Contents
p5
Dominic Roskrow considers what the long term effects of an increased demand for whisky might be
Chuck Cowdery’s feature in this issue raises a very important question: is it possible for at least some whisk(e)y to run out due to an increased demand for it?
It would have been an unthinkable scen...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
From the Editor
p11
On the Queen’s yacht,Michael Jackson is back in Leith and heading for Islay
An invitation to dinner on the Royal Yacht. That’s what it says. I wonder, is she still royal? The yacht, I mean, not the Queen Even if the Queen were not the world’s most experienced practitioner of ...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Musings with Michael Jackson
p12
Whisky Live Tokyo has just taken place.Dave Broom tries to make sense of it all
Day 1: Being allowed into Japan isn’t like gaining entry to the United States where you get the notion that there’s an orange jump suit in your size under the immigration officer’s desk. A quick chang...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p16
Are premium bourbons better positioned to snap up new drinkers, or can Scotch and American whiskey both flourish side by side?
The Participants: Roy Evans (RE) Sazerac Jim Long (JL) Chivas Brothers Dave Broom (DB) Whisky Magazine Bill Samuels (BS) Maker’s Mark
Q: A couple of bourbon companies have recently expressed the vi...
By in the section
Whisky debate
p18
This year’s Icons of Whisky were the toughest yet. Drawing up the shortlists was a nightmare.And the voting in nearly all categories was painfully close. Dominic Roskrowreports
If you’re reading this and you’re one of the industry personnel invited to vote in this year’s Icons of Whisky Awards but didn’t bother then shame on you. Because this year, more than any other, it re...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Icons of Whisky
p26
It may be ‘compact, cosy and bijou’ , but The Lincoln Whisky Shop is now packed to bursting with unusual and exciting whiskies. Richard Jones reports
You should see it during the Lincoln Christmas market period, there’ll be 40 people inside the shop jostling for space. We have to put someone on the door, not for security, but for crowd control,” be...
By Richard Jones in the section
Whisky Spotlight
p29
In a new series John Roseanswers some of your most commonly asked questions
Q.We hold our Whisky Society meetings in The Black Swan Pub and we think there was a whisky called Black Swan Whisky? Mike & Barbara Smith, West Coast Whisky Society, Vancouver
A. There was a Black ...
By John Rose in the section
Whisky Questions
p30
Deanston is the least-known of Perthshire’s six remaining distilleries. Ian Buxton visited it
Once, Perthshire was a major distilling centre. One researcher has listed more than 140 distilleries that were active in Scotland’s ‘Big Country,’ some working well into the 20th century.
Today ther...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Distillery focus
p35
Ryan Adams has produced a huge volume of great music. Lew Guthrie III casts his eye over it, particularly last year’s Jacksonville City Nights
When Ryan Adams came crashing out of the American South he did so with the swagger of a guitar slinger and the talent of a troubled troubadour. Fearless, unpredictable and highly prolific, he’s never ...
By Lew Guthrie III in the section
Whisky and Music
p36
Our Mystery Visitor thinks he has been unmasked so he’s taking a break. Here he recalls some of the stranger moments from distillery tours
The distillery tour had progressed very smoothly. Our group had watched the video, studied the information panels and listened intently to our charming guide.
“Now,” she said, “are there any question...
By in the section
Mystery visitor
p38
In the latest in our series on visiting distilleries Caroline Dewar looks at Islay and Jura
To many whisky fans Islay is the ultimate pilgrimage. Home to seven main distilleries – all world renowned names – and the new farm distillery at Kilchoman attracting whisky enthusiasts, this is hardl...
By Caroline Dewar in the section
Visitor Guides
p42
Did our Mystery Visitor really call Speyside a catering desert? Martine Nouet reports on a restaurant
If he’d been told 10 years ago that he would be living in whiskyland where rain and dampness are welcomed as blessings by those who mature the golden nectar there, French chef Eric Obry would have bur...
By Martine Nouet in the section
Whisky and Food
p45
Jefferson Chase on an extreme independent novel that rode in through the back door
For the next couple of issues, I thought I’d focus on literature’s equivalent of the small-batch bourbon – books from independent presses. So let’s begin with an excellent and extreme novel, Dan Fante...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Whisky Literature
p46
Bill Smith Grant wasn’t meant to inherit The Glenlivet. But as Iain Russell reports, his bold business decisions once he did revolutionised the whisky and made it famous
Bill Smith Grant didn’t intend to become a distiller. His father, George, had stipulated in his will that Bill’s elder brother John should inherit The Glenlivet Distillery on his 25th birthday, in Mar...
By Iain Russell in the section
Whisky legends
p50
Despite views to the contrary,grain whisky can be pretty sensational - and great value for money.
My prejudice against grain whiskies was seriously shaken recently when I encountered a 39 year old Invergordon grain, from Duncan Taylor.
It was in the company of eight malts, all more than 30 years ...
By Robin Laing in the section
Grain whisky
p54
Glengorm Castle is becoming a remote whisky paradise. Rob Allanson visited it
There are several elements that go in to making a memorable night in a whisky bar – but Glengorm Castle is just a little bit more special.
Whether it is the romantic, windswept landscape, the dramati...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Spotlight
p55
Joe Bates with the latest from travel retail
Joe Bates with the latest from travel retail.
Store focus: Dubai.
Dubai Duty Free is now the second largest dutyfree location after London Heathrow with annual sales of more than $2billion.
Whisky...
By Joe Bates in the section
Travel retail
p56
Probably not, says Charles Cowdery, but supplies are as tight as they have been in many years
At the end of 2004, the last year for which figures are available, the Kentucky whiskey industry had 224,173 barrels of whiskey aged eight years or more in its collective inventory.
Because bourbon a...
By Charles K. Cowdery in the section
American Whiskey
p59
Ian Wisniewski on the nearest thing Scotland has to a national cocktail
Scotch whisky may be the national spirit of Scotland, though this doesn’t mean it provides a national cocktail, in the way that a mojito is an automatic choice for Cubans, or a dry martini is a favour...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky Cocktails
p60
Fidel’s in Melbourne is giving Australia’s finest city a taste of true luxury – but don’t tell anybody. Naren Young reports
The Macallan 1946 at $210 a pop. Mmm, nice. The Glenfarclas 40 year old at $352 a nip. Things are getting serious. The Glenfiddich 50 year for $495. Wow! The Glenffidich 1937 – yet to be priced, but w...
By Naren Young in the section
Great whisky bars
p64
Ian Wisniewski explains how oxidation affects maturation
With oak casks regarded as the key influence during maturation, it’s tempting to see oxidation (the interaction of air and spirit within the cask) as a secondary factor. However, as air (principally o...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky production
