Whisky Posts & Articles

Diageo Special Releases 2023

For fans of malt whisky and, in particular, those who prefer their single malt bottled at a higher strength beyond the standard 40% ABV, there are some annual expressions and releases to look out for each year.  The Diageo Special Releases is one such range and, for most markets around the globe, its annual arrival and launch is a heralded event.   In a quirk of international marketing and timing, not all countries feature the DSR in the actual year of release.  Australia is one such market and for over a decade now, each annual release of the DSR occurs in the year following the “vintage”.  As such, March 2024 sees the arrival in Australia of the Diageo Special Releases 2023 range!

The Diageo Special Releases 2023 range follows the pattern and theme of all previous years:  It showcases some of your favourite Diageo distilleries, as well as some of the ones that see less of the limelight.  Indeed, the Diageo Special Releases 2023 selection features the first ever official bottling release of Roseisle, together with the rarely seen (at least in this country) Glendullan, under its Singleton persona.  As always, the range displays diversity in age, cask treatments, and flavours or styles.  There are a couple of NAS releases this year (Talisker & Mortlach), whilst the badge for the oldest bottling this year goes to Glenkinchie, bottled as a 27 year old.  (And a fine whisky it is, too).

Kate McGraw with this year’s Diageo Special Releases range

The Australian launch was held in Sydney last week at Eau de Vie (previously at Darlinghurst, but now located near the Wynyard end of the city, just off George Street and behind Shell House), and attendees were led through the range by Kate McGraw, Head of Advocacy for Diageo Australia.  The night had an aeronautical travel theme, with attending guests provided with their ticket and passport to the event, and the Diageo staff appropriately uniformed…right down to the check-in counter!

Our passport and boarding pass for the night’s action…

A brief synopsis of each of the malts in the Diageo Special Releases 2023 range is provided below, together with some brief comments and observations penned by Whisky & Wisdom during the evening as we went through each malt.  In no particular order…

Roseisle

12 years old, bottled at 56.5%. Matured in a mix of 1st-fill and Refill ex-bourbon casks.

Whisky & Wisdom was privileged to see and tour around Roseisle in 2009, just prior to it becoming fully operational.  It was (and remains) groundbreaking in its production processes, energy efficiency and sustainability credentials, capturing of CO2 for commercial applications, and in its ability to create different styles of malt under the one roof.  As just one example, the stills are connected to dual condensers – one copper, one stainless steel.  Thus, by selecting which condenser to send the spirit vapours through, the distillery can control the character of the spirit produced. I was told at the time of my visit that Roseisle wasn’t envisaged to ever be bottled as a single malt – but then the whisky game is forever evolving and re-shaping.  This is the first commercial, official expression of Roseisle and whilst it will likely be viewed as a curiosity to many, it is certainly a bottling that can stand up on its own two feet.

Glenkinchie

27 years old, bottled at 58.3%.  Matured in a combination of refill ex-bourbon barrels and European oak butts.

Notwithstanding that this particular expression is the result of a more conventional cask maturation regimen and is thus in more familiar territory, the whisky has been beautifully matured and has melded perfectly with the oak.  27 years is an old whisky in anyone’s language but, despite the many years in wood, the spirit is still in harmony with the oak and there’s no sense of dryness, tiredness, or over-maturation.  The spirit is still fresh and vibrant, but has been beautifully shaped and mellowed by the cask influence.  Best of all, there’s still a wonderful complexity to the spirit that belies its old age.  An outstanding dram. 

Lagavulin

12 years old, bottled at 56.4%, and finished in Don Julio Anejo Tequila casks. 

Fans of Lagavulin won’t be disappointed with this.  While the old flagship expression at 16 years continues to be the benchmark and reference point for many Lagavulin fans, there have been ample 12 year old expressions of Lagavulin across many campaigns over the last decade to suggest that 12 years is a pretty good sweet spot for this much-loved distillery.  The tequila cask influence is subtle, but – whether psychosomatic or real – you could close your eyes and easily convince yourself you’re drinking a quality, smoky mezcal here.

Talisker

NAS, bottled at 59.7%, and finished in a combination of White, Ruby, and Tawny ex-port casks. 

Compared to previous Diageo Special Releases expressions of Talisker, this was a milder expression, certainly in terms of the peat.  There was less of the iodine and dry peatsmoke seen in other recent expressions, but the signature seaweedy, maritime note was still very much on display.  The port cask influence was evident with some dry spices, together with an alluring sweetness that complemented the malt.

Glendullan

14 years old, bottled at 55%, and finished in Chardonnay de Bourgogne French Oak casks.

For many years an anonymous, workhorse distillery for Diageo, Glendullan finally appeared in the limelight when it was included in the re-vamped Singleton range.  (Fun fact…the name “Singleton” was originally dreamed up by the marketing department for Auchroisk back in the 1990’s, because they were worried no one would know how to pronounce the product’s name.  “The Singleton of Auchroisk” was marketed into the early 2000’s before being retired.  The Singleton name was then reincarnated a few years later as a collective brand name for the Glen Ord, Dufftown, and Glendullan distilleries).   This particular expression was a little dry to my palate, but still a nice drop all the same.

Mortlach

NAS, bottled at 58% ABV, and finished in a combination of ex-Kanosuke Japanese whisky and ex-pinot noir casks.

Mortlach has traditionally been a more robust and meatier malt, courtesy of its use of wormtubs and the complex distillation process employed with its partial triple distillation.  This Mortlach is no different.  Whilst the decision to bottle without an age statement may tempt some to believe the whisky is young, there’s certainly no hint of youth on the nose or palate.  The whisky is well crafted, and very drinkable.

Clynelish

10 years old, bottled at 57.5% ABV; matured exclusively in 1st-fill ex-bourbon casks

Whilst its stablemate and predecessor, Brora, has demonstrated it can mature to grand old ages and prosper, I’ve long maintained that Clynelish hits its sweet spot at 10-15 years.  This bottling is another example of this, and the whisky shines at this age.  Clynelish’s malt has always been flavoursome and complex in its own right, and it is perhaps no coincidence that it’s the only malt in the Diageo Special Releases 2023 range to come from a single cask type.  The first-fill ex-bourbon casks have done the work beautifully; no further adornment is necessary.

