WHISKY: TRADITION VS INNOVATION

A debate about tradition versus innovation has consumed whisk(e)y experts as a new generation moves to revolutionise without blaspheming the old guard, writes Sophie Smith.

“This almost religious routine that goes with whisky - it’s got to be this, it’s got to be that – why? Why does it have to be?” asks Melbourne bartender Jacob Flynn.

Flynn is head of whisky at Beneath Driver Lane in Melbourne and one of a growing number of 20 to 40-somethings advocating for innovation.

“I would like to see an opening up of what the base of the whisky would be,” he says. “There’s a wonderful Chicago distillery named KOVAL and they make a millet whiskey, an oat whiskey. I’ve heard of quinoa whiskies coming on the market, if you want to drink that out of an avocado.”

The perceived need doesn’t stem from a struggling market. There’s been an explosion of whisky bars and distilleries across Australia, with imports also estimated to be three to four times greater than that 10 years ago. The resale market is so lucrative it’s now contentious and likened to Wall St. Bartenders are traversing the globe to find bottles that aren’t widely available. Some producers are experimenting with casks and age, rejuvenated venues fashioned as American saloons offer a roaring good time and restaurants are as hungry to buy Japanese whisky as the consumer.

“People are looking to push the boundaries, break tradition and do things that talk to the new whisky drinker. They’re dusting off the preconception of it being a 50-to-dead person sitting on a Chesterfield in front of a fire, which is typically male dominated. It’s opening up to a broader range of drinkers including young females,” says Glenfiddich brand ambassador Luke Sanderson, currently promoting the Experimental Series.

“Within the industry, you’ve got a lot more of the next generation that is coming through, myself included in that. The stereotype of an old Scottish man telling you a story about whisky, it’s not necessarily what people need anymore.”

Glenfiddich's Luke Sanderson

AUSSIE WHISKY: THE NEXT BIG THING? A number of Australian distilleries will mark first releases in 2019, but not everyone is excited.“The industry picked up and they’re now releasing two or three years later,” says Speakeasy Group’s Geoff Fewell.“I’m not a great fan of most first releases from anyone. I’ve tried Lark’s and Sullivan Cove’s first release, and they’re not good. They admit it.“The guys that are really good now have taught themselves over 10 years. A lot of these new Australian releases are focusing on the cask too much [that] I don’t find them to be complete. The industry in Australia, it’s great to see it growing but I’d like to see more longterm planning.”

BUCKING THE TREND

The old guard has made a biblical impression on the industry that even the passionate, well-read disruptors pay homage to. Some bartenders still consider it sacrilege to challenge the notion of Scotch and whisk(e)y as only a reserved, special occasion drink.

“It needs to be a fine balance. Innovation is very good, but you don’t want to be chucking spirit in anything and selling it to people for the sake of it,” Speakeasy Group whisky acquisitions Geoff Fewell reasons.

“The reliance on the traditional oak cask is a Scottish thing and in Scotland they are suffering from too much tradition. I’ve got a red gum whisky from Tassie on the backbar, but I would not seek it out. It’s good from that experimental side but part of the reason of the tradition of the Scottish guys is it works.

“What I’m looking for now is the opposite to the trend,” Fewell continues. “I call sherry [cask] the sauvignon blanc of the whisky world. It’s got very big flavours that are easily identifiable and get boring. If I wanted Christmas cake, I would eat some. I’m getting into the more intricate and nuanced whiskies that are a little bit lighter, they’re a lot more delicate but showing flavours you have to look for and find.”

APPROACHABILITY

Demand has also contributed to the debate, with some distilleries working to fill the gap between age statements.

How bartenders inform their customers has even modernised. Fewell’s Boilermaker House has launched an app that divides whisky foremost by flavour, then by region, price, brand and cask. It removes the possibility of consumers being overwhelmed by a 900-plus bottle list and caters for the beginner to the enthusiast willing to spend $500 a shot of Talisker 40-year-old.

“The new trend is to make it more approachable for the next generation,” says Beneath Driver Lane operations manager Carsten Belger. “Brands are putting the effort in to both educate staff and consumers, and for them to see what the market wants and adjust to that.”

Pop culture has also influenced a shift from the category being synonymous with tartan, mahogany and your mum’s crystal, to boozy knock-off drink.

“We have a lot of lawyers come in and drink Macallan because they saw Harvey Specter drink it on Suits. That’s actually a big thing,” adds Belger.

THE RESELL DEBATE: DIVIDING THE INDUSTRY: FOR: “It’s like Wall St. If you buy a bottle for $600 now and hold onto it for two or three years, it’s probably going to be $3000, so we’re doing that as well.” – Carsten Belger, Beneath Driver Lane AGAINST: “I hope the secondary market and the resell prices start to come down. The Yamazaki sherry cask release, we could have literally sold it the next day and tripled our money on what we paid for it because it’s so limited. I find that ridiculous. What it means is there is a lot of great whisky that is being bought and put in a cupboard, never to be opened. That’s a shame.” – Geoff Fewell, Speakeasy Group

TEAR IT DOWN

Central to innovation is deconstruction.

“You never want to lose values that have built credentials and brand. It’s just allowing people to unlearn whisky and the assumptions they have around it, [and] engage a different side,” says Sanderson.

“Serving it neat is the way you can understand the work that has been done behind the distillery. But in this day and age when you have such access to produce, skilled bar teams and bartenders, whisky is a great platform just like any other category. You can complement with a whole range of flavours and it’s not seen to be bastardising the product.”

Beneath Driver Lane's Carsten Belger and Jacob Flynn (left and centre)

Region doesn’t necessarily denote flavour, age doesn’t equate to taste, and blended whiskies aren’t considered “bogan” anymore.

“To make Johnnie Walker Blue Label or a blended whisky like Rock Oyster you have to be taking components from everywhere that change every year and creating a consistent product. That is much harder to do than most people will give credit to,” says Fewell.

So what are the whisky trends that bartenders should be aware of leading into 2019? Whisky highballs are tipped to be big this summer, while flights paired cheese and charcuterie have been successful in further “demystifying” the category.

“If we keep putting everything on a pedestal and thinking it’s only something you have with a cigar when you’re wearing a suit, it’s detrimental to the industry. Producers want you to enjoy their product right now, not necessarily revere it,” says Flynn.

Just hold on the avocado.