SCOTCH REVIEW TM TM EDITION 15 SPRING 2001 PERNOD-A-GO-GO! Loch Fyne is proud to feature, for the third boss running, the head of malt distilling for the industry leader, UDV. Previously we have interviewed Alan Rutherford of UD and Ronnie Mar- tin of DCL. That all three have been head of the same group of distilleries but with different owners reflects the condi- tion of commerce in Britain at this time. Our talk with Mr. Hutton highlights his attention to efficiency, but with an over- riding consistent quality proviso. Both are essential for commercial survival but quality and variety of character are the particular desire of the readers of Review. At present Federal and European Com- missions are considering the disposal of Seagram’s alcohol enterprise. As it stands, a joint bid from the par- ents of UDV and Campbell Distillers has won with a £5.5 billion deal. The Chivas BRUICHLADDICH HEROES group, Seagram’s principal Scotch inter- Would you buy malt whisky from these crazy Laddies? We hope so! The new board est, will go to (the parent of meet for their first dram together in our shop in Febru- of Campbell) for their £2.1bn contribu- ary after their successful and historic acquisition of the distillery. Pictured are the tion. The Chivas deal rockets Pernod fund raising heroes: Simon Coughlin, Mark Reynier and Gordon Wright (collec- from ‘small fry’ with three malt distill- tively known as Murray McDavid), Jim McEwan and Andrew Gray. eries (Aberlour, Edradour & The Gospel according to Jim; page 4. Glenallachie) to Scotland’s distilling number two owning twelve. Further- SEAGRAM PULL OUT SMALL ADS—WANTED more, Scotch will become the biggest Subject to the approval of monopolies Would anyone with a couple of spare pot sector of the Pernod group. and merger authorities, it looks as if Al- stills please get in touch with LFW has yet to be impressed with Pernod lied Domeq have lost their yearlong bat- Springbank Distillers? (to be at least polite); evidence is that of tle to buy the drinks business of the now Chairman Hedley Wright has bought volume over style, growth over attention, entertainment-driven Seagram empire. the buildings of , just failing particularly in understanding cus- A joint bid from and Pernod up the road from Springbank. It was tomer expectations for single malts. Ricard of $8.15 billion (Diageo $5bn, started by his great uncle William The list of distilleries from Seagram in- Pernod 3.15bn)has been accepted. Mitchell but closed in 1925 during cludes many, if not lemons, at least sour- Diageo, who through UDV is already the ’s gloom years. plooms. and Benriach are Scotch whisky leader, will pass up all This is a significant commitment of ex- recent official bottling casualties, so Scotch interests (except Windsor Pre- penditure; the buildings are in good or- what chance the automated Allt à mier—big in Korea) for the wine, rum der but bare of equipment. Already the Bhainne, Braeval, or Caperdonich? and brandy interests. search is on for a pair of stills; When reviewing their new and daunt- Pernod, with current Scotch sales of Rosebank’s and various Speysiders are ing portfolio Pernod will look to estab- 1.8m cases (principally Clan Campbell), already under consideration. Production lish focus. Aberlour, Glenlivet and Glen will become an 8.4m case enterprise is anticipated to start in 2005. Grant are secure, but what of the qual- bringing it to 3rd place—very close to Mr Wright’s decision to buy the site is ity and potential of Longmorn and Allied. Industry analyst Alan Gray of clearly an emotive one. Apart from the Strathisla and how about making ING Barings said “This is more good family connection, he wishes to see bottlings of all their assets available— news. To see another committed big Campbeltown producing more great such as UDV do. player will help to vitalise the market.” whiskies, as before.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, , PA32 8UD PAGE 1 retain the 27 we have. The investment goes at closing them—we were hoping THE HELMSMAN required is too great. It has been con- that the first closure might be enough sidered because of the new canal project but after two years we had to do it again. but how many more visitor-centre dis- Eventually a total of 21 malt and three tilleries do we need? grain went. We then had a further ten LFW: And ? years to manage the surplus stocks out The vandals have done a pretty good job of the inventory. I think we did that re- and I would rather remove it but we sponsibly; we didn’t dump, we over-aged have a preservation order slapped on us and sold surpluses instead. “because it’s got pagodas”—yes, corru- People had certain views on the DCL. gated-iron pagodas! It’s a rundown eye- They thought it a sleeping giant if some- sore of a place. what disconnected. With hindsight As for selling it, we have a maltings sit- maybe so but the management were ting there which is important to the is- hugely supportive of the operational side land and having a distillery at the back of things. They had built the business owned by someone else doesn’t make any on acquiring production assets and they sense. and Caol Ila are very were very cognisant of their social re- important to us and I don’t see any sponsibilities; the ordinary employee of benefits for UDV in doing anything with the DCL thought it a good company to Port Ellen other than tidying the site. work for, sons followed fathers. LFW: Have you any good news? They were gentlemen and in something We are honoured to feature I started this job with 27 malt distilleries of a time lock. I don’t think their alleged Turnbull Hutton of United Distill- and when I retire I intend there will be long lunches were a bad thing. There are ers & Vintners. UDV is the spirits 27, all running efficiently plus two grain a lot of good things in the whisky indus- section of Diageo’s GuinnessUDV, distilleries running flat out. From the try and long lunches—when you drank which is the new name for the 1970s we had 30 years of closing things your product—was one of them. Now we merged activities of Guinness and but that’s over now. We became a world eat sandwiches and drink fizzy water, Grand Metropolitan, soon to be a class closer-down. Well not any more. it’s terrible. I try to resist that! ‘Total Alcohol Beverage Company’. I’ve seen growth and closure. My first LFW: Then along came Guinness. LFW: What’s your job? job in the mid-sixties was for the Dis- At that time DCL had five stockholding I am Operations Director of Distillation tiller’s Company as a bond clerk in South companies, Walkers, Buchanans, and Spirit Supply, which involves the Queensferry, the best training ground as Dewars, White Horse and Torphold (the production of all spirits right up to the it was a blending and packaging plant other brands) all effectively competing point of bottling. I am responsible to the for all the small DCL brands—a lot of with each other. After Guinness we set head of GuinnessUDV Global Supply variety. They gave me six months in each about consolidating them, a plan we had which includes Guinness and all over- area: cooperage, bulk blends, bond de- drawn up prior to the takeover. Over seas spirit production. partment, warehouse rents etc. By the four or five months we picked up one A wide range of spirits is now produced late 1960s they were shutting down vari- company per month, consolidated the in Scotland, including gins (Gordons, ous small plants around Edinburgh to stock, gathered the recipes, reclassified Tanqueray), vodkas (Smirnoff) and oth- move to Leven in Fife. I managed to wan- the malts and moved on. We then had ers such as Malibu, all of which are pro- gle a job managing the bond department control over inventory and realised the duced at Cameronbridge in Fife. I have where I spent six years before I moved industry’s surplus was all ours! Every- responsibility for 27 malt and two grain to production headquarters to work with one else was short of stock because they distilleries, three maltings and eight Ronnie Martin who took a shine to me, had over cooked their cutbacks or their warehouse complexes holding 1.1 billion despite our being very different. markets had developed and they didn’t litres of alcohol. I also have a My job was stock scheduling and Secre- have the right stock profile. So we made coppersmithing company and four coop- tary to the Production Committee. At quite a lot of money dribbling out our erages as well as research and quality that time DCL had 45 malt