H FY C N SCOTCH O E whiskiesL I WHISKY N L V L E Y R G A R R AY A REVIEW

EDITION 1 SPRING 1994

???????ANSWERS??????? LOCH FYNE WHISKIES is TOP OF THE TOTS “How am I supposed to drink a specialist whisky retailer based 1994 price Malt Whisky?” is the most common in the much-visited village of 1 Springbank 15yo* ...... £28.70 question asked in our tasting room at Inveraray on the west coast of the 2Talisker 10yo ...... £23.90 Loch Lomond. My stock reply is to Scottish Highlands. 3 Inchmurrin 10yo* ...... £19.90 explain that you can drink it any way Established in 1993, it is owned and 4 Glen Moray 12yo* ...... £20.60 you like as long as you buy it from me! managed by Richard Joynson and 5 Lagavulin 16yo ...... £24.60 I cite this as an example of what we hope Lyndsay Shearer. It is one of only 6 Port Ellen CC 1977 ...... £26.90 to achieve with this journal. two known retail businesses wholly 7 Cragganmore 12yo ...... £22.60 In the first instance we want you to buy dependant on the sale of whisky 8 Edradour 10yo ...... £25.50 some whisky from us. In this way we and whisky goods. We also operate 9 Bowmore Legend ...... £17.30 will be able to produce more Scotch a seasonal Tasting Room within The 10 Oban 14yo ...... £23.70 Whisky Reviews rather than going out Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel at * Features on the original tasting tray. Luss, thirty miles north-west of of business. Secondly, we want this Other Notable sellers: Glasgow. review to amuse, inform and to answer Athol Brose Liqueur ...... £17.90 some of your questions about whisky NOTES FROM Classic 6 Miniature Packs ...... £15.30 thus encouraging you to help us achieve THE TASTING TRAY Collins Gem Whisky Book ...... £3.50 objective number one. Malt Whisky Companion Book £10.99 Within these humble four pages, apart A series of comments from our Tasting Room at Luss. Initially we feature our Small Thistle Glass (2) ...... £27.00 from suggestions on how to drink your Tippling Stick...... £10.90 malts, we have contributions from some own comments, in future those of of our friends in the industry. participants. Blenders are conductors of the symphony INCHMURRIN 10 years old (10yo) “WHAT’S A TASTING ROOM?” that is blended Scotch. Ian Grieve is the The highland malt with the lowland Not sure, we only know of two. In Master Blender for and character. Aviemore you can pay an admission is unique in that he is a composer, the Smooth, delicate, flavoured, slight charge and have Frank Clark pour creator of Bell’s Islander, one of the few smokiness, flowery like an expensive whisky at you. Our operation at The genuinely-new mass-market blends soap. Suggestions of Butterscotch or Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel at Luss, produced since the war. Ian describes his eucalyptus. on the road from Glasgow to Inveraray role and typical working day with UD, Little known example of a lowland style. is similar but there is no admission (owners of Bell's, and charge. The Original Tasting Tray of 40% of Scotland’s distilling capacity). HALF BOTTLE COLLECTORS three tastes costs £2.35. New this year MacDuff International is a new company is a range of over 30 more malts to We are seeing a growing number of licensing and marketing many brands sample with our tasting notes. It’s great buyers and collectors of half bottle including Islay Mist. Founder/director fun and everyone appreciates it. Open size single malt whiskies. With the Ted Thompson considers the importance from Easter to October 31st, noon to increasing availability of malts in 35cl of a name. In future we will hear of Ted’s 6 pm. See you there! Latin-American sales drive. sizes it is relatively gentle on the purse We feature Clynelish, the peatiest of to keep up with new releases. Recently, mainland whiskies, and begin regular new halves of Aberlour and G&M’s Cask OVERSEAS NEWS reviews. In future our reviews will whiskies have come onto the market We have been despatching worldwide consider not just malts but also blends, and Loch Fyne Whiskies stocks a and to our knowledge only a single liqueurs, books and anything else we feel comprehensive selection of half bottles. miniature has gone astray. Overseas you may be interested in. But for this customers can feel increasingly launch issue space is devoted to some REVIEW is confident that their goods will arrive. It explaining on our behalf. free to all bona fide mail order seems that Customs within the EC are We hope our inaugural four pages will customers. If you have not bought not intercepting parcels. Outside the EC be worthwhile; your feedback is most by mail order from the last (Autumn) please check with your local Customs/ welcome. It is hoped that the next catalogue and do not buy from the Excise offices if any special require- edition will be eight or twelve pages, but accompanying (Spring) list then we ments are necessary. Our new overseas that depends on you, dear customer. will not be troubling you again. order form gives mailing charges. THE ROLE AND WORKING before the whisky is nosed. The addition of the water releases the full aroma of DAY OF A the whisky and reduces it to the correct MASTER BLENDER strength for sampling. Providing that his nose tells him that everything is