Category: Wisdom & Opinions

10 ways to annoy a whisky nerd

The growth and boom in the single malt industry in the last 15 years or so has given birth to the rise of the Whisky Nerd.   The sort of person who knows (or thinks they know) every last detail about a distillery, or a particular bottling, or the latest industry gossip.   They’ll be able to tell you which distilleries still use wormtubs; what year Laphroaig was founded; and – if you hand them a glass of anonymous whisky – they’ll sniff the glass and tell you which distillery it comes from; what its age is; and which warehouseman farted on the day the cask was filled.

They are the same people who can get very passionate if they hear you say something about whisky that they disagree with or believe to be incorrect.  Fights have started and blood has been spilt over such simple opinions like which vintage release was the best ever Ardbeg!  (Okay, readers, so was it the 1977 or 1974?)

So – if you’re the sort of person who likes to upset an OCD sufferer by visiting their house and tilting all of their hung pictures so that they’re crooked on the wall – here is a list of things you can say or do to annoy a Whisky Nerd:

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Something to Mull over – Tobermory & Ledaig

Any whisky lover making the pilgrimage to Scotland invariably makes their way to the west coast, and sooner or later will end up passing through Oban.  Whether heading north to Skye, or south to Islay, sadly, too many travellers overlook the opportunity to jump on a ferry and head west to Mull.   For it is there that a small, hidden gem awaits:  The Tobermory Distillery – home to the whiskies of Tobermory and Ledaig.

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Why nagging about NAS is just noise

Out there in whisky consumerville right now, there are three little letters causing a stir:  N.A.S.     NAS whisky.  But what does NAS mean?  What is NAS whisky?

Neutral Alcohol Spirit?

New Amber Strathisla?

How about Non Aggressive Speysiders?

No, it’s “No age statement”.  If you read the spite and vitriol from some commentators – mostly chided bloggers who feel the industry owes them something – you’d think it was the most sinful development in whisky since Robert Pattison turned to his brother Walter and asked, “Why don’t we buy some parrots?”

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The Top Six distilleries to visit before you die

Everyone has a bucket list, and I daresay most whisky drinkers would probably list visiting their favourite distillery for a distillery tour as a “must do” at some stage in their life.  But if you’re really serious about your whiskies and you could actually get yourself to six distilleries before qualifying for your entitlement of the angels’ share, what are the Top Six to visit?  In no particular order…

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The Top 5 things whisky drinkers are doing wrong

“How to drink whisky?” is a common question asked by many, but enjoying whisky goes way beyond the actual drinking of the spirit. From the most recent whisky-newbie to the more seasoned long-term malt enthusiast, we all fall for the same traps and mistakes – repeatedly.   Here are the Top Five things that whisky drinkers are doing wrong…

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Auchentoshan – Triple the fun

Auchentoshan.  In a whisky landscape where single malts and new expressions are becoming more and more ubiquitous, every brand or distillery is jockeying for position and heralding its “point of difference”.  Some hang their hat on geography (“We’re Scotland’s most northerly distillery”); some rely on taste (“The most richly flavoured Islay malt”); some rely on size (“Scotland’s smallest distillery”); and others lean on their corporate make-up (“Still family owned since 1860”).

Only one Scottish distillery, however, can declare that its production methods and spirit are different to every other Scotch single malt.  And that distillery is Auchentoshan.  For it is here and only here that the mystical and complex art of triple distillation is practiced on each and every drop of spirit produced.

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Glenrothes – style & grace in a bottle

Glenrothes. The name itself sounds majestic. Located in the town of Rothes, not far from the Spey, many wonderful secrets are tucked away in this great distillery hidden back from the main road.

The single malt scene was very limited in Australia when things just started to pick up in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. But Glenrothes, in its distinctive, round, dumpy bottle, was one of the more exotic and “interesting” bottlings that would grab your attention on the shelves of the local liquor store.

One of the reasons Glenrothes stood out from the pack was because its bottlings were vintage-dated. In a sea of bottles with 12yo, 15yo, and 18yo age statements stamped on the labels, Glenrothes was all the more attractive with its labels declaring years like 1973, 1985, and 1989, etc.

These days, the vintage bottlings are still the norm, although some non-descript NAS expressions (such as the Select Reserve, Elders Reserve, and even the new Alba Reserve, which is a certified Kosher whisky!) are now available on the market.   Glenrothes is a highly sought-after malt for the blenders; its rich and silky spirit adding both a lovely base note and a top dressing simultaneously. Years ago, the corporate word was that one in every 100 casks would be selected for going towards the OB Glenrothes single malt bottlings; today the figure is around 3% as the brand continues to grow in its own right. That might still sound like a low percentage, but as recently as the late 1980’s, 100% of all Glenrothes spirit went off to the blenders, and the owners focussed on other distilleries in the portfolio to showcase as single malt bottlings.

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When fixation on peat and PPM gets OTT

If you’re a fan of peat and peaty whiskies and you do a bit of reading or googling on the subject, it’s not too long before you encounter the letters “ppm”.   And never have three letters caused so much excitement, passion, enthusiasm…and confusion:   Parts Per Million.

A lot of whisky appreciation these days revolves around comparison and relativity.   Examples?  We measure or define how sherried a whisky might be by comparing it to a well-known benchmark: “The Macallan Fine Oak isn’t as heavily sherried as Aberlour a’Bunadh.” Or, “If you like the smokiness of Talisker 10, you’ll probably enjoy Bowmore 12.”

Where ppm sticks its nose in and causes problems is that people use it as a yardstick for comparing smokiness and peatiness in whisky. And that in itself causes dramas, as there are plenty of people out there who still don’t appreciate that smokiness and peatiness are two different things. Yes, you can have one without the other.  More on that in a moment.

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What’s wrong with Diageo?

In recent times, it’s become fashionable to moan about and berate the big boys of the whisky game.   Let’s not beat about the bush – I refer specifically to malt snobs, blogs, and the cognoscenti getting stuck into the likes of Diageo and whinging about either their bottlings, the quality of the latest release or the price tag attached, or perhaps even lamenting that a particular expression isn’t made available in their local market.  “What’s wrong with Diageo?” is a question you might hear asked occasionally.

Well, as fashionable as it is to bag and complain about Diageo, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to stand up for them. Not that they need the likes of little old me to get vocal about anything on their behalf, but I figure some balance and perspective is due.  This article was originally published under the title, “Standing up for the big boys“.

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Jura Distillery

You have to feel sorry for the Jura distillery. In terms of Scotch whisky’s regions, it is officially classified as Highland (sub set – Island), but when you think of the Island distilleries, names like Highland Park or Talisker seem to get most of the limelight and romance. Geographically, Jura may as well be Islay – and yet it isn’t, and it can’t claim or borrow Islay’s appeal. It therefore sits as a peculiar distillery, often off people’s radar. Until you taste it. And once you have, it won’t fly under your radar any more…

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