Whisky Posts & Articles

Five whisky buzzwords you need to know right now

When you first start to take whisky seriously, there’s a new lexicon you have to learn. Words like malt, maturation, hogshead, fermentation, and Speyside have to form part of your vocabulary. But there’s a new bunch of whisky buzzwords that are now in the lingo. Get your mouth around these….

 

TRANSPARENCY

Whisky terminology - Transparency

30 years ago, a whisky’s label would simply state the spirit’s age and its ABV.   Glen McSporran 12yo at 40% ABV? Done. It was a short day in the office that day for the marketing team.  However, as the category grew, so too did consumers’ thirst for knowledge.   Some labels started to declare the nature of the cask (or casks) that were used in the maturation.   The independent bottlers – chiefly bottling single casks – led the way by providing more information about the specific cask, e.g. whether it was a hogshead or a butt; how many bottles the cask yielded; whether the cask was ex-bourbon or ex-sherry; whether the spirit had been chill-filtered or not. Of course, all this is simply what normal people would call “information”.

The reality is that brands and marketing teams are at liberty to declare whatever information they feel is appropriate on the label.   The word “transparency” is interesting, because it carries the subtle sub-text of what the brand is willing to declare – and implies there is information they don’t wish to declare. In a time of increasingly inquisitive consumers and the era of outrage, there is instantly a culture of questioning or doubt when a label chooses not to declare something. Brands are suddenly now expected to be transparent. If Distillery A is happy to tell you the cask was a 1st Fill, why won’t Distillery B tell us about their cask? Does it infer that it’s a refill cask? Is there a (misplaced) perception that the whisky is suddenly inferior or less marketable? If a label is not transparent about what’s in the bottle, is there something to hide? (The answer is, “Of course not”. Alas, that’s not the vibe carried by a sector of consumerville right now).

As whisky buzzwords go, it’s a particularly hot one amongst the independent bottlers at the moment, particularly in the realm of the single cask – noting that there seems to be considerable conjecture as to what constitutes a “single cask” these days. Thank you, Glendronach.

 

DARK

Whisky buzzwords - Dark

Growing up in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, dark had negative connotations – such was the reach of Star Wars and the dark side of the force.   Whisky, of course, is the antithesis of this: Rightly or wrongly (and it’s mostly wrongly), dark whiskies are seen as being the highly desirable item. We taste with our eyes, and there’s no denying that a dark-coloured whisky gets our palates salivating. The dark hue gives an instant message of either great age, or sherry-cask influence – or both.

As such, dark is a tremendous marketing word and an even better marketing tool. Young whisky can be artificially coloured with E150 caramel, labelled as a No-Age-Statement, and sold with a high price tag. Similarly, a whisky can spend five minutes in a lifeless fourth-fill PX cask, be artificially coloured, and be sold at a premium. Witness how many new and young/start-up distilleries resort to marketing their product on the basis of its colour, rather than its flavour or quality. (Australian distillers, I’m looking at you).

As such, there’s now no shortage of whiskies that have pounced on the word. Highland Park Dark Origins. Talisker Dark Storm. Auchentoshan Dark Oak. Bowmore Dark & Intense. There’s now even an independent bottler called Darkness.

 

ENGAGEMENT

Whisky buzzwords - engagement

Years ago, you bought a whisky. You drank it. If you liked it, you went out and bought another bottle when it was finished. Darlings, that’s so 2006. These days, you’re expected to engage with the brand. Some brands will even go out of their way to engage with you. No longer content with just brand ambassadors, we now have brand advocates, brand champions, brand partners, and…shudder….brand influencers.   The whisky companies and labels spend serious marketing dollars making sure you’re engaged with their brand and their message. It’s no longer about the liquid in the bottle, it’s the story that the bottle tells. Hand-in-hand with engagement, there’s another related word: Your relationship with the brand should be experiential.   Marketing campaigns are no longer posters on billboards, they’re now interactive websites, apps on your phone, online competitions, and hashtags on your posts. Captain Picard, eat your heart out.

