Whisky opinions, articles, feature pieces, info and reviews.
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…
Continue reading “Are you a whisky snob?”
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…
Continue reading “Whisky’s key ingredient”
{Update: The article below was first written in 2014 and has been superseded/replaced with a more up-to-date article.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.
Continue reading “The Top Four Whiskies for Christmas”
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.
Continue reading “Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first!”
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)”
The Balvenie continues to go from strength to strength as owners, William Grant & Sons, continue to showcase their wares. As someone who’s both watched and even participated in the growth of their brands in Australia over the last 15 years or so (in a former life, I presented a couple of Glenfiddich & Balvenie tasting events for the local distributor at the time), it’s been fascinating to see the brands take on even more depth and gain traction in the local market, now that WG&S have their own Australian operation. The recent launch of the Balvenie Tun 1509 raise the bar further…
Continue reading “Balvenie Tun 1509”
The first time I tasted Glengoyne single malt was on the 14th of May, 2003. How do I remember that? Simple. Because it was one of the best drams I’ve ever had. Eleven and a half years later, and – quite literally – thousands of whiskies later, that bottling of Glengoyne still features high up on the shelves of my memory bank. Mind you, it was no ordinary Glengoyne – it was a 1971 vintage OB release; a single cask, bottled as a 27yo, Cask #4855. T’was one of the all-time greats, and from a period in the late 1990’s when Glengoyne put out a series of single cask bottlings that blew most of the competition away. But the point is, first impressions go a long way, and I’ve remained good friends with Glengoyne ever since, also visiting the distillery in 2011.
Whisky & Wisdom recently attended a Glengoyne vertical tasting, courtesy of the new Dan Murphy’s store in Double Bay, Sydney, which – it must be said – features an impressive whisky section. (I say section, although department might be a more apt description). The event was held at The Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, and was hosted by Daniel Millhouse of Dan Murphy’s and the ever affable and enthusiastic Philip Mack. Philip is not an official Glengoyne brand ambassador, but certainly should be, based on the night’s presentation.
It had been some time since Whisky & Wisdom had tackled the Glengoyne portfolio in a single sitting (the last time was at the distillery back in 2011). It’s often said that a whisky always tastes best at its source, but even with the bias and romance of tasting the whiskies at the actual distillery that day, on tonight’s evidence, it is apparent that Glengoyne has lifted the quality bar higher in the last few years.
Continue reading “An Evening with Glengoyne”
As someone who is firmly entrenched (and ensconced) in the world of malt, I don’t concern myself too readily or seriously with blended whisky. But don’t misread that last sentence. By the same token, I make a fairly concerted effort to ensure I don’t fall into the trap of being a malt snob, or dismissing blends without giving them due regard. There are some tremendous blended whiskies out there, and it would be both arrogant and folly to write off an entire category of whisky, simply because one’s tastebuds have developed beyond the likes of Vat 69 or 100 Pipers. So, when the good folks at La Martiniquaise in France offered to send me a bottle of their newly released Label 5 “Gold Heritage”, I felt obliged to give it a fair hearing…
Continue reading “Label 5 – Gold Heritage”
The latest (and very special) release from Glenmorangie had its first Australian outing on 17th October when Glenmorangie Taghta was showcased as the Welcome Dram at the Spring Tasting of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Sydney.
As attendees entered the room for the tasting evening, they were handed a dram of this deliciously-amber looking whisky, but were not told what it was. A short while later during the official welcome and introduction for the night, a quick straw poll was taken with the question, “Who liked this whisky?” Every hand in the room went up, and it was then that its identity and story was told.
Glenmorangie Taghta (pronounced too-tah) is being billed as a crowd-sourced whisky. It’s not all too dissimilar to what Glenlivet did with their Guardian’s release late last year. The difference on this occasion is that the crowd (the so-called “Cask Masters”) came from 30 different countries and participated in every part of the process: The bottle design, the labelling, the photography, and – most importantly of all – the selection of the whisky.
Continue reading “Glenmorangie “The Taghta””
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.
Continue reading “Whisky cocktails – are we doing the flavour a favour?”
