SCOTCH 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 inter- view 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 col- umn 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 com- ments has been , ‘the-company- formerly-known-as-GrandMet’ or and Vintners, not be- cause 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 , 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. I see these guys tish made, well packaged, high value, de- come from our expensive list of names now boasting over 1,000 malts to choose sirable, non-perishable (fish farmer, re- we had to educate. That’s why I began from—that’s not great, that’s confusing member), doesn’t depreciate, have no to write the Scotch Whisky Review. to the customer and indicates to me creditors and have a good profit margin. CM: Why has the SWR such a good someone who has lost control of his stock With the exception of the profit, Scotch, reputation? and his business! I can get more if re- and very little else, fits all the criteria. It beats me! For me it is just the vehicle quired but it never is; everyone seems I knew very little about whisky then ex- through which I communicate my own happy with our offering. cept that I enjoyed drinking the stuff, love of whisky in our own way. Lyndsay Apart from those in our stock list, we but I was aware of the increasing inter- is a very important factor in its creation have a stash of bin-ends that never get est in malts and was surprised to dis- which is entirely in-house; we take a listed (or sold!) and the ‘collector’s loft’, cover that there were only two special- disk to a printer and he outputs it. an arrangement of copper pipes above ist whisky shops listed in Yellow Pages The SWR has generated a great deal of our heads in the shop supporting a at that time. I remember handing respect within the industry, some of number of oddities and discontinued bot- Michael Jackson’s World Guide to whom call it the Scotch Private Eye, an tles for our more enthusiastic collectors. Whisky to Lyndsay and asking her to undeserved handle and I wish I could CM: Do you collect whiskies? count the number of available malts and do more along those lines. In truth I wish No, I don’t collect anything really— bottlings while I took the dogs for a walk. I had never started it—while it has con- whisky books perhaps, but there is noth- We decided that the 170 or so malts that tributed to our success it is a real rod ing I can’t do without, the definition of a she had noted would be enough to stock for my back—for a month twice a year I collector I suppose. a small shop, so we bought it. turn into an irritable, neurotic ‘editor’ Life is too short and besides I’m a great I then started ‘mugging-up’ and only in the run up to printing! guzzler and believe that is why whisky

PAGE 2 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk was given to us, not to revere. men who are used to the sanctity of the There’s too much caution and too much But that’s just me, collectors are a very branded trade mark, fine with petrol or me-too-ism. And portfolio streamlining, important part of our business and it is cola but not malts. the lazy only want to promote one prod- important to work hard on their behalf. Often customers will phone and say uct for each sector and so they dump One of my jobs is to try and communi- “Have you tried this new release? What’s great brands without regard for their cate to the producers what is wanted. it like?” I will open a bottle that I expect heritage or potential. The whole show is customer driven, it will have promise and test it over the There are managers who are exceptions has to be. We try to anticipate what peo- counter, gauge the reaction. If good it to this of course, many as passionate as ple will want and will like and not to goes in the tasting cupboard and is a me or my customers but they are get- get sidetracked by the insignificant. pleasure to sell but I do have a very large ting the ‘squeeze’. CM: Who are your customers and number of ‘rejects’. CM: Now we are on the third bottle, what do they want? Its a sad fact that our customers keep any more comments? Tourists, collectors and consumers. I re- us much better informed about new and Yes, this one’s for the collectors, I alluded ally enjoy the tourists, those who come limited edition bottlings than the whisky to it earlier. Why is the international in for curiosity and in the best of cases companies do. traveller given access to the duty-free we get the chance to talk to them about Connoisseurs have their favourites to exclusive while the stay-at-home collec- whisky and invariably sell them a bot- which they return, but they do like to tor is deprived? tle. We all get great pleasure taking on explore and experiment. Producers have Why can’t retailers like me have access someone who claims they don’t like to spend some of the extra profit gener- to the same stock, never mind the price, whisky; we argue that most people who ated from malts wooing these roving con- to supply those who don’t travel the drink a few shots of Long John when sumers to make sure they get their bite world on a frequent basis? At least that they are fifteen have every right to be- of the cherry. way the collector can fulfil his collection lieve that Scotch is not their tipple. We CM: Spending profits—the share- without trying to find some one travel- then coax them with our tasting cup- holders won’t appreciate that! ling through Rio or wherever. board and in the majority of instances I believe that throughout business in the CM: Keep going... persuade them that they do like whisky, world, inadequate managers are blam- (Cheers!) This nonsense of not supply- confirmed with a sale! ing shareholders for their unpopular de- ing 75cl bottles to the home market— CM: Which whiskies do you use for cisions. I’ve had very serious, successful Europe requires 70cl (thanks France!), this conversion? institutional shareholders at the fish the rest of the world (and duty free), 75cl. It usually only takes one, the trick is farm AGMs and they were never so ob- “Oh Richard I’d like to sell you some— knowing which one for which person. sessed with their profits that they would but it’s 75cl stock”. So what? Ask the The sure fire hit is Springbank 21yo and not support something more esoteric. trading standards people and they say we make a lot of noise about selling a the 70cl rule is only a European techni- non-whisky drinker a forty-five pound cality and they would only be concerned bottle! Just as successful is our first there’s if there were several complaints that we house malt, Inverarity 10yo, and believe were supplying 75s and, unless there it or not the Loch Fyne, further confir- was an attempt to deceive they would mation that we have a very successful too much not take it any further—sounds reason- drink there. able given that it is 7% over the norm. CM: And the collectors and consumers? Ask the feeble minded managers and Collectors look for nicely packaged, and caution they say they have asked their legal peo- often limited edition, variations of main- ple and been told ‘no’. Lawyers have no stream malts, malts which are a real al- CM: What is your view of the whisky interest in imagination, customer re- ternative to the original, not just a mar- market at the moment? quirements or profits even. It’s much keting wheeze or at least the wise ones The passions which whisky arouses in easier to say no and then forget it! are a bit more cynical. Collectors buy to the consumer are, in my view, not suffi- To top all that, some of those that have keep, for decoration and in the hope of ciently catered to by many whisky com- refused me for this reason have then sold an increase in value. panies. There is a monstrous imbalance. 75s through their distillery—hypocrisy! Consumers can legitimately be called Although they pay lip service to putting Fine if they want to cut out the retailer, connoisseurs, they look for good or ex- the consumers first and supplying what but let’s be honest about it! ceptional whiskies to enjoy now. Their they need, this is not done. CM: How do you account for LFW’s needs are far more wide ranging and Few companies seem to be listening. success? draw equally from the producers and in- They see what the others are doing and, Simple, treating our customers as we dependent bottlers. The dram is impor- like sheep, they follow. There is not would wish to be treated ourselves. Un- tant, not the package. enough innovation or imagination. It’s derstanding the importance of the sup- From the consumer’s perspective, the not about yet more wood finishes but pliers, (despite my rants), and I must ap- official and independent bottlers are finding or creating market niches, and plaud Andy and Laura who work with mutually supportive and compatible. I genuinely new products. Our Living me in the shop—thanks guys, now get know there are several producers who Cask for example. For a while and be- back to work! throw a fit at the very idea of independ- fore the take over, United Distillers CM: Before you part, what’s your ent bottlers but I don’t think they have wacked out a bunch of innovative varia- desert island dram? thought it through properly. Loyalty to tions such as Bell’s ready-mixed with Irn I’m a beer drinker, a pint of heavy. one brand just doesn’t exist among malt Bru, Bell’s and chillies (Red Devil) and CM: Alright! What’s your favourite whisky drinkers. I’m a Rolling Stones Loch Dhu—which gained no support whisky? fan but it’s not as if I’ll only listen to from me, a poor spirit too closely aligned The (award winning) Loch Fyne. the Stones; the same with the with single malts and it defamed CM: Richard! Play the game! ‘Laphroaig man’. Single Malt Scotch Mannochmore Distillery. But I did ap- It’s true! Otherwise a well-matured Whisky drinkers seek expressions and plaud Red Devil (and made no comment blend.If your offering,Whyte & Mackay not distilleries. It is the ability of those about the ready mixes). But now they 21yo; if I’m paying, distilleries and the independent bottlers are all gone! They gave up! You must per- Black Label’s fine—in spirits I prefer the to make available the variety of expres- severe, if you launch something you symphony rather than the screaming sions that confounds the marketing should have thought it out. guitar solo!