 

EXTRA

Years ago, Jerry Seinfeld did a routine about the word ‘extra’ and it’s uncanny how his comments on the word now ring true in the world of whisky.   “Normal” just doesn’t cut it anymore and extra is what drinkers want. Chivas Regal Extra, anyone? Others quickly jumped onboard – Haig Extra, for one, and it’s now widely applied to a host of Japanese bottlings (e.g. Mars, Torys, and Sun Peace.) But it’s being applied in other senses, too.   Glenmorangie led the way – their whiskies aren’t “finished” anymore, they’re “extra-matured”.

 

OAK

Whisky words - Oak

Oak is hardly a new word, and your earliest education in whisky would have introduced you to the concepts of American Oak and European Oak. If you got particularly nerdy about it, you even knew which one was quercus alba and which one was quercus robur. The problem for whisky – well, at least for the people tasked with marketing it – is that a product made from only barley, water, and yeast doesn’t leave much room for spin.   And so oak is one of the few things they can hang their hat on.   And thus it’s been an increasingly-embraced buzzword in recent times: Auchentoshan American Oak. Sullivans Cove French Oak. Balvenie’s “The sweet toast of American oak”. Glenfiddich Rich Oak. Compass Box’ Oak Cross. Auchentoshan Blood Oak. Akashi White Oak.

What’s the difference between gravy and jus? About $15 on the menu.   Same goes for asking, “What’s the difference between wood and oak?” They’re the same thing, but “wood” is out and “oak” is in. It sounds more exotic, more artisan, more sophisticated. Distilleries that used to use the word “wood” on their labels have replaced it with “oak” and, in some cases, it’s now the delineator between their product range. Macallan, in particular, have doubled down in recent years: Fine Oak, Sherry Oak, and Select Oak, to name just three.  

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Got any more whisky buzzwords you’ve heard repeated lately? Share them in the comments section below.

Cheers,
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Milk and Honey

The Milk & Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv, Israel, is one of the latest distilleries amongst the so-called “new world” bunch to put its head above the parapet and call attention to itself.   Like its colleagues in Taiwan, India, and even the likes of Australia, it’s a distillery in a hot climate country that is bending the barley to the beat of its own drum.

Milk & Honey was founded in 2012 and – again, like Kavalan in Taiwan – was shaped by the late Dr Jim Swan. One of Swan’s hallmarks was developing processes, systems, and strategies that typically bring whisky to maturation and market earlier than traditional methodologies, and Milk & Honey has benefitted accordingly.

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The highs and lows of a whisky brand ambassador

Do you want to be a Whisky Brand Ambassador? There are a number of professions that have the outward appearance of being particularly glamorous and appealing.   They’re the careers that people look on at with envy, with the inherent assumption that the work is always exciting, always fun, never a chore, easy to fulfil, well remunerated, and without any downsides.

Over the decades, several professions have assumed such projected glamour. Rock stars, airline pilots, flight attendants, professional footballers, film stars, astronauts, magicians, and so on. As a subtle prelude to this article, you’ll note that most of these professions involve performing and/or travelling. And, as any regular traveller or performer will tell you, it ain’t always a barrel of monkeys.

The role of a whisky brand ambassador is one such profession that, on the surface, must surely be the ideal, dream job? After all, you get paid to work with whisky. Heck, you get paid to actually drink whisky! You get paid to travel and tell people about whisky. You get paid to hear all the insider knowledge, to visit the distilleries, and to be on the frontline of whisky’s marketing, development, and expansion. If you love whisky, surely there couldn’t possibly be a downside ?

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Bakery Hill – The Blunderbuss

With new local distilleries or independent bottlers/releases launching and popping up all over Australia, it’s easy to overlook some of the long-time brands that have been waving the flag all along. But you overlook these at your peril – particularly when one of those distilleries brings along something that truly hits great heights.

Bakery Hill is one such distillery. Established in 1999, it is one of the oldest of the current crop of Australian distilleries, and – as we explored in this article previously – it’s a quiet achiever that lets its whiskies do the talking. You’ll not see or hear much from them on social media, even as they steadily and consistently win awards and accolades from around the world. But your tastebuds should tune in to what they’re doing.

