Whiskeria Summer 2020

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My name is Doddie Summer 2020 ÂŁ4.50 (where sold)

Rugby legend Doddie Weir's fight against MND + Doddie's Charity Whisky Auction + Midleton Distillery Mixing It Up + Tobermory Distillery Visit + The Dalmore 51 Year Old Expert Tasting

The Magazine of

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Join our Whisky Club

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Includes: Free tasting evening Magazine subscription Discounts in-store and online

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created with Scottish coastal botanicals

Loch Fyne Whiskies | Inveraray | Argyll | PA32 8UD | t: 01499 302 219 (Shop) / 0800 107 1936 (Orders) e: info@lochfynewhiskies.com | www.lochfynewhiskies.com

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

As I See It

We want you back!

Amidst the ongoing crisis, The Whisky Shop Chairman Ian Bankier contemplates a ‘new normal’ beyond the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in.

❝ Are we to become

a pasty-faced nation of shoppers, living indoors and waiting for daily delivery vans?

On 23rd March, along with all but essential retailers on the UK High Street, we shut down our estate. Never has the word ‘unprecedented’ so accurately described the conditions visited on us by coronavirus. With our shops closed, we questioned whether a summer edition of Whiskeria would be viable. But knowing how much our readers look forward to Whiskeria, and with all of us having more time at home, we pressed the button.

We were able to continue with our online business, after a short closure to re-organise our warehouse operation. Since then we have been happily plundering our stocks and offering our customers some really great deals. Check them out at www.whiskyshop.com.

But the major consideration for us is reopening our stores. The High Street closure has very likely created pent-up consumer demand and we aim to be there to satisfy it. In China, for example, there has been a shopping boom as Chinese consumers have reacted to the deprivation of an extended period of lockdown.

Here in the UK, I predict that the response will be more modest, but, whatever the case, we will be gearing up to welcome you back in store.

Meantime, online shopping has its merits and it certainly fills the breach. But, as I see it, transacting online cannot totally supplant the simplicity and pleasure of coming into store, choosing a bottle and taking it home. We humans are social beings, and when you come into The Whisky Shop you meet with us – at a safe distance. You receive a warm welcome – that’s a guarantee – and we dispense our very best guidance and advice. You get to touch and hold our whiskies and you get to taste. And you can drift on down the High Street and browse other stores, have a coffee, or even a spot of lunch.

Remember those days? Surely they will return.

As it becomes clearer that we are going to have to live with coronavirus for some time, the question is how it is going to modify our routines and habits. What is going to be the ‘new normal’? We shall find out soon enough.

My hope is that we find the confidence to revert, albeit cautiously, to what we did before.

Or are we to become a pasty-faced nation of shoppers, living indoors and waiting for daily delivery vans? That sounds like another form of lockdown to me!

So, in anticipation of a return to normal service, I keep myself cheery by singing Take That: Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it I just want you back for good (Want you back, want you back, want you back for good)…

Sláinte!

Ian P Bankier, Executive Chairman,

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COM P ET IT ION

Win!

A bottle of Redbreast 12 Year Old or a Midleton Whiskey Gift Pack.

We’ve got a bottle of Redbreast 12 Year Old to give away to one lucky winner, and a gift pack of Midleton single pot still whiskeys to give away to one lucky runner up!

Produced at Midleton Distillery in County Cork, Redbreast is a single pot still whiskey full of aroma and flavour, aged in Oloroso sherry casks for 12 years to give it its trademark Christmas cake character. You could win a full bottle of this delicious tipple, or at least a generous dram of it as part of Midleton Distillery’s handsome gift pack that offers an excellent introduction to the range of whiskeys crafted there.

For your chance to win, simply visit: whiskyshop.com/whiskeria-competition Competition closes Monday 10th August 2020.

T&Cs apply. Winners will be contacted directly.

Terms & Conditions: The winners will be selected from all entries via the link stated above by midnight on 10th August 2020.

The judge’s decision will be final. The competition is not open to employees of The Whisky Shop. UK entrants must be 18 years old or over to apply. International entrants must be of legal drinking age in their country of residence.

–– produced by Ascot Publishing Limited PO Box 7415 Glasgow G51 9BR –– contact enquiries@whiskyshop.com

–– commissioning editor Glenkeir Whiskies Limited –– executive producer Rhona McKeran rhona@whiskyshop.com 0141 427 2919 –– executive chairman Ian P Bankier ipb@whiskyshop.com

–– feature writers Brian Wilson Charles MacLean Gavin D Smith Rhona McKeran –– product photography Subliminal Creative 01236 734923

–– creative direction a visual agency emlyn@avisualagency.com –– feature illustration Katie Smith Hrafnhildur Halldorsdottir Julia Kerschbaumer –– cover artwork Gerard M. Burns

–– Glenkeir Whiskies Limited trades as THE WHISKY SHOP. Opinions expressed in WHISKERIA are not necessarily those of 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.

––

Prices effective 1 May 2020.

All prices in this edition of Whiskeria are subject to change.

The Magazine of

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Contents

Summer 2020 9 18 20 24 28 32 38 46 55 79 82

New Releases | Summer 2020 The W Club | Single cask magic News | Whisky business Auctions | Stop: hammer time A Time in History | Collateral dramage Distillery Visit | Tobermory Interview | Doddie Weir Mixing It Up | Midleton Distillery The Whisky Shop | Fèis Ìle, Father’s Day + more Expert Tasting | The Dalmore 51 Year Old The Last Word | Negroni vs. Boulevardier 46

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Contributors Charles MacLean —

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 Food & Drink 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

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Expert Tasting

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Brian Wilson —

Gavin D Smith —

Formerly an MP, Brian held several Government Ministerial posts during his political career.

He lives on the Isle of Lewis, 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

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.

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Distillery Visit

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

TWIN CASKS

DOUBLE TREASURE

UNIQUE | DIFFERENT | INTERESTING E D I N B U R G H - L O N D O N - PA R I S

New Releases Summer 2020 Reviewed by Charles MacLean Illustration: Hrafnhildur Halldorsdottir Fettercairn 16 Year Old Fettercairn 22 Year Old First Editions Deanston 2009 Port Wood The Old Malt Cask Inchmurrin 23 Year Old Glen Moray Madeira Cask Project Glen Scotia 14 Year Old Tawny Port Finish Arran 1995 #217 The Whisky Shop Exclusive Glenkeir Treasures Caribbean Rum

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

New Releases

Fettercairn 16 Year Old 70cl 16 Year Old Highland Single Malt

46.4% Vol £70

Amber in hue – sun-bleached mahogany. A savoury aroma overall, with a suggestion of sage and onion stuffing, on a lightly sweet and slightly vinegar base (apple sauce). The taste combines light sweetness with a savoury finish – a trace of white chocolate in the aftertaste. A drop of water introduces a dusty, linen note; the taste is now more savoury.

→ Available to purchase from 28 May 2020 → whiskyshop.com

Fettercairn 22 Year Old 70cl 22 Year Old Highland Single Malt

47% Vol £200

Bright gold in colour, with good legs. The nose is faintly savoury, offering pork scratchings and fresh linen, on a base of sweet fondant and coconut. The taste starts sweet, with coconut in mid-palate, drying lightly in the finish, with a suggestion of dry marzipan in the aftertaste. Water sweetens the taste and introduces a quinine bitterness to the finish.

→ Available to pre-order from June 2020 → whiskyshop.com

The small village of Fettercairn is not far from the market town of Laurencekirk at the heart of the fertile Mearns district of Angus: the name Fotherkern was recorded around 970AD and derives from the Gaelic fothair and the Pictish carden, apparently meaning ‘slope by a thicket’.

A distillery was licensed here in 1824 by the local laird, Sir Alexander Ramsay of Fasque, who sold both the estate and the distillery to Sir John Gladstone, father of four-time prime minister William Ewart Gladstone, in 1830.

W.E. Gladstone’s Spirits Act of 1860 laid the foundations for blended whisky by permitting the mixing of malt and grain whisky under bond, before duty had to be paid. The family’s involvement with Fettercairn Distillery continued until 1923, when it was sold to the Glasgow whisky brokers, Ross and Coulter, who mothballed it from 1926 to 1939 then sold it to Associated Scottish Distilleries, a subsidiary of National Distillers of America, which at its height owned Bruichladdich, Glenury Royal, Glen Esk, Glenlochy, Benromach and Strathdee Distilleries. In 1973, ownership passed to Whyte & Mackay.

Fettercairn is neat, rural and very traditional. It has an open-topped mash tun (producing cloudy wort), wooden washbacks and small stills. The wash stills are fitted with soap grinders, once commonly used as a surfactant, to prevent the wash boiling over the lyne arm, while the spirit stills have unique cooling rings attached to their necks to spray cold water down the sides of the stills and help reflux.

In short, the set up is designed to produce a robust spirit, mitigated somewhat by the cooling rings.

The first limited edition of Fettercairn 16 Year Old to be released, this expression has been distilled with chocolate malted barley and matured in first-fill American ex-bourbon casks, before being enhanced in select sherry and port casks. Fettercairn 22 Year Old has spent over two decades in American ex-bourbon casks and is a highly-exclusive release, limited to just 156 bottles in the UK.

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“Apple sauce… with a trace of white chocolate in the aftertaste.

“Pork scratchings and fresh linen… on a base of sweet fondant and coconut.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

New Releases

First Editions Deanston 2009 Port Wood 70cl 10 Year Old Highland Single Malt

46% Vol £74

Rubious in hue: the colour of rosé wine. The initial aroma follows this – dry grape skins and must – soon becoming more meaty and fatty (roast chicken skin, also candle wax), on a base of baked apples and fragrant straw. Nose-drying overall. A pleasant mouth-filling texture and a curious taste which starts lightly sweet, then becomes savoury, with suggestions of white port, and a shortish, peppery finish. Most unusual! Drink chilled.

Water sweetens it, and enhances the waxy note in the aroma.

“Roast chicken skin… on a base of baked apples and fragrant straw.

Deanston Distillery was established circa 1969, in a historic cotton mill on the bank of the River Teith in Perthshire, close to the picturesque Doune Castle (which featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Outlander).

The mill was designed in 1785 by Richard Arkwright, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution and inventor of the steam-powered ‘Spinning Jenny’. Indeed, he was the first person to use James Watt’s steam engine to power textile equipment: Deanston Mill was described as having “the most perfect machinery in the kingdom.”

The mill operated until 1965. In 1966, its owners, James Finlay and Company, formed a partnership with Brodie Hepburn, whisky brokers and blenders in Glasgow and owners of Macduff and Tullibardine Distilleries, to convert the mill into a distillery. This was perfectly logical: a water turbine and stand-by generator were already in place; copious soft water was available from the River Teith, fed by streams in the Trossachs and considered to be one of the purest rivers in Scotland; the cool, vaulted weaving shed was perfect for maturing the spirit.

In other words, it was an ideal site for a distillery – although four solidly constructed floors had to be demolished to make room for the stills. The conversion work was completed in ten months and the distillery commenced operation in October 1969.

Brodie Hepburn’s original plan was to develop a major blended Scotch named Old Bannockburn, but this came to naught. Indeed, Brodie Hepburn sold all its distilleries to Invergordon in 1972.

Deanston was silent from 1982-1990, when it was bought by Burn Stewart Distillers for £2.1 million. In 2002 Burn Stewart was acquired by C.L. World Brands (based in Trinidad), and in 2013 this company was bought by the South African Distell Group.

The First Editions single cask series is from independent bottlers, Hunter Laing & Co. Deanston 2009 has been wholly matured in an ex-port pipe, and is limited to just 239 bottles.

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The Old Malt Cask Inchmurrin 23 Year Old 70cl 23 Year Old Highland Single Malt

50% Vol £160

Leonine, dull amber – drawn from a refill butt. Very good beading.

A deep nose, with light prickle.

The top notes are of malt loaf (with sultanas) and coated card (a fresh, glossy magazine).

Beneath these is a fruity complex (dates, raisins, figs in a waxed paper packet). Mouth-filling and oily, with a pleasant savoury overall taste after a sweetish start. Some spice in the finish and aftertaste. A little water flattens the nose, enhances the texture and the savoury flavour.

“Malt loaf (with sultanas) and coated card – (a fresh, glossy magazine).

This whisky, distilled at Loch Lomond Distillery in nearby Alexandria, takes its name from an island in the aforesaid loch, which is apparently the largest freshwater island in the British Isles, embracing nearly half a square mile and rising to almost 300 feet at its highest point.

The name comes from St. Mirin, who built a monastery here in the 7th century.

H.V. Morton, the popular 1930s travel writer, described it as “an island packed with memories.” Indeed: Robert the Bruce established a deer park here in the early 1300s; Iain Colquhoun of Luss (the local laird) was murdered by robbers on the island in 1417, and his son, Sir John Colquhoun, was killed by a marauding band of Macleans in 1439, led by my ancestor, Sir Lachlan Maclean of Duart.

In 1617, James VI hunted here during his only visit to Scotland, following his accession to the throne of England; Rob Roy MacGregor raided the island; for a time it was a mental asylum and later a haven and maternity ward for unmarried women.

In August 1984, the world record for haggis hurling was established there: 180 feet, 10 inches – unbroken until 2011!

Loch Lomond Distillery is a large and complex site with an astonishing range of stills, capable of producing eight different styles of malt and grain spirits. Inchmurrin is produced on Lomond stills, which have rectifying trays in their dumpy necks to produce intensely fruity and floral new make spirit at high strength (up to 90% VOL). This style of still allows for different flavour notes to be emphasised according to how they are run and where the spirit is drawn off.