Oban

11 years old, bottled at 58%, and finished in Caribbean pot still rum casks

Much of Oban’s marketing makes mention of its coastal location, which is amusing when you consider very little of the spirit actually matures there.  Nonetheless, for reasons science can’t fully explain, there is a maritime character to many Oban bottlings, and this is no different.  The rum cask influence lends a buttery-ness to the palate, together with hints of mint, citrus, and bananas.

– – – – – – –

So…thoughts and conclusions?  As always, it’s a great selection of malts, and it hits the objective it sets out to achieve, i.e. to showcase Diageo’s distilleries in a different light to the standard expressions.  As for my favourite?  Well, the Clynelish was tasty drinking and the Mortlach was extremely interesting…..but I can’t go past the Glenkinchie.  It offered extraordinary complexity, terrific integration with the wood, just the right amount of oak, sweetness, dryness, and spice, and it exuded that overall Lowland charm. 

As is the case for any limited edition bottlings, availability won’t last forever.  The Diageo Special Releases 2023 is now in stock at all good retailers, so jump in quickly if you’re keen.

Cheers,
AD

PS…if you’re keen on previous incarnations of the Diageo Special Releases range, you might like our write-ups from these previous years…

Diageo Special Releases 2016

Diageo Special Releases 2017

Diageo Special Releases 2020 

Diageo Special Releases 2021 

Diageo Special Releases 2022

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Waiheke Whisky

Waiheke Whisky comes from Waiheke Island in New Zealand.  Waiheke is a small island in the Hauraki Gulf, just a 40 minute ferry ride east of Auckland.  The island has a strong tourism industry and is renowned for its vineyards and wineries, its beaches, and restaurants.  Although it’s popular for day trips or weekend stays out of Auckland, the small island – just 92km2 in area – is home to roughly 9,000 people.  As a point of reference and context that many readers will appreciate, Islay is roughly 620km2 in comparison and home to just over 3,000 inhabitants.  Islay is obviously well known for its whiskies.  One suspects Waiheke isn’t too far behind!

The distillery itself has an incredible story that showcases extraordinary enthusiasm, passion, initiative, independence, and determination by its founders, together with a journey and evolution that belies its years.  Indeed, evolution is key to appreciating Waiheke’s story, and it would be an injustice not to outline some of it here.

The distillery’s origins date back to 2008 and was founded by the husband-and-wife team of Mark Izzard and Roanne Parker, together with Richard Evatt.   Mark and Richard initially bought a 50L still and it started as a hobby with a lot of trial and error.  (Non-commercial, home distilling is legal in New Zealand.)   “There was no-long term goal other than to make the best whisky we could, but it was really for ourselves and friends…there was no real business plan at that stage,” Mark explains.  “It started to grow after a discussion with a friend who had a tasting and suggested we build a bigger still to make more.” 

The distillery’s early set-up. “Vitriol 1” – a geodesic – served as both the wash still and spirit still for the first few years.

An extraordinary feature of Waiheke’s story is the owners’ propensity to make/build/develop things themselves, and they set about building their first still – a geodesic, no less, aptly named Vitriol 1.   They also built their own mash tun, purchased a fermenter, and got stuck in!  As is near-universal in the stories of small, start-up distilleries, this was all done on the side in limited spare time whilst balancing full-time careers in other sectors. 

In 2010, the founders resolved to make the operation a going concern, incorporating the company.  They built a second, larger geodesic (Vitriol 2!) which was commissioned in 2012 to serve as the wash still, and they acquired additional fermenters to increase production.  In 2013/14 they moved to new premises at Mudbrick Winery and scaled up their production.  And, yet, it would be nine years until they launched their first, official release.  Good things take time.

Having absolutely fallen in love with the process and opportunities, Roanne, Mark, and Richard went the whole hog:  The third chapter of the distillery’s story was the owners’ decision to build an all-new, purpose-designed distillery and brand home.  New, bespoke six metre-high stills were commissioned from Scotland (a 3,000L wash still and a 2,500L spirit still that incorporates elements of the geodesic principle, so as to maximise the ratio of surface area to volume), and 2022/23 was spent putting together the facility which goes by the name The Heke.  The Heke is an impressive restaurant, bar, and function centre, and is also obviously home to the brewery and distillery.  Again, almost every aspect of production – including some impressive software – was designed and built inhouse.   In fact, it would be remiss not to make mention of how independent the Waiheke distillery has been in its development.  Some of this is a function of being isolated on an island; some of it is simply a reflection of the founders’ initiative, confidence, and brainpower.  Compared to other small, start-up distilleries, it’s impressive how little input or guidance the founders sought from external parties.  (The notable exception occurred very recently, with Scotch whisky luminary and legend, Alan Winchester, spending time with the team on the island and giving tips and ideas on how they could tweak their production operations and procedures).

L to R: Paddy Newton (Distiller), Alan Winchester, Richard Evatt, Mark Izzard, and Tony Denny (Brewer & Engineer)

In terms of production capacity, Waiheke is now one of the larger of New Zealand’s new wave of distilleries.  If firing on all cylinders and optimised, the distillery has a capacity of 400 OLA (litres of pure alcohol) per day.  Current production is around 200 OLA per day for five days a week and it’s worth noting the distilling team does everything: Milling, mashing, and brewing, prior to the distillation. (This is in contrast to some other new distilleries that outsource their wash).  Again, it’s a combination of being isolated on an island and the owners’ initiative and independence, but as Roanne explains, “We literally didn’t know that there was a choice to buy in wash or use smaller casks!”