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk PAGE 3 CUNNING COMBINATIONS OLD MALT CASK Iain Stothard of Highland Distillers successfully refereed the second Loch Fyne Whiskies Heilan' new bottlings in our list Banquet at the George Hotel in December. On the menu was; A starter of Seared Breast of Pigeon A new independent bottler has made with crispy bacon, green lentils and celerac chips accompanied by 18yo Highland Park. The fish course their way onto our list—we’re a bit fussy was 12yo Bunnahabhain with a trio of Loch Fyne Salmon, bound with whisky and oatmeal cream. about who we invite. Lightly smoked fillet of Scotch beef on a stew of pearl barley with wild mushrooms served on a truffle Douglas Laing and Co was founded in and red sauce was accompanied by the Macallan 18yo and the surprise of the evening was the 1950 and now enjoy considerable suc- mating of Poached Pear with vanilla cream pastry and champagne syrup with The Famous Grouse, cess as Scotch Whisky Blenders. Produc- without doubt the great talking point of the evening! ing the King of Scots and McGibbons Wishing to take this wonderful experience of food with the dram further, we asked acclaimed food writer whiskies which are sold almost entirely Richard Whittington to give us his pointers on preparing your own whisky banquet at home. in the export market in premium pack- aging (ceramics), they won the Queen’s ADVENTURES IN TASTE tastes that they act almost as revelations award for export in 1990. by Richard Whittington to the palate. Examples of this are The Loch Since the days of the company’s creation For more than a year I have been explor- Fyne blend with hot-smoked salmon or they have been laying down stocks of ing the malt whisky dinner, an occasion smoked cods’ roe with a warm potato salad whiskies for their blends and now, with where malt whiskies are drunk through- accompanied by Talisker, which is also the millions of pounds of stock to hand the out a five course meal. This is far from perfect accompaniment for a jugged kipper. sons of the founder have decided this is the dauntingly alcoholic experience it Black Pudding is delicious between sips of the time to make some of their best casks sounds, since only five small measures are Oban while Lagavulin, one of the smokiest available as single malts. For this rea- served and these, after the first sip, are and most powerful of the island malts, is son Loch Fyne Whiskies are delighted usually slightly diluted with water. When superb with salty Roquefort or Lanark blue. to list their Old Malt Cask range of non- dinner is over, an unlimited amount of rare Some killer combinations are surprising: chill-filtered single malts bottled at 50% cask strength whiskies are available, but Glenkinchie with Japanese-style raw fish alc. (The rationale of 50% is to reach par- that’s entirely up to the individual. You is sensational, while Cardhu is the perfect ity in duty charges to avoid confusion in build the hangover of your choice or leave partner for any pudding containing vanilla. export markets and price consistency in virtuous. The choice is yours. Sausages in all their many forms are par- the range). Each malt is served in a different kind of ticularly good with a wide range of malt The packaging is consistent with the wine glass, a way of emphasising the indi- whiskies and given that a haggis is really company’s expertise in such matters and viduality of each malt while the glasses give nothing more than an over-sized sausage, the information on the label is complete a better opportunity to savour their aroma. this is not really surprising. Texture is very including the number of bottles being Every dinner is different—different cul- important. Pieces of simply treated meat made available from the cask. tural or national themes and different em- cry out for a glass of wine and as a general phases—but all share the same process of rule, wine-based sauces should be avoided. taste discovery. Each brings its own rev- Dinners are only one way of exploring malt elations and each reinforces the pleasure whiskies with food. There is also the fast of eating and drinking. These are not only growing enjoyment of what the Spanish call dinners of discovery but also hedonistic tapas and most of the Mediterranean coun- tastings in which the whisky draws atten- tries call meze—delicious small dishes de- tion to aspects of the food and vice versa. signed to heighten the enjoyment of the The sponsor of this year of eating and drink taken with them, foods which are drinking is United Distillers & Vintners, eats-with-drinks. Tapas bars specialize in the dinners being particularly linked to one or two dishes, leading to constant move- the company’s Classic Malts, a selection ment of people eating chicken livers in one of whiskies that are representative of and tripe in another, both incidentally styles related to topography and geogra- happy partners for malt whisky. We tend phy. Thus Lowland, Highland and Island to think of tapas as being automatically ac- whiskies are presented with dishes that companied by sherry and wine, yet whisky CHILL-FILTERING balance their unique characteristics. is an increasingly likely alternative. In this In the mid-1960s, the Scotch Whisky The dinners have been approached purely context it is interesting to note that Spain’s industry introduced a policy of chill-fil- on the basis of taste. Although there is no malt whisky preference is for Cardhu, a tering their whiskies, this is done by rule book that governs the drinking of honeyed whisky with identifiable vanilla reducing the temperature to minus 8- spirits, serving them with food allows us back-notes, while J & B Rare is the coun- 10°C and filtering through paper filters to break free from the constraints imposed try’s number one blended Scotch. Tapas to remove oils that emulsify at low tem- by received wisdom, the historic hows and served selectively with malts that partner peratures, giving the whisky greater whys of spirit consumption. I believe the their unique flavours is an intriguing spin clarity and eliminated clouding at low next decade will see malt whisky dinners on the larger and more formal whisky din- temperatures e.g. when ice is added. taken seriously, for they let people explore ners. They are really only canapés by an- The process also removes many of the their sense of taste in a unique way. They other name. Try serving délices au Roque- quality features of nose and taste from also have a perfectly decent historic im- fort —a thick, set cheese béchamel coated the whisky and now, after the lead set perative. The widespread consumption of in egg and fine crumbs and deep-fried— by Pip Hills and the Scotch Malt Whisky wine with lunch and dinner outside wine- parmesan shortbread, haggis tarts, spicy Society, very few independent bottlings producing countries is a comparatively re- sausages and scotched quails eggs with a and many official bottlings (e.g. the new cent phenomenon and, until recently, a range of different malts to explore the din- Ardbeg 10yo) are not chill-filtered. This habit indulged only within a small and ing experience in microcosm. leaves the full body, resonance and glory privileged social group. There are no absolutes in all of this and of the original distillation and the secret One of the most important things the project there is no shame in the odd failure for of the wood in the bottle . has thrown up has been the identification this is something you can only prove by Similarly there is a movement away of “killer combinations”—that is partner- doing it. As they say, the proof of the pud- from the use of spirit caramel colouring ships of food and drink that work so well ding is in the eating. And of course, in in single malts, employed to standard- and appeal so universally to everybody’s what you drink with it. ise colour in the bottle.

