And I guess that's it for now...
Sweet drams,

Johannes

The picture was taken during Feis Ile 2006.
I couldn't make it myself this year, but Serge
put up a special page just like last year with
some of the highlights. I hope that one of the
maniacs that did go writes a full report for MM..

Anyway, as always you can find the full contents of MM#18
in the green column at the right. The malt maniacs seem to be
taking the lead with the silent distillery profiles; they're already
half-way through the 'G' distilleries while I haven't even started
yet with 'G' with respect to the active distilleries in Scotland.
However, once I've brought my Hamstergeddon administration
up to date I plan to dedicate a few weekends to the profiles.

Update 01/07/2006 - Now that the second part of 2006
is upon us it's high time we started the preparations for the
annual Malt Maniacs Awards. Messages to sponsors who've
already participated in the past will be sent over the next
few days. Potential new sponsors who'd like to submit one
or more bottles to this year's competition (or just want to
stay updated) are hereby invited to contact me by mail.

Update 15/07/2006 - Just a mere week after we've sent
out the invitations for the Malt Maniacs Awards 2006, some
twenty participants have already confirmed they would join.
If our experiences of previous years are anything to go by
many more will follow over the weeks to come. Hurray!
Or is it? We don't want to bite off more than we can chew,
so we may have to 'close the gates' earlier than planned.

Other news: three fresh E-pistles have been published;
Maniacal Tasting in Ingooigem
Glenglassaugh Distillery Profile
The Whiskey World In The Wild, Wild, West!

Meanwhile, the big reconstruction of the site
that I'm working on is already casting its long
shadow over the last issues of Malt Maniacs
and has caused the updates to to appear less
frequently than they used to. It's not so much
that the other maniacs and myself have been
writing less; it's just that our E-pistles and log
entries are now published in infrequent 'bursts'.
Please bear with me for a few more months...

Well, isn't this a pretty picture to start your day?
At first sight this may seem like some weird freak sexually
assaulting an innocent cask, but it's actually our very own
Canadian malt maniac Davin de Kergommeaux who's just...
erm... well... sexually assaulting a cask, apparently...
Needless to say Davin claims his encounter was perfectly
innocent and platonic, but as they say pictures don't lie...

E-pistle #18/01 - Alsatian Adventures 2006 (Part 1)
Submitted on 01/06/2006 by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland

I've listed all the obscure drams (more than three dozen) I've tried during my latest trip
to Alsace in a special report in my Liquid Log two weeks ago, but not my tasting notes for
these whiskies. High time to rectify that omission - and test a new 'fixed' format for my
tasting notes while I'm at it. With the major overhaul of the website that's coming up I'd
like to see if there's a way to 'standardise' the tasting notes on Malt Maniacs a little more,
which would be a requirement if we decide to start working with a database in the future.
I'll get back to the 'format' issue later on; this report focuses on my adventures in Alsace.

But first, for those of you not too familiar with European history and geography, a little
background information about Alsace (or, in German, Elsass). Alsace is the smallest of the
26 'régions' of France, located alongside the eastern border with Germany and Switzerland.
Alsace or bordered by the Rhine river in the east and the Vosges mountains in the west.

The history of the region is quite fascinating, and at a few points in time parts of Holland
actually belonged to the same political entity as Alsace, the infamous 'Holy Roman Empire'.
The area was part of the Germanic sphere of influence and the names of many old villages
(Wintzenheim, Ingersheim, Benfeld, etc.), the architecture and the local dialect still reflect
the German heritage. During the 17th century Alsace came under French sovereignty but
became part of the new German Empire again after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-'71.
Alsace remained German until the end of World War I, when Germany had to relisquish it
under the Treaty of Versailles. Shortly after, the regional government of Alsace-Lorraine
declared independence but that was a tad optimistic; France took over again a week later.

The capital and largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg, part-time seat of the European parliament.
The area around the ancient city of Colmar has a special microclimate; Colmar is the driest city in France with an annual precipitation of only 550 mm. This is one of the features that makes this area ideal for growing the famous Alsatian wines - something that our fellow malt maniac Olivier Humbrecht is very good at - which conveniently brings us back to more maniacal matters. Sadly enough Olivier was in Scotland during my latest visit, but we should meet again at the MM Awards filling party in September. Besides, at the pace at which Serge was pouring me drams there would have been little time for chit-chat anyway....

We started our dramming on tuesday evening after a lovely meal with a pair of Deanstons.
This would be the first of a series of 'head-to-head head-to-head sessions - H2H², if you will...
Serge and I both compared two expressions from the same distillery at the same time; first for a few minutes making notes in silence, then comparing and discussing those notes and impressions and exploring the malt further. As always, the 'grand finale' of each H2H was the revealing of our scores - often no more than a few points apart, but occasionally radically different. Interestingly enough, we are now able to predict pretty accurately when one of us will score a whisky dramatically higher or lower than the other...

Deanston NAS (40%, OB, "100% Highland", Bottled Late 1970's)
Nose: Sweet. Faintest hint of dust. Some antiquity? Lovage. Lots of 'gravitas' in the nose. A few weak moments.
Taste: Old oranges. Orange skin. Gritty. Pretty pleasant - certainly for a Deanston which I wasn't a fan of.
Score: 83 points - my favourite Deanston ever, beating the Deanston 25yo 1977/2003 (50.3%, Cadenhead).

Deanston 12yo (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 1990)
Nose: Grainier and lighter than the NAS. Hint of oil? Sweetens out. Sunflower seeds. A little sweaty.
Taste: Phew! Gritty and bitter. Herbal - in a Swiss herbal bonbons way. Resinous. Pine. Tea Tannins.
Score: 65 points - yes, this is much more along the lines of the unimpressive 1990's Deanstons I know.

Bang! So, now the evidence so far suggests that there actually were some good Deanstons around in the 1970's.
Official bottlings of Deanston from the 1990's never managed to impress me, but a recent experience with a 2005 expression of the 12yo suggests that they've found the way up again. Further proof that my current mission (trying to sample six expressions from each distillery to determine which distilleries I could safely ignore in the future) may turn out to be a fool's errand. But let's reserve the 'evealuations' until I've actually finished the project, shall we? Instead, let's look at the notes for the other duets of the evening...

Fettercairn 13yo 1980/1994 (43%, Sign, Cask 2001-02, 750 b.)
Nose: Liquorice. Sour. Rancio. Raisin skins. Warm strawberry sauce. A tad more expressive than the 14yo?
Taste: Winey. Bubblegum. Oranges. Bitter woodiness. Roasted nuts and chocolate. A highly engaging malt.
Score: 89 points - and once again Serge served me a 'best expression ever'! Just short of the nineties.

Fettercairn 14yo 1980/1994 (43%, Sign, Cask 2003-04, 680 b.)
Nose: Leather. Sweeter and spicier than the 13yo. meaty. Tea. Hint of antiquity, perhaps?
Taste: Not quite as extreme as the 13yo. Just a little tannic in comparison. Peppery mouth feel.
Score: 87 points - another distillery that I wasn't all that interested in jumps into the limelight!

Glenury Royal 1964/1977 (80 Proof, Cadenhead's Dumpy - 12yo age statement?)
Nose: Sweet fruits. Not very expressive at first, but grows more austere. Metallic. Ink. Oatmeal. Dead fish?
Taste: A strong peaty foundation - a nice surprise! Excellent mouth feel, but falls apart a bit after ten minutes.
Score: 87 points - but Serge said it reminded him of old Clynelish and scored it higher. His right to be wrong ;-)

Glenury Royal 1966/1979 (46%, Cadenhead's 'Dumpy')
Nose: Starts sweet, but grows spicier quickly. Lemon drops. Rubber. Pilchards. The blue pearly liquorice all sorts.
Taste: Peaty, just like the 1964. Salty. Dry. Phenolic. Hot and dry in the finish. Slightly tannic. All in all: lovely.
Score: 88 points - chalk on more up for the veterans: a beautiful old / young malt whisky...

Strathisla 10yo (43%, Chivas OB, Italy, Bottled 1960's)
Nose: Creamy & fruity. Refined. Lychees. Dry hay. Faintest hint of oil? Just a tad watery, perhaps.
Taste: Big sweet and fishy, That's right - as odd as it sounds, that's the combination of flavours I got.
Score: 80 points - but it might have earned one or two points if it hadn't dropped off after ten minutes.

Strathisla 1967/2003 (54,3%, G&M for Barmetro 35th Anniversary, C#2063, 153 Bottles)
Nose: Rich & deeply sherried. Maggi. Oak. Hint of soap. Spicy. Light fruits drifting over a smoky foundation.
Taste: Massive fruits. Quite a potent bite. Hint of smoke, touch of bitterness. Poweful tannins. Lovely!
Score: 91 points - the nose is enormously big and expressive. And once again: a 'best ever' expression.

And now for the 'grand finale' of my first day in France: not one but two Kinclaiths.
When it comes to obscure malts, they don't get much more obscure than Kinclaith and Ladyburn...

Kinclaith 35yo 1969/2004 (53.2%, Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare, C#301455, 207 Bottles)
Nose: Liquorice & aniseed. Not terribly expressive. String beans. Hint of oil. Minerals. You have to work at it.
Taste: Pleasant enough, but a little nondescript. Dry and a tad gritty. You can't really taste the age here.
Score: 78 points - a little 'better' than average, but at this age (and price) I would expect something more.

Kinclaith 35yo 1969/2004 (54%, Signatory, Cask #301443, 217 Bottles)
Nose: Liquorice & aniseed again. Quite subtle. Malty. Paprika. Farmy. Sweaty. Minerals. More oil. Turnip.
Taste: Quite hot and a little gritty. Tannins. Not nearly as interesting on the palate as in the nose, I'm afraid.
Score: 81 points - a class up from the Duncan Taylor bottling, but still not particulary impressive for a 35yo.

And that was the end of the first day of my visit to Serge in Alsace.
And what an educational day it was... For example, I've learned that the experiences I've described as 'herbal' in my tasting notes may be very different from what some people associate with this term. When I say 'herbal' I mean tastes and aroma's in the 'rainbow' that includes Swiss herbal cough bonbons, and herbal bitters like 'Beerenburger' and 'Unterberg'. Impressions that are in a similar section of the spectrum are pine, resin, camphor and eucalyptys at one end and aniseed and liquorice root at the other. However, when Serge writes down 'herbal' he means 'herbs de provence' like thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc.

So, I guess we'll have to try to come up with a 'uniform' vocabulary as soon as possible...
And the topic is also closely related to the 'MM tasting Tool' and the 'rainbows' mentioned in earlier AaA discussions.
Several people recommended David Wishart's book 'Whisky Classified, so I ordered that from Amazon as research material. From what I've heard the methodology sounds erm... sound when you talk about a specific expression / batch / bottling, but I wonder if it could be applied to the entire output of a distillery. Surely the 'profile' for a peated Benriach would be different from an unpeated one - and a sherried Glendronach would also produce another spider diagram than one matured in bourbon casks...
But that's a topic for another E-pistle - back to my trip to France.

My first day in Alsace was hardly a full day, actually - more like a 'warming up' for day II.
The second day would be my only full day in France this time, so when Serge woke up I was already eagerly waiting by the pool to start the dramming. Serge wisely suggested some breakfast first. This was no ordinary breakfast, however - it evolved into some sort of tasting as well. First, I got to try six different kinds of honey, including pine honey and a very interesting dark chestnut variety; sort of the 'Islay' among honeys. Next was a glass of Chartreuse VEP at 54%, bottled in 2001. Very nice! Somewhere inbetween Jagermeister and Pernod, but sweeter on the palate. Great balance between the herbs and the sweetness - even at 9:30 AM!

I finished breakfast with a piece of propolis 'pure a marcher' - a strange substance used as chewing gum.
My tiny little head wasn't able to store all the information Serge shared with me over breakfast, so I looked it up.
Where? At Wikipedia of course - and here are the highlights;

'Propolis is a wax-like resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds or other botanical sources and used as cement and to seal cracks or open spaces in the hive. Its color varies from green to brown and reddish, depending of its botanical source. Bees will use propolis to attempt to seal any gap inside the hive that is smaller than 5 or 6 mm. (...) Bees may also use it to prevent diseases and parasites in the hive. Bees normally carry waste (dead larva, etc.) out of and away from the hive. However if, for example, a mouse chews its way into the hive for a winter nest and dies, the bees won't be able to move it out through the hive entrance. They have instead been known to seal the carcass in propolis, effectively mummifying the mouse. Propolis is marketed by health food stores as a traditional medicine, and for its claimed beneficial effect on human health. Depending upon its precise composition it may show powerful local antibiotic and antifungal properties. The composition of propolis will vary from hive to hive, district to district, and from season to season. Normally it is dark brown colored, but it can be found in green, red, black and white colored, depending from the sources found in hive area. Bees are, after all, opportunists, and will gather what they need from available sources, and each hive will find its own individual sources. Therefore, the exact composition is never absolutely the same between any two hives, and various potential medicinal properties may be present in one hive's propolis, and absent from another. Typical propolis has approximately 50 constituents, primarily resins and vegetable balsams (50%), waxes (30%), essential oils (10%), and pollen (5%).'

There's loads more to tell, but you can look that up for yourself.
Why is that interesting, you ask? Well, I tasted a piece and was sort of an eye-opener; I got resin, aspirin and pine shampoo, growing more medicinal and almost 'smoky' over time as I kept chewing it. The interesting thing is that I can't recall ever finding this combination of 'herbal' and 'Islay' characteristics in a malt whisky, so I never saw a connection between the 'Islay' rainbow (peat, smoke, brine, iodine, etc.) and the 'herbal' rainbow (eucalyptus, camphor, pine, resin, etc.). Could there be a 'missing link' and are these rainbows actually connected in the overall spectrum of smells and tastes? A topic for further research...

Now, on to the 'skalks' we poured ourselves after we set up our 'laboratory' on the terrace.
We started relatively soft and easy with two young Glenburgies...

