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Whisky Sense and Sensorium

April 12, 2013 in Events, Interviews

Singleton Sensorium sign

I close my eyes against the sharp, almost buzzing green light that bounces off of every wall in my line of sight. The sound of a lawnmower hums in the background while birds tweet at random intervals. The air smells of late April when the sun’s finding its first dashes of warmth and the countryside is aflutter with activity. I find it soothing, find it tapping into a time of year that was a favourite of my childhood. In my hand, a glass of whisky drifts its perfumes up to my senses. And what do I smell?

According to Oxford University’s Professor Charles Spence, the grassy notes of the whisky should be enhanced in that moment. You see, the room’s setting was all a part of a recent experiment in London called the Singleton Sensorium conducted between Professor Spence, the folks behind Condiment Junkie and The Singleton whisky to find out if different colours, smells and noises can affect how we perceive whisky. Visitors to the Sensorium were asked to rate how much they enjoyed the same whisky in three different rooms as part of a study the team are putting together to be published in September called: ‘Tasting notes: Assessing the effect of multi sensory atmosphere and ambiance on people’s perception of whisky’

Professor Charles Spence Condiment Junkie

Professor Charles Spence (middle) with the team from Condiment Junkie

Professor Spence specialises in the arena of the senses in his role as head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory in Oxford University’s department of experimental psychology. He examines how various elements in our surroundings that affect the senses can be changed to create a different individual experience. In this case, how a room filled with green, beige or red light, and related sounds, sights or smells can influence what people draw from their whisky.

While others have researched this area, Professor Spence told me the experiments for this study done in the lab and at the Singleton Sensorium event pushed things forward a notch.

“People are playing with a smell or just the lighting in a winery, but no one is really putting all of those things together and that’s really our interest, the multi-sensory aspect, how the senses combine and how hopefully if you get elements telling you the same message in a congruent manner you might get a much bigger impact than if you would if you just change one element,” he explained when I spoke to him recently.

During my tour around the Sensorium I found I agreed with many of the expected results. In the green room, the whisky smelled almost clean and crisp rather than having The Singleton’s normal more chocolate and woody notes, while in the red room (which was filled with oozing red light, round bulbous jars filled with plump berries and round furniture all of which makes the brain think of sweetness) the grassiness of the whisky dissipated and the sweetness was enhanced – I rated grassy as ’4′ and sweetness as ’7′ in the red room on the ratings card each person was handed out.

In the initial study results – which took the ratings results from more than 400 visitors to the Sensorium – people’s experiences were said to have been enhanced by up to 20% towards the expected outcome in certain rooms.

Singleton Sensorium

Red lights in the red room meant to enhance the taste of sweetness.

My only quandary was around the fact that I found if I stayed in each room long enough, my senses managed to become accustomed to their surroundings and the whisky began to taste more ‘normal’ so I questioned whether this would work on a long-term basis. I also was confused by the fact that some people had ice in their whisky and others didn’t, which I – and others – was sure would alter people’s experience of the whisky.

Professor Spence said that he would have liked to have more precision practices within the space but recognised that as it was also a consumer event it couldn’t be so tightly controlled.

“I would have given people a new glass in each room so you really didn’t know what was in the glass and I would have had it that people went to rooms in a different order each day but we recognised we needed to preserve the story-telling order,” he explained.

Singleton Sensorium

Clocks in the wood room meant to bring out the woody notes in the whisky.

To combat any flaws which could skew the final results, Professor Spence and his team are also doing extensive tests in the controlled lab at Oxford University to compare with those at the Sensorium. Thus far, he said he is seeing similar feedback from each environment.

And while the drink may have been subdued with ice, he added the main focus is on seeing how much people’s reactions changed towards the whisky when going from one room to another.

Going forward, Professor Spence said he is keen to continue experiments of this nature with whisky.

“Whisky is complex like wine in terms of what’s going on in the nose and in the mouth texturally but it’s also a consistent product and I’m thinking now there are a whole world of experiments you could do on spirits modeled around what has been done with wines. There are so many customs and beliefs around whisky that are ripe for investigation and there has been virtually nothing published on it so everything’s wide open,” he concluded.

Want to try a pared down version of the Singleton Sensorium at home? Then grab a glass of the Singleton and head here: http://condimentjunkie.co.uk/singleton.html

 

 

 

 

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Bushmills Irish Whiskey Tasting

April 10, 2013 in Reviews

In honour of St Patrick’s Day this year, the folks at The Whisky Exchange teamed up to put on an event with Bushmills Distillery.

I managed to get along to the company’s Irish whiskey tasting last year, which featured Midleton’s brands, so was keen to attend when the invite came through for this one, especially as I do not have a vast amount of experience with Bushmills.

Down for the tasting from the Northern Irish distiller was brand home supervisor Robert Galbraith, who took the very full room through a whopping seven whiskeys – which are already a part of the brand line-up – along with a sample of the new make and two others straight from the cask.

Unfortunately, due to a bit of a delay on the tube I missed the first 15 minutes of the event. But, I managed to catch up enough to sample all of the drams and learn a bit about the company’s history.