PAGE 4 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk THE DISTILLERY THE MALT DRINKERS BLEND™ Our label depicts the Glendarroch Dis- We’re very proud of our unique blend cre- tillery sited on the Crinan Canal that ated for us by Professor Ronnie Martin, links Loch Fyne with the Sound of Jura. O.B.E., former Production Director of in- Also known as Glenfyne, the distillery dustry leader United Distillers. Jim was built in 1831. A succession of own- Murray included The Loch Fyne in his ers held the distillery until 1919 when book Classic Blended Scotch, describing it came under the ownership of the it as ‘something to celebrate’. Glenfyne Distillery Co. Slightly sweet and slightly smoky, The The cameo by Gail Gordon depicts the Loch Fyne appeals to malt whisky fans distillery at the time of Alfred Barnard’s as an easy-drinking, well flavoured visit in 1885. Barnard’s detailed descrip- blended whisky; something to drink and tion of the buildings enabled us to rec- enjoy rather than concentrate on. We reate the floor plan and Gail was able to have given The Loch Fyne to the three complete her task from this combined top professional tasting writers and while with etchings in his book. all enjoy it, their tasting notes are com- Barnard was clearly taken by the set- pletely different—proof that it is some- ting, the distillery and hospitality af- thing for everyone! forded him. His book devotes six pages Michael Jackson’s note is characteristi- to his visit, much taken up with details cally analytical; of the buildings e.g. “a new kiln, one of Colour: rich, sunny, gold. the finest we have seen in Scotland, it is Aroma: fruity (honeydew melon?) 51 feet square” but also with the loca- Body: medium, slightly syrupy. IWSC BRONZE 1996 tion: “It is built at the foot of the Rob- Flavours: light heather-honey, Soon after its launch The Loch Fyne won ber’s Glen which runs upwards from the grassy, fragrant, smokiness develops, the bronze award in the blended whisky banks of the canal into the heart of the especially in the finish. class at the influential International hills in the background; this glen was With typical eloquence, Charlie Wine & Spirit Competition. The Gold once the haunt of smugglers, and no MacLean’s tasting note wins by a nose: Medal went to the world’s top selling more romantic spot could have been cho- “The deep amber colour of this whisky, Scotch, Johnnie Walker Red Label. sen for the distillery.” (darker than many blends) implies age and More praise comes from Carol Shaw’s Glendarroch was complete and well laid this is supported by the (undilute) nose, Collins Gem ‘Whisky’ which describes out. Barley was unloaded from the ca- which is rich and vinous, with no trace of The Loch Fyne as ‘A malt drinker’s nal direct to the malt barns then moved grain. All the indications of mature fillings. blend, full flavoured, with a raisiny, through the process clockwise around a There is an interesting aroma of apple sweet spiced nose, mellow smoothness of courtyard to the kiln, tun room, still dumpling (suet crust), and this remains taste and a warming finish. A very easy house and warehouses. Whisky was when water is added, enlivened by lighter to drink whisky.’ then shipped to market via the canal. citric notes (oranges and tangerines), and All this praise is supported by the rate Eight houses were available for the by some oil-related aromas (walnuts, lin- of sale in the shop after a wee taster! workers and two for the excisemen. seed oil). Phenolic notes are slight, and ex- There was also Glengilp House and press themselves more as ‘roast meat’ than Glendarroch House for the manager and peat smoke. Medicinal phenols are present the owner respectively. At the end of his in a very slight trace of oilskins. Overall day’s visit Barnard’s party “donned our the nose is subtle and relatively closed. Not ‘war paint’ and proceeded to much water is needed for this whisky. Glendarroch House to enjoy the hospi- The mouth-feel is smooth and well bal- tality of the owner”. anced, engaging the whole palate with The distillery closed in 1937, unusually acidic, salty, sweet and dry flavours, and as there was a distilling boom at that coming down ultimately on the side of time, although the warehouses contin- sweetness. The overall impression is fresh ued to be used for storing whisky until and smooth—mellow without being flat. the mid seventies. A brief life as a join- The finish is quick and clean, and surpris- ery followed until the eighties when a ingly warming. It is extremely easy to drink. salmon hatchery made use of the build- Conclusion: A true premium blend which ings and water which was also the drink- has clearly used well matured fillings. There ing water supply for Lochgilphead. is no harshness in it, no cereal notes or LOCH FYNE 70cl £ 14.60 In 1990 the Regional Council acquired feints, no artificial caramel notes. A whisky GIFT PACK + DRAM GLASS £ 17.60 the water rights and every last trace of which is appropriate for any time of the day. LOCH FYNE 20cl £ 5.90 the distillery has since been removed. “Perilously smooth, mellow and LOCH FYNE 10cl £ 3.90 Additional Information easy to drink.” LOCH FYNE miniature 5cl £ 2.60 Brian Townsend, SCOTCH MISSED.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk PAGE 5 “The wonderful thing about and in Scotland, otherwise it cannot Scotland in oak barrels for three years whisky, apart of course, from be called Scotch. or more before being used for blending. drinking it, is that it contains How is whisky made? Occasionally you may come across a bot- more bluffing elements than al- Easy—mix some processed grain with tle of single grain whisky (which will most any other subject—far water, add yeast and let it ferment in taste light and slightly oily) but its use more than supply-side econom- the same way that beer is produced. Boil is mainly as a carrier for malts in blends. ics, more even than wine. Wine breeds up your beer and collect the steam which The fourth category of whisky is a envy, discord and snobbery, whisky pro- will be mostly alcohol. Voilà, whisky! vatted malt which is a blend of several motes fellowship, amiability and quiet, Throw this away as it is probably poi- malts but no grain. Malt bottles lacking unassuming superiority. Supply-side son, your hair will fall out—and apart the word ‘single’ may well be vatted; economics produced Donald Trump.” from that it’s illegal. other clues are descriptions such as David Milstead Scotch whisky must contain barley and ‘Pure Malt’ or ‘100% malt’. Bluffer’s Guide to Whisky Malt Whisky must be made exclusively A single malt is a happy accident of sci- from water, malted barley, yeast and ence, nature and circumstance. Blended nothing else. and vatted whiskies are one man’s opin- NEW CUSTOMER PAGE What is the difference between a ion of what he thinks you think a good single malt and a double malt? whisky should taste like. Many members The busy summer season in the shop A single malt is the product of one malt of the industry claim to appreciate gives Loch Fyne Whiskies the chance to whisky distillery and that one distillery blended Scotch the most. welcome new customers to our growing only. There is no such thing as a double Why don’t you stock a certain brand band of happy whisky fans. The follow- malt unless you are with your rich fa- I had once? ing pages are for those who are develop- ther-in-law at the bar (technically—‘a Whisky brands tend to fade away faster ing an interest in the marvels of Scotch large one’). Single malts are enjoying than get created as the industry changes Whisky. We feature some explanation of considerable acclaim at the moment, from hundreds of brand owners to just the bottlings from our Stock List—OB, they are no longer Scotland’s biggest a few. As big companies expand by the A, C, G&M, MM, OMC, S etc., but we’ll secret. Their intensity and complexity acquisition of small they find that they start with by far the most often asked of flavours, previously thought to be a have two brands on the same shop shelf question: handicap to wider sales, are now being at the same price so one has to go. Some I can’t remember the name but it sought throughout the world. brands are only available overseas be- came in a dumpy green bottle, can Malt whisky is one of four types of cause they are better established there you help? Scotch. The most common is blended than in the UK. Bunnahabhain! (Boo-na-ha-venn). whisky, a mix of many different single How many Scotch Whiskies are What is whisky? malts and grain whiskies prepared by a there? Literally the alcohol spirit produced by blender using his sense of smell and The Scotch Whisky Association draws distilling fermented cereals. Whisky is years of experience. 95% of all bottled attention to the Claive Vidiz collection produced in many countries, historically whisky sold is blended whisky and it is in Brazil of over 4,000 bottles of Scotch. those with climates more suited to grow- appreciated the world over for its satis- Not all of these will be available today ing cereals rather than grape-into-wine fying subtlety and complexity. and Campbell Evans of the SWA reck- production. Grain whisky is industrially produced ons that there are about 200 in the UK Scotch Whisky is the world’s most popu- from a variety of cereals including and 2,000 around the world. lar spirit and by law must be (amongst malted barley. The spirit is not fully dis- Loch Fyne Whiskies has the most com- other things) made and matured in an tilled—a degree of impurity is required prehensive range of UK available malts oak barrel for not less than three years to add character. It is also matured in with examples from about 120 distiller- ies. There are currently about 85 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 because your nose is happier at lower alcoholic strengths, so experiment with each new bottling. Bear in mind you have four senses of taste and these are on your tongue, not in the back of your throat. Plus you have some 30 or more senses of smell so use the schnoz. Ice in malts is a no-no; you put ice on bruises and in blended Scotch in hot climates. How do I know which malts I will like? Most single malts will have the region of origin on the label, either Lowland, OFFICIAL, OWNERS OR ORIGINAL BOTTLINGS (OB) Highland, Speyside or Islay and these When bottled by the owner of the distillery, we call such bottlings official, owners or give a clue to the character of the con- original bottlings. These ‘official’ presentations are examples of the best in quality, tents—but there are many exceptions to packaging and design and a guarantee of consistency and quality. Here is a range the rule. The Lowlands are the most of OB sizes, ages, presentations and lavish point-of-sale material for The Macallan. gentle; mild, almost wine-like. The

