward to having enjoyed the whisky for many years.

With a little time to spare before my appointment at The Balvenie, I visited one of the many whisky shops scattered throughout Speyside, hoping to relieve my wallet of some weight. It was to be an unsuccessful mission. The welcome on a gloomy, quiet day was very underwhelming. I walked out empty handed, having experienced no passion at all from the owner.

Unfortunately, this is not that uncommon – hence my Editor’s Letter.

I got a little confused upon arrival on where to park. For your reference, you use the Glenfiddich Car Park which is adjacent to The Balvenie. So many distilleries! I was met by James, the distillery ambassador who, fortunately, was upbeat and welcoming, I could sense his love for the brand immediately. This wasn’t just a job to ensure all mortgage payments were met, but something he truly enjoyed.

Walking past Glenfiddich and meandering along the pathways that connect the two distilleries, I had a real sense of place, of history and of sereneness. The small lake, OK, more a large pond, gives soothing sense of calm. I looked over the almost still water

to the iconic building that houses the malting floor.

Stopping to take photos James and I chatted about how The Balvenie genuinely is a craft distillery, even with its size. Can a business as large as Balvenie can be classified as “craft”? I firmly believe it can. Let me persuade you:The Malt Master David Stewart MBE started as The Balvenie in September 1962 at the age of 17. He served a 12year apprenticeship (including 2 as a clerk), where he learned how to make exceptional whisky. To put that into context, my calculations put that at almost 22,000 hours. More than double the 10,000 hours it is generally accepted to take to become an expert in anything. David has become one of the most highly regarded malt masters on the planet. It interesting to note that during the years of his long apprenticeship there was only one Glenfiddich (also owned by William Grant) and one Balvenie expression, so it was a time for absolute focus.

Things move slowly at The Balvenie, they are not a distillery to jump on the latest bandwagon and expressions like Peat Week may have been in the making for over a decade. Their limited-edition bottles tend to be on the 14–17-year range with some, like the Red Rose, being an exceptional 21-year-old.

Other giants of the industry, such as Dr Bill Lumsden, are frequently consulted.

Barley For obvious reasons it would be far too challenging to grow all their own barley, but a good proportion is from their own 1000-acre farm, Balvenie Mains.

The farm overlooks the distillery. Here, the only nod to modernisation is the use of a combine harvester, everything else being done in the same way it has been done for decades. The work is overseen by farmer James Wiseman’s and his son Duncan.

Floor Maltings The Balvenie is one of the last remaining distilleries to house their own floor maltings in what is an iconic building. As soon as you enter you feel the sense of scale and the sheer physical labour it must take to turn the barley. This is no small room, but a sizeable, historic warehouse. Prior to being spread on the floo,r the Wiseman’s barley is steeped in natural spring water that has filtered down from the hills above the distillery.

The steeping takes 26 hours before being drained for 23 and then laid out ready to be turned ensuring the correct temperature is reached to allow germination.

Robbie Gormley, the maltman will then test the grain to check readiness for drying by writing his name with a grain on the floor. From here the barley is dried in the kiln with just a hint of peat.

Coppersmith It isn’t just David Stewart who has been at The Balvenie for decades, Denis McBain has been there for approaching 60 years! Denis looks after the famed “bell” shaped stills and their mechanics. The stills have pretty much remained unchanged in shape since the distilleries inception. They allow the vapours to mix and help give the whisky its honeylike notes. It is interesting to hear that the stills are seasoned by placing branches of juniper trees inside for the first distillation. This is known as sweetening the still. Denis is convinced that without the juniper branches a totally different spirit would emerge.

The Cooperage Another aspect of this distillery that is quite rare is that The Balvenie have their own cooperage. Don’t think for one minute that this is a small room kept operational for marketing purposes, though you can view if you take the tour. It is a vast room that, to me, looks as big as a football pitch. Looking down from the viewing platform I saw skilled craftsmen - the apprenticeship is 4 years - working on individual barrels with precision and knowhow. The barrels have to be wind and watertight through the use of multiple sizes of staves. It’s an intricate vertical jigsaw - not something that can be picked up from watching a YouTube video.

Coopers at work are fascinating. The speed and

accuracy at which they worked was incredible. And there didn’t appear to be a tape measure in sight proper craftsmanship.

Casks are expensive, so having a skilled team of coopers onsite ensures they are well maintained.

Through shaving and re-charing cask life can be extended by years. Maintenance is important, but so is buying the right casks in the first place. I saw a pallets of them ready to be returned as they hadn’t passed quality control.

Enough? I rest my case. These are the reasons why I consider The Balvenie to be a craft distiller. It’s not about volume but about undertaking the craft and the being true to the principles that guide that craft. But what of the whisky itself? I am sure you are familiar with the core range, so let delve into the more interesting expressions.

Tasting Notes Balvenie American Oak Vanilla fudge on the nose with strong malt notes. The palate is quite refined with a creaminess and lots of citrus notes with butterscotch.

Balvenie The Edge of Burnhead Wood 19 Quite a delicate nose initially that opens up to show ripe figs, vanilla and oak. The palate has far more depth and presence than the nose suggests. I got a fair amount of clove which left a lovely flavour in my mouth as it it had been infused with honey.

Balvenie Red Rose 2 A beautiful nose full of fragrant caramel that is still warm and been added to plum nectar. The palate is masterful. Sweet yet dry with tannin. A lovely spice with vanilla and red fruits aplenty. A long finish that takes you on a journey through a forest of wild berries. It has been aged in ex Australian Shiraz casks and was one of my favourite bottles tasted in 2021.

Balvenie Tun1509 The nose is full of toffee and baked apple studied with cloves. A sophisticated palate that shows depth and complexity. Dark marmalade and dried fruits balanced perfectly with vanilla and spice.

Balvenie Week of Peat 17 A much more powerful nose of smoke but well balanced. Toffee apple and cream soda on the nose followed by tobacco and meat glaze.

David Chats With

whiskysisters.podcast

I

Your first distillery visit was Tobermory. I think that was mine too! What can you remember about it?

Jen - I fell in love with whisky the day of that tour.

I felt so intrigued by the whole experience. I hadn’t anticipated the scale of the stills, the alchemical process of distilling or that I would be able to see the casks in a treasure trove of a warehouse. I think the harbour setting in Tobermory with the scent of the sea air seemed to enhance the magic. I loved Tobermory Single Malt at the tasting but at that time Ledaig was a peated step too far for me!

INKA - I’ve actually been there as well, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to offer tours at the time. We did sample a selection of Tobermory and Ledaig at the gift shop. I’ve always wanted to return to Mull, especially with Jennifer as she has all the inside knowledge of the island life.

You both like Guns and Roses (great band!) but have either of you got a leather jacket with the logo on the back?

INKA - I have a leather jacket that’s pretty rock n’roll, but not with the logo. However, I did rock the concert wearing a denim vest Slash-style and it had roses on the back.

Jen - Yes, we definitely bonded over our shared love of the rock gods Guns n Roses. I have a standard leather jacket, minus a logo, that gets a regular airing and another I purchased in Ibiza Old Town whilst tipsy.

Don’t drink and shop is the key take away here! It has huge metal spikes on the shoulders and has ‘Nevada My Love’ emblazoned on the back in silver studs! It’s quite something.

Do you have day jobs outside of whisky or do you work in the industry?

INKA – I used to work in hospitality when I still lived in Brighton. I worked as a venue manager for an event company organising weddings etc and as a bar manager for a large concert & event venue.

However, I’ve been writing about spirits for several years now and have been working with various whisky brands over the years, whether it was in the form of photography, social media management or writing. I even had the unique opportunity to name the stills of a London based whisky distillery. You can find some of my whisky articles on my blog ‘On the Sauce Again’.

Jen - I have never worked in the whisky or spirits industry although have often wondered what my life would be like if I’d ventured into it years ago. I have actually worked within the mental health field for over 20 years and love my job You walk into a whisky bar - what are you ordering and

do you go back for the same again or onto something else?

INKA – Usually I would order something new as I feel that the best way to expand my whisky knowledge and my tasting skills is to keep trying new whiskies. Often, I’ve seen something on Instagram or read about a whisky that sounds interesting and then I try to find it when at a bar. I also love chatting with like minded whisky people, so I am happy to try their recommendations. Not all bars have such a wide selection (especially here in Italy) so in these cases I would reach for something peaty or a classic Bunna.

Jen - So many tasty decisions so this is a tricky question.

At the moment, I am keen to try more Kilchoman whisky. First up I think would be the Madeira Cask matured limited edition. It sounds juicy and delicious.

I’m also keen to try as many as I can at the moment so in a whisky bar, I’d be changing it up and going for something else.

What is your most prized bottle of whisky outside if Bunna?

INKA - Oooh that’s a tough one. I don’t think I have such strong feelings about any other distillery as Bunnahabhain has the advantage of being the first distillery I ever visited and the first whisky I ever really enjoyed. I’m currently loving Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2021 and Raasay Distillery has also piqued my interest in many ways. And I am always partial to peat….

Jen - I’m not sure if I’ve any prized bottles as such as I’m not currently collecting special releases or old and rare whisky however this is something I’ve love to venture into. If I feel flush I will be treating myself to a bottle of Glendronach Parliament 21. I first tried it this year and am so impressed.

What made you start a whisky podcast earlier this year?

INKA - It took me sometime before I started to focus on whisky and now that I’ve been immersing myself into the category (well, mainly scotch), I can’t get enough.

Starting a whisky podcast had been a dream for a few years, but I never wanted to do it alone and you want a co-host who you really connect with. I’m so glad Jen said ‘yes’ pretty much straight away when I popped the question. The whisky stars were aligned, and we finally took the leap this January.

Jen - Any time Inka and I got together we spoke constantly about all things whisky. I loved hearing about her adventures researching her blog and I shared my goal to one day have visited every Scottish distillery.

We then began to develop ideas around enjoying our whisky journeys together and it was Inka that suggested a podcast. This immediately felt right to me. The opportunity to regularly chat with your pal, drink whisky,

learn about a subject you are passionate about and to connect with likeminded people in the whisky community, what’s not to love?

Tell me about the podcast and what it will be offering?

Jen - We wanted to keep the feel of the podcast fun and upbeat, true to our thoughts and opinions and of course a little bit rock n roll. Season one already has hosted some amazing guests and there are more lined up as well as tastings and on the road adventures to distilleries. We have some regular features to ensure we are staying up to date with whisky news and facts in addition to our main features.

INKA - Yes, what she said. We wanted to keep it short and lively to keep people coming back for more. We are sharing our whisky journey with our listeners, whether they are whisky newbies or seasoned sippers. The regular features allow our listeners to learn something new and interesting which they can use to impress their fellow drinkers. Season one is focusing on Scotch whisky, but we will be traveling further afield in season two…

You have a road trip planned for the podcast - can you divulge where you will be visiting?

Jen - Yes, we are visiting three distilleries’ together in season one and I’ll be solo venturing over to the Isle of Arran this spring for some top-secret business. All will be revealed soon!

D IN m I’v p

Je M sh w

W Je th w d

INKA - We are heading to a beautiful ‘west coast whisky triangle’ and visiting Nc’nean, Tobermory and Ardnamurchan for that unbeatable experience of being up close and personal in the distillery and the surrounding elements. Road trippin’! I’m also heading to Orkney in May but that’s not top secret.

IN la w Is

What distillery would you most like to visit?

INKA - I would definitely want to go to visit Bunna with Jennifer as I haven’t been there for years, and it would be a riot. I’m always drooling for a sip of their warehouse editions. I would love to travel to Japan to visit some distilleries, but if we are focusing on scotch it would have to be Glenmorangie as I’d love to see those giraffe stills.

W A W

Jen - So predictable, Bunnahabhain. I’ve not been to Islay yet which I am almost embarrassed to admit and must remedy soon.

Yo

S

Do you drink bourbon and other whiskies?

NKA – I went though a time when I was drinking bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, but haven’t really focused on it that much recently. Some of the American whiskies are very sweet so I’ve mainly used them in cocktails. ve had some excellent whisky from Waterford Distillery and also truly enjoyed Arbikie’s rye whisky. Like mentioned previously, we will be covering some whiskies outside of Scotland in the future, so any recommendations are welcome.

en - Considering I have a ridiculously sweet tooth I haven’t tried that much in the way of bourbon other than Makers Mark. I want to learn more about bourbon and other whiskies. I was lucky enough to visit Tennessee a few years ago and hould have optimised the opportunity then but was too busy in downtown Nashville! I’m keen to try Blackened American whisky before we see Metallica this summer.

Which other instagrammers would you love to meet? en - Lars Ulrick the drummer from Metallica is on Instagram, if he listened to Whisky Sisters I’d combust! I imagine his question was geared to whisky instagrammers so in that case I’d love to meet Nate Woodruff creator of @ whiskywithaview and @whisky_nate. His pictures are beautiful and there is such a wholesome vibe to his barn life with his dogs.

NKA - I have met a few actually and already planning ways to meet Sona @thespiritedwoman again as she’s a very special ady but unfortunately lives all the way in Australia. Obviously, me being Finnish I’d love to do a whisky tour of Finland with @whiskygirlsfinland. Also, I’m sure we will plan a meet up with Juste @myscottishdiary when we eventually make it to slay.

Where can people listen to your podcast?

Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune in, Player Fm, Listen Notes, Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Deezer or via the Whisky Sisters Podcast website www.whiskysisterspodcast.com

So, pour yourself a dram and tune in! You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

You can follow whiskysisters.podcast on Instagram here.

COPENHAGE DISTLLE

GREAT D

Interview by David Pearce Article by Martin Raymond

The whisky business is an industry renowned for classy, innovative packaging. But in a competitive field, I’d suggest to you that the single malts produced by the Copenhagen Distillery might just edge out anyone else for the title of coolest bottle and box.

Square bottle (and I mean geometrically speaking, not as in unhip), square box, a creatively austere ice-flow-white label, dipped wax closure and each one personally signed by the maker, these are pieces of Scandi design that you could sit and look at for hours. Perhaps even look at forever.

Preserve it in all its minimalist beauty. Wouldn’t it be a defilement to break the wax seal, upset the symmetry by watching the contents work their way down the bottle? No! Big mistake. For then you’d forego one of the great pleasures in life, tasting a liquor that is unique and special. It’s a bottle of whisky. No matter how beautiful, it is for drinking. If you want art buy half a sheep in formaldehyde. Or better still, buy another bottle of Copenhagen, put it on the shelf and look at it until the urge to drink it overcomes any aesthetic pleasure.

EN ERY

DANES

I tell you at some length about the packaging because its flair and style is a accurate reflection of the product itself. Scandinavia is home to rich distilling heritage - how do you think their forebears reached all of the known world from Constantinople to Canada? So, it’s no surprise that the Copenhagen Distillery turned to malt whisky with a mix of thoroughness and verve.

I spoke to Lasse Oznek who joined his old friend Henrik Brinks to take charge of the production processes shortly after the distillery opened in 2013.

‘Henrik and I were on a Whisky Club trip. We were in Islay and one evening we found ourselves, after hours, in the warehouse at Bruichladdich. There was an old boy going round the casks. “Come away over here, lads.” It wasn’t an invitation to turn down. He opened casks, let us nose and sample, we learned so much on that evening. At the last cask he said – ‘now try this one.’ Henrick and I sampled this amazing spirit.

“Where do we buy it?” “Well,” said our new friend, “here’s the catch. This is my own personal cask. All of this is for me and me alone.” ‘So, we reacted to that as you might expect. Before we got back to Denmark, Henrik and I had resolved to start our own distillery.

Within a year the business was established, and I joined shortly after.

Lasse’s background is in chemistry and biological science. He spent twenty years in the pharmaceutical industry, so his approach is the opposite of slap-dashtry-it-and-see-but-keep-your-fingers-crossed. He’s also steeped, if that’s not the wrong word, in whisky lore and knowledge.

‘I’ve done maybe five hundred blind tastings, visited I don’t know how many distilleries, and I’ll confess, provided you don’t alert the authorities, to cooking up my first moonshine at the age of sixteen. ‘I respect the process. And the basics are the same for everyone. But Henrik and I didn’t set out to replicate any existing malts. Our mission was to do something completely different. It’s not Speyside, it’s not Islay.

It’s Copenhagen. We were prepared to re-think all the elements in the process – from milling to cask management. ‘The other crucial element? We were impatient! We didn’t want to wait fifteen or twenty years to try our whisky.’

And there was another vital principle in the process.

‘We started from the taste notes. The point where people usually end up. We set out what we wanted the product to taste like – the sort of notes and flavours and nose we were excited by. And then worked towards that. ‘We were scientific of course.

We went to still manufacturers, told them the tastes we wanted to produce and asked if they could give us equipment to deliver that. We took the same approach to all of the stages. We didn’t want a roller mill or a hammer mill, but a plate mill. The barley is just cracked open, we leave it in bigger pieces for the mashing.

‘The barley itself is locally grown, an Odyssey variety from up in North Jutland. It has a journey of less than five hours to get to the distillery. It’s organic, which gives us some unique additions to the fermentation process.

We have a double fermentation – in the first three to four days the yeast turns to alcohol and eskers. But in the next four days or so the lactic bacteria naturally present in the organic barley starts to work its magic, creating more compounds which generate more notes to taste later. We have to keep sourcing new organic barley as the yields drop and the ground has to be left fallow for a while. But that only brings new challenges and new tastes with new strains of barley.

Lasse is no less scientific and uncompromising when it comes to the barrels. ‘We use Hungarian Oak, Virgin oak casks. No bourbon, no sherry, no charring. The oak is the densest oak you can get. We prepare the casks thoroughly – no chemicals – water only. We have no chemicals anywhere in the plantwe do all our cleaning in the plant by steam.

The casks are washed and washed again – otherwise the tannin would overpower the whisky. ‘We keep the casks around the production process, close to the mash tuns

COPENHAGEN DISTILLERY and the still. It’s the secret of our accelerated process. Three years is a long time in our distillery!

‘During the day, when were making whisky the temperature climbs to 30 degrees. At night when we shut down, it drops to 20 degrees. That ten-degree range means that it’s never quiet in the casks, there is lots going on chemically as the temperature goes up and down. And that’s what is constantly creating interesting tastes within the spirit. We even have to move the casks from the floor to the top of the stacks, constant rotation, to maintain continuity as there is a three-degree temperature difference between being on the floor and up near the ceiling.’

It’s a small production process. Lasse has graduated from initial 20 and 30 litre casks up the 250 litre hogsheads he uses now. But the production batches are small - no more than a couple of thousand at a time. The range focusses on three concepts. Lasse explains: ‘We call them concepts not categories. Raw, Refined and Rare. Raw is a small batch – five to six hundred bottles – but it is straight out of the cask. And remember we have no bourbon or sherry or burning to hide behind.

It’s the taste of the still spirit working with the oak in the cask - nothing else.

‘Refined is the opposite of raw – we use a bespoke cask to season the whisky – it is single malt, but completely unique. And Rare is where we create very special short run whiskies – using specialist grains – spelt for example, or we mature in special casks – Negroni for instance. These are extra-short runs. Sometimes it’s between thirty and a hundred bottles.’

Copenhagen Distillery is more than a place to produce whisky. It’s a café, a bar and a venue for food tastings and music. The distillery is part of a food and drinks scene that includes the two best restaurants in the world – Noma and Geranium. Yes, there are many foodie

centres in the world - but can anywhere else boast the best and the second-best restaurant?

Copenhagen Distillery is a poised mix of precision science, an earthy commitment to the local and a burning passion for the craft and the product. Yes, there are very sharp technical skills on display, but it always comes back to taste.

‘We don’t make our whisky to any specific ABV. We blind taste throughout the process. When the taste is right, we stop. Whatever the ABV is at that point, is what goes on the bottle. We have a huge passion for our whisky, and we want to pass a bit of that passion on to our customers.’

In October 2021, Lasse and Henrik stormed the Whisky Show in London. Tough trade delegates and enthusiasts alike were wowed by the contents as much as the packaging. Copenhagen Distillery might be the coolest thing this side of Sarah Lund’s knitwear.

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(PHOTO)

Sherry Chéri!

A look at the different types of sherry that are available to determine how they might influence a whisky cask. @themaltcask

‘The darker the better’ seems to have been a longstanding misconception in the world of whisky and many will decide on a bottle of the ‘brown stuff’ purely based on its shade of ‘brown’.

I guess that with the whisky boom of the last few years, sweet sherried whisky is ‘easier’ to get into for new-comers than heavily peated bottles.

Names like Macallan, Dalmore, GlenDronach and Glenallachie more recently, are also on everybody’s lips, whether they are whisky beginners, afficionados or collectors, and they are all synonymous with dark liquid. Most are naturally coloured by the wood that encapsulated it for years, some are just a mix of wood imparted colour and E150 additive to boost the ‘colour consistency’ of the range of bottles (as well as their sellability and matching price-tags…)

But what is sherry and what is the difference between the many types of sherry out there?

Some malts are said to have been aged or finished in Oloroso casks, others in Pedro Ximénez, Manzanilla or Fino. So what is that all about?

First of all, a Sherry is a fortified wine produced in the region of Jerez, Southern Spain, from fermented grapes which are ‘fortified’ with neutral grape spirit. The main difference between sherries is of course the way each one is actually made and the grape varieties used in the process. There are 7 main sherry types, from the drier Manzanilla to the sweeter Pedro Ximénez.

Manzanilla / Fino These two types of sherry are made with fresh Palomino grapes harvested and pressed before being left to ferment naturally in stainless steel tanks heated to 23-25°C. Very few bodegas (wine producers) still use wooden barrels for the fermentation stage. This will keep fermenting until nearly all of the sugars are turned into alcohol, creating a base wine.

After a few months of fermentation, the base wine is fortified to reach its final strength of 15%-15.4%. The only thing left at that point is to leave the sherry to age further, and for Manzanilla and Fino sherries, this is done with a natural/ biological ageing process, that-is-to-say under a layer of flor (a yeasty crust which has develop at the surface of the fortified wine), without contact with oxygen, hence its paler colour at the end.

The ageing process tends to be done in a Solera (a system of barrels arranged in a ‘cascading’ way, that allows younger wine to progressively replace older wines as they are drown out of the system)

for a minimum of two years.

So why do you get two names for the same product? The only difference between Manzanilla and Fino is the location of production: Manzanilla is produced in Sanlúcar de Barrameda whereas Fino is produced in Jerez de la Frontera.

Pale in colour, these sherries tend to be dry, fresh, quite light, slightly tangy and citrussy, with notes of almond, fresh herbs and maritime hints. They are better served chilled and are the perfect accompaniment for olives, nuts and ham.

You do not get many whiskies aged in exManzanilla or Fino casks but those available are definitely paler in colour than their Oloroso or PX counterparts and you will find the fresh, tangy, almondy and slightly salty flavours. My favourite being the recent Kilchoman Fino Release.

Oloroso Probably the most popular sherry in the whisky industry, the Oloroso begins its life in the same way as the Manzanilla and Fino with Palomino grapes harvested fresh and pressed before being left to ferment naturally. The difference occurs with the fortification process. For an Oloroso, the base wine if fortified to 17-18%.

The extra alcohol kills the flor on the surface which leaves the wine to mature in an oxidative way, through contact with air. The result is a darker sherry with a higher abv.

Oloroso sherries are more rounded than the drier ones. They have darker notes with dried fruit, raisins, toffee and walnuts. They go best with meat dishes and hearty cheeses.

In whisky, Oloroso casks impart both colour and flavours. A quality Oloroso cask can turn the pale spirit quite dark and pass on lots of dried fruit and nutty elements. My favourite Oloroso cask aged whisky is the Bunnahabhain Mòine Oloroso from a few year ago.

Amontillado / Palo Cortado The Amontillado stands at the crossroads between Fino and Oloroso. It actually starts as a Fino (fresh Palomino grapes, natural fermentation, fortified at around 15% and left to age under flor) but after a period of ageing under flor, it is refortified to 17-18%, which

then kills the flor and therefore switches the biological ageing to an oxidative ageing. Having both ageing methods means the Amontillado is darker than the Fino but paler than the Oloroso.

Amontillado sherries mix sharper notes of citrus and herbs with nuttier flavours, great with cooked meats and cheeses. It is not a very common type of sherry cask to use in the whisky industry and I cannot remember trying any Amontillado aged whisky. If you want to try any, I would look for Kavalan, Tomatin or Glenkinchie.

As for Palo Cortado, it is the same idea as with an Amontillado, except for the fact the flor would accidentally die early. This is technically the rarer type of sherry as it cannot be controlled. For Palo Cortado aged whisky, again this is rather rare from distilleries, look Deanston or Bunnahabhain way.

Pedro Ximénez (PX) When all of the previous types of sherries are made from Palomino grapes, Pedro Ximénez or PX is made from Pedro Ximénez grapes. These are harvested overly ripe and are left to dry in the sun for several days to remove as much moisture as possible leaving a higher sugar content in the grapes. The fermentation process for a PX is shorter, once again to retain as much sugar as possible.

After that, the end process is similar to an Oloroso: fortification to 17-18% and oxidative ageing (no flor).

PX is incredibly sweet and treacly at over 212g of sugar per litre and can be used as a sweetener (I use it instead of sugar syrup when I make an Old Fashioned for instance) It is also great on dessert and on top of vanilla ice-cream!

The colour is dark and the flavours are very rich, with a lot of dried fruit (raisins, figs, prunes), toffee, dark chocolate, walnuts, candied orange… You’d better have a sweet tooth to enjoy PX! You will find PX casks with whisky quite frequently. It definitely gives the whisky a sweeter, more syrupy taste (sometimes too much) and a much darker colour. GlenDronach releases tend to have a nice mix of Oloroso and PX, older Lagavulin Distillers Edition were delicious too with a PX finish.

Moscatel Moscatel goes through the same process as PX except the grapes used are not Pedro Ximénez but Moscatel grapes. Moscatel is also very sweet. My favourite Moscatel finished whisky would probably have to be the Caol Ila Distillers Edition but you can also look at Tomatin, Benriach, Filey Bay or Glenallachie for some more examples.

The last aspect of sherry I would like to cover is the sherry cask itself. The influence that sherry casks have on the whisky can vary quite a bit depending on the quality of the casks, and this quality is often linked to the

way the cask was used. The best casks are casks which have been used to mature sherry in. These are generally old casks and are rather rare as when part of a solera, casks only tend to be replaced when they are beyond repair. Next are casks which were used to transport sherry from Spain to the UK. These casks would have had mature sherry inside for a certain amount of time and once emptied, would be sold to distilleries rather than shipped back to Spain. However, from 1986, Spanish regulation dictated that Spanish wines had to be bottled in Spain. Once again, these casks are rather hard to come by nowadays. So, with growing interest for sherry cask aged whisky and few sherry casks around, what solution did the industry find?

