Whiskeria Spring 2018 by The Whisky Shop

Game Changer Tom Kitchin on taking nature to plate

The Whisky Shop Magazine

Spring 2018

Islay Distilleries / New Releases ten30 / Speciality Brands

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THE GATHERING OF THE DRAMS

EXPLORE THE

FI NE ST S I NG L E C A S K

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WHISKIES FROM ALL ACROSS SCOTLAND

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WE CREATED A MARRIAGE OF WHAT WE CONSIDERED TO BE THE ‘THE BEST’ ISLAY SINGLE MALTS. AND SO,

THE LIVING CASK® WAS BORN. RESPECTING OUR INVERARAY ROOTS, WE CHRISTENED IT

THE LIVING CASK 1745 IN A NOD TO THE YEAR THE TOWN WAS FOUNDED BY THE DUKE OF ARGYLL. Loch Fyne Whiskies | Inveraray | Argyll | PA32 8UD t: 01499 302 219 (Shop) / 0800 107 1936 (Orders) e: info@lochfynewhiskies.com | www.lochfynewhiskies.com

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

As I see it…

Join the club. Get involved! Ian P. Bankier, chairman of The Whisky Shop, invites you to be part of a very special whisky community.

J After the rigorous self-discipline of New

Year’s resolutions, spring is the season to start something. Do something new. And this spring my rallying call to all you Whiskeria readers is to join The W Club. When we re-launched the club just over a year ago the uptake from interested customers of The Whisky Shop was instantaneous. And it’s growing fast – look at what it has to offer: For starters you get this magazine posted to your home or office absolutely free four times per year. No other magazine in the world offers such a dedicated focus on whisky. You also get to join in on our Whisky Wednesdays, where we offer a limited selection of great whiskies at amazing prices on a first come, first served basis. Not only is this a bit of fun; if you land a deal it’s serious value for money. Also, we conduct online whisky auctions for members only. It’s your chance to buy something special and collectable or, indeed, to sell something you have. On top of that there are W Club member’s discounts in store every day, and

“if you are not in The W Club you are missing out.”

there is a free members only monthly tasting in almost every branch of The Whisky Shop throughout the UK. If variety is your penchant, then take up one of our monthly subscriptions. Individual drams will be posted to you door every month, allowing you to try before you buy. And lastly, as the Club grows, the benefits to members will grow alongside. The Whisky Shop is more than just a store. The W Club gives us a community of like-minded people who want to participate in everything we do. The W Club will develop with its members and if you are not in – you are missing out. You can join online at thewclub.co.uk or at any one of our stores. You can gift membership of The W Club; there is even a gift box to go with membership. Do it now! Slàinte Ian P Bankier, Executive Chairman,

Have a Spring Fling with Speciality Brands Mixing It Up

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Discover The W Club Subscriptions The Whisky Shop

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Competition

Win! A Bottle of Limited Edition Bowmore The Vintner's Edition 26 Year Old Our spring Distillery Visit takes us to Bowmore, Islay’s oldest distillery, home to the legendary No.1 Vaults, and a pioneer to this day. Their latest limited edition is the fantastic Vintner’s Edition 26 Year Old – the second in their Vintner’s Trilogy. Charles MacLean declares it “an outstanding example of the make”, and we couldn’t agree more. You can read more about this superb whisky in Charlie’s New Releases review, but first make sure you enter to win your very own bottle! To enter, simply tell us: Which two types of casks has this whisky been matured in? (hint: Charles MacLean has the answers!) Answers should be emailed to: competition@whiskyshop.com Please include your full name and your answer. Terms & Conditions The winner will be selected from all entries received via the email address stated above by midnight on 30th May 2018. The judge’s decision will be final. The competition is not open to employees of The Whisky Shop Ltd. All normal competition rules apply. UK entrants must be 18 years old or over to apply. International entrants must be of legal drinking age in their country of residence.

Read Charles MacLean’s Bowmore Review New Releases

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–– commissioning editor GlenKeir Whiskies Limited –– executive producer Claire Daisley claire@whiskyshop.com 0141 427 2919 –– executive chairman Ian P Bankier ipb@whiskyshop.com –– feature writers Brian Wilson Charles MacLean Gavin D Smith Claire Bell –– product photography Subliminal Creative 01236 734923

–– creative direction a visual agency emlyn@avisualagency.com –– feature photography Christina Kernohan Brendan MacNeill –– photo assistants Cat Thomson Rorie Balloch –– drinks stylist Meredith Wilkie –– illustration Francesca Waddell Hrafnhildur Halldorsdottir Sean Mulvenna

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THE WHISKY SHOP. Opinions expressed

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in WHISKERIA are not necessarily those of

are subject to change.

Glenkeir Whiskies Limited. Statements made and opinions expressed are done so in good faith, but shall not be relied upon by the reader. This publication is the copyright of the publisher, ASCOT PUBLISHING LIMITED, and no part of it may be reproduced without their prior consent in writing. No responsibility is taken for the advertising material contained herein. © ASCOT PUBLISHING LIMITED.

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

Contributors

Charles MacLean Brian Wilson Brian Wilson, formerly an MP, held several Government Ministerial posts during his political career. He lives on the Isle of Lewis, from where he pursues various business interests, notably in the energy sector. He also led the regeneration of the Harris Tweed industry and is currently Chairman of Harris Tweed Hebrides Ltd. His first love was writing and he continues to write books as well as opinion pieces for national newspapers.

A Time in History The Road to Ardnahoe

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Charles has published fourteen Scotch whisky books to date, including the standard work on whisky brands, Scotch Whisky, and the leading book on its subject, Malt Whisky, both of which were short-listed for Glenfiddich awards. He was also script advisor for Ken Loach’s 2012 film The Angels’ Share and subsequently played the part of the whisky expert in the film (which he claims to be his biggest career highlight to date).

New Releases Spring 2018

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Expert Tasting The Authors’ Series

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Gavin D Smith Claire Bell Claire Bell has written on travel for Time Magazine, The Herald, The Times, The Guardian and Wanderlust. A confirmed nomad, Claire lives between Glasgow, France and her native South Africa where she co-runs the dialogue collective Consciousness Café. Global adventure or a stay on British soil, she is a dab hand at finding places you’ll want to visit.

Travel Northumberland Coast Path

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Gavin is one of the world’s most prolific and respected whisky writers. He’s regularly published in a range of top magazines and has written more than a dozen books on whisky, while co-authoring many more. He is also responsible for editing and releasing the latest version of Michael Jackson’s seminal whisky publication, The Malt Whisky Companion.

Distillery Visit Bowmore

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Whiskeria

Spring 2018

Contents

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Whiskeria

Spring 2018

Short List

Spring Inspiration There’s more to life than just whisky – complement great taste with our top objects of desire this season.

Tom Kitchin Meat & Game — £30 | gifts.thekitchin.com

Leading Michelin star chef (and this spring’s cover star) Tom Kitchin’s third book is set to be an essential on the kitchen shelves of those with a passion for discovering, cooking, sharing and enjoying a whole range of meat and game. Each of the 100 recipes has been brought to life with captivating photography as Tom shares a collection of home cooked recipes he enjoys preparing for his own family and friends, in a bid to encourage more people to try cooking with a range of game, and show just how accessible, affordable and enjoyable it can be.

Read our exclusive Tom Kitchin interview My Whiskeria

➛ 56 Kestin Hare The Leithers S/S18 — Prices from £49 | kestinhare.com

The new Spring/Summer 18 collection from Edinburgh-based meanswear brand, Kestin Hare, takes inspiration from the historical Leith docks, its workers and the industries that were based there. References in the collection include technical water-repellant naval style smocks, naval denim jackets, and seam sealed all-weather parkas. Wide leg cropped trousers and workwear overshirts also give a nod to the hardwearing, industrial workwear.

Blowers Patek Philippe World Time 5930G-001 —

£54,950 | blowers-jewellers.co.uk Blowers Jewellers are one of Europe’s premier stockists of high-end timepieces. Approaching their 50th anniversary, Blowers continue to maintain exemplary standards in customer service and satisfaction. They present here the highly prized Patek Philippe World Time 5930G-001 in White Gold. Continuing Patek Philippe’s 175-year statement of crafting desirable and innovative timepieces, the 5930G is a watch guaranteed to stand the test of time.

Mirrl Hand Crafted Surfaces (various) — £POA | mirrl.com | @mirrl_ltd

Mirrl is a new solid surface material, hand crafted in Glasgow. Their surfaces have a unique organic pattern and are available in multiple colourways. Made to order in small batches in their workshop, Mirrl is suitable for interior and exterior use, is highly resilient and very easy to clean, maintain and repair. The team custom make Mirrl using a technique inspired by Japanese lacquerware from the island of Hokkaido. Due to it’s versatility, Mirrl is ideal for tabletops, bar tops, kitchens, bathrooms and cladding but is well suited to many more uses.

NEVER FOLLOW

Our distillery uses more than one type of still. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not most. Scottish Single Malt

www.lochlomondwhiskies.com

Distillery of the Year

@Lochlomondmalts

lochlomondwhiskies

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

Reviewed by Charles MacLean

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Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare: Special Release with Brora & Rare Bunnahabhain 2003 Pedro Ximénez Finish, Limited Release Bowmore The Vintner’s Edition 26 Year Old Highland Park The Dark Speyburn 10 Year Old Speyburn 15 Year Old The Loch Fyne Craigellachie 10 Year Old The Loch Fyne Glentauchers 10 Year Old The Loch Fyne The Living Cask Batch 5 Platinum Old & Rare Mortlach 25 Year Old The First Editions Mortlach 2009 The First Editions Linkwood 2006 The First Editions Balmenach 2007 The Old Malt Cask Glen Spey 15 Year Old Glenmorangie Spìos Private Edition No.9

New Releases

New Releases Spring 2018

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Whiskeria

Spring 2018

New Releases

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare: Special Release with Brora & Rare Blended Scotch Whisky

70CL

Age: –

£220

Vol: 46%

The well-integrated, dry nose has a slight prickle, with notes of hazelnuts, hard toffee and light peat-smoke. A drop of water adds a pinch of dried flowers. In the mouth it has a voluptuous texture, soft and mouth-filling, and an elegant balance of primary tastes (including a surprising shake of salt at full strength). The finish is subtly peaty.

…notes of hazelnuts, hard toffee and light peatsmoke...

J At the end of November last year, Diageo introduced a series of expressions of Johnnie Walker Blue Label which will make use of whiskies from distilleries which have ceased production or which are uncommon – hence ‘Ghost & Rare’. The first expression in the series has Brora as its heart malt, with Cambus (grain distillery) and Pittyvaich (Speyside malt) – both of which closed in 1993 and have been demolished – as the other ‘ghosts’ in the blend, together with ‘rare’ casks of Royal Lochnagar, Clynelish, Glenkinchie, Glenlossie and Cameronbridge. Dr. Jim Beverage, Walker’s highly distinguished Master Blender, remarked at the time of the launch: “Over the years of crafting fine Scotch whiskies, I’ve had the remarkable privilege of working with some of the rarest spirits ever to come out of Scotland. I’m lucky that we have stocks from more than 30 distilleries from every region of Scotland from which to choose the perfect casks to craft each blend. It gives us a richness of character, flavour and age that no other Scotch can match. “Whiskies from these ghost distilleries are becoming increasingly rare. From our library of irreplaceable casks that we keep exclusively for Johnnie Walker Blue Label, I’ve chosen a few uniquely full-bodied expressions of these precious malts and grains to let people explore, in a new way, the extraordinary richness found in our pinnacle whisky.” Johnnie Walker Blue Label joined Red Label and Black Label in 1992, priced at around five times that of Black Label and among the earliest of the now familiar super-deluxe blends.

Spring 2018

New Releases

Bunnahabhain 2003 Pedro Ximénez Finish, Limited Release Islay Single Malt Age: 14 Year Old

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70CL Vol: 54.3%

£85

Mid amber in hue, with a syrupy texture. The first impression on the nose is of wood ash, with a hint of dry peat; soon a note of apple pie creeps in, with buttery pastry and a suggestion of cherry-flavoured boiled sweets. More maritime with water. The texture is smooth and the taste very sweet then lightly smoky with light saltiness in between. The nose has toffee, sweet dried fruits and nutty chocolate. The palate is syrupy with a smooth, mouthfilling PX influence, notes of sweet sultanas, toffee and creamy chocolate. The finish is long and lingering with more sweet dried fruits, characteristic of Bunnahabhain. J This limited edition single malt from Bunnahabhain follows the distillery’s popular Oloroso Finish, released last year. Distilled in 2003, the spirit spent eleven years in second-fill sherry casks before being re-racked into first-fill Pedro Ximénez butts for an extra three years’ maturation. It is bottled at natural strength, without tinting or chill-filtration. Each bottle is numbered. Pedro Ximenez is a white grape variety grown principally in the Montilla-Moriles district of Andalucia in southern Spain, where it is used to produce an intensely sweet sherry, made by drying the grapes under the hot sun to concentrate the sugars, then creating a thick, black syrup with a strong taste of raisins and molasses which, after fortification with brandy, is aged in a solera, like other sherries. As well as being sold as a dessert wine, it is commonly blended with other sherry styles to create sweet cream sherries. It is not known for certain how the name came about. One tradition claims the grape was introduced to Malaga by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Ximen – another attributes it to one Cardinal Ximenès – but it was described as “the famous wine, Pedro Ximenez de Malaga” as early as 1618, by the Spanish writer Vincente Espinel. In 2007, DNA analysis showed that Pedro Ximénez was the offspring of the Arabic table grape, Gibi, which was once grown in southern France and throughout the Iberian Peninsula, in all likelihood introduced during the period of Moorish rule. The Bunnahabhain website states: “Is it coincidence we have released this beauty just before the big holiday season at the end of the year [2017]? With it’s aromas of toffee, dried fruit on the palate, sweet raisins, sultanas and honeyed nuts it tastes like all our favourite holiday fruit cake without the marzipan!”