PAGE 6 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk A MM C G&M Cask CC S (43%) S (Cask)

THE INDEPENDENT BOTTLERS (Where’s Cadenhead’s/Connois- MURRAY McDAVID (MM) ing range of single, vatted and blended seurs Choice/Gordon & MacPhail’s The most recently incorporated on our whiskies from their Elgin home. G&M Distillery?) list, Murray McDavid is gaining great are unique amongst independent bot- Loch Fyne Whiskies favours five inde- respect for a small range of excellent and tlers in that they mature all their whis- pendent bottlers who buy the malt unusual whiskies bottled at 46%. In our kies from new and have done so for over whisky from a distillery by the cask and view this is the perfect bottling strength, 100 years. G&M still hold stocks of long bottle outwith the supervision of the just strong enough to tingle the tongue! gone distilleries—history to take advan- distillery owner. With all independent CADENHEAD (C) tage of! In 1998 G&M became distillers bottlings look for the distillery name Campbeltown in Argyll is home to inde- with the revival of Benromach Distill- which will be in smaller print. pendent bottler Cadenhead’s, who buy ery. Shown above are examples of their ADELPHI (A) and also mature casks of whisky and bot- G&M, Cask and Connoisseurs Choice A relative newcomer to the sector, The tle each cask individually at natural ranges. Adelphi Distillery Company has no dis- cask strength, occasionally as high as SIGNATORY (S) tillery but is very fussy about the qual- 67% alcohol. At 150 years, Cadenhead’s For ten years Signatory of Edinburgh ity of the malt they bottle at cask are the oldest bottlers in Scotland. have bottled malts at both 43% and at strength, and so their releases are only GORDON & MACPHAIL (CC, Cask, G&M) cask strength. They have produced occasional. Their minimalist labelling The leading and most respected inde- some outstanding and very rare whis- allows the whisky to sell itself. pendent bottler, G&M bottle a bewilder- kies and are consistently good value.

Highlands can be further divided; those strength whiskies are at natural, barrel Unopened, a bottle should stay as good from the south are akin to the lowlands, strength which provides more impact as when bottled assuming the seal is in those from the north are fuller flavoured. and immediate flavour. These whiskies good condition. Keep the bottle away Speyside is a category of its own within should be diluted in the glass after ex- from direct sunlight, heat or variations the Highlands. These whiskies are com- ploratory sips otherwise anaesthesia in condition. Once opened, oxidation will plex and half of Scotland’s distilleries are will numb the pleasure. Because of the act on the whisky with a noticeable ef- found here. The most fully flavoured variety of casks employed in the indus- fect in between one and three years. The whisky is produced on the island of Is- try, each single-cask bottling will have balance of characters will change, not lay (pronounced eye-la). Islay whiskies the character of the barrel variety as always for the worse, but eventually a are unguided missiles in the wrong well as that of the distillery so there is whisky will become ‘flat’—another good hands—you will either love them or won- great variation. reason for enjoying your dram without der what the attraction is in smelling Why are some whiskies so expensive? delay. Saving the last inch of a very spe- hospitals. The first thing to check is the age of the cial malt is usually disappointing when How come they taste so different? whisky. If it is say 21 years old (the time finally poured, so enjoy it now! Malted (germinated) barley has to be spent in the cask—once bottled it does Books are useful sources of informa- dried before milling and fermentation not ‘age’), it will be dearer because of the tion and we recommend in particular: and traditionally this has been done over additional storage required. Also whisky Value for money—Collins Gem Whisky an open fire. In Scotland a variety of evaporates in the barrel by about 2% price £4.99. fuels is found locally including peat (de- each year so after 21 years only two Most informed—Charles MacLean’s composing heather) and coal. The thirds remain. The other thing to look Malt Whisky £25.00 or Scotch Whisky amount of peat that is used to dry the out for is the degree of alcohol strength Pocket Guide £8.99. barley has a big influence (on Islay it is as duty is applied according to percent- The Taster’s bible—Michael Jackson’s the only source of fuel). Other influences age alcohol. Most whiskies are bottled Malt Whisky Companion £12.99. are the style of apparatus employed in at 40% alcohol by volume (abv), some at the production, particularly the still and 43% or 46%—15% stronger and so To keep you up to date visit our website: how that still is operated by the stillman. dearer than the 40%. We stock many www.LFW.co.uk. The final major influence is the type of whiskies with strengths of up to 65% so oak cask or barrel employed to mature these are the equivalent of over a bottle “The proper drinking of Scotch Whisky the spirit; it could be one of many cat- and a half! is more than indulgence: it is a toast to egories from a brand new barrel to a Does a whisky improve with age af- civilisation, a tribute to the continuity of well-used second-hand sherry or bour- ter bottling? culture, a manifesto of man’s determina- bon cask. No. Unlike wine, spirits are fixed once tion to use the resources of nature What are ‘Cask Strength’ Whiskies? in the bottle and there is no benefit in to refresh mind and body and to Whisky matures in the barrel at about keeping it. You should open and enjoy it enjoy to the full the senses with 65%. Prior to bottling it is diluted to 40% as soon as possible! which he has been endowed.” so as to incur the least alcohol duty How long can I keep the whisky in David Daiches (originally a wartime measure). Cask the bottle? Scotch Whisky, Its Past and Present