Glenburgie 5yo (40%, OB, Bottled Late 1960's, Italy)
Nose: Apple, hint of beer and - hey! - chartreuse... Some sweetness, growing lighter and herbal over time.
Taste: Altogether a little flat, but pleasant enough. Round, smooth centre, growing woody towards the finish.
Score: 78 points - above average, but not much more. I didn't notice any obvious 'old bottle effect'.

Glenburgie 10yo (40%, G&M 'OB', Bottled circa 2004)
Nose: Oily with a hint of antiquity (?). A weird one. Hard boiled egg white. Madeira. Sour cream. Subtle smoke.
Taste: Phew!!! Herbal and very bitter. It loses many points here. This is a malt for sniffing, not for drinking.
Score: 70 points - although I should point out that the nose alone would have put it well in the 80's...

Balmenach 1970 (40%, G&M Connoisseur's Choice Old Brown Label, 12yo?)
Nose: Light and quite subtle. A fairly 'natural' malt that doesn't seem to choose any direction.
Taste: A dull start, followed by a decent centre. Herbal, bitter finish. Again, nothing really stands out.
Score: 75 points - all in all this is a prototypical 'average' malt whisky; hence the 'average' score.

Balmenach 12yo (43%, Flora & Fauna, Bottled Late 1990's)
Nose: Clearly sherried, but not overpowering. Some sulphur. Faint spices and organics. Radish. Antiquity.
Taste: A little uneven. Fruity with some tannins. Grows very woody and bitter in the finish. Too bad.
Score: 79 points - a very nice malt on the nose but the bitter, woody finish pulls it from the 80's.

Glen Albyn 10yo (43%, OB, Bottled 1960's)
Nose: Roses. Extremely subtle - might as well have been a blend. The faintest hint of peat?
Taste: Smooth and drinkable, with faint peat on the palate too. Dry, bitter finish. A downbeat ending...
Score: 64 points - but Serge, who has a far better nose seemed to pick up much more to love here

Glen Albyn 1973/1998 (40%, G&M Connoisseur's Choice)
Nose: Light and slightly fruity. Vase water. Sublimally interesting. Mellows out. Subtle, but it grew on me.
Taste: Pine in the start. Woody and just a tad bitter. A good drinking whisky but too MOTR for my tastes.
Score: 73 points - just below average, like many other Connoisseur's Choice bottlings of the period.

Around this time a wild idea popped up in my mind....
Serge and I popped into Frederique's herb garden now and then for reference purposes - it's really great that you can do a H2H tasting with a glass in one hand and a plant in the other to find out if there was indeed 'mint' in the malt. For a long time I've had the plan to convert an old horse stable in our neck of the woods into a dramming room, and now I'm starting to think I should try to design some sort of 'nosing garden' as well. There are many interesting tastes and smells to be found in the woods; honeysuckle, juniper, blueberries, wild strawberries, all sorts of and mushrooms and nuts, the (rotting) wood and leaves of trees, etc.
Another point on my 'to do list of life'... But let's get back to the Alsatian dramming now...

Glenallachie 12yo 1992/2004 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Cask #453)
Nose: Appears quite young. A little grainy. Not too expressive - slightly farmy. Herbal and quite clean...
Taste: A touch of bitterness. Fairly flat and unimaginative. Decent enough but it still loses some points here.
Score: 70 points - no obvious flaws but no highlights either. But then again I've grown spoilt over the years...

Glenallachie 1981/2004 (55.9%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, Cask #600)
Nose: Ah! A subtle richness. Nicely balanced sherry with a hint of coffee. Sweetens out with water.
Taste: Potent enough, with just the right amount of tannins for me. Salty. Flattens out after adding water.
Score: 82 points - the nose shows lots of development; it grows farmier with time. Best malt of the day so far...

Glencraig 19yo 1981/2001 (59,5%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, 276 Bottles)
Nose: Polished. Oak? 'Boerenjongens' (raisins in brandy). Subtle at the surface. Chloride. Nougat. Chestnut honey.
Taste: Sweet & solid. What a great mouth feel at cask strength... Just a tad gritty in the finish - no real 'flaw'.
Score: 84 points - if I remember correctly Serge told me this is the only sherried Glencraig ever released. Great!

Glencraig 30yo 1974/2004 (40.2%, Rarest of the Rare, Cask #2928, 229 Bottles)
Nose: Molasses. A chemical sweetness. Lemon scented detergent. Changes quickly. Hints of chloride and pine.
Taste: Chartreuse in the start; 2nd time I found that marker. Quite flat and gritty apart from that, I would say.
Score: 79 points - although a hint of 'After Eight' chocolate provoked a warm glow of melancholy in my stomach.

Glenugie 20yo 1966/1987 (46%, Cadenhead dumpy bottle, Distilled 12/'66, Bottled 04/'87)
Nose: Grainy; a 'natural' malt. Some subtle farmy notes. Nice but not terribly expressive. Nutty. Faint organics.
Taste: Light and quite MOTR. Very slightly oily. It's juuuust satisfying enough for me to make it into the 80's...
Score: 80 points - which makes it recommendable. Some other maniacs might recommend it more agressively.

Glenugie 1966/1986 (55%, Samaroli, 75 cl, 480 Bottles)
Nose: Nondescript at first. Emerging coffee notes. Nothing else I could pick up. Very faint farmy notes?
Taste: Gritty at cask strength - and altogether fairly MOTR. No notable change after adding water
Score: 75 points - but I should point out that once again some other maniacs would score it higher...

Pffft.... Lunchtime...
And even though I'm only halfway through my notes for this trip to Alsace, I have to wrap up this E-pistle.
I have other pressing matters to attend to (like editing the five next E-pistles you'll find on this page).
You'll find the second part of this E-pistle later on in this issue of Malt Maniacs.

Until then: sweet drams,

Johannes
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/02 - Another Look at Oak
Submitted on 29/04/2006 by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium

Dear whisky lovers,
 
There are whisky writers who claim that one only needs three ingredients
to make whisky: water, malted barley, and yeast. Other people say: it takes
four ingredients: also the people who make it. My question to all the above is:
Aren't we forgetting a MAIN ingredient? What ingredient defines for example
the colour of a whisky (except for caramel off course), what ingredient gives
certain bottlings a 'touch' that no other bottling of the same brand can have?
I can hear you thinking, and you are thinking correctly: the cask is a MAJOR
ingredient in the production of whisky as well. I would even put it like this:
the cask can make a good spirit even better, but can also ruin a good spirit.
It can turn a lousy spirit better, and can make a lousy spirit a total fiasco.
The maniacs have written about the casks before, in E-pistle #12/01 about
finishing casks and in E-pistle #12/18 about the different species of oak that
are used for the cask, but I wanted to take a closer look at the subject.
 
If we take a closer look at casks, we can see that they are ALL made of oak wood.
What reasons could there be for choosing oak above other woods? Oak has unique physical & chemical features:
 
- Oak is a very strong wood, so it makes the cask very strong to be able to 'rest' for many years with whisky in it.
- Oak is a very 'pure' wood, without resin canals that can give strong flavours to the whisky.
- There are the oak-lactones, These give good flavours to the whisky. These are the so-called cis- and trans-isomers of 5-butyl-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-2(3H)-furanone. These are derived from oakwood, and the cis-isomer is an important contributor to wine and/or whisky flavour. For now, I won't go any deeper in this lactone-story, because we're talking casks in general now. These lactones will be treated in a next article.

Generally spoken, the oak cask does three things to whisky:
 
- It adds good things (flavours, colour, …): additive.
- It takes away bad things (sulphury notes, immatureness): subtractive.
- It interacts with the wood by converting good elements from the wood to good elements for the whisky: interactive.

Oak is constituted by the following elements:
 
• Cellulose
• Hemi Cellulose
• Lignin
• Oak Tannins
• Lipids & Oak Lactones
 
How do these elements contribute to the whisky?

- Cellulose: Holds the wood together.

- Hemi Cellulose: Consists of sugars that to the following when heated (toasted or charred).
They give body to the whisky, they give sweeter aromas to whisky, and they give colour.

- Lignin: The 'building blocks' that give the following things after being heated: vanilla, and sweet, smoky, and spicy flavours.

- Oak Tanins: Give complexity and delicacy to the spirit. Without these, the spirit would be 'boring'.

- Lipids & Lactones: Lactones are a derived product from the lipids in the oak. They strongly increase by toasting the cask. They are responsible for the woody, coconut character, and give for example bourbon its typical character. There are higher concentrations of lactones in American oak than in European oak.

We can distinguish the following kinds of oak, with the following characteristics:

Quercus alba, "White Oak" (America)
Most used wood for whisky casks.
Has more vanilla and more lactones than European oak.

Quercus petraea, "Sessile Oak" (Europe)
Mostly found in France, so mostly used in wine production.
Grows slowly, and has more vanilla than the other European variation.

Quercus robur, "Pedunculate Oak" (Europe)
Mostly found in France, but this one is more used in cognac industry.
Grows faster and has more tanins than the Sessile.

You must have noticed that I wrote about fast or slow growing oak. Is this of any importance? Let's have a quick look:
Winemakers are convinced that slowly growing oak has a much better influence on their products. Whiskymakers don't consider this. If we take a closer look, we see that there are indeed more 'good elements' in slow growing wood, especially vanillas and oak lactones.

Another CAPITAL element is the drying of the wood. By drying the wood, there are certain chemical compounds of the wood that will be converted to more 'wanted' types. Wood for wine casks will dry for 24 months, wood for whisky casks will dry for 6 – 12 months, and sometimes even less...  The easy air-drying is better than the quicker and less natural kiln drying: it reduces tannic astringency and releases more vanilla.

One other thing we should take a look at, is the heating of the wood before using it for maturing whisky.
The heat-treatment before using the cask has an important (maybe even a key-) influence. There are two types of heating, being toasting and charring. Toasting (intensively heating the wood) transforms the tastes the oak can give to the whisky. Depending on the specific toasting technique, vanillas, lactones, toastiness, spice characters and tannins can be more or less provided by the wood itself. Charring means physically 'burning' the cask with a flame. Charring takes place after toasting, and is by law to be done for 'Bourbon'. It does the following to the wood: 1) The char is a kind of filter for sulphuric notes and notes of immaturity from the spirit. 2) Is traditionally done for 40 seconds to 1 minute, but some experiments up to 3-4 minutes are done lately. 3) Creates dramatic changes at surfaces; effectively toasts layers beneath.

I hope this article has been useful to learn something more on the influence of cask maturing, and more specific the influence of the oak on the road 'from spirit to whisky' …

Cheers,
 
Bert Bruyneel.
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/03 - Glen Albyn Distillery Profile
Submitted on 11/05/2006 by Michel van Meersbergen, Holland

Operational: 1846 - 1852 / Rebuilt 1884 - 1983. Demolished 1986
Region: Speyside (Inverness)
Neighbours: Glen Mohr / Millburn
Address: Great North Road, Inverness, IV3 5LU (B&Q Store)
Ownership: DCL / UDV-Diageo

The site where Glen Albyn was built in 1846 carries a lot of Inverness history.
Inverness was (and still is) the Malt Capital of Scotland, supplying most of
the Northern Highlands and Hebrides with malt. As Inverness effectively run
a monopoly on malting it's obvious a lot of money was earned. So much that
Inverness saw lots of investments in the form of breweries. The revolution of
1745 turned tides quite heavily. The malt trade was swept away and breweries
became a thing of an golden era long gone. In 1846 only a few malt kilns and
breweries survived while the rest fell into decay. Glen Albyn distillery was built
on the ruins of a malt kiln. History never travels far...

In 1846 Glen Albyn (meaning Great Glen) was founded by Provost James Sutherland of Inverness and received its licence in 1847. Its precise location is unknown. It is known that in 1849 a fire destroyed several buildings and Glen Albyn seized production until 1850. In 1855 Glen Albyn went up for sale but as no buyers were interested the distillery was converted to a flour mill in 1866. Glen Albyn was (re)built in 1884 by Gregory & Co. and started producing again somewhere in 1891. It is uncertain if this was on the same location as the old distillery one stood, but the location of the new Glen Albyn is well known: Telford Street on the South bank of the Caledonian Canal, also known as the Merkinch District.

If the presence of having a waterway in your backyard was not enough, Glen Albyn had its own railway linked to the main Highland Railway Company line. For its days Glen Albyn must have been one of the most sophisticated distilleries. Refrigerators to cool the wort, a telephone connection between the distillery office/excise man and the head office in Inverness. Even the condensers and stills were the absolute pinnacle of distilling techniques. This is what Alfred Bernard wrote: "The condensing Worms are of the latest and best approved style, each still has from 300 feet to 400 feet of worm pipes; these worts, after the first few rounds, each branch into two smaller pipes, and, instead of being of the usual round form, are shaped like the letter D, having the flat side down. The reason for this is obvious, the spirit which at first rises in steam is condensed into liquid by the time it reaches these smaller pipes, and having to run on the flat bottom of these is spread over a much larger surface than if running in round pipes, and thereby gives a greater increase in the cooling power, which is a most important factor in the making of a good Whisky. The stills, which were manufactured by Fleming, Bennet & McLaren, of Glasgow, are of the most improved and modern style."  Quite convincing!

Also of modern style was the behaviour of distillery manager John Birnie in 1892. He had a keen eye for the potential of the distillery he helped to built and in his view it was only fair to receive a good share in the company. Mister Gregory and his Company laughed in his face and in a rage of rancour Birnie left to start his own distillery. During the Great War Glen Albyn was requisitioned by the Admiralty and used for the construction of anti-submarine nets. If that was not enough, in 1917 when the Americans had uneasy excuses in the form of the 1915 torpedoing of Steam Ship Lusitania by the Germans and the Russian Revolution to come to the Old Land, Glean Albyn was converted for making sea mines. It's my guess the perfect infrastructure: canal, harbour and railroad made it a perfect spot for this explosive conversion. The US occupation lasted until 1919. Already in 1920 'disaster' struck again. Former manager John Birnie now cooperated with James Mackinlay and better known as the Glen Mhor Distillery took over Glen Albyn…

For years the two distilleries worked together in perfect harmony until 1954. Neighbouring Glen Mhor was the first to use Saladin box malting in Scotland and few years later it was introduced at Glen Albyn. Next big event was the selling of Glen Albyn and Glen Mhor by William Birnie, the 80 years old son of John Birnie sold Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn to DCL. DCL seized to use Saladin box malting in 1980 due to high costs and malting was done elsewhere. In 1983 it was decided to close Glen Albyn. A high costing, small output of a not much needed malt by blenders to which Glen Albyn delivered draw the curtains. In 1986 things got worse, the remaining buildings got demolished to make way for a shopping center. As written before, history never travels far, on the site a shop from the Comet chain sold the latest and innovative household appliances, when they moved several years later the food-chain Co-op took over. Selling amongst countless other items: Cereals and whisky...

