Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 163: Paul John Single Cask #1051 for Belgium

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries an Indian whisky. When thinking of India in terms of whisky, Amrut is probably top of mind. But since a few years, there is a new distillery that is conquering the hearts of whisky aficionados all of the world: Paul John Whisky. Let’s check out a single cask that was bottled exclusively for Belgium.

https://youtu.be/Yt2z6p1yMUc

Site visit to Forsyth’s in Rothes, Speyside. Potty about Copper!

I was lucky enough to tour the Rothes plant with Ingvar Ronde and was amazed at what I saw! Copper everywhere, flat and made up ready to go, bits for stills and pipes all over the place, this company is really busy, so thanks to them for allowing us in to spoil their day … I could have stayed there all day taking photos every few minutes, with items wrapped and labelled going around the world, or just up the road to Glenfiddich, also a pile destined for my local area, to Lindores distillery (I will be there soon). Aye you can see my photos, obviously I am no in them as I took them! Thanks go to Forsyth’s and Ingvar’s group. This was just one visit on a packed itinerary for Ingvar, on tour with us again. More blogs will follow re the whole tour.

Alexander Forsyth served his time as a coppersmith in Rothes in the 1890’s. The owner of the brass and copperworks at the time was Robert Willison. After finishing his apprenticeship Alexander remained with Willison as a tradesman and then foreman until 1933. It was at this point that he bought the business from the retiring Willison. Forsyth and Son was born. The son was Ernest (better known as “Toot”) and after returning from service in the Second World War he took over the running of the business. Toot quickly introduced new welding techniques to replace the traditional riveting process which helped keep the business moving with times.Today fourth generation Richard Ernest carries on the mantle as Managing Director.

Their engineers have experience in the process design of pot and column still plants, mashing to final distillation. During the design phase they can size plant, specify equipment, produce flow schematics and P&ID’s, size piping and specify automation as required, all handcrafted and hand shaped pots to any contour or size that clients desire. In the last 20 years Forsyths have been exporting all over the globe – pots from 50L to 25,000L charge capacity using direct flame firing, steam coil, steam jacket, electric element or electric hotplate as the heat source, still heads in any shape with the main three styles being ogee, lamp glass and boil ball all of which are finished with a sweeping swan neck. Their two main areas of business are the oil and gas industries. Typical fabrications include structural steelwork, piping, pressure vessels, umbilical/pipe reels and tanks. Alcoholic industries (we know them for better I think) from the supply of distillation equipment only to turnkey distillery design and build, plant upgrade or expansion projects.

Distilleries take great pride in their stills, no two have the same shape or size. But why? Is there more to their design than meets the eye? The Whisky Professor tells all. Does size matter? the shape and size of a still has a significant effect on the character of the spirit being produced – and it is all to do with copper. Copper was first used to make stills because it is malleable and can be worked into shape easily. This longer the contact between vapour and copper, the lighter the spirit will be. A taller still is more likely to produce a light spirit – hello Glenmorangie – the tallest stills in Scotland, with long necks measuring nearly 17 feet high. They say only the lightest and purest vapors make it all the way up and out. A smaller still is more likely to make a heavy spirit because that conversation is a short one. Think Macallan. The angle of the lyne arm also has an impact. If it points upwards that copper contact and reflux is extended. A downward-angled lyne arm stops the contact in its tracks and helps to gather robust flavours. Distillers choose the shape of the still and manage the way it is run in order to produce the distillery’s unique character. One of the things Forsyth’s offer is a design service, they offer many types, size and shape of still to the client, who then can pick and mix to design their own unique still. So, shape does matter, Macallan have small stills – 3,900 litres, they believe the shape offers rich, fruity characteristics.

The difference between pot stills and column stills is that pot stills operate on a batch by batch basis, while column stills are/cab be continuously. With column distillation, the mash enters near the top of the still and begins flowing downward bringing it closer to the heating source, once heated enough to evaporate the vapor rises up through plates. At each plate the vapor ends up leaving behind some of its heavier compounds. Most pot stills are made entirely from copper, column stills may be part stainless steel.

Did I enjoy my visit to Forsyth’s? Aye, can you no tell?

