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Alice Lascelles

May 3, 2013 in Whisky Women

 ”There are so many wonderful stories to tell about whisk(e)y – and yet it still remains so very misunderstood. I’m excited by the challenge of trying to change this.” – Alice Lascelles

 

 Alice Lascelles is the new Sunday Times and Times Columnist on spirits and a founding editor of highly regarded industry magazine Imbibe.

As a whisky lover since a visit to Jura distillery early on in her journalism career, Alice is setting the pace for getting more coverage of the water of life in mainstream media.

In this Whisky Women interview, she speaks about her most memorable dram, what inspires her about whisky and why she agrees with Caitlin Moran that it would be nice to be considered just one of ‘the guys’.

 

What made you want to write about whisky?

When I began in the drinks world ten years ago I wasn’t immediately drawn to whisk(e)y. Like many people, I thought it was intimidating, cliquey, old fashioned, geeky. But gradually I discovered a different side to it. I learned that it can be artistic and exciting and pretty rock and roll too. It’s a subject that takes you on fascinating journeys all over the world, and has made me all kinds of new friends. It teaches you about science and geography and history and politics. It ignites your imagination and expands your vocabulary. There are so many wonderful stories to tell about whisk(e)y – and yet it still remains so very misunderstood. I’m excited by the challenge of trying to change this.

Do you remember when you first came to like whisky? Was there a dram that hooked you in?

The very first distillery trip I went on as a cub reporter on Wine & Spirit International was to Jura. We crossed by boat – there were seals, whirlpools, George Orwell’s house. I sat by the fireside that evening at Jura House, dram in hand, and thought – yep, this is the life for me. I was completely blown away by the romance of it. My most memorable dram however, was my first taste of Talisker 10, which I had at the 175th Anniversary celebrations on Skye. It was with an oyster straight out of the sea – the combination of flavours was dazzling, and it remains among my all-time favourite drams to this day.

What do you find most inspiring about whisky?

I think a really under-appreciated side of it is the incredible artistry that goes into making whisky – I think most people still think you just punch some numbers into a computer and then pull a lever. The myriad different factors that shape a whisky’s flavour, and the skill of those people whose task it is to manage them is awe-inspiring. I love the fact that no machine has yet been invented which can improve on the human nose. And I find wood in particular absolutely fascinating.

What do you enjoy most about the drinks industry?

It’s populated by people who are really passionate about what they do, and who also enjoy living well. If you’re interested in what they do, they’ll throw open their doors for you.

What frustrates you about how whisky is perceived/spoken about?

Despite the excellent efforts of certain people, I think the industry is still guilty of being very cliquey and jargon-ridden. I’d go so far as to say that some whisky professionals deliberately cultivate that air of impenetrability simply to feed their egos. Whisky is many amazing things, but at the end of the day it’s still just a drink.

I’m reluctant to mention the ‘s’ word – but I’m afraid it’s also still disappointingly sexist. If you happen to be blonde, people always presume you’re the PR person. Only the other day I was sitting next to the CEO of one of the world’s biggest whisky producers at an industry lunch. I’ve been writing about whisky for nearly ten years, am the founding spirits editor of the leading drinks magazine for the UK on-trade and write two weekly columns for the Times Whisky Club and yet he still turned to me and said: ‘So, do you actually like whisky then? I mean, really?’ You’d be amazed how often I get asked that – I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be the same if I was a man.

What would you like to impart on readers of your column?

Don’t be scared. Have fun. Don’t get so hung up on age statements.

What achievement are you most proud of in your drinks career?

The other day a reader of my Times columns said to me: ‘Your column has made us realise that we are interested in something we didn’t know we were interested in.’ As a journalist, that is the highest praise I can imagine.

Do you feel more women should or could be involved in the whisky industry?

I think not enough is made in the mainstream media and marketing about how many female whisky makers there are – I think people would be very surprised. However I’m absolutely opposed to any special measures designed to include more women in the industry – as Caitlin Moran would say, can’t we just all be ‘the guys’.

