Edition 13 Spring 2000

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW TM TM EDITION 13 www.LFW.co.uk SPRING 2000 THE WHISKY TRAIN It is with some humility that I offer to you, dear customer, this edition’s interview feature—but enough people have persuaded me that it was as important to our customers to know about their retailer, as their blender, or whoever. During the preparation of that piece I realised that this first column is in the habit of picking fights, of being ‘outspo- ken’ and that I ‘cry a shovel a shuil’. A read of page 2 will describe how this column is a spontaneous thing. On several occasions I have set out to applaud the industry but have been over-ridden by the ‘rant’ in me. Let’s see if I get on any better this time. Of late a frequent victim of my comments has been Diageo, ‘the-company- formerly-known-as-GrandMet’ or United Distillers and Vintners, not because they are the worst players in the trade but because this is the company for which there is the most hope. I gave up on the lost causes of Allied Domeq “SNIFF THE INSIDES OF OLD BOATS” and Pernod/Campbell years ago. Pip Hill’s advice (page 10) gives us an excuse to publish this nice photo in what is Imagine my delight to observe the re- otherwise a slow picture season. Isabella Fortuna is a 1890 east coast lugger which sult of our UDV ‘rep’ after having at- has been restored by the Wick Society with assistance from Pulteney Distillery. tended a four day seminar on Scotch Whisky at Lochnagar Distillery. I have RELEASES: WHISKY FESTIVALS: no idea what they did to him but in went a very acceptable salesman, confident in CULT & POPULAR SPEYSIDE... the selling of spirits and out came a This spring sees the return of the cult Upon publication of this SWR there is time knowledgeable, enthusiastic and en- whisky—Ardbeg 10 years old—with a for you to organise trips to one or both of lightened ambassador for the Scotch super-charged, non chill-filtered, 46%, the forthcoming whisky festivals. Whisky industry! peaty monster to confound your taste- The massive Spirit of Speyside Whisky So it can be done with training. buds! Heated yet inevitable debate Festival runs from 28th April to 8th May The important thing is to see that the amongst afictionados rages as to and features over 250 events involving right people are getting the training— whether it is as peaty as the old Hiram whisky, food and music. not just the foot-soldiers and overseas Walker Ardbeg 10yo. It is proving very importers, but the bosses, the company successful and you don’t have to be a ...AND NOW ISLAY! directors and brand managers—those peat-head to enjoy its complexity. Feis Ile, the Islay Festival, will include responsible for promoting their product, Wm Grant, owners of the World’s a week-long series of whisky events as for preserving the industry’s heritage number one single malt, Glenfiddich, well as other island activities. and distilleries which they and their have released the results of ‘Project The programme, deliberately low key, companies are merely custodians. Phoenix’—Glenfiddich with an age will feature each distillery and distill- The core gripe of this column has been statement; not an 8yo as last stated but ery manager and give participants that the ignorant are being given con- a very grown up 12yo. This will contrib- unique insight into the production, sto- trol of the industry.If that’s the way it’s ute significantly to rebuilding the ries and culture that go into making going to be then would someone please brand’s status amongst malt snobs who their favourite dram. Feis Ile runs from enlighten them, rather than have me have in the past enjoyed dismissing the 29th May to 3rd June. shouting in a bucket on my own. popular expression. More details of both on the back page. SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk PAGE 1 then realised that whisky was such a Thankfully there are plenty of wise peo- YOUR SPECIALIST wide and stimulating subject. ple willing to contribute and assist. Of the two specialists in the yellow pages, The interview is the most respected part one had gone bust—‘oh no!’ we thought! and we are very greatful to the ‘victims’, The other was Frank Clark’s Cairngorm all of whom have been very supportive— Whisky Centre. When I phoned Frank to to date we have had only one refusal. discuss our plans, he invited us to We were spoiled with the first inter- Aviemore and gave us buckets of good ad- viewee [UD’s Alan Rutherford] and vice and encouragement. Frank’s friend- thought it would always be easy but it ship has been a great asset to our busi- can be hard to report unique informa- ness, particularly if you consider we could tion without alienating the contributor, be competitors although Frank and I a difficult balance that requires consid- don’t see it that way. erable persuasion at times! We had a ridiculous and unnecessary CM: I enjoy your editorials. struggle to get a licence in Inveraray and I get the most comments about that first in the interim we opened a tasting room column. I wish I knew who writes it! The The February/March issue of and shop within a hotel on Loch Lo- day before I drive to the printers, we Whisky Magazine featured an inter- mond—we opened our second shop before proof read and typeset everything and view between Editor Charlie our first! That tasting room was the best by midnight it’s ready—except for the MacLean and Loch Fyne Whiskies education I could hope for. Without much first column for which I haven’t a clue boss, Richard Joynson. outlay I learned what the customers what it is going to be about! Sometimes With a little encouragement from wanted, what I could sell and what was I start a rant about one thing and it our customers, we offer the unex- dead stock. We kept the tasting room for turns into a completely different subject, purgated version of that long lunch. a further year but gave it up as it was a deleting the initial story. time consuming and expensive diversion. The first column is where I let off steam. CM: Why have a shop in mid-Argyll? The seasonal nature of west coast tour- I’m very proud of some, they have very well The shop provides us with the means to ism is why we began the mail order side. structured arguments—not at all like me! live in the most beautiful part of the Visitor trade and mail order fit well, a CM: What is your stocking policy? British Isles. busy summer and a quiet pre-Christmas Whisky only—we’re specialists. We try My family bought a holiday house here in the shop permit smooth mail order to stock everything of interest to us and 30 years ago and I became fully resident processing. We opened our main shop in our customers, an impossible task given in 1985 when, as a fish farm manager, I Autumn 1993 and started advertising the unsupportable injustice of duty-free raised venture capital to create Atlantic our nascent mail order business. exclusives and similar scams. I carry all Freshwater plc. I built and managed a CM: How do you attract customers. of the proprietary malts of quality or re- large salmon hatchery on the shore of I suspect I am addicted to advertising. alistic value and where available an in- Loch Fyne. I loved it! It had dams, mill- It is like a drug; it creates paranoia, is dependent and a cask strength alterna- lades, large water heaters and exchang- expensive and there are plenty of push- tive. We also offer unusual blends of dif- ers, tanks—just like a distillery! I still ers about. But like Tommy Dewar said, ferent ages and styles, including our own regard myself as a fish farmer in real life! advertise or fossilise. The positive PR is Loch Fyne, my pride and joy. Finally we Lyndsay joined me in 1990 and when the very satisfying because that has to be have a variety of whisky-ware from writing appeared on the wall for salmon earned rather than paid for. whisky marmalade to whisky tooth- farms—a poor market and major disease Initially the lesson was very expensive. paste, in case an infidel comes in who problems—we cast around for an alter- There was no whisky magazine or direct doesn’t want to buy a bottle. native occupation which in this area way of reaching enthusiasts. We spent a CM: How many lines do you stock? mostly involves either a fishing net, a considerable sum in the Sunday broad- I don’t know. By the time we get to chain saw, or the least likely for me at sheets in the weeks running up to Christ- number six or seven we’re too intoxi- that time, the tourist dollar. mas and while plenty of people requested cated to count any further with accuracy! While considering a shop for sale in our list they then disappeared! We real- I refuse to get into the numbers game, Inveraray, eight miles from home, we ised that merely sending out a list of it is not relevant and one specialist of- thought that if we were to sell anything weird Scottish words with prices was in- fering so many more than another it should be: portable, top quality, Scot- adequate, so to try and recover some in- makes them no better.

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