Paul McLean, on tour with Ingvar Ronde, Scotland, May 2017

http://www.whiskytours.scot/

Dumbarton 30 Year Old 1987 10th Anniversary

Hot on the heels as our Irish single cask we’re delighted to present the next bottling of our 10th Anniversary series. A 30 Year Old single grain from the lost Dumbarton distillery. Selected by our friends at Hunter Laing & Co. in Glasgow and bottled May 2017 from a single barrel yielding 197 bottles. Dumbarton distillery closed in 2002 and demolition was completed in early 2017. A little bit of history in a bottle.

SHOP – £86.59

Feis Ile, the yearly Islay Festival of Music and Malt, is a fixture of the Scotch malt whisky scene. Every year, the population of the isle of Islay doubles for a week at the end of May, as whisky fans from around the world descend on the island. Hotel bookings are made more than a year in advance and you even need to get in months early to get a pitch at one of the island’s campsites. Suffice to say, it’s a big thing in the whisky world.

The Islay Festival of Music and Malt

It started in the 1980s, growing out of a drama festival. At first it focused on music and local culture, but since 1990, the year of the first festival whisky tasting, Islay distilleries have become more involved and now dominate the week.

Bowmore’s famous round church – built with no corners for the devil to hide in

Each distillery on the island is assigned a day of the festival week, so staying from Saturday to Saturday is a must if you want to experience all of the festivities. They also each produce at least one special festival bottling, usually launched at the open day, so if you’re trying to catch them all, you’ll need to hang around for the whole week.

• Saturday 27 May – Lagavulin
• Sunday 28 May – Bruichladdich
• Monday 29 May – Caol Ila
• Tuesday 30 May – Laphroaig
• Wednesday 31 May – Bowmore
• Thursday 1 June – Kilchoman and Jura
• Friday 2 June – Bunnahabhain
• Saturday 3 June – Ardbeg

You can find full details on the Islay Festival website.

The Whisky Exchange Islay Pop-up Bar

Along with the distilleries, there are a few whisky companies who make their way up to the island. This year we are joining the throng and will be opening a pop-up bar in Port Ellen. We’ll be at Ramsay Hall on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, open from 6pm to 11pm.

The plan is simple: we’re providing a laid-back bar to escape from the hectic rush of the festival. There’ll be whiskies from every distillery on Islay, both current releases and some incredible drams from their back catalogues – TWE director Sukhinder has raided his stash to find us some very special bottles. We’ll be selling whisky by the 1cl measure, and prices start at £2.

You can find a list of many of the drams we’ll be pouring on this page, But here are a few of Sukhinder’s highlights:

• Bowmore 1966 Duncan Taylor
• Caol Ila 1969 Dark Sherry Gordon & MacPhail
• Lagavulin 1978 Cadenhead’s (a whisky I’ve lusted after for years)
• Port Ellen 1969 Connosseurs Choice

We’ll also have beer from Loch Fyne, The Botanist gin from Bruichladdich, and a big bucket of ice for making highballs and G&Ts. There’s no entry fee, so come along, say hello and have a relaxed evening of great drams.

Elements of Islay and Port Askaig

During the day, Ramsay Hall will be filled with whisky from our friends at Elixir Distillers, producer of Elements of Islay and Port Askaig. They’ll be pouring samples all day, as well as running tastings throughout the week. Head over to the tickets page to book:

1. Daily Port Askaig masterclass
2. Daily Elements of Islay quiz
3. Port Askaig Pilgrimage walk
4. Port Askaig tasting at Port Ellen lighthouse

They’re also selling bottles and merchandise, so whether you need a bottle of Port Askaig 100° Proof or an Elements of Islay T-shirt, pop in and have a dram while you wait.

Elements of Islay Ar9

And finally, there’s a special festival bottling – Elements of Islay Ar9. It’s a heavily sherried whisky from a cult south-coast distillery. We’ll leave it as an exercise to the reader to guess which one…

Elements of Islay Ar9. Feis Ile 2017 Release. 51.6% ABV

Nose: Dark chocolate and sappy pine lead to a core of salted caramel and treacle toffee. Spiced, stewed apples mingle with tar and creosote, with a seaside bonfire burning underneath – salt spray, burning driftwood and layers of rich, smoky peat.

