101 whiskies to try before you die

101WhiskiestoTryBeforeYouDie

IanBuxton

Copyright©2010IanBuxton

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FirstpublishedasanEbookbyHeadlinePublishingGroupin2010

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CataloguinginPublicationDataisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary

eISBN:9780755360833

HACHETTESCOTLANDAnHachetteUKCompany

338EustonRoad

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Contents

Introduction

101whiskies

Howtotastewhiskyandusethisbook

Acknowledgements

Furtherresources

Wheretobuy

Picturecredits

Introduction

101WhiskiestoTryBeforeYouDieisawhiskylistwithadifference.Accessiblewhiskyforrealpeople.

Itisnotanawardslist.

Itisnotalistofthe101‘best’whiskiesintheworld.

Itissimply,asitsaysinthetitle,aguideto101whiskiesthatenthusiastsreallyshouldseekoutandtry–lovethemorhatethem–tocompletetheirwhiskyeducation.What’smore,it’spracticalandrealistic.

101WhiskiestoTryBeforeYouDiedoesnotcontainobscuresingle-caskbottlingsthatsoldoutweeksbeforepublicationanditdoesn’tcontainhugelyexpensivewhiskiesthatvirtuallynoonecanaffordtobuyanyway(eveniftheycouldfindthem).

Afterall,what’sthepoint?Imightlookterrificallysmartrecommending,say,theGlenglassaugh40YearsOldthatrecentlywontheInternationalWine&SpiritCompetition’sspecialtrophyfor40YearsOldScotchWhisky.Byonetokenatleast,thatmakesittheverybestsinglemaltScotchyoucanbuy.Apanelofreallywell-informedandexpertjudges(notjustonepersonandnotme)pickeditfromitspeers.Thoughlittleknown,itisvery,verygoodandIcouldbeseentobedoingyouafavourbypointingyouitsway.Butit’s£1,500abottle.Orperhaps,Glenfiddich’s50YearsOld,asnipat£10,000.Areyoureallygoingtonipoutandbuyabottle?Idon’tthinkso.SoIsetmyselfsomeruleswhenIstartedwritingthisbook.

Essentially,theycanbesummedupas:everywhiskylistedheremustbea)generallyavailable(althoughyoumighthavetolookalittlebit,everyoneofthesewhiskiesshouldbeavailablefromadecentwhiskyspecialistorthroughanonlineretailer)andb)affordable(readontoseewhatthatmeans).And,thoughitgoeswithoutsaying,theremustbeareasonfortheirinclusion.Mostlyit’sbecausethey’revery,verygoodexamplesoftheirkind,butsometimestheydeserveyoursupportforotherreasons.Sometimesitwillbebecausetheyare

madebysmalldistillersswimmingagainstatideofcorporateubiquitybutitmightjustbebecauseaparticularwhiskyissimplysounusualthatyoujusthavetotryit.Thatmightmeanremindingyouofsomethingfamiliarthatyouknewaboutbuthad,sortof,forgotten;hopefully,moreoften,itwillpointyoutosomethingnew,unexpectedandsurprising.

Aboveall,thisbookisaboutwhiskiestodrink,notcollect.

SoI’veexcludedone-offbottlingsorsingle-caskreleases,becausethere’ssimplynotenoughtogoaround.AndI’vesimplyignoredwhiskiesthatseemtometobedesignedprimarilyforcollectors.Perhapsmoreimportantly,I’vetakenaveryhard-headedlookatretailprices.I’vebeenhighlyselectiveonceawhiskyrisesabove£100inatypicalBritishwhiskyshop;verycriticalindeedifitcosts£500ormore,andflatlyignoreditoncethepricebreaksthe£1,000barrier.So,sorryTheMacallan57YearOldFinestCutinyourLaliquecrystaldecanter;goodbyeDalmore62YearOldandfarewelltoArdbeg’sritzyDoubleBarrel.Tastythoughyoumaybe,yourfantasypricetagsruleyouout.Let’sgetreal:thisbookisforwhiskydrinkers,notRussianplutocrats.

What’smore,becauseIdon’tbelieveinthesimplisticandreductionistnotionofthe‘world’sbestwhisky’,everything’sinalphabeticalorder.

Andevenmoreunusually,nothinghasa‘score’.Again,Isimplydon’tacceptthatyoushouldfollowoneperson’sindividualpreferencesandmoreorlessidiosyncraticscoringsystem(andthat’sallthatmosttastingbooksare).ThereareseveralreasonswhyIbelieve100-pointscoringsystemsdon’twork,notleasttheideathatanyoneindividualcanconsistentlyandreliablydifferentiatebetweenawhiskyscoring92andonescoring93.Itseemstomepalpablyabsurd,sowe’renotgoingthere.

Better,infact,totakesomeadvicefromAeneasMacDonald,theoriginalsageofwhisky,whoin1930suggestedthatthediscerningdrinkerlearntojudgewhiskywith‘hismother-wit,hisnoseandhispalatetoguidehim’.Soundwords.

But,somanywhiskiessolittletime.Withtheworldofwhiskyexpandingalmostdaily,anexperiencedguidemaybeofsomevalue,ifonlytopointyouinnewdirectionsandsuggestsomeunexploredandrewardingbywaysthatyoumaynothaveconsidered.Scotch,American,Irish,JapaneseandCanadianwhiskiesareallinhere.AsaresomefromSwedenandotherunexpectedproducingnations.

SoIhavestrenuouslyattemptedtobewide-ranginginmyapproachand,sofarasIamable,toincludesomewhiskiesthatIpersonallydon’tparticularlycareforbutwhichareregardedasexemplarsoftheirkind.

Sohow,youmayask,didIassemblethislist?

Thereisnooneanswer.

First,Iusedmyownknowledgeandjudgement.Ihaveworkedinthewhiskyindustryformorethan20years;consultedforanumberofdistillers;beenMarketingDirectorforoneofScotland’sleadingsinglemaltwhiskies;createdandruntheWorldWhiskiesConference;writtenwidelyaboutwhisky;andsatonanumberofcompetitionjudgingpanels.So,thoughI’mstilllearningaboutwhiskyandthere’ssomethingnewtodiscoveralmostdaily,I’mprivilegedtohavetriedalotofdifferentwhiskiesandreckontoknowsomethingaboutthemandthepeoplewhomadethem.

Secondly,Ilookedatwhatmypeersthink.MainlyI’velookedatthemajorawardwinnersatimportantinternationalcompetitionssuchastheInternationalWine&SpiritCompetition(IWSC);theSanFranciscoWorldSpiritsCompetition;WhiskyMagazine’sWorldWhiskiesAwards(fromtimetotimeI’monthejudgingpanelforthatone);andmoreinformalawardssuchasthatfromtheMaltManiacs.TastingnotesbysuchluminariesasF.PaulPacultandthoseappearinginthevariousinternationalwhiskymagazineshaveallservedtodrawdifferentwhiskiestomyattention.

Andfinally,Iaskedsomeofmywhiskyfriendsandcolleaguestonominatetheirfavourites–inthecaseofpractisingdistillerstheyhadtonominateatleastoneoftheircompetitors’whiskiesforeveryoneoftheirown,andthesamerulesoncostandavailabilitywereapplied.Thosewhohelpedarelistedintheacknowledgementspage–manythankstothem.ButIshouldexplainthatIusedmywhiskyfriendsratherliketheancientGreeksusedtheOracles–I’velistenedtotheadvice,butthefinalchoicesweremine.Soblamemeifyoudon’tagreewiththelist.

AsIwritethisthereare,entirelycoincidentally,101whiskydistilleriesoperatingintheUKwhereIlive(yes,thereareatleasttwooutsideScotland),butsuchistheconstantlychangingnatureofthisindustrythatthenumberwillbewrongbythetimeyoureadthis.Aroundtheworldthereare–oh,Idon’tknow,perhaps

twohundredorso.Probablymore.

Andtheykeepopening.Oneoftheexcitingthingsaboutthewhiskyindustryinthelasttenyearshasbeentheproliferationofnewdistilleriesacrosstheworld,especiallyboutiquecraftdistilleriesin‘new’whisky-producingcountries.Manyhaveexcellentandinformativevisitorcentres–butopeninghoursandseasonsvary.Becauseofthat,Ihaven’tgivenspecificdetailsbutsuggestyoucheckonlineorphoneinadvancetoconfirmwhentheyareopen.

WecannowgetwhiskyfromScotland,Ireland,Canada,theUSA,Japan,India,Sweden,Belgium,Switzerland,Australia,France,Austria,theCzechRepublic,England,Wales,Finland,Germany,Holland,Russia,NewZealand,Pakistan,Turkey,SouthKoreaandSouthAfrica.Apparently,thereareevenwhiskydistilleriesinBrazil,Nepal,UruguayandVenezuela.Inevitably,morethanhalfthewhiskiesinthisbookaresinglemaltsfromScotland,withScottishblendsandgrainstakingthetotalfrommyhomecountrytoanimpressive72whiskies.But,reflectingthegrowingpopularity,influenceandqualityof‘worldwhiskies’,morethanaquarterofthoseIhaveselectedarefromtheUSA,Japanandothercountries–andIcanassureyouthatyou’llbeimpressed.

So,whenyouconsiderthatallofthesecountriescanproduceanynumberof‘singlemalt’expressionsdifferentiatedbyage,casktype,finishandsoforth,andmostofthemdo,andthenaddblendedwhiskiesandindigenousnon-Scotchstyles,suchasbourbon,ryeandsoon,tothepotentialuniverse,youcanseethattastingthemrepresentsalifetimeofunremittingtoil.

Oneofthelessonsofthisbookisthatyoudon’thavetospendalotofmoneytofindreallygreatorinterestingwhiskies.Infact,Ididn’treallylookatpriceuntilaftercompletingthefirstdraftofthelist.ThepricerangesindicatedinthetextarebasedonthetypicalUKretailpricefromaspecialistindependentwhiskyshop,andwerecorrectaswewenttopress.Aroundhalfareunder£40.Infact,ifyouboughtabottleofeverythinghereitwouldcostaround£7,100,ifyouwereintheUK(butyou’dprobablybeabletonegotiateadiscount).Ifyoudroppedthethreemostexpensivetherestwouldaveragejustover£56abottle–gocomparethatwiththeworld’sbest-knownwines.Whiskycanbeaseriousbargain!

Here’sthekeytothe1to5scale:Under£25 £25–40 £40–69 £70–150 Over£150

Ofcourse,priceschangeallthetime.Inparticular,taxanddutyrateschange,productsareputonpromotionor,generallylessfavourablyfortheconsumer,‘repositioned’asthemarketingfolkswouldhaveit.Priceswillalsovaryifyouarereadingthisthousandsofmilesawayfrommeinaplacewherecostsmaybehigherforlong-distanceimports,butlessforlocalbottles.

HighratesoftaxationintheUKcomeasaconstantsurprisetovisitorsfrommanycountries,however,whoregularlyask‘whyiswhiskymoreexpensivehereinScotlandthaninmyhome?’Fortheanswer,applytotheGovernmentwho,atthetimeofwriting,takearoundthree-quartersoftheretailpriceofabottleofstandardScotchwhiskyinexcisedutyandVAT.

Thereareseveralthousandwhiskiesoutthere–perhapsevententhousand.Noonereallyknows.So,astheoldjokewouldhaveit,it’stoughworkbutsomeonehastodoit.I’vepicked101foryoutoenjoy,savingyouhoursofjoylesslabour.Youdon’thavetothankme;buyingthebookwilldojustfine.

Eachonehasanentrydescribingthewhiskyandtheproducer,withsomebackgroundinformationthatIhopeyou’llfindusefulandinteresting.Thentherearebrieftastingnotes.Thesearenotintendedtobethebe-all-and-end-all,moreajumping-offpointforyourownexplorationandtohelpexplainwhyeachwhiskymadethecut.You’llalsofindaspacetorecordyourownpurchases,personalfavouritesandtastingnotes.

WithinthesepagesIhopeyou’llfindafewsurprises,perhapsafewoldfavouritesandalsosomebargains.Ihopeyou’llbeinspiredtotrysomethingnewandsharewhatyoulearnwithafewfriends.Thisisn’tbyanystretchofimaginationthecompletelydefinitivewhiskylist.Despitewhatothersmaysay,Idoubtthatsuchathingcanexist.Butitwilltakeyouonawonderfuljourneyofdiscoveryandexplorationand,ifyoumanagetotryall101whiskies,thenyoucandiehappy.

I’dbeinterestedtohearwhatyouthinkofthelistandwhatwhiskiesyou’dsuggestforinclusioninafutureedition.Emailmeatfeedback@101whiskies.com

Meanwhile,sláinte!

mailto:[email protected]

1 ProducerDistilleryVisitorCentreAvailability

Price

JohnDewar&SonsLtdAberfeldy,PerthshireYesWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.dewars.com

http://www.dewars.com

Aberfeldy

21YearsOld

It’sagreatshamethisisn’tmorewidelyknownbecauseI’mwillingtoguessthatpeoplewho‘don’tlikewhisky’wouldlikethisandpeoplewhoknowandlikewhiskywouldlikeitalot.

TheDewar’sdistilleryatAberfeldywasbuiltfrom1896–98bytherestless,innovativeandentrepreneurialDewarbrothers,TommyandJohn,whohiredCharlesCreeDoig,thefinestdistilleryarchitectwhoeverlived,todesignitforthem.But,foryears,undertheownershipoftheoldDistillersCompanyLtd,alloftheoutputwentforblendingandthesinglemaltboompassedAberfeldyby.

However,inoneoftheperiodicconvulsivereorganisationsthattheScotchwhiskyindustryindulgesintokeepbankersandlawyersinexpensiveGermanmotorcars,inMarch1998ownershipwastransferredtoBacardiwho,upuntilthen,hadonlyhadaminorinterestinwhisky.Theresultwasawaveofinvestment,includingwhathasbeendescribedbyWhiskyMagazineas‘theultimateScotchwhiskyvisitorcentre’andanumberofexcitingnewproducts.

Thebestoftheseisthis21YearsOldsinglemalt.Aberfeldyisnotedforagentle,heather-honeysweetnessandthiswhiskyisjustdelightful:well-mannered,delicateandsurprisinglycomplex.It’sashameabouttherathersquatanduglybottlebutdon’tletthatputyouoff.

Itmaybeeasiertofindthe12YearOldversion–that’sgood,butthisisalotbetterandwellworththeadditionalmoney.Theextraagereallyroundsoutanddeepensthiswhisky,thesubtletyofwhichwouldtragicallygetlostinablendingvat.ColourWarmgoldandamber.Nose Acreamy,honeyednosewithdriedfruits,heatherflowersandhintsof

coconut.Taste Intensebutnotcloyingsweetness,darkorangemarmalade,vanillaand

oakwood.Mouthcoatingandcreamy.Finish Thisislong,quitespicyandhashintsoflemon.Restrainedandelegant.


Price

ChivasBrothersLtdAberlour,SpeysideYesSpecialists,bettersupermarketsanddutyfree

www.aberlour.com

http://www.aberlour.com

Aberlour

a’bunadh

Acaskstrengthwhiskyhasquietlybeenmakinganameforitselfoverthepastfewyearsandhasnowattractedquiteacrowdofenthusiasticdevoteeswhopraisethebig,richflavoursofthisSpeysidemalt.

Aberlourdistillerywasestablishedin1879andthenremodelledbytheleadingdistilleryarchitectCharlesDoigsometwentyyearslaterafteradisastrousfire.Itreallycameintoitsownafter1975whenitwasacquiredbytheFrenchgroupPernodRicardandbecametheirleadsinglemaltbrandinthedaysbeforetheirpurchaseoftheSeagramdistilleries(TheGlenlivetinparticular).Todaythedistilleryoffersanexcellent‘AberlourDistilleryExperience’tourwhichiswellworthmakingtheefforttotake(bookingisessential).

Thereareseveraleasilyaccessibleexpressions,andthepossibilityofbottlingyourowndirectfromasinglecaskatthedistillery,buttheonetogoforisthestrangelynameda’bunadh(it’spronounceda-boon-ahandmeans‘theorigin’inGaelic).Itisnon-chillfilteredandatfull-caskstrength,theideabehindtheproductbeingtoreplicatea19th-century-stylewhiskymaturedexclusivelyinSpanishoakolorososherrybutts.So,ifyouliketraditionalMacallanorGlenfarclas,you’regoingtolovethis.

Notethatthisisreleasedinbatches,someofwhichhavebeencriticisedastastingslightlysulphured(aneffectofcasktreatment),soifyoufindabatchthatyouparticularlylike,itmightbeanideatosnapupseveralbottlesbeforeitrunsout.Equally,it’sfuntokeepexperimentingand,perhaps,tasteonebatchagainstanother.Andthisshouldn’tbeaproblem,because,forwhiskyofthisqualityandstrength(it’susuallyaroundthe60%abvmark),it’squiteabargain.Expecttopayabout£35.Colour Richanddark.Nose Amarkedsherrycharacter,possiblyhoneyanddarkfruits.Taste Can be drunk at full strength but develops with water. Big, mouth

filling,Christmascake,driedfruits,possiblysomecitrusandchocolate

notes.Finish Expectadrawn-outfinish,perhapswithevolvingspices,oakandsome

smokynotes.

3 ProducerDistilleryVisitorCentreAvailabilityPrice

AmrutDistilleriesLtdAmrut,Bangalore,IndiaNoSpecialists

www.amrutwhisky.com

http://www.amrutwhisky.com

Amrut

Fusion

Indianwhisky?Somemistake,surely?Well,no.Indiaisahugewhiskymarketandagiantproducerbut,unfortunately,thevastmajorityofIndianwhiskyismadefrommolasses–andsofarastheEUisconcernedthatmeansit’srumandcan’tbesoldas‘whisky’.

Thisiscurrentlythebasisofamajorandlong-runningtradedispute,withtheScotchwhiskyindustryclaimingthatIndianimportdutiesareanillegalrestraintoftrade,andtheIndianproducerscryingfoulandpointingoutthatmuchoftheirdistillingindustrywassetupbytheBritishinthefirstplace.Today,theIndianindustryisdominatedbyVijayMallya’sUnitedSpirits,producersofsuchfinebrandsasBagpiperandMcDowells.Toaddtotheconfusion,theyalsoownGlasgow’sWhyte&Mackay.ButtheIndianwhiskythathasmadeitintothislistisactuallydistilledbytheirsmallerindependentrival,AmrutDistilleriesLtd,establishedin1948.AccordingtoIndianmythology,whentheGodsandtheRakshasas(demons)churnedtheoceansusingthemountainMeru,agoldenpotcalledthe‘Amrut’sprangoutcontainingtheElixirofLife.

Amrutisrealsinglemaltwhisky;thatistosay,itismadesimplywithmaltedbarley,waterandyeastsoitcanbesoldhere.Andthat’sourgoodfortune,becauseit’sreallyverygood(youdidn’tthinkitwasherejustoutofcuriosity,didyou?).

Fusionisanunusualproduct,uniqueinthatitcombinesIndianbarleyfromtheHimalayaswithpeatedmaltfromScotlandandisbottledatahealthy50%abv.Anddespitethat(anddespitehavingcomehalfwayroundtheworld),it’sprettygoodvalueatatypical£35abottle.Justtrynottothinkofthecarbonfootprintifyou’redrinkingitinTannochbrae!Colour Bright gold. Indianwhiskymatures faster than Scotch so spends less

timeinthecask.Nose Apronouncedwoodimpact,butalsopeat,vanillaandfruit.Taste Surprisingly complex and engaging, the peat mixes with oak, fruit,

chocolateandcaramelshortcake.Finish Yes,youwillfinishthisandwanttofindanotherbottle.Fadestoadry

spiciness.

4 ProducerDistillery

VisitorCentreAvailabilityPrice

InverHouseDistillersLtdKnockdhu,Knock,nrKeith,SpeysideNone–visitsbyappointmentSpecialistsandonline

www.ancnoc.com

http://www.ancnoc.com

anCnoc

16YearsOld

YoureallyhavetothinkthatInverHousehavemadelifeunnecessarilyhardforthemselvesbyrebrandingKnockdhuasthestrangeandunpronounceableanCnoc,aGaelicwordmeaning‘thehill’.Thisbestoweduponthewhiskytheunenviabledistinctionofnolongerbeingnamedafterthedistillerythatproducesit,butitwasapparentlydonetoavoidconfusionwithKnockando.

Itseemsashame,becausethereismuchtocommendtheSpeysidesinglemaltsfromthislittle-knowndistillerybetweenKeithandBanff;inparticular,itsresolutelytraditionalstyleofoperation(somethingofasignaturewithInverHouse).Anold-fashioned,cast-ironmashtunisstillused,whilewoodenwashbacksmadefromDouglasfirarefavouredovermodernstainlesssteel.Moreimportantly,traditionisalsoproudlymaintainedbythecontinueduseofawormtub,oneofjustthirteenstillinoperationacrossallofScotland,helpingtogiveanCnocitsdepth,bodyandcharacteristicrich,meatyaroma.

AmildcuriosityaboutthedistilleryisthatithousedtroopsfromtheIndianarmyduringWorldWar2,alongwiththeirmulesandhorses.Apparently,thelocalresidentswouldturnouttowatchcavalrypractice–whattheridersthoughtofthisisnotrecorded!

The16YearsOldisarelativelyrecentrelease,andawelcomeone.Unusuallyitisexclusivelymaturedinex-bourboncasks,resultinginitsdeceptivelypalecolour.Theageisapparentonboththenoseandpalate,however,andthisisacomplexandsatisfyingwhisky,morerobustthantheappearancewouldleadyoutoexpect.InverHousearetobecommendedforreleasingthisat46%abvandnotchillfilteringthewhisky.Hopefullyitwillachievewiderdistributionandgreaterfame.ColourQuitepaleandstraw-like.Nose Slightlymedicinal;lemonzest;vanillatakesover.Taste Vanilla,liquoriceandspicenotes;toffeeandmarmalade.Finish Driftsgentlytoadryconclusion.Holdstogetherwell.


Price

GlenmorangieplcArdbeg,IslayYesWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.ardbeg.com

http://www.ardbeg.com

Ardbeg

10YearsOld

Ican’treallymakemymindupaboutArdbeg.Ilovetheplace,admirewhat’sbeendonethereandacknowledgethelegionsofpassionatefanswhohavesupportedthisiconicIslaydistillerysinceitreopenedin1997.ItalsohasthebestfoodofanydistilleryvisitorcentreIcancalltomind.

ButIalsofeelit’soverlypleasedwithitself.Personally,Ifindthefaux‘homespun’toneofmuchoftheirpromotiongrateswithme,especiallyasitseemstomethatitimpliesthatthisissometinyindependentstrugglingforsurvivalagainstruthlesscorporategiants,wheninfactit’sownedbyoneofthebiggestluxurygoodscompaniesontheplanet(LouisVuittonMoetHennessy).Anddon’tgetmestartedontheludicrous‘luxury’nonsensewhichisArdbeg’s£10,000DoubleBarrel.It’ssimplyabsurd.

However,there’snodenyingthatthecurrentteamhavedoneanexcellentjobandArdbegdoesproducesomedeeplylovedwhiskies,aslongasyoulikethempeaty.For,thisisarguablythebenchmarkIslaywhisky,againstwhichallothersmustbejudgedand,forthat,we’llforgiveitalot.

Thestandardisthe‘entry-level’TenYearsOldexpressionwhichcriticshaveravedabout.ThestillsatArdbegdifferfromothersonIslay,beingtallerandhavingacuriouspurifieronthespiritstill,thecombinationofwhichcontributestothefinesseanddelicacyofwhatisaveryhighlypeatedspirit.Certainlythisistrulycomplexwhiskyand,loveitorhateit,youjusthavetoexploreitsfiner,non-chillednuancesatleastonce.ColourApale, straw-colouredwhisky, setoffby theelegant, tall,greenglass

bottle.Nose Monstrouslypeaty,ofcourse,butwithattractivecitrusnotes;cinnamon

andpears.Taste The initial attack of the peat slowly gives way to cereal and barley

notes;tobacco,coffee,liquoriceandchocolate.Finish Smokyandslightlysweet;hintsofbarleylingerandyoumayfindsome

vanillanotes.


GlenmorangieplcArdbeg,IslayYesInternationalspecialistoutlets

www.ardbeg.com

http://www.ardbeg.com

Ardbeg

Uigeadail

HavingexpressedmypersonalreservationsaboutArdbeginthepreviousentry,Ireallyshould,inallfairness,addthatatleastonehighlyregardedcommentatorconsidersthisoneoftheverybestwhiskiesintheworldand,yearafteryear,poursalmostunlimitedpraiseonit.

Well,fairenoughifyoulikestrong,peatywhiskies.Theimpossible-to-pronounceUigeadail(it’snamedafterthelochfromwhichthedistillerydrawswater)isbothpeatyandverystrong(54.2%abv).Certainly,it’sbeenamassivesuccessandhasgonedownverywellwithArdbeg’sgrowinginternationalfanclub,solet’sacknowledgeitsappeal.

However,bewarned–thisisamonster.Fullofpeatsmoke,earthinessandlayersofoak,oil,morepeat(constantlyevolving),itisliabletodominateanythingelseyoudrinkthatday.Sosavethisforthelastdramortwooftheeveningandsavouratrulymightywhisky.Itisdefinitelyonetoexplore.

But,beingoldenoughtorememberwhenthisstyleofwhiskycouldhardlybegivenaway,Idohaveawiderconcern.ArdbegandPortEllenweren’tclosed,andotherIslaydistilleriesputonreducedworking,onawhim–blendersfoundthatalittlegoesalongwayandthosesinglemaltdrinkersthatwerearoundatthetimefeltmuchthesame.Thereisanelementoffashioninthecurrentwaveofenthusiasmforveryhighlypeatedwhiskiesand,iftheenthusiastswhoarebuyingthiswereevertomoveon,thentherecouldbeembarrassingquantitiesofnext-to-unsaleablewhiskylyinginScotland’swarehouses.

Youprobablydon’tagree.Justthinkaboutit,isallIask.Meanwhile,enjoythisandsavourallitsgloriousextremity.ColourQuitepaleandstrawcoloured.Nose Hintsoffinosherry,peatandslightlydampleather.Taste Multi-layeredandintense,creamy/oily,peatsmokeandlingeringfires;

earthyyetsweet.Driedfruits.

Finish Verydominant;intriguing,layeredfinishwithspicehints;sweetnessbutultimatelydrying.


Price

CompassBoxWhiskyCompanyn/a–thisisablendinghousen/aMainlyUK,USAandFrance–butcheckonline

www.compassboxwhisky.com

http://www.compassboxwhisky.com

Asyla

I’dreallyliketorecommendalloftheCompassBoxwhiskies,butthatwouldbecheating,soI’vepickedthreetypicaloftheirstyleandapproach.Asylaisthefirst.Ifthatseemstofavourdisproportionatelywhatisstillaboutiqueoperation,evenasitentersitsseconddecade,youneedtounderstandthatthisisaratherdifferentwhiskycompany–aspecialistblendinghouseratherthanadistiller–drivenbythemessianicJohnGlaser,ananglophileAmericanwhostartedhiswhiskycareerwithDiageobutopenedhisown‘house’in2000,literallyblendinghisfirstofferingsinhisownhome.

Itispossibletotireoftheconsciouslyfunkynames.Personallyspeaking,IfindthestyleofCompassBox’swebsiteoverlyself-congratulatoryandtheinsistenceontheirrenegadestyleandfearlessoutsiderstancecansometimesgrate(Glaser’sbusinesscardoncecarriedthetitle‘WhiskyZealot’;ashiscountrymenwouldsay,‘Oh,puh-lease…’).Butthatmissesthepoint.

Asastackofawardswilltestify,CompassBoxisreveredbywhisky’schatteringclassesandispreciousclosetobecomingpartofthewhiskyestablishment(theymightdenythis)andthey’vegottherebymakingvery,verygoodwhiskyindeed.Buttheydon’t,infact,makeanything–whattheydoisblendsuperbsmallbatchwhiskiesfromvery,verycarefullyselectedcasks(mostofthem,ironically,fromGlaser’sformeremployer).

Toaddtoyourpleasuretheyaresuperblypackaged,witheleganttypographyonwittyanddistinctivelabels.Notcheapbutimmenselysatisfying,anyCompassBoxwhiskywillmarkyououtasadrinkeroftasteanddiscernment.Asylausesjustfourwhiskiesintheblend(singlemaltsfromLinkwood,GlenElginandTeaninich,andgrainwhiskyfromCameronBridge),butmarriesthemforupto12monthstocreateasweet,delicateaperitifwhiskythathasrightlywonhugeplaudits.ColourApalegoldenwhisky,setoffbytheelegant,tall,clearglassbottle.Nose Apple,vanillaandsomecerealnotes.Grassy.Taste This is sweet but not cloying; delicate and very subtle with great

complexity.LikeallCompassBoxwhiskiesitisexceptionallysmooth.

Finish Slightlydrying.Somehintsofsmokemaybedetected.


VisitorCentreAvailability

Price

MorrisonBowmoreDistillersAuchentoshan,Dalmuir,nrGlasgowYesWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.auchentoshan.co.uk

http://www.auchentoshan.co.uk

Auchentoshan

Classic

Itseemsonlyrighttoincludeoneexampleofdistillinginthetrue,traditionalLowlandstyle–thatistosay,tripledistilled,likeIrishwhiskey.Auchentoshanisalsoashowpiecedistillery,beautifullymaintainedbyitsownersMorrisonBowmore(asubsidiaryoftheJapanesegroupSuntory)andthusalwaysapleasuretovisit.

Thedistillerywasestablishedround1817inopencountryside,sincewhichtimeresidentialdevelopmenthassurroundedtheplantanditnowappearsacuriousanachronisminanapparentlyurbansettingclosetothedramaticErskineBridgeovertheRiverClyde.Theownershavecapitalisedonthislocationbyopeningnotjustavisitorcentrebutalsoprovidingconferencefacilitiesforthebusinessmarket.

Therangeofwhiskieshasbeengreatlyincreasedinrecentyearsandanumberofdifferentexpressions,rightupto50yearsold,areoffered.Itislightanddelicateinstylebut,surprisingly,standsupwelltocaskfinishingwhenthisishandledwithduesensitivity–theThreeWoodisafineexampleofwhatcanbedoneandAuchentoshanseemstoagequitegracefully.PresumablythisreflectsshrewdcaskselectionbythepreviousownersandcontinuedinvestmentbySuntory.

TheresultofAuchentoshan’stripledistillingprocessisasmoothandverycleanspiritthatfinisheslifeatover80%abv,unusuallyhighfortheoutputofapotstill.Thereisanadmirablyclearanimateddiagramillustratingthisontheexcellentwebsite–itselfamodelofclarityandunfussyoperation.

Ifyoudon’tknowthiswhisky,thenIsuggestyoustartwiththesignatureClassic.It’snon-agedandthesoft,creamystylewillwinfriendseasily.Ifyoudon’tcareforit,orfindthatyouwantmorebody,don’tdespair–itsgentlestylemakesanexcellentbaseforwhiskycocktails,providinggripwithoutdominatingthedesiredflavour.Colour Pale and delicate – bottled quite young and matured in refill ex-

bourbon,thishasn’tpickedupmuchcolour.

Nose Loadsofvanilla;freshandgrassy.Taste Malty, plenty of marzipan sweetness cut with lemon zest and green

apples.Finish Freshandfloral,butdoesn’tlinger.


InverHouseDistillersLtdBalblair,Edderton,Ross-shireNoneSpecialists

www.balblair.com

http://www.balblair.com

Balblair

Vintage1989

Balblairisjustalongtheroadfromitsmuchbetter-knownneighbourGlenmorangie(seeseparateentry)butmaintainsanaltogetherlowerprofile,perhapsrathergrudgingly.ThedistilleryisoneofaclutchownedandresurrectedbytheAirdrie-basedInverHouseDistillers,themselvesasubsidiaryoftheThaiconglomerateInterBev,whoseemtospecialiseintakingothercompanies’unlovedorphanchildrenandmakingsomethingofthem.

ItisoneoftheoldestdistilleriesstillinexistenceinScotland,datingbackto1790,thoughtherearerecordsofdistillingonthesiteasfarbackas1749.Itwasrebuiltinthe1870sbytheowners,theRossfamily(fouroutofthenineBalblairdistilleryworkersstillhavethesurnameRoss),andappearstohavechangedrelativelylittlesincethen,althoughitwasshutfrom1915to1947.InverHousearen’teasilypersuadedofthemeritsofchangeandtendtoadheretotraditionalmethodswheretheycan.Goodforthem.