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk PAGE 7 LOCH FYNE WHISKIES — PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

ONLY FROM LOCH FYNE WHISKIES the Living cask™

Who or what is LFW? Loch Fyne Whiskies is a small privately owned shop in Inveraray, a popular visi- tor stop in the West Highlands of Scot- land. The business is owned and man- THE INVERARITY RANGE aged by Richard & Lyndsay Joynson and is not part of a chain, has no sharehold- adopted as our house malts ers to satisfy and does not have any The Inverarity range is bottled by branches (I hear mutterings of ‘one cen- Inverarity Vaults and has been adopted tre of excellence’). We employ Andy as our house malts because of their qual- Burns and Laura Simpson throughout ity and great value. There are three A unique recreation of the storage and serving of malt whisky the year and Darren Pirie joins us for malts; two single and one vatted, that the hectic summer season. Our greeter complement each other and demonstrate Not a single malt, but a living vatting of Donald, pictured above, is ‘voluntary’ the range of styles in malt Scotch Whis- suitable malts, The Living Cask takes rather than employed; his job is distrib- kies. its inspiration from Notes on a Cellar uting drams of the Loch Fyne. Our first house malt, The Inverarity Book by renowned connoisseur Profes- Our shop stocks all the whiskies in our 10yo is an all-day everyday dram which sor George Saintsbury, published 1920, Stock List, at the published price, as well our customers have been enjoying for in which he writes: as a range of other whisky related many years. It remains for the moment “...The more excellent way—formerly prac- items—glassware, hip flasks, whisky fla- a bourbon cask matured Aultmore. tised by all persons of some sense and voured confectionery and preserves and Inverarity 10yo, price £ 19.90 some means north of the Tweed—is to the most comprehensive book shelf pos- ANCESTRAL FROM BALMENACH establish a cask,...fill it up with good and sible. There is also a gallery of collec- For Ancestral—the digestif in the range— drinkable whisky,...stand it up on end, tap tors’ and rare bottles on display includ- Inverarity Vaults’ Hamish Martin has it half way down or even a little higher, and, ing a selection of whiskies from around selected a 14yo sherry cask matured when you get to or near the tap, fill it up the world with such unlikely places as Balmenach. The whisky is extremely again with whisky fit to drink, but not too Malta, Poland and Austria represented! smooth with a great strength and com- old. You thus establish what is called in Visitors to our shop enjoy our service and plexity, very slightly sherry-cloying in the case of sherry a ‘solera’, in which the most get to do some sampling from our the mouth. A wonderful after dinner constantly changing character of the old extensive tasting stock before they buy. dram. The price of Ancestral is £ 27.90. constituents doctors the new accessions, We pride ourselves on our attention to INVERARITY ISLAY and in which these in turn freshen and our customer requirements, principally The Inverarity range is completed by strengthen the old.” sound knowledge of our products, a fair Inverarity Islay, a ten year old all-Islay And that is what we do. When half price for our goods and a top class and vatted malt made up of four components. drawn down a new malt is introduced speedy mail order service. Launched at the end of 1999, sales to and the character changes. Each top up We are proud of our business, the respect Islay fans have been fantastic. There is is described as a Volume and this is we have earned, this newsletter and our a very emphatic phenolic and medicinal marked on the ‘spine’ of our book-style blend ‘The Loch Fyne’. Our customers character–peat and iodine— which is label which has Saintsbury’s instruc- are worldwide, are very loyal and very classic Islay; a good oiliness, powerful tions on the back. Each ‘Volume’ is bot- much appreciated. flavours yet also a breeze of fresh air. tled as a 20cl sample, dated at the time This is an excellent variation on Islay of drawing from the cask with the pre- malts which will provoke much debate vailing strength noted. As this is the among Islay fans as to where the four natural strength it is in the region of components come from—and we’re not 60% alc. telling! Living cask enthusiast Jack Magnus Inverarity Islay 10 years old is £23.90. writes, “The folks at Loch Fyne Whis- kies have cleverly produced a continu- ally marketable and in- triguing vatted whisky. I can’t wait for the next vol- ume! Thanks to Professor George Saintsbury for his inspiration and LFW for The Living Cask!”

LIVING CASK™— 20cl OUR LOCH FYNE MARMALADE @ cask strength £14.90 The Loch Fyne makes a great whisky A subscription service for marmalade and two are produced for us, the automatic despatch of a standard (£2.50) and our deluxe thick- each successive volume is cut, dark, spicy Double Scotch (£2.90) also available.