Glen Albyn Technical data late 19th century:

Water Source:  Loch Ness (distilling and cooling water for condensers)
Malting: Saladin box (installation date unknown, operated until 1980)
Peat Source:  Dava Moor
Mash tun:  Larch (dimensions: 14 feet in diameter and 4 1/2 feet deep)
Wash backs:  3 (Larch, 4.640 gallons)
Wash still:  1 (converted to steam heating in 1964), capacity: 1.800 gallons
Spirit still:  1 (converted to steam heating in 1964), capacity: 1.500 gallons
Annual output:  75.000 gallons

Michel van Meersbergen
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/04 - Musings about the Original Question - Part 3: Scotland
Submitted on 28/05/2006 by Lex Kraaijeveld, Belgium

The earliest solid record of a spirit distilled from grain on British soil dates from the
end of the 15th century. The year 1494 is referred to in a lot of whisky books and
other sources as the year that Scottish whisky was born. I am talking, of course,
about the entry in the Exchequer Rolls of a payment of 8 bolls of malt to Brother
John Cor, in order to make aqua vitae for king James IV.

Let me first introduce the dram I'll pour myself for this e-pistle. It's a rather special
one (thanks for the sample, Serge!): a 12yo Clynelish. What's so special about a
12yo Clynelish, I hear you ask? Well, first of all, it's a cask strength bottling (56.9%
abv), but more importantly, this Clynelish was bottled in the 1960s, before the
current Clynelish distillery was built. So it wasn't distilled at the current Clynelish
distillery, but at the original Clynelish distillery, which we now know as Brora.
Confused? You work it out for yourself, while I fill my glass!

Back to John Cor and his 15th century aqua vitae. Before being heralded as 'the
first Scotch', the question must first be answered as to what purpose the aqua
vitae was distilled for. To be drunk? As medicine? Or for alchemical experiments?
James IV was very interested in alchemy and worked together with John Damian
on this. Damian, incidentally, made himself pretty ridiculous by trying to fly with
artificial wings from the walls of Stirling Castle to France in 1507, straight into
a dung heap (he blamed his failure on mistakenly having used chicken feathers).
There are 18 entries between 1494 and 1512 in the Exchequer Rolls and in the
Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer relating to the use of aqua vitae either in
alchemical experiments or for making gun powder.

These entries stop after James' death in 1513. Distilled alcohol (ideally 1000 times distilled!) was very important for alchemists and a crucial step in the making of the 'fifth essence', which allegedly could convert metals into pure gold, heal all diseases and prolong human life. More than once, 'fifth essence' and 'aqua vitae' are mentioned in the same entry.

Judging from the entries in the Exchequer Rolls and the Treasurer Accounts, it is very likely that John Cor's malt spirit was distilled for alchemical purposes and not drunk at all. So although there is no doubt that a spirit distilled from grain existed in Scotland in 1494, its likely use for alchemical experiments means that it's a bit of a stretch to call it the earliest record of whisky in Scotland. By the way, John Cor is often said to have been a monk at Lindores Abbey in Fife, but nowhere in the original entry is there any mention of Lindores. So where John Cor was based, whether he really was a monk and what his precise role in the distilling of this batch of aqua vitae was, are still more unanswered questions.

Malty nose on this Brora-Clynelish, with some meaty-savoury notes. Also get the slightest whiff of vanilla.

Let's go back in time a few centuries and speculate a bit as to where and when an alcoholic spirit may first have been distilled on Scottish soil. Members of Clan MacBeatha (among various alternative ways of spelling the clan name are MacBethadh, MacBeth and, in its anglicized form, Beaton) were hereditary physicians in Scotland's clan-based society. They practiced medicine in the classical Gaelic tradition from at least the early 14th century onwards. Medicine in medieval Gaelic society was based on a mixture of native herbal lore and foreign, mostly Arab and Greek, medical tracts. Over the centuries, members of Clan MacBeatha amassed a vast medical library, which contained Gaelic translations of many Arab and Greek writers, including Avicenna, Averroes and Hippocrates. Several of the Arab writers knew of distillation techniques.

According to tradition, Angus Óg, Lord of the Isles, married Agnes, a daughter of Cú-maige nan Gall Ó Catháin, one of the barons of Ulster, sometime in the late 13th century. Agnes is said to have brought 'seven score' names from Ireland to Islay. One possibility is that she brought a group of 140 Irish fighting men, one for each surname in her father's territory, to Islay as her dowry. Another is that she invited Irish gentlemen and artisans of talent to the island, because Islay needed their services. Among the names she is said to have introduced is MacBeatha. Again according to tradition, the MacBeathas settled in the Kilchoman area of Islay.

Time and place fit quite neatly with more solid historical evidence. The first record of a MacBeatha doctor in Scotland is from the early 14th century: Patrick MacBeth is the 'principal physician' to Robert I. The presence of Clan MacBeatha in the Kilchoman area of Islay is confirmed by a cross, dating from the second half of the 14th century, commemorating them. The first actual named MacBeatha on Islay is Fergus Beaton, in 1408. For several centuries, members of Clan MacBeatha remained the hereditary physicians for the Lords of the Isles. One crucial question is when the vast amount of medical knowledge came in possession of the clan members. More specific, did they know of distilling alcoholic spirits already before they came to Islay? The recipe in the "Red book of Ossory" suggests that knowledge of distilling did exist in Ireland around the time of their sailing.

First a fudge-like sweetness, quickly followed by thin, woody-dry peat.

I want to go back in time just a wee bit more, to someone who is seen by many as one of the leading scientists of the 13th century: Michael Scot. He was born in the 1170s, possibly in the Borders, possibly in Fife. He is thought to have been educated in Oxford and Paris, and definitely was in Toledo in March 1217. His presence in Toledo in 1217, incidentally, is the first solid piece of knowledge about him. He went to Bologna in 1220, may have taught at Salerno, and then moved on to Palermo, where he entered the service of Emperor Frederick II as the court astrologer. Scot had a keen interest in medicine, astrology, and alchemy, highly regarded branches of science in his days. Also, he could read Arabic and translated several Arab manuscripts.

Over the centuries, many legends arose about Scots magical powers, giving him the name 'Wizard of the North'. Given his presence at the very places where the art of distilling is thought to have been discovered in Europe, and at the right time, it would have been surprising if he had not known about distilled alcohol. Surviving copies of manuscripts attributed to him indeed refer to distillation and of 'aqua ardens', the earliest name for distilled alcohol. These manuscripts do not actually provide rock-solid proof that he knew of distilled alcohol, as they are transcribed copies dating from several centuries after his death. The references to distillation and aqua ardens could have been inserted by later scribes. However, given his interest in alchemy and his knowledge of Arab, it is almost inconceivable that he could have been at Toledo, and possibly Salerno, in the early 13th century and not learn about this 'distilled water that could burn'.

The last years of Michael Scot's life are as shrouded in obscurity as his youth; he is usually thought to have returned to the Borders and to have died there in the 1230s. Michael Scot may very well have been the first Scotsman in history to have knowledge of distilled alcohol, but did he bring this knowledge back to Scotland? If indeed he came to Scotland shortly before his death, knowledge of distilled alcoholic spirits would have existed in Scotland more than 250 years before its first solid record in 1494, if only in the skull of one man. Did Scot pass on his secrets? Or did the knowledge of distilling alcoholic spirit die in Scotland together with the 'Wizard of the North'? We may never know for sure …..

Finish gets drier, with the peat notes becoming a bit more pronounced.
Still, this is a much more delicate dram than I expected from what is essentially a Brora.

As I said, both these theories are highly speculative. But if (big if!) the knowledge of distilling alcohol first arrived on Scottish soil with Clan MacBeatha in the Kilchoman area of Islay, then whisky has truly come home when new make ran off the still earlier this year at the Kilchoman distillery. And if (remember the big if!) the Beatons were the first to distill medicinal spirit in Scotland, their tartan really is whisky's official tartan.

Speculating like this can be fun, don't you think?
Well, there's more to come, so time to pack our bags and travel south, to Wales!

Lex
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/05 - Spirit of Speyside Festival 2006 Report
Submitted on 29/05/2006 by Bruce Crichton, UK

Another Spirit of Speyside Whisky festival has come and gone, all too quickly, and here is my account of it.
I apologise in advance for any errors in my report as I am relying on scribbled notes and a memory that is not helped by my insistence on leaving my slops bucket bone dry – a quest that I remain undefeated on, so far. All of the views expressed on the whiskies available are a reflection of my own ability to nose and taste. As such, those seeking articulate tasting notes are reading the wrong report as I am no more naturally gifted at nosing than the Sphinx. To those who were at the same events and did manage better notes than I did, well done to you.

I kicked off the long weekend with the tasting taken by Susan Webster, of Douglas Laing.
Susan presented a series of unchillfiltered whiskies from the Provenance and Old Malt Cask ranges.
The session opened with a 1995 Provenance Glen Rothes, at 46%abv. This had an acidic nose and tasted of citrus fruits and acid drop sweets. It changed little with water, except to reveal a shortbread taste on the finish. The tasting notes printed on the bottle were from Susan who assured us that they had improved after being ordered to use a thesaurus by her bosses. The remaining whiskies in the tasting were Old Malt Cask bottlings, all at 50%abv. Next came a 1991  Dalmore from a second fill hogshead. This had a bitter start and smooth middle with a taste of pear drops and water made it taste vaguely of bourbon, but otherwise, I filed it under 'decidedly average'.

Matters improved hugely with a 1982 sherry-matured Brora. As Susan told the convoluted story behind the closed distillery and it's neighbour, Clynelish, I found the whisky to smell of sherry and to taste of toffee and cake with a rich, and delicious, smoky finish. Even better was an amazingly complex 1982 Tactical, from the Isle of Skye, and Susan explained the legal niceties of the name on the bottle. The wonderful nose was of smoke and seaweed and the whisky tasted of smoke and pepper and yet was both chewy and fresh, at the same time. We ended with a 1992 Laphroaig, whose official bottling is renowned for it's 'love it or hate it' advertising, but which has diminished in power, in recent years. The nose was lightly smoky and the flavour rich and medicinal and, in keeping with the 'love it or hate it' theme, the gentlemen sitting beside me could not finish theirs and so I helped out, kind soul that I am. I filed this one under 'Result!'

Later, I returned to the museum for the Independent Bottler's challenge, which consisted of the Speyside and Open categories. 4 independent bottlers, Douglas Laing, Duncan Taylor, Cadenhead's and Adelphi each entered one cask strength bottling in the Speyside category and one in the 'open' category'. The tasting took the format where one speaker would present the case for each company while we tasted a dram. To make matters more interesting for the audience, we were assured that the dram we were sampling did not necessarily 'belong' to the speaker whose turn it was.

Susan Webster spoke for Douglas Laing, Mark Watt spoke for Duncan Taylor while Steve Oliver spoke for Adelphi and Mike Lord spoke for Cadenhead's as neither company had an employee present. Each whisky available was cask strength and between 48.8 and 60.4%abv, for the Speysiders and between 50 and 59.1%abv for the Open category. For each speaker, Mike laid down ground rules which included no slagging other bottling companies and no swearing, which tested Mark's resolve no end, and the audience were to write tasting notes for each whisky and select a favourite for each category. The best notes would win a prize and be announced at the dregs party.

After our usual early morning trip to Elgin, my friend and I headed to the Whisky Fair, being held in the Memorial Hall. The fair is a chance for the relatively small companies of the whisky industry to show off their latest offerings. At the fair, we met a host of festival regulars including Thomas and Gunnel, from Sweden, Xenia and Sascha, from Germany, Phil, Warren and Gemma, from Yorkshire, Bill and Christine, from Newcastle, and Stephen Lunn with his wife, Pat, and a friend from Sunderland, who they were leading astray.

James, from Dewar Rattray, re-introduced me to Stronachie; their bottling of a single malt from just outside Dufftown, and to a cask-strength 1993 Cragganmore which was smoky and had a shortbread finish.

Mark Watt, of Duncan Taylor, nearly floored me by showing me an opaque bottling of Glen Grant, which he said had been in a bourbon cask but then added that the cask was vatted with a 1970 Oloroso sherry Cask to produce the darkest whisky I had ever seen. I took a taste of their 38 year old blended whisky and grabbed a bottle of 'Auld Reekie' for an Islay fan, of my acquaintance.

Angus Dundee had Glencadam and their full Tomintoul range available, and I tasted the new Ballantruan whisky, which is unchillfiltered and bottled at 50%abv. This exciting dram was released only a few weeks before the festival and is a rare example of a heavily peated Speysider with a full-bodied, well-rounded fruity and smoky taste and this meant more punishment for my already hard-pressed wallet.

Airdrie based distillers, Inver House, were showing off their new bottlings, together with their widely available whiskies, including their 17 and 21 year old versions of Old Pulteney which were well received. My recommendation, however, is the unchillfiltered 1991 An Cnoc which is heavier and fuller to taste than the 12 year old standard bottling, itself an under-rated gem, in my view.

After lunch, we headed off to Benriach distillery, by bus. Chivas brothers owned Benriach, until 2004, when it was sold off and is now independently owned. Our host was to be Master Distiller, Allan McConnochie. Benriach opened in 1898, closed in 1899 and resumed production in 1964. Allan was an expert guide, keeping the party interested with lots of technical and historical information about the distillery and it's production of up to three million litres per year, about three quarters of that of it's more illustrious neighbour, Longmorn, still owned by Chivas. We were shown round the dunnage warehouse where Benriach fell is better for maturation than a racking warehouse and their whisky is matured in casks formerly used for port, claret, burgundy, rum, bourbon, Madeira and Pedro Jimenez sherry. We then had the chance to nose some new-make spirit from both peated and unpeated malt and some vintage casks dating from the mid 60's to the early 90's. The tour was rounded off, in fine style, with a taste of 10 year old 'Curiositas' at 46%abv which was delicious, thick, peaty and fruity and was Mike Tyson to the Chivas bottling's Julian Clary, in terms of it's flavour. Allan also gave us a sample of 21 year old, 'Authenticus', again heavily peated and bottled at 46%abv. A slight addition of water opened up an impressively complex dram and gave the feeling of peat dancing across the tongue.

