Contents
p5
New madness from the European Commission about controls on water, and even its taxation, threatens the long standing water rights of Scottish distilleries. This is being vigorously opposed by the Scot...
By Charles MacLean in the section
From the Editor
p7
Michael Jackson, Master of the Quaich, in sheepish mood.
Had I fallen asleep in the passenger seat, or had I really stepped out for the afternoon in a place called Rainbow Village, in Saint Cloud, Minnesota?
It sounded like America at its most conservativ...
By Michael Jackson in the section
The Gospel According to Michael Jackson
p8
Jim Murray recounts a nasty case of whisky writer's block.§
There are so many things we all take for granted. Walking, for instance; the miracle of vision, hearing your children laugh. And from recent events I can now add the extraordinary pleasure of two amon...
By Jim Murray in the section
The Gospel According to Jim Murray
p16
Jane Slade talks to racing yachtsman Andy Hindley about his love of the dram and the sea.
It was a heart-breaking moment when Andy Hindley saw his dream literally break up before his eyes. Just days after the dramatic launch of Team Phillips, from the quayside in Totnes, and its naming by ...
By Jane Slade in the section
Whisky and Sport
p20
Whisky collecting is alive and well in Italy Angelo Matteucci's travels have brought him into contact with some of the great characters in the business.
When Valentino Zagatti opened the door of his house in Lugo di Romagna, a broad smile on his face, it was a great moment for me. After years of writing letters I was at last meeting the man who is kno...
By Angelo Matteucci in the section
Collecting Whisky
p24
Malcolm Greenwood digs beneath the surface to discover how water works to make Scotch so special
I read recently that nine hundred billion litres of rain falls on Scotland every year and, from this, nine million litres of whisky is produced.
The Scotch Whisky Association can of course verify the...
By Malcolm Greenwood in the section
Whisky Tasting
p28
The spirit of innovation has always been a part of distilling at Glenlivet. Dave Broom charts ahistory shot through with passion, rebellion and imagination.
And in the Highlands the A939, Cockbridge to Tomintoul, is blocked. This was the way that the onset of winter was traditionally announced in Scotland.
Travel this road and you can see why this would...
By Dave Broom in the section
Distillery Focus
p34
Visitors ot the new Dewar's World of Whisky centre will be dazzled by the arry but thank heavens real distilling gets a look in.
The Scotch whisky industry has come a long way since the day in 1969 when Glenfiddich opened the country’s first purpose-built distillery visitor centre, while their competitors looked on with a blend...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Whisky Travel
p36
Gavin D Smith reveals the contribution grain has made to the Scotch whisky industry.
Without grain whisky Scotch would be nothing more than a cottage industry, yet the spirit has traditionally received a less than enthusiastic press. Indeed, it would probably be fairer to say that it ...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Grain whisky
p42
some may dismiss them as flash trash or bric-a-brac, but in the eyes of collectors they are prized antiques. Ann Davies reports on whisky's objets d'art
Next time you find yourself wandering round a boot or rummage sale, keep your eyes open for anything to do with whisky. The distillers’ determination to brand their name on anything that would take it...
By Anne Davies in the section
Collecting Whisky
p48
Andrew Symington has made huge success of Signatory, the world's second largest independent bottler. But this is just the beginning, as Tom Bruce-Gardyne found out.
Tucked away in the back streets of Edinburgh’s Newhaven district, Andrew Symington sits at the helm of the world’s second biggest independent whisky bottler. No mean feat for Signatory, the company he...
By Tom Bruce-Gardyne in the section
Independent Bottlers
p52
A woman's touch has made Drambuie the force it is today, with a little bit of help form Bonnie Prince Charlei. Tom Bruce Gardyne sheds light on some legendary characters.
Million dollar secret of the Cannie Wee Grannie by Herbert Kretzmer, blazed a 1961 headline in the US Sunday Dispatch. “ ... a little Scots grannie with snow-white hair and forget-me-not blue eyes .....
By Tom Bruce-Gardyne in the section
Whisky Hero
p58
There's plenty of places to hang out in Canada's biggest city, but its whisky bars offer something a bit special. Kathleen Sloan and Ted Mcintosh make merry among the malts.
Contrary to what the rest of the world may think, Canadians do not, exclusively, think rye when they drink whisky. In Toronto, Canada’s largest city, the home of many fine bars and a multi-national po...
By Kathleen Sloan in the section
Great whisky bars
p60
There's a noble tradition of whisky making in Canada based on the superb qualtiy of its grain. Kathleen Sloan and Ted Mcintosh pay tribute to a unique spirit.
With more than 85 per cent of Canadian rye whisky exported to the US alone, there’s definitely more than four and twenty Yankees singing the praises of this pale amber spirit that is exclusively assoc...
By Kathleen Sloan in the section
Whisky History
p64
The members of Canada 's An Quaich Society are real party animals, but their love of Scotch and the freedom it represents could not be more serious as Stuart Maclean Ramsay reports.
I first came across Canada’s An Quaich Society on Islay three years ago. I was passing through Bowmore distillery when Christine Logan, the queen of Hebridean distillery guides, began shouting, “The C...
By Stuart MacLean Ramsay in the section
Great whisky clubs
p66
What does smal batch whiskey actually mean? The explanation is far from simple Gary Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan discovered.
n 1989 Booker’s, the first small-batch bourbon, hit the American market place and, rightly so, it was a great success. But it also created a mystery.
Issued at cask strength (usually over 60 per cen...
By Gary Regan in the section
Whisky Production
p82
Charles Maclean talks to Sheila Burties, the highly espected sensory chemist.
CM Can everyone nose?
SB Physiologically we are all the same, and whatever stimulates our senses is the same. But just as with sight or hearing, the senses of taste and smell vary from person to per...
By Charles MacLean in the section
Whisky Interview