Seasoned casks. A seasoned cask is a cask given to a Spanish bodega for them to fill it with young sherry for six months to two and a half years. At the end of the seasoning period, the sherry is removed from the cask and reused until it is either discarded, distilled as sherry brandy or used for sherry vinegar.

It cannot be sold as drinking sherry. So do not get fooled by the romantic idea your whisky was aged in an old cask which saw years of sherry maturation in a small Spanish bodega. Chances are, it came brand new and got a sherry wash for a few months before being shipped to a distillery to be used in a finishing process. And that is probably why people talk about old school sherried whisky and why old sherried malts go for so much at auction. Now does that make these old school malts better? It might do because of the calibre of casks used at that time but then again it might not, as the production process was definitely not as rigorous as it is today. I guess there is only one way to find out…

Slainte all!

@themaltcask

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Glenturret Investing In The Past Part 1 Interview by David Pearce Article by Martin Raymond

Is John Lawrie, MD of the Glenturret Distillery and Lalique Restaurant, the future of the Scottish whisky industry? His approach to business certainly reflects the sort of elements which will take the whole sector forward: a respect for tradition, a refreshingly international outlook and an innovative marketing spirit, full of entrepreneurship and imagination.

While you can have lunch in the restaurant, this isn’t a place for a quick snack at the end of the distillery tour.

‘We have thirty covers, six tables, five nights a week. It’s a very special gastronomic experience. Some of our tasting menu items take two to three days to make. Chef Mark Donald joined us in 2021 from Number ‘It takes more than old Scots stories about the olden One at the Balmoral in Edinburgh. He took days,’ he says. ‘We need to look at what the best in that restaurant to a Michelin Star. But it’s the world are doing and create our own version here.’ not just the kitchen. Our sommelier is Julien Beitzung from the Four Seasons For seventeen years the Glenturret Distillery was in Hong Kong. Front of House is Emilio Munzo Algarra who has also had a subsumed within the Famous Grouse Experience, a visitor destination which presented the whisky making stellar career, including working with process through the lens of the Famous Grouse brand.

Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Bray. When we say world class we Nothing wrong with that of course. But since the 2019 purchase of the distillery by a consortium which included aren’t kidding.’ the Lalique French luxury glass brand, John has been at the centre of a remarkable transformation.

The bar too, is not like the average Let’s start in the restaurant. If you think distillery restaurants distillery bar. For a start, there is a are a ‘chicken in whisky sauce and cranachan for afters’ huge range of what others might sort of joints, then you’re in for a surprise at the Glenturret see as competitors’ products.

Lalique restaurant.

‘We took the decision to use the bar to celebrate the very ‘Look at wineries in the Napa Valley,’ John says. ‘They celebrate the terroir, and that’s what we do here. We reflect the distilling best of our colleagues work. process and area we are from. So, herbs and mushrooms come Of course, we have the full from out the back door. The sourdough bread uses barley from Glenturret range from the nonthe process, we even reflect the three temperatures from the age statement Triple Wood mash tun in the cooking.’ to our 25- and 30-year-olds,

“There’s been a distillery on this spot since 1763”

but we also have carefully chosen, iconic whiskies.

Laphroaig 10, Jura Superstition - for example.

There is so much demand for quality malt whiskies we should celebrate not compete.’

Glenturret has heritage to spare. In a sector where age matters, there’s been a distillery on this spot since 1763. ‘There’s been a distillery here since before then, but we have the title deeds from 1763, so that’s what we can stand behind. It’s a long time to be in the one place. Owners come and go, but the whisky goes on. And it’s a long time to have been part of the same community here in Crieff, so we have to make our contribution to the local economy. We’ve increased the restaurant staff from 28 to 53 – we’re proud of that. We’ve also become established as a global destination. Hotels and B&Bs in the area have told us they get bookings on the strength of people who have travelled to dine with us.’

Ultimately, the whisky brand is about the whisky.

Re-stablishing Glenturret as a premium malt wasn’t without challenges. ‘At Glenturret half the output went for blending in the Famous Grouse, and half for single malts. You need different strengths for each type. That’s when we turned to the whisky alchemist Bob Dalgarno He is one of those people who doesn’t want a high profile, but who are at the top of their profession. He’s someone you leave to get on with it. You don’t harass him with targets and ratios. You let him walk round the warehouse, roll the barrels about, nose them, taste, and let him produce amazing whiskies.

Every year he produces something unique and remarkable.’

But if there is plenty heritage, there is also a sharp focus on modern marketing practice. John is almost as enthusiastic about the bottle as the contents.

‘I used to look at the Glen Rothes bulb bottle on shelves and think that was a bit of genius.

I wanted our products to have the same stand out distinction on shelves. As a high quality, relatively low volume whiskey we have to draw attention in high-end bar and restaurant shelves.’

“..they fill the casks by hand”

Having successfully re-launched the Glenturret brand and established the restaurant in the middle of a pandemic – ‘we had to do the launch, socially-distanced, in four different rooms in Gleneagles, I interviewed the global distributors on Zoom but still saw exports of the 25-year-old sell out each year in seven months, five months and latterly four weeks!’

– John is in a good position to consider the future of the Scottish brown spirit sector.

‘Some see an inevitable drift towards consolidation, with individual brands gradually brought under ownership of a few big companies, as is happening in the craft beer sector. But an alternative is the wine model, where there is room for everyone, big operators and an infinite number of smaller producers, each crafting something unique and distinct, economic at low-ish volumes and with discerning and enthusiastic consumers.’

It helps to be part owned by Lalique, people who can do just about anything with glass. ‘We took the same design - square, high shoulders, small base, thick punt – across all of our range.

The 25- and 30-year-olds get a hand finish in the Lalique workshops. I think it works. The first time I saw the design ‘in the wild’ in the bar of Grantley Hall in Yorkshire I took way more photographs than I should have!’

The marketing nous extends to use of social media.

‘We love consumer interaction. Great when it’s positive – but also vital to listen to constructive feedback. Consumers are so well educated about the products. They know what they like and won’t be fobbed off with answers. But that’s what keep us on our game.’

Joint ventures are also part of Glenturret’s marketing plan.‘With Lalique we’ve worked with Jaguar on the 60th birthday of the E type. What a privilege to work on probably the most famous car in the world. We could see that while iconic cars and an iconic whisky might seem very different - both brands were built on strong stories and great heritage.’

In the distillery they fill the casks by hand – it’s an experience in itself to inhale the fruity vapours. They weight the casks on an Avery scale – brass sliding weights. This is what heritage means. ‘We have to invest in staying old. It’s the reverse of the usual business model. It takes time to train people to do it the old way. We have no computer sensors, no automatic valves. Ian Rennick the Distillery Manager has known this place man and boy – as an apprentice blacksmith he made much of the iron work here. It’s all done by eye and hand.

‘It’s part of the philosophy here.

Firstly: ‘Provenance – we are working with whisky laid down

before we were here. And we’re laying down whisky that will be drunk long after we’ve gone. We are just looking after the middle bit. ‘Prowess – we know a bit about the craft, after all these years. And: ‘Passion – you have to care. We’re lucky Lalique share this approach. We are doing things here that make no sense in the balance sheet. But that’s what tradition is all about.’

Glenturret Triple Wood 2021 - 44% Named due to its components having been aged in American and Eurpean sherry cask and ex-bourbon barrels. Hints of candid orange peel, barley, oak and spice. Chocolate on the palate with some nuttiness.

Glenturret 12 2021 - 46% A lot deeper on the nose and more inviting. Smells older than it is. Figs and stem ginger with some lovely vanilla.

More delicate on the palate than the nose suggests but still with good body and length. Showing vanilla fudge and a creaminess to it. A fine 12 year old packaged exceptionally well.

Glenturret 10 Peat Smoked 2021 - 50% Sweet peat on the nose with pulled pork notes. A lovely savourines to this and the meatiness/bbq smoke is well integrated and balanced. A little toffee on the finish with hints of citrus.

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Glenmorangie:

THE PRIDE OF TAIN

I am not sure what my first taste of Single Malt Whisky was, but there is a very strong likelihood that it was of Glenmorangie. It was maybe round 1989 or so. I was very young.

It is a brand synonymous amongst the general public (in the UK at least) as being a top shelf whisky, one that you were always delighted to receive as a gift. You knew you were valued - it was one of the most expensive whiskies you could get in the supermarket. For decades it was the whisky I was most familiar with. Even though I was a Sommelier in a Michelin star restaurant for many years, I had no idea that there was other whiskies available or even other expressions from the famous distilleries.

Macallan, Ardbeg, GlenDronach? Who?

Matherson purchased the farm and brewery and turned it into a distillery.

I had been invited to stay at the Glenmorangie House the night prior to my visit (theglenmorangiehouse.com), a spectacular boutique hotel the distillery owns. It seems to be in the middle of nowhere. I certainly had a serious conversation with my sat until my eyes fell upon a reassuring sign.

I can only put this down to the lack of availability. I was unaware of any specialist whisky shops at the time and the fine wine merchants didn’t list them.

The distilleries had no voice, no marketing that I recall. The result was a tiny band of loyal customers and flat market – something that has been well documented in the whisky literature. In part the industry had themselves to blame, but they were also up against Cognac houses who were very active in promoting their produce to Sommeliers. I was even flown to Martell in a private jet for 3 days of tasting as part of a promo trip. Happy days.

So, I was eager to visit Glenmorangie, even though it meant leaving Speyside for a night. This is a whisky I had probably enjoyed more than any other for the first 25 years of my drinking life. The distillery can trace it roots back to the 1730’s when a brewery was established on the Morangie farm. 113 years later, equipped with 2 old gin stills, William

“This is a whisky I had enjoyed more than any other in the first 25 years of my drinking life”

mineral quality that is much cherished. In order to preserve this treasure, the distillery purchased the surrounding forest to ensure its survival.

What impressed me most at the distillery was not only the commitment to sustainability and giraffe conservation, but the investment in a totally new experimentation distillery called the Lighthouse.

A 20m high glass cathedral, designed by famed architects Barthélémy Griño, will house two addition stills for Dr Bill Lumsden (the director of whisky creation) to experiment in.

After another warm greeting I was shown to my room. It was for a queen with a four poster bed.

Why I am always alone on these trips! it is simply beautiful. Having taken a shower in the wide-open spaces of the bathroom I headed downstairs for cocktails with my host, Ludo and the owners of whisky.de and their filmcrew.

Dinner was wonderful, made more special by the wine, which featured Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay, an old favourite of mine. It was so nice to be out for dinner again with such good company, something I had missed due to covid. After dinner we retired to the lounge where after dinner drinks were served.

I think I might have got a little carried away. I was offered some Ardbeg Traigh Bhan, 19, Batch 3. It’s a whisky I own myself. And, OK, I had a little more than was polite. But this is the drinks industry - you shouldn’t really apologise for drinking…

Approaching the distillery, I was shocked at how close I had been to it in June when I was on holiday, driving the North Coast 500. I wish I had popped in.

It is a magnificent site. As you enter the estate you cannot help to be impressed by the red sandstone distillery to your your right. Even in a light rain it looked special with its distinctive, and inviting, red doors.

It’s hard to come up with original thoughts about Glenmorangie and it’s whisky. It must be one of the most written about spirits in the world. It has the highest stills in Scotland at 8 meters. A giraffe’s neck is 5.1 meters – so you get the picture. This has led to the distillery’s commitment to giraffe conversation and a fund-raising campaign that includes distinctive giraffe brand packaging. The more time you spend at the distillery the more you understand how important the unique stills are.

The water that Glenmorangie uses is hard and comes from the Tarlogie Springs. This is a body of water that has crept slowly through layers of limestone and sandstone for hundreds of years. It has a definite

Although the stills are to the same basic design as the traditional ones, there are some key differences, most importantly perhaps, the hollow water-cooling jackets. These will allow the rate of reflux to be adjusted allowing control over whether the spirit is lighter or heavier. At the base of the imposing glass tower will contain a mill, allowing a variety of grains and cereals to be used.

I can only imagine what Dr Bill might conjure up here. But as the Lighthouse will be closed to the public, I very doubt I will have an opportunity to find out. Until the whiskies are released of course!

At the top of the tower (there is a lift) a purposebuilt Sensory Lab has been created. There are views over the Dornoch Firth, the most northerly large estuary in Britain. The Dornoch Firth is one of 40 National Scenic Areas in Scotland. If you’re lucky you might catch sight of a osprey in the breeding season or maybe you’d have more chance of spotting a Harbour seal perched upon a sandbanks. The seals here represent 2% of the UK population.

Sustainability is important here and Biogas will be used to power a significant part of the Lighthouse and an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant has been built to process organic waste from the distillery.

This will reduce its biological impact on the Dornoch Firth by 95%. As a further indication of their seriousness about the environment, Glenmorangie is working with scientists at HeriotWatt University on the Dornoch Environmental Enhancement Project project (DEEP). This project involves the reintroduction of native European oysters to the water. Over consumption put an end to the oysters over 100 years ago. They are incredible creatures as they not only provide a home for other creatures within all their nooks and crannies, but they can purify up to 240 litres of water a day. That is about the capacity of the Dowens Hotel bath – filtering through one oyster every day. 20,000 oysters have already been introduced with plans for 4 million more. That’s a lot of bath-fulls of purified water. Research has also suggested that oyster beds can act as a

carbon sink adding another layer of sustainability.

