Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Whisky Magazine

You may or may not know this but our writers often write for other publications outside of whisky, often for illustrious national and international newspapers and magazines, both online and print. The joy of being a writer in this modern age is that there are, if you can cover a broad range of topics, lots of outlets to get creative for. I have often thought, having come up through the ranks of newspaper journalism, that until you specialise down, you are a jack of all trades but a master of none. However there is one thing that runs through this, the desire and ability to tell a story. To take information from a source and create something interesting and engaging for the reader. One story that caught my eye recently…

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States held its annual economic briefing in mid-February and it’s official: whisky is hot. Again. Or rather, still. Bourbon and rye are up almost six per cent to 24.5 million cases, which translates into $3.6 billion in revenue. Single malt Scotch volumes are up 7.6 per cent to 2.3 million cases, a 9.4 per cent revenue increase to $843 million. Irish whiskey, up 10.2 per cent to 4.7 million cases, is soaring for the ninth straight year. The whisky boom has been a headline for many years now. It’s been chalked up to the retro television series Mad Men. It’s been chalked up to education. It’s been chalked up to people seeking out products with genuine stories and heritage. But I ask the…

Fife has become something of a hotbed for Scotch whisky distilling in recent years, with the historic Cameronbridge Distillery (1824) being joined by Daftmill (2005), Leven (2008), Eden Mill (2012, distilling began 2014), Kingsbarns (2014), Inchdairnie (2016) and Lindores Abbey (2017), with a micro distillery at Bowhouse, founded by former Bacardi malts brand director Stephen Marshall, planned to come into production later this year. Whisky fans have waited eagerly for the chance to taste the spirits running from these new stills and, like those standing patiently at the proverbial bus stop, many bottlings seem to have turned up almost at once. May 2018 saw the first releases of single malt from both Daftmill and Eden Mill, then came the release of New Make Spirit from Lindores, which was first available…

Raw meat, rotten eggs, vegetal, struck match and rubber aromas are how sulphur compounds announce their presence. For many distillers it’s effectively a warning and the objective is to reduce the level through distillation and ageing. However, some distillers welcome a certain level of sulphur compounds which can add body and complexity. Moreover, sulphur compounds can also yield tropical fruit notes, for example, so what matters is attaining a level and range that suits the house style. Sulphur compounds originate during fermentation, when yeast metabolises (digests) sugars and protein in the wort, to grow and reproduce. Metabolising nutrients produces ‘waste matter’ which yeast cells expel into the wort. The ‘waste’ from sugar is alcohol and flavour compounds including esters (fruit notes), while metabolising protein results in sulphur compounds. This includes…

Think of important whisky producing regions of Scotland. One likely to come to mind would be Speyside. Approximately half of all Scotland’s distilleries are located there, in that part of the Highlands where clouds crash headlong into the hills. Although not known for Islay-type smoky whiskies, several Speysiders do indeed produce peated or peat-finished expressions. But classic, or traditional, Speysiders, whether the terms are 100 per cent historically accurate or not, tend to specialise in flavours derived from ageing spirit in sherry casks. Some, like Glenfarclas, use sherry casks exclusively. Others use a combination of American oak, or ex-Bourbon barrels, and European oak casks that formerly contained sherry. We can argue how much the term ‘’terroir” actually fits in most cases. I’ll leave it to your palate to decide whether…

World's Best DESIGN Also… Best PRESENTATION DESIGN Tomatin 30 Years Old Differentiates itself due to a fabulous craftsmanship. All aspects of the design have been considered in detail. The brand has been incorporated beautifully and this would stand out either with the outer packaging or on its own. SHORTLIST GOLD Bacardi Global Brands Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Gold Bar Gifting Tin The Arran Malt The Arran Harmony Edition Volume 1 SILVER Hobart Whisky First Release – 18-001 BRONZE The Temple Bar 14 Years Old Single Cask Kurayoshi 23 Years Old Japanese Whisky 1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky Release No.1 Highland Park 18 Years Old Viking Pride Travel Edition The Arran Malt Brodick Bay The Explorers Series Volume 1 Best BRAND DESIGN Highland Park Range The whole range portrays strong craftsmanship. Representing the…

When was the last time you went on a distillery tour and met a miller? These are the folks who grind the grains for optimal mashing, but often this is done off-site or with so little fanfare, you might not even realise this is a crucial part of the distillery team. “In the simplest terms, the miller’s primary role is to fracture various grains to a consistent particle size range, suitable for fermenting and subsequent distilling,” says miller and proprietor, James Brown of Barton Springs Mill in Texas. “But our responsibilities go beyond that. For example in our work with Treaty Oak Distillery, we are working directly with the farmers to secure acreage, source seed stock, check quality and consistency, and handle logistics for transport from the farm to the…