Whatisnotparticularlytraditionalisthedecisiontoreleaseaseriesofvintageexpressions,ratherthanthemorenormalagedvariants.However,vintageshaveworkedverywellforTheGlenrothesandthereissomemeritintheargumentthatspiritcharacterdoesvaryfromyeartoyear.Italladdsvarietytoourshelvesandhasdefinitelyworkedinsalesterms.

TheBalblair1989vintagewasaGoldMedalwinnerinthe2007InternationalWine&SpiritsCompetition(IWSC)andjudged‘bestinclass’,andwasabigfavouriteofthecrowdatthe2008EdinburghWhiskyFringe(greatevent,trytogetaticket).Forme,itrepresentsanoptimumcompromisebetweenavailability,priceandquality:itshowsoffthedistillerystylewell,yetremainsaffordableandimmenselyquaffable.Colour Paleamber,mainlyfromex-bourboncasks.Nose Aromasofraisin,greenappleandhintsofbananaandcoconut.Taste Initially slightly harsh but rapidly evolves and warms, with spice,

lemon,raisinandsuggestionsofnuttyoak.

Finish Some dried fruit, but finishes quite quickly. Hints of smoke and amarinenote.


ChivasBrothersLtdn/a–thisisablendn/aSpecialists

www.ballantines.com

http://www.ballantines.com

Ballantine’s

17YearsOld

Thisisawhiskywithaconsiderableanddistinguishedpedigree,largelyunappreciatedinitshomemarket.This,forabrandthatmarketsitselfwiththeslogan‘leaveanimpression’,ismorethanslightlyironic.It’sbecausethisisapremiumblendwhich,byandlarge,isastylethattheUKmarketdoesn’t‘get’.Notthatowners,ChivasBrothers,willbeespeciallybotheredbecauseBallantine’sishugeintheFarEastandintaxfree(airports,toyouandme).

Thenameisanhonouredone.TheoriginalGeorgeBallantinewasoneofthegiantsofVictorianwhiskyblending,startingfrommodestpremisesinEdinburghin1827but,lessthan60yearslater,exportingaroundtheworldwithastringofroyalwarrantstohisname.However,asisthewayofthespiritsindustry,thebrandchangedhandsseveraltimesbeforeChivasBrothersacquireditinJuly2005.

BetweentheirastutemarketingandtheskillsoftheirrenownedMasterBlender,SandyHyslop,Ballantine’shascomeroaringback.Fortunately,Hyslophasaveryfinerangeofbothgrainandsinglemaltwhiskiesfromwhichtopick,andtheexperienceandjudgementtoknowhowtoputthemtogether.

Probablythepickofthebunchisthe17YearsOld.Itispleasant,smooth,warmingandmellow.There’splentyofdepththere,butthisdoesnotassertitselfforcefully;ratheritslowlycharmsyouuntilyourealisewhataveryspecialdramitis.Talentedbutself-effacingandmodestwithit:thearchetypalupper-middle-classEdinburghprofessional,then.Itdoesleaveanimpression,afterall.Colour Brightgold.Nose Rounded, balanced and appetising. Some sweet notes and a hint of

smoke.Taste Mellowvanillatones,withmaturityshowinginbalancedwood,smoke

and cream. Surprisingly full bodied for 43% abv and after chillfiltration.

Finish Lingersagreeablyat thebackof thepalate,holding togetherwell andleavinghintsofmarinecharacter.



BeamGlobalSpirits&Wine,Inc.JimBeam,ClermontDistillery,KentuckyYesSpecialistsandonline

www.smallbatch.com

http://www.smallbatch.com

BasilHayden’s

It’sclaimedthattheHaydenfamilycanbetracedbacktotheyearsfollowingtheNormanConquestof1066.Oneancestor,SimondeHeydon,wasknightedbyRichardtheLionheartintheHolyLandduringtheThirdCrusadeinthe1190sandhisson,ThomasdeHeydon,madeJusticeItinerantofNorfolkbyHenryIII.Later,anotherancestorwasgrantedalargeestateinHertfordshire,inreturnforthefamily’smilitaryservice.Eventually,however,theyemigratedtotheVirginiaColonyinthe1660sinsearchofreligiousfreedom.

Itisfurtherclaimedthat,by1796,oneBasilHaydenwasamasterdistiller,bornandraisedinMaryland,wherehelearnedtomakewhiskeyfromrye.MovingtoKentucky,Haydenbeganmakingwhiskeyfromabaseofcorn,butaddedahigherpercentageofryethanotherdistillers,resultinginsmooth,mildbourbon.Well,that’sthestoryanyway.

OneoftheBeamSmallBatchbourbons,BasilHayden’sisuniqueinthatitutilisestwiceasmuchrye(30%)asothersmallbatchreleases(thoughBeamadoptasimilarapproachtothedistillationoftheirOldGrand-Dad).Unusuallyforpremiumbourbon,itisbottledat40%abv,typicallyataroundeightyearsofage,andisthelightestinstyleinthecollection.

Italwaysseemssomewhatover-packagedformytastewithatallandratherfemininebottlestrangelybisectedbyacopperband,butifyoulikeadryandmoredelicatetasteinyourbourbonthenthiswillappeal.It’salsoanexcellentcocktailbase.

LikealltheSmallBatchrange,thiscomesfromthelargeandratherutilitarianClermontdistillery,somewhattheantithesisofthesmallbatchphilosophy,butwhereyoucanatleastvisittheT.JeremiahBeamHomeandtheJimBeamAmericanOutpostandtryarangeofproducts.Colour Palegold.Nose Somecitrusnoteswithmintandspice.Taste Lighttomediumbody,delicateandaromatic.Honey,pepperandfading

spice.

Finish Quiteshortbutholdstogether.

12 ProducerDistilleryVisitorCentre

AvailabilityPrice

TheBenRiachDistilleryCompanyLtdBenRiach,Elgin,MorayshireNone–tryphoningforanappointmentSpecialists

www.benriachdistillery.co.uk

http://www.benriachdistillery.co.uk

BenRiach

CuriositasPeated

BoredofwhiskieswithstrangeGaelicnames?WhynottryonewithsomeLatinpartofarangethatincludesHeredotusFumosusandImportanticusFumosus?Youjusthavetobecuriousabout‘Curiositas’.(It’sanexperimental,heavilypeatedSpeysider.)Thenamesmayseemabitcontrived,buthereisasmallindependentdistillergettingonwithlife,experimentingwithunusualwhiskiesandmanagingtodosowithoutdevelopingapersecutioncomplex.

BenRiach(Ihavenoideawhytheystickacapitalletterinthemiddle)waslyingmothballedfromaround1900untilitwasrebuiltandreopenedsixty-fiveyearslater.It’samiracleitsurvived,butitonlycarriedonuntilAugust2002whenitwasmothballedagain.

However,atthatpointitsluckchanged.Havingbeenownedbyaseriesoflargecorporations,BenRiachwasluckytobeacquiredbyindustryveteranBillyWalker,backedbytwoSouthAfricaninvestors.Theyhaveinvestedheavilyinthedistilleryand,inAugust2008,boughtGlendronachaswell,sothingsareobviouslygoingswimmingly.

Sadly,there’snovisitorcentre(thereisanexcellentoneatGlendronach)butitwouldbeworthaskingnicelyforapeek,especiallyastheymaintainashowpiecefloormalting(sadlyit’snotcurrentlyinuse).

Thereareanumberofreleases,somequitelimited,andexcitingplans.Thedistillerythemselvessaythattheirvisionis‘notonlytomaintainthegreattraditionsofthedistillerybuttobreaknewgroundwith“new”whiskyexpressionsand,borrowingfromthewiderworldofthenobleartofdistilling,to“craft”specialwhiskies,andintriguingexpressions’.Itsoundsexciting.Itisexciting.And,hopingthatthecorporategiantsdon’tswampthem,mytoasttoBenRiachis,‘nilcarborundumillegitimi!’Colour Palegold.Nose Peatonthisone,butnotasaggressiveasoftenfoundonIslay.Heather

flowersinbackground.

Taste Medium weight, lots of peat attack, wood follows on with a spicyfruitiness.

Finish Plentyofthatpeatsmokebutlotsmoregoingontoteaseyouacapiteadcalcem*.



Gordon&MacPhailBenromach,Forres,MorayshireYesSpecialists

www.benromach.com

http://www.benromach.com

Benromach

Organic

Thereareanumberof‘organic’whiskiesoutthere–DaMhile(firstmadeatSpringbankbutnowLochLomond);HighlandHarvestblendedandBruichladdichwillsoonlaunchthefirstIslayOrganicwhisky,distilledinDecember2003andnowapproachingfullmaturity.

Personally,Ican’tseethatitmattersallthatmuchinadistilledspiritbut,ifyoucareaboutthesethings,youwillbeinterestedinthisofferingfromBenromach,Gordon&MacPhail’stinydistilleryontheoutskirtsofForres.SofarasIcansee,it’sthefirstandsofartheonlywhiskywherethewholeprocess–rawingredients,distillation,maturation,bottling–iscertifiedtotheSoilAssociation’srigorousorganicstandards.

Thisdoes,however,addsomethingofinteresttothewhiskyenthusiast.ForonethingthebarleyusedformaltingcomesfromaScottishfarm(notallbarleyusedtomakeScotchisScottish,whichmaycomeassomethingofasurprise)andthebarrelsarefromvirginoak.Thisisunusual–it’sgenerallyheldthatbrandnewoakbarrelsexerttooassertiveaninfluenceontheflavourofScotchwhisky,hencethealmostuniversalpresenceofbarrelsthathavebeenseasonedbyprevioususe.However,Benromachappeartohavecarriedthisoffand,whileclearlyevident,thewooddoesnotdominate.

Thedistillersclaimthatthecasksare‘handselected’–anice-soundingbut,asfarasIcansee,essentiallymeaninglessclaimsincesofarasIamaware,noonehasyetinventedamachinetoselectcasks–andmadefromnatural,wild-growingforest.Thetreesarenotsprayedwithpesticidesoranyotherformofchemicalpriortofelling(butthentheywouldn’t,being‘wild’)orindeedafter.

Quitehowyousquareyourgreenconcernswiththefellingofnaturalwildforestisamatterforyourownconscience,ofcourse.You’llprobablydrinkthiswhilereadingtheGuardian.Colour Rich,deepgold.Nose Lotsofwoodimpact,ofcourse,butfruitsandvanillapods.

Taste Woodwetakeforgrantedhere,butfruitcompoteandsomesweetnessalsoevident.

Finish Aglowofliberal,green-tintedvirtue.


HeavenHillDistilleries,Inc.Bernheim,Louisville,KentuckyYesSpecialists

www.bernheimwheatwhiskey.comseealsowww.heaven-hill.com

http://www.bernheimwheatwhiskey.com

http://www.heaven-hill.com

Bernheim

OriginalWheatWhiskey

‘Unique’and‘original’aregrosslyover-usedterms,thoughIthinkprobablyjustifiedhere.ThisAmericanwhiskeyismadewithwinterwheatasitsprincipalingredient(aminimumof51%)alongwiththemoreconventionalrye,barleyandcorn.Assuch,itisthefirstreallynewAmericanwhiskeysinceProhibitionandisarguablyrevivingadistillingstylefromthe1700s.Naturally,astheworld’sonlystraightwheatwhiskey,ithasattractedalotofattentionfromenthusiastsanxiousforanewtastesensation.Atthetimeofwritingitistheonlyexampleofthisstyle,thoughpresumably,ifitssuccesscontinues,we’llseeotherdistillersofferingsomethingsimilarinthenearfuture.

Thedistilleryitselfhashadaninterestinghistory.ItwasbuiltonthesiteoftheoldAstorandBelmontdistilleries,whichweredemolishedbyUnitedDistillers,theforerunnerofDiageo,beforethebrandnewBernheimplantwasconstructedin1992.UnderDiageobourbonwasnotregardedasapriorityand,in1999,theHeavenHillCompanyacquiredthefacility,whichtodaymakesitthelastprivatelyowneddistilleryinKentucky.Amongotherbrands,HeavenHillBourbonandRittenhouseRyeisdistilledhere,allofwhichcanbeseeninthefinenewBourbonHeritageCentre,WhiskyMagazine’s2009VisitorAttractionoftheYear(thereisa$50‘behindthescenes’tour).BernheimOriginalisdistilledherebutagedforaminimumoftwoyearsinnewcharredwhiteoakbarrelsinRickhouseYatHeavenHill’ssiteatBardstown,NelsonCounty.

Launchedin2005BernheimOriginalWheatWhiskeyhasbenefitedfrominterestinsmallbatchproductionandcraftdistillation.Asaninnovativesalutetotraditionitisinterestingbutthewhiskeyitselfholdsupwell.Colour Pale,especiallybycomparisontobourbon.Nose Adelicatenoseoffersbutteredtoast,spicesandsomefruits.Cleanand

refreshinglemonzest.Taste Fruitandnut.Mediumbodied;sweetbutnotcloying.Finish Crispandspicy.Hintsofnuts.


Price

BurnStewartDistillersLtdn/a–thisisablendn/aWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.blackbottle.com

http://www.blackbottle.com

BlackBottle

IwasreallyhopingtowriteaboutBlackBottle’s10-year-oldbrother.Thiswaslaunchedin1998but,sadly,hasbeenwithdrawn,lastingasabrandonlyslightlylongerthanthewhiskyinthebottle.However,ifyou’rereallyquickyoumightfindtheoddbottleonadustyshelfsomewhere.Ifso,grabitwithouthesitation,especiallyifyoulikethepeatystuff.

Thestandardstyleismorethanrespectable,however.It’soneofthoseclassicVictorianblendsthatstartedlifeinagrocer’sshop,inthiscaseinAberdeen,andwentontochangethefortunesofthefamilyfirm,GordonGraham&Co.And,asisthewayofthesestories,eventuallythefamilyhadtosellupandthebrandwentthroughaseriesofchanges,somelessthansuccessful.

EventuallyitendedupownedbyBurnStewartDistillerswho,withoutlavishingmoneyonit,havegivenitatleastsomeofthetenderlovingcareitcriedoutfor.Theyhavetreateditwithappropriaterespectandimprovedthequality(actually,that’sarecurringcommentonanumberoftheirwhiskiesgenerally–seeDeanstonandTobermory,inparticular).

Apparently,initsearliestdays,eachbottlewaswrappedintissuepaperwhichcarriedthisverse,generallyattributedtoWalterLandor:

IfuponmythemeIrightlythink,TherearefivereasonswhyIdrink:Goodwine.Afriend.BecauseI’mdry.BecauseImightbebyeandbye.Oranyotherreasonwhy!

WhyyoumightwanttodrinkBlackBottleistoenjoyabig,smoky,Islay-dominatedblend(there’sabitofDeanstonintherealso,butit’sratherswampedbythepeat)thatisrathermorerefreshingandeasiertodrinkthanmanyotherpeat-dominateddrams.It’snotexpensiveeither,makingitagoodeverydaystandby.Colour Pale,brightgold.

Nose Surprisinglylight,freshandfruitywithpeatinthebackground.Taste Well balancedwith a delightful sweetness acting as a kind of smoke

extractor!Finish Thepeatnotesstarttocomethroughattheendasthewhiskydiesaway;

moreembersthansmoke.


Availability

Price

HighlandDistillersn/a–thisisablendTheFamousGrouseExperienceatGlenturret,nearCrieffWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.thefamousgrouse.comseealsowww.black-grouse.com

http://www.thefamousgrouse.com

http://www.black-grouse.com

BlackGrouse

ThereseemspreciouslittlepointintellinganyoneaboutTheFamousGrouse,asithaslongbeenestablishedasScotland’sbest-sellingblendedScotch,supportedbythosevaguelyannoyingbutactuallymildlyamusingTVcommercialswiththeear-wormofatune–soIwon’t.Ifdesperate,youcanlearnmoreattheirwebsite(Ifinditrathertiresomeandcontrived;mightjustbeme)orevenvisitTheFamousGrouseExperienceatGlenturretdistillerynearCrieff,essentiallyanover-blownvisitorcentre,shopandseveralrestaurants,andtrytofindthetinydistillerysomewhereinthemiddleofitall.

Butsomethinghasbeenstirringinthenestinrecentyearsandthegrousehasbroughtforthaclutchofinterestingnewfledglingswithsomediscreettestmarketinggoingonastheytrytostretchthebrand.Twothathavesuccessfullyflownthenest(sorry,that’sthelasttediouspun)aretheSnowGrouse,aharshlychill-filteredblendedgrain,aboutwhichthelesssaidthebetter,andtheBlackGrouse.

It’scuriousthatitshouldfollowimmediatelyonfromBlackBottle,becausethisisanotherIslay-influenced,peatyblend.Ironic,then,youmaythink,thatHighlandDistillerssoldtheironlyIslaydistillery(Bunnahabhain)in2003(notthatitwasparticularlynotedforpeatedwhiskiesatthattimeanyway).

Anyway,notingthefashionforsmokywhiskies,theblendershavefashionedthissmoothandaromaticdrop,whichseemstobefindingfavouramongpeatfreaks,notleastforitscompetitivepricing.TheFamousGrousepack(orcovey)appearstonumbernineandcountingnow,thoughIdaresaymorewillhavehatchedbythetimethisgetsintoprint(sorry,Ididn’teventrytoresistit).ColourAmature,rich,copperygold.Nose Smokyandspicybutnotassertiveorharsh.Taste Pleasantly well-balanced, smooth and mouth coating; some signature

GrousesweetnessbutdevelopsspiceandfruitcharacterasSpeysideandIslaymerge.

Finish Cocoaandspicesbutwithafadingsmokecharacter.



Co-ordinatedDevelopmentServicesLtdBladnoch,Wigtown,KirkcudbrightshireYesSpecialists

www.bladnoch.co.uk

http://www.bladnoch.co.uk

Bladnoch

8YearsOld

Isthisthebestwhiskyinthisbook?Probablynot,butyoushouldstillbuyabottle–andhere’swhy.

Bladnoch,oneoftheverylastLowlanddistilleriesandScotland’smostsoutherlydistillery,wasclosedinJune1993byUDV(nowDiageo).AnIrishbuilderandpropertydeveloper,RaymondArmstrong,boughtthesite.

Unlikelyasitnowseems,heplannedtoredevelopthebuildingsforhousing.Butthewhiskygodswerenottobesoeasilydistractedand,aftersometime,Armstrongbegantounderstandwhatthedistillerymeanttothelocalcommunity.Sohedeterminedtostartdistillingagain.

Thatwasn’tquiteaseasyasitsoundsandUDV,whohadsoldonthestrictunderstandingthatBladnochwastobetakenoutofproduction,tooksomepersuadingtopermitevenlimiteddistilling.But,attheriskofracialstereotyping,Armstronghastheblarneyandisbothpersistentandcharming.Eventuallyhegotthemtorelentand,inDecember2000,Bladnochwentbackintoproduction.

Forthisheattainedtherankofwhiskyheroandisreveredamongaficionados.Heisalsoathoroughlyamenableandagreeablefellow,happytopassthetimeofdaywithyouifyoudropin,andanall-roundgoodegg.Today,thesiteispleasantlybusy,hasacharminghomespunvisitorcentreandtheyrunanopen-spiritedandgenerousdiscussionforumontheirwebsite.

ThefirstwhiskydistilledunderArmstrong’sbenevolentandaffableownershipwasreleasedinOctober2009attheWigtownBookFestival.Buyabottleandhelpkeepadreamalive:it’sanobleandworthycause.Everybottlesoldhelps.Colour Palestraw.Nose Lemonzest,oakandvanilla.Slightlyspiritybutwithnuttysuggestions.Taste Lighttomediumbody,butmouthcoating.Loadsofvanillaandcrème

brûléeflavours.

Finish Not the longest finish ever, light with some spice notes. Just buy itanyway.


AvailabilityPrice

BerryBros&Ruddn/a–thisisablendNo–butvisittheirLondonshopSpecialists

www.bbr.com

http://www.bbr.com

BlueHanger

Toppeople’swinemerchantsBerryBros&Rudd,withtheirelegantpremisesinLondon’sStJames’sStreet,isnotthefirstplaceyou’dgotofindabargain.Butthereisonelurkingthere.Remember,whileyoumightassociatethemwithclassedgrowthclaret,thesearethefolkswhocreatedCuttySarksotheydoknowtheirwhisky.

Thislittlecrackeriswhat’sknownasablendedmalt;thatistosay,ablend(ormixture)ofseveralsinglemaltswithnograinwhiskyatallallowedtotheparty.Berry’swhiskyguyisthehighlyregardedDougMclvor.YouknowallyouneedtoknowaboutDougwhenItellyouthatofalltheblendersintheScotchwhiskyindustryhewastheoneentrustedwiththesamplesfromthelateMichaelJackson’s*whiskylibrarytocreateamemorialblend.

Forthisfourthrelease,DoughascombinedthreeSpeysidemalts:GlenElgin,GlenlivetandMortlach,rangingfrom16to34yearsold.Hehimselfdescribesthewhiskyashaving‘astronginfluencefromSherrycasksbutItrytoreinthisintoofferbalanceandcomplexityfromtheothercasks’.That’salittlemodest:thepreviousreleaseofBlueHangerwasacomfortablewinnerintheblendedmaltclassinthe2008WorldWhiskiesAwardsandit’sgenerallyagreedthatwiththisfourthreleasehehassurpassedeventhathighstandard.What’smoreagreeableisthatit’sbottledat45.6%andyouwillpayaround£60forabottle.Justpraytheydon’tdecidetoputitinsomelavishpackaging.

TheunusualnamecomesfromWilliamHanger,3rdLordColeraine,aloyalcustomerofBerry’sduringthe18thcentury.Hewasrenownedforwearingstrikingblueclothes,andgainedthesobriquet‘BlueHanger’.Youdon’thavetodressuptoshopthere,butItoldyoutheywereposh.ColourDark–ageandsherrycasksshowinghere.Nose Richandpromising;stewedfruitsandsomesuggestionofcitrus.Taste Leather, vanilla and stewedpear hints developing to cream fudge and

richorange.Fullbodied.Finish Dry,withhintsofsmokeandnuts.


Glenmorangieplcn/a–thisisablendn/aSpecialists

BNJ

BailieNicolJarvie

What’sthisdoinghere?Youmaywellask,sinceitseemstomethattheownersclearlydon’tcare.BailieNicolJarvie(‘BNJ’toitscoterieofdedicatedfans)appearstobetheunlovedand,itwouldseem,unwantedruntofthelitterintheGlenmorangiestable.Buttheyhaven’tkilleditoffwithneglectanddisinterest,norhavetheymanagedtosellittosomeonewhowouldlavishonitthetenderlovingcarethatitsoevidentlydeserves(though,aswegotoprint,thereareunconfirmedrumoursthatit’sbeingofferedforsale,soitmaybeinnewhandsbythetimeyoureadthis).

Theblendhasbeenaroundforyears(Ihaveseenaverylovelypre-wardecanterinaHighlandshootinglodge–reallythiswhisky’snaturalhabitat)andisreputedtocontainanuncommonlyhighpercentageofsinglemaltwhisky,mostprobablyGlenmorangieandGlenMoray.Theresultisasubtleandcomplex,thoughrelativelylight-bodied,blendthathasquietlyattractedadmirersamonginformeddrinkers.

It’sentirelyirrelevantbutitalsohasagreatlabel.JustthoughtI’dmentionit,asitmarksyououtasadrinkeroftasteanddiscernment,capableoflookingbeyondritzypackagingtotimelesselegance.Moreimportantly,itisfantasticvalue.

Thatmightexplaintheowners’reluctancetopushsales:withthismuchtop-qualitysinglemaltintheblendthepriceissimplytoolowifitbecomesasuccess,especiallygiventhecostofbuildingabrand.Sogetinfast.Fillyerboots.Thiscan’tlastandyouneedtogetsomewhileyoustillcan.Colour Paleandinteresting.Nose Fresh and floral, with theGlenmorangie influence evident. Pears and

grassynotes–veryelegant.Taste A very well-balanced, well-mannered whisky. Just a hint of smoke

coveringdelicateperfumednotes;freshfruitandhazelnuts.Finish Subtleanddelicate.Arapierofawhiskybutwithakilleredgeofspice,

chocolateandtoffee.


MorrisonBowmoreDistillersBowmore,IslayYesSpecialists

www.bowmore.co.uk

http://www.bowmore.co.uk

Bowmore

Tempest

Islay’soldestdistillery(foundedin1779,orpossiblyevenearlier)retainsafloormaltingwhichproducesaroundonethirdofthemaltedbarleyrequiredbytheoperation.Youcantakeatourwhichincludesthemaltingfloorandyoumaybepermittedtolookintothekilnwithitshairclothfloor(theperforatedmetalsheetontowhichthegrainisspreadtobedried).Evenwithnofireunderneath,thewholeplaceretainstherichlyaromatic,almostpungent,smellofpeatsmoke.

Andthat,ofcourse,iswhatIslayisreallyallaboutandwhatmakesthewhiskiessospecial.Formymoney,Bowmoreisoneofthebetterbalanceddramsproducedhereandthepeatcontent(measuredinpartspermillionofphenols)isalittlelowerthansomeofitsmoreassertiveneighbours.Notthatthisshouldmakeyoumakethemistakeofthinkinganylessofit.Thisisveryfinewhiskyandishighlysoughtafter–rareandoldexpressionsofBowmoreareoneofthemostvaluableofwhiskycollectablesandfeatureregularlyinwhiskyauctions.Indeed,an1850bottlingsoldinSeptember2007forathenworld-recordpriceof£29,400,thoughnotwithoutattractingsomecontroversyandspeculationastoitsauthenticity.Presumablythebuyerwashappy.

However,youcanpickupabottleoftheirTempest–atasty,caskstrength,non-chillfiltered,10-year-oldBowmoreforaround£40,whichmakesitsomethingofabargain.It’llneverbeworth£29,000butthat’snotthepoint.Thisisonetodrinkandsavour,andisprobablymycurrentfavouritefromanextensiveandimpressiverangethathasenjoyeddeservedsuccessinrecentyears.

Try,ifyoucan,togettothedistillery.ThetouriswellmanagedandthebaratthevisitorcentreoffersastunningviewoverLochIndaal,whichiscapableofsoothingthesoulofeventhemoststressed-outurbansophisticate.Colour Brightgold.Nose Peatsmokeandsalt,hintsoforangecrèmebrûléeandhoney.Taste ThesignaturesubtleBowmorepeatsmoke to the fore,withsaltanda

playfulcitrusnote.

Finish Amaritimefarewell,peatsmokeoverastormysea,butcleanandfresh.


Price

BruichladdichDistilleryCompanyBruichladdich,IslayYesSpecialistsandsomesupermarkets

www.bruichladdich.com

http://www.bruichladdich.com

Bruichladdich

12YearsOldSecondEdition

IspentalongtimeponderingoverwhetherornottoincludeBruichladdichandeventuallydecidedthat,despitewhatyou’reabouttoread,Ilovethemreally.Trytokeepthatinmind!

Mindyou,theydomakeithard.Ifit’snotthepreposterousclaimsontheirwebsite(‘pre-industrialdistillingtechniques’indeed?Fromadistillerybuiltin1881…),orwhatseemstothiscommentatoratleastapersistentlychippyattitudeandobsessivebeliefthateveryoneisouttodothemdown,thenitmustbethetediouslyself-aggrandisingclaims(apparently,theyare‘TheMaltCrusaders:fiercelyindependent,non-conformist,innovative–theenfantterribleoftheindustry’).Infact,they’reindangerofbecomingtheMillwallfansofwhisky(‘noonelikesus,wedon’tcare’).

Actually,despitethewavesofsycophanticpublicity–atleastoneratherobsequiousbook,regularTVappearancesandadocumentaryhasbeenbroadcastaboutthem(publicitythattheaveragemarketingmanagerwouldkillfor)–thetruthisthatnoone’sthatbotheredbytheirantics.Ifonlytheywouldconcentrateonmakingwhiskysincetheydoitsovery,verywell.

Butthedifficultyhereisfindingonetopick.Bruichladdichare(in)famousforanever-endingseriesofreleasesandfinishes(exceptinBruichladdich-speakthey’renot‘finishes’,sonowI’llbeinevenmoretrouble)thatrolloffIslaywithmind-numbingfrequency.Thereisasortofstrangelogic,butitreliesonhavingaveryBruichladdich-centricworldviewtoappreciateit.

Anyway,justtobeclear:thedistilleryisawonderfultimecapsule;thepeoplearepassionate;theymakewonderfulwhiskyandaren’tafraidtotrynewthings;andtheyhavebroughtalotofheat(andsomelight)totheScotchwhiskyscene.Sostartoffwiththe12YearsOld,whichisasnearasyouwillgettoastandardexpression.Expensivebycomparisonwithothermaltsofasimilarage,butwhatdoyouexpectfromrenegades?Colour Brightgold.

Nose Lotsgoingon:refined,floral,fruityandsubtle.Taste Fairlylightbodiedbutnotwithoutinterest.Startssweet,fruitdevelops,

thenvanillaandoak.Finish Fadesgentlyawaywiththefruitnotesdryingasitends.



TheSazeracCompanyBuffaloTrace,FranklinCounty,KentuckyYesSpecialists

www.buffalotrace.comseealsowww.bourbonwhiskey.com

http://www.buffalotrace.com

http://www.bourbonwhiskey.com

BuffaloTrace

Anoutstandingandhighly-awardeddistillerofKentuckyStraightBourbon,theBuffaloTracedistillerywasfoundedin1857,thoughtherewasdistillingonthesitesomeseventyyearsearlier.BuffaloTracehasthedistinctionofbeingthefirstproducerofsinglebarrelbourbonwiththe1984releaseofBlanton’s.

AnumberofbrandsareproducedhereaswellasBuffaloTrace:EagleRare,Blanton’s,RockHillFarms,Hancock’s,ElmerT.Lee,SazeracRyeandW.L.Weller,amongothers.Butitisthedistillery’sownlabelthatwe’reconcernedwith,firstintroducedin1999.Itfoundrapidacceptanceandacclaim.Todaytheycanboastontheirwebsitethat‘thedistilleryhaswonmoreinternationalawardssince1990thananyotherNorthAmericandistillery,earningmorethan140distinctionsinnationalandinternationalcompetitions’.

AttheheartofitisthisfineexampleofKentuckyStraightBourbon.Thedistillersbelievethatcertainfloorsofsomeoftheirwarehouses(romantically,theyarenamedaswarehousesC,IandK)producethebestspirit,andsmallbatchesofthebestcasksareselectedforBuffaloTrace.Thesegothroughafurtherselectionbyatastepanelandasfewas25barrelsarethenmarriedandbottled.

Interestingly,thethreewarehousessharesimilarconstruction:theyarerickwarehousesconstructedfromlargewoodbeamsandsurroundedbyabrickshell.Eachhasanearthfloor(likeadunnagewarehouseinScotland)and,duringthewinter,steamispumpedthroughoutthewarehousestocompensateforthedramaticdropintemperature.Thishastheeffectofforcingthewhiskeytomaturefaster–whichisjustgreatbecauseitgetstousthatlittlebitquicker!

BuffaloTraceiswelldistributedingoodspecialistsintheUK.I’dsayitwastheperfectintroductiontobourbon,afterwhichotherbrandsatthispricepointwilldisappoint.Colour Lightbronze.Noaddedcolour.Nose Vanilla,mint,spiceandsomecitrushints.Taste Sweetwithvanilla,cinnamon,brownsugarandoakwood.

Finish Quitelonganddrying.


AvailabilityPrice

BurnStewartDistillersLtdBunnahabhain,IslayYes–modestfacilitiesatthedistillerySpecialists

www.bunnahabhain.com

http://www.bunnahabhain.com

Bunnahabhain

18YearsOld

IaminordinatelyfondofBunnahabhain.Ioncespentawonderfulholidaythere(youcanrentoneoftheformerdistillerycottages)anditisoneofthequietestandmostrelaxingplacesthatyou’lleverfind.

Thedistilleryitselfismorefunctionalthanpicturesquebutitliesattheheartofaprettybay,withexceptionalviewsovertheSoundofJura.SinceIspenttimethere,BunnahabhainhasbeensoldtoBurnStewart,asmallScotchwhiskydistillingcompanyultimatelyownedinTrinidad,andthishasbeenathoroughlygoodthing.

