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.

Continue reading “How wood you like that?”

Some special drams from the house of William Grant & Sons

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”

Balvenie Tun 1509

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”

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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……

Continue reading “Your worst whisky nightmare (Int)”

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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……

Continue reading “Your worst whisky nightmare”

Glenfiddich Excellence 26yo

There are many things to like about William Grant & Sons and their whiskies.  One of the things I particularly like is that when they decide to do something, they do it well:   Can they make a classic, approachable Speyside whisky that has broad, mass appeal?  Check.  Can they make a rare, special release whisky that services the luxury end of the market whilst still delivering a sublime experience for the tastebuds and which justifies the higher retail price?  Check.  Can they put on a great event to showcase and launch this new expression?  Double check.

Tuesday 23rd September saw the launch of the new Glenfiddich Excellence 26yo expression in Australia.  Held at the elegant and ye-olde-world-charm Elizabeth Bay House in Sydney, the evening unveiled not just the new whisky, but also an incredible photography exhibition that captured and reflected the journey of the wood and the casks that contributed to the whisky.

Any whisky brand ambassador or even the typical whisky packaging that wraps most bottles will make a point of talking up the whisky’s “pure, soft water”; it will play on how they used only the “finest Scottish barley”; and they will give a nod to the “long and careful maturation in oak casks”.   But how often do we actually think about the casks?  Not just the fact that they sat in a warehouse for 26 years, but what about their life prior to that?  For example, the cask’s previous life where it sat in Kentucky maturing bourbon?  What about transporting it to Scotland for the second phase of its life?  Or what about the simple fact that it came from a tree in the US mountain ranges and was felled, quartered, and allowed to season before the coopers got their hands on it in the first place?

Continue reading “Glenfiddich Excellence 26yo”

The Top Six distilleries to visit before you die

Everyone has a bucket list, and I daresay most whisky drinkers would probably list visiting their favourite distillery for a distillery tour as a “must do” at some stage in their life.  But if you’re really serious about your whiskies and you could actually get yourself to six distilleries before qualifying for your entitlement of the angels’ share, what are the Top Six to visit?  In no particular order…

Continue reading “The Top Six distilleries to visit before you die”