distilleries, surplus and re-established trading links control facilities. We also have a half all necessary because sales were grow- with the industry. After being so remote share in the North British Grain Dis- ing at a constant 10% per annum. No one for twenty years we were to become a tillery. was going to cut back production with part of the industry and take on a lead- My job is to interpret the predictions of sales growing like that. Then there was ership role. Soon people were willing to our sales teams (and apply a sanity fac- an oil crisis, the Americans took up jog- take malt fillings, grain whisky or ware- tor!) and to ensure that the goods are ging and British youth rebelled against house with us and as a consequence the delivered to the packaging plant, on time whisky—suddenly sales were flat! Inventory & Supply Department became and in good order. Efficiently. Now everybody’s an expert on overstock- quite a big profit centre. LFW: Do you have enough distiller- ing, but with decades of growth and the I established the Commercial Division ies? long delay between making and selling, which encompassed the inventory as Yes, I think I have the number just about it was inevitable we would get a whisky before but also warehousing and right. If you look at the number of brands loch. We were an aircraft carrier going coopering—the whole middle part of the that we are supporting and selling we full pelt—if you have one or two distill- process between distilling and packag- would be struggling with anything less. eries you can be pretty quick and cut ing. In 1998 when the merger with IDV We have sustainable production levels, back production, but we had 45 and com- was proposed and Alan Rutherford was no surplus stock, distilleries in good con- munities dependent on them. You can retiring as Distilling Director I was dition and now are passing the tests appreciate the company hoped this was given the job of distilling as well. which big businesses apply; best utili- a temporary hiccough; if not, then they I’m no distillery technician, which sation of assets, lowest costs in the in- had major social problems and they were Ronnie and Alan were, but I believe if dustry and high quality products. We are well aware of their responsibilities. It you have the right people in the right a superb operation just now. was tough, very tough. structure you let them get on with it. If LFW: What about Rosebank; any It became clear we had over twenty dis- the boxes are right and the individuals chance of re-opening? tilleries and three packaging plants too are right then you’re okay. A fine distillery, but no chance. I’d rather many. We had to close some. We took two We’ve invested a lot in warehousing and

PAGE 2 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD produced big efficiency gains after a long higher margin malts that make better draw up a specification that reflects the lack of investment. We’ve looked at our profits. We have the provenance, we own recipe of each blend. That goes through maltings (we are the third largest in the the distilleries and we have the stock in to the sample room as a submission for UK) and the distilleries have been at- our warehouses. If a malt connoisseur the make up of that blend for the year tended to. My team helped me decide our wants variety we have it with things like ahead and we check that proposed blend strategy for the business which is based the Rare Malts and Distillers Editions, against the previous years. on cost, quality and service. Cost is im- legitimate niche products that are mak- Then the blend is checked throughout portant because if we are not an efficient ing serious money for us. the gathering process; we do a sight producer our owners are going to ques- LFW: And the other distilleries? check before we tip it, we nose samples tion the need for an operational side. My job, just now, isn’t telling the malt when they are in tanks or vats and we Quality is vital; if we don’t maintain the distilling team up north how to make have a final sample that comes in here quality aspect we have nothing to sell. whisky and it is not telling the inventory which we compare with our standard Service—we have to make sure that or- department how to make up the blends, blend samples. If a bottle finishes in ders can be processed timeously; if we are they know that. My job is giving them Kuala Lumpur and someone tells us it supplying the packaging plants who are all enough space to do their jobs and I is not quite right we can dig out our our immediate customer, we have to be have to convince those above that what blend, tanker and cask sample and com- sure the goods are there at the right time. we are doing is right. We’ve got flagship pare it with the ‘complaint’; we can go Now, three years since the merger, we distilleries and we’ve got bloody efficient right back to the individual casks that believe that we have real cost and serv- six still units, some of which are recog- went into that blend. ice advantages. There is belief that, be- nisable firsts in any classification and will We know from the forecasts how much cause you are big, you are dumbing eve- remain that, but they don’t have visitors whisky we need. We know how much rything down, but I refute that abso- in. Health and safety is paramount, qual- stock we have at packaging plants and lutely. I think it works the other way, ity is paramount and the focus is for con- what the bottling line is producing, so it’s because we are big we have the re- sistency, but we ain’t necessarily going spirit supply is a replenishment job. We sources and capital to do the best job. to whitewash the walls twice a year as should never hold up a bottling hall be- We have the efficiency of scale and I don’t we do at Lagavulin or its sisters. cause we have stocks of blended whisky think there is anyone more stringent in LFW: Will we see character changes? waiting in tank farms and we are work- terms of quality control than we are. No. Clynelish will still be Clynelish, the ing ahead of the game. There are peak LFW: Do you want self sufficiency? character remains unchanged. months of July to September, when We have self sufficiency in terms of vol- There is a perception with newcomers packaging deplete what blended stock ume but we will always exchange with to the trade that if you have been in it we have, but we will try and even out other producers. Each year we have for 30 years you either must be some our blending over the year. I try and about sixty distilleries represented in kind of fool or lack ambition. These guys avoid overtime at warehouses; why pay our stock. I don’t see any future in any- arrive from other businesses and they’re premium rates if you have sufficient body becoming insular. It is too small an confronted by some tetchy Scot; they blended storage and you know what or- industry, too important and we all need think ‘luddite’. However there are ders are coming along? each other. enough individuals in the operations We make 35-40 different blends each LFW: Don’t you need to increase side who are way ahead of the game. If week, varying in batch size. Blackgrange production at some distilleries? we present the facts robustly enough no which is only one of our eight warehouse Our flagship distilleries, the Classics bean counter or marketeer is going to sites empties 10,000 casks a week, fill- and others such as Cardhu and Royal take the chance of tampering with the ing 120 tankers transporting to one of Lochnagar, are not designed to be vol- nuggets that we have. two tank farms and then to one of three ume sellers. I tend to look at these as I’m not against using technology at malt bottling plants. We produce 35 million Morgan cars, they are hand crafted. If distilleries; I don’t buy the myth that if cases of Scotch every year; 120 products demand exceeds production because of you put in sensors linked to a computer including 70 separate blends. the hand crafted nature then the price you take away some of the human craft LFW: You’ve seen a lot of change. paid is for a scarce commodity. I would element. We are giving the operators There are a lot of prophets of doom in always resist increasing the size of a dis- better information to make a decision. this industry. If you listen to some of the tillery; I’m not going to bastardise a dis- A stillman after a bad night or with his pronouncements, every time there is a tillery by putting in extra stills. mind elsewhere is going to make some minor change