Previously,itwasratherdwarfedbyitsglamorousstablemates,TheMacallanandHighlandPark.Nowitmaybeinasmallerpond,butit’sabiggerfishandallthemorecomfortableforthat.TheestablisheddistillingteamlargelystayedintactbutaninjectionofTLCfollowedthetransferofownershipandsomeinterestingwhiskieswerequicklyprisedoutofthewarehouses.

Whereoncetherewasonlyasomewhatanodyne12-year-oldversion,todaythereareseveralagedexpressionsandoccasional–andusuallyinterestingandrewarding–specialeditions.Recommendedhereforitsblendofqualityandvalueisthe18-year-oldstyle.Thisisnotheavilypeated,thoughthedistilleryisexperimentingwiththisstyle.Ifyoulikepeat,lookoutforwhattheycalltheirMòineorToiteachstyles(hardtofind,though).

IfyouevergettoIslayit’seasytoforgetaboutBunnahabhain,whichliessomewhatoutoftheway.Thatwouldbeamistake:it’swellworthavisit.Colour Bright,richgold.Nose Hintsofhoneyandnuts;soft,elegant,withmildaromasofsherry.Taste Caramel toffee,old leatherandoak.Asalt influencemaybedetected,

withmintandsweetspice.Finish Well balanced, drying, with sherry and spice notes. Slight hints of

fadingsmoke.



DiageoBushmills,Co.Antrim,NorthernIrelandYesSpecialists

www.bushmills.com

http://www.bushmills.com

Bushmills

16YearsOld

Doesitactuallymatterwhenadistillerywasfounded?Imean,ifyouthoughtthatBushmillsdatedfrom,say,1784ratherthan,say,1608wouldyoubuyanyless?Thedistillerymakesgreatplayoftheearlierdate,emphasisingitontheirbottlesandlabels,whilebeingrathercoyaboutthefactthatthisrelatestoagenericlicencetodistilintheirgeneralareaandthattheBushmillstrademarkdoesn’tfirstappearuntil176yearslater.Well,what’sacenturyortwoamongfriends?Afterall,theircompetitorshavealldisappearedand1784wasaverylongtimeago(itmarkedtheformalendoftheAmericanWarofIndependence,foronething).Tobefair,thewebsitedoesclearupthe1608thing,sowe’llletthemoff.

Bushmills,nowpartoftheDiageostable,isNorthernIreland’slastsurvivingdistillery–andalargeandsuccessfuloneitisatthat.Havingsurvivedahugefire,Prohibition,avigoroustemperancemovementandcompetitionfromScotchwhisky,Bushmillshasentereditsfifth(orpossiblythird,dependingontheabove)centuryingreatshape.

ThestandardBushmillsandtheslightlypremiumBlackBusharebothblends(curiously,thegrainwhiskycomesfromtheRepublicwhereit’smadeatMidleton,bytheirgreatcompetitor)butthedistilleryoffersthree100%maltedbarleysinglemalts,at10,16and21yearsofage.

Thereisanexcellentvisitorcentreatthedistilleryand,bytakingthetour,youcanseetripledistillationinaction.FromtheBushmillsrange,I’veselectedthe16YearsOldsinglemalt.Theextraageanduptoayear’sfinishinginportwoodaddcolouranddepthofflavourtowhatisalreadyveryfinespirit.The21YearsOldismuchhardertofindandsignificantlymoreexpensive.Colour Theattractiverubyredtintisaclearsignalofportfinishing.Nose Waves of fruit on the nose, immediately appealing sweet notes and

somewoodgetsthrough.Taste Morefruit,butalsomaltycarameltoffeeandsomechocolate.Medium

tofullbodied.

Finish Sinuous waves of complexity – a reminder of all the flavours in theglass–fadingdelightfullyslowly.


DiageoCameronBridge,FifeNoneSpecialists

CameronBrig

Thisisgrainwhisky–Scotland’sequivalentofthemadauntintheatticwhonoonetalksabout.ButtheScotchwhiskyindustryabsolutelydependsonitbecauseitisatthebasisofblending.IftherewasnograinwhiskytherewouldbenoJohnnieWalker,noFamousGrouse,noBallantine’sandsoon–andfarfewersinglemalts,too,asalmostallsinglemaltdistilleriesrelyonblendedwhiskiestotakethemajorityoftheiroutput.

Sowhysocoy?Well,grainwhiskyisproducedonanindustrialscalebyasomewhatdifferentprocessthansinglemalt,usingcheaperingredients.Generallyspeaking,graindistilleriesaren’tprettyandtheydon’tconformtotheimagethattheindustrylikestosellus.What’smore,mostgrainwhiskyisusedwithinafewmonthsofitsmaturationandisvaluedmoreforitsrelativelyblandflavourthananydistinctivequalities(thereareexceptions,ofcourse,butthisisbroadlytrue).

However,afewgrainwhiskiesaremarketedintheirownrightandit’sworthtryingoneortwojusttoexpandyourwhiskyeducation.CompassBox’sexcellentHedonismisone(seeseparateentry)butit’shardtofindandunusualinthatitisblendedgrain.Foralotlessmoney,trackdownabottleofCameronBrig.Itwon’tbeeasybutit’sworththetrouble.

Ifyoudon’tcareforityoucanalwaystryyourhandatmakingyourownblend.Takeanemptybottle,fillitjustoverhalffullwiththeCameronBrigandaddafewofyourfavouritesinglemalts.Shakewell,saythemagicwordsand,heypresto,you’reablender!ColourWarmgold.Nose Cleanandgrassy.Unpeated,solightandrefreshing.Taste Honeyandspice.Warmingandsmooth(non-agedbutpresumablyeight

totenyearsold).Finish Subtleandsurprisinglycomplex.


DiageoCaolIla,IslayYesSpecialists

www.malts.com

http://www.malts.com

CaolIla

12YearsOld

It’sgreattobeabletorecommendwhiskieslikethis–virtuallyunknownlittlesecretsthat,oncetasted,areneverforgotten.CaolIla(pronounced‘cowleela’–Gaelicspeakerslookawayplease)mustbeoneofthemostdramaticallylocatedofallofScotland’sdistilleries.It’sattheendofaprecipitousroadjustoutsidePortAskaigonIslay,rightonthesea,oppositetheislandofJura.FromtheManager’sofficewindowyoucanseeseals,ottersandallkindsofinterestingseabirds,nottomentiontheamazingtopographyofJuraandthefamousPaps(stopsniggering,they’regreatbighills).

Butthat’swhatnotmakesitsogreat.ThisisprobablytheunsungheroofIslay’srenownedwhiskies,largelybecausevirtuallyalloftheannualproductionisrequiredforblendingandtheowners,Diageo,hardlypromotethesinglemalt.Theydo,however,grudginglyreleasesomeexpressions–butthesearegenerallyquitepricyifyoudon’tknowyoulikethemandareoftenrestrictedinavailabilityanyway.

Sowhynotstartwiththestandard12YearsOld?It’sprobablythebestbalancedoftheCaolIlaexpressionsandaclassicofitskind.IncommonwithmostIslaysinglemaltsit’sforloversofsmokywhisky.Likeitsbetter-knownneighboursatLagavulin,LaphroaigandArdbeg,it’saforceful,peat-soakedmonster,butsomedrinkersfinditalittlesweeterthanthese.

Therearesomeotherversions,includinganunpeatedversion(whybother?),butthisistheoneyou’relookingfor.Ifyoulikethisyoucanmoveontoitsbigbrotherat18YearsOldandthentryoneofthemanymerchantbottlingsthatareoutthere.Butthisistheplacetostart.ColourAlightcolouredwhisky.Nose The sweetmalt hits one initially, followed by peat, treacle toffee and

gentlelemon/citrus.Taste Medicinal, but not aggressively so; wet grass, linseed oil and smoky

wood. Add water to release sweet biscuits and more smoky, meatynotes.

Finish Peatsmokeandlemonpuddingbattleitouttotheend!


ChivasBrothersLtdn/an/aSpecialistsanddutyfree

www.chivas.com

http://www.chivas.com

ChivasRegal

25YearsOld

Yougetwhatyoupayfor,orsothesayinggoes.Hereyoupayratheralot–typicallyaround£180intheUK,tobeprecise–around4to5timesthepriceofitsjuniorpartner,the18-year-oldstyle.Sowhatdoyouget?Apartfromaverynicebottle,anextraheavyweightstopperandnicepackaging,thatis?

UsingmainlySpeysidesinglemalts,withStrathislaatitsheart,ChivasRegal25isthecreationofChivasMasterBlenderColinScottwhodescribesitas‘theverypinnacleoftheblend’.Accordingtothecompany,theblendincludesaproportionofvattedmalts,whichhavebeenmarryinginwoodforwhatisdescribedas‘averylongperiodoftime’.Scott,widelyrespectedintheindustry,hasbeendoingthisforaverylongperiodoftimehimselfandhasexcelledhimselfherewiththepickoftheenviableChivasmaltwarehouses.

Along-standingfavouriteluxuryblendat12yearsold,ChivasRegalwasinitiallylaunchedbytheoriginalownersasa25-year-oldbackin1909andwasarguablytheworld’sfirstsuper-premiumwhisky.Untilthisrelease,however,ithadonlyrecentlybeenavailableat12and18yearsold.The25YearsOldissmooth,sumptuousandveryrich,withfruitandnutnotes,hintsofrichchocolateorangeandasubtlysmokyfinish.

Withaworldwidereleaseofwhatisnecessarilyalimitedquantityofwhisky,initialstocksweretargetedatmarketssuchastheUSAandtheFarEastbutyoucanfindthisingoodspecialists.Withitshandsomepresentation,itmakesawonderfulandgenerousgift–ifyoucanbeartopartwithit!ColourArich,darkgoldentone.Nose Orangeandripepeach;Christmascakeandnuts.Taste Rich and very full, the age showing clearly but with great vitality.

Everythingfromthenosebutmore.Andmorebesides.Finish Hints of smoke linger on in a well-balanced and well-mannered

conclusion.


DiageoClynelish,Brora,SutherlandYesSpecialistsanddutyfree

www.malts.com


Clynelish

14YearsOld

TwodistinguishedjudgesofwhiskyestablishedClynelish’sreputationasasinglewhiskymorethan80yearsago:bothProfessorGeorgeSaintsbury(inNotesonaCellar-Book)andhisstudentAeneasMacDonald(Whisky)drewattentiontoitsexceptionalquality.Except,ofcourse,thatitwasnottheClynelishthatwedrinknowthattheyenjoyed,fortheoriginaldistillerywasactuallyclosedin1983.Tosampleanythingresemblingthespiritthattheypraisesohighlyyou’llneedtofindseveralhundredpoundsforabottleof30-year-oldBrora.

Whentheownersdecidedtoclosetheoriginal1819distillery,theytransferedthenametothenewplant.Buttheolddistillerywasthenreopenedin1967,mainlytoproduceheavilypeatedmaltforblending,andbothproducedClynelishuntiltheBroranamewasgiventotheoriginaldistilleryin1975.Itwasneverintendedthateithershouldbesoldasasinglemaltbutthegrowingdemandforsinglemaltsandthedistillery’shistoricreputationpersuadedtheowners(bythenDiageo)toreleasesomelimitedexpressions,whichhavebeenenthusiasticallyreceived.

Confused?Ifindoubt,checkthepricetag–you’relookingforthemorereadilyavailableandaffordableClynelishat14yearsold,whichshouldcostlessthan£35abottle.Ifit’sgotathree-figurepricetag,putitback–carefully.

ThisiswhatDiageorefertoasa‘HiddenMalt’.Notthattheydon’twantyoutofinditatall,itjustfeelssometimesasifthey’redeterminedtomakeitdifficultforyou.Actually,theyprobablycan’tsparethatmuchbecauseit’sakeycomponentintheJohnnieWalkerblends.It’sbetter,though,totrytherealthing:charmingHighlandmaltwithamaritimenotefromitsseasidelocation.ColourAbrightmid-gold.Nose Spicyandperfumed,withthesignature‘candlewax’notelovedbyfans.Taste At most medium bodied, but with a creamy/waxy mouth-coating

impact.Floral,exoticfruitandspices,hintsofsmokeandhoney.Finish Asalty,drying,slightlybitterfinish.


DiageoGimli,Manitoba,CanadaYesSpecialistsanddutyfree

www.crownroyal.com

http://www.crownroyal.com

CrownRoyal

ThereareonlytwoCanadianwhiskiesinthisbook;notbecausetheyaren’tinterestingbutbecause,ingeneral,theyarehardtofindintheUKand–let’sbehonest–werathertendtolookdownonthem.This,asweshallsee,isourmistake.

CrownRoyalisthenumberoneCanadianwhiskyintheworld,andtheeighthlargestspiritsbrandintheUS–apositionithasn’treachedentirelyaccidentally.ItisalsofoundinFrance,JapanandKoreawherethesomewhatluridpurplepackagingofthevelvetbagthatitcomesinandtheregalassociationsarestronglyassociatedwithquality.

Notthattheroyallinkisentirelyamarketingcreation.Thisdatesto1939whentheoriginalblendwascreatedtomarkavisittoCanadabyKingGeorgeVIandQueenElizabeth(laterknowntobookmakersthelengthandbreadthofthelandastheQueenMother).ThiswasinthedayswhenSeagramownedthebrand.TodayitisinthehandsofDiageoandhasbeenproducedsince1968atthegiantGimlidistillery,ontheedgeofLakeWinnipeg,builtassomethingofahighwatermarkfortheultimatelydoomedSeagramCompany.It’sactuallyworthreadingtheirhistoryasagreatexampleofmistimeddecisionsandcorporateover-enthusiasm.

ThereareseveralexpressionsintheCrownRoyalrangeincludingaReserve,CaskNo.16andtheultra-premiumXR(youmightjustfindtheseindutyfreeshopsinNorthAmerica).Thestandardexpressionhasanenthusiasticfollowingandit’sagreatambassadorforCanada.What’smore,it’softenfoundintheUKin1litrebottles,whichoffergreatvalue.

Itmustbeadmittedthatthebagisabitofaproblem,especiallyifyouliketodisplayyourbottles.Don’tletitputyouoff.SomeoneoneBaymightwantit.Somewhereadoll’shouseneedsnewcurtains.ColourMidgold.Nose Sweetinitialimpact;honey,spicesandredberries.Oakandvanilla.Taste Mediumtofullbodied,fruitywithspicehints.Sweetandcreamy.

Finish Vaguelypleasantandsweet,driftsslowlytoaconclusion.


Price

TheEdringtonGroupn/a–thisisablendn/aMainlyUSA,SpainandGreece–butfightingbackintheUK

www.cuty-sark.com

http://www.cuty-sark.com

CuttySark

Original

Forawhilethiswasthebest-sellingblendedwhiskyintheUSA,perhapsonthebackofitsavailabilityduringProhibition.ThiswaslargelyduetotheeffortsofnotedbootleggerCaptainWilliamMcCoywhosestrenuouseffortstorunonlythebestqualitysuppliesashoretohisthirstycustomersgaverisetothephrase‘therealMcCoy’.Curiously,itwasknownoriginallyas‘Scots’whisky.

But,unlikeitsrathervibrantyellowlabel,ithasfadedsomewhatinrecentyears,whichisashame.Itsextremelypalecolourisoutoffashionbutthereisstillplentytoenjoyaboutthispleasant,light-bodiedblend.Foronething,thoughforyearsit’sbeenmarketedbysmartLondonwinemerchantsBerryBros&Rudd,thewhiskyisactuallyblendedbyHighlandDistillersandcontainsahealthymeasureofgreatmaltssuchasGlenrothes,TheMacallanandHighlandPark.Infact,HighlandParkwasactuallyboughtbytheblendersbackin1937toensuresuppliesforCuttySark,thoughithasgoneontogreatsuccessinitsownright(seeseparateentries).Earlierin2010,Highland’sparent,TheEdringtonGroup,boughtthebrandfromBerryBroswhohadjustrelauncheditintheUK,sofansofthislightandrefreshingwhiskycanhavehighhopesforitsfuture.

Untilnow,themainefforthasbeenonthestandardproduct,recommendedhere,butthereisalsoarangeofolderstylesavailable.You’llfindCuttymainlyinLondon’ssmarterstylebarsandcocktailestablishmentsandthisisahintabouthowtoenjoythiswhisky.Undemandingyetofexcellentquality,CuttySarkistheperfectpre-dinnerdramanditalsomixeswell.Don’tbefooledbythepalecolour–there’smoreherethanmeetstheeye.ColourAverypalegoldenwhisky,setoffbytheelegant,tall,clearglassbottle

andstrikingyellowlabel.Nose Vanillaandsomecerealnotes.Taste Delicateandverysubtle–agreataperitifwhisky.Finish Crispandclean.


Price

TheEdringtonGroupn/a–thisisablendn/aMainlyUSA,SpainandGreece–butfightingbackintheUK

www.cutty-sark.com

http://www.cutty-sark.com

CuttySark

25YearsOld

BlendingwasoncedefinedbyDavidMacDonaldas‘Theartofcombiningmeticulouslyselected,mature,highqualitywhiskies,eachwithitsownflavourandothercharacteristics,withsuchskillthatthewholeisbetterthanthesumofitsparts,sothateachmakesitscontributiontothefinishedblendwithoutanyonepredominating.’

Itisanidealisticview,ignoringasitdoestheeconomicpressuresbehindmanyofthecheaperblendsthatweseeonourshelves.Yet,atitsbest,thisiswhatgreatblendingisaboutandisastandardtowhichalldistillersaspire,atleastintheirpremiumexpressions.Onceinawhile,onecomesacrossawhiskythatbringsthatdefinitionalive:thisissuchawhisky.

Savouritcarefully:CuttySark25YearsOldisavirtuosodisplayofblendingexcellence;exactlywhatblendingisallabout.Idoubtyouwouldevertireofdrinkingthiswhisky.Itissosmooth,sobalanced,sorefined,soperfectlytunedthateventhemostdemandingcriticwouldsurelybesatisfiedandcryformore.

ItcomesasasurprisethatitcarriestheCuttySarklabel,beingasfarremovedfromthestandardblendasonemightimagine.Wherethatisdeliberatelypale,thisisdark;wherethatiscleanandcrisp,thisisdeepandrich.Itcarriesitsageverywell,yetlikegreatStiltonisclearlymature.Drinkingit,IkeptthinkingofavintageBentley–progressingswiftly,purposefullyandquietly,yetwithastatelydignityandgracethatonlythisrarecombinationoffinesseandpowercanconvey.

Letusnameandhonourthemanbehindthisexceptionalcreation:JohnRamsay,MasterBlenderatEdrington.Sir,wesaluteyou!Ashehasrecentlyretired,blendingwillfalltohissuccessor,GordonMotion.Ihopehe’skeptsomenotes.ColourDeep,darkanddignified.Nose Marmalade,oldoakanddarkhoney.Taste Outstanding balance of power and subtlety. Rich fruit cake, Seville

orangesandtoffee.

Finish Along,richandwarmfinishwithsomespiceandfaintsmoketraces.



Price

DiageoDalwhinnie,Dalwhinnie,Inverness-shireYesWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.malts.com


Dalwhinnie

15YearsOld

DalwhinniedistilleryliesjustoffthemainA9,thearterialroutefromEdinburghtoInvernessanditsshinypagodasareclearlyvisiblefromtheroad.Buttrynottolook,becausethisisoneofthemoredangeroussectionsofadangerousroad.Instead,turnoffamileorsotothesouthandspendanhourtouringthedistilleryandlookingatthesmalldisplays.

Theowners,Diageo,laymuchstressonthefactthatthedistilleryisoneofthehighestinScotland,thoughtheprecisesignificanceofthisescapesme.Itisnotasifloweratmosphericpressurewillinfluencethewhiskybutitseemstohavesomeromanticvalueinmarketing.Infact,thereasonfortheremotelocationisrathermoreprosaic:theoriginaldistillery,thenknownasStrathspey,wasputheretotakeadvantageoftherailway,ahugelysignificantinfluenceonVictoriandistilleryconstruction,evenifthespinmeisterswouldrathertalkaboutwater!

Thedistillersthemselvesclaimthat,‘Dalwhinnieissituatedbetweenthegentle,grassystyleoftheLowlandsandtheaustere,firmbodyofSpeyside,whichbeginssome25milestothenorth.ThestyleisthatoftheHighlands;aresilientmarriageofgentlenessandspirit.’Thatperhapsundersellsthemeritsofthissilky,mouth-coatingspirit.

Interestingly,thedistilleryusedtoemploycopperwormtubstocondensethenewmake.Theywerereplacedin1986buttheimpactonspiritcharacterwassuchthatthechangewasreversedin1995.So,fifteenyearson,it’samootpointastotheeffectonthecurrentbottlingbut,suchisthedemandforthesinglemaltexpressioninDiageo’sClassicMaltCollection,supplieswillprobablyhaverevertedtowormtubcondensedspiritbythetimeyoureadthis.ColourYellowgold.Nose Immediatelyappealing;gentlesmokewithhoney,ripefruitsandgrassy

heather.Taste Often said to appeal to thosewho ‘don’t likewhisky’, this is actually

morecomplex than it firstappearsandoffershiddendepthsofvanillawithsubtleorangesuggestions.

Finish Somesmokesurprises,thengiveswaytoasweeterfinish.Perhapsdarkchocolatealso.


BurnStewartDistillersLtdDeanston,Doune,PerthshireNo–toursbyappointmentSpecialists

www.burnstewartdistillers.com

http://www.burnstewartdistillers.com

Deanston

12YearsOld

It’snotoftenrecalledthatPerthshirewasonceamajordistillingcentre,withover100distilleriesrecorded.Todaytherearestillsixinoperation–Deanstonistheoneeveryonebutthemosthard-coreenthusiastwillforget.

ItmakesitintothislistasoneofthemostimprovedwhiskiesIcancalltomind,comingfromadistilleryasinterestingasitisobscure.Butignoreanyreferencesto1785.Thisiswhentheoriginalbuildingwaserectedbutitwasacottonmill,designedbyRichardArkwrightandpoweredbythefast-flowingRiverNeith.TodayArkwright’scellars,whicharelisted,provideidealconditionsforthematurationofwhiskyandthedistilleryisstillpoweredbyturbinesdrivenbytheNeith.Infact,thedistillerygeneratesmorepowerthanitneeds–enoughelectricitytorun400housesissoldtotheNationalGrid.

Themillwasconvertedtoafullworkingdistilleryin1966andthefirstspiritranin1969fromtwopairsoflargebulbouspotstills,capableofdistillingthreemillionlitresofalcoholayear.Thelargeboilingballsonthestillsencourageahighdegreeofreflux,leadingtoalightandfruityspiritcharacter.Theoriginalintentionwastousethisinlaunchingamajornewblend,butthisneverhappened.

Deanstonwasfirstreleasedassinglemaltin1974and,bystages,wasdevelopedtoa12YearsOldproduct.But,tobeblunt,itwasn’tterriblygood.Notbad;neitherinterestingnormemorable.

Withthenewlyreleasedversion,however,thingsarelookingup.Thestrengthhasbeenincreasedto46.3%abv,it’snotchillfilteredanylonger,it’smarriedinnewoakforsomeweekspriortobottlingandthere’snoaddedcolour.It’salotbetterandworthatry.Stillquitelightanddelicate,butthenyoudon’twantsomeroaringpeat-soakedmonsterorhugesherrycharactereveryday.ColourYellowgold.Nose Freshandfruity,withmalt,hintsofhoneyandnuts.Fragrantandquite

floral.

Taste Anidealaperitif.Gingerbread,spicesandliquorice.Finish Long,quitedryandpleasantlyherbal,withnewwoodnotesattheback.


Availability

Price

JohnDewar&SonsLtdn/a–thisisablendDewar’sWorldofWhisky,Aberfeldy,PerthshireStrongintheUSA,dutyfreeandGreece.IncreasinglyavailableintheUK

www.dewars.com


Dewar’s

12YearsOld

TheDewar’scompanywasboughtbyBacardiin1988andtherangeofproductsgreatlyincreased.NotthattherewasanythingseriouslywrongwiththeoldWhiteLabelbutthenewblendshavereachedhigherstandards.Onefeltthecompanyneededsometenderlovingcareandthathasbeengiveninrecentyears.

ComparedtoJohnnieWalker,theDewarhousestyletendstobeasofterblendwiththesweeterheatherhoneynotesofAberfeldysinglemaltatitsheart.Thisisveryapproachable,easytodrinkwhiskythatcantakeiceandamixer,whilealsobeingenjoyableonitsownorwithalittlewater.

Dewar’smakegreatplayof‘marrying’theirwhiskiespriortofinalbottling–aprocessdevelopedbytheirfirstMasterBlenderA.J.Cameronbackintheearlytwentiethcentury.Todayitinvolvesmakinguptheblendandplacingitforuptosixmonthsinspecialmarryingcaskssothattheflavoursarefullyandharmoniouslyintegrated.Thecompanyinsistthatwhiletheirinstrumentscan’tdetectanydifferenceinflavourtheirhumantastingpanelcanandsotheystickwiththistime-consumingandexpensiveextrastage.They’renottheonlypeopledoingthis,butitisunusualandappearstomakearealdifference.

YoucanlearnmoreaboutallofthisontheirwebsiteorbyvisitingtheirverysmartvisitorcentreattheAberfeldydistillery.IcanadmitherethatIwasinvolvedinitscreation(andveryproudofitIam,too)butthatwasquitesomewhileago,soIfeelcompletelyfreetopraisethiswhiskywholeheartedlyandwithoutanyembarrassment.ColourArichgoldenwhisky,andstylishpackaging.Nose Full and fruity; raisins, orange peel, toffee/butter fudge and heathery

hints.Taste A rich, fruity sweetness; good length andweight; hints of oak, citrus

notes,honeyandcaramel.Finish Fullflavoured,longandlingering,withliquoricenotes.


Availability

Price

JohnDewar&SonsLtdn/a–thisisablendDewar’sWorldofWhisky,Aberfeldy,PerthshireGoodintheUSA,dutyfreeandspecialistsintheUK

www.dewars.com


Dewar’s

Signature

Ihavedeliberatelynotrecommendedmanyexpensivewhiskieshere,believingthatthereisplentytoexplorebelow£100abottleandthat,onceyougetwellintothreefigures,adisproportionateamountofthecostgoesintolavishpackaging(onwhicheveryoneinthedistributionchaintakesamargin).Moreover,thereisadangerthatyoucanpayasignificantpremiumsimplyforrarityorage,withoutnecessarilyseeingacommensurateimprovementinthewhisky.

Signature(it’stheoriginalJohnDewar’s,bytheway,thoughIfancyhisflamboyantsonTommywouldhavelikedthestyleofthis)doeshaveratheralavishwoodenboxandfancystopper,anditwilltypicallycostyouaround£200intheUK(tryandfinditattheairportinstead).But,forthosespecialoccasionsandifyoulikethisstyleofwhisky,it’sworthit.

LikeJohnnieWalkerBlueLabel(itsclosestcompetitor)thisisnon-aged:thatistosaythatwhiletheblendhassomeveryoldwhiskies,mainlyAberfeldy,italsohassomeyoungeronesandtheblendersthinkyouprobablywouldn’tpaythepriceiftheyputtheageonthebottle.Andeveniftheydon’tthinkthat,themarketingpeoplecertainlydo.

Onceagain,thewhiskiesinSignaturearemarried(seeDewar’s12YearsOldforanexplanation)andthis,togetherwiththehighpercentageofsinglemalt,accountsforthesmooth,richtaste.It’sonetosipandsavourafteracelebrationdinner.

Keeptheposhwoodenbox,bytheway;itmakesahandycoffinforapethamsterorgerbil.ColourDeepgoldenamber.Nose Sweet,balanced,richandfruity,fudge,coffeecrèmebrûléeandvanilla

ice cream drizzledwithwarm toffee sauce. The aromas developwithnougat,toastedmacadamianut,marzipanandlashingsofhoney.

Taste Rich, sweetand longwithavelvety,creamymouth feel.Butter toffeeand honey with warm winter fruits and mellow tones of sultanas,raisins,applesandcoconut.Fullbodiedandvelvety.

Finish Alongandcomplexfinish.Smoothandwarming.




www.buffalotrace.comseealsowww.bourbonwhiskey.com


http://www.bourbonwhiskey.com

EagleRare

17YearsOld

Americanwhiskeybrandscanbeconfusingtotheoutsider:firstseenin1975,EagleRarewasoriginallya101-proof10-year-oldKentuckystraightbourbonwhiskey(notsingle-barrel)fromSeagramandthusamongthelastnewbourbonbrandsintroducedpriortothecurrenteraofso-called‘smallbatch’releases.Subsequently,EagleRarehasbeendistilled,bottledand/ormarketedbyanumberofcompanies,includingtheOldPrenticeDistilleryofFrankfort,Kentucky.

TheSazeracCompany,aNewOrleans-basedproducerandimporterandtheparentcompanyoffivedistilleries,acquiredEagleRarefromSeagraminMarch1989.Atthattime,Sazerac’sKentuckydistillerywasknownastheGeorgeT.StaggDistillerybuttodaycarriesthenameBuffaloTrace(seeseparateentry).

Therearetwoversions:a10YearsOldandthisolder,moreexpensivebigbrother,partofBuffaloTrace’sAntiqueCollection.ItwillcomeasnosurprisetowhiskyenthusiaststhatthisbookkeepsreferringbacktoBuffaloTraceasthesourceforsomeoutstandingwhiskiesbutitisperhapsnotaswellknown(yet)tothegeneralconsumerasitshouldbe,andtheplethoraofbrandnamesandidentitiesdon’thelp.

Bethatasitmay,17-year-oldbourbonisarareandpreciousthing.Mostbourbonmaturesmuchfasterthanthis,duetotheKentuckyclimate,soagealoneattractsafairlystiffpremium,though,infairnesstothedistiller,itmustberememberedthatevaporationlossesarehigherherethaninScotland.At17yearsthisisprobablyreachingitspeakand,forsheersmoothness,hasfewequals.

Inevitablythereisvariationfrombatchtobatch,asthisisproducedinsmallquantities,buttheoverallstandardisexceptionallyhighandloversofgreat,full-flavouredbourbonlookingforwell-balancedmaturityareunlikelytofeeldisappointed.ColourDeep,rich,coppergold.Nose Honey,caramelandmarzipan.

Taste Lotsofweightandbody;sweetnessthenorangeandvanillafudge.Finish Extendedfinish,surprisinglydryingtotheend.


HeavenHillBernheim,Louisville,KentuckyYesSpecialists

www.heaven-hill.comseealsowww.bardstownwhiskeysociety.com


http://www.bardstownwhiskeysociety.com

ElijahCraig

12YearsOld

At12yearsoldand94proof,ElijahCraigisbottledexclusivelyfromadumpingof70barrelsorless,alldrawnfromthemiddletoupperfloorsofHeavenHill’straditionalmetal-cladrickhouses.Thedistilleryproudlyclaimsthatthisistheoriginalsmallbatchbourbon,havingbeencreatedbeforethetermwasinvented.ElijahCraigwasrecentlyawardedDoubleGoldattheSanFranciscoWorldSpiritsCompetitionandhasbeenawinnerinWhiskyMagazine’sBestoftheBesttastingcompetition.

There’saninterestingstorybehindthename.TheReverendElijahCraigwasborninOrangeCounty,Virginia,sometimearound1740(accountsvary,asifyoucared).HewasordainedaBaptistpreacherin1771andmusthavebeenalivelycharacterbecausehewasapparentlyimprisonedbrieflyinSouthCarolinaafterbeingchargedwithdisturbingthepeaceduringhissermons!