…notes of sweet sultanas, toffee and creamy chocolate....

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Whiskeria

Spring 2018

New Releases

Bowmore The Vintner’s Edition 26 Year Old Islay Single Malt Age: 26 Year Old

70CL Vol: 48.7%

£420

Bright polished rosewood, with scarlet lights. At the start the nose is relatively closed, with a whiff of coal smoke, but as it wakes up this withdraws and is joined by dried fruits macerated in sherry, soft toffee ‘robed’ in dark chocolate and hemp ropes. Viscous texture, and all these aromas translate into taste, with the smoke lingering in the dry finish and aftertaste.

J This is the second release in Bowmore’s Vintner’s Trilogy series, which celebrates lengthy ‘finishing’ in ex-wine casks. The first was an 18YO, finished in ex-Manzanilla casks; the third will be a 27YO, finished in ex-port pipes, to be released this year. Bowmore 26YO has been matured for thirteen years in bourbon barrels, then thirteen years in French oak ex-wine barriques. It is an outstanding example of the make. Maturation has taken place in the distillery’s legendary No. 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in the world, built when the distillery was founded in the 1770s – the owners state 1779 as the foundation date, but I think it might well have been a decade earlier, when the ‘model’ village of Bowmore itself was laid out by the laird, Daniel Campbell of Shawfield. Cool and damp in all seasons, No 1. Vaults is washed by the sea – its massively thick stone walls weep with salt – which makes for a slow and steady maturation, and sometimes introduces a shake of salt to the taste. The series will interest collectors as well as consumers, since old Bowmores are highly prized. In August last year a 1964 Black Bowmore (1st Edition; bottled at 29YO) achieved £11,450 at auction in Glasgow, while in September 2012 a release of 1957 Bowmore, limited to 12 bottles at 54 years old, was announced, with a reserve price of £100,000, the proceeds going to Scottish charities. The first was sold in December that year. The make has long had a high reputation. As long ago as 1841, the laird of Islay recieved an order from Windsor Castle for “a cask of your best Islay Mountain Dew” for the Royal Household – cask size and price of no concern, “but the very best that can be had”.

…a whiff of coal smoke… joined by dried fruits macerated in sherry, soft toffee ‘robed’ in dark chocolate and hemp ropes

Spring 2018

New Releases

Highland Park The Dark Island Single Malt Age: 17 Year Old

70CL Vol: 52.9%

£190

Faded polished mahogany in colour, with very good beading. A complex aroma, with suggestions of uncooked fruit-cake mix and dry peat emerging first, then mineralic/maritime scents, backed by dry sherry and white peppercorns. At natural strength, the texture is voluptuous; the taste sweet and slightly salty, with hessian in the mid-palate and smoke in the finish. Lingering spice.

J This is the first of a pair of ‘special edition’ single malts inspired by the contrasting seasons in the Orkney Islands, where it is made. The Dark celebrates the autumn and winter months, during which the days are short and light limited, while The Light – due to be released early this year – will embody the long days of spring and summer. The Dark is a 17-year-old single malt that has been matured exclusively in European oak exsherry casks and is appropriately dark in colour. It is presented in a bespoke jet black bottle, heavily embossed with a stylised dragon motif – presumably the fearsome serpent Níđhöggr who forever gnaws the roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil, which connects the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. In the 13th Century poem Völuspá Snorri Sturlson writes: From below the dragon dark comes forth, Nithhogg flying from Nithafjoll; The bodies of men on his wings he bears, The serpent bright: but now must I sink.

…the texture is voluptuous; the taste sweet and slightly salty, with hessian in the midpalate and smoke in the finish.

[Appropriately, Nithafjoll is transated by the OED as the ‘world of darkness’.] Since last year, Highland Park has been redesigning its core range in ways which stress the brand’s Norse bloodline, under the slogan ‘The Malt With Viking Soul’. The distinctive new bottles are heavily embossed with Scandinavian motifs often depicting the continual struggle in Norse mythology between the forces of good and evil, the latter being symbolised as dragon serpents. The Dark is jet black and presented in a black oak ‘cradle’. Jason Craig, Highland Park’s Brand Director, says: “The inspiration for the design came from an ancient ‘Stavkirke’ [wooden church], a World Heritage site in the tiny Norwegian village of Ornes, heavily decorated with extensive and ornate wooden carvings, which we thought would look amazing on a glass bottle.”

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Spring 2018

Speyburn 10 Year Old

New Releases

Speyside Single Malt Age: 10 Year Old

J Speyburn Distillery stands in the steep wooded Glen of Rothes, just outside the village of Rothes, and takes its name not from the River Spey (which is about a mile away), but from the Granty Burn, which supplies its process water, and the Broad Burn, which provides ample cooling water. The bed of the latter was also quarried for building materials when the distillery was built during 1897. The founder was determined that his distillery should open in the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, and achieved this on the last day of 1897, by dint of the workforce toiling day and night while a violent snowstorm raged, in a still-house in which windows had yet to be fitted! The founder was John Hopkins, who also owned Tobermory Distillery. He employed the leading distillery architect of the day, Charles Chree Doig of Elgin, who solved the considerable challenge posed by the very narrow site by installing the first drum maltings in any malt distillery, in order to avoid the need for extensive malting floors, combined with three levels of mesh drying floors. This operated until 1968. Hopkins joined the Distillers Company (now Diageo) in 1916, and Speyburn was sold to Inver House Distillers in 1991. In 2014/15 the distillery was expanded, with a larger mash tun and 11 new stainless steel washbacks. The still house remains as Doig designed it, with a new, larger, wash still – the existing wash still being changed to a spirit still. Both spirit stills employ worm tubs, which makes for a heavier style of spirit. Inver House Distillers was named Whisky Distiller of the Year 2016 (Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky) and Speyside Distiller of the Year 2016 (New York International Spirits Competition). Speyburn is its best selling single malt, especially popular in the U.S.A and Finland. The 15YO expression joined the 10YO last year.

70CL Vol: 40%

£37

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The colour of Golden Syrup, the 10YO has been matured in American white oak, both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry. The aroma is nutty (almonds and walnuts) on a fruity base (dried figs). The texture is smooth and the taste sweet, with chocolate in the aftertaste.

Speyburn 15 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Age: 15 Year Old

70CL Vol: 46%

£68

A mix of American and Spanish oak casks gives the 15YO a rich amber colour. The nose offers baked apple, peach crumble and a suggestion of vanilla custard. A smooth texture, medium-bodied, and a sweet taste, with baking spice in the medium length finish.

The aroma is nutty (almonds and walnuts) on a fruity base (dried figs)

The nose offers baked apple, peach crumble and a suggestion of vanilla custard.

Spring 2018

New Releases

The Loch Fyne Craigellachie 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Age: 10 Year Old

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50CL Vol: 46%

£70

Dull gold in colour, the nose presents fruit loaf, with dates, sultanas and allspice (suggesting the cask was Spanish oak). A voluptuous, oily texture, and a taste which starts sweet and finishes dry, with complex spices across the palate and a nutty aftertaste. J Until 2014 Craigellachie was not widely available as a single malt, but that year the owner of the distillery, John Dewar & Sons, released expressions at 13, 17, 19 (duty free only) and 23 years old to widespread acclaim. This single cask from Loch Fyne Whiskies is an excellent example of the make and has been matured in an active Spanish oak ex-Oloroso butt. The distillery was the brain-child of a remarkable young man, Alexander Edward, in partnership of ‘Restless’ Peter Mackie, the owner of Lagavulin Distillery and the famous White Horse brand of blended Scotch. The rich, oily spirit – the distillery’s worm-tubs account for this – immediately became the core malt in the White Horse blend. The son of a local farmer and distiller, Alexander Edward had acquired the lease of Benrinnes Distillery from his father in 1888, when he was twenty-three years old. Building at Craigellachie commenced in 1890, under the direction of Charles Doig of Elgin, the leading distillery designer of the day, and the distillery went into production a year later. The site was chosen on account of its proximity to the Strathspey Railway line, connecting Craigellachie – a hamlet at the time – to Elgin in the north and Aviemore in the south, while a branch line led to Dufftown. In effect, the village grew up around the distillery and was largely built by Mr. Edward, who, realising the potential for tourism in the heart of Speyside, built a number of ‘new villas’ there, which could be rented out to summer visitors. In 1895 – he was still under thirty years old – he went on to build the famous Craigellachie Hotel (known locally as ‘The Craig’) which would transform the village from a railway hub into a tourist destination, especially for sportsmen.

A voluptuous, oily texture, and a taste which starts sweet and finishes dry...

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Spring 2018

New Releases

The Loch Fyne Glentauchers 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Age: 10 Year Old

50CL Vol: 46%

£65

The colour of Golden Syrup, the aroma is mellow and rounded, with light nose-prickle. Soft toffee notes rest on top of nougat and fondant, with an ashy base. Big texture and a sweet taste with a pleasantly sour, faintly smoky finish.

J The founder of Glentauchers Distillery was James Buchanan, later Lord Woolavington, who went to London in 1879 as the agent for Charles Mackinlay & Company, aged thirty-four. In his memoirs he remarks: “Sometimes I marvel at the supreme self-confidence that upheld me – a young man without capital and practically no knowledge of the business I was embarking in: a stranger too, amongst strangers in this great City of London”. By 1884 he had “resolved to start business on my own account”. He borrowed the start-up money from William Phaup Lowrie, a leading broker and blender in Glasgow, who also supplied him with whisky. “What I made up my mind to do was to find a blend sufficiently light and old to please the palate of the user”. The result was The Buchanan Blend; as early as 1885 he was appointed ‘Sole Supplier to the House of Commons’. In 1894, Buchanan proposed to W.P.Lowrie that they build a distillery at Tauchers on Speyside, three miles outside Keith. The foundation stone was laid in May 1897 and production commenced twelve months later; by 1906, Buchanan was in a position to buy out Lowrie. James Buchanan and Company was now numbered among ‘The Big Three’, along with Walkers and Dewars, and in 1925 all three amalgamated with the Distillers Company Limited. Glentauchers was expanded from two to six stills in 1966, but was mothballed in 1985 and sold to Allied Distillers in 1989. Its current owner is Chivas Bros./Pernod Ricard which bought most of Allied’s Scotch whisky interests in 2005. Examples of Glentauchers single malt are uncommon. This 10 Year Old is from a single cask selected and bottled by Loch Fyne Whiskies.

Soft toffee notes rest on top of nougat and fondant…

Spring 2018

New Releases

The Loch Fyne The Living Cask Batch 5 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

50CL

Age: —

£45

Vol: 43.6%

Tarnished silver in hue, reminiscent of Bison Grass vodka. The nose-feel is mild; the youthful aroma a combination of boiled sweets, acetone (nail varnish remover), and floury ears of wheat. The taste is sweet and simple – ‘quaffable’, with a dash of water, if I am allowed to suggest that!

Tarnished silver in hue, reminiscent of Bison Grass vodka.

J The Loch Fyne Living Cask first appeared in 1999 - a continually changing blended malt, inspired by the renowned oenophile Professor George Saintsbury, who wrote in his Notes on a Cellar Book (1920): “…The more excellent way – formerly practised by all persons of some sense and some means north of the Tweed – is to establish a cask… fill it up with good and drinkable whisky… stand it up on end, tap it half way down or even a little higher, and, when you get to or near the tap, fill it up again with whisky fit to drink, but not too old. “You thus establish what is called in the case of sherry a ‘solera’, in which the constantly changing character of the old constituents doctors the new accessions, and in which these in turn freshen and strengthen the old.” It is an ingenious idea. Not only will the whisky continue to mature and change in the cask, but it provides the lucky owner with the opportunity to create their own unique, blended malt, tailored to their own taste, and to vary the flavour so as never to become bored with one flavour profile. A common drawback reported by owners of casks of single malt is that, frankly, they become weary of drinking the same whisky all the time – not matter how good that whisky might be. When Loch Fyne Whiskies passed into new ownership in 2015, a second ‘Living Cask’ was installed in the shop at Inveraray. The two are continually being ‘refreshed’ with mature malts, left to marry for a period of time then, when the Company Director, John Beard, is happy with the latest marriage of whiskies, bottled and labelled by batch. It strikes me that the flavour profile of this Batch 5 owes more to Speyside malts. The Islay malts which were clearly apparent in earlier batches I have tasted are now less so, although the casks still hold small quantities of the original whiskies filled in 1999. Those who visit the Loch Fyne workshop in Inveraray can taste each batch and write their notes in a tasting ledger kept there for the purpose.

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Spring 2018

New Releases

Platinum Old & Rare Mortlach 25 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Age: 25 Year Old

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70CL Vol: 58.8%

£400

Polished rosewood, with magenta lights; excellent beading. Some nose prickle to start, then Kirsch-filled liqueur chocolates, moist Xmas cake (with marzipan and icing) and old cognac, with a hint of cigar box. A sumptuous texture, mouth-drying overall; the taste starts sweet then dries in a very long, warming finish. A perfect digestif.

J Mortlach has long been ranked Top Class by blenders. Since it is a key filling for the Johnnie Walker whiskies and has been promoted as a single by its owners since 2014, it is uncommon as an independent bottling. This single cask under Hunter Laing’s Platinum Old & Rare label is an unusually good example of the make. Known locally as ‘The Beast of Dufftown’, Mortlach is a famously rich whisky. The new make spirit is described as ‘meaty’ and smells a bit like a roasting tin, or Bovril, and as a result the spirit benefits mightily from maturation in ex-sherry casks. As the distillery owner, Dr. Alexander Cowie, told the Royal Commission on Whisky in 1908: “I am a malt distiller of highly flavoured whisky, a thick type of whisky.” This is one such cask, a first-fill ex-sherry butt which has yielded a mere 319 bottles at natural strength and without tinting or chill-filtration. It is an outstanding example of ‘traditional’ Mortlach: profoundly rich and voluptuous with dark fruits. Last year I was reviewing a 75YO Mortlach, which was gloriously rich and fresh-fruity. It is interesting to compare these notes with this 25YO expression: parallels may be drawn. The distillery has six stills of differing shapes and sizes – including a small one called ‘The Wee Witchy’ – which distil the spirit 2.8 times (rather than the usual 2 times) in a process so complex it is said it takes six months for even experienced operators to master it! I can’t begin to describe it here! How Dr. Cowie came up with it, nobody knows: it defies reason – but it produces a mighty spirit!