One of Bakery Hill’s great appeals is its consistency of product. Whilst several distilleries still lurch from good to poor to spectacular to mediocre with each successive single cask release, Bakery Hill has been around long enough to find its operating and procedural “sweet spot” and they stick to it. It has a core range of products that both impress and deliver – case in point, their Peated Malt Cask Strength was awarded “Southern Hemisphere Whisky of the Year” in Jim Murray’s 2020 Bible.  No mean feat.

So with such bona fides established, it’s exciting when they then bring along something new to the table.  And delicious to boot.  Bakery Hill’s “The Blunderbuss” is one such whisky, and its story is worth telling….

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Parallel importing and its shades of grey

If you’ve been into a whisky for a while, you’ve no doubt got a good feel for the “going rate” of most bottlings. You’ll know the RRP of the staples – all the 10yo/12yo/15yo expressions of the main players, and you’ve probably also got a good feel for the going rate of the typically-found independent releases as well. And that means you’re well placed to spot when a bargain comes through and when a retailer is offering something at a significantly cheaper price than the norm.

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Whisky festivals – the show must go on

Whisky festivals, shows, expos, even fairs. Call ‘em what you will, they’re everywhere. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city or country where there’s a big enough whisky scene, you’re probably also lucky to have a choice of whisky shows that you can attend. Over time, some of these have started to take on an international reputation.   They’re no longer just a whisky show, they become a whisky destination. People – that, is punters and consumers – will grab their passports and jump on a plane just to take part in the fun.

Some of the individual Whisky Live events around the globe have achieved this status. Other shows become their own highly successful brands that are “one day, I’ll get there” events for plenty of drinkers. Examples include the Victoria Whisky Festival in British Columbia, Canada; the Limburg Whisky Festival in Germany; both Maltstock and the WhiskyBase Gathering in the Netherlands; and in the southern hemisphere, there’s Dramfest in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Some whisky shows are birthed out of the passion and enthusiasm of whisky interest groups; others have more commercial motives and may be attached to or work in conjunction with a retail outlet.   Of course, for the purposes of this little piece, we’ll ignore the distillery-led pinnacles of Feis Ile or the Speyside Whisky Festival.

What is the benchmark for “success” for a whisky show? What makes a show “good”? Why are some perceived to be better than others? The list of KPI’s and measurables is many and varied…

  • The price to attend
  • The venue
  • The number of whiskies on offer to try
  • The brands represented and exhibiting
  • The industry luminaries and whisky “celebrities” that attend to present masterclasses and sessions
  • The food / catering
  • The peripheral events and activities that might supplement or surround the main event
  • The duration of the events or its tasting sessions

Different individuals will assign different values and levels of importance to each of the above. What makes one show good for Person A might make it a less desirable show for Person B. This writer’s observation is certainly that some shows set about the business better than others. For example, several Australian cities are blessed to have a number of different whisky shows on offer during the calendar year, and Australian readers will possibly already have decided why they prefer one of Whisky Fair, Whisky Show, Whisky Live, Whisky Freedom, etc.

An ongoing challenge for any whisky show is how to control the inevitable “over-indulgence” that occurs with some attendees. Security is now tight at many shows, and exhibitors are better trained at looking for the signs and refusing service when necessary. Many shows attempt to limit consumption with tokens or vouchers for a prescribed number of drams (e.g. you might only get 10 vouchers to redeem against 10 whiskies during your session) but such models are increasingly in the minority these days.

The crowd at the whisky show 2015

Whisky shows also adapt and evolve over time. In most cases, they’re ironing out wrinkles or tweaking and improving things to provide better value or more attractive and appealing features. One aspect that’s certainly gaining momentum is the increasing presence of other spirits at whisky shows. Rum, in particular, is a rapidly rising presence at many shows, while gin and brandy are also starting to make regular appearances. Some enjoy this diversity; others feel that attending a whisky show and finding a large contingent of stands serving non-whisky products is not what they signed up for.