How do you think the industry has developed/changed since you’ve been involved?

As a journalist, I’d say the really big change that’s just happened in the last year or two is the increase in spirits coverage in the mainstream consumer media. It’s still criminally small compared to wine, but it’s getting there. I’m very excited to be part of that.

Why would you encourage someone to try whisky?

It’s the start of a fascinating journey of discovery that will last your whole life, which can take you to extraordinary places, introduce you to all kinds of people, and which, perhaps most importantly, you can share with your friends. That conviviality is one of things I love most about whisky. Oh, and it’s bloody delicious.

What is your favourite memory of whisky drinking?

So many – but the best usually happen outside.

 

To read more from Alice Lascelles, check out her twice-weekly blogs on the Times Whisky Club website: http://www.timeswhiskyclub.com/blog/

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Jura 1977 whisky

March 22, 2013 in Reviews

Like many places where whisky is made, the Isle of Jura is a beautiful spot in this world – its dark purple, slightly foreboding Paps, rocky shoreline and thin winding road (yes, that’s singular ‘road’ as there really is only one main one on the island) make it a spooky and intriguing place to visit.

I journeyed to its shores at the end of last May to get to know the distillery better (read my review on it here) and was mesmerised by the stories and legends that originate from the island, many of which are now used by the whisky distillery in its branding.

The latest release from the company is a very limited edition whisky from 1977.

As background, the whisky has been matured for most of its life in three first-fill bourbon casks, before being finished in a ruby port pipe for 12 months.

It is named after the Gaelic word for yew tree – Juar, which is slightly confusing as at first I thought someone had spelled the distillery name wrong! Legend has it the yew tree is linked with immortality and regeneration, and can be a link to the ‘otherworld’.

Only 498 bottles are being released so it’s not cheap at £600. If it helps, it comes in a rather snazzy solid oak box, which has been hand-crafted by cabinet maker John Galvin.

So, what’s the whisky like?

Here are my thoughts on a sample I was kindly sent:

Jura 1977: 46%:

(C): Copper

(N): To start, this shouts of candied fruit mix, vanilla, melon and a licorice sweetness that hits the back of the nose. After, something peachy comes in (like a peach chewing gum), before a hint of pepper, leather and curry leaves.

(P): At first, the whisky has a burst of big tropical fruit (guava and dried mango) but a second later, it shifts a gear into a woody, sour note with a touch of lavender. On the next taste, a bit of bubblegum and pink peppercorns emerge, with an additional layer of wet paper and pine needles.

(F): The finish is long, with a teeny hint of smoke, a note of black licorice and a dash of chewed paper.

 


 

 

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Beating Bieber: Berry Bros Tweet Tasting

November 27, 2012 in Uncategorized

Watching the trends on Twitter during the latest Tweet Tasting organised by The Whisky Wire, I couldn’t help but become a bit unpatriotic (to Canada, mind, not England).

You see, as a host of whisky loving individuals gathered on Twitter for a tasting of four releases by Berry Bros & Rudd and, soon after, began trending on Twitter as one of the hottest topics in the UK on the night, we also looked likely to overtake that horridly annoying yet world dominating singer, Justin Bieber. The fact the Biebermeister is also a Canadian didn’t factor into my favouritism – I was for whisky, all the way.

And, you know what? An hour later, we did it – we beat the Bieber into top spot as the number one talked about thing on Twitter.

Now, for those of you that don’t use Twitter because you find it annoying, perturbing, unexciting or daft, this will probably mean little. To those of you that do use it, you’ll know it means a lot more.

And so, a night that was all about special whiskies became even more special for helping to promote whisky to the masses.

I’ve written about Steve Rush’s Tweet Tastings before on Miss Whisky (read about the one on Old Ballantruan here) but for those of you that don’t know about them, they basically bring a group of whisky loving people from around the world – each of whom has the same set of samples to try – together for an hour or two on Twitter to taste and discuss the whiskies on offer.

