Tobermory distillery has made whisky for only14 of the last 69 years- and its incarnatuons have included a blend and a vatted malt. Tom Bruce-Gardyne mulls over it.
At times it feels just like the west of Ireland. If you visit in the spring, the vivid greens, lush pasture and dank, moss-covered walls of Mull seem straight out of Donegal. The climate is equally fickle. Seasons change by the hour with cloudless skies turning black, and then clearing again as if o...
By Tom Bruce-Gardyne
from Issue 5 published on 4/8/1999
Might the revival of Ardbeg one day lead to the release of a new 10-year old? If so, would it be like the Ardbeg of old? Neil Wilson looks at the ups and downs of a legend
When I first visited Ardbeg the year was 1984 and the distillery had been closed for three years. By 1990 the distillery was up and running again, but the whisky was intended mostly for blending. By the mid-nineties it was clear that Ardbeg’s owner, Allied Distillers, wanted to commit to Laphroaig...
By Neil Wilson
from Issue 4 published on 13/6/1999
Tim Atkin follows Jameson's from Dublin to the palm trees of County Cork and finds a whiskey tht lightened up on the way
A visit to the Old Jameson Distillery in Bow Street, Dublin, with its heritage tour, audio-visual presentation and Irish coffee toffees, is bound to promote feelings of nostalgia and even sadness. At the peak of its output, John Jameson’s was the largest distillery in the British Isles and the dri...
By Tim Atkin
from Issue 3 published on 13/5/1999
If you're going to age whisky in heavily scented olorose casks you need a powerfully flavoured spirit to start off with. Stephen Brook examines the elements that make up the Macallan, and how second-fill casks compare to first-fill
To create a drink that in under 20 years has achieved classic status is no mean feat, but that is the accomplishment of The Macallan. It was in the late 1960s that the Macallan managers, noting the success of Glenfiddich as the first single malt whisky to achieve wide sales outside Scotland, began l...
By Stephen Brook
from Issue 2 published on 16/3/1999