LaterheledacongregationtoScottCounty,Kentucky,andplannedthesettlementthatwouldeventuallybeknownasGeorgetown.Quitetheproto-typicalsocialentrepreneur,oldElijahfoundedanumberofbusinessesincludingasmalldistillerythatconvertedbulkygrainintowhiskey–highervalueandeasiertotransportandtrade.AmonghisventureswastheRoyalSpringMilland,sothestorygoes,afirethereledtobarrelsbeingcharred.Ratherthandiscardthem,theparsimoniousclericemployedthemtoagehiswhiskey.(Quitewhythebarrelsburntfromtheinsideisamystery:we’llattributeittodivineintervention.)Anyway,inhonourofhiscontributiontowhiskey,Craigisconsidereda‘FatherofBourbon’andHeavenHillnamedthispremiumexpressionafterhim.That’sall.It’saprettyfairmemorial,however,sinceit’srightlyveryhighlyratedandagreat-valuebottle.ColourArich,warminggoldenbrown.Nose Lotsgoingonhere,withcaramelandhoneytothefore.Sweetbutnot

cloyinglyso.Taste Agreeably complex, lots of oak notes, spiced fruits and jam. Very

smoothandmouthcoating.Finish Vanilla sweetness; lingering pleasantly and holding together well.

Yummy!



GlenoraDistilleryGlenoraInn&Distillery,Glenville,CapeBreton,NovaScotia,CanadaYesSpecialists

www.glenoradistillery.com

http://www.glenoradistillery.com

GlenBreton

Rare

Oops!Ourveryfirst‘glen’andit’snotfromScotland.

But,behonest,doyouthinkabottlereading‘Canada’sOnlySingleMaltWhisky’andbearingalargeredmapleleafonthefront,togetherwiththewords‘Canadian/Canadien’couldbemistakenforScotch?Wouldyoupickupabottle,getithomeandthenthink‘D’oh’?TheScotchWhiskyAssociation(SWA)certainlythoughtsoandfoughtalongandexpensivecourtbattletohavetheword‘glen’removedfromthisproduct,thusprotectingyoufromtheconsequencesofyourownfoolishness.

Alittleharsh,youmayfeel,sincethiscomesfromGlenvilleinNovaScotiaandthedistillery’spresidentisoneLauchieMacLean–there’slittledoubtwhosettledthispartofCanada,anditwasn’ttheFrench.AndGlenOracanonlymake250,000litresofspiritannuallyand,fortheirGlenBreton,theyusecopperpotstillsandbarley,yeastandwatertomaketheirsinglemaltwhiskywhichisnotablydifferentfrommostCanadianwhisky.

Eventuallythecasewaslost,thoughitdidgoallthewaytotheCanadianSupremeCourtandtheSWAseemedtomelessthanmagnanimousindefeat.Anyway,nowyoucanbuyCanadianSingleMaltWhiskyinScotland.Fewoff-licencesreportedqueuesofexcitedwould-beMountiesandlumberjacks,however,andtheScotchwhiskyindustryseemstohavesurvivedthislessthanconvulsiveshock.

AccordingtoGlenOraspokesmanBobScott,thecompanywillnow‘demonstratethespecialabilityoftheGaelicScotsofCapeBretontocraftanexceptionalsinglemaltwhisky,whichisuniquelyCanadian’.

WeawaitthisDavid-and-Goliath-typestrugglewithinterest.ColourGoldenAmber.Nose Butterscotch,heather,honeyandgroundginger.Taste Creamywithagoodflowoftoastywood,almondandcaramel.

Finish Rounded,lingering,faintlysweet,themerestwhisperofpeat.



G&JGrantGlenfarclas,Ballindalloch,BanffshireYesSpecialists

www.glenfarclas.co.uk

http://www.glenfarclas.co.uk

Glenfarclas

21YearsOld

Scottishreadersmaynowrelax–this‘glen’isfraeBonnieScotland,asintheglensofhome.NorelationtotheGrantsofGlenfiddichfamebut,liketheirnamesakes,theGrantsofGlenfarclasareanexampleofadyingbreed:theindependent,family-owneddistiller.

Notthatthereseemsanydangerofthatchanginginthenearfuture,asthenextgenerationofthefamilyisalreadyinthebusinessandwillpresumablyinheritthereinsinduecourse.CurrentChairmanJohnL.S.Grantisthefifthmemberofthefamilytoownandmanagethedistillery,andhissonGeorgeS.Grantisworkingasthecompany’sBrandAmbassador(greatjob,bytheway–youtravelroundtheworlddrinkingwhiskywithpeople,thoughpresumablythere’smoretoitthanthat).

Thekeypointaboutthisfamilyownershipiscontinuity,bothindistillingstyleandinmanagement.Withfreedomfromshort-termshareholderpressure,companieslikethis(andtheGlenfiddichGrants)canbuildstocksandtakealong-termviewoftheirbusiness.

WithGlenfarclasthishaspaidoffwiththereleaseoftheirFamilyCasksseries–individualcaskbottlingsrepresentingeveryyearcontinuouslyfrom1952tothepresentday.Someoftheolderwhiskiesareexcellentandexcellentvalue,eveniftheybreachmyself-imposed£1,000perbottlemark.ButI’mnotgoingtorecommendoneofthose,temptedthoughIamtodoso.AsanintroductiontotheGlenfarclasstyleofsherry-agedSpeysidewhisky,trythesublime21YearsOld.Atlessthan£60it’sasteal,thoughI’dpersonallyliketoseeitofferedatahigherstrengththan43%abv.That’snit-picking,though:ifyoulikefull-flavoured,richbutnotaggressivewhiskiesthatjustoozeclass(andwhywouldn’tyou?)thisoneisdefinitelyforyou.ColourNoticeablydark;thesherrycaskshavebeenatworkhere.Nose Sherrynose,fruitcake,orangesandsweetness.Notahintofoverageor

rubber.Taste Very full and rounded; old leather, dried fruits and dark marmalade.

Layered.Finish Arich,rollingfinish.



G&JGrantGlenfarclas,Ballindalloch,BanffshireYesSpecialists

www.glenfarclas.co.uk

http://www.glenfarclas.co.uk

Glenfarclas

105

Ihaven’tlistedtoomanycaskstrengthwhiskies,becausethey’reoftenquitehardtofind,butthisisclearlyonetotryandrepresentsgreatvalueformoney,too.Theappealofthe‘caskstrength’bottleisthatyouareabletotrywhiskyjustasyouwouldifyousneakedintothewarehouseandgotadramstraightfromthebarrel.Ithasn’tbeenfiltered,whichinevitablyremovessomeofthenaturalbodyfromthewhisky,andself-evidentlyithasn’tbeendiluted.

Strictlyspeaking,Glenfarclas105isn’tcaskstrengthbecauseitisbottledat60%abv,butthatisnearenoughand,asthisisn’tasingle-caskbottling,theystandardisethestrengthforconsistency.It’sprobablyoneoftheeasiestoftheveryhigh-strengthwhiskiestofindandwasoneoftheveryfirsttoofferthisstyle,soitgetsmarksjustforthat.

Sothisisstrongstuff.Butthepointisnottoindulgeinmachoposturinganddrinkitatthisstrength(thoughyou’vegottotryaweesip).Ratheryoushoulddiluteittoyourtasteandstillpickupalltheoilyrichnessthatiswhisky’snaturalcondition.And,whileyou’redoingit,helpsupportthatrarestofbeasts:anindependent,family-owned,ScottishScotchwhiskycompany.Hurrah!

Glenfarclasaregreatadvocatesofsherrycasksandthisisaminorclassicfromafamilycompanyjustifiablyproudoftheirindependence.Theyjealously,andrightly,guardtheirreputationforqualityandyouwon’teverseeanythingsecond-ratewiththeirlabel.

Thedistilleryiswellworthamorningofyourtimeifyou’reeverinthearea.ColourDeepgoldrevealingmaturationintopqualityex-sherrycasks.Nose Clearlyabigwhisky,fruitywithwinenotes,caramelandchocolate.Taste Sherrywoodclearlybuthoneyinthebackground;sweetchocolateand

driedfruits.Finish Somesmokyhints,lingeringwinenotesandhoneyshowsthrough.



WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersLtdGlenfiddich,Dufftown,BanffshireYesWorldwide

www.glenfiddich.com

http://www.glenfiddich.com

Glenfiddich

18YearsOld

Glenfiddichisthebest-sellingsinglemaltwhiskyintheworld,thankstoafar-sighteddecisionbythisstaunchlyindependent,family-ownedcompanytostartpromotingsinglemaltwhiskywellbeforetheindustrygiants.It’sgenerallysaidthatseriouseffortstosellGlenfiddichstartedinthe1960sbutIhaveseenapromotionalbottlepourerfrombeforeWorldWar2,suggestingthatatleastsomeluckydrinkerswereconvertedtotheappealofthissplendiddraminanageofubiquitousblends.

Bethatasitmay,Glenfiddich’sall-pervadingpresenceactuallyservestoputoffsomemaltfans,whoarguethatsomethingsopopularcan’treallybethatgood.BecauseGlenfiddichisseeneverywhere(anditreallyis)itlosesitssnobappeal.

Butanywhiskyanoraktakingthisapproachismissingsomeraretreats.Asafamily-ownedcompany,WilliamGrant&Sonshavebeenabletotakealong-termapproachtothestewardshipoftheirwhisky,withoutthepressureofhalf-yearearningsreportstoagreedyandoftenshort-sightedCity.TheresultisthatthecompanyhaveextensivestocksofolderGlenfiddichs,whicharearguablyunder-appreciatedbysomedrinkersandthusrepresentsomethingofabargain.

Ifyourwalletwillstretch,the30YearsOldvariantissimplyoutstanding(infact,readon).But,foraffordableeverydaydrinkingthatgivesrealpleasure,looknofurtherthanthis18YearsOld.It’sSpeysideatitsbest;agreatexampleofaclassicwhiskyfromadistillertowhomallwhiskyfanstheworldoveroweasincereandextendedvoteofthanks.Colour Rich,warmgold.Nose AclassicSpeyside–fruity,fragrantandwithaverycleannose.Taste Lots to find here: apples, sharp citrus notes but plenty of depth also,

withdarkfruitandoak.Finish Elegantandwelldefined.



WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersLtdGlenfiddich,Dufftown,BanffshireYesWorldwide

www.glenfiddich.com

http://www.glenfiddich.com

Glenfiddich

30YearsOld

Iknow,anotherGlenfiddich.Howboring.

Wrong!Wrong!Wrong!

Forgetyourprejudices.Ataround£200inmostUKoutlets(lessindutyfree)thisisgoodvalue,ifnotquitetheseriousbargainitwasjustafewyearsago.Itdoesn’tcomeinafancyboxwithanumberedbottlebutthiswasaworthyanddecisiveoverallwinnerofthe2007ScottishFieldMerchant’sChallenge.

Aswe’velearned,Glenfiddichisstillafamily-ownedcompanyandisstaunchlyindependent.Theyhaveextensivestocksandasingle-mindedwayofdoingthings.Manyoftheirpeoplehavebeenwiththemfordecades(somehaveevenhadseveralgenerationsofthesamefamilyworkingforthecompany)andthismeansthereisararecontinuityinthinking,customandpractice.

Idon’twanttosuggestthey’re‘stickinthemud’orresistanttoprogress,butthereisasenseinwhichtheirveryimmunitytofadsandfashionmakesthemfashionable.Mindyou,thedistilleryhostsanannualcontemporaryartsprogramme,whichcanleadtosomeunusualsights,suchasfirebucketshanginghalfwayupthestillhousewallandastackofcarsheldtogetherbybindingtape,sothey’requitepreparedtotakesomeriskswiththeirimage.Anyway,backtothewhisky.

Thisstuffoozesflavour.ThelateMichaelJackson,reveredinwhiskycircles,describeditas‘luxurious,butinarestrained,understatedway’,whichsortofdescribesthecompanyaswell.Glenfiddichdo40and50YearsOldversionsaswell:theyareagreatdealmoreexpensiveand,forbangforyourbuck,you’ddowelltostoprighthere.ColourDarkandenticing.Nose Beguilinglyfreshandfruity;spicywithsherrynotes.Taste Mediumbodybutmouthcoating; tropicalfruit,honey,spiceandfresh

fruits,followedbysomedarkernotes

Finish Allof theabove;hintsofoakanda touchofsmoke in there forgoodmeasure.


VisitorCentre

AvailabilityPrice

GlenglassaughDistilleryCo.LtdGlenglassaugh,Portsoy,AberdeenshireNoneattimeofwriting,butplansareinhand.ToursavailableSpecialists

www.glenglassaugh.com

http://www.glenglassaugh.com

Glenglassaugh

TheSpiritDrinkThatDareNotSpeakItsName

Glenglassaughwasmothballedin1986but,togeneralsurprise,reopenedattheendof2008undernewownershipandafterahealthyinvestmenttogettheoldplacegoing.

Andnow,here’saconfession.Well,twoactually.

Iworkedontheplanninganddevelopmentofthisproductsoifyoufeelthatdisbarsmefromcommentstopreadingnow.Andit’snotactuallywhisky,soagainyoumightwanttolookaway.

Thisiswhatusedtobeknownindistilleriesas‘clearic’–newmakespiritstraightoffthestill.Itwillbecomewhiskybutitcan’tbecalledwhiskyuntilithasspentaminimumofthreeyears(andnotadayless)inoakbarrelsinawarehouseinScotland.Upuntil1915,whentheageingregulationsbecamelaw,alotof‘whisky’wouldhavebeendrunklikethisand,untiltheadventofmoreresponsiblehealthandsafetyatworkpracticesinthe1970s,alotwasdrunkindistilleriesintheinfamouspracticeof‘dramming’.Quitealotprobablystillis,ifyouknowwheretolook,whotoaskandcankeepyourmouthshut.(Notwhileyou’redrinking,obviously.)So,ifyouwanttoknowhowwhiskystartslife,youhavetotrythis.Oneortwodistilleriesselltheirnewmakebut,inmyopinion(andnotjustbecauseIwasinvolved),thisisthebest.It’sfruity,verycleanandaromatic,andsurprisinglycomplex,soshouldagewell.Bottledat50%abvit’snotatallharshorspirityanddilutesnicely.Thereisalsoaversionbottledafter6monthsageinginredwinecasksthathasapleasantroséblushcolour.

Asyoutryityoucanponderthethoughtthatthisiswhatgreat-grandadprobablydrank.Colour Colourless,slightcloudingonadditionofwater.Lookforwell-defined

viscimetricwhorls.Nose Creamybutterscotchandcustardcreamsgiveway todelicatenotesof

sweet hay and freshly cut grass.Withwater, this spirit becomes veryfloralandfruity.

Taste Powerfulatfirstwithawaveofchilliandblackpepper,thentoffeeandliquorice.

Finish Freshandfruityonthenose;spicyyetsweetonthepalate.


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GlenglassaughDistilleryCo.LtdGlenglassaugh,Portsoy,AberdeenshireNoneattimeofwriting,butplansareinhand.ToursavailableSpecialists

www.glenglassaugh.com

http://www.glenglassaugh.com

Glenglassaugh

26YearsOld

Yes,IknowI’vementionedthistinydistilleryalreadyandIknowthiswhiskyisbothexpensiveandhardtofind–butit’sworthit.Thisisoneofmypersonalall-timefavouritesand,whileIwouldprobablyneverhavediscovereditifIhadn’tdonesomeworkforthedistillery(thisisthedisclaimerclause)thisdoesn’tdisqualifyme.

Whatyouwillexperiencehereisthesubtleandcharmingeffectoflongageingingoodwoodonafragrantanddelicatenewspirit.Backwhenthiswasdistilled,sometimepriorto1986,virtuallyallofGlenglassaugh’soutputwasgoingforblending,mainlyinCuttySark.Thisisn’tastronglyflavouredorparticularlyhighlycolouredwhisky,sotheblendersweren’tlookingforpronouncedflavourfromtheblendcomponents,morenuancesandsomecomplexity.

Sotheytendedtouse‘refill’casks;thatistosay,barrelsthatmightoncehaveheldeithersherryorbourbonbuthadbeenusedatleastonce(andpossiblymoreoften)forScotchwhisky.Then,ashappensfromtimetotime,notalltheGlenglassaughwasusedandaquantitywasleftquietlyageing.

Inthisparticularcase,andthisdoesn’talwayshappen,itjustgotbetterandbetterwithage.So,whenthenewownerstookover,theybottledtheremainingcasksandreleased,firsta21YearsOldandthenthis26YearsOldversion.Whenit’sgoneitwillbegoneandtheworldwillbeapoorerplace.Eitherisworthtrackingdown.

Infact,grabsomenowwhileyoustillcan.It’sacreamy,complex,slightlysweetwhiskythatIfindquitebewitching,especiallyasalate-nightrewardafteraparticularlytryingday.Thedistillerycharacterisclearlyevident,butsomemoresherrycaskshavegotintothisbatch,addingrichnessanddepth.ColourWarmstraw.Darkerthanthe21YearsOld.Nose Very delicate; dried fruits and noses younger than the age would

suggest.Taste Complex and multi-layered, spice notes dancing with rich fruits and

caramel;superbbalance.Finish Vanillanotescarrythefreshnessthroughintoalongandslightlyspicy

finishthatisinfluencedbutneverdominatedbythesherrycasks.



IanMacleodDistillersLtdGlengoyne,Dumgoyne,nrKilearn,GlasgowYesSpecialists

www.glengoyne.com

http://www.glengoyne.com

Glengoyne

21YearsOld

IhaveagreatfondnessforGlengoynefornobetterreasonthanitwasthefirstdistilleryIevervisited.Itwasonmyhoneymoon,asithappened,whichshouldhavealarmedmywife,thoughwhiskydidn’tstarttoplayabigpartinmylifeuntilsomeyearslater.Shedoesmentionitfromtimetotime,however.

Allthiswasrathermorethan21yearsago,sowepresumablygotsomethingright.ThedistilleryitselfhastakenonanewleaseoflifesinceitwassoldbytheEdringtonGrouptothecurrentowners,whohaveinvestedheavilyintheexcellentvisitorfacilities,increasedproductionandnewproducts.

Theymakemuchofthefactthatallthemalttheyuseistotallyunpeated.Untilrecently,theyalsohighlightedtheiruseofGoldenPromisebarley,traditionallyhighlyratedformakingwhisky,butlowyieldingandpronetodisease.Infact,formanyyearsTheMacallanalsoemphasisedacommitmenttoGoldenPromisebut,asproductionexpanded,boththeyandGlengoynehavediscreetlydroppedit.Sothinkofthisasafarewelltothisold-fashionedvariety.

Non-peatedmalt,saysthedistillery,meansyouget‘therealtasteofmalt’.

Whateverthetruthofthat,thisisaveryattractivewhiskythatdeservestobebetterknown.It’savailableatvariousagesbutreallycomesintoitsownwiththis21YearsOldstyle.Ifyoureallywanttosplashoutthereisalsoa40YearsOld,inarathernicedecanter,butthepriceofthatoneisn’tprintablehere.Forthesamemoneyyoucangetnearly50bottlesofthislittlebeautyandIknowwhatIwouldratherhave.ColourGloriousoldgold.Thejudicioususeof100%sherryoakgivesrichness

anddepth.Nose Sweetandhoneyed;sherry,ripeapplesandmaybebakedapplepie.Taste Toffee,vanillaandrichsherrynotesinitially,givingwaytosomespice

and a very pleasant warming glow. ‘Stewed pears and custard’ havebeenreported.

Finish Quiteextended,smoothandwarming,withgentlespicehintsasitfades.


Price

LVMHGlenmorangie,Tain,Ross-shireYesDifferentexpressionswidelyavailable

www.glenmorangie.com

http://www.glenmorangie.com

Glenmorangie

QuintaRuban

Glenmorangie’slong-termowners(mainlytheMacDonaldfamily)soldouttotheFrenchluxurymarketinghouseLouisVuittonMoetHennessy(LVMH)inOctober2004for£300m,apricewhichexcitedsomecomment.

Previously,thecompanyhadsomethingofaschizophrenicpersonality:tryingtomaintainGlenmorangieand,toalesserextentArdbeg,aspremiumwhiskiesbutalsoattemptingtocompetewithcheaperblendsandfulfillingsubstantialsupermarketbusiness.However,LVMHaremoresingle-mindedlyaluxurybrandoperation;thedifferencebetween‘premium’and‘luxury’beingawideoneculturallyandintermsofbothpriceandtargetconsumer.

Asaresult,theyhavereducedeffortonblends,soldtheGlenMoraydistilleryandbrand,andreformulated,repackagedandrelaunchedtheGlenmorangierangeinanattempttoseducemoreinternationalbuyerslookingforaluxuryspirit.

AccordingtoresearchanalystsIWSR,Glenmorangiesteadilylostmarketsharefrom2000to2008,underperformingtheglobalgrowthinsinglemaltwhiskyretailsalesvalue,andtheslippageappearstohavecontinuedwhilethebrandwasbeingrepositioned.That’shardlysurprising,giventhetimethesethingstake,butitremainstobeseenifthenewstrategywillwork–certainlymaltfansweredividedonthemeritsofthenewlook.However,therealdecisionwillbetakenbytheelusiveanddangerouslyfickleluxuryconsumersoftheFarEastandthevolatileBRICmarkets.

Ofthewhiskies,theQuintaRubanisperhapsthemostinteresting.GlenmorangiepioneeredthenowwildlyfashionablepracticeoffinishingwhiskiesinalternativecaskswiththeirfirstPortWoodfinishbackin1990.Thatwasgood;thisisanimprovement–ifnolongertheoriginal,it’sstillthebest.ColourArich,warmreddishgold.Nose ArchetypalGlenmorangiedelicacyandcomplexitywithanewdepth.

Taste Great balance; complexity and richness; fruit notes, chocolate and anunderlying,delicatesweetness.

Finish Alingeringandenigmaticfinishthatintrigues;chocolateorangerushattheend.


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Gordon&MacPhailn/aRetailShop,SouthStreet,Elgin,MorayshireSpecialists

www.gordonandmacphail.com

http://www.gordonandmacphail.com

Gordon&MacPhail

GlenGrant25YearsOld

Theobservantreaderwill,bynow,haveobservedthatalltheentriesinthisbookareforofficialproprietarybottlingsandnotthoseofso-called‘thirdparty’merchants.Thereareseveralreasonsforthis,notleastavailabilityandthegreaterdangerofvariabilityinindependentbottlings.ButImustmakeoneexception,fortheworld’sgreatestmerchantbottler:Gordon&MacPhailofElgin.

JamesGordonandJohnAlexanderMacPhailannouncedtheopeningoftheir‘centricalandcommodiouspremises’onSouthStreet,ElgininMay1895,promisingtheircustomers‘theutmostsatisfaction’andguaranteeing‘asuperiorarticleatapopularprice’.Here’sthething:it’sstilltrue.Buyanythingwiththeirlabelonitandyou’llbehappy.Promise.

Today,astheyhavedoneformorethanahundredyears,G&Mbuyfillings–thatistosay,theyprovideorspecifythecasksintowhichisracked‘newmake’boughtdirectfromthedistillers.ItisthenstoredeitherbythedistillerconcernedorinG&M’sownextensivewarehousesandbottledasandwhenG&Mconsiderittobeready.Becausethishasbeentheirpolicysincetheearliestyears,theyhaveextensivestocksofrareandveryoldwhisky.Infacttheyclaimtocarrypossiblythelargestrangeofwhiskiesintheworld,acomprehensiveselectionofwhichmaybeseenattheElginshop.Thisisaveritablecathedralofwhisky:grownmenhavebeenknowntobreakdownintearshereandhavetoberemovedgentlytoaplaceofsafety.

Sadly,Icanonlypickoneoftheirwhiskies,soI’mgoingfortheirbottlingofa25YearsOldGlenGrant.It’scrackingvalueanddemonstrateshowgreatthisdistillerycanbewhenthewhiskyisproperlyaged.Itseemschurlishtopickfaultwiththis,butifthey’donlybottleditat46%,thiswouldbeoutstanding.Don’tletthatstopyou,though.ColourWarmandrich.Nose Darkfruits,cakeandchocolate.

Taste Full-bodiedbutneveroverwhelming,thisiscomplex,richandslightlysweet.

Finish Veryconsistent; a long, rolling finishwithcitrushintsand jammyredfruit.


AvailabilityPrice

IrishDistillersGroupforMitchell&SonMidleton,Cork,IrelandRetailshopattheCHQBuilding,DublinRare

www.mitchellson.com

http://www.mitchellson.com

GreenSpot

ThisisalegendaryIrishwhiskey,spokenofinhushedandreverenttones.Despitethefactthatitishardtofind(only6,000bottlesaremadeeachyear),Ihavetorecommendthis.ThoughI’mbreakingoneofmyownrules,thisissospecialthatanexceptionhastobemade.

Thinkofthecoelacanth.Alivingfossilthatwassupposedtohavediedoutmillionsofyearsagoyetturnedupinafishingnetandastoundedscientists.Well,thisisthecoelacanthofwhisky–adoggedsurvivorofavirtuallyextinctraceofgiants.

ForthisisIrishpotstillwhiskeyand,byrights,itshouldn’texist.A‘potstill’whiskeyisonemadeinIrishcopperstills(generallylargerthanthosefoundinScotland)usingmaltedandunmaltedbarley(unlikeScotch,whichispurelymaltedbarley).ThisgivesIrishpotstillwhiskeysasmoothandoilycharacter,withapuritycausedbytripledistillation.

Traditionally,Irishretailerssoldtheirownlabelofwhiskeyfromalocaldistiller.ButastheIrishdistillingindustrydiedoutandwasrationalisedonebyone,theseidiosyncraticone-offsweresnuffedout.EventuallyonlyMitchell’sofDublinkeptgoing(although,atonetimetheywereabletoofferBlue,YellowandRedSpot,aswell).TodayGreenSpotismadeexclusivelyforMitchell’sandentirelyfromseven-andeight-year-oldMidletonpotstillwhiskey,with25%ofthespirithavingmaturedinsherrycasks.

ForawhileitwasthesolesurvivorofthisstyleofwhiskeybuttodayithasbeenjoinedbyexpressionsfromRedbreastandMidleton.Thebottleisn’tmuchtolookat,butthenacoelacanthisprettyugly.Getinsidethebottle,though,andyou’llquicklychangeyourmind.Colour Palegold.Nose Greengagejam;clean.Taste Quite unique! Waxy, lively and full of honey and minty notes; very

clean.

Finish Disappears quite quickly, but the sweetness lingers with, curiously,somesmoke.


SuntoryHakushu,JapanYesSpecialists

www.suntory.com

http://www.suntory.com

Hakushu

18YearsOld

Suntory’sseconddistillerywasbuiltin1973inHakushuatthefootofMtKaikomagatakeintheSouthernJapanAlps,surroundedbypineforestsandclosetofast-flowingmountainstreams(hakushumeans‘whitesandbanks’andwhiteisJapan’smostsacredcolour).HakushuHigashi(West)wasaddedin1981andthesinglemaltproducedhereisheldinhighregard,thoughtheoriginalplantwasmothballedin2006.Forabriefperiod,thiswassaidtobethelargestsinglemaltdistilleryintheworld.

TwelvepotstillsoperateatHakushuWestand,intheJapanesemanner,theirvarieddesignallowsthedistillerytoproducespiritwitharemarkablywidevarietyofflavours.MaltispreparedoffsiteatYamazaki,fromgrainbroughtfromScotland,butthereareextensivevisitorfacilitiesatHakushuwithaninterpretationcentre,giftshop,restaurantandamuseum,housedinadramaticformermaltingnotedforitsdistinctiveandunusualdoublepagodaroofwithlinkingbridge.

Weseeboththe12-and18-year-oldexpressionsintheUKwith,veryoccasionally,sightingsofthe25YearsOldandsomelimitedbottlingsinspecialists.AnyofthesewouldbeafineintroductiontoJapanesewhiskybuttrytofindthe18-year-oldversionifpossible,becausetheadditionalmaturationhasreallyaddedsomeextradimensionstothisfinewhisky.

IthaspickedupsignificantawardsfromtheInternationalWine&SpiritsCompetition(IWSC)andInternationalSpiritsChallengeandisveryhighlyratedbymostcommentators.Thestyleisquitedelicate,attributedbysomecommentatorstotheimpactonbothdistillationandmaturationofthedistillery’sheightabovesealevel(700metres).BeingneitheraphysicistnorameteorologistIdon’tfeelcompetenttocommentontheaccuracyofthisintriguingobservation.Colour Palegold.Nose Sharpgreenapples;delicateandrefined.Taste Deceptivelylightbodiedbutwithfruitandcerealingreatbalance.Peat

mergeswithoak.Finish Spicyandlingering.SometastersremarkonaresemblancetoIrishpot

stillmake.




www.buffalotrace.comseealsowww.kentuckybourbon.com


http://www.kentuckybourbon.com

ThomasHHandy

SazeracRye

You’regoingtofindthisbothtrickytogetandexpensive,butbearwithme.

IntheUnitedStates,‘ryewhiskey’is,bylaw,madefromamashofatleast51%rye.(Theotheringredientsofthemashareusuallycornandmaltedbarley.)Itisdistilledtonomorethan160(U.S.)proof(i.e.80%abv)andagedincharred,newoakbarrels.Thewhiskeymustbeputintosuchbarrelsatnotmorethan125(U.S.)proofandspiritthathasbeenagedlikethisforatleasttwoyearsmaybefurtherdesignatedas‘straight’,asin‘straightryewhiskey’.Sofar,sogood.

ButinterestinryewhiskeydeclinedafterProhibitionandneverreallyrecovered.Untilveryrecently,thatis,whenitacquiredasortofcultstatus,helpedbypraisefromafewcritics.Asaresult,pricesofoldryewhiskeyarerisingaboutasfastasstocksaregoingdownand,consequently,itishardtofind.ThereisaSazerac18YearsOld,oflegendaryrepute,butitsellsoutassoonasbottlesareputontheshelf.

Foradifferent,butstillremarkable,experience,trytogetholdofthisversion.It’salimitedannualreleaseofsix-year-oldstock,non-chillfilteredandbottledatveryhighstrength.Inevitably,thewhiskeywillvaryslightlyfromyeartoyear.Bythetimeyoureadthisthe2010bottlingshouldbeavailable.

Theseareveryforceful,charismaticandbig,high-impactwhiskiesfromBuffaloTrace,notjustduetothehighstrengthbuttothehugerangeofintenseflavoursthatmaytakesomewhiletoadaptto,especiallyifyouareexpectingbourbon.

It’shardtocommentonthetasteofthisasthe2010releaseisn’tavailablebutitishighlyunlikelytobeadisappointmentandisverydefinitelyawhiskeywithwhichtoamazeyourfriends.Addagoodquantityofwaterandexpectablastofdifferentaromasandflavourswithalong,longfinish.ColourDarkgold.Nose Maplesyrupandmolasses;vanillaanddriedfruit.Taste Oily,mouthcoating,hintsofliquoriceandthenripefruit.

Finish Peppery;dryingandoakhints.


Price

CompassBoxWhiskyCompanyn/a–thisisablendinghousen/aMainlyUK,USAandFrance–butcheckonline



Hedonism

ThisismysecondpickfromCompassBox–self-proclaimed‘artisanwhiskymakers’.Well,theyarecertainlygreatatblendingandshrewdurbanmarketers,soisitmean-spiritedtosuggestthattheyarenotquitethehorny-handedsonsoftoilthatthatdescriptionwouldimply?Youdecide.

Hedonismisoneoftheir‘LimitedRelease’range,whichmeansI’msailingclosetooneofmyownrules,butyoushouldn’thavetoomuchtroubletrackingitdowningoodspecialistwhiskyshops,ontheweborfromCompassBox’sownwebsite.What’sunusualaboutitisthatitis100%blendedgrainwhiskyand,morethanthat,it’saround20yearsoldandtakenfromfirst-fillex-bourboncasks.

EachreleaseismadeupasalimitedbatchwithwhiskiesselectedfromCameronBridge(seeseparateentry)andCambusdistilleries,butavailabilityisverymuchdeterminedbyCompassBox’sabilitytofindcasksandtheowner’swillingnesstosharethem.Dependingonyourpointofview,grainwhiskyiseitherScotland’sdirtylittlesecretor,inCompassBox’swords,a‘little-knowntreasure’.

Thisprovesjusthowgooditcanbe.Ifyoureallylikeit,thenthereisanevenhardertofindandmuchmoreexpensive‘reserve’versioncalledHedonismMaximus.Thishassimilarcharacterbuttheflavoursaremuchdeeper,evensweeterandmuchmoreintensegiventhe42-and29-year-oldwhiskies.

Aswehavecometoexpectfromthisinnovativecompany,thepackagingisaselegantandstylishasthestuffinthebottle.Likealllimitedreleasewhiskiesexpectsomebatchvariation.ColourMidgold.Nose Vanillaandcoconut.Taste Sweet,velvetysmoothwithdiaphanouswavesof liquorice,Callard&

Bowser toffee(remember those?),hintsoforangeandloadedwithex-bourbonvanillaandmarzipanflavours.

