Innholdsfortegnelse for Dec 2017/Jan 2018 i Whisky Magazine

There have been a few interesting moments in between the magazines here at Whisky Towers, and not least on the travel front. There have only been a couple of places I have said to people I am heading to where the response has been, “Why?” Beirut was one of these places. But for anyone who has been there the truth is quite far from the image perpetuated due to the civil war. You will notice that the scars of war are not totally eradicated, however thankfully these seem to be limited to occasional pock-marked building. The city is a vibrant, fascinating place with a thriving bar and cocktail culture. You will find people shrugging off the past, looking and working for a bright future. The whisky scene is also pretty…

THE FOUNDER Raymond Davidson Glencairn Crystal Raymond left Airdrie Academy at 18 years of age and joined Honeywell, an American company, as a technical apprentice. He soon became an environmental test engineer; but always wanted a career in sales and moved to work for Crown Paints before moving on to Matchbox Toys. One day, a colleague asked if he would be interested in setting up a new division for Edinburgh Crystal to manage their new corporate business. Shortly afterwards, he realised that Edinburgh Crystal was unable to supply the needs of this new range of customers. Raymond established Glencairn Crystal but always had an interest in music; organising dances, playing the guitar in bands or as a solo performer. He enjoyed his music part-time and thought if the new company…

Tin Cup commercials tell us the rangy outdoorsmen love climbing mountains, building fires and toasting their quest with a camping cup. A grizzly voice explains their ritual, which, if you can climb mountains, sounds like a lot of fun. Bird hunters gather together after their hunt, build a fire or sit on the back of their truck and pour two fingers neat and toast their hunt. This bounty no doubt comes with laughs, stories and some good fireside cooking. Golfers keep a flask in their bag and kick a shot back after bad shots. Whiskey, here, is likely to cope with bad golfing. Recently, millennial bride and grooms have been burying whiskey at their outdoor weddings and digging them up after the vows, toasting to their new lives. How cool…

How does one become the CEO of a respected Scotch whisky business? For Moji Shand, who now heads up the Huntly based independent bottler Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky (DTSW), it was a case of choosing to make a career change in order to do what she loves. Of Persian descent and born in Iran, after the 1978 revolution Moji’s family fled the country and settled in the USA. In time she went to law school, became a lawyer, worked for an AV rated law firm for 12 years and four years at another. However, in 2006 she decided to quit her job without telling anyone, even her family, sell her house and moved to Spain. Nevermind that she didn’t speak any Spanish! A chance conversation revealed that a friend of…

GEORGE KEEBLE Oh, how the months relentlessly fly by. So much to do and so little time! Although Nectar d’George has come a long way, the whisky still lacks Lowland and Campbeltown components. But before I add them, I must decide the direction in which to take my blend. In order to do that, I must re-sample… On the nose, well, the extra addition of peat from the Ledaig, coupled with that of the Port Charlotte, has transformed my whisky into one smoky little devil. Though, combined with the veritable explosion of honey from the mead seasoning, it is actually rather well balanced. How the Loch Lomond Single Grain continues to shine through with its verdant grassiness is simply beyond me! The sherried deliciousness from the Bunnahabhain comes through too,…

Glasgow has a long association with the tobacco trade. Following the Act of Union in 1707 a number of Scottish merchants began to take interest in importing this coveted commodity from the now-accessible English colonies, especially those in Virginia. This coincided with a general growth in trade through the port burgh of Glasgow, which had a particular advantage over its southern competitors as its position afforded easy access to the transatlantic trade winds. Some accounts suggest that crossings to America could be as much as 20 days shorter if the departure point was Glasgow rather than London. This resulted in tighter turnaround times for merchants looking to sell on their cargo and swiftly launch another ship. Another boon landed in the city’s lap in 1747 when it was granted a…

As a whisky collector, I have spent considerable sums on rare and collectable single malt Scotch whisky during the years, and I am aware that closed distillery bottlings have risen in value in the past ten years. With the announcements about the rebuilding of Port Ellen, Brora, and Rosebank distilleries, what effect could this have on the value and collectability of existing bottlings from these iconic distilleries? TOM RICHARDSON VIA EMAIL Diageo’s announcement on October 9 2017 that they would install new distilleries at Port Ellen and Brora was one of the biggest Scotch whisky stories of the year. In a seemingly choreographed move, Ian Macleod Distillers announced that they had bought the remaining stock of Rosebank casks and would reopen the distillery in Falkirk. Many who have eulogised about…

In its first year as a separate region in Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky Awards, Ireland’s whiskey resurgence has been clear to see. The number of nominations, votes and the interest in the award has overwhelmed our editorial panel and stands out as an endorsement of the growing strength of the Irish whiskey category once again. The awards were presented to winners and those highly commended at a ceremony held at the Dean Hotel in Dublin on 24 November 2017, where award chairman Rob Allanson toasted the success of Irish whiskey. Irish winners will now go head-to-head with winners from America, Australia, India, Rest of World and Scotland for the overall global title, awarded in March 2018. In a year that has seen it undergo distillery expansions, unveil ranges such…