Dr Bill has been a visionary within the whisky industry for decades. I haven’t met him, but I can tell he’s my type of man. Someone who is not afraid of challenging the status quo, fighting for what he believes in. He’s prepared to push right up to the boundaries of the rules laid down by the Scotch Whisky Association.

Glenmorangie Signet as a fine example. It’s a bit like a Formula 1 team – top performance by just keeping within the letter of the law. Of course, this playfulness only represents a small fraction of the whisky produced at Glenmorangie - the vast majority being more tradition core-range products.

Dr Bill is also not afraid to voice his opinion, something else I admire. He has certainly mentioned his dislike for some of the 3-year-old whisky currently being released by new distilleries. These whiskies might cost three figures – the same as a solid 12-, 15- or even 18-yearold by an established distillery. I can’t help but agree with Dr Bill in relation to value-for-money.

But, I also understand that these distilleries have to release product in order to be financial viable. So they’re still here in 18 years’ time. With an English distillery I’d also argue that you have to factor in that the maturation will faster simply due to a warmer climate. He is also critical of those making brazen claims to be innovative,

often by doing things he did himself 20 years ago. This is a fair point. Dr Bill is someone who travelled extensively, particularly to wine regions, to discover different possibilities for alternative cask maturation or finishes.

It is this level of passion and eagerness to create that enthrals. To me, whisky and wine are about the exploration of flavour. I rarely buy the same bottle twice, as to my mind this defeats the object of my relationship with them. I am always chasing the next experience and hoping that it will blow me away. The thrill of the chase if you like. And long may Dr Bill conjure up these outstanding journeys in flavour.

GLENMORANGIE TA ST I N G N O T E S A Tale of Winter - 46% Pencil shavings on the nose followed by black treacle. Quite fruity on the palate with a hint of creamy vanilla fudge studied with nuts.

Cadboll - 43% A peachy come apricot vibe on the nose, reminiscent of a tarte tatin.

Surprisingly dryer than expected with breakfast cereals like bran on the palate but with a hint of honey.

Lighthouse Distillery Exclusive 12 year old More of a honey and citrus character with cereal on the nose. A more developed palate with roasted hazelnuts, almonds and honey.

Grand Vintage 1996 - 43% Sweet citrus on the nose with marzipan coated fruit cake intertwined with floral aromas. A lively palate that is fresh and invigorating. Think a Jamie Olivers dried fig and honey semi-fredo.

Grand Vintage 1997 My sons birth year. Less pronounced on the nose than the ‘96. It smells more oily with lemony aromas. The palate shows cigar box nuances and more depth than the ‘96.

Signet - 46% A developed and grown up nose that has Christmas flavours all over it. Oak, vanilla and spice on the palette with candied fruits and raisins complemented by dark chocolate and a hint of expresso.

Campbeltown

BY AMIR @whiskyrabbi

Campbeltown Loch I wish you were whiskey, Campbeltown Loch och-aye!

Campbeltown Loch I wish you were whiskey, I would drink you dry.

The beginning of the famous song by Andy Stewart. Campbeltown evokes certain emotions to the aficionados of Scotch Whisky. It harks back to the days when Campbeltown was the capital city of whisky and then suddenly went into the dark wilderness of near extinction. Fortunately, now, it is experiencing a renaissance that creates an

excitement within the whisky lovers’ bones. What happened to Campbeltown? and what do we have to look forward to?

Many whisky pilgrims on their way to Islay, will begin their encounter of the Mull of Kintyre passing the wonderful shipping town of Tarbert, a special shoutout to the wonderful west coast whisky shop.

They will drive along the wonderful scenic road of the A83 and when they see the sign to Kennacraig and the ferry terminal for Islay, they will turn right and go on that enchanted journey to that hallowed whisky island. How many though will continue straight down the road and for another 20 minutes, discover some of Britain’s most scenic and unspoilt coastline and then reach the lovely town of Campbeltown?

A few years ago, I headed straight on and didn’t looked back. The first time I was by myself, the next time I was with my family, on one of the most favourite Scottish holidays we have ever had.

You go into Campbeltown and it is dominated by its Dock and its three distilleries, Glen Scotia, Springbank and Gengyle, otherwise known as Kilkerran. On the left of the town, passed Glen Scotia and overlooking the docks are some beautiful houses, revealing how this area was very affluent in the past. In the other part of the town, you can see some of the inferior housing, reflecting the decades of difficulty, neglect and economic downturn that Campbeltown experienced.

How did it all start? The raw materials for making whisky in Campbeltown were plentiful. You had the docks in Cambeltown that allowed the barley to be shipped in when there wasn’t enough in the Mull of Kintyre and later the whisky could be shipped out.

There were plenty of peat bogs nearby, you had the coal seam that allowed nearby coal to be mined in the Drumlemble mine. It would be transported either by the Machrihanish canal, built by James Watt in the late 1700s, or by rail using the railway line owned and built by the Argyll Railway company.

There were plenty of illicit whisky stills that turned into legal stills, which meant that the small town of Campbeltown was producing over 2 million litres of whisky with close to 30 distilleries producing that gold nectar. Names like Hazelburn, Glen Scotia, Dalaruan, Lochruan, Glen Nevis, Ardlussa, Longrow and Albyn are just some of the names of the distilleries which existed in Campbeltown. Yet what caused a seemingly perfect area for whisky production to become sour?

There were certain external factors. During World War One whisky production stopped, prices for everything increased, the demand for whisky plummeted. By 1920 prohibition was introduced in

the USA which meant that one of the main markets for Scotch whisky was shut off. But these factors affected nearly all of the whisky industry, what was different with Campbeltown?

During the post war period in the 1920s the industry tried to be more cost efficient. The issue in Campbeltown was that the distilleries didn’t invest in their factories to make sure that future problems would be avoided. They tried to increase their production rapidly in order to flood the market and sell more whisky but in the process they reduced their quality. Suddenly, the once famed delicious whisky that Campbeltown produced was now synonymous with dodgy spirit. In fact, some of the distillers from Speyside who sensed blood and realised that their area was about to be the whisky capital of Scotland, claimed that Campbeltowns’ distilleries aged their whiskies in barrels that previously held fish and herring! What a knock out blow!

By the 1930s only Glen Scotia and Springbank remained functioning in Campbeltown and that continued throughout the twentieth century. By the end of the century, the Scotch Whisky Association wanted to demote the Campbeltown area and remove its status as a specific whisky region. Hedley Wright, the owner of Springbank distillery quickly decided to open up Glengyle distillery so that for a few months of the year it would produce Kilkerran single malt. That way he saved Campbeltown’s status as a specific whisky producing region.

To me what makes Springbank special was its ability to provide employment to the town’s workforce.

They still aim to make everything on site and prefer to employ more people and give them work, than being more efficient. It is a real Campbeltown enterprise.

The Longrow range is more peaty, whilst the Hazelburn range isn’t peaty. The springbank range is medium peat, full bodied and full of flavour. I reckon that their 15 year old, is arguably the best 15 year old whisky on the market. Their Springbank Local Barley is a bottle that is extremely sought after.

Glen Scotia is the quieter distillery but at the same time it produces wonderful malts. Their 25 year old recently won the Best Whisky of the Year in the San Francisco Spirits awards. Their 14 year old Tawny Port finish is also a great dram.

What does the future hold? As long as Campbeltown keep producing great whisky, their future is secure.

They have a cult following, their whisky always flies off the shelves, their drams are absolute stonkers and many of their bottlings are highly investable.

However, in recent weeks two new distillers have announced plans to open in Campbeltown, this is the first time it has been done in a century. Dal Riatta distillery plans to open on the Kinloch Road, overlooking Campbeltown Loch and hopes to produce 850,000 litres of alcohol a year. R & B Distillers who own the Isle of Raasay distillery, have purchased a farm and plan to build the Machrihanish Distillery, a farm distillery aiming to produce 400,000 litres of alcohol a year and create a distilling process which will have a sustainable net zero carbon footprint.

The future is looking bright and if we go back to the poem: Now Campbeltown Loch is a beautiful place, But the price of the whiskey is grim.

How nice it would be if the whiskey was free And the Loch was filled up to the brim.

The Loch seems to be filling up nicely!!

RUM

FOUR SQUARE DISTILLERY INTE RVIE W DAVID PEARCE

WRITTEN BY ANNIE BOWLES

I chatted with Pete from Four Square Distillery, a great rum producer on Barbados, about the up-and-coming nature of this underdog spirit and the intertwined history of sugar and rum in Barbados and the wider Caribbean.

Whisky drinkers are in prime position to recognize an authentic product when they see one – claims Pete from Four Square Distillery. The sweetened spiced version, which is usually served dumped in an iced glass with sugary coke or ginger beer, does not even fall into the same category as a genuine rum product under EU regulations. Comparing real rum and spiced is like comparing gin and vodka, so it is imperative to think of them as entirely separate entities. However, some rum brands do add sugar – making the spirit excessively easy to drink, especially compared to a peaty, oily dram.

While the make-up of rum is different, the steps of its production is identical to whisky. Rum is made from sugar cane, either from the juice which comes from the crushed plant, or molasses, a by-product of sugar production. It strictly must be made from sugarcane – nothing else counts as rum, so it is easy to see why the Caribbean and the tropics have got the monopoly on this exotic spirit. When you’ve got the materials, it’s fermentation, distillation, maturation – with whatever yeast blows in, whatever still one likes. In Barbados, maturation isn’t even necessary to make rum, and the finished product can come straight off the still.

As any regular spirit drinker knows, styles of rum are incredibly diverse, from the crystal-clear classic of light white to the heavy, rich, molasses dark, and everything in between.

Four Square’s rum, Doorlys XO, gives beautiful peaches and cream on the nose, with a refreshingly dry palate.

The first blend put together by Richard Seale with dual maturation, it gains its sweetness from five years in bourbon casks, then between one to three in a sherry

cask, all varying in conditions – some new, some used, with no fixed age. Being produced in Barbados with its warmer climate, the interaction with barrel occurs more quickly, which makes the rum mature faster than in a colder climate. For example, Doorlys 14-year-old mature spirit would be the equivalent of 30+ years in colder climates. Though it’s not all good news – there is frighteningly expensive evaporation going on, with 8-12% being lost to the angel’s share, opposed to the 1-2% per annum you would lose in a whisky distillery in Scotland, say.

Up until recently, Four Square had been purchasing their molasses from local farmers or exports. However, the last few years they have been making changes to grow their own cane on land acquired around the distillery. The building and land on which they work was a sugar production facility dating back to the 1600s. Of course, back then sugar was an abundantly valuable crop, with plenty being grown, making a very few rich. Production was driven by appropriate pricing, the industry struggled and work dried up.

The rum production for R. L. Seale’s company, the founder of Four Square, started in 1926, which mainly involved buying rum from operating distilleries and blending the products together. However in the mid1990s Seale’s wanted more control, wanted to make their own rum from scratch. Four Square’s sugar site was a stone’s throw away from Richard Seale’s father’s land, who decided to buy and turn the old sugar facility into a distillery, continuing the legacy of industry.

Keeping true to the history, Four Square named one of their range Doorlys after Martin Doorly, one of the contemporaries of the R. L. Seale company back in the 1600s, a merchant blender who exported his brand from the island, selling to merchants in England and Scotland. To export his own brand, Macaw, from his own company was quite an honour, and after the Seale company bought rights to the company, continuing the name (and the bright image of the macaw on the bottles) is Four Square’s way of preserving their

connection to the past. What may look disparate within the Four Square brand is historically significant to Barbados.

The remnants of the sugar-making process can be seen at the gorgeous distillery today. Anyone in Barbados can take a look around, either independently or by paying a few dollars for a guided tour, even with the privilege to see inside the working distillery! Rums can also be purchased at their Copper Still Bar onsite, at a significantly better price than you could get in the UK, representing a wonderful value for money. Doorlys XO is perfect for mixing with cocktails, while the Four Square limited editions are where the company gets to play around with experimental spirit-making, using rare casks too low in numbers to use in more commercial offerings – these are the bottles for spirit lovers, which regularly sell out on the day of release, leading to plenty of their avid and devoted fans taking to complaining on Twitter.

Four Square wants rum to be the next big thing, but the more people know about it, the more their product is going to sell out! Looks like there might even be a Clandestine rum special issue, as Pete talks tantalizingly on the Barbados Rum Experience in November 2022 – a week long deep dive into all things Barbados rum – the culture, connection with sugar trade, the dark history of slavery. A full on experience, in the prime time of weather in the Caribbean – sign us up!

Doorly’s 3 Year Old 47% Very youthful on the nose. Almost like new make but less fragrant with Pear drops. The palate is so different from the nose, more powerful and caramel starting to show. This is fine by itself but would be great in a cocktail.

R L Searles 10 Year Old 46% What can I say about the nose except toffee, toffee and toffee. In the mouth it’s layers of flavour start to show with maple syrup, dried fig and stem ginger and present. This was really enjoyable but I would probably opt for the Doorlys 12

Doorly’s 5 Year Old 40% Considerably more developed nose than the 3 year old with pleasant savoury notes. The palate has caramel from the start, with hints of burnt orange showing. An enjoyable rum that packs weight for it’s 40%. Again, for a cocktail.