…moist Xmas cake… and old cognac, with a hint of cigar box.

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New Releases

The First Editions Mortlach 2009 Speyside Single Malt Age: 8 Year Old

W 70CL

Vol: 46%

…the faintest suggestion of mince pies

£69

0 12

Very pale in colour, like tarnished silver. The aroma is clean and fresh, with a suggestion of baked apple pie, becoming more citric. Light overall, including the texture. The taste is both sweet and acidic (bitter lemon); fresh, with light bubble-gum in the short finish.

The First Editions Linkwood 2006 Speyside Single Malt Age: 11 Year Old

70CL Vol: 46%

£69

013

Very pale in hue, the nose is mellow and well integrated. The light aroma is fresh-fruity – apple, pear, grape – on a faintly waxy base. Elusive and delicate. A thin texture and a sweet taste, with a trace of vanilla and almond flavoured madeleine in the aftertaste.

The First Editions Balmenach 2007 Speyside Single Malt Age: 10 Year Old

70CL Vol: 46%

£65

Like the other two in this series, this is very pale in colour. The nose-feel is denser, richer and more oily, but the aroma is still light: pre-cooked buttery pastry, with the faintest suggestion of mince pies (both sweet and savoury). Sweet then surprisingly salty to taste, with a spicy finish.

…freshfruity – apple, pear, grape

…fresh, with light bubblegum

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Spring 2018

New Releases

J Hunter Laing’s First Editions series offers further evidence of the directors’ interest in books (see The Authors’ Series, Expert Tasting). On the company’s website, Andrew Laing writes: “As the name may suggest, each cask is carefully selected to evoke the qualities of a rare literary volume – those of character and collectability. Colour-coding on the labels denotes the particular regions the whiskies themselves are from and each bottle is individually numbered and presented in a gift tube. A First Editions bottling without doubt makes a valuable addition to anyone’s whisky library.” These youthful additions to the range demonstrate just how good young whiskies can be. I must confess to being initially nervous about assessing them: their almost complete lack of colour indicates that the liquids have spent their short lives in very tired – even exhausted casks – but I was happily surprised. They have lost any immature characteristics, and while the wood has not added much in the way of flavour (let alone colour), this allows the original distillery character to shine forth.

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mortlach was the first distillery to open in Dufftown, which in time would become the principal distilling town in the Highlands, with nine distilleries (six of which are still in operation), giving rise to the old saying: Rome was built on seven hills, But Dufftown stands on seven stills As was the case with many distilleries, the site chosen had formerly been that of an illicit still, making use of a spring named ‘Highlander John’s Well’ – in these days, indeed until the 1980s, the process water was considered to make a fundamental contribution to the flavour of the whisky.

The man who really put Mortlach on the map was Dr. Alexander Cowie MD, who abandoned a medical career in Hong Kong to take over ownership and management of the distillery in 1896, following the death of his father and brother. He was an ingenious innovator – within a year he had installed a branch railway line into the distillery and the next year introduced electric lighting (many distilleries did not have this until after 1945). More important, he invented a unique distilling process (see Mortlach 25YO) which defines the flavour profile of the spirit to this day. By 1900 Dr. Cowie was one of the leading distillers in the Highlands and in 1901 was elected Chairman of the North of Scotland Malt Distillers Association, representing 43 distilleries in the region (see Mortlach 25YO).

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linkwood is also ranked ‘Top Class’ by blenders and is a leading example of what they described as the finesse (elegance) found in lighter-bodied Speyside malts. The distillery was built by Peter Brown of Linkwood in 1821, although it was not commissioned until 1824. He was factor to the extensive Seafield Estates in Moray and Banffshire and one of the foremost agricultural improvers in the northern counties. His brother was General Sir George Brown, who commanded the Light Division during the Crimean War; his father, also named George, was six times Provost of Elgin. In 1933, the distillery was bought by Scottish Malt Distillers, the production division of the Distillers Company Limited, who appointed one Roderick Mackenzie as manager. In common with some others – not least Sir Alexander Walker of Johnnie Walker – Mackenzie believed that the flavour of the spirit might be influenced by external factors in the environment of the stillhouse, and when the plant was replaced in 1962 he insisted that the new stills should not only be exact replicas of the previous stills, but should incorporate their every patch and dent.

Such was the demand for Linkwood that a replica distillery was built alongside the original in 1971, named ‘Linkwood B’. This operated in parallel with Linkwood A until 1985, when the old Linkwood distillery closed. The spirit from each was vatted before being filled into cask, to ensure consistency.

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balmenach Distillery stands in the relatively remote Haughs [i.e. Heights] o’ Cromdale, a mile south of the hamlet of the same name. The Haughs are famous for a ‘battle’ (actually ‘skirmish’) there in 1690, when a small Highland army supporting King James II of England and VII of Scotland narrowly avoided extinction by a larger Government force, owing to mist enveloping the site. The fame of this route was thanks to James Hogg, the 18th C. poet – and later by The Corries folk duo – who conflated Cromdale with a Jacobite victory at Auldearn in Aberdeenshire in 1645, where James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, prevailed over the Army of the Covenant [hence the reference to Cromwell, below], thus making ‘Bad News’ into ‘Good/Fake News’. Hogg’s song concludes: Of twenty-thousand Cromwell’s men A thousand fled to Aberdeen, The rest of them lie on the plain, They’re on the Haughs o’ Cromdale. This was pure Jacobite spin: Montrose had been executed forty years before! Balmenach Distillery was established in 1824. Like the two other First Editions releases in this issue of Whiskeria it is ranked Top Class by blenders. It was bought from Diageo by Inver House Distillers in 1997, but with no maturing stock. This, combined with the fact that it is highly prized for blending purposes, means that it is not available as a proprietary bottling and is rare among independents.

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New Releases

The Old Malt Cask Glen Spey 15 Year Old Speyside Sinlge Malt Age: 15 Year Old

70CL Vol: 50%

£95

Very pale gold in colour – Manzanilla sherry. The first nose also brings Manzanilla to mind, supported by dry floral notes (heather pollen, hay barn?). A little water raises warm vinyl (i.e. Speyside esters). The texture is soft and the taste sweet and fragrant, with a sour finish (like grapefruit).

The texture is soft and the taste sweet and fragrant, with a sour finish…

J Glen Spey Distillery is discreetly tucked in off the main street of Rothes village, below a fragment of the curtain wall of the once formidable Rothes Castle. Dating from the 12th century, by 1309 the castle was owned by the powerful Lesley family, Earls (and Dukes for a year, in 1680) of ‘Rothays’. It was burned down by the rowdy locals in 1662 ‘to prevent thieves from harbouring in it’. The distillery was founded in 1878, within a former corn meal mill, by James Stuart and Co., and named ‘Mill of Rothes’. Stuart had held the distilling license at Macallan since 1868 and in 1886 bought that distillery. Next year he sold Glen Spey to the London wines and spirits company, W. & A. Gilbey (celebrated for its gin), for £11,000 and its name was changed to Glen Spey-Glenlivet. In 1962 Gilbey merged with Justerini & Brooks to create International Distillers and Vintners and this company merged with United Distillers (now Diageo) in 1997. Glen Spey had long been a key malt in the hugely successful J&B Rare blend, and continues to be – which accounts for its rarity as a single malt. Small amounts are bottled by Diageo in their Flora & Fauna range, and an even smaller amount by independent bottlers. This venerable expression comes from Hunter Laing & Co. as part of their Old Malt Cask range. It is an unusually interesting example of the make. In his Notes on Alcohol (1904), Sir Walter Gilbey makes an interesting observation about ‘The Importance of Fire Heat’ (i.e. direct fired stills by naked flame): “It is a curious fact that the heat of the fire also imparts a Flavour to the vaporised matter… It imparts to the Spirit the character known as empyreumatic, which is easily recognized in the product of the Pot Still and which is quite absent in Spirit produced by the Patent Still.” Direct firing is not without its perils, however, and in 1920 Glen Spey was badly damaged by fire. When it was expanded from two to four stills in 1970, indirect firing by steam coils and pans was introduced.

Spring 2018

New Releases

Glenmorangie Spìos Private Edition No.9 Higland Single Malt Age: –

70CL Vol: 46%

£79

Full gold in colour, with a dry, mellow nose-feel. A fruity top note (peach, dried apricots) on a base of lint and chalk/talcum powder, with orange zest, clove and white pepper. A drop of water enhances the latter, adding dusty malt. A smooth texture, mouth drying overall, and a lightly sweet, then savoury taste and a short, spicy, warming finish. Water introducing a trace of vanilla and a fresh bitterness to the finish. Very easy to drink.

J Spìos is the ninth annual addition to Glenmorangie’s innovative Private Edition series. Readers of Whiskeria will remember with pleasure Artein, Ealanta, Companta, Tusail, Milsean and Bacalta – all of which won gold medals in international competitions. Spìos has been exclusively matured in American ex-rye whiskey casks – the first time this has been done by Glenmorangie’s legendary Director of Distilling, Dr. Bill Lumsden, who first encountered straight rye whiskey while travelling in the U.S.A. during the 1990s. It was uncommon at that time: although it was the ‘original’ American whiskey, introduced by Scots and Irish immigrants to Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 17th Century, it was eclipsed by bourbon in the 1930s and has only recently been ‘rediscovered’ by American distillers. To be labelled ‘straight rye’ the mash bill must contain at least 51% rye and be matured in new oak casks – ‘straight bourbon’ must have at least 51% corn (maize). Typically, the percentage of rye or corn is much higher, the balance being made up with wheat and barley. Rye whiskey’s key characteristic is spice – Spìos is Gaelic for ‘spice’ – with savoury and bitter tastes, which made it popular with bartenders in the early 1900s who used it as a base for classic cocktails like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned. Try these classics with Glenmorangie Spìos! As Dr. Bill writes: “ I have always loved American rye whiskey’s spicy character, and I believed our Distillery’s smooth house style would perfectly complement the nuances of ex-rye casks. The result is a full-bodied, savoury single malt whisky which brings to mind American rye whiskey’s golden age. Its fresh, herbal nose hints at cherry, clove and scents of green grass. Then rye’s spice bursts onto the palate as toffee, clove and cinnamon mingle with buttery vanilla, before a sweet and lingering finish.”

…lint and chalk/talcum powder, with orange zest, clove and white pepper.

New Releases

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Time in History

The road to Ardnahoe Brian Wilson explores Islay’s distilling landscape, and discovers how Stewart Laing’s new addition will contribute to the island’s rich whisky heritage… Knowledge Bar Islay Recap Capital: Bowmore Location: 55.77 N 6.15 W Known as the Queen of the Hebrides Southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides Currently home to eight active distilleries

SCOTLAND

Islay

Glasgow

Edinburgh

ENGLAND

Newcastle

The narrow road which opens up the north-east coast of the isle of Islay offers one of the most stunning vistas in Scotland. Turn a corner on a clear day and suddenly you are looking far up the Hebridean chain beyond the Paps of Jura, towards Mull with the Cuillins of Skye in the distance. It is a road which owes its existence to Islay’s pre-eminence in the whisky industry, since it was built in the 1880s boom-time to service new distilleries at Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila. In these days, nobody was considering the views when they chose their sites. These came as a bonus for the folk who lived and toiled in these newly-established distillery villages. Fast forward, however, to 2018. Distilleries are created not just as centres of production but also as visitor attractions where the multitudes of travellers with an interest in Scotch whisky can observe how it is made, appreciate the complexity of the process, and savour the end product in situ. An industry which was long fiercely protective of its secrets is now much better at sharing them.

