Whisky Posts & Articles

TIB’s Old Kempton Distillery Cask RD0012

There’s been no shortage of chatter about Australian whisky in recent months.  To be fair, Whisky & Wisdom may inadvertently have triggered some of that, courtesy of this article, but if you read the comments and sentiments expressed across the Australian whisky community – particularly on the Facebook groups – there’s an undercurrent of caution about Australian whisky releases and the complex relationship between age, price, provenance, quality, cask-type, bottle size (i.e. 500ml vs 700ml) and availability.  Thank goodness, then, that there are still some positive constants and consistencies that can be relied upon.  I refer, in particular, to TIB – Tasmanian Independent Bottlers – and this was brought home (again) this week whilst tasting one of its latest releases:  Old Kempton Distillery (Redlands Release No. 8, Cask TIB RD0012).

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Glenmorangie Allta

The annual release of the new addition to Glenmorangie’s Private Edition series is always a highlight of the whisky calendar, and 2019 sees the release of Glenmorangie Allta.   This is the 10th anniversary of the Private Edition series and, like all the years and releases before it, Allta doesn’t fail to delight.

The Private Edition series is an opportunity to explore and enjoy Glenmorangie in a new light.  Whilst each annual release is a limited edition that comes and goes, there is certainly fun, interest, and tastebud-pleasure to be derived as the whisky makers play around with Glenmorangie’s DNA.

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Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen

It wasn’t that long ago that Johnnie Walker had a fairly simple portfolio:  Red Label, Black Label, Green Label, and Blue Label.  Today, each of those labels have their own individual portfolios!  The Blue Label range is no exception, and it was recently expanded this month with the release of the new Ghost & Rare expression tagged as “Port Ellen”.

The Ghost & Rare range, launched last year with what we’ll now call the “Brora” release, is a range of blended whiskies that showcase the closed, silent and lost distilleries in parent company Diageo’s stocks.  Hence the term ghost, referring to distilleries that are no more.  As the names would suggest, last year’s release had the cult whisky Brora in the mix, and this year’s release features the biggie of them all:  Port Ellen.

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Are whisky enthusiasts out of touch?

The 2019 Annual Brands Report by Drinks International has just been released, and it makes for fascinating reading.  For those that consider themselves a whisky connoisseur or, perhaps more accurately, a hardcore enthusiast, it also suggests you’re possibly out of step with what’s happening on the on-premise scene…

When did you realise your fondness for whisky went next level?  At what point did you graduate from being someone who merely liked whisky to someone who was interested in whisky?

Was it the day you went into a bar and ordered a neat single malt rather than a JW & coke?  The day you joined a Facebook whisky group?  Or was it the day you corrected someone for mispronouncing Islay?

Once your relationship with whisky transitions from merely liking to exploring, you join an enlightened group of comrades.  You learn and speak a new language; you make new acquaintances; you form new strong friendships; you grow a collection; and you devour all the information you can about whisky.  And, importantly, for the purposes of this piece, you find yourself part of a very small minority. For it turns out that the rest of the world – even those that like and drink whisky – are marching to the beat of a different drum.  There is a huge disconnect between the priorities and purchasing habits of a whisky enthusiast and the common imbiber.  And this becomes very apparent when you look at what’s going on in the bar scene…

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Trouble brewing for the Australian whisky industry?

Pour yourself a big dram of your favourite Australian whisky and get comfortable.  It’s a long read…

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Believe it or not, Australian whisky existed prior to 2014.  Australia enjoyed a rich history of whisky distillation from the 19th century into the 1980’s before resting for a few years of silence.  But it was in that fateful year of 2014 that a single cask release of Sullivans Cove won the accolade of World’s Best Single Malt, and Australian whisky suddenly lit up on everyone’s radar.  But whilst Sullivans Cove’s success that year told a story for 2014, it also told a story – for those that cared – about the Australian whisky industry’s previous 20 years.  And, as both producers and consumers jumped on the bandwagon, it also played a role in contributing to a brewing storm and some concerning issues now looming…
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Dalmunach distillery