Finish Thearomasofchocolate,spiceandcoconutlingersatisfyinglyandholdtogetherwell.


AvailabilityPrice

Suntoryn/a–thisisablendTherearecentresatSuntory’sYamazakiandHakushudistilleriesRare

www.suntory.com


Hibiki

17YearsOld

Beforemovingontothe30-year-oldversionofthisproduct(seenextentry),whichisexpensiveandveryhardtofind,youmightliketotryitsyoungerbrother,whichisaltogethermoreaffordable.YoumightalsorememberitfromitsappearanceintheexcellentOscar-winning2003movieLostinTranslation(abreakthroughroleforScarlettJohansson,asifyoucared).

Manywhotrythisforthefirsttimewilladmittobeingseducedbythepackaging,whichisfairenough,asitisbothveryattractiveandsufficientlydifferenttodrawattentiontoitselfwithoutbeingoutréorundulyoutrageous.Whichprobablydoesn’tsoundthatbigadealuntilyouconsiderhowmanywhiskiesthereareontheshelves,withoutevenbeginningtocountotherdistilledspirits,letalonewine–yougetthepicture?

SowelldonetoSuntory’sresourcefulmarketingdepartment,butallthey’vereallydoneisgiventhisstand-outwhiskyabottletomatch.Hibikimeans‘harmony’,apparently,andthedistillerythemselvesdescribethisas‘amasterblendofcarefullyselectedfull-bodiedmaltandgrainwhiskies.Thismulti-award-winningblendcreatesaprofoundaromawithanelegantandmellowwoodyrichness,accompaniedbysweet,long-lastingcitrusflavour.’

Foronce,thehypeisfullyjustified.InJapan,apparently,Hibiki17commandsapremiumabovesimilarlyagedsinglemaltsandIcanwellbelievethatthisisso.Itisreallyaverycompletewhisky,exceptionallyeasytodrinkwhileatthesametimeremainingcomplexandsomewhatalluring–thereisanelusivequalitytothetasteandfinishthatishardtopindown.TryandserveitblindtoyourfriendsandtheywilllikelybeamazedatthequalityandwillbeforcedtorethinktheirprejudicesandpreconceptionsaboutJapanesewhisky.Thisisworld-classstuff–sotrytoimaginehowgoodthe30YearsOldisgoingtobe!Colour Palegold.Nose Citrushints,vanilla,oakandfloral.Lightbutnotinsubstantial.Taste Quite complex and slow to evolve,with pine resin sweetness, vanilla

andtoffee.Somesaltyhintsasitopens.Developswithwaterorice.

Finish Appearstofinishquitequickly,thenreappearstodelightandperplex.


AvailabilityPrice

Suntoryn/a–thisisablendTherearecentresatSuntory’sYamazakiandHakushudistilleriesRare

www.suntory.com


Hibiki

30YearsOld

What’sthebestblendedwhiskyintheworld?It’saScotch,naturally.Well,notintheopinionofthejudgesattheWorldWhiskiesAwardsin2007and2008whoawardedthattitletothispremiumwhiskyfromSuntory.Mindyou,itshouldn’thavebeenacompletesurprise:Hibiki30alsocollectedthehighestlevelofawardattheInternationalSpiritsCompetitionin2004andthenagainin2006,2007and2008.In2007theyalsopickedupaBestinClass.Theseawardsarejudgedblind,bytheway,withanumberofexperiencedjudgessoit’sworthnotingwhiskiesthatwinregularly.

JapaneseblendsareratherdifferentfromthoseproducedinScotland.Apartfromthefactthatthewhiskytastesdifferent,thesmallerJapaneseindustrydoesnotexchangeortradewhiskiesfromdifferentdistilleriesinthewaythatisthenorminScotland.Socompaniesrelyontheirownresources.

FortunatelyforSuntory,theirYamazakidistilleryhasanunusualvarietyofstills,twelveinallinsixdifferentshapesandsizes,producingawiderangeofflavours.TothistheyaddtheproduceofHakushu,Hibiki’shomedistillery,whereagainthereareanumberofdifferentstills.Andthentheyincreasetheiroptionsevenmorebyusingmanydifferenttypesofcasktomaturethespirit,includingJapaneseMizunaraoak.Asaresulttheblenderhasaremarkablywidevarietyofwhiskiestochoosefrom–infact,morethan30differentwhiskiesareblendedtocreateHibiki,usinggrainwhiskyfromSuntory’sChitadistillery.

Asyouwouldexpect,thisisanexpensiveproduct(expecttopay£500–600abottle)anditwilltakealittlebitofefforttotrackitdownbutitis,officially,thebestblendedwhiskyintheworld.Whatelsedoyoureallyneedtoknow?ColourDeepbeatencopper.Nose Raisin,figsanddateswithahintofBrazilnutandsweetdarkcocoa.Taste Darksweetnessandapleasantlingeringwoodiness.Finish Long,darkandveryrich.


HighlandDistillersHighlandPark,Kirkwall,OrkneyYesPrettywidelyavailable

www.highlandpark.co.uk

http://www.highlandpark.co.uk

HighlandPark

18YearsOld

ThisisthefirstoffourwhiskiesbyHighlandParklistedinthisbook.Four.Fromonedistillery?HaveIgonemad?

Idon’tthinkso.Youcouldmakeacasethatthisisthebestwhiskyintheworld.Certainlyit’swonmoreawardsthanIcanbebotheredtocountandatleastoneauthority(PaulPacult)thinksthatHighlandParkmake‘thebestspiritintheworld’.

Whatismore,whenIaskedmy‘oracles’HighlandParkwastheirrunawaywinner,gatheringnearlytwicethenominationsofanyotherbrand.Quiteafewofthepeoplewhovotedforitarecompetitorssothatisaprettyimpressiveendorsement.

ButlackingPaul’sebullienceandconfidentcertainty,I’llcontentmyselfwithsayingit’sprettydamnfine.You’regoingtohavetolookfarandwidetobeatthisstuff.Thereareseveralreasonswhy.Thedistillerysomewhatpretentiouslyrefertotheseastheir‘fivekeystones’sowedescenddangerouslyclosetomarketingspeakhere,butbearwithme.Theytalkabouttraditionalfloormalting,aromaticpeat,coolmaturation,sherryoakcasksandcarefulcaskrotation.

Thingis,it’snotjustmarketingfroth.I’velookedbackinhistoryandtheyweredoingmostofthisstuffasearlyas1924andprobablywellbeforethat,it’sjustthattheydidn’tbangonaboutit.So,withHighlandParkyougetaverytraditionalstyleofwhiskyfromaprivatelyownedScottishcompanyinafunky,modernbottlethatkeepsgettingbetterthemoretimeyouspendwithit(thewhisky,notthebottle).

ReadonforthreemorewhiskiesfromHighlandParkandpreparetobeamazed.Oh,andtryandgettothedistilleryatleastonceinyourlife.ColourMediumbrightgold.Nose Asweet,‘comehither’nose;sherryandmarzipan.

Taste Fruity,rich,sweetandagreeablycomplex.Greatdepth.Finish Smokyhintsfadegentlyintothebackground.


Price

HighlandDistillersHighlandPark,Kirkwall,OrkneyYesExclusivetodutyfreeshops,soyou’llhavetoflytobuyit(sorry)



HighlandPark

21YearsOld

I’mnotsupposedtohavefavouritesbut,asyou’verealisedbynow,HighlandParkisdefinitelyone.Orkneyisaspecialanduniqueplace,withastringofislandslinkedbycauseways,ferriesandplanes;ancientmonumentsscatteredeverywhere;athrivingandcreativecraftcommunity;incrediblelight;unexpectedpanoramasateveryturn;abandonedgunemplacements;amazingwildlifeandtwoincredibledistilleries.

NottoslightthenearbyScapaDistilleryinanyway(it’sprettygood)butHighlandParkisworld-class.Anditdoesn’tgetanybetter,atleastnotwithintheboundsofmostbudgets,thantheirsignature21YearsOldexpression.

Thiswasaworthywinnerofthe2009WorldWhiskiesAwardfortheWorld’sBestSingleMaltWhisky.Isatonthepanelanditdeservedeverymarkitgot.HighlandParkisnotedforincrediblebalance,longdevelopmentandasubtlepeatsmokethatcontinuestoengageandtantaliseandrewardyourtastebudsthemoretimeyouspendwithit.It’snottheforcefulpeatofIslaybutamorecomplexandrefinedflavourthattheobsessivesatHighlandParkmaintainisonlypossiblebyburningthreedifferenttypesofpeatfromtheirownpeatbog.

Butwatchout!Afterthesuccessofthiswhisky,demandincreasedgreatlyandthebottlingstrengthwasreducedfrom47.5%abvtoastandard40%soyoumaynotbedrinkingthewhiskythatgarneredallthepraise.There’snothingwrongwiththelatestbottlings,butsomeoldstockmightbeavailable–ifyouseeit,snapitup.

STOPPRESS:ThelatestnewsfromOrkneyisthatthey’llshortlyberevertingtothehigherstrengthsocheckthesmallprintonthelabelandgetthereallygoodstuff.ColourNaturalcolour;thedistillerssay‘reddishgoldOrkneysunset’butthat’s

abitfanciful!Nose Butterscotch,darkchocolateandorange.Taste Lush,fullflavourandgreatbalancewithcandiedorangepeelandspicy

darkchocolate,leadingtoarichsmokysensationwithhintsofroastednuts.Ahoneyedsweetness.

Finish Rich,complexandsweetsmokysensationthensoft,medium-dryfinish.


Price

HighlandDistillersHighlandPark,Kirkwall,OrkneyYesPrettywidelyavailableinspecialistretailers



HighlandPark

30YearsOld

HeregoeswhiskynumberthreefromHighlandParkandwearemovingintotherealmsofthetrulysublime–and,whatismore,trulysublimevalue.Yes,abottleofthiswillcostcloseto£200buttheequivalentinchateaubottledclaretwouldbeseveraltimesthatandthere’severybitasmuchtradition,craftsmanshipandqualityinthisbottle.And,ifyou’relookingforvalue,thisbottlewilllastratherlongerthantheclaret,especiallyasitcomesatahealthy48.1%abv.

Fortunately,thedistilleryhasprettygoodstocksoftheseolderwhiskiesandthisletsustasteamoretraditionalstyleofwhiskymaking.Forawhile,HighlandParkflirtedwithreducedpeatinglevels,asmostofthespiritwasdestinedforblendinglighterstylessuchasCuttySark,butthatisn’tthecasehere.

AgehastemperedthedistinctiveHighlandParksmokebutit’sstillclearlyevident,justmoresubtle.AndIlikethat.OnepersonaldifficultythatIhavewithsomeofthemoreaggressivelypeatedstylesisjustthat–aggressivepeating,whichformecanoftenbeoverlydominant,maskinginherentspiritcharacter.It’slikeagiantsteamrolleronthepalate.

Nodangerofthathere.Thereissomebroodingsmokiness,butitisbalancedbysweetnessandgreatvitalityandfreshnessforawhiskyofthisage.Theextrastrengthmeansit’sattractivelyfullinflavourand,unusuallyforanolderwhisky,canstandthecarefuladditionofwatertobringoutthemorearomaticnotes.Someskilleddistillinghasbeencomplementedbygoodwoodselectionandcarefulwarehousing,andtheresultisastellarwhiskythatiswortheverypenny.ColourDark.Nose Warmingandround;honeyandsmoke.Taste Beautifully balanced and full bodied; honey, vanilla, oak and smoke

dancingthroughthepalatebutneverdominating.Finish Alloftheabovegracefullycombine,fadingoutwithspiceandwhiffsof

gentlesmoke.


Price

HighlandDistillersHighlandPark,Kirkwall,OrkneyYesSurprisinglyeasytofindinspecialists,giventheageandprice!



HighlandPark

40YearsOld

Takeaseat:thisisthemostexpensivewhiskyinthisbook.Expecttopayaround£800forabottle.Forthatyougetahandsomebox,leatherboundbookletanda48.3%abvspiritthatdeservedlywonthe2009WorldWhiskiesAwardforWorld’sBestNewRelease.

TherulehereisthatIwon’trecommendanythingover£1,000andanythinginthreefiguresneedscarefulthought.Butyoudon’tneedtohesitate.Buythiswithconfidence–inmyview(andthisissharedbyagoodpartofthewhiskycommunity)thisissimplyasgoodasitgets.Withthechangefromthe£1,000youcanbuysomeprettyfinedramsbutthis40YearsOldwantstobesetasideforveryspecialoccasionsandveryspecialfriends.Havingsaidthat,you’llmakeaspecialfriendoutofanyoneyouservethisto(providedtheyhaveanykindofcriticaljudgement)andyoushoulddrinkit–don’tjustsetitonashelfandgazewonderinglyuponit.Appreciate,don’tvenerateisthemottohere.

Thisisanexceptionallycomplexandrefinedwhiskywithmultiplelayersofflavourthatwillopenupinthemouthandonthefinishasyoucarefullysipandsavouryourdram.And,thenexttimeyougobacktoit,you’llfindsomethingmoreandsomethingdifferent.HighlandPark40justkeepsongrowinganddevelopingandrewardscarefulstudy.

ButIdon’twantyoutothinkofthisashardwork.Aboveall,thisisawhiskytoenjoy.Noteveryday,ofcourse,butitreallyisawhiskytotrybeforeyoudie.Andthenputthatoff,atleastuntilyoufinishthebottle.ColourMidgold.Usingrefillcasks,timehasaddedcolourveryslowly.Nose Surprisinglydelicateandrefined;stillfreshanddistinctively‘Highland

Park’withhoney,chocolateandsoftsmoke.Taste Ifawhiskycanpossess‘theXfactor’thishasgotit–justsensationally

complexandalluring.Superbbalanceandwaveafterwaveofflavour,withnooneelementdominant.

Finish After showingmore heather honey sweetness and hints of citrus, thesmokefloatsbackforalasthurrah.


AvailabilityPrice

Whyte&MackayLtdIsleofJura,Craighouse,JuraYes–andaluxurious(forwhichread‘expensive’)holidayapartmentSpecialists

www.isleofjura.com

http://www.isleofjura.com

IsleofJura

Superstition

AttheriskofoffendingthegoodfolksatWhyte&Mackay,I’dsaythat,ingeneral,theIsleofJurasinglemaltsarenothingtogettooexcitedabout.They’repleasantenoughbutprettybland,which,sincethisdistillerywasbuiltinthe1960stocreateemploymentonthislonelybutbeautifulislandandservetheblendingindustrywithaSpeyside-stylespirit,isnorealsurprise.

Inrecentyears,though,theyhavemadesomeeffortstoraisetheirprofileandthestandard10YearsOldisprettywidelyseen.Don’tbotherwiththat,though.Whatyouwant,ifyouwantanything,isSuperstition.

ThisisamixtureofheavilypeatedwhiskyintheIslaystyle(notoriginallywhatJurawasbuilttoproduce)andsomeoldercasksthataddwarmthandsubtlety.Accordingly,itdoesn’tcarryanagestatement,butdon’tletthatorthenameputyouoff.It’spleasantlydifferentfromthewhiskiesonnearbyIslay.

Juraitselfisnotableforbeinghometolessthan200peopleandaround5,000reddeer.Theywanderabouteverywhere–mainly,itseemstome,ontheisland’sonemainroadwheretheycanbesomethingofahazard.JurawasalsoGeorgeOrwell’srefugewhenheescapedfromLondontowrite1984andthesiteoftheinfamousKFoundationBurnaMillionQuidartevent.Yes,rockmusiciansturnedartistsBillDrummondandJimmyCautyquietlytravelledtoJuraandburnt£1min£50notes.Asyouwould.Obviously.

Withtheirfondnessforspecialeditions,IsleofJurareallyoughttocommemoratethis:averysmokydramat£50abottlewouldseemappropriate!ColourDeepbronze.Nose Wood smoke, bacon and freshly cut peat. Phenolic notes start to

dominate.Taste Spice,honey,pineandpeatflavoursminglewithnutsandgrassy/floral

notes.Finish Smokefadesinagainattheend.


AvailabilityPrice

IrishDistillersGroupMidleton,Cork,IrelandTwo!OneinDublinandoneatMidletonDistillery,CorkSpecialists

www.jamesonwhiskey.com

http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com

Jameson

18YearsOldLimitedReserve

Jameson’sisthebest-sellingbrandofIrishwhiskeyand,undertheownershipofcorporategiantsPernodRicard,hasbeenexpandingrapidly.Thewhiskiescompriseablendofpotstillandgrainspirit,allproducedatthehugeMidletonDistillerynearCork.Withabewilderingrangeofstills,theplantiscapableofproducingaconsiderablevarietyofdifferentstyles,makingtheroleoftheMasterBlenderparticularlysignificant,especiallywhenanumberofdifferentcaskscomeintoplay.

Thoughit’shardlycheap–abottleofthe18YearOldwillsetyouback£70–Ijusthavetoletthisonethrough.IhadthegreatprivilegeoftastingareleaseofthiswithIrishDistillers’BarryCrockett,whowasbroughtupinacottageinthedistillery’sgroundsandtodayisMasterDistilleratMidleton.ThatwaswelloverayearagobutIbelieveIcanstillrecallthetaste,sodistinctiveaproductisit.

Thefactthatitimmediatelypickedupaclutchofsignificantawardsprovesthatthiswasnoflashinthepan.Acombinationofex-bourbonandsherrybarrelsareused,andthentheyareagedaccordingtothelabelfor‘atleast’18years.Icanbelieveit:thisissplendidlymature,withoutinanywayexhibitinganysignsofbeingoverlywoodyortired.

Thisisoneofalargerrange–thereisaSpecialReserve(12yearsold),aGoldReserve(non-agedbut13–14yearsoldonaverage),SignatureReserve(fordutyfreeonly),thisLimitedReserveandfinally,ifyourpursecanstretchevenfurther,abrilliantbutconfusinglynamedRarestVintageReserve,whichdoesn’tactuallycarryeitheranageoravintagedate,thoughitdoes(notveryhelpfully)carrythebottlingdate,currently2007.You’vegottoloveIrishmarketing!ColourDeepbronze.Nose AromaticChristmascake,honey,vanillaandtoffee.Taste Cloves,nutsandnuttyfudge,awonderfulbalance;andthebourbonand

oloroso sherry casks are beautifully integrated into a smooth andharmoniouswhole.Mediumbodybutcomplex.

Finish Holdstogetherwell,asalltheflavourslingernicely.


VisitorCentre

Availability

Price

Diageon/a–thisisablend,but‘brandhome’isCardhuCardhuDistillery,Speyside(it’sjustalongtheroadfromTheMacallan)Everywhere–ifyoucan’tfindthisyou’renottryingveryhard

www.johnniewalker.com

http://www.johnniewalker.com

JohnnieWalker

BlackLabel

Intruth,thisisn’toneofmypersonalfavourites.IfindthisJohnnieWalkerexpressionanditslittlebrotherRedLabelalittletooharshandsmokyformytaste.

Butyoucan’targuewithsuccessandthisisoneofthebest-sellingpremiumblendsintheworld.Moretothepoint,ifyouaskaroundthewhiskyindustryBlackLabelkeepscomingupasafavouriteorawhiskywhichotherdistillersandblendersadmire.So,ifyoulikebigflavoursthenthisisonyourlist.

TodayJohnnieWalkerispartofDiageowho,in2009,controversiallyshutthedooroncloseto200yearsofwhiskyhistorywhentheyclosedtheirKilmarnockbottlingplant,thetraditionalWalkerhome.CueoutragefromthelocalsandScottishpoliticiansbutitdoesn’tappeartohavemadetheslightestbitofdifferencetotheworldwidelegionoffanswhoprobablyneitherknownorcarewhereKilmarnockis.Sorry,Kilmarnock.

TheBlackLabelblendcanbetracedbackto1867whenAlexanderWalkerlaunchedhis‘OldHighlandWhisky’inadistinctivesquarebottleandslantingblackandgoldlabel.Thesquarebottleprovedagreatboontothebrandindevelopingexportsales–becauseoftheshapemorebottlescouldbesqueezedintoanygivenspaceandshippingcostsreduced.Ofsuchsimplethingsarelegendsmade.

Butthereisalotmoretothisthanjustcleverpackaging.BlackLabelsucceedsnotsimplyasasymbolofaffluenceandstatusinmanymarketsbutbecauseformanyit’sthebenchmarkforapremiumblend.Thisisatraditionalwhiskythat’snottobeunder-estimated.Personally,Iwouldn’ttakeittomydesertisland,butalotofexpertjudgeswould.ColourAmediumbrightgold.Nose Maplesweetnesswithhintsofsmoke.Maltandcitrus.Taste Robust and forceful, thepeaty smoke to the forebut alsodried fruits,

sherryandvanilla;neverunbalanced–powerwithdiscretion.Finish Mellow,spicyandagreatlate-nightdram.


VisitorCentre

Availability

Price

Diageon/a–thisisablend,but‘brandhome’isCardhuCardhuDistillery,Speyside(it’sjustalongtheroadfromTheMacallan)Global,especiallyhigh-end,tax-freeoutlets

www.johnniewalker.com

http://www.johnniewalker.com

JohnnieWalker

BlueLabelKingGeorgeVEdition

Sometimesonlyluxurywilldo.Unadulterated,in-your-face,loadsamoney,show-offluxury.

Imagineyou’vegotaRussianoligarchtoimpress,orakeybusinesscontactintheFarEastneedsagift–thatistheKingGeorgeVEditionmoment.Becausethisfeelstomelikeanunashamedlyflamboyantwhiskyforthenouveauriche.Fromtheelaboratepresentationpackagingwiththetwinmonogrammedstudsyouneedtoremovetoopenthehugebox,tothedeliberatelytheatricalritualofopeningitshiddendoubledoors,thesilk-linedinteriorwiththeparchmentcertificate,thecrystaldecanteronitsmatchingplinth,andthemeticulouslydetailedandvery,veryheavycorkstopper,it’sallabouttheglamorouspackaging.

Except,d’oh,thisisalsoverygoodwhisky.Didyouimaginethatthebest-sellingScotchwhiskyintheworldwasgoingtoputitsnameonanyoldgutrot,justbecausetheboxlooksgood(spectacular,tobehonest)?

Youcanpayupto£1,000forasingleglass(yes,glass)ofsomeJohnnieWalkerstylesbutImaintainthat’sjustshowingoff–flagshipprojectsdesignedmainlyforPRimpact.So,formostofus,thismustremaintheultimateJohnnieWalker.Andveryfineitis,too,aswellitmightbeatapproaching£400abottle.

Sotreatyourselfatleastonceinyourlifeand,asyousip,askyourself,‘Whatarethepoorpeopledoingtonight?’ColourDeep and dark, suggestive of great age and some sherry casks in the

blend.Nose Initiallysweet,thenmorethanahintofsmokeandlotsofbody.Thisis

goingtobeBIG!Taste Averybig, forcefulwhisky, surprisinglyhoneyedandwellmannered,

with the smoky Port Ellen coming through late. Still vibrant andcomplex,despitetheageofsomeoftheblendconstituents.

Finish A languorous, unhurried finish; very rounded, with the sweeterSpeysiderscomplementingthelastfadingnotesofpeatsmoke.


KilchomanDistilleryCo.LtdKilchoman,IslayYesSpecialistsandonline

www.kilchomandistillery.com

http://www.kilchomandistillery.com

Kilchoman

I’mprobablystretchingmyownruleshere,becauseyou’regoingtohavetolookreallyhardtofindthis,butthephilosophybehindthisbookistoencourageentrepreneursandinnovatorsandtopersuadeyoutolookalittlebitfurtherforunusualanddeservingspirits,sobearwithme.

Ifweruleouttheillicitmanufactureofmoonshine,thisisprobablyascloseasyoucangetto‘traditional’distilling,atleastfromthepointofviewofscale.KilchomanisthefirstfarmhousedistillerytobebuiltinScotlandforaverylongwhile,andthefirstonIslayfor124years.Therearenowseveralsimilarprojectsinseveraldifferentcountriesinvariousstagesofcompletion,butKilchomanwassomethingofapioneeranddeservesrespectandsupportforthis,ifnothingelse.

ThevisionofenthusiastAnthonyWills,Kilchomanbegandistillingin2005andreleaseditsfirstwhiskyin2009(itsoldnewmakespiritpriortothat).Allthebarleyusedisgrownontheneighbouringfarm;thereisafloormalting;noneofthebarrelsleavetheislandduringmaturation;andthematuredspiritisbottledonIslay.However,theycanonlymakearound90,000litresofspiriteachyearandsosuppliesarerestricted:infact,theInauguralReleaseofjust8,300bottlessoldoutwithindays.Thealreadyhighpricespromptlydoubledonthesecondarymarketascollectorsviedforabottle.

However,theinitialwaveofenthusiasmhavingpassed,bottlesofsubsequentreleasesshouldbemoreaccessible,ifnotwidelyfound,butcertainlynotanycheaper.Trytotrackonedown,impressyourfriendsandsupportsomerealwhiskypeople.

NB:TheflavourofKilchomanwilldevelopoverthevariousreleasesasthespiritmatures,sothenotesbelowareaguide,basedontheInauguralReleaseedition.ColourAgedmainlyinex-bourbonbarrels,sopalestraw.Futurereleasesmay

bedarker.Nose Surprisingly fruity, plenty of peat smoke but delicate citrus notes

surprise.

Taste Creamyandmouthcoating;driedfruits,smokeandtoffee.Finish Clean,refreshing,lingeringsmokehintsdriftonforsometime.



BeamGlobalSpirits&Wine,Inc.JimBeam,ClermontDistillery,KentuckyYesSpecialistsandonline

www.knobcreek.comseealsowww.smallbatch.com

http://www.knobcreek.com

http://www.smallbatch.com

KnobCreek

KnobCreekisanothersmallbatchbourbon,distilledatthelargeJimBeamdistilleryatClermont,Kentucky.Itgetsitsname,mildlytitillatingforUKdrinkersinavaguelysmuttysortofaway,fromacreek(stream)about20milesfromthedistillerythatranpastAbrahamLincoln’sboyhoodhome.Apparently,Lincoln’sfatherworkedinanothernearbydistilleryandLincolnhimselfwasrescuedfromdrowninginsaidstream.ItseemsthatnooneinthemarketingdepartmentconsideredthealternativeassociationsofthenameoutsideoftheUSA.

Anyway,withthatoutofthewaywecanmoveontothewhiskey.Thishasachievedasortofcultstatus,partlyduetotheastutemanagementofrecentshortagesofstockcreatingadditionalpent-updemand.Youcanevenbuyat-shirt,itselfalimitededition,tocommemoratethe‘drought’.

KnobCreekwascreatedbythelegendarydistillerBookerNoeinanattempttocreateapre-Prohibitionstyleofbourbonandalso,thoughthedistillerstendtoglossoverthisbit,tocomeupwithanAmericanofferingthatwouldmakebourbonfashionableagainandcompetewithsinglemaltScotch.

Inthat,smallbatchbourbonhasbeenagreatsuccess,withthis9-year-old,50%abvproductbeingoneofthecategoryleaders.

OthersfromBeamGlobalincludeBooker’s,BasilHayden’sandBaker’s.Naturally,theircompetitorshaveenteredthemarketwiththeirversionsalso.Asthesmallbatchhandlesuggests,suppliesofthesewhiskiescanbevariableandtheremaybeslightvariationsinstylefrombatchtobatch.It’sallpartofthecharmandthey’reunlikelytobelessthanverygood.ColourMidgold.Nose Nutty,darkcitrusandoak.Taste Rich,full-bodiedandcomplex.Somespicenotes.Finish Along,consistentfinishwithalingeringaftertaste.


DiageoLagavulin,IslayYesSpecialistsandonline

www.malts.com


Lagavulin

16YearsOld

AeneasMacDonaldwritesofamanwho‘waskeptawakeforhoursinthenightbytheprolongedrhapsodiesoftwoHighlanders,menwhohadnothingelseincommonintheworldbuttheiraffectionforandpraiseofLagavulin’.Ithas,hesays,‘analmostlegendaryfame’.Thatwasin1930and,ifanything,itsfamehasgrown.Forfansoftherichlyphenolic,peaty,saltywhiskiesofIslaythisisprimusinterpares,thoughitmustbeallowedthatArdbegrunscloseinthepassionofitsdevotees.

UsingbarleymaltedatthenearbyPortEllenmaltings(alsoDiageo),Lagavulinisdistilledunusuallyslowly–aprocessthatthemakersclaimgives‘thecharacteristicroundnessandsoftmellowedges’tothespirit.Theycertainlytaketheirtimeovermaturation,withthestandardClassicMaltsbottlingbeingreleasedat16yearsold.RumourhasitthatJohnnyDepp,theteetotalactor,willhappilyorderaglassjusttonoseit,sostrikingisLagavulin’saroma(it’snotclearwhogetstopolishitofflater).MichaelJacksonfamouslydescribedthenoseas‘LapsangSouchongandfruitysherry’.Soundsgood,doesn’tit?

ThoughthereisamoreexpensiveDistiller’sEditionfinishedinPedroXimenezcasksandayounger,high-strengthversioncuriously,andunjustifiably,evenmoreexpensivestill,thisistheoneyouwant.Marvelatitsrichtextures,preparetobestunnedbythewavesofintenseflavourandsitdownbeforeyoutakeyourfirstsip–thisispotentstuff.

ReadonforanotherstunningwhiskyfromLagavulin’snext-doorneighbour.ColourDeepgold.Nose Intensepeatrush,followedbysweetorangesandtoffee.Taste Ahuge,mouth-fillingwhisky.Dry, thensomesherriedsweetnesswith

toffeeandasaltyhint.Finish Massivepeatsmokeandsaltyclimax.


FortuneBrandsInc.Laphroaig,IslayYesSpecialistsandonline

www.laphroaig.com

http://www.laphroaig.com

Laphroaig

QuarterCask

LaphroaigisthefirstofthreedistilleriesyoucometofollowingthecoastroadroundIslayoutofPortEllenanditpresentsasplendidsight.Thereisstillafloormaltingsonsiteandexcellentvisitorfacilities(thoughyoureallywanttoeatintheKilnCafeatArdbegjustalongtheroad).

TheQuarterCaskbottlingisasplendidattempttore-createastyleofwhiskythatwouldhavebeenmorecommonahundredormoreyearsagowhensmallercaskswereusedtomaturespirit.Thismayhavebeenbecausethefirkincask(holdingninegallons,oraround41litres)wasrelativelyfreelyavailable,duetoitsuseinthebrewingindustry,orbecausethesmallercaskwasmorepopularforprivatesalesor,asthedistillerythemselvesliketosuggest–ratherromantically–becausetheywereeasierforsmugglerstotransport!Possibly,allthreeplayedtheirpart.

Thekeypoint,however,isthatwhiskymaturesfasterinasmallercaskandthewoodhasagreaterinfluence(30%moreaccordingtothedistillers).Whatismore,intheirpursuitoftraditionLaphroaigdon’tchillfilterthiswhiskyandtheybottleitatahealthy48%abv.Goodonthem.

It’saclassicIslaymalt–salty,peaty,phenolicandveryfullflavoured.Hugelyimpressive.

Theresult,inmyopinionatleast,isahugeimprovementonthestandard10YearsOld(40%abv)–it’srounder,morevibrant,fullerandsweeter.EverythingyoulookforinLaphroaig,infact,andmore,provingonthisoccasion,atleast,thattheoldwaysreallywerebest.ColourQuitepale,likebeatenbronze.Nose Tons of peat smoke, sweetness, coconut cream and some chocolate

notes.Taste Bold and assertive, full bodied and mouth coating (higher strength

alcohol and non-chill filtering coming into play here) but gentle and

sweetcomparedtothe10YearsOld.Finish Amazingly extended finish, with the peat smoke and some coal fires

comingintoplay.Spicenotesandthedistillerysay‘zestyorange’.Beatsme.



J&AMitchell&Co.LtdSpringbank,Campbeltown,ArgyllandButeYesSpecialistsandonline

www.springbankwhisky.com

http://www.springbankwhisky.com

Longrow

cv

TheoriginalLongrowwasanearlycasualtyinCampbeltown’slongandsorrydecline,butthenameatleastwasrestoredin1973whensomeheavilypeatedmaltwasdistilledatSpringbanktoprovethatIslayneednothaveamonopolyonthisstyle.EventuallytheideacaughtonandLongrowisnowdistilledregularly,thoughnotingreatvolume.