Soon that winding whisky road will serve a brand new distillery, Ardnahoe, which is due to open later this year. In this case, location has been very important and the distillery has been built around the twin pre-conditions of pure Islay water and a world-class setting. Ardnahoe promises to be a very special addition to Islay’s status as a place of pilgrimage for all lovers of whisky. When Alfred Barnard undertook a grand tour in the 1880s, leading to the publication of his magisterial The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, he described nine establishments on the island of Islay. Their names remain very familiar today… Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, and Bunnahabhain have all been in production ever since, bar wars and occasional crises. Port Ellen ceased production in 1983 but has continued to provide the maltings for several of the Islay distilleries. The owners, Diageo,

Time in History

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Time in History

have announced that the distillery will return to production in 2020. The ninth on Barnard’s list, Lochindaal, was renamed Port Charlotte and closed in 1929. The buildings remained intact and are now closely integrated into production at nearby Bruichladdich. It is a remarkably stable scenario compared to other whisky regions which have boomed and bust, losing far more small distilleries and, in recent years, seeing lots of newcomers emerge. At present, there are at least 40 distillery projects at various stages of development in Scotland but the only one in progress on Islay is Ardnahoe. Indeed, Islay has added only one new label in modern times. When Kilchoman – called after one of the island’s four historic parishes – opened in 2005, it was the first new distillery on the island for 124 years. So, if you are still with me, there are currently eight active distilleries on Islay. The emergence of Ardnahoe, followed by Port Ellen’s reawakening, will take the number to ten. Barnard would probably be surprised by how little has changed in that respect at least! Ardnahoe will represent the fulfilment of a long-held vision for Stewart Laing who has had a lifelong involvement with Scotch whisky. His company, Hunter Laing, sells to 65 countries. It holds vast reserves of wonderful whiskies. However, they have never been distillers in their own right and that is the last piece of the industry jigsaw which will now be filled in at Ardnahoe. It is also a legacy project, and Stewart’s codirectors include his sons, Andrew and Scott. They chose Islay for their distillery largely because of an awareness of world-wide demand for its whiskies which is not being fully met from existing stocks. The first challenge was to find a site and, initially, they looked at one near Bowmore – the island’s main village – where there had been previous plans for a new distillery. When this fell through, they widened their

search and an island landowner offered them a list of six possible sites. The first of these was Ardnahoe and, once they saw it, the rest of the tour became a matter of courtesy rather than necessity. Ardnahoe ticked all their boxes. Iain Hepburn, the engineer in charge of designing and constructing the distillery, recalls: “There was no point going anywhere else. It had everything – the fantastic views, water from the loch and power going through the site. It was perfect”. Iain adds: “It must be one of the most beautiful sites for a distillery anywhere in the world”. No less enthusiastic was Jim McEwan, a legend in the whisky industry, who had been tempted out of retirement to take charge of production. He says: “The most critical requirement is to have a constant supply of high quality, pure water. Without that, it is very difficult to make good whisky. Just across the road from the distillery, Ardnahoe Loch is reputed to be the deepest water on Islay. So, we are assured of water all the year round, very pure and at a pretty constant temperature. Perfect!”. Jim joined the industry at 15 years old in 1963, as an apprentice cooper at Bowmore distillery. Apart from a few years in Glasgow to develop his blending skills, most of his working life has been on his native island – 28 years at Bowmore, latterly as distillery manager and also as global ambassador for the Bowmore brand at a time when it was necessary to educate consumers in the distinctive qualities of single malts in general, and Islay ones in particular. Only one job would have tempted Jim away from Bowmore and it arose when he was asked to join the team of private investors which, around the turn of the century, set out to resurrect Bruichladdich – a distillery for which he had a particular respect. Like many in the industry, he had been outraged when it was closed in 1994 by Jim Beam, who had bought it with great promises of investment. In his role as master distiller and

production director, Jim played a huge role in Bruichladdich’s success story – now owned by Remy Martin, it employs 100 people on Islay. Now, Ardnahoe represents another magnificent challenge for a man with Jim’s background – the chance to shape a new Islay distillery from scratch. Latterly, he experimented with some very high peat contents at Bruichladdich, but the Ardnahoe malt will offer the ‘40 parts per million’ more commonly associated with Islay whiskies. He also says it will be the first time on Islay that the ‘worm tub’ method of condensation has been used, maximising contact with copper and further purifying the water. Jim clearly has a few ideas in mind to make Ardnahoe both different and special. For Iain Hepburn too, it is a project which offers a unique opportunity to design a distillery which is intended to act as a visitor centre as well as a place of production, and also to utilise the outstanding location to maximum effect. It will be a place for whisky connoisseurs to come and enjoy, he says. “The Laings own so many old whiskies which visitors will be able to experience, even before Ardnahoe’s own first production is ready. The great thing about this project is that there is no hurry!”. Stewart Laing dismisses the idea, now common, of bridging the initial production gap by producing gin. “We’re whisky people, not gin people,” he says. Orders are however being taken for casks of the first Ardnahoe production. Meanwhile, he adds: “We are just happy to be part of the island legend – and eventually to enhance it”.

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Spring 2018

Travel

Where they keep the sky Claire Bell dons her walking boots and leads us along the Northumberland Coast Path Knowledge Bar Northumberland Coast Path A 62-mile coastal path running from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to Cresswell Part of the North Sea Trail Traverses two National Nature Reserves Keep track of your journey with the official ‘Coast Path Passport’ northumberlandcoastpath.org

SCOTLAND Berwick-upon-Tweed Edinburgh

Cresswell

ENGLAND

Newcastle

Northumberland is where they keep the sky. The wind blows unencumbered across this low-lying land, creating a pale blue canopy that seems more expansive than anywhere else in Britain. From Berwick-upon-Tweed to Cresswell runs a 62-mile coastal path that meanders close to windswept beaches backed by high sand dunes, regarded by many as among the most stunning coastal scenery in Europe. The path is part of the North Sea Trail, which also passes through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, following in the footsteps of saints and those who have carved lives from the sea. The official advice is to walk from south to north, as the prevailing wind is from the south-west, but when I set out in early December, an insistent, freezing wind comes from the north, so I head south instead from Berwick, with the wintery chill licking the back of my neck.

The trail is divided into six stages, measuring between 6 and 13 miles, but the longer stretches are too far for a winter’s day cut short by fading light, so my plan is to do portions of the path over four days, using local bus services and taxis to return to a warm bed in Berwick each night. I set out from the ramparts of Berwick on a bright morning, bundled up in an Arctic jacket. Across the bay, the early morning rollers are crashing into the sands of Spittal Bay while, in the sheltered harbour of Berwick, the still incoming tide laps against the old cobbles. Berwick was once a rich, bustling northern port town, a hub of salmon and grain trade. Its wealth was one of the reasons the English wrestled it from the Scots, riches that are no more, with the High Street populated with charity shops. Still, its grand architecture remains and I can’t help feeling like it’s a town of giant doll’s houses whose children have lost interest.

Travel

I’ve just crossed the 400-year old stone bridge across the Tweed, when I’m lured by the sign of a pottery in a grand Georgian manor house. Peter and Margaret Thomas have been throwing pots here for over 40 years, using designs traced back to post-medieval times. The pots are dipped into a white liquid called slip and, when dry, they scratch elaborate designs into them using a technique called ‘sgraffito’. Their creations are heirloom pieces, giant serving platters and water jugs, decorated with detailed scenes of Berwick life, with prices averaging at £250 per piece. There’s no room in a walker’s backpack, so I take my leave down a path that was once a railway spur line, and is now a community woodland project. Down at Spittal Bay, the waves are pounding and the sand is whirled up like anklehigh ghosts pointing the way. At the end of the beach, a wooden sign engraved with a blue

wave points the continuation of the coastal path up a wooden staircase and onto the cliffs, while the sea crashes into rugged coves below. Two walkers pass by – both women also walking alone – and we smile at each other with warmth and an acknowledgement that we walk these paths, in search of time with ourselves, and there’s no need to stop and chat. Today my destination is Cocklawburn Beach, in total a 4-mile walk. There is something about these sands that remind me of remote corners of Africa. Where the land belongs to nature and we are only visitors, just passing through. I arrange a lift back, but it’s possible to walk inland to Scremerston to pick up the local bus. My second day’s walking starts at Goswick Beach. My Yorkshire aunt has joined me, and today we plan to walk the Pilgrim’s Way to the Holy Island, a total of 6 miles. The first stretch is through low sand dunes

and a Ministry of Defence sign warns us against straying from the path: the beach is peppered with unexploded ordinance from World War 2. We stop for a snack in an estuary teeming with birds from the Arctic who come here to feed during winter, and arrive at the start of the Pilgrim’s Way, just as the tide has receded. Ever since 635AD, when King Oswald gave the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to St. Aidan to establish his monastery, the island has been a place of pilgrimage. The road was not constructed until 1954 and, until then, 3 miles of upright wooden poles were the only indicators of the safe route between the mainland and island. The first few hundred metres are still ankle-deep in water, so we begin our crossing on the car causeway. The northern wind has grown stronger overnight and it is hard to stay upright and out of the way of the cars. After a few hundred metres, we notice the

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Spring 2018

water has receded, and we make our way onto the sand. The scene is mesmerising. Wind and water are creating fantastical patterns in the sand, a rainbow briefly appears, and the thin clouds above keep breaking, sending through shafts of yellow light, often said to be souls ascending to heaven. An hour later we begin to wonder if those souls might be ours as we discover that our path is blocked by water: the north wind is blowing so strongly, the water is being blown back in. My hardy aunt concocts a plan, picking a way backwards, sideways, jumping across puddles. I follow tentatively. We had already been ankle-deep in mud half an hour earlier, and I shudder at the thought of being trapped in sinking sand. But her route is sure and within minutes we are back on track. As we scramble ashore, we feel like true pilgrims and sing our hallelujahs with steaming hot chocolate at the Pilgrim’s Coffee House in the village. For much of the year, if you time it well, there is a bus service that connects the Holy Island back to Berwick, but the winter timetable is patchy and so we have to rely on a taxi. The following morning is fierce mid-winter, with snow, sleet, hail and rain. We take the X81 bus, which connects much of the length of the trail, from Berwick to Bamburgh, and opt for a short walk of just 3.5 miles to the old fishing town of Seahouses. The jewel of Bamburgh is its castle, which has an incredible history. In 1610, after 1200 years of royal ownership, King James I gave

it to the Forster family as thanks for their service to the crown. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s it was run as a hospital for the poor, a home for shipwrecked sailors and a training school for young women, until a corruption scandal forced it to be sold. In 1894 the industrialist Lord Armstrong bought it as a passion project to ease his grief for his recently passed wife, and intended it to be a convalescent home for his workers. Over 12 years, he restored it to its Norman glory, spending what would be equivalent to £250 billion in today’s money. Today it is still owned by the youngest Lord Armstrong, a ruddy, working farmer who lives nearby, and who keeps the castle open all year round to visitors. The bus drops us at the end of The Wynding, more like The Winding. A tempest rages against our bodies and sleet scratches against our faces. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I ask my aunt.“Get on with it. It’s just like a summer’s day,” she cackles with northern irony. It’s usually possible to walk the whole way on the beach, but the sea is ferocious and we’re wary of becoming the headline on the local news, so instead we cut a path through the high dunes which bring relief from the battering wind. The dunes spits us out as the land turns a sharp corner, and we are forced onto a roadside path from where we can see the Farne Islands, uninhabited and unmoveable in a brooding sea. After two hours of dogged

trudging, our reward is a warm stew at the Olde Ship Inn in Seahouses and an open fire to dry our socks. Our last day brings bright sunshine with a hint of warmth. Still battered by the day before, we opt for a circular walk from the charming seaside village of Low Newton to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle which, from a distance, looks like a giant chess set, the queen squaring up to the king, while the rook stands off to the side. For the first time in days, we are not alone. This is a walk popular with locals and the beach is a hive of dogs, families and the RNLI practising their manoeuvres in a dinghy. We walk as far as Embleton Links, stopping for a rest in the lea side of a World War 2 bunker, and then head back through the dunes, gazing with envy at the best beach houses in Britain – tiny wooden chalets built into the dunes that date back to the 1930s. Our four days of walking comes to an end at the The Ship Inn in Low Netwon, which serves up crabs, kippers and pints from its microbrewery. A hand-painted sign commemorates a day in 2012, when HRH Prince of Wales “drank a fine ale here one afternoon.” We do the same. We have earned it.

Travel

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

My Craft

Suit yourself This spring, we got the measure of luxury menswear designer Alan Moore from ten30

Knowledge Bar

ten30

Est. 2011 by Alan Moore Supported by Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Commissioned to produce uniforms for Caledonian Sleeper, including a bespoke tartan Supplier of ambassador uniforms to Johnnie Walker Red Label during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Located at 8 Millar Road, Ayr, KA7 2AY ten30.co.uk

How would you sum up your work at ten30 in 3 words? Contemporary Luxury Design What inspired you to establish ten30? I studied textile design at Glasgow School of Art, with a specific focus on embroidered womenswear. I thought that I wanted to work in high fashion but quickly realised that I possessed neither the skills nor the experience to do so. I felt like I still had a lot of creative exploration to do after art school, so I set about making dresses and womenswear in a small studio in Glasgow.

After a couple of yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; creative and expressive work, I was commissioned by Harris Tweed Hebrides to design and manufacture a collection of menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jackets; the brief was to tell a story of Scotland through Harris Tweed. I designed a range, then the project came to a stand-still due to production costs and other factors out-with my control. A few months later I was asked to supply menswear for a photoshoot for Scotland on Sunday, and we ended up with a four-page spread and the cover image using those same jackets.

Right: Black and grey cashmere blend double breasted dinner jacket with matching charcoal wool trousers

My Craft

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Spring 2018

What personal experiences have inspired and shaped ten30 as a brand? Throughout my studies, I worked part time in the denim store REPLAY. The brand was great, and I think my time there shaped the way that I conduct business now, listening to the customer and fulfilling their needs, rather than pushing a product on them. My interest has always been in textile design – I get excited by looking at how certain fabrics will work together. I’ve found that playing to your strengths is valuable in business, so I focus on design, styling and knowledge of tailoring, and leave the cutting and sewing to our expert tailoring partners. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be given a Scholarship from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust – the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association – to further study embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework. Through QEST I’ve had the opportunity to meet some truly aspirational figures and learn invaluable lessons in customer service, quality of product, and working in the luxury sector. Tell us about a ‘day in the life’ of Alan Moore. As a small business owner, I need to wear a lot of hats. I’m not a routine kind of person, I don’t have set hours or times to do things. I don’t think I can afford to be so rigid with time, as things can change at short notice. A lot of my time is spent in the studio, one-on-one with customers, designing suits. I enjoy the interaction and, even as the company grows, it’s an aspect of ten30 that

