Category Archives: Scotch Whiskey

Some Facts About Whiskey Or Whisky

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Some Facts About Whiskey Or Whisky

When discussing whisky the first thing that needs to be known is that there are two legitimate spellings. The Scott’s and Canadians spell whisky without the “e”, while the Irish and Americans spell it with an “e” as in whiskey. This should be the first indication that the world of whisky is a very complicated one and has many regional differences in taste and production. This is part of what makes whisky such an interesting and enjoyable spirit.

Historically it is believed that the Irish were the first to make whisky, however the Scott’s have also laid claim to being the first whisky producers. The Irish used the term “uisce beatha” (“Water of Life” in Gaelic) to describe whisky, so it must have been important.

Both the Scottish and Irish make whisky the same way, except for the malting and distillation process. In Scotland the malted barley is roasted over open peat fires to dry, this results in the grain picking up the peat flavour. In Ireland, the malted barley is dried in closed ovens, and is never exposed to the smoke. The process of mashing and fermentation is much the same for both countries. In the distillation step, the Irish, most of the time, distil their product three times, which results in a very pure distillate which makes Irish whisky exceptionally smooth. The Scottish distil their product twice and this results in more flavour in the spirit.

In North America there is Canadian whisky and American whisky, which has a number of regional classifications including Bourbon and Tennessee whisky. Each product in North America is unique and is regulated by the government. Canadian whisky is the number one imported spirit into the United States and is second in consumption only to vodka.

American whisky has a number of regulations depending on the definition of the product. Bourbon must be made from fermented mash of not less than 51% corn, rye, wheat, malted barley or malted rye grain. It cannot be distilled at a proof higher than 160 and must be stored in new oak barrels at a proof of 125 or less. Blended American whiskey must be made from at least 20% whisky aged two or more years with the remainder made from unaged neutral grain spirit. American corn whiskey must be made from a minimum mash of 80% corn. Tennessee whisky follows the same regulations as Bourbon, but is charcoal filtered (Lincoln County Process), so it does not qualify as bourbon.

Canadian whisky must be ages for at least three years, but for the most part the Canadian government allows the expertise of the distiller to define the characteristics of the final product so there are no limits on distillation proof or barrel requirements. Any Canadian whisky that is aged for less than four years must have the age listed on the bottle. Most Canadian whisky is aged for six or more years. Canadian whisky is generally a blended spirit. The term “blended” means that the final product is made from a number different types of distilled product. For example, a Canadian whisky may be composed of corn, barely, wheat and rye distillates that have been aged in selected used or new oak barrels. Some Canadian producers put all of the grains in one vat and ferment them as a whole and pre-blend and age the distillate. Other producers ferment each grain individually and age each distillate separately and then blend a final product from a mixture of spirits. Most Canadian whisky is distilled twice.

This article has only scratched the surface of the whisk(e)y world. There are many regional characteristics of whisky and many other counties are producing this fine spirit. It would take a lifetime to explore the complete world of whisky, but it would be a worthy attempt.

author:Darcy O’Neil

Bill & Sheila’s Wine and whisky

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Maker Mark American Bourbon Whiskey

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Maker Mark American Bourbon Whiskey

Makers Mark

The Samuels, like the Beams, are part and parcel of Kentucky’s history. The family has been a distiller since 1780, and their TW Samuels brand was an early classic. One of their ancestors, Rueben Samuels, married Zerelda James, whose sons became better known for a less peaceful way of life. Bill Samuels, current boss of Maker’s Mark, still has Jesse’s and Frank’s pistols hanging on the wall of his office.

A discussion of the human influence on whiskey leads Bill to muse on his father, Bill Samuels Sr, who was something of a visionary in these parts. He bought the run-down Happy Hollow distillery in 1953 and started making a new kind of bourbon his way, in a different, softer style. After consulting another legend of the industry, Pappy Van Winkle, he created a new mashbill using winter wheat instead of rye, aged the whiskey for longer and sold it at a higher price. Not the standard approach in post-war Kentucky.

‘In 1953, Dad was talking of how people were looking for a more refined version of bourbon,’ recalls Bill. ‘He knew the things that he wanted to preserve, the ones he wanted to throw out. He was going to create a bourbon to suit his taste: it had damn-all to do with the market! He just thought bourbon should taste better’.

The industry is full of such purely personal likes and dislikes dictating the taste of a brand. Bill Sr. simply didn’t like aggressive whiskey, so he changed everything. His was a gentle crusade. The family may be related to the James gang, but coming out guns blazing just isn’t their style. Bill Sr. may have had the vision, but it was his son who took Maker’s Mark across the world, talking up high-quality, premium-priced liquor at the time the industry was at its nadir. Still, the Maker’s Mark crusade must have seemed doomed. In the 1960s there wasn’t a nickel’s-worth of difference between bourbon and bourbon-flavoured vodka’, says Bill.

