THE TWEEDDALE LAUNCHES NEW GRAIN WHISKY – ‘GRAIN OF TRUTH’ – Scotch Whisky News
THE TWEEDDALE LAUNCHES NEW GRAIN WHISKY – ‘GRAIN OF TRUTH’
This October, heritage brand The Tweeddale will add a new single grain whisky to its repertoire – Grain of Truth.
The Tweeddale was first blended by J&A Davidson in 1820 in Coldstream in the Scottish Borders, and later continued by Richard Day from 1895 to 1940. In 2009 Alasdair Day –great-grandson of Richard Day – decided to recreate The Tweeddale and to continue Richard Day’s eminent legacy. Grain of Truth represents Alasdair Day’s latest effort to create a memorable, rich and complex single grain whisky, based on traditional Victorian craftsmanship with innovative maturation techniques.
Grain of Truth possesses an uncommon composition of 50% wheat and 50% malted barley. The spirit was matured in bourbon barrels and finished for nine months in fine Oloroso sherry hogsheads imbuing the whisky with rich and warming honey and orange notes on the nose. This evolves into touches of dark chocolate and cognac on the palate, which is balanced by Oloroso, orange and dark chocolate notes, with a dry and spicy finish.
Since its invention in the early nineteenth century, ‘Grain Whisky’ has been often been mistakenly maligned as an inferior category of whisky and despite its complexity and many desirable properties, it has been overshadowed by ‘Malt Whisky’. However, in recent years, grain whisky has witnessed a resurgence in popularity, with bartenders, industry experts and consumers alike reconsidering this style of spirit. Leading global award bodies have begun to introduce new categories in order to celebrate the increasing popularity of grain whisky, such as WWA’s Best Scotch Grain Award, which was won by The Tweeddale: A Silent Character in 2018.
The Tweeddale hopes that Grain of Truth will follow on from the success of R&B Distillers’ award-winning single grain, Borders, which was lauded at HKIWSC 2016 (Bronze) and in Scottish Field Readers’ Whisky Challenge 2017. With a strong heritage behind it, The Tweeddale is poised to redefine the perception of the category, and, through the launch of Grain of Truth, looks to the future of this grain whisky.
This unusual and memorable Grain of Truth has been designed with the curious drinker in mind. The 50% malted barley and sherry cask finish gives the whisky a more complex flavour than typical grain whiskies. Grain of Truth is delicious neat, on the rocks or with a mixer. The spirit flourishes when served in a Grain of Truth Highball: a refreshing long serve which retrains the distinctive sweet sherry and spice notes of Grain of Truth. In a highball glass stir equal parts of The Tweeddale: Grain of Truth Single Grain Scotch Whisky, premium quality ginger ale (or ginger beer) and bitters over ice. Garnish with fresh citrus fruit peel and serve as a light aperitif.
NOTES
Grain Of Truth is priced at £49.99 and is available to purchase on Master of Malt.
Notes on ‘Grain Whisky’:
Scotch whisky can be made from any cereal grain, traditionally barley, but also wheat and rye. Once the grain has been malted, it is mashed to convert starch into sugar using enzymes within the malt. These enzymes are also capable of converting starch in unmalted grain when mashed with malted grain. The resulting spirit is Grain Whisky, as opposed to “Malt Whisky”, which can only be made from malted barley.
The advent of continuous stills in the 1830s opened up new realms of possibility for whisky production and creating a grain whisky that is lighter than the often more pungent malt whisky. Merchants began to blend malt whisky and grain whisky together to produce a consistent spirit that brings out the most desirable characteristics of the component malts and grains. Master blender, Richard Day developed a number of recipes using quality grain whisky with a sherry influence, which adds an extra sweetness and smoothness. This lighter and fruitier style of blended whisky was widely enjoyed by discerning drinkers in the region during this period who tended to favour a smoother and more balanced tipple.
R&B DISTILLERS:
The Tweeddale is owned by independent Scottish whisky company R&B Distillers, which stands for Raasay and Borders. Co-founder and managing director of R&B Distillers, Alasdair Day embodies this coupling: his great-grandfather, Allan MacDonald, hailed from the Hebrides, while his other great grandfather, Richard Day, was a master-blender in the Scottish Borders during the early 19th Century.
Trained as a botanist and food scientist, Alasdair first entered the whisky business in 2009, when he inherited his great grandfather Richard Day’s cellar book. Richard Day had a small licensed grocer’s shop in Coldstream in the Scottish Borders where he blended and bottled whisky. He recorded his recipes meticulously in the cellar book and left it for the family when he retired after the Second World War. Alasdair eventually recreated one of his great grandfather’s signature blends called The Tweeddale using his original recipe. The Tweeddale was reborn and has since evolved into a premium range of small batch blended, single malt and single grain whiskies, inspired by his great-grandfather’s legacy.
R&B Distillers Raasay Distillery commenced production in September 2017, the spirit is now quietly maturing and will be ready to drink from 2020. Raasay Single Malt will be ready to drink from 2020 and will encapsulate the rugged elegance of the island terroir.
