Innholdsfortegnelse for Apr 2022 i Whisky Magazine

Whisky should be fun. I know that this might seem like stating the obvious, but there seems to be a lot people who have either forgotten this or have a very different understanding of fun to the rest of us. Exhibit A: I was recently watching a video circulating online of a huge queue outside the Good Spirits Company in Glasgow (a really great drinks retailer). Apparently, people camped out for hours to get a good spot. One person turned up at 4:30am. And why were they braving a dreich day on the streets? They were there in the hope of landing a bottle of the coveted Campbeltown malt Springbank. Similar reports came in from whisky shops up and down the country, usually accompanied by tales of exhausted retail staff…

A funny thing happened on the way to 2022. Americans’ relationship with Tequila and mescal escalated from a flirty love affair to a full-blown obsession. This announcement came in early February at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ (DISCUS) annual economic briefing, a presentation that delivers meticulously researched and measured data that reveal Americans’ spirits consumption over the past calendar year. I am the furthest thing from a business or finance journalist, but I’ve found that having quantifiable information about what and how people drink gives me a clear lens through which to view the industry. A top-line breakdown of what’s going on in the USA is this: the industry’s economic health is exceptional. America, the second-largest market in the world, after China, saw revenue in spirits sales…

Drinking whisky during a meal is not new. Hundreds of years ago, the Scottish Highlanders seized every occasion to savour a dram: a funeral, a wedding or a birthday. A true Scot wouldn’t ignore an opportunity presented. In that respect, nothing much has changed over the years. However, the perception of whisky did change. In former days, it was common to drink straight from the still. It must not have tasted very nice in its pure form, because herbs and honey were added to flavour the raw spirit. Then, in the 19th century, stories emerge about the positive influence of maturation in wooden casks. In those days, Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus wrote in her Journal of a Highland Lady: “…whisky mild as milk… long in the wood.” Slowly but surely,…

The word ‘apprentice’ brings with it numerous connotations. There is, of course, the memory of that cringe-worthy TV show headed up by Lord Alan Sugar (or President Donald Trump, for US viewers) which saw contestants try and prove their worth in various businessfocused tasks. Far more enjoyable is Walt Disney’s music-based segment in Fantasia (1940), namely ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’. In both, its participants (be they aspiring entrepreneurs or Mickey Mouse) at one stage or another find themselves biting off more than they can chew, buckling under the pressure and, ultimately, disappointing their masters. I get the feeling, however, that this is far from the future fate of Kelsey McKechnie, apprentice malt master at William Grant & Sons’ Speyside distillery The Balvenie. In 2018, at the age of just 26, McKechnie…

From bartenders to brand ambassadors, retailers to visitor attractions, brand innovators to campaigns and beyond, Whisky Magazine’s annual Icons of Whisky awards honour those shining stars who have worked tirelessly to produce and promote whisky, the places that deliver superlative whisky experiences, and the creative campaigns that have helped bring whisky to new and established audiences. Icons of Whisky is first judged within ring-fenced ‘regions’, which encompass established whisky-producing nations. Entrants to each category are first judged against peers from their own region, to set category criteria using submitted supporting evidence. Winners then proceed to be judged at the global level to establish the best of the best for each calendar year. The Icons of Whisky awards are judged by an impartial expert panel, which includes the global Whisky Magazine…

WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS 2022 Headline sponsor Glencairn Crystal Studio World's Best Design Once again, the packaging design experts of the World Whiskies Awards Design judging panel have had the challenging task of choosing the very best from an incredibly strong roster of entrants. Taking into account aesthetics, innovation, sustainability credentials, ergonomics, practicality and more, the panel has named their favourites across six design categories. Sponsored by WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS 2022 World's Best Design – Sponsored by Urban Bar Limited Release / Bottle Design World's Best DESIGN SPONSORED BY URBAN BAR Also… Best LIMITED RELEASE Spirit Thief Distilling Co. Limited Edition Set The simple variation of label colouring works well for defining the different styles and editions in this range. The beautifully shaped, heavy-weight, tooled bottle together with a recessed metallicwashed…