‘The industry was at the end of the road because no-one could afford the $100 barrel. Bourbon can never be a mass-market commodity, because we have that high cost legally built in’. Having to buy new barrels is less problematic when the product is selling for a higher price.

You can list the differences in production that set Maker’s Mark apart: the mashbill; the yeast strain created by Bill’s great-great­grandfather; the double distillation; the charcoal added to the white dog as a filtering agent; the air-dried wood; the way the barrels are rotated in the high-rack warehouses. All these give the product its character, but ultimately Maker’s Mark is about the stubborn Samuels family and the people who work in the distillery.

Bill Sr has been proved right. These days premium bourbon is one of the most exciting areas in world whisky, but Bill refuses to take the credit for this turnaround. Like all great whisky men he realizes he’s part of a team. ‘If I could do one little thing, I’d bring out my ancestors to see that bourbon is finally no longer a wilderness product. The six generations before me did the heavy lifting,’ he says. ‘Dad said he’d change the face of bourbon. When he started no-one gave him a chance, but by the time I retire bourbon will be the talk of the town’.

He believes the new premium sector will be a major factor in restoring pride to the industry. ‘Higher margins fire up the creative juices,’ he says. ‘The industry is improving and the products are infinitely better, because they are high price. Now there’s an opportunity for the talented people in the industry to practise their art and not just produce a low-cost product. The question is whether we have sufficient discipline not to disappoint people’s high expectations … that’s what Dad would have said.’

TASTING NOTES

Maker’s Mark 90°proof Lovely, complex mix of flowers, cumin, cinnamon, marzipan/anise, vanilla and light honey. A soft start, then great interplay between silky-soft honeyed fruit, vanilla-toffee and balanced oak flavours. Some chocolate on the finish. Gentle, easy and complex. *****

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Jim Beam An American Whiskey

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Jim Beam An American Whiskey

Jim Beam is one of the big names of bourbon, so there’s no surprise to find a big man behind it all. Booker Noe isn’t just physically huge, he is one of the foundation stones of the modern industry. Booker is Jim’s grandson and still lives in Jim’s old house in Bardstown.

Talk to him and you are tapping straight into the history of bourbon itself.

Today, Jim Beam is the world’s biggest selling bourbon, but in 1934 things weren’t so rosy. Prohibition had been in force for 13 years, and there was no stock left. To start up again would be expensive and risky. But this didn’t deter Jim who, aged 70, built a new distillery in Clermont in just 120 days. What else could a Beam do? Whiskey making runs in their veins. After all, Booker’s great-great-great grandfather Jacob Beam started making whiskey commercially in 1795.

This was the distilling capital of the world before it was put out of business by the government,’ says Booker. ‘Why did he start it up again? Remember, he’d been in the whiskey business for 40 years before Prohibition. Beams have now been making bourbon for 205 years.’

Booker has now passed the reins to Jerry Dalton, the first non-Beam to be appointed master distiller. The fact that he lived in the house directly behind Booker’s is pure coincidence. ‘Well, even a blind hog finds an acorn every so often!’ he laughs. For all his modesty, Jerry is a highly respected distiller and, though reluctant to give away too many company secrets, will take you deep into the process.

There’s a sequence of special quirks at work in Beam’s two plants, but it’s yeast that Jerry zooms in on. For Scottish distillers, yeast is merely a catalyst that converts sugar to alcohol and CO2- However, for bourbon distillers it has almost mystical properties and each firm guards its own strain(s): Beam is still using the yeasts propagated by Jim in his kitchen in the 1930s.

‘Different yeasts produce different levels of fusel oil, which will ultimately have an effect on the flavour,’ Jerry explains. ‘In ageing, the fusel oils form esters with whatever acids are present. Each yeast will give different proportions of these fusel oils, so you get different flavour profiles.

When you combine the special yeasts with the higher-than-average percentage of backset (which produces what Jerry calls Beam’s ‘bold’ flavour), and the two-and-a-half times distillation (the vapour from the beer still passes through a thumper before being redistilled in the doubler) the signature Beam character is taking shape.
But if Jim Beam White Label is the world’s best-known bourbon, it’s the firm’s small batch range which is rightly making waves. The four-strong selection is clear evidence of how complex a spirit bourbon can be, but the one closest to Booker’s heart, not surprisingly, is the one which he selects personally and which carries his name.

‘Booker’s is the only one that’s bottled at the same proof at which it went into the barrel,’ he says, with considerable relish. ‘It’s whiskey like it was a hundred years ago’.

If the style hasn’t changed, the methods certainly have. Does today’s high-tech approach of distilling make Jerry less of an artist and more of a scientist? ‘I’m a bit of both,’ he says. ‘There’s an art to making bourbon that has evolved over two hundred years, but I’m also a scientist who wants to find better ways to control the process and preserve the mystery behind it all’.

