Hello!

At time of writing it’s beautiful hot weather here in Glasgow and making lockdown that bit nicer if we have access to gardens and parks.

This week should have been Feis Ile (Islay Festival of Malt & Music) and I should have been over for a couple of days to do my annual Feis dinner. I’ve really missed not being there as I love the ferry trip there and back and seeing the island so busy with happy people, as well as the pleasure of hosting the dinner and speaking about the whisky/food matches I’ve chosen. That said, I hope many of you have been following the various distillery virtual events this week. I haven’t managed all of them but I am enjoying a (small) dram each day from the distillery of the “day”. Previous Feis Ile visitors will know that each distillery takes a day of that week as its special main day so Lagavulin on Saturday,  Bruichladdich on Sunday etc. so there were two on Thursday for Jura and Kilchoman. Yay!

Do raise a dram to them all for their efforts to keep us entertained this week and generally during lockdown.

Bruichladdich Distillery has recently announced its success in becoming a certified BCorporation (B Corp). “What is B Corp?”, you may ask. The media release tells us, “Being a B Corporation (B Corp) means adhering to the highest levels of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and accountability. B Corporations take a more rigorous approach to business decisions by focusing on people and the planet, in addition to profit. B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net.”

Bruichladdich is the only whisky and gin distillery in Europe to meet the organisation’s detailed standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

Amongst the attributes that gained Bruichladdich the accreditation are “developing career opportunities for 80 permanent Islay employees, improving benefits packages and training programmes as well as a focus on using local suppliers where possible… (plus) a renewed and ongoing emphasis on their sustainability agenda. Encapsulated within this is the purchase of 30 acres of land, set aside for research and development on sustainable agriculture.”

So well done to Bruichladdich for this achievement. It’s a lovely operation they have over there and they’ve had community commitment from the outset.

A few weeks ago I was sent a sample of Kamiki Sakura Wood (48%abv, no chill filtration) to nose and taste from the Yoshino Spirits Company. Doesn’t sound very Scottish you might say. Well, it’s Japanese whiskies blended with selected whiskies from other countries to create a blended malt. As you might expect from a Japanese product, the packaging is beautiful and very tactile. It looks solid and substantial but with delicate and dainty little details when you look closely. The whisky tastes rather good too. Tasting note below.

This one is more unusual in that as well as being finished in cedar wood casks it then also had time in sakura wood and they say it is the first whisky from Japan to be matured this way.  Sakura is the Japanese cherry tree. Not many producers use cherry wood it though I’ve seen it from one or two small, independent whiskeys in the US. Cedar is a spicy and aromatic wood and that shows through here. The whisky is available from the dekanta website at around £154 (UK) and $200(US) for a 50cl. bottle.

Appearance: Rich old gold / light amber with orange highlights. The tears are fairly swift to form and not too clingy.

Nose: Caramel/toffee at first then sharp and sweet spices (mace, allspice, old nutmeg) with a hint of spicy, heady floral notes. There’s a little bit of sherbet citrus and cedar “tang”. Then it becomes softer with a bit more fruit (baked apricots) and flowers; no obvious oak but a little vanilla and an earthy undertone. Also a little waxy note. It’s not too pungent or assertive but gentle and refined.

With water, there’s a bit of light honey with the fruit and spices a bit more forward. More sweet floral and wood notes – not freshly sawn wood but cut and left to rest. A hint of custard and ripe banana.

Palate: Silky texture. Spicy and a little peppery with a waft of banana, some spicy wood and sandalwood notes; sweet but slightly vegetal and a soft, sappy hint. It’s also a little tongue-drying and slightly bitter cherry and liquorice notes; wood tannins.

Finish: Initially feels short – medium with washes of sweetness, bitterness and some dryness. Quite tongue-tingling from the spice. It was a little later on that I realised gentle but spicy wood notes persisted at the back like the aroma of freshly sawn aromatic wood when it catches the back of your throat.

Please bear in mind that these are my own tasting notes and not the official ones.

Also recently, Redbreast Irish Whiskey from  Irish Distillers Midleton Distillery in Cork, announced the release of its third limited edition Dream Cask to mark World Whisky Day. Now, be aware that you can secure this one only by registering for an online ballot via Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse and that ballot closes at 14.59GMT on June 2^nd when successful participants will be given an opportunity to purchase a 500ml bottle for €490.

Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition (51.5% abv) is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in a single port cask. We are told, “Created by Master Blender Billy Leighton, in collaboration with Blender Dave McCabe, Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the culmination of four extraordinary whiskey journeys dating back more than 30 years, which were set aside during the crafting of Redbreast 27 Year Old. Aged for a minimum of 28 years in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, an oloroso sherry butt and a ruby port seasoned cask, these exceptional liquids were then married in the ruby port cask to mature further as a single Dream Cask.”

The release goes on “The result is a smooth and silky Irish whiskey with notes of assertive spices, dark chocolate and cinnamon which slowly reveal a luxurious layer of sweet ripe plums and exotic fruits reminiscent of the signature Redbreast style. Bottled at 51.5%, the ruby port cask finish further contributes notes of raisins, sultanas and berries, adding an extra layer of depth and complexity. It is this final marrying phase which also gives the expression an intense mahogany colour.” Just wish I had some!

In further recent news about Irish Distillers, they have been given the Importer of the Year honour at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020.

The Importer of the Year honour recognises the achievement of the distiller who attains the greatest number and level of medals. In addition to this, the judges of the annual tasting competition awarded its portfolio of Irish whiskeys with six Double Gold medals – including an exceptional performance from its Spot range as Red Spot, Green Spot and Yellow Spot all collected a Double Gold medal. Jameson Bow Street 18 Years Cask Strength also received Double Gold and newcomer Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaleach Knockrath Forest was also highly commended, achieving a Double Gold medal on its first outing at the competition.

Even further. Redbreast 12, Redbreast 15, Redbreast 21 and Redbreast Lustau Edition were presented with coveted Gold medals. The Powers range was also recognised, with the judges awarding Powers John’s Lane, Powers Three Swallow and Powers Gold Label with Gold Medals.

I’d love to be at the party that celebrates all that when everyone at ID is allowed to be in the same place once more!

Glen Scotia’s 2020 Festival Edition, the Glen Scotia Limited Edition 14 Year Old Tawny Port Finish has been released this month. It was to be celebrated at the Campbeltown Whisky Festival in the week before Feis Ile but obviously that had to be cancelled. Samples are difficult right now but they say they can send me one so more info and a tasting note in June, if all goes to plan.

A new announcement from the Scotch Whisky Association this week, concerning Scotch Whisky’s efforts in protecting our environment. The Scotch Whisky Industry Environmental Strategy, created in 2009 and the first of its kind to cover an entire sector, listed a range of targets across the industry and its supply chain. The 2020 report uses data from 2018 so the situation could be even better than shown here. Core results are as follows:

2020 targets (and 2009-2018 progress)

• Source 20% of primary energy from non-fossil fuels: 28% of primary energy use is now from non-fossil fuel sources. This has contributed to a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Improve energy efficiency by 7.6%: Energy efficiency has improved by 9.2% since 2008.  The industry has achieved its target 2 years early.
• Improve distilling water efficiency by 10%: Water efficiency has improved by 22% since the 2012 base year.
• Reduce average unit weight of packaging materials by 10%: Packaging weight has increased by 2.6% since 2012. The main driver is continued consumer demand for premium products. (That means glass, folks)
• No general waste from Scotch Whisky operations will go to landfill: Landfill waste is now down to just 1% over the last decade.
• All packaging will be reusable or recyclable: Reusable or recyclable packaging now sits at 94%.
• 40% of product packaging to be from recycled materials: The recycled content of our product packaging is 37%.  Glass has the biggest impact on this target.

Among the revised targets to be published later this year will be a commitment to sustainable land use, including the implementation of a Peat Action Plan and commitments to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The full report can be accessed via the SWA website.  I must find out more about the Peat Action Plan. There are a number of environmentalists who want to ban peat from so many uses. Fair enough but it is integral to the character and identity of so many whisky brands with those carefully cultivated (no pun intended) over very many years so I’m wondering what  the intentions are. Some environmentalists have specifically mentioned the whisky industry, despite its responsible use of peat. I recall a former colleague from the industry on Islay telling a group of our visitors that there was enough peat on Islay to last about 1,000 years even if it wasn’t renewing itself, which it does. Not sure what he based his numbers on, though!

Just as I had finished my early May column I was sent some info about a new expression of The Epicurean from Douglas Laing & Co. – The Epicurean Cognac Cask Finished Limited Edition. The Epicurean is their Lowland malt and the second of their single cask Wood Series releases with it where DL  seeks to demonstrate the significant impact the cask can have on the Whisky..  No samples so we’re told, “an overriding tropical style with lychee, fiery ginger, sandalwood and coconut as a result of the finishing in two specially selected French Cognac casks”. It’s bottled at 46%abv and no chill-filtration.