Foursquare 2009 12 Year Old Exceptional Cask Mark XV11 Bourbon 60% Things are getting serious now. Incredibly deep and complex, digestive biscuit, blackcurrant cheesecake on the nose. This is altogether a different level. Big, muscual, dryness, bbq meat, savoury and moreish. A serious rum. Long lasting with complexity and depth.

Doorly’s 12 Year Old 43% Really smelling like rum now. Rich butter, brown sugar, caramel, apple pie. The palate is even more developed with cinnamon, apple pie, caramel. The extra 3% alcreally helps here along with the age. Very enjoyable.

Doorly’s 14 Year Old 48% The run is now a lot more rounded, perfumed and reminiscent of a well made creme brulee. The flavours are really starting to shines through now, more layers with hints of caramalized banana and toffee. A lot more evolved and delicious.

Spotlight on @thescotchgirl

What was the first serious bottle you purchased?

My first serious bottle was The Macallan Edition No. 1. I remember thinking that it was crazy to buy a bottle of anything for $300. I knew I was paying more than it was when it first came out. However, I wish I would have bought a few more at that price considering its now averaging more than $2,500?!

When did you fall in love with GlenDronach?

The Jack Daniels Guy made me fall in love with The GlenDronach! True story haha! My good friend Henry Infante is the representative for Brown Forman where I live. He usually focuses on Jack Daniels expressions. However, he hosted an amazing dinner pairing The GlenDronach with a Japanese meal. He led us through their core range of the 12, 15, and 18 year olds. During the dinner, the 15 year old was the standout one for me. It paired exceptionally well with the fish I was having.

For a while, the 15 year was my go to scotch.

Then, during the start of the pandemic in 2020 I hosted my own GlenDronach event via Zoom.

While walking everyone through the tasting notes of each… I just kept coming back to the 12 year and realizing how special it was. So, its now my current favorite whisky and the bottle I have the most of at home.

What got you into whisky?

I am Latin American and growing up, I noticed that whenever there appeared to be an “important” conversation that the adults were having a “whiskysito” (a little whisky) was in their hands. It just seemed like a very adult thing to do, and I very much wanted to be an adult. Though when I did try to take a sip at 8 years old, I found it extremely disgusting and thought adults have terrible taste! So though men and women enjoying whisky (usually blended scotch) has always been a part of my culture, I thankfully didn’t get into it until around 23 years old. I started attending my own “important” adult things and while networking I noticed I didn’t enjoy wine. Whisky didn’t make me feel awful the next day and I actually did like the taste of it. My real passion for it grew when I attended my first Macallan tasting. Being lead through the history of the distillery, the process to create the scotch, the tasting notes, and most importantly the people involved… it just felt like I was home. I could go a year without actually drinking whisky, because what really gets me into a whisky is the history and the people involved; not only those who help to make it, but also those who enjoy it like I do.

@thescotchgirl

Do you prefer Scotch over Bourbon?

I don’t typically combine my whiskies. Though I do have my days that I enjoy bourbon, my heart belongs to scotch.

Do you have any good whisky related drinking stories?

Yes! I interviewed Richard Paterson on camera when he came to Miami in 2019! I was so nervous and in awe of him that every time he answered my questions my response was “ Oh my God that’s amazing”… because duh, it is! Haha. We ended up sharing a dram of The Dalmore 40 year during the interview. So the camera person still has not given me the footage… its quite frustrating. But its an experience that I will always cherish!

Where is your favourite place to drink whisky?

My home How many distilleries have you visited?

I haven’t been to many, but I am going to Kentucky in August and my ultimate goal is to finally go to Scotland and tour as many as possible!

What is the oldest whisky you have tried?

That 40 year Dalmore I shared with Richard Paterson

You have launched a cruise along the The Kentucky Bourbon Trail in August. Tell me more about that - it sounds incredible!

Its going to be amazing and a fantastic experience! It’s a river boat cruise, American Voyages The Duchess.

Together we will sail through the Mississippi River to explore the bourbon trail in a unique and luxurious way. Not only are we going to visit different distilleries while in Kentucky, but we are also going to have private tastings while on the cruise.

Will this be the first of many cruises?

Great question, my hope is that this will be the first of many cruises… stay tuned.

What will your next whisky purchase be?

So, I am trying hard to hold out until August ( my birthday month). I have a special bottle that I want to purchase and share with friends.

What are some lessons you have learned while being The Scotch Girl?

I created The Scotch Girl five years ago as a way to help make the scotch society I co-founded (Scotch Society 305) more relatable to women. At the time, I just wanted to create more inclusive networking style events which focused on whisky education. I didn’t realize the amazing community and friendships I would create via Instagram.

But its also taught me a lot about my own ego, insecurities, and even ways I have held myself back. In many ways, The Scotch Girl has helped me to become a better and stronger professional in my Corporate roles. I no longer feel intimidated to stand in front of a room full of people and speak because of all the events I have led. Not only am I learning about whiskies through this journey, but I am also learning about myself.

TAMDHU Interview by David Pearce Written by Annie Bowles Photo by @poshscotch

David chats to Gordon, international brand ambassador for Tamdhu, telling a tale of sustainable forest to bottle sherry cask Scotch, from sunny Spain to Speyside.

The story of Tamdhu is a story of wood. Oak, specifically.

For it is the oak barrels that house and mature Tamdhu’s whiskies that have the most influence in shaping the flavour of this high-quality spirit. They are the only distillery to fully mature their whisky in exclusively Oloroso sherry casks. They primarily get their wood from northern Spain, a mixture of European and American oak, the latter being imported into Spain for centuries.

The American oak (quercus alba, for the arborists and etymology fans) contains vanillin, which is the main component of the extract of a vanilla bean, ensuring regular vanilla flavours you might find in bourbon. The European wood (quercus rober) packs a richer, darker quality of dried fruits and chocolate, turning the spirit a warm wicked brown.

While the sherry has its influence on the final product, over the twelve, fifteen or even eighteen year period of maturation, it is the wood that dictates the flavour, compounding its tanins into whisky. All the wood is processed, toasted, and dried at the same level, using the same sherry, the length of the tree determining the sizes of the cask. It is the origin of the oak which determines Tamdhu’s unique expressions. With three bottles in their core range and a couple special editions, it is quality over quantity with Tamdhu. Their 12-year-old is their entry bottle, on 43% and light with American wood, whereas their 15-year-old is matured in the richer European oak, giving a richer, oilier, fruitier expression.

Tamdhu gets the finest sherry casks money can buy – quite literally, at up to £1400 per cask. They aren’t taking any risks with the products here. They work with the bodega Williams and Humbert, sherry and brandy producers. They provide Tamdhu with the sherry which coats their casks. Effectively they rent their sherry out to have a holiday in the casks, take it back, re-blending back into vinegar or brandy. With the sheer quantity of sherry in demand to season not only Tamdhu’s casks, producing officially approved sherry for the Scotch whisky industry is now an entire industry in itself.

Lugo in the north of Spain is where Tamdhu’s casks begin

their journey, as trees cut into logs, then staves. The locals were surprised by a b interested in their trees – having no ide of them to the production of Scotch! Ho south in Jerez, where the staves are sen drying. and the casks are seasoned excl top quality Oloroso sherry. There the lo understood how important wood is to w Spanish wood is perfect for Tamdhu, the technically encompasses trees from Hu and even Scotland (apparently producin spicy flavour!) – but although the same wood varies enormously from region to the very best of everything, producing g colours in the final product, why do any

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Tamdhu

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Tin Shed Distilling You will recall my feature on Tin Shed distilling in the last issue, so I was very excited to receive a package from Australia containing generous samples from the distillery. I mention generous as this allows me to go back on multiple occasions to the whisky. Greatly appreciated.

And what whisky it was - I can genuinely say that I was blown away and truly loved them - especially the Gold Batch 6 which just sang to me. You may not have heard of Tin Shed Distilling if outside of Australia, but they can be regarded as one of the original and most important producers in the country. Tasmania may get all the hype, but avoiding genuine craft distilleries like this is doing yourself a disservice. If you like big, bold expressions then figure out a way to get hold of some. If you are a UK importer, please get in touch and bring at least a few cases over.

The distillery is very much hands on and the definition of craft. There is no slick marketing machine, if you get in contact with them the chances are you will speak to Ian, one of the founders. Here are my thoughts on their whiskies and I look forward to the next batch!

Tin Shed Distilling Batch 22 Beautiful nose of honey, hazelnut and chocolate going through to the palate with candied orange Think of a jaffa cake and you won’t be far off. This has been aged in 2nd fill American Oak Port casks and is delicious!

Tin Shed Distilling Batch 21 A lot more savoury with marmite on the nose initially giving way to herbaceous notes. A lot more creamy on the palate with vanilla, dark fruit jam and spice. Reminds me of autumn for some reason.

Tin Shed Distilling Den’s Dram “Pirate Girls” Marzipan on the nose with hints of candied orange peel. A little less complex than the previous 2 expressions and a little short.

Tin Shed Distilling Gold Batch 06 A powerful nose of stewed plums and custard with a fudge crumble on top. Rich and dry on the palate with all the dark fruit found in a christmas cake and dried figs with a hint of ginger. A higher ABV by far and bloody good. Vey impressive and hard not to keep going back for more.

Tin Shed Distilling 21 month old cask sample, cask strength, peated port cask Sweet peat and the smell of smoldering cherry wood give this a Very distinctive flavour that appeals greatly. It has a sense of elegance and refineemnt that I wasn’t expecting. It will be really interesting to taste this when bottled and see how it has develpoed.

Tin Shed Distilling

Speyside Hotels

“... I had enjoyed a couple of drams with the Malt Maiden the previous night!”

“Quite the level up from their inital experiment”

In November I travelled to Speyside to visit a number of distilleries, before my trip was cut short by a big storm. It just means I will have to re-visit sooner than expected which is clearly a good thing.

Not having visited Speyside prior to my trip in November 2021, and being slightly lazy, it was potluck on where I chose to base myself. I say potluck, but in reality, it was a down to what accommodation was available.

Sadly, being there in winter meant a distinct lack of daylight hours, and with my habit of cramming in as many distillery visits as possible, I can’t give you any other tourist information. Too many distilleries - I simply didn’t have time to visit any other attractions. I am sure the area if full of incredibly beautiful visitas with an abundance of incredible photo locations alongside local

attractions, but they will have to wait.

I set off for Speyside leaving the occasionally industrial but often beautiful, city of Glasgow rather early in the morning. I had enjoyed a couple of drams with the Malt Maiden the previous night in the Pot Still which was fantastic as I relish any opportunity to meet up with Instagram friends in real life.

Once outside of the city and off the motorway the roads become fun to drive with increasing beauty the farther north you go. I was heading to Scotland’s oldest distillery, Glenturret, en route to Speyside. You can read about the innovations at Glenturret in this very issue of the magazine.

Having spent many hours there I quickly headed across country to see Francis Cuthbert at Daftmill, near Cupar in Fife, arriving at sunset, a couple of hours later than anticipated. This made my drive to Speyside all in the evening and in darkness.

This was a long day. I was starting to feel a bit tired, so luckily my hotel was the Dowans Hotel in Aberlour which turned out to be just down the road from the distillery and located in the town that is the gateway to Speyside.

As I was to discover the following morning, the Dowans Hotel, built in 1888 sits in a majestic position, just up from the main road with stunning views across a well-maintained terraced garden to the Spey Valley. It really would be the perfect spot to enjoy an afternoon tea, or, even better, a dram selected from “The Still” a bar stocked with over 500 incredible whiskies.

The building is Victorian and the Murray family, who purchased it in December 2012, have thoroughly modernised it with luxuriously appointed rooms and

public areas. My bed was supremely comfortable and the bathroom a good size for a single room with a quality shower and toiletries.

The restaurant “57”, so called because the Dowans sits on the 57th parallel north of the earth’s equator, offers modern Scottish cuisine in one of two dining rooms.

With the abundance of fresh produce on offer locally, especially seafood, it is no coincidence that this is a very popular destination for foodies traveling to Speyside.

I mentioned “The Still” earlier, but it deserves more column inches, being one of the most highly regarded whisky bars in Scotland. Here you will find many bottles from long closed distilleries, offering a glimpse into the past. If budgets allow you can even enjoy a 40-yearold Macallan. The bottles are all presented in a custom designed glass housing without the obstruction of a physical bar, allowing you to pursue the incredible selection in detail. I could have written an entire edition of this magazine in front of this altar of malts, taking inspiration from all that history.

Sometimes, after a long day tasting whisky at multiple distilleries, all you crave is a beer. The Dowans fortunately also has the MBar, a well-appointed bar come lounge, designed by the firm Chelsea McLaine. It’s a place to relax with a local craft beer or not so local wine. The vines will never prosper in the Scottish climate. In the summer, this opens up to the Glenfiddich terrace where you can enjoy spectacular views. In the winter, settle in close to the welcoming warmth of the grand open fire place, reminisce about your day, the cask samples you enjoyed and look forward to what you have in store the following day.

The Dowans Hotel, one of Speyside’s more luxurious hotels has 16 en-suite rooms and can be booked at www. dowanshotel.com/about.

Dowans Hotel

The Mash Tun If a pub with rooms is more your style, then the Mash Tun, just a few hundred metres away from the Dowans Hotel, would be perfect. Built around the same time (1896) as the Dowans by a land-locked sea captain, it is in the shape of a small ship and located down a narrow lane just off the main road.

