Contents
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Dave Broom considers what kind of innovation is good for whisky
The terror of the blank page has gripped me. That’s the trouble with new editors. They always crack the whip in their first few issues and put we poor hacks under ridiculous pressure over such irrelev...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p5
One aspect of the readership of Whisky Magazine that I have never fully appreciated is that so many of you are excellent proof-readers.
What was intended as a light-hearted joke – or, as regular Whis...
By Marcin Miller in the section
The Miller's Tale
p7
Michael Jackson explains why he’s being toasted in Wellington
The good news, from the viewpoint of my infantile, absurd ego (The Psychotherapist Who Claims To Love Me™) is that I am to be the subject of a statue. Or is it a relief? For the psychotherapist, perha...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Musings with Michael Jackson
p16
The Whisky Academy Awards are an attempt to recognise some of the people who have excelled in the whisky industry in the last year. Dominic Roskrow presents this year’s winners
If ever there were two events designed to help one take stock of an industry, it’s the Whisky Academy and Best of the Best, both of which feature in this issue.
In the few short months that I’ve been...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Academy
p18
Last year’s winner strolled it this time round, winning an overwhelming proportion of the votes cast. Not surprising really – for what Richard
has continued to bring to blending in the last year is a ...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Academy
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There were many entrants for this category, some obvious, some not so. The award is meant to be for an individual, but a clear trend started to
emerge – there was a regular stream of votes for Diageo-...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Academy
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Some of the great whisky brands have remained popular, others have all but disappeared. Why? Tom Bruce-Gardyne investigates
When The Stranglers first growled the words “Whatever happened to … ” in their hit No More Heroes, they could have been singing about
Scotch. For just as punk destroyed many older bands in the late ‘7...
By Tom Bruce-Gardyne in the section
Whisky Trends
p30
Just exactly how doyou pronounce the name of that whisky you’re so keen on? Pip Hills guides you through some Gaelic, Scots and Nordic basics
For some years now, I have been getting a curious sort of phone call. It usually comes from overseas and it generally takes the same form. There is a few minutes’ chat, and then we get around to the r...
By Pip Hills in the section
Whisky Pronunciation
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Martine Nouet profiles two talented singer/songwriters in the world of whisky:
Robin Laing and Norma Munro
Robin Laing’s first encounter with whisky came well before his idea of capturing its poetic essence on a CD. As a student, he spent a summer in the ‘70s as a barman in the Arisaig Hotel on Scotland’s...
By Martine Nouet in the section
Whisky and Music
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‘To cork, or not to cork’, that is the question, as Federico Valori explains
Travelling south from Lisbon towards the Odemira district in the Baixo Alentejo region of Portugal, I am eagerly on the lookout for the first sight of a cork tree. It will not be long before cork oak...
By Federico Valori in the section
Whisky Production
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Martine Nouet reports back on the exquisite creations of Michelin-Star chef Alain Passard, paired with expressions of Glenfiddich
What started as a challenge ended in a game. The chance to work with one of France’s most acclaimed chefs on a menu combining six courses with the six ages of Glenfiddich is an offer not to be refused...
By Martine Nouet in the section
Whisky and Food
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Jefferson Chase on Roald Dahl’s unexpected endings, and how whisky featured in the work of a man famous for his children’s books
Roald Dahl lived a life of twists and turns. Born in Wales in 1916 to Norwegian parents, Dahl began working for the Shell Oil Company in
East Africa at the age of eighteen. With the outbreak of World...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Whisky Literature
p49
Three continents, 40 outstanding whiskies, and more than 75 of the world’s best tasters – Best of the Best 2003 was an event of epic proportions. Dominic Roskrowexplains why, and how, it happened
The Best of the Best 2003 – what a nightmare. Or at least, three nightmares; nightmares that have recurred time and time again since we first
embarked on the whole, massive business.
Nightmare one: ...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Awards
p82
John Haydockcongratulates himself on discovering the secret behind current whisky-naming trends
I’m still recovering from a grossly unjustified attack I received at the hands of several of my whisky-writing colleagues at the recent ‘Best of the Best’ (sic) tasting. True, I may have got my blends...
By John Haydock in the section
An acidic finish