This venerable expression of Inchmurrin is unpeated and was matured in a refill exbourbon barrel chosen by Loch Lomond’s Master Blender, Michael Henry. It is an exclusive to The Whisky Shop.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

New Releases

Glen Moray Madeira Cask Project 70cl 13 Year Old Speyside Single Malt

46.3% Vol £65

Deep gold in hue, with a leonine tint. The top notes are of bruised pears and dried figs covered in chocolate sauce, with coconut beneath. At full strength it has a creamy texture and a sweet taste, more coconut, and surprising chilli-spices in the finish. Water adds chocolate fudge to the taste and modifies the chilli, although it is still warmingly present in the lingering finish.

Glen Moray Distillery is owned by La Martiniquaise, but for many years it belonged to Macdonald & Muir, which also owned Glenmorangie, where ‘wood finishing’ was pioneered in the 1980s – i.e. maturing the spirit in the usual refill American oak casks, then re-racking into casks which had formerly contained wine.

Expressions of Glen Moray, finished in ex-Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc barrels, were released in 1999, and today the distillery’s ‘Elgin Classic’ range offers Oloroso Sherry Finish, Port Cask Finish, Chardonnay Cask Finish and Cabernet Cask Finish. But, so far as I can tell, this is the first time Glen Moray has been wholly matured in an ex-wine cask.

Madeira is a fortified wine made on the islands of the same name off the north-west coast of Africa. It is produced in a variety of styles, from dry aperitif to sweet dessert – my guess is that the casks used to mature this Glen Moray are of the latter kind.

It has a long history, dating from the late 15th century, when the islands were a regular port of call for ships heading for the New World and the East Indies; by the 18th century the wine was being fortified by the addition of a little brandy to prevent it spoiling on long voyages. It was soon discovered that the intense heat in the holds of the ships had a hugely beneficial influence on the wine and 'vinhos de roda' (wines that had made a round trip) became fashionable. Soon, wine-makers on the islands began to store their casks in special rooms known as estufas, where the heat of the sun had the same effect.

The best known style of Madeira is Malmsey, made from Malvasia grapes.

Some readers may recall that George, Duke of Clarence, was drowned in a butt of this in 1478 for treason, on the orders of his brother, King Edward IV. George, a paranoid acoholic, had himself chosen this peculiar method of extermination: Malmsey was his favourite tipple. The drink also appears in an account of an al fresco hunting banquet on the Braes o’Mar hosted

by King James V in 1531, where ‘Malvesey’ is listed – along with Hippocras aquavitae.

“Bruised pears and dried figs covered in chocolate sauce.

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Glen Scotia 14 Year Old Tawny Port Finish Festival Edition 2020 70cl 14 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt

52.8% Vol £75

The blush of rosé wine; excellent beading. A mild nose-feel and a creamy overall aroma (vanilla ice cream, and strawberry too!).

Beneath this is just a suggestion of sea salt and peat. The taste is lightly sweet, salty and spicy (in the finish), leaving an aftertaste of white chocolate.

Drinks well at natural strength; a drop of water softens the texture and increases the tannic ‘grip’.

The Campbeltown Festival was due to take place during 19th-22nd May, but has been cancelled on account of the coronavirus pandemic. The event is usually a splendid affair – a collaboration between Springbank, Glen Scotia and Glengyle Distilleries within the ‘Wee Toon’ which is their home. This port-finished expression is Glen Scotia's limited edition release for this year's festival.

One of the pleasures, for me, of being there is talking to Iain McAlister, the Manager of Glen Scotia Distillery and Campbeltown’s equivalent to Alan Winchester, recently retired Production Director of Chivas’ Brothers operations on Speyside. Both are local men, deeply imbued with the history of the place in which they have spent their lives.

As readers will know, Campbeltown was once the ‘whisky capital’ of Scotland.

Between 1823, when the Excise Act made it desirable for illicit distillers to take out licenses (and there were very many smugglers on Kintyre!), and 1835, 28 distilleries in Campbeltown were commissioned. When Alfred Barnard visited in 1886, while researching his monumental The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, he inspected 21 sites.

By 1930, only three distilleries remained.

“Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble, Ancient footprints are everywhere,” wrote Bob Dylan (When I Paint My Masterpiece). The same might be said of Campbeltown. Iain points out a wall here, a courtyard there, all the evidence that remains from the town’s glory days, though in recent years Campbeltown has gained a new self-confidence – indeed, on a fine day the palm trees along the waterfront bring the Cote d’Azur to mind!

Supported by heavy investment from its owners, Loch Lomond Distillers, Iain and his team have brought about a renaissance at Glen Scotia, both physical and – dare I say – spiritual in regard to recent single malt releases, of which this limited edition 14-year-old is an example.

“Vanilla ice-cream …with a suggestion of sea salt and peat.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

New Releases

Glenkeir Treasures Caribbean Rum 50cl NAS Caribbean Rum

40% Vol £40

Amber with rubious lights: a ‘blond’ rum. A mellow nose, with Muscovado sugar, caramel, tinned pineapple and sweet banana; a very light herbal/medicinal note develops after a while.

A soft, oily texture and a sweet, clean, lightly herbal (marijuana?) taste and a medium length finish.

In Spirits & Cocktails, my learned colleague, Dave Broom, opens his chapter on rum with the words: “Rum conjures up images of the lush calm of the Caribbean. A sweet, exotic spirit that insists you take it easy, it’s the essence of relaxation. But beneath this benign image lurk tales of revolution, war, piracy, colonialism and slavery…”

Rum is distilled from molasses, and the sugar cane from which it is derived was introduced to the Caribbean and South America by early Spanish settlers. By the 1600s they were joined by French, English and Dutch colonists, who also planted sugar plantations and imported slaves to work them.

For most of the century, rum was made to ease the hard lives of the slaves, although as early as 1687 it was ruled that ratings in the Royal Navy should receive half a pint of rum a day – previously they had received a gallon of beer, which was usually sour.

In 1740, Admiral Vernon ordered that the rum be diluted with two parts water, but raised the ration to a pint a day (half a pint for boys). Vernon was known as ‘Old Grog’, after a cloak he wore, made from grogham, and diluted spirits have ever after been known as ‘grog’.

Glenkeir Treasures Caribbean Rum is a blend of rums from Jamaica and Guyana, matured in American oak barrels.

The Jamaican rum industry was built on the back of trade with the Royal Navy, and the privateers who guarded the island for the British Crown in the early days of the colony. The first commercial distillery on the island, Appleton Estate, was established in 1749, although the site dates from 1665, when the British took over from the Spanish. Its pot still rums – a Jamaican speciality – are famously rich, complex and full-bodied.

Guyana, on the north-east coast of South America, was a Dutch colony, but only began producing rum under British rule after 1796. Diamond is its only distillery today, equipped with a baffling range of still-types, including the world’s only surviving wooden Coffey still, which has been producing demerara rum since 1880.

“A mellow nose, with Muscovado sugar, caramel, tinned pineapple and sweet banana.

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Arran 1995 #217 The Whisky Shop Exclusive 70cl 24 Year Old Island Single Malt

51.7% Vol £179

Deep gold with amber lights; American oak refill barrel; exceptional beading, good legs. A mellow nose, with light prickle. The aroma overall is fruity – fruit salad in heavy syrup, with top notes of orange zest. Fresh and vibrant to start, it develops into vanilla cream.

An oily texture and a savoury taste, drying in the finish and leaving an aftertaste of cherry cream chocolates.

This whisky was made in the first year of the distillery’s existence. In 2016, I was speaking at a dinner held to celebrate Arran’s 21st birthday. I was sitting next to the company’s Chairman and principal shareholder, a charming, elderly Irishman. He said to me: “There’s one thing I regret more than any other in my involvement with Isle of Arran Distillery, and that’s not investing more early on: we have very limited stock at 21 years old.”

The distillery was the brainchild of Harold Currie, former Managing Director of Chivas Brothers and later Campbell Distillers, who used a ‘bond-holder’ scheme to raise money for the venture.

This invited subscribers to invest by guaranteeing them a quantity of whisky – five cases of blended Scotch in 1998 and five cases of Founders’ Reserve in 2001, all for £450! The company also operated a cask purchase scheme to meet operating costs before the whisky went on the market.

Both sound ideas, but the result was a depletion of stock which is now much regretted – but which makes this 24-year-old bottling, exclusive to The Whisky Shop, highly desirable!

Harold Currie was a Speyside distiller and determined that his malt should be more in the Speyside style – sweet and fruity – than that of its neighbouring distilleries in Campbeltown and Islay.

This is very apparent in Arran 1995 #217.

He died on 15th March 2016, aged 91 – a week later, the company announced plans to build another distillery at Lagg in the south of the island. The distillery is due to be formally opened on 21st May and will produce a heavily-peated style of spirit.

“Fruit salad in heavy syrup, with top notes of orange zest.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

The W Club

Single cask magic

While the wizardry of the whisky blender is something to be marvelled, here at The W Club, we can’t help but be entranced by the allure of the single cask. We take a closer look at what makes a single cask whisky so special.

single malt vs. single cask There comes a point in every whisky drinker’s journey when they realise that single malt whisky isn’t necessarily drawn directly from cask to bottle. The word ‘single’ can be somewhat misleading here, as single malt can (and often does) come from a variety of casks. The term ‘single malt’ instead refers to a whisky that is produced by a single distillery using a single malted grain (in Scotch whiskymaking, this grain must be barley and the whisky must be distilled using a pot still). If this is a revelation for you, don’t be alarmed – that’s not to say a blend of casks can’t make an exceptional single malt. They can, and they do! Blending between casks allows whisky producers to create balance, establish character and maintain consistency in the whiskies we know and love.

That being said, there is something romantic about the single cask – whisky drawn straight from one individual cask. Releases are almost always bottled at cask strength and free from caramel colouring or chill-filtration. This is whisky in its most authentic form; untouched, elemental, pure. No two single cask whiskies are the same, and they are intended to take on the unique flavour of their individual casks.

One of the most magical elements of the whisky-making process is undoubtedly cask maturation – experts believe that as much as 80 per cent of a whisky’s flavour may come from the very wood it was aged in. The cask is an intrinsic part of whisky creation, but how did it come to be? history of the cask Whisky was officially documented for the first time in Scotland in the late fifteenth century, although wooden barrels were not part of the story at this point. Up until the 1800s, whisky tended to be drunk fresh from the still, or smuggled throughout the country in everything and anything distillers could get their hands on.

It wasn’t until the early nineteenth century, when the UK began importing larger quantities of port and sherry, that barrels became a common fixture in the whisky-making process.

Shipped to the UK in casks and bottled at port, a surplus of empty wine barrels were then available for thrifty distillers to store and transport their whisky in.

The oak barrels were praised for being water-tight and easily stackable, however, it was quickly discovered that the sweet wines previously held within these casks helped to mellow the spirit and improve its flavour.

Influenced even further by length of time spent in cask, it wasn’t long before cask ageing became an essential component of making the whisky we pour into our glass today. In fact, today’s laws require the spirit to spend three

years in cask before it can even be legally called Scotch whisky. individual character Due to an almost infinite combination of factors – from a cask’s original contents, to the unique character of its wood, to the temperature of the warehouse it is laid in – the components of a single cask come together to create something totally unique; a dram that is truly inimitable.

By their very nature, single casks produce liquid that is extremely limited. Even the largest casks will only yield around 500 bottles, depending on what proof the whisky is bottled at or how much liquid is lost to evaporation (known as the angels’ share). Bottles are often individually numbered, and labels show the specific cask details; the holy grail of whisky transparency!

Sought-after for their exclusivity, single casks are also alluring thanks to their ability to showcase a side of a distillery that drinkers may otherwise not get the chance to explore. Focus on the flavours from an individual cask and less intervention from the whisky makers mean the end result is likely to taste different to the distillery’s classic single malt, giving drinkers the opportunity to try something ‘off the beaten path’ from their favourite brands.

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❝

The components of a single cask come together to create something totally unique; a dram that is truly inimitable.

Knowledge Bar Whisky jargon Single malt Whisky that is produced by a single distillery using a single malted grain (in Scotch whisky-making, this grain must be barley and the whisky must be distilled using a pot still). The final whisky can (and often does) come from a variety of casks.

Single cask The W Club’s recent single cask bottlings include a sherry cask Highland Park, carefully selected from the Orkney-based distillery’s treasure trove of ageing malts.

enter, the w club…

At The W Club, it is part of our mission to bring our members the most exciting single cask bottlings, exclusively available to them.

Each single cask is selected by our Cask Committee with our members in mind, thanks to ongoing dialogue with our club about the whiskies they like to drink and those they are curious to try.

Recent single cask bottlings include a sherry cask Highland Park, an Old Pulteney aged in ex-bourbon, and our current release: an Inchmurrin 2004, drawn directly from cask #17/641-2. A single malt distilled at Loch Lomond Distillery, Inchmurrin spirit is light and fruity, becoming more floral and grassy during maturation. Our exclusive W Club release was matured in a single French oak barrel for 15 years before being bottled at a mighty 54.6% VOL (cask strength!), with just 393 bottles filled. As we’d expect from Inchmurrin, this dram is fruity and grassy on the nose, with a burst of citrus and pineapple on the palate – but we’ve got

that exceptional single French oak cask to thank for luxurious notes of thick golden syrup, creamy vanilla and melted brown sugar.

Our very own Charlie MacLean summed up this dram perfectly when he tasted it in our last edition of Whiskeria: apple sponge with vanilla custard. Spot on.

The W Club’s single cask bottlings are available exclusively to members at www.whiskyshop.com. Not a member yet? You can sign up to The W Club at www.thewclub.co.uk for just £30 a year to get your hands on these extremely limited drams, and keep an eye out for upcoming (and hugely exciting!) releases such as our Daftmill bottling, dropping later this year.

Whisky drawn and bottled from one individual cask.

Cask strength Whisky bottled at the strength at which it's drawn from cask – no dilution has occurred.

Caramel colouring Colouring added to aid consistency in a whisky’s colour.

Chill-filtration A process that removes any residue or cloudiness in the liquid.