The moment I walked in I was greeted with a huge smile and welcome (so important!) before being shown to my room. It was a beautiful mini suite with a lounge area at one end and sleeping area at the other. The size of room was impressive as was the décor. Certainly, one of the very best rooms in a pub I have ever stayed in. I got unpacked. This is a loose term. Being a guy traveling by myself, unpacking only meant digging out my camera and phone chargers. I tend to live from my suitcase - so much easier in my opinion. I’m never sure what all the wardrobes and drawers are for.

The restaurant/gastro pub offers classics such as delicious homemade pies alongside delights such as Highlands & Islands Pudding - Stornoway Black Pudding and Speyside Haggis on a Croute, Caper Butter and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes as a starter or Chicken Breast with a Mushroom & Tarragon Stuffing, wrapped in Smoked Bacon Served with Mash Potatoes, Brandy & Mushroom Gravy and Roasted Root Vegetables as a main.

Although owned by Mark & Karen Braidwood, with Mark being a chef himself, Nick Davis has now become the head chef. Nick started working in the kitchen when the Braidwoods took over the property in 2004.

They serve good honest pub food and I found the atmosphere to be great every evening with great chat with the other guests As you would expect, the whisky selection is first class with dozens to choose from, including the old and rare.

There are whisky flights available which are a great way to explore what is on offer. A highlight, and what makes this pub a destination in its own right, is the collection of Glenfarclas Family Casks. Some date back to the 1950’s. They even have two years that the distillery do not even own. If you have a significant birthday and wish to enjoy a dram distilled in your birth year this is the place to come.

I really had a great few days here and cannot recomned it enough.

The Mash Tun

Spotlight on BIRKENTRTEE

I had an opportunity to chat with Gabrielle Clamp, one of the founders and directors of BIRKENTREE Highland Birch Water recently.

It certanly sounds very interesting and I am looking forward to doing a comprehensice tasting using these later this year.

Tell me a little about the history of using Birch Water with whisky?

There aren’t any historical references of the use of Birchwater with whisky but we discovered how well Birchwater enhances the whisky experience and are the world’s first to commercially produce Birchwater dedicated for whisky pairing. What we did find in historical archives is that the Gaelic root for Birchwater “Uisge (water) Beithe (Birch)”, called the Water of life at the time, has given the inspiration for the famous whisky’s Gaelic root “Uisge (water) Beatha (life)” The uses of Birchwater can be traced back as far as 5,000 years ago in Scotland. People were tapping trees to drink the sap, or brewing and distilling it into alcohol, long before whisky appeared. The knowledge of Birch tapping slowly faded after the Highland clearances, like so many skills and uses of native Scottish plants, but people generally still remember using birchwater for wine making.

The other element that we like is how native Birch trees grow along with native Oak trees, another sign from nature for this marriage of whisky paired with Birchwater!

What inspired you to make this into a business?

As founder directors, forester and herbalist, we have always been fascinated by the

ancient uses of native trees and plants in Scotland. 5 years ago, when we discovered that nobody was producing Birchwater commercially in Scotland, we saw a gap in the market and somehow jumped on the opportunity. We carried out our own trials and tastings, and discovered quickly how much Birchwater added to the whisky drinking experience.

Having taken on new business partners Euan and Elspeth who were enthralled with the whisky pairing concept and loved the combination of ancient Scottish heritage, innovation and the opportunity to put a contemporary slant on things, we spent the past 2 years developing our brand, product and getting to the point we were ready to launch.

Does the Birch water have a flavour?

The Birchwater has an elegant subtlety to with a very slight sweetness and fruit or tobacco leaf afternotes. It’s often more about the texture which has a refined silkiness and when paired with whisky, unlike water, does not dilute it.

Our Birchwater when mixed with whisky allows the whisky to linger on the palate, opening up all the nuanced layers within.

People usually trying it for the first time associate it to coconut water, without the sweetness, as it is the closest they can reference it to. But as Dave Broom said, “Birchwater tastes of itself”, there is not really anything you can compare it too.

The most important element is the

mouthfeel, coating the palate, allowing the whisky to truly be savoured.

and whisky+birchwater. And 9 times out of 10 people prefer the whisky with the Birchwater.

Why can you only harvest for 3-4 weeks a year in early spring?

It is the time of the year when the birch trees wake up from their winter slumber and start drawing up large amounts of sap to allow them to come into leaf. Only for these 3 weeks in early Spring is it possible to to tap Birch trees, adding to the unique and special nature of Birchwater. In Highland Perthshire where we are based, we work with and manage ancient Birchwoods with trees that are between 200 - 300 years old, which for Birch is very old indeed. The Birchwater we sustainably harvest from these old veteran trees, produces an exquisite Birchwater with far more character and complexity than plantation or young Birch trees.

People tasting our Birchwater and whisky experience the pleasant mouthfeel on the palate allowing a smoother and longer finish to appreciate the whisky nuances more. Some still prefer their whisky neat with its sharp finish, and that’s great too because they still understand the effect that our product has on the whisky.

When we are Birch tapping we carry out a daily routine of tasting all the Birchwater from each tree to ensure the sap is just the right consistency and taste. At the end of the 3 week tapping season the sap becomes bitter and eventually stops running.

The tree then starts coming into leaf and relies more on transpiration from it’s leaves for moisture.

Tell me about the landscape the trees grow in - it looks beautiful!

We are very lucky to work in the beautiful landscape that is Highland Perthshire, at one time a Gaelic speaking area of the Southern Highlands where most place names are in Gaelic and describe natural features in this very poetic and ancient language. The ancient Birchwoods that we work in and manage are the remnants of much larger forests and have been present since the last ice age in Scotland. The old Roy military maps produced after the last Jacobite rebellion in 1747 show woodland in both the locations where we work with ancient Birch trees, so we have good evidence that these Birch woodlands are very old indeed.

On your website you suggest mixing BirkenTree 50/50 with whisky. Does this not dilute it a lot?

This is what is most surprising about Birchwater...

It looks like water but has a full and smooth consistency and barely dilutes the flavour profile.

This ratio is recommended by the renowned whisky maker, and our brand ambassador, Max Macfarlane, and has been tasted as well with Dave Broom. But it is all down to personal taste, and it works a lot better when chilled.

Have you done many blind tastings? If so, what sort of comments have you received?

Yes we do a lot of them during private tasting events and shows. We always make people try the neat whisky, following by a mix of whisky+water

We love diversity and our product is not intended to detract but on the contrary adding extra dimensions from the main event... their cherished whisky!

Does it enhance all whisky, even peaty expressions?

A great question! We have experimented with all different kind of whiskies and it works with them all from blends to single malts and cask strength whiskies. The smooth texture really brings a smoothness and extra finish to them all, enhancing some flavours in different ways depending on the whisky, like an alchemy going between them both that brings textural bridges.

But, unanimously, it is with peaty single malts and cask strength whiskies that the effect of Birchwater is the best felt. If people don’t quite get it with lighter whiskies, they truly get it with when we make them try with stronger expressions. It really smooths the sharp finish, balances the overall experience, slowing and softening the palate, bringing more depth to some flavours that you would have otherwise maybe missed. .

How long does it take to extract the sap from each tree -I it looks like a vary manual and hands on process.

It is all done by hand indeed! We spend several months preparing for the harvest season and when it comes it’s all hands to the deck. We have to visit our sites every day collecting the Birchwater and ensuring the taps are working well.

The trees wake up from their winter slumber at slightly different times trees as they all have their own rhythm and of course it is very weather dependent, so we’re often tapping snow and frost and sideways rain!

Tell me about the sustainability of extracting the Birch water?

Birch tapping has been done sustainably in Scotland for thousands of years. The process is

similar to maple tapping in America. We do everything by hand and only harvest about 1 - 2% of the amount of sap that the tree actually draws up everyday!

Once the tapping is over we plug the hole and you would not guessed we have been there at all. We promote the uses of Native birch woods, working closely with the estate to regenerate those ancient woodlands that would otherwise disappear as no understorey is able to grow under those ancient trees due to overgrazing.

Do you export at all and if so, what is the farthest you have sent a bottle?

We are working on being export ready being in the early stages, and we are working closely with Barrel Next, based in Aberdeenshire, that offer fine whiskies and are running high-end tasting experiences in the Dubai area just now and received great interest. Our product really helps them educating the public there on whiskies they are not used to drink and offers a great plus value to the whole special Scottish experience.

Sustainability is at the core of our business, and our product is precious, so we are very careful to choose who we work with, always with an organic growth in mind that impacts the least our cherished woodlands.

Birken Tree

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.

We look forward to welcoming you soon.

110a High Street, Aberlour AB38 9NX sales@thespeysidewhiskyshop.com www.thespeysidewhisky.com 01340 871260

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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.

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Jim Murray’s whisky Bible

G LENFAR CL A S Interview by David Pearce Article by Martin Raymond

S

GLENFARCLAS Interview by David Pearce Article by Martin Raymond

The Family Distillery

We are all fine law-abiding citizens. Are we not? Of course we are. But let’s not kid ourselves - one of the attractions of the whisky business is that it has its roots in activities which once were just shy of the squeaky clean. Quite a bit shy to be honest.

Robert Burns, who fantasised about the devil making off with the customs man, knew all about this, being employed as an exciseman himself. But whether it’s Appalachian moonshiners, or Highland caterans building a pinewood fire for their still, so much of the magic of this industry comes from the renegade stories about its past.

Kirstin MacDonald, Brand Ambassador for Glenfarclas, one of the most iconic and romantic of the Speyside distilleries. She has a story that had been passed on to her about the origins of the process we all know and love.

A story that is so good that it must be true.

‘In the old days the illicit distillers noted that the wealthy landowners of the district were importing port and sherry.

Once they’d enjoyed the contents, they threw the casks on the eighteenth-

century equivalent of a skip. What a waste. The locals, early recyclers, realised the casks made a perfect receptacle for carrying their newly distilled, white spirit down from the hills to the townships.

‘It being an illegal activity there was inevitably the odd interruption to the distribution channels. Sometimes it made sense to lie low and have your spirts lie even lower by burying them in a peat bog in the hills. If things went badly, then those casks might be buried there for years. ‘But then – what a revelation! When the spirit was sampled after a few years in a sherry cask the spirit has been transformed. A miracle! ‘This, then, is how the beverage we know and love was discovered.’ I defy you to come up with a better origin story than that.

The brand has been around, legally, since 1836. And even more remarkably it’s been owned by the Grant family since 1865. ‘It’s not many brands who can say they have a heritage going back 186 years, or been in the same family for 157 years.’

There’s nothing in the Glenfarclas warehouse that dates back to the 19th century, of course. But maybe the next best thing is the sherry hogshead which was filled in 1953. The spirit is still there, waiting quietly, communing with the cask and the Speyside air, until the moment it finds itself in a bottle. Or bottles, hopefully.

‘We think there’s about fifty percent in there, so there should still be quite a few bottles,’ says Kirstin.

It is a select club who will discover what a 70-plus year old Glenfarclas tastes like. For the rest of us, there is the consolation of one of the most iconic ranges of whisky in Speyside.‘Our core collection is our 10-, 12-, 15- and 25-year-old whiskies.’ Kirstin’s personal favourite? ‘I’d say the 105 Cask Strength. It’s full of toffee flavours, and despite being a cask whisky it’s so smooth it’s very easy to drink.’

Kirstin lives just up the road from Ballindaloch in Aberlour, and so has one of the best commuter routes in the world. I realise that’s a big claim, but defy you to come up with a more scenic place to be at 8-15 on a weekday morning.‘Since starting work here, I’ve come to appreciate the area much more. I’m a native, and we always take where we live for granted. But I now see it through the eyes of visitors, and going to see other distilleries I now fully realise why people come here from all over the world.’

What are the hidden gems? ‘Go to the Linn Falls if you want to understand the whiskies of this area. Look at the colour of the water - the clear, rich, peaty river.

That’s’ where the uniqueness of the area’s whiskies comes from. Our water starts on the slopes of Ben Rinnes. Glenfarclas is the English version of the Gaelic gleann an fheòir uaine – the valley of the green grass. That tells you all about the unspoiled environment we have here.’

Kirstin’s spends most of the days guiding visitors around the distillery – but it’s never a case of putting her story on repeat.

‘It is a fabulous job. The more knowledgeable and more interested the visitors are, the better it is. I see it as a conversation not a mobile lecture. There isn’t a day when I don’t learn something new from the people I’m showing round.’Kirstin’s prepared to go above and beyond for her historical research too.

‘I’ve visited the remains of an original still. It was away up in the Cabrach – an area in the northern edge of the Cairngorms. It’s a fairly lonely stretch of countryside now. But once upon a time it had a rich distilling history. I had to wade through heather up to my chin. No exaggeration! But finally, halfway down a cliff face, I found three walls of a shelter where the old distillers practiced their craft. A bit of a burn trickling past – that was all they needed to get the still under way.’

Well, Kirstin tells the tale better than I can. To get the story straight from the source you’ll just have to visit the distillery. She has lots of great stories - ask her about the coffin trick, no better place to stash your spirit.

G LE NFARC L AS TA ST IN G N OT ES Glenfarclas 15 - 46% Honey and nuts on the nose. Quite a powerful sherried palette with a pronounced sherry influence. Marzipan on the back of the palate.