The Heke – Distillery, bar, function centre, and tourist destination! (Click on images to enlarge)

Production is a mix of both unpeated and peated campaigns.  Unlike Australian peated whiskies, where the peat is infused into re-wetted, already-malted barley via a post-smoking method, Waiheke uses a genuinely peated malt using NZ peat, supplied by Gladfield Maltings in Canterbury.  The peat comes from Invercargill, right down in the south of the country, and is burned in a separate oven that then feeds the peatsmoke directly to the kiln.  It’s impressive stuff:  I was fortunate enough to try a sample of peated new make spirit from Waiheke – one that came off the stills in 2022, and also a new sample of unpeated new make that was produced under the tweaked production following Alan Winchester’s recent visit.  Both new makes were easily amongst the best I’ve ever tasted.  (And that’s from a tasting library of over 60 distilleries, so not a light statement!)

Unlike many new and/or small distilleries to enter the scene in the last two decades, Waiheke opted straight for large-size casks and long-term maturation.  With a vibrant wine industry on the island, it’s no surprise that a lot of Waiheke’s spirit has been filled into ex-wine casks – either for full maturation terms or for shorter finishing periods.  (Some from wineries less than one kilometre away!)  Australian Apera (sherry) casks have also been filled, but American oak, ex-bourbon casks form the mainstay of the maturation regimen.  The distillery’s releases to-date have mostly been small-batch vattings of multiple casks, or occasionally single-cask bottlings.  The distillery is deliberately and delightfully transparent about what’s in the bottle, and their Waiheke Whisky’s labels provide considerable information about the malt, the wood, the age, and any other relevant features – even the yeast!   

There are challenges in setting up a new distillery (let alone doing it three times!); there are challenges and increased costs being on an island; and there are challenges simply in getting your whisky to market.  With so many hurdles to overcome, I asked Mark what he was most proud of?  His answer is telling: “That we designed and pretty much built our new distillery ourselves. From the PID design, custom made fermenters, and stills….we built the automation, designed the interface and programmed the software. All the tanks and vessels were put in place using our forklift, other than the stills.  All the steam plumbing and electronics were home-made, down to 3D printing interface modules for pneumatic actuators!  The distillery is self-sufficient and sustainable in terms of water; waste management and all power is from renewable energy. The only bit we didn’t do was the high voltage electrics.  It’s been a labour of love for two years and a full-on, hands-on experience. But we know how every little bit works and we can fix it ourselves.”

The “New Zealand Peat” tasting pack from Waiheke Whisky (Click on images to enlarge)

Courtesy of one of Waiheke Whisky’s Tasting Packs, (they’ve produced a few different ones, giving an excellent opportunity to try a variety of their releases – our particular pack was the “New Zealand Peat” pack), Whisky & Wisdom sat down and tried the Seris 1 (Release 02), the Moss (Release 01), and the Bog Monster (Release 05).  Buoyed by how good these were, we subsequently also tried The Sweetwater (Release 03), and the DYAD (Release 04).   All the whiskies are very impressive, displaying a rich and tasty malt that is well integrated with the oak and working in harmony.  Whilst the Waiheke name might seem new to many Antipodean whisky fans, it is worth acknowledging that it’s been a 14 year journey to this point – Waiheke Whisky is not the new kid on the block.  The delicious whisky now going into bottle is the result of years of experimenting; refining; working out which casks work well; how long to leave the spirit in the wood; and how to vat and blend.  And let’s not deny:  It’s also the result of some pretty dedicated, passionate, and talented people.

But the whisky is no longer New Zealand’s own little secret.  In the ANZAC spirit, Waiheke Whisky is now available in Australia, courtesy of Malt Traders.  The initial offerings come from a single consignment that was sent across the water, so Aussie’s keen to check this out should jump in quickly. 

Cheers,
AD

Distillery images courtesy of Waiheke Whisky.  With thanks to Roanne Parker and Mark Izzard.

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Whisky Mythbusters – Debunking the whisky myths

There are plenty of articles and videos online that purport to address so-called myths about whisky. What many of them actually discuss are just misconceptions, and the content is aimed chiefly at novices and newcomers to the category. Well-worn examples include “older whisky is better whisky”, or “the smokiness in whisky comes from the charred barrels”, or “you should add water to your dram”. While such content does have value, that’s not what this article is about.   What’s more interesting is to look at some of the myths and stories that are so deeply entrenched in whisky’s culture, they’re even believed by seasoned whisky drinkers and enthusiasts. Worse still are those that continue to be reinforced by some well-meaning but misled brand ambassadors. And let’s not get started on the misinformation spread by influ…oops….content creators who are more interested in getting clicks than researching their topic. So let’s knuckle down and tear into some of the deeper myths about whisky that continue to endure…    

  

  1. Scotch whisky is made with soft water

When brand ambassadors talk about what factors contribute to the whisky’s quality, or what makes Scotch whisky unique, they’ll invariably wax lyrical about the Scottish water and how pure it is. Many will go further and state that Scotch whisky has the quality it’s renowned for because they only use soft water.  

Whisky myths - soft water

It’s true that many of Scotland’s more famous whisky distilleries indeed use soft water. Glenfiddich, Glen Grant, and Macallan are three good examples, and perhaps it was their early market dominance and the message spread by their ambassadors and the early (modern) writers in the 1980’s and 90’s that helped establish the myth about soft water. Perhaps it was also the success and visibility of these brands that led further to a commonly-believed myth that soft water produced better whisky?

The problem, unfortunately, is that neither assertion is true.   There are plenty of distilleries across Scotland that use hard water, and you can count some pretty famous and award-winning names amongst them – Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, and Highland Park for starters.

Is hard water bad? From a consumer’s point of view, no, not at all. By the time you take into account all the other variables (i.e. the malt, peat, yeast, and the influence of the cask), any impact that the water has on the final flavour is minimal (note…not negligible) and, as we’ve already outlined, some of the distilleries that use hard water produce delicious whisky. Where hard water is an issue is simply the maintenance and upkeep of the distillery’s plant. Hard water can lead to calcium/lime deposits and scale building up inside the pipes and other equipment, leading to pipes, plates, and filters needing to be monitored and replaced on a far more frequent basis.