PAGE 8 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk vintage, as is the case with wine. Just so MAILBAG long as there is no slip in quality. Indeed Dear Loch Fyne Whiskies, amongst connoisseurs certain bottlings are Monie thanks for sennin me a copie o IN THE PARISH OF PEATS spoken of in awed tones—the Springbank yer Autumn SWR. Charles MacLean 1966, the Glenmorangie ’63 and ’71, two Inby [on p.5] yae thing wants ti be Since the 1850s, when Andrew Usher, Snr., single casks of Glengoyne from ’68 and ’72, sikkerlie an hinnerlie yirdit/positively produced the first blended whisky, the even the Dalmore Cigar Malt—while oth- and finally burried - Knockando as whisky trade has been passionate about ers of similar age (the Glenmorangie ’72, Cnocan Dhu. Knockando is an auld the unchanging consistency of its products. for example, let alone some of the expen- Speyside pairish nem, pronunced bi the You can understand why. Only when you sive millennium bottlings) do not achieve natives KNOCK - an-doh, an it daesna have a consistent product can you brand quite the same legendary status. mean ‘little black hill’ onie mair nor: wee it and sell it widely: if the bottle of To his great credit, David Robertson has al- blek knowe. On p. 1019 o Dwelly’s Gaelic Johnnie Walker you bought this year in ways been in the vanguard of disclosure. Dictionary ye wul fin the Gaelic wey o Berlin tastes entirely different from the He has never sought to hide any aspect of this nem ti be Cnocan caoruinn - in Scots one you bought last year in Boston, you production or maturation from those who “The Knowe o the Rowan Trees”; in can forget any idea of brand loyalty. really wanted to know; he has never hid- Inglish “Mountain Ash Hillock”. The tap Malt and grain whiskies had been blended den behind ‘trade secrets’ to disguise his Gaelic place-nem mannie thon time an before Andrew Usher arrived on the scene. own lack of knowledge. In truth malt aye weil regairdit, Prof W.J. Watson, Familiar names like Johnnie Walker, whisky does not yield up all its secrets, even accordit wi Dwelly, sae we hae as near George Ballantine, Arthur Bell, John to scientists. So rather than refusing to the richt wey as we can get. The furst A Dewar, James Chivas and Matthew Gloag admit that there were differences between ken ti pit forrit this raivel/confusion wes (later of famous Grouse fame) were active one 18yo and the next, he set out to dis- the SMWS’s Pip Hills - A wad jalouse/ in their grocers’ shops, with wine and spir- cover why there should be such differences. guess - wyced wrang bi sum bodie in the its departments, producing blends for sale We all know that the chemical structure Whisky Tred at thocht the war Gaelic locally. But Usher is generally given the of the wood in every cask is different, but skolars. Please dae yer bit ti sort this out credit for being the first blender to go for since the late 1970s Macallan have gone bi pittin a ‘correction’ in the SWR. consistency. Changes in the law in 1860, to great lengths to source Spanish oak, As weil [p. 4] A fair appreciate yer hon- which permitted the blending of malts and cooper it in Spain and season it with est, no parritch-moued souch/attitude, grains in bond (i.e. before excise duty had sherry, so as to achieve the maturation maist times ye cry a shovel a shuil*—no to be paid) made it possible to blend in results they require—and pay around lyke the WM an the SMWS newsletter— much larger quantities than previously. seven times as much for the privilege as sae A’m content ti tak ti masel the nem o Then the phylloxera louse arrived and they would for a normal, ex-bourbon cask. ‘idiot’ for be-in shair that onie mell o pat- devastated the vinyards of France, ren- Why, then, should these whiskies at 18 ent-stell speirit an maut whisky is ablo/ dering cognac unavailable to British con- years be different? The 1965 and 1974 inferior to the best o maut. For...dae A sumers. Blended whisky of consistent vintages were outside the controlled re- no hae John Nettleton, Sir Walter Gilbey, quality and flavour was there to replace gime, filled into casks which had been Neil Gunn, James Robertson Justice an it.. and thus was born the whisky indus- used for maturing and shipping sherry to Raymond Postgate on ma side (thon’s a try as we know it today. the U.K., but the others? And we’re not michtie haunfu ti conjure up an forby You can imagine my astonishment re- talking ‘single cask bottlings’, here, where thrie o thaim is Inglish!!!) whyle ye hae cently at Macallan Distillery where the the differences between one cask and the a weil-documentit eidyit an ignoramus, 1982 vintage 18yo was being launched, next are more apparent: 260 butts of ma- Jim Murray, as yer champion!!! when David Robertson, the distillery ture malt went into the 1982 expression. For aw yer neiborin/alignment wi a baw- manager and custodian of the whisky’s David Robertson believes it might be to do heid the lyke o Murray, ye shair mak quality not only admitted that each bot- with the ambient temperature of the ware- Valentino Zagatti’s Collection seem a tling of this highly sought after expres- houses in which the spirit matures, since weil-faured ferlie/a well produced rarity, sion was different, but drew it to our at- the maturation process can be speeded up sae ye hae temptit me ti howk out £80 tention in a comparative tasting of 18yos if the temperature is raised—a fact ex- (+£5.90 p+p) for a copie o the tome— from 1965, 1972, ’79, ’81 and ’82. ploited by many bourbon makers, who cheque inhaudit. They were different, although sharing warm and cool their warehouses artificially Aefauldlie core Macallan profile, which might be in order to achieve just this result. Reid Moffat summarised as orange peel, dried fruits, Macallan Distillery does not warm its *—mynd A thocht ye gied Richard wood resin and spice. The 1965 introduced warehouses artificially, and Robertson has Paterson a saft passage. a fragrant, waxy note (church candles), discovered that between 1965 and 1999 Our thanks to Mr Moffat for clearing up with cloves and cinnamon; the 1972 was the average daily mean temperature rose any confusion—once and for all. Ed. more fruity (pears and plums), with a light steadily by nearly half a degree. Could this medicinal note; 1979 was oilier (linseed be enough to account for the increase in oil), with creme brulee and cloves, and a wood extractives, and therefore the slight drier flavour; 1981 was a kissing cousin difference in flavour over the years? of 1979, but with barley sugar, increased Whatever has caused it, the point is that fruits and ginger; and the 1982 had more the maker of The Macallan is prepared to aniseed, nuts, leather and fruit. celebrate the differences from one batch to Different and all excellent. But the tradi- another. Will other distillers follow his lead tional whisky trade would say: ‘different and when they are bottling old and rare expres- thus inconsistent from batch to batch, and sions of their malts? Where will it end? the essential part of your job, Mr Robertson, While we, the consumers, hope and expect is to make sure there is no flavour drift from our blends to remain consistent (and this The Best Collection of Malt batch to batch, otherwise how will consum- is another matter), I have a feeling that by Valentino Zagatti ers be able to rely on the Macallan 18yo. we might take even greater enjoyment in 2,400 bottles beautifully presented Collect your P45 on the way out’. our malts if we were encouraged to look in one lavish book. Of course, we consumers have not been for differences from one batch to the next, Example above: consulted about whether we might prefer just as wine buffs celebrate vintages. But One of 8 spreads devoted to 256 Macallans slight flavour variations from vintage to at the moment this is heresy.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk PAGE 9 cern them in a whisky which uses in a whisky? The method is known as a APPRECIATING WHISKY lightly-peated malt is by no means sim- difference-analysis. This sounds fancy Pip Hills ple. Or, to take a different example, ce- and scientific, but really it is quite sim- PART l — THE THEORY real aromas. These are among the com- ple, being based on something which al- Writing is a dull business for the most monest flavours in a well-matured malt, most everyone can do. If I present you part. I spent much of last year writing a but few people recognise them. It is pos- with a whisky and ask you to look for the book about Scotch whisky, and I can sible to show most whisky flavours in nutty flavours in it, chances are you will think of a lot of things I would rather synthetic, concentrated form. We do this find it difficult, for you won’t be able to have done: drinking whisky, for exam- in our Malt Masterclass, using essences, see past all the other flavours to some- ple. However, the writing gave me an but it is not a course normally available thing as subtle as nuttiness. But if I give excuse to do a fair bit of the latter, and to the amateur. My problem was to de- you two whiskies which are broadly simi- the research was more enjoyable than lar, save that one is nutty and the other most. The book is to be published in May, is not, then by sniffing them alternately under the title of Appreciating Whisky, and comparing and contrasting the aro- by Harper Collins. mas, you should be able to discern the fla- In it I have set out to address a number vour to which I refer when I say that one of issues, of which the one most likely to smells nutty. And I can tell you that it be of interest to customers of Loch Fyne works: we have run this method before Whiskies is the matter of taste. lots of people who have neither experi- It is rarely these days that one comes ence of smells nor interest in liquor. Most across a malt whisky—or a good blend, of them leave quite astonished, having for that matter—which does not have a discovered a faculty of which they were description of the whisky. The descrip- almost unaware, and having used that tion is usually in the form of tasting notes faculty in a context—the appreciation of which suggest that the taster will expe- fine liquor—which they had assumed rience some rather remarkable flavours, would forever be a closed book to them. few of which bear much resemblance to Having devised the method, the prob- what he or she knows as whisky. Tast- lem was then to find readily-available ing notes are one of the current fashions materials. Happily, malt whiskies have in whisky marketing: their purpose is to such a range of flavours that it is not impress the consumer, not to enlighten vise a DIY method, using readily-avail- too hard to find all you want in a small him. The result is merely to confuse a able materials. number of them. public which is already pretty hazy about One course, given the list of flavours, is The perceptibility of a particular aroma what it should be looking for in a whisky. simply to expose oneself to natural depends on several things. Firstly, on There are a lot of people out there who sources of flavour. That means going whether it is present at all—for no genuinely want to learn about Scotch round sniffing things. If you haven’t whisky is likely to exhibit all of the whisky; but putting daft tasting notes done it before, people may think you a odours a whisky might have, and some on (often indifferent) whiskies is not the bit strange, but I can guarantee you will will show only a few. Secondly, on the way to educate them. This is a matter find the experience interesting. For concentration at which it is present. which has concerned me for some years smoky flavours, obviously, you should There is a threshold, which varies with now, as I have watched flavour descrip- sniff all sorts of smoke. There are lots of the individual, below which scents are tions become the preferred way of sell- different smoke smells, depending on not discernible at all. Technique helps ing malt whiskies. My concern has been what was burnt. Bones are not as nice with this, for you can enhance the per- on behalf of both distillers and consum- as sandalwood. And of course you ought ceptibility of smells by going about nos- ers. On behalf of the good guys among also to sniff all the smoke-related smells ing in the right way, and under optimum the distillers, as the less-scrupulous you can find, such as tar boilers and conditions. Thirdly, on the presence of employ mendacious tasting notes to pro- lavatory cleaners and the insides of old other aromas. Some smells mask while mote indifferent whiskies. And on behalf boats. Ditto with flowers and fruits— others enhance. Peatreek, for example of the reasonable consumer, as flavour only for preference don’t use the flowers tends to mask other, more delicate descriptions become the playthings of from the florist, which mostly won’t odours; vanilla typically enhances sweet nerds and enthusiasts. smell of much, or the fruits from the su- scents. Technique and experience are The main purpose of my book is to equip permarket, which will have as little again valuable, for they allow us to see the reader with the information and the smell as they do taste. You have to go to what is behind the mask. techniques he requires in order to be able the sources—and for tropical fruits such The aromas listed lower-right are those to make the judgement for himself. as mangoes, that means you must go to most likely to be met with in any Scotch If he is to do that, he must know what the tropics, for the scent doesn’t travel. whisky. I have put them in two ranks: flavours he is to look for, and how to find Gathering smells is not easy, and how the first being scents easy to detect, the them. With the help of friends and col- well you can do it depends a lot on how second less so. The examples given along- leagues, I have identified those fifteen you live your life. Cooking helps a lot: side each category are intended only to flavours which are most likely to be en- probably the easiest way of exposing give you an idea of the sort of flavour. In countered in a Scotch whisky. There are oneself to a large range of natural fla- practice, most flavours are encountered hundreds of others, but there is no point vour elements is to take an interest in in combination with others, as compound in seeking subtleties if you don’t have a cooking. I keep a jar of caster sugar in tastes or smells. Thus caramel and va- grasp of the basics—and I find that the my kitchen, in which are immersed two nilla are commonly experienced together basics are what an awful lot of folk don’t vanilla pods. Their aroma comes as as the odour of toffee or honey. (There is have. The problem is how to show them something of a surprise to folk who have a difference, which is contributed by those basics. Some are easy and some never met it, and it is a smell which they other flavours which are present in lower not so easy to detect. And a lot depends will never forget. concentrations.) Or fruit cake, which on the concentration at which the fla- It is easy to lead a well-practised nose to may be both of the above together with vour is present in the whisky. Anyone whisky odours. But what about the great fruity odours. Or a specific scent such as can detect the smoky flavour-elements majority, who don’t have any such back- that of gardenias, which has a flowery in an Ardbeg or a Laphroaig, but to dis- ground? How do we show them what is fragrance together with slight sourness.