The techniques may be space-age, but the small batch range signals a return to a time when bourbon meant big, bold and flavoursome whiskey. ‘People just kinda got away from flavour,’ muses Booker. ‘After Prohibition they cut the proof or blended it to make it go further. Now flavour’s coming back. The industry’s been badly beat up, but now it’s rolling again. It’ll be back now that people are tasting this super-good whiskey. Hell yes, bourbon’s back.

TASTING NOTES

Jim Beam White Label 4-year-old
80°proof Lightly oaked, with some light spicy notes. Clean and sound. * *

Small batch range

Basil Hayden 8-year-old

80°proof Light and rye-accented, with plenty of lemon and tobacco leaf notes. Clean, with crisp rye mixing it with dark, ripe, nutty fruit. * * *

Baker’s 7-year-old

107°proof Richer, with a leather armchair kind of nose and lots of overripe fruit. Slightly biscuity to start with, then good sweet vanilla fruit. * * *

Knob Creek 9-year-old

100°proof Rich and sweet with honey, blackberry and spun sugar. Elegant and super-ripe, with a hint of vanilla and some light cinnamon spice on the finish. * * * * *

Booker’s 7-year-old

126.5°proof Amazingly complex without water, for such a powerful Bourbon – and a bit like a grizzly bear dancing. Huge and flavour-packed with raisin, chestnut honey, black cherry, pepper, cinnamon and toffee. Rich and immensely powerful, mixing orange peel, creme brulee and tobacco/cigar blown along by a hickory wind. Immense. **** *

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Jack Daniels an American Whiskey

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Jack Daniels an American Whiskey

The Jack Daniel’s legend starts with the eponymous founder of the distillery, who allegedly owned his first distillery at the tender age of 13, having learned his skill at the knee of Dan Call – one of those moon shining preachers who pepper the history of American whiskey. Jack was a clever operator, but it’s hard to imagine that he envisaged his brand would one day become the most famous American whiskey of all.

These days it’s Jimmy Bradford who wearing Jack’s shoes. The epitome of a Southern gentleman (unlike the short-tempered Jack, who died after kicking a safe in his office), he’s been looking after the whiskey for 32 years, which, he drawls laconically: ‘probably gives me some credibility to talk about distilling’.

They make whiskey slightly differently in Tennessee, though it’s not – as many people think – sour-mashing that sets it apart. All Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey is made by the sour mash technique: the real difference lies in the Lincoln County Process, or charcoal mellowing, which all Tennessee whiskey must undergo.

For Jimmy, it’s the combination of the limestone water drawn from Cave Spring and the mellowing that helps to give Jack Daniel’s its personality. The mellowing involves dripping the new spirit though a 10-foot vat of maple charcoal, which leaches some fusel oils and esters from the spirit, while giving it a distinct softness.

There’s only one mashbill – 80 per cent corn, 12 per cent rye and 8 per cent barley malt – for all the Jack Daniel’s brands; meaning that the sole difference between such diverse products as Green Label, Black Label and Gentleman Jack lies in the length of time they have been aged and where they have been warehoused. With a spread of traditional warehouses, the blenders can mingle whiskeys from different sites and floors to make up the desired product, and with 7,500 barrels a week being put into the warehouses, they have plenty of choice.

That figure gives an idea of the sheer scale of the operation. Owner Brown-Forman may, rightly, play up the Sleepy Hollow-type imagery surrounding the small town of Lynchburg, but don’t be fooled: this is a bang-up-to-date distillery applying old techniques in a highly efficient and modern manner. Jack may recognize the site, but he’d be astounded by the three huge beer stills and intrigued by the way in which the vapour is fed directly into the doubler, making it a refined type of single distillation.

But you don’t think of Jack Daniel’s in production terms. The visitors who pour into the distillery aren’t that interested in mellowing, distillation techniques or the pros and cons of mechanization. They come because they feel part of a family. When an Australian winemaker I know went to America for the first time, the two places at the top of her ‘must-see’ list were Graceland and the Jack Daniel’s distillery. It’s that kind of loyalty that makes Jack an American icon.

These days, Jack Daniel’s is as recognizable a symbol of American rock ‘n’ roll rebelliousness as Harley Davidson. It hasn’t gone out and developed a bad-boy image, but clutching one of those square bottles with the black label brings out the rebel in even the most mild-mannered accountant, and makes him feel, if only for one drink, the equal of Keith Richards or Dennis Hopper.

You would think that being in charge of such an iconic product would prey on Jimmy’s mind, but there’s no chance of that. He approaches this onerous responsibility with the same pleasant, measured good humour as he does the rest of life. ‘It’s a pleasure to assist in making this product. Just to drive in every day and see Jack standing there down the holler gives me a sense of pride’.