We congratulated Allan on a fine tour and headed off down to Glen Moray distillery, in Elgin.
Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable host for the afternoon was Graham who informed us that the distillery opened in 1897 and that Gallow Hill was nearby. The last hanging, on that hill, was in 1690 and  the next would be in about 1 hour if any of us didn't like the whisky! Graham told us the malt used was 2-3 ppm of phenol as opposed to 50 ppm in Glen Moray's sister distillery Ardbeg. Again, our host was excellent and knowledgeable, leading us swiftly round. We had a chance to taste some sweet wort, from the process, and to nose some yeast, which smelled of stewed fruit.

Glen Moray is relatively small and produces two million litres per year, about half that of it's sister distillery, Glenmorangie. Most of the spirit is matured in ex-bourbon casks and the Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc wine finishes, of recent years, had been abandoned as it was felt that it was a lot of work and did not change the whisky sufficiently to be worth the effort.

We then headed to the visitor's centre, which was refurbished in 2004 and Distillery manager Graham Coull took over and gave us the choice of the 'classic', 12 year old and 16 year old version to start with. I tried the 12 year old, which was pleasant, slightly winey and undemanding, as Graham told us that Glen Moray had risen to being the third best selling in Britain and second biggest in Scotland. We then had a 1992 Manager's dram at 59.6%abv, matured in a sherry cask as Graham told us that Glen Moray was a good spirit which did not become overly 'woody' with age. He offered, in evidence, a 30 year old bottling which was both delicate and floral and gave an overall feeling that we were tasting a great springtime dram. We thanked the two Grahams for a great afternoon and then headed back to Dufftown.

That night, we headed to Scott's restaurant where Ricky Christie, formerly of the North of Scotland Distilling Company hosted the Gala dinner, and whiskies were provided by Euan Shand of Duncan Taylor. Alan and Susie, the restaurant owners laid on a sumptuous feast as Ricky, in his own inimitable style, turned the air blue with hilarious tales of crooked Russian policemen, toy cars and his father's head, trips to India, flatulence on aeroplanes, old firm football games and alligators.

Each course was accompanied by a dram and Ricky improvised tasting notes as he had not tried any of them before that night. Of particular interest were a 1982 Bowmore, at 57.5%abv, which needed very little water to smooth it down and gave the same 'dancing peat' sensation that I had experienced earlier and a 1992 Caol Ila which was light, smooth and crisp.

Euan Shand brought the night to a close with an entertaining history of Duncan Taylor and Company as we washed our meals down with 38 year old blended whisky. Euan told us it was a vatting of some mid-1960's casks, some of which had fallen below legal bottling strength and offered a reasonably priced chance to taste whisky of advanced age.

On Sunday afternoon, Mike Lord treated us to his whisky and salmon talk and taste. The idea was that we taste the whisky then the salmon and then the whisky again and see if they complimented each other. He also suggested nosing the salmon and managed to keep impressively calm as a clown in the audience shouted, "mine smells of fish!"

First, we has a Spey smoked salmon, apparently recommended to go with a light Speyside whisky, so Mike gave us Glen Grant 10 year old. This combination opened up a salty finish in both the dram and the fish and the two made for a good combination. Next, we had Spey cured salmon and Glenfarclas 105. I added a drop of water and found that the whisky was sweet and tasted of fudge and sherried trifle. The salmon was an excellent choice and the two were delicious together. The third pairing was a 1991 Distillers edition of Talisker, at 45.8%abv, finished in Amoroso sherry, and a peat smoked salmon. The whisky was smoky, peaty, peppery and richly sherried. Yet again, these two were a great match. The session ended with a peat cured salmon and Ian Macleod's 'Smokehead' at 43%abv. This dram is an independent bottling of a popular Islay malt, widely available at 10 years old and 46%abv and renowned for it's smoky taste. The consensus, amongst the audience, was that this combination was not as successful as the previous three, with the whisky and salmon cancelling each other out a little. The talk ended, to a round of applause for Mike and his innovative idea and he made the recipes for the salmon available to all those who were interested.

The rest of the day was quite restful, as we gathered our strength for Monday that started with whiskies from David Stirk's Creative Whisky Company and Mike Lord and Georgie Crawford of the Whisky Shop took the talk, in David's absence. We began with a 1995 Tormore, at 50.1%abv, which was creamy and sweet and honeyed and this was followed by a 1993 Glenlivet, at 50.3%abv, finished in Burgundy wood. This one was spicy and winey to nose and taste, with a sweetish finish. We moved on to a 1993 Linkwood, at 56%abv, which was rubbery on the nose and sweetened considerably on water addition. It tasted of toffee and spice.

Next was a 10 year old Longmorn, claret finished and 51.5% abv, which had Georgie demonstrating her nosing expertise but which I thought was a duffer. Perhaps because this whisky needed more age or because Longmorn no more needs a claret finish than a tree needs to be fitted with a handbrake, this whisky did not work with it's smoky taste and burnt sugar finish. A 1994 Clynelish, at 53.3%abv, had a long and dry finish and opened up, with water, to reveal a smoky and toffee middle. A 10 year old Caol Ila, at 58.3%, rounded off the session and, unsurprisingly, had smoke and peat on both the nose and taste with a vanilla and salty finish.

Making a welcome return, 'Bad boy' Mark Watt presented us with a selection of unchillfiltered bottlings from Duncan Taylor, in his talk and taste. A 1990 Glentauchers, at 46%abv, was a good opener and was pleasant and smooth, tasting mostly of vanilla. This was followed by a 37 year old Caperdonich, at 40.3%abv, yet another distillery which is now closed. This vatting of casks gave the whisky a slight taste of both bourbon and sherry.

Mark's next choice was a 17 year old Glen Garioch, which had been fully matured in a cognac cask and bottled at 54.6%. This was wonderfully complex, tasting lightly sweet, smoky, fruity and gave, on the finish, the sensation of whisky dancing on the tongue. Another treat came with a 1975 Mosstowie, at 49.4%abv, distilled at Miltonduff distillery with Lomond stills. These stills were in operation between 1964 and 1981 and this dram was sweet to start and the finish was bitter but by no means, unpleasant. Water revealed syrup on the nose. We ended with the 1970 Glen Grant, at 51.7%abv, that Mark had showed me at the whisky fair. This whisky easily the biggest sherry taste I had ever experienced and the sherry had not so much overpowered the whisky as it had decimated it. It also had the same effect on my palate. It wasn't to my taste but is surely absolute nirvana to those who love sherry monsters.

In the final tasting session of the festival, the whisky museum was full for the whisky and chocolate tasting taken by Swedish connoisseur and festival regular Paul Martensson.  Paul chose a series of well known official bottlings for his talk, apart from opening with a 1996 Provenance Braeval, which had proved popular at an earlier festival. The other whiskies were Balvenie 10, Tomintoul 16, Linkwood 12 and Mortlach 16. The dark chocolates, in order, were Java, Honduras, Trinidad, Venezuela and Madagascar and Paul demonstrated his thorough knowledge of chocolate throughout the talk by stressing the importance of the beans and cocoa used in each recipe. My favourite combination was the Madagascar and Mortlach, which combined to give a tangy flavour of orange and citrus. Congratulations to Paul for this excellent idea.

The festival closed in style, as always, with the dregs party, in the Whisky Shop.
Mike revealed that the Speyside whiskies in the independent bottler's challenge were Cadenhead's Cragganmore 16 year old, Adelphi Inchgower 24 year old, Douglas Laing's Macduff 35 year old and Duncan Taylor's Strathisla. In this category, Macduff beat the Strathisla into second place. The non-Speyside whiskies were Duncan Taylor's 36 year old Macduff (!), Cadenhead's vatted Lowland, Douglas Laing's 22 year old Port Ellen and Adelphi's 13 year old Lagavulin which was first ahead of the Port Ellen. Mike also read out the contradictory tasting notes from the competition entrants and managed to keep a straight face while doing so.

A prize draw was held and Whisky Magazine's Martine Nouet drew the winner.
Whisky Game creator, Canada's Chris Brousseau arrived with his Scottish wife, Eileen, and demonstrated his fluent Finnish to me as we picked off stragglers from a vertical tasting of Benrinnes held at a previous festival. This dregs party was a well-behaved affair and no prodigious feats of strength were required as everyone went home at a civilised hour.

Finally, I'd like to thank all of those involved in organising and running the festival and, in particular, Mike Lord, Steve Oliver, Georgie Crawford, Mike Hendry, John Shields and Allan and Susie at Tannochbrae. I hope to see everyone again in September 2006.

Bruce Crichton
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/06 - Glencraig Distillery Profile
Submitted on 11/05/2006 by Ho-cheng Yao, Taiwan

Operational: 1958~1981
Region: Speyside (Findhorn)
Neighbours: Benromach, Mitonduff
Address: Forrs, Morayshire, IV36 0QX
Last Owner: Allied Distillers Ltd. (at the time when it was produced)

Glencraig was the single Malt produced by Lomond stills in Glenburgie from 1958 to 1981.
It was named after the manager Willie Craig. (Could be the only distillery named after a man.)
The two Lomond Still were replaced by two pot stills after they were removed from the site.
The Lomond still was invented by Alistair Cunningham,  a chemical engineer in Hiram Walker.
The Canadian company need a solution to have 42 flavour malts within 6 distilleries in hand.
His solution was a cylindrical still with a water jacket mounted vertically above it. Within the
still neck were three rectifying plates that could be adjusted horizontally and vertically, and
water-cooled or left to dry to vary the degree of reflux.  The angle of the lyne arm could also
be changed to allow for even greater control of the reflux.  So, basically the whole design is
to control the reflux to have different style malts.  How is that doing? Well, seems not very
successful.  Almost all the Lomond stills that were installed were taken away because of
the plate often becoming clogged with residue.

I had an experience to taste 4 different malts produced from Lomond stills, the whole experience was quite similar, creaming fruity and light. (I believe all were coming from bourbon casks.) But remember, the Lomond still was invent to product very different style malts, so the extent of difference must be the most important factor. It is very hard to find Glencraig malt in the market. Some of the malts available are:

Glencraig 19yo 1981/2001 (59,5%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection)
Glencraig 21yo 1981/2002 (56.2%, Cadenhead's, 240b.)
Glencraig 22yo 1981/2003 (57.5%, Cadenhead's Auth. Coll., bourbon hog., 216 b.)
Glencraig 30yo 1974/2004 (40.2%, Rarest of the rare, Cask#2928, 229b.)
Glencraig 25yo 1975/2000 (40%, G&M Connoisseur's Choice)
Glencraig 1970/1988 (40%, G&M CC)
Glencraig 1975 (40%, G&M CC new label)
Glencraig 1968 (40%, G&M Connoisseurs Choice, Old Map Label)
Glencraig 30yo 1974/2005 (51,1%, SMWS 104.6, 199 b.)
Glencraig 1975 (57.1%, Signatory)
Glencraig 1975/2004 (56.8%, Signatory)

References:

Whiskey, Michael Jackson, DK, First American Edition 2005
Whiskey, Walter Schobert, Neil Wilson, English Edition 2002
The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo, Distillery Cat, November 2005 revised

Ho-cheng Yao
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/07 - An Interview with George Grant
Submitted on 15/06/2006 by Luc Timmernans (et al)

Dear Maltmaniacs Epistle readers... Today I would like to present you the interview I recently had with George Grant, the sixth generation of Grant's, son of John, owners of the still family owned Glenfarclas distillery. The story of Glenfarclas Distillery, established in 1836, is as rich and colourful as the great Glenfarclas Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky itself. It is the story of one Scottish family, the Grants, who since 1865 have been united by a single vision – the creation of the perfect malt whisky, the ultimate taste of Scotland. Now this ultimate taste of Scotland is for what Glenfarclas is concerned still sherried whiskies. Very faithful to their sherry profile and real purveyors of the after-dinner profile of their malt whiskies have they been producing a vast range of different aged single malt whiskies. But has this profile changed over the years? Do they still have access to good sherry casks? Interesting questions that needed an answer... so hence my interview with George Grant. (*)

* After I sent the interview to the other malt maniacs they added a few questions of their own.

1) Luc: George, could you present yourself to our readers?
What is your current position at Glenfarclas and how long have you now been involved in the business?
In 1997 I worked with Munton's malt for 2 months before working with Inver House for 1 year in all aspects of the business from mashing to warehousing, I worked shift patterns. After this I went to work in Hong Kong working with my distributor who also sold Inver House products along with Bowmore, Isle of Jura and many more single malts Whiskies. Since coming to be based at Glenfarclas I have also worked in various departments, now very settled as the Glenfarclas Brand Ambassador.

2) Luc: Which are the different markets you are predominantly working on?
I predominantly work with America, Germany, France, Spain, South Africa, Andorra and Portugal.

3) Luc: Which is the most important Glenfarclas market and why?
The most important Glenfarclas Market is the end consumer we want them all to be happy, and proud to be drinking Glenfarclas.

4) Luc: Now, about the profile of your whiskies. Could you denominate that profile or do you have a kind of holy Glenfarclas bible describing the flavours/aroma's you are pursuing with your whiskies?
That would be telling wouldn't it…………

5) Johannes: Well, this is an 'interview' after all, George ;-)
I actually have a burning question that deals with 'markets' and 'profile'. To me the 'Family Reserve' bottlings that are available in Germany seem to have a more sherried profile than the regular Glenfarclas range – or at least until recently. Do you tailor the profile of certain releases to local preferences on certain markets?
Simply, yes. I do spend a lot of time in Germany and also speak at length to the German consumer, so therefore we do adapt things for the German market, also in the same style with the Vintages in Spain. This is also beginning to become apparent in France with us about to release a 3 bottle collection, of First fill olorosso, Manzanilla and a refill Port Pipe. All around 10years old.