alright, Ian Grieve, Master Blender, United Distillers the Blender can accept the sample. Much is written about the whisky In Bell’s, following the blending of the makers art. How the barley is whiskies, they are filled back into cask malted; the skills of the mashman for the marrying period of several months and stillman and how the whisky is commonly known as the “Honeymoon locked away in dark warehouses for Period”. The object of this is to allow the a great many years until its indi- different whiskies each with their 500 YEARS OF SCOTCH vidual character is formed. But individual characteristics to “marry” and In 1494, the Scottish Exchequer Roll travel to any distillery and ask the to become intimately mixed. This is a listed, “Delivery of eight bolls of malt to mashman and stillman, in fact any- very expensive process but experience Friar John Col wherewith to make one who makes Scotch Whisky, has shown that it is essential if a blended aquavitae”. This, the first recorded where they think the hardest task whisky of quality is to be produced. mention of any distillation in Scotland, lies and the answer will in general While the traditional role of the Master is being celebrated by the Scotch whisky be the same; in the blending. Blender remains, I also frequently sup- industry. Today’s water of life gets its The international reputation and port the Company’s Marketing and Sales name from the Gaelic direct translation popularity of Scotch Whisky has been activities giving presentations to key of aquavitae, ‘uisge beatha’, pronounced built on blended whisky. Indeed, if the customers and opinion forming groups to ooshkubeha (ooshku, whence whisky). practice of blending had not started, the reinforce the high qualities and differing Eight bolls is over a tonne, sufficient whisky industry of Scotland as we know styles of Company products. My day can malt to make over 1,400 bottles so we it today would not have developed beyond be varied . It can involve catching the “red can assume the good friar and his pals a cottage industry. eye”, followed by meetings and presen- had been at it for some time before 1494. Prior to the mid 1800’s, grain and malt tations to key accounts, supporting the Personal use only, of course! whiskies were drunk singly with limited sales force, and then travelling to give a There are many ideas as to the origins appeal. It was in the 1860’s that Andrew tutored nosing and tasting elsewhere in of whisky. It’s known that the Egyptians Usher discovered that by blending the UK during the evening. were able to boil beer and collect the various grains and malts together, he In the late 1980’s, I was responsible for steam distillate as early as 800 BC. One created a blend of whiskies which had the creation of Bell’s Islander. It is very likely suggestion regarding the introduc- much greater popular appeal. difficult to create a new blend when you tion of distillation into Scotland is by Skill and experience is required to consider how many different blends are Irish monks as early as the 5th century. produce a good blend of Scotch, often con- marketed. It helps if you are given some The use of malted barley developed taining up to 40 single malt and grain guidance by the Marketeers as to its about 1200 but it was not until the whiskies each with their own character- positioning in the Market Place. My brief 1700’s that the product could be consid- istics. When selecting whiskies for a was to create a blend of the highest ered to be drinkable or indeed safe. blend it is very much like selecting guests quality positioned between Premium It is very possible that the Scots have for a dinner party, you must strike the whiskies such as Bell’s and deluxes (Dim- been distilling for over a thousand years. correct balance of personalities. Some ple) and malts. It was to be targeted at This heritage is reflected in the high malts have very little appeal on their own the discerning whisky drinker who was quality of today’s product which, unlike but blended together with others they looking for something special but not so most others, has not been compromised, balance beautifully. special as deluxes and malts. only continuously improved since Friar Blending is the art of combining To develop the blend, I examined over 70 John Cor’s historic delivery. whiskies from different distilleries, both whiskies, seeking individual character- malts and grains, each with its own istics that could be blended together to character, to compliment and enhance create a unique nose and taste that would LETTER(S?) their respective flavours. Thus blending appeal to the discerning whisky drinker. I look forward to your first newsletter. is in no sense a dilution but the combin- This was largely done by trial and error Hey, can I write some smart-assy letter- ing of like with like to produce a whisky and based on my experience of blending to-the-editor for your first issue? I al- that brings out the best qualities of each Bell’s—it is important to ensure no one ways wonder when I read first issues of of its constituent parts. whisky dominates. magazines and see letters-to-the-editor... The objective of the blender is first to Finally I settled on 40 grains and malts Were they written by