As background, Bushmills distillery has been located in County Antrim in Northern Ireland since the late 18th century. The bottle carries the year ’1608′ on it, however, because King James I actually granted a licence to distill in the area in that year. The Old Bushmills distillery was up and running in 1784 and stayed in the same spot until a major fire in 1885 destroyed it entirely. It was rebuilt and continued running with only a few breaks through mergers and acquisitions, Prohibition and the two world wars. It is now owned by Diageo.

According to Robert, the distillery has had a huge impact on the town where all 1,300 residents are related through “blood, marriage or drink.” In his family, his grandfather was a mashman.

The evening’s line-up was full-on and included the new make spirit, Bushmills Original and Black Bush blended whiskey, Bushmills 10, Bushmills 1608, the Distillery Reserve (available only at the distillery), the 16-year old Three Wood and the 21-year old.

As I’d arrived late, I didn’t get to try the new make right at the start, but went back to it mid-way through the tasting. I was worried that it would seem very harsh compared to the whiskeys I’d sampled by that point so was surprised to discover that on the nose it had wonderful notes of pears and fresh flowers and was surprisingly gentle. On the palate, there was a sweet freshness to it, with honey and malt notes. It was well-rounded and I noted overhearing many people speaking about their enjoyment of it on the night.

Of the array of whiskeys, my top two favourites were the Bushmills 1608 and the 16 year old three wood.

The Bushmills 1608 was first released in honour of the 400th anniversary of when whiskey was permitted to be distilled in the area. Made from single malt, grain and a special crystal malt (which comes from barley that has been toasted and where the sugars are crystallised in the malt before kilning to create an end sweeter wash) it is comprised of a mix of first fill bourbon and ex-sherry cask matured whiskey ranging from eight to 10 years of age. With an ABV of 46% this non-chill filtered expression won the world’s best no-age statement Irish whiskey at the World Whiskies awards in 2008 and 2012.

On the nose it was an easy-going dram, with notes of pears, cedar boxes and stoned fruit (possibly plums?) that together reminded me of “Christmas”. There was a wee, teeny hint of sulphur too for me. On the palate, it was very sweet but had a great, rich depth that hinted at cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, chewy wood and oranges, plus a little something vegetal at the back. The finish was of candied fruits and it was a whiskey I really enjoyed, showing that, yet again, blends can be complex and intriguing.

My next favourite was the Bushmills 16 year old Three Wood. This is made by taking batches of whiskeys that have matured for 16 years in ex-bourbon casks and batches that have matured for 16 years in ex-sherry casks and marrying them together in port casks where they further age for six to nine months.

Coming in at 46% ABV the whiskey was a beautiful rich amber in colour. On the nose there was a gummy note of black wine gums, and a hint of wood and blackcurrent jam. It was almost sticky in its character – all very attractive. The palate was wonderfully balanced, with a bit of that blackcurrent sweetness emerging at first, before reduced red wine and finally tropical fruits came through.

With such a long history, Bushmills is one to explore if you’ve not yet had the chance. I have also reviewed the Black Bush whiskey on this post, so feel free to check that out for more thoughts on the brand.

And thank you to The Whisky Exchange for arranging yet another fabulous whiskey tasting celebrating all things Irish!

 

 

 

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Storming ahead? Talisker Storm Review

March 30, 2013 in Reviews

A few weeks back, Talisker released the latest in its whisky line-up, the Talisker Storm.

In follow-up, I spoke with Diageo’s head of whisky outreach, Dr Nick Morgan, about the reasoning behind releasing a non-age statement whisky at this particular time. That piece can be found here.

I’ve now had the chance to sample the whisky a few times to get a better idea of its nuances. I’ve also compared it to the company’s other entry level whisky, Talisker 10, a bottle of which I nicked from a mate who wasn’t particularly fond of it, having come to the decision that no smoky whisky is for him (I’m hoping to change his ways, of course).

As background, the Talisker Storm is meant to be a sort of big brother to the Talisker 10. It is a non-age statement whisky created from a mix of rejuvinated and refill casks and costs around £40.

The colour is of golden coins and the nose has a great creamy buttery smokiness to it that I found instantly appealing. There’s a slight biscuity sweetness that wafts up at first, followed by lemon and dusty hay notes.

The 10, in comparison, seems more floral on the nose when they’re side by side and slightly lighter in weight (if smells can be weighed?). There is less creaminess and it is surprisingly delicate given I’ve always considered it quite a powerhouse of a dram.

On the palate for the Storm, meanwhile, there was a nice fruity sweetness (stone fruits like apricots, peaches) with a rich chunk of rock salt lingering mid-sip. A dash of vanilla and a hint of fresh blades of grass all walk lightly over the smoky, savoury backbone, making it very satisfying.

Going back to the 10, the palate felt crisper and a bit more refreshing, with that lovely mix of vanilla sweetness, salty brine and earthy smoke.

In the end, it’s hard to say which I prefer. But I can conclude I’d like to keep both in my drinks cabinet. At only £8 more for the Storm, it is still a good buy but I’d recommend sampling them side by side if you can to see which you prefer. Neither are likely to disappoint.

