Barley – What You Need to Know to Make a Good Dram.

This is an insider Industry profile by Paul McLean, working closely with Crisp Maltings. With a hard look at Maris Otter malt. This could have been a really long article, as I am excited to be educating myself about Malt, Vic would be pleased. Many thanks Danni at Crisp.

A PASSION FOR FLAVOUR & SCIENCE Crisp Malt Laboratory. Crisp are unique amongst UK maltsters in that the majority of the technical sales team consists of brewing industry professionals. On the production side – no less than six master maltsters. Backed up by a central lab team and 150 years of malting know-how with a deep passion for the flavour and science of brewing, distilling and malting. Crisp has been making distilling malt in Scotland for over 40 years. They now have two maltings, one in the traditional brewing town of Alloa and the other in the heart of Speyside at Portgordon. These areas have long traditions of consistently producing high-quality malting barley in Scotland; between them, they cater for the requirements of Scotch Whisky production; plain, peated and high diastatic malt. Their peating process on Speyside ensures the fullest absorption of ‘reek’ by the grain during the peat burn. Whereas with some dry smoked peated malts the flavour and aroma quickly fades over a short time, their method produces a lasting rich peat smoke character in the malt, so it can be transported all over the world without issue. To cater to small and large distillers alike, their plain pot still and peated malts are available in bulk, one tonne or 25kg bags.

Maris Otter; Picture the summer sun shining down on fields of golden barley (start singing a Sting song!), swaying gently in the cool sea breeze. Maris Otter. A variety that, against the odds, has survived for over 55 years. A malting barley variety unique to England, that grows at its best in this northern part of East Anglia. It was cross-bred from Proctor and Pioneer in the late 1950’s by the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge. It malted well, as Crisp’s maltsters at the time attested. That explains its rapid growth in popularity among brewers of the time. Crisp work closely with agronomists, biologists, local farmers, brewers and distillers, and with the expertise of the malting team at Great Ryburgh, they are able to bring the finest Maris Otter malts to distilling customers all over the world.

THE LATEST NEWS (at the time of writing, March 2024) Plans have been submitted for a new state-of-the-art maltings in Moray. Portgordon Maltings, part of Crisp Malt, has lodged a planning application with Moray Council with the intent to develop a sustainable maltings on the grounds of its current site on the Moray Coast. Due to ever increasing demand from the distilling sector, there is a real need to invest in malting capacity in Scotland to support the long-term growth of Scottish distilling. The new maltings will be powered by the best available energy technologies making it one of the most efficient maltings in Scotland and the UK. Crisp Malt will be working in close consultation with Moray Council and the local community to ensure that they have an opportunity to discuss any concerns. The new maltings will house state-of-the-art technologies to achieve sustainability goals and produce high quality malt for distilling customers in Scotland whilst also increasing the annual production capacity of the entire site from 42,000 to up to 162,000 tonnes. Crisp Malt has been supplying the Scottish distilling industry since the 1960’s. The site at Portgordon opened in 1979 and produces 42,000 tonnes of malt to Scottish distilleries every year. They work directly with almost 270 individual farms in Scotland. The malt is packaged, either whole or crushed, at a state-of-the-art bagging facility in Alloa; ensuring the malt arrives in the best condition possible. To ensure low food miles and carbon impact, all Scottish Malt is 100% grown, malted and packaged in Scotland.

Farmer quote – From a farmer’s point of view, we’re pleased to work with a company like Crisp Malt which is committed to developing a lasting relationship and shortening the supply chain. It’s good to know that our barley stays in Scotland. Provenance has become so important for consumers and brands and having this focus on a local supply chain allows provenance to be tracked from the field right through to the beer.

This is a lot to take in, and I have only pulled a wee part of the process, it amazes me, hopefully it has educated you also. Many thanks Danni from Crisp, she has sent me lots of samples.

MCLEAN SCOTLAND WHISKY TOURS

Ferovinum announces £35 million funding package for The Borders Distillery Company Limited

Ferovinum and The Borders Distillery Company Limited have agreed a £35 million funding package to support the distillery for the next three years. 

The new arrangement will enable The Borders Distillery – the first to operate in the Scottish Borders since 1837 and recent winner of the World Whiskies Awards Best Scotch New Make award – to grow its business and develop its core strengths in advance of the eventual release of its Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

As a first-of-its-kind funding platform dedicated to unlocking growth for wine and spirits enterprises, Ferovinum will also provide The Borders Distillery with specialist operations and supply chain tools to support trading in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Commenting on the deal, The Borders Distillery Managing Director John Fordyce said: ‘We are delighted to have found a partner in Ferovinum and its excellent team. We share the same ambitions to grow, enthusiasm for the Scotch Whisky industry and commitment to deploy technology to facilitate growth in multiple markets.’