TASTING NOTES

Jack Daniel’s Black Label 80°proof Very sweet and clean, with a touch of liquorice, smoke and caramel. A good mouthful with a great, sweet finish. * * *

Gentleman Jack 80°proof
Even sweeter, with black fruit and a sooty, rich finish.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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Grain Distillation

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Grain Distillation

Aquavit
Aquavit, genever, gin, and whiskey (or whisky as the Canadians and Scots spell it), as well as vodka and the unflavoured German schnapps called korn, are all part of the extended family of grain-based spirits. Except for whiskey and korn, whose compositions are strictly controlled by legislation, these potent drinks can also contain so-called agricultural alcohol made from molasses, potatoes, and other ingredients.

The name of this strong Scandinavian spirit is derived from the Latin Aqua vitae (water of life), and was once the designation for all liquor. The basis of the pale or golden-yellow aquavit is very pure, almost nil-less alcohol distilled from grain or potatoes with 96 per cent alcohol by volume, or almost 200 proof.

It is distilled with water and a variety of flavourings, such as caraway (the most traditional), cinnamon, cloves, coriander, dill, fennel, lemon peel, and star anise, along with a number of “secret” ingredients. The heart of the distillate is then mixed with neutral alcohol and softened water and left to mature in the producer’s cellars or warehouse. The alcohol content of Danish aquavit is 80 to 84 proof; German aquavit is 76 to 80 proof.

Serve aquavit very cold in a short glass, similar to a shot glass; this is how its full, round, and distinctive taste develops. It acts as a stimulant on the stomach wall and is very easily digestible, so it is ideal to offer guests after a meal as a digestive.

Genever
Genever is the Dutch national drink, and what is considered to be first gin. The word genever developed from the French word genievre (juniper), which is not surprising because genever, like some varieties of gin, has a juniper aroma. First-class genever is matured for several years in oak casks and is golden yellow. The alcohol content is 76 to 86 proof. The Dutch drink their genever neat and very cold in small, tulip-shaped glasses as an aperitif. Fruit-flavoured genevers are also available.

Gin
Clear spirit is one of the drinks without which a bar would be lost. The alcohol is based on barley and rye, to which a mixture of herbs and spices, called botanicals, is added, such as i, aniseed, cardamom, coriander, juniper, and lemon and orange zests. After distillation, the gin is diluted to the customary strength of 76 to 90 proof. “Dry gin,” for example, is 80 proof.

Gins, produced in England, Holland, and the United States, have different taste qualities. The most requested gins are those as “dry gin” and “London dry gin.” The dry designations developed to discriminate the contents from that which was labeled Old Tom gin” and “Plymouth Gin,” both of which used to be sweeter than they are today. Sloe gin is, in fact, a liqueur, not made by macerating crushed sloes in gin.

Klarer This colourless, weak, and often flavourless spirit is made from potatoes, corn, and millet. The minimum alcohol content is 32 percent

Korn schnapps
When a German orders a “schnapps,” the chances are that it is this clear, grain-based spirit that is required, not the flavoured, often creamy drinks called “schnapps” in the United States. Korn is the most popular drink in Germany, where it is traditionally drunk neat or as a chaser to beer. Produced from wheat, rye, barley, oats, or buckwheat, it has an alcoholic content of between 32 and 38 per cent by volume, or 64 to 76 proof.

If the designation Alt or Alter is on the label, the product has been matured for at least six months. Pure korn just tastes of grain, nothing else. If it is distilled from wheat, it is very mild; but if it is based on rye, it is powerful and spicy. Some varieties, called Kornbrand, contain a minimal addition of flavourings such as aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, or coriander. Apel Korn has been made with apples.

Vodka
In Russian, the meaning of the word vodka is “little stream.” Vodka is a colourless, clear, smooth, and pure spirit with a neutral taste. It is distilled from mixtures of grains or potatoes. The top brands, however, consist only of grain (primarily barley and wheat, and occasionally rye). Its strength is usually at least 80 proof, with some brands being far more potent. Flavoured vodkas have become popular and the range is constantly expanding.

Widely available flavours include lemon, lime, pepper, and other fruits. In the United States, vodka is perhaps best known as the main alcoholic ingredient in Blood Marys and Screwdrivers, but in many countries it is drunk neat as a straight shot. When you serve neat vodka, make sure it is as near ice cold as possible. If you store your bottle in the freezer, the high alcohol content prevents the liquid turning to ice and it will always be ready to enjoy.

Whiskey
“Whiskey” may be the generic term for the most widely drunk liquor in the world, but you will find great variety, not least of all determined by where it is produced. Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and the United States are the great whiskey producers.

