EDINBURGH Psychologist CREATES TEST TO PREDICT the PERFECT WHISKY FOR YOUR PERSONALITY 

Dr Adam Moore and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society launch ‘Flavour Behaviour’ test after six-month international scientific study

How does your personality determine what flavours you prefer? And is there a way to predict the perfect whisky flavour for someone? Those are the questions Dr Adam Moore and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) are seeking to answer with the launch of their ‘Flavour Behaviour Test’.

The psychometric test (http://www.flavourbehaviour.com/), which matches personality types to flavours of whisky, is the result of a six-month international scientific study carried out by Dr Moore, a psychologist and research scientist based at the University of Edinburgh*, and the SMWS.

To create the predictive test, Dr Moore and the SMWS conducted quantative research with more than 300 volunteers at tasting events in Edinburgh, London, Islay, Washington D.C., Vancouver and Melbourne.

Each volunteer answered a personality test measuring the ‘Big 5’ personality dimensions (Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism). They then rated the 12 core flavours found in whisky by the experts at the SMWS such as sweet, fruity & mellow; light & delicate; juicy, oak & vanilla; oily & coastal; and heavily peated.

Dr Moore analysed the data from the test events and discovered some fascinating correlations between personality and flavour preferences. He used these findings to create an algorithm that analyses answers to the Flavour Behaviour questionnaire to predict which whisky flavours are suited to different personality types.

Dr Adam Moore said: “This has been a particularly exciting research study to be involved in as taste is the least understood of our senses, and this is the first project I’m aware of that has investigated the links between personality traits and preferences for whisky flavours.

“Together with the Society, we’ve used decision-making science and psychometric techniques to gather data from research events around the world to create this test, which we hope will help people to find the perfect whisky for them. These are early stages for this kind of research, but it’s fascinating to think where this type of study could lead for both how food and drink producers make goods and how consumers choose them.”

Helen Stewart, Senior Brand Manager at the SMWS, said: “At the Society, we explore the kaleidoscope of flavours in the whisky spectrum, rather than follow the traditional notions of whisky regions or distillery brands.

“We believe there is a perfect whisky flavour out there for everyone. The Flavour Behaviour Test is a fun and scientifically researched way to help with that search for the perfect dram – from novices struggling to find a whisky flavour they like among all the different varieties, or aficionados looking for inspiration for new whisky flavours to try.” 

Take the Flavour Behaviour test at www.Flavourbehaviour.com

@SMWSUK

#Flavourbehaviour

*Project not in official association with the University of Edinburgh

Tickets to Flavour Behaviour events during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at 28 Queen Street available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/project-flavour-behaviour-personality-test

Only 2 weeks left to get your tickets.

Why wait longer to get relaxed? Come to Maltstock 2016 and experience the Relaxed whisky weekend. * Share and enjoy whisky. * Meet industry people from Japan, Scotland and the Netherlands. * Attend masterclasses from: Cadenheads, Chichibu, Macallan, Ian Macleod distillers, the Creative Whisky Company, Zuidam, Douglas Laing, Old Pulteney, Speciality Drinks, Tony and of course  the Loch lomond campfire tasting done by Donald MacLellan. * Sit around the campfire for even more masterclass relaxedness on Saturday night. * Attend the famous Maltstock quiz. * Listen to live music. * Or party hard in the relaxed midnight cafe. More of the program can be found at www.maltstock.com, and if you want to get relaxed: Get your ticket(s) here: SHOP

Meet the stillman and mashman of Chichibu distillery.

Both will be visiting Maltstock this year. What an absolute honour to have them as our guests. Whisky lovers just like you but from Japan. Where will you ever get the change to have a casual chat with a stillman and mashman from a Japanese distillery?  And of course the always lovely Yumi Yoshikawa, the Chichibu brand ambassador will be at Maltstock as well.

Maltstock preference link.

Like some of our guests already have seen, we have sent all our guests the maltstock preference link. This is de link you need to let us know your masterclass preferences.  If you think “I didn’t got this mail”, or “I can’t find it anymore” and you have bought a Maltstock 2016 ticket. Please search your inbox and spam folder for this topic: “Maltstock2016-Masterclass_preference“. If you really can’t find it, please send us an email: info@maltstock.com and we will send you the link.  You have till the 25th of August to let us know your preferences, if we didn’t receive your preferences by then, we will give you a minimum of two random Masterclasses. So it’s better we think to let us know your preferences. Thank you!

While the weather may have gone from tropical sunshine, to wet and stormy, we were thrilled to have so many of you join us at our island home – for what is always a highlight on our distillery calendar. Whether you came along or not, we’d love to hear what you think.

