Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Whisky Magazine

When hunting for distilleries in Scotland there are often clear signs that one is close by. It could be a pagoda on a roof, a redbrick chimney poking over the brow of a hill, the blackened wall of a warehouse, or the sweet aroma of hot mash in the air, but there is almost always a signal. They rarely sneak up on you. Holyrood Distillery is different. Located in Edinburgh’s Southside, quite literally in the shadow of Auld Reekie’s impressive Salisbury Crags, it blends so well into the urban environment you could easily miss it. This is partly because, unlike many of the new distilleries cropping up in Scotland, it isn’t based in a purpose-built structure. Instead, the innovative distillery is housed in a Category B listed building that at…

Another common stage on a distillery tour, especially if that distillery is in a picturesque location, is a short hike to visit a water source. The narrative broadly includes the words ‘pure’, ‘distinct’, and ‘flavour’. The implication is that this water makes the whisky distinct and has a major impact on the distillery character. But, as McCarron explains, there’s much more to it. “If I was building a distillery tomorrow, I’d won the EuroMillions and I could finally do it, the most important thing is to have a plentiful supply of water that is potable, drinkable, and has no taints in it. And that’s it. That really is the key to making whisky.” He says that 50 years ago the circumstances were slightly different. “There was less scientific research, and…

For 225 years, the whiskies of Highland Park have shouted, “ORKNEY” – a bold yet simple assertion that cuts through the lore and myth of a distillery with a storied past. Still, every drop of Highland Park, soaked in the wildness of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, recounts a thousand legends. Long before Highland Park sprang from Orkney’s jagged sandstone, here lived Vikings whose folklore told of sword-wielding Scandinavians in horned helmets disembarking from dragonhead ships to pillage the locals’ belongings and drink from their non-Viking skulls – perfect fodder for Hollywood. In truth, we know little more than fragments of the Vikings who arrived in Orkney in the late eighth century. It is not hard to see why the Vikings stayed. Green fields in all directions brim with fertile soil which…

What’s your star sign? It’s a question that can be a major talking point, depending on how aligned one is with the ancient practice. The zeitgeist for the zodiac resonates strongly with today’s millennials, Gen Zers, women, and many in the queer community (so, as a 30-something lesbian, you could argue I’m doing my due diligence here by attempting to blend whisky with astrology). Even if you’re not across your birth chart, it’s likely you know your star – or sun – sign. A study by author and astrologer Nicholas Campion suggests 90 per cent of adults do, more than the 60 per cent or so who know their blood type. Arguably, this does not have a lot to do with whisky, but with more and more businesses looking to…

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Whisky is undoubtedly an intricate topic. That’s part of the joy of it – even the most advanced whisky chemists still don’t have all the answers. PhD students are delving into the complexities of malt varieties and wood’s impact on flavour. Their work is pushing the boundaries of what even the experts currently understand. For the average whisky enthusiast, it’s a case of the more they sip, the more they will learn. It’s a solid principle, regardless of how far along people are on their individual whisky journey. But with the quest for knowledge comes a challenge: what if what we’re told isn’t, well… true? This is where solid education comes in. While it’s absolutely possible to enjoy a dram without a depth of whisky knowledge, holding incorrect information to…

Single malt has been the great Scotch whisky success story of the 21st century. Its dramatic rise in popularity has been driven largely by marketers, drinks journalists, and influencers, promoting this spirit made exclusively from malted barley as Scotland’s traditional style of whisky. Their view has official support: according to the Scotch Whisky Association’s website, “Until [the 1830s], the spirit – illicit or otherwise – had been malt whisky.” It’s a great story, simply told – but it’s not entirely true. Historically, malt whisky was not Scotland’s only traditional style and, arguably, it was never even the most popular. Mixed grain whisky, pot distilled from a mash containing any of a number of different cereals mixed with malted barley, was the type best known to generations of Scottish drinkers. Grains…

The Irishman 22 Years Old WALSH WHISKEY ABV: 49.43% Style: Single malt Bottling type: Distillery Price per bottle: €500 (£427) Availability: Dublin and Cork airports Origin: Ireland This latest addition to the Walsh Whiskey portfolio pushes at the upper boundaries of the increasingly popular Irish single malt category. Double distilled in 2001, this non-chill-filtered cask-strength single malt whiskey was matured in American oak bourbon barrels for 21 years before a final year of ageing in ex-port wine casks. An initial 600 bottles will be released at the Loop stores of Cork and Dublin airports this year, and a further 600 will be launched in 2024. On the nose, the whiskey offers delicate fruity notes of candied orange, warm spices, and dark chocolate. Despite the whiskey’s higher strength, the finish is…