I’m keen to always be a part of. I have a great relationship with our UK tailors and fabric suppliers, so I’m usually on the phone to them a couple of times a day. New projects are crucial for any business and as we’re still small, I spend a lot of time networking and talking with other businesses about potential collaborations and partnerships. What differentiates ten30 from other tailors? Because my background is in design rather than fashion or tailoring. I can remove myself from the technical aspects of how the garment is going to be put together and focus more on the aesthetics. I enjoy clashing patterns and textures and being a bit bold with how you dress, and I encourage that with my customers. I think my skill is in being able to bring an idea together, adding subtle points of interest that indicate consideration in design, but with restraint. The idea is to have an outfit that sticks out from the crowd, but for no obvious reason. We do this by ensuring the fit is perfect and the fabrics that make up the garment are interesting, without being garish. What’s been your favourite project to work on so far? ten30 is primarily focused on contemporary luxury tailoring, however collaboration with bigger brands is another large part of the business. We’ve been involved in a lot of exciting projects, but my favourite will always be the collaboration we did with Johnnie Walker during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. We were commissioned to design and supply a range of ambassadors’ uniforms for Johnnie Walker Red Label, as they had a huge presence during the games. We made simple jackets and waistcoats using a beautifully rich scarlet Harris Tweed, accented with gold linings and black lapels, branded with the striding man embroidered in gold on the chest. This project will always be one I remember fondly as it was our first big brand collaboration and was so well received. Glasgow was buzzing with the atmosphere of the Games, and to play a small part in that was a real privilege. After the project finished we were invited on a weekend retreat to Jonnie Walker’s Drummuir Castle and a

tour of the Cardhu Distillery, which was truly unforgettable. You source your fabrics in the UK – how do you go about choosing which suppliers to use? Some tailors will boast thousands of fabrics to choose from, from mills around the world, although too much choice can be daunting at times. I’ve carefully curated a portfolio of fabrics that suit every occasion, a mix of colours, patterns, weights and compositions. We only use fabric woven in the UK from natural fibres, so lots of wools and cashmeres. I’ve created a collection that ranges from the very different to the very subtle. We’ve been working with the same mills over the last 5 or so years – good business is built on good relationships. Talk us through the process of designing a suit or look for a customer. Each customer will have a different idea of what they want and it’s my job to advise them on how we can make that idea a reality. All appointments are private – our customers deserve undivided attention. Initially we discuss the purpose of the suit, then we look at fabrics, and there are usually plenty of finished suits waiting for collection to help inspire new customers too. Once a fabric is chosen we start to design the garment and look at the subtle details. The whole process is very customer-led, I try not to interfere too much, although can guide them and offer advice on what I think will not only look great, but will suit the occasion and their personality. Once the designing is done we take notes and measurements to ensure the suit fits perfectly and uniquely to the customer’s own shape. I believe that you should see the man in the suit, not the suit on the man. Our tailors cut and sew the garments using the guidelines I’ve given them and produce what we call a ‘try on’. The customer is then invited back to the studio where we pin the garments and shape it to their body. Finally, the garment is sent back to our tailors, who re-cut the pieces, using the new alterations as a guide. The customer then has the opportunity to try on the finished suit, ready to be worn out the door. Left: French navy Harris Tweed blazer and silk tie

My Craft

Was that editorial exposure a turning point for you? Yes – we started seriously selling product after that. The Scotland on Sunday images were picked up by an American website with thousands of subscribers and, from then on, we started selling jackets all around the world. As the business expanded I felt that we needed to refine the product and the offering, so sought out tailors who could work in partnership with us to cut and sew, whilst we designed and consulted with customers. Restricting our sales to bespoke one-to-one has been far more beneficial to the business – there’s much more control over the process and our customers are more likely to return in future.

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

What’s your favourite anecdote from your time at the helm of ten30? There’ve been plenty of career highlights, including meeting the First Minister at the launch of the new Caledonian Sleeper, trips to Islay working on a big distillery project, taking part in a huge charity fashion show in New York and being invited to showcase work at the Royal Windsor Horse Show which was opened by the Queen. Near the end of 2017 I was invited to The Palace in the spring of 2018 to attend a fashion event hosted by The Duchess of Cambridge; I’m sure this will be a special event and one that I’ll remember for a long time to come, although the question is what does one wear to such an event?! You are closely tied to the whisky industry – how/why is that? We have various links and ties to the whisky industry and I’ve built up a great relationship with a host of brands and ambassadors. I spent a lot of time working in hospitality throughout my studies and in the infancy of the business. There’s a certain fraternity that exists within the bar community and it’s something you don’t ever leave. Working in bars you develop a knowledge, understanding and appreciation of not just whisky but food and drink as a whole. I think having this knowledge and appreciation, and having served my time on the other side of the bar, has opened a lot of doors for me to introduce the brand. I’m a fan of whisky and I’ve found that it’s a great conversation starter with customers – everyone in Scotland has some kind of experience with the dram. What’s your favourite whisky? Do you think it changes depending on the situation? Although I love the big peats of Islay whiskies, my favourite must be Oban 14. Oban holds fond memories for me; my wife and I went there for our first weekend away together, and we enjoyed plenty of seafood, boat trips and our fair share of the local uisge beatha. We frequently visit, shared a dram of Oban from our quaich on our wedding day, and we’ve hidden away a special bottle to open when we celebrate the birth of our son in Spring 2018.

Left: Blue and grey checked Harris Tweed suit with contrasting burnt orange Harris Tweed waistcoat and silk tie.

The Johnnie Walker project opened my mind to blended whiskies served as a long drink – before then I reserved whisky drinking for stormy nights by the fire. A blend, like Johnnie Walker Red Label or Monkey Shoulder, served over ice with a splash of ginger ale makes for a smashing summer thirst quencher. Are there parallels between whisky and bespoke tailoring/styling? There are certainly parallels between whisky and tailoring, both in terms of how the product is produced and how it’s then enjoyed. They both start with simple raw materials and ingredients; the better they are at the start, the better the final product. Once the best ingredients are sourced it’s up to the experts, but it’s at this stage that it comes down to personal taste. There’s always a choice, and an expert should be on hand to guide you into making that choice. The two industries are about experience and story, and there’s also the element of craft – it’s easy to throw all the ingredients together and come out with a final product, but it takes years of training and practice to develop something truly great. What do you see for the future of ten30? We’ve been in our Ayrshire studio for just over a year now, and have settled into the community. We still have a substantial customer base in Glasgow and the West of Scotland and I think, with the launch of our new website this spring, we’ll see that grow as well. Weddings have been big for us and we’ve already made plans to be more involved in wedding markets and events. I enjoy working with grooms, it’s a real privilege to be part of their big day. We’ve also launched a new range of accessories including ties, socks, cufflinks and hats and we’re looking to add a ready-towear shirt range this year as well. For 2018 it’s about refinement for us – we have a product and service that is of exceptional quality, so now we’re at the stage where we’re making small tweaks, constantly seeking to improve, but without changing too much.

My Craft

You designed the Caledonian Sleeper uniforms – tell us more about that project. We’ve been uniform partners with Caledonian Sleeper for three years now and it’s been a fantastic project. The train service had been bought over and, initially we were commissioned by a third party to produce design proposals and pitch the idea. After winning the contract we were able to take on the project fully without that third party’s outside influence. This meant that I could work with mills, factories and suppliers that I’d already built relationships with, all based in Scotland, and that I could have complete transparency of the supply chain. The brief was very open, which is often more difficult, so I tried to be very specific; I wanted to design something that was classic and timeless, evoked ideas of the romance of travel and was emblematic of Scotland. I was inspired by things like vintage art deco rail posters, luxury trains such as the Orient Express, and Wes Anderson films. I wanted to create an image of style and elegance that is usually seen in 5 star hotels or old movies. I worked with Harris Tweed Hebrides to design a bespoke fabric that perfectly matched the new livery of Midnight Teal, and this served as the lead fabric for the project which everything else would be paired with. I also designed a bespoke tartan which is now registered with the Official Tartans Register in Edinburgh; it consists of eight colours representing the eight stops that are on the journey. I’ve learnt some valuable lessons from the Sleeper project – both our brands hold dear the values of luxury, comfort, attention to detail and customer service.

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

Distillery Visit

Bowmore – the original Islay From an incredible history to amazing innovation – find out more about Bowmore with Gavin Smith. Knowledge Bar Bowmore Established by David Simpson in 1779 Acquired by Suntory Holdings Ltd. (later Beam Suntory) in 1994 Around 40% of malt comes from the distillery’s own floor maltings Peated to 25 ppm No.1 Vaults is the world’s oldest maturation facility

Single malts from the Hebridean island of Islay have never been more desirable. They are appreciated for their unique character all over the world, and ‘whisky tourists’ flock to Islay, especially for the annual Fèis Ile ‘Festival of Music and Malt,’ held during the last week of May. At the heart of the island is the capital of Bowmore, and its eponymous distillery is undoubtedly one of the world’s greats. It is also the oldest on Islay, having opened for business in 1779 close to the centre of the village, with its distinctive white-harled round church standing at the top of the Main Street. The church dates back to 1769 and the earliest foundations of Bowmore as a town. It is said that the church was constructed in the round in order to deny the devil any corners in which to hide!

heritage

The distillery was established by experienced Islay distiller David Simpson, who doubled as postmaster and ferry operator, and the Simpsons ran Bowmore until 1837. In that year, it was acquired by William and James Mutter of Glasgow, also owners of Jura distillery, which they then sold off. According to a letter written by John McDougall, who had joined the Simpsons in 1829, aged 12, the Mutters “…brought to Bowmore from Jura Dist. the small heater and the small Spirit still, at that time the plant was very small they could only mash 100 bushels a week.”

Distillery Visit

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

the distillery today

Bowmore is a relatively small distillery in terms of capacity, with a maximum annual output of two million litres, and it features an eight-tonne semi-lauter stainless steel mash tun, six Oregon pine washbacks, and two pairs of stills. A rare feature is the continued use of floor maltings, which provide around 40 per cent of the distillery’s malt, peated to 25 parts per million (ppm), while malt imported from the mainland is malted to the same specification. Bowmore is sometimes described as the ‘smokiest’ Islay single malt, although its peating level places it somewhere in the middle, between unpeated spirit made at Bruichladdich and the same distillery’s super-peated Octomore expression, which has been known to exceed 300ppm! the whiskies

The core Bowmore range includes No.1 – matured entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, which impart a creamy sweetness that blends well with the brand’s robust smokiness – and 12, 15, 18 and 25 year-oldexpressions. Traditionalists appreciate the fact that Bowmore has not opted to go down the ‘non-age statement’ route followed by some of its competitors; the fact that the distillery has operated without interruption for many years has endowed it with an enviable inventory of older whiskies, added by a policy of reserving the entire output for single malt releases. In addition to the core aged expressions, two bottlings are currently available in the Vintner’s Trilogy of limited editions, where Bowmore’s signature flavour is influenced by attributes from wine, Port and sherry casks.

The initial release was a cask strength 18-year-old, which spent its first 13 years in bourbon barrels before being transferred to Manzanilla sherry casks for a further five years. This has been followed by a 26-year-old, which also spent 13 years in Bourbon casks, before a further 13 years in French oak barriques (See more from Charles MacLean in New Releases). Third in the Vintner’s Trilogy is to be a 27-year-old expression, finished in Port casks, and due to hit the shelves around the middle of this year.

Tying in with the focus on No.1 Vaults, one of the most significant offerings from Bowmore in recent years is the 51.5%VOL Vault Edit1⁰N, with the first release being subtitled ‘Atlantic Sea Salt.’ According to the distillers, “Four notable layers characterise all Bowmore whiskies as a result of the rare environment inside the No.1 Vaults. Each release in the four-part series characterises a different layer. Atlantic sea salt, peat-smoked perfection, full-bodied fruitiness and silky sweetness.” appearance counts

hidden depths

Much of Bowmore’s recent promotional activity has centred around the existence of No.1 Vaults, the first warehouse constructed at the distillery, and a building that received its first cask in 1779. It is the oldest whisky maturation facility in the world, and is partly below sea level. It experiences very minor temperature changes compared to other warehouses, and the prevailing damp salt air means that evaporation is less than in many cases, while that air also shapes the style of the ageing spirit. Not surprisingly, No.1 Vaults is used to house some of Bowmore’s oldest and most treasured whiskies. These have included the now legendary ‘Black Bowmore,’ distilled during 1964 and filled into Oloroso sherry casks. The distinctively dark colour imparted during maturation led to the expression’s name. Several releases of Black Bowmore have taken place, with the fifth and last occurring in 2016, and comprising 159 bottles. To highlight the vital role of maritime maturation in the production of Bowmore’s whisky, a marketing campaign titled ‘Unlock Hidden Depths’ has been launched – using the key phrase that “distilleries make spirit, but wood makes whisky.” At the heart of the campaign is a virtual reality tour of the distillery and No.1 Vaults, filmed using a drone, and featuring interactive touchpoints (www.bowmore.com/ virtual-reality).

Additionally, the packaging of the entire Bowmore range has been renewed, with a design inspired by waves crashing on the sea walls at the distillery. Each carton carries an illustration of the wooden doors of No.1 Vaults and features muted hues that reflect the colours of the Vaults and the white walls of the distillery itself. A facsimile of founder David Simpson accompanies the age statement, where applicable, and embossed onto each bottle label is the same padlock which features in other promotional material, and is an illustration of the actual lock still used on No.1 Vaults today. final flourish

The most recent addition to the Bowmore line-up of whiskies is also the most exclusive. Just 74 bottles of Bowmore 1966 – a 50-yearold expression – went on sale last December. Maturation took place in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead, which was placed in the No.1 Vaults. The cask (#4675) was filled in the same year that Eddie McAffer joined the Bowmore team, ultimately serving as distillery manager before his retirement after 50 years of service, in 2016. Fifty years’ working for one distillery is an impressive achievement by any standards, as is the ability to release whiskies of the same vintage, but history and heritage seem to seep out of every pore of Bowmore distillery, which is one of Scotland’s oldest. Just to give some context: when the first barrels were rolled into No.1 Vaults, Britain was fighting the 13 colonies that had declared independence in North America to form the United States!

Distillery Visit

JB Sherriff and Co. (1925 to 1950) was another significant owner of Bowmore, which was bought by Stanley P. Morrison Ltd. in 1963, with the company rebranding itself as Morrison Bowmore Ltd. in 1987. Having acquired a significant share in the firm during 1989, the leading Japanese distiller Suntory Holdings Ltd. took full ownership five years later. In 2014, Suntory acquired Beam Inc., owners of fellow Islay distillery, Laphroaig.

