Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Whisky Magazine

What’s the strongest emotional reaction that a whisky has elicited from you? It could simply be a contented sigh as you relax into a chair with your favourite dram. Perhaps you err on the side of excitement, letting loose a cheer or delighted squeal or smacking the table upon tasting a particularly special liquid. You may even have shed a tear over a whisky, either for the beauty of the spirit itself or a beautiful memory affixed to its consumption. Stripping our appreciation of whisky back to its bare bones, it seems we seek similar qualities in it that we do from any other original composition (which, by its broadest definition, just means “a creative work”). That concept of originality is worth dissecting. Most works of art, be it musical,…

I’ve been struck by a bout of disorientation lately. It started about a year into the pandemic, but it really ramped up in early 2023. It’s that same disorientation I’ve experienced when a musician or actor I’ve adored, who’s a beloved figure among devoted fans but is pretty much overlooked by the masses, has his breakout moment. He has a role in a popular film or his music appears in a television advert and suddenly everyone is talking about him, and his girlfriend and his tattoo and the outfit he wore to an awards ceremony, etc. Over the past few months, whisky – Scotch in particular – has been in the news a lot. Like, a whole lot. Yes, I know it might sound absurd to compare the Twitter chatter…

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 Bethany Whymark After studying English literature at university, Bethany worked as a journalist for regional newspaper groups before moving to the spirits industry. She was appointed as editor of Whisky Magazine in 2022, having previously edited its sister titles Gin and Rum. She is also editor of annual publications Travelux and Scotch Whisky. Christopher Coates A member of the team since 2013 and a keen whisky drinker long before that, Christopher served as Whisky Magazine’s Scotch whisky editor before being appointed as editor in 2020. In 2022, he was named editor-at-large and now writes a regular column for this title, in addition to his role as a blind…

While the modern whisky industry is worthy of celebration every day, the Whisky Magazine Awards – which comprise the Icons of Whisky, World Whiskies Awards, and Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame – are an annual occasion to recognise and reward the global industry’s finest people, places, and products. The primary goal of the World Whiskies Awards (focused on product) and Icons of Whisky (people and places) is, of course, to commend the industry’s wealth of talent. However, these competitions also provide an invaluable opportunity to take stock of the whisky world, analyse trends and progress, and uncover its most innovative players, liquids, and projects. Challenges remain for our whisky distillers – ongoing controversial discussions in Scotland over the advertising and packaging of whisky spring to mind – but through its…

Today, whether in dive bars or private members’ clubs, I’m used to seeing whisky on the lips of patrons from all walks of life, nearly everywhere I go. And yet, a recent trip to the 23rd Festival Del Habano brought home quite how niche whisky, especially single malt, remains today. In Cuba I met trade, press, aficionados and collectors from across the globe, all united by a shared love of cigars and the finer things in life. Though I did meet one loyal Whisky Magazine subscriber on the flight to the Caribbean and a few more throughout the week, I was surprised by how few whisky drinkers were to be found among the collected connoisseurs. Almost all I spoke to showed enthusiasm upon learning I hailed from the Scotch sphere,…

As incongruous as it might seem, wooden distilling vessels appeared in the 12th century at the advent of liquor distillation in Europe. This excludes wooden condensers, or flake stands containing metal worms, in use since the early 15th century. Wooden stills remained a valued and common material in many countries into the 20th century. Until the 1930s, the bulk of grain whisky manufactured in North America and the British Isles used wooden distilling apparatuses. While wooden pot-style vessels impart an inferior spirit due to limited sulphur-copper contact and retention of fusel oils, they significantly lowered the cost of capital and production, with timber irreplaceably expedient. After the invention of steam boilers wooden stills found popularity, especially in countries mashing rye and corn, notably in Northern Europe and North America, where…

Sazerac master blender Drew Mayville hated almost everything he ate as a toddler. He was so sensitive to aromas and flavours, he’d rather skip a meal than search out what hometown Canadian chefs had to offer. “I believe that I inherited my sense of smell and taste from my mom. She was acutely sensitive and always reminded me where my palate came from,” remembers Mayville. As slowly as whisky matures in a barrel, so did Mayville’s palate develop. When he began his career at Seagram in the early 1980s, he was amazed by the various aromas drifting in from the distillery. At last, his nose had found its heaven. “Once I moved to the quality area, I began my journey of developing my palate. In quality, I was exposed to…