in duty somewhere hun- These distilleries are extensions of the bad judgements so as well as all the dreds of jobs are created and then be- marketing arm so we maintain them as training, experience & skill, some infor- cause someone wants to check on the showpieces where visitors are welcome. mation that helps him get better and quality of water thousands of jobs are They operate on five days production and more consistent quality is a good thing. at risk! I don’t think we do ourselves any seven days fermentation and we rest the Technology is essential. Of old, people favours by these mad statements. stills. Some distilleries can run full time drank whisky and felt that it did you a LFW: Your desert island dram? without affecting the character of the power of good. Now some dickhead Black Label is the finest blend. For malt, whisky, but there are others where, if we comes along and starts to analyse the probably Cragganmore, that was until run them for seven days, we get a nutty thing to death—if you feed a rat a par- a while ago when I attended one of our characteristic due to the shorter fermen- ticular component then it becomes an tastings in New York. Talisker was last tation time. Not only will that manifest elephant—so people begin to panic. If we and enjoyable as always; then it was itself in the single malt but eventually it just sit back and let some lunatic with a suggested to take a glass of ice and add will bugger up every blend we’ve got. The gas chromatograph bugger up our prod- another miniature of Talisker to see how proposition of quality is lost. Malts are a uct’s reputation we deserve to suffer, so the flavours profile had reversed. I was business within the business. J&B, we have to understand. If in developing sceptical, I thought it stupid in fact— Black and Red Label are high volume, that understanding we learn more about but it’s amazing! Now I’m a Talisker on fast moving, consumer goods. Malts are the process, great! But we’re not going the rocks fan, maybe that’s because I’m hand crafted and a different packaging to take anything away. a young hip transitional! proposition. We have a malt marketing LFW: How do you prepare a blend? LFW: Thanks, man! team that we work very closely with; When we get the forecasts in we consider Our interviews with Mr. Hutton’s predeces- we’ve adopted each other into a seam- the best use of our stocks, we decide our sors, Alan Rutherford and Ronnie Martin, can less relationship. They focus on the forward distilling requirements and be read at www.lfw.co.uk/swr.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD PAGE 3 bottle all our whisky at 46%. This gives RESURRECTION! the full character of the whisky without By James McEwan going to the expense of cask strength. I am proud to be part of the new team The distillery character is of soft over- responsible for the seventh Distill- ripe fruit, tons of sweet oak, lemon me- ery, Bruichladdich. The distillery was ringue and barley sugar. It is luscious sold by Jim Beam Brands who had ac- on the palate with no heat whatsoever. quired it from Distillers in Bruichladdich also has potential for 1994 since when the distillery has trading with the rest of the industry; we hardly worked. A consortium of inves- will supply blenders and consumers with tors including Ileachs, men from Islay, our regular spirit or with the option of a has been assembled by the directors of heavily peated variant called “Port Murray McDavid and their offer of £6m Charlotte” which will be malted to for the distillery and stocks resulted in 40ppm phenols. I have also increased the a transfer of ownership at the beginning specification of the regular spirit from 3 of 2001. to 10ppm, still a relatively light peating After consideration of their business but which I expect will give even more plan and without much further persuad- complexity to the dram. I want Bruich- ing I have decided to join the new laddich in the glass to reflect the skill Bruichladdich Distillery Company after and art of the distiller as an old fash- 37 years with Morrison with ioned whisky. I know it can take this whom I maintain good relations. This job level of peating and bring with it more whisky is to be realised. Whisky fans (es- gives me the chance to get back to Islay appeal. I have a bottle in my office of pecially customers of Loch Fyne Whis- and to be part of the revival of this truly pre 1961 Bruichladdich at which time kies) from all over the world will be wel- exceptional distillery. peating levels were usually about 30- come to attend seminars on this beauti- Bruichladdich is special and is known 35ppm—fairly heavy and it is superb. ful island a learn the intricacies of what as one of Islay’s most characterful So we have something to offer blender makes this industry so special. Ware- malts—it is what the locals drink. It and single malt lovers to whom we are houses will be converted into residential would be a tragedy to let the distillery also offering the opportunity to purchase tasting suites where enlightenment and die—it has a magical quality and herit- casks of new spirit of either type in a fun will be the order. There is so much age which must be preserved. I hope our variety of size and specification, direct to talk about, so much to explain and move will encourage others to see that from the distillery. See our website for understand. I’m very much looking other closed distilleries like Scapa, more information (www.bruichladdich. forward to this aspect, to continue my Glendronach and Glen Scotia will some- com). ‘ambassadorial’ work I was doing day return to their former glory. with Bowmore without leaving the As I write we are distilling. Bruich- island is a dream I never dared con- laddich has the potential for producing Bruichladdich sider in the past. 1.8 million litres per year. We propose The courses will help to finance the to produce around one third that much distillery and its operations. This is a in 2001. Initially we have created seven is what the bold step taken by our team and in- jobs. We are considering an on site bot- vestors and there will be a long lead tling hall which will accommodate the time developing the market for Murray McDavid bottlings as well and locals Bruichladdich before the distillery is this will bring the employment up to a self supporting concern. I’m confi- about fifteen. Islay will benefit by this dent that the funds raised will see and the new construction involved. Since drink the necessary improvements to the coming home I have divined a new distillery and see us distilling long spring which has beautiful clear water Another first will be the “Bruichladdich into the future. in abundance, so look out for the return Valinch”. This will be special casks se- It has been an emotional roller of Islay Water! lected from our cellars but held duty coaster ride for the past months, I Over the last few months I have been paid. From now, when you come to visit can tell you. We have hired the old going through the maturing stocks that us you can fill your own special 50cl bot- crew and they are so full of enthu- we acquired with the distillery and soon tle direct from the cask. You and one of siasm, it’s touching. I’m amazed at we propose to launch a standard 10, 15 the distilling team will then sign the the response of the whole island and 20 year-old range plus some single label—it’s cool! My first choice is three to Bruichladdich reopening and I casks aged as much as 36 years on Is- 31yo hogsheads of 1st refill American am proud to be one of them. Their lay. Those familiar with the 27 year old oak, average strength 47%alc., distilled Celtic spirit burns brightly over Stillman’s Dram selected by my friend in 1970; for £50.00 per bottle—it’s a Lochindaal but we need your Richard Paterson of JBB will know that steal! And the spirit is magical. The help to make it work. Without Bruichladdich had produced some of the Bruichladdich Valinch will be an ongo- the consumer support the circle finest possible and ing project. My next selection is already of the water of life will never be some of the casks residing here now are made; a second refill sherry butt, 10 complete. Spread the gospel of truly exceptional. Fans of Murray years old, young but it knocked me to Scotland and whisky, both malt McDavid bottlings will appreciate our the floor when I tried it! and blend, wherever you can. plans not to colour or chill-filter and to My dream of an academy for single malt Do it for Scotland!