PAGE 10 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk indeed it is there. It occurs, too in the APPRECIATING WHISKY Ardbeg, but not in the Bowmore— THE RIGHT TOOLS PIP HILLS though you might be forgiven for mis- PART ll — PRACTICAL taking it for the fruitiness, which the In the end, we chose five whiskies: Bowmore has aplenty. And of course, you Glenmorangie 10yo, Macallan 10yo, must search for the fruity flavour Bowmore 12yo, Glendronach 15yo and through thickets of peatsmoke, which Ardbeg 17yo. All are top-class malts with takes a bit of doing. a wide range of flavours. What makes In a short article such as this, there is them so distinct is that in each case the alas no space to describe the odours more flavour combinations are different. fully, or to show you how to obtain an Among the five whiskies, you can find acquaintance with them. The book does fourteen of our fifteen basic flavours. so at some length. Three of them exhibit seven of the fla- There is occupation here for hours, vours, one six and the other four—all at weeks, decades—for beyond the fifteen GLASSWARE a concentration high enough to be read- basic odours there are literally hundreds A traditional whisky tumbler is fine, ily detectable. The method then is as of others, which you can discover once even a pleasure, for a blended whisky follows. you have the technique and the experi- but for malt whisky appreciation there You pour a shot of each into a decent ence. And you won’t anymore be im- is a better glass for the job. nosing glass and cover with a watch pressed or dismayed by tasting notes on Our classic nosing glass has a generous glass. You then proceed to nose the whis- bottles—unless to wonder what prawn belly to accumulate aromas, a narrow kies briefly in pairs—taking care to re- made them up, and why. rim to focus those delights for consid- place the watch glass quickly, otherwise If you want to know more about the method, eration and a lid to keep them for you aroma is lost. Taking a given odour as the book will be published in May, price £14.99. rather than the fairies. Engraved gradu- the quarry, you seek it. For floral notes, ations allow accurate dilution. look no further than the Glenmorangie For more relaxed malt drinking we rec- on its own, for Glenmorangie has one of ommend our port glass. Its wider rim the most floral of noses. But once you pic of five mins and better balance aids contemplative have the idea of what you are after, try enjoyment. finding it among the other four. The We also enjoy using our simple water ca- Macallan has it, whereas the rafe, far less fuss than a lipped jug. Glendronach does not. Likewise the The five whiskies mentioned here are available Classic Nosing Glass £7.90 Ardbeg and the Bowmore. What was from our stock list and also in miniature; Port Glass £3.50 easy to discern in the Glenmorangie is price £15.40 plus £3.00 postage if not part of a Water Carafe £3.50 not so evident in the Macallan, though larger order, order “Pip’s five miniatures”. When evaluating a dram it is helpful to have more than one kind in order to pre- If we look at objective tasting notes for the five, we can analyse their flavours: vent familiarity setting in. Sampling in Glenmorangie Macallan Bowmore Glendronach Ardbeg increasing intensity and then going back 10yo 10yo 12yo 15yo 17yo again will reveal more than concentrat- Smoky x x x ing on one alone. Many LFW customers Fruity x x x enjoy ‘one-to-five’ parties where whis- Floral x x x kies are selected according to our taste Vanilla x x x x score of 1 to 5 from our stock list for a convivial evening of descriptor bandying. Pungent x LFW Tasting Mat & Cellar Book Cereal x The LFW melamine tasting mat is a Musty x white, wipe clean mat for five glasses Harsh and an aide memoire of descriptors to Soapy x assist discussion and note taking. Sulphury x x Finally, to record those inspired sensory Caramel x x x discoveries, Neil Wilson’s Malt Whisky Nutty x x Cellar Book is a handsome tome to treas- ure those thoughts and memories of your Woody x most special tasting sessions. Sour x x x LFW Tasting Mat £4.90 Sweet x x x Malt Whisky Cellar Book £15.00

