Published in Whisky Magazine Issue 37 on 23/2/2004.
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The Miller’s Tale
Oddly enough, unlike the 1,000 or so visitors, I did not get the opportunity to taste much at Whisky Live in Tokyo (see review pages 16-17). However, those precious few whiskies I did manage to sample were fascinating.
Oddly enough, unlike the 1,000 or so visitors, I did not get the opportunity to taste much at Whisky Live in Tokyo (see review pages 16-17). However, those precious few whiskies I did manage to sample were fascinating.
The Dave Broom Suntory Masterclass was extraordinary for many reasons: I was a Pole listening to a Scotsman talking in English to a
Japanese audience about Japanese whisky.
More bizarre still was Dave’s talk of shapes to describe the palate of a whisky (see page 12). You read it here first. It is only a matter of
weeks before the world of whisky will discuss with confidence the Yamazaki dip – which sounds more like a 1960s dance craze than a
tasting comment.
Another Tokyo highlight was that Kenny Mackay very kindly rescued the last dribble of a 1964 Bowmore for me. It was in danger of being forever lost with the detritus of hisMasterclass. After an exhausting day, the rich, tropical fruit cocktail of this venerable Bowmore was a genuine, once in a lifetime treat. I say once in a lifetime…
For me, the principle and incontrevertible evidence that whisky is higher up alcohol’s evolutionary scale – if there is such a thing – than any other spirit is because of its DNA. I was born in 1964. So were the three single cask Bowmores lined up in front of me at a recent tasting in London: one from a fino cask, one from bourbon and one from oloroso.
Yes, they were all distilled at Bowmore, two on the same November day and one a week later. But, to exaggerate slightly, that is where the similarity ends.
You could sense the flor on the nose of the fino together with overripe melon and a palate of vanilla, cream and honey. The bourbon had a
nose of clotted cream and marzipan with a drying palate of tobacco and cedar. The oloroso had a beautiful rich nose of Christmas pudding
and coffee with a nutty, spicy palate.
What is my point? That even with the benefit of 500 years of Scotch whisky distilling experience combined with enormous advances in the understanding of the chemistry of maturation and wood management, we still don’t know all the answers.
It is here that the true mystery of whisky reveals itself: there is an unpredictable aspect to single casks. That is why they inspire suchpassion and discussion.
Okay, this only happens so dramatically in august whiskies such as those mentioned above. You are unlikely to find such a level of variation in bottled samples of a vatting or a blend where consistency is the aim.
I am delighted – as I trust everyone who loves whisky is – that the Cardhu debate has been successfully resolved for all parties. For a short while, Cardhu was one of the main stories in all the UK, and some international, media. The Whisky Magazine office was receiving several calls a day from the BBC, British newspapers and even the Wall Street Journal. The old adage states that there is no such thing as bad publicity but I don’t think that holds true anymore in these days of aggressive tabloid sensationalism. So, although it was good to hear representatives of the whisky industry on the radio, it was aworry to read and hear so much ill-informed comment on the matter.
What piqued those of you for whom whisky is more than just a hobby is that, in the final analysis, whisky was shown to be not about history, mystery, mystique, tradition, lochs and damp warehouses.
I can exclusively reveal it is a business. And, as such, it is about market share, share price and profitability. The spell has been broken.
There is no Santa Claus. But we all know life is brutal and harsh.
That is why we, the enlightened few, attempt to reflect on the small positives and triumphs inlife which is, of course, best achieved with a
glass of whisky.
That’s why I would rather tell you about the charity auction at Whisky Live in Tokyo which generated over 2,500,000 Yen (approximately £13,800), split equally between the Children’s Hospice Association of Scotland and Japan’s Save the Children.
I would like to extend my thanks to all the producers and bottlers (and the artist) who donated bottles to these very worthy causes. Kampai!
Marcin Miller
Publishing Director
By Marcin Miller
Section : From the Editor
Page number : 5
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