Each country produces different product, and within each country there is great diversity. Even the spelling of the word is not the same: the Americans and the Irish spell it “whiskey”; the Scots and the Canadians spell it “whisky.” Scottish whisky, or scotch as it is commonly known, is produced from malted barley or a mixture of grains, which can include malted and unmalted barley and the whole grains of cereals, such as corn or wheat, It is aged for at least three years in oak casks (traditionally second hand sherry casks) before bottling.

You will also see on the label the scotch is blended or a single malt. Blended scotch, as the term implies, contains scotch from several distilleries and will contain malt and grain whiskies married together. Single malts, on the other hand, are produced from only malted barley. If the label on a blended whiskey also contains an age, that is how long the youngest whiskey in the blend was aged in the cask.

One other characteristic of some scotch, especially some single malts is a smoky aroma. This occurs if the barley malt grains are dried over burning peat taken from the moorlands. Irish whiskey, produced from barley, wheat, rye, or oats, is blended, with only one significant single malt produced.

(The Irish use the term – vatting not “blending.”) After distillation, clear water is added to give the whiskey its final alcoholic content of about 80 proof’. Irish whiskey is matured in wooden casks (for at least three years that previously stored sherry, rum, or bourbon. As a general rule Irish whiskey has a mellower flavour than scotch, and you will never find any with the smoky, peaty aroma of some scotches because the grains are not dried over peat-fuelled fires. In the United lush whiskey is best known as a component in Irish coffee or after-dinner drinks.

Bourbon
Good bourbon is aged for four to six years, but some is left much longer in the cask. Like scotch, bourbon is also available either blended or straight, the latter meaning that it has been distilled from a single grain and all the whiskey comes from a single distiller.

Rye whiskey, also popular with Americans and often simply referred to as rye, is distilled from a mash with at least 51 per cent rye and matured for about four years. The taste is generally spicier than that of bourbon, and it also comes in blended and straight varieties.

Tennessee whiskey, which must be produced in the state to be labelled as such, is filtered through wood charcoal and is therefore very mild. Some of the best-known brands also have a distinct flavour, easily recognizable as different from bourbon because they are produced from a sour mash containing some previously fermented yeast (similar to the starter used to make sourdough bread; fresh yeast produces a sweet mash). This is the whiskey someone wants if they ask for a “sour mash whiskey.”

American blended whiskey is a mixture of bourbon, rye whiskey, and corn whiskeys. Canadian whisky is blended from straight grain whiskies and practically flavourless neutral alcohol, resulting in drink that is paler and lighter in flavour than most American whiskeys. This is why Canadian whisky is often used in drinks with soft-drink mixers, such as ginger ale.

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Four Roses American Whisky

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Four Roses American Whisky

Driving up to Seagram’s Four Roses distillery makes you feel strangely like Warren Gates at the start of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. This bizarre lemon-coloured confection of a Mexican-style ranch seems incongruous with Kentucky’s gentle rolling grasslands and tree-lined hollows. Thankfully, master distiller Jim Rutlege is more hospitable than the patriarch in Sam Peckinpah’s violent film classic.

This is the last remaining Kentucky outpost of the mighty Seagram empire: in fact, until the firm’s Lawrenceburg plant in Indiana reopened it was the only Seagram distillery in the United States – stark evidence of the decline that beset the American whiskey market from the 1970s. That hasn’t stopped Jim making a pretty classy whisky at Four Roses, with ‘pretty’ being the operative word.

It’s a given that every distiller has his or her own technique, but Four Roses stands apart from its colleagues in Kentucky. Perhaps it is Seagram’s Canadian roots showing through, but no other distillery in the state makes such a range of different base whisky.

With five yeast strains being used on the two mashbills-one with 75 per cent corn, the other with only 60 per cent-Jim has 10 subtly different whisky to blend into the Four Roses style. When you drop in different distilling strengths and different ages you’ve got a pretty complex package of flavours.

‘We feel that you get most of the flavour from the small grains,’ says Jim. ‘In our case that means rye and some malted barley.’ He then explains that, contrary to popular belief, bourbon-makers don’t use malted barley solely for its enzymes, but for flavour and another little-known property. ‘Malt does two things,’ he says. ‘There’s the enzyme conversion which begins to break down starch molecules and change them into soluble and therefore fermentable, sugars, and also liquefies the corn slurry by breaking down its molecular structure’.

Jim therefore adds malted barley twice during cooking (mashing). First, the corn is cooked at a high temperature with some malt, to help liquefy the thick gloop; then the temperature is dropped and rye is added (this stops rye balls forming and cuts down the risk of bacterial infection in the ferment). Then the temperature is reduced once more and the malted barley (along with some backset) is added for its enzyme.

The mention of backset triggers a long and patient explanation about pH levels, consistency and soleras. ‘The backset comes from the bottom of the still and is high in acidity,’ says Jim. ‘It is put into the cooker and the fermenters to get the correct pH. As the ferment proceeds, the pH drops and turns sour.