psychics?? produce a whisky of a definite and recog- with a strong bias towards malts from Sean Cavanaugh, California nisable character. His second objective is the Islands, hence the name “Bell’s to achieve consistency. It is of the great- Islander”. In essence creating this new NOTES FROM est importance that his blend should blend could be compared to composing a never vary from this standard which piece of music to be played by a forty piece THE TASTING TRAY customers all over the world have come orchestra. SPRINGBANK 15yo to expect. I feel the industry should continue to A smell of saltiness. A nose that is briny, From a predetermined formula, the promote the quality and heritage values fresh, sweet and savoury with a musty various single whiskies are allocated as of its wonderful products to the consumer, old books, nutty character; fruity with a a blend and as a result planning and who also should be encouraged to try smell of leather. Medium sherried with drinking blends with various mixers and stock holding play an important role in a full lingering finish. in different forms, (and single malts with ensuring that the Blender’s criteria can Springbank certainly is a complex the addition of water). Undoubtedly this be consistently maintained to ensure the whisky! quality and consistency of the product. will be to the long term benefit of the Whisky Blenders work by their sense of industry and all those who work in it. smell alone. A little whisky from the cask After all, the Scotch Whisky industry Scotch Whisky is Britain's fifth largest is poured into a tulip shaped glass, plays a very important role in our export earner. water is added and the glass shaken economy...... WELL I NEVER! FEATURED DISTILLERY reclaimed using the manure the herd restarted in September 1938, only to produced to grow more barley to supply shut down from May 1941 until the distillery; coal from the mine at November 1945 because of restrictions CLYNELISH Brora fuelled the fires beneath the stills. on the supply of barley to distillers The farm at Clynelish was leased to during the Second World War. Located on the North-East coast of James Harper, originally from In the 1960’s Clynelish was again Sutherland, midway between Inverness Midlothian, who started the distillery brought up to date when electricity was and John O’Groats, in the town of Brora, with one wash still and one spirit still, installed and the stills which had been the original distillery at Clynelish was producing 10,015 gallons (45,527 litres) heated by a hand-fired coal burning purpose-built to serve the new farms in 1821-22. furnace were converted to internal being established on the fertile land of The distillery and farm thrived, unlike steam heating. Sutherland’s North Sea coastal strip. the coal pit which yielded inferior coal Clynelish was replaced by a new The distillery was built for £750 in 1819 and quickly closed. Highland cattle from distillery built on an adjacent site in by the future Duke of Sutherland to Clynelish won the first prize in their 1967-8. The six stills in the new provide a ready market for the grain class, and sheep gained other awards, distillery were run on the most up to grown by his tenant farmers on at the Smithfield Show in 1894. date lines, while retaining the improved coastal land. The Duke, most The quality of Clynelish whisky was so traditional still shape and the original noted for his clearances of 15,000 people prized at that time that only private water supplies from the Clynemilton to make way for sheep, married into the customers were supplied, not only “all Burn ensured that the sought after estate via the Countess of Sutherland, over the Kingdom” but abroad as well, quality of Clynelish whisky remained developed a coastal community with commanding “very valuable exports”, unchanged. those people who did not emigrate. and “trade orders were refused”. The original distillery was closed for a Brora was built as an industrial town When the Leith whisky blenders, Ainslie short time but reopened as “Brora with a fishing harbour, coal pit, and & Co, bought over the distillery in 1896 Distillery” from April 1975 until May distillery. Further, it was hoped that by they enlarged the premises for both 1983 when it closed for the last time. providing a steady market for grain, production and warehousing to satisfy The modern distillery produces a marine farmers would no longer support the the demand from wholesalers as well as influenced malt, often described as being illicit distillers whose existence, from private customers. of an island character. It is not as fully according to a contemporary report, had In 1912 the distillery became the peated as any of the Islay malts but the “nursed the people in deceit and vice”. property of The Distillers Company sea, iodine and peat are discernable Clynelish Distillery was a model design: Limited and in 1930 Scottish Malt while not overpowering. Most of the spent grains, the by-products of Distillers Ltd. production is used for blending although distilling, were used in an adjoining In March 1931 the economic recession the single malt is available in the piggery, and part of Brora Moor was forced Clynelish to close. Production bottlings reviewed below.

