Innholdsfortegnelse for Dec 2019/Jan 2020 i Whisky Magazine

Well who would have thought it, Whisky Magazine gets to 21 years old and like the cult BBC Radio programme Just a Minute, we have managed it pretty much without any major hesitation, deviation and repetition. No mean feat in my books. Cast your mind back to 1998; what were you up to that year when the genus for this magazine was being discussed and shaped. It seems like a lifetime ago to be honest, well part of a lifetime. For me, I was fresh out of university and had moved from Glasgow up to Inverness and begun working in a hotel to make ends meet. The big life changing event that set me off on my career to where I am now was still lurking, waiting in the wings…

I’ve been growing tomatoes my whole life. In Kentucky if you sow a few tomato plants on the Derby weekend, you can expect to start getting tomatoes by Independence Day and you’ll harvest a bushell by early October. In the last few years, however, my tomatoes have grown just fine and even produced a few green fruits here and there, but they never seem to ripen. After a little research I discovered that tomatoes won’t ripen if the sustained temperatures are more than 85 degrees. I’ve started to wonder whether climate change was coming for my prized plants. As I have been researching corn from every angle, I made a startling discovery: people started telling me about their difficulties planting in the spring, worrying they weren’t going to get a…

Working for the family is a privilege, not a right, “I earned my way in through hard work, and I feel very fortunate to be working in such a fantastic, dynamic and fun industry. I think sometimes we forget just how special it is. It’s passion, commitment, dedication – from family members and old hands alike. This spirit and shared pride is rare and it is certainly translated in the quality of the whisky we produce,” says Kirsten Grant Meikle, US commercial strategy director, William Grant & Sons. Many whisky brands started as a family endeavour and it was not uncommon for distilleries to start as family businesses, a lot of distilleries actually started as farms or local grocers who expanded into distilling and then passed the businesses down from…

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded in Leith (Edinburgh) in 1983 and became a membership organisation that soon became famous for selling single cask, single malt whisky bottled straight from the cask. Since it was founded, it has garnered a reputation for bottling very high quality rums, Cognacs, Armanacs and whiskies from across the globe. The Society has connections with some 180 distilleries worldwide, and the number coding list keeps getting longer each year as it adds to its listings.…

Sponsored by Glencairn Crystal Whisky Live Thailand January 31st & February 1st 2020 Whisky Live Thailand will showcase more than 200 whiskies from around the world, from The Macallan to Teeling to Amrut to Kavalan. The event will be hosting a whisky cocktail competition with 12 bars taking stalls to present their favourite whisky mixes. Each day will have an array of masterclasses and other VIP perks including food pairings and exclusive bottlings to purchase. The Saturday evening has an exclusive VIP dinner event with The Macallan sponsoring and providing all the whisky for the pairings. The event will be held at the Renaissance Hotel on Sukhumvit Road, a luxurious five star location with rooms available at a discount. Whisky Live London Friday 27 & Saturday 28 March 2020 The…

Let’s look at a provocative proposition: could Bourbon whisky have been made in England before Kentucky? There is the tantalising proposition that England was producing proto-Bourbons during the 17th century. Distillation of proto-Bourbon recipes is documented among the 13 American colonies, before settlers traversed the Appalachian Mountains to settle in Kentucky and Tennessee. Pennsylvania’s first spirits writers recommended distilling corn-dominant recipes, mashing two-thirds corn and the rest a balance of rye and malt. They also suggested burning the cask interior to sweeten the wood. Grain distillation in North America reaches back to 1620 when America’s first locally-made ceramic still and an imported glass alembic bubbled with mashes in Jamestown Virginia. The seasonal cycle of converting excess corn and rye into ardent spirits on copper pot stills, even log stills became…