 

  1. You can discern and taste the variety of barley in your dram.

Let’s say someone poured out three different, unidentified whiskies for you. You’re given a blindfold; the glasses get mixed around, and you’re simply told that one is a Glenfiddich, one is a Glenlivet, and one is a Cardhu. Do you think you could successfully pick which is which? The exercise is then repeated with three new, different whiskies. This time, you’re told that one was made using Optic barley, one was made using Concerto barley, and one was made using Laureate barley. How do you think you’d go?  

Stalks of barley in the field

The vast, vast majority of us wouldn’t even know where to begin, much less even care. So it’s always amusing when a brand ambassador stands up at the front of the room at a tasting event and champions the variety of barley that their distillery uses. Is there anything in this, or is it just marketing? Or is it simply just another whisky myth? To address this fully, let’s wind the clock back a few years…

In the industry’s “quieter” years in the 1980’s, 1990’s, and even into the early 2000’s when there were less single malt brands around (note – brands, not distilleries), there was one brand that had a higher profile and a louder voice than many. That brand was The Macallan, and one of the foundations of their marketing was Macallan’s championing of Golden Promise barley.   Macallan made great whisky; Macallan used Golden Promise barley; influential writers like Michael Jackson sung the praises of Macallan and their specific use of Golden Promise….and so the subconscious connection many people made was that Golden Promise was the key to good whisky. Anything else was, ipso facto, less good!

However, the problem is that things were never that clear cut. Prior to 2004, all commercially available Macallan was matured exclusively in 100% ex-sherry casks, and the oak played a very significant role in Macallan’s celebrated flavour profile and reputation. Could you really taste the Golden Promise in the spirit after 12 years in a 1st-Fill ex-Oloroso cask? Macallan claimed, “Yes.” Well…maybe not after 12 years in wood, but certainly with their newmake spirit. Trials and tests conducted by the distillery with other barleys in the 1990’s concluded that the resulting distillates lacked Macallan’s usual oiliness. As a result, Macallan moved forward for a few years with a minimum of 25% Golden Promise in their mashbill. Other distilleries – Glengoyne, for example – were also vocal about their use of Golden Promise.

The problem for Golden Promise was that, even if it did offer a superior flavour or produced a spirit with a particular character, it was usurped by new and more advanced barley varieties that were more disease-resistant in the field, and offered greater yield to both the farmers and the distillers.   Higher yielding varieties such as Optic, Chariot, and Concerto came along, offering distillers yields of over 410 litres of alcohol per tonne of malt. Golden Promise – stuck in the high 300’s on a good day – couldn’t compete financially. There was also nothing in it for the farmers: Golden Promise typically delivered around five tonnes of grain per hectare; the more modern barley varieties yielded closer to 7.5 tonnes per hectare. In an era where the distillery’s accountant has a more powerful voice than the brewer, economics will usually trump flavour.

The preceding three paragraphs outline some historical background and merely lay the foundation to explore and discuss this myth: Can you actually taste – much less discern or identify – the different varieties of barley used in whisky? Can you taste the difference after the grain has been malted and the starches converted into sugar? After the yeast has done its job of converting the sugar into alcohol? After the wash has been distilled two or three times? After the spirit has matured in an oak cask for 10 years? And particularly if that oak cask previously held a wine, or if the malt was heavily peated?

There’s no denying there’s a difference in the wash (beer) that different barleys can produce. (The entire beer industry would collapse if this was not the case!) And there’s no denying there are subtle differences in the new make spirit subsequently distilled. The likes of Bruichladdich and Springbank have long championed “local barley” distinctions, and Mark Reynier’s Waterford distillery in Ireland takes it to the next level again. Glenmorangie also released some limited-edition expressions over the years that celebrated using different barley varieties. Indeed, Glenmorangie now even has a separate product line, the so-called Cadboll Estate range, which uses Cadboll barley.

However, we respectfully maintain that it’s a myth to assert that the average whisky drinker will discern or be able to identify a specific barley-type once the spirit has been transformed after 10 years or more in a cask – and particularly if it’s spent time in a sherry, port, or wine cask.  

 

  1. The Scots invented whisky

You’ve probably read the headline above and already blurted out, “No, it was the Irish”.  Well….yes and no.

Oil painting of old Highlander and whisky

For most of the 20th century and certainly the 21st century thus far, Scotch whisky has enjoyed a more pronounced profile and reputation over its Irish counterpart.   This wasn’t always the case, and there’s ample literature, production figures, and sales & export figures demonstrating that Irish whiskey once dominated the global whisky market. In the late 19th century, sales figures in London noted that bottles of Irish whiskey outsold Scotch two to one. Irish whiskey exports to the USA were significantly higher than that of Scotch. At a grassroots level, the largest distillery in Ireland was producing eight times more spirit in a year than Scotland’s largest distillery!

However, the Irish whiskey industry commenced a huge decline in the early 20th century, due to a series of unfortunate external events and some disastrous internal decision making. Irish independence and the republic’s departure from the British Empire / the Commonwealth was a huge body blow for the industry, as was the introduction of Prohibition in the USA. And the Irish distillers’ stubborn resistance to and rejection of column still distillation, grain whisky, and blending did them no favours. By the 1970’s, the Irish whiskey industry was on its death bed and almost gasping its last breaths. But we digress…

So, despite the modern industry and current state of affairs, Irish whiskey once outpunched Scotch whisky. But did the Irish actually invent whisk(e)y?   Did they beat Scotland to the punch? The answer lies somewhere within hypothesis, conjecture, speculation, and probability. The first written reference to whisky in Scotland we have today dates back to 1494; the oldest documented record of whiskey in Ireland is a bit older and dates from 1405. While it stands to reason that whisk(e)y was being made in both countries for at least a century or two before these dates, there’s just nothing definitive to hang our hat on.