Alfred Barnard, 1887—“It is sent out duty paid to private customers all over the kingdom, and the demand for it in this way has become so great that the firm have for some years been obliged to refuse trade orders.”

CLYNELISH G & M—12yo,, 57%, £30.90. FIVE BOTTLINGS AVAILABLE Standard bottle, screw cap, two tone label with line drawing of distillery. MARKET HOUSE—14yo, 43%, £28.40. Nose—smoke, peat, sherry, sea, less One of United Distillers boxed ‘fauna chocolate than Cadenhead. and flora’ series. Presentation: high Taste—malt, slight smoke and faint but quality wooden box; elegant, tapered distinct peat (Brora style). clear bottle; black and amber print on Long lingering ‘sticky’ finish. Good stuff! beige label featuring wildcat and description and history of distillery and SIGNATORY—28yo, 50.7%, £53.90. RECOMMENDATIONS? character of whisky (fruity, slightly Dumpy bottle with buff label, attractive, Difficult. smoky whisky much black leatherette presentation case with appreciated by connoisseurs). perspex panel. (Vintage 1965). Professor George Saintsbury in his Clear, fruity nose with a hint of the Nose of sweetness, peat and iodine. “Notes on a Cellar Book” (1920) stated seaside, very faint peat and sherry Slight citrusness. that “some mixed Clyne Lish and sweetness. A thick tongue-coating, smooth, tame- Glenlivet to be the best whisky he had Dry, malty, smoky taste with a teasing medicinal whisky with a long finish. ever drunk”. If we assume that he was peatiness. A good example of the benefits of mixing the peaty product now available Finish is delightfully light and long. further maturation. as Brora with a good Speysider then the Market House bottling must be a good CADENHEAD — 11yo, 66.7%, £35.20. From the old distillery, BRORA, 19yo, imitation of Prof. Saintsbury’s delight. Authentic cask bottling, new presenta- 1972, 40%, £33.30. tion—gold and white lettering onto Connoisseurs Choice presentation. As a present, I’d like the Signatory. If I green glass with small label giving Nose—peat, very similar to Laphroaig, were to buy one I’d be happy with the details of contents. —quite astonishing in fact. MH 14yo (or maybe the G&M). If I had Nose— like a new tin of Quality Street! Taste is a mix of Laphroaig and to drop one it would be the Cadenhead Grass and Chocolate. Lagavulin, a massive burst of smoke but I would be sorry. A Kildalton (south Taste—citric, pepper, sweet and full, then pepper, aniseed, and dryness. coast, heavy peat) Islay fan will love the clings to the tongue. Finish long and dry, recommended for Brora which is a treat as there is very Finish—Medium, spicy. Laphroaig drinkers. little left. WHAT’S IN A NAME? thumbing through the library we Scotch Whisky must be bottled at least 40% discovered that a clipper ship named alcohol by volume, (ABV). Any weaker and Ted Thompson, MacDuff International “Cumbrae Castle” carried emigrates and the age of the whisky can not be assessed by pioneers from Scotland to the New the regulatory laboratories. Having been with for over World. In the case of Strathbeg we 17 years, Whyte & Mackay for 5 years ...... WELL I NEVER! scanned the gazetteer and found a loch and now a partner of a new independ- in the Highlands which had some ent company, MacDuff International, I HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO history and we thought the name was have had my eyes opened regarding how attractive. DRINK MALT WHISKY? names of whiskies or other liquor In some cases we have been requested As promised on page one the ultimate products are developed. to develop a brand by a major overseas answer to the ultimate question; you can Most of the single malts available bear customer who selects the name and is drink it any way you like as long as you the name of the distillery where they part of the development of the label. This buy it from me! were ‘born’, and when blended whiskies can be both challenging and frustrating I would be foolish to tell anyone how to were introduced in the mid-19th century trying to meet the various demands of drink their malt but some people do they were normally named after the designers, printers, production and appreciate me telling them how I drink founder of the brand—Johnnie Walker, finally the customer, but if it is worth it my dram. If I wish to assess a whisky, I John , Dewar’s etc. This was the —we do it! will spend up to 40 minutes occasion- guarantee of quality and dependability It is interesting to note how the major ally nosing, teasing myself as to what to because no ‘whisky baron’ would lend his conglomerates of our industry are intro- expect, then a small sip and some name to a whisky that was inferior or ducing brands closely associated with a further consideration. About a third tap which could damage his