Category: Wisdom & Opinions

Auchentoshan – Triple the fun

Auchentoshan.  In a whisky landscape where single malts and new expressions are becoming more and more ubiquitous, every brand or distillery is jockeying for position and heralding its “point of difference”.  Some hang their hat on geography (“We’re Scotland’s most northerly distillery”); some rely on taste (“The most richly flavoured Islay malt”); some rely on size (“Scotland’s smallest distillery”); and others lean on their corporate make-up (“Still family owned since 1860”).

Only one Scottish distillery, however, can declare that its production methods and spirit are different to every other Scotch single malt.  And that distillery is Auchentoshan.  For it is here and only here that the mystical and complex art of triple distillation is practiced on each and every drop of spirit produced.#

# [UPDATE] This statement held true for 30 years from 1993 until July 2023!  When Rosebank closed in 1993, it left Auchentoshan as the only distillery left that practiced triple distillation for 100% of its spirit.  However, Rosebank was rebuilt and brought back to life 30 years later; thus now making it two distilleries in Scotland – both of them Lowland – that triple distil all their spirit. 

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Glenrothes – style & grace in a bottle

Glenrothes. The name itself sounds majestic. Located in the town of Rothes, not far from the Spey, many wonderful secrets are tucked away in this great distillery hidden back from the main road.

The single malt scene was very limited in Australia when things just started to pick up in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. But Glenrothes, in its distinctive, round, dumpy bottle, was one of the more exotic and “interesting” bottlings that would grab your attention on the shelves of the local liquor store.

One of the reasons Glenrothes stood out from the pack was because its bottlings were vintage-dated. In a sea of bottles with 12yo, 15yo, and 18yo age statements stamped on the labels, Glenrothes was all the more attractive with its labels declaring years like 1973, 1985, and 1989, etc.

These days, the vintage bottlings are still the norm, although some non-descript NAS expressions (such as the Select Reserve, Elders Reserve, and even the new Alba Reserve, which is a certified Kosher whisky!) are now available on the market.   Glenrothes is a highly sought-after malt for the blenders; its rich and silky spirit adding both a lovely base note and a top dressing simultaneously. Years ago, the corporate word was that one in every 100 casks would be selected for going towards the OB Glenrothes single malt bottlings; today the figure is around 3% as the brand continues to grow in its own right. That might still sound like a low percentage, but as recently as the late 1980’s, 100% of all Glenrothes spirit went off to the blenders, and the owners focussed on other distilleries in the portfolio to showcase as single malt bottlings.

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When fixation on peat and PPM gets OTT

If you’re a fan of peat and peaty whiskies and you do a bit of reading or googling on the subject, it’s not too long before you encounter the letters “ppm”.   And never have three letters caused so much excitement, passion, enthusiasm…and confusion:   Parts Per Million.

A lot of whisky appreciation these days revolves around comparison and relativity.   Examples?  We measure or define how sherried a whisky might be by comparing it to a well-known benchmark: “The Macallan Fine Oak isn’t as heavily sherried as Aberlour a’Bunadh.” Or, “If you like the smokiness of Talisker 10, you’ll probably enjoy Bowmore 12.”

Where ppm sticks its nose in and causes problems is that people use it as a yardstick for comparing smokiness and peatiness in whisky. And that in itself causes dramas, as there are plenty of people out there who still don’t appreciate that smokiness and peatiness are two different things. Yes, you can have one without the other.  More on that in a moment.

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What’s wrong with Diageo?

In recent times, it’s become fashionable to moan about and berate the big boys of the whisky game.   Let’s not beat about the bush – I refer specifically to malt snobs, blogs, and the cognoscenti getting stuck into the likes of Diageo and whinging about either their bottlings, the quality of the latest release or the price tag attached, or perhaps even lamenting that a particular expression isn’t made available in their local market.  “What’s wrong with Diageo?” is a question you might hear asked occasionally.

Well, as fashionable as it is to bag and complain about Diageo, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to stand up for them. Not that they need the likes of little old me to get vocal about anything on their behalf, but I figure some balance and perspective is due.  This article was originally published under the title, “Standing up for the big boys“.