 

 

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St Patrick’s Day tipple: Black Bush Whiskey

March 17, 2013 in Events, Reviews

It’s funny how you can taste a whiskey and then, months later, forget you have tried it.

This is what happened to me with Black Bush Irish Whiskey from Bushmills. When the idea of a “flash blog” – in which bloggers around the world would write about one whiskey for St Patrick’s Day – was put forward by Johanne McInnis (aka: Whisky Lassie), and the decision for all of us to write about Black Bush was finalised, I thought: “Perfect! I’ve not yet tried that.”

As it happens, I have. It was imbibed at a Whisky Squad tasting last year. I even wrote about it here.

Whether this means I’m becoming worryingly forgetful or drinking too much whiskey, is yet to be determined.

But, the other point is that it is always key to come back to a dram more than once because if you tend to like your whiskey (or whisky) and drink quite a few of them it can be great to refresh your brain (and palate) with its flavours.

And so, this is what I did – began reminding myself of its history and flavours.

To give you some background, Black Bush is a blended whiskey from the Bushmills distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is owned by Diageo. It is considered one of the oldest whiskey distilleries in the world, with an initial license apparently granted in 1608 by King James I (hence why each bottle carries the ’1608′ label).

Its range includes the aforementioned Black Bush and Bushmills (also a blend) along with the 10, 16 and 21-year old single malts and a new flavoured honey whiskey.

If I’m honest, while I know the name well it is not a whiskey company I have come across often on my dram journey. While many other Irish whiskey brands have been throwing themselves out there with renovations and investment (Midleton, for instance, with a €100 million investment plan ongoing), Bushmills hasn’t been in the news as much.

Interestingly, in his book Whisky Opus, author Dominic Roskrow writes: “Diageo’s strategy for the Northern Irish distillery has been at best baffling and some whisky fans feel Bushmills has been let down. True, investment was made and capacity increased, but while many Irish whiskey stars have been shining brightly of late, Bushmills hasn’t been among them.”

But he continues: “Today Bushmills makes a range of whiskeys, none of which is anything less than excellent. Indeed, the rich and sherried ‘Black Bush’ has given Jameson a run for its money in the past. Drinking any Bushmills in the warmth of the distillery is one of the whisky world’s greatest pleasures.”

It is, therefore, now firmly on my list to get to know better. And, also on my list to visit, since I’ve not been to Northern Ireland yet on my travels.

But, back to the whiskey. This St Patrick’s Day you’ll be hearing a heck of a lot more about Bushmills if you’re tuned into the ‘blogger-verse’ as there are a whole schwak of us writing about Black Bush today.

Now, onto the whiskey and what it actually tastes like.

The whiskey is available globally and is normally very reasonably priced (around £20-£25 in the UK). It is made from a majority of single malt -  matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks for between 7-10 years – and grain whiskey.

Here are my new notes on this dram:

Bushmills Black Bush: Blended Whiskey: 40% ABV:

(C): Amber

(N): Initial marzipan thickness with notes of honey and stewed berries (blackcurrent and blackberry), along with a side of raspberries in full summer ripeness. Slightly grainy (I could imagine chewing this just from the nose) with dashes of lemon icing and coffee grounds that come through on second smell, cutting through some of the sweetness. Buttery and brambley. Very different from the first time I smelled it.

(P): That sweetness dissipates slightly when tasting, to – for me – be replaced by more of the bitter coffee ground notes I picked up on the nose. At first, it hints of plum puddings and raspberry cake, then blackcurrents. But that is replaced by what reminds me of the taste of chewing on bramble fruit stems and coffee beans – drying, woody, astringent. Those flavours aren’t to the extreme, mind, but I was taken aback by these heavier notes that emerged on my palate. Another sip eases those, and the fruitiness takes a bigger step to centre stage.

(F): Quite light, but with continuing aspirin-like bitter notes that rest at the back of the tongue.

So, there you have it. Black Bush is one that will have large appeal to many whiskey drinkers. It’s sweet and rich, with enough oomph to make it stand out.

And so, to conclude, on this St Patrick’s Day I hope you join me in raising a dram of Irish Whiskey wherever you are in the world.

 

 

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Scotch whisky’s boom: industry viewpoint

March 11, 2013 in Interviews

There can be little doubt that the Scotch whisky world is experiencing a boom at the moment. A recent study from the Scotch Whisky Association suggested it contributed £4.2 billion to the Scottish economy in 2012 and saw production levels reach their highest point ever.

And this trend looks set to continue. At a recent conference I attended, new research conducted by International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR) for the Vinexpo Conference (a yearly wine and spirits event in Bordeaux) predicted global consumption levels are likely to rise 12% from 2012 to 2016. This rate is nearly more than any other main spirit category with Cognac the only other high-growth product (with expected rises of 12.22%). Baijiu (a white spirit made in China) is predicted to grow further but with that increase mostly limited to domestic markets, it is Scotch that will be taking centre stage globally.

So, what will this mean for the Scotch industry?

According to whisky writer Ian Buxton, this growth further points to a new ‘golden age’ for Scotch.

“Over the long term, whisky has a history of boom and bust. This feels different, however, as the potential growth is spread over many more markets and a new generation of consumers are transforming whisky’s image to something contemporary and fashionable,” he commented.

