Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i Whisky Magazine

Well here we go, depending where you are reading this and when, the start of this column could be quite different. If you have this in front of you before the end of October, chances are that the United Kingdom is still either hurtling head long into uncharted territory or possibly in the heating up stages of a full-blown election. If, however, you find yourself the other side of Halloween, and yes the Government really did chose that as Brexit deadline day, the possibilities are that the UK is trying to piece its way through whatever deal or no deal the Prime Minister of the day has accepted, or is preparing for another election. Politics, whether you like it or not, has been momentous here in the UK of late,…

Bourbon starts with corn, which makes it an agricultural product. Agriculture is subject to shifts in weather and climate as well as market prices, and quality can vary because of dozens of different factors. Because of this, corn is often tested rigorously before a distillery will accept it, and these quality control measures are often part of distillery tours. Each distillery has its own testing process, and the differences between large and small distilleries might be surprising, especially when it comes to those small distilleries that grow their own corn. Large distilleries often test for things like mould, moisture content, and the presence of diesel fuel that could have entered somewhere in the harvesting or transportation of the grains. Smaller distilleries also have these concerns, but those that grow their…

Back in 2011, The Bourbon Women group was founded on the knowledge that there were plenty of women out there who loved America’s Native Spirit but who needed to feel empowered to speak up about it. Two years later The Bourbon Women hosted its first SIPosium, a conference designed to bring Bourbon-loving women together to learn more deeply about their favourite amber liquid. The conference has grown and evolved, and now just six years on, more than 300 women from across the United States joined together in August to learn and to celebrate in Louisville, Kentucky at the historic Seelbach Hilton Hotel. “The SIPosium, I have to say, was always a dream of mine, to spend an entire weekend with women surrounded by the culture and lifestyle of Bourbon and…

On the beautiful voyage through the world of cigars, there are many echelons to scale through and discoveries to make. The experience is unique to each smoker and palate, the preferences are personal; being served in a cigar establishment by people who listen, who want understand where we are on our journey, is key to enhancing our experience, and this is exactly what Ali Mezher believes. His first cigar was a Romeo y Julieta Churchill aluminum tubos. At the age of 20 he began trying different cigar brands, became very curious, and read all the cigars magazines he could find. The first time he saw a cigar lounge with a walk in humidor and private lockers was during a trip to California, in Beverly Hills. “When I saw this place,…

Sponsored by Glencairn Crystal Whisky Live Sandton, Johannesburg Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 November 2019 Famed for showcasing the widest selection of whisky under one roof and following global trends, the world’s largest whisky festival now adds a range of other premium spirits for tasting – including gin, rum, vodka and more – to its impressive offering! Visitors can expect to meet master distillers, global brand ambassadors and a range of industry experts who will be offering advice not only on how best to enjoy whisky, but also how to savour every sip of a range of craft gins and premium vodkas, rums and other spirits available for sampling in a dedicated area of the Tasting Hall. Whisky Live Chicago Thursday 7 November 2019 The world’s premier whiskey tasting show…

The sour mash method made Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky Bourbon famous. It’s also known as yeast-backing and back-setting in using a similar method practised for thousands of years to make sourdough bread and beer by preserving the yeast culture from batch to batch. In Bourbon production, a residual of the distilled spent wash from the still is added to a fresh batch of wash to be fermented. Bourbon distillers usually add up to 35 per cent of the spent wash (also called backset, slops or stillage). In other distilling industries, it’s called acidification, lees or dunder. The carbon dioxide bubbling through the wash forms carbonic acid during fermentation, causing the beer to taste mildly sour. Peter Shaw advocated that 17th century English distillers acidify or sour their washes by adding…

London’s original whisky specialist is doing something for the first time in its 55-year history: opening another venue. Can this world famous spirits seller and bar recreate the magic that has delighted punters for so long? Milroy’s of Soho. Now there’s a name. Even if you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t it just conjure up the kind of refinement, decadence, and top-shelf whisky galore that one of the country’s first whisky specialists should? Well, you’d be right – though these adjectives suggest perhaps a stuffiness that Milroy’s, in the heart of London’s adland (or smut land, if you’re of a certain age), doesn’t deserve. Distiller Toby Sims summed it up just so: “Milroy’s, you’ve either been or just seen it packed with people and wondered what the secret is.” Nestled…

Bottle price guide: £11-25 (US$17-40) £26-70 (US$40-110) £71-120 (US$110-190) £121-180 (US$190-280) £181 plus (US$280 plus) 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. Kate Packwood Kate is an independent food and drinks writer and judge in the World Whiskies Awards. Her primary area of interest lies in food pairings. She previously owned and ran the multi-award-winning Wildflour Bakery, working with many drinks brands to design food and whisky pairings. THE PROCESS All samples are blind tasted, with ABV and style the only information disclosed. Samples are tasted individually…

On a Wednesday night in late September, The Keepers of the Quaich, the prestigious industry group that honours individuals who have committed their career to promoting Scotch whisky (a task I’m more inclined to refer to as “spreading the love”), launched the U.S. Chapter of the organisation at a fancy banquet in midtown Manhattan. People are inducted by nomination and there is an air of mystery and secrecy that surrounds the society, like a Gaelic Freemasonry type thing. This column is a rumination on devotion. In my 15 or so years of writing about the global whisky industry, I never cease to be amazed by people’s commitment to the drink, by how whisky seems to ensnare the hearts of people in all corners of the industry: distillers, warehousemen, coopers, salespeople,…

Up until a few years ago, the name ‘Saburomaru Distillery’ would have drawn a blank, even from the most fanatic Japanese whisky enthusiast. Then, in early 2016, when the name started to be heard at whisky events in Japan left and right, it was invariably met with tilted heads and questions along the lines of: is this a real distillery making real whisky from scratch? The answer was yes, but the set-up of the distillery was idiosyncratic to say the least and the bulk of the malt whisky produced at Saburomaru distillery was destined for a bottom-shelf blend called ‘Sunshine Whisky’. Making whisky is a side gig for the people at Wakatsuru Shuzo, the company that owns and runs Saburomaru Distillery, based in Tonami, Toyama prefecture. Wakatsuru’s main business, since…

You may not be familiar with the name Stuart, but mention it to whisky professionals anywhere in the world and they are likely to break into a gentle smile, nod and say, “of course I know Stuart”. Stuart is a veteran of the Scottish whisky industry, but has always been most comfortable behind the scenes. So where do you start with someone who was distillery manager of Highland Park and Glenrothes, distilleries director for William Grant & Sons – responsible for such luminaries as Glenfiddich and Balvenie – who presided over the launch of the now mighty Hendrick’s gin, and brought back the Glenglassaugh distillery from mothball? Who really is this man in the shadows? I sat him down in the hallowed ground of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s London…

When you’re the scion of industrialist William Gooderham, you’re told a different kind of bedtime story. Corby whisky ambassador Spencer Gooderham didn’t drift to sleep with The Little Engine That Could. His father, Stephen Gooderham, told a better story, with endless processions of railcars pulling grain into the family’s Toronto distillery, and a massive feedlot next door disposing of spent grains. On this feedlot were some cows, E-I-E-I-O. These adventures never began with ‘once upon a time,’ because Stephen knew their origins. It was 1837 when William Gooderham expanded his milling business into distilling. The man enjoyed a drink, but that wasn’t the distillery’s purpose. Mill waste, including leftover wheat and middlings – a combination of flour, bran and wheat germ – were mashed with malt, then distilled. There were…

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