It’s a place to sit in a comfortable chair, maybe have a drink, and speak to your friends or make some new ones. Wherever you travel you can find a cigar lounge that feels like your home away from home, because the etiquette is always the same. “Smoking a cigar in a lounge is supposed to be a relaxing experience, as well as an environment for cameraderie,” says Jonathan Ross Lipson, director of sales and marketing for Alec Bradley. “If it’s obvious that a fellow aficionado wants their space – don’t engage. If a fellow aficionado wants to join the conversation, be welcoming. As Lew Rothman, the ex-owner of JR Cigars, once said, ‘You meet the nicest people in a cigar shop.’ Have fun and don’t take life so seriously,…

Taster biographies 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. Lyndsey Gray Lyndsey is manager of the world famous Quiach Bar, at the Craigellachie Hotel in the heart of Speyside. She enjoys creating world class bespoke tastings, events and drinks, where she can challenge people's opinions on whisky. 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 top scorer is awarded Scores of 17+…

New Make WORLD'S BEST NEW MAKE Best Danish Stauning Whisky Curious - Peat Smoked Malted Rye New Make 43% Gloriously gravelly smoke, with leathery peat and rich earthiness. Very dry, with plimsoll hints developing in the glass. Lighter than expected on the palate, with the plimsoll rubberiness complimented by bitter liquorice pastilles and green leaves. Vegetal, hot and spicy, with capsicum, joined by chilli and black pepper. Excellent young spirit that won’t need to see the inside of a cask for long. Best Australian Tasmanian Moonshine Company Tasmanian Malt 43% Toffee-forward nose with lots of different apple peels. Very clean. Palate has a touch of pepperiness along with the toffee and a touch of orchard fruit. Boiled sweet finish. A simple and pleasant young spirit. Best Canadian Victoria Caledonian Distillery…

Visiting Tokyo in 1923, Charles Workman, a Gilbert & Sullivan opera singer drank two glasses of Japanese whisky. Within two days he was dead from alcohol poisoning. It was the same year Japan’s first malt whisky distillery started construction – Shinjiro Torii’s Yamazaki Distillery between Kyoto and Osaka. Japan has a fascinating, sometimes perplexing role in the modern whisky industry. Japan’s affair with whisky began in February 1854, when USNS Commander Perry arrived with gunboats to trade with Japan. In the cargo was a 100 gallons of American whiskey and a 42-gallon barrel destined as a gift for the Emperor. Fifteen years after the Japanese first tasted whisky they filed a US Federal court case against a Cincinnati wholesaler for supplying them fake whisky, which they alleged was a blend…

Whisky isn’t dead either; it’s alive and kicking as never before. New markets emerge where the drink of drinks was not obtainable until recently and hedonistic pleasures are combined with a dram, like smoking cigars with a glass of fine single malt. The pairing of whisky and food has become another matter of interest to whisky aficionados around the world. And indeed, some people do think that whisky smells funny! Alcoholic beverages in general and whisk(e)y in particular have always been part of the food staple for many an artist, politician and even royal. Some among them personalised their style with a specific brand. Keith Richards is famous for presumably carrying a bottle of Jack Daniel’s wherever he went. Bill Murray became forever connected with Suntory Japanese whisky when he…

Hailing from Aberdeen and entering the world of whisky after mixing drinks at number of prestigious Scottish cocktail bars, Ervin now travels the world and spreads the good word of Diageo’s Scotch whiskies. Are people becoming more receptive to cocktails made with single malt? Yes. Guests at cocktail bars are becoming more advanced in their tastes. They don’t just want a tasty Cosmopolitan, they want to hear about the craft that went into the product. I always talk about the two key ingredients for making a banging drink: flavour and a story. That’s not just in top bars, that’s in any bar in the world. If you look at the flavour spectrum we have in Scotch whisky, it can fit into not only classic Scotch cocktails or classic whiskey cocktails,…

The Whisky Magazine Awards incorporate some of the most prestigious accolades in the whisky calendar. We have scoured the globe for the very best in liquid and hunted out the very best people and places in the industry. Each year our international panel of judges helps us find and select, sip and savour, and then reward those deserving with one of our world-renowned titles. For the winning people and places this comes in the form of the Icons of Whisky and the Hall of Fame; for the liquids it is the World Whiskies Awards. It takes us a year to get to this point, when we present the global winners of our Icons of Whisky and reveal the highly-anticipated results of the World Whiskies Awards. In the course of that…