Jura Tastival 2016 saw our Cooperage become home to our dramming bar for 2 days, the filling station transform into a pop up restaurant and a boat trip provide the perfect setting to sip a Jura, with fantastic views of the distillery.

A large live art installation brought the sweet and smoky flavours in our whisky to life, we picked poached pears from mini trees to pair with our drams and we toasted Willie Cochrane’s retirement at his last ever Tastival – but not before welcoming Graham Logan in his new role as distillery manager.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip to see us. And, whether you attended or not, your opinion on Tastival matters to us. We know our island is a long way from home, so what would make a journey to Jura worth it for you?

For the chance to win a bottle of the limited edition Jura Tastival 2016, tell us what you think about our whisky festival in this short survey.

It’s your festival as much as ours, and by sparing a few moments out of your day, you can help shape Jura Tastival 2017.

START SURVEY

The Team at the Jura Distillery

This week Joe Ellis reviews Glengoyne 18 Year Old Single Malt.

https://youtu.be/CK7StPR3dKU

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Tim Harfield and Sarah Bartholomew, lighting designer, apply the finishing touches to new features at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Queen Street venue after a £300,000 refurbishment. The venue opens in time for hosting Fringe shows Project Flavour Behaviour (Tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/project-flavour-behaviour-personality-test) & At the Illusionist’s Table (Tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/at-the-illusionist-s-table). (Full venue images to follow later this week). 

Highland Park 2007 Cask Strength

Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Whisky is for summer – not just for Christmas

Being a dedicated Scotch whisky drinker, I normally don’t do that well in summer. Traditionally, Scotch whisky is associated with cooler weather, and the past month here in London has not provided me with a suitable environment to sit around in a comfortable armchair with a dram, unless I’ve had a large fan pointed at my face. However, Scotch whisky is much more versatile than it’s given credit for – here’s how I’ve been surviving the summer in three easy steps:

1) Long Drinks

It may be blasphemy to some, but whisky is a great ingredient in long drinks. When it’s summer outside, you want something to slake your thirst and cool you down, and as long as you choose a whisky with a punchy-enough flavour, you can stretch things out without hiding its character.

My summer drinking kicked off on the summer solstice on 21 June. It was the longest day of the year and after an afternoon of rain, the clouds cleared and we had a long evening of summer sun. In true, decadent whisky-blogger fashion, I was on a Dalston rooftop drinking Highland Park cocktails. My favourite of the night was the simplest:

Simmer Dim 50ml Highland Park 12 Years Old 25ml elderflower cordial 25ml lemon juice Soda water

Fill a tall glass with ice, add the whisky, cordial and juice and stir. Top up with soda water and garnish with a lemon slice.

The sweetness of the elderflower and sourness of the lemon cancel each other out, and the soft smokiness of the Highland Park peeks out around the edges. One for warm evenings and hot afternoons.

2) Classic Cocktails

While the Prohibition-style cocktail obsession is (thankfully) starting to die down, I’m still a fan of the classics – simple, short drinks developed and popularised around the time that showcase a spirit rather than hiding it under layers of fruit juice or cream. American whiskeys are the most commonly used in my favourite recipes but Prohibition opened the door for illicit spirits imported from overseas, including Scotch whisky.

The simplest of the classics, although a drink that’s easy to make badly, is the Old Fashioned. It’s just three ingredients – spirit, bitters and sugar – but from those humble origins there’s a huge range of drinks you can create. Sticking with Scotch whisky, you want one that will stand up to being both chilled and diluted, as well as not get overtaken by the addition of sugar and bitters. I generally look for a punchy blended whisky, without the subtlety that will disappear when cooled and without too much spice, so the bitters add a flavour rather than amplifying something already present in the drink. Cutty Sark Prohibition fits the bill perfectly, beefing up Cutty’s regular easy-drinking style with more weight and a higher bottling strength of 50% ABV.

Everything in moderation – including ice.

Rather than spending hours stirring an Old Fashioned – the standard way of making the cocktail and the reason why asking for one in a busy bar will earn you death stares from the bartender – I go for a much simpler approach. While I claim it’s because I like the way the drink changes as you work your way through the glass – starting strong and whisky-heavy, ending with rich spice – it’s really because I’m lazy…

Lazy Old Fashioned 50ml Cutty Sark Prohibition A few dashes of Angostura bitters A pinch of sugar

Add the sugar and bitters to a tumbler with a little splash of whisky and stir it up until you get bored or the sugar dissolves. Fill the glass with ice, add the rest of the whisky and give it a quick stir. Drink slowly.