This time the cask selection was led by CEO, Chris Leggat and he considers it, “A rather exciting – certainly distinguished – addition to the family”. The Epicurean generally is also one they encourage you to play with using mixers or in cocktails and this one is no different. It will retail at around £59.99 in the UK. No price indication for other markets.

On pricing, this week I ordered my bottle of one distillery’s bottle for the cancelled Feis Ile. No problem with the price of the bottle but when I got to the checkout the shipping charge was over £15! Apparently the shipment company is based in Germany. I’m gobsmacked, disgruntled, feeling a bit ripped off.  It’s not the distillery’s fault. What can their HQ be thinking?  I’ve ordered other things from Islay’s distilleries, the most recent being  a bottle a few months back and the shipping charge was less than half of that.

A note recently from Glenfarclas telling me that their visitor centre will be closed for the rest of this year. Sad but sensible given all the quarantine restrictions in various places and some countries managing the virus better than others. They want to protect both their visitors and their lovely staff. I’ve spoken to one or two other distilleries but their response is that further decisions are still to be taken on when/if they might be open again. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if others did follow suit. If I hear more, I’ll post it here.

A bottle of one of the world’s oldest surviving cognacs – Gautier Cognac 1762 – broke a world record this week after selling fror £118,580 at an online auction. Not that I’m being competitive or anything but much more recent whiskies than 1762 have done better than that!  Till June, keep smiling and keep well. Maybe a dram a day keeps the doctor away…(but only as part of responsible drinking).

Caroline

Hello all,

World Whisky Day is Saturday 16th May! Please celebrate with a dram of whatever whisk(e)y takes your fancy.

This column I was going to go back and retaste some whiskies and chat about other whisky things. However, I have had plenty of news in. I was wondering what to leave out but have included info on most things sent to me recently.

Isle of Jura Whisky has released a new red wine cask finished whisky in the first of a series of Cask Editions. The first new expression is Jura Red Wine Cask Finish matured in American White Oak ex-Bourbon barrels and then finished in hand-selected European red wine barriques for 18 to 24 months. Jura Red Wine Cask Single Malt Whisky (ABV 40%) is available only via Sainsbury’s supermarket in the UK in a 1 litre size (RSP £44) and as a 70cl bottle in Carrefour stores in France. (RSP 29.90 EUR). Now, unless that’s a typing error (unlikely) doesn’t that just point out starkly the lower duty on Scotch Whisky in Europe? Maddening that it costs more here in its home.

From the media release, “The resulting liquid is said to be a perfectly balanced and delicate single malt…Each whisky in the new Cask Editions is designed to offer consumers a fresh and simple cask maturation proposition. The series celebrates the connection between the land and the spirit bringing distinct regional and seasonal flavours to the island malt.” I wasn’t sure what is meant by “seasonal flavours” here unless the cask chosen for maturation/finishing is meant to represent a season by being a lighter or heavier character of finish or the whisky possesses characteristics of certain seasonal fruits resulting from production/maturation process the so I’ve asked the question.

Anyway, no sample at the moment during lockdown so, instead, we’re told, “Bursting with rich berry flavours, Jura Red Wine Cask Finish presents enticing aromas of sultanas, creamy caramel and Black Forest fruits. The palate presents a pleasing flourish of creamy vanilla, raspberries, strawberries and cinnamon spice.” Gregg Glass, Whisky Maker & Blender at Jura owners, Whyte & Mackay, commented: “…We’ve built beautiful balanced layers of richer fruit notes yet stayed true to the heart of our distillery character with its fresher fruit, honeyed and citrussy characteristics…”. If a sample is subsequently available I’ll let you know my thoughts. Try it and see what you think, if you’re in UK or France and drop me a line here.

Also from Whyte & Mackay this week is news of “a re-imagined online event” to celebrate World Whisky Day (WWD). Indeed, a series of events will take place online, featuring Jura Single Malt Whisky, and a number of figures from across the industry. It’s all to benefit The Drinks Trust, a drinks industry charity. One feature will be a Big WWD Quiz on Saturday 16th May at 19:30 BST on Facebook Live on WWD’s Facebook page. “The quiz will feature special guest appearances from well-known whisky faces including Whyte and Mackay’s whisky maker Gregg Glass. In addition WWD and Whyte and Mackay are making very special whiskies available for charity auction later in May.” In the meantime, the whiskies W&M’s Head of Whisky Experience, Daryl Haldane, recommends as your go to drams to choose from on the night are:

Jura Red Wine Cask Finish (the new one mentioned above)

Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch Whisky ( I love this one)

The Woodsman, Blended Scotch Whisky ( not tried it)

The Dalmore 15, Highland Single Malt (it’s a Dalmore – yesss!!)