reputation. successful well-recognised brand. J&B water is added (Scotland being blessed The normal practice when adding a new have launched a brand called J&B Jet, with good water—ours is not noticably or aged product to your portfolio was to Ballantine - Founder’s Choice, and chlorinated) and the teasing process is maintain the original name and just add - Chivas Imperial—all prin- repeated for a further half hour or so. the age of the blend; this is called ‘line cipally designed for the lucrative Far Finally I get to drink it in small extension’. Over the years this has East and International Duty Free mouthfuls. proved to be unsuccessful for a number markets. Particularly enjoyable is a head-to-head of companies who have been brand lead- One of the most important elements in of three drams comparing each by nose, ers in the certain markets, with the naming a product is selecting a name then neat, then with water. This is the exception of Johnnie Walker, who which portrays confidence, possibly can basis of our Tasting Room. successfully introduced Red and Black be translated into other languages, and Some insist that a whisky should be label. In reverse, Seagrams have been has some association with the industry taken neat; I consider this to be a shame very successful with Chivas Regal 12 and its traditions. as water reveals so much more. year old, but so far have not managed to Scotch whisky is very popular with those Some take it neat with a glass of water produce a standard brand. who cannot read English or even to one side either for ‘flushing’ or in many Major companies who identified the pronounce the names of some brands. cases for mixing or ‘shuggling’ in the need for aged products searched their The producer tackles that situation by mouth whilst slurping air over the top archives to find a traditional name that applying some easy identifiable symbol of the mix. would be suitable and unregistered. which the consumer can translate into One thing is certain. You should drink Today there are over 4,000 registered their own language or just point to the it the way that pleases you. brands of Scotch whisky, increasing object. For many years in Japan the annually as companies enter the private Johnnie Walker man was the symbol label arena for select companies. Space prevents our proposed review which simply meant Scotch whisky. I In my two years with our new company of Islay Mist, (lots of Laphroaig in this recall, sometime ago in my Duty Free we have, or will be introducing, four new connoisseurs blend); the Illustrated days, a Japanese ship ordering liquor labels primarily for the international History book, excellent but why so describing a brand as ‘Grants Standfast market. Two of the labels were specifi- expensive?; information for collectors of Johnnie Walker whisky’! cally designed at the request of a limited editions (we have Bowmore customer. The first, Cumbrae Castle, (Perhaps our customers have some Black, Glenmorangie 150 anniversary, was derived from a small island good ideas for future international Argyll & Sutherland Commemoratives (Cumbrae) in the Firth of Clyde, and best-sellers? Answers on a postcard...) and more) and miniatures; articles on labels, international whiskies and more hard selling. We’ll try for eight or twelve MY MEMORABLE DRAM Gordon Wright. pages next. Feedback and contributions welcome. If any dram stays in my mind it is the filled with malt vinegar as this best Richard & Lyndsay one I never had—vinegar! reflects the appearance of the genuine To explain, in 1970 we bottled the article. BORING ACCEPTANCE SPEECH oldest Springbank we have ever pro- Recently one such vinegar substitute We would like to record our gratitude for the duced, a fifty year old that we named was stolen from a world-renowned support, assistance and confidence of: Frank ‘1919’, after the year of distillation. Only London store. The press, quick to see Clark, Steve Webb and Ian Grieve, Gordon twenty four bottles were produced and the humour of this, asked me for my Wright, David Urquhart, Douglas Hendry, our Mums, Dads & Dogs, supporters of our the retail price today is £7,500 each comments. second and third presentations to the Mid- making it the most expensive whisky in My response was reported worldwide; Argyll licensing board and the owners and the world. “A bottle of 50-year old Springbank Directors of Atlantic Freshwater plc. Very occasionally we make available to whisky would accompany the finest selected outlets, such as Loch Fyne state banquet anywhere in the world. Whiskies, a dummy for display pur- This thief has something to go perfectly PLEASE TELL YOUR poses, identical in every respect except with his fish and chips.” FRIENDS ABOUT US!

©1994 LOCH FYNE WHISKIES, INVERARAY, ARGYLL, PA32 8UD. TEL: 0499 2219