Palate: Singed raisins, sweet liquorice and charcoal ash start things off, with a dive through bitter liquorice pastilles and blackcurrant wine gums into a pool of bittersweet dark chocolate for afters. Sharp mineral notes flicker around the edges before toffee apples and salted caramel burst through. Smoke is intertwined with the other flavours: burning citrus peel, sweet peat and rich wood smoke dive in and out.

Finish: A bright explosion of mint and menthol fades away, leaving earthy peat, fruity chocolate, bitter ash and touches of sweet pastry.

Comment: A monster of a dram that doesn’t forget its origins. Beneath the layers of sherry-cask fruit and dark chocolate are the clear fingerprints of this cult Kildalton distillery.

It’ll be exclusively available from the Elixir Distillers gang at Ramsay Hall on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the festival. If there’s any left, The Whisky Exchange has first dibs and it’ll be on the website when we get back from the island. Click here to sign up to receive an email if and when it goes on sale.

English Whisky wins two highly prestigious awards at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held at the Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, April 20th through April 23rd. 43 spirits experts convened to judge a record-breaking number of entries – over 2,100!

The English – Original Winner of the highly prestigious Gold award at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition The English – Original. Aged to perfection in specially selected Bourbon Casks. An unpeated single malt whisky. A great easy-drinking classic single malt. Taste: A gentle aroma with hints of vanilla and tropical fruits. Like a soft whipped vanilla ice cream. Melts on the palate. Slightly nutty with a long malty finish. Finish is clean, dry and slightly salty.

The English – Smokey Winner of the highly prestigious Silver award at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition The English – Smokey. Aged to perfection in specially selected casks. A peated (45ppm) single malt whisky. A lovely waft of smoke on the palate, ideal alternative for the Islay fan. Taste: A gentle aroma with hints of vanilla, aniseed & ginger, a creamy palate, a little peat initially and then the smoke bomb! Finish is long, spicy and smokey.

Call 01953 717939 or email info@englishwhisky.co.uk

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Whether it’s the raging debate about no-age-statement releases, or questions about how old a whisky I’m pouring at a festival around the world is, age is currently a hot topic. Something I’m often asked is how older whiskies compare to younger ones.

George Grant, sales director at Glenfarclas, recently hosted a tasting of six bottlings from The Family Casks series, one each from the 1950s through to the 2000s. It inspired me to find out more about if older whisky tastes better – or is it just different?

Production methods have changed since the 1950s, and there are three main factors that have influenced the evolving flavour of whisky.

Springbank is one of the few distilleries that still does its own maltings

Maltings

Fifty years ago, many distilleries had their own maltings. This gave them full control over the whisky-making process and allowed them to develop their own character by determining the length of the germination period, peating level and yield. However it is incredibly labour intensive and not particularly efficient, hence a lot of money was saved when most distilleries ceased to do it themselves and ued commercial maltings instead. It also allowed distilleries to have standardisation within the process, for example using air to dry to barley, rather than whatever was readily available on that day. Some distilleries which still use their own maltings include Springbank, Highland Park, Kilchoman and Laphroaig. The first two whiskies we tried on the night were from pre-1972, when Glenfarclas closed its maltings. They were noticeably different to the rest of the line-up in having hints of smoke, partly due to the fact that small amounts of peat were used to dry the barley at the time.

Heat source

Prior to the 1980s, most distilleries used directly-fired stills, where the heat source (typically coal, peat or wood) is placed underneath the still and lit. Most moved to internal heating, which saves both energy and money, but this also changes the character of the whisky, so many whiskies you try from the 1970s will differ from the same expression from the same distillery made in the 1980s. One recent example to move from direct firing by gas to internal steam heating was Macallan, which changed in 2010, so keep an eye on releases in the coming years and you can decide for yourself. Glenfarclas tested internal heating in one still for three weeks in 1981 but the character of the spirit completely changed. And it wasn’t just the opinion of the distillery itself. A sample was sent for chemical analysis, and it was sent back with three options for the original distillery – none of which was Glenfarclas! As a result it is one of a handful distilleries that still uses direct-fired stills (albeit with gas as a more-efficient heat source), a list that includes Glenfiddich and Springbank.

