There’s an old adage when it comes to travelling and being a tourist: Sometimes, the best sights and experiences are found off the beaten path. Similarly, there’s an old truth when it comes to shopping and retail: Years after the purchase, you won’t always remember how much you paid; you might not even remember what it was you bought, but you’ll remember the experience in the shop and how you were looked after by the proprietors. When it comes to The Whisky Castle at Tomintoul, both these truths quickly become evident and play out.
Tag: Glenlivet
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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10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland
[Updated April, 2024] Visiting Scotland soon? Are you planning a trip to Scotland to visit your favourite whisky distilleries? Yes, for every whisky lover, it’s the ultimate pilgrimage: After listening jealously to other people’s travels and dreaming of making it to the promised land, you’ve FINALLY saved up for and planned your first whisky trip to Scotland. Exciting times!
Of course, every first-timer always asks the same questions in the early stages of planning: Where’s the best place to stay? Which distilleries should I visit? Should I hire a car? Do I have time to get to Islay? How many days should I spend in Speyside? Is the trip up to Orkney worth it?
Naturally, the answers to these are highly subjective and individual. They’ll depend on your budget, the amount of time you can spare, which distilleries are your favourites, and what transport options are at your disposal. But there are a few things to appreciate about visiting distilleries that you won’t read in the guide books or find online. Here are ten things you ought to know before heading off to Scotland…
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The Whisky Lover’s Guide to climbing Ben Rinnes
Thinking about climbing Ben Rinnes? If you love whisky and you’re visiting Speyside, then a hike up to the top of Ben Rinnes is a must.
Each year, thousands of whisky tourists make their way to Speyside to visit their own personal mecca. Each pilgrim no doubt has their own favourite distillery and plans their itinerary around getting a glimpse into the factory that produces their most revered malt.
Of course, no one travels all the way to Speyside to visit just one, single distillery and thus it’s not uncommon for we pilgrims to set up camp in one of the many hotels or B&B’s and use it as a base to explore multiple distilleries over several days.
Outside of the distilleries, however, your average whisky tourist quickly runs out of things to do in Speyside. The only other pursuits are the outdoors – golf, salmon fishing, and hiking. And it’s this last category that offers something pretty special to the whisky enthusiast.
Ben Rinnes is the highest mountain in the Speyside region. At 840m, it’s officially a “Corbett”, being 300 feet shy to qualify as a Munro. It towers above many of the distilleries, and the snow melt and water run-off from the hills goes a long way to supplying many of the surrounding distilleries in its foothills. Needless to say, the view from the summit is incredible, and distillery spotters can have fun trying to identify the many distilleries visible from the top. For the whisky enthusiast or jaded Speyside visitor looking for a new perspective, climbing Ben Rinnes is a highly recommended and rewarding journey. So here’s the whisky lover’s guide to climbing Ben Rinnes…
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Is whisky better or worse today than it was 20 years ago?
If you listen to enough drinkers who’ve been around a while, or read the writings of many in the whisky community, you might be led to believe that Scotch whisky being produced and released today is not as good as it used to be. Is whisky better or worse today than it was a decade or two ago?
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The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve
Before discussing what The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve is all about, it’s important to understand some background:
In the good old days of looking at a whisky brand’s portfolio, it used to be an easy affair to identify and speak about the brand’s “flagship” expression. This was the main expression; its biggest seller; the one that was a constant in all markets and carried the brand. Each of the other expressions in the portfolio were usually older, rarer, and less-often seen. If you can think back 15 years ago, it was an era where most brands had their ubiquitous 10yo or 12yo flagship expression, and then some brands had an 18yo or a 25yo to offer the connoisseurs some choice.
As the single malt market started to truly boom (and bloom) during 2000-2007, many brands’ portfolios started to widely diversify. Finishes or Extra Matured expressions became more prevalent; a wider and more populated range of age statements appeared; and in the last few years, many brands added one or more NAS expressions to the range. More recently, for some brands, the flagship expression you see may depend on what market you’re in.
Most of this activity is due to marketing and sales opportunities; and some of it is simply cask and stock management: Either dealing with what stocks are currently available, or taking steps to ensure that supply will meet demand in future years.
If you read enough whisky literature, opinions and noise, you’ll be aware that some brands are already having to make hard decisions to ensure supply keeps up with demand. Cutting various product lines or removing an expression from a particular market. Many whisky folks assume this is a new phenomenon, but no, it’s been happening for a while. For example, it was back in 2004/05 that Macallan discontinued its 15yo in order to keep stock back for its more lucrative (and popular) 18yo. More recently, we’re seeing an increasing number of NAS expressions being put forward and marketed, in an attempt to take pressure off the 10yo or 12yo aged statements. Enter Glenlivet.
Whisky cocktails – are we doing the flavour a favour?
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.
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Glenfiddich vs Glenlivet – who will win the heavyweight title bout?
It’s a classic question that many whisky drinkers ponder: Which is better…Glenfiddich or Glenlivet? It’s also a great question, because if someone were to ask you, “What does a Speyside whisky taste like?”, then pouring a dram of either Glenlivet or Glenlivet would answer their question pretty nicely.