The Ferovinum platform delivers a more agile and efficient funding solution by holding assets during production, storage, distribution and fulfilment, giving companies end-to-end capabilities, funding the full production and distribution cycles.

Access to the platform also enables clients to benefit from seamless integration with freight, storage and fulfilment providers along with payments, licensing and commercial infrastructure to enable optimised trading and streamlined access to key export markets.

Gregor Mathieson, Director of Spirits at Ferovinum added: ‘We are very proud to be supporting The Borders Distillery during their next phase of growth. It is six years since the stills started running at their extraordinary site in Hawick, and the dedication to making great whisky as well as being a force for good in the Borders community is palpable amongst the whole team. Ferovinum was created to provide ambitious, visionary drinks businesses like this with the backing and specialist support they need to achieve their goals, and we are very excited to be partnering with John and the team for the journey ahead.’ 

The Borders Distillery was advised by Scottish corporate finance advisory boutique Noble & Co.

www.ferovinum.com

 Linkedin.com/ferovinum

www.thebordersdistillery.com

The Borders Distillery, Hawick, TD9 7AQ, Scottish Borders

About Ferovinum

Ferovinum’s technology brings together capital and distribution in a single platform built for and dedicated to the wine and spirits sector; providing capital efficient inventory management alongside trading and distribution tools that radically simplify the supply chain for brands and resellers.

The Platform allows businesses to access flexible capital when they need it, reducing their liquidity risk and reliance on payment terms, as well as protecting profitability should supply chain disruptions occur. Ferovinum clients can also take advantage of supply chain and sales inventory management tools to access automation and reduce the operational burden of getting their products into the hands of consumers.

For banks and financial institutions, Ferovinum’s technology provides a risk-managed and cost-efficient way to deploy capital into this traditionally hard-to-bank sector, where high levels of fragmentation have led to a historic lack of access to working capital. It uses structures adopted by investment banks in commodity markets to deploy a broad range of capital from credit funds, banks and other institutions.

The company was founded in 2018 by two wine and spirits enthusiasts: Mitchel Fowler, an experienced investment banker and commodity supply chain expert; and Daniel Gibney, who has years of experience in corporate finance, debt restructuring and hospitality. With bases in London, Scotland, Ireland and the USA, Ferovinum has a growing team of specialists across finance, technology, wine and spirits and law.

About The Borders Distillery

The Borders Distillery Company was founded in 2013 by George Tait, John Fordyce, Tim Carton and Tony Roberts. After raising £9.6m in equity funding a new distillery was built in an abandoned building in the centre of Hawick with the first nip distilled on 6^th March 2018.

The Borders Distillery employs and trains local people and aims to have all of its distillers fully qualified. It co- founded with Simpson Malt The Borders Growers & Distillers Group bringing together the distillery and sixteen Borders farms to source malted barley, manage co-products and actively promote the rural economy.

Today the Company employs 18 people and has recently launched its Workshop Series of Scotch Whiskies including Borders Malt & Rye, the first Scotch Whisky made in the Borders since 1837.

Our May Auction ENDS SOON!

Place your bids until 3pm (BST) Sunday 26^th May 2024.

www.whiskyhammer.com

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Yamazaki – 55 Year Old (2021 Release)

Bowmore – ‘Black Bowmore’ 30 Year Old (1964) 2nd Edition

Glenlochy – 49 Year Old (1952) Old Malt Cask

Macallan – 1967 (Down To Work) Peter Blake Anecdotes of Ages

Springbank – 32 Year Old (1971)

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.com.

WHISKY SPONGE EXCLUSIVE

CAMPBELTOWN MALTS FESTIVAL: GLEN TOON 2012

Our chief brand champion Julie has been at the Campbeltown Malts Festival this week and, of course, we bottled a tasty exclusive for the occasion! We took with us an extremely rich and yummy 1st fill hogshead of one of Campbeltown’s great makes, bottled under the name ‘Glen Toon’ (because we aren’t allowed to tell you that it’s Glen Scotia). An obvious and delicious dram for such an occasion, and, as it so happens, we’ve got a handful of bottles left that we’re offering up to anyone who missed out.