Casks

The cask used has a big effect on the final whisky. The size, age and number of times it has been used are all factors. A first-fill cask will impart lots of flavour within the first decade, so is better suited to younger whiskies, while spirit aged in a fourth-fill cask will cause less reaction between the wood and the spirit. The quality of the cask is also important – with sherry casks costing up to £750, you don’t want to have a cask that leaks. Production methods and knowledge of the ageing process have improved greatly over the past 20 years, with Glenmorangie the pioneer with its use of different casks and also sending its head of distilling, Dr Bill Lumsden, to America to select trees for its casks.

Other (more technical) changes include new strains of yeast, changing fermentation times to produce different styles of spirit, and replacing manual jobs with robots. The big one for sherried whiskies is the banning of paxarette by The Scotch Whisky Act 1988, which considered it as an additive. Widely used to season sherry casks up until the 1980s, this blend of Pedro Ximénez grapes and essences was added to the cask before it was filled with spirit, added a richness and sweetness to whiskies aged in otherwise ‘tired’ casks.

Five of the whiskies we tried, to see if older is better:

We tried six releases:

• a rich, sherried and spicy 1959
• a dried-fruit-led 1966
• a fresh and pure example of the distillery style from 1974
• 1983
• the 2015 release of 1992 vintage, which had lots of tropical-fruit notes and
• a soon-to be released 2001, which had similar hallmarks to the 1959.

For me, the oldest and youngest were too full-on for my palate. The 1983 was interesting, but very un-Glenfarclas (due to the recession at the time, the distillery ‘gambled’ by using cheaper casks) with a more malty style. My favourites were the 1974 and 1992, both different styles but with the classic Glenfarclas fruity character.

So is older whisky better? Not neccessarily – it’s just different.

The Pride of Glenmorangie

We’re getting the ladders out today to climb up to our Collector’s Loft and make some room for a very special bottle from the Glenmorangie distillery in the Highlands. The latest release from “The Glen of Tranquility” is the oldest single malt the distillery has ever bottled – rightly deserving of a place in our loft!

Next day UK delivery available We ship worldwide

Glenmorangie Pride 1974

Distilled on 30th October 1974, this Highland Single Malt is the oldest ever released by Glenmorangie to date. Laid down in two parcels, one in bourbon refill casks and another in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks, the spirit matured for 41 years before being filled to just 503 crystal decanters, crafted by celebrated glassware designer Laurence Brabant.

£7,200 Buy Now

Red Breast 12 Cask Strength

https://youtu.be/dOjvU-_v11g 

Welcome, one. Welcome, all! Irish whimsy is awesome! For those of you that don’t think that, you’ve just not tried that right ones yet! Red Breast is a whisky that is rather close to my heart. The 12yo standard release is something that’s so good, it should only be allowed in small portions. Arguably, one of the most moreish whisky on the planet. It’s cask strength bog brother has elements of that attractive and thick taste but has a fair bit of spice to keep anyone who isn’t prepared for it away. IT’s a balanced spice, one that doesn’t really appear until the very end of the taste, but it’s there nonetheless. Don’t be tricked by the triple distillation and the pot still style, this things packs as large a wallop as Roy Keane tackling you through your ankles. Friendly appearance of Irish charm, but beneath it lies a storm of spice and true adventure in Irish flavour style. Cheers!

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Kilchoman 100% Islay

The 100% Islay series from Kilchoman distillery is very special & unique. All parts of the process in making this Islay whisky, from the growing & malting of the barley, distillation, maturation to bottling, take place at the distillery on Islay.

It’s been exciting to watch the Kilchoman spirit grow throughout the years, we’ve been lucky enough to sample the latest release and can confirm it’s once again, an excellent dram!

£68.48

Kilchoman 100% Islay | 7th Release

The 1st release from this excellent series seems like only yesterday but we’re already moving onto the 7th edition of 100% Islay from Kilchoman distillery.

The oldest expression to date is a vatting of fresh & refill ex-bourbon, bottled at 50% vol, which works perfectly for this release…

Yoichi 10 Year Old

A ten year old, elegantly peaty single malt from Nikka’s beautiful Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido, where whisky is made as it used to be in Scotland with small direct-fired stills and matured in the finest wood the company can find. Bottled at 45% for extra oomph.  Extremely hard to find, very rare, only 6 bottles available.

BUY NOW