SoyoucouldsaythatLongrowispeatedSpringbank–exceptthatitisn’t.Thefactthatthemaltispeatedisclearlythekeydifferencebut,unlikeSpringbank,thisundergoesaconventionaldoubledistillation.Amixofsherryandbourboncasksareusedformaturationtocontributesweetnessandspicebeforethepeattakesover.

Longrowisn’texactlyeasytofindbutthenon-agedCVexpressionshouldturnupinspecialistsanditcanbepurchasedonlinefromthedistillery’swebsite.Likeallofthecompany’s‘standard’output,it’sbottledat46%abvandnon-chillfiltered–policiesthatIcanonlycommend.Theresultisgreatermouthfeelinthewhiskyandapleasingoilinessthatspeaksofthegenuinearticle:wouldthatmoredistillerswouldfollowthislead.Notetoconsumers–it’sworththeextracost!

Thisisnotthemostsubtlewhiskyyou’lleverencounterbut,despiteitsstrength,manytastersfinditgoeswellwithoutaddingwater.Ifyoulikebig,bold,assertiveflavoursandyou’ve‘done’Islaythenthisiswhereyougonext.Ifitappeals,thereisaLongrow100Proofversion,severalagedexpressionsandthestrangeGajaBarolofinish.ColourMidgold.Nose Supremebalancebetweenpeatsmoke,vanillaandcardamom.Taste Boldandassertive;robust.Vanillacomestothefore,thencitrus(lemon

marmalade?)andwavesofspiceandsmoke.Finish Surprisingly gentle and balanced, with the vanilla toffee coming

throughasthesmokeclears.


MackmyraSvenskWhiskyABMackmyra,Valbo,SwedenPhonetochecktouravailabilitySpecialistsandonline

www.mackmyra.com

http://www.mackmyra.com

Mackmyra

Oneofthereallyexcitingthingsabouttheworldofwhiskyinthelastdecadehasbeentheexplosionofnewproducers,allstrivingtooffertheirowndistinctiveslantonasimplemixtureofwater,barleyandyeast.Someoftheofferingshavesomewaytogoyet,whilesomearefascinating,buteventheverybestofthempresentaproblemforthisbook:availability.Thevastmajorityoftheseproducersaretiny,boutiqueoperationsproducingverylimitedquantitiesofwhiskythattendstoselloutveryquickly.

MackmyraisnottheonlywhiskydistilleryinSweden,thoughitwasthefirst,butbecauseit’sbeenaroundsince1999thereisachancethatyou’llbeabletotracksomeofitdown.Realistically,you’llhavetotakewhatyoucanget(thefirstreleaseinMarch2006soldoutinlessthananhour)butthat’snohardship.

Thisismorethanacuriosity.Thereareanumberofspecialeditionsandlimitedreleasesbutwhatyou’llprobablystumbleoverisaversionoftheirPreludium(theinitialreleasesfromthedistillery),butpossiblytheFirstEditionmightalsobeseen.Allareworthtrying:Mackmyrakeepexperimentingwithdifferentcasksandfinishes,andtheyevenmaturetheirwhisky50metresundergroundinanoldmine!

Youcanbuyyourowncaskfromthedistilleryandgoandvisitit.Beaware,however,thatMackmyraisnotinexpensive.PresumablyduetohighlabourcostsinSwedenandthefactthatallproductsarebottledataround46%abv,abottletypicallycostsaround£50–60(moreforPreludium,whichisalsoinasmaller-than-normalhalf-litrebottle).Worthit,though.Colour Palegold.Nose Fruitywithcitrus,pear,apple,honey,lightoakandcerealnotes.Taste Citrus,caramelandhoney.Alightsuggestionofoakmaybenoted.Finish Hintsofdarkchocolate.



Price

FortuneBrands,Inc.Maker’sMark,Loretto,KentuckyYesSomesupermarketsandspecialists

www.makersmark.com

http://www.makersmark.com

Maker’sMark

ThisKentuckybourbonwasforsometimesomethingofacultamongdrinkersonbothsidesoftheAtlantic,drivenbythepersonalityoftheebullientBillSamuelsJr,adirectdescendantofthefounder.Imethimsomeyearsagoanditwasn’tlongbeforehehandedmeaguntolookat–anantiqueasithappenedbut,forasimplechaplikeme,itwasasomewhatunnervingmoment.

Itissomeyears,however,sincethedistillerywasprivatelyowned.Thoughitsmarketinglikestogivetheimpressionofindependence,thecompanyhasinfactpassedthroughseveralcorporatehandssince1981andistodaypartofFortuneBrands,whoalsoownJimBeam,LaphroaigandCanadianClubwhiskies,amongotherfamousnames.

Itstillappearsidiosyncratic,however–uniquelyamongstUSwhiskiesstylingitself‘whisky’intheScottishmanner;increasingproductionin2002bybuildingaseconddistilleryalongsidethefirst,insteadofsimplyexpandingtheexistingplant;androtatingtheirbarrelswithinthewarehouselevelstoachievemoreevenageing.

Itsappearanceisalsohighlydistinctive:asquarebottleiscappedbyredwax,whichdripsontothebottle.Moreimportantly,themashbillrecipedoesnotincludeanyrye,butrathercontainsexclusivelyyellowcorn,redwinterwheatandmaltedbarley.Distillationstartsinacolumnstillandisfinishedinacopperpotstill,allofwhichcontributetothefinalflavour.

Itisparticularlyappreciatedforitscomparativelygentleandsubtletaste,moremellowthanmanybourbons.Today,thoughmorewidelydistributedthanwhenthebrandwasbuilt,ithasmaintainedsomethingofareputationasadrinker’sdrink:oneforthose‘intheknow’.Nowthatincludesyou.ColourAmber.Nose Vanillaandspice,tropicalfruitsandsomesweetoakwood.Taste At45%abv,thisismediumtofullbodied,withspices(ginger),caramel

andamouth-coatingoiliness.

Finish Somesmoke,delicatelycombiningwithhoneyedfruits.


HeavenHillDistilleries,Inc.Bernheim,Louisville,KentuckyYesSpecialists

www.heaven-hill.com


MellowCorn

Here’ssomethingunusualanduniquelyAmerican–thenearestthingyou’llgettomoonshinethat’slegal(theScotchequivalentis‘newmake’–seetheentryforGlenglassaugh’sSpiritDrink).It’sfarfromthenicestwhiskyyou’lldrink,atleastcomparedtotheotherslistedhere,butit’scheap,funandworthtrying(ifonlytounderstandthebeneficialinfluencesofmaltedbarleyandageing).

Butfirst,awordofexplanation.Beforetherewasbourbon,therewasstraightcornwhiskey.Today,cornwhiskeyismadewithaminimumof80%ofcorninthemashbillandmustbematured,ifitismaturedatall,inuncharrednewwhiteoakbarrelsorrefillbourbonbarrels.Theassociationiswithbootlegging,moonshineandgenerallydeprivingtheGovernmentoftheirshare,soitrepresentsadeeplyrootedAmericantradition,alsoexpressedinpopularculturethroughNASCARracingandTVshowssuchasTheDukesofHazzard.

Theproductionofmoonshinestillthrives,orsoonewoulddeducefromthenumberofhome-madestillsandassociatedequipmenttobeseenonvariousinternetauctionsitesbut,foralongtime,theonlymainstreamlegalproducerkeepingthetraditionalivewasHeavenHill–andgoodonthem,Isay.Somesmallercraftproducershavenowjoinedinthefun.

HeavenHillactuallymakesarange,includingDixieDewandJWCorn,whichseemstobetheupmarketone!GeorgiaMooncomesinthekindofjaryourgrannyusedtomakejamorpreservesandisevencheaper(andrawer)thanMellowCorn;thelabelonthisboaststhatit’s‘agedlessthan30days’whichatleastishonest.

Unlessyouwanttosaveacoupleofpounds,MellowCornistheonetotry.Itbenefitsfromtwoyears’ageingandcomesatauseful50%abv.Definitelyonetoserveblindtothewhiskysnobinyourlife.Colour Palegold.Nose Waxy(itshouldbe),withlighterfloralnotesandvanilla.Taste Surprisingly complex, with mouth-coating oiliness; some fruit and

toffee.

Finish Quitelively;thefruit,woodandcaramelnoteshangoninthere.


Availability

Price

WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersLtdn/a–thisisablendNone–butbothGlenfiddichandTheBalveniehavetoursSomesupermarketsandspecialists

www.monkeyshoulder.com

http://www.monkeyshoulder.com

MonkeyShoulder

Thisisn’treallywhatyou’dexpectfromWilliamGrants,makersofGlenfiddichandTheBalvenie.Thedeliberatelyfunkyname(which,asweshallsee,hassomewhiskyheritage–butreally!);thepainfullyhipwebsiteandtheemphasisoncocktailsandtrendystylebarsallsmackofanachinglyself-consciousmarketingstrategy.

Thethingis,it’sprettydecentwhiskyanditappearstohaveworkedso,astheyoungpeopleapparentlysay,‘respect’.Sowhatisit?Technically,it’sblendedmalt–thatistosay,amixtureofseveralsinglemaltsbutnograinwhisky(thatwouldmakeitanordinaryblend).Beinginthefortunatepositionofowningseveraldistilleries,GrantsblendedsomeGlenfiddich,someBalvenieandsomeKininvie(athirddistilleryontheirDufftownsitetheytendtokeepquietabout)tocreateawhiskydesignedforeasydrinkinganduseincocktails.

ItwascreatedbytheirMasterBlenderDavidStewart,astraditionalawhiskymanasyou’llfind,andispreparedinsmallbatchesofcarefullyselectedcasksthatthenundergofurthermaturationbeforebottling.

Rathertongue-in-cheekilyIfeel,Grantsrefertoitintheirpromotionalliteratureas‘triplemaltScotchwhisky’.Theyoughttoknowbetter,butwe’llletthatpass.Ithasbeenenthusiasticallypickedupbyanumberofrathermorecutting-edgebarsinthosemarketswhereit’sbeenreleasedsofarandhascollectedafewawards.

It’salsocompetitivelypriced,withfunpackagingfeaturingthreemonkeysclimbinguptheneckofthebottle.Andthename?Itreferstoaconditionwhichapparentlyaffectedtheworkersonthemaltingfloorafterturningmaltbyhand.Not,asyoumightexpect,somekindofmonkeybusiness.

Findsomeonewhodoesn’tlikewhiskyandtrythisonthem,perhapsinoneofthevariouscocktailssuggestedonthebrand’swebsite.Infact,goape!Colour Brightgold,withcoppertints.Nose Vanilla,lemonzestandfreshfruit.

Taste You’llprobablymixitbutbananas(no,really),somespiceandhintsofcitrus.

Finish Relaxedandfairlyshortfinish,butholdstogetherwell.


DiageoMortlach,Dufftown,BanffshireNoneSpecialists

Mortlach

16YearsOld

Forreasonswhicharen’tentirelyclear,MortlachnevermadeitintoDiageo’sClassicMaltsselection,probablybecausethemajorityofoutputfromtheclassicSpeysidedistillery–Dufftown’sfirst–isrequiredforblending,whereitisamajorcomponentinJohnnieWalker.

It’sashamebecausethereisalotheretoengagewhiskyfans.Wehavethedistillery’shistoricalsignificance:builtoriginallyin1823,itwasbrieflyabreweryandevenachurch,andWilliamGrantwasManagerherebeforestartingGlenfiddich.Thedistillerywasentirelyremodelledinthe1960sbutretainedtheunorthodoxarrangementofthestills.AtMortlachtherearethreewashstillsandthreespiritstills.Conventionalenoughyoumightthink,butallaredifferentsizesandthedistillationprocess,sometimesreferredtoas‘partialtripledistillation’,isunique.

Inaddition,Mortlachhasretaineditsexternalwormtubcondensersandtheresult,afterlengthymaturation,isabig,meaty,full-flavouredwhiskythatiswelllikedbythosefortunateenoughtogetabottle.Sadly,visitingthedistilleryisdifficultasthereisnovisitorcentreandpublicaccessisrestricted.

Thereareanumberofindependentthird-partybottlingsavailableand,overtheyears,Diageohavereleasedsomespecialeditions,mostrecentlytheManager’sChoiceexpression(just240bottlesat£250fora12-year-oldwhisky–littlewonderthatthisexercisewasgreetedwithsomescepticisminafewwhiskybloggingcircles).

Butit’shardlynecessarytosplashouttothisextent.Thestandard16YearsOldbottlingwillappealtoloversofsubstantial,robustwhiskiescapableofcomplexityandsurprisingsubtlety(butjustimagineifitwereofferednon-chillfilteredat46%abv).ThelateMichaelJacksondescribedMortlachas‘statuesque’and‘elegant’,oncewritingthat,‘IfindnewaromasandflavourseverytimeIraisetheglass.’Iwouldnotpresumetodisagree.ColourDarkandrich,thecaskinfluenceisevident.

Nose Immediate sherrycask impact, rich fruit cakearomas,but floralnotesalsodevelop.

Taste Rich, meaty and solid; dried fruit and some burnt notes (notunpleasant).

Finish Spiceandwoodcomethroughwithhintsofsmoke.



NikkaYoichiandMiyagikyoDistilleries,JapanYesatbothsitesSpecialists

www.nikka.com

http://www.nikka.com

Nikka

AllMalt

Payattention:thisisvery,veryinterestingandpossiblyunique.Thisisanon-aged,blendedmaltwhiskyusingpotstillmaltwhiskyfromNikka’sYoichiandMiyagikyodistilleriesandsomewhiskydistilledinacontinuous(Coffey)stillatMiyagikyo,fromamashcomprising100%maltedbarley.

SoifsuchathingwasevermadeinScotlandthewords‘maltwhisky’couldn’tappearastheScotchWhiskyAssociation(SWA)havedeterminedthatmaltwhiskycannotbemadeinacolumnstill,evenifthestillisentirelymadeofcopperandthemashis100%maltedbarley.Thishasledtosomecontroversywithdistillers,suchasLochLomond(curiously,notmembersoftheSWA)pointingouttheillogicalityofthispositionandsomecommentatorssuggestingthatthisisbothabartoinnovationandthatitsuppressesmovestowardsagreener,moreenergy-efficientindustry.

IamnotaloneinarguingthatthisishorriblyreminiscentoftheattitudeoftheBritishmanufacturingindustryinthe1950sand1960swhenwestillmadecars,TVs,shipsandsoonuntilhideboundmanagement,intransigenttradeunionsandcomplacentpoliticiansallowedimports(oftenfromJapan,asithappens)totakeoverourmarkets.Thisisnottoadoptaxenophobic‘littleBritain’mentality,butsimplytoobservethatallthingschange;thatinnovationisthelifebloodofconsumermarketingandthathangingontosomeself-servingvisionofauthenticity,traditionalpracticeandheritage(thatowesmoretomarketingspinthanhistoricalfacts)maywellprovesomethingofablindalley.

ButthecumulativewisdomoftheScotchwhiskyindustrydisagreeswithmeand,aswasobservedasearlyas1930,thatcomprisesabodyofmenwell‘assuredoftheircommercialacumen’.Well,weshallsee–Ishallbehappytobeprovedwrong.

Anyway,theyarenotsohideboundinJapanandsowecantryandjudgeforourselves.Thisissomethingofabargainanddeliciousinagentle,self-effacingsortofaway.

Colour Richgold.Nose Clean,delicatewithhintsofcereal.Taste Mouth coating, toffee and vanilla; malty with pear fruit and vanilla

development.Finish Lightbutconsistentandholdstogetherwell.


Price

DiageoOban,ArgyllandButeYesSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.malts.com


14YearsOld

ThisisoneoftheDiageoClassicMaltsrange,soithardlyneedspromotinghere.Yetitalwaysseemstomethatthiswhiskylacksthefameandglamourofsomeofitsstablemates.Perhapstheownersdon’tpromoteitasheavily,asproductionisrestrictedbyOban’slimitedscaleandstockswouldrapidlyrunoutifeveryoneknewjusthowgoodthiswas.

ThedistilleryliesattheheartofthisrathercharmingWestHighlandtown,whichhasgrownuproundit,somuchsothatit’simpossibletoseehowitcouldnowbeexpanded.Butperhapsthat’sagoodthing,asthecharactercan’tbechangedbygrowthandthingswillgoonprettymuchastheyhaveinlivingmemory.

Therearetwo‘standard’expressions–at14YearsOldandtheso-calledDistiller’sEdition,whichisfinishedinsherrycasks.TherearealsooccasionalspecialreleasessuchastheManager’sChoice.Frankly,theseseemtomerathercynicallydesignedforthecollectors’marketandthereisagrowingbodyofopinionthattheymightjustbeatadover-priced.

Butwedon’tneedtoworrybecauseitleavesmoreofthedelicious14-year-oldstyleforus.Thisislovelystuff!Bagsofcomplexity,saltandsmokebutneverunbalancedorover-bearingindelivery;theinitialimpressionisthenovertakenbydriedfruitsandacitricsweetnessthatfadesgentlywithmoresmokeandmaltynotes.Greatvalueatunder£40.IfyoufindsomeoftheIslaymaltsjusttoomuch,thenyoumayfindthisexactlytoyourtaste.Personally,Iloveit.ColourMidgold.Nose Freshandcleanwithasaltytang;somefruitandwhiffsofsmoke.Taste Medium body, soft and mouth coating; initially sweet but develops

greater complexity with spice, orange, drifting smoke and dries as itevolves.

Finish Is the salty tang imagined by association? Only another glass cananswerthisconundrum!


Price

InverHouseDistillersLtdOldPulteney,Wick,CaithnessYesSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.oldpulteney.com

http://www.oldpulteney.com

OldPulteney

17YearsOld

‘WhenIgotofanagetounderstandOldPulteney,Icouldadmireitsqualitywhenwellmatured,recognisinginitsomeofthestrongcharacteristicsofthenortherntemperament.’SoobservedoneofScotland’sfinestwritersandwhisky’smostardentchampions,NeilM.Gunn,inhis1935classicWhisky&Scotland(tryandreaditoneday).

Well,OldPulteneyisstillpossessedofasingularcharacterandnowhereisthisexpressedmoreremarkablyandforcefullythaninthis17YearOldexpression.ThisdistilleryislocatedonthecoastatWickandmakesmuchplayofitscoastallocationandthecuriousflat-toppedstills.Ithaschangedhandsonanumberofoccasionsduringitslonglifebut,today,seemstobereallyvaluedbyitsownersInverHouse.Theyhaveworkedhardtopromotethebrandandhavereleasedanumberofinterestingexpressions,includingavenerable30YearsOld.

But,foritscombinationofexceptionaltasteandrealvalue,I’dhavetopicktheir17YearsOld(thereisa21-year-oldversion,butitseemstomejustatrifleoveraged).Totellthetruth,ifthisteenagerwasonIslay,whiskyfanswouldbefightingtogetit,savouringthepiquant,saltytasteandthelong,lingeringfinish.Sometasterspickuppineappleandcoconutnotes,whileotherspraisethesweet/saltbalance.Personally,Ilovethesaltinesswhichthengiveswaytovanillaandadeliciouslycreamy,mouth-filling(it’sbottledat46%abv),slightlysweetorange,beforefadingawaygently.

Thishaswonanumberofsignificantawardsinthelastfewyears–thejudgescertainlyknewwhattheyweredoing.NeilGunnwouldloveitandhewasafinejudgeofwhisky.ColourVerypalefortheage,butpredominantlymaturedinex-bourbonwood.Nose Sweetandyetsalty;loadsofhoney,vanillaandlemon.Taste Remarkably complex and justifies taking time over it; malted barley

notesrolloverintosomeliquoriceandchocolateflavours,withasteadydrumbeatofsalteverpresent.

Finish Goesonandon,dryingandfadingsteadilyandconsistently.


Price

IrishDistillersMidleton,Cork,IrelandYesSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.irishdistillers.ie

http://www.irishdistillers.ie

Redbreast

Let’sassumethatyoucouldn’tfindanyGreenSpot(noparticularsurprise).Thisiswhatyouneedtoget–notthatthisisinanywaysecondbestand,at12yearsofage,ithassomeadditionalmaturitytoshowoff.Again,thisisanIrishpotstillwhiskeyandthussomethingofararity,thoughyouwillfindRedbreastalittleeasiertotrackdownthantheelusiveGreenSpot.

IrishDistillersistodaypartofthegiantPernodRicardgroupandtheytaketheirdistillingveryseriously.YoucanvisitthedistillerynearCork,thoughwhatyouseeisactuallyamuseumandvisitorcentre,albeitaverygoodone,intheolddistillerywhichnolongerproduces.Therealworkgoesonjustoutofsightatamodernplantwitharemarkablerangeofstills,producingallkindsofspirit(includingginandvodka).Needlesstosay,youdon’tgettoseethat.

Redbreastwasoriginallyproducedin1939forGilbey’sbytheoriginalJamesondistillery.Butafterthatclosed,stocksofmaturingwhiskeyranoutandthebrandwaswithdrawn.ObservingtherefusalofGreenSpottodieandtheupsurgeinsinglemaltScotch,IrishDistillersbroughtitbackasa12-year-oldfromMidleton,togeneralacclaim.Amixofbothsherryandbourboncasksgointotheblendandthefull-onstyleisaclassicofitstype.

Thisisamajorawardwinnerandalwaysscoreshighlyinindependenttastings.Greatvalueatunder£30.ColourAsubtlebronzedgold.Nose Tonsofbodyonthenose,promisingexcitementwithin!Taste Amassivewhiskey,butwithplentygoingonand layersof flavour to

explore.Sweet,withlotsofripefruitandspicenotes.Honeyedbrioche.Veryfullandoilyfora40%abv.

Finish Stickwithitforwavesofvanilla,honey,oakandspice.


Price

ChivasBrothersLtdScapa,OrkneyNoSpecialistsandpossibledutyfree

www.chivasbrothers.comseealsowww.scapamalt.com

http://www.chivasbrothers.com

http://www.scapamalt.com

Scapa

14/16YearsOld

DramaticallylocatedonOrkney’sfamousScapaFlow,thelittleScapadistilleryhassufferedfromturbulenthistory,inconsistentmarketingandthedominantshadowofitsmorefamousneighbourHighlandPark.It’sstillworthpayingattentiontothislittlegem,however.Youhavetobecarefulwhatyoubuy,though,andtoappreciatethatyouhavetounderstandsomeofthehistory.

By2004Scapapresentedadolefulappearance;muchoftheroofwasmissing,andtheelectricalsystemoutofactionanditwasgenerallyassumedthatitwasdoomed.However,togeneralsurprise,over£2mwasthenspentonacompleterefurbishment–thoughitremainsfirmlyclosedtothepublic.ThefollowingyearPernodRicard’sChivasBrothersacquiredthedistilleryand,again,therewererumoursofclosureorpossiblydisposal.

Hope,though,sprangupamongloversofthisuglyduckling–perhapsaswanwouldemergeafterall.Forsomeyears,a14-year-oldexpressionhadbeenmarketedinadesultoryfashion,butitwasappreciatedbyconnoisseurswantingtoexplorealighter,unpeatedislandstylethatwasquiteunique.However,Chivasrelaunchedthebrandanda16-year-oldexpressionwasreleased–sadly,notinmyviewagreattriumph.

Thepriceshotupandforthatyougetarathermoreelegantbottleandboxbutthewhiskyissomethingofananticlimax.Becausetherewasinsufficientstocktogoroundalltheirworldmarkets,thedecisionwastakentobottleat40%abv.Mistake.It’sratherthin(chillfilteredtoboot)andlacksrealdistinction,thoughit’sperfectlypleasant,withsomehoneyflavoursandasaltybite.What’smore,Ithinkyoucanignoreallthemarketing-speakonthewebsiteabouttheLomondwashstill:inmyviewitisn’t.It’sbeenheavilymodifiedand,withitsinternalplatesremoved,it’ssimplyapotstillwitharatherunusualheadandneck.Sothere!

SonotastingnotesherebecauseIdon’tknowwhichwhiskyyou’regoingtofind.Whatyoureallyneedtodoisfindamerchantbottlingandcrossyourfingersit’sagoodone–theGordon&MacPhailandProvenanceversionshave

attractedsomepraise.

Isuppose,feelingcharitable,youcouldbuytheofficialversionifonlytoencouragethem.Theyhavetried,afterall,todotherightthingandit’sabigimprovementonthelastlot’sfeebleefforts.



Price

TheSpencerfieldSpiritsCompanyn/a– this isablendofvariousmaltsproducedbyWhyte&Mackayn/aSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.spencerfieldspirit.com

http://www.spencerfieldspirit.com

SheepDip

Godlovesatrier,orsotheysay.Well,SpencerfieldSpiritsarecertainlytrying.

ThecompanywasformedwhenAlexNicol,thenatWhyte&Mackaybutwithalongindustrycareer,felloutwithhisbossesandleft.Nothingunusualtherebut,inplaceoftheusualseverancepackage,hetookwithhimtherightstotheunlovedSheepDipbrand,whichwasthenlanguishinginthecorporatecellars,andsignedasupplyagreementforwhisky.

ThenheconvincedW&M’sMasterBlender,theebullientRichardPaterson,toworkwithhimandtogethertheycreatedanewblendedmaltforSheepDip.Backintheday,SheepDiphadbeenacultsuccess,butitreliedonindependentownershiptogivethebrandanditscustomersthenecessarytimeandattention.Incorporatehandsitjustwasn’tapriorityanditslowlyfadedaway.

AlexandhiswifeJanehavechangedallthat.Havinggotthewhiskyrighttheyinvestedinsomedramaticnewpackagingandanoldhorsebox,whichtheydriveroundvariouscountryfairssamplingtheproductandsellingbottles.Slowlybutsurely,it’sgatheringanewfollowingandoncepeopletryabottletheywantmore.AndsoSheepDipisslowlyandpainfully,bottlebybottle,gettingbackonitsfeet.

Iwouldn’ttellyouallthisifitwasn’talsoverygoodwhisky.It’sagreatstoryandagreatwhiskyfromsomegreatpeople(Alex:willthatdo?).Oh,andtheyhaveagreatwebsite,aswell,whichtellsyouallthisinsomuchmorelovingdetail.Colour Rich,warminggold.Nose Quitefloralwithhoney,maltandfreshfruits.Taste Dominated by solid Highland and Speyside malts, this has plenty of

weightwithoutlackingsubtletyorbalance.Finish LotstolookforastheIslaycomponentfinallykicksin,addingsmoke;

somespicelingersalso.


IanMacleodDistillersLtdn/an/aSpecialists

www.smokehead.co.uk

http://www.smokehead.co.uk

Smokehead

ExtraBlack

Aargh!Thisisoneofthose‘Ronseal’whiskies:itdoesexactlywhatitsaysonthechunkytin.Idon’treallylikeitbut,ifyourtasterunstobig,peaty,smokymonstersthenyouneedtotryit.Frankly,Ifinditallabittoomuch,butIcan’tdenyit’saroller-coasterofadram.Actually,it’smoreofaweaponofmassdestruction–tomytastebudsatleast.Ineededagoodnight’ssleepbeforethepalatewasclearandtheworkoftastingcouldcontinue.

Forthatreason,bewarned–thistakesnoprisoners.It’san18-year-oldIslaysinglemalt(unspecified,butoneoftheextremeones)bottledbytheexcellentIanMacleodDistillerstotakeadvantageofthecurrentvogueforpeatywhisky.Ican’timaginewhatelsethey’dusethisfor:thetiniestdropinablendingvatandthetastewoulddominatethefinishedproduct.

Thereisalittlebrother,theregularSmokehead.Butifyoulikethiskindofthing,whybotherwiththemonkey,whenyoucanhavetheorgangrinder?IsawExtraBlackcomparedtotheamplifierthatgoesallthewayupto11inSpinalTap.Thisisjustasrockandrollasthat.Andaspointless,really,unless11iswhereyouwanttogo.

I’llleaveituptoyou.Youhavebeenwarned.Andit’snotparticularlycheapeither.Butthat’srockandrollforyou.Colour Curiously pale. I don’t think this has ever seen the inside of a sherry

cask.Nose Peat,smoke,moresmoke,morepeat.Salt.Thenpeat.Taste Explosionsof spice,pepper and,yes,peat smoke. Justhugewavesof

peat.Andsalt.Finish Excuseme,Ihavetoleavenowandgetaglassofwater.


InverHouseDistillersLtdSpeyburn,Rothes,BanffshireNoSpecialists

www.speyburn.com

http://www.speyburn.com

Speyburn

Solera25YearsOld

Alittle-knownbuttraditionalandveryattractiveSpeysidedistillery,Speyburndeserveswiderfame.The10-year-oldstyleenjoyssomesuccessintheUSA,asmuchbecauseofaggressivepricingasanythingelse,butyouhardlyseeitintheUK,whichisagreatshame.Andnovisitorcentreeither,alsoashame.

AnotherclassicCharlesDoigdesign,thedistillerywasbuiltin1897attheendofthegreatVictorianwhiskyboom,andforyearswaspartoftheDCL.Theyfirstmothballeditinresponsetotheover-productionofthe1980s(theso-called‘whiskyloch’)butthankfullysoldittoAirdrie-basedInverHouseDistillersin1991.

Mostofthespiritgoesforblendingbutthedistilleryofferthespectacular25-year-oldSoleraexpressionwhichis,asthesayinggoes,‘todiefor’.Itisquiteremarkablygood.Infact,Idon’treallythinktheyknowhowgooditis,becauseyoucanfindabottleinUKspecialistsataround£70,whichisjustsilly.

Butdon’ttellthem–justsnapupabottleorthreeandenjoyarich,luscious,classicSpeysideratatasty46%abvwhich,withabetter-knownnameandsomesexydesignerpackaging,wouldhavewhiskyfansqueuingroundtheblocktogivethreefiguresforabottleofit.Infact,ifyoupouredthisintoabottleof—We’dbetternotexplorethatthoughtanyfurther!

Sufficeittosaythisisaverywell-keptsecret.Youcan’tvisitthedistillery(shame)andbottlesarehardtofindbutIpromiseyou’llbeimpressed.Getsomebeforeanyonetellstheowners.Colour Curiouslypalefortheage,butanattractivelightgold.Nose Softoakandvanilla.Honey,fruitcakeandsomelightsmoke.Taste Mouthcoating,richandwarm;butteredhoneysweetness,burntorange

anddelicateoaknotes.Finish Smooth,well-balancedandconsistent.Maybeahintofdarkorange,just

attheend.



J&AMitchell&Co.LtdSpringbank,Campbeltown,ArgyllandButeYesSpecialists

www.springbankwhisky.com

http://www.springbankwhisky.com

Springbank

10YearsOld

OnceuponatimethetownofCampbeltownwasoneofthemostimportantandrespecteddistillingcentresinScotland.But,overtheyearsandforavarietyofreasons,itdeclineduntilonlyonereallyactivedistillerywasleft–Springbank.

Itstruggledonduringthe1970sand1980sassomethingofananachronism,ahistoricalcuriosity,quirky,stubbornlyindependentandalmostwilfullyresistanttochange.In1987thelateMichaelJacksonrecordedthatits‘verytraditionalplanthasnotproducedforsomeyears’.

However,therewerealwaysafewdie-hardenthusiastsandkeepersofthetrueflameandtheownersresolutelysoldieredon,obliviousto‘progress’.Inthosedaysyoucouldbuyyourowncaskbut,sadly,theywon’tletyoudothatanymore.Asthesinglemaltboomgatheredpaceintheearly1990s,Springbankbegantoacquireacult,almostmythic,statusgreatlyenhancedbyitsremotelocation(evenbyScottishstandardsCampbeltownisawkwardtoreach)andthedistillery’shermit-likereluctancetoembracepublicity.

Theplantisstilltraditional–infact,walkingroundthedistilleryislikesteppingintoaVictoriandistillingtextbook–andSpringbankadherestoanunusual2?timesdistillationprocess(thereisaverygoodexplanationontheirwebsite,soI’mnotevengoingtotry).Thisandthefloormalting,lackofchillfiltrationorcolouringandlabour-intensiveproductionmeanthatSpringbankisarguablythemosttraditionalofScotchwhisky.