Whisky myths - Ireland versus Scotland

What we do know is that neither country invented distillation per se. The art of boiling a fermented liquid, capturing the vapours, and collecting the condensed spirit is widely believed to have originated in the middle east. An alchemist by the name of Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan is credited with having invented the alembic still in the mid-8th century, which facilitated distillation in this manner to occur. Roughly a century a later, Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, a widely celebrated scientist and physician, had perfected the art of distilling to concentrate and capture ethanol, writing numerous books on his thoughts and practices. By the 12th century, his teachings and methods were being studied and applied in both Spain and Italy. It’s known that by 1200, the Spanish were distilling alcohol with the intention of drinking it and had already coined the term aqua-vini….the water of life!  The Latin for this was aqua-vitae, and the Gaelic for this was uisge beatha, from where we get the anglicised word whisky.  

Likely accelerated by the Crusades (1095 – 1291), the knowledge and practice of distillation spread from the Islamic world to the western Christian church, and popular wisdom has it that it found its way to Irish monks first before subsequently crossing the Irish sea into Scotland. It’s only a theory, but it’s a good one. So have we busted the myth? As the legendary, late Dennis Hendry used to tell visitors at Aberlour Distillery: “If the Irish invented whisky, it was the Scots who perfected it!”     

If you’d like a quick and amusing refresher on the history of Scotch whisky, you might like to check out our entertaining music video here

 

  1. Irish whiskey is triple distilled

There’s an old industry joke that asks why the Irish triple distill.  The answer goes, “To be sure, to be sure, to be sure!”  There are several things that define Irish whiskey and distinguish its point of difference from Scotch whisky. Despite what many Irish whiskey brand ambassadors would have you believe, triple distillation is not one of them!

Three pot stills at Teeling distillery

As we’ve already discussed in our brief foray into Irish whiskey’s history in Whisky Myth No. 3 above, the Irish whiskey industry was in massive decline in the mid-to-late 20th century. With just two distilleries left operating and the industry’s marketing department needing to sell a tangible point of difference, Irish whiskey was pitted against Scotch with the tag of it being “smoother and easier to drink”.   This enhanced smoothness and approachability – something still touted by the marketing departments today – was bolted on as a function of the whiskey being triple distilled, and this came to define the product.  The problem is that, historically and currently, it’s simply not true.

Triple distillation was adopted by some distillers in Ireland as a consequence or function of them attempting to reduce their tax bill!  In 1785, a tax was introduced on the use of malted barley. To circumvent or reduce the financial burden of this tax, some Irish distillers started to use a mixed mashbill that used both malted and unmalted barley. The resulting wash and the subsequent low wines produced by these mashbills were lower in alcohol, and many found that a third distillation was necessary to get the spirit to the desired strength and quality. Hence triple distillation. The malt tax was abolished roughly 40 years later in favour of a more sensible (?) taxation system, but by then the practice and the style of whiskey it subsequently produced had its champions, and the practice endured.   (Fun fact: A similar situation of catalysts, outcomes, and resulting flavour preferences is what led to triple distillation being adopted by many Lowland distilleries in the Glasgow-Edinburgh belt, which by the late 1990’s – when there were so few of them left – led to a myth that all Lowland whisky was triple distilled).  It is this style of whisky – a mashbill of both malted and unmalted barley – that defines what we call “Irish Pot Still Whiskey”.  It is very different to, say, Bushmills, which is a single malt, or Jamesons, which is a blended whiskey that contains both Irish Pot Still and grain whiskey made from corn.

It’s worth noting that when Alfred Barnard visited the distilleries of Ireland in the 1880’s, he recorded that eight of the 28 distilleries he toured practiced a conventional double distillation (roughly a quarter), so it certainly wasn’t true back then that all Irish whiskey was triple distilled. By the 1970’s, there were only two distilleries left in operation in Ireland and both of them triple distilled, and perhaps this is where the modern myth has its foundations – particularly by the time Pernod Ricard’s marketing arm took Jamesons to the world. Today, there are plenty of Irish distilleries practicing conventional double distillation – Cooley and Waterford being good examples. (And noting that Cooley’s spirit has been double distilled since it was established in 1987!)

 

  1. The classic myths

We’ve explored four deeper myths about whisk(e)y above…let’s use this fifth and final point to slay the classic myths that you’re probably already familiar with, but we’ll address and debunk here for completeness…

Whisky myths - the Classics

  • Whisky gets all its colour from the oak cask in which it’s matured. Well, yes and no. Yes, whisky is actually as clear as water when it comes off the stills and, yes, it takes on colour from the wood in which it sits.  The amount of colour it takes from the cask is a function of the level of the cask’s toasting and charring, how many times it’s been filled, and also the oak species and any previous fillings the cask previously held (e.g. sherry).  However, many distilleries, producers, and bottlers also add artificial colouring – spirit caramel, aka E150 – to their whisky, and so what you see isn’t always the real deal.  Fortunately for us, some countries have strict labelling laws where artificial additives have to be declared. Germany is one such country. If you want to check if your favourite whisky has been artificially coloured or not, try and find a bottle of it that’s been labelled for the German market. If the label has the words “Mit farbstoff” (translates as with colouring), you’ll know the colour ain’t natural.   For more information on how the cask influences whisky, you might like to read our article, “The complete guide to oak, casks, and whisky maturation.
  • Whisky gets better as it gets older. Well, strictly speaking, the answer is “it depends”. But as a universal, absolute statement, the assertion is flawed and the myth is nonsense. Generally speaking, whisky will improve with age up to a point. As a generalisation, the majority of Scotch whiskies hit their peak at around 10 to 15 years of age.  Of course, there are many, many celebrated examples where some whiskies and casks will age and improve well beyond this, but the percentage of “winners” starts to rapidly diminish. There are many variables here: The size of the cask, how many times the cask has been used, the climate/environment, and so on. Regardless, there comes a time when the spirit in every cask peaks, and any more time spent in the wood after that has a deleterious (negative) effect. The whisky can become drying, tannic, bitter, or over-oaked. It can lose its balance; it can be overpowered by the wood; and it can lose all the character and flavours that the spirit had in the first place.
  • Whisky matures in the bottle. The immediate response to this myth is no.  If a whisky is bottled and labelled as a 10 Year Old in 2024, it’s still a 10 year old whisky in 2034.   Unlike wine or “bottle conditioned” beer, once the whisky is in the glass, it no longer ages or matures. However, there’s also a more nuanced response: No, whisky doesn’t mature in the bottle but, contrary to common wisdom, it can change in the bottle. The whisky community now has terms for this, such as old bottle effect or old bottle syndrome. Slow and long-term evaporation through corks and stoppers can also create change in the bottle. Whisky & Wisdom has explored this in great detail in our feature article, “Oxidation – does whisky go off in the bottle?
  • Whisky comes from Scotland, whiskey comes from Ireland or the USA. Well, mostly. Traditionally and conventionally, the above statement had some truth to it, but traditions and conventions do not equal law nor fact. The inclusion or exclusion of the “e” perhaps used to be a general indicator of the spirit’s origin, but there are too many exceptions to the rule these days. Makers Mark, a Kentucky bourbon, has long spelled its product whisky, as has George Dickel in Tennessee. Similarly, Waterford in Ireland has adopted the spelling of whisky. Other countries are mixing and matching; Australia being a good example. The majority of Australian distilleries – certainly those making a traditional single malt – adopt whisky; whereas the many distilleries making a mixed-grain or bourbon-style spirit have opted for whiskey.
  • Scotch whisky is the best. No, this is not a whisky myth. It’s a fact. 😉 