A growing problem for some of the event organisers is finding space to work in. They’re not just competing for space on the calendar or for the “punter’s dollar”, but – most critically of all – they’re competing for the exhibitors. The reality is that, for many brands and distributors, there’s only so much time, staff, and stock you can devote to this form of marketing and promotion.   It costs money to take out a stand at a show; it costs money (in one form or another) to pay your rep to man that stand for two or three days; and it costs money to pour out bottles of precious stock to punters who aren’t always wearing their most appreciative hat. Accordingly, brands are becoming increasingly choosy over which shows they’ll be present at, and which ones they’ll give a miss.

For the brands and exhibitors, it simply becomes a value proposition: How much will it cost me to be there, and how much might my brand make back in positive exposure or sales? (If retail sales are part of the equation at the event). Is it a fun and pleasant show to be a part of, or is it a chore? Some exhibitors ask themselves, “Can I afford to be there?” whilst others are obliged to ask, “Can I afford not to be there?” As an exhibitor myself who’s directly represented a specific brand I work for at many different whisky shows, and who’s also represented other brands as a “gun for hire”, I can advise that it’s not always fun and pleasant on the other side of the serving table. (For more on that theme, you can read this article Whisky fairs – from the other side of the table).

As a result of some of the above, we’re seeing some shows attract and maintain a lot of support and engagement from industry (i.e. the brands and exhibitors), whilst other shows struggle.   One particular “success story” is the biennial Dramfest in New Zealand which has a remarkable and enviable record of attracting brands and luminaries to its stalls. Considering it’s perhaps the longest possible distance from Scotland for any whisky show, the calibre of the “talent” that flies out for it is testament that they’re doing something right. And looking after their exhibitors is nine-tenths of that equation.

Of course, new models are now emerging, particularly out of Asia. A rising trend is the “charge per dram” shows, where there’s a modest entry fee, but you then pay a dram price for each individual whisky you try. Not surprisingly, such models lend themselves to older, rarer whiskies, and attract a more “cashed-up” crowd. Whisky Exchange’s “Old & Rare” is one example, others include WhiskyNow Hong Kong, Whisky Fair Takao (in Taiwan), and Chichibu Whisky Matsuri.

If you’ve not been to a whisky show previously and you’re planning on attending one shortly, you would do well to read this survival guide first: Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first!

And if you’re an “old hand” at such events, you may even have started to feel they’re getting passè.  For the sake and health of the industry – at all levels from production to retail – can I encourage you to keep lending your support.  As this article goes to print, whisky shows and tastings all around the globe are being cancelled in the context of the COVID-19 virus pandemic.   Whisky festivals will obviously be “on hold” for the next while.  If and when they come back on stream, let’s get behind them.

Cheers,
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Got any comments to add?  What makes a whisky festival good for you?  What do you look for, and what do you aim most to get out of them?  Scroll down below to add your thoughts….

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Australian whisky – It’s got an image problem

What does Australian whisky taste like? One of the biggest problems for the Australian whisky industry – actually, it’s not a problem, it’s simply a mistake – is that a lot of people try to pigeonhole Australian whisky with a crude, base descriptor. To be fair, other whisky categories have the same problem: According to “the rules”, Scotch whisky is peaty; Irish whiskey is light; American whiskey is sweet; Japanese whisky is expensive, etc, etc. You get the idea.

Of course, such generalisations and stereotypes can often be wide of the mark, but the reality is that both consumers and marketers rely on such pigeonholes, and once these things stick, they become incredibly hard to shift.

So how do you describe Australian whisky? What does Australian whisky taste like? What’s a one-size-fits-all, catch-all statement that’s vaguely applicable? I’ll answer that in just a moment, but first some preceding comments to soften the blow…

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Facebook whisky groups – the good, the bad, and the petty

From the earliest days of the internet, whisky “interest groups” formed and started having dialogues.  In the old days of bulletin boards, chat rooms and lists, whisky groups were established, gathering even more weight, size and momentum once forums facilitated better user experiences and capabilities. In fact, whisky forums became their own little worlds, far outgrowing the little communities they started out as.

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Free the whisky

Most whisky enthusiasts around the globe have heard of the dramas and dilemmas taking place in British Columbia, Canada, where the government conducted a raid on a whisky bar and confiscated over 240 bottles of single malt whisky.  It’s time to free the whisky.

