Category: Wisdom & Opinions

Whisky Awards – Who really wins?

You don’t have to search or scroll too far through whisky’s marketing landscape these days before you encounter a reference to an award.  Gold medals, Double Golds, Trophy winner, Best-in-category…the list goes on.  To anyone marketing a whisky – whether it’s the distillery itself or a retailer looking to promote a particular product on their shelf – being able to say that the brand won an award should be a huge accolade and an indicator of quality.  But when it comes to the confusing world of whisky awards, there’s an increasing degree of scepticism creeping on to the podium.

Let’s make it clear from the outset that this piece is not intended to belittle or undermine any distillery or brand that recently won a whisky award, nor to cast shade on any specific awards program or award-giving entity.  But given that distilleries and brands are using awards as a selling point in their marketing arsenal and playbook, it’s important that consumers have at least some awareness as to what the badges, tokens, and ribbons might actually denote.   So let’s look first at some of the issues and criticisms that are causing concern…

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The Malt Whisky Yearbook 2024

In the wide and daunting jungle of whisky literature – that is all the books, magazine, blogs, subscriptions, and even video content – there’s really only one definitive resource that every whisky lover should have a copy of on their whisky shelf:  The Malt Whisky Yearbook.   An annual publication that has been updated and released every year since 2005, the latest edition for 2024 is out now.

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Dalmore – The distillery and its whiskies

Dalmore – as a distillery, as a whisky, and as a brand – has had a dynamic, if not enigmatic history.  Founded in 1839, almost directly on the shoreline of the Cromarty Firth, it is a Highland whisky that’s obviously north of Inverness and the allure of Speyside, yet seeming not north enough to trade on the geographical x-factor that the likes of Clynelish and Old Pulteney somehow cash in on.  It purportedly claims the title of being the first malt whisky to have been commercially exported from Scotland, with cases shipped to Australia way back in 1870.   Over the years it has been leased, family owned and operated, joint-ventured, acquired, and absorbed.  In more recent times, it’s a brand that has gone down the luxury product road, drawing attention for its old/rare releases and collections that carried eye-wateringly high price tags.  But for your average or typical whisky drinker, where does The Dalmore fit in to the current state of play?  We’ll answer that in just a moment but, as always, some background might help set the scene…

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Glen Moray – The emerald of Elgin

If you’re relatively new to the whisky scene, you’ll most likely have seen a few different expressions of Glen Moray at your local retailer and perhaps wondered what the brand is all about.  Conversely, you may have been into your whiskies for a while now…and also wondered what the brand is all about!  That said, what you’ll undoubtedly have noticed in recent times is that the brand is making a bigger splash these days and is more prevalent about the place.  That’s no accident or stroke of luck, but as we’ll explore in just a moment, it’s a distillery that’s well and truly grown into its own skin and forged new frontiers.  So what’s the Glen Moray story, and why should you be exploring its whiskies?  

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The Scotch whisky industry goes from boom to…more boom?

The Scotch whisky industry is currently in the middle of an era.  Quite what that era will be defined or described as won’t become clear for another decade or so.  For it is usually with the experience and benefit of hindsight that we can apply such labels.  For example, the period that followed the industry’s catastrophic downturn and distillery closures of the mid 1980’s came to be synonymous with and defined 10 to 15 years later as the era of the so-called “whisky loch”, due to the huge amount of excess, aged stock sitting around unloved.  Similarly, the application of the term “whisky boom” to any era (e.g. the late 1800’s was a boom time for whisky sales and distillery construction) usually has relative context because it was followed by a corresponding “bust” a few years later.  (Such as the Pattison-triggered crash in 1898 that followed the boom).

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The Neck Pour – myth, fact, or scapegoat?

Of all the terms to rise into common use amongst whisky drinkers these days, the “neck pour” is one of the more interesting concepts.  So what is the neck pour?  Is it good or bad?  Does it even exist?  Read on….

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The complete guide to non chill-filtered whisky

Non chill-filtered whisky (also styled non-chillfiltered and even un-chillfiltered whisky) is one of those terms in the whisky industry that is widely seen, read, and heard…and yet few drinkers truly understand what it means or signifies.  In that respect, it’s a bit like sour mash in the bourbon industry – a term you see printed on the label; a statement that supposedly has a positive connotation, and yet the majority of consumers view it as mumbo-jumbo…not really appreciating what it means, but just happy to enjoy what’s in the bottle.  So what is non chill-filtered whisky?  What is chill filtration?  And how do you un-chillfilter something?  Is a non chill-filtered whisky better than a whisky that has been chill-filtered?  Let’s dive in…

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Which is the best Australian whisky?

Which is the best Australian whisky?   With interest in Australian whisky at an all-time high, combined with the staggering number of Australian distilleries now bringing mature spirit to market, it’s certainly an understandable question to ask. But can one realistically answer that question? Well…we’ll attempt to offer some guidance in just a moment but, first, it’s important to establish some ground rules…

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Cape Byron Whisky

Cape Byron whisky burst on to the Australian scene in late 2022 with the official unveiling of its inaugural single malt releases. Of course, the distillery had long been established by then and was already well known for its gins. But well before the newmake malt spirit was even filled into casks back in 2019, whisky enthusiasts in Australia and further afield were already aware of the distillery and knew what was coming. That’s a pretty unusual situation for an Australian distillery, but then it’s also pretty unusual for an Australian distillery to have one of the giants and legends of the Scotch whisky industry – Jim McEwan, no less – onboard as a consultant, distiller, and business partner. To understand that arrangement, you have to go back to the beginning…

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Indri Trini “The Three Wood”

Indri is the latest single malt brand to emerge from India, and it’s wasted no time in garnering accolades and attention. Like so many other “overnight success stories”, the real story reveals that success is actually the result of years of effort and development, and not some sudden, lucky strike of lightning. Trini (fully styled as Trini The Three Wood) is the flagship offering from the Indri stable, and it’s a whisky worth your attention. Indri Trini’s credentials, as we’ll see in a moment, make for a worthy pedigree.

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