It’s that time of year again where we ask you to polish up the lcd screen, dust off the lenses and head out into the whisky world and document it. The standard of images over the years has been pretty impressive, so this year we are expecting you to raise the bar. Photos can range from distilleries and process to people, place and those moments whisky makes memorable. The winning images will be featured in Whisky Magazine, as well as our 2019 calendar. The overall winner will receive a framed copy of their winning shot. Whether you are using your phone, digital camera or even an old fashioned 35mm camera, get shooting and start entering. All we ask is that you supply as big a file as possible at 300dpi.…

Gooderham & Worts Little Trinity 17 Years Old 3 Grain Blend 45% ABV A clean blend of sweet dried fruits, searing rye spices, buttery corn and clove honey capped with a refined bready nuttiness. A lovely full display of flavours. Lot 40 100% Rye Case Strength 12 Years Old 55% ABV A spiced up Cadbury Fruit 'n' Nut bar with a vigorous and complex rye sizzle. Bottomless oak, vanilla and toffee. An unflinching celebration of rye whisky. Pike Creek Finished in Speyside Single Malt Cask 21 Years Old 45% ABV Delicate and silky bulging with rich caramel and ripe fruit flavours. The Speyside casks merge roasted malts and a slight floral note to the oak focused finish. J.P. Wiser’s 35 Years Old 50% ABV Hardened mature oak without overpowering the…

Distillation results in two different residues, which are technically referred to as co-products: pot ale from the first distillation, and spent lees from the second. Both represent significant volumes of liquid, which also play an additional role during the production process, saving a distillery significant amounts of time and money. The quantity of pot ale remaining in the boil pot (ie. base) of the still is around two-thirds of the charge (ie. liquid being distilled). This means, for example, that a charge of 12,000 litres at Glenmorangie yields 4,000 litres of low wines, and leaves 8,000 litres of pot ale. Meanwhile, at Glenrothes a 12,500 litre charge results in around 7,500 litres of pot ale. Pot ale resembles a pale yellow, golden liquid, with a malty, burnt cereal and yeast…

Inspired by the flavours of the winter, along with those of the Arran Malt, the Bramble team have whipped up three cocktails that are sure to get you through those long, dark nights. The Alloway Cocktail is a take on the classic Bobby Burns, but Mike has switched the sweet vermouth for dry Oloroso sherry and added a dash of maple syrup to pull back the sweetness. Benedictine is also in the classic cocktail and adds great depth, while the black walnut bitters reinforce the seasonal theme. Jonny Arthur’s Lochranza to Lebrija plays off the predominant orange and cinnamon flavours of the Arran 10 Years Old, with honey helping enhance its sweet citrus flavour. Once again, sherry delivers a delightful nutty bassline to flesh out those fruity top notes. Finally,…

Taster biographies Mark Newton Author of a number of articles for Whisky Magazine, Mark has judged at international competitions and has run the popular website malt-review.com for the past five years. During the past decade, he also published several mass-market genre novels, short-fiction and written for BBC Radio 4. Rob Allanson Rob is Editor of Whisky Magazine and formally held the position as a global brand ambassador for William Grant & Sons', whisky portfolio. His experience in the industry, which has seen him explore whiskies from around the world, has given him a keen and well-versed palate. THE PROCESS All samples are blind tasted, with ABV and style the only information disclosed. Samples are tasted individually over a two week period. Tasters are provided tasting and scoring guidelines for consistency.…

The Icons of Whisky awards turned their attention to Scotland and the 2018 instalment proved a success as the industry nominated and voted for those who make the whisky world such an attraction. The awards were presented on December 1 2017 at the Surgeon’s Hall, Edinburgh. Ian MacLeod Distillers took the crown in the Distiller of the year category following a year that has seen exceptional expressions from its Tamdhu Distillery and more recently the announcement that it is resurrecting Rosebank Distillery. We look forward to seeing what this holds for the future. Brown-Forman took highly commended for its work at BenRiach, The Glen-Dronach and Glenglassaugh. William Grant & Sons’ Glenfiddich’s experiment with Icewine casks saw it clinch the Brand Innovator of the year, building on its IPA Experiment and…

I was once told by a distiller that ‘you’d have to be crazy to open a distillery on an island today’, in reference to the increased logistical costs and recruitment challenges. Needless to say, his distillery was on an island. However, these factors haven’t dissuaded established businesses from maintaining their operations or from companies establishing new ones in some of Scotland’s most remote communities. In truth, getting to even the most far-flung islands doesn’t take gargantuan effort these days on account of well-connected services operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, Northlink Ferries, Pentland Ferries, and others. That’s before we even take into account the scattering of islands airports, some of which are more developed than others. Who fancies landing on a beach? Whether Scotland’s island distilleries have a distinct spirit style of…

Not content to settle for unveiling a standard commemorative wall plaque, the organisers of the opening ceremony for Dalmunach Distillery in 2015 were determined to rise to the occasion. Firstly, the dignitaries were conducted around the facilities to admire the mighty twelve tonne, valley bottom, stainless steel mash tun made by Briggs of Burton, which spans 9.5 metres in diameter. Next, the guests inspected the sixteen 59,000 litre stainless steel washbacks lined up in a double row. Following the welcoming speeches and press photos, the main party stepped down into the vaulted and spacious stillhouse, congregating around the centre where a white silk parachute drape cloaked an object the size of a small car. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stepped forward to perform the official duties and duly scissored her…