Category: Wisdom & Opinions

Benromach Distillery – Speyside’s little jewel

Benromach distillery isn’t one of the most widely known or seen single malts.  But that’s changing.  And fast…

Benromach is one of the very few distilleries to have a happy ending after the misery of the industry-wide distillery closures in the mid-1980’s.  Originally founded in 1898, by 1983 Benromach was part of the DCL (today’s Diageo) and it was one of eight distilleries closed down by DCL that year as a result of the downturn and economic woes of the time.   Of those eight DCL distilleries that closed that year, Benromach is the only one to remain alive and operating today.  The other seven are lost forever, including Dallas Dhu, which is now a museum.  But, of course, a bit of action played out in the meantime…

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Are you a whisky snob?

Are you a whisky snob?  More critically, have you ever accused someone of being a whisky snob?  If you’re in either camp – particularly the latter – you need to read on…

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Whisky’s key ingredient

How do you make good whisky? In fact, what are the ingredients of whisky?  If you answered barley, water, and yeast, then you were correct.  And yet, there’s so much more…

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The Top Four Whiskies for Christmas

{Update: The article below was first written in 2014 and has been superseded/replaced with a more up-to-date article.  You should read the updated article here.}

Need a whisky for Christmas?  Once upon a time, whisky was whisky, and Santa wasn’t too discerning when it came to what special dram you left out for him on Christmas Eve.  In decades gone by, there was also less distinction – by both marketers and  consumers – about the significance of sherried versus non-sherried whisky.  Of course, with the huge decline in sherry consumption and the corresponding rise in the cost of sherried single malts, the distinction and noise around sherried whisky is now more stark and louder than ever.  (And that’s before we even mention words like European oak or sulphur candles!)

When I first started hosting whisky tasting events in 2001, I did a fair bit of freelance work for Macallan.  This was back when the core range was simply the 12yo, 15yo, 18yo, and 25yo – all of them made with Golden Promise barley, and all matured exclusively in sherry casks.   I used to describe the flavour of these sherried whiskies as being like “Christmas pudding in a glass”.  The really great sherried whiskies showcased all of the dried fruits you’d find in Christmas pudding (e.g. raisins, sultanas, dates, cherries, apricots, etc); as well as the butterscotch and toffee notes you’d associate with the brandy butter or Christmas sauce.   Some of them also exhibited a bit of the spice that we commonly associate with European oak, and occasionally there was also the pleasant bitterness of cloves and Christmas mince pies, or the sweetness of cinnamon.

As such, for me, if I’m going to drink a single malt at Christmas time, it’s got to be a sherried whisky.  And, certainly, when it comes time on the 24th to put out a dram for Santa, it’s been a Glenfarclas for jolly Saint Nick every year since my kids arrived on the scene.

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Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first!

With whisky shows and expos like Whisky Live now up and running in many countries, whisky lovers all over the world now have the opportunity to attend amazing tasting events where there is much to sample and experience in a short session.

(Note this article has been amended for European/US readers. If you’re reading in Australia, click here for the original, more localised version).

I recently reflected on how many different articles I’d written over the years that shared a theme or objective that could loosely be summarised as “How to get the most out of your dram”.  But something that hadn’t been addressed in any detail is how best to plan your attack when attending an expo-style tasting event, i.e. a whisky show.  Playing it right, or otherwise, can mean the difference between having an outstanding sensory and culinary experience, or having a dull, confusing session.

As someone who regularly attends whisky shows as both a regular punter and as an exhibitor behind the table, I’m only too aware that attendees need to plan their session or employ wise strategy if they are to get the best out of what is on offer.  Play it wrong, and you truly rob yourself of a rewarding, positive opportunity.

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Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first! (Aussie version)

Wondering what to do at a whisky tasting event or how to plan for it?  Read on…

{But first: There are two versions of this article – one specifically for Australian readers, and one for international readers.  This is the Australian version – if you’d like to read the international version, click here}

Heading off to a whisky show soon?  Good for you! For too many years, Australians were starved of the opportunity to attend whisky expo events.  We’d all hear and read about the amazing Whisky Live events overseas, or even the epic DramFest in New Zealand, but it’s only relatively recently in Australia that these events are becoming regular attractions in most of the capital cities.

