When The Scotch Malt Whisky Society launched and commenced operations in Australia back in 2002, one of the earliest and most staple activities was a healthy program of whisky dinners. The tradition of whisky and food matching has never died and, here in Sydney at least, the Society continues to hold at least two significant whisky dinners each year for its members. When it comes to matters culinary, if you’re going to promote something as being uniquely special, delivering excellence, and showcasing “the best”, then you need to work with the best. For this reason, wherever possible, the Society chooses to team up with Franz Scheurer – the maestro of matching food to whisky.
Category: Wisdom & Opinions
What whisky bloggers are doing wrong…
(or why Whisky Bloggers are annoying a lot of people right now)
So who was the first whisky blogger? Was it before or after WordPress made this caper so easy? Well, it was before. A long time before. Back in 1887, in fact. For that is when an ambitious chap by the name of Alfred Barnard first approached a distillery and cheekily asked for a free sample so he could write about it. One hundred and thirty years later, and it turns out several thousand wannabes are following suit.
Yes, I’m aware of the irony. But bear with me…
The 1980’s heavy metal music guide to whisky
Whisky and heavy metal? The late whisky writer, Michael Jackson, once compared a particular single malt to a car (e.g. “the Rolls-Royce of whisky”). Others have since compared certain single malts to particular Grand Cru wines. More recently, people have started writing tasting notes for whiskies and suggested various songs or bands to match and pair with the whisky. So, whisky and music is now a thing, right? Okay then, let’s take it one step further…
No one likes to admit it, but there was once a time when heavy metal music was actually commercially successful, and major record labels were falling over themselves trying to sign up hard rock acts. The genre is lampooned today, and often labelled dismissively as hair metal or glam metal. But, like me, you might be from that era when heavy metal artists were actually on top of all the charts and hair metal bands ruled the airwaves. But has anyone ever compared whisky and heavy metal artists? Or matched the two together? Perhaps now is the time. Get out the hair gel, put on your spandex, and take yourself back to the 1980’s… Continue reading “The 1980’s heavy metal music guide to whisky”
Port Ellen and dram envy
[Update 2024: The article below was originally written in 2015. Of course, the *new* Port Ellen distillery opened its doors in March 2024, but this changes the narrative only a little. Much of what follows remains valid, given it will be many years until the new spirit has matured, and there will always be lust for the “old” Port Ellen.] What makes Port Ellen whisky so special? Why is the Port Ellen distillery so revered, considering it was decided to close it down in 1983? Let’s look at the fully story, including why Port Ellen whisky makes plenty of people envious…
Glendronach vs Glenfarclas vs Macallan
Glendronach versus Glenfarclas versus Macallan. Immediately, you’ve already chosen your winner. You’ve no doubt got your own favourite, and you’re probably even wondering how this could possibly even be a close race worth discussing! Is there a rivalry between these three heavyweights? Let’s dig a little deeper…
Springbank – The enigma of Campbeltown
For most whisky drinkers – dare I say, enthusiasts – distilleries fall into one of three categories: There is the “well known” category, where names like Glenmorangie, Lagavulin, Macallan, Glenfarclas, Talisker, etc all reside. Their whiskies are widely available; the brands are well known; they have visitor centres; and chances are, you may already have set foot in their stillhouse.
At the other end of the scale, you have the “unknown” category. These are the distilleries that don’t have any official releases; the ones that don’t have visitor centres and are closed to the public. Their spirit goes straight into the blends and you’ll struggle to find any detailed information about them. Most readers may not even have heard of them! I refer to the likes of Allt-a’Bhainne, Miltonduff, Inchgower, and so on.
The third category is the more interesting one, and I’ll tag it with the label “enigmatic”. And surely, there is no more enigmatic distillery than Springbank. Independent, family owned, a Campbeltown distillery no less, its whiskies are harder to come by; the releases are few and far between; and yet – and it’s a big yet – hardcore whisky lovers adore it. Fans speak of Springbank with a reverence and dedication reserved for very few distilleries, and for those who’ve not discovered the distillery or been enchanted by its spirit, it’s all a bit of a mystery.
The Ultimate Glenfarclas Tasting
Back in 2007, a very special whisky event was held in Sydney, Australia. Held at Sydney’s iconic Claude’s restaurant, it was billed as “The Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner” and it featured an unbelievable line up of the rarest Ardbeg bottlings ever assembled, including the 1965. That particular event had been preceded a year earlier by an incredible Macallan tasting (featuring the full ESC range, as well as rare bottlings from the 1980’s). And, only a short time prior to that, there was the unbelievable Springbank tasting, which featured the entire Millennium range of Springbanks. These were the glory days of tasting and appreciating the uber rare, special, and expensive releases amongst Scotland’s elite single malt bottlings and distilleries. In terms of the rarity of the whiskies at the Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner, many thought such an event could never be equalled. We may finally have found a successor…
How wood you like that?
[Update: Aspects of the below article are considerably expanded upon and covered in more detail in our comprehensive feature piece, “The complete guide to oak and whisky maturation” which we suggest you head straight to now and read here. ]
Whisky maturation is a complex process. You’ve doubtless heard or read the oft-accepted mantra that the spirit’s contact with the wood during maturation contributes as much as 60-70% to the whisky’s final flavour.
When it comes to playing around with wood and cask experimentation, few do it better than Glenmorangie. Often credited with the innovation of “finishing” (although Balvenie may beg to differ), Glenmorangie was certainly the first to commercially release a range of whiskies where the whisky was matured primarily in one type of cask, and then given a second period of maturation in a different cask. The “Port Wood” expression was one of my early favourites, having spent 10 years or so in bourbon wood, before being finished for 6-12 months in port pipes.
20 years on, finishing is so common now, it’s passé. For some companies, it also makes economic sense: Not every distillery can afford to invest in expensive sherry casks for a 12 year maturation, but some impressive results can be had by re-racking the whisky in first-fill sherry butts for just 6-12 months. Not surprisingly, the results merge and marry the characteristics of the contributing parent casks, and any number of permutations and possibilities can be trialled. Tired or non-performing whiskies can also be rescued: For some distillers, finishing the spirit in a new or exotic cask can polish or breathe life into whisky that was flat or over-cooked. We won’t name names, but a number of resurrected distilleries have had to do this to rescue tired casks that were inherited when the distillery’s ownership changed hands.
Are you paying too much for your whisky?
Is whisky too expensive? How much should you pay for a good bottle of single malt? How much should you pay for a bad bottle of malt? Why are some distilleries or labels so expensive, whilst others seem so much cheaper? Why do NAS whiskies cost so much, when all you ever hear about is that their vattings contain mostly young malt? In fact, when it all boils down: Why is whisky so expensive?
That’s a lot of questions. So what are the answers?
Glenfarclas Distillery – a family affair
What follows is a full and detailed profile of the Glenfarclas distillery. I’ve prepared and written up similar distillery profiles and feature pieces for many different publications and outlets in the past, and this feature piece will be no different. But, in the interests of full disclosure, let’s declare all interests: Glenfarclas is my favourite distillery. There. I’ve said it…