HALL OF FAME 86 Inductee 82………………………………………………………….. 86 Inductee 83 and 84……………………………………………… 87 Inductee 85 and 86……………………………………………… 88 ICONS OF WHISKY 89 America………………………………………………………………… 90 India……………………………………………………………………… 90 Rest of World………………………………………………………… 91 Global…………………………………….. 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS – DESIGN 98 World’s Best / Bottle Design………………………………… 98 Label Design…………………………………………………………. 98 Limited Edition Design………………………………………….. 99 New Launch Design………………………………………………. 99 Presentation…………………………………………………………. 99 Relaunch/Redesign……………………………………………… 99 Travel Retail Exclusive………………………………………….. 99 Range……………………………………………………………………..99 WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS – TASTE 100 BOURBON…………………………………………………………………. 100 The Representative Bourbon W.L. Weller C.Y.P.B. FINISHEDBOURBON………………………………………………… 100 Broken Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon Ironroot Republic Apotheosis SINGLE BARREL BOURBON………………………………………. 101 1792 Single Barrel Tumblin’ Dice Single Barrel SMALL BATCH BOURBON………………………………………….. 101 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C922 Filibuster Bottled In Bond Bourbon CORN………………………………………………………………………… 102 Ironroot Republic Hubris Upshot Red Corn Whiskey AMERICANWHISKEY……………………………………………….. 102 Storm King…

Multiple Outlet Retailer WHISKY BROTHER & CO. Rest of World WhiskyBrother, named single outlet retailer of the year at the Icons of Whisky in 2020, has opened two new stores in Johannesburg over the last two years offering the same customer service, range of products and premium shopping environment in a smaller package. These satellite stores continue to specialise in whisky, offering the largest range in South Africa as well as whisky books, tasting sets, glassware, and single cask exclusives from brands and distilleries historically unavailable in the city. Regional Winners India – Tonique Ireland – Aer Rianta International (ARI) Single Outlet Retailer Sponsored by The Glenturret McCALLUM AND SONS WHISKY CO. America Opened in 2021, McCallum and Sons Whisky Co. is an independent whisky shop dedicated to giving customers…

Bourbon – Sponsored by Kentucky Bourbon Festival / Finished Bourbon WORLD’S BEST BOURBON Best Non Kentucky The Representative Bourbon 52.5% Dark fruit, rich oak and toffee, and light spice on the nose. The palate is soft, with lightly roasted nuts, herbal notes, brown sugar, cherries, pepper and light spice. A medium-to-long finish which softens out beautifully. This is a balanced and very interesting whiskey that is outside the typical bourbon profile. Different, but very enjoyable. Best Kentucky W.L. Weller C.Y.P.B. 47.5% Complex and balanced. Pear, honeysuckle, burnt sugar, toffee, and warmth on the nose – it smells delicious. Caramel, vanilla, clove, apple, and oak on the palate. Long, slightly warm finish. An excellent product. WORLD’S BEST FINISHED BOURBON Best Non Kentucky Ironroot Republic Apotheosis 56.1% The nose is full of…

There is something particularly special about being pulled into someone else’s world. No matter the medium, be it a painting, a song or a novel, the artist wants their work to lift you out of the material world and set down in theirs, even if it is just for a moment. That is the real goal for anyone creating something for other people to consume. Of all the art forms there are, cinema might just be the most immersive. Filmmaking, like whisky production, appears on paper to be a deceptively simple process, but it’s the small intricacies that set it apart. Back when physical film stock was used, before the transition to digital formats, a film was composed of individual still images; 24 of these would flash by every second…

The first flagship expression from Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife, ‘Dream to Dram’, was a highly popular and multi-award-winning expression, earning praise for its distinctive light and fruity character. Now that the distillery’s signature single malt whisky has had time to further mature, it has been announced that the expression will be retired on the coattails of the brand’s newest introductions. Representing the next stage in the brand’s journey, The Core Collection now includes two single malts: the new flagship expression, Doocot, matured in ex-bourbon and STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred) Portuguese red wine barriques, and Balcomie, matured in ex-oloroso sherry casks. Named after the Scots word for ‘dovecot’, Doocot pays tribute to one of the most striking architectural features of Kingsbarns Distillery, a legacy of the site’s original farm buildings…

What is it about alcohol that lures creative personalities to use psychoactive substances to help alter their perceptions and consciousness? Is it the tension between alcohol as a comforter or killer, sacrament or poison? For Hemingway, it started as a friend and became a foe. His creative crutch turned into a destructive force, a fate that befell other writers. The gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson consumed copious volumes of Scotch and bourbon. Rising at 3AM each morning, he started drinking “Chivas Regal with my morning papers”. Beat writer Jack Kerouac travelled the road with bourbon; like others of his generation, such as action painter Jackson Pollock, addiction ultimately killed his talent. For Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, whisky was one of his muses, and it also led to his death after…

Induction into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame is an honour that is reserved for individuals who have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the world of whisky. Its hallowed corridors are populated by distillery founders, master distillers and blenders, whisky communicators, and many others who have helped to shape every facet of the modern industry and to inform its direction of travel in the 21st century. After inducting two figures from Scotland in December, Alan Winchester and Bob Dalgarno, we now welcome five more inductees into the fold, all of whom walked the path less travelled to broaden the horizons of thousands, if not millions, of whisky lovers. The Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame is sponsored by Inductee No. 82 Steve Nally Bardstown Bourbon Company Steve Nally has…