However, the figure of 12% growth wasn’t necessarily on the money, he said.

“If anything, the forecast seems conservative – but I would be sceptical about any five-year forecast taken to two decimal points.”

Glenfarclas Distillery

George Grant, Brand Ambassador and future heir to family-owned Glenfarclas whisky, agreed with Ian.

“We have seen it growing between 15% and 25% per year for the last five years already,” he said.

But what can all this major growth mean for a product that needs time to mature and make?

According to George: “Twelve per cent growth over the next five years is certainly going to scare some companies who are already running at full production and cannot squeeze anything else out,” he said.

Jura Whisky DistilleryA spokesperson for Whyte & Mackay agreed there will be challenges in keeping up with that demand.

“Whisky isn’t an instantaneous product, by its very nature it needs at least three years to mature in cask and whilst the craft and care that goes into whisky is one of its most redeeming selling features, it does mean that stock levels need to be very carefully managed. More demand will equal the need for more whisky and I expect that we will start to see more distillers running 24/7 production to keep up,” she said.

On the positive side, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach, Dr Nick Morgan, said this will mean more money is invested into the industry. Pointing to the £1 billion planned for increased capacity at their distilleries and the building of new sites, he said this shows the company’s confidence in the industry’s potential.

“If you’re investing in production the way we have been for the past five years, we’re talking about a belief in sustained growth for the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years,” he said.

But it won’t just be about keeping up with demand. Focusing on continuing to create a quality product will be paramount as well, suggested George.Talisker Distillery

“One negative thing has to be a quality issue: it is all well and good being able to produce more spirit, but there is only a finite amount of good casks out there to mature the whisky in, so something has to give. This is not an issue for Glenfarclas but I can foresee it being an issue for companies that were struggling to get wood last year – if they have to find an increased 12% then wood that would normally be scrapped will be getting reused,” he explained.

It could also mean a shift in what whiskies we see hitting our shelves, according to Whyte & Mackay.

“For the foreseeable future, I believe non age statement products will come into fruition. We have already seen many companies move towards this and I believe it can only be a good thing for the industry as it gives the master blender more freedom to create different flavours and finishes without being restricted by age,” she said.

Cara Laing, a spokesperson for Morrison Bowmore Distillers, agreed that there is generally a positive viewpoint towards the category.

“It’s great to see new consumers from both the UK and the emerging markets exploring the whisky category and enjoying the spirit. The potential negative is stock restrictions and in turn potential price increases,” she explained.

Casks at Balblair

And what of price? Will this continued increase in demand and squeeze on supply mean the average consumer will be unable to access the bottles being produced?

According to Ian, there are various factors that will help keep prices down.

“We shouldn’t forget that the overwhelming majority of Scotch whisky (more than 90%) is consumed as relatively young blends and competition will keep prices in check,” he said.

Going forward, Nick concluded the positive points far outweigh any negative points for either the consumer or the industry.

“This is hugely good news for Scotland and communities where all whisky producers make whisky – we’re all absolutely knitted into the fabric of Scotland and I think all local economies will benefit from this growth. It’s something I am very passionate about. This is not generally a good story, this is a good story.”

 

 

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Dr Nick Morgan discusses new Talisker Storm whisky

February 27, 2013 in Interviews, Whisky Releases

Talisker StormRecently, Talisker took the headlines in the whisky world with the release of its new product, Talisker Storm. The whisky is meant to be a bolder step-up from its industry mainstay, the Talisker 10-year old.

As a NAS (no-age statement) release, the news got some tongues wagging about what this means for the future of age-statement whisky and why the Diageo-owned brand has taken this step.

The Storm, which took 15 months to develop, is created from a mix of rejuvenated (more on that later) and refill casks. It will be slightly pricier than the 10-year old, and is currently selling for around £40. It will be joined on the shelves with a second release – the Talisker Port Ruhige (which means King’s or Royal’s Port in Gaelic) within the next quarter.

I spoke with Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach, to learn more.

Why have you decided to release this now?

If you think about Talisker and the Classic Malts, the original Classic Malts were launched in 1987 – well over 20 years ago. Since then we’ve released a couple of other Talisker expressions – the 18 year old, the Distillers Edition and 57 North – but they’ve all been significantly premium versions. We’ve not launched anything in those 20 years aimed at the pocket of the mainstream Talisker consumer who makes up majority of business.

Why did you decide to go for a ‘bolder’ flavour profile?

With a liquid so distinctive as Talisker, what you don’t want to do is dumb it down. Talisker is wonderful from the commercial or marketing point of view because it really polarises people; some people hate it, some people love it and that’s a great place to be because the people that love it, really love it. If you’re offering them a drink, then you have to offer them something they will love as equally as the already extreme flavour profile of Talisker so that’s why we decided to play with something that’s going to be bolder that will accentuate the maritime characters – it’s really smoky in a way that’s far more Islay like than Skye like, but it also keeps a trademark you find in Talisker which is that fruity sweetness.

It’s available in European markets now. Any plans to release it globally?

When you plan a project like this, you plan for success so the assumption is it will be successful in western Europe and will be rolled out globally.