Whisky is cooled to between −10° and 4° Celsius and passed through a fine adsorption filter.

Angels’ share The amount of alcohol that is lost to evaporation during cask maturation.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

News

Whisky business

Silver Lyan Whiskeria cover alumni Ryan Chetiyawardana has launched his latest cocktail bar, Silver Lyan, at the Riggs hotel in Washington DC. The bar commandeers the luxury hotel’s lower level and offers a cocktail menu inspired by the history of cultural exchange in America, “pairing innovative ingredients with traditional techniques.”

Silver Lyan joins Lyaness on London’s South Bank and Super Lyan at Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam, as part of Chetiyawardana’s ever-expanding cocktail bar empire.

Awards season A Japanese whisky has once again been declared the world’s best single malt! Suntory’s Hakushu 25 Year Old took back its crown at the World Whisky Awards in March – an accolade it had previously won in 2018. Produced at Suntory's mountain distillery found deep within the forests of Mount Kaikomagatake, Hakushu is a peated single malt that takes liquid from the pure waters of the southern Japanese Alps. It was rated 93/100 by Jim Murray, who described it as "a malt which is impossible not to be blown away by.”

Other notable wins at this year’s World Whisky Awards included Tamdhu Distillery, which scooped the coveted accolade of the world’s best single cask. The Speyside distillery’s winning expression was aged in a single Oloroso sherry butt and handpicked by Distillery Manager Sandy McIntyre. Redbreast 21 Year Old was crowned the world’s best pot still whiskey, while Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old took home the award for the world’s best blend.

Meanwhile, at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival was crowned ‘Best in Show’. Revived for a second time, this delicious stuff was originally released in the 1990s and relaunched in the 2000s, selling out quickly on both occasions. You can thank Master Blender Rachel Barrie for the 15-year-old’s new, award-winning recipe which combines both Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks.

Distillery spike Released at the start of March, statistics from HMRC show that the number of distilleries in the UK has increased to a whopping 441 – an increase of 22% since the previous year. Nearly 90 new distilleries got the green light to open in 2019, with 62 new distilleries opening in England and a further 26 in Scotland.

Last year also marked the first time that the number of English distilleries overtook those in Scotland, thanks the soaring popularity of gin.

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New on the shelf

Trumped-up tariff

If you’re a fan of smoke, then you’ll be delighted with Ardbeg’s latest drop. At just five years old, Ardbeg Wee Beastie joins the brand’s core range of spirits, bringing with it intense aromas of cracked black pepper, sappy pine resin and a whole lot of smoke! “As it’s a younger whisky, it means we’re able to get as close to the still as possible,” explains Distillery Manager Mickey Heads.

“It’s safe to say this is a ferociously good wee nip!”

UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has pledged to lobby the US government to remove a “harmful” 25 per cent trade tariff on exports of Scotch whisky to the United States – a pledge that was delivered alongside the announcement to freeze duty tax on all alcoholic beverages, including spirits, for a year, in a bid to support the alcohol industry during the coronavirus pandemic. The government also announced plans to spend £10m on research and development to help distilleries cut their carbon emissions.

The Glenlivet has launched The Glenlivet Spectra – a limited edition trio of mystery whiskies that showcase a wide spectrum of flavours. Each expression is presented without tasting notes, age or cask information – challenging the senses of whisky lovers! While tasting each dram, drinkers are invited to take part in a digital experience that puts their tasting abilities to the test, as they seek to determine what flavour profiles make each bottle unique. At the end, drinkers are presented with a personalised scorecard showing how close they came to de-coding each of the three mysterious single malts.

A Time in History

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The Lakes English whisky makers at The Lakes Distillery have secured a £3.5 million loan, enabling the distillery to triple its annual production from 130,000 litres to 390,000 litres. Founded in 2011, The Lakes Distillery began production in 2014 and has since added a single malt, two blended whiskies, a vodka and a gin to its range.

Northern exposure Scotland’s most northern mainland whisky distillery is set to open in John O’Groats in 2021 (the first distillery there since 1837!) after planning permission was secured for a distillery, visitor centre and bonded warehouse. Founder Kerry Campbell explains the distillery’s whisky will be “unlike that from any other distillery, due to our coastal location in John O’Groats and the impact the local climate will have on our spirit as it matures.”

We can’t wait to taste it.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

News

Keeping spirits high All hands on deck As we go to print, more than a fifth of the world's population has been under lockdown in the global fight against coronavirus. As key workers brave the front line, industries including hospitality have been the hardest hit, left reeling from the effects of bars and restaurants having to temporarily shut up shop. Distilleries across the world have scaled back on production, working at a reduced capacity to ensure safety protocols are in place for the protection of their workers.

The Drinks Trust (formerly known as The Benevolent) has launched an emergency fund to support those in the drinks industry left in financial despair as a result of the pandemic. The charity will use funds to assist drinks industry workers with buying essentials, as well as offer them wellbeing support through helpline services.

Donations have so far flooded in, including contributions from Pernod Ricard, Sipsmith and Asterley Bros.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has launched an online portal to help with the supply of hand sanitiser to front line health services and local communities in the UK, amidst the crisis. From largescale suppliers including Bacardi, BrewDog and Diageo, to independent producers such as Lindores Abbey and Isle of Harris, distilleries across the country (and the world) have been ramping up hand sanitiser production to meet demand.

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Distell donates

Water of life

South African drinks group Distell has been donating 10% of online sales from its Tobermory, Bunnahabhain and Deanston whisky distilleries to support hospitality workers via drinks industry charity The Ben. The charity is playing a key role in providing social, emotional and financial support for businesses in the licensed trade.

Pope Francis has proclaimed Scotch whisky to be “the real water of life” (we knew it all along!). Footage was recorded of the pope bestowing this holy credential upon a bottle of Oban 14 Year Old, gifted to him by a group of Scottish student priests when they visited the Vatican last year. The revelation was made by director Tony Kearney during filming for his short documentary Priest School.

Vatican officials have since insisted the quip be cut from the documentary, with Kearney maintaining the pope is a “down-to-earth ordinary bloke who likes a drink.”

Distillery Visit

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Virtual drams With whisky festivals cancelled and tasting events put on hold, whisky brands have been unlocking the power of technology, with the likes of Penderyn, Talisker and Buffalo Trace offering virtual tastings, distillery tours and pub quizzes to customers online.

Drinkers can stay connected with their favourite brands while brushing up on their whisky knowledge – a good use of new-found extra time!

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Auctions

Stop: hammer time Introducing Christoffer Hällström, our resident auctioneer. A self-proclaimed whisky geek and lover of all things Islay, Chris gives us the low down on life behind the hammer.

How did your love of whisky first begin?

My real love of whisky started when I moved from Sweden to Scotland. In Sweden, whisky is really expensive to buy and even drink at a bar. In Scotland, both the whisky community and the price of the liquid are so accessible. Moving there, I had the chance of going from left to right within a bar without breaking the bank, which gave me the opportunity to always try something new. After my first trip to Islay's whisky festival, I became a lot geekier about whisky – I wanted to learn everything I could!

Can you remember your first dram?

My first taste of whisky was a dram of Highland Park 18 Year Old. Most people are introduced to whisky via their parents’ cupboard! But I realised straight away that this was a drink to be savoured and enjoyed.

Lots of flavour, so complex, yet smooth enough to drink neat.

What role has whisky since played in your life?

Whisky has helped me a lot in life. After first visiting Scotland on a New Year’s trip, I soon returned to take a university course in Finance, Investment and Risk and work parttime. As a student, I couldn’t afford to drink expensive whisky (which I had a bit of a taste for!), so my way of being able to get my hands on the whiskies I wanted was through selling at auction the bottles I already owned. In turn,

the auctioning process really helped me to understand the methodology of my degree, setting me up perfectly for my career.

Whisky also helped me become more confident in speaking English, as I started hosting tastings to practise the language.

Whisky was something I knew a lot about and talking about it helped me to feel comfortable speaking English with others.

Are you a whisky collector yourself?

‘Collector’ is probably the wrong word for me because I don’t collect one brand, per se.

I go back and forth between brands and buy all sorts of weird and wonderful bottles. I buy what I find really interesting – that could be lost distilleries, old blends or expressions from niche and independent bottlers.

In terms of consistency in my collection, I would say I have a collection of Islay whiskies.

I love the region of Islay because the whiskies are so varied – you have peated, un-peated, heavily-sherried… I have always been a lover of Laphroaig, but in recent years I have really gotten into Bowmore and Bunnahabhain.

Their whiskies change so much as they get older, which I love about them. If I was stranded in one whisky region, it would have to be Islay!

Do you drink the whisky you win at auction?

Yes – my friends and I spend many nights sharing and comparing our auction winnings.

It’s fun – whisky is supposed to be fun!

What is it you love about auctioning?

At the end of the day, if a whisky isn’t to your taste then it doesn’t mean it’s not a good whisky, it’s just not for you. I think auctions are an amazing way to pass those whiskies on to someone else who will drink and enjoy them. Sellers then have the cash to buy another whisky they’ve always wanted – or cash for a holiday, or cash to fix their car!

Our ability to ship all over the world at The Whisky Shop Auctions means that some people can also get their hands on whiskies that they’ve never been able to access before.

Auctions are an amazing way to open your mind and expand your knowledge about whiskies you may never have known about or considered before. I love helping people get the whisky they are looking for (and the whisky they might not know they're looking for!).

Photo: Christina Kernohan

Knowledge Bar Free home collection While our shops are shut, we're picking up your bottles directly from your doorstep – free of charge. Contact auctions@whiskyshop.com to make the most of this limited-time offer.

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auctions@whiskyshop.com

telephone: +44 (0) 141 427 2950

ARE LIVE VISIT WHISKYSHOP.COM/AUCTIONS

SERVICES OFFERED HERE'S WHY YOU SHOULD Drop off at local UK shops GET INVOLVED: Drop off at our Paris boutique Local experts

Advanced search filters 360° spin photography Rolling auctions Anti-sniper software Our virtual wallet Immediate cash out option Private client service

THE REST

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Auctions

Whisky auction results TWSA results

£4,600 › Macallan 1997 22 Year Old Single Cask We were first to market in February with a bottle of Macallan 1997 22 Year Old Single Cask #5542/02, matured in a single European oak sherry butt for its full term and released in 2019 as part of the brand’s Exceptional Cask series. One of only 581 produced, this bottle sold for a whopping £4,600 – the most we’ve seen it sell for in the current market.

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£1,300 › Tullibardine 1966 Single Cask

Another first-to-market for The Whisky Shop Auctions. £1,300 was an incredible result for a bottle of Tullibardine 1966 Single Cask #1697 that spent more than four decades in barrel – a final hammer price that is more than double the value of similar Tullibardine vintages in the current market!

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£825 › Tullibardine 1976 Single Cask

Another of our Tullibardine lots, this time a bottle of 1976 Single Cask #3161, achieved a remarkable hammer price of £825. This was a fantastic result, again achieving a final hammer price that is double the value of other Tullibardine bottlings from the same vintage.

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£525 › Dallas Dhu 1971

We sold an independent bottling of Dallas Dhu 1971 by Gordon & MacPhail for a brilliant £525 – an increase in value since the expression last appeared in the secondary market in March earlier this year.

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£500 › Rosebank 1988 Connoisseurs Choice

We recorded a fantastic final bid of £500 for a bottle of Rosebank 1988 Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice – more than doubling in value since its previous auction price of £233 just earlier this year, proving continued demand for liquid from lost distilleries in the secondary market.

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£350 › Macallan President's Edition

£350 was a terrific result for a bottle of Macallan President's Edition – more than doubling in value since last going under the hammer in 2019.

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World results

£825,000 › Macallan 1926 Valerio Adami 60 Year Old There are rare casks from The Macallan, there are exceptional casks, and then there is cask #263 – a 60-year-old whisky from which just 40 bottles were filled. Macallan 1926 Valerio Adami 60 Year Old made up 12 of those bottles, featuring label art by the eponymous Italian painter. With one bottle known to have been opened, and another rumoured to have been lost in a Japanese earthquake, this is a whisky rarer than ever before... hence bottle number 12 of 12 fetching a staggering £825,000 at auction in February.

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£180,000 › Springbank 1919 50 Year Old

One of only three survivors in a region once famed for being the whisky capital of the world, Springbank Distillery was better known in the 1920s for producing whisky for blends. It’s therefore no wonder that a bottle of Springbank 1919 50 Year Old single malt received a final hammer price of £180,000 at auction earlier this year. With just 24 bottles of this whisky out there in the world, Springbank 1919 50 Year Old is a crown jewel for any whisky collector (as the price shows!).

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£34,000 › Macallan 1949 Fine and Rare 52 Year Old

Another Macallan, another exceptional hammer price. This time it was a bottle of Macallan 1949 Fine and Rare 52 Year Old #935 which scooped up an eye-watering £34,000 at auction. Part of Macallan’s Fine and Rare series which showcases the very best whisky from the distillery since 1926, this expression was taken from just one of two casks selected for the series as the finest examples of this vintage.

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£28,500 › Bowmore 1964 Single Cask 35 Year Old

An extremely rare expression from Islay’s oldest distillery, a bottle of Bowmore 1964 Single Cask 35 Year Old recently amassed an incredible £28,500 at auction.

Distilled a year after the distillery was taken over by Stanley P. Morrison, this whisky is part of an era of iconic Bowmore single malts. It was matured in a sherry hogshead from the same batch of casks as the Black Bowmore series that is legendary among whisky collectors.

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£26,000 › Old Orkney Real Liqueur Whisky

A bottle of Old Orkney Real Liqueur Whisky, released in the early 1930s, has received an astounding winning bid of £26,000. Part of Stromness Distillery’s last remaining stocks after it closed its doors in 1927, the hammer price of this bottle conveys the desirability of liquid from some of Scotland's lost (but much-loved) distilleries.