Cheers,
AD

PS…got any other whisky myths you’d like to add, ask about, or see debunked?  Add them in the comments section below.

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World Whiskies Awards & Icons of Whisky Australia, 2024

The World Whiskies Awards and the Icons of Whisky winners (in the Rest of World category) have been unveiled for 2024.  There are some familiar names and, pleasingly, some new names and faces as a number of new distilleries bring their whiskies to the world’s stage… 

The World Whiskies Awards has grown to such an extent that, several years ago now, it was split into various regions to do justice to the huge number of distilleries, producers, bottlers, and individuals who contribute to the many sectors of the whisk(e)y industry.  While some regions naturally pick themselves (e.g. Scotland, USA, Ireland), the catch-all region of Rest of World was created to capture the likes of Australia, Japan, India, Taiwan, Canada, New Zealand, Israel, China, and the many European countries producing whisky (e.g. Belgium, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc) and more.  In February this year, the 2024 winners in the Rest of World categories were announced for both the World Whiskies Awards and the Icons of Whisky Awards.  Being an Aussie and someone who’s written a lot about Australian whisky, I trust you’ll indulge us if we highlight the Australian winners for 2024… 

Icons of Whisky badges

Icons of Whisky, 2024
(Rest of World category – Australian winners)

Brand Ambassador, Scotch Whisky – Seamus Carroll, The Whisky Club

Brand Ambassador, World Whisky – Ally Bhana, Sullivans Cove Distillery

Brand Innovator – Sullivans Cove Distillery

Communicator – Andrew Derbidge, Whisky & Wisdom

Craft Producer – Callington Mill Distillery

Distillery Manager – Heather Tillott, Sullivans Cove Distillery

Master Distiller / Master Blender – Ian Thorn, The Gospel Whiskey

Sales Team – Sullivans Cove Distillery

Visitor Attraction Manager – Michelle Burns, The Aisling Distillery

Visitor Attraction – Callington Mill Distillery

 

World Whiskies Awards, 2024
(Rest of World category – Australian winners)

A large number of Australian distilleries and producers submitted their whiskies for judging, and a number of expressions / bottlings were recognised with Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals.  Importantly, an impressive number of whiskies were announced as being overall Category Winners – a huge achievement, particularly noting the huge volume of entries and the large number of different categories.  The Australian Category Winners were as follows:

Backwoods Distilling Co, Shiraz Cask, 46% – Rye, No Age Statement

Coastal Stone, Xplore, 40% – Blended, No Age Statement

Eden, Folklore – Double Oak, 50.4% – Small Batch Single Malt, No Age Statement

Hellyers Road Distillery, The American Oak 16 Years Old, 60.7% – Single Cask Single Malt, 13 to 20 years

Hellyers Road Distillery, The American Oak 21 Years Old – Cask 2157.05, 62.4% – Single Cask Single Malt 21 Years & Over

Hellyers Road Distillery, The Dark Harmony, 52% – Blended Limited Release, No Age Statement

Hellyers Road Distillery, The Voyager Cask, 57% – Small Batch Single Malt, 13 to 20 Years

Hillwood Whisky, Peated Sherry Cask 150, 60.5% – Single Cask Single Malt, No Age Statement

Iniquity, Talamara, 40% – Single Malt, 12 Years & Under

Lark, Fresh IPA Cask, 46% – Single Malt, No Age Statement

Lark, Symphony No. 1, 40.2% – Blended Malt, No Age Statement

Sullivans Cove, American Oak 2nd Fill TD0452, 50% – Single Cask Single Malt, 12 Years & Under

The Gospel, Legacy Rye, 56% – Rye, 12 Years & Under

Transportation Whiskey, The Journey Single Cask Cask Strength, 57.6% – Pot Still, No Age Statement

Waubs Harbour Distillery, Waubs Original, 43% – Small Batch Single Malt, 12 Years & Under

Whipper Snapper, Rye, 48% – Single Cask Single Rye, No Age Statement

– – – – – –

If you’d like to see the full list of medals (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and the many Australian distilleries and their releases that entered the awards but aren’t listed above, you’ll find it here.   Of course, it’s worth stating that this is an awards program that distilleries choose to enter and submit their whiskies to, and so not every Australian distillery or producer is necessarily represented.  For more information on this and how whisky awards programs work, you might like to read our recent article, “Whisky Awards – Who really wins?