Tamnavulin Double Cask, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (first Tamnavulin release in about 20 years in 2017; not tried it)

Today I was playing about with mixer alternatives and used Whyte & Mackay Light in my trials. One I like, which I named New England Classic some years ago, because of the cranberry juice, takes 5cl/50ml W&M Light, the same or a little more of cranberry juice and top up with tonic water or soda water depending on how sweet you like things. Put a few cubes of ice in a tall glass first before adding the liquids. You can easily play around with the proportions to suit yourself. When I originally came upon this as an idea I used a lighter coloured whisky with no/little smokiness. This version brings out nice smoky notes in the whisky but I wouldn’t try it with anything too smoky and peaty. I used a little bit of mint from the garden as garnish for the photo (the sun went in at just the wrong moment!) but a wheel of orange or clementine would be nice. Cranberry and orange are a good combination.

Gosh, this has turned into a bit of Whyte & Mackay week so what else do I have to tell you? Bruichladdich, that’s what. And Bunnahabhain. And more.

A release from Bruichladdich on 12th May advised, “We have a new addition to our Port Charlotte range. The pithily named Port Charlotte OLC:01 2010 will be announced tomorrow. The bottling will be available on general release via our online shop at Bruichladdich.com. Our European markets are due to place items on-shelf when best they can. With Covid-19 impacting the running of most businesses, we don’t have a catch-all date for when this product will reach specific markets, but we’re ready to announce, even if it’s a preview for some.”

“Port Charlotte OLC:01 was distilled in 2010 from the 2009 crop of Scottish Barley. Originally filled into a complex array of ex-bourbon, ex-Syrah and ex-VDN (vin doux naturel) casks, the elegantly smokey spirit would be recasked into a stand-out parcel of Fernando de Castilla’s Oloroso hogsheads in 2018. The resultant character is of dry, earthy peat with roasted coffee, lime and figs. Chocolate and vanilla come through as the peat embers give a last hint of smoke.
Port Charlotte OLC:01 2010 will arrive in specialist retailers from May 2020. It has been bottled at the distillery on Islay at 55.1% abv, and will replace the Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010 within the current PC range.”

Maybe keep some of the latter, if you have it, to compare with the new one. It should, indeed, be a treat.

Bruichladdich has formed a partnership with Fernando de Castilla, developed over several years. The Jerez based bodega provides a limited number of butts and hogsheads, often in parcels personally recommended by owner, Jan Pettersen. Due to sherry’s solera system of maturation, as well as EU regulations which years ago stated that all sherry had to be bottled in Spain, casks rarely ‘go spare’, as the release puts it, from the original producer. This also makes them fearsomely expensive these days. When I first started in this industry we used sherry casks for The Glendronach when they were about 5 times the price of a bourbon barrel. They’re now many more times that bourbon wood price.

Also from Bruichladdich comes word of Adam Hannett on Instagram Live on 20th May at 4p.m. BST talking about traditional versus innovative cask usage. It covers “What is Bruichladdich’s approach to maturation and is it important to continue exploring beyond current guidelines?” That will be an interesting one so I intend to be there.

The distillery has also announced its virtual Feis Day (24th May) programme as follows but find more on the website:

Speaking of Feis Ile, Bunnahabhain is taking us all to Islay via a special live tasting of two new festival editions. Hosted by renowned whisky writer (and one of my favourites), Dave Broom, Distillery Manager Andrew Brown will be joined by Master Blender Julianne Fernandez, Master Distiller Stephen Woodcock and Visitor Centre Manager Dr Billy Sinclair for the live stream on Friday 29th of May from 8pm. The group will lead drinkers through a tasting and take part in a panel discussion about the two limited-edition expressions being released to mark the occasion. Tasting kits – available to purchase from the Bunnahabhain website – will allow people to follow along from the comfort of their home. “And it wouldn’t be Feis Ile without a few surprises…with exclusive details on a new product to be revealed live during the tasting.” Another one not to miss.

They request, “Please ensure orders for the tasting kits are placed by 25th of May (UK) or 18th of May (rest of world) to avoid disappointment.” Cost is £16.50 if they haven’ t already sold out.