6) Luc: I presume that the vatting of your standard range (8yo - 30yo) is different for every age expression.
Could you elaborate on that ?  What is the percentage sherry & non-sherry casks?
No all the same 60 sherry to 40 Non. But you must remember we bottle the 10yo 4 to 5 times a year whereas the 30yo normally gets bottled once every one or two years. Therefore we have a larger base of casks to pick for the 30yo and can be much more selective.

7) Luc: We maniacs have seen changes in these expressions.
The newly released 105 was very different, richer than any previous version.
Is this intentional and what are the causes?
The biggest change in the 105 was making it 2 years older, whereas before it was 8yo it has now become 10yo.

8) Davin: Why is there no age statement on the 105?
Why did you change the 105 from an 8yo to a 10yo and can we expect further changes in the future?
There is no age statement on the bottle however on the back of the tin in the text it clearly says it is 10 yo. We changed it to 10yo to make the whisky more mellow, and to also to make it easier to balance the marriage of the casks out at "105" every time.

9) Luc: We have seen also changes in the recent 15yo Glenfarclas. 
Same reasons here, or are there other factors influencing this increase in quality?
We started work with a new Bodega (Jose and Miguel Martine) in 1990 and we are now starting to see these casks emerge, 3 years ago in the 105 and now in the 15yo. It is not necessarily an increase in quality; these casks are however giving a much darker colour.

10) Johannes: Well put, George – 'quality' is like beauty: in the eye of the beholder.
Be that as it may, the eye of this beholder likes what it sees. I have a taste for rich, sherried malts so I really enjoyed these latest batches. As I understand it the shift in profile could (almost) exclusively be attributed to the casks from the new bodega. If we assume that the profile of a whisky is shaped by three factors (raw ingredients, distillation process and maturation), how important is each factor for the profile of Glenfarclas? (For example: 30% ingredients, 30% process, 40% maturation).
Simply they are all 100% each if the ingredients aren't correct, then they will not work in the process, and so on.
Here we want everything to be correct from the start, if we use shoddy malt then that will be picked up in the process and then in the maturation and then worst of all in the bottle.

11) Davin: Luc, Johannes and Michel noted a significant change in the flavour profile of the 15yo and you attributed this to a change in cask suppliers. Why did you change bodegas? Price? Quality? Volume?
We wanted consistency, where as before we were buying casks randomly from many different cask suppliers, we now buy from one supplier who knows what we want and is able to deliver again and again.

12) Michel: At your new sherry bodega, is it possible to choose a selection from offered casks?
Or is the situation more like 'take what's on the shelf'?
Yes we can pick, my father still goes down every year or so to select the casks.

13) Davin: Among whisky anoraks, the reputation of Macallan began to slide in the late-1990s with the changing sherry profile then it took a huge nose-dive with the introduction of the Fine Oak line. Are you taking the same risk switching bodegas and thus changing your flavour profile? And, have you moved deliberately to fill the gap Macallan left behind?
No, no risk just a continuous supply of good wood. No not done this to fill the Macallan void, we have always produced whisky like this, only now more people are starting to notice. "Best Sherried Whisky 12yo" Sweden.

14) Luc: What is your opinion on the current evolution of Scottish whisky to move away from sherried expressions? We have seen Macallan shift to fine oak. A lot of distillers claim sherry casks are not the best to use, bourbon casks are better?
Some whiskies do mature better in Sherry casks some better in bourbon casks, we don't age any of our whisky in first fill bourbon for the reason it does not improve our whisky. Sherry casks are also very expensive and some distillers may not want to lay down such a large amount of money, but here at Glenfarclas we are here to produce the best and we need our sherry casks to do that.

15) Michel: Why is it that certain spirits mature 'better' in sherry casks?
Do they allow the distiller to be more flexible during production with regards to variables like distilling time, middle cut, etc.? (I do not mean the 'masking effect' of a sherry cask!)
Honestly don't know, not a chemist. Could hazard a guess. Will try and find out.

16) Davin: Does the change in suppliers mean that the profile of all your whiskies will change in time as these new casks move through the system, or is this limited to the changes noted in the 15yo and the 105? Could some of the change in the 15yo be due simply to batch variation?
For the older ages you may very well see a drought of colour in years to come although I doubt it, as for the older ages the bottlings are much smaller and therefore not affected the same as 12,12,15 and 105.

17) Luc: You have a vast stock of old casks, probably even the biggest stock of old casks in Scotland.
What are your plans with these? And what do you do if one of them drops below the 40% level?
This year we are starting a major project of bottling a cask from every year, from 1952 to 2000 and hopefully beyond and time goes by. As a vintage runs out we will bottle another cask. We have been very lucky so far that we have not found any casks below 40% some very close, but we just keep an eye on them and ensure we bottle them before that happens.

18) Davin: Will your cask series, from 1952 forward, be released simultaneously or sequentially?  When can we expect to see these on the market and what price ranges are we looking at?
10 will be released this year the rest next year, ball park figures in UK £100-£2000 per bottle.

19) Luc: Would you ever use old casks to actively colour your malts, like some distillers used to do in the past?
No. Not all our old casks are first fill sherry. Also if we did this we would create an amazing whisky we could not sustain. We just won Distiller of the year from Whisky Magazine for consistently producing a good product. Also adding old whisky would be very expensive.

20) Luc: Will you have sufficient stock good sherry casks (and/or access to them) to keep your distillery profile going?
At current levels of growth, yes.
If everyone in China wants a bottle of Glenfarclas, we may struggle!!

21) Davin: How much of your stock is used for blending?
If the popularity of Glenfarclas takes off in China, as you mentioned, will Glenfarclas find itself in the same position as Macallan - having to bottle as a single malt, whisky that was really intended for blending?
If whisky takes off in the way some people are predicting in China then everyone in the whisky industry may all struggle. Things never do happen how people predict!!! None of our whisky is laid down for the intention of using it for Blending if we are selling it for Blending then we sell it straight away as new spirit. So everything we have could be used for Glenfarclas. We currently do a product in France called Heritage for the Supermarkets, this is Glenfarclas whisky but just not the same ratio of Sherry casks to plain casks. 

22) Luc: I presume you like whisky too.
What is your favourite Glenfarclas expression and why?
I love the taste of the 21yo in the standard expression. Because it is so smooth and elegant and a whisky I can drink at any time of the day or night. I also love the 50yo because I hand selected the cask, we did this bottling to celebrate the birth of my Great Great Great Grandfather. I think that is pretty cool!

23) Luc: Now, we all know peated whisky are in high demand. I think you must have been tempted to produce some peated Glenfarclas as well. Have you ever had any plans to produce peated Glenfarclas or will you in the future?
No and No.

24) Davin: You have a lot of whisky maturing in ex-bourbon casks.
Have you ever thought of 'finishing' some of these in port/rum/wine casks?
"NO", we are quite anti finishing here.

Many thanks George for your time and effort you have put in answering our questions.  Perhaps we can elaborate in another interview some more about the production process and more in particular about the changes that were done at your production process over time.  I'm sure we will share more drams together and talk about our mutual passion. Keep up the good work and keep on presenting us the best sherried whiskies.

Luc Timmermans (and some other maniacs)
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/08 - 1.618 & The Da Vinci Dram
Submitted on 21/06/2006 by Ralf Mitchell, Scotland

Members of the Masonic Order and associates are known to enjoy a dram or two at their regular social events/ceremonies, with hospitality amongst initiates held as a principled expectation and sign of "bon accord".

The Mason's came into being many moons ago evolving from mutual societies of academics and alchemists who sought amongst other things to preserve Gnostic and arcane knowledge originally in the possession of the aristocracy of ancient Egypt.  In fact some surviving rites are older than Egypt stretching back past Sumerian times (appox: 15.000 B.C.) to the period when the human race first started to think objectively and learn from what the world showed them. As happens, generations of orthodox vested interests (mainly those with power, wealth and insecurities) resented and persecuted unorthodox thinkers who could challenge their position in various ways, with a recent example of this to be seen in the way early european scientists like Galileo were sheltered from religious persecution because of their discoveries, .... by the hospitality of masonic orders.     In due time, with the part-stewardship of masons, scientific progress has evolved to the position it holds today as a rival and tangible option to dogmas and superstitions. Influential masons have included, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, John Dee, Francis Bacon, Debussy, and Isaac Newton, to name but a few of many,  and it is Da Vinci and Debussy who I now select as practitioners of a certain Gnostic/alchemaic tradition. This is the part where whisky becomes involved.

Distillation was invented by the Chinese around 4000 B.C., and refined by the nations of the middle east by 500 A.D. principally for the production of perfumes. To early european scientists, distillation meant following the Hermetic principle of logical refinement using machinery, in the pursuit of perfection/enlightenment (i.e. base metal into gold) associated mystically with the Philosophers stone, or "essence of life ".   The manufacture of this 'essence' proved rather hard to achieve, so they often settled for the refinement of beer or wine into spirit   ......... with which to drown the sorrows of their failure.
Alcohol may not have been the big enlightenment, but it was getting there !!!

This alchemic tradition of turning base metals to gold has, like so many other historical fables, been misunderstood over the passage of time.  It is not so much the actual physical change of something common to something precious, but the discipline of ideas and inspirations changing from passing notions to tangible and  significant understandings, thus human evolution and self-improvement can only occur through the transfiguration of basic thought into intellectual disciplines resulting in the human evolving into a better, greater self !!  and as a result, is nearer to God.

Are you still with me here ?

Distillation can therefore be seen as the physical expression of a greater awareness of the nature of reality and the universe.  Both Da Vinci and Debussy were aware of this as masons, and with their contemporaries, sought to further the hermetic/scientific philosophy within their work by using mathematic rules. Numbers are the alphabet of the language for understanding the universe, and by association, reality. Da Vinci used fibonacci numbers and golden ratio with a numerical reference of 1.618 (do a google to find out about these phenomena as describing it here would take too long, and get a bit dizzying!) to enhance the value of his paintings and drawings, and as a result gained a genius reputation by depicting life within his paintings so sensitively.

Debussy like-wise used golden ratio within his music like so many before him thus presenting natural harmonies in a particular melodious form. (Google  'Phrygian mode') May I suggest that what Da Vinci offered in visual art, and what Debussy offered in audio/musical expression, good malt whisky offers in both smell and flavour...  A complex but balanced and harmonious experience for nose and taste, the smell of a figurative 'landscape' plus the chords and melodies of flavours, and in their own way, like great art and music, employing natural mathematical sequences which in their effect promote thoughtfulness, appreciation and enhanced use of the senses in experiencing life more fully and in greater depth, which is, in a way, a little bit of a distillation of our lives towards a personal enlightenment.

We humans are rather clumsy in assuming that our five senses cover the whole spectrum of life, and it is quite possible that there is more to reality than our senses can comprehend, thus scientists increasingly use numbers to know the universe  beyond our eyes and ears,  whilst, closer to home we can pour another glass of amber nectar into which we sink our nose and then wet our lips in the gentle pursuit of our own little 'Golden Ratio', ... and in what I have just said, I'm sure all masonic brethren would agree.

P.S.  I am not, and never have been a Mason, just a curious passenger in life.

Ralf Mitchell, June 2006
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/09 - Glen Flagler / Killyloch Distillery Profile
Submitted on 24/06/2006 by Robert Karlsson, Sweden

Operational: 1965 – July 1985
Region: Eastern Lowlands
Neighbours: Kinclaith, Littlemill
Address: Tower Road, Moffat, Airdrie, North Lankashire, M6 8PL
Last Owner: Inver House Distillers Ltd.

The distillery of Glen Flager had a brief but very interesting existence.
It began its life as a paper mill which in 1964 was bought by the American company
Publicker Industries. The Moffat Papers Mills was during two years completely rebuilt
and many buildings and operations were added to the old complex. The Garnheath
grain distillery was the main reason for the initial operation and its purpose was to
supply spirits to the company's blendwhiskies. But why settle for that? So not one,
but two (some even inaccurately claim three, I'll get back to that later) malt whisky
distilleries were also built during the reconstruction of the mill; Killyloch and Glen Flagler.

If you know your Scottish geography you immediately react and wonder why they chose the name of Killyloch when the local water source is named Lilly Loch. OK, perhaps not too common to name your distillery after your water source after all. Anyway, this was simply due to a mix up of the templates that were used when marking the casks. It seems to have been more work to repaint the casks than change the distillery name, so they went with Killyloch instead of Lillyloch which was originally intended.

So, now we have a huge grain distillery and two malt distilleries. Why not add a couple of warehouses?
And why settle with a couple, they built 32 of them. Add to that the biggest malting operation in Europe, a cooperage and a large bottling and blending plant. Moreover, Glen Flagler boasted at the time the biggest mash tun in the whole of Scotland, made of stainless steel. These guys were ambitious.

The spirit stills of Glen Flagler were onion-shaped and had broad short necks. The wash stills were interestingly enough replaced in 1969 to support continuous production. This is a special solution and the aim with this was supposedly to produce something more akin to what the American market might have wanted.

The third, not yet named single malt made here was an attempt at making peated malt and a recipe variant. It was named Islebrae and supposed to have been made at 15ppm or as high as 40ppm phenols as some claim, unclear which one is correct, perhaps both? Killyloch was unpeated and Glen Flagler probably lightly peated at ~3ppm. Unfortunately enough for this ambitious operation the market turned south and operations ceased for Islebrae and Killyloch already in 1970, a very brief existence indeed. The maltings were sold in 1978 but Glen Flagler survived until July 1985 when it too were closed and demolished. The grain operation survived for another year but were sold in '86 and ultimately demolished after another two years in 1988.

Today the bottling and blending plants remain alongside 37 warehouses with room for some 500.000 barrels and office buildings. The complex is used extensively by Inver House Distillers who operate the Balmenach, Balblair, Knockdu, Pulteney and Speyburn distilleries.