Inrecentyearsithasflourishedandtheownershaveevenbeensoboldastoopenanewdistillery,Kilkerran.AvarietyofstylesareproducedatSpringbankandtheyvarydramatically(seeentryforLongrow)butthisisthestandardandmostwidelyavailable.A‘musthave’whiskyifthereeverwasone.Colour Thishasbeenknowntovaryaccordingtothecaskstheyusefrompale

goldtoadarkershade.Don’tworry–it’sjustpartoftheidiosyncraticfun.

Nose Expectleather,somepeatsmokehints,spicesandasaltynote.

Taste More saltiness, nutmeg and cinnamon, orange peel and, bizarrely,vinegar.Butnice.

Finish Slightly perfumed with a sweet/salt tussle going on. Hints of smokelingerattheend.



TheEnglishWhiskyCo.StGeorge’sDistillery,Roudham,NorfolkYesSpecialists

www.englishwhisky.co.uk

http://www.englishwhisky.co.uk

StGeorge’s

I’mtakingasmallgamblehereandassumingthatbythetimethisgetsintobookshopstheinitialhypeandexcitementsurroundingEnglishwhiskywillhavewornoffandproductswillbeavailableonceagain.For,atthetimeofwriting,StGeorge’shavebeensoswampedbyordersthattheyhavesoldoutoftheirfirstwhiskyandhavesuspendedtheironlineshop.

ThedistillerywasfoundedbyJamesandAndrewNelstrop,Norfolkfarmers,andbegandistillinginNovember2006withthelegendarylainHenderson(fromIslay)incharge.Unlikesomeotherpeople’smorespeculativeprojects,theNelstropswereabletofinancethedevelopmentfromtheirownresourcesand,asaresult,progressonthedistillerywasrapid.

Theyhavetakentheadmirablestepofnotpre-sellingwhiskyuntiltheywereactuallyinproduction,asopposedtosomeotherwould-bedistillerypromoters.Indeed,AndrewNelstroptakesastronglineonthis,commentingthat:‘floggingcasksbeforeyou’vebuiltthedistilleryisacrime,’ashetoldthe2009WorldWhiskiesConference.I,forone,thinkhe’sright.Ifyou’retemptedto‘invest’insuchaschemegoandliedownforawhileuntilthemoodpasses!

Englishwhiskyisnotactuallynew.TherewerewhiskydistilleriesinEnglandinthe1800sbuttheyallclosedbytheturnofthecentury.Withexcellentqualitybarleyonhand,first-rateequipmentandaverypositiveattitudethereisnoreasonwhyStGeorge’scan’tflourishand,indeed,becomethefirstofmanyEnglishwhiskydistilleries.

ThereisanexcellentvisitorcentreatRoudham(somepeopleactuallyplantogetmarriedthere)andyoucantourthedistilleryandtastearangeofproducts,fromnewmakespiritto,bythetimeyoureadthis,four-year-oldwhisky.It’sdefinitelyaventuretosupport–innovative,hand-craftedandhighlyindividual,thisisthekindofthingthatbringsmuch-neededvariety,excitementandinteresttothewhiskyscene.

Initialimpressionsofthenewmakeandthefirstreleaseofathree-year-oldwhiskyinDecember2009wereverypositivesoitseemssafetosuggestyoucan

buywithconfidence.


Price

DiageoTalisker,SkyeYesSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.malts.com


Talisker

10YearsOld

AnotheroftheClassicMaltsrangefromDiageo,Taliskerhaslongbeenpraisedforitsbrazen,up-front,uncompromisingflavours.Likeanumberoftherecommendationshere,it’saveryforcefulproductindeed.

Personally,they’renotmyfavouritesbutit’shardtodenythatlotsofpeoplelikethemand,oncetheytrythisstyle,absolutelyfallinlovewithit–allthemoreso,inthiscase,ifyouvisitthedistillery(andyoushouldtryto).

OutofthevariousdifferentreleasesI’drecommendthe‘standard’10YearsOldasanintroductiontoTalisker,andthenyoucanmoveontothe18YearsOld(seenextentry).

Taliskerhaslonghaditsfans:in1880RobertLouisStevensonlisteditasoneofthethree‘kingo’drinks’andinhisseminalandhighlyinfluentialbookWhisky(1930)AeneasMacDonaldhadTaliskerwrestlingwithClynelishforinclusioninhislistofthetwelvemostdistinguishedofHighlandwhiskies.

Todaythedistilleryrunsalongquitetraditionallines.Itstilluseswoodenwormtubsand,uniquely,thelynearmsonthewashstillsaredesignedtotrapvapoursfromthefirstdistillationbeforetheyreachtheoutsidewormtubs,whileasmallsecondarycopperpipecarriesthetrappedvapoursbacktothewashstillsforaseconddistillation.Alsotraditionally,andcommendably,Taliskerisbottledathigherstrength(here45.8%abv)justtoaddtothefun.

Ifthedistillationsoundscomplicated,it’sbecauseitis,butallthishasahuge,ifnotfullyunderstood,influenceonflavour:theresulthastobeexperiencedtobecompletelyappreciated.Oncetastedneverforgotten.Colour Brightgold.Nose Assertivemarinecharacterwithwavesofsmoke.Taste Surprises with some sweetness, then fruits, smoke and seaweed take

over.Somecommentators recommend trying itwithseafood–oystersorgoodsmokedsalmonseemtowork.

Finish Lots to give here with the sweetness coming back and a distinctivesharppepperbite.


Price

DiageoTalisker,SkyeYesSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.malts.com


Talisker

18YearsOld

AsIhavesaid,Ipersonallyfindthisstyleofwhiskyratheroverwhelming.Greatforafterdinner,perhaps,ordrunkoutofdoors,butjusttoomuchlikehardworktodrinkonitsownorwhena‘quietdram’iscalledfor.Ihaveapersonaltheorythatthere’salargeelementoffashionatworkhere–butI’vebeatenthatdrumelsewhereand,tostretchthatmetaphor,there’snodoubtI’moutofstepandmarchingtoadifferenttune.

So,anotherTalisker,becauseIdon’tforamomentdenyitsgreatness.Movingupfromthe‘standard’10YearsOldweencounterthisbeastie.It’sbeenwidelypraisedbyenthusiastsandwaschosenas‘BestWhiskyintheWorld2007’intheWorldWhiskiesAwards.Idon’tholdwithsuchhyperbole(itwouldn’tbemypersonalbest,inanyevent)butitdoesindicatetheesteeminwhichthisdramisheld.

Mindyou,onawell-knownmerchant’ssiteIsawaconsumercontributeatastingnotewhichread‘tasteslikecombingyourhair’.Thismaywellbeafirst.Iamstillstrugglingtoworkoutwhatwasmeant.

DiageohasworkedhardwithTalisker,exploitingitsdistinctivetasteanditsuniquepositionasSkye’sonlydistillery(therearetentativeplansforafarmhousecompetitorbut,whilethat’sawonderfulidea,ifyouaskme,itwillneverhappen).Aswellasthe10-and18-year-oldstylessuggestedhere,thereareanumberofmoreexpensivespecialeditions,limitedreleasesandoccasionaldistilleryexclusivebottlings,whichmakethejourneyovertheseatoSkyeallthemorepleasurable.

And,ifyoureselloneBaytothecollectors,itcanbeprofitable.NotthatIwouldrecommendthatforamoment,youunderstand,notevenforaprince’sransom.ColourDeeperthanitsyoungerbrother.Nose Everythingyouwantedbutmore!Moresmoke!Morepeat!Morefruits!

Justmore!Taste Toffee, peat and wood, of course, but well balanced with the citrus

fruitinessandlingeringsweetnotes.Baconandorangemarmalade.Finish WavesofflavourgivewaytothetrademarkTaliskerpepperkick.


Availability

Price

WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersLtdBalvenie,Dufftown,BanffshireYes–butbookinginadvanceisnecessarySpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.thebalvenie.com

http://www.thebalvenie.com

TheBalvenie

PortWood21YearsOld

TheBalvenieisthelittlebrothertoGlenfiddichand,forsomeyears,hasbeenratherunfairlyovershadowedbyitsstablemate(almostliterally,asithappens,asthedistilleryliesjustbelowtheGlenfiddichsite).

Morerecently,however,GrantshaveunderstoodthequalityofferedbyTheBalvenieandpromoteditmoreactivelywithagrowingrangeofreleases.Thedistilleryischaracterisedbymaintainingafloormalting,oneofthelastinScotland,andmaybeacquittedofthechargeofkeepingthisonsolelyforitstouristvaluebythefactthat,untilevenmorerecently,itwasclosedtothepublic.

However,youcannowtakeanexcellenttourwhich,thoughsuperficiallyexpensive,infactoffersgreatinsightintoproductionatTheBalvenieandculminateswithanextensivetastingofolderwhiskies,makingitverygoodvalue.Numbersarelimitedsoitisessentialtobookinadvance.Concentratingonthewhisky,theusualclichédaudio-visualpresentationisabsent(whichonlyenhancesthepleasure).

Therearearangeofexpressionsandstylesbutmyfavouriteisthe21-year-oldPortWoodfinish.Someofthesefinishescanbeoverdoneandthewhiskyspoiledbyanunsubtleuseofthesecondwood,butthiswascreatedbythehandofamaster.Delicateportwineflavoursdanceroundtheinherentspiritqualityinamesmerisingandquitebeguilingfashion.

DavidStewart,Grants’MasterBlender,hasspentlongerthanheprobablycarestoadmitintheindustryandiswidelyrespectedbyhispeers.Forme,thisisastellarachievement,fullyjustifyinghishighreputation.ColourWarmhighlightsinrichgold.Nose Raisins andnuts; continues todevelopawell-rounded sweetnessover

time.Taste Silky and full bodied, the port casks seduce but never swamp the

underlyingspiritcharacter.Finish Lingers very nicely and continues to offer a well-mannered, nutty

memory.


Availability

Price

WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersLtdBalvenie,Dufftown,BanffshireYes–butbookinginadvanceisnecessarySpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.thebalvenie.com

http://www.thebalvenie.com

TheBalvenie

30YearsOld

Ifyoulikeolderwhisky,prefertheSpeysidestyleanddon’trequirelavishpackaging,thenthismightwellbeagoodchoice.

Thespiritherewouldhavebeendistilledinthelate1970sjustastheinfamous‘whiskyloch’wasfillingup.Forthoseofahistoricalturnofmind,thiswasaperiodofdisastrousover-productionatatimeoffallingsales,whichresultedindraconiandistilleryclosuresandtheensuinglossofsomefamousnames,suchasPortEllenandStMagdaleneinLinlithgow.ThisepisodeisregrettedtothisdayandhasleftenduringscarsontheScotchwhiskyindustry.

However,whilehardlyimmunefrombroadereconomicconditions,prudentlymanaged,privatelyownedcompaniesarenotasdrivenbytheshort-termdiktatsofthestockmarketastheirpubliclyquotedbrethren,nordotheyliveinconstantfearofbeingswallowedupbyalargerrival.Asaresult,theycanquietlycarryonlayingdownstock(solongastheycanpayforit)intheknowledgethatwhiskyhasalonghistoryofboomandbustandthat,eventually,thecarefullyhusbandedcaskswillacquirethestatusofliquidgold.

Thereiscurrentlyatrendforsomecompaniestoreleasebeautifullypackagedbutexpensivenon-agedwhiskies,arguingthatthebenefitsofageingareover-statedandthatqualityofblendingisall–youngerwhiskiesaddvibrancy,andallthat.Whilethereissometruthinthis,it’salsoafactthattheindustrycutproductionsodrasticallyintheearlytomid1980sthatmanyfirmssimplydon’thaveanyoldwhiskytosell–callmecynicalifyouwill,butthismaypartlyexplaintheiralmostmiraculousconversiontothe‘non-aged’camp!

Fortunately,thecautiousGrantfamilykeptsteadilyonandtodaywecanenjoythissplendidlymatureBalvenieatacracking47.3%abv.Expecttopaymorethan£300forabottlebutit’sworthit.Drinkto‘independence’asyousipadram.Colour Rich,darkgold.Nose Initiallypowdery,butdevelopsarichcomplexitywithhoneynotes.

Taste Driedfruits,orangepeel,vanillaandChristmascakespices.Finish Rollsontofinishwithagentleburstofhoney.


Price

Whyte&MackayLtdDalmore,Alness,Ross-shireYesWidespreadinternationalavailability

www.thedalmore.com

http://www.thedalmore.com

TheDalmore

12YearsOld

IfindmyselfquiteconflictedaboutTheDalmoreanditssomewhatvulgarandostentatiousclaimtobethemostexpensivemaltwhiskyintheworld(abottleoftheir62YearsOldsoldoncefor£32,000).Theyhavequiteafewhigh-pricedandritzyexpressions,thoughhigh-pricedwhiskyain’tnecessarilygreatwhisky.However,thereareenoughbuyersouttherewhoconfusepricewithqualitytoensurethatthewhiskyindustrywillkeepproducingthese‘luxury’offerings.Afterall,theonlyreasonthatwenowhavewhiskiesat£10,000abottleisthattherearepeoplereadyandwillingtopay£10,000forabottle.But,let’sbeclear:thesearetrophies,notwhiskiesasmostofusunderstandtheterm.

Dalmorehassomehowmanagedtomuscleinonthisverytop-endmarket,previouslytheexclusivepreserveofbrandslikeTheMacallan,evenclaimingthatsomeoftheirproductshave‘aninvestmentvalue’.ThisseemstometobeplayingwithfireandwhenIseetheDalmorewebsiteusinglanguagesuchas‘alchemisticartistry’and‘dynamicdistillation’todescribetheirproductionprocessmyscepticismgrows.Thistypeofmarketingriskslosingtouchwithreality,letaloneaninformedaudiencewhoactuallycareaboutwhisky.

However,thoughthemarketingboysandgirlsatDalmoremayhavebeendrinkingtheirownbathwateryoudon’thaveto:therearestillsomedecentwhiskiesunderneathalltheirbreathlessincantationsandmumbo-jumbo.Putallthehypetoonesideandlooknofurtherthantheentry-levelofferingat12yearsold.A50/50blendofsherryandbourboncasks,thisisatextbookexampleofbalance,weightandcomplexitythatoffersgreatvalueformoney.

Youcouldalwayspouritintoacrystaldecanterforwhenthebosscomesround.ColourAlovelywarmgold.Nose Sweet,appetisingandcallingtoyou.Taste Well-balanced sherry and vanilla; dark oranges, spices and dark fruit

cake.Finish Gentlyfadeswithahintofnutsandcaramel.



Price

ChivasBrothersLtdGlenlivet,Ballindalloch,BanffshireYesDifferentexpressionswidelyavailable

www.glenlivet.com

http://www.glenlivet.com

TheGlenlivet

21YearsOldArchive

Glenlivetmakemuchplayintheirmarketingoftheclaim‘thesinglemaltthatstarteditall’.Likemostmarketingclaims,there’ssometruthinthere,butperhapssomewhatembellished.Thisstatementreferstotheassertionthatthedistillery’sfounderGeorgeSmithwasthefirstlicenseddistillerunderanimportant1823ActofParliament.Well,sowhatexactly?Sincethenthedistilleryhasbeenexpandedbeyondrecognitionandproductionmethodshaveevolvedmorethanalittle.

Smith’sGlenlivetwasalwaysaby-wordforquality,though,andnotfornothingisthisparticularwhiskyallowedtostyleitself‘The’Glenlivet.SoIthinkhe’dprobablystillbeproudofthewhiskyproducedunderhisname,thoughwhathe’dmakeofitsFrenchownershipitmightbekindernottospeculate.

TheGlenlivetstyleischaracterisedbywhatisgenerallyidentifiedasa‘pineapple’noteandthathasbeenhighlyprizedbyblendersanddrinkersformorethanahundredyears.Withtheolderstyles,thatfruitnotecanstillbedetectedbutthewhiskyhasgreaterrichnessandsubtlety.Theimpactofextraageingandwoodqualitycanbeseenindeeperflavoursofchocolate,fruitcake,driedfruitsandthensomeengagingandcomplexspicenotes,which,forme,areahallmarkofolderGlenlivetsandarealstampofqualityanddrinkingsatisfaction.

IcouldeasilyhaveincludedmorethanoneGlenlivetinthislist,buttheyarewidelyavailable(especiallyintheUSA)andsoIwilldonomorethanremindyouthatthisisaverygreatwhisky,nottobedisregardedonaccountofitsrelativeubiquity,thusleavingspaceforequallyfinebutmoreobscuredrams.Colour Palecopper.Nose Panacotta,ripeplums,darkorangeandChristmascake.Taste Prunes, subtle coconut; rich and full-bodied with fruity tones. Add

waterslowly.Finish Long,rollingflavoursholdingtogetherwellforanextendedfinish.


Price

TheEdringtonGroupGlenrothes,Rothes,SpeysideNoSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.theglenrothes.com

http://www.theglenrothes.com

TheGlenrothes

SelectReserve

Don’tmakethemistakeofconfusingthissplendidSpeysidesinglemaltwiththeratherdrabandutilitariannewtownofthesamenameinFife:thisisanythingbut!Infact,it’stuckedawayoffthemainstreetofRothesinSpeysideontheedgeoftheRothesburnbut,sincetheydon’thaveanypublicvisitorfacilities,thelocationisfairlyacademic.ThedistilleryisownedbyTheEdringtonGroupbutthebrandbelongstoBerryBros&Rudd,ofStJames’inLondon.

Foryears,thiswasastraightforwardproductionunitmakingawell-respectedwhiskythatwashighlydemandedforblending:CuttySarkandTheFamousGrouse,amongothers,relyonTheGlenrothes.Infact,despiteexpandingthedistillerytwice,demandwassogreatthattherewaslittleornostockleftforsaleasasinglemalt.However,in1987thefirsttentativestepsweretakenandsevenyearslaterBerryBros&Ruddhitontheideaofreleasingvintages(perhapsnotanundulyradicalstepforawinemerchant).

Sincethen,TheGlenrotheshasgoneontoconsiderablesuccessandsomeofthevintagebottlesfetchfancyprices.But,asastartingpoint,youcandoalotworsethantheSelectReserve,anon-vintagebottlingofTheGlenrotheswhichtypifiesthedistilleryhousecharacter–ripefruits,citrus,vanillaandhintsofspice–andisafinerepresentativeoftheclassicSpeysidestyle.It’snon-agedbutthepointhereisthedeliveryofconsistentcharacter.

TheGlenrothesistheantithesisoftheclassicIslaystyle,soifyouwantsmoky,peatywhiskythisisn’tforyou.However,foragentle,subtleandintriguingdramthatkeepsongiving,looknofurther.Greatwhiskyatagreatprice.Colour Palegold.Nose Lashings of vanilla and oak; plums and ripe mango; hints of spice.

Sweet.Taste Well-roundedon thepalate,withgreatbalanceandstyle.Dried fruits,

citrusnotesandslightlyfloral.Finish Acreamyfinishwithsubtlespicenotestowardtheend.


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Price

HighlandDistillersLtdMacallan,Craigellacchie,SpeysideYes–bookinginadvanceisnecessaryforthebettertoursSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.themacallan.com

http://www.themacallan.com

TheMacallan

SherryOak10YearsOld

TheMacallanwasanearlypioneerinsinglemalt,earningitselfthesobriquet‘theRolls-Royceofsinglemalts’,onwhichdescriptionithasbeendiningouteversince.Andnotwithoutgoodreasonfor,ifyoulikethisstyle,itisvery,verygood.

Butholdon,youcry–whatstyleisthat?Yourconfusionisunderstandable.Foryears,TheMacallanmadegreatplayoftheirexclusiveuseofsherrybarrelsforageingtheirwhisky,theninNovember2004theylaunchedtheirFineOakrange,whichdidn’t.Initially,puristswereoutragedbutTheMacallanhashadthelastlaughastheirsaleshavebeenhighlyimpressiveeversince–infact,thisisconsistentlyoneofthefastest-growingsinglemaltsthereis,sopresumablythey’redoingsomethingright.Recently,becausetheyweredoingsowell,theyreopenedamothballedstillhousewithsomeratherattractivedisplaysforyoutostudy.

This,then,isthe‘standard’expression(atleastintheUK;internationallythe12YearsOldisthenorm)andabenchmarkforthesherry-agedstyle.TheMacallangotogreatpainstoselectandcontrolthewoodfortheirbarrelsanditshows:thisisrich,darkandfull-bodiedbutneveroppressive.

It’sworthmakingthetriptothedistillerytoseetheimpressiveexhibitiononwood,whichdetailstheforestry,cooperageandwarehousingpracticethatgoesintoTheMacallan.Todaythereareabewilderingnumberofexpressionsandanynumberoflimitedreleases(some,Isuspect,justforthecollector)butthisistheflagshipandagreatplacetostartexploringthisgrandoldmaltthathasdonesomuchtobuildunderstandingandappreciationoffinewhisky.ColourDeep,naturalcolourfromsherrycaskageing.Nose Immediatesweetness,maltandtoffee.Taste Full bodied but graceful and well-balanced; this is a classic sherry

finish.Finish Thesweetnesscomesthroughwithcitrusnotes,hintsofsmokeandoak.


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HighlandDistillersLtdMacallan,Craigellacchie,SpeysideYes–bookinginadvanceisnecessaryforthebettertoursSpecialistsandpossiblysomebettersupermarkets

www.themacallan.com


TheMacallan

SherryOak18YearsOld

Asaquickglancearoundtheshelvesofanydecentspecialistretailerwillconfirm,therearequiteafewdifferentMacallansanditcangetconfusing.ThefirstthingtogetcleariswhetheryoupreferthetraditionalsherrystyleorthenewerFineOak–bothareverygoodbutverydifferent.Onceyougetthissortedoutyoucanbecomethesortofwhiskyborewhosendspeopletosleepatparties.

ThisisintheoriginalMacallanstyle–withlashingsofsherryonthenoseandpalateduetothehugeimpactofthesherrycasks.YoucanreadallaboutthisontheMacallanwebsiteorevenmakeapilgrimagetothedistillerywheretheyhaveanexhibitiononthesubject.AfewyearsagoitwouldhavebeenfairtosaythatthequalityoftheseolderMacallanswasvariable(Irememberwithashuddersamplingaparticularlyrubbery25yearold)–underthepreviousownerstherewasn’tquitethecareandattentionlavishedonwoodselectionasthereistoday.

Now,virtuallyallMacallanexpressionsareeagerlyconsumedbytheirworldwidelegionoffans.ThemarketingincreasinglytriestopositionMacallanasaluxuryicon’,whateverthatmaybe,butformethisisjustaveryfinewhiskyfordrinkingwithlike-mindedfriendsafterabigdinner.Ifthey’renotfriendstostartwith,theyshouldbeafteryou’veservedthis.

However,readon–therearemoreMacallanstotryandtobuy,thoughwe’regoingtosteerclearofthesuper-premium‘editions’andthemorelavishlypackagedone-offspecials.They’relargelyforcollectorsandPremierLeaguefootballers.We’renearlyattheendbutdon’tforget–thisisabookforwhiskylovers.ColourDramaticdarkmahogany–richanddeep.Nose Approachwithcare–thisisveryfull-onwithdramaticnotesofwood

andleather.Taste Powerfulsherryimpact,winenotes,somesmoke,chewyvanillafudge

withspicylayersofferingupOldeEnglishmarmaladeanddriedfruits.

Finish Veryroundandconsistent.Somesmokehintsandclassiccakenotes.


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HighlandDistillersLtdMacallan,Craigellacchie,SpeysideYes–bookinginadvanceisnecessaryforthebettertoursSpecialists

www.themacallan.com


TheMacallan

FineOak30YearsOld

Thisisasfaraswe’regoingwithTheMacallananditistheonerepresentativefromtheFineOakrangethatI’vepicked.Itmightbemoreeconomicallyprudenttostartwithits10YearsOldlittlebrother(it’sabout1/10ofthepriceforonething),orthestunning15YearsOld,butyouwon’tregretsplashingoutonabottleofthisbeauty.

Foronething,itwearsitsageverylightlyandisalmosteffervescentonthepalate,allthemoresowithasplashofwater.Thatmayseemstrange(itis,infact,strangesoItriedasecondsampleonanotherdaywiththesameresult)butIratherlikeit.WhatitshowsveryclearlyisthebasicintegrityandunderlyingqualityofTheMacallanspiritwithouttheusualsherryeffect.

There’salotofbodyherewithcomplextoffeeandvanillaandlayersofwoodandspice.Itdoesdemandsomeconcentrationandeffortonyourpart,buttheeffortwillberewardedwithamemorabletourthroughaveritableforestofoak.Butitneverdominatesoroverwhelmsandthatisthiswhisky’sgreatcharm.Thedistillersdescribedthisashaving‘arich,exotic,headyandaromaticnose–reminiscentofanorangegrove’but,whilethereissomesweetnessthere,Iassociatethecitricnotemorewiththe21YearsOldortheconsiderablymoreexpensive1824.

Whatever.Justbecarefulwhenyougetthisoutandwhoyouofferitto.It’salltooeasytodrinkandforgetthepricetag(it’llsetyoubackjustover£300intheUK).

Ican’trecommendtoomanywhiskiesatthislevelbutthisisveryhardtoresist.ColourMarkedlypalerthanitscounterparts;anattractiveyellowgold.Nose Toffee,vanilla,oakandsomesmokehints.Taste Exceptionally complex, rich and mouth coating; black cherry. Lively

withwater.Finish Quitecreamy,softandlingering.Layeredandsophisticated.


Price

TheWineSocietyn/a–thisisablendn/aTheWineSociety–Members’Listandwebsite

www.thewinesociety.com

http://www.thewinesociety.com

TheWineSociety

SpecialHighlandBlend

Payattention–thisisaserious,under-ratedandlittle-knownbargain.FirstyouhavetojoinTheWineSociety.Onceuponatimethiswasasortofupper-classriteofpassage,likeputtingyourchildrendownforEton,gettingelectedtotheMCCororderingyour12-borefromPurdeys.Nolonger–they’vedemocratisedtheSocietyandyoucanjoinonline(thoughtheirlabelstilllooksprettygoodinanunderstatedsortofawayatsmartdinnerparties).

Obviously,theymainlysellwine(andgreatvalueitis)buthiddenawayontheirlististhislittlebeauty.TheSocietyhashadtheirownblendforyears,layingdownnewfillingsintheirownsherrycasksandwaitingaremarkable14yearsuntilit’sready.Untilrecently,Edrington’sJohnRamsaywasinchargeoftheblendand,prudently,considerablestockshavebeenlaiddownfollowinghisrecentretirementsothequalityisassuredforsomeyearsahead.Onlyaprivatemembers’organisationcoulddothis.

Theblendisaround40%singlemalt,withthedelicious,meaty,full-bodiedSpeysiderMortlachatitsheart.ThoughthisisnotanEdringtondistilleryithas,infact,featuredinTheSociety’sSpecialHighlandBlendformanyyears.ThefastidiousSocietyinsistthatnocaramelisusedtocolourthewhiskybut,despitetheHighlandname,IdetectsomeIslaycontentintheblend–orperhapsthemightyTaliskerfindsitswayinthere.Afterall,thelabelfeaturesahandsomeillustrationofDunveganCastleonSkye,inhonouroftheSociety’sfirstChairman,thesplendidlynamedTheMacleodofMacleod.

Whatevertheexactblendrecipe,you’llgoalongwaybeforeyoubeatthisdiscreetlychic,understatedandmellowdram.Excellentvalue,andtheirotherprivatelabelwhiskiesarealsowellworthexploring.ColourMidgold.Nose Sherryimpactevidentandsuggestionsofage.Somesmokebehind.Taste Very full bodied; a robust and ‘solid’whisky,meaty and oily even at

40%abv.

Finish Alingeringsweetnessremainsandplayswithfaintsmoketraces.


CompassBoxWhiskyCompanyn/a–thisisablendinghousen/aSpecialists



TheSpiceTree

Thisisasomewhatcontroversialwhisky.ThefirstreleaseofTheSpiceTreeinsertedbrandnewoakstavesinthecasksusedtomaturethewhisky.Forreasonstooarcaneandlengthytogointohere,thisattractedthewrathoftheScotchWhiskyAssociation(SWA)whothreatenedCompassBoxwithlegalactioniftheydidn’tstop.TheensuingpublicitymeantthatthewhiskysoldoutinrecordtimebutCompassBoxfelttheycouldn’triskanyfurtherbatchesmadeinthisway.

However,theywerenotdeterredandspentthenextthreeyearstryingtofindamaturationmethodthatwaswithintherulesbutgavethesameeffect.Thisistheresult.Insteadofinsertingstavesintothecask,thecaskendsthemselveshavebeenheavilytoastedandthewhiskymaturedforafurthertwoyears.(ThereisadetailedandveryclearexplanationofthisontheCompassBoxwebsite.)It’snotimmediatelyevidentwhattheSWAobjectedtoexactly,otherthanmaintainingthattheprocesswasnot‘traditional’.Thisopensupawiderdebate,withanumberofcommentators(includingme)suggestingthattheSWAhasasomewhatelasticdefinitionoftraditionandthat,asaresult,itseemsthatmuchneededinnovationrisksbeingstifled.ProducersasdiverseasLochLomond,BruichladdichandCompassBoxhavealltakenissuewiththeSWA’sinterpretationoftheScotchWhiskyregulations,sofartoabsolutelynoavail.

However,thiswhiskyseemstobeacceptabletothegrandpanjandrumsandwecanallenjoyitwithaclearconscience.It’sblendedmalt,primarilyfromClynelish,andbottledat46%,hasanaturalcolourandisnon-chillfiltered.ByCompassBox’sstandardsit’snotparticularlyexpensiveand,asthisisasippingwhiskythatyou’lllingerover,abottlemaywelllastlongerthanyouthink.ColourAmber.Nose Quitefloralandthenspicy.Raisins,nutsandasuggestionofrosewater.Taste Brown bread, dark orange marmalade and brown sugar. Pronounced

spice and wood notes; a bold and assertive whisky for sipping.Marzipan.

Finish Complex and layered, this slips away slowlywith the spice and full-

bodiedsweetvanillahangingonforsomethingofacrescendo!



CooleyDistilleryPLCCooley,Riverstown,Dundalk,IrelandYes–toursbyappointmentonlySpecialists

www.tyrconnellwhiskey.com

http://www.tyrconnellwhiskey.com

TheTyrconnell

TheresolutelyindependentCooleyDistillerywasrewardedforitspioneeringeffortswiththeawardofWorldDistilleroftheYearin2008andastaggeringtengoldmedalsfromtheInternationalWine&SpiritsCompetition(IWSC)in2009(followingninethepreviousyear).

Allthemoresurprisingthentolearnthatthedistilleryis,infact,aconvertedpotatoalcoholplantboughtin1987bytheenterprisingJohnTeelingandbackedbysome300shareholders.Twoyearsofhardworkfollowed,afterwhichCooleyDistillerywereabletofilltheirfirstcaskin1989.

However,TheTyrconnellhasamuchlongerhistoryandwasonceoneofIreland’sbest-knownwhiskeys.Thecompanyclaimthat,beforeProhibition,itwasamongthebest-sellingIrishwhiskeyintheUSA,pointingtoadvertisinghoardingsintheYankeestadiuminNewYorkasevidence.Thename,improbablyenough,comesfromthe100-1winneroftheIrishClassichorseraceTheNationalProduceStakeswhichin1876waswonbyTheTyrconnellracehorse,ownedbytheWattsfamilyofdistillers.Delightedwiththissuccessacommemorativewhiskeywaslaunched,whichcharmingstoryexplainsthesplendidlabelwithitsdelightfulperiodfeel,evenifthe1762dateonthepackagingisalittlehardertojustify.

ThewhiskeyitselfhasbeenamainstayforCooleyandtodaytherangehasbeenexpandedtoencompassextra-agedversions,variousfinishesandsomesingle-caskofferings,thebestofwhicharetrulysuperb.Butthesearegenerallyonlyinlimiteddistributionandthushardtofind.Whatismoreaccessibleisthestandardnon-agedSingleMalt.I’mtemptedtobeawhiskyknow-allandsuggestthatthiswouldbebetterbumpedupto46%abvandnon-chillfiltered,butthisisafinerepresentativeofthebestofIrishdistillingandagreatadvertisementforindependentownership.Colour Pale–bourbonmaturationatworkhere.Nose Citrusandspice.Cleanandappealing.Taste Somehoney,agreeablyoilyin thebody,citrus tangappealsandspice.