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Jura Distillery

You have to feel sorry for the Jura distillery. In terms of Scotch whisky’s regions, it is officially classified as Highland (sub set – Island), but when you think of the Island distilleries, names like Highland Park or Talisker seem to get most of the limelight and romance. Geographically, Jura may as well be Islay – and yet it isn’t, and it can’t claim or borrow Islay’s appeal. It therefore sits as a peculiar distillery, often off people’s radar. Until you taste it. And once you have, it won’t fly under your radar any more…

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Scoring whisky – does it really add up?

If you’re roughly my age and vintage (or older), it’s possible one of the earliest information resources you used to start your whisky journey was Michael Jackson’s “Malt Whisky Companion”.   First published in 1989, it was a book that took whisky writing to new heights for many reasons, but one of the more far-reaching elements it introduced was the concept of scoring whisky.   Each entry in the book would be given a score out of 100 and, suddenly, whisky readers had a point of reference and a measuring stick to judge one whisky over another.  So how do you score whisky ?

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SMWS Whisky Dinner with Franz Scheurer & Brent Savage

Whisky dinners are a dime a dozen these days.

Actually, that’s not true…I concede they’re not that frequent, and they definitely cost more than a dime.  However, where they often become tiresome is that they are usually just no more than a regular dinner with some whiskies thrown into the equation – rarely with much thought (or expertise) being applied to match the two.

Anyone can match a whisky to a dish.  It’s relatively easy to taste a dish and then reach for your nearest whisky that vaguely shares commonalities.  The classics get wheeled out all the time – smoked salmon with Talisker; venison with Glenmorangie; Ardbeg with dark chocolate; etc.  Yawn.

Where real skill lies is to actually match the food to the whisky.  Did you catch the distinction?  Who out there can taste a whisky, and then go off and create or re-shape a dish that is built around the whisky’s flavours; builds or contrasts against the malt’s texture, depth, and alcohol; and then – most amazingly of all – create a pairing where the whisky improves the dish, and the dish improves the whisky?   I know of only one man who can do this.  And his name is Franz Scheurer. Continue reading “SMWS Whisky Dinner with Franz Scheurer & Brent Savage”

Lagavulin or Laphroaig – which is better?

It’s the question every Islay whisky fan asks themselves at some point in their whisky journey:  Laphroaig or Lagavulin – which one is better?  Is there a definitive answer?  Yes, there’s some juicy stuff we can explore over the next minute or two…

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Whisky fairs – from the other side of the table

Whisky enthusiasts in Australia (and the rest of the world!)  will no doubt be aware of the rise of various whisk(e)y fairs, expos, and shows being put on in various capital cities around the country.  From the original MWSoA Convention Expo in Canberra in 2003 (and its subsequent incarnations in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide in 2005, 2007, and 2013 respectively) to the emergence of Whisky Live in 2009 in Sydney and it subsequently becoming a capital city road show in more recent years; there are more shows around than ever before.  Sydney this year actually has three big shows – The Whisky Show, Whisky Live, and The Whisky Fair, in that order, respectively.

To those not familiar with the set up, such fairs & expos offer punters a tremendous opportunity to taste and experience a huge range of different whiskies.  Typically held in halls or function centre venues, local exhibitors and distributors all set up their own tables/stands and showcase their portfolio and range of whiskies for all and sundry to taste.   Imagine walking into a huge room and being confronted with anywhere between 50 and 200 different whiskies to taste at your own pace and discretion!  The phrase “kid in a lolly shop” is an apt comparison!

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First blog – fresh off the stills?

So I’ve been writing about whisky professionally for over 10 years.  I’ve written for & been published in Whisky Magazine, Tumbler Magazine, Unfiltered, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine, and a dozen or so other printed mags and periodicals for numerous organisations (e.g. Virgin inflight mag, Seniors mag, etc).  And also other printed media, such as the Sydney Morning Herald.

I’ve also written about whisky for a tonne of other organisations’ or other people’s online or internet-based publications.  (e.g. Australian Gourmet Pages).

And, it goes without saying, I’ve written a thousand articles, reviews, profiles and distillery feature pieces for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, both in print (e.g. Outturn, Unfiltered) and online.  (Well, maybe not a thousand but it sure feels like that).

But I’ve never created or written my own blog.  Until now.  I’m looking forward to this….for starters, it will be nice to use more than 140 characters, which is what Twitter has been reducing me to for the last few years! 😉

Looking forward to sharing all that I have in a new forum and outlet.

Cheers,
AD