Glen Flagler and Killyloch has both been released in recent years as super exclusive distillery releases (I have seen prices at around 500 to 1000£). Glen Flagler was released in numerous distillery bottlings and all are today collectors items. Both also exist as bottlings from Signatory who to my knowledge are the only ones that have bottled these as independents, rare to say the least. Islebrae is probably one of the most difficult malts to locate.

I have personally only sampled one bottling of Glen Flagler, and unfortunately in a somewhat intoxicated state (sacrilege I know…), but found it lowlandish in style. That being quite dry, citrusy, grassy, lightly spicy and refreshing. Some claim the Killyloch to be sweeter in character than the Glen Flagler. Hopefully I can prove or misprove that myself within my lifetime.

All in all an ambitious project which unfortunately for us Lowland-lovers was tragically short-lived.

Robert
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/10 - The Art of Blending Prune Wine & Whisky
Submitted on 28/06/2006 by Lawrence Graham , Canada

Before legislation that guaranteed the quality of Scotch whisky, adulteration was quite common, often with a detrimental effect to the unsuspecting consumer. The fascinating book by Edward Burns, "It's a bad thing whisky; especially BAD WHISKY"⁽¹⁾ neatly describes the lengths unscrupulous producers and publicans went to sell immature whisky as a mature and wholesome product.  Fusel Oil⁽²⁾, to use the term of the day, was the main culprit and producers, eager to rush immature spirits (often directly off the still) to market without the costly prospect of lengthy maturation in wood, added many adulterations to the whisky in an attempt to mask the foul taste of Fusel Oil.  Fusel Oil is initially noxious and completely ruins the taste of the spirit. To counter act the practice of selling immature spirit and to improve the taste, various products were added to the whisky including sherry wine, tartaric and acetic acids, sugar, pineapple, fruit essences, tincture of prunes, acetic ether, oil of wine, spirit of nitrous ether, glycerine, green tea and other repugnant substances.

The absolute best description of Fusel Oil that I came across was from J. Emerson Reynolds, Esq., M.D., Professor of Chemistry, Trinity College; "I have always attached great importance to the practical freedom of Whisky from Fusel Oil, as the latter is an organic mixture which exerts a distinct poisonous action on the animal organism; and I am well aware that New Whisky too often contains this noxious body in comparatively considerable quantities."

During the 1870's 'blending' in reference to whisky meant the addition of non whisky ingredients rather then the mixing of malt and grain whisky as we are familiar with the term today. Prune Wine was the best of the 'adulterations' and was marketed as a quality product (in some cases it was a better quality product than the whisky it was destined to be 'blended' with). Manufactured in Ireland from prunes imported primarily from Portugal the manufacturer conducted a brisk trade not only with whisky distilleries in the UK but also those worldwide, consequently Prune Wine was an important constituent of early malt whisky.

The Whisky Trade Review commented on the state of the industry: "Distillers and Blenders of Whisky- Irish, Scotch, English or Welsh, for each country is now making whisky – use their best endeavors to supply the trade with an article which is palatable or which will be palatable after a little time. But it should be remembered that both the distiller and the blender uses his own idea almost entirely as to what he considers a palatable flavour. The public, whilst approving of nearly every honest whisky-by honest we mean whisky made of sound and wholesome cereals-invariably say that it lacks something; it wants a finish. No one has a right to shudder or pull a wry face after taking a glass if whisky; yet how often is this so, perhaps nine cases out of ten, yes, and this is in London, Dublin and Edinburgh."

The Wine and Spirit Trade Record, in referring to the foregoing, says, in its issue of May, 1900; "How to meet this want-to supply this lack of finish-was obviously a matter of first importance to the Whisky Trade. This lead to numerous articles being, from time to time, offered on the market. Among these, Patent Prune Wine has obtained a position so exceptionally high, that there can be no hesitation in saying that it has successfully supplied the need. Those closely connected with home trade are aware that Prune Wine-having stood the severest of all tests, the tests of time-at present commands an enormous sale, whilst the Customs statistics of it exportation abroad furnish incontestable evidence that its merit is fully recognised in almost all foreign markets of importance."

In the 1870's WM. & P. Thompson, Ltd of Dublin, Ireland manufactured 'prune wine' in what can only be described as a grand fashion, "The factory in Dublin is situated in Mabbot Lane, and compromises as extensive range of buildings, beneath which are spacious wine vaults. Steam power is employed in the manufacturing process, and the mills for grinding the prunes, the fermenting apparatus, the huge vats and other appliances, are all on a scale of magnitude commensurate with extensive business operations of the Firm.  Adjoining the Factory is a large Bonded Warehouse built by the Firm expressly for the storage of their own wines. Here Prune Wine remains until fully matured, previous to shipment to all parts of Europe, the United States, Canada, the West Indies, South America, etc.."

Prune Wine, the manufacturers claimed, was used 'upon young spirits, which have often to put into early consumption to meet the requirements of price, is to neutralize their acrid, fiery, and impure properties, as well as to give the appearance and the qualities of Age-for this purpose it is universally used.'  Prune Wine, they continued to claim, is also extensively used for old Spirit, with the admitted effect of imparting Body, and a character and Finish which cannot be acquired by any other known means. The use of Prune Wine not only effects a great saving, but invariably leads to an increase of business, as Spirit operated upon by it at once attracts the palate of consumers. Storing for years on Sherry Casks will not give that delicious aroma and roundness on the palate which Patent Prune Wine imparts in a few hours. 

Endorsements of Thompson's Prune Wine by Experts

WM. & P. Thompson, Ltd were quick to make much of endorsements from the scientific community to prove the 'wholesomeness' of their Prune Wine. The "Scientific Times" New York, in its issue of Feb 24th, 1883 states: "When added to spirits in proper proportions Patent Prune Wine effectually eliminates Fusel Oil, the presence of which is so objectionable and injurious to health, and imparts a delicious flavour and character."

Sir Charles Cameron ⁽³⁾ wrote: "The flavour of recently distilled whisky is extremely acrid, owing chiefly to the presence of Fusel Oil; on adding, however, a small quantity of Prune Wine, and allowing the mixture to stand for a day or two, the new Whisky acquires a most agreeable flavour."  Sir Charles goes on to state that "Unlike flavouring essences, this Wine is perfectly Wholesome per se; and I have no doubt but that its fragrance and pleasant flavour will induce many to make it their beverage, unmixed with other fluids."

Granville H. Sharpe, F.C.S ⁽⁴⁾., wrote: "I find that, when added to a coarse Spirit containing an undue amount of Fusel Oil, and in the proportion recommended by the manufacturers, the objectionable flavour is at once removed, and a liquor of agreeable aroma and bouquet remains."

Dr. William Wallace (Public Analyst for the City of Glasgow) wrote: "I have made a careful examination of the Prune Wine manufactured by Messrs. Wm & P. Thompson, Dublin and have tested mixtures of with various brands of Scotch Grain Whisky. The liquor is itself very agreeable, and when added to silent or grain spirit it communicates to it a pleasant flavour and odour resembling very closely the taste and bouquet resulting from age. I consider it perfectly wholesome, and see no reason to doubt that it will be largely used in Scotland, as it has been for many in Ireland, as an improver of Grain Whiskey."

The National Guardian, Glasgow, November 16th, 1900 wrote: "Many attempts have been made to provide a specific capable of making whisky palatable, without interfering with its quality. The best, so far as we have seen, is Thompson's Patent Prune Wine, which has obtained a high reputation. It is a genuine fermented wine, quite limpid, and of a flavour very pleasant, while not too pronounced. It has a great deal of body, and. On unmatured spirit, has a softening and improving effect which is very remarkable."

Interestingly the Editor of the Licensed Victuallers' Guardian wrote that "The article known as Thompson's Prune Wine has been before the Trade a great number of years, and the steady and large increase of consumption is tangible evidence of its value. At present there is scarcely a part of the world in which it is not largely used and fully appreciated. The new law with regard to adulteration will still further increase the sale of Prune Wine, as worthless and spurious compounds, sold under various names, will be no longer saleable. We have ourselves examined this wine, and must pronounce it an elegant article."

As further proof of the value of their product, Wm. & P. Thompson quoted from the 'Scientific Times' in New York, 24th February, 1883: "Patent Prune Wine was first invented by Mr. Wm. Thompson, of Dublin, head of the firm of W&P Thompson, of that city. From that day to this it is the only article fermented from the Prune, and the above firm is the only one in the world having the right to manufacture and sell it. After a careful examination and scrutiny of its merits, it proved so useful and valuable an adjunct to the trade that the patent rights were granted in England, (this would have included Ireland) and after the expiration of the time a further renewal was granted, which is irrefutable proof that it possessed all the merit at first claimed for it. Patent rights have also been secured for the United States, Germany, and France, and the name is protected in all these countries by Trade Mark."

Further Proof of Quality from Warrenheip Distillery, Australia

William Strachan, Secretary of the Warrenheip Distillery in Australia, wrote to Wm. & P. Thompson in a letter dated Melbourne, 21st November, 1866 that he had experimented with Prune Wine on two samples of Warrenheip whisky, 'with very satisfactory results'. The first sample fresh from the still and he remarked that "the improvement was very marked; the acrid, fiery taste entirely disappeared, the flavour became mellow and pleasant, and I should have no difficulty in placing spirits so treated at once on the market.  In the other instance the whisky had been about three years in bond, and although the alteration was not so decided, the spirit was considerably improved. I intend bringing this subject under the notice of the Directors, as the advantage of converting raw Spirits into a merchantable commodity is obvious enough."

Further evidence of the success of the Warrenheip Distillery in eyes of the public was available in the trade papers of the day. An extract from the "The Wine Trade Review" from January 15th, 1868 is evidence of how much the Warrenheip Whisky was enhanced in the public estimation between the years 1866 and 1868;

"At the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society's Show, the
following prizes were awarded for Whisky manufactured in the Colony:
12 Bottles Whisky, made in the Colony.
1st Prize-Warrenheip Distillery Co."

Not unsurprisingly, the Australian agents for WM. & P. Thompson, Ltd also endorsed Prune Wine as follows; "We wrote to you on the 27th ultimo, as per duplicate enclosed. Since then the Chief Inspector of Distilleries (Now, that would be an acceptable form of employment!) has tried some of your Prune Wine with spirits recently distilled, and he reports that it takes away the raw flavour, and imparts to the mixture a mellowness which only Old Spirits possess. With such a satisfactorily trial we think you ought to send out a shipment, as recommended in our last. We are, dear Sirs, yours truly, Lorimer, Marwood & Rome."

Fining of Whisky

Further, Prune Wine was used by distillers, blenders and spirit merchants for Fining⁽⁵⁾ after the spirit had been reduced (with water) 'it will make its way through the whole body of the blend, and fine it, carrying down all impurities, and will leave the spirit brilliant, and finished for almost immediate use.' When much Fusel Oil was present the addition of Prune Wine in some cases could cause the spirit to become cloudy and if hard water, which contained lime and was not boiled, was used in reducing the spirit then the addition of Prune Wine could make the spirit appear to have a bluish discoloration. In this case WM. & P Thompson recommended 'to get some Spanish Earth at a Druggist's, make it into a past with hot water, then into a liquid with a gallon or two of the Spirit; throw all into the cask, rousing well wit a stick or brush. About one pound of Spanish Earth per 100 gallons of whisky is the quantity to be used.'

The End of an Era

It is always seductive to apply the standards of today to the past and the past generally looses. However one should keep in mind that whisky or whiskey was not the product that we are familiar with and the addition of flavorings and other adulterations was common practice all in an attempt to avoid the costly practice of lengthy & expensive maturation in wood. 

Wm. & P. Thompson must have been horrified at the introduction of the Immature Spirits Act (1915) and the resulting destruction of their business in the home market. Internet searches reveal some interesting historical notes on Wm. & P. Thompson; the records of the Irish Dail show a debate the subject being the 1930 Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with Portugal. More interestingly is the discussion of the importation of prunes in March, 1944 and opposition claims that the Company was receiving special treatment due to the fact that the Secretary of the Minister of Supplies had a controlling interest in the Company.  

Incidentally the three year rule for Scotch whisky maturation was introduced by the Immature Spirits Act (1915) and amusingly, two monkeys helped solve the problem. The first monkey was forced to drink new whisky and 'became quarrelsome no doubt due to the fusel oil (which was well known for making men fighting drunk)' and the other became acquainted with 'fine old whisky' and it soon became 'markedly hilarious'. Once both beasts had returned to sobriety the experiment was reversed causing the 'quarrelsome beast to cheer up somewhat and the contented one to become aggressive'. The general conclusion was the new spirit (containing fusel oil) did have an adverse effect, 'at least on monkeys'. The type of monkeys has not been recorded but the odds are they were chimps, the Volkswagen Beetle of the primate world. Greenlees Brothers, taking advantage of the publicity, later introduced to the market place a blend called 'The Monkey Special' and is of no relation to the contemporary Monkey Shoulder I suspect. 

Today Wm. & P. Thompson exists as Thompson's Prune Wine Export Limited with an address in Nangor Road in Dublin. There is no indication, other than their name, of what business they conduct.