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£2,700 › Macallan 1937

Purchased in the late 1970s for just £11, a bottle of Macallan 1937 has achieved a hammer price of £2,700! Initially bought as a present for his dad, Michael Amphlett explained he did not have the heart to drink it without his father, who passed away in 1991. “Shows what stashing a bottle for a few years can do!” said Michael, a self-proclaimed whisky auction novice who is sure his dad would have smiled at the price.

Knowledge Bar Buying and selling at The Whisky Shop Auctions New lots daily In our rolling auction programme, new bottles are added every day meaning there is always something interesting to bid on. And it’s not just whisky – we sell rum, cognac, gin and other spirits, too.

Drop off & free home collection With our network of shops across the UK and France, we have 22 convenient locations available to drop off bottles and pick up winning lots. You can also post your bottles to us or make use of our home collection service that picks up bottles directly from your doorstep – currently free of charge while our shops are shut.

360° imagery Inspect the condition of lots from every angle with our industry-leading 360° spin photography.

Free storage We can store your winning lots in our Auction House free of charge to reduce your delivery costs.

We’re whisky people!

With more than 90 years’ collective experience of the specialist whisky market, our experts are always on hand to provide top-notch advice and guidance.

Sellers, it's time to raid your drinks cabinet for buried treasure and make fast cash on forgotten drams! Buyers, head to whiskyshop.com/auctions to place your bids.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

A Time in History

Collateral dramage

Trump’s recent tariffs on Scotch whisky have Brian Wilson delving a little deeper into America’s long history with trade wars.

Illustration: Julia Kerschbaumer

Scotch whisky has long been a target for countries which set tariffs to protect their indigenous products. Much of the Scotch Whisky Association’s time is devoted to contesting these impediments to trade but what is happening now, in the trade war with the United States, is significantly different.

Martin Bell of the SWA explains: “I’ve been in this area of work for 16 years and have seen a fair number of international trade disputes in the World Trade Organisation where the EU has taken cases to prevent tax discrimination against Scotch and other imported spirits.

“I’ve tended to focus primarily on Asia-Pacific as that’s where most of the problems have arisen.

What makes the US situation different is that this is the first time Scotch whisky has been caught in the middle of an unrelated trade dispute.”

Unrelated, indeed! The innocent bystander is likely to wonder why whisky should be collateral damage for an American grievance about state subsidies to Airbus or, before that, to steel and aluminium production within the EU. But that’s the way trade wars work and, as with all wars, there are innocent victims.

A country which thinks its domestic industries are suffering because of subsidies to a rival can go to the WTO which, if it upholds the case, will set an upper limit on the value of retaliatory sanctions, based on the alleged damage done to the complainant’s own industries. It is then open season to decide which products to target.

I had first-hand experience of this capricious process when I was UK Trade Minister and the Americans were upset about EU subsidies to Caribbean banana producers.

The WTO upheld their complaint. America doesn’t actually grow bananas, but some influential corporations have huge plantations in countries like Ecuador and Colombia.

The office of the US Trade Representative wanted to target Scotch whisky at that time, but the value was too high to fit within the cap set by the WTO. So, they went for cashmere knitwear instead, among an eclectic range of EU products – none of them anything to do with bananas.

The whole thing only went away when the WTO drastically reduced the value of permitted retaliation, but not before a lot of damage had been done.

Now, it’s as if the USTR has been lying in wait for 20 years to snare Scotch whisky in this dispute. A 25 per cent tariff on single malts and whisky liqueurs poses a particular threat to small distilleries which produce little or nothing for the blended market. Single malt exports to the US are down by a quarter since the tariff took effect last October, though the full effects have not been felt because a lot of stockpiling went on in the preceding months.

Irony is probably lost on President Trump but the SWA’s biggest allies are producers of American whiskey who are caught up in the titfor-tat logic of a misguided war. Martin Bell says: “We are fully aligned because they, of course, are feeling the pain through a drop in imports into Europe. There is also cross-ownership between the two industries and the biggest irony is that the most significant import for the Scotch whisky process is bourbon casks – worth $70 million a year – from the United States.”

The problem for American producers goes beyond the dispute with the EU, since Trumpian trade wars also involve the USA’s North American neighbours, Canada and Mexico, as well as China. The Distilled Spirits Council of the US warned: “The imposition of these tariffs by our major trading partners threatens to seriously impede export progress that has benefited our sector and created jobs across the country.”

❝

Disputes about trade and tariffs defined American politics and wars throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th. It was under the umbrella of protectionism that America became the largest and most powerful economy in the world.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

A Time in History Knowledge Bar Top US trade wars In an election year, that can be a powerful message in states like Kentucky and Tennessee, where the spirits industry is concentrated.

American attachment to protectionism via tariffs and trade wars has a pedigree which dates backs to the earliest days of independence. The second piece of legislation passed by the US Congress in 1789 was the Tariff Act which set a levy on imports from other countries. It was integral to the new democracy’s mindset that America’s economic potential had been held back by the British who wanted it as a source of raw materials but not a competitor in manufactured goods.

To a large degree, disputes about trade and tariffs defined American politics and wars throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th. It was under the umbrella of protectionism that America became the largest and most powerful economy in the world. Inevitably, however, the cycle began to repeat itself. As other economies developed, the arguments for free trade became stronger. The shared interest was in open markets.

The last stand for pure protectionism came in 1930 when, in the face of many warnings, the US Congress passed the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Bill, thereby enshrining in history the names of two otherwise undistinguished legislators. The bill raised tariffs on over 20,000 goods to protect American industry and agriculture. It was a complete disaster. As the economist John Kenneth Galbraith wrote: “Even the Swiss were moved to seek limitations on American imports in response to an increased tariff on Swiss watches.”

Over the next four years, world trade decreased by 65 per cent, unemployment soared and Smoot-Hawley made the Great Depression infinitely worse than it might otherwise have been. Franklin D. Roosevelt ran his 1932 presidential campaign on a platform of lowering tariffs and won. Thereafter, America adopted a more pragmatic approach and ultimately became a supporter of a rules-based global system.

However, the history of protectionism ran so deep in the American psyche that the conversion to free trade remained fragile – particularly with a populist like President Trump in the White House.“Trade wars are good because they are so easy to win,” he declared. Tell that to the bourbon makers of Kentucky!

To return to Scotch whisky, Smoot-Hawley had another unintended consequence of historic significance. It effectively brought to an end the era of Prohibition. By 1933, the American economy was in such dire circumstances that the revenues from liquor consumption were deemed essential. It was also pretty clear that Prohibi-

tion was not working – there were estimated to be 20,000 speakeasies in New York alone, and bootlegging had spawned the great gangster syndicates of the era.

Neither had 13 years of Prohibition hugely inconvenienced Scotland’s enterprising whisky distillers. They quickly put in place a network of exports to neighbouring territories, where the whisky was taken charge of by the American bootleggers. In 1922, for example, the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland, imported 119,000 gallons of Scotch, which might have raised eyebrows as the territories had a combined population of 6,000 people.

By all accounts, Scotch emerged stronger from Prohibition than when it began, as the gangsters who controlled the illegal market had been careful to maintain the exclusivity of the product and the premium price it could command. By 1938, the United States – nominally “dry” until five years earlier – accounted for 60 per cent of all Scotch whisky exports.

By comparison to these great events, the current stand-off may prove to be a mere blip in the long relationship between American politics and Scotch whisky. Donald Trump has never shown much interest in his strong Scottish roots except when building or acquiring golf courses.

But if his mother, born and bred on the Isle of Lewis, was still around, she might conceivably ask him: “Donald, why is Scotch whisky by far the biggest single victim of your sanctions against the European Union, in a dispute that has nothing to do with it?” Just conceivably.

Buns of steel In an effort to boost the USA’s steel industry in 2002, George W. Bush imposed tariffs of 8 to 30 per cent on steel imports from the rest of the world (bar Canada and Mexico). The European Union quickly retaliated with tariffs on Florida oranges, American cars and more. After a complaint against the USA was filed with the WTO, Bush ended the tariffs within 18 months – earlier than his proposed timeline of three years.

Bananarama In 1993, the USA complained that Europe was imposing high tariffs on fruit coming from Latin America so that its former Caribbean colonies could have an advantage in the market. Many banana farms in Latin America are owned by American companies and so, in retaliation, the US placed tariffs on items such as French handbags and British linens.

The banana war finally ended in 2012, with then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright declaring: “I never in my life thought I would spend so much time on bananas!”

Ruffled feathers Mass-produced chicken farming was on the rise in America during the 1960s and, as a result, chicken imports in Europe soared. That didn't sit well with France and West Germany, who imposed tariffs on poultry, leading to big losses in the once-burgeoning US industry.

America soon fought back, imposing a 25 per cent tax on products such as French brandy and light trucks (including Volkswagen buses) in 1964 – with tariffs on light trucks still in place today.

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Lead a rare life.

Bourbon from the world’s most award-winning distillery.

Masterfully crafted and carefully aged for no less than ten years. The rareness of this great breed of bourbon is evident in its complex aroma, as well as the smooth and lingering taste.

Eagle Rare is a bourbon that lives up to its name with its lofty, distinctive taste experience.

Available to buy at The Whisky Shop.

Please enjoy responsibly.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Distillery Visit

What’s the story?

Silent for more than half of its entire existence, Gavin Smith travels to Tobermory in pursuit of the distillery’s history, and its liquid gold.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Distillery Visit The port of Tobermory, on the Hebridean island of Mull, is notable for a seafront filled with houses and shops painted in bold, primary colours. It is also at the centre of a fascinating tale of long-lost gold. Back in 1588, the Spanish Armada had been defeated by the English navy, led by Sir Francis Drake, and those ships that survived made their way home to Spain around the north and west coasts of Scotland.

One vessel – believed to be the San Juan de Sicilia – took refuge in Tobermory Bay, having suffered damage during the battle with the English forces. The 800-tonne ship spent a month in the bay, being repaired and taking on fresh supplies. Then, in early November, she mysteriously blew up, and sank to the sea bed, taking with her, it is claimed, a horde of gold coins worth £30 million today. Several efforts have been made to locate the vessel and liberate its legendary cargo, but all have failed. liquid gold Tobermory is also famous for gold of another kind. Liquid gold. A distillery was established in the port during 1798, crammed into a tight site beside the Ledaig Burn, between a hillside rising above the town and head of the bay.

It was constructed by local merchant John Sinclair, a decade after the settlement of Tobermory itself had been founded by the British Fisheries Society.

This body had been set up to stimulate commercial fishing in the Highlands and Islands, and was responsible for the development of Tobermory and Ullapool in 1788, Lochbay on the Isle of Skye in 1790, and Pultneytown at Wick, Caithness during 1808.

John Sinclair applied for permission to build a distillery and several houses on 57 acres of land to the south of the harbour in 1797, but initially the authorities wanted him to set up a brewery instead. Despite this, the merchant stuck to his original plan and somehow had it approved.

He named his new distillery Ledaig (pronounced Led-chigg), which translates from Gaelic as ‘safe haven’.

However, during the ensuing two centuries Ledaig was to be far from a safe haven for whiskymaking, as the distillery has actually been silent for more than half of its entire existence. It was first closed between 1837 and 1878, but was back in production when journalist and distillery chronicler Alfred Barnard visited in 1885.

Barnard subsequently wrote that “The voyage from Oban to Tobermory in fine weather is one of the pleasantest imaginable; the scenery is described in many of the guide books, but none of them have ever done it justice.”

Today, CalMac car ferries still depart the mainland at the West Highland port of Oban, but instead of arriving in Tobermory, they make landfall at Craignure in the south-east of the island, and 20 miles from the capital. However,

Barnard’s observations about the attractions of the scenery during the 50-minutes sea crossing are still as valid as ever.

At the time of Barnard’s visit, Tobermory distillery was licenced to Messrs Mackill Brothers, whom he described as “…noted breeders of cattle,” and wrote of the distillery being “…built with stone in the form of a double triangle.”

He went on to write that “We next bent our steps to the Distilling House, and were there shown two ‘Old Pot Stills,’ the Wash Still holding 2,530 gallons [11,502 litres], and the Spirit Still 1,710 gallons [7,774 litres], the former heated by fire and the latter by steam… The make is called ‘Mull Whisky;’ it is pure Highland malt, and the annual output (1885) was 62,000 gallons [282,000 litres].”

❝ In 2015, the oldest

expressions of Tobermory and Ledaig were released, setting the seal on the distillery’s reputation as home to truly serious single malt whiskies. hard times and revival Tobermory was just one of many Scottish distilleries to fall victim to the economic slump between the two world wars of the 20th century, and it was silent once more from 1930 until 1972, having been bought by the Distillers Company Ltd in 1916. Prior to its next bout of whisky production, the site served as a canteen for sailors and the warehouse as a repository for naval stores during the Second World War. 1972 saw production recommence, this time under the auspices of the Ledaig Distillery Ltd, which was formed by a Liverpool shipping operator and the Spanish sherry firm of Pedro Domecq, along with unspecified ‘Panamanian interests’. For two years prior to its re-opening, the distillery had been extensively reconstructed, and capacity more than doubled.

However, Ledaig Distillery Ltd went bankrupt in 1975, leading to a further four years of silence. The Yorkshire-based Kirkleavington Property Company Ltd bought Tobermory in 1979, but they also found profits elusive, committing the cardinal sin of selling the distillery’s only warehouse for re-development into apartments. They then closed the plant between 1982 and 1989, rather improbably using it for the storage of Isle of Mull cheddar cheese.

Writing in his 1985 book Scotch and Water, after visiting the silent Tobermory distillery, Neil Wilson posed the question “How terminal is the distillery’s position? Although the relatively good condition of the plant offers some hope for the future, its poor layout, and the lack of sufficient warehousing, suggests that a large injection of capital – as much as £1.8m – is desperately required… In the present economic climate it is becoming increasingly unlikely that Tobermory will ever produce malt whisky again.”