3) Chilled

Cooling down whisky has a bad reputation. It does massively change the flavour and can kill the more subtle notes in a dram, but sometimes a cold whisky really works. While filling a glass with ice will cool things down, it will also dilute your dram and wreak havoc on single malt – many of them can take a good slug of water, but too much will ruin your whisky. Using a really large ice cube will reduce the amount of dilution, but that’s also not always what you want. Whisky stones (small rocks that you keep in the freezer and add to your drink) don’t dilute but they also don’t cool very well. This leads to a simple solution:

Keep your whisky in the fridge.

Freezing a whisky is going a step too far for me, but chilling a bottle down in the fridge before an evening of warm-weather dramming works perfectly. You need to choose the whisky well and one that’s been working for me this month is the recently revitalised Inchmurrin 12 – it’s very fruity and chilling doesn’t diminish that character, instead quietening the weightier notes. Here’s what I found when tasted straight from the fridge:

INCHMURRIN 12 YEARS OLD

Nose: Creamy and fruity, with apple sauce, mango, pineapple and vanilla.

Palate: All of the fruit: sultanas, grapes, apples, pears, candied lemon, sweet mango and dried papaya. Hints of spice build as it warms in the mouth.

Finish: Short, with a hint of fruity sorbet.

In short: experiment. Scotch whisky can be great all year round, as long as you look outside of the more traditional approach to drinking it. Ignore the people who complain that you are destroying your dram – it’s your whisky, do what you want with it.

Evan Cattanach: 1935-2016

August 2, 2016 – Evan Cattanach was one of the giants of the Scotch Whisky industry, in size and in stature. Standing well over six feet tall, with a piercing stare counter-balanced by a large laugh, he knew more about Scotch Whisky than almost anyone and generously shared that knowledge with everyone. Even in his final years after a stroke forced him to use a wheelchair to attend whisky festivals, his smile and spirit never waned as he greeted longtime friends and whisky newcomers alike. The 80-year-old Cattanach passed away Sunday (July 31) in Mount Kisco, New York, where he had settled after relocating from Scotland……..please click here to read the remainder of the article by Mark Gillespie of WhiskyCast.

United States – Kentucky

Orphan Barrel “Rhetoric” 22 Year Old Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml – ships like 1.5L due to bottle shape) $119.99 View

Scotland

Glen Scotia 15 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml  $79.99 View

Lagavulin 8 Year Old Limited Edition Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)  $59.99 View

Loch Lomond ‘Lomond Reserve’ Blended Whisky 750ml  $16.99 View

Loch Lomond Original Single Malt Whisky 750ml  $32.99 View

Loch Lomond Single Grain Whisky 750ml  $27.99 View

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Beam Suntory Honors Independent Stave Company as 2015 Supplier of the Year

Deerfield, IL – July 14, 2016 – Beam Suntory has named Independent Stave Company its 2015 Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Program Supplier of the Year. Beam Suntory’s SRM Program was established in 2013, with 15 of the company’s key suppliers, based on their contributions to innovation, quality, service, risk mitigation, and cost.

ISC crafts the oak barrels in which Beam Suntory ages Jim Beam® Bourbon, the world’s No. 1-selling bourbon, as well as other iconic and award-winning Beam Suntory bourbons such as Maker’s Mark®, Knob Creek®, Basil Hayden’s®, Baker’s®, and Booker’s®.

Independent Stave Company was singled out for recognition from thousands of Beam Suntory suppliers for delivering quality improvements annually, strong collaboration with Beam Suntory plants and product development, and increased resource allocation to ensure new products are delivered on time.

“ISC has been a tremendous long-term partner to Beam Suntory, aligning closely with our business needs, and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement,” said David Hunter, global chief supply chain officer.  “They have invested assets and resources to maintain their competitiveness and to support our growth and innovation agenda.”

“High quality barrels are a critical element in crafting our great bourbons and we appreciate the skill and dedication that the ISC team brings to bear in support of our business,” Hunter added.

In addition to providing barrels to age Beam Suntory bourbons, ISC partners closely with Beam Suntory brands to create oak staves to spec that create surprising flavors in super-premium expressions of well-known bourbons, such as Maker’s 46®.

ISC was founded in 1912 as a stave manufacturing company in the Missouri Ozarks. The company began making barrels in the 1950s. Today ISC’s cooperages in Kentucky and Missouri craft a wide range of oak barrels and oak products to support the bourbon industry.

“We are truly honored to have been selected as Supplier of the Year by one of our oldest and most trusted partners,” said Brad Boswell, ISC President and fourth-generation cooper. “I would like to thank all ISC associates for making this possible. Your commitment to craftsmanship and innovation is the foundation on which our successful relationship with Beam Suntory has been built.”

The award was presented at Beam Suntory’s annual SRM Conference held on May 31st at Beam Suntory’s Urban Stillhouse in Louisville, KY.

“We’ve had an exciting decade navigating the bourbon renaissance in partnership with Beam Suntory, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds,” Boswell said.