Contents
p5
You’ll notice a small change in the leader column this issue: the picture next to it is not of The Walrus of Whisky, Charles MacLean, though he continues in his capacity as Editor-at-Large.
I’ve just...
By Marcin Miller in the section
From the Editor
p7
Michael Jackson, on the road, With an ear for a great whisky
A columnist in the San Francisco Chronicle, Stan Delaplane, popularised “Irish Coffee”. He introduced it to the Buena Vista bar, at
Fisherman’s Wharf, after encountering it as a warming drink at Sha...
By Michael Jackson in the section
The Gospel According to Michael Jackson
p8
Jim Murray knows one peculiar breed of Scotsman currently enjoying the wet conditions that are leaving thousands of Britons' homes under feet of water- the distiller
Was it only two and a half years ago that Scottish distillers feared for their future as Britain dried up? Was it just 1998 when the usually sodden people of Islay looked to sun-bleached skies and won...
By Jim Murray in the section
The Gospel According to Jim Murray
p20
Martin Betts muses on the effect St Patrick's Day has on people not just in Ireland, but all over the world
It goes far beyond Ireland. Further than a bunch of reeling students stumbling from pub to pub or a couple of old boys having a
Guinness and a nip of Bushmills in a cosy bar in Galway. It transcends ...
By Martin Betts in the section
Whisky Events
p24
Stuart Maclean Ramsay embarks on a perilous pilgrimage to Bushmills, home of the world's oldest distillery, in an attempt to find out why, after visiting , some people talk of reincarnation and spirituality
When I die,” says David Dorsey, the Irish and Scotch Brand Director for the Brown-Forman Corporation of Louisville, Kentucky, “I want to come back as either the manager of Ardbeg Distillery or Bushmil...
By Stuart MacLean Ramsay in the section
Distillery Focus
p28
John Lamond visits the Isle of Arran Distilleryy, a modern distillery that produces a whisky that may well have enthusiasts challenging their own perception of what is their favourite malt
One man’s vision can be a truly wondrous thing. Like a whirl-pool, an innovative idea pulls others into its thrall. Such a visionary is Harold Currie.
Harold had been Managing Director of Chivas Brot...
By John Lamond in the section
Isle of Arran
p32
Robin Brilleman takes a tour of the Scottish Highlands and visits the distilleries that have, over the course of time, ceadsed production but whose malts have left a lasting imprint on whisky history.
Usually I visit working distilleries on my trips to Scotland, so it’s a little strange and a tad eerie to be on the lookout for distilleries that have, for whatever reason, stopped producing. The buil...
By Robin Brilleman in the section
Distillery Focus
p38
Riannon Walsh uncovers the work of archaeologists rebuilding an important piece of American, and whiskey, history- the distillery owned by George Washington, celebrated General and the first President
George Washington to James Anderson, Plantation Manager, Mount Vernon Virginia, 1797: "I consent to your commencing a distillery and approve of your purchasing the stills and entering of it..."
In th...
By Riannon Walsh in the section
Whisky History
p44
Susy Atkins examines Irish drinking culture and discovers that drinkers tastes have gradually changed and moved beyond Guinness, whiskey and liqueurs.
The Irish appetite for spirits is down to the marshy and watery terrain of the country, which causes them to fall ill from colds and flu. Well, that's what Edmund Campion put it down to in his book, ...
By Susy Atkins in the section
Irish Whiskey
p48
David Stirk is 'entertained in a truly Scottish manner' during his five-day whistle stop tour of Speyside allowing him to bring you the definitive guide to Speyside's best bars
The Mash Tun
The sun is shining far too brightly today, its rays force their way through the curtains and hit the floor with a bump that’s only audible to people who have heavily overindulged the nig...
By David Stirk in the section
Great whisky bars
p52
Tom Bruce-Gardyne talks to Robin Tcek, proprietor of the independent bottler blackadder, and finds out why he dislikes filtering, industry attitudes and armchairs
Being asked to blind taste a whisky and identify it in front of an audience can be a little unnerving. To do so on TV as the last item on the six o’clock news sounds positively terrifying. When the ev...
By Tom Bruce-Gardyne in the section
Independent Bottlers
p56
Marcin Miller talks to author Ian Rankin, 'the hottest name in British crime fiction', a whisky enthusiast with a gift for finding good bars
Two years ago Ian Rankin’s Black and Blue won The Macallan Gold Dagger, the annual international crime writing award. “That is when things really took off, sales quadrupled. Everything clicked.” He is...
By Marcin Miller in the section
Whisky Interview
p58
Stuart Maclean Ransay makes a nostalgic return to Ireland after twenty years and finds that, despite the pace of life accelerating, a little bit of Dublin is still 'an oasis of Celtic civility'
While staying in a spiffy hotel in Dublin not too long ago I needed directions to Mitchell & Son, Wine Merchants and home of the outstanding Green Spot Irish whiskey. The first three employees I ask a...
By Stuart MacLean Ramsay in the section
Great whisky retailers
p60
Martine Nouet savours Campeltown's whiskies before creating a menu that reflects that lush pastures, beautiful landscape and gentle light of Kintyre.
There are very few activities in this world that can truly be described as being very special. Contrary to popular belief, driving down the Mull of Kintyre along the A83 on a sunny summer evening is a...
By Martine Nouet in the section
Whisky and Food
p82
Charles Maclean talks to Barry Crockett, Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery
CM I believe distilling is in your blood?
BC Yes. My father worked as a distiller all his life. He started out in the Cork City Distillery, which made Cork Dry Gin and then moved to become Head Dist...
By Charles MacLean in the section
Whisky Interview