You will note that there are no entries under Harsh and only one each under Woody and Musty. None of the whiskies we chose could be described as harsh and those which show woody and musty flavours do so in very low concentrations indeed. With those exceptions, though, you ought to be able with a little practice and not a lot of whisky, to discover most of the flavours listed.

EASY TO DETECT NOT SO EASY Smoky —peaty, phenolic, medicinal Soapy —candles, wax Fruity —apples, pears, bananas Sulphury—rubber, drains Floral —heather, rose, geraniums Caramel —toffee, burnt sugar, treacle Vanilla —toffee, vanilla pods Nutty —coconut, almond Pungent —hot, peppery Woody —new sawn timber, resin, pine Cereal —hay, grass, porridge Sour —vinegar, cheese Musty —cellars, cork, mothballs Sweet —cloying, sickly Special! Five classic nosing glasses, a ca- Harsh —bitter, astringent rafe, tasting mat and cellar book £55.00 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk PAGE 11 www.LFW.co.uk Until recently the internet policy of Loch Fyne Whiskies has been one of ‘hope-it- will-go-away’ but in response to the shift of on-line interest from America to the UK we have now embraced the new tech- WOT, NO BOUNCY CASTLES? nology and are enjoying it. The Scotch Tourism & Whisky industry has come a long way since the first “Whisky It takes as long to build and maintain a Open Day” in 1995. Our report then in SWR4 revealed distillery fun including free website as it does the Forth Bridge —a drams, pipe bands and bouncy castles but sadly the Spirit of Speyside Whisky never ending task. But we are now in Festival only has a real castle. (Ballindalloch, near the Telford Bridge above). the position of updating the site from the shop without the involvement of any SPIRIT of SPEYSIDE FEIS ILE third party webmaster, this means that we are as up-to-date as is possible. WHISKY FESTIVAL ISLAY’S FESTIVAL OF MALTS & MUSIC If you are connected up, please visit 28th April—8th May 29th May—3rd June The top award-winning Spirit of Inspired by Islay’s great ambassador to http://www.LFW.co.uk (it’s not case sen- Speyside whisky festival is now in its the world, Jim McEwan, the first ‘week sitive) and leave your name and any third year under the guidance of Aber- of whisky events and Celtic music’ prom- thoughts in the comments box—tell us deen & Grampian Tourist Board and the ises to be a much more low key event, that you called because of the SWR. On programme is packed with over 250 spe- expressing the character of the Island. the same page your can register to go cial events for whisky lovers to learn Running concurrently with the music on our e-mailing-list to be notified of any more about Scotland’s national product. festival Feis Ile—Islay Whisky Festival updates to the site. The events include several opportunities will involve the participation of all eight Many visitors have told us the site is to meet the ‘greats’ of the whisky world distilling enterprises. very good with excellent navigation and such as Michael Jackson, Wallace layout. A left hand frame is always Starting with Port Ellen Maltings each Milroy, Charles Maclean or Jim Murray distillery will play host on a day-by-day present and when in the ‘stock’ section at specialist tastings throughout the fes- basis, providing ‘super-tours’ and a top frame provides additional refer- tival, some at the Quaich Bar at the su- ence buttons. samplings not just of the Islands malts perb Craigellachie Hotel. but also the local food including peat- NEWS & DEALS Gordon & MacPhail are holding a series smoked venison, scallops and oysters. The ‘news’ page is the most popular with of tasting courses and blending is dem- visitors checking frequently for new stock Whisky fans will be treated to film show- onstrated with practicals at Strathisla ings (e.g. The Maggie), lectures (Why Is- lines. This page links on to the ‘deals’ Distillery. Glenfarclas is host to several lay? A history of industry), demonstra- page—previously we have had to restrict grades of tasting event including a our monthly deals to visitors to the shop, tions (coopering) and practicals (peat cut- whisky breakfast and another to sam- ting with Stormin’-Norman Campbell). now mail order customers can learn ple the £1,500 bottle of 40yo with Jacko. One highlight will be tales from the about the savings available. There are The event is a celebration of all Scot- also full-case offers unique to the website. stills, a circle of distillery managers tell- land’s Whiskies with events focusing on ing stories and experiences from the BROWSING & ORDERING Islay and the Highlands included. whisky trade. On-line browsing and ordering is now There’s a whisky widows’ haven, com- A series of ceilidhs, music and bird- live. You can still download our stock edy from Phil Kay and music from rock- watching events will take place concur- lists as before or you can wander through ers Wolfstone and folkies The McCalmans. rently. All income from the event goes the detailed browsing section making se- The huge program is described in a to the disabled of the isalnd. lections. You can then place a secure brochure available from the festival Details from www.ileach.co.uk/festival encrypted order or print a completed office: 01343 542666 or at the festival or Bowmore Tourist Information centre order form for faxing or posting with website; www.spiritofspeyside.com. your cheque. telephone 01496 810254. NEXT Our further plans for the site over the £ 2.00 OFF VOUCHERS MALT MASTERCLASS next year are for order tracking in con- Because of the increase in distant order- The next Malt Masterclass lead by Pip junction with our carriers, auctions of ing (internet) we are no longer placing Hills will be at Macallan Distillery. If you collectables and some useful links. vouchers on our cask strength bottlings are interested; contact Pip at Malt If you are a member of a whisky but all vouchers you may have will be Masterclass, 3 Quayside Street, Edin- newsgroup please spread the word about honoured. The price of all such whiskies burgh EH6 6EJ or visit the website our site—LFW.co.uk. has come down. www.maltmasterclass.co.uk.

SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW is free to all bona fide mail order customers. If you have not bought by mail order from the last (Autumn) catalogue and do not buy from the accompanying (Spring) list then we will not be troubling you again. We are no longer sending out Stock Lists and SWR’s to prospective customers more than once. If you or a friend would like a current stock list please ask and you will be sent one with a back-issue SWR. Your name will not be placed on our mailing list for further mailings until you have bought by mail order from us. Your name will not be passed to any other organisation. © COPYRIGHT RESERVED 2000 LOCH FYNE WHISKIES Tel. 01499 302219 www.LFW.co.uk

PAGE 12 SCOTCH WHISKY REVIEW—Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8UD. www.LFW.co.uk