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

Mixing It Up

World whiskies, British spring This season, Speciality Brands’ drinks expert, Jon Lister, has created a menu of incredible cocktails that bring world whiskies firmly into the Great British springtime. Knowledge Bar

Jon Lister

Head of Creativity & Drinks Joined Speciality Brands in 2013 Represented the UK in the Diplomatico World Tournament cocktail competition Experience working in all types of bars, from craft pubs to cocktail lounges The ‘go to’ mixologist at Speciality Brands

Those of us used to drinking Scotch don’t tend to associate whisky with the onset of spring and the ushering in of the warmer months. But when your whiskies hail from more exotic climes, a plethora of different flavour profiles become available that perfectly complement the balmier evenings to come. So, this spring we introduce Indian Amrut, Taiwanese Kavalan and a Japanese grain whisky from Nikka whose tropical fruit-driven flavours perfectly suit springtime sips, plus complexyet-versatile Nikka from the Barrel and a rich, herbaceous atypical rye from Michter’s, simply mixed to excite your palate and challenge your preconceptions of whisky for good…

‘cherry’ “Nikka from the Barrel is our signature brand and so it made sense to serve it in a Mizuwari, which is the traditional way the Japanese drink their whisky, no matter what the season – it holds a similar place in their culture to a British gin and tonic. A Mizuwari is effectively a whisky and water; in this variation, I’ve introduced cherry which reflects the cherry notes in the whisky, and is also just coming into season in British spring. Birch water is a beautiful, clean, fresh element and from around March you can (in theory) tap the birch trees to extract the sap! The final element of red sorrel gives the drink a hint of citrus.”

Mixing It Up

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Cherry

— Nikka From The Barrel 50ml (cherry steeped) Birch Water 100ml — Glass: Highball Garnish: Red ‘butterfly’ sorrel — Method: This is done in the style of a Mizuwari cocktail, so a built drink. Simply add all ingredients to the glass with ice and gently mix. Top with more ice if required (making sure the glass is full) and then garnish. —

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

‘apricot’ “Amrut’s tropical ageing lends the whisky some really tangible stone fruit flavours, which I’ve chosen to emphasise in this creation. It’s like a white Manhattan, but with added spring/summer vibes to really complement the Indian whisky and make it unmistakably seasonal.” ‘nettle’ “Michter’s single barrel rye is much more rounded and sippable than your usual rye whiskeys, which means it lends itself beautifully to an Old Fashioned in which you’d typically use bourbon. The whiskey itself has lovely menthol, herbaceous notes, so using nettle and cardamom really enhances these to give you a wonderfully fresh Old Fashioned that’s ideal for spring.” ‘elderflower’ “Kavalan Classic Single Malt is defined by these amazing mango and jasmine notes, which make it ideal for taking in a more effervescent, cleansing direction with sparkling wine and seasonal elderflower. I prefer to use Prosecco over Champagne in this cocktail, as the flavour is more fruit driven from the grape – while Champagne introduces more acidity – and so complements the tropical fruity whisky more. The ingredients in this one really challenge those common preconceptions about mixing whisky, and show it can be a fantastic spirit for the warmer seasons!” ‘rhubarb’ “For me, rhubarb is perhaps the most quintessential of British springtime flavours, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to the sweeter flavours of this delicious Japanese grain whisky, as opposed to spirit made from malted barley. I’ve balanced that sweetness out with ginger bitters and freshly-squeezed grapefruit in this reimagining of the classic whisky sour.”

Mixing It Up

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

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Nettle

— Michter’s Rye 50ml Nettle cordial 10ml Cardamom bitters 3 dashes — Glass: Rocks glass Garnish: Mint sprig & orange zest — Method: Add all ingredients into a stirring glass or tin, fill with ice and stir until the drink has the correct level of dilution (taste as you go, you don’t need too much water). Pour into a rocks glass, fill with ice, then zest the orange, bruise the mint (this is to release aroma) and place into the glass. —

Mixing It Up

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Elderflower

— Kavalan Single Malt 20ml Elderflower liqueur 15ml Sparkling wine 75ml Sugar syrup (optional) 2.5ml — Glass: Coupette or Champagne saucer Garnish: Lemon zest or edible flowers — Method: This is all built straight into the suggested glass, so make sure the glass is chilled! Add all ingredients, ending with the sparkling wine – I prefer a fruity Prosecco for this drink. Give a little stir and garnish. —

Whiskeria

Spring 2018

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Rhubarb

— Nikka Coffey Grain 50ml Grapefruit juice (fresh) 20ml Rhubarb cordial 20ml Egg white 15ml Ginger bitters 3 dashes — Glass: Large coupette Garnish: Rhubarb ribbon — Method: Add all ingredients except the bitters into your cocktail shaker with ice and give a really hard shake until a slight frosting appears on the side of the shaker. Then, strain into a chilled glass making sure no ice shards get into the glass – you should have a rich, creamy top to the cocktail. Finally, add three drops of ginger bitters decoratively on top. Finish with garnish. —

Mixing It Up

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Apricot

— Amrut Single Malt 40ml Cocchi Americano 25ml Apricot infused white balsamic 5ml Peach bitters 1 dash — Glass: Coupette Garnish: Lemon Thyme — Method: Add all ingredients into a stirring glass or tin, fill with ice and stir until the drink has the correct level of dilution (taste as you go, you don’t need too much water). When ready, pour into a pre-chilled glass, making sure none of the ice enters the glass, then garnish. —

Whiskeria

My Whiskeria

Natural Talent With an ever-expanding empire built on the humble foundations of fantastic Scottish produce, Tom Kitchin tells us how, and why, he’s on a mission to get everyone eating with the seasons… Knowledge Bar Tom Kitchin Scotland’s youngest Michelin starred chef proprietor at 29 Trained at legendary restaurants, including 3-Star La Tante Claire in London, 3-Star Guy Savoy in Paris, and 3-Star Michelin Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo Lives in Edinburgh with his wife and business partner Michaela and their 4 sons

My Whiskeria

Whiskeria

My Whiskeria

Let’s start at the beginning: did you have a eureka moment where you thought “I need to be a chef!”? It was a gradual process which started from taking a part time job when I was 13 washing dishes in the local pub, and then going on to helping with the starters and the desserts and just falling in love with the adrenaline of the kitchen. That’s how it started – and I was just desperate to get out of school to be honest. I left school at 16, which was a big thing, looking back on it – my parents letting me leave and supporting me to go to catering college. I’m 40 now so it was over 20 odd years ago; these days people say, “Ah you’re a chef, that’s great!”, because it’s accepted, but 20 years ago, it wasn’t. Looking at that now, as a parent myself, I think wow, that was pretty cool. Are you encouraging your own kids to get into ‘foodie stuff’? No, we’re not pushing them into anything really, they’re so young. But, of course, food is a big part of their upbringing because that’s what we do. We eat well. We’re starting now to consciously get them doing things. But there’s four of them, so it’s quite full on; no one wants to help, and then everyone wants to help at the same time… Have you ever had a moment where you thought “God, what am I doing”? Yeah, many, many moments. Those are defining moments which have been throughout my career, as long as I can remember. It’s a very, very challenging industry, especially when you’re young.

You’ve often spoken about it being about survival in those early days… I worked with some really tough chefs – some really incredible guys who pushed you to your absolute limit. Even though you’re 18, or you’re 20, or 21 – you’re an adult, but you’re still young, living in London or Paris on your own, getting your backside kicked every day, no money, it was challenging. Really hard. Do you think those experiences have shaped you and your approach to your own staff? Without a shadow of a doubt, yes, it’s definitely influenced me. Of course it would. I see young kids and I think, you’re good, you’ve got talent and you’ve got to fight these moments. I’ve lost chefs who I thought would be amazing. They’ve just given up, because it’s so challenging, so hard. And you try to take the modern-day approach – an arm round the shoulder, a chat, “Come on, you can do this!”. I didn’t get any of that. It was “If you don’t like it, the door’s open”. How do you think you’ve evolved as a chef? I have changed dramatically as a chef, and a restauranteur. This year is 11 years (since opening The Kitchin), and in the first year we were open the restaurant was nothing like this: we had a second-hand stove, we had two chefs – today there’s like 15 chefs – and I was (and still am) pretty full on. You know, pumped with adrenaline constantly. Do you feel a bit more relaxed now? Yes and no. I’ve still got that adrenaline pumping and yes, I’m still full on, but it’s more about managing things now, whereas before I was a bit hot headed. I was going through staff like no tomorrow. It’s just the pressure of the kitchen, you know? Especially when the business was so young, it was really daunting. A young couple setting up a business, and then getting success so quickly, and then people’s expectations were so high…

Did you set out with a Michelin star in mind when you opened The Kitchin? No, not at all. I’d be lying if it wasn’t in my brain, but it was literally just trying to open a business and cook some nice food and do something a bit different. Was the ‘From Nature To Plate’ ethos always in the back of your mind? It was massively in my head because of my training. Having worked in France in really iconic restaurants, I knew the value and the respect of produce. Unless, as a young chef, you get out there and work with the best, you don’t really fall in love with the importance of getting the best produce. And that doesn’t mean the most expensive produce. The ‘From Nature To Plate’ thing was something we came up with before we opened the restaurant but the ethos was always there. Is seasonal eating something you practice at home too? Oh yes, massively. I will not let the kids have something… Well, not “I will not” – for peace sometimes you do! – but you try to make them understand the ethos of seasonal food and how important it is. We hear you’ve never hunted your own game – is that still the case? No, I’ve never shot anything. I would, of course I would. I think that, from the outside, people think you’re successful and you’re kicking back, relaxing. But it’s mental – every day is absolutely insane still. That’s the way life is. You’re not allowed to shoot on Sundays and that’s generally when my day off is! And you work so hard – I work every night – so you want to see the family on your day off. What about foraging? Yeah, we do that in summer/autumn. We go mushroom hunting and mushroom picking. And that’s nice, because the kids love to do it. Michaela, my wife, she’s very good at mushroom picking. Because she’s Swedish and she grew up with it she’s really good at finding them, which is annoying!

“You’d be amazed at how many adults are petrified of food.”

My Whiskeria

Whiskeria

My Whiskeria

Your new book, Meat & Game, seems to follow the style of your previous books, inspiring home cooks to use seasonal ingredients. But how do people go about sourcing game meat? It’s a good question, but it is there! First of all, farmers’ markets are all over now. They generally have guys supplying venison, pheasant, partridge – all those type of things. Also, good butchers, and speaking to your butcher. And online, as well, is another great way of getting game. A lot of people now are so interested in knowing where their meat is from, or fish or vegetables, that they’re getting boxes sent to their house. Do you feel a responsibility for introducing people to seasonal food, and educating them on how and what to eat? Yeah. There’s two sides to that. There’s the life I have here in the restaurant; I think it’s a privileged position. People come here and trust me, implicitly, to cook for them. And you’d be amazed at how many adults are petrified of food. They’re super fussy; they only eat chicken, or they only drink Sauvignon Blanc, and it’s a big thing coming to a restaurant sometimes. Often you’ll come and talk to the customers, and one will be super excited, and the other thinks they’re going on a Bushtucker trial or something! To see them come through the other side, when they’ve had scallops or something, is great. I find it quite nice that you can push the boundaries with people. I really enjoy that aspect. And then the flipside is that I’m now coming to terms with my social responsibility to try and help children and get people to eat well, and just doing little things for the community.

Is that element something that’s developed since you’ve had your own family? Yeah, totally. Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you can influence a little bit, that you can help – it’s quite big shoes to grow into. How is that, realising that you’ve become a bit of a celebrity? I don’t like that word! Across the road there’s a youth centre, and it’s got kids from every background, and really heart-breaking stories. So, for example, we’ve done two dinners: we take the kids, we interview them, they come into the kitchen and learn how to cook something. Even just getting these kids into work at 9 o’clock is an achievement. Just going on the journey like that, is something that I’ve found really rewarding. It’s difficult to find time, but it’s something I’d like to do more of. And going to schools, and inviting schools to come here – I like that a lot. How do you think social media and the increase in ‘foodie’ TV has changed the way people interact with food? Some people are more interested, and some are coming in to take the photo before they eat for that ‘Instagram’ moment. And I find inspiration from Instagram, definitely – when you follow your industry you have great access to the world. You can follow the French chefs, or you follow people who are travelling. I can’t understand why you wouldn’t find that inspiring, to see things like that. And you have to move with the times. Some chefs don’t allow telephones in their restaurants, and that’s their choice, but I feel that the world is changing and moving so fast, we have to embrace it.

What prompted you to choose Meat & Game as the theme for your latest book? It was really interesting. I had this idea for a book and went through it with the publisher who was like, “Tom, what’re you doing? You’ve got to be true to yourself! You’re all about game, you’re all about meat. We need a book that is going to be the ‘go to’ book”. As a chef, we get asked so many times, “Somebody’s given me this piece of venison, what am I going to do with it?”. People are actually stressed that someone has gifted them a piece of meat! So it’s that go-to book, and I’m trying to show that it’s accessible meat – I think there’s this image that it’s just guys in red trousers speaking with plums in their mouth who eat game. And it’s all rubbish! A pheasant or a partridge is very affordable, and if you can cook a chicken, you can cook a pheasant. What are your top game animals for each time of year? Well, game for me only really starts on the ‘glorious 12th’ in August. So, young grouse, the first grouse of the season, is something really, really special to me. On the 12th we have grouse on the menu that night. They’re shot in the morning, we go and pick them up, we bring them back, we pluck them, and we have them on the menu that night. People book – it’s like a bucket list foodie thing to eat a grouse on the 12th. I also love Teal, which is a small duck, and I love cooking hare as well. Big dishes, but that’s what makes the restaurant a bit different, that we have these kind of dishes.