Happily, for Tobermory, however, Wilson’s pessimism was unfounded. Burn Stewart Distillers, which already owned Deanston in Perthshire, saw potential in the only distillery on Mull, and in 1993 spent £600,000 buying it, devoting a further £200,000 to acquiring a patchy inventory of maturing stock.

One of the East Kilbride-based company’s first tasks was to remove all traces of cheese from the distillery, before setting about making whisky once again. In the past, Tobermory had distilled both unpeated and peated spirit at varying times, so it was decided in 1996 to split annual production approximately 50:50 between the two, with the peated spirit (using malt at 3540ppm) being named Ledaig.

Burn Stewart subsequently devoted significant amounts of time and money to raising the profile of the distillery’s two single malts, and the firm also uses Tobermory and Ledaig in its Scottish Leader and Black Bottle blends.

A former tun room was converted into a small warehouse during 2007 so that at least some of the spirit being made can be matured in its place of origin.

In 2002, Burn Stewart had been acquired by Trinidad-based venture capitalists CL Financial for £50 million, but having experienced economic difficulties, CL sold the company to SouthAfrican-headquartered The Distell Group for £160 million in 2013.

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Knowledge Bar The story so far 1790s Ledaig Distillery was founded by local kelp merchant John Sinclair, who’s application was initially rejected in favour of building a brewery.

1930s The Great Depression and Prohibition in the USA caused the distillery to close its doors for 41 long years.

1990s After a series of openings and closures (and a stint storing Isle of Mull cheese!), the renamed Tobermory Distillery breathed new life in 1993.

2000s The distillery was purchased

by Distell in 2013, recently opening the doors to its refurbished facilities in 2019.

Tobermory MULL

SCOTLAND

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Distillery Visit the whiskies Two years later, the oldest expressions of Tobermory and Ledaig were released, setting the seal on the distillery’s reputation as home to truly serious single malt whiskies. Both had been aged for 42 years, and comprised some of the first spirit made when production resumed in 1972. The Ledaig carries the name ‘Dùsgadh’ – Gaelic for ‘awakening’ – and contains the last of the distillery’s pre-1996 peated spirit.

Today’s core Tobermory line-up comprises a 12-year-old Tobermory, released in 2019 in place of the previous 10-year-old, along with 10 and 18-year-old Ledaigs. 2019 also saw the release of a Tobermory 1999 Marsala Finish and a Ledaig 1997 Manzanilla Finish in Distell’s annual Limited Release Collection, with more such limited expressions – and one or two surprises – expected later this year.

Tobermory is equipped with a five-tonne cast iron traditional mash tun, four Oregon pine washbacks and two pairs of stills, giving the distillery a maximum capacity of one million litres per annum. The site is currently operating at around 75 per cent of that capacity. The four tall stills stand in line, with condensers located high above the vessels, among the roof supports of the stillroom. Tobermory’s spirit style is influenced by slow distillation and by the equipment’s design, with stills boasting ‘boil bulbs’ and ‘S’-shaped lyne arms that increase reflux and ‘lighten’ the spirit character, while giving a slightly oily character with citrus notes.

looking to the future Between 2017 and 2019, the distillery was silent once again, but this time in a much more positive way than on previous occasions, while a major renovation programme took place in both the production and visitor centre areas, ‘futureproofing’ the distillery for decades to come.

As Brand Home Manager Olivier MacLean explains, “Since April 2017 we have replaced the following parts in the distillery: all four washbacks, one sprit still and one wash still, a new draff silo and some refurbishment within the distillery. We also put a new roof on the still house as well as on the fermentation area.”

Additionally, a new stillroom has been created, equipped with a gin still, and Tobermory Hebridean Gin, containing locally-sourced botanicals and a quantity of the distillery’s newmake malt spirit, is proving extremely popular with consumers.

Due to the fact that the distillery only has the small maturation area created in 2007, most of the spirit made at Tobermory is aged on the mainland. Olivier MacLean notes that “We only mature a few casks on site which are most likely exbourbon. Our spirit is taken by tanker twice a week to Deanston in order to fill it to cask. After maturation at Deanston warehouse, the casks go to our bottling plant in East Kilbride to be bottled.”

Although he boasts a famous Mull surname – the island’s Duart Castle has been the seat of Clan MacLean for over 700 years – Olivier hails from Switzerland and has occupied his present role since last September. “I feel very fortunate to have this role at this unique and special place,” he says. “Our distillery is a jewel on Mull.”

When it comes to his own favourite drams, MacLean declares that “I consider myself a ‘peat head’, so I do prefer a peated, smoky single malt. My personal favourite at the moment is our Ledaig 21 Year Old Port Pipe – a distillery-exclusive bottle.”

Other distillery-exclusive expressions available to reward those making the journey to Tobermory currently include a 20-yearold Ledaig Moscatel Finish, and there is the opportunity to hand-fill your own bottle from the array of single malts on offer.

The chances of the gold in Tobermory Bay being discovered remain remote, but having survived through many uncertain times, the island’s ‘other’ gold is definitely something to be treasured.

❝ I consider myself

a ‘peat head’, so I do prefer a peated, smoky single malt.

My personal favourite at the moment is our Ledaig 21 Year Old Port Pipe – a distillery-exclusive bottle.

Brand Home Manager Olivier MacLean

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Discover the unique character of every single cask.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Interview

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My name is Doddie Former rugby legend Doddie Weir is leading the charge against motor neurone disease. Finding a cure is his focus, and positivity his greatest pill.

This edition’s cover is an incredible portrait of Doddie, painted by Scottish artist Gerard M. Burns. The portrait can be viewed at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, where it is currently on loan from the Weir family.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Interview

❝ I think mental strength

is a big one. I’ve always tried to have a good time and worry about tomorrow when it comes. If it doesn’t come, then you’ve had a great last night!

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Diagnosed in 2016, Doddie’s doctor told him he would be in a wheelchair within a year. Three and a half years on, Doddie is still walking, still working on his farm, and stopping at nothing to find a cure for MND. We spoke with Doddie about his fight, his foundation and his love of a good dram, ahead of Doddie’s Charity Whisky Auction, taking place via The Whisky Shop Auctions later this year.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Interview Congratulations on all the incredible work you and the team are doing through the My Name’5 Doddie foundation! For those who may not know, can you explain what Motor Neurone Disease is, and how it is affecting you?

It’s a muscle-wasting disease caused by a chemical imbalance from your brain to your muscles. Your leg muscles disappear so you can’t walk, your arm muscles disappear so you can’t hold things, brush your teeth, put your clothes on, shower, shave – it makes life quite tricky! It goes on to affect your speech, your swallowing and your diaphragm, so eventually you can’t breathe by yourself. It’s quite a horrific thing to happen to you.

I’m feeling the effects particularly in my arms and a wee bit more in my speech, especially when I get tired. My good lady Kathy is my carer, although, at the moment, I can still do quite a lot of things. I’m still driving my tractor, although my good lady maybe has to help me get in. But once I’m in, I’m ok.

Scratching my head or shaving is pretty difficult.

I could do them if need be, but it would probably take me all day to recover because of the energy required to do those tasks.

There are certain frustrations, no doubt about that, especially on the farm with jobs I can’t do anymore, but if that’s my only letdown, and I’m still here to spend time with my wife and kids, then what have I got to grumble about?

How did you first discover your symptoms?

I was officially diagnosed in December 2016, but my symptoms started about a year before that. I got my hand caught in a door at the farm in early 2016. I thought I had maybe broken a little bone as I had lost a bit of power, but I figured it would be ok in a few days’ time.

Three months later, it hadn’t healed – I still had no power and some of my skin was twitching. I decided to search those symptoms on Google, and the results came back with Motor Neurone Disease.

My doctor carried out tests straight away.

There’s no one test that tells you you’ve got MND; you have to go through a lot of blood tests, a brain scan, shock therapy – it’s really a process of elimination. Eventually, six months later, I got the news to say I had MND. At that meeting, my doctor told me that I would not be walking into his surgery in a year’s

time, that I would be in a wheelchair. But here I am, still walking, still here, three and a half years later.

Soon after your diagnosis, you launched your foundation My Name’5 Doddie. Why did you decide to set it up?

In life, I’ve always thought, when you’ve got a problem, what do you do? You try and fix it.

The problem with MND is that there’s no cure, nothing for patients to get involved in and no positive space for them. When a patient gets diagnosed with MND they need to selfcure. By that, I mean they need to go home, go on their computer and search on Google for cures and remedies. Patients need to decide for themselves what’s good and what’s bad, and I don’t think that should be the way it’s done. So that’s what we’re changing with the foundation.

The big thing we’re doing is trying to find a drug that will cure MND and, at the same time, help people who are living with it. Once a patient gets diagnosed, although there’s nothing on the table that can help them in terms of drugs, there’s a lot that can help them mentally, in the way of exercise, diet and things that can potentially extend their life. So, we’re broadcasting a series of ‘Dodcasts’ through the foundation website for those with MND. In these I share my own experiences of living with MND in the company of clinicians and specialists: things I’ve found useful. I didn’t get that when I got diagnosed, so I’m thrilled we can offer that sort of help to others now.

What have been the key successes of the foundation so far?

Running the foundation has allowed us to spend almost £5 million, just two and a half years into our journey. £4 million has gone into research, and about £800,000 has gone towards helping people living with MND. We have a forum every six months where we bring the top MND professors together.

I think a lot of good has come from that.

The professors had been working on similar projects and now they are all working together.

From my rugby days, I’ve always understood that teamwork brings about the best results, and the more we have on the team, the better the position we’ll be in to conquer MND. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, we just need to tell patients to stay strong

and have hope.

The foundation has reached a much larger scale than I ever thought it would. There’s been a lot of lovely people involved in raising awareness and generating money, which is ultimately what’s required in order to fund the research. The support has just been unbelievable. I think the committee of trustees [and some of Doddie’s closest friends] thought they were all signing up for six months… I think they’re a wee bit annoyed that I’m still here!

Your positivity and sense of humour have prevailed at every stage of your MND journey – how important is the connection between mind and body?

That’s a good question because I think mental strength is a big one.

The only drug to treat MND came out around 30 years ago and extends life by maybe three months. There’s been nothing new since.

The other drug for me is mindset. If you have a positive attitude, I think that has a major effect on your life. I’ve always tried to have a good time and worry about tomorrow when it comes. If it doesn’t come, then you’ve had a great last night!

My outlook from day one has been not to let MND affect me. An example would be that I can no longer tie my shoelaces, but now I have rubber laces in my shoes and can still get them on by myself. So, MND – get to France! Or drinking, for example. I now drink a pint from a mug with a handle, so, MND – get to France!

Why am I still here after three and half years? There’s no medical reason behind it. I will not allow MND to get into my life, as it would maybe like to. Positivity is the best pill you can have.

Do you think your career in sport has helped you in your fight with MND? The attitude I developed thanks to my rugby career has really helped. As a team, every time Scotland played New Zealand, we always had an inner positivity that we’d win! At the end of the game that didn’t happen, but we held on to that positivity. It’s similar to this game I’m in now, you could say, where I’m trying to beat MND. I’m trying everything in my power to beat it and, at the moment, the game is still going. There’s no defeat as yet. We’re still working away and the team is getting bigger and bigger, so with any luck, we’ll win this one. That’s what keeps

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❝ From my rugby

days, I’ve always understood that teamwork brings about the best results, and the more we have on the team, the better the position we’ll be in to conquer MND.

Knowledge Bar Doddie Weir 'A mad giraffe' Once described by commentator Bill McLaren as being "on the charge like a mad giraffe," Doddie was a mainstay of the Scotland rugby team throughout the 1990s and was a fan favourite of the Murrayfield crowd.

Capped Doddie won 61 Scottish caps, scoring 19 points from four tries, and was a lineout specialist, thanks to all 6 feet 6 inches of him.

Heart of a lion He was selected as part of the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 1997.

Dressed in one of his signature tartan suits, Doddie delivers the ball ahead of a Newcastle Falcons match alongside his three sons, Hamish, Angus and Ben.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Interview me going, along with Guinness, red wine and, of course, a wee dram!

The rugby humour is great. The banter and support I’ve received from the rugby family has just been truly amazing. When I told my good friend Gary [Armstrong] that I had MND, he said: “I hope you’ve got the potholes in your driveway filled. I don’t want a call from your wife saying you’ve got your electric wheelchair stuck!” – and that was just a month after I had been diagnosed.

Banter from the people you know best?

Nothing beats it. It helps add a bit of joviality to the situation.

How are your family doing?

My family are doing very well; they’re very helpful and very understanding. If you’ve got a great support network, it makes you feel a lot better and you forget about your aches and pains – that’s where I feel very lucky. We’ve been very fortunate as a family over the past three and half years, spending a lot of good time together. There are people with MND who don’t have that time – who the door shuts a lot quicker for.

The kids have been great, they have to do a lot more for their dad than other teenagers, like help me dress. When I delivered the ball before the Scotland v. New Zealand match in 2017, I walked on to the pitch with my three sons and decided to leave them at the 15-yard line. There’s going to come a point in the future, whether that’s in three months’ time or a year’s time, where I’ll be leaving my kids.

So that’s why I left them behind on the pitch, as a message to myself that I’ll need to leave them at some point. Every time I see that it’s quite an emotional message for me, that at some stage life is going to be cut short unless we find a solution.

These last three years have been incredibly busy for you, between fundraising and campaigning. What do you do in your downtime?

I visit a chiropractor and go swimming once a week. Those things help me mentally, they keep me going. I think the farm has been a great place for me – it keeps me doing the day-to-day stuff, like cutting the grass with my adapted lawnmower. There’s never a problem, always a solution! In terms of relaxing, at the moment, I have to say I’m watching Netflix. I’m watching Suits – I’m into it in a big way!