Very well rounded and enjoyable.

Glenfarclas 105 - 60% A big nose reminiscent of big bowl of dried fruit steeped in sherry.

The palate has an amazing length with strong spice. A powerful whisky and very delicious!

Glenfarclas 30 - 43% More depth than the relatively light colour suggests with sherry and honey on the nose. I was hoping for a little more complexity in a whisky of this age and presumed price point (I haven’t looked), but definitely found nuts, in particular chocolate covered almonds and moist fruit cake. Quite a woody finish to it.

Glenfarclas Family Casks 1993 - 57.2% Bottled 26/5/20 Released at cask strength of 57.2% this has a beautiful nose of autumn meadows with roasted vanilla and coconut. The rich palate is full of plum crumble with cinnamon coated chocolate sprinkles on top and a great length.

nature, but my favorite place to bring bottles for a photoshoot is the beach. I love the sound and smell there. And all bottles look great there.

Spotlight on @whisky_sorensen

You have some pretty cold temperatures over there in winter - do you tend to drink more cask strength whisky during that time?

I usually don’t drink more when its winter and cold, but I do drink more peated whisky, and whisky with a higher ABV.

When did you first discover whisky?

I first discovered whisky when I was 18. A good friend of mine bought a bottle of Famous Grouse, and I really liked it. But I didn’t start with single malts until I was about 22.

What was the first more serious bottle you purchased?

I’ve always loved trying new whiskies, so I started buying different bottles every time I bought something new. But the first bottle that I really loved, and the bottle that made me love peated whisky was Caol Ila 12yo. I had never tried a peated whisky before, and I loved it.

Do you have a preference for a particular region or style? I am guessing sherry casks!

For many years, all I bought was peated whisky, and I love the phenolic, sea salt flavour of a Islay whisky, but the two last years, I’ve really started to love a real sherry bomb. I love all types of finish, like sherry, port or wine. Peated whisky with a hint of sherry is always fantastic.

Have you visited many distilleries?

Sadly, the only distillery i’ve been to is Glenfiddich. Really hope I get the chance to visit more. So many beautiful distilleries What is the whisky scene like in Norway?

We do have a few whisky distilleries in Norway, and the closest to me is only 10min drive away.

Most of the whiskies are young, but there is a lot of good whiskies out there. My favorite Norwegian distillery so far is the Eiktyrne Distillery. They have got a lot of great whiskies.

You have some amazing locations to photograph your whisky in. Which is your favourite?

I really love hiking, and get to see some great

What are your thoughts on opening, investing and collecting bottles?

I don’t collect bottles, but I have some bottles I’m saving for a special occasion.

I can understand people that buy and sell bottles, but whisky is made for drinking, and should be shared with friends. I have got friends with over a hundred open bottles, all being shared with friends.

Do you enjoy tasting whiskies you might not ordinarily buy?

I LOVE trying new whiskies, and I get and share a lot of samples with friends and other people in the whisky world. I try many whiskies I never would dare to buy without trying.

What is your favourite whisky memory?

I have got so many great memories when it comes to whisky, and most of them are with my whisky club. We are not many, but the whiskies are great and we have a lot of blindtasting. I really love a good blindtasting. I also got to meet Fred D. Laing once at a whisky festival in Norway.

Amazing to hear him talk about his whiskies.

@whisky_sorensen

A BESPOKE TASTE OF STYLE AND ELEGANCE...

42% ABV, 12 BOTANICALS

for the facts drinkaware.co.uk

To order online: savilerow-gin.co.uk

COT SWOLD S DIST I LLER Y

C OT SWOLD D IST ILLER Y

MEE TING DAN S ZOR IN T ER VI E W BY DAVI D PE AR CE

WR I T TEN U P BY ANNI E BOWLE S

Living in the middle of Kent, essentially in between London and France, and two minutes from the travel corridor that is the M20, I am perfectly situated to travel into mainland Europe by car. I often did so in pre-pandemic times, as often as twice a week in my previous life as a sports photographer and wine writer. It is incredibly fast and stress free, allowing me to be enjoying moules and frites in the medieval city of Bruges in Belgium, in less than three hours door to door. Approximately the same time it took me to travel to the Cotswold Distillery.

When visiting Bruges, my drive is virtually all motorway, bar the thirty-five minutes of being carried under the English Channel by Le Shuttle. The views are pretty boring, but it is three times faster than the ferry and runs in all weathers. The monotony of the motorway and autoroute is broken quickly upon arriving in Bruges, a beautiful city that refreshes your mind and palate, especially with a strong Belgium beer. Much can be said of the Cotswolds, a similar distance away if calculated by time travelled. Leaving the busy roads, you soon catch a glimpse of the houses built from oolitic limestone, quarried locally forming an idyllic backdrop to this historic landscape since the 16th century.

This was my first time visiting the distillery, even though I am a tiny shareholder in the company via crowd funding. Having visited their two boutiques in Broadway a n d Bo u r to n - o n - t h e Water a number of times, for some reason I thought the distillery would also be located in a tourist hot spot, so it was slightly concerning that Google Maps directed me along country roads (I am a petrol head so thoroughly enjoyed this) that flowed from corner to corner and took me through a part of the Cotswolds I had not seen before. It was my first stop en route to Speyside, which you will be reading a lot more of over the coming

issues.

I was greeted by Claire, who gave me a quick tour before Dan Szor, the founder, arrived for our interview which you can read or watch below. Once completed, I went on a second, more comprehensive tour which gave me an opportunity to see the workings of the distillery in a little more depth. It really is a beautiful site with a lovely cafe and shop, so if in the Cotswolds I highly recommend popping in.

David Pearce chats to Dan from Cotswolds Distillery, the biggest English whisky distillery in the UK. Despite hailing from New York City, spending time in London due a thirty year loveless career in finance, Dan from Cotswolds Distillery actually was bitten by the whisky bug in Paris in the early noughties. France is the world’s largest importer of single malt whisky, and it was there that Dan went to an evening hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, tasting a variety of single masks, discovering the magic of single malt whisky.

From there, he continued to learn at Maison Du Whisky, and took annual trips to Scotland to visit distilleries.

Having no more knowledge than the average whisky consumer, all Dan knew was that he wanted to build a beautiful distillery, to make a beautiful product, in a beautiful part of the world – knowing little to nothing about whisky or the beverage industry. Seeing an opportunity in the Cotswolds with their bounty of spring barley, the landscape as romantic and emotionally arresting as anywhere in Scotland, he wondered why no one had thought to make whisky here before?

Thirty million people visit the Cotswolds yearly, surely some of them would love to taste a local dram or visit a distillery.

Due to his lack of knowledge and investing the entirety of his life savings into the distillery, Dan spared no expense. The goal was simply to make whisky he would like to drink, in a distillery he would like to visit. No expense was spared – he wasn’t going to get a second chance if this went bust. He hired the best consultants, doing all possible to ensure a process to arrive at the best product possible. He had two Scottish mentors with over a century’s worth of knowledge of making whisky between them, Harry Colbert and the late Dr Jim Swan.

After working intensively on the process for a few months, when they tasted the new make spirit, it was good. In the industry, this pretty much ensures the whisky is going to be fantastic.

They waited three years and a day for the proper whisky, which coincided with Whisky Live in Paris, Europe’s largest whisky show. Cotswolds Distillery had birthed a whisky in Paris. On the first day of Whisky Live they had the first ever bottle of Cotswold single malt, in the very place Dan was turned on to whisky in 2000.

Not wanting to take a risk with his venture, Dan bought the best of everything. The best locally farmed barley, the best wood – his contacts provided by Dr Swan. Using a huge variety of woods and casks, what they all had in common was full term maturation, allowing the whisky to live its full life in the wood. Their limited edition Hearts & Crafts single malt is just one example of their weird and wonderful casks, matured in a French oak ex-red wine cask flavoured with Pineau des Charentes, and they have plenty more releases on the horizon.

At Cotswold Distillery they like to go against the grain a little, with so many fun things to do in the whisky business there’s plenty of room to experiment. They have friends in Wales in Penderyn, the number one whisky distillery in Wales. They have a lot in common with Cotswold – similar processes, both working with Dr Swan.

They were an role model to aspire to, being ten years senior. Believing in balance and layered flavour, Dan was inspired by Penderyn’s use of a peated cask rather than producing a traditional peated malt with smoked barley. Carefully buying one cask quickly led to purchasing several hundred. For Dan, the peated cask presents the very DNA of the Cotswold single malt without overwhelming it with the peat – a rich, fruity spirit for a little bit of smoke. A perfect gateway for those who are unsure about peated malts, described as a kind of ‘smoky vanilla ice cream’ – very Heston Blumenthal!

Their newest release, the Cotswold reserve, is a flagship entry level drink with a price tag as approachable as the taste. It differs from their

signature, aged at exactly three years with a 70% red wine cask, 30% bourbon blend, imparting fruity, chocolatey, toasted coffee flavours, with a good malt from the bourbon. Because red wine casks extract so much more quickly, this is the dominating flavour in their signature whisky. In the reserve, the percentages are flipped with 80% bourbon, 20% red wine. It’s older, minimum five years – although they don’t make a big thing of age at Cotswold, Dan advises to not look at a label, but rather smell and taste a bottle instead. The reserve is a more traditional drinker’s whisky, moreish but with a sweetness on the side – the slightly more elegant, sophisticated cousin to the signature’s bold, brash flavours, especially with 50% ABV. The most iconic time that Dan saw his product behind a bar was in the American bar in the Savoy Hotel in London, the birthplace of so many wonderful cocktails. Bigger companies than Cotswold pay extortionate amounts just to have their bottles behind the bar. Cotswolds’ single malt and dry gin take their place their proudly.

Although Cotswold products are highly available, (the first English whisky in standard supermarkets) to really understand the place and product is to visit. Dan confides that he built the distillery as an excuse to live in the beautiful countryside. Boasting a lovely café, four open fires, the distillery implores you to enjoy, there are plenty of pathways directly from the site up into the hills. Only an hour and a half from London, it is very accessible, and a great opportunity to discover the joys of English whisky.

Whiskies Tasted (in the order of tasting) White Pheasant 63.5% N. Very fruity, grappa like P. Lovely flavour of stone fruits T. Very enjoyable after dinner drink.

Signature 46% N. Pear drops, rich marmalade, peaches, cream.

P. Oats, spice, seville oranges T. A little short in length, not overly complex but perfectly pleasant.

Sherry Cask 57.4% N. A much richer nose, a touch of smoke, sherry notes, dried figs, stem ginger P. Surprising (and welcome) dryness, lots of dried fruits, spice and wood.

T. A very enjoybale dram and a big step up from the Signature. Great length.

Founders Choice 60.5% N. Dried apricot and honey, mince pies P. Sweeter ​​ on the palate than the Sherry cask, less pronounced fruit and alc showing. I added a drop of water which opened it up a little.

T. I prefer the Sherry cask with it’s extra complexity.

Peated 59.3% N. A delicate smoke.

P. An elegant and simple smoke. Toasted hazelnuts T. Quite a light yet refined peated whisky.

Cotswold Distillery

GLEN MORAY DAVID PEARCE CHATS WITH IAIN ALLAN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ANNIE BOWLES

I chat with Iain Allan, global brand ambassador to Glen Moray, on the job of his dreams, the perks and the pitfalls.

Anyone who knows whisky knows Glen Moray. A traditional Speyside distillery, on the northeast coast of Scotland, creating an accessible and versatile whisky with a broad range appealing to anyone who enjoys a dram or two – or three, or four.

Global brand ambassador to this prestigious company is Iain Allan – the enviable title is the job of his dreams, but it’s no walk in the park, with plenty of challenges to overcome day to day. While the travelling is tiring, Iain’s favourite part of the job is chatting to people about whisky, sharing a product that Glen Moray has been working on for a few months or even years, and receiving immediate feedback. Although they have a brilliant core range, sharing new whiskies is the fun part – everyone loves

a new toy to play with. Another perk of the job is getting to go to the best bars in any city, from the Dominican Republic to Australia, as well as more local ones in Edinburgh. Whisky is a common language, says Iain, one spoken in many different dialects, and mutually understood.

Currently Glen Moray are finalising plans for 2022, just finishing up a new warehouse collection, highlighting some casks sitting in the warehouse, waiting for their time to shine. They closed the book on 2021 by releasing their Warehouse 1 Manzanilla Finish, blending the soft Spey water with the spice of Manzanilla sherry. Sherry casks are another one of Iain’s favourites, loving anything big and cold – the Macallans and Tamdhus of this world specifically.

As a company, Glen Moray sends of a percentage of annual production off for blending purposes, utilizing some stock with a reciprocal agreement

with other companies, ending up with a variety of different casks in the warehouse. Another perk of the job is whisky festivals, which involves standing next to peers, talking and trying what they’ve got – perhaps stealing an idea every now and then!

Being born and bred in Speyside, Iain’s a traditionalist in many ways, though times are changing in the whisky sphere. In his youth, his views were conventionally rooted in the superiority of a single malt, with no adulteration, through the years Iain’s views on whisky gatekeeping have relaxed considerably. A great believer in the seasonality of whiskies, different casks or profiles are required for different seasons. Not everyone is looking for a big, bold, spicy sherry cask in the summer, but more toward a softer, lighter bourbon option you can pour in a highball. From his experience of travelling around the world trying all sorts of presentations of whisky, it is not always about getting a warming glow around a roaring open fire in the winter. There is a place for whisky in all seasons – therefore consumers and producers must be more experimental and openminded with how they are drinking their spirits.