The latest featured some real whammies all bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd as own-label offerings, including a 1973 North of Scotland, a 1976 Jura, a 1989 Bunnahabhain and a 1992 Littlemill.

We started with the Littlemill, which was possibly my favourite of the night. On the nose it danced with notes of white chocolate, nougat, blanched peanuts and a hint of damp pine wood. I agreed with @BBRobb (Berry Bros’ spirits buyer Rob Whitehead) that there was also a faint hint of the white chocolate covered balls you get in Muller Corner. On the palate, I picked up a delightful mix of peach cobbler, pineapple upside down cake, bubblegum and bitter lemon. @TheWhiskyBoys, meanwhile, got “citrus fruits (mostly lemons), chocolate buttons, way in the back there is a little peat smoke” while @AnneEJones picked up “definite apple sponge upside down cake, but also melon, white fruit.” I really enjoyed this first dram and it was hard to beat for me on the night, although other tasters definitely preferred others. This 54.6% whisky costs £79.95 from Berry Bros & Rudd.

The second dram was the North of Scotland 1973, a grain whisky coming in at 46%. To me, this smelled of “Christmas morning” (a difficult thing to describe in full), along with shoe polish, Christmas vanilla candles and some sort of 1980s cologne. Of my compatriots, @EdinburghWhisky picked up “Maple syrup poured over a tropical fruit salad. Toffee sweetness too!” while @WhiskyDiscovery found “leather armchair, polished wood, old library books [and] bourbonesque” notes hidden in its depths. On the palate for me this was “super woody and bourbony – like licking a wooden chest carrying vanilla incense”. @OliverKlimek got “dark caramel, vanilla, apricots and apples, lemon zest, nutmeg, hints of cardamom” and @Whisky4Everyone found “creamy, plenty of vanilla, honey, freshly sawn wood, green apple, cinnamon bark & orange peel” notes on the palate. For me, this whisky smelled great: I loved every inch of its nose. But I found it too harsh in the mouth with a bitter, licorice finish that I’m not a massive fan of. Many of my fellow tasters loved it, however, so it’s definitely one to try if you like the sounds of it. It retails at £125.

Next up was the 1976 Jura, a mahogany coloured 53.5% whisky. This I can only describe as bizarre. It was, I tweeted at the time, a whisky with a nose of “Big, bold, chewy sweetness (leather dipped in brown sugar) to start, but with underlying kalamata olive and chorizo notes”. @LRWhisky suggested it reminded him of “rich Victorian smoking rooms, oak panels and a real life game of Cluedo,” while @weheartwhisky commented: “Someone appears to have replaced my Jura with Ribena. With a garnish of smoked ham.” The palate was intense, to say the least. My comment at the time: “Woah! BAM! Palate smacks you in the face: lemons, smoke, pine, asparagus water, Brussels sprouts, sour mix, cigars, chillies.” Others found a slightly softer taste. @cowfish said it was “quite perfumed (sandalwood soap?), with pungent leather and tobacco, orange peel, brown sugar and damp wood.” This, for me, was a bit too intense. I like strong flavours but I was overwhelmed by it. I think I need to go back and re-try it but for now, this was probably my least favourite of the night. It costs £200.

We finished on my other top choice of the night, the 1989 Bunnahabhain. It was “all about the caramel apples with a dash of marzipan and sea salt” on the nose. @TheWhiskyLounge found “Over-ripe banana, slight marzipan, cold salted butter packet, orange pith” in it while @SohoWhiskyClub said: “Wow! lots of peach, watermelon, rich exotic fruits, grapes, bit of green apple, with some burnt ash type stuff.” On the palate for me, I quipped: “A beautiful bundle of honey, hickory wood chips, green apples, sea salt and pistachios.” @abbeywhisky said: “Lovely smoky flavours, vanilla and again almond, marzipan.. Slight brine coating, but in a good way.” All in all, this was a special dram. It had so much going on and I can’t wait to try it again. It costs £89 (although, during the tasting there were only 16 bottles left so there’s no promising it’s still available).