Mediumbody.

Finish Evolvesagreeablywiththeprincipalcharacteristicsshowingwell.


BurnStewartDistillersLtdTobermory,MullYes–toursbyappointmentSpecialists

www.tobermorymalt.com

http://www.tobermorymalt.com

Tobermory

15YearsOld

ThereissomethingundeniablyromanticabouttheideaofTobermorydistillery.Foronething,it’sonanisland.And,foranother,it’ssmallandhasbattledforsurvivalagainstalltheodds–thedistillerywasfoundedin1798(Barnardsays1823)butwas‘silent’forlongperiodsinthemid1800sand1930s,twicerevivedduringthe1970s,thenunderthreatofpropertydevelopmentuntilitcameintotheownershipofBurnStewartin1993.Soitwouldbeniceifitcouldsucceed.

Butthekindestthingthatonecouldsayaboutmuchofthewhisky,marketedalternatelyasTobermoryandLedaig,isthatthequalitywasvariable.Frankly,toadaptthewordsofthepoem,whenitwasgooditwasjustaboutOK,butwhenitwasbaditwashorrid.Ihavehadsomeshockersfromthisdistillery.However,atlast,there’ssomegoodnews.

Thewhiskycomingthroughnowhasbeendistilledbydeeplycommittedlong-termownersandundertheguidanceofthetraditionallymindedIanMcMillan,BurnStewart’sMasterBlenderandsomethingofazealot,thequalityofTobermoryismuchimproved.

Nowhereisthisseenmoreclearlythaninthis15-year-oldexpression(it’snocoincidencethatthedistillerychangedhands16yearsago),whichisverymuchlan’screation.ThecasksarestoredmainlyatBunnahabhainwhereeachyearheselectsaparcelofthebest.Thesearere-rackedinGonzalezByasssherrybuttsandsentbacktoMullforayear’sfurthermaturation(thereisverylimitedwarehousingthere)beforeitisbottled,non-chillfilterednaturally,at46.3%abvforloadsofcreamymouthfeel.

McMillan’smarketingcolleagueshavealsoraisedtheirgame,withanicebottle,handsomeboxandaninterestingwebsite.So,thereyouare–agoodnewsstory.Nowtrysome!Colour Richdeepgold.Nose Plentyofsherryimpact,darkorangemarmaladeandsomesuggestionof

smoke.

Taste Amedium body. Fruit cake, chocolate, vanilla toffees, light oak andsomespicenotes.

Finish Nuts,spiceandsalt.


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TheSazeracCompanyforJPVanWinkle&SonBuffaloTrace,FranklinCounty,KentuckyYes–butbearinmindthisis theBuffaloTracedistilleryandtoursaredesignedwiththatinmindYou’llhavetoseekitout

www.oldripvanwinkle.com

http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com

VanWinkle

FamilyReserveRye

Rye?Why?Youmightbegivingthisentrysomewrylooks.YoumighteventhinkthatVanWinkleisadaftnamemadeupbysomemarketingagency.

Wrong,wrong,wrong.Ryeiswhiskey’ssecret–thestylethatrefusedtodie.AstheInternationalHeraldTribuneputit:‘Ryewhiskeyistheworld’sgreatforgottenspirit,distinctive,complexanddelicious.Itoffersatactilepleasureunlikeanyotherwhiskeyintheworld.’

AndtheVanWinklecompanycantracethemselvesbacktothelate1800s(whichmakesthemAmericanwhiskeyaristocracy)whenJulianP.‘Pappy’VanWinkle,Sr.wasatravellingsalesmanfortheW.L.WellerandSonswholesalehouseinLouisville,haulinghissamplesroundthestatebyhorseandbuggy.

Afteracomplicatedhistory(lookitupifyou’reinterested,there’snospacehere)thecompanycontinuesinthehandsofJulianVanWinkleIIIandhisson,disappointinglynamedPreston.Likesomanyothergoodthings,theirwhiskies,mainlysoft,smooth,wheatedbourbons,aremadeattheBuffaloTraceDistillerynearLouisville.

Butthis13-year-oldryewhiskeystandsout.Ryeisn’tnormallyagedthatlongandtheresultisadelightfullycomplexandrewardingspiritthathasseducedmanyexperiencedtasters.PaulPacultgaveit5starsandscoresdon’tgohigherthanthat.GrababottleandtasteAmerica’soriginalwhiskey.

RyeisprobablywhatGeorgeWashingtonmade.It’scertainlywhattheWhiskeyRebellionof1794wasabout–and,ifwhiskeywasworthfightingover,youcancertainlygotothetroubleoftrackingdownabottle.Colour Richandwarming,withcopperhintsandhighlights.Nose Caramelandspice.Herbalnoseofsnuff.Taste Initially sweet,with toffeeand leather.Rancio.Developsdrying spice

andpeppernotes.

Finish Driedfruitsemphasisethecomplexityasthisrichandpowerfulwhiskeyfadesdelightfullyaway.



Austin,NicholsDistillingCo.(CampariGroup)WildTurkey,Lawrenceburg,KentuckyYesSpecialists

www.wildturkeybourbon.com

http://www.wildturkeybourbon.com

WildTurkey

RareBreed

ThereareanumberofWildTurkeyvariants–astandardversionat8yearsold;anumberofagedversions;arye;Russell’sReserve,namedafterlegendaryMasterDistillerJimmyRussell;andevenaHoneyLiqueur(withitsownrathertacky‘AmericanHoney’calendar,fromacreativeteamthatapparentlyeatsregularlyinHootersandnodoubtbelievesthistheepitomeofupscalefinedining).Allaregood(withthepossibleexceptionofthecalendar)butIsuggestyouseekoutsomeWildTurkeyRareBreed.It’sasmallbatchKentuckyStraightBourbonWhiskey,blendedfrombarrelsatbetween6and12yearsofageandbottledatbarrelstrength(54.1%abv).

Thedistilleryhasbeenthroughseveralhands:mostrecentlyitwassoldbyPernodRicardtoraisecashtopayfortheirAbsolutvodkapurchase.ItnowbelongstotheItalianCampariGroup(theyalsoownGlenGrantinScotland).Atthetimeofwritingtheirplansforthebrandareunclearbutitwouldseemunlikelythattheywillintroducefundamentalchangetoawell-lovedbourbonicon,referencestowhichappearregularlyinpopularculture.Toursareavailableatthedistillery.

Thishigherstrengthspiritcantaketheadditionofsomewatertoopenupthemoredelicatearomas,butgocarefully.Itdoesnotrequiresignificantdilutionandmaybebestenjoyedasasippingwhiskey,forthoselongeveningsofcontemplation–unless,ofcourse,raucousrevelryismoretoyourtaste.Ifyoudotakeamomenttocontemplate,readthesmallbookletthatcomeswiththebottleandconsiderjoiningtheRareBreedSociety.

It’samarketingtooltohelpgatheryourcontactinformationbut,forabriefmoment,it’sfuntopretendthatyouareamemberofaprivilegedelite‘whoshareJimmyRussell’sdeepinterestinbourbonmakingandtasting’.Yeehah!ColourWarmredtoamber.Nose Highstrengthevidentinitially,thenberriesandvanillaandtoffee.Taste Caramel,corn,liquorice,somecitrusnotesandfreshredapples.

Finish Highlycomplexandlayered,withafinalkick.



Price

Brown-FormanCorporationWoodfordReserve,Versailles,KentuckyYesGoodinspecialistsandsomesupermarkets

www.woodreserve.com

http://www.woodreserve.com

WoodfordReserve

Don’tmakethemistakeofaskingdirectionstoVersaillesinaEuropeanaccent(asIoncedid).Allyougetfromthelocalsareblanklooks–it’s‘Versales’!Butwhenyougettheresomethingsatleastwillseemfamiliar–especiallythestillroom.

Andthat’sbecausethedistinctivepotstillsinwhichWoodfordReserveisdistilledweremanufacturedinRothes,Scotland,andshippedtoKentuckywhereadistillerfromScotlandtaughtthelocalshowtousethem.

Singlebatchbourbonwas,inessence,theUS’sanswertothephenomenonofsinglemaltScotchandanattempttomakebourbon,whichhadacquiredablue-collarimage,chiconceagain.Well,it’sworkedandWoodfordReservewasoneofthefirsttoshowthatitcouldbedone.

Theparentcompany,Brown-FormanCorporation(whoalsoownJackDaniel’s),investedaround$14minrestoringtheoldLabrot&Grahamdistillerywhichtheyhadownedfor30yearsfrom1941.Theysolditin1971,boughtitbackin1994,turneditintoashowpiece,andrebrandeditasWoodfordReserve.

AtfirsttheproductcloselyresembledanotherB-Fbrand,OldForester,buttodayit’savattingofsomecolumnstillwhiskeywiththeoutputoftheL&Gpotstills,madeinsmallbatches.

Thedistillery,whichisonanunusualboutiquescalefortheUSA,hasafinevisitorcentre.Greatstressislaidonthelimestonespringwater,cypressfermentationvessels,smallpotstillsandstonewarehouses.TheresultisaKentuckyclassic,withmanyfans.ColourDarkhoney.Nose Vanillasweetness,honey,freshfruitsandhintsofchocolate.Taste Rich and warming, with layers of mint, tobacco, leather and fruit.

Smoothandfullbodied.WillseemsweettotheEuropeanpalate.

Finish Smoothandwarming;veryconsistentandbalanced.


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SuntoryYamazaki,nearOsaka,HonshuIsland,JapanYes–ratedasoneofthebestintheworldanditalsohasanexcellentwhiskymuseumGoodinspecialists,somesupermarketscarryyoungerages

www.theyamazaki.jp

http://www.theyamazaki.jp

Yamazaki

12YearsOld

LookoutScotland!Wakeup!

ThereusedtobeanarroganceinScotlandaboutJapanesewhisky,bestsummedupinaScotchWhiskyAssociationpublicationof1951:‘TheJapscametothiscountryyearsago,copiedourplantandevenemployedsomeofourSpeysidepersonnel.TheyproducedanimitationofSpeysideWhiskywhichwasnotgoodalthoughdrinkable.’

Suchpatronisingattitudesdiehardandmaybeobservedtothisday.TothosewhoholdthemIsay,‘LookattheBritishcarindustry–thenbeafraid,beveryafraid.’

ThefactisthatthebestJapanesewhiskyisvery,verygoodandvery,veryJapanese.Yes,theirrestlesslyinnovative,quality-obsessedproducerscopiedthebestofScottishpractice,butthentheyadaptedandimproveditforJapaneseconditions.Asaresult,Japanesewhiskyiscollectingprizes,winningmedalsandgrowingfast.Inthefouryearsto2007,Yamazaki’sEuropeansalesgrew23times.Fromasmallbase,admittedly,butitcan’tbeignored.Infact,whiskieslikethisshouldbecelebrated.

TheoriginalJapanesemaltdistillery,Yamazakiwasfoundedin1923atthesiteofafamouswatersourcewherethreeriversconverge.Thedistilleryisoftenshroudedinmistandthewarehousessitshelteredbyabambooforest.Japanesedistillersdon’tswap‘fillings’fortheirblendswithrivalssothestillsatYamazakiarealldifferentinsizeandshape,permittingabewilderingrangeofstylestobeproduced.

Tryanyyoucanfind.ThereareotherJapanesewhiskieslistedherebutthisoneisafavouriteandagreat,good-valueintroductiontoawholeotherworldofwhisky.ColourGold.Nose Vanilla,clovesandpanettone.

Taste Medium bodied. Sweet, then spicy. Honey and lemon. Dried fruits.Wood.

Finish Dryandspicy.


VisitorCentre

Availability

Price

SuntoryYamazaki,nearOsaka,HonshuIsland,JapanYes–ratedasoneofthebestintheworldanditalsohasanexcellentwhiskymuseumGoodinspecialists,somesupermarketscarryyoungerages

www.theyamazaki.jp

http://www.theyamazaki.jp

Yamazaki

18YearsOld

In1923,ShinjiroTorii,thefounderofSuntoryandapioneerofJapanesewhisky,builtJapan’sfirstmaltwhiskydistilleryintheValeofYamazaki.Usingcopperpotstills,theYamazakidistillerywasthefirstofitskindoutsideofScotland.Thedistillery’slocationontheoutskirtsofJapan’sancientcapitalofKyotoofferedpurewaters,diversityofclimateandhighhumidity–theidealenvironmentforthematurationofgoodwhisky.

Today,Suntory’sYamazakiisthemostpopularsinglemaltwhiskyinJapanandisenjoyedbywhiskyconnoisseursinmorethan25countries.ThevisitorcentreatYamazakiisalsoverypopularattractingaround100,000visitorsannuallyforthefree,90-minuteguidedtour.

ThisolderversionofYamazakiisrelativelyeasytofindintheUK.However,ifyoufindthatyoulikeit,therearealsoanumberoflimitedreleasesandspecialfinishes–though,thesearegenerallymoreexpensiveand/orhardertofind.Theextraagehaschangedthiswhiskyquitemarkedly,addingdepthanddistinctiontotheflavour.Wherethe12-year-oldispleasantlylight,thishasextrabodyandadditionalcomplexity,withoutinanywayfeelingoveraged.Byanystandard,it’sanimpressiveandenjoyablewhisky.

IntheUKSuntoryownMorrisonBowmoreandthereforehaveachievedquitewidespreaddistributioninlargersupermarkets,specialistsandwhiskybars.Theyhavebeenactiveinenteringcompetitivetastingsandthis18YearsOldexpressionhaswonmajorawardsfromtheInternationalWine&SpiritsCompetition,SanFranciscoWorldSpiritsCompetitionandtheBeverageTastingInstitute.Colour Coppergold.Nose Black cherry seems to be a Yamazaki signature, also some oakiness,

sherry,andtheageisevident.Taste Fullerthanthe12Years.Toffee.Earthy,dusty,rooty–it’swood,Jock,

butnotasweknowit.Driedfruits,mossandbark(butnobite).Finish Quite satisfyingly long and consistent. Some commentators get

pomegranate.Idon’t.


NikkaYoichi,Hokkaido,JapanYesSpecialists

www.nikka.com

http://www.nikka.com

Yoichi

10YearsOld

Thisisoneofthereallygreatwhiskystories–afittingendtothisexplorationof101whiskiestotrybeforeyoudie.

ThecompanythattodayweknowasNikkawasfoundedinJuly1934whenMasatakaTaketsuruboughtalargeparcelofreclaimedlandbytheYoichiRiver,asiteherecognisedasbeingidealforproducingwhiskyinaScottishstyle.ThishadbeenhisdreamsincestudyingdistillinginScotlandfrom1918–20(duringwhichtimehealsomarriedScotsgirlRitaCowan).HereturnedtoJapanin1920andhelpedestablishtheYamazakidistillery.

Buthewantedtobuild,ownandoperatehisown‘Scottish’distilleryinJapanand,assuch,heiswidelyhonouredasthe‘father’ofJapanesewhisky.TodayYoichiisownedbyAsahiBreweriesbutcontinuestooperateinahighlytraditionalmanner,withdirect-firingofthespiritstillsandwormtubsforcondensingthespirit.AselsewhereinJapan,thedistillerycanadaptquicklytodifferingstylesofwhisky,asaresultofwhichnospiritfromoutsidethecompanyisrequiredforblending.

TaketsurumanagedthecompanythroughWorldWar2,itsmergerwithAsahiandthedevelopmentofthecompany’sSendaidistilleryin1969.Heeventuallydiedin1979,aged85.In1989NikkaacquiredtheBenNevisdistilleryinFortWilliam,Scotland,andrestartedproductionthere,thuscompletingakindofacircleinthisremarkableman’scontributiontothehistoryanddevelopmentofwhiskyinbothJapanandScotland.

ThereareseveralexpressionsavailablebutthemostaccessibleintheUKisthis10-year-oldstyle.Various‘Nikka’brandedmaltsarealsoseen,someofwhichcontainwhiskyfromYoichi(e.g.NikkaBlackandNikkaTaketsurupuremalts).Drinkanyoftheseandraiseyourglasstoatruevisionaryandpioneer,whoreallytriedbeforehedied.ColourDeepbronze.Nose Boldanddirect,withpeatevident.Lightcitrusnotes.

Taste Minty chocolate and orange oil.Creamymouth feel and delicate peatsmoke.

Finish Sweetness,peatandsomeantisepticnotesinalternatewaves.

Howtotastewhiskyandusethisbook

Tastingwhisky–anywhisky–isstraightforward.Followthesesimplerulestogetthemostfromyourdram.

Usetherightglass.Atumblerishopeless.WhatyouneedistheGlencairnCrystalwhiskyglass(buyonlinefromwww.glencairn.co.uk).Ifyoucan’tfindthose,getasherrycopitaorbrandysniftertoconcentratevolatilearomasandhelpyou‘nose’thewhisky.

Fixthearomaandtastewithassociations–thesmellofnew-mowngrass,forexample,avanilla-flavouredtoffeeortherichtasteoffruitcake.

Addalittlewater.Itopensupthespiritandpreventsyourtastebudsfrombecomingnumbedbyalcohol.

Rollthewhiskyrightroundyourmouthand‘chew’it.Givetheflavourstimetodevelop:thewhiskyhasbeenageingforyears–giveitasleastasmanysecondsandtherewardswillbehuge.

Finally,thinkaboutthe‘finish’,orthelingeringtastethatremains.Howconsistentisit?Whatnewflavoursemerge?

Relax,keeppractisingandyou’llverysoondiscoverwhisky’suniquerichness.

Imagineyouwereabouttomakeatriptoaforeignland.Usethisbookasasortoftraveller’sguidetothenewcountry:itpointsyoutosomesightsthatyoudidn’tknowwerethereormightotherwisehaveignoredonyourjourney.Idon’tclaimtohavealltheanswers;Idon’tknowwhatwhiskyyoulikeandthere’snoreasonatalltoassumethatyou’lllikethesamewhiskiesasme.That’swhytherearenoscoreshere.Butyoucanbeassuredthateverywhiskyhereishereforareasonandthattheyaregood,oftengreat,whiskiesoftheirkind.

Sotrythematleastonce.Beforeyoudie.

http://www.glencairn.co.uk

Acknowledgements

Mywife,Lindsay,hasbeenenormouslypatientandputupwithmygrumpymoodsandmentalabsenceswhilewritingthisbook.Presumablyshe’susedtoitbynow.Worryingly,sheclaimsthatshedidn’tnoticeanydifference.Eitherway,thebiggestthanksgotoher.

Myagent,JudyMoir,believedinthebookfromthestartandwaspositive,helpfulandencouraging.Herhusband,Neville,helpedaswell:heknowswhathedid!ThankstobothofthemandtoBobMcDevittatHachetteforhisenthusiasmandsupport.JoRoberts-Millerdidagreatjobeditingthebookindouble-quicktime.

Iruthlesslyexploitedmostofmycontactsinthewonderfulworldofwhiskybyaskingthemtonominatetheirthree‘DesertIslandDrams’,withoutrevealingthepurposeoftheenquiry.Thisgroupincludesdistillers,blenders,whiskywriters,retailers,companydirectorsandvisitorcentreguides–anyone,infact,whoseemstometotalksenseaboutwhiskyandwasableandwillingtooffersomeinsights.Therealreason,ofcourse,wastoensurethatIdidn’tmissanythingout.Theircumulativewisdomdrewmyattentiontomanygems.

Inalphabeticalordermy‘oracles’were:

RussellAnderson,RaymondArmstrong,HelenArthur,DaveBroom,JonathanBrown,ChrisBunting,FrankColeman,YvesCosentino,RonnieCox,JasonCraig,KatherineCrisp,JimCryle,KathleenDiBenedetto,DrClemensDillmann,DuncanElphick,KevinErskine,JamesEspey,GrahamEunson,MichaelFraser-Milne,JohnGlaser,PeterGordon,LawrenceGraham,AlanGray,KenGrier,TeimeiHoriuchi,ProfessorPaulHughes,DavidHume,BarrieJackson,RichardJoynson,NaofumiKamiguchi,MikeKeiller,IainKennedy,DavidKing,JohnLamond,BillLark,JimLong,MhairiMacDonald,NeilMacDonald,IanMacIlwain,CharlieMacLean,IanMacMillan,NialMackinlay,AnabelMeikle,MarcinMiller,TatsuyaMinagawa,PhilipMorrice,PeterMuller,PeterMulryan,DavidNathan-Maister,StuartNickerson,AlexNicol,MartineNouet,BeckyOffringa,HansOffringa,BillOwens,RichardPaterson,BrettPontoni,VijayRekhi,KenRobertson,IngvarRonde,DominicRoskrow,FranzScheurer,ColinScott,JacquiSeargeant,SukhinderSingh,GavinDSmith,StuartSmith,DavidStewart,StevenSturgeon,JackTeeling,LukeTegner,JeffreyTopping,MisakoUdo,KerryWalshSkerry,IainWeir,NeilWilson,AlanWinchester,DavidWishart,IanWisniewskiandGrahamWright.

Mythankstoallofthem.

Furtherresources

BooksTherearemany,manybooksandwebsitesaboutwhisky;somewouldsaytoomany.However,Ihavesuggestedjustafewhereforfurtherreading,theideabeing(likethelistofwhiskies)topointyouinvariousdirectionsinthepursuitofknowledge.

ThefirstmodernbookwrittenaboutwhiskywasAeneasMacDonald’sWhisky,reissuedinfacsimilein2006.Despiteitsage(itfirstappearedin1930)itiswellworthreadingasapoeticgeneralintroductiontoScotchwhiskythatisstillsurprisinglyrelevant.

ForthehistoryoftheScotchwhiskyindustryMichaelMossandJohnHume’sTheMakingofScotchWhiskyisvaluable,thoughdryandnowsomewhatdated.ScotchWhisky–ALiquidHistorybyCharlesMacleanisrathereasiergoing.AnytitlebyCharlieisworthreading.

GavinD.SmithisverystrongonthepeopleandpersonalitiesinScotch.LookoutforTheWhiskyMen.FortasteevaluationofScotchwhiskiestryWhiskyClassifiedbyDavidWishart.

ThereisverylittleinEnglishonJapanesewhisky.PerhapsthemostauthoritativeisJapaneseWhisky:Facts,FiguresandTastebyUlfBuxrud.Itdoeswhatitsaysinthetitle.IfthereisareallygoodbookonAmericanwhiskiesithaspassedmebyandanup-to-dateaccountofIrishwhiskeyisbadlyneeded.

Formorecomprehensivecoverageofallworldwhiskiesandabasicintroduction,lookforWorldWhiskyeditedbyCharlesMacLean.Iwasoneofanumberofcontributors.TheneweditionofthelateMichaelJackson’sMaltWhiskyCompanionhasbeencompiledbyDominicRoskrowandGavinD.Smithandisexhaustive.SomepeoplefindJimMurray’sannualWhiskyBibleuseful.Hetastesalmosteverything!

TheMaltWhiskyYearbookisissuedannuallyandcoversmorethanjustsingle

malt.Itisaninvaluableguide;accurate,regularlyupdatedandamineofinterestinginformation,especiallyonnewdistilleries.

AtinylittlecompanycalledClassicExpressions,whichIrunwithacolleague,reprintsrarecollectableclassicsofwhiskywritinginnumberedlimitededitions–www.classicexpressions.co.uk.

Therearevariousmagazines.Perhapsthebest(inEnglish)areWhiskyMagazine(UK)anditsAmericancounterpartTheMaltAdvocate.

WebsitesThereareliterallyhundreds,perhapsthousands,ofwebsitesonwhisky,rangingfromtheexhaustivetothescanty,theauthoritativeandreliabletothefranklyeccentric.Bloggerscomeandgoandmaintaintheirsiteswithdifferentlevelsofenthusiasmandaccuracy.Virtuallyeverybrandofnotemaintainsitsownsite:ifyoureadbetweenthePRlinestheremaybesomeusefulinformation.

Giventhatthewebevolvesandchangesbothrapidlyandconstantly,thefollowingrecommendationsmaybeoflimitedvalue.However,forwhatitisworth,Idolookatthesesitesfairlyregularly.ApologiestothosethatIhavemissedorforgottenabout.Afewhours‘googling’willturnupmorewhiskysitesthanyouthoughtpossible.Goodluck!

www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com(exactlywhatyou’dexpectwiththatname)

www.maltmadness.com(setasideagoodchunkoftimeifyouventurehere)

www.maltmaniacs.org(Ican’timaginehowtheyfindthetimetokeepthisup!)

www.nonjatta.blogspot.com(reportsinEnglishfromJapan)

www.ralfy.com(thisisgreatfun)

www.whiskycast.com(authoritativewhiskypodcasts)

www.whiskyfun.com(‘it’saboutsinglemalts,music,enjoyinglifeingeneral’)

www.whiskyintelligence.com(newsupdatesandpressreleases)

www.whisky-pages.com(GavinD.Smith’stastingnotesandreviews)

http://www.classicexpressions.co.uk

http://www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com

http://www.maltmadness.com

http://www.maltmaniacs.org

http://www.nonjatta.blogspot.com

http://www.ralfy.com

http://www.whiskycast.com

http://www.whiskyfun.com

http://www.whiskyintelligence.com

http://www.whisky-pages.com

Wheretobuy

Therearenowagreatnumberofoff-licences(liquorstores)allroundtheworldthattradeaswhiskyspecialists,andmanyofthemareexcellent,withknowledgeableandenthusiasticstaff.IcanthinkofexamplesasfarawayasSwitzerland,Singapore,NewZealandand,ofcourse,theUSA.Newonesarespringingupallthetimeaswhiskygrowsinpopularityandthechoicetheyoffercanbedeliciouslybewildering.Intheinterestsofmysanitythough,thissectionisrestrictedtotheUK,wherefortunatelyforuswearespoiltforchoicewithexcellentspecialistwhiskyretailers.Thefollowinghaveparticularlygoodonlineshoppingfacilities:RoyalMileWhiskies,Edinburghwww.royalmilewhiskies.com

TheWhiskyExchange,Londonwww.thewhiskyexchange.com

LochFyneWhiskies,Inveraraywww.lochfynewhiskies.co.uk

Butideallyyoushouldbrowseandtalktosomeenthusiasticandwell-informedstaff.Therearemanymoregoodshops,notablyTheWhiskyShop(UKwide),TheWeeDram(Bakewell,Derbyshire),LincolnWhiskyShop,TheWhiskyShop(Dufftown),TheWhiskyCastle(Tomintoul),Arkwrights(Highworth,Wiltshire),ParkersofBanff,RobertGrahams(Glasgow),WhiskiesofScotland(Huntly),Nickolls&Perks(Stourbridge)andLuvians(StAndrews).

Aboveall,Gordon&MacPhail’sshopinElginisashrineandwellworthavisit.Seetheirentryinthe101.

InLondonyouwillfindTheWhiskyExchange,RoyalMileWhiskies,BerryBros&Rudd,Milroy’sofSohoandTheVintageHouse.Nationally,thebetterOddbinsstoreshaveagoodselectionofwhiskyandtheyhaveagoodwebsite,too.

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com

http://www.lochfynewhiskies.co.uk

Picturecredits

Theauthorandpublisherwouldliketothankthefollowingforsupplyingthephotographsinthebook.Everyefforthasbeenmadetofulfilrequirementswithregardtoreproducingcopyrightmaterial.Theauthorandpublisherwillbegladtorectifyanyomissionsattheearliestopportunity.

IncidentalimageryPage6 TheSpencerfieldSpiritsCompanyPage12 HighlandPark

WhiskyimageryAberfeldy21 BacardiGlobalBrandLtdAberloura'bunadh ChivasBrothersAmrutFusion AmrutDistilleriesLtdanCnoc16 BurtGreenerCommunicationsArdbeg10 TheGlenmorangieCompanyArdbegUigeadail TheGlenmorangieCompanyAsyla CompassBoxWhiskyAuchentoshanClassic MorrisonBowmoreDistillersBalblair’89 BurtGreenerCommunicationsBallantines17 ChivasBrothersBasilHayden's BeamGlobalSpirits&WineBenRiach TheBenRiachDistilleryBenromachOrganic BenromachSpeysideSingleMalt

ScotchWhiskyBernheimOriginalWheat HeavenHillDistilleries,Inc.BlackBottle AlanStewartPhotographyBlackGrouse TheBlackGrouse

Bladnoch8 BladnochDistilleryBlueHanger BerryBros.&RuddSpiritsBNJBailieNicolJarvie TheGlenmorangieCompanyBowmoreTempest MorrisonBowmoreDistillersBruichladdich12 BruichladdichDistilleryBuffaloTrace BuffaloTraceDistilleryBunnahabhain18 C&HCreativeBushmills16 DiageoplcCameronBrig TheWhiskyExchangeCaolIla12 DiageoplcChivasRegal25 ChivasBrothersClynelish14 DiageoplcCrownRoyal DiageoplcCuttySark BerryBros.&RuddSpiritsCuttySark25 BerryBros.&RuddSpiritsDalmore12 White&MacKayDalwhinnie15 DiageoplcDeanston12 SalkeldPhotographyDewar’s12 BacardiGlobalBrandLtdDewar’sSignature BacardiGlobalBrandLtdEagleRare BuffaloTraceDistilleryElijahCraig12 HeavenHillDistilleries,Inc.GlenBreton GlenoraDistilleriesGlenfarclas105 J&GGrantGlenfarclas21 J&GGrantGlenfiddich18 WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersGlenfiddich30 WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersGlenglassaugh26 AnneSmithGlenglassaughSpiritDrink AnneSmithGlengoyne21 IanMacLeodDistillersGlenlivet21 ChivasBrothersGlenmorangie-QuintaRuban TheGlenmorangieCompany

Gordon&MacPhail-GlenGrant25 Gordon&MacPhailGreenSpot Mitchell&SonHakushu18 SuntoryLiquorLtdPage216 TheBenRiachDistilleryPage218 HighlandParkHedonism CompassBoxWhiskyHibiki17 SuntoryLiquorLtdHibiki30 SuntoryLiquorLtdHighlandPark18 HighlandParkHighlandPark21 HighlandParkHighlandPark30 HighlandParkHighlandPark40 HighlandParkIsleofJuraSuperstition White&MacKayJameson-LimitedReserve18 IrsihDistillersPernodRicardJohnnieWalkerBlack DiageoplcJohnnieWalkerBlueKGV DiageoplcKilchoman KichomanDistilleryKnobCreek BeamGlobalSpirits&WineLagavulin16 DiageoplcLaphroaigQuarterCask LimePRLongrowCV SpringbankDistilleriesLtdMackmyra JohanOlssonMaker'sMark TheWhiskyExchangeMellowCorn HeavenHillDistilleries,Inc.MonkeyShoulder WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersMortlach16 DiageoplcNikkaAllMalt AsahiBreweries,LtdOban14 DiageoplcOldPulteney17 BurtGreenerCommunications

Redbreast12 IrsihDistillersPernodRicard

Scapa ChivasBrothersSmokeheadExtraBlack IanMacLeodDistillersSpeyburnSolera25 BurtGreenerCommunicationsSpringbank10 SpringbankDistilleriesLtdTalisker10 DiageoplcTalisker18 DiageoplcTheBalvenie21 WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersTheBalvenie30 WilliamGrant&SonsDistillersTheGlenrothes-SelectReserve TheGlenrothesTheMacallan10 TheMacallanDistilleryLtdTheMacallan18 TheMacallanDistilleryLtdTheMacallan30 TheMacallanDistilleryLtdTheSociety'sSpecial-HighlandBlend BrendanMacNeillTheSpiceTree CompassBoxWhiskyThomasHHandy-SazeracStraightRye BuffaloTraceDistilleryTobermory15 GoodCreativeTyrconnell CooleyDistilleryVanWinkleFamily-ReserveRye BuffaloTraceDistilleryWildTurkey TheWhiskyExchangeWoodfordReserve WoodfordReserveDistilleryYamazaki12 SuntoryLiquorLtdYamazaki18 SuntoryLiquorLtdYoichi10 AsahiBreweries,Ltd

*‘Fromheadtoheel’,sinceyouhadtoask.WereyouasleepinDoubleLatin?

*No,nottheAmericansinger.Tryandkeepup–thisisawhiskybook!

TableofContentsIntroduction101whiskiesHowtotastewhiskyandusethisbookAcknowledgementsFurtherresourcesWheretobuyPicturecredits

101 whiskies to try before you die

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