“It’s mental – every day is absolutely insane still. That’s the way life is. ”

Knowledge Bar

The Kitchin

Opened by Tom & Michaela Kitchin in 2006 Awarded a Michelin Star in 2007 Open Tuesday – Saturday, closed Sunday & Monday 78 Commercial Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6LX Three course set lunch £33 thekitchin.com

My Whiskeria

Whiskeria

My Whiskeria

As a champion of Scottish produce, do you ever cook with whisky? Occasionally, but it is very overpowering. It’s quite skilful to get it in there, in a sense. And it is such a unique product, so it’s really nice to try and use it in some way. It can work quite well in sweet dishes – you’d have to add quite a lot of sugar and mellow the flavour down a little bit. You can infuse it, and it’s quite nice with chocolate. And a little bit with game, as well, if you’re making a venison sauce, say, and caramelising your bones, you can deglaze with a little bit of whisky. It’s a very, very subtle way of doing it, and you’ve got to be careful it doesn’t overpower. You’ve got a new restaurant opening this year – how much can you tell us about that? The new one in Bruntsfield (Edinburgh) is still developing, but I think the restaurant will be in the same price bracket as The Scran & Scallie, and very much a neighbourhood restaurant. It won’t be fine dining, but it will come with our stamp. It’ll be something a little bit different. It’s a really exciting new project. Will you go and work in it when it first opens to get it off the ground? Yeah, definitely, but I only cook here, at The Kitchin. That’s the way we developed our business, and that works, because people come here to eat my food. Obviously you develop the food menus, but what about the drinks side of everything? The guys here are really great. They follow the same philosophy of the seasons with the cocktails and that kind of thing – just now they’re doing a lot of rhubarb. And they’ll often appear with cocktails to taste! The easy thing is to use coconuts and bananas, and all these types of things you can get your hands on whenever, but to just work with seasonal produce is really challenging, especially in the winter.

Is there a sustainability or ethical angle to your use of seasonal produce? Yeah, of course. Sustainability is vitally important and ethically you want to know where everything is from. And that’s the whole point – I want to know where the meat is from, or who dives for the scallops, where are they catching them, and are they catching them in the right way? Even the gamekeeper will say to me, “That’s me shot my allocation of hare now, I’m not shooting any more”. I appreciate that. And it’s the same with the scallop guy – if he calls me and says, “Listen, I just can’t get out”, I have to respect that. So that changes the menu. Does that provide a constant challenge for you, as a chef? Yeah. The weather is a massive, massive thing for us. It can really influence the produce for the week. If there’s no fishing, the knock-on effect of that is really big. How far in advance do you know what produce you’ll be cooking with? To the day, so you have to be flexible! You don’t so much come up with the menu each morning, but the menu is influenced by what the fishermen will get, and the gamekeepers, and everything. Have you ever had to ‘make do’ with some weird ingredients, or think on your feet to devise a dish quickly? Because we have a reputation now, especially in the summer, you can be plodding along in the kitchen and everything’s fine, and then there’ll be a knock at the door and there’s this Italian guy – like Scottish Italian – and he’s been up north and found like 80 kilos of porcini mushrooms, and he takes you out to his car and he lifts up his boot and it’s just like, MUSHROOMS! They’re proper Del Boys, cash in hand. And I take them. And then the kitchen goes from everybody being ready to just craziness. Because as soon as I take them, I want them on the menu. That’s what makes it special.

You’ve had The Kitchin for over a decade now. Do any dishes or moments really stand out in your memory? We have a lot of customers who don’t even look at the menu, and they just ask me to cook, and I’d be lying to you if I said I planned it – I just kind of go with the moment, and what I see in the kitchen and the inspiration. That’s sometimes where some of the best dishes come from, when you’re totally on the hop. I like that, I like that a lot. Tom’s latest book, Meat & Game, is out now. Go to our ShortList page for more info. Visit thekitchin.com to buy any of Tom’s books, reserve a table, or buy a gift voucher.

My Whiskeria

“That’s sometimes where some of the best dishes come from, when you’re totally on the hop. ”

—

Tom Kitchin’s Serving Suggestion

— Saddle of roe dear, served with the haunch braised in a little tartlet with a herb crust, celeriac, roast vegetables, mashed vegetables, pear, a red wine syrup, and jus made from the bones. —

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66/ The Whisky Shop Exclusives 67/ The GlenDronach 68/ Valentine’s Day 70/ Chinese New Year

71/ St. Patrick’s Day 72/ GlenKeir Treasures 74/ Customer Favourites 82/ Directory

The Whisky Shop

Spring 2018

Whiskeria

The Whisky Shop Exclusives ➛ We’re proud to stock a selection of whiskies excusive to The Whisky Shop. From limited edition bottlings to old and rare whiskies, single malts to singularly superb blends, these whiskies are for our customers only.

Balblair 1997 Single Cask

Inchmurrin 2003 Single Cask

– 70CL | 51.4% VOL | £140

– 70CL | 55.1% VOL | £75

What is it? Single cask no.913 was distilled at the Highland Balblair distillery in 1997 and bottled in 2017 exclusively for The Whisky Shop customers to enjoy. We’ve chosen to present this whisky at a cask strength of 51.4%VOL, as we believe it showcases the fantastic natural character of the whisky which initially caught our attention.

What is it? Inchmurrin is the largest of Loch Lomond’s islands, and translates as ‘the grassy isle’, making it the perfect namesake for the distinctively soft, round and wonderfully wooded single malts in Loch Lomond Distillery’s Island Collection. This bottling is exclusive to The Whisky Shop: distilled in 2003 and presented at 55.1% vol, only 214 bottles exist.

What’s it like? The aroma is very fresh and fruity with orange and lemon jelly sweets, tropical fruit punch and old fashioned pineapple cube sweeties. Rich butterscotch, custard cream and golden syrup showcase bourbon cask maturation to perfection. Rich in flavour with a waxy texture, the palate boasts a nice mix of sweet and spice, where soft toffee and tutti-frutti ice cream are balanced by a touch of white pepper, leading to a long and spicy finish with some toasted coconut and marshmallow.

What’s it like? An ode to the verdant shores of Inchmurrin island, this single cask expression is syrupy and slightly tangy, with striking orange peel followed by barley sugar, some creamy vanilla, and a honey-maple sweetness, leading to a crescendo of cinnamon and ginger spiciness at the end.

Whiskeria

The GlenDronach ➛ Established in 1826 by James Allardice, the Highland GlenDronach distillery is named after its source water, the Dronac burn. Within a decade of opening it was destroyed by fire, but soon rebuilt by key industry figures, only to be mothballed in 1996. Thankfully it was re-opened in 2002 and has since changed hands, with The BenRiach company creating what they accurately describe as a GlenDronach ‘renaissance’ before selling the distillery to Brown-Forman in 2016.

The GlenDronach 22 Year Old 1994 Sherry UK Exclusive

The GlenDronach Peated Port Wood

– 70CL | 53.2% VOL | £210

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £72

What is it? Distilled on 18/11/1994, this whisky was filled to ex-sherry cask no.1376. It was bottled 22 years later at a punchy 53.2% to maximise the rich flavours imparted by the cask over its lengthy maturation. Only 648 bottles have been produced.

What is it? A rare example of Highland single malt Scotch, made in the ‘old style’ from malted barley dried with Highland peat. Inspired by the historical import of casked Port to Scotland in the 19th Century, this expression has undergone final maturation in Port pipes from the Douro Valley. It is bottled at 46%VOL, non chill-filtered, at natural colour.

What’s it like? Dark raisins and sour plums on the nose are given fresh balance by mixed peel and stem ginger syrup. Rich dark chocolate floods over richly stewed plums and prune syrup on the palate, with contrast delivered by crisp orange zest and vibrant oak spices.

What’s it like? Master Blender Rachel Barrie’s tasting notes identify “regional notes of wood smoke and smouldering charcoal, layered over The GlenDronach’s archetypal fruitiness. On the nose… wild strawberries dusted with cinnamon sugar and crisp, tart cranberry juice, flooded with waves of Highland smoke, sweetening to a red berry compote, with rich, stewed barley and lingering, smouldering charcoal on the palate.”

Whiskeria

Valentine's Day ➛ Whether you’re buying as a gift or simply treating yourself this Valentine’s Day, we’ve got plenty of inspiration to help you spread the love. From quirky miniatures selections, to sets specially made for two, we can guarantee you’ll find your perfect match.

Warner Edwards The Dalmore Victoria’s Rhubarb Gin 15 Year Old Gift Tin Gift Box Set

The Loch Fyne Whisky Taster Pack

– 20CL | 40% VOL | £20

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £70

– 3X5CL | £25

What is it? Presented in a pretty pink and gold embellished gift tin, this 20cl is made with Warner Edwards Harrington Dry Gin, blended with the juice of rhubarb from a crop originally grown in the kitchen garden of Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Victoria.

What is it? A whisky which epitomises The Dalmore house style. Presented in a smart gift box with two beautiful tumblers, etched with the distinctive stag's head logo, making the perfect whisky gift for Highland single malt lovers to share.

What is it? A trio of products from The Loch Fyne range of delicious whiskies, presented in an attractive gift box – the ideal treat for any craft spirits fan. This set includes a 5cl bottle each of the award-winning The Living Cask 1745, The Living Cask Batch No. 4, and The Loch Fyne Blend.

What’s it like? This alluring rosy-hued gin could’ve been created with Valentines in mind! Voluptuous on the palate, with a sweet and tangy rhubarb explosion, it is best enjoyed with plenty of ice and your choice of tonic.

What’s it like? Smooth, rich and well rounded. This expression’s delicate, universally appealing character is due to equal time spent between three different sherry woods; Amoroso, Apostoles and Matusalem Oloroso for three years, following an initial 12 year maturation in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks. See our Customer Favourites for more info.

What’s it like? From the smooth and mellow Blend, through to the marriage of Islay single malts in The Living Cask 1745, and the ever-evolving The Living Cask batched releases, each set promises a taste of the wonderful creations from Loch Fyne Whiskies' west coast workshop!

The W Club Explorer Safari Subscription

– 2X10CL | £24.99 / MONTH

What is it? A subscription which sends the recipient on a journey through the world of whisky, one theme at a time. Once a month, for the duration of the subscription, we’ll send the recipient two 10cl samples direct to their door. Each bottle contains four standard measures, meaning they can get a good taste of each – or perhaps even share the experience! What’s it like? Every month we have a new theme, covering a variety of styles, finishes, and origins. So far, we’ve featured intriguing expressions from the likes of Yamazaki, Michter’s, Caol Ila, and Oban, to name but a few!

Whiskeria

Chinese New Year ➛ The Chinese or Lunar New Year is a huge date in the international calendar. With East Asia’s appetite for fine whisky showing no sign of waning, and a new tradition for marking the changing year with a very special dram, the occasion is a perfect excuse to purchase and – most importantly – enjoy some exceptional expressions.

Johnnie Walker Blue The Last Drop Label Year of the Dog 1971 Limited Edition –

The Macallan No.6 1824 Series

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £200

70CL+5CL | 46.7% VOL | £3000

– 70CL | 43% VOL | £2800

What is it? A limited edition bottling of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, released especially to celebrate Chinese New Year, and 2018 as the Year of the Dog. Presented in a beautifully illustrated version of the iconic square bottle, each one is individually numbered.

What is it? A rare blended Scotch lovingly created by The Last Drop experts using more than 40 malt and grain whiskies, all distilled in the year 1971. It has undergone three distinct periods of maturation – 12 years in ex-bourbon casks, nine in ex-Oloroso sherry butts, and a final 24 in ex-bourbon wood – resulting in an exceptionally complex 45-year-old blend. Only 1,352 individually numbered bottles exist.

What is it? An incredibly rare Macallan, crafted from a hand selected first-fill sherry seasoned oak cask, resulting in a whisky full of the most luxuriously rich flavours imaginable. As is only fitting for this unparalleled whisky, it is presented in a sublime handcrafted crystal decanter designed by legendary Lalique. A truly indulgent treat.

What’s it like? Classic Johnnie Walker Blue Label: layers of big flavour, with a deep richness and smoke, honey and floral fruitiness, leading to an incredibly smooth finish.

What’s it like? Charles MacLean’s notes tell us “the initial top notes are of powdered ginger, baked apple sprinkled with toasted almonds, joined by hessian, dusty milk chocolate and toffee, then warm sand dunes. A creamy texture, then lightly tannic; a sweet taste overall, with candied orange, orris root and ginger, and a suggestion of smoke in the long, warming, lightly spicy finish.”

What’s it like? Wonderfully elegant on the nose, with rich notes from the Spanish oak casks; raisins, dates and figs dominate with sultana and toffee apple adding depth. Ginger and cinnamon dance at the edge, with a majestic dark chocolate and vanilla sweetness lingering. The palate is equally sumptuous – like rich fruit cake with hints of warming spice and a velvety texture, leading to a silky smooth finish.

Whiskeria

St. Patrick’s Day ➛ Home of the world’s oldest licensed distillery, some consider Ireland the birthplace of distilling as we know it today. With 18 distilleries currently operational across the Emerald Isle, and more in the pipeline, there’s plenty of Irish whiskey to discover – so raise a toast to Ireland’s patron saint with a native dram this St. Patrick’s Day!

Redbreast 21 Year Old

Roe & Co.

Jameson Black Barrel

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £175

– 70CL | 45% VOL | £35

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £49

What is it? Winner of Best Irish Whiskey in Jim Murray’s 2017 Whisky Bible, the oldest and richest expression from Redbreast, the flagship pot still whiskey from Ireland’s Midleton Distillery. Worthy of St. Patrick himself!

What is it? A premium blended Irish whiskey created using a selection of carefully chosen single malt and grain whiskeys, matured in ex-bourbon American oak, a high percentage of which are first-fill. Developed by Diageo Master Blender, Caroline Martin, in a process that took over two years, Prototype 106, was chosen specifically to hold up in cocktails as well as to be enjoyed neat or with water.

What is it? A tribute to the cooper's method of charring barrels, this Irish whiskey is a triple distilled blend of small batch grain and traditional Irish pot still whiskeys with an emphasis on the latter. It has been matured in twice charred casks, with a mixture of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks lending rich sweet notes.

What’s it like? A complex dram with incredible depth of flavour. Murray declares it to have “one of the most wonderful noses on this planet”. The flavour is nutty and sumptuously rich, with a bounty of fresh and dried fruits, sherry notes and succulent plums.