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Mjolner – whisky, vikings, and food

Once upon a time if you wanted a good night out with whisky and food, you were obliged to hit up two separate venues. You’d head to a restaurant for a quality feed, then migrate to a specialist whisky bar for some memorable drams.   Happily, there are venues around these days that can readily do both – and do both well. Mjolner is one such destination. There’s a Mjolner in both Sydney and Melbourne now, but for this little piece, we’ll focus on the Sydney venue.

Part of the Speakeasy Group (well known for its bars like Eau-de-Vie and Boilermaker House), Mjolner is on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills/Redfern – just a block from the sector made famous for all its Lebanese restaurants, and a short walk from Central Station. In keeping with many bar trends these days, there’s no street presence or signage, and access is via a small, unremarkable door. However, walk through the door and you descend down into a dark dungeon of drinks, drams, décor, and decadence.

Mjolner is a themed venue, and it’s Viking all the way. (For the uninitiated, Mjolner is the name of Thor’s hammer). A Nordic-inspired food menu, Norse mythology, and Viking furnishings and decorations ooze out of every nook and cranny.

Whilst the bar has an impressive array of staples, cocktails, and curios, it’s the whiskies that you come for. And there’s some genuine attractions that are worth crossing town for. (A Macallan 18yo 1979 Gran Reserva – one of the greatest Macallans from its glory years – being a good example, albeit at $500 for a dram!) Very shortly, the Speakeasy Group venues will each be launching new customised apps that make researching and ordering your whisky an incredibly immersive experience – W&W had a sneak peek at the Mjolner app, and they’ve pulled off the kind of functionality and features that we were all dreaming of five years ago.

Mjolner - the knife selection
Unsure about cutlery etiquette? Just choose your weapon. (Image courtesy of venue)

Adjourning to the dining tables, don’t come without your appetite – when they say Viking feast, the emphasis is on feast. You won’t leave hungry. As part of the theatre, you’ll be required to “choose your weapon” for your meal, selecting your knife from a leather roll of assorted blades. The entrées, mains and sides are all mouthwatering, tasty, and well-presented. Beast, fowl, seafood, or veg, there’s something for everyone, but it’s a menu that’s better suited to larger groups of four or more and sharing the dishes. The food, whilst delicious and plentiful, is admittedly not cheap.

The pork was a highlight.
There’s something for pescatarians.
The meats are succulent and mouthwatering. (Image courtesy of the venue)
The roasted marrow is worth crossing town for. (Image courtesy of the venue)

Given the Viking theme, it’s no surprise that the venue has partnered heavily with Highland Park, and there’s a good range of Orkney malts to choose from. Most impressively, the venue recently concocted its own bespoke bottling of Mjolner Highland Park. Taken from a mix of 1st-fill and refill sherry casks (both European and American oak), it resulted in 1,731 bottles of Mjolner-labelled 14yo at 56.5%. Presented to you in its own Viking longboat, it’s a Highland Park that has a lot more going for it than the bulk of the core-range expressions available at the moment: A good infusion of that classic, heather-honey peat; a good dose of sherry; some spicy and herbal malt; and all delivered at a worthy ABV.

Mjolner Highland Park bottle
Presented to you in its own Viking longboat, the Mjolner Highland Park is a genuinely good whisky.

For more on Highland Park and its current range of Viking-inspired whiskies, you can read Whisky & Wisdom’s feature piece, Highland Park – the Vikings are coming.

The bar at Mjolner is the work of Alex Dahlenburg (including the bespoke bottling), and she’s excelled herself with the concept, the stock, and the delivery. Little surprise that she was suitably recognised at the recent Australian Icons of Whisky 2020 awards, picking up Bartender of the Year – followed shortly afterwards with Bar Manager of the Year at the Australian Liquor Industry Awards. Never one to rest on her laurels, there’s another role for her in the pipeline, but we’ll save that news for the public unveiling.

In the meantime, for those wanting a whisky bar that’s on the fringe of the CBD rather than in the hustle-and-bustle of it all, Mjolner is worth a visit. May Odin reward your tastebuds accordingly.

Cheers,
AD

Main title image courtesy of the venue.

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