Some of the whisky in the make-up is matured in rejuvenated casks. Can you explain further?

Every cask has a natural life, at the end of which the wood activity is very low so if you have a cask that is on its third or fourth refill and leave it for ten years not much will happen. It’s not unique to Diageo but something we’ve done a lot of key research on is how you can bring a cask back to life. At our new cooperage at Cambus [near Alloa in south-eastern Scotland] coopers take the ends off the casks and the casks are scraped on the inside so we expose a fresh wood surface in a measured way to release the wood characters we need. After the casks have been scraped they’re then toasted over a gas flame so the fresh oak is charred. The original cask ends are then reunited with the casks and they’re ready for refilling so the cask has another life for up to 30 or 40 years.

Whiskies from rejuvenated casks have a very specific wood character in terms of nose and flavour. And whether you’re talking about putting together a recipe for a single malt or for a blend, it gives you a very specific flavour profile that you can introduce in terms of a variable for the end product. I think we’ll see more of it generally.

Will the trend of NAS whisky releases continue?

I think you will find that brands are going to release more and more expressions focusing on flavour and how that flavour is achieved – whether it’s through special types of wood, or finishing or peat or no peat – is going to be a far more dominate part of the malt whisky narrative over next five to 10 years. I think it reflects a category that is maturing and reflects consumers who are maturing and have a better understanding of what it is that distillers and blenders are trying to achieve when they release new products.

In emerging markets, age is often seen as an important factor because an older item is more expensive and, therefore, more prestigious. Will we see aged whiskies being sold to markets such as Asia and NAS whiskies saved for European markets?

It’s not quite as straight forward as that. I would point towards the huge success in emerging markets of products such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label which has no age statement. And Johnnie Walker Red Label is our biggest selling product and that has no age statement. That demonstrates that the rule is not hard and fast.

However, I think age has a greater part to play in markets where Scotch is not as understood because it gives consumers some sort of indication about what they might be buying and what they might expect. The whole practice of using age statements was about establishing the legitimacy and integrity of products being sold. I think in mature markets in Europe and North America, Scotch has gone way beyond that point. It’s far less relevant for consumers in mature markets than it is for consumers in emerging markets. But even there, with the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, it’s not essential.

Stay tuned to Miss Whisky for a review of the new release, coming soon.

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Bringing Back Blends

February 15, 2013 in Events, Reviews

At the start of this year, I made a promise to myself to try more blended whisky, a fact I wrote about on this piece on Ballatine’s and this other piece on Compass Box. I didn’t want to find myself locked in a whisky box that was only filled with knowledge of single malts, nor did I want to only be writing about that style for you, dear reader.

And so when I was recently invited to an event with Johnnie Walker that was to be all about blends, I was more than curious. The event was hosted by Diageo to launch its signature blended whisky brand’s latest Directors’ Blend – a yearly release of an extremely limited run (only 450 bottles or so) of a special Johnnie Walker blend given as gifts for employees of the whisky giant. The company has been doing this since 2008 and the new 2012 edition is its fifth run. The plan is to do a 2013 version to complete the set.

But the night was not just about the whisky itself. After all – as was questioned by a fellow guest – what point would there be in trying whisky that will never be released to the public and writing reviews about it? In fact, the evening was more about discussing blends and their importance, as Dr Nick Morgan – head of whisky outreach for Diageo – explained.

“Over 95% of whisky sales are for blends, despite the fact that in the past 20 to 30 years, a huge amount of money has been put into developing malt whisky. Yet, 95% of what is written about is about single malts, and that irks me a bit.”

It’s hard to deny him that point. The majority of pieces I read on whisky – and, as mentioned, I am no exception as I contribute to that written content – tend to be about single malt.

Dr Matthew Crow Diageo

Dr Matthew Crow, Diageo blender

Now, this isn’t entirely surprising. Whisky is generally seen as a higher end product and – while there are certainly blends that fit into this category – it is single malts that captain that space. Equally, there has been such a push on single malts recently in both the marketing and press spheres that it is no wonder blends can sometimes get forgotten about. And, finally, I think many of us have potentially had a bad experience drinking blended whiskies at a young age (I know many friends who espouse their hatred of whisky to this fact) and so single malts are seen as being less rough and more refined for the palate when we do come back to drams.

But that does not mean, in any way, shape or form, that blends should be disregarded. As I’ve been told many times by various whisky commentators: a very good blend can be enjoyed just as much as a very good single malt and there is an incredible amount of skill which goes into their creation.

The idea behind the Directors’ Blend was to showcase that skill and for the master blenders to have the chance to make something a bit different. According to Dr Matthew Crow, one of the blenders, each year has focused on a certain ‘cardinal’ – which is the Johnnie Walker term for a group of whiskies blended together to make a certain style, titled as Highland Malt, Highland Smoke, Island Smoke, Grain, Speyside Fruit and Light Lowland, each of which also has certain wood preferences. These six ‘cardinals’ are then generally blended together to create the staple Johnnie Walker blends.

