Contents
p5
Whisper it quietly, but right across the planet a low-key revolution is taking place. Wherever I travel – Havana, New York, London, and er, Cromer, whisky enthusiasts are meeting to share, taste and d...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
From the Editor
p11
Michael Jackson on the campaign trail
If it was a contest between two Scots and a Welshman, we might have expected more eloquence in the recent election. Are British party leaders Celts in denial?
Despite his Scottish surname, New Labour...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Musings with Michael Jackson
p12
Dave Broomon the worrying trend towards ruthless discounting
On occasion, I have been known to hum a ditty by Bertolt Brecht and Hans Eisler called Supply and Demand*. Acharacter, just known as ‘the businessman’, sings about rice and how he can maximise the ret...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p15
Whisky enthusiasts and industry representatives are gathering in Sydney this August for the second National Malt Whisky Convention. As interest in single malts within Australia continues to grow, this...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Events
p15
Whisky Magazine is hailing its first American show as an overwhelming success and organisers are already turning their attentions to next year as the industry hailed Whisky Live New York as a total tr...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Events
p16
A team from Whisky Magazine completed nearly 50 miles of the Speyside Way to raise money for Make Poverty History. Dominic Roskrow reports
As great whisky moments go it takes some beating: an obscenely large glass of Balblair poured at Balmenach distillery late on a Friday evening in the company of friends and just as dusk began to turn ...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Events
p18
Some whisky enthusiasts are naturally suspicious of whisky cocktails. But do they provide a platform from which to attract new whisky recruits?
The Panel
Dale DeGroff - Renowned as The King of Cocktails (DDG)
Dominic Roskrow - Editor of Whisky Magazine (DR)
Audrey Saunders - New York mixologist and drinks consultant (AS)
Q. Firstly, let’s ge...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Debate
p20
Johnnie Wallker is 200 years old. Ian Buxton looks at the history of a whisky icon
I doubt if John Walker would recognise the firm he first founded. Yet his name lives on in the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky.
With more than four bottles consumed every single second, more than ...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Whisky Legends
p24
Bruichladdich reopened some four years ago and has been trail-blazing ever since. Ian Buxton visited it
It’s never particularly hard work to go to Islay. In fact, you have to remind yourself this is actually work, and you’re not just here to enjoy yourself (though I did).
But my arrival was low key. He...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Distillery Focus
p28
Producing whisky in the middle of the North Sea is one long struggle but the results make it worthwhile. Dominic Roskrow visited Highland Park
Cutting peat in late April on the undulating hills high above Scapa Flow on Orkney isn’t for the faint-hearted.
You have to make your way to the heart of the 2,000 acre estate that Highland Park owns...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Distillery Focus
p32
In our visitor centre round up we weren’t altogether complimentary about Aberfeldy. Our Mystery Visitor takes issue with that view
There seems to be two divergent schools of thought about Aberfeldy, even here at Whisky Magazine. On the one hand, when it opened, we acclaimed it as “the ultimate Scotch whisky visitor centre” yet ju...
By Mystery Visitor in the section
Mystery Visitor
p34
Allied is rolling out its quarter cask range after the success of Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Dave Broom was given a sneak preview
THE LAST TIME Whisky Magazine encountered Allied Domecq’s master blender Robert Hicks he was still laughing at the ridiculousness of the experiment – and the fact that his hunch had paid off.
The Lap...
By Dave Broom in the section
Whisky Trends
p38
The Ubiquitous Chip is celebrating 30 years at its current location and throughout whisky has been key to its success. Dominic Roskrow visited
Thirty years in the restaurant business is impressive anywhere.
In Glasgow it represents a lifetime. For back in the 70s the city had little at all in the way of a dining culture. What it did have te...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky and Food
p41
In Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx’ view of cowboys is unconventional and controversial. Jefferson Chase reports
There are authors who write about what they know and those who write about what they’ve learned.
Close Range, Annie Proulx’ 1999 collection of short stories, is a case of the latter. Proulx, a long-t...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Whisky Literature
p42
The second annual Cocktail Challenge took place at Whisky Live in London. Dominic Roskrow reports
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, when we first gathered at the City Inn in London for the first proper Whisky Cocktail Challenge, there was a lot of prodding and poking at the idea o...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Cocktails
p45
Joe Bates on what to look for when in transit
Store Focus
Sky Connection, Hong Kong international airport
It’s not often duty-free shops make headlines around the world, but Hong Kong airport retailer Sky Connection managed just that in February...
By Joe Bates in the section
Great whisky retailers
p46
A few issues back we looked at the best whisky company websites. Here Richard Jones hunts down other whisky information sites
Since the advent of the internet, anyone with a personal computer, a modicum of literacy and ‘a mate who knows something about computers’ can set up a website and become an authority on whisky.
Today...
By Richard Jones in the section
Whisky Online
p49
David Gardener of Nickolls and Perks in Stourbridge has big plans for whisky. Richard Jones reports
There’s history and there’s history. Many retailers can boast of an illustrious past but when Nickolls and Perks first opened for business in 1797, the Bank of England had just issued its first one po...
By Richard Jones in the section
Whisky Spotlight
p52
Each year Jack Daniel’s holds a World Championship Barbecue and all sorts of enthusiasts attend. Peter Krass went along
When you take a sip of Jack Daniel’s you may think you’re simply drinking Tennessee whiskey, but you’re not. You’re taking a drink of a whole subculture, a subculture comprised of avid JD drinkers, co...
By Peter Krass in the section
Whisky Trends
p54
Hailed by its fans as the first cocktail, the sazerac courted controversy because of one ingredient -absinthe. Ian Wisniewski looks at its history
The story begins with Antoine Amedie Peychaud, a Creole immigrant who arrived in New Orleans from San Domingo (Haiti) in 1795, with a secret family recipe for making bitters. When his son of the same ...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky Cocktails
p64
Only a couple of distilleries use Golden Promise, but they swear by it. Ian Wisniewski explains why
Barley varieties come and go on a regular basis, as new varieties offering increased yields for farmers and distillers, as well as greater disease resistance, are continually released. Developing new ...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky Production