Lawrence Graham
 

1 - Blavag Books, Glasgow, ISBN 0951202022
2 - A most objectionable contamination of whiskey is the grain oil or fusel oil (amylic alcohol), which is generated during fermentation of the mash. Its boiling point being much above that of water and of ethyl alcohol, the greater part of it remains behind if the distillation be carefully conducted. Still, traces of fusel oil are generally present in whiskey. Amylic alcohol is the substance which imparts to raw spirit its disagreeable odor. By Harvey Wickes Felter, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D., 1898.
3 - The managing director of the Weekly Mail is a son of John Cameron, newspaper proprietor, of Glasgow and Dublin, and was born in the latter city in 1841. He was educated at Madras College, St. Andrews, and Trinity College, Dublin, where he was First Senior Moderator and Gold Medallist in 1862. In the same year he graduated M.B. and C.M., being First Place-man in both instances, and he continued his medical education at the great schools of Paris, Berlin, and Vienna. In 1864, however, he settled to newspaper work, in the editorial chair of the North British Daily Mail. This he continued till 1874, when he was elected M.P. for Glasgow. He represented the city from 1874 to 1885, the College Division from 1885 to 1895, and Bridgeton Division from 1897 to 1900. In the House of Commons he was an active member. Among many other labours, he carried through the resolution which led to the adoption of sixpenny telegrams; he brought in and secured the passing of the Inebriates Acts, as well as the Acts abolishing imprisonment for debt in Scotland, and those conferring the municipal franchise on women. He also secured various reforms in the Scottish Liquor Laws. He was Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transit of Cattle Coastwise in 1893, and of the Departmental Committee on Habitual Offenders (Scotland), 1894, and he was a member of the Royal Commission on the Liquor Licensing Laws in 1895. At the same time he has been the author of a number of notable pamphlets on medical, social, and political subjects. In 1893 his long journalistic and parliamentary services were recognised with the honour of a baronetcy. Sir Charles has been twice married: first in 1869 to Frances Caroline, daughter of William Macaulay, M.D., who died in 1899, and secondly to Blanche, daughter of the late Arthur Perman. He resides at Glenridge, Virginia Water, and finds active recreation in motoring, riding, and travel. From Who's Who in Glasgow in 1909.
4 - Granville H. Sharpe, F.C.S. was an Analytical and Consulting Chemist, was the former Principal of the Liverpool College of Chemistry (before 1892), scientific author and respected lecturer.
5 - Fining called collage in French, from the verb coller, to fine. This important cellar operation causes all sediment to fall to the bottom of the cask leaving the spirit bright and WM. & P. Thompson recommend the use of Spanish Earth (A substance obtained from the soil originally found in Spain. It is a complex silicate with the unique property of absorbing colloidal matter, both positive and negative and is extensively used in fining. The main sources of Spanish Earth today are the USA and parts of South America.)
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/11 - Maniacal Tasting in Ingooigem
Submitted on 05/07/2006 by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium

On february 28th, I was in Haarlem at Michel's place for quiet a tasting, together with Alexander and Johannes.
It was a very … let's call it cosy … tasting. It was even that cosy that we decided to repeat this event in Belgium.
We quickly had found a date on which everybody was free, so on may 5th another tasting together with 4 maniacs (Luc also had planned on coming over) was planned at my place. With a little delay, my guests arrived around 5pm. The highways around Antwerp were (ironically) a bit to full of … Dutchmen leaving on holiday for the long weekend. In the meanwhile, Luc and Johannes had cancelled their participation. Johannes was to busy doing thirty eleven things in a time, and Luc's daughter Sophie had a communion party on may 7th, and our only Belgian maniac was asked politely but firmly to stay at home to help preparing the party … appologies accepted ;-) !!!

When I opened the door, Michel and Alexander both were wearing a yellow Maltmaniac shirt. The reason for doing this was mainly because they had been lauging with us Belgians on february 28th at Michel's place. We Belgians seem to be very keen on wearing so called 'club-shirts', so they were already fooling me before they had even entered ;-). Still they are right in a way. Personally, I am the president of the Wee Dram Whisky Society, and member of the Lindores Whisky Society. During Whisky Live Verviers, I was wearing another shirt every hour: an hour my Wee Dram-shirt, an hour the Lindores-shirt …

Before starting the hard labour, we planned on how we were going to do it. Michel proposed to put the whiskies in rows of five, so he could go and have a cigaret after every 5 whiskies (how deep can a man fall …).
The first row of 5 was:     

AV   BB  MV
75   79   76 - Highland Fusilier 5y. (40%, G&M, Pinerolo Import)
76   79   76 - Highland Fusilier 8y. (40%, G&M, Pinerolo Import)
82   83   82 - Highland Fusilier 12y. (40%, G&M, Pinerolo Import)
85   85   86 - Highland Fusilier 15y. (40%, G&M, Pinerolo Import)
87   90   90 - Highland Fusilier 21y. (40%, G&M, Pinerolo Import)

After discussions over smell of mothballs in the good or the bad way, the eyes of the female singer of the Guano Apes in which Michel would like to get lost, and E150A (spirit caramel), we just went on with a next row:

AV   BB  MV
78   80   72 - Dufftown 8y. (40%, ob, Bell's, mid '80's)
82   83   81 - Auchroisk 1977/1997 (46%, MMcD., MM11199, Bourbon wood)

Here, Michel was talking about the fact that life is just one bunch of nonsense, while U2 was singing on 'Whisky in the Jar'. The discussion that followed was about U2, and was concluded by Alexander saying:'Let that guy Bono join us … we'll drink him under the table on Bushmills'. Michel added:'You can easily drink 6 liters of Bushmills, and than get into the hospital with a water empoisonment. Hilarious !!! The second row however, got completed with:

AV   BB  MV
85   88   84 - Inchgower 1977/1997, 19y. (54,8%, Glenhaven)
83   92   80 - Glenmorangie Burr Oak Reserve 1993/2004 (56,3%, ob, 1152 fl.)
84   86   85 - Glenlivet 1969/2000, 31y. (56,4%, S.V., cask 1392, 498 fl.)

During this row, we have eaten four pizza's (2x sea food, 1x Hawaï, 1x Quattro formaggi) and we also made a quick call to Luc. Luc warned me through Alexander that I had to behave that night, and also gave me the strict interdiction of pouring bad whisky for the Dutch maniacs .. as if I would dare !!! While eating, we were having some very animated discussions about politics … and about cigars (another passion of Alexander, in which he 's very knowledgeable). I have just told about the fact that Michel and Alexander were laughing with Belgians and their clubshirts, while they were wearing a Maltmaniac shirt and I was wearing a BenRiach-shirt. All at once, I stood up from the table, went to my bedroom, and came back with my Wee Dram-shirt. At least than they had a reason to laugh (Trix, thanks again for putting Bert B. on the front pocket of my shirt) !!!
A next row of 5 was:

AV   BB  MV
85   92   84 - BenRiach 1980/2006 (57,2%, cask sample 2534, Virgin barrel)
84   90   87 - BenRiach 21y. (46%, ob, Authenticus)
88   90   89 - Ardbeg 1975/1999 (ob, 43%)
91   92   92 - Ardbeg Committee Reserve (55,3%, bottled 2002)
94   98   94 - Ardbeg 1974/1983 (59%, Samaroli, sherry wood, 2400 fl.)

After this row, a very interesting but hypothetical discussion began.
Suddenly, Michel said he had broken the 'Ardbeg bottling code'. If you look closely, you can see a code on any Ardbeg bottle printed with inkjet. This code always starts with an 'L', with a number behind, well … this number could be the bottling year;

L1 is 2001
L2 is 2002
L3 is 2003 check this with the first Uigeadail (bottled in 2003)
L4 is 2004 check this with the '1990' and the second Uigeadail (both bottled 2004)
L5 is 2005 check this with the third Uigeadail (without bottling date, bottled 2005)

We checked this with the Ardbeg which was officially only bottled in 2001. Still there are bottles with different codes: L1, but also L2. This would reveal that there also was Ardbeg 1977 bottled in 2002. This is totally different information as what's told at Ardbeg !!!
Michel had never seen L0 up until here, but we checked this with the Provenance Asia that was waiting for the Wee Dram Masters of june 6th, and what do you guess??? Indeed, the Provenance Asia that was bottled in 2000 gebotteld, has inkjet code L0 !!! Of course, this could be a coincidence, and as I told you this whole theorie is hypothetical, but wouldn't this be a bit VERY much of a coincidence??? Michel adds to this one: Finally someone who takes this seriously. I fried tried this theory back in 2004 and was subject of public laughter...

While tasting the Ardbegs, another discussion had risen between Michel and me: How important was 'coincidence' at the distilleries? Nowadays, the proces is exactly the same every day, every week, every month, … Barley is made by computerprograms that always make the same barley. I am almost sure that the great peatiness of Ardbeg in the early '70s partially had to do with the motivation of the guy that had to heat up the peat fire. Much effort: very peaty Ardbeg, less effort: lesser peated Ardbeg.
Michel didn't agree on this one, he said the differences were more due to the use of deep or undeep peat (there is an article on this topic on www.lindores.be from my hand for the people interested). I would like to have this discussion a bit deeper with maybe some more maniacs. What do you think guys?
A next row was:

AV   BB  MV
91   92   91 - Port Ellen 1978/2002, 23y. (60,9%, S.V., cask 5265, 464 fl.)
86   89   92 - Dumbarton 1962/1994, 32y. (49,9%, Cad Auth Coll)
87   96   90 - Longmorn 1964/1997 (57,5%, Dun Eideann, cask 5090, 480 fl.)
80   89   81 - Caperdonich 1968/1999 (50,3%, cask 3560, S.V., 260 fl.)

Michel said about the Dumbarton that it has so many 'faults' in it, but these faults make inforce each other in a way that it gets a great whisky. All at once, I called Michel 'out of the blue' an 'oetlul' (Dutch for 'jerk'). He answered by calling me a 'schurftbelg' (Dutch for Belgian with a skin disease ;-)). After that we brotherly ticked glasses  . Still, Michel remarked that it wasn't kind to insult him without a reason. Alexander however interrupted him:"As if you didn't deserve this just by being your charming self all evening". Hilarious … again !!!

As I told before, we had a discussion about cigars during our tasting. Alexander had seen a cigar in one of my closets, and when Michel took his next smoking-break, I offered him the cigar. He took the offer without any doubting, and I almost didn't see myself standing before my door because of the smoke my guests produced. After some minutes, the Michels cigarette was done, but Alexander sais: "I still have 45 minutes to go, we might better take a walk. So we did, and I showed the Maltmaniacs Ingooigem by night (Ingooigem is the village where I live with approx. 1800 inhabitants). Michel and Alexander were suprised to see the stores at all the windows, and even more that people closed these stores !!! Also the tractor that passed with a machine attached to the frontside, ànd one attached to the backside really surprised my guests: "such a thing wouldn't be allowed on the streets", they told me. After our walk, the cigar still wasn't finished, so Michel smoked another cigarette.

In the meanwhile, it already was after midnight … quiet a while …
The last row for the Friday was:

AV   BB  MV
84   89   79 - Strathisla 1989/2004 (62,8%, Blackadder RC, cask 9413, 254 fl.)
87   87   86 - Millburn 1974/2004, 29y. (53,9%, Cad Auth Coll, 246 fl.)
78   83   74 - Tamdhu 1988/1997 (60,8%, G&McPh 'cask', cask 6690-6692)
94   XX   XX - Ardbeg 1972/2004 (51,4%, ob, cask 2780, 245 fl., Bourbon Hogshead)

For some reason, I didn't write down the scores of the Maniacs, but after this row, we all three went to bed … tired but satisfied !!!
Here after, I'll write something down about the breakfast session I had on Saturday morning in my living room together with Michel, while Alexander was sleeping as if he was in a coma.

Michel and me were awake around 7:30h. We had met for the first time that day on the so-calles 'smallest room' due to a communication error …  !!! At 8:20h, we both were dressed and stood outside at my front door for, you can't guess it: a cigarette. We had started a conversation about old Bowmore, and at once I said: "join me to my cellar …

At 8:35h, we took a quick look at my 'stock', and took some samples upstairs. Among them: two old Bowmores …
At 8:45h, we took a cup of coffee (I took a glass of orange juice, Michel coffee … I hate coffee)
At 8:50h, we took something to eat before going back to 'work':
At 8:55h, the tasting glasses came back on the table for the following delicacies:

BB  MV
92  90 - Bowmore 30y. (43%, ob, Sea Dragon)
95  90 - Springbank 1967 (46%, MMcD, cask MM1314, fresh bourbon)
89  89 - Tomatin 1966, 36y. (48%, SSMC)
86  88 - Glenfarclas 1968/2000 (54,2%, ob, 'old stock reserve', cask 684, 204 fl.)
94  92 - Springbank 12y. (50%, ob, 100° proof, 'Double Dark')
91  91 - Bowmore 1971, 34y. (51%, ob, 960fl., sherrywood)

All of a sudden, Michel jumps up, walks to my closet, and takes the following bottle:

BB  MV
92  90 - Nikka 1988/2000 (61,2%, ob, cask 208712, warehouse 2)  

The reason herefor was that Michel has a passion for Japanese whisky.
This Nikka has never been on the market in Europe, because it had been sent to me directly from Japan by Kenji Oshikane who I met in 2000 at Lagavulin Distillery in exchange for a giant box full of … Belgian beer !!! Michel quoted this one 90, 'so you'll be geving him 92', he told me with a big smile. You have to know that I scored many whiskies approximately 2 points more than Michel, but we almost had the same fluctuation. This shows that our scores were pretty representative. We continued as busy bees with the:

Tobermory 1972/1995 (50%, Moon Import) - no scores
Ardbeg 1996/2005 (46%, G&M 'for Belgium', cask 906) 88 and 86 points

In the meanwhile, it had gotten 10:10h, and still no trace of Alexander.
Michel quoted in a very 'Dutch' way: 'That guy can sleep', or 'Wat kan die gozer slapen'…" !!! Michel and me couldn't be stopped anymore (this was maltmania of the purest kind !!!), and we continued our saturdaymorning with the following drams:

BB  MV
91  87 - Glenfarclas 40y., 1964/2005 (53,5%, Lucs Daily Dram, cask qw 1578)
88  86 - BenRiach 25y., 1979/2005 (57,5%, ob, cask 10985, 228 fl.)
88  88 - Auchroisk 28y., 1974/2003 (56,8%, UDV RM)

According to Michel, this one tasted very 'un-rare-malt', and was a nice surprise because of this.
All of a sudden, Michel said: 'you must have 90 for this one". I answered: "No, I have him on 88". "Than I quoted him to low", replied Michel. Loud laugh (I've lost counting). After this one, we went to wake up 'Heer Veer' after all. Alexander finally got up, took breakfast and swore not to drink because he still had a long drive to do. Michel and I hower took care that his promess didn't even last for 10 minutes … The time to leave had come for the maniacs, and we said goodbye. To me, we had experienced a great evening, night, morning. We even made the agreement to repeat this at Alexanders place the next time, at Michels the time after Alexanders, than at my place again in Belgium, etc., etc., …

Johannes en Luc, you have really missed something but we also missed you !!!
However, you are invited with all our heart on the above-mentionned 'living room tastings' …

Cheers,

Bert !!!
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/12 - Glenglassaugh Distillery Profile
Submitted on 26/04/2006 by Craig Daniels, Australia

Operational: 1875-1986 (but silent from 1908-'31 and 1936-'60)
Region: Speyside
Neighbours: Macduff, Banff (demolished), Inchgower
Address: Portsoy, Banffshire, AB45 25Q
Owner: Highland Distilleries Company Ltd (Edrington Group).