The skill, then, comes from the ability of the blenders to not only decide when each cask (out of the more than seven million currently maturing for Diageo’s brands) is ready but also to manage that stock so they know they won’t, suddenly, run out of the components for Johnnie Walker Blue Label, for instance. They then have to put it all together and develop new blends – such as last year’s Johnnie Walker Platinum – to satiate an ever-growing appetite for whisky in emerging markets like Nigeria, Mexico and China.

From Matthew’s talk, it was clear all of this is no easy task. In fact, it all sounded bloody complicated – and fascinating. While in single malt, blenders have to put together stock from their own distillery to create a uniform product, in blended whisky those casks are coming from all around Scotland and each has its own style and characteristic that has to be worked together.

Now, of course, there are ‘recipe’ books for these things – the ‘cardinal’/'building block’ approach to blending has been a practice at Johnnie Walker since the late 19th century but even those would have shifted with time as certain casks (such as sherry casks) were more popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, while American ex-oak Bourbon casks didn’t become popular until after the Second World War.

The Directors’ Blends that have been released have each focused on one of the cardinals, such as the one released in 2009 that was full of sweet, salty smoke as a tribute to ‘Island Smoke’, and each was made to celebrate the skills of Johnnie Walker blenders over the years.

So, in the end, what did I think of the drams?

Well, the 2012 version was a real mix of Christmas elements like marzipan, pine needles, melted sugar and butter on the nose. On the palate, a tropical vanilla and sugary sweet fruit emerged before a slightly bitter finish capped things off.

My favourite was the 2011, however, which used a mix of casks including some new American oak ones. On the nose I was reminded of fresh springtime flowers, cedar chests and a woodshop in the crisp spring air. It had a fantastic sweetness I characterise as an outdoorsy sweetness. On the palate, there was a dash of cinnamon and new wood, oak-aged Calvados, and a nuttiness that was akin to raw almonds. It was, for me, a springtime dram that brought back memories of life on my Canadian farm as a child: partially frozen mud, fresh daffodils, warm sunshine and hay that’s been around all winter combined with the smell of the inside of the cedar chest that sat in our lounge. With a bit of water, a dash of chocolate covered ginger emerged for me.

In the end, I was once again shown that blends can be complex, intriguing and a hell of a lot of work to put together. I don’t doubt there will be naysayers among you or those that feel blends are simply products pumped out by large companies to make a profit. But, I’m finding myself impressed more and more often and I look forward to sharing my continued discovery of blends with you.

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An Emporium of Whisky Delights

December 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

Colin Dunn looking spooky as a monk.

It was a perfectly normal Monday night in Shoreditch. A small group of people gathered in a cosy back room and listened to monastic tunes while wisps of dry smoke wafted past our nostrils and Colin Dunn (Diageo brand ambassador) told dark tales of whisky history while dressed as a monk.

Like, I said, perfectly normal.

Or, not, if you aren’t used to strange antics of the cocktail bars that haunt this part of London.

This particular evening was arranged by the Worship Street Whistling Shop – a basement bar with gin-palace style and trendy-oddity based on a darkened, office-filled street near Old Street. It was a part of the bar’s new “Whisky Emporium” designed in partnership with Colin.

I was there as a part of a test group to see how the Emporium’s new whisky installation would work. It is the latest in a series of emporiums for the fantastic little bar – following on from a rum and cocktail one done previously. With me were whisky aficionados Karen and Matt from WhiskyForEveryone and Sunday Times drinks columnist and Imbibe editor, Alice Lascelles.

The Emporium is meant to give patrons a fully sensory experience to learn about the history of one particular spirit – in this case, whisky. The evening is divided into six parts, during which scents are pumped in to match the particular theme of the act, and drinks, food, music and video are added in to hit all of your brain’s intake buttons.

As it was a test night, there were more changes and interruptions than would normally be the case but, regardless, it was bizarre and fantastic. Besides, as Colin put it, “This evening is the acoustic version; we’ll be going electric in January.”

We started with Colin dressed spookily as a monk discussing the origins of whisky, and tried a whisky based punch that used ingredients that would have been around hundreds of years ago – such as mead and hay (that’s right, hay). The nutty, cream, apple and honey drink was paired delightfully with dried vegetable crisps.

In act two, to the background of some Miles Davis and John Lee Hooker jazz, Colin ran us through the history of blending. We were then asked to work together as a group to create our own blend. We were allowed to smell each but not know what whisky it was, instead having to rely on our senses to mix them together. Each whisky was given a name of a Scottish celebrity it reminded the team at Worship Street of. One of my favourites was, “Frankie Boyle: Well-oiled fishing net on fire.” We added some cherry-pie Lorraine Kelly and a bit of Billy Connolly spice, creating a fruity, sweet whisky with a bit of warm pie spices.

By act three, we were all really getting into things. So, when Colin came in as “Cooper Dunn” we listened with glee. My favourite cocktail of the night – a bonkers  twist on a blood and sand made from Cragganmore Portwood, grapefruit and pickle brine, that was part sour, part sweet and part briney salt – was served out of individual flasks and combined with the savory prosciutto and bread, to represent a cooper’s lunch. As we nibbled and drank, Cooper Dunn gave us a rundown of the influence of wood, while a subtle woodsmoke blew through the room to further enhance the impact.


