Whisky opinions, articles, feature pieces, info and reviews.
Reader discretion advised: Rant incoming, partially triggered by a whisky producer who didn’t take kindly to some feedback I gave them about their whisky. It seems the etiquette and politics of whisky write-ups and reviews might be evolving. But first I’ll set the scene….
Continue reading “The etiquette and politics of whisky write-ups and reviews”
If you’re an Ardbeg fan (and, presumably – by definition – an Ardbeg drinker) then you’ll eagerly await each Committee Exclusive release when they come along. Whether it’s the annual Ardbeg Day special release, or some other Committee Exclusive that the team has put together, it would be fair to say that these releases always generate some serious chatter in the whiskyverse. The new release – the Ardbeg Ten Cask Strength – has simultaneously done two opposite things at once: It’s got people talking, and it’s shut a few people up!! So what’s the deal with the Ardbeg 10 CS?
Continue reading “Ardbeg Ten Cask Strength”
Glen Moray, one of Scotland’s fastest growing whisky brands, continues to go from strength to strength. The distillery has had a long-established presence in Australia, dating back to the early “Chardonnay-mellowed” releases of the late 1990’s. The range continues to expand and to offer single malt Scotch drinkers a diverse range of styles and flavours, all from under the one roof. And, more recently, it seems Glen Moray has added golf to its persona. It’s a (w)hole lot in one!
Continue reading “Glen Moray – A (w)hole in one!”
If you’ve read anything about the whisky industry in the last 12 months, you’ll be aware that the once vibrant and booming industry is experiencing a sharp downturn. The reasons are many and varied but, what it ultimately means, is that whisky brands, distributors, and retailers…and even just whisky enthusiasts keen to share and spread good whisky…. need to get creative in finding or improving routes to market. Whisky Wayfarers is one such venture forging new ground.
Continue reading “Whisky Wayfarers”
In the increasingly-crowded shelf space for Australian whisky (as well as the crowded column space for Australian whisky articles!), a degree of “categorisation” needs to be applied if one is to consider the now-wide spectrum of the Australian whisky industry. There are the new distilleries, the big distilleries, the small distilleries, the hobby distilleries, and there are the very commercial distilleries. And there’s also the “old” distilleries. Old is perhaps an ironic term to use in a modern industry that’s barely 35 years old, but of the handful of distilleries that might fall into that category, Bakery Hill would be near the top of the list.
Continue reading “Bakery Hill – 25 Years and the Next Generation”
Most whisky enthusiasts would be aware of the huge explosion in the number of new single malt distilleries to have been established in Scotland in the last ten to twenty years. Kilchoman’s arrival in 2005 heralded in a boom of new distilleries as both new and old players added to the tally of operating distilleries. What has been particularly interesting to note, mind you, is the geography of most of these new distilleries. Although many suggest that the traditional whisky regions of Scotch whisky aren’t relevant anymore, it’s in the Lowlands where much of the new action is occurring. In 2005, the number of Lowland distilleries was three. (And, even then, one of them was effectively mothballed!) Today, that number is closer to 25! And if there’s a distillery that perhaps typifies the new, modern facility, then it’s Glasgow Distillery.
Continue reading “Glasgow Distillery”
If you’ve kept an eye on the Australian whisky industry over the last five years or so, you’ll be aware of huge, dynamic change. We’ve seen more than 30 new distilleries bring their debut release to market. We’ve seen large-scale distilling emerge, and we’ve seen corporate and investment money now backing many distilleries. We’ve also seen companies with main interests in other categories of the drinks industry add whisky-making to their portfolio (e.g Angoves, Morris, Bickfords, and Coopers). And we’ve seen new blended whisky products appear with malt whisky being blended with grain whisky (wheat) to produce cheaper and more widely available bottlings. We’ve also seen more contract distilling occurring, and we’ve seen an increasing number of Australian independent bottlers appear. With all the change and all the noise around some of the above developments, you could be forgiven for overlooking some of the long-established names who’ve just quietly gone about their business. Hellyers Road is one such distillery. Continue reading “Hellyers Road”
I’m often asked, “Which do you think is the best Australian whisky”? It’s a difficult question to answer, although I had a fair crack at answering it in this article here. One of the problems in answering the question is that it can depend on how much you’re comfortable spending? Ask me what is the best Australian whisky for under $150 and I’ll give you one answer. Ask me what is the best Australian whisky for under $300 and I might answer something different. And we’re all too aware that there are plenty of Australian single malts being sold at RRP’s much higher than $300! Of course, the inconvenient irony here is that it doesn’t necessarily follow that the $300 whisky is actually better than the $150 whisky! But as we discussed previously in the article referenced above, one of the key metrics in deciding which is the best Australian whisky is the “bang for your buck” factor. There have been some exceptional Aussie malts sold out of Tasmania in recent times, but if the RRP is over $900 and the whisky is effectively inaccessible to most consumers – then how good it is can be a moot point. And so we often have to ply a line of best fit. Or, you can simply nominate Iniquity Gold.
Continue reading “Iniquity Gold, Batch 008”
It’s been an interesting few years for Ardbeg. The core range continues to grow with new insertions at the affordable end (e.g. the Wee Beastie) and interesting additions at the premium end such as the limited edition 19yo Traigh Bhan batches, the 25yo, and curiosities like Heavy Vapours and Fermutation. While Ardbeg will always have its loyal fans and the wonderful Ardbeg Committee, the brand has not been immune to the industry downturn in recent times, and it’s not gone unnoticed that many of the limited-edition releases – that would once have sold out in a matter of days – are now sticking around on the shelves. Indeed, several of the Committee Releases still remain on the Ardbeg website, a year or two after their release. So something special was needed. Enter Ardbeg Eureka….
Continue reading “Ardbeg Eureka”
Ardbeg 17 makes a triumphant return to our consciences and tastebuds but – like so many things in Scotch whisky these days – its time appears limited. At least for now. The “new” Ardbeg 17yo is a special Committee Release and is also available at the distillery on Islay, and at selected Ardbeg Embassies and retailers around the globe. Whether or not the distillery elects to re-introduce the expression full-time to the brand’s core range remains to be seen but, for now, it is worth recapping on why this particular expression of Ardbeg has some of us excited and salivating…
