Sydney has been fortunate to play host to some incredible whisky tastings over the years. The Ultimate Ardbeg Dinner (2007) and the Ultimate Glenfarclas Tasting (2015) being two examples. This month, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society curated and hosted what must go close to being the Ultimate Bruichladdich Tasting. Continue reading “Bruichladdich – the Gathering”
Tag: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Unknown heroes of the whisky industry
When was the last time you poured yourself a healthy dram of Braeval? Or had a good swig of Miltonduff? How about a Glenburgie? Or an Allt-a-Bhainne? An Auchroisk? Dufftown perhaps? Have you even heard of these whisky distilleries, let alone seen a bottle of their whisky at your local liquor retailer?
What about Ardbeg? Oban? Bruichladdich? These names are more familiar, yes? And, chances are, you’ve had a dram of their product more than once or twice on your malt journey.
The irony here is that the first group listed above are some of the biggest distilleries in Scotland. And the second group are amongst the smallest. There’s a cliched conclusion here that you might have heard before: Size doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts!
The dark side of whisky samples and bottle splits
You might think that sharing whisky samples or organising a bottle split between friends is a harmless undertaking. Arguably so. But there is another side to the equation…
Last week I walked into a fancy steakhouse – a restaurant that’s run by one of Australia’s leading and most well-known restauranteurs and celebrity chefs. I was shown to my table and handed the menu. Wow…it showcased an amazing selection of gourmet choices, although with price tags to make most of us squirm. There was one particular steak that stood out – it was a particular cut of wagyu that sounded out of this world. As was its price tag! I’d love to have treated myself to it, but it was more than what my budget could justify. Besides, there were much cheaper steaks that also looked pretty tempting, and I couldn’t order two meals now, could I? I resigned myself to the fact that I’d probably have to order one of the cheaper, more regular cuts.
As I pondered this situation, a waiter brought the main course out to the couple who were sitting at the table next to me. I couldn’t help but notice that the man had ordered the very wagyu steak I was lusting for. 20 minutes later, as they settled into their meal, I leaned across and said, “Excuse me – I was just wondering if you’d mind cutting off a piece of your steak and giving it to me so that I can try it?”
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It’s nonsense, isn’t it? You’d never have the temerity to do such a thing or to make such an undignified request. So why does this very situation play out in the whisky world? We wouldn’t do it with food at a restaurant (yes, for the record, the above story was a fictional allegory), yet plenty of people are quite happy to make similar requests when it comes to whisky. It’s the dark side of whisky samples.
Continue reading “The dark side of whisky samples and bottle splits”
Amrut Spectrum
Previously whilst writing a feature article on Indian whisky and reviewing the excellent Paul John whiskies, I – perhaps a little flippantly – introduced the piece by explaining and asserting that Indian single malt whisky had not previously impressed me. Prior to tasting Paul John, I had tried many expressions of Amrut over the years (my first back in 2009) and on a reasonably regular basis since. The simple truth is that I have not tasted an Amrut that made me think, “Wow, this is a great whisky.”
Of course, whilst those comments set the scene for the subsequent article on Paul John, they also simultaneously raised a few eyebrows amongst Amrut fans, not to mention the wonderful folks at Alba Whisky, who are the local Amrut distributors within Australia.
The Cask-Strength Blues
If you’re a fan of cask-strength whisky, or you simply want to learn more about the pros and cons of cask-strength whisky, then this article is for you. However, we first need to give due warning: In deep TV announcer voice-over tone: “The following article contains drug references. It is intended for mature audiences. Whisky & Wisdom advises reader discretion.”
I’m reliably informed that alcohol is a drug. (Stay with us, this will have relevance and make sense in a moment). People use it, abuse it, rely on it, swear by it, and at it. It alters our mental state and makes us do things we might not otherwise have done if we were sober or clear-headed. For example, the other day, with a few single malts under my belt, I found myself drinking a blend. Fortunately, there were no witnesses…
The art of matching food to whisky
When The Scotch Malt Whisky Society launched and commenced operations in Australia back in 2002, one of the earliest and most staple activities was a healthy program of whisky dinners. The tradition of whisky and food matching has never died and, here in Sydney at least, the Society continues to hold at least two significant whisky dinners each year for its members. When it comes to matters culinary, if you’re going to promote something as being uniquely special, delivering excellence, and showcasing “the best”, then you need to work with the best. For this reason, wherever possible, the Society chooses to team up with Franz Scheurer – the maestro of matching food to whisky.
Mortlach distillery – the Beast beckons…
It was a long time ago now, but back in 1988, UDV (now Diageo) made the momentous and ground-breaking decision to launch the Classic Malts range. The launch of those six whiskies drew newfound attention to the world of single malts and helped propel the whisky boom we now find ourselves in. Mortlach distillery was not one the original Classic Malts…
I often wonder about how the marketing team at the time set about choosing which distilleries would be featured in the Classic Malts range? Looking at the portfolio available to them, Glenkinchie for the Lowlands obviously chose itself, as did Talisker for the Islands. But what about Speyside? We know now that Cragganmore got the gig, which subsequently thrust that relatively small distillery into the limelight. But how different might the whisky world be today, and the fortunes of one or two distilleries if they’d selected, for example, Dailuaine, Knockando, Mannochmore, or Glen Elgin? Or Mortlach?
What whisky bloggers are doing wrong…
(or why Whisky Bloggers are annoying a lot of people right now)
So who was the first whisky blogger? Was it before or after WordPress made this caper so easy? Well, it was before. A long time before. Back in 1887, in fact. For that is when an ambitious chap by the name of Alfred Barnard first approached a distillery and cheekily asked for a free sample so he could write about it. One hundred and thirty years later, and it turns out several thousand wannabes are following suit.
Yes, I’m aware of the irony. But bear with me…
The 1980’s heavy metal music guide to whisky
Whisky and heavy metal? The late whisky writer, Michael Jackson, once compared a particular single malt to a car (e.g. “the Rolls-Royce of whisky”). Others have since compared certain single malts to particular Grand Cru wines. More recently, people have started writing tasting notes for whiskies and suggested various songs or bands to match and pair with the whisky. So, whisky and music is now a thing, right? Okay then, let’s take it one step further…
No one likes to admit it, but there was once a time when heavy metal music was actually commercially successful, and major record labels were falling over themselves trying to sign up hard rock acts. The genre is lampooned today, and often labelled dismissively as hair metal or glam metal. But, like me, you might be from that era when heavy metal artists were actually on top of all the charts and hair metal bands ruled the airwaves. But has anyone ever compared whisky and heavy metal artists? Or matched the two together? Perhaps now is the time. Get out the hair gel, put on your spandex, and take yourself back to the 1980’s… Continue reading “The 1980’s heavy metal music guide to whisky”
Port Ellen and dram envy
[Update 2024: The article below was originally written in 2015. Of course, the *new* Port Ellen distillery opened its doors in March 2024, but this changes the narrative only a little. Much of what follows remains valid, given it will be many years until the new spirit has matured, and there will always be lust for the “old” Port Ellen.] What makes Port Ellen whisky so special? Why is the Port Ellen distillery so revered, considering it was decided to close it down in 1983? Let’s look at the fully story, including why Port Ellen whisky makes plenty of people envious…