Congratulations to all involved; to the many individuals behind the scenes that work tirelessly and often anonymously in the production of great Australian whiskies, and to the Australian whisky industry as a whole.

Cheers,
AD

PS…you might also like our article Which is the best Australian whisky?

 

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The Whisky Ark, Sydney

Exciting news for Sydney whisky enthusiasts with the opening of the city’s second bricks-and-mortar retail shop dedicated purely to whisky.  Thirteen years after World of Whisky established itself in Double Bay back in 2010, The Whisky Ark has now set up shop in the Queen Victoria Building in the heart of the CBD.

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Nikka The Grain Whisky

Nikka “The Grain” Whisky is part of Nikka’s Discovery Series, being the 2023 edition in this experimental range.  We’ll look at this in more detail in just a moment, but first some commentary on Japanese whisky wouldn’t go astray.  As a category of spirit, Japanese whisky has had to ride many waves in the last decade.  Prior to the 2010’s, it was (relatively) widely available; it was relatively affordable, and – like every other category of whisky – it would occasionally delight with something spectacular that made whisky drinkers take notice.   Founded in 1934, Nikka has always been at the heart of Japanese whisky, but things took a quantum leap for the category in the 2010’s when a series of plaudits and accolades all came at once.  Numerous Japanese whisky brands and bottlings won major awards in rapid succession, consistently outpunching and outscoring their more fancied and better-known Scottish competitors.

Examples?  Hibiki 21yo won World’s Best Blended Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2013.  Yamazaki 25yo won World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2012.  Nikka’s Taketsuru 17yo Pure Malt won World’s Best Blended Malt in 2014 at the World Whiskies Awards.  The Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 won Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray’s 2015 Whisky Bible.  Nikka’s Single Malt Yoichi won Whisky of the Year in Whisky Advocate magazine in 2016.   Suddenly, in the space of just a few short years, Japanese whisky went from being a curiosity amongst enthusiasts to something everyone wanted to get their hands on.

The result was a massive tipping of the scales in the supply and demand relationship.  Japanese whisky became a victim of its own success.  It would soon emerge that the distilleries did not ramp up production when these accolades first started coming in, and this came home to roost by the end of the decade when there simply wasn’t enough to go around.  Prices skyrocketed accordingly in response to the scarcity, and Japanese whisky – certainly in the single malt stakes – became a rare and expensive choice.

A dram of Nikka The Grain Whisky

With the preceding paragraphs as background, it is fascinating to see how Nikka, as a company, rode the waves, and how the new Nikka The Grain Whisky blend (reviewed below) fits into the narrative.  Nikka’s origin story is inspiring reading.  Masataka Taketsuru left Japan in 1918 and spent two years in Scotland studying chemistry at Glasgow University, while also working as an apprentice at three Scotch whisky distilleries.  He returned to Japan in 1920, and in 1923 he was hired by the company we now know as Suntory to build the Yamazaki distillery, where he subsequently oversaw production.   He parted company with Suntory a decade later, and founded Nikka in 1934, establishing the Yoichi distillery.  His first spirit, marketed as Nikka Whisky was launched in 1940.

Nikka would go on to establish another malt distillery, Miyagikyo, in 1969.  Miyagikyo’s spirit was, by design, completely different to Yoichi.  Different-shaped stills; indirect steam heating (as opposed to coal-fired direct heating at Yoichi); slower distillation; and other production tweaks mean Miyagikyo’s spirit is generally lighter, more floral, and fruitier than its stablemate. 

Of course, blended whisky needs both malt and grain spirit.  Nikka adapted its Nishinomiya bottling plant into a grain distillery in 1963 when it installed a Coffey column still which they shipped in from Scotland.  A second column was imported in 1966.  The two Coffey stills were transferred to Miyagikyo in 1999, and are responsible for Nikka’s much-respected Nikka Coffey Grain and Nikka Coffey Malt whiskies.  Nikka’s parent company, Asahi, acquired both the Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa distilleries in 2002, both being long-established shochu distilleries.  Nikka further utilised these plants for the production of grain whisky in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Outside of Japan, Nikka acquired the Ben Nevis distillery in Scotland in 1989, making it the second Scottish malt distillery to be wholly owned by a Japanese company.  (Tomatin was acquired by a Japanese joint venture in 1986; Suntory took full ownership of Morrison Bowmore Distillers in 1994, thus acquiring the Bowmore, Auchentoshan, and Glen Garioch distilleries).  Up until 2021, a little-known quirk of Japanese whisky was that it didn’t actually have to be made in Japan!  The five aforementioned Scotch distilleries all produced bulk spirit that was exported to Japan and subsequently widely used in Japanese blends.  In the international craze and demand for Japanese whisky by the late 2010’s, plenty of whisky consumers purchased what they believed to be Japanese whisky, perhaps not appreciating that a portion of what was in the bottle actually came from Scotland.  Faced with growing pressure from consumers and other drinks industry bodies, corners of the Japanese industry sought to address this awkward situation in 2021 when the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association (of which Nikka is a member) established the Standards for Labelling Japanese Whisky.  This standard better clarifies now what constitutes Japanese whisky, although it’s worth noting that (i) it is a standard agreed to by members of the JS&LMA but not actually a law per se, and (ii) not every Japanese brand or producer is a member of the JS&LMA, and thus is not bound to it.  The industry still has a long way to go to match the enforceable integrity of The Scotch Whisky Association, however, Nikka is to be commended for being one of the more transparent Japanese whisky companies.  Nikka’s website makes it clear which of their many products and blends meet the labelling standards for Japanese whisky and which ones do not.

Which all brings us to this pictured bottle of Nikka “The Grain” Whisky….