PAGE 4 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD “The wonderful thing about oak barrel for not less than three years appreciated the world over for its satis- whisky, apart of course, from in Scotland, otherwise it cannot be fying subtlety and complexity. drinking it, is that it contains called Scotch. It must also be bottled at Grain whisky is industrially produced more bluffing elements than al- 40% alcohol or more in order to retain from a variety of cereals including most any other subject—far flavour—see the note about how to drink malted barley. The spirit is not fully dis- more than supply-side econom- below. tilled—a degree of impurity is required ics, more even than wine. Wine breeds How is whisky made? to add character. envy, discord and snobbery, whisky pro- Easy—mix some processed grain with Occasionally you may come across a bot- motes fellowship, amiability and quiet, water, add yeast and let it ferment in tle of single grain whisky (which will unassuming superiority. Supply-side the same way that beer is produced. Boil taste light and slightly oily) but its use economics produced Donald Trump.” up your beer and collect the steam which is mainly as a carrier for malts in blends. David Milstead will be mostly alcohol. Voilà, whisky! The fourth category of whisky is a Bluffer’s Guide to Whisky Throw this away as it is probably poi- vatted malt which is a blend of several son, your hair will fall out—and apart malts but no grain. Malt bottles lacking from that it’s illegal. the word ‘single’ may well be vatted; NEW CUSTOMER PAGE Scotch whisky must contain barley and other clues are descriptions such as Malt Whisky must be made exclusively ‘Pure Malt’ or ‘100% malt’. Some are very The busy summer season in the shop from water, malted barley, yeast and good for example Famous Grouse Vin- gives Loch Fyne Whiskies the chance to nothing else. Maturation (the biggest tage Malt,our Bottling of the Year for welcome new customers to our growing contributor to flavour) must be in oak, 2001. band of happy whisky fans. The follow- traditionally former sherry or bourbon A single malt is a happy accident of sci- ing pages are for those who are develop- casks. ence, nature and circumstance. Blended ing an interest in the marvels of Scotch What is the difference between a and vatted whiskies are one man’s opin- Whisky. single malt and a double malt? ion of what he thinks you think a good We feature some explanation of the A single malt is the product of one malt whisky should taste like. Many mem- bottlings from our Stock List—OB, A, C, whisky distillery and that one distillery bers of the industry claim to appreciate G&M, MM, MP, OMC, S etc., but we’ll only. There is no such thing as a double blended Scotch the most. start with by far the most often asked malt unless you are with your rich fa- Why don’t you stock a certain brand question: ther-in-law at the bar (technically—‘a I had once? I can’t remember the name but it large one’). Single malts are enjoying Whisky brands tend to fade away faster came in a dumpy green bottle, can considerable acclaim at the moment, than get created as the industry changes you help? they are no longer Scotland’s biggest from hundreds of brand owners to just ! (Boo-na-ha-venn). secret. Their intensity and complexity a few. As big companies expand by the What is whisky? of flavours, previously thought to be a acquisition of small they find that they Literally the alcohol spirit produced by handicap to wider sales, are now being have two brands on the same shop shelf distilling fermented cereals. Whisky is sought throughout the world. at the same price so one has to go. Some produced in many countries, historically Malt whisky is one of four types of brands are only available overseas be- those with climates more suited to grow- Scotch. The most common is blended cause they are better established there ing cereals rather than grape-into-wine whisky, a mix of many different single than in the UK. production. malts and grain whiskies prepared by a How many Scotch Whiskies are Scotch Whisky is the world’s most popu- blender using his sense of smell and there? lar spirit and by law must be (amongst years of experience. 95% of all bottled The Scotch Whisky Association draws other things) made and matured in an whisky sold is blended whisky and it is attention to the Claive Vidiz collection in Brazil of over 4,000 bottles of Scotch. Not all of these will be available today and Campbell Evans of the SWA reck- ons that there are about 200 in the UK and 2,000 around the world. Loch Fyne Whiskies has the most com- prehensive range of UK available malts with examples from about 120 distiller- ies. There are currently about 80 open and working; others are either mothballed, closed or demolished. There have been about 750 distilleries licensed since Ferintosh in 1689. How am I supposed to drink my malt whisky? How you like! Although it does seem a shame to mix a £25 malt with a sweet, fizzy mixer. Addition of water (anything from a drop to 50:50, depends on the bottling) often reveals more character. The main compounds responsible for fla- vour (congeners) in whisky are very solu- ble in alcohol but less so in water. At bottling strength 40% or above, these OFFICIAL, OWNERS OR ORIGINAL BOTTLINGS (OB) congeners remain locked in the solution. When bottled by the owner of the distillery, we call such bottlings official, owners or When water is added, the congeners be- original bottlings. These ‘official’ presentations are examples of the best in quality, come less soluble and are released as packaging and design and a guarantee of consistency and quality. Here is a range vapours into the atmosphere. So experi- of OB sizes, ages, presentations and lavish point-of-sale material for The Macallan. ment with each new bottling.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD PAGE 5 whiskies is the production of ‘finishes’ out for is the degree of alcohol strength NEW CUSTOMERS II where the whisky has had some of its as duty is applied according to percent- Bear in mind you have four senses of maturation in a cask that has previously age alcohol. Most whiskies are bottled taste and these are on your tongue, not held a wine or port for example. This at 40% alcohol by volume (abv), some at in the back of your throat. Plus you have creates a huge potential for variety. 43% or 46%—15% stronger and so some 30 or more senses of smell so use What are ‘Cask Strength’ Whiskies? dearer than the 40%. We stock many the schnoz. Ice in malts is a no-no; you Whisky matures in the barrel at about whiskies with strengths of up to 65% so put ice on bruises and in blended Scotch 65%. Prior to bottling it is diluted to 40% these are the equivalent of over a bottle in hot climates. so as to incur the least alcohol duty and a half! Part of the fun of malt whisky is the test- (originally a wartime measure). Cask Does a whisky improve with age af- ing and breaking of these rules! Try ice strength whiskies are at natural, barrel ter bottling? or mixing too different malts together. strength which provides more impact No. Unlike wine, spirits are fixed once How do I know which malts I will and immediate flavour. These whiskies in the bottle and there is no benefit in like? should be diluted in the glass after ex- keeping it. You should open and enjoy it Most single malts will have the region ploratory sips otherwise anaesthesia as soon as possible! of origin on the label (either Lowland, will numb the pleasure. Because of the How long can I keep the whisky in Highland, Speyside or Islay) and these variety of casks employed in the indus- the bottle? give a clue to the character of the con- try, each single-cask bottling will have Unopened, a bottle should stay as good tents—but there are many exceptions to the character of the barrel variety as as when bottled assuming the seal is in the rule. The Lowlands are the most well as that of the distillery so there is good condition. Keep the bottle away gentle; mild, almost wine-like. The great variation. from direct sunlight, heat or variations Highlands can be further divided; those What’s this about ‘chill-filtering’? in condition. Once opened, oxidation from the south are akin to the lowlands, In the mid-1960s, the Scotch Whisky in- will act on the whisky with a noticeable those from the north are fuller flavoured. dustry introduced a policy of chill-filter- effect in between one and three years. Speyside is a category of its own within ing their whiskies. This is done by re- The balance of characters will change, the Highlands. These whiskies are com- ducing the