Act four covered regions, with whisky jellies placed in teeny glasses and served on a whisky map, while act five looked at the importance of age and included a succulent oyster topped with a lavender foam and a Talisker 57 North-based cocktail. The final stage saw us through to the future – with a backdrop of images of a bustling, bright city at night and uplifting dance music. Here we were served the most innovative cocktail of the night – in the bottom of a tall glass, a coca-cola flavoured Berocca sat, ready to have a Caol Ila whisky and soda poured on top.

The whole night was slightly Alice in Wonderland – but I wouldn’t expect much less from the team that also runs Purl in Marylebone. While there were some niggles to be worked out (for instance, the need for stronger scents to be pumped through to up that sensory experience) it will inevitably be a sell-out event for the whisky-curious. And a worthwhile one at that. You may never see Monday night in the same way again…!

The Whisky Emporium will run nightly for three months, for groups of at least four at a cost £90 per person. For more information, visit: www.whistlingshop.co.uk

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TWE Show 2012

October 15, 2012 in Uncategorized

Ah, The Whisky Exchange show…how I love thee, how do I count the ways? For weeks leading up to the show I was tweeting my excitement about it – sad, I know, but given it was bringing together folks from across the industry in a giant room featuring hundreds of whiskies in my home town, how could I not be jumpily eager for its arrival?

Last year’s show was the first big whisky event I had ever attended, so I was especially keen to go along again after this great year of whisky tasting and see what new whiskies I could learn about. My goal for the day was to try only whiskies that I hadn’t had before, a plan I stuck to bar when I retried the Glenfarclas 105 20-year old and The Balvenie Caribbean Cask.

The show took place at The Whisky Exchange’s shop headquarters – Vinopolis – near London Bridge. It occurred over a whole weekend but I went along to the trade and press day on the Monday with high hopes there would still be some whisky left.

On arrival, I sauntered over to say my hellos to Tim (of The Whisky Exchange) who poured me a lovely dram specially bottled for the show – the name of which, I DIDN’T WRITE DOWN! Not a good way to start, although I do recall the dram being delicious. Unfortunately, I found myself too busy chatting to first Tim, and then to Pierre and Jean-Luc of Connosr and Simon of Simply Whisky to get my pen and paper out. I did not make this mistake again however.

My first full-on flight tasting came at the Tomatin stand, where I sampled the Highlands-based company’s 12, 15, 18, 21, 30 and 40 year old drams. I will fully review these soon in a separate post, but my favourite was definitely the Tomatin 30 – it was a delightfully fresh dram for one of this age, filled with a crescendo of tropical fruit flavours, from pineapple to mango. It really stood out on the day for me.

Next I headed over to the Compass Box stand to catch up with Chris Maybin and Celine Tetu, the two effervescently friendly ambassadors for the London based blended whisky company. There I tried out the company’s latest release – the fourth edition of Flaming Heart – which is made from a blend of Clynelish and Islay malts. This is a beautifully balanced dram that pulls your tastebuds between the sweeter, highland malt and the power-house Islays. According to John Glaser – the company’s founder and whisky maker – this “…is a whisky born of fire, yet one with a big heart.” Big, bold and well worth trying if you see it around.

I continued my peaty journey by heading over to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society‘s stand where I met with the company’s newly appointed Global Brand Ambassador – Georgie Bell – and picked up a 20-year old Laphroaig, also known as bottle 29.124, Pregnancy Tea Mix. This was a peaty party in the mouth, balanced out beautifully by a hint of sweeter almond and cherry goodness to stop it from overwhelming.

After a good jaunt around the bottom floor – where I also ran into Darren Rook of London Distillery Company, Mark Thomson of Dramatic Whisky, and Joe Clark of The Whisky Lounge and Pritesh Moody of LoveFoodLoveDrink who were manning the stand for the new Paul John whisky from India (a review of which will be going up this week on Miss Whisky) – I headed upstairs where loads of other companies were handing out mouthwatering drams. There I bumped into Andrew Forrester of The Balvenie, Dave Craig of Spirit of the Spey, Cat Spencer of Master of Malt, Kirsty Chant of Chant Comms and an exhausted looking Billy Abbot of The Whisky Exchange, and had a wee sip of The Balvenie Caribbean Cask, a pineappley, mangoey dram of goodness.

After much chatting, it was time to move on and I headed to the food pairing room next door, where I finally sampled the whiskies from Sweden’s Mackmyra distillery and met with master distiller Angela D’Orazio. A separate review of these whiskies and pairings will go live soon.

Next I sampled some quirky offerings from Monkey Shoulder, which was pairing fig and maple cooked bacon, and marshmallows, with its blended whisky. The bacon combo was lovely and robust, jumping and fizzing flavours on the palate. After a quick chat with Whisky Discovery’s Dave Worthington and his daughter Kat, I moved a few tables along and stopped for some of The Whisky Exchange’s Port Askaig, matched with a blue vein cheddar. The dram was gently smoky, with a hint of sea air and lemon on the nose, and a fruity, peachy smokines on the palate. Paired with the cheese, it brought out a creamy indulgence in the whisky that could make it drinkable for hours.

