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…
Tag: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
How wood you like that?
[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.
Whisky’s key ingredient
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…
Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first! (Aussie version)
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 Top 5 things whisky drinkers are doing wrong
“How to drink whisky?” is a common question asked by many, but enjoying whisky goes way beyond the actual drinking of the spirit. From the most recent whisky-newbie to the more seasoned long-term malt enthusiast, we all fall for the same traps and mistakes – repeatedly. Here are the Top Five things that whisky drinkers are doing wrong…
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