temperature to as much as not always for the worse, but eventu- plex and half of Scotland’s distilleries are minus 8-10°C and filtering through pa- ally a whisky will become ‘flat’—an- found here. The most fully flavoured per filters to remove oils that emulsify other good reason for enjoying your whisky is produced on the island of Is- at low temperatures, giving the whisky dram without delay. Saving the last lay (pronounced eye-la). Islay whiskies greater clarity and eliminating clouding inch of a very special malt is usually are unguided missiles in the wrong at low temperatures, e.g. when ice is disappointing when finally poured, so hands—you will either love them or won- added. enjoy it now! der what the attraction is in smelling The process also removes many of the Books are useful sources of informa- hospitals. quality features of nose and taste (con- tion and we recommend in particular: How come they taste so different? geners) from the whisky and now, after Most informed—Charles MacLean’s Malted (germinated) barley has to be the lead set by Pip Hills and the Scotch Malt Whisky £25.00 or Scotch Whisky dried before milling and fermentation Malt Whisky Society, very few independ- Pocket Guide £8.99. and traditionally this has been done over ent bottlings and many official bottlings The Taster’s bible—Michael Jackson’s an open fire. In Scotland a variety of fu- (e.g. the new Ardbeg 10yo) are not chill- Malt Whisky Companion £12.99. els is found locally including peat (de- filtered. To keep you up to date visit our website: composing heather) and coal. The Similarly there is a movement away www.LFW.co.uk. amount of peat that is used to dry the from the use of spirit caramel colouring barley has a big influence (on Islay it is in single malts, employed to standard- the only source of fuel). Other influences ise colour in the bottle. “The proper drinking of Scotch Whisky are the style of apparatus employed in Why are some whiskies so expensive? is more than indulgence: it is a toast to the production, particularly the still and The first thing to check is the age of the civilisation, a tribute to the continuity of how that still is operated by the stillman. whisky. If it is say 21 years old (the time culture, a manifesto of man’s determina- The final major influence is the type of spent in the cask—once bottled it does tion to use the resources of nature to re- oak cask or barrel employed to mature not ‘age’), it will be dearer because of the fresh mind and body and to enjoy to the the spirit; it could be one of many cat- additional storage required. Also whisky full the senses with which he has been egories from a brand new barrel to a evaporates in the barrel by about 2% endowed.” well-used second-hand sherry or bour- each year so after 21 years only two David Daiches bon cask. A recent development in malt thirds remain. The other thing to look Scotch Whisky, Its Past and Present

HOW MANY DISTILL J&B have produced Ultima — a blend containing the largest possible number of malt and grain components. Ultima contains 116 malts Nevis, Ben Wyvis, Benriach, Benrinnes, Benromach, Bladnoch, Blair Athol, Bowmore, Braes of Glenlivet, Brechin, Brora, Bruichladdi Dhu, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Deanston, Dufftown, Edradour, Fettercairn, Glen Albyn, Glenallachie, Glenburgie, Glencadam, Glen Craig Grant, Glen Keith, Glenkinchie, Glenlivet, Glen Lochy, Glenlossie, Glen Mhor, Glenmorangie, Glen Moray, Glen Rothes, Glen Scotia, G Knockdhu, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ledaig, Linkwood, Linlithgow (St Magdalene), Littlemill, Lochside, Longmorn, Macallan, Macduff Brackla, Royal Lochnagar, Scapa, Speyburn, Springbank, Strathisla, , Talisker, Tamnavulin, Teaninch, Tamdhu, Tomatin, T Girvan, Invergordon, North British, North of Scotland, Port Dundas, Strathclyde. Distilleries that could not be represented are Killy

PAGE 6 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD A MM C G&M Cask CC S (43%) S (Cask) MP OMC

INDEPENDENT BOTTLERS

(Where’s Cadenhead’s/Connois- respect for a small range of excellent and GORDON & MACPHAIL (CC, Cask, G&M) seurs Choice/Gordon & MacPhail’s unusual whiskies bottled at 46%. In our The leading and most respected inde- Distillery?) view this is the perfect bottling strength, pendent bottler, G&M bottle a bewilder- Loch Fyne Whiskies favours a few in- just strong enough to tingle the tongue! ing range of single, vatted and blended dependent bottlers who buy the malt CADENHEAD (C) whiskies from their Elgin home. G&M whisky from a distillery by the cask Campbeltown in Argyll is home to inde- are unique amongst independent bot- and bottle outwith the supervision of pendent bottler Cadenhead’s, who buy tlers in that they mature all their whis- the distillery owner. With all independ- and also mature casks of whisky and bot- kies from new and have done so for over ent bottlings look for the distillery tle each cask individually at natural 100 years. G&M still hold stocks of long name which will be in smaller print. cask strength, occasionally as high as gone distilleries—history to take advan- ADELPHI (A) 67% alcohol. At 150 years, Cadenhead’s tage of! In 1998 G&M became distillers A relative newcomer to the sector, The is the oldest bottler in Scotland. with the revival of Benromach Distill- Adelphi Distillery Company has no dis- DOUGLAS LAING & Co. (DL) ery. Shown above are examples of their tillery but is very fussy about the qual- A long established firm of blenders G&M, Cask and Connoisseurs Choice ity of the malt they bottle at cask which has moved recently into single ranges. strength, and so their releases are only malts with two jazzily presented expres- SIGNATORY (S) occasional. Their minimalist labelling sions: McGibbon’s Provenance is bottled For ten years Signatory of Edinburgh allows the whisky to sell itself. at 43%, Old Malt Cask at 50% (or less if have bottled malts at both 43% and at MURRAY McDAVID (MM) the cask is not up to that strength). As cask strength. They have produced The most recently incorporated on our blenders thay have access to some rare some outstanding and very rare whis- list, Murray McDavid is gaining great and unusual stocks. kies and are consistently good value.

is not part of a chain, has no sharehold- the world with such unlikely places as ers to satisfy and does not have any Malta, Poland and Austria represented! branches (I hear mutterings of ‘one cen- Visitors to our shop enjoy our service and tre of excellence’). We employ Andy most get to do some sampling from our Burns and Laura Simpson plus our extensive tasting stock before they buy. greeter Donald, pictured left who is ‘vol- We pride ourselves on our attention to untary’ rather than employed; his job is our customer requirements, principally distributing drams of the Loch Fyne. sound knowledge of our products, a fair Our shop stocks all the whiskies in our price for our goods and a top class and Stock List, at the published price, as well speedy mail order service. as a range of other whisky related We are proud of our business, the respect Who or what is LFW? items—glassware, hip flasks, whisky fla- we have earned, this newsletter Loch Fyne Whiskies is a small privately voured confectionery and preserves and and our blend ‘The Loch Fyne’. owned shop in Inveraray, a popular visi- the most comprehensive book shelf pos- Our customers are worldwide, tor stop in the West Highlands of Scot- sible. There is also a gallery of collec- very loyal and very much appre- land. The business is owned and man- tors’ and rare bottles on display includ- ciated. aged by Richard & Lyndsay Joynson and ing a selection of whiskies from around

LERIES ARE THERE? s: Aberfeldy, Aberlour, Allt A Bhaine, Ardbeg, Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Auchroisk, Aultmore, Balblair, Balmenach, Balvenie, Banff, Ben ich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Caperdonich, Cardhu, Clynelish, Coleburn, Convalmore, Cragganmore, Craigellachie, Dailuaine, Dallas g, Glendronach, Glendullan, Glen Elgin, Glenesk, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Glenflagler, Glen Gairoch, Glenglassaugh, Glengoyne, Glen Glen Spey, Glentauchers, Glenturret, Glenury-Royal, Highland Park, Imperial, Inchgower, Inchmurrin, Inverleven, Jura, Knockando, ff, Mannochmore, Millburn, Miltonduff, Mortlach, Mosstowie, Oban, Ord, Pittyvaich, Port Ellen, Pultney, Rhosdhu, Rosebank, Royal Tomintoul, Tormore, Tullibardine, and 12 grain whiskies: Caledonian, Cambus, Cameronbridge, Carsebridge, Dumbarton, , yloch, Kininvie, Ladyburn and Speyside (although someone will know probably better).

