Category: Wisdom & Opinions

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