❝ Running the

foundation has allowed us to spend almost £5 million, just two and a half years into our journey.

Talk to us about rugby. You played professionally with the Newcastle Falcons and Border Reivers and internationally for Scotland and the British & Irish Lions – an incredible career!

I had a great time playing rugby, I’m very lucky with the teammates I played with. Great memories, great times. Unbelievable memories!

As an amateur in the 90s and during my professional days at Newcastle, socialising was a major part of my game. Having a good time, both on the field and at the party afterwards!

Which leads perfectly on to whisky… it’s no secret that you’re a fan of a dram! Can you remember your first taste of whisky?

Well, whisky’s been a major part of my life for many years, and still is. My whisky journey really kicked off during my rugby days.

I remember being at the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews with a few of the rugby boys when Duncy Paterson, our manager at the time, bought us a round of Glen Grant 1936. £131 a dram! And this was in 1990. That was probably my first introduction to whisky. And not a bad one at that.

There’s been a lot of good drams taken over the years. I’m sure when I got my first cap, I had a lot of whisky that night. I can’t really remember it, but we’ll say it was nice!

What’s open on your spirits shelf at the moment?

The Macallan 18 Year Old, Glengoyne 21 Year Old and Johnnie Walker Blue Label are all in my whisky cupboard.

You’re known for your self-deprecating sense of humour, but you’ve achieved so much! What has been your proudest moment so far?

For me, it’s the help I’ve received. From this whisky auction, to school kids baking, to people going on walks and bike rides to raise money for the foundation – the people who have supported me have been incredible, so, truly, it’s them that I salute. I appreciate all the work they’ve put in.

And together we’ll make a difference, together we’ll give MND a bit of a fright. So, it’s not about what I’ve achieved, it’s about the support I’ve received. It’s been unbelievable and I think that’s why I’m still here and I’m still fighting.

So, thank you.

As well as bidding on their favourite dram in Doddie’s Charity Whisky Auction later this year, how else can people get involved with the My Name’5 Doddie foundation?

You can find fundraising ideas and more information about the foundation over at www.myname5doddie.co.uk. If you’d like to support us now, absolutely brilliant, if not, save the pennies for this magnificent auction later in the year!

Knowledge Bar Doddie's Charity Whisky Auction We’ll be launching Doddie’s Charity Whisky Auction via The Whisky Shop Auctions later this year, with all proceeds going to the My Name’5 Doddie foundation.

This will be an auction filled to the brim with some exceptional whiskies, including Littlemill 25 Year Old and The Macallan Coronation Bottling.

To stay in the loop, follow @thewhiskyshop on social media or sign up for email updates at whiskyshop.com.

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Knowledge Bar Glenkinchie single cask

A tough job for a whisky lover: Doddie recently handpicked a single cask from Glenkinchie Distillery. The special cask is a donation from the East Lothian-based distillery to the My Name'5 Doddie foundation. Soon to be bottled, Doddie selected a 16-year-old dram that has spent its entire life in a sherry cask.

Watch this space!

Doddie alongside his chosen Glenkinchie cask and Ewan Andrew, Diageo’s President of Global Supply & Procurement.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Mixing It Up

Garden party If you’re looking for Pernod Ricard’s Irish Whiskey Ambassador this summer, you’ll find him behind the barbecue, highball in hand. Using Midleton Distillery’s portfolio of single pot still whiskeys, Ronan Collins talks us through his top five summer whiskey serves and their perfect pairings – al fresco style!

Illustration: Katie Smith

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

1/ Sweet Summer Sour Food Pairing: Peaches and Cream

50ml Green Spot 5ml Crème de Cacao 20ml Fresh Lemon Juice 10ml Honey 3 Dashes Peach Bitters 15 ml Egg White

Method: Dry shake all ingredients for 15 seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake again for 15 seconds. Strain into serving glass.

Glass: Highball Garnish: Lemon zest and mint sprig

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1/ Sweet Summer Sour

3/ Feathers

5/ Longer Days

Green Spot is a flavour bomb of sweet peaches and cream, with a huge mouth-filling texture. What better cocktail to showcase this than a fluffy whiskey sour?

This is a fresh cocktail that plays on the apricot notes of Redbreast 15 Year Old and highlights the whiskey’s sophisticated finish. Named after a sculpture of eagle feathers located near Midleton Distillery, this drink is an ode to The Choctaw Nation and their generosity to the people of Ireland during the Great Hunger.

Yellow Spot is a 12-yearold whiskey with a delicious sweetness, velvety texture, and an incredible jammy note thanks to time spent in Spanish Malaga casks. This long and refreshing cocktail allows these flavours to take centre-stage – one to enjoy on those hazy summer days.

Crank up the flavour by pairing this cocktail with the real deal – your very own bowl of peaches and cream! The key is to find the freshest peaches you can.

I love to soak my peaches in honey and leave them in the fridge for a day, before serving them with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

Think of a hot summer’s day, everything is going right, the temperature is perfect, and you’re tucking into a double whammy of peaches and cream.

Honestly, it's heaven!

2/ Owner Of Oak This is a cocktail that highlights the spices and toasted oak that are so present in Redbreast 12 Year Old. Each ingredient plays a part in the overall flavour harmony, while allowing the whiskey to shine through.

The drink is named after the habits of a robin, Redbreast's mascot, which is embossed on each of the bottles. Robins may sing a sweet tune, but they are fiercely territorial – once they find a place to call their own, they keep it!

A full-bodied cocktail like this ought to be paired with seafood. Specifically, oysters done on the barbie! Shuck your oysters and marinade them in a homemade spiced butter (60g of salted butter mixed with paprika, cayenne pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and some diced garlic), before returning them to their shells. Cook them on the barbecue for five to ten minutes until you see the butter begin to bubble. Garnish each one with fresh coriander.

A drink as fresh and fruity as this calls for something buttery – time to turn up the heat and get some corn on the cob on the go! Marinade fresh cobs in garlic butter – I always add a pinch of sea salt, chopped parsley and a wee touch of chilli flakes to them. Spice up your life! Once fully-coated, wrap each cob in tinfoil and drizzle the rest of the butter mix over for maximum flavour.

Cook them on the barbecue for 30 minutes to ensure they’re super tender and tasty.

4/ Midleton Very Rare A specially-selected malt and grain whiskey, Midleton Very Rare is matured in lightly charred ex-bourbon barrels under the watchful eye of Brian Nation, Midleton's Master Distiller. I recommend enjoying this whiskey neat, savouring its notes of poached pear, citrus oils, toasted oak and fresh cedar.

Pour yourself a dram of Midleton Very Rare and enjoy with pork & apple barbecue skewers, the flavours of the skewers perfectly complementing the whiskey in your glass. Build your skewers with pork cuts, apple chunks and red onion, and then brush with some orange juice, olive oil and a touch of honey.

Season with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper before cooking them on the barbecue.

The whiskey will cut through the fattiness of the pork, while the roasted apple brings out the spectacular orchard fruit notes found in your dram. Sit in the sun and enjoy this incredible combination!

Pair this with a bright evening snack of rosemary & mint flatbread, served with hummus – the fresh, charred flavours of this aperitif will perfectly complement those of the cocktail. Cook these on the barbie for that chargrilled taste! I use a recipe from one of my favourite London restaurants, Black Axe Mangal – trust me when I say that you'll never eat any other flatbread after you try this one! Pile up the burning embers of your barbecue and cook your flatbread on top of them. Once cooked, brush the bread with some salted butter and garlic oil. While it cools, add fresh rosemary to the barbecue for a short blast before placing on top of the flatbread, alongside fresh mint.

Enjoy with hummus.

Knowledge Bar Midleton Distillery The lineup Green Spot Redbreast 12 Year Old Redbreast 15 Year Old Midleton Very Rare Yellow Spot – all available at www.whiskyshop.com

Summer inspiration For more summer cocktail inspiration, follow Ronan on Instagram via @whiskey4breakfast, as well as @redbreastirishwhiskey, @greenspotirishwhiskey and @midletonveryrare.

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

2/ Owner of Oak Food Pairing: Oysters and Spiced Butter

50ml Redbreast 12 Year Old 2.5ml Suze 5ml Sugar Syrup

Method: Stir over ice in a mixing glass and strain into serving glass.

Glass: Highball Garnish: Orange zest

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3/ Feathers Food Pairing: Corn on the Cob

50ml Redbreast 15 Year Old 2.5ml Apricot Brandy 5ml Lillet Blanc 3 Dashes Orange Bitters

Method: Stir over ice in a mixing glass and strain into serving glass.

Glass: Nick & Nora Garnish: Lemon coin

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

4/ Midleton Very Rare Food Pairing: Pork & Apple Skewers

50ml Midleton Very Rare

Method: Serve neat or with water on the side.

Glass: Rocks

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5/ Longer Days Food Pairing: Rosemary & Mint Flatbread with Hummus

50ml 2.5ml 10ml

Yellow Spot Manzanilla Sherry Earl Grey Tea Syrup Soda Water Top

Method: Make syrup by brewing one strong cup of Earl Grey tea. Add two cups of caster sugar and stir until sugar has dissolved. Build syrup and rest of ingredients in

serving glass and stir over ice. Top with soda.

Glass: Highball Garnish: Lemon zest

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GLEN MORAY 2020 CURIOSITY EDITION MATURED EXCLUSIVELY IN EX-MADEIRA CASKS FOR OVER 13 YEARS

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Father's Day delivered.

Summer 2020 — Our best-ever online offering Fèis Ìle / Independence Day / Gin Season / Customer Favourites

→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com

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Fèis Ìle Fèis Ìle 2020 cancelled? Bring the festival to your home, with our top picks from the Isle of Islay.

➊

➊ Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dhà 70cl | 46.3% VOL | £48

Raisins / Sherry / Black pepper

→ Crafted with Bunnahabhain Mòine, the distillery’s peated spirit → Pronounced ‘Toch-ach ah-gha’, its name translates to ‘Smoky Two’ from Gaelic → The sequel to Toiteach, with a higher sherry influence than its predecessor

➋ Laphroaig Lore 70cl | 48% VOL | £89

Bitter chocolate / Peated smoke / Clotted cream

→ Created by Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell → Classically peaty and said to be the richest ever Laphroaig! → Matured in a combination of quarter casks, sherry casks and re-used peated casks

➋

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➌ Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2011 70cl | 50% VOL | £67

➎ The Loch Fyne The Living Cask 1745 Nectarine / Milk chocolate / Tinned peaches

→ Featuring grain harvested from six different farms on Islay → An unpeated expression that showcases the diversity of the Hebridean island → Matured in ex-bourbon American oak and ex-wine European oak casks

➍ Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2011 70cl | 50% VOL | £65

50cl | 43.6% VOL | £75

→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com Coconut / Apricot / Salted caramel

→ Made exclusively with barley grown on the Isle of Islay → Matured in first-fill American oak and second-fill red wine casks → Peated to 40ppm

➌

➍

Smoked barley / Brown sugar / Pineapple

→ A sublime blend of 100% Islay single malts → Aged in an ever-evolving ‘living cask’ at Loch Fyne Whiskies’ shop in Inveraray → Presented in a handmade glass bottle

➎

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Father's Day: Top Drams May your dad’s day be filled to the brim with his favourite dram! Here’s a selection of our Father’s Day favourites, ready to gift your dad this year. ➊

➊ Suntory Whisky Toki 70cl | 43% VOL | £40

Ginger / Apple / White pepper

→ A blend of whisky from the acclaimed distilleries of Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita → Takes its name from the Japanese word for 'time' → Delicious served a highball

➋ Oban 14 Year Old 70cl | 43% VOL | £65

Seaweed / Cherry / Malted biscuit

→ Fine single malt whisky has been made in Oban for over 200 years → The distillery’s tiny lantern-shaped pot stills are among the smallest in Scotland → Oban’s rich, fruity malt is slowly condensed in outdoor wooden worm tubs before maturation

➋

➌

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➌ Macallan 15 Year Old Triple Cask 70cl | 43% VOL | £150

➎ Caol Ila 12 Year Old

Chocolate / Poached pear / Cinnamon

70cl | 43% VOL | £51

→ Previously known as the Macallan 15 Year Old Fine Oak → Uses three different and exceptional casks to add a variety of flavour → Matured in sherry-seasoned European oak, American oak and ex-bourbon casks

➍ The Loch Fyne Chocolate & Orange Liqueur 50cl | 40% VOL | £29

➏ Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Milk chocolate / Tangerine / Spiced smoke

→ Terry’s Chocolate Orange in liquid form! → Natural flavourings of chocolate and orange complement the whisky at its core → Perfect for whisky lovers seeking a dessert-like dram

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Lemon peel / Malted biscuit / Peat smoke

→ Light and fresh with a distinctive Caol Ila smokiness → The definition of an everyday dram → Caol Ila translates to 'Sound of Islay' from Gaelic

70cl | 40% VOL | £150

Honey / Rose water / Spicy oak

→ Award-winning blended Scotch whisky → Aged in rare casks hand-selected for their exceptional quality, character and flavour → Only one in ten thousand casks makes the grade!