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD PAGE 7 LOCH FYNE WHISKIES — PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

ONLY FROM LOCH FYNE WHISKIES the Living cask™

THE INVERARITY RANGE adopted as our house malts The LIVING CASK The Inverarity range is bottled by Inverarity Vaults and has been adopted VOLUME IX as our house malts because of its qual- ity and great value. There are three At the time of writing volume IX has just A unique recreation of the storage and serving of malt whisky malts, two single and one vatted, which been created by the addition of some 23 complement each other and demon- year old rich, sherry cask matured strate the range of styles in malt Scotch The LIVING CASK Speyside malt to volume VIII which was Whiskies. a beefy, meaty, old fashioned highland/ Our first house malt, The Inverarity A unique recreation of the island style. 10yo, is an all-day everyday dram which storing and serving of The result is a rich, nutty, furniture- our customers have been enjoying for malt whisky polish liqueur that would please a lover many years. It remains for the moment of Springbank 21yo at its best. A full re- a bourbon cask matured Aultmore. Not a single malt, but a living vatting fund if not satisfied! Strength 59%alc., Inverarity 10yo, price £ 19.90. of suitable malts, The Living Cask add plenty of water! ANCESTRAL FROM BALMENACH takes its inspiration from Notes on a LIVING CASK™— 20cl 59% £14.90 For Ancestral—the digestif in the Cellar Book by renowned connoisseur range—Inverarity Vaults’ Hamish Mar- Professor George Saintsbury, pub- tin has selected a 14yo sherry cask ma- lished 1920, in which he writes: tured Balmenach. The whisky is ex- “...The more excellent way—formerly tremely smooth with a great strength and practised by all persons of some sense complexity, very slightly sherry-cloying and some means north of the Tweed— in the mouth. A wonderful after dinner is to establish a cask,...fill it up with good dram. The price of Ancestral is £ 27.90. and drinkable whisky,...stand it up on INVERARITY ISLAY end, tap it half way down or even a little The Inverarity range is completed by higher, and, when you get to or near Inverarity Islay, a ten year old all-Islay the tap, fill it up again with whisky fit to vatted malt made up of four components. drink, but not too old. You thus estab- Launched at the end of 1999, sales to lish what is called in the case of sherry Islay fans have been fantastic. There is a ‘solera’, in which the constantly Living Cask a very emphatic phenolic and medicinal changing character of the old constitu- character—peat and iodine—which is ents doctors the new accessions, and SUBSCRIPTIONS classic Islay; a good oiliness, powerful in which these in turn freshen and For the Living Cask enthusiast there is flavours yet also a breeze of fresh air. strengthen the old.” a subscription service where we will au- This is an excellent variation on Islay And that is what we do. When half tomatically send you each new volume, malts which will provoke much debate drawn down a new malt is introduced once it has settled in. New subscribers among Islay fans as to where the four and the character changes. Each top willing to buy the next five volumes are components come from—and we’re not up is described as a Volume and this offerd a FREE copy of The Malt Whisky telling! is marked on the ‘spine’ of our book- Cellar Book (£15) that provides space for Inverarity Islay 10 years old, £23.90. style label which has Saintsbury’s in- you to record your impressions of each structions on the back. Each ‘Volume’ volume—and more! Postage £2/£3. Ask is bottled as a 20cl sample, dated at for details! the time of drawing from the cask We have other Living Cask items, key- with the prevailing strength noted. As rings & bottle stoppers (£4.90 each)— this is the natural strength it is in the Be hip! Show them you’re a whisky region of 60% alc. lover! Living Cask enthusiast Jack Mangus writes, “The folks at Loch Fyne Whis- kies have cleverly produced a continu- ally marketable and intriguing vatted OUR LOCH FYNE MARMALADE whisky. I can’t wait for the next vol- The Loch Fyne makes a great whisky ume! Thanks to Professor George marmalade and two are produced for us, Saintsbury for his inspiration and a standard (£2.50) and our deluxe thick- LFW for The Living Cask!” cut, dark, spicy Double Scotch (£2.90)

PAGE 8 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD THE DISTILLERY THE MALT DRINKERS BLEND™ Our label depicts the Glendarroch Dis- We’re very proud of our unique blend tillery sited on the Crinan Canal that created for us by Professor Ronnie Mar- links Loch Fyne with the Sound of Jura. tin, O.B.E., former Production Director Also known as Glenfyne, the distillery of industry leader United Distillers. was built in 1831. A succession of own- Slightly sweet and slightly smoky, The ers held the distillery until 1919 when Loch Fyne appeals to malt whisky fans it came under the ownership of the as an easy-drinking, well flavoured Glenfyne Distillery Co. blended whisky; something to drink and The cameo by Gail Gordon depicts the enjoy rather than concentrate on. We distillery at the time of Alfred Barnard’s have given The Loch Fyne to the three visit in 1885. Barnard’s detailed descrip- top professional tasting writers and tion of the buildings enabled us to rec- while all enjoy it, their tasting notes are reate the floor plan and Gail was able to completely different—proof that it is complete her task from this combined something for everyone! with etchings in his book. Michael Jackson’s note is characteristi- Barnard was clearly taken by the set- cally analytical; ting, the distillery and hospitality af- Colour: rich, sunny, gold. forded him. His book devotes six pages Aroma: fruity (honeydew melon?) to his visit, much taken up with details Body: medium, slightly syrupy. of the buildings e.g. “a new kiln, one of Flavours: light heather-honey, the finest we have seen in Scotland, it is grassy, fragrant, smokiness develops, 51 feet square” but also with the loca- especially in the finish. IWSC BRONZE 1996 tion: “It is built at the foot of the Rob- With typical eloquence, Charlie Soon after its launch The Loch Fyne won ber’s Glen which runs upwards from the MacLean’s tasting note wins by a nose: the bronze award in the blended whisky banks of the canal into the heart of the “The deep amber colour of this whisky, class at the influential International hills in the background; this glen was (darker than many blends) implies age and Wine & Spirit Competition. The Gold once the haunt of smugglers, and no this is supported by the (undilute) nose, Medal went to the world’s top selling more romantic spot could have been cho- which is rich and vinous, with no trace of Scotch, Johnnie Walker Red Label. sen for the distillery.” grain. All the indications of mature fillings. More praise comes from Carol Shaw’s Glendarroch was complete and well laid There is an interesting aroma of apple Collins Gem ‘Whisky’ which describes out. Barley was unloaded from the ca- dumpling (suet crust), and this remains The Loch Fyne as ‘A malt drinker’s nal direct to the malt barns then moved when water is added, enlivened by lighter blend, full flavoured, with a raisiny, through the process clockwise around a citric notes (oranges and tangerines), and sweet spiced nose, mellow smoothness of courtyard to the kiln, tun room, still by some oil-related aromas (walnuts, lin- taste and a warming finish. A very easy house and warehouses. Whisky was seed oil). Phenolic notes are slight, and to drink whisky.’ then shipped to market via the canal. express themselves more as ‘roast meat’ All this praise is supported by the rate Eight houses were available for the than peat smoke. Medicinal phenols are of sale in the shop after a wee taster! workers and two for the excisemen. present in a very slight trace of oilskins. There was also Glengilp House and Overall the nose is subtle and relatively Glendarroch House for the manager and closed. Not much water is needed for the owner respectively. At the end of his this whisky. day’s visit Barnard’s party “donned our The mouth-feel is smooth and well bal- ‘war paint’ and proceeded to Glendarroch anced, engaging the whole palate with House to enjoy the hospitality of the acidic, salty, sweet and dry flavours, and owner”. coming down ultimately on the side of The distillery closed in 1937, unusually sweetness. The overall impression is as there was a distilling boom at that fresh and smooth—mellow without be- time, although the warehouses contin- ing flat. The finish is quick and clean, and ued to be used for storing whisky until surprisingly warming. It is extremely easy the mid seventies. A brief life as a join- to drink. ery followed until the eighties when a Conclusion: A true premium blend which salmon hatchery made use of the build- has clearly used well matured fillings. ings and water which was also the drink- There is no harshness in it, no cereal notes ing water supply for Lochgilphead. or feints, no artificial caramel notes. A LOCH FYNE 70cl £ 15.30 In 1990 the Regional Council acquired whisky which is appropriate for any time GIFT PACK + DRAM GLASS £ 18.30 the water rights and every last trace of of the day. LOCH FYNE 20cl £ 5.90 the distillery has since been removed. Perilously smooth, mellow and easy to LOCH FYNE 10cl £ 3.90 Additional Information drink.” LOCH FYNE miniature 5cl £ 2.60 Brian Townsend, SCOTCH MISSED.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD PAGE 9 THE RIGHT TOOLS COLLECTING WHISKIES Some points to consider The satisfaction of collecting whiskies holds considerably more pleasure than all of today’s ‘manufactured’ collectables (e.g. plates, thimbles or die-cast models) as here we have a legitimate and schol- arly subject with no less than five hun- dred years of provenance. But wait! If you want to buy whisky as an invest- ment opportunity—walk away now, buy lottery tickets. Every collector has gems GLASSWARE worth several times their cost but the A traditional whisky tumbler is fine, whole collection may not have improved Of all the bottles we stock, and there are even a pleasure, for a blended whisky at all. You should assemble your collec- plenty of them, we elect just one as our but for malt whisky appreciation there tion for your pleasure not your future. bottling of the year. How do we decide? is a better glass for the job. So what do you want to collect? A ques- Many factors come under consideration Our classic nosing glass has a generous tion worth considering early on other- but by far the most important is the re- belly to accumulate aromas, a narrow wise you will create a diverse, confused sponse from our customers. Through our rim to focus those delights for consid- and near worthless collection that has very positive active tasting policy in the eration and a lid to keep them for you near bankrupted you in its creation. shop, we can test malt whiskies and de- rather than the fairies. Engraved gradu- The sooner you can focus, the more cide by virtue of democratic vote which ations allow accurate dilution. pleasurable your collection will be. Spe- is a goodie worthy of our recommenda- For more relaxed malt drinking we rec- cialise, create a set of rules for your col- tion—our customers vote with their ommend our port glass. Its wider rim lection and try to stick to it. Generally taste buds! and better balance aid contemplative en- the thoughts are: malt or blend? (usu- joyment. ally malt); single malts or any? (usually THE FAMOUS GROUSE We also enjoy using our simple water ca- single); only official bottlings or any? rafe, far less fuss than a lipped jug. (usually OB first choice, then independ- VINTAGE MALT Classic Nosing Glass £7.90 ent if necessary); what maximum price? An inspired vatting of several malts Port Glass £3.50 (are you prepared to be victim to a lav- combined together to make up a deli- Water Carafe £3.50 ishly presented rarity, fifty times more cious rich dram. When evaluating a dram it is helpful to expensive than the norm?) Master Blender John Ramsay who cre- have more than one kind in order to pre- One simple specialisation may be fancy ated the whisky told LFW: “When I vent familiarity setting in. Sampling in shaped bottles. Other collections are of heard that this was going to be part of increasing intensity and then going back ranges such as the Rare Malts series. The Famous Grouse family I completely again will reveal more than concentrat- The most popular choice is to seek a rep- re-thought my original plans for a vatted ing on one alone. Many LFW customers resentative of every possible distillery, whisky. enjoy ‘one-to-five’ parties where whiskies first choice being the official bottling but “With the quality of packaging and the are selected according to our taste score it will be necessary to default to inde- Grouse name this had to be a rich and of 1 to 5 from our stock list for a con- pendent bottlings in some cases. Some sumptuous vatting drawn from our vivial evening of descriptor bandying. may then go on to collect cask strength Groups distillery stocks; Macallan and LFW Tasting Mat & Cellar Book bottlings only, trading in their first spe- Highland Park taking the lead with The LFW melamine tasting mat is a cialisation to finance the next project. plenty of Glenrothes too. Tamdhu is the white, wipe clean mat for five glasses Others home in on one region or even carrier on which all these elements hang and an aide memoire of descriptors to one distillery; Glenmorangie, Macallan so gracefully. I’m very pleased with it. assist discussion and note taking. & Springbank are favoured for a steady Loch Fyne Whiskies is happy to deduct Finally, to record those inspired sensory trickle of interesting releases. By con- £3.00 off the usual selling price for the discoveries, Neil Wilson’s Malt Whisky trast, in this case, Glengoyne have blown duration of the year. Cellar Book is a handsome tome to treas- it because of too many, too expensive and THE FAMOUS GROUSE ure those thoughts and memories of your too frequent variants. VINTAGE MALT 1987 40% £19.30 most special tasting sessions. Limited or numbered editions are not al- LFW Tasting Mat £4.90 ways desirable; the ratio of number re- Malt Whisky Cellar Book £15.00 leased to price is an important factor and you should be advised the total number produced in the world (don’t be fooled by the UK number.) A release of up to 600 uniquely presented bottles is scarce; 2,000 bottles and a sensible price is worthwhile. Bowmore’s release of 300 bottles at £4,000 is wrong (there aren’t that many fools in the world,) however Macallan’s ‘1874’ release of over 20,000 at £64 was a winner because many were opened and soon after the supply fin- ished prices had leapt three-fold. Whatever your choice, you are guaranteed much pleasure in something that will add Special! Five classic nosing glasses, a ca- decoration and interest to your home, and rafe, tasting mat and cellar book £55.00 you shouldn’t lose money to boot!

