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Whisky Magazine Issue 55

In this issue - Abraham Lincoln - Up in smoke - Scotch on the rocks - Kentucky visitors' guide - Deanston - Islay and Jura - The Whisky Shop

Published April 2006

A stupid move
Plans to ban drinking from a glass in pubs and clubs in Scotland are wrong,says Dominic Roskrow
April 2006, Issue 55, page 5

In the footsteps of Twain
An invite to speak at a prestigious club sends Michael Jackson in search of a literary giant
April 2006, Issue 55, page 11

Education is the key
Dave Broom on why whisky needs to broaden out
April 2006, Issue 55, page 12

And over in the Blue corner...
Piers Morgan is one of Britain's leading media personalities and he's promoting whisky. Dominic Roskrow met him
April 2006, Issue 55, page 14

View from the other side of the bar
In this issue we asked three people who stand against snobbery in whisky how they view the industry
April 2006, Issue 55, page 16

Miles of Isles
What better way to visit the distilleries on Islay and Jura than on foot? Dominic Roskrow and a Whisky Magazine team have done just that
April 2006, Issue 55, page 18

Where next for peat?
Peaty whisky has been enjoying a long spell in the limelight.But are there new territories to explore? Ian Wisniewski reports
April 2006, Issue 55, page 22

Not quite a case of teenage kicks
Fountains of Wayne are not your archetypal whiskey band. And, says Lew Guthrie III, they're all the better for it
April 2006, Issue 55, page 25

A balance of tradition and efficiency (Speyburn)
Deanston Distillery is something of a hidden gem. Ian Buxton visited it
April 2006, Issue 55, page 26

Scotch on the rocks
Hard rock and whisk(e)y have been bedfellows for 40 years.Dominic Roskrow lets his hair down
April 2006, Issue 55, page 30

Kentucky swoon
In the latest in our series,Rob Allanson looks to bourbon country
April 2006, Issue 55, page 34

Rail splitter, emancipator, whiskey seller
Charles Cowdery looks at how Abraham Lincoln's time in the whiskey trade could have cost him his political career
April 2006, Issue 55, page 38

Shop to find a drop
The Whisky Shop is bringing whisky to a new market by mixing High Street marketing techniques with outstanding whisky. Dominic Roskrow spoke to Ian Bankier
April 2006, Issue 55, page 42

Taste first, taste second and taste last
No whisky company has taken the field of malt whisky and food matching more seriously than Diageo. Richard Jones uncovers the company's latest ideas and thinking.
April 2006, Issue 55, page 44

Noir is the new black
Jefferson Chase delves in to some under the radar reading material
April 2006, Issue 55, page 47

Fully committed
How do you guarantee customers will love your whisky? Get them to do the selection for you, that's how.Richard Jones joins the Earl Grey Whisky Committee in Leek, Staffordshire, for a night of convers...
April 2006, Issue 55, page 48

Easy! It's a drink of two halves
Ian Wisniewski looks at the Rusty Nail
April 2006, Issue 55, page 50

Ask the expert
John Rose answers another selection of readers' letters
April 2006, Issue 55, page 54

Oasis in an ice desert
Joe Bates with the latest from travel retail
April 2006, Issue 55, page 55

With the angels
Ian Wisniewski looks at evaporation and how it varies
April 2006, Issue 55, page 56

It's the whisky stalking
Aberko is a small independent bottler, Ian Buxton investigates...
April 2006, Issue 55, page 59

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Duncan Taylor Glen Garioch 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 54.60% 8 Has the X factor.

Longmorn 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 45.00% 8 That frisky Speysider judiciously bottled at 45% has a lot to deliver. Will certainly light up a zen moment.

Berry's Own Selection Longmorn 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 A perfectly pretty dram but it is almost too light. Even delicate whiskies need backbone.

Dewar Rattray Bowmore 1990, 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.70% 8 Straightforward and uncompromising. Very good balance. The classic Islay outdoor dram for simple enjoyment.

Dewar Rattray Caol Ila 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.00% 8 An enticing young beauty. Matches subtlety with character.

Dewar Rattray Glen Grant 1985 19 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.40% 8 A definite sharpness which hides a sweeter character. Water does not help much, enhancing the pepperiness. For those who like it hot.

Dewar Rattray Mortlach 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.44% 7 The lack of interaction between oak and spirit makes this hard to get excited about.

Duncan Taylor Glen Grant 1970, Speyside Region Selection No 2
Single Malt - Scotland - 51.70% 7 A lot of cask here but strangely subtle for such a heavy beast.

Famous Grouse Scottish Oak
Blended - Scotland - 45.00% 7 Seamlessly put together. Best drunk neat.

Glenfarclas 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Classic sherry, well balanced. A perfect companion for a creamy pud.

Glenfarclas 17 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 A bunch of interesting flavours displayed in an elegant oak frame.

Glenkeir Treasures Ben Nevis 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A slightly uneasy balance between cereal, fruit and oak. Do not water.

Rare Malts Millburn 1969 35 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 51.20% 8 The mental picture is of an old library filled with leather bound volumes and someone smoking a pipe in the distance.

Smokehead
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Not subtle, but is it meant to be? Just needs a little sweet oak to round the edges off, but why is it called smackhead?

Special Release Caol Ila 25 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.40% 7 Not instantly welcoming, this takes time to get to know...but it is worth the effort. Subtle complexities at work.

Special Reserve Glen Ord 30 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.70% 8 A successful and intriguing balance between fragrance and dryness. Worth a look.

The Glenrothes 1985
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 This is head and shoulders above everything else in this tasting. Fills all the senses.

Aberlour 15 Years Old, Double Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A well balanced dram. Would have got more nerve with a bit of extra strength.

Ballantine's 17 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Quite a rustic profile, warmed up when aerated. Seems to have retained the waterfalls from all Scotland!

Berry's Own Selection Glencadam 13 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 A pleasant freshener. Delivers a lot. To be enjoyed on a warm day with raw fish and salad.

Cadenhead's Classic Range Campbeltown
Blended Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 7 Seems simple at first, but gradually reveals subtleties. Stylish, teasing.

Dewar Rattray Balblair 1990 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 62.90% 7 The nose is more attractive than the palate, rather restrained.

Dewar Rattray Craigellachie 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.90% 7 On top of a maturation in poor wood, seems to have undergone problems at distillation. Disappointing.

Glengoyne 17 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Quite a complex character for its age. The palate is well-structured, just a little too woodframed.

Glengoyne 19 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.80% 7 A nice fresh feel. But alcohol is not tamed. Water cools it down but takes the zesty kick away.

Highland Park 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Oak is present all the way. A bit dull. Lacks vividness.

Old Course Hotel 12 Years Old Speyside Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 6 The sweetness fails to mask a whisky that hasn't matured. All rather flat and plain.

Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask
Single Malt - Australia - 60.00% 6 Here's oak being used as a Romulan cloaking device to hide young(?) spirit. I can see what they're trying to do, but this needs tweaking.

The Glenlivet 15 Years Old French Oak Reserve
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A very pleasant summery dram. Quite fragile though. Water tends to wipe out flavours.

Wemyss Vintage Malts Dried Fruit Basket
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 That raw sulphury edge suggests an immature whisky or one where there's been little communication between cask and whisky.

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