You know by the smell and taste how far it is advanced. It is science and art combined’. Jim places a priority on careful monitoring of the process, from smelling the grains as they arrive, right through to the end of the distillation – and on to maturation. ‘I’m looking for a rich, sweet aroma from the new spirit,’ he says.

But to do that you need to have built-in good flavours to begin with, and they are first generated in the ferment. You can run a still wrong, but you can’t make your basic material any better’.

Even the maturation is different here; in a single storey palletized warehouse, rather than the traditional racks. But, hey, who is to say what is right and what’s wrong? The end results – the precise, pretty, spicy Yellow Label and the richer, complex Black Label whisky -are bourbons of the first order.

TAST1NG NOTES

Four Roses Yellow Label Whisky

Gentle and lightly oaked, with fragrant lemon notes. A great mixer. * * *

Black Label whisky
Firmer and smokier, with hickory wood, honey and a crisp rye-accented finish

Four Roses American Whisky

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Chivas Scotch Whisky

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Chivas Scotch Whisky

Trying to get a blender to explain what his or her job involves is never easy. Not because they are secretive, far from it. They’re almost relieved to have a chance to tell their story.

It’s just that the intricacies of blending are complex that strange analogies have to be employed: orchestras, football teams, actors cars, cakes, houses – all appear in the blender’s lexicon. Colin Scott, master blender at Chivas Brothers, is a master of the art. Created by firm of high-class Aberdonian grocers who began blending whiskies in the 1840s, Chivas Regal has been Seagram’s flagship Scotch since 1949. It is Colin, however, who has overseen the recent explosion of Chivas brands, including the superb 18-year-old the awesome Oldest.

Colin feels it’s important not to get hung i over numbers. ‘How many malts and grains I go into the blend isn’t important,’ he says. ‘What is important is always having Chivas the glass.’ The one constant is Strathisla. ‘Making a Chivas blend is like building a house; with malts as the bricks, grains as the mortar and Strathisla as the foundation. Chivas Regal is one shape of house, 18-year old is grander and Oldest is a castle!’

They may be individual brands, but then is a distinct family resemblance. ‘The brands have a thread running through them … richness, smoothness and roundness of flavours. You use different bricks to change the flavour profile, while retaining the character,’ says Colin. ‘That means manipulating the range of available flavour (different malts, grains, wood types, ages) and creating different but similar teams. Chivas 18- isn’t 12-year-old aged for a further 6 years, it’s a different team.’

To make matters more interesting, each team is in a constant state of flux. ‘Consumers don’t want to see character or quality alter, but to preserve them you mu make changes,’ urges Colin. ‘If you have one pot of whiskies to use in a blend, you must j always also have another pot which thou contains different whiskies will have the same flavour as the first. Because you know what is in each of the pots, you know what any differences are and can therefore find ways to narrow any gap between them.

That second pot is like footballers sitting on the bench. We know how they perform, so our job is to make sure whatever ones we use they’ll make chivias. The Chivas brothers owned a high-class grocery business in Aberdeen and started blending whiskies (for, among others, the Royal household) in the 1880s.

Regal appeared at the turn of the 20th century and was another light Speyside-dominant blend to make it big in the United States during Prohibition. It was bought by the Canadian distiller (and one-time bootlegger) Sam Bronfman in 1949 and is still a major player in the US and Far East markets.

TASTING NOTES

Chivas Regal 12 year-old
Deceptive weight behind the apparently light mix of grass, apples and cereal on the nose. A grassy, almost mossy start to the palate, it crisps up deliciously mid-palate. * * * (»)

18-year-old
A magnificent melange of currant leaf, orange pulp/peach cobbler, barley malt and turfy smoke. The palate explodes with flavour, but always in that elegant, restrained family style. * * * * * Oldest

The finest in the range. Peatier still, with a rich, complex mix of citrus notes (tangerine, lemon) heather, fruit and spicy grain. Stunning. *****
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Bill & Sheila’s Wine – Chivas Whiskey

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Bushmills Irish Whiskey

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Bushmills Irish Whiskey

Bushmills

Driving along the spectacular Antrim coast you can just tell that this is good whiskey-making country. Soft pasture land, small rivers, natural harbours and a people who know that good things take time. It’s a land where legend and fact become easily blurred, where folk tales take on the mantle of truth. Who knows when whiskey was first made here?

Some historians claim it started in 1276, though if the story of monks taking distilling with them when they went to convert the heathen Picts is true, it could be as far back at the 6th century. Authorization was given for whiskey to be legally made in the county in 1608, allowing Bushmills to claim that it has been making the stuff since then – and laying the foundations for some mighty craic in 2008!