Ahead of the tasting, Visitor Centre Manager, Dr Billy Sinclair will take friends of Bunnahabhain on a Facebook Live tour around the distillery and island. And do pay attention because you will also have the chance to win a trip to Feis Ile 2021 (we should all be allowed out by then), with competition details announced on the first ‘tour’ to go live on Bunnahabhain’s Facebook page at 10am (BST) on Friday the 29^th of May. 

Dewar’s Whisky tell us, “Our Global Brand Ambassador Georgie Bell is running fortnightly live guided whisky tastings for our friends who purchase our Triple Tasting Pack. Simply purchase the pack on our online shop (£18) and you will be sent an invite to the live whisky tasting event. Georgie will be running the guided tastings every other Thursday at 6pm, don’t miss out!” Georgie is an excellent presenter on whiskies  so do join in these if you can.

Buy a Triple Tasting Pack: https://shop.dewars.com/products/triple-tasting-pack

Tamdhu Single Malt Scotch Whisky has officially launched its third distillery exclusive, limited edition Dalbeallie Dram, in honour of the famous Dalbeallie train station that sits alongside the distillery. I mentioned the award for Dalbeallie 002 a little while ago.

Since its completion in 1899, Dalbeallie Station played a vital part in bringing Tamdhu’s precious sherry oak casks from Spain to Speyside until its closure in 1965. “In recent years, Tamdhu has restored the station to its full splendour, including the waiting room and signal box, making it now a beloved landmark for walkers on the Speyside Way and a wonderful setting to host events and visitors from all over the world.” I interviewed Leonard Russell several years ago and he was hinting then that something would be done about the station and it’s great that he made it happen.

Dalbeallie Dram 003 is individually numbered and bottled at cask strength 60.7% ABV, not chill-filtered and at natural colour. It has been matured in European and American Oak Oloroso sherry seasoned casks from the cooperages and bodegas of Jerez, Spain.

As you might expect at the moment, there is no sample but the official notes say, “It is balanced and creamy, with hints of banana and lime, toasted marshmallow and spiced bread and butter pudding on the nose. The mouthfeel is luxurious, thick and syrupy on the palate, oozing with vanilla, dried fruits and soft spice, with gentle waves of oak. And building sherry notes join with the oak and sweet liquorice to give Dalbeallie Dram 003 a velvety and pleasingly dry finish.”  Only 1,000 bottles are available. Get in quick.

More on World Whisky Day. An online ‘Pass the Dram’ initiative organised by The Malt Whisky Trail has united the global whisky community during lockdown ahead of World Whisky Day on 16 May. From Uruguay to the Outer Hebrides and India to Canada, whisky lovers have joined the craftsmen and women behind The Malt Whisky Trail’s sites including some well known whisky experts to enjoy their favourite single malts, before ‘passing’ their dram to create a virtual Malt Whisky Dram Trail. A kind of world group hug! I found the video at: https://vimeo.com/418343250 . However, you could visit The Malt Whisky Trail website or visit @TheMaltWhiskyTrail on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Why not pass a dram round the world yourself? Share your own videos this World Whisky Day using the hashtag #PasstheDram @themaltwhiskytrail.

Founded in 2012 by Blair Bowman, World Whisky Day is held on the third Saturday of May each year. It invites everyone to try a dram and toast to the water of life. “Leading lights across the Scotch sector have come together for World Whisky Day to affirm their confidence in Scotland’s iconic whisky industry and resilient spirit demonstrated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone from whisky makers to festival organisers and marketers behind Scotch Whisky have rallied together since the start of pandemic. Initiatives have included fundraising drives for the hospitality sector, making hand sanitiser and holding virtual tastings and events.”

Blair Bowman also said: “The support being offered by the major distillers to the on-trade in its time of need has been wonderful to see. Whether it be through charitable donations to funds supporting hospitality workers or distillers sharing supplies with one another to make hand sanitiser, the global whisky industry has once again proven itself to be a phenomenally collaborative and supportive community.”

True, I can speak from years of experience in it myself. We marketers might have been scratching one another’s eyes out for market share at some level but all was very friendly otherwise and the level of community I have seen amongst distillers, over the years, is always heartening. Find more info on www.worldwhiskyday.com.

And with that, I wish a happy World Whisky Day to all concerned and please check in with websites of the Islay distilleries and Feis Ile for more news about what they might be doing online later  this month since neither they nor we can be out and about on Islay for the usual whisky festivities. See you at the end of May.

Slainte,

Caroline