SHOP NOW

Glen Scotia 9YO

Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024

Their annual Limited Edition Festival Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottlings are intriguing, bold, and appeal to those looking to be wonderfully surprised. After a minimum of 6 months in Fino sherry, this 9 year old unpeated single malt is bursting with citrus, orchard fruits woven with their distinctive Campbeltown maritime quality.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Fresh floral

Palate: Lemon citrus, white orchard fruits and oak spice.

Finish: Long, satisfyingly dry with a subtle maritime quality and salinity

£64.90

TyndrumWhisky.com
The Green Welly Stop
Tyndrumwhisky, Tyndrum
Crianlarich, Perthshire FK20 8RY
United Kingdom

Russell’s Reserve “K&L Exclusive – Germantown” (Warehouse TY-K, Level 4) Single Barrel #23-0091 Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml)  $74.99 View

`

Russell’s Reserve “K&L Exclusive – Highlands” (Warehouse TY-Q, Level 4) Single Barrel #23-0308 Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml) $74.99 View

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

ralfy review 1028 Extras – Micro-Blending malts (Tutorial)

ELEMENTS OF ISLAY BRINGS THE HEAT TO FÈIS ÌLE 2024

 WITH LIMITED FIRESIDE RELEASE

Elements of Islay, the award-winning independent bottler, is launching an exclusive blend for Fèis Ìle 2024. Fireside is a limited release blended malt from two characterful Islay distilleries, with 264 bottles of Fireside (Fèis Edition) exclusively available at Fèis Ìle (24^th May – 1^st June) and an ensuing global release.

For this whisky, Elixir Distillers’ Head Blender Oliver Chilton took inspiration from the unpredictable elements of the island, and the image of enjoying a smoky dram with friends by the fire during an Islay downpour.

This blended malt brings together whiskies from two distilleries on the island’s north coast, matured in heavily re-charred barrels, American oak Oloroso sherry hogsheads and European oak Oloroso sherry butts. It is a rich blend of smoky and sweet charred wood that harmonises with juicy red fruit and candied orange flavours. 

Oliver Chilton says of the release: “Fireside is a simple blend of two distilleries and three cask styles, with rich, warmth, unctuous feeling brought in by Caol Ila matured in Pedro Ximenez, married with Bunnahabhain matured in American Oak Oloroso sherry hogsheads, giving a base of wood smoke and sweet spice. Lastly, we used some Caol Ila matured in re-charred Spanish wine casks that delivered sweet berry fruit notes and a sense of fun – inevitable when staying up late next to the fireside on Islay.”   

Elements of Islay and Elixir Distillers are a partner of Friends of the Fèis, an initiative created to give back to the island, benefitting the festival and the local community. Giving back to the festival committee in this way is a prerequisite for releasing an official Fèis bottling. With the anticipated development of Portintruan Distillery, Elixir Distillers are cementing themselves as a core part of Islay’s community and culture.

The Elements of Islay range of blended malt whiskies is inspired by the nature of Islay; the stability of its earth, its flow of water, its passion of fire and lightness of air. The taste of the brand’s core expressions is shaped by these elements, as is this limited release.

Elements of Islay Fireside (70cl, 54.5% ABV, RRP £84.95) will be available at the Islay Whisky shop during Fèis Ìle and the global release will follow in early June.

Tasting Notes by Oliver Chilton, Head Blender

NOSE:  Warm milk chocolate and smoked cherries are balanced against notes of ground cardamom and cumin. The smell of embers from a wood burner rise and mingle with sweeter strawberry shisha tobacco with a hint of lemon zest.

PALATE:  Thick and heady with rich aromatic smoke and dense dark chocolate. A lighter, more playful fruit flavour of strawberry and blueberry sweets runs through the middle of the palate, offset by cherry and blackcurrant tea. Flamed orange peel zest and cherry liqueur come through with time in the glass.

FINISH: The tannins allow the red fruit flavours to linger while the smoke evolves leaving notes of cacao nibs and milky coffee.