Bushmills is significantly different to the other two Irish distilleries and takes you back to a time when all of Ireland’s whiskey only came from pot stills. There again, this being Ireland, it’s also atypical of the traditional Irish pot-still style insofar as it doesn’t use a mix of malted and unmalted barley. But it’s not quite like a typical Scottish malt distillery as it uses triple distillation and unpeated malt – though so do Auchentoshan and Springbank’s Hazelburn.

It’s a complex process, as master distiller David Quinn explains. ‘After distilling the low wines in the second [or feints] still we take the strong feints forward to a third distillation which gives us a distillate at around 84%ABV. The weak feints get recycled in the second distillation with the head and tails from the third. What we’re doing is leaving behind the heavier aspects of the spirit and shifting the flavour balance to more fragrant, lighter, sweeter fruity character’.

The distillery is only a few miles from the Giant’s Causeway, a weird outcrop of hexagonal basalt pillars that look like a monstrous pipe organ which, legend would have it, was the southern end of a bridge linking Ireland with Fingal’s Cave on the Hebridean island of Staffa. In many ways Bushmills is a modern day bridge between two whisk(e)y-making cultures. ‘There’s a lot of the tradition of Irish pot still whiskey making here,’ says David. ‘But by being a single malt we’re moving into the Scottish tradition. Maybe we can claim that we take the best of both traditions! On a good day we can see Islay, it’s only 16 miles, so that link has always been there – maybe starting with monks like St. Columba’. In more recent times, ex-manager Frank McHardy nipped across the sea to Campbeltown’s Springbank distillery – no surprise he’s behind the triple distilled, unpeated Hazelburn!

Where Bushmills differs from any Scottish distillery is by being home to blends as well as single malts – most importantly the magnificent Black Bush, a blend of 5Oper cent Bushmills single malt and grain from Midleton. Bushmills follows the Irish Distillers’ policy of using a high percentage of first-fill sherry and Bourbon wood, both of them wood types packed with powerful flavours. The fact that David’s light distillate isn’t drowned out by these big flavours is testimony to some high-class blending skills.

‘Getting the correct balance is vital. You could argue that with a delicate spirit it’s even more vital that you get that flavour in correct balance with the wood. It also means we have to have top-quality wood. You can spend all the time in the world making a good distillate and then lose it by using sub­standard cooperage.’ This shows best in the Triple Wood, a single malt initially aged in ex-Bourbon and sherry wood for 16 years before the two elements are married together and then recasked into port pipes for up to a year. Innovative, modern, yet in touch with the past – just like David and his team.

TASTING NOTES

Black Bush
Sweet, toffee-like nose with plenty of sherry notes in evidence. The palate is silky and soft, balancing ripe malt, raisined sherry wood and rich fruitiness

Bushmills 10-year-old
Clean and crisp, with apple blossom, clover and bran. Lightly creamy on the palate, with some almond paste and gentle grassiness on the finish. Pleasant and soft.

Bushmills Triple Wood
Ripe and full on the nose. A taste of molasses, then some raisin mixed with powerful, plummy fruits. Well balanced

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Bells Scotch Whisky

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Bells Scotch Whisky

Caol Ila is an exception though. Most distilleries are stubborn individuals. ‘If we seriously wanted to change Mortlach could we do it?’ she asks. ‘No, you’d get a corrupted spirit. We always have to keep within the parameters of what the distillery character is’.

It’s a polite way of responding to criticisms that the bigger the firm the more likely it is that all their whiskies will taste the same. Ask Turnbull the same question and he visibly twitches. ‘People think if you’re big you don’t care about quality and all the whisky is the same,’ he says. ‘In reality, our size has allowed us to do the opposite. We’re more aware than anybody that we need the character of the 27 distilleries to come through. The Walker, Bell’s or J&B character is paramount. We won’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg’.

But there’s no doubt that the in-depth research done by UDV into new make character, distillery character and wood ageing has made the bean counters in head office question the logic of one firm having 27 malt distilleries and two grain plants (and a 50 per cent share in another). After all, with all this research, isn’t it possible to take a more cost-effective option and make all the malts and blends on one site? It’s what the rest of the world does.

Turnbull’s heard it all before. ‘I’m always having to deal with people parachuting into this industry with smart ideas,’ he sighs. ‘They assume they’re dealing with a bunch of numpties who have never had a good idea in their puff for the last 100 years.’ So he called their bluff. ‘I said, fine, let’s build the biggest f—in’ distillery’ in the world. There’s just one drawback, you’ll have an oil refinery and I don’t see many tourists going to Grangemouth. Whisky sells because of the romance’. Scratch any whisky person and a romantic soul peers out, these people have a passion for their job and their product. The men emptying thousands of casks in the disgorging hall, working in the vast warehouses, the coopers in the noisy, steamy joke-filled cooperage are the unsung heroes of the industry.