(For those who like a bit of history, the first true expo event in Australia was in Canberra in 2003 as part of the Australian Malt Whisky Convention, organised by the MWSoA.  That was a biennial event that was then repeated in Sydney in 2005 and Melbourne in 2007.  After a hiatus, it returned in Adelaide in 2013.   Whisky Live arrived on the scene in Sydney in 2009, where it was joined a year or two later by The Whisky Fair, followed by The Whisky Show in 2012.  Other local organisations have joined the party, such as the QMWS hosting their expo in Brisbane since 2011.  More recently, The Whisky Show spread its wings to Melbourne, and of course, Whisky Live has now been a nationwide roadshow in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane for the last few years.  And, whilst their scale is much, much smaller and limited to their own label, let’s not forget the “Steps to Heaven” or “Extravaganza” tastings put on by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society around the country since 2009).  More recently, independent events such as Whisky Freedom (Perth) and Whisky & Dreams (Melbourne) have added to the scene.)

The point is, most Aussie whisky enthusiasts can now attend an expo-style event in their capital city.  I recently reflected on how many different articles I’d written over the years (mostly for SMWS publications) that shared a theme or objective that could loosely be summarised as “How to get the most out of your dram”.  But something that hadn’t been addressed in any detail is how best to plan your attack when attending an expo tasting event.  Playing it right, or otherwise, can mean the difference between having an outstanding sensory and culinary experience, or having a dull, confusing session.

As someone who regularly attends these events as both a regular punter and as an exhibitor behind the table, I’m only too aware that attendees need to plan their session or employ wise strategy if they are to get the best out of what is on offer.  Play it wrong, and you truly rob yourself of a rewarding, positive opportunity.

Continue reading “Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first! (Aussie version)”

Whisky cocktails – are we doing the flavour a favour?

Have you ever tried a whisky cocktail?  I’m referring to something a bit more exotic than a Rusty Nail or a Manhattan.  The former – simply equal parts of whisky and Drambuie together – and the latter, a concoction of rye whiskey, vermouth, and bitters, are both time-honoured classics, but it would be wrong to compare them with the more complex, complicated, and dare I say, fashionable whisky cocktails doing the rounds in today’s bars.

Whisk(e)y cocktails currently carry the buzz in the industry at present, and it’s been the case now for at least the last four to five years.  Cocktails are seen as the introduction or stepping stone into whisky drinking.  “Don’t like whisky?  Here, have a sip of this colourful Highland Fling!”  The marketing guys have been working furiously in recent years to shed the industry’s image of whisky being an older man’s drink, and so the bar and cocktail scene is where they’re targeting their message to attract a younger and more gender-balanced demographic to the category.

I concede there is a logic to it.  We are in the latter (ending?) phase of the cult of the celebrity chef, and not everyone is hanging off every word and activity that the Gordon Ramsays and Marco Pierre Whites of the world get up to.  In their place – at least in certain circles – we are seeing the rise of the celebrity cocktail expert.  Or, to use the preferred parlance:  The Mixologist.

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Glenfiddich vs Glenlivet – who will win the heavyweight title bout?

It’s a classic question that many whisky drinkers ponder:  Which is better…Glenfiddich or Glenlivet?  It’s also a great question, because if someone were to ask you, “What does a Speyside whisky taste like?”, then pouring a dram of either Glenlivet or Glenlivet would answer their question pretty nicely.

Both exhibit that classic Speyside style of being grassy, floral, sweet and malty, with that little extra “zing” for good measure. With Glenfiddich, the zing comes in the form of pear drops, whilst Glenlivet, for me, has a wee hint of citrus tang.  Both drams are textbook examples of Speyside whisky.

Depending on your age, and certainly if you were introduced to malt whisky prior to the 2000’s, then there’s a very good chance that one of these two whiskies was probably your first ever single malt.

The two brands are giants of the industry and mutually respected (and respectful) competitors on the playing field. Glenlivet is the single malt flagship of Pernod Ricard (via its subsidiary, Chivas Bros), whilst Glenfiddich remains one of the last bastions of independent, family ownership, being the bedrock of William Grant & Sons.   Both brands command significant market share. The Glenlivet has been the biggest selling single malt in the USA for years, whereas Glenfiddich can boast the global title of being the biggest selling single malt in the world.