Pairing whisky with food is also a pleasant route to go down when trying new drams. Glen Moray have

been creating peated expressions since 2010, which Iain recommends having with oysters – a pairing made in heaven. The restaurant scene in Speyside is booming with the wealth of distilleries in the area. Iain’s favourite in Elgin is the Drouthy Cobbler, boasting a cosy vibe and fantastic food – with a bottle of Glen Moray behind the bar, you can’t go wrong.

I would love to share some tasting notes of the exciting cask finishes that Glen Moray offers, such as the Barolo, Tokaji, Manzanilla, Madeira or Chenin Blanc, but unfortunately I was not offered any whisky to taste and actually had to ask for samples after our interview. Not to sound ungrateful, but a bog standard tasting pack off the shelf is probably not of that much interest to you, the reader. Nether the less, here are my thoughts for you, although I guess a lot of you will be familiar with them. I can only apologize, as a specialist publication, and having made the effort (and considerable expense) to travel the length of the UK to visit, I would have loved to share with you some of the more interesting expressions. After all, distilleries from around the globe post samples for me. I feel in some way that I have done you a disservice. I apologize.

Glen Moray Tasting Notes Glen Moray Elgin Classic - 40% Notes of oak and lemon with a hint of christmas cake making an appearance. Good value for money.

Glen Moray 12 - 40% Honey and grain on the nose with some stone fruits, vanilla and chocolate showing through. A toasty finish.

Glen Moray 15 - 40% As in the 12 there is chocolate here but with added spice and dried fruits with a sweetness. It is fuller in body than the 12.

Glen Moray Fired Oak 10 - 40% Noticeably sweeter and more complex than the previous two expressions. Chocolate and butterscotch reminded me of angel delight with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Blind R Bourbon

Readers purchased our tasting packs co blind and report back to us. The results ar much whisky is down t

Regular n Tasting

onsisting of core range Bourbons to taste re really interesting and goes to show how to personal preference.

BUFFALO TRACE - 40% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Vanilla, oaky spice, brown sugar, mild chlorine, peppermint, orange peel as it opens up.

Taste: Watery, mild spice. Slightly astringent. Lacking any depth.

Thoughts: Really not nice as a sipping whisky.

Would probably be nice with coke.

Guess the price : £20 Score - 1

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Hints of orange and vanilla

Nose: Light orange and vanilla.

Taste: Chemical after taste.

Taste: Mild but chemical heat at the end

Thoughts: Not pleasant, would not buy this.

Thoughts: Average at best and would not buy.

Guess the price : £24

Guess the price : £20

Score - 3

Score - 4

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: Nice Orange zestiness, and soft vanilla tones

Nose: -Caramel, Vanilla, Citrus

Taste: Synthetic sort of chemically start, alcohol, but not firey.

Taste: -Vanilla, Toffee apple, Butterscotch

Thoughts: This is fairly average, nice nose to start, but very little on the palette

Thoughts: Well rounded vanilla and caramel taste with toffee running through out with a hint of Citrus fruits

Guess the price : £24

Guess the price : £28

Score - 4

Score - 7

JIM BEAM DOUBLE OAK - 43% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Muscovado sugar, lively, vanilla, cracked black pepper.

Taste: Honey, foam bananas, vanilla, nice complex oak notes, more of the pepper. Citrus.

Thoughts: Really quite nice. Not the highest ABV, but drinkable. Decent complexity.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 7

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Almost nothing on the nose

Nose: light vanilla and grass

Taste: Zesty

Taste: You can Taste the alcohol . If I could say a cheap taste this would be it.

Thoughts: Not bad - I'd buy this Guess the price : £30

Thoughts: My mind would say this was designed to be cheap and to have a mixer.

Score - 6

Guess the price : £24 Score - 4

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

Nose: Very soft on the nose. Gentle vanilla coming through.

Taste: Initially alcohol, slightly fiery, before being replaced with zesty orange Thoughts: This is a nice smooth whisky, but there is not an awful lot going on with it.

Guess the price : £25 Score - 5

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: - Floral, Sweet, Chocolate Taste: -Floral, Pepper, Honey Thoughts: Some great aromatic flavours with a chocolate aroma.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 8

WOODFORD RESERVE - 43.2% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Strawberry laces, shoe polish, sweet sugary hints but nothing too heavy. Ethanol is quite strong.

Taste: Thin and rather flat. Finishes with a little spice but lacking flavour. A little sour note.

Thoughts: Probably 40% ABV. Not that pleasant to sip. Would be nice in a cocktail though.

Guess the price : £25 Score - 4

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Woody, furniture polish

Nose: Light Vanilla

Taste: Hint of vanilla

Taste: inoffensive with very little taste. Smooth but nothing special or any real taste. Slight heat at the end.

Thoughts: Inoffensive, very short finish. Here and then it's gone. Ideal for mixing.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 5

Thoughts: Again this like the first 2 were designed in my opinion to have coke and at a club with a sticky carpet.

Guess the price : £25 Score - 4.5

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

Nose: Oaky wood, sawdust and polish, with vanilla undertones.

Taste: Straight to the point, some metallic tone. Not bad, but not flavoursome.

Thoughts: Quite inoffensive, no complexity, really quick finish.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 5

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: - Dark fruits, Oak, Grain Taste: -Dark fruits, Oak, Malt, Vanilla Thoughts: Overwhelming flavours of dark fruits with a smooth vanilla fi ish Guess the price : £25 Score - 6.5

MAKERS MARK - 45% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Quite fruity initially. Then toasted grain and Demerara sugar. Quite strong Oak. Maybe a little hay.

Taste: Nutty and slightly fragrant. Lively alcohol.

Sweet. Lingering pepper spice. Menthol on the finish.

Thoughts: I wouldn't be disappointed to be served this. It's not the best I've ever tasted but quite a lot of character and definitely drinkable.

Guess the price : £35 Score - 8

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Clean, crisp and fresh

Nose: Clean smell, smells like spring

Taste: A bit of caramel or toffee

Taste: inoffensive but has a lovely warm hug at the end.

Thoughts: Inoffensive, nothing to get excited about Guess the price : £25

Thoughts: Again this tastes like it has been designed to have a mixer with it.

Score - 5

Guess the price : £30 Score - 5

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: Clean crisp and grassy. Really fresh on the nose.

Nose: -Wood, Spice, Savoury

Taste: Nice little bit of warmth to start, cosy. Nice, but nothing really after the warm hug.

Taste: -Savoury, Wood, Pine

Thoughts: Pleasant enough, but nothing really to shout about.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 5

Thoughts: A well rounded Savoury taste with a nice oak fonish Guess the price : £24 Score - 6

EAGLE RARE 10 - 45% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Musty old socks, slightly floral. A little flat.

Hints of creosote or tar.

Taste: Oak, Oak, Oak. A light prickle of spice. Not nice. No depth. Chilly on the finish.

Thoughts: Really not nice. I don't think even Coke would rescue it.

Guess the price : £20 Score - 0.5

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Orange and vanilla

Nose: orange and vanilla

Taste: Orange beginning and spicy finish

Taste: Spicy with a nice heat.

Thoughts: Smooth and nice finish

Thoughts: First one of the night that I would not need a mixer and could drink it straight. Nice.

Guess the price : £40 Score - 7

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

Guess the price : £35 Score - 7

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: Clear Vanilia, winter candles, and crisp zest

Nose: -Black pepper, Cinnamon, Caramel

Taste: Orange explodes on the tongue, then followed by a slow spicy warmth. Spice fades slowly leaving a nice soft vanilla to close.

Taste: -Vanilla, Caramel, Malt, Citrus

Thoughts: This is a nice complex dram, as you move between crisp zestiness, spicy warmth and smooth vanilla. Very much a step up on the previous ones.

Guess the price : £40 Score - 7

Thoughts: A wonderful blend of spice and cinnamon with hints of Citrus running through Guess the price : £38 Score - 8.5

MICHTERS SMALL BATCH - 45.7% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Spearmint, vanilla, damp hay. Popcorn.

Fudge.

Taste: A little devoid of substance until the finish. It grows as you swallow. Not much more than vanilla and Oak unfortunately.

Thoughts: The nose promised but didn't deliver.

Probably 40%. Shame.

Guess the price : £20 Score - 4

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Musty fruit

Nose: Musty with vanilla

Taste: Subtle orange

Taste: Very hard to describe as not tasteless but very little taste.

Thoughts: Smooth and light spicy finish Guess the price : £30 Score - 6

Thoughts: Personally not one for me but a country mile better than 1, 2 and 3. I would need a coke with this.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 5

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

Nose: Starts with a sort of musty nose, old books or hard cheese - but not in a bad way Taste: Very very subtle to start, with a light spicy finish which takes a good time to fade Thoughts: Nice dram, unusual on the nose, but then little in the taste. Easy drinker, but not exciting Guess the price : £30 Score - 5

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: -Butterscotch, Raisin, Sweet Taste: -Floral, Vanilla, Chocolate Thoughts: Great Vanilla taste with Floral elements and a coco finish.

Guess the price : £30 Score - 7.5

1792 SMALL BATCH - 46.85% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: Nutty, raisins, buttery biscuit. A little heather as it goes.

Taste: Lots of brown sugar and strong pepper. Quite mellow feeling. Quite a lot of lingering spice.

Slightly unpleasant back note of Oak on the finish.

Thoughts: Quite drinkable. High abv. Wondering if this is wild Turkey 101. Has a familiarity to it.

Would happily drink more.

Guess the price : £20 Score - 7

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Very subtle zest

Nose: Light and zesty

Taste: Spicy peppery

Taste: Long finish that lasts.

Thoughts: Reasonable finish, nothing special

Thoughts: Nothing Special . Inoffensive

Guess the price : £30

Guess the price : £30

Score - 6

Score - 6.5

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

Nose: Again nice as subtle on the nose. Smooth soft zest, orange and lemons Taste: Smooth ginger spice, with a long finish.

Thoughts: Nice smooth whiskey, light and spicy with along finish to close Guess the price : £35 Score - 6

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: -Subtle Marzipan, Nutmeg Taste: -Caramel, Tobacco leaf, Syrup Thoughts: A nice caramel flavour with a hint of tobacco leaf Guess the price : £24 Score - 5

WILD TURKEY 101 - 50.5% // ANONYMOUS

Nose: A little tingle on the nose hairs. A musty back note. With a lot of work some vanilla. Some sweetness. Not much else.

Taste: Insipid taste, harsh alcohol. That musty note is there and it's not pleasant.

Thoughts: Yuck. I don't like this at all. I reckon it's quite a pricey one though.

Guess the price : £35 Score - 1

\\ STEPHEN

\\ SK

Nose: Vanilla oak

Nose: Light vanilla and spices

Taste: Fruity and spicy

Taste: Loads of taste as the spices and oak blend well.

Thoughts: One of the best of this tasting.

Guess the price : £45 Score - 8

// WHISKY_AT_HOME

Nose: Everything going on at one time here, Cut Oranges, Vanilla and cinnamon type spices Taste: Nice warmth to start, no burn. Christmas spice cinnamon and nutmeg fade to give way to a zesty vanilla finish Thoughts: This is a nice bourbon, well balanced with flavours coming through in both nose and palette Guess the price : £50 Score - 8

Thoughts: Could drink this neat . Best of the nght Guess the price : £45 Score - 8

// ANONYMOUS

Nose: - Floral, Sweet, Citrus Taste: -Butterscotch, Lavender, Chocolate, Vanilla Thoughts: A wonderful blend of floral and vanilla flavours with a chocolate underlay.

Guess the price : £40 Score - 9

Tasting

g Notes

#01

#02

// TAMDHU 12 - 43%

// TAMDHU 15 - 46%

A very delicate nose with hints of honey and plum jam.

The palate is reserved but opens up to reveal toffee, spice and walnut.

A more complex nose than the 12. Mince pies and cinnamon dominate. Lots of initial toffee on the palate which then reveals dark treacle poured over cream.

#05

#06

// FILEY BAY FLAGSHIP - 46%

// FILEY BAY STR #2 - 46%

A delicate nose of citrus, in particular lemon and cut grass. The palate shows floral notes reminding me of a autumn meadow.

A more robust nose than the flagship. Still citrus but some vanilla beginning to show. On the palate I get red berries and a hint of chocolate.

#03

#04

\\ TAMDHU BATCH STRENGTH - 59.8%

\\ BORDERS DISTILLERY - LOWER EAST SIDE - 40%

Moving on to the stronger expression this is subdued at first but then opens up after a few minutes to reveal layers of molasses, fruit cake and baking spices. A beautiful creaminess on the palate with some meaty tones (no smoke). Think of a beautiful deep gravy and it would complement it very well.

A light floral nose with a citrus edge initially that opens up in the glass to reveal more nutty notes. A silky smooth creamy palate that is like creme chantilly laced with the essence of dried fruits.

#07

#08

// FILEY BAY IPA - 46%

// TIN SHED DISTILLING BATCH 22

Needs some time in the glass but the IPA notes then appear. More depth and length than the previous two expressions. It displays citrus notes and a beautiful, yet delicate hoppy not that just expresses itself enough and leaves a pleasant slightly tangy mouthfeel.

Beautiful nose of honey, hazelnut and chocolate going through to the palate with candied orange. Delicious!

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