About Elixir Distillers

Elixir Distillers is a creator, blender and bottler of fine spirits, seeking to combine aesthetically beautiful design with delicious, characterful spirits. Their expertise is primarily Scotch whisky, together with Irish, Japanese and American whiskies as well as rum and Tequila. Their core brands include Port Askaig, Elements of Islay, Single Malts of Scotland and Black Tot which they export to more than 20 international markets. Every member of the Elixir Distillers team is a spirits enthusiast with immense product knowledge, looking to produce the world’s next great drink.

https://elixirdistillers.com/

WATERFORD DISTILLERY LAUNCHES NEW FLAGSHIP BOTTLING: THE WATERFORD – CUVÉE KOFFI

Waterford Distillery has launched its oldest whisky to date: The Waterford – Cuvée Koffi

In The Waterford – Cuvée Koffi natural flavour, unearthed farm by farm, is layered together to create the distillery’s most complex single malt experience

24 distinct Irish Single Farm Origins come together to create this lodestar release, in which terroir-driven philosophy meets cuvée creativity

French artist Nathanaël Koffi has created a packaging design to complement the whisky’s complex and intricate flavours

Waterford Distillery, producer of the most naturally flavoursome single malts, has today launched its new flagship bottling: The Waterford – Cuvée Koffi.

Inspired by greatest Bordeaux châteaux and Champagne Grande Marques, The Waterford – Cuvée Koffi’s distinct and natural profile has been curated through layering together 24 individual Single Farm Origins of between six and seven years of age. Each Single Farm Origin was distilled separately, using 100% local Irish barley grown on individual terroirs across the south east of Ireland.

Free from artificial colouring, additives and chill-filtration – bottled at a robust 50% ABV – The Waterford is an assemblage created from four distinct cask types: 36% First Fill American Oak, 17% Virgin American Oak, 21% Premium French Oak and 26% Vin Doux Naturel. At 6 years of age, this release marks a new era for the terroir-driven producer.

The Waterford also includes the brand’s signature TÉIREOIR code, providing drinkers with an unprecedented transparent and traceable overview of each whisky’s journey from barley to bottle.
To complement the whisky’s complex flavours, rising star of the French art scene, Nathanaël Koffi, collaborated with the brand to create a striking label and packaging design. The vibrant, multi-dimensional colours and patterns reflect the complexity of each bottling: the  component terroirs, the diverse cask profile, and assemblage – in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Mark Reynier, CEO and Founder of Waterford Distillery, said: “Our years of natural flavour exploration with have led us to this momentous bottling. The Waterford – Cuvée Koffi is no ordinary whisky. It’s our lodestar. Made from Irish-grown barley that is harvested, malted and distilled separately, then layered together on after another, to achieve the most natural, complex, flavoursome single malt.

“Our whisky has the audacity and generosity to actually taste of barley – ours is agricultural produce, not a manufactured product. Our vision from the start has always been to challenge the whisky status-quo and show how whisky’s core ingredient – the barley – is responsible for its natural flavours, and Cuvée Koffi is further proof of that concept. “The Waterford now becomes the apogee of our portfolio and the benchmark for future cuvée concepts we will bring to market later this year.”

Tasting Notes by Ned Gahan, Head Distiller at Waterford Distillery:

Appearance: Amber gold and thick oils that slowly descend the glass.

Nose: Interesting combination of red apple on homemade brown bread, washed down with a cup of tea, delish! Three peel marmalade, white pepper tingle, mixed dry herbs, cola cubes and sherbet sweets, light lavender in fresh soil.

Taste: Spices gently dancing on my tongue, lemon and strawberry shortbread biscuits, black pepper, grapefruit, chilli chocolate, oyster crackers, barley sugar, summer fruit compote, liquorice all sorts sweets.

Finish: Long and dry gentle spiciness that lasts and leads to mouth-watering with dried fruits which all meanders on.

The Waterford Cuvée: Koffi is available to purchase now from Waterford Distillery online, Master of Malt and worldwide at key retailers as a permanent listing, priced at approx. €85.50, £73 and US$91.50 respectively.

About Waterford Whisky   

Waterford Whisky produces the most naturally flavoursome single malts.

It is the world’s largest producer of organic and biodynamic whiskies.

It is agricultural produce, not a manufactured product.

Unashamedly influenced by the world’s greatest winemakers, Waterford Whisky obsessively brings the same intellectual drive, methodology and rigour to barley – the very source of malt whisky’s complex flavour.

Extolling a hundred exclusive farms of Irish-grown barley, the distillery searches for natural flavours via three paths: its Single Farm Origins pursue the individualism of terroir-derived flavour; its Arcadian Farm Origins express the intensity of flavour from alternative philosophies and long-forgotten varieties; whilst its Cuvée Concepts revel in the ultimate complexity, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

For more information, visit www.waterfordwhisky.com.