Nikka The Grain Whisky is part of Nikka’s Discovery Series.  The Discovery Series seeks to explore various aspects of the whisky making process, experimenting with tweaks to whisky’s three core ingredients (barley, yeast, and water) to create different flavours.  The 2021 Discovery played around with peat; the 2022 Discovery tried different yeasts, and the 2023 Discovery plays around with different grains.  It is a blend of seven different whiskies from four of Nikka’s grain distilleries, namely:

  • Coffey Grain whisky (corn) distilled in the 2010’s at Miyagikyo
  • Coffey Malt whisky distilled in the 2010’s at Miyagikyo
  • Coffey Grain whisky (corn) distilled in 1988 at Nishinomiya
  • Coffey Malt whisky distilled in 1988 at Nishinomiya
  • Unmalted barley whisky distilled in a stainless steel pot still in 2017 at Moji
  • Unmalted barley whisky distilled in a stainless steel pot still in 2018 at Satsuma Tsukasa
  • Corn, rye, and barley whisky distilled in a stainless steel pot still in 2019 at Satsuma Tsukasa

The various spirits were all matured in American oak, chiefly being refill hogsheads, but also re-charred hogsheads and new barrels.  At least two of those lines above should have grabbed your attention – yes, this blend has whisky in it that is at least 34 years old.

Whisky & Wisdom sat down with a bottle and we spent time acquainting ourselves with the spirit.  Our thoughts as follows:

Nikka “The Grain” Whisky (Discovery Series, 2023), 48% ABV

Nose:  The initial nosing is strong with esters – a basket of fruit; some floral notes; and a hint of cereal.  The nose gets sweeter with each return to the glass.  It’s actually the sweetness that gives away there are other cereals in this blend…there’s just a hint of the corn and rye whiskies present and, in this respect, it’s not a million miles away from the Archie Rose Double Malt, which similarly excelled in this pursuit.  Returning to the nose after sipping it, it seems more biscuity.

Palate:  The mouthfeel is thick and viscous…creamy might also be an apt descriptor.  Vanilla/caramel flavours lay a rich foundation.  The blend is very well integrated – no obvious spikes or domineering flavours out of place.  With time, some orange citrus emerges, together with nutmeg sprinkled on porridge.  Not sure what proportion of the blend is carried by the older spirit from Nishinomiya, but this in no way tastes young – there’s just the right amount of oak and development onboard, contributing hints of dark chocolate.

Finish:  As the finish recedes, there’s a pleasing footprint of crème brulee – specifically, the brulee.    

Comments:  As a grain whisky, this is a fun ride and something reasonably unique in its flavor profile.  No, it’s not malt, but it’s far more developed and multi-dimensional than many of the other grain whiskies that often pop up.  The use of corn and rye spirit takes the dram left of centre, and if you’re a fan of any of the many wonderful mixed-grain whiskies coming out of the north-west quadrant of the USA right now, this will certainly resonate with you.   Importantly, can the dram stand on its own two feet and be enjoyed neat, or is it a blend that’s more suited as a mixer?  It’s definitely the former – it’s a perfectly good sipping whisky on its own.

– – – – –

Nikka The Grain Whisky is out now in Australia, primarily through Vintage Cellars, with an RRP of $270.

Cheers,
AD

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Glenglassaugh – Three new whiskies

Located up in the north-east of Scotland, Glenglassaugh is yet another of the many previously-obscure Scottish whiskies to have received a new lease on life and be thrust into the limelight following a change of ownership.  Like so many others in this category, it has a long if not chequered history that has seen numerous changes in ownership, periods of silence, and stuttered reincarnations.  Like its stablemate Benriach, Glenglassaugh is now on the happy receiving end of love and investment from Brown Forman, culminating in the recent launch of a new single malt core-range for the brand.  The range now incorporates the Glenglassaugh 12yo, the Sandend, and the Portsoy.

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Benriach – The Sixteen

The Benriach distillery and its brand is one of several Scottish single malt whiskies that have gone through something of a re-invention and transformation in recent years.  Located towards the northern end of Speyside, not far south of Elgin, Benriach has gone from relative obscurity to much-adored in less than two decades.  Attention and interest in the brand is set to further grow with the re-introduction of the Benriach 16, styled on the label as Benriach – The Sixteen.

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Talisker 45yo Glacial Edge

If there’s one distillery that evokes some of the more dramatic images and sentiments in the world of Scotch whisky, it is surely Talisker.  As a distillery and as a single malt, it cuts across the full spectrum of whisky’s nuances and features:  Words often associated with Talisker include coastal, peat, remote, Highlands, sweet, iodine, Isle of Skye, wormtubs, smoky, brine, visitor centre, old, sea loch, Johnnie Walker, aged……it is all things Scotland, and has been since 1830.  Fans of Talisker single malt have been thrilled to see its core-range and other portfolio offerings expand in recent times.  From the widely available 10 year old, to the some of unique expressions in the Diageo Special Releases range, there’s always a splash of briny, peaty Talisker to enjoy at lots of different ages and price points.  One of the more fascinating releases – and certainly one of the tastiest – is the new Talisker 45yo Glacial Edge.

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Women in whisky

It’s probably been more than 25 years since the theme or topic of “women in whisky” first got written about in the modern circles of whisky publishing.  By which I mean the new wave of books and magazines that started to emerge in the 1990’s, and the endless number of blogs, forums, and social media outlets in more recent times.   Indeed, flicking through my old back issues of Whisky Magazine from the early 2000’s, it didn’t take me long to find articles, profiles, and feature pieces that all revolved around women and whisky, or women in whisky.

Issue 14 of Whisky Magazine in 2001 had a feature article on “Whisky’s Women”. This issue from 2004 featured three articles about women and whisky; similar themes were explored in a 2005 issue, “Women of High Spirits”, and a 2007 issue with “Driven Women”.

It is an interesting topic to write about in 2023.  In some ways, there is a valid sentiment that holds this shouldn’t be a thing anymore.  Afterall, we’ve had several decades now of articles, interviews, and profile pieces highlighting the wonderful work of female distillers, master blenders, brand ambassadors, writers, journalists, bartenders, visitor centre managers, mixologists, and so on.   Women are prolific in so many corners and reaches of the whisky industry these days, one could be forgiven for questioning if gender needs to be an issue anymore.  And yet…

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