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→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com

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Father's Day: Gift Packs If wrapping isn’t your forte, pick from our assortment of whisky gift packs – beautifully packaged and ready to present. ➊

➊ Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Gift Pack 70cl + 2x5cl | Various % VOL | £50 → Transport your dad to the bonnie, bonnie banks → Featuring Loch Lomond 12 Year Old aged in bourbon, refill and re-charred casks → Includes 5cl tasters of Inchmurrin and peated Inchmoan

➋ The Loch Fyne Gift Box Pick 'n' Mix 50cl | Various % VOL | from £38 → Create a gift pack with your favourite expression from The Loch Fyne range → Complete with two Glencairn tasting glasses → Presented together in a handsome Loch Fyne gift box

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→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com

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➌ Midleton Single Pot Still Whiskey Gift Pack

➎ Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley Gift Pack

4x5cl | Various % VOL | £35

70cl | 50% VOL | £52

→ A fantastic introduction to the whiskey of Midleton Distillery → The perfect set for lovers of Irish whiskey → Or for those curious about unique pot still expressions from the Emerald Isle

→ Created by former Bruichladdich Master Distiller Jim McEwan → Made from 100% Scottish barley and matured by the shores of Lochindaal → Presented in a gift pack with two finely crafted whisky glasses

➍ Lost Distillery Co. Discovery Gift Pack

➏ Jura Gift Pack

6x5cl | Various % VOL | £40

3x5cl | Various % VOL | £21

→ A gift pack that invites you on a journey through time → Discover the taste of whiskies from distilleries lost to the history books → From light and delicate expressions, to richly sherried and boldly peated

→ The island of Jura, in a box! → A perfect gift set for lovers of sweet and smoky single malt whisky → Explore the influence different maturation techniques have on Jura's signature style

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Father's Day: Glassware He’s got the whisky; how about the glass? Pick from our selection of luxury glassware that will make your dad’s dram look as good as it tastes.

➊ Pot Still Decanter and Glasses £45 → A charming decanter, filled with 20cl of Highland malt whisky → Complete with two whisky glasses → Once it’s empty, simply pop the cork to refill

➋ Glencairn Iona Decanter and Glass Set £120 → Crafted from hand polished Glencairn crystal → Minimalist and elegant in design → Holds 75cl of your dad’s top tipple

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➌ Glencairn Crystal Cut Glasses

➎ The W Club Membership

£99.99

£30

→ A set of four beautifully cut crystal glasses → Designed in Glencairn’s classic and timeless style → Elevate your dad’s dram to a whole new level

→ Welcome your dad to the club! → Includes a subscription to Whiskeria magazine and a free first tasting at your dad's local store → Not to mention in-store and online discounts all year long

➍ Glencairn Crystal Cut Tumbler

➏ Harris Tweed Hip Flask

£14.99

£15

→ The ultimate vessel for your dad’s best dram → Crafted from hand polished Glencairn crystal → Perfect for adding water, ice, or serving whisky in a cocktail

→ Crafted with genuine Harris Tweed straight from the Outer Hebridean island → Available in four different tartan styles → Perfect for walks, this flask will hold 170ml of your dad’s favourite dram

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Independence Day Raise a glass to 4th July (and make sure it’s filled with one of these terrific stateside tipples!).

➊ Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select #19-07778 70cl | 45% VOL | £65

Caramel / Vanilla / Fruit

→ Selected from the Jack Daniel’s signature barrel offering → Chosen with our customers in mind, and bottled just for them → Matured high up in the barrelhouse, where the whiskey is affected most by climate

➋ WhistlePig Single Barrel Rye 10 Year Old #72177 75cl | 55.7% VOL | £125

Melted chocolate / Candyfloss / Figs

→ A Whisky Shop exclusive – just 130 bottles exist! → Distilled and aged using WhistlePig farm’s own grain, water and custom-made casks → It doesn’t get any craftier than this

→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com

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➌ Sazerac Rye 75cl | 45% VOL | £50

➎ Eagle Rare Vanilla / Pepper / Orange zest

75cl | 45% VOL | £43

→ Named after the Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans → Symbolises the history of rye whiskey in this vibrant US city → Makes a delicious Manhattan!

➍ Maker's Mark Private Select Batch #3 70cl | 54.4% VOL | £85

Candied almonds / Toffee / Cocoa

→ A top-quality bourbon produced at the famous Buffalo Trace Distillery → Aged for no less than 10 years → Celebrated around the world with plenty of gold medals

➏ Michter's Bourbon

Tropical fruit / Brown sugar / Pine

70cl | 45.7% VOL | £61

→ A Kentucky bourbon hand-selected by our team of experts → The third release from our series of Maker's Mark single barrel bottlings → Matured in a barrel made from a bespoke selection of different wooden staves

Caramel / Vanilla / Fruit

→ A seriously small batch bourbon, comprised of no more than two dozen barrels → Aged in charred, new American white oak barrels → Produced to Master Distiller Dan McKee’s exact specifications

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➊ Tobermory Hebridean Gin

Gin Season

70cl | 43.3% VOL | £37

➋ The Loch Fyne Botanical Gin

Is it even summer without a G&T? We’ve got your gin stash sorted for when those sunny days roll in. ➊

Coriander / Orange / Sweet malt

→ Whisky lovers: we have a gin for you! → Distilled on the Isle of Mull and infused with native botanicals for 24 hours → Mixed with a splash of spirit from the Tobermory whisky still

50cl | 42% VOL | £26

Orange peel / Lemon / Basil

→ Scottish maritime botanicals are key to the flavour of this delicious gin → Presented in a handmade glass bottle → Best served with tonic and a wedge of fresh lemon

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The Last Word

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➌ Nikka Coffey Gin 70cl | 47% VOL | £52

➎ Mermaid Gin Apple / Peppercorn / Pine

70cl | 42% VOL | £42

→ Distilled using a base of corn and barley in a Coffey still → Made with four kinds of Japanese citrus: yuzu, kabosu, amanatsu and shequasar → Enjoy a tangy hint of green Japanese sansho pepper on the finish

➍ Caorunn Scottish Raspberry Gin 50cl | 41.8% VOL | £26

➏ Cotswolds Dry Gin

Vanilla / Raspberry / Rowanberry

70cl | 46% VOL | £42

→ Distilled at Balmenach Distillery in the Cairngorms → Infused with fresh Perthshire raspberries → Best served with tonic and garnished with raspberries, of course!

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Lemon / Sea salt / Pepper

→ Distilled at Isle of Wight Distillery → Made with locally-foraged rock samphire, also known as 'Mermaid's Kiss' → Presented in plastic-free packaging to support marine conservation projects

Grapefruit / Bay leaf / Lavender

→ An aromatic twist on a classic London dry gin → Distilled with nine botanicals, including locally-grown lavender and grapefruit zest → Awarded gold at last year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

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Customer Favourites Light / Floral

➋ Fettercairn 12 Year Old 70cl | 40% VOL | £47

➌ anCnoc 12 Year Old 70cl | 40% VOL | £38

➊ Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old 70cl | 46.3% VOL | £47

Nectarine / Ginger / Pear

Hailing from the village of the same name, this whisky is a masterclass in fruity Highland flavour – perfectly embodying Fettercairn’s exotic fruit-driven character. It has been matured in American oak ex-bourbon for its full 12 years in cask. Simply delicious.

Banana / Butterscotch / Custard

Produced at Knochdhu Distillery in the Highlands and matured in a combination of second-fill American oak, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, this is an award-winning expression “that should adorn a shelf in every whisky-drinking home,” according to whisky writer Jim Murray.

Dried fruit / Honey / Chestnut

→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com

Bunnhabhain’s whiskies are quite distinct from other single malts of the region, in that the majority are produced with unpeated malted barley. Toast the versatility of Islay with this superb 12-year-old expression that showcases Bunnhabhain’s ‘fruit and nut’ signature style.

“A class malt! Nuts, butterscotch, fudge and sea salt help to deliver the maritime character of this stunning Islay expression. Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old has a permanent residency on my spirits shelf.”

→ Carey, The Whisky Shop Norwich

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➍ Balblair 12 Year Old 70cl | 46% VOL | £52

➐ Glen Moray 18 Year Old Sultanas / Honey / Apple

70cl | 47.2% VOL | £85

Matured in American oak, ex-bourbon and double-fired American oak casks, this 12-year-old whisky has an elegant complexity and warmth – the defining expression of Balblair Distillery.

➎ Balblair 15 Year Old 70cl | 46% VOL | £80

➑ Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Apple / Dates / Caramel

70cl | 46% VOL | £45

An older sibling to Balblair 12 Year Old, this whisky perfectly balances unique distillery character with smoothness of age, thanks to a flavour profile of tropical fruits and a texture of melted chocolate. Gorgeous.

➒ Auchroisk 10 Year Old Honey / Vanilla / Malted biscuit

70cl | 43% VOL | £48

A single malt crafted by Bruichladdich legend Jim McEwan, this expression showcases the florality and elegance of the distillery’s house style. Unpeated, The Classic Laddie is the distillery’s signature bottling and the definitive Bruichladdich.

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Orange zest / Cut grass / Roasted nuts

A special whisky due to being the only official bottling of Auchroisk Distilllery. This 10-year-old expression is part of Diageo’s Flora & Fauna series – an ode to superb single malts from lesser known distilleries which normally provide liquid for blends.

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Vanilla / Brown sugar / Apple turnover

Produced at Loch Lomond’s bonnie banks-based distillery, where a range of different stills are used to create a stunning variety of single malts. In the words of Jim Murray, this 12-year-old expression boasts “a sublime balance” between fruity malt and spice.

➏ Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie 70cl | 50% VOL | £52

Heather / Honey / Fudge

A Speyside single malt from the Cairngorms, this expression is aged in the finest American oak barrels, specially selected to emphasise the whisky’s smooth character. It is a whisky that is celebrated for its long and mellow finish.

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Customer Favourites Rich / Sweet

➋ The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 70cl | 40% VOL | £40

➌ Arran 10 Year Old 70cl | 46% VOL | £45

➊ The Dalmore 12 Year Old 70cl | 40% VOL | £50

Apple / Cinnamon / Digestive biscuits

An award-winning whisky that captures the fresh and unique style of this Western Isle distillery and their Arran malt. A worthy addition to your whisky cabinet, this expression offers a fantastic introduction to the flavours from Arran.

Cocoa / Marmalade / Milk chocolate

This single malt is a Highland triumph: full-bodied, thick and sweet. A popular dram, known for its long and spicy finish, and a beautifully rich expression for its 12 years of age.

“Love at first sip. A perfectly balanced dram that is not too dry, yet not too sweet, with incredible notes of chocolate, spice and orange.

The finish drifts over the tongue like thick, sticky caramel. One for your bucket list.”

→ Adam, The Whisky Shop Piccadilly

Cherry / Fruitcake / Caramel

This easy-drinking expression from Glenrothes Distillery marries the liquid of ten different vintages from between 1989 and 2007, achieving the perfect balance of vibrant youth and mellow maturity.

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➍ The BenRiach 12 Year Old Sherry Wood 70cl | 46% VOL | £48

➐ The Dalmore 15 Year Old

Vanilla / Apricot / Figs

A Speyside single malt matured in sherry casks, before being finished in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. This expression oozes layers upon layers of spice, sweet fruits and toasted oak.

➎ Old Pulteney 15 Year Old 70cl | 46% VOL | £75

Honey / Salted caramel / Fruitcake

➏ Benrinnes 15 Year Old

70cl | 43% VOL | £52

Toffee Apple / Sherry / Malted biscuit

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Walnut / Cinnamon / Fruitcake

Established in 1798, Blair Athol is one of Scotland’s oldest working distilleries and is famed for producing the signature malt for Bell’s blend. A delicious dram, this is one of only a few official bottlings ever released from the distillery.

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The only Speyside whisky to be triple-distilled, resulting in a sultry expression that packs in plenty of body and character. This 15-year-old is another bottling from Diageo’s Flora & Fauna series, highlighting the versatility of distilleries producing liquid for blends.

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Chocolate orange / Fruitcake / Sherry

An older sibling to The Dalmore 12 Year Old, this expression has been matured for 15 years in a trio of ex-sherry casks (Matusalem, Apostoles and Amoroso sherry), as well as ex-bourbon barrels. It offers all of the sweetness and spice expected of The Dalmore.

➑ Blair Athol 12 Year Old

An incredibly balanced single malt that has spent time in American oak ex-bourbon casks and finished in Spanish oak. Spice and sweetness combine with the refreshing coastal notes expected from this seaside distillery to create a delicious dram.

70cl | 43% VOL | £52

70cl | 40% VOL | £72

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Customer Favourites Rich / Sweet

➋ Glenfiddich Project XX 70cl | 47% VOL | £50

➌ Glen Moray 15 Year Old 70cl | 40% VOL | £55

➊ The GlenDronach 12 Year Old 70cl | 43% VOL | £49

Marmalade / Sherry / Raisins

“Sherry enthusiasts rejoice! Dried fruits take centre-stage on the palate, supported by sherry sweetness and warming spice – with a deliciously full and chewy mouthfeel. Twelve years of tastiness in a bottle.”

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Dark chocolate / Sherry / Fudge

Unquestionably Speyside in character, this expression showcases a carefully matured, complex and well-rounded whisky, aged in a combination of sherry and American oak casks, and influenced by Elgin’s unique climate.

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An award-winning expression from the distillery famous for its richly sherried offering – this 12-year-old is a firm favourite amongst our customers. Matured in both Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, this expression offers an indulgent portfolio of flavours.

→ Archie, The Whisky Shop Inverness

Cinnamon / Almond / Pear drops

The result of one of the most ambitious malt experiments undertaken by Glenfiddich, bringing together 20 whisky experts from around the world and combining each of their selected Glenfiddich casks. The result is something spectacular.

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➍ Glen Scotia Victoriana 70cl | 54.2% VOL | £73

➏ Oban Distillers Edition Creme brûlée / Cocoa / Caramel

70cl | 43% VOL | £79

Inspired by the whiskies produced at Glen Scotia distillery in the Victorian times, this expression has been relaunched at a slightly higher strength and bottled straight from cask to better reflect how historic expressions of this era would have tasted. Delicious!

➎ The GlenDronach 18 Year Old Allardice 70cl | 46% VOL | £120

Milk chocolate / Sea salt / Christmas cake

A distillery renowned for its innovation, each expression of Oban Distillers Edition undergoes double maturation in casks that have previously held a fortified wine. This edition has been finished in a Montilla Fino cask – a rare type of finish and a complete treat!

