Category: Wisdom & Opinions

Springbank – The enigma of Campbeltown

For most whisky drinkers – dare I say, enthusiasts – distilleries fall into one of three categories:  There is the “well known” category, where names like Glenmorangie, Lagavulin, Macallan, Glenfarclas, Talisker, etc all reside.  Their whiskies are widely available; the brands are well known; they have visitor centres; and chances are, you may already have set foot in their stillhouse.

At the other end of the scale, you have the “unknown” category.  These are the distilleries that don’t have any official releases; the ones that don’t have visitor centres and are closed to the public.  Their spirit goes straight into the blends and you’ll struggle to find any detailed information about them.  Most readers may not even have heard of them!  I refer to the likes of Allt-a’Bhainne, Miltonduff, Inchgower, and so on.

The third category is the more interesting one, and I’ll tag it with the label “enigmatic”.  And surely, there is no more enigmatic distillery than Springbank.  Independent, family owned, a Campbeltown distillery no less, its whiskies are harder to come by; the releases are few and far between; and yet – and it’s a big yet – hardcore whisky lovers adore it.  Fans speak of Springbank with a reverence and dedication reserved for very few distilleries, and for those who’ve not discovered the distillery or been enchanted by its spirit, it’s all a bit of a mystery.

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The Ultimate Glenfarclas Tasting

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…

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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.

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Are you paying too much for your whisky?

Is whisky too expensive?  How much should you pay for a good bottle of single malt?  How much should you pay for a bad bottle of malt?   Why are some distilleries or labels so expensive, whilst others seem so much cheaper?  Why do NAS whiskies cost so much, when all you ever hear about is that their vattings contain mostly young malt?  In fact, when it all boils down: Why is whisky so expensive?

That’s a lot of questions. So what are the answers?

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Glenfarclas Distillery – a family affair

What follows is a full and detailed profile of the Glenfarclas distillery.  I’ve prepared and written up similar distillery profiles and feature pieces for many different publications and outlets in the past, and this feature piece will be no different.  But, in the interests of full disclosure, let’s declare all interests:  Glenfarclas is my favourite distillery.  There.  I’ve said it…

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Benromach Distillery – Speyside’s little jewel

Benromach distillery isn’t one of the most widely known or seen single malts.  But that’s changing.  And fast…

Benromach is one of the very few distilleries to have a happy ending after the misery of the industry-wide distillery closures in the mid-1980’s.  Originally founded in 1898, by 1983 Benromach was part of the DCL (today’s Diageo) and it was one of eight distilleries closed down by DCL that year as a result of the downturn and economic woes of the time.   Of those eight DCL distilleries that closed that year, Benromach is the only one to remain alive and operating today.  The other seven are lost forever, including Dallas Dhu, which is now a museum.  But, of course, a bit of action played out in the meantime…

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Are you a whisky snob?

Are you a whisky snob?  More critically, have you ever accused someone of being a whisky snob?  If you’re in either camp – particularly the latter – you need to read on…

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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…

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The Top Four Whiskies for Christmas

{Update: The article below was first written in 2014 and has been superseded/replaced with a more up-to-date article.  You should read the updated article here.}

Need a whisky for Christmas?  Once upon a time, whisky was whisky, and Santa wasn’t too discerning when it came to what special dram you left out for him on Christmas Eve.  In decades gone by, there was also less distinction – by both marketers and  consumers – about the significance of sherried versus non-sherried whisky.  Of course, with the huge decline in sherry consumption and the corresponding rise in the cost of sherried single malts, the distinction and noise around sherried whisky is now more stark and louder than ever.  (And that’s before we even mention words like European oak or sulphur candles!)

When I first started hosting whisky tasting events in 2001, I did a fair bit of freelance work for Macallan.  This was back when the core range was simply the 12yo, 15yo, 18yo, and 25yo – all of them made with Golden Promise barley, and all matured exclusively in sherry casks.   I used to describe the flavour of these sherried whiskies as being like “Christmas pudding in a glass”.  The really great sherried whiskies showcased all of the dried fruits you’d find in Christmas pudding (e.g. raisins, sultanas, dates, cherries, apricots, etc); as well as the butterscotch and toffee notes you’d associate with the brandy butter or Christmas sauce.   Some of them also exhibited a bit of the spice that we commonly associate with European oak, and occasionally there was also the pleasant bitterness of cloves and Christmas mince pies, or the sweetness of cinnamon.

As such, for me, if I’m going to drink a single malt at Christmas time, it’s got to be a sherried whisky.  And, certainly, when it comes time on the 24th to put out a dram for Santa, it’s been a Glenfarclas for jolly Saint Nick every year since my kids arrived on the scene.

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Heading off to a whisky show? Read this first!

With whisky shows and expos like Whisky Live now up and running in many countries, whisky lovers all over the world now have the opportunity to attend amazing tasting events where there is much to sample and experience in a short session.

(Note this article has been amended for European/US readers. If you’re reading in Australia, click here for the original, more localised version).

I recently reflected on how many different articles I’d written over the years 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-style tasting event, i.e. a whisky show.  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 whisky shows 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.

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