PAGE 10 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD that the beleaguered faceless men of yond doubt were the World Alliance of SCOTCH WHISKY RIOTS malt had apparently wired Harrods— National Know-it-alls, a shadowy John Haydock ‘Riot imminent, send guns’ on hearing Internet-linked group who trade graphic of a possible diversionary attack from and almost pornographic images over Whilst the glare of the world’s media fell the KKK (Karamel Killers Kollective). the web of arcane distilling equipment. on central London and Oxford Street on In Dufftown it was all set to kick off at To be a member the test is to possess at May 1st I chose instead to focus my gaze midday at the clock tower, and as I got least four hundred different images of on the annual Mayday Dufftown Whisky closer I could see all the usual old faces. wort-coolers, and to show their metal Riots—so often overlooked by the indus- The softies, set up by the puppetmasters they intimidate hapless distillers with try press, but to the people of Speyside a of disorder to put the forces of law and questions of hopelessly irrelevant and yearly reminder of how closely single order at a misguided ease before the devilishly contrived detail. ‘We want malt whisky and global anarchism are hard-headed footsoldiers of terror set to your fermentation rates and we won’t aligned. Imagine a cross between a sev- work. Every bizarre fringe group you wait’, they chanted through their enteenth century Pope-burning, an eight- could imagine was to be found was there. facemasks, fists raised to the sky. The eenth century apprentices’ riot, the bac- The baggy trousered Skateboarders for atmosphere amongst the fun-loving chanalian bravado of a nineteenth cen- Scotch, campaigning for the introduction crowd quickly changed as they pushed tury holiday fair-fortnight at the seaside, of a Red Bull finished Glenmorangie; the and pulled their way through, pausing and the unfettered aggression of an east stern and silent Frankfurt Front for only to share the contents of their photo- Fife football riot and you begin to have More Limited Editions of Macallan 1956 albums with like-minded souls. Sud- something of a picture of the fearsome 24 year old; the New Age Maltsters Alli- denly the sky turned black as the sun spectacle that descends on malt-whisky’s ance, digging up the streets and plant- was eclipsed by a shower of worthless most famous town. When I walked down ing hand nurtured low-yield barley ge- pointed, yet somehow pointless books, the high street towards the landmark netically mirrored on 200 year old beare- hurled towards the advancing lines of clocktower at 11.50 I felt like Gary Cooper barley, the middle aged, prim and proper riot-police by the WWWGF (Whisky approaching High Noon. Deserted Writers Want Greater Fees), some of streets, the occasional twitch of a net whom I swore I recognised beneath curtain, a glimpse of an anxious their heavily bearded faces. Try face peering through a win- as I might I couldn’t escape dow, the bark of a stray the crowd, whose anger dog. Shop windows was only further in- boarded-up, corru- censed as we were gated-iron barriers cordoned into a straining in the tight circle wind in front of in- around the clock nocent domestic tower and doorways. In the taunted by the side streets sinis- baton-wielding ter armoured vehi- stormtroopers, cles carrying car- who periodically goes of heavily pro- broke into the tected riot police, with crushed crowd to dogs and horses strain- pull out a suspect, ing like greyhounds in many of whom were the slips, and overhead, heavily beaten before be- like the opening scene of Apoca- ing forced to drink large lypse now, the deep throated throbb quantities of Bells and Whyte & of Chinook battle-cruisers, hungry Mackay as an act of indignant venge- wasps around a half-empty jar of straw- ance. berry jam. Indigent Ladies Association for the List- How I survived I will never know. Af- Of course it all started many years ago ing of Historically Insignificant and De- ternoon passed into evening as the frus- with the strike against the heart of the cayed Distillery Buildings; and the pony- trated and increasingly dispirited crowd then DCL in Elgin, when the newly com- pulling, pony-tailed Hippy Collective for remained pinioned within sight of pleted office built for fortress-malt dis- Making Malt Whisky More Like it Used Dufftown’s famous seven hills, and seven tilling was destroyed by a suicide to be in the Old-Days Man. In the al- or so stills. Even I felt sympathy with bomber who claimed allegiance to the most carnival-like atmosphere these in- some of the misguided souls who, forti- shadowy IPLSM (International Patriots nocent stooges created were the hazily fied only by occasional drams of Mortlach for the Liberation of Single Malts). On defined KMFF (Keep Malt Filtration (succulent sherry sweet with citrus, hints the evening before the building’s official Free), the self-styled and bombastic of bananas and over-ripe kiwi-fruit, with opening a still-unidentified terrorist se- CCMMB (Crazee Chemists Make Malt a suggestion of peat perhaps ?) and creted himself in the Managing Direc- Better), the rather tasteless OLMMBB Balvenie (rich fruit-cake flavours with tor’s lavatory, igniting an incendiary (Own Label Malt Makes a Better Buy), sweet-shop jars, corned beef sandwiches mixture of liquid explosive and cask- and the prickly Avenging Sons and and, perhaps, peat ?), gradually realised strength Glenfarclas with a Bunsen Daughters of Rosebank. All these groups that for yet another year their attack on burner—committing himself, and much are united in their denial of any rela- the bastions of Malt Distilling was of the building, to eternity in the cause tionship to the militant Lunatic Fringe doomed to failure. And yet, as I later of liberating some of the Distilling be- for Whisky (LFW). reflected over a dram of surprisingly hemoth’s marvellous malts from the But these naïve innocents unwittingly peaty Craigellachie, they would be back hands of the mercenary blenders. No harboured vipers in their breasts, and next year, as sure as summer follows surprise then that when I drove through before I knew it I was walking in the spring, straining at the leash of social Elgin on my way to Dufftown the recon- company of some of the most dangerous order, barking savagely, and lunging fe- structed offices in Trinity Road were men in the shadowy world of malt may- rociously to bite hard at the hand that sandbagged and bunkered down—nor hem-makers. The most frightening be- feeds them. And, of course, so would I.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD PAGE 11 STAGE ONE—DONE! THANKS TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS... It has taken three years to build ...who after having their picture taken with Donald R. Greeter have chipped in a few lfw.co.uk although it does seem coins for local children’s groups. Donald stands at the entry to lfw.co.uk (left) and at considerably longer, but now we are sat- the door to the shop. Last year he collected over £1,000 in his tumbler! We blew it all isfied that Stage One is complete! by taking 50 under-fives to see the BBC’s Tweenies—Live! in Glasgow. Faberoonie! Stage Two starts soon(-ish)! should be cautious about revealing your card Dates, such as ‘1966’ or ‘34yo’. Lfw.co.uk is designed to be simple and details if your padlock is ‘open’. You can still Specifics, such as ‘46%’ or ‘Single Cask’. quick but here is a guide to give surfers order without revealing payment instructions. All our distillery profiles include our some tips and short cuts. It is not our At check-out there is the option to print unique taste scores as explained on the intention to abandon the non-connected out a completed order form and fax or back of our Stock List. Tip: These can be (see below) but using lfw.co.uk will give post it to us with card details added searched by entering colon+the score you seek you, dear customer, truly up-to-date in- manually. Some of our repeat custom- —e.g. to view a list of our taste score 2 sug- formation. ers request that we use card details we gestions then enter :2 (no space). Headings here reflect the left hand navi- have on file Tip: enter “Use card details on Our Shop gation frame. Tip: if you lose the frame click file” in Special Requests (below your address on the logo in the top right hand corner. details) as you start to check out, then choose The Loch Fyne ‘Send Separately’ for card details. You can of The Living Cask News course ’phone or fax us as normal. House Malts from Inverarity News is the busiest part of the site, al- Browse & Buy lists prevailing prices and These four sections give information though only one page long (broken up availability with our unique comments about us and our specialist items. for speed) it reflects changes in stock as that many find enjoyable to browse with- they happen, updated within hours of out buying. Go take a look—no obliga- Scotch Whisky Review changes. We are aware that many cus- tion to buy or even show yourself! As well as items from the current and tomers check this on a daily basis; it back issues of SWR this section includes takes seconds to learn of changes, if any. some entertaining photo diaries of The News section is used by many in whisky happenings and topical informa- the industry and also by many other re- tive items. tailers. From here you can check prevail- ing Deals as well. 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Browse & Buy is an illustrated Our practice is to retrieve orders at I value comments and notification of catalogue of all our whiskies, books and 10am and 3pm and to despatch that day, problems so please keep me informed; hardware. It is here that you should (but no guarantees); changes should be my e-mail address is [email protected] check the current availability of an item. ’phoned faxed or e-mailed immediately. The lobby to Browse & Buy has infor- Site Overview mation regarding delivery prices and Search If you get lost or bamboozled Site Over- terms of sale for all destinations so be If you know what you want then the view will help you out. Scroll down for sure to check these. Search function is highly recommended. quick jumps to various pages within To continue to the catalogue check the A product or descriptor can be entered lfw.co.uk—listings, order forms, terms of secure option. 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PAGE 12 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW — LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD