Whisky opinions, articles, feature pieces, info and reviews.
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…
Continue reading “Glendronach vs Glenfarclas vs Macallan”
The good folks at Glenmorangie continue to explore new flavours and forge new paths in their pursuit of interesting and tasty whiskies. Well, I say “good folks”, but perhaps “the good doctor” would be more appropriate, as it is Dr Bill Lumsden who has once again pushed the boundaries and played around with the ingredients.
Whilst it would be easy to rest on their laurels and be satisfied with their core range aged expressions (The Original, 18yo, 25yo, etc) and the Extra-Matured set (Quinta Ruban, Lasanta, and Nectar d’Or), Glenmorangie continues to add to their portfolio with their Private Edition whiskies. These include releases such as Ealanta, Companta, Taghta, etc, and you can read Whisky & Wisdom’s reviews on these also. (Links further below). But let’s get to the point: Glenmorangie’s latest release and the new kid on the block is the Tusail. (Gaelic for originary)
Continue reading “Glenmorangie Tusail”
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.
Continue reading “Springbank – The enigma of Campbeltown”
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…
Continue reading “The Ultimate Glenfarclas Tasting”
Looking for the origin story about Teeling Whiskey? Below is the piece we wrote at the start of 2015, which still holds up…
Whilst the Scotch whisky industry continues to bubble along and keep everyone moderately happy as long as we’ve all got a filled Glencairn in our hand, the real gossip and excitement in the whisk(e)y community right now seems to be with what’s happening in other countries.
The recent media storm over Jim Murray’s latest edition of his Whisky Bible got everyone talking about Japanese whisky, and similar waves went around the globe when Australia’s Sullivan’s Cove was awarded best whisky in the world by Whisky Magazine last year. And whisky brands like Kavalan (Taiwan), Mackmyra (Sweden), and Paul John or Amrut (India) continue to make the transition from being a modest curiosity to players with major followings, reach and – more critically – quality product.
And so, with all sectors of the whisky industry in growth and development, it’s no surprise that Irish whiskey is also making waves and changing the landscape. Consider the following recent events:
While the decline of the Irish whiskey industry in the 20th century and the reasons for it are well documented, its recent growth and renaissance is truly something worth celebrating. And all the more so, when both independence and tradition team up and jump out of the page. And that, ladies and gents, is where Teeling Whiskey fits in.
Continue reading “When Irish eyes are Teeling”
[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.
Continue reading “How wood you like that?”
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?
Continue reading “Are you paying too much for your whisky?”
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of William Grant & Sons. As I’ve penned in numerous articles and blog posts previously, it’s not just their whiskies, but also their people, and how they move & operate in the whisky world. Courtesy of the good folks at WG&S Australia (thanks Mark, Laura & Richard), I recently experienced yet another great example of this.
Ludo Ducrocq would be known to many whisky drinkers around the world as one of the most knowledgeable, likeable and agreeable brand ambassadors. Ludo started out as a distillery tour guide for William Grant & Sons, but his passion for whisky and his love for telling other people about it quickly saw him move into more ambassadorial roles. In 2009, he was appointed as Grants’ first Global Ambassador (for the Grants’ range of blended whiskies), and today works with the title of “Head of Brand Ambassador Advocacy”. In other words, he’s the Brand Ambassador to the Brand Ambassadors!
Continue reading “Some special drams from the house of William Grant & Sons”
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…
Continue reading “Glenfarclas Distillery – a family affair”
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…
Continue reading “Benromach Distillery – Speyside’s little jewel”