What’s it like? Fragrant and rounded with notes of soft spice, mellow spun sugar and warm hints of woody vanilla. The balance of the blend is immediately evident on the palate with a velvety texture and sweet flavours including spiced pears and vanilla, while a gentle creaminess lingers in the finish.

What’s it like? As you’d expect, this whiskey is all toasted oak, with plenty of intense vanilla and caramel. These flavours are complemented by fruit and warm spice, all combining to create a deliciously rich, moreish dram.

Whiskeria

GlenKeir Treasures

GlenKeir Treasures Dufftown 10 Year Old

GlenKeir Treasures Craigellachie 9 Year Old

GlenKeir Treasures Inchgower 9 Year Old

What is it? Distilled on December 1st 2007, this easy-drinking Speysider has been bottled at 10 years old. A real smooth operator, this whisky’s delicate character guarantees universal appeal, and is a fantastic introduction to the distillery most famously known for producing The Singleton.

What is it? Created in the July of 2008 and bottled at 9 years old, this expression of the Craigellachie – which self-professes to be “full, belligerent and sulphurous as a struck match” thanks to the use of old-fashioned wormtubs during production – is flavourful beyond its relatively tender years.

What’s it like? Very fresh with fragrant aromas of soft oak and cedar wood, followed by pine needle, soft blossom and sweetened coconut. Very subtle on the palate; the pine theme carries through, accompanied by fresh Victoria sponge with heavy creaminess and lashings of vanilla. A lovely, comforting, malty finish with peanut brittle and some herbal notes also present.

What’s it like? Aromas of fruit and nut toffee, liquorice and honey, with fruitier peach and mango notes plus a touch of pink Champagne. Full bodied and waxy on the palate, the sherry cask influence imparts a rich plummy flavour with cloves and nutmeg gradually building to a spicy crescendo. The finish has both cigar leaf and smoke, a slight oily note, and a burst of blood orange.

What is it? Distilled on October 21st 2008, this is a great example of the typical style produced at Inchgower Distillery. Situated in the town of Buckie, Inchgower is located far from the classic Speyside region, despite being designated as such. It is a prominent producer of liquid for Bell’s blends, making single malt expressions a rarity.

– 50CL | 40% VOL | £50

➛ Our unique GlenKeir Treasures range is now in its fourteenth year of widespread approval by customers. We pick the best casks we can find and offer a selection of bottle sizes to suit any budget or occasion. Our 20cl quarter bottle size is compact, robust, and a favourite with travellers.

– 50CL | 40% VOL | £50

What’s it like? Almond, marzipan, fudge and dark chocolate combine to offer a luxurious aroma, with oats and pastry, beeswax and nutty notes promising plenty of character to explore. Flavourwise, it is typical of Inchgower – a salty edge is mixed with the gentler Speyside character of fruit, honey and creamy caramel. The finish has some peppery spice, a touch of menthol and that lingering salty tang.

GlenKeir Treasures Gift Pack – 3X5CL | 40% VOL | £25 What is it? A trio of intriguing single malts, selected from our beloved GlenKeir Treasues range. Each bottle contains a hearty 5cl sample, allowing you to get a good taste of each one. And, as the range is always changing with new and exciting expressions, so will our gift packs – what better way to get your GlenKeir Treasures collection under way?

What’s it like? Three samples chosen from our current GlenKeir Treasures range of interesting Scotch whiskies. Sourced from all over Scotland, any selection may contain Speyside, Highland, Islay or Lowland whiskies, grain or malt, from well-known and lesser known distilleries.

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Customer Favourites ➛ The whiskies our customers love provide a happy hunting ground for shoppers. From the smoky Islays to sumptuously sherried drams and everything in-between, there is something here for everyone. We’ve grouped these whiskies by flavour profile, to help you find your favourites from the range.

W Light/ Floral

anCnoc 12 Year Old

Balblair 2005

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £44

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £56

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £45

A whisky whose name isn’t taken directly from its home distillery, anCnoc comes from the Highland Knockdhu Distillery. Established in 1894 as the perfect embodiment of a modern distillery, Knockdhu lies on the border of Speyside and produces light, intriguing, forward-thinking whisky. Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, sherry and second-fill American oak casks, this expression is delicate yet complex, smooth yet challenging, and universally loved for it!

The first release of the 2005 expression from Balblair – who mark themselves out by bottling by vintage, rather than age. Matured in ex-bourbon casks, there’s definite honey and vanilla present in this delicately sweet dram. The nose is all oaky vanilla and citrus with a suggestion of fragrant cut flowers. The palate is reminiscent of citrus and orchard fruits that lift the intense sweetness and lead to a delectably long, spicy finish.

A newer addition from the innovative distillery on the bonnie banks, where different stills are used to create a stunning variety of single malts. This core range expression – bursting with orchard and citrus fruits, cereal and biscuit sweetness, then wood smoke and a peaty tang – has already enchanted the taste buds of Jim Murray, who claimed he’s “never seen spice quite like it, or such a sublime balance with the fruity malt”. High praise indeed.

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley

Glen Moray 12 Year Old Elgin Heritage

Still made to distilling legend Jim McEwan’s original 100% Scottish barley recipe: trickle distilled, matured on the shores of Loch Indaal and crafted from a selection of casks. Described as being “smooth as pebbles in a pool”, expect barley sugar with subtle mint developing to a freshly cut meadow on the nose. Brilliantly clean on the palate, barley and oak are followed by a gust of ripe green fruit, sweet malt, brown sugar and a warm finish.

Another more recent addition to our customer favourites, this Speyside single malt is aged in the finest American oak for 12 years, lending it a delicious toasty character. Look forward to rich floral notes and vanilla toffee on the nose, with berry fruits and freshly cut herbs. The palate has toasted oak and more sublime summer fruits for a mellow sweetness, before a sweet, subtly oaky finish.

– 70CL | 50% VOL | £52

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £43

Whiskeria

W Rich/ Sweet

Blair Athol 12 Year Old

Balblair 1999

The Dalmore 12 Year Old

– 70CL | 43% VOL | £67

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £77

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £50

Established in 1798 in picturesque Pitlochry, Blair Athol is one of Scotland’s oldest working distilleries, and produces the signature malt of the famous Bell's blend. This is one of only a few official bottlings ever produced from Blair Athol, and part of the Flora & Fauna series: a collection highlighting the diversity of Scotland's whisky regions. Walnuts and sherry on the nose lead to cinnamon and orange-citrus on the palate, with the richness of fruitcake completing this delightful dram.

A full-bodied Highland single malt created at one of Scotland’s oldest and prettiest distilleries. Truly representative of the Balblair house style, the initial aromas are of brown bread and butter that later develop to light vanilla and ground almonds. The palate also takes a journey from sweet to spicy thanks to time in Spanish oak ex-sherry butts. Salty flavours are present at full strength, and water enhances the maritime character with a faint oiliness, creating a softer dram overall.

It’s not surprising that our former Whisky of the Year retains its status as a firm favourite amongst The Whisky Shop customers. To recap for those who haven’t yet dipped a toe into The Dalmore portfolio, this single malt is a Highland triumph displaying signs of sherry wood maturation: full-bodied, thick, sweet and ‘muscular’. Leathery notes and a long spicy finish add finesse and make this popular dram an absolute must try.

The Dalmore 15 Year Old

Glen Scotia 15 Year Old

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £70

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £63

Matured for 15 years in a trio of ex-sherry casks, as well as exbourbon barrels, The Dalmore’s 15 Year Old is another core range whisky for your bucket list. A stylistic evolution from The Dalmore’s famous 12 Year Old and just as popular, you can expect a similarly varied profile of chocolate orange sweetness, gentle spice and rich warmth. It’s a true testament to the distillery’s creative and ambitious approach.

Campbeltown is firmly back on the Scotch map as a significant destination for whisky lovers, and no distillery is representing the area better than Glen Scotia. Their 15 Year Old expression is a triumph of flavour, with everything from citrus to oak, ginger snaps to apricots, and a hint of caramel packed into every bottle. Unlike many of its Campbeltown contemporaries, Glen Scotia is available year-round, so you’ll never have to do without your new favourite dram!

Glen Moray 15 Year Old Elgin Heritage

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £55 Unquestionably Speyside in character, Glen Moray’s Elgin Heritage Collection showcases carefully matured, complex and well-rounded whiskies influenced by the unique Elgin climate. This 15 year old single malt is aged in a combination of sherry and American oak casks, which impart hints of spice, heady dried fruits and dark chocolate flavours. Expect sherried oak and butter toffee on the nose, followed by an indulgent full-bodied palate with sweetly spiced dark chocolate and fine wine. The finish is long and rich.

Whiskeria

W Rich/ Sweet

The GlenDronach 12 Year Old – 70CL | 43% VOL | £46 A signature single malt from the distillery famous for its richly sherried offering, and an awardwinning expression at that; no wonder The GlenDronach 12 retains its status as a favourite amongst our customers! Matured in both Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, it is imbued with an indulgent portfolio of flavours – stewed fruits, jam, marmalade, nuts and brown sugar all vie for attention – with a faint charcoal smokiness weaving through over time.

The GlenDronach 18 Year Old Allardice

The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £95

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £57

Created using waters from the Dronac Burn, this a superbly complex single malt made in the characteristic ‘big sherry’ style. An ode to James Allardice, who founded the distillery and produced the very first drops of ‘guid Glendronach’, this expression has been matured in the finest Oloroso sherry casks. Rich and dark, it promises remarkable depth of flavour with stewed fruits and allspice.

Maturation in custom-made sherry casks from Jerez, southern Spain (despite costing around five times as much as American ex-bourbon equivalents), gives this whisky a unique, dried fruit and resinous character that underpins the sherry top notes. Expect orange peel, fruitcake, vanilla, gingerbread, black cherries and pear drops on the nose, ginger, spice and oaky notes with an explosion of crème brûlée on the palate.

Jura ‘Diurachs’ Own’ 16 Year Old

Oban The Distillers Edition

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £59

– 70CL | 43% VOL | £79

Named for the people of Jura, this whisky gives you a true taste of the unique Hebridean isle, as defined by those who know it best! Jura’s dram of the people has been treated to ‘double’ wood maturation in American white oak ex-bourbon and ex-Amoroso Oloroso sherry casks; combined, they’ve lent the whisky a curiously bold character. You’ll detect flavours of Christmas cake, dark chocolate and dried fruit from nose to toasty finish.

A seriously complex whisky of the highest order. Each expression of Oban Distillers Edition undergoes double maturation in casks that have previously held a fortified wine. The distillery’s entrepreneurial founders – who specialised in importing ‘in demand’ goods – would’ve approved of the Spanish influence brought to bear in this Montilla Fino cask wood finish, which boasts a signature salty smokiness along with walnut, orange citrus and an identifiable, crowd-pleasing sherry character.

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W Smoky

The BenRiach 10 Year Old Curiositas

Jura Prophecy

Talisker 57º North

– 70CL | 40% VOL | £47

– 70CL | 46% VOL | £68

– 70CL | 57% VOL | £70

A Speyside peated malt may seem curious, but this BenRiach actually represents a return to original 19th century Speyside form. Peat richness is accomplished by using malted barley dried in the traditional way over peat infused kilns, achieving the optimum balance of peat-bittersweet and oak infusion after 10 years’ maturation. The undoubtedly peaty nose also promises fragrant honey, while the palate boasts peat smoke followed by a complex mix of heather, nuts, oak wood and spice.

A heavily peated expression from Jura Distillery, matured in Limousin casks, and presented non chill-filtered. Released in small batches, it is complex and briny with strong spicy sea spray at the fore, and a drier and smokier flavour than the ‘standard’ peated Jura Superstition. Many taste peat smoke laced with fresh cinnamon in this intensely aromatic whisky with a long lasting flavour.

Talisker is one of the most remote and northerly distilleries in production, calling the windswept and rugged Isle of Skye home. In a nod to its out-of-the-way origins, this whisky takes its name from the distillery’s latitudinal position. Drawn from 100% American oak casks, this NAS whisky has a purity which emphasizes Talisker’s unique and intense distillery character, bringing a balance of clean citrus and vanilla to the typically briny, smoky dram.

Talisker Port Ruighe

Ailsa Bay

Bowmore 15 Year Old

Caol Ila Distillers Edition

– 70CL | 45.8% VOL | £55

– 70CL | 48.9% VOL | £60

– 70CL | 43% VOL | £67

– 70CL | 43% VOL | £75

The whisky gurus at Talisker Distillery have taken their seminal Isle of Skye malt and finished it in Ruby Port casks to create the fantastically rich and fruity Port Ruighe. The nose moves from sea-spray to waxy aromas with a little sweetness. This is mirrored on the palate, with Talisker’s classic maritime character being rounded off and dramatically sweetened by the Port finish. The finish includes cocoa and oak, with even a hint of citrus.

A uniquely balanced single malt with a precise smoky and sweet profile, meticulously crafted in a state-of-the-art Lowland distillery. The nose is intense with smoky phenolic notes balanced by creamy, honey sweetness and... smoky bacon! The palate is zingy, promising a peaty kick layered again over beautiful sweetness – think crispy rashers with maple syrup – with the big finish following suit.

Matured in an inspired combination of both bourbon and sherry casks at the salty-sea-air infused Bowmore warehouses, it's the final three years spent in Oloroso sherry casks that gives Bowmore 15 Year Old it’s sumptuously rich, deep colour. Exuding the aroma of delicious dark chocolate, sun-dried fruits and a characteristic wisp of Islay smoke, it is full bodied, rich and complex, and a no-brainer for Islay whisky fans.

A stylish, richly flavoured and complex expression from Islay’s much-loved Caol Ila Distillery. Following many years maturing in oak casks, this whisky has then been double matured in Moscatel cask wood, hand-selected to complement the whisky’s sweetly fruity, smoky intensity. Expect cinnamon layered with orange and apple freshness, sweet malty biscuit flavours, and waves of classic Islay peat smoke.

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