Both exhibit that classic Speyside style of being grassy, floral, sweet and malty, with that little extra “zing” for good measure. With Glenfiddich, the zing comes in the form of pear drops, whilst Glenlivet, for me, has a wee hint of citrus tang. Both drams are textbook examples of Speyside whisky.
Depending on your age, and certainly if you were introduced to malt whisky prior to the 2000’s, then there’s a very good chance that one of these two whiskies was probably your first ever single malt.
The two brands are giants of the industry and mutually respected (and respectful) competitors on the playing field. Glenlivet is the single malt flagship of Pernod Ricard (via its subsidiary, Chivas Bros), whilst Glenfiddich remains one of the last bastions of independent, family ownership, being the bedrock of William Grant & Sons. Both brands command significant market share. The Glenlivet has been the biggest selling single malt in the USA for years, whereas Glenfiddich can boast the global title of being the biggest selling single malt in the world.
As these two heavyweights front up to do battle, let’s compare their credentials and get ready to rumble… Continue reading “Glenfiddich vs Glenlivet – who will win the heavyweight title bout?”
Your worst whisky nightmare (Int)
(There are two versions of this article: One intended for Australian readers, and one intended for readers in other countries. This is the International version. If you’re reading this from Australia, click here).
I should preface this piece by stating up front that it reflects the thoughts of an Australian and the general state of the whisky industry as it presented itself within Australia 10, 20, and 25 years ago. Readers in other countries may have had different experiences and opportunities…
Picture the following two scenarios:
- You walk into your favourite bottleshop or off-licence looking to see if there are any new and exciting releases, or simply just to pick up new single malt expression that you’d recently heard about. You head to the whisky section of the store, where there’s normally a selection of 30 to 40 different malts and brands to choose from. You get there, only to find that the shelves have been stripped almost totally bare. The only whiskies left on the shelf for you to choose from are Glenfiddich 12yo, Glenlivet 12yo, Johnnie Walker Red and Black Labels, and VAT 69.
- Exiting the store in despair, you rush to your favourite whisky bar, in need of a good Scotch to calm your racing pulse. You scan the shelf behind the barman, desperately looking for a juicy, non-filtered, cask-strength dram. Instead, you see only a bottle of Chivas Regal 12yo.
Is this your worst whisky nightmare? No. It’s reality.
It’s what life was like in 1989.
I am genuinely thrilled and delighted in the boom that the whisky industry is currently experiencing. Whisky is fashionable, it has an audience, it has a market, the distilleries are in full production, and people of all ages and demographics are flocking to its door. There are thousands of web pages, internet groups, and discussion pages devoted to whisky; there are whisky clubs that meet throughout cities and suburbia each night of the week; and there are books and magazines galore. Drinkers who are new to the category have never had it so good. But it wasn’t always this way……
Your worst whisky nightmare
(There are two versions of this article: One intended for Australian readers, and one intended for readers in other countries. This is the Australian version. If you’re reading this from another country, click here).
Picture the following three scenarios:
- You walk into your favourite bottleshop or off-licence looking to see if there are any new and exciting releases, or simply just to pick up new single malt expression that you’d recently heard about. You head to the whisky section of the store, where there’s normally a selection of 30 to 40 different malts and brands to choose from. You get there, only to find that the shelves have been stripped almost totally bare. The only whiskies left on the shelf for you to choose from are Glenfiddich 12yo, Glenlivet 12yo, Johnnie Walker Red and Black Labels, and VAT 69.
- Exiting the store in despair, you rush to your favourite whisky bar, in need of a good Scotch to calm your racing pulse. You scan the shelf behind the barman, desperately looking for a juicy, non-filtered, cask-strength dram. Instead, you see only a bottle of Chivas Regal 12yo.
- Convinced the world is coming to an end, you head around to your friend’s house. “All the great new Scotches have been removed from the shelves!” you exclaim, “But it’s okay, we’ll just drink some great, award-winning Australian whisky instead.” Your friend calms you down, nods sagely and goes over to his drinks cabinet, returning with a tumbler filled with precious, golden nectar. Relieved, you grab it and hold it up to your nose for a sniff and a taste. Hang on, something’s not right here – it smells metallic, spirity, and like oxidised acetone. Suspicious, you have a sip, only to spit it out immediately, spluttering “what the hell is this?” Your friend looks at you strangely and says “It’s Corio, of course. What did you think it would be?”
Is this your worst whisky nightmare? No. It’s reality.
It’s what life was like in 1989.
I am genuinely thrilled and delighted in the boom that the whisky industry is currently experiencing. Whisky is fashionable, it has an audience, it has a market, the distilleries are in full production, and people of all ages and demographics are flocking to its door. There are thousands of web pages, internet groups, and discussion pages devoted to whisky; there are whisky clubs that meet throughout cities and suburbia each night of the week; and there are books and magazines galore. Drinkers who are new to the category have never had it so good. But it wasn’t always this way……