As for Christine, ask her about Walker and she becomes positively poetic. ‘Walker Red is cheeky and in your face, Black is gorgeous, Blue is positively luxurious. They’ve all got that Islay thread and a different interplay of lingering flavours. Christ!

I’m sounding like someone from marketing!” The bottom line is that in Johnnie Walker and J&B they have two of the greatest blends in the world. To be able to produce them in such volumes and retain such high quality standards is an incredible feat. But who gives them a second thought? ‘We’ve concentrated on malts for 10 years now,’ says Christine. ‘Classic Malts helped grow the market and that’s great, but now it’s time to make that link from them into the blends. We’ve got to recognize blends for what they’re worth. I’m proud of these brands, they’re not faceless products’.

BLACK & WHITE James Bucbanan was one of blending s greatest characters and the man who, from the 1880s onwards, brought blended Scotch to the attention of the English middle classes – thanks to his creation of a lighter style of blend, which he renamed Black & White, in 1904. Once a major player for DCL, it’s now sadly rather lost in UDV’s massive portfolio.

TASTING NOTES
Black & White A hint of heather on the light nose, with plenty of fresh grain and light smoke. A crunchy almond centre with some mint toffee and a hint of smoke mid-way through. WHITE HORSE Created by Sir Peter Mackie, the despotic, eccentric blender (and owner of Lagavulin), White Horse always wore its Islay heart on its sleeve, until recently. Now repositioned as a ‘fighting’ blend, it has been toned down slightly to appeal to a new audience.

TASTING NOTES

White Horse
Some ripe apple and a hint of smoke on the nose. The palate has an immediate whack of turf/peat. Dries out in the middle, then broadens and becomes quite sweet. * * (*)

TASTING NOTES

Bell’s 8-year-old
Mellow, fragrant nose with good depth of flavour. Some fruit cake, light perfume, leather, cocoa and cereal. Soft and chewy. Take time to rediscover it. * * * * (*)

BELL’S Perth wine merchant Arthur Bell started blending in the 1860s, but it was his son ‘AK’ who first sold the whisky as Bell’s in 1904. Still the UK’s largest-selling whisky, its reputation suffered during the 1970s when overproduction brought quality crashing down. Relaunched as an 8-year-old in 1994, it is unrecognizable as the bad old whisky it briefly became.

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Balvenie Scotch Whisky

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Balvenie Scotch Whisky

Regional categorisation is a vexed issue in whisky: it may be a handy way of grouping distilleries together geographically, but it can be a tricky business identifying a stylistic continuity between all the whiskies in Perthshire or Speyside.

But if you can’t claim that there is a ‘Speyside style’, or isolate certain qualities which make Speyside the best whisky-making region on the mainland, how do you explain such a concentration of distilleries in the area – a part of the Highlands which was, in the early days of whisky, a pretty remote part of the world?

David Stewart, William Grant’s grandly-titled Malt Master, is happy to admit ignorance on this point. ‘All of the quality distilleries are here in this central part of Speyside,’ he says. That’s the mystique of Scotch, We’ve all got highly-sophisticated equipment, but we can’t tell what makes the difference’. He’s pretty sure what makes Balvenie such a dramatically different dram to Glenfiddich, even though they share the same site and use the same malt and water.

The character comes from the still. Glenfiddich is coal fired, Balvenie is gas fired. The shape of the stills is different: Balvenie has bigger stills with shorter necks and that’s where the flavours change. Maybe the ten per cent of floor-malted barley helps, but I think it’s the stills.’

Other influential factors include great wood management and the use of old dunnage warehouses. ‘It’i not just age th;ii makes whiiky great,’ says David. ‘It’s age and wood.’ This underpins his decision to make life interesting (or difficult) for himself by creating a Balvenie range in which each malt shows a subtly different wood influence.

If we were just to age the Founder’s Reserve and do it as a 12-year-old or a 15-year-old, we wouldn’t see much difference between them. We had to take a different route, so we produced Double Wood, [where the malt is aged for 10 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished in sherry butts]. Then we started doing Single Barrel, and at a higher strength with no chill filtering; then Port Wood and now vintage casks.’

This freedom to experiment is one of the advantages of Grant’s family-owned status. ‘We can do things quickly. The family is steeped in whisky, but we are encouraged to be innovative, we can go against the trend -with the Balvenie range, or with Black Barrel, where we were determined to make the only single grain whisky that really works.’

If the William Grant portfolio was The Byrds, then Glenfiddich would be Roger McGuinn and Balvenie would be Gene Clark, the underrated genius. David, as Grant’s master blender, is in charge of the entire range, from malts to blends to single grain and whisky liqueur, and his special affection for Balvenie is obvious. ‘I’ve been at Grant’s for 35 years,’ he says. ‘It’s been my only job


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