Dalmunach is one of Scotland’s newest, largest, and more innovative distilleries.  But before we delve in too deeply, let’s set the scene and appreciate the contrast…

If you’ve been fortunate enough to visit one of Scotland’s older distilleries – say the likes of Strathisla, Glenkinchie, Ardbeg, Cragganmore, or Cardhu – then you’ve caught a classic glimpse of the Scotch whisky industry’s traditional distillery.   With their old, romantic 19th century buildings and quaint (but dormant) kilns and pagodas, these are the distilleries that are typically captured and displayed in whisky’s current literature and promoted by the brand ambassadors.   

The common thread that weaves through these distilleries is that they have been renovated, refurbished, and re-worked over the years to accommodate production capacity expansions, and also to keep up with modern distillation techniques and – in many cases – to be brought into line with current work, health, and safety standards!  As such, they can be a hotch-potch of disjointed buildings and re-purposed structures.  Strathisla and Dalmore are both two good examples.

In stark comparison then, what of the all-new, purpose built, modern and state-of-the-art super distillery?  Diageo started the ball rolling with Roseisle in 2009, and Pernod Ricard have followed suit with their own jewel in the crown:  Dalmunach.

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The Scotch whisky distillery building boom

If you’ve been somewhat overwhelmed by all the new whisky distilleries to appear in recent years, you’re not alone! The Scottish whisky distillery construction business is in a true boom cycle at present, with the building pursuit effectively splitting itself into four vastly different endeavours.

The first is the raft of new, relatively small distilleries being built.  Of course, this got its start a little over 10 years ago or so with the likes of Daftmill and Abhainn Dearg, but has exploded more recently with the likes of Kingsbarns, Ballindalloch, Ardnamurchan, Wolfburn, Glasgow…and well, the list goes on, right down to the tiny operations of, say, Strathearn and Dornoch.  If you haven’t kept up, it’s almost alarming to discover that over 30 new distilleries have recently started up or are currently under construction from the Lowlands to the Islands and everywhere in between.

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Whisky is just like Sudoku

Whisky is like Sudoku.  Or, depending on which pursuit you got involved with first, Sudoku is just like whisky.  Sound a bit far-fetched?  The two have more in common than you think…

Contrary to its appearance, Sudoko is not a maths puzzle or an exercise in arithmetic.  Despite the array of numbers and a crossword-like pattern, it’s merely a logic puzzle based on nothing more than elimination.  The puzzle is solved by eliminating incorrect possibilities as you fill in the blanks.  Sudoku’s similarity with whisky becomes apparent when you look at the journey an individual goes on as they transition from novice to expert.

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TIB – Tasmanian Independent Bottlers

The local Australian whisky scene continues to expand and self-cultivate.  Between the many new distilleries starting up and the older distilleries bringing new and matured stock to market (plus a couple of larger enterprises starting to flex their muscles), there’s plenty to taste and get excited about.   It also seems that the scene can now sustain the one last gap that remained to be filled:  The Australian independent bottler.   And TIB – Tasmanian Independent Bottlers – is going the whole hog.

Tasmanian Independent Bottlers is not the first Australian independent bottler (Trappers Hut possibly took that honour over 10 years ago) and there are certainly other labels around – Dark Valley and Heartwood being obvious examples.  But it’s no accident that we mention Heartwood here, for TIB is Heartwood’s younger cousin.

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Ardbeg Twenty Something – 22 Years Old

The Ardbeg Twenty Something range has a new addition to the stable with the release of the Ardbeg 22yo – styled on the label as “Guaranteed 22 Years Old”.  Distilled in the Spring of 1996 (that’s March through May for us southern-hemisphere folk!) and bottled on the 18th July in 2018 at a strength of 46.4%, the whisky is a vatting of ex-bourbon casks.

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