And as another successful whisky Twitter tasting came to an end, I could only thank the team at Berry Bros & Rudd for exposing me to some fantastic new drams and to Steve for organising a top event!

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The haunted Isle of Jura

June 20, 2012 in Uncategorized

“Now, I’d just like to say, I’m not here to disturb you and I’ll try to be as quiet as I can,” I muttered. “If you’d like to talk, that’s fine but please don’t stalk up and spook me.”

As I finished my speech, I looked around the vast, white washed, brightly-lit room to see if anyone else was there. But all I heard was silence. I breathed a deep sigh of relief – for that second at least.

So it was that I found myself talking to the empty air in my room at Jura Lodge, the large living space attached to the distillery. I had heard tales of a ghost that walks the halls, a fact so well known even Jill from the Whyte & Mackay press team refused to sleep in the lodge, preferring the hopefully less haunted interior of the next door hotel.

But this is what the Isle of Jura is all about – stories and legends. With its rough hewn hills, gracefully rising purple Paps and misty, murky nearby waters, Jura makes you want to believe in ghosts and dark superstitions. Just  not when you’re off to sleep.

I was there for the recent Islay festival, which next-door Jura plays a part in with its own ‘Jura Day’. The 37-mile long island has only 200 residents, leaving fair enough space for wandering ghouls and plenty of legends. One says the Kinghts of the Templar are buried in the local graveyard, a belief which seems plausible when one views the faded tomb slabs laying in the grass, still showing the remains of an intricately carved sword. Then there’s the tale of George Orwell nearly drowning in the Correyvrecken whirlpool when he was on the island to write his most famous book, 1984. Or, the story of the Jura Prophecy – legend has it that the mean and cruel landowners of the time, the Campbells, tried to raise taxes on an already suffering population. When they refused to pay, the family destroyed all of their houses. A wise woman is said to have cursed the family with the idea that the last Campbell would leave with all of his possessions in a cart pulled by a white horse and be blind in one eye, which is just what happened to Charles Campbell in 1938.

This last tale is, of course, what inspired the distillery to create its whisky called Prophecy. But its history goes back further than when that tale came to pass. Indeed, Jura has been officially in operation since 1810, though there was a distillery on the island going back futher. A ceasing of production took place from 1901 to 1920 due to a dispute with those aforementioned Campbells who owned the land. It reopend but soon had issues when all the men went off to fight in the second world war. Decline continued until 1960 when local landowners got together to help rebuild it. It now produces 2.3 million litres per year.

During Jura day, myself and the Whisky Exchange’s Billy Abbot (aka: @cowfish) took a tour of the distillery with distiller Willie Cochrane, then headed to the tasting rooms to meet with master distiller Willie Tait and finally learn about casks and wood from Whyte & Mackay master blender Richard Paterson. It was entertaining and informative, and we tried a range of the whiskies.

My favourite part of the day was going into the warehouse, which oozed with the scents of a woodshop, cool dampness and sour wafts of whisky. “It’s one of the best smells in the world,” exclaimed Billy, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

There Tait took us through Elixir and a 1996 vintage. I found the Elixir rich with a nose of candied pineapple, sticky pine sap, cinnamon bark and Werther’s Original. On the palate, it blossomed with a nutty walnut rind, orange spice, and hay flavours. The 1996 bottling, meanwhile, instantly brought back childhood memories of Easter, with scents of muddy spring grass, the community hall and rubber soled shoes. Hints of oak florboards, fresh wood polish, liquid sugar, mangos and Chardonnay all resonated on my tongue and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

That evening, we dined in the lodge. All night, I had one ear listening out for extraneous sounds of creaking floorboards or whispered hauntings. Like the film, The Woman in Black, Jura lodge got right under my skin. And while I didn’t see any sign of the ghostly lady, I am still glad I gave her my hellos, just in case!

 

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