THE AMBASSADOR John Quinn William Grant and Sons John has been involved in the whiskey industry for some 40 years now and is widely acknowledged by both his peers and the industry for his knowledge and commitment to Irish whiskey. When it comes to whiskey, the man is a travelling storehouse of knowledge and he’s ready to share it. He can tell you the story behind every Irish whiskey label and shed light on every note you taste in the liquid. He broke into the whiskey business in 1974, and in the intervening years has managed to serve in almost every role imaginable at Tullamore D.E.W. Despite his years of experience he never loses his enthusiasm when bringing his favourite whiskey to yet another customer or a new audience. Tasked…

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 Quaich 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+…

On a recent flight home to New York from Idaho, I read a magnificent Esquire profile of Jason Momoa, that tall, cool glass of water who reduced countless grown women into puddles of swooning fangirls as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones. With a smile as soft as his body is hard, he’d commit some Grand Guignol-level act of brutality and completely modern women were forced, over the course of eight seasons, to confront their primal instincts, the kind that I imagine energised crowds at the gladiator events in ancient Rome. The article talked about his upcoming Apple TV+ series See, a dystopian sci-fi little number: a disease killed off humanity centuries before and only now is the population growing, but everyone is blind. Of wearing a blindfold for a…

More than 3,000 whiskies have been reviewed since we gathered to launch Whisky Magazine in November 1998 at Edinburgh’s Scotch Whisky Experience. The World Whiskies Awards have added many more notes, and whiskymag.com will amplify the range as it hosts its new regular tastings. After all, whisky is all about the flavour, and flavour is that complex ‘blend’ of terroir, ingredients and people. From the outset we wanted to ‘celebrate the whiskies of the world’. We hoped we could introduce blended whisky drinkers to the wonder of single malts and share with single malt drinkers the complexities of the blend. Most thinking then was about Scotch; there was only a hint about the influence of Japanese whisky and American whiskey, and Irish whiskey was dormant. 21 years later the whisky…

American 12 Years Old & Under SMWS 140.2 - Shotgun whirligig 58.9% On the nose is rich Manuka honey, strawberries and cream, new cork and cut grass, Créme caramel and Olorosso sherry, all of which moves into vanilla and sharp pear drops. Balance is good here and adding water releases cooked apple and pear notes. SMWS 140.3 - Nik nak woody whack 59.1% 21 Years Old & Over AB That Boutique-y Whisky Company Bourbon Whiskey #1 - 24 YO 48% There are day old wood shavings with lime peel and meadow grass. This leads into coffee and chocolate flan with fresh raspberry. Lingering lychee sweetness with a peppery spice tingle. This would make a really nice dessert whiskey. Grain 12 Years Old & Under DT The Octave Invergordon 2007 54.2% 21 Years Old &…

8 ISSUES FROM £19.05* + SCOTCH WHISKY BOOKAZINE + RECEIVE A FREE TASTING GLASS & JOURNAL GIFT BUNDLE WORTH £28 Subscribe online at whiskymag.imbmsubscriptions.com and use promotional code WX19 Never miss an issue Enjoy exclusive subscriber offers All 8 issues delivered to your door T&CS APPLY: DISCOUNT IS CALCULATED INCLUSIVE OF POSTAGE FOR UK, EUROPE AND ROW * PRICE QUOTED BASED ON THE STANDARD PRICE FOR A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO A UK POSTAL ADDRESS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. THIS OFFER CAN BE WITHDRAWN AT ANY TIME.…

Jonny joined Sotheby’s London Wine department as a spirits specialist in April 2019. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Jonny has always had an affinity for whisky. He started his own business in 2012 providing whisky training to clients including Mandarin Oriental, JW Marriot and The Peninsula, and provided masterclasses on behalf of some of Scotch’s most revered brands. He also worked as the UK’s National brand ambassador for several Japanese whisky, gin and rum distilleries. During the last few years, his focus has been on brokering casks and rare bottles of Scotch and Japanese whisky. WHISKEY #1 Glenfarclas Family Cask 1986 Spring Release I was born in 1986 and tend to collect whiskies from that year when I can find them. Among the best I have tried is this Glenfarclas.…