➐ Highland Park 18 Year Old Viking Pride

Stewed fruit / Walnut / Cherry

70cl | 43% VOL | £110

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 offers remarkable depth of flavour.

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Fruit salad / Cinnamon / Allspice

Named ‘Best Spirit in the World’ in the Spirit Journal on two separate occasions, this 18-year-old offers the perfect balance of harmony, complexity and refinement. A consistently excellent malt from Orkney's Highland Park Distillery.

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→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com

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Customer Favourites Smoky ➊ Jura 18 Year Old 70cl | 44% VOL | £75

➋ Talisker Port Ruighe 70cl | 45.8% VOL | £55

➌ Ailsa Bay 1.2 ➋

70cl | 48.9% VOL | £60

Vanilla / Shortbread / Campfire ember

Ailsa Bay 1.2 has undergone the distillery’s signature micro-maturation process – rapid maturation in ex-bourbon casks before ageing in virgin American oak casks for several years – achieving a single malt that’s even sweeter and smokier than its predecessor. Beautiful.

Dark chocolate / Coffee / Blackcurrant jam

The oldest expression in Jura’s signature range, Jura 18 Year Old has been aged in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and enriched by Premier Grand Cru Classé red wine barriques.

“Dangerously tasty! Malty and a little spicy on the nose, the smoke is balanced by dried fruit, dark chocolate and candied lemon on the palate.

A lingering finish reveals the return of peat smoke and salty maritime flavours – a delicious post-dinner dram.”

→ Laura, The Whisky Shop Birmingham

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Cocoa / Plum / Spicy pepper

Rich and fruity, Talisker have taken their Isle of Skye malt and finished it in ruby port casks to achieve this delicious dram. 'Port Ruighe' (pronounced 'Portree') is the Gaelic spelling of the once bustling trading port on Skye.

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➍ Caol Ila Distillers Edition 70cl | 43% VOL | £75

➏ Inchmoan 12 Year Old Malted biscuit / Peat smoke / Cinnamon

A sweeter expression from the Islay distillery due to time spent in moscatel casks at the end of its maturation process. The result is a delicious layer of sweetness and dried fruits on top of classic Caol Ila peat smoke.

➎ Port Charlotte 10 Year Old 70cl | 50% VOL | £62

70cl | 46% VOL | £50

→ Buy online → whiskyshop.com Salted caramel / Peat smoke / Ginger

The flagship release in Bruichladdich's heavily-peated range, this single malt is packed to the brim with characteristic Port Charlotte smoke. Aged in American oak and French wine casks, the liquid has been distilled, matured and bottled entirely on Islay.

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Vanilla / Medicinal smoke / Pear drops

A unique expression made up of whisky from a traditional swan neck pot still and whisky from a straight neck pot still, achieving great depth and unconventional peat character within this 12-year-old Highland single malt.

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Customer Favourites International

➋ Kavalan Concertmaster 50cl | 40% VOL | £55

➌ Tyrconnell 16 Year Old Oloroso & Moscatel Cask Finish 70cl | 46.3% VOL | £80

➊ Green Spot 70cl | 40% VOL | £46

Vanilla / Papaya / Chocolate

“A cracker! A beautiful barley gold in colour, tropical fruits burst on to the palate, before revealing notes of sherry, walnuts and fresh citrus peel. The finish? As smooth as Barry White.”

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Honeycomb / Grapefruit / Spiced oak

A limited edition expression of Cooley Distillery’s Irish single malt that has spent time in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in Oloroso sherry and moscatel wine casks from Andalucia. A winning combination.

Produced at Midleton Distillery in Ireland and comprised of pot still whiskeys aged between seven and ten years old, this whiskey was once only available to buy at one grocery store in Dublin. It is now a whiskey held to high acclaim across the world – and rightly so!

→ Craig, The Whisky Shop Waverley Mall

Tropical fruit / Vanilla / Cinnamon

One of the most awarded Asian whiskies of all time, this Taiwanese whisky is made using the pure spring water that flows through the Snow Mountain of Yilan, before maturing in American oak and port barriques. Something different, and something delicious.

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➍ Maker’s 46 70cl | 47% VOL | £45

➐ Roe & Co Nutmeg / Mulled wine / Caramel

70cl | 45% VOL | £35

Filled into a barrel partly made of seared French oak staves, this stunning Kentucky bourbon packs plenty of spice and is named after the final recipe chosen by its creators – recipe number 46.

➎ Redbreast 12 Year Old 70cl | 40% VOL | £50

➑ Tullamore D.E.W. 14 Year Old Ginger / Marzipan / Dried fruit

70cl | 41.3% VOL | £57

This 12-year-old expression is an Irish single pot still whiskey full of aroma and flavour, praised by critics worldwide. Matured in ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks, you can thank the latter for giving this whiskey its signature Christmas cake flavour.

➏ Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year Old 70cl | 45.6% VOL | £49

Pear drops / Allspice / Vanilla

Developed by Diageo Master Blender Caroline Martin, this is a whiskey that can be enjoyed neat or hold its own in a cocktail. A tasty blend of malt and grain from various distilleries across Ireland, this expression has been matured predominantly in first-fill bourbon casks.

Vanilla / Honey / Apple

A delicious dram that has been triple distilled in true Irish tradition. Aged for up to 14 years in ex-bourbon barrels, this expression was then finished for a minimum of 6 months in a range of different casks, including Oloroso sherry butts, port pipes and Madeira drums.

➐ Apricot / Vanilla / Cinnamon

A top-notch Kentucky bourbon that has spent a decade in oak. With a mash bill of 68% corn, 28% rye and 4% malted barley, this is the go-to bourbon for a rich balance of creaminess and spice.

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79

Expert Tasting

Expert Tasting ⇨ The Dalmore 51 Year Old Reviewed by Charles MacLean

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Whiskeria Summer 2020

Expert Tasting

The Dalmore’s highly distinguished Master Distiller, Richard Paterson, has added another astonishing expression of the North Highland malt to mark the distillery’s 180th year (which began late in 2019), but you will have to be quick: only 51 crystal decanters have been filled with the precious liquid.

Each is presented in a handmade ‘coffret case’ – a French term often used to describe a jewellery casket – crafted from polished black sycamore wood.

Richard has again demonstrated his deep knowledge of wood-finishing. The whiskies that comprise the 51 Year Old have first been matured in refill American oak ex-bourbon casks, then split three ways and finished in Graham’s Colheita pipes (a rare Tawny port made from a single vintage, in this case dating from 1938), intensely rich Matusalem ex-Oloroso sherry casks from González Byass and first-fill ex-bourbon casks, before being married in specially selected ex-bourbon barrels.

With the liquid distilled in 1966, you might wonder why this expression is labelled 51 Year Old. The answer is that the finished whisky was disgorged and filled into glass in 2017, when Richard deemed it to be perfectly mature.

He writes of his creation: “The Dalmore 51 Year Old is a noble single malt of rare profundity and it has been my pleasure to closely follow its maturation over five decades. I am always looking towards the future and I carefully consider how each distillation will evolve, moving our spirits to new wood to transform their conclusion. The Dalmore 51 Year Old is a fine example of this.”

When I interviewed him two years ago, he told me: “When I began to work for Whyte & Mackay [in 1970], the company also owned vineyards in France, so I made a study of the subject. I was intrigued by the idea of manipulating the flavour of my malt whiskies by filling the spirit into ex-wine, port or sherry casks.

I had no clear plan; I was simply experimenting…

“I also explored total maturation in European oak ex-wine casks, but found that they soon masked the distillery character, the original and unique flavour of the whisky. So, I start off by maturing the spirit in American oak ex-bourbon casks to let it settle, before finishing the maturation in other casks. Sometimes I then return the liquid to first-fill ex-bourbon casks to round off the flavour. It’s time consuming and expensive, but it’s worth it at the end of the day.”

He went on to discuss the benefits of long ageing.

“As for very old whiskies, until quite recently, it was believed that long-aged whiskies held no appeal for consumers – one distillery owner said that after 12 years they tend to become ‘slimy’! So, they were used to bolster the flavour of blends. Also, the marketeers could not imagine that consumers or collectors would pay large sums for such whiskies, but I saw the prices being achieved by some top-end wines and said to them: Just you wait; it will come.

People will pay for rarity…

“And come it did, helped by the fact that during the economic downturn, which began in 2008, whisky was seen as a good investment. As a result, prices have rocketed…

“Since 2009, I have released very limited amounts of The Dalmore between 30 and 64 years old. The last, Trinitas (named so because there were only three bottles!) was the first whisky to sell for £100,000. Later, another bottle was sold privately for £120,000…”

In 2017, fifty bottles of The Dalmore 50 Year Old were released to mark Richard’s fiftieth year in the whisky industry. All were sold by the end of the year, at £50,000 each. In February 2018, a single bottle of The Dalmore Eos 59 Year Old (one of only 20 bottles filled) achieved £83,640 at auction in Hong Kong.

The value of collectable bottles of single malt Scotch whisky sold at auction in 2019 rose a staggering 58.38% on 2018 to £25,873,963.

In their 2019 half year review, analysts at Rare Whisky 101 wrote: “The league table [of Investors’ Rankings] is where we place the most emphasis for brands being sought out by connoisseurs, collectors and investors. It is a temperature test for demand and a measurement of which bottles are increasing, and equally decreasing, most in value…

“The Dalmore moved up an impressive four places [from 10th to 6th on the league table] and advance in front of The Macallan, who dip a further three places to number seven.”

Sadly, for us consumers, it is more likely that this magnificent 51 Year Old will never be consumed. But you never know… in April 2005 a bottle of The Dalmore 62 Year Old (one of only 12) was sold privately for £32,000 – then a world record. The purchaser opened and drank the bottle with a few friends, in a hotel in Kent.

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❝ The Dalmore 51

Year Old is a noble single malt of rare profundity and it has been my pleasure to closely follow its maturation over five decades.

Richard Paterson, Master Distiller

Tasting notes

The Dalmore 51 Year Old Sun-bleached mahogany with copper lights; thick legs.

Mellow and nose-cooling, rich and complex, the top notes are of tablet toffee and creamy coffee, supported by vanilla sponge, Oxford marmalade and maraschino cherries, with a twist of orange zest, on a lightly vinous base (Oloroso sherry, Madeira). A smooth texture and a taste which starts lightly sweet, then offers an engaging sour plum note in mid-palate before a long and warming finish, with Friar’s Balsam in the aftertaste.

70cl 51 Year Old Highland Single Malt

40% Vol £70,000

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The Last Word

Negroni vs.

Boulevardier

Masters of simplicity and balance, the Negroni and the Boulevardier feature equal parts bitters, vermouth, and gin or whisk(e)y respectively. Not for the faint-hearted, both cocktails are bold. Both are brazen. Both pack a punch. We turn to the only drinkers for the job, Lorcan and Christian, to find out which cocktail should come out on top.

the negroni Lorcan O’Duffy, Speciality Brands

the boulevardier Christian Tirel, WhistlePig

This was a tricky one, as I love the moody and stirred nature of both. For me, the Negroni is the best way to start a get together with friends and the Boulevardier is the most glorious way to say ‘sláinte’ to the evening. But, if I had to choose, I’d say the Neg… no, the Boule… no, the Negroni.

The Negroni is all about good times with good people and good food. It’s versatile: a seductive sipper when you drink it straight up, and an ideal sundowner when you drink it on the rocks (best enjoyed on a terrace overlooking Italian hills filled with vineyards).

Legend has it that the recipe was created 1919 at Café Casoni in Florence, when Count Camillo Negroni asked his friend, bartender Forsco Scarselli, to strengthen his favourite cocktail – the Americano. Scarcelli obliged, swapping the soda water for gin and the lemon garnish for orange. The Negroni was born!

The classic Negroni mixes sweet Italian vermouth (Cocchi is king for this) with Campari (no other bitter will do, we all know it) and a herbaceous and juniper-forward gin (try Nikka Coffey Gin for a slightly more citrusy riff).

A match made in heaven.

As much as I love the classic Negroni, my own perfect serve is a little more left (of the agave) field. For me, there are few liquids more earthy and herbaceous than an unaged mezcal, and sometimes you’ll find me subbing this in for gin. Not the classic serve, but it’s my perfect serve and whilst it may not be for everyone, the world would be a very sad place if we all liked the same thing!

(In saying that, I would also love a Boulevardier right now…)

The Boulevardier takes the crown for me. While the Negroni wins as the perfect apéritif to drink on a summer’s day, the Boulevardier keeps the balance – it is simply a requirement to drink this cocktail after dinner and into the late evening!

The origins of the Boulevardier can be traced back to 1927, when the recipe was published

by Parisian bartender Harry MacElhone in his 1927 book Barflies and Cocktails. The cocktail was an adaptation of the Negroni, created for socialite and American expatriate, Erskine Gwynne, who edited a monthly magazine called The Boulevardier – the inspiration behind the cocktail’s name. While MacElhone’s original recipe featured a simple yet genius blend of Canadian whiskey, vermouth and Campari, my version swaps the Canadian whiskey for the world’s most highly awarded rye.

Innovation is the driving force at WhistlePig Distillery and this sings true in the WhistlePig Boulevardier. This recipe highlights the winter spice, oak and peppermint that exists in the rye whiskey, alongside bright and floral notes of the amaro and rich, velvet berry flavours of the muscovado-led vermouth, all together delivering a perfect digestif… in my opinion!

How to make it

Negroni 25ml Nikka Coffey Gin 25ml Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 25ml Campari Stir down in a mixing glass with ice for 25 seconds and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass straight up. Orange zest around the side of the glass and discard.

Boulevardier 30ml WhistlePig 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey 30ml Amaro Mondino 30ml Londinio Red Vermouth Stir all ingredients together over ice until chilled and double strain into your fanciest vintage coupette (or directly into your mouth is also fine).

Orange zest over the top and discard.

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