Intro / Small Batch Bourbon Headline sponsor Glencairn Crystal Studio Whisky Magazine launched the World Whiskies Awards (WWA) in 2007, with the aim of judging and promoting the world’s best whiskies by conducting a comprehensive annual tasting. To enter, whiskies must be available for purchase by the general public in bottles and conform to the criteria of a relevant category. Entries are blind-tasted by an international panel of experts hailing from the hospitality, media, retail and drinks industries, with specialist subpanels for America, Canada, Scotland, Japan and ‘Rest of World’ drawing on higher proportions of judges from those regions. A global panel presides over the final round, ensuring that no particular regional ‘palate’ can skew the results on account of local preference. Each entry is assessed in terms of its…

Whisky imbroglio, the battle of words amongst industry stakeholders, lasted 70 years. It was instigated by new technologies impacting how whisky was made and sold – argued between distilling factions, rectifiers, wholesalers and independent bottlers who lobbied governments to define its product identity. All the opponents, across different countries and industry sectors, marshalled contradictory arguments deploying the same keywords: pure and wholesome. Forcing the British, Irish, American and Australian governments to hold inquiries to settle this question: what is whisky? The victors would define how whisky was made and labelled. As whisky came out of the provincial shadows in the early 19th century, innovative national and regional industries creatively exploited growing consumer demand and technological advances in production. Before the 20th century, no legal definition existed for whisky; it could…

There are some dogmatic beliefs about the subject of pairing whiskey and cigars that need to be challenged in order to find an enjoyable combination. Several years ago, I found myself stuck trying to figure out the solution to this exact puzzle. I had heard it said by many authoritative folks that if you want to smoke a full-bodied cigar, you should choose a full-bodied whiskey, and if you want to smoke a light-bodied cigar, you should pick a light-bodied whiskey. To me, it seemed that if you are going to enjoy a full-bodied whiskey with a full-bodied cigar, then they would be too competitive, and, on the flip side, light-bodied whiskeys and cigars would be terribly boring. It wasn’t until very recently that I discovered what I believe to…

Although now established as home to one of Scotland’s premier sherry-influenced single malts, Tamdhu distillery was originally created to help slake the thirst of the late Victorian blended Scotch boom, like so many of its Speyside compatriots. For more than a century its output continued to fulfil the role of ‘blending malt’, most notably as a component of The Famous Grouse. Remarkably, of the 33 distilleries that opened during the final expansive decade of the 19th century, no fewer than 21 were on Speyside. This was partly due to the blenders’ stylistic preferences, but also because the fertile agricultural land of the north east of Scotland grew high-quality malting barley, had abundant pure water and supplies of peat, and coal could be imported relatively easily by rail, with casks of…

Taster biographies Phoebe Calver As editor of American Whiskey Magazine and deputy editor of Whisky Magazine, Phoebe splits her focus between the US and ‘global’ whisky scenes. She is also co-host of Whisky Live TV and a global whisky taster for this title. Christopher Coates A member of the team since 2013 and a keen whisky drinker long before that, Christopher was appointed as editor of Whisky Magazine in 2020. Beyond this, he is a keen photographer and chair of judges for the World Whiskies Awards and the Independent Bottlers Challenge. THE PROCESS All samples are blind tasted, with ABV, country/region 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…

Inductee No. 76 Garvin Brown Board Chair Brown-Forman The latest American whiskey industry legend to join the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame is part of Kentucky’s legacy. His grandfather and namesake, George Garvin Brown, founded Brown-Forman in 1870 – the company that would go on to become one of the largest wine and spirits companies in the industry. Although Garvin and his brother spent their childhood in Montreal, their mother’s hometown, they would spend the summers at their grandmother’s farm in Louisville, Kentucky. After undertaking a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in political science, Garvin worked in New York at Parliamentarians for Global Action before taking a step towards the family business. He knew he wanted to work in business, and, after gaining his MBA from London Business School in…

Multiple Outlets Retailer of the year Sponsored by The Craft Irish Whiskey Company ROBERT GRAHAM 1874 Scotland Pushing the envelope to help stay afloat during the pandemic, Glasgow-based whisky and cigar retailer Robert Graham 1874 – under the guidance and leadership of owner Steve Johnstone – hosted a series of virtual events devised to foster belonging and community in the times when social life had abruptly stopped. Customers could enjoy live virtual visits to some of the most renowned Scottish distilleries and overseas cigar makers, engage with master blenders and master distillers, and even blend their own cigars. Shortlist India – Discovery Wines, New Delhi NCR Ireland – Aer Rianta International (ARI) Single Outlet Retailer of the year Sponsored by The Glenturret TONIQUE India One of the largest liquor stores…

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