Heading back to the main room on the top floor, I popped by the Irish Distillers stand, where I met the lovely Meghan Kenny, a Jameson brand ambassador and yet another young woman making her mark in whisky. I also ran into Deirdre McBeth, Jameson’s brand assistant who spoke at the women’s only whisky panel I held with The Whisky Lounge earlier this year. Meghan took me through Yellow Spot to start – a big excitement for me as I already love Green Spot but hadn’t had the chance to try its newly released single pot still sibling. Made from a mix of Malaga sherry casks and bourbon barrels, this whiskey was like butter in the mouth – it was super creamy, with hints of almonds and grains. “Like a yummy breakfast meusli,” I wrote. Next I sampled the Redbreast 12 year old cask strength. Red Breast is already a big favourite of mine, but this new release pumps up the volume just that bit more. It was all about the almonds and citrus for me on the mouth. With water, it “softens to a pillowy state,” according to my notes, which were starting to get ardently poetic as I tried increasingly more samples. Both of these Irish Whiskeys are knock outs and I can only recommend that you give them a chance if you find them around.

Realising I had only an hour left of the show, I wobbled my way downstairs to the Number One Drinks stand so I could sample a range of Japanese whiskies. There I met the company’s team including Marcin Miller and Ed Bates, and fellow whisky bloggers Oliver Klimek of dramming.com and Jon Bryant of Living Room Whisky (who kindly provided many of the beautiful pics seen on this post). This was a very exciting stand for me. My favourite whisky of last year was the Chichibu the First, which I tried at the show. This year, I was determined to sample as many of the company’s whiskies as possible, and Jon and I did it justice! A separate post will follow shortly on all the amazing drams I tried, but in between chats with Eddie of The Whisky Lounge and Dominic Roskrow, I managed to try the Chichibu Floor Maltings, Karuizawa 48% and 55% whiskies, the Karuizawa 1982 and 1984, and the Karuizawa Noh. I was like a child at Christmas with these amazing drams – but more on that to come in a later post.

Finally, I grabbed a quick taste of the Ardmore 1982 (which tasted like “Hobnobs dipped in tea”) and ran upstairs to see Diageo’s Colin Dunn and sample two of this year’s Special Releases – the Brora 35 year old and the Port Ellen 32 year old. The former – made from a combination of whiskies from 1976 and 1977 aged in refill American oak casks – smelled of Australian soft licorice, nutmeg and sweet petrol (in a good way) and tasted gloriously creamy and soft until late in the sip when it went spicy on the palate. The latter, meanwhile, was incredibly drinkable even at 52.5%, which would be dangerous given it costs £600. It was citric but sweet, with notes of honey, oak and a tinge of smoke – a perfect dram to finish the day off on.

After saying goodbyes and having a quick chat with the lovely Amanda of The Whisky Lounge and catch up with The Whisky Exchange owner, Sukhinder Singh, on how he felt the day went, it was finally off home.

I was in awe of many of the whiskies tried that day. The standouts for me were the Tomatin 30-year old, Yellow Spot and Karuizawa 48%. And now I can only wait in anticipation for next year’s show!

A big thank you to Living Room Whisky’s Jon Bryant for providing photos for this post since I couldn’t manage to take notes, try whiskies, tweet and snap photos all at the same time!

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Creating the perfect whisky space

September 27, 2012 in Uncategorized


What do you consider as essential to have around when you’re sitting back and supping a dram?

Is it that cosy corner chair, a fireplace, a great film, a piece of abstract art or a friendly plant?

In its latest event, The Singleton of Dufftown is exploring just what gets people in a dram drinking state of mind. And for today and tomorrow (27/28 September) at the Singleton Taste Room at 33 Portland Place you can go and discover what various designers, chefs, musicians and creative types all deem necessary to have near them when they drink a dram.

I headed to the space – a quirky, creaky wooden floorboarded room used as a set on The King’s Speech – on its opening night to find out what various people believe is necessary.

The room features items donated from the likes of chef Mark Hix, DJ Gilles Peterson and Dominic Wilcox, a designer. It sits on the edge of bonkers, as all of the featured pieces are rather eclectic. But it is equally intriguing as the items have been placed to flow together to create a comfy interior.

In one corner you might find a pair of crystal glasses from The Savoy’s American Bar (donated by writer Damian Barr) while in another sits a 16mm wind-up film camera (care of Corin Hardy, a sculptor, illustrator and film-maker) or a neon sign from Chris Bracey. Hix has not only created the food to go with the whisky you can taste but also donated his vintage billiards table.


Of the pieces there that night, my favourite was the stuffed sheep, donated by curator and designer Daniel Poole. The creature seemed like he’d be easy to curl up against when I’d had too many drams and as if he would listen to me spout out my problems.


And as for what I like to have around when tasting whisky? A comfy corner chair I can fully curl up in, a great book and a bit of Coltrane (preferably on a record player if I had one) would all be essential to making my perfect whisky environment. But, what’s yours?

The Singleton Taste Room is free to the public and open from 6-9pm on the 27 and 28 September at 33 Portland Place, W1B1QE.

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