As these two heavyweights front up to do battle, let’s compare their credentials and get ready to rumble… Continue reading “Glenfiddich vs Glenlivet – who will win the heavyweight title bout?”

Your worst whisky nightmare (Int)

(There are two versions of this article:  One intended for Australian readers, and one intended for readers in other countries.   This is the International version.  If you’re reading this from Australia, click here).

I should preface this piece by stating up front that it reflects the thoughts of an Australian and the general state of the whisky industry as it presented itself within Australia 10, 20, and 25 years ago.  Readers in other countries may have had different experiences and opportunities…

Picture the following two scenarios:

  1. You walk into your favourite bottleshop or off-licence looking to see if there are any new and exciting releases, or simply just to pick up new single malt expression that you’d recently heard about.  You head to the whisky section of the store, where there’s normally a selection of 30 to 40 different malts and brands to choose from.  You get there, only to find that the shelves have been stripped almost totally bare. The only whiskies left on the shelf for you to choose from are Glenfiddich 12yo, Glenlivet 12yo, Johnnie Walker Red and Black Labels, and VAT 69.
  2. Exiting the store in despair, you rush to your favourite whisky bar,  in need of a good Scotch to calm your racing pulse. You scan the shelf behind the barman, desperately looking for a juicy, non-filtered, cask-strength dram. Instead, you see only a bottle of Chivas Regal 12yo.

Is this your worst whisky nightmare?  No. It’s reality.

It’s what life was like in 1989.

I am genuinely thrilled and delighted in the boom that the whisky industry is currently experiencing.  Whisky is fashionable, it has an audience, it has a market, the distilleries are in full production, and people of all ages and demographics are flocking to its door.  There are thousands of web pages, internet groups, and discussion pages devoted to whisky; there are whisky clubs that meet throughout cities and suburbia each night of the week; and there are books and magazines galore.   Drinkers who are new to the category have never had it so good.  But it wasn’t always this way……

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Your worst whisky nightmare

(There are two versions of this article:  One intended for Australian readers, and one intended for readers in other countries.   This is the Australian version.  If you’re reading this from another country, click here).

Picture the following three scenarios:

  1. You walk into your favourite bottleshop or off-licence looking to see if there are any new and exciting releases, or simply just to pick up new single malt expression that you’d recently heard about.  You head to the whisky section of the store, where there’s normally a selection of 30 to 40 different malts and brands to choose from.  You get there, only to find that the shelves have been stripped almost totally bare. The only whiskies left on the shelf for you to choose from are Glenfiddich 12yo, Glenlivet 12yo, Johnnie Walker Red and Black Labels, and VAT 69.
  2. Exiting the store in despair, you rush to your favourite whisky bar,  in need of a good Scotch to calm your racing pulse. You scan the shelf behind the barman, desperately looking for a juicy, non-filtered, cask-strength dram. Instead, you see only a bottle of Chivas Regal 12yo.
  3. Convinced the world is coming to an end, you head around to your friend’s house. “All the great new Scotches have been removed from the shelves!” you exclaim, “But it’s okay, we’ll just drink some great, award-winning Australian whisky instead.”   Your friend calms you down, nods sagely and goes over to his drinks cabinet, returning with a tumbler filled with precious, golden nectar. Relieved, you grab it and hold it up to your nose for a sniff and a taste. Hang on, something’s not right here – it smells metallic, spirity, and like oxidised acetone. Suspicious, you have a sip, only to spit it out immediately, spluttering “what the hell is this?” Your friend looks at you strangely and says “It’s Corio, of course.   What did you think it would be?”

Is this your worst whisky nightmare?  No. It’s reality.

It’s what life was like in 1989.

I am genuinely thrilled and delighted in the boom that the whisky industry is currently experiencing.  Whisky is fashionable, it has an audience, it has a market, the distilleries are in full production, and people of all ages and demographics are flocking to its door.  There are thousands of web pages, internet groups, and discussion pages devoted to whisky; there are whisky clubs that meet throughout cities and suburbia each night of the week; and there are books and magazines galore.   Drinkers who are new to the category have never had it so good.  But it wasn’t always this way……

Continue reading “Your worst whisky nightmare”