Glenglassaugh (pronounced Glen-glas-SOCK) was built between 1873
and 1875 by the Glenglassaugh Distillery Company owned by James
Moir, a local wine and spirit tradesman, in partnership with his nephews
Alexander and William Morrison, and local coppersmith, Thomas Wilson.
It was built on lands known as "Craig's Mills" or Craigmills farm after
the three mills (two water powered and one wind-powered mill on the
site which became the entrance to the distillery) situated there.

The distillery cost GBP 10,000 to build. The plan was to supply bottled single malt whisky under the label of "James Moir & Alexander Morrison". Robertson & Baxter, whisky merchants of Glasgow, Scotland, quickly became the biggest customer for their surplus production and much of the whisky was sold on for blending to William Teacher & Sons, distillers and blenders, Glasgow.

Wilson died in 1883 and Moir died in 1887. Between 1887 and 1892, Alexander Morrison had the distillery re-equipped with new stills, washbacks, elevators and barley separators. William Morrison died in 1892, and Alexander sold the distillery to Robertson & Baxter, who then sold it on in that year to the Highland Distilleries Co Ltd for GBP 15,000. Production rose to 110,000 gallons by 1898 but fell back to 28,000 gallons in 1907 and as a result the plant was mothballed in 1908. The distillery was reopened in 1931 but was mothballed again in 1936. 

It was substantially reconstructed and capacity doubled (through the unusual yet classically utilitarian device of merely doubling the capacity of the existing stills) in between 1957 and 1959 and after the work was completed it was regarded as one of the best designed distilleries in Scotland, although you'd wonder what the traditionalists would've thought as it was lore that you didn't muck around with the design of your stills, but maybe the size and configuration of your stills is not considered significant when you're in the bulk malt for blending market.  It is pointless to speculate whether the change in the size of the stills impacted on the profile of the final spirit as you'd need to have a stack of empirical evidence to hold your ground on any side of the argument.

The history of the distillery has been characterised by relatively short periods of activity interspersed with rather lengthy silent periods.  In the period between 1960 and 1986 it produced malts for the blending market.  Like a lot of distilleries it was a victim of the major recession in the scotch whisky industry which led to the demise (either temporarily or more often permanently) of over 18 distilleries in the period 1983 to 1986.  Most recently it has been silent since 1986 with only a very small period of activity in 1998 and the prevailing sentiment is that it will remain silent, with limited prospects for it opening again.

It was almost exclusively producing for the blending market, being a constituent in such well known blends as Famous Grouse, Laing's and Cutty Sark. Many references cite Laing's as a blend yet there is no blend of that exact name (at least not one that comes up on a google search) so maybe they mean Laing Brothers who are blenders or Langs which is a blend usually associated with Glengoyne.  While it has been highly regarded by blenders, none of the owners had particular faith in its prospects as a single malt.  The only official bottlings extant (both from Highland Distillers) have been a Family Silver series from 1973, released in 1998 and a distillery release which didn't have an age statement in some markets and was a 12yo in others, which was available in some markets in the late 1970's and in others up to the mid 1980's.  I think Sukindher Singh has tracked down some stocks of the 12yo, but expect to pay collector's prices.  Both distillery releases are now extremely rare and it's a shame that it looks like Glenglassaugh doesn't have a future as I've found the expressions I've tasted clean, pleasant with an attractive lightly toasted creamed honey note.

Other bottlings have been available from independent bottlers, mainly from Gordon & MacPhail but also from William Cadenhead and Scotts Selection and Royal Mile Whiskies.  The Gordon & MacPhail bottlings have been more availaible in Australia, but I can't comment on the rest of the world.

Based on the bottlings I've sampled, there is an identifiable and moderately distinctive distillery style.  The official bottlings are almost certainly from first fill and refill bourbon wood and have a distinctive fresh linen and fresh cream top note, which I'm convinced is the flax that gets a mention in Michael Jackson's tasting notes.  They also have a slight coastal character, which tends to show up in an aroma of fresh celery and a very faint stock note.  In the palate, they have a little forward gristy malt, negligible to zero peat and a faint hint of fresh cream.

Not wishing to compete or compare with Wishart or Murray, but if you're looking for malts that have a somewhat similar profile then I'd suggest that one could start any exploration with Glen Elgin, Glen Moray and Glengoyne (all from 100% bourbon wood).  Three coastal disilleries that have similarities (only from bourbon or refill bourbon and at fairly young ages) are Glen Scotia, Bruichladdich and the occasional expression from Glenmorangie.

Craig
 

Sources: Malt Whisky Yearbook 2006, The Pocket Whisky Book by Charles MacLean (1993), Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion 4th Edition (2000), The Malt Whisky File, Lamont & Tucek (1995), Scotland and its Whiskies - Prof RJS MacDowell (Second Edition 1971): Moss, Michael, Quality in a Century of Uncertainty - A Hundred Years of Highland Distillers Co Ltd, (unpublished manuscript, UGD 358/1/1/11).
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #18/13 - The Whiskey World In The Wild, Wild, West!
Submitted on 12/07/2006 by Susan Purnell, USA

Greetings from the West Coast of California.  My name is Susan Purnell and there is nothing I like better than enjoying a wee dram while watching the waves crashing on one of the many beautiful beaches in Half Moon Bay.  It is the closest I can get to being on Islay without flying 3000 miles!  I am a huge fan of the Malt Maniacs and love following everyone's journeys finding new and wonderful discoveries in the wide world of whisk(e)y.  What I have noticed is there is not a lot written about what is going on out here is the WEST and thought it was a great opportunity to let you in on the fantastic products that are being created here.  This first e-pistle is to introduce you to some of the many producers who are making outstanding spirits in California and Oregon.  Future e-pistles will focus on more technical information in regards to the different styles of whiskey production being use out here.

So sit back, grab your favorite dram and come along on a ride through the Wild, Wild, West!
 

Anchor Brewing and Distilling Company

History: Fritz Maytag established the Anchor Distilling Company in San Francisco in 1993.
His goal was to use traditional distilling techniques and make very small batches of distilled spirits,
which include gin, and three styles of whiskey.

Old Potrero Whiskey

Fritz Maytag and his creative team at Anchor Distilling are recreating the original style of whiskey
that was made in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. This is first achieved by using 100%
rye malt, which was the grain of choice for America's first distillers. Secondly, by distilling in the
small copper pot still at the distillery on San Francisco's Potrero Hill. Here is Anchor's explanation
of the differences in the three different bottles of Old Potrero that are currently available:

18th Century Style Whiskey - "We have found that handmade oak barrels-lightly toasted in the
traditional manner-impart a wonderfully subtle flavor to our 18th-century-style American whiskey.
In the 18th century, barrels were made by heating the staves over a fire of oak chips, allowing
them to be bent and formed into a barrel shape. During this process, the inside of the barrel would
become toasted - not charred. For aging, we have chosen several uncharred oak barrels-both new
and used-to achieve the balanced complexity that complements this whiskey's traditional heritage."

19th Century Style Whiskey - "This straight rye whiskey was aged in new handmade charred oak
barrels. In traditional barrel making, the cooper heats the staves over a fire of oak chips, allowing
them to be bent & formed into a barrel. During this process, the inside of the barrel becomes lightly
toasted. By the early 19th century, coopers had learned that if they allowed the heat to continue,
the inside of the barrel would burst into flames and become charred. We have found that handmade
oak barrels - charred in this traditional manner - impart a (...) unique character to our rye whiskey."

Single Malt Hotaling's Eleven-Year-Old Whiskey - "This unusual whiskey has been aged for more than eleven years in once-used, charred oak whiskey barrels. Many of the finest Scottish "single malts" are aged in the same manner. The method of producing this Hotaling's Whiskey is identical to our other Old Potrero whiskeys-only the barrel aging is different. At more than ten years in barrel, we were surprised and delighted to see this product develop a fine, mature, and mellow character."
 

Clear Creek Distillery

History: Steve McCarthy started Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon, in 1985.
Steve has brought together the European traditional brandy-making techniques (using
Holstein Pot Stills) with the finest fruit from his family's Oregon orchards to makes many
different products including Brandy, Eau-de Vie, Grappa, and Whiskey.

McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey

Steve started making McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey in 1996.
The mash is made from peated malt barley from Islay.  The Widmer Brothers Brewery,
who are close friends of Steve's, made the mash into a wash or unfinished beer, which
has not been hopped.  Using the unfinished wash allows Steve to get all the flavor and
character of the malt during distillation. There are two main difference between the
whiskey what Steve makes and Scottish whisky.  The first is the type of still which are
two Holstein Eau De Vie Pot Stills.  The second difference is the use of smaller barrels
(55 gallon) made out of air-dried Oregon oak (quercus garriana).  The wine makers in
Oregon don't care for Oregon oak, but Steve thinks it is a spectacular success for his
whiskey because of their slight oiliness.  In 1999 after three years of barrel aging he
bottled the whiskey at 40% ABV.
 

Domaine Charbay

History: Domaine Charbay is a family run business located in the town of St. Helena in Napa Valley, California.
Mile Karakasevic started Domaine Charbay in 1983. They specialize in small, hand crafted spirits, ports, liqueurs
and wines. The four family members, Mile, his wife Susan, their son Marko and daughter Lara are all involved in
the business operation. Marko is the current head distiller at Domaine Charbay and is the 13th generation distiller
in his family. He grew up around the copper Alambic Charentais Pot stills in Northern California and learned the
craft of distilling from Miles.

Charbay Single Malt Whiskey

The process of making the Charbay Single Malt Whiskey starts with Two-Row European Barley.
Marko feels that the two-row barley has much more flavor and character than the six-row barley.
The barley is grown and malted in British Columbia.  Miles and Marko are not brewers and in 1999, the beer for
their whiskey was made in pilsner style at the Benziger Family Winery, which is located in the city of Glen Ellen
in Sonoma.  At that time Benziger had a brewery and were planning to make a microbrew beer. The beer was
than double distilled in Alambic Charentais Pot stills.  Marko uses the Karakasevic 7-fraction distilling technique.
I will get Marko's explanation of this technique for future e-pistles!  Miles and Marko distilled twenty-four hours
a day, seven days a week, for three weeks! They created 20,000 gallons of beer, which totaled 20 custom-made
new America White Oak-barrels, holding 65 gallons each, of whiskey. With the addition of aromatic hops from the
been and the rich spice of new American White Oak barrels, this Hop Flavored Whiskey celebrates the ongoing creativity of Karakasevic family's long distilling heritage. The whiskey is bottled at full barrel strength (60.5% ABV), uncut and not filtered.
Marko is hoping to release a seven old year barrel aged whiskey at 40% ABV in late 2006 or early 2007.
 

Saint James Spirits

History: Jim Busuttil started Saint James Spirits in 1995.
Jim father was Maltese, and his family has centuries of experience in the wine and spirits business.
Jim's profession is in teaching, but distilling is his true passion. He learned the art of distillation in
Germany and Switzerland using Alambic Copper Pot Stills.

There is an extensive list of products being made at Saint James Spirits; Brandy, California Gold
Agave, Grappa, Kirsch, Rum, Vodka, Wine and Whiskey. As per Jim, "All Spirits are stored and aged
in French Oak Barrels. This insures that the Spirits of Saint James are truly one of quality and taste".

Peregrine Rock - California Pure Malt Whisky

Peregrine Rock California Pure Malt Whisky (yes, Jim calls it Whisky), is made from Peated Highland
Scottish Barley, and the purest Mountain Spring Water. It is distilled in an Alambic copper pot still
from Germany.  Aged in American Bourbon casks.

Editorial note: You can find some tasting notes on Peregrine Rock (as well as quite a few other
whiskeys mentioned on this page in Lex Kraaijeveld's 'New World, New Malt Family' E-pistle that
was published in Malt Maniacs #11 in 2004. That article also lists a few other distilleries in Canada
and the United States. Check out the Lex-icon for a complete overview of the distilleries we know.
Added very recently: the Copper Fox distillery in Virginia.
 

St. George Spirits

History: St. George Spirits in located on the Island of Alameda, off the west coast of the city
of Oakland, on the old Naval Air Station, in The San Francisco Bay Area. Now, that is a mouthful!
In 1982, Jörg Rupf fell in love with the San Francisco Bay Area after leaving his home in the Black
Forest of Germany and brought a small copper pot still to California.  Jörg found that the orchards
of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest had a large variety of incredible fruit. The pears
from Lake County in Sonoma & Ukiah, raspberries from Oregon and other fruits enables St. George
Spirits to produce their extremely high quality eau de vies. The making of eau de vie has lead to
the creation of many outstanding products, fruit brandies, grappa, liqueur and single malt whiskey.

St. George Single Malt Whiskey

The barley used to make St. George Single Malt Whiskey has been smoked over alder and beech
for added complexity. Lance Winters, Assistant to Jörg says "The wash is mashed in 6,200 gallon
batches at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California.  In addition to the smoked malt,
we use chocolate malt, crystal malt and black patent malt. Wash strength is roughly 6 to 6 ½%
alcohol and produces smoky brown ale.  The wash is distilled only once in the eau de vie still."

The oak cask used for maturation comes from a variety of cooperage types with American Bourbon cask making up the majority.  French oak casks are also used for hints of vanilla and to enhance mouth feel and Port casks to accentuate the cocoa on the palate.  The whiskey is put in cask at 55% ABV.
 

I hope that you have enjoyed this little journey. 
I look forward to bring you more information on what is happening out here on the West Coast of the good old USA!
"May your glass be as full as the joy in your heart. And may your life be long enough to enjoy its warmth"

Slainte!

Susan Purnell
 

Malt Maniacs #18  -  June 1, 2006

Click HERE for more malt mania!