Huw Wright started his drinks industry journey at William Grant & Sons in Richmond back in 2015. From there he moved to AB InBev, where he was involved in projects with companies including Camden Town Brewery and Atom Supplies (Master of Malt, Bathtub Gin, Rumbullion!, and Maverick Drinks). Wright joined Edinburgh outfit Holyrood Distillery in early 2021 as head of finance and was appointed as managing director in 2023 to welcome in the distillery’s first whisky. WHISKY #1 Holyrood Arrival There is a set of armchairs in the Holyrood Distillery bar where you can sit looking up at the [Salisbury] Crags. You sit behind a huge window, marvelling at the great view. I would say this is my favourite seat in Edinburgh. Include a dram of Arrival and the whole…

Over the last few decades whisky has prospered. This is especially true of single malt, which has transformed from a virtually unknown category into the Scotch industry’s golden goose. Ironically, certain popular malt whisky brands, now well-known and integral parts of whisky’s fabric, are also a reminder of darker times. Port Ellen and Brora are first and foremost. The likes of St Magdalene, Convalmore, Banff, and Glen Mhor are slightly lesser known, but still highly regarded. Even Benromach and Knockdhu, generally not mentioned because they have since reopened, were part of a momentous historic occasion four decades ago – one that reverberated across the whisky industry. Trouble had been brewing for several years: the rise of oil prices, a global economic downturn, and a generation turning away from brown spirits.…

Head off on any distillery tour and it won’t be long until the touring party arrive at the washbacks. Often pine, sometimes stainless steel, this is the stage in whisky production where yeast is added to the sugary liquid and a beer-like wash is created. Not only does fermentation produce alcohol and carbon dioxide, but a whole load of flavour compounds – or esters – join the party, too. As a result, there’s often a narrative that the longer the fermentation, the better those flavour compounds. Industry-standard fermentations come in at about 48–60 hours, but some distilleries will go much longer. The deciding factor though is not the quality – it’s the flavour profile being sought. Esters form at different temperatures, different times, and with different yeast strains. In fact,…

This is a topic rife with misconceptions. Colour (legally) gets into a whisky one of two ways: through cask influence, and by adding caramel colour, or E150a. Considering there’s not a requirement for whisky companies to disclose the use of colour in their products, it becomes a murky topic. There are two things to note in this debate. Firstly, the use of caramel colour is not inherently bad. Its intended purpose is colour correction for consistency, not to mislead whisky drinkers. Secondly, casks don’t impact consistent colour. Even taking into account previous contents, time, and size of the vessel, there will always be differences in how active they are. “If there was no [such] thing as E150a, colour would be a useful indicator,” McCarron ventures. “But there are always going…

Haig Whisky has a remarkable history and perception in the modern world. To some, it is a historic brand with an instantly recognisable bottle that can trace its history back to the 17th century. For others, they’ll know it as “that blue bottle with David Beckham” – a reference to the brand’s resurrection in 2014 after disappearing into near obscurity. The whisky-making history of Haig goes back to 1655: there is a record from that date of Robert Haig of St Ninian’s being admonished by the local church elders for “breaking the sabbath” by running (then known as “playing”) his stills on a Sunday. Robert came from a long-established family of the Scottish Lowlands and had likely learnt modern distillation methods from visiting relatives from Holland. A great resource for…

In a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, the Old Burying Point Cemetery serves as a particularly bleak resting place. That city is Salem – a name universally associated with the punishment of accused witches, having held its infamous trials between 1692 and 1693. In total, 162 people were dragged before the law; 52 were tried, 30 condemned, and 20 put to death, most by hanging, one by crushing, and five in prison. It’s been the grim inspiration for some of the 20th century’s most-loved art – spanning Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible to Walt Disney Pictures’ Hocus Pocus and the unforgettable Sanderson Sisters. But the story of Scotland’s history with witchcraft is far more shocking. Under the Scottish Witchcraft Act, established in 1563, the practice of alleged witchcraft…

At first glance, the small Latin American country of Panama with its population of only 4.35 million people might not seem the obvious place to open the second The Macallan airport boutique in the Americas. On closer inspection, however, Panama’s status as a regional re-export hub meant the country was actually the seventh largest export market for Scotch whisky in value terms in 2022, according to the Scotch Whisky Association, ahead of the likes of Japan and Spain. It may be small, but Panama is arguably at the epicentre of Latin America’s growing love affair with premium Scotch whisky. Add to that Panama’s growing tourism business and the country is actually an excellent location for Latin America’s first The Macallan airport boutique. Operated by Duty Free Americas (DFA), North America’s…