Contents
p5
Rob Allanson ponders that eternal question:what’s your favourite?
Well I am not sure what the weather is like where you are reading this, but here in Norfolk the seasons are turning again.
Gone is that gloomy, damp, slightly chilly winter that never really amounted...
By Rob Allanson in the section
From the Editor
p11
Michael talks about the joys of Irish whiskey and the dangers of method acting
“Quiet, please. Quiet on the set. Thank you.” The set represents the exterior of The Bleeding Horse. It is a pub. Or is it a grave? Or a horse? The text is not clear.
I should have been paying more a...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Musings with Michael Jackson
p12
Are we coming in to another golden period for whisky – Dave gives his views on the latest news
I used to stand, cold and shivering, in Hope Street (never was a thoroughfare so appropriately named) waiting for the No.3 bus to carry me home. Often this would be so prolonged that I’d seek refuge i...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p16
There have been several high profile repackaging of famous brands recently. We are beginning to see
more attention paid to bottle shapes and presentation boxes. We decided to ask members of the
WhiskyMag.com what was catching their eye on the shelves and why.
Panel
KW Keith Wood, Markt Schwaben,Germany
KG Kenneth Graham Crieff, UK
MM Michael Medve Emeryville, USA
PM Pierre Mullin Fredericton, Canada
Does packaging affect how the customer views a bran...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Debate
p18
More than 150 whiskies, three rounds of judging and there can be only five...we reveal the winners
See our main awards page at http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/
Whisky Magazine Panel
Rob Allanson
Thierry Benitah
Dave Broom
Charles Maclean
Annabel Meikle
Martine Nouet
Dominic Roskrow
Kei...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Awards
p26
Two new distilleries announced in as many months...are we on the brink of a golden time for whisky? Ian Buxton finds out
Things are stirring in the world of Scotch whisky. With growing affluence in the so called BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) the demand for luxury whisky is growing rapidly.
Sales of pre...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Whisky Production
p28
Inspired by a 4,000 year old Pictish standing stone overlooking the distillery,the new Balblair range is bound to
set pulses racing. We find out what’s been going on
It takes a lot of guts to change direction, even if your instincts tell you it is the right decision.
For years whisky connoisseurs had been bowled over by Balblair’s venerable offerings, such as the...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Tasting
p31
The Arcade Fire are on the verge of superstardom.Lew Guthrie III checks out their credentials and reviews new album The Neon Bible
March 2007 and The Arcade Fire are coming in like lambs and will leave like lions. As I write this feature they are playing small churches in England. By the time you read it, they will be selling tic...
By Lew Guthrie III in the section
Whisky and Music
p32
The Macallan is one of the truly iconic distilleries but it is not resting on its laurels. Dominic Roskrow went to stay there
Easter Elchies House is an imposing and impressive rural retreat at any time.
This evening, though, as it comes in to view as we walk back from the warehouses, with its walls lit up and every window ...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Distillery Focus
p36
To really enjoy the bourbon experience of Kentucky you must immerse yourself in the character and culture of the state itself. Our man does exactly that
The moment that the madness of Kentucky started to make total sense – and the rebelliousness, unpredictability, friendliness, and contrariness formed in to a coherent whole – came on one hot summer’s ...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Visitor Guides
p42
The Spirit of Speyside Festival has grown in to a major celebration of the region’s food and drink. So how do you set about catering for such an event? Dominic Roskrow went to find out
As anybody who has ever been to a dinner where hundreds of people sit down to eat at exactly the same time will know, it is no easy task. When the diners are there not for some secondary purpose such ...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky and Food
p46
Caroline Dewar meets the latest in the line of Dewar’s master blenders
The master blender at Dewar’s in Glasgow is a calm and collected presence as she welcomes you to the premises. Following Tom Aitken’s retirement in summer 2006, Stephanie McLeod is now one of only a s...
By Caroline Dewar in the section
Whisky Interview
p48
Jefferson Chase offers us another recent whisky read
The moral of Matt Ruff’s Set This House in Order might be: watch out for the eggnog – especially if you can’t be entirely sure who’s drinking it.
Baffled? You should be. The hero of this complex nove...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Whisky Literature
p50
In the latest of our new series,Gavin D Smith delves in to Port Ellen’s past
It is a fair bet that if Whisky Magazine was to conduct a readers’ poll to establish which closed distillery of the past half century represented the greatest loss, Port Ellen would come out very near...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Lost distilleries
p52
Naren Young packs his library card and is welcomed to one of New York’s newest centres of higher learning
Sure this is no Julliard or NYU, but if you have any interest at all in learning more about many of the world’s great spirits, then there are few places on earth that boast the range of liquor and the...
By Naren Young in the section
Whisky Spotlight
p53
John Rose fields more of your questions
Q. While shopping on the internet, I came across a whisky flagon and began to bid on it. After watching it for several days I ended up winning the item much to my surprise. It is a 1990 Old Glasgow Wh...
By John Rose in the section
Whisky Questions
p54
Robin Laing packs his bags and heads out to Campbeltown to find whisky production is thriving again
Back in 1098, the Treaty of Tarbert granted to the King of Norway, Magnus Bareleg, “all the western isles round which a ship could sail”. The Viking warlord immediately had his longships dragged acros...
By Robin Laing in the section
Distillery Focus
p57
Joe Bates checks out the latest offers in Dublin
Ireland’s booming economy has led to phenomenal growth at Dublin airport in the 1990s and 2000s. Last year the country’s main international gateway broke the 20 million-passenger mark for the first ti...
By Joe Bates in the section
Travel retail
p58
The greatest shows on earth. We provide an overview of Whisky Live in London and Tokyo
The historic city of London, birthplace of a nation, bathed in the most glorious sunshine, was the backdrop for this year’s Whisky Live event.
The world’s premier whisky tasting show, held in the Roy...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Live
p62
Ian Wisniewski looks at how companies are pushing the boundaries with casks
Innovative cask selection provides two valuable opportunities, enhancing the flavour profile of the resulting malt whisky, while also giving the distiller (and marketing department) a story to promote...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky Production
p78
In the latest in our series looking at the language of whisky, Dominic Roskrow looks at the letters E and F
When it comes to whisky-making you really can’t help but use the F words. Some of the key distillery processes for making new make spirit require use of F words.
The first is fermentation – the proce...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Understanding whisky
