Contents
p5
Why the best of the best? We have tasted our way through over 300 whiskies in the last couple of years. However, we have relied almost exclusively on two very authoritative palates. I felt it would be...
By Marcin Miller in the section
From the Editor
p7
Michael Jackson has a glass of Glenn Hoddle with John Diamond
Did I ever tell you about the young guy who introduced me to whisky? I was 18 and working as a journalist on a newspaper in Edinburgh. One day, I was in the office pub with my best buddy, a Scot, when...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Musings with Michael Jackson
p8
Dave Broom considers the implications of the industry's dog-eat-dog corporate strategy upon whisky's future
Getting out of drinks in favour of showbiz and sewage (now there’s a natural synergy) has allowed Pernod Ricard to become the third biggest whisky firm, while Diageo (which took the wine side) just ke...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p16
Pip Hills, author of Appreciating whisky, elucidates on the subject of tasting whisky- a seemingly simple exercise that requires a wee bit of thought before being fully appreciated.
The editor has asked me to write a few words on taste and tasting. It’s a big subject and the basics have been well covered elsewhere, so I will restrict myself to a few topics which I think may be of...
By Pip Hills in the section
Whisky Tasting
p22
To celebrate the launch of Scotland and its Whskies, written by Michael Jackson with photography by Harry Cory Wright, we bring you an exclusive abridged preview of this definitive photograhic exploration of malt whisky country
As the ferry approaches the rocky shore, three great Gaelic names declaim their presence: Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig. They rise from the water’s edge to the rooftops. On a bright day, the sun highli...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Scottish Whisky
p28
Home of the biggest malt whisky distillery in Scotland and the world's best-selling single malt, Glenfiddich Distillery has consistently produced whisky that consumers can't get enough of. David Stirk visited to find out why this is so.
Somebody up there likes Glenfiddich. The Gods have smiled upon this particular distillery in Dufftown, certainly a believable theory when you consider that Glenfiddich has been the biggest selling sin...
By David Stirk in the section
Distillery Focus
p32
Mrcin Miller explores Edinburgh's five star attraction that seeks to increase awareness of Scotlanad's whisky heritage
The vast majority of tourists who come to Scotland don’t travel any further north than Edinburgh and, therefore, don’t make it to the distillery visitor centres that are found in the rest of the count...
By Marcin Miller in the section
Whisky Travel
p34
David Stirk visits the Atenaeum Hotel and Aparments in London, an establishment looking to educate its guest on the delights of malt whisky
As I drive through Piccadilly, I can’t help but notice the wealth that this part of London exudes. Chauffeurs wait patiently by their cars for their employers to emerge from luxurious hotels, passing ...
By David Stirk in the section
Great whisky hotels
p36
Martine Nouet finds whiskies that lend themselves to teh warm, care free days of summer and creates a refreshing menu to accompany them
Everyone will agree that, to be thoroughly enjoyed with food, a single malt has to be in synchronisation with the ingredients of the dish – especially when it is a constituent of the dish itself. Yet ...
By Martine Nouet in the section
Whisky and Food
p44
Tom Bruce-Gardyne talks to Sir James Ackroyd and Ricky Christie, two of the key figures searching for 'little gems' in an attempt to revive Speyside Distillery.
Six months ago the Scotch whisky industry was in a state of fevered excitement as the Speyside Distillery Co. was sold off by its Swiss parent company to the North Yorkshire firm of Alexander Muir & S...
By Tom Bruce-Gardyne in the section
Independent Bottlers
p49
Marcin Miller explains the objective of the Best of the Best tasting and how the 47 whiskies were selected, categorised and scored.
The objective of the Best of the Best Tasting was to come up with a consensus of opinion. The scoring scale is based on that used in the magazine: marks are awarded out of ten and a score of five out ...
By Marcin Miller in the section
Whisky Awards
p50
David Stirk, one of Whisky Magazine's tasting panel representatives in Edinburgh, explains what it was like to be part of this definitive tasting and how he and his fellow panelists managed to surivive!
The names of the panellists read like a Who’s Who of the Scotch whisky industry. It was a bold attempt to bring competitors from almost every whisky company into a situation where they were openly gra...
By David Stirk in the section
Whisky Awards
p75
Charles Maclean talks to Dr Nicholas Morgan who, as UDV's Marketing Direcotr (Malts), is responsibel for the largest portfolio of malt whiskies in the world.
CM Is it unusual for a professional historian to take up a senior marketing job?
NM Not if you take your heritage seriously and want to use it to support brands and marketing activity. Several of U...
By Charles MacLean in the section
Whisky Interview
p82
John Haydock, Whisky Magazine's new columnist, hops aboard the "tasting-note gravy train" to join his whisky writing chums on a rather profitable journey.
For whatever reason I’ve never managed to embark the tasting-note gravy train that so many of my eminent whisky-writing colleagues manage to ride so prosperously on. I know it’s not easy – spending al...
By John Haydock in the section
The Last Word
