Contents
p5
The weeks have been just packed with liquid treasures and some great memories since I last sat down to write my column.
A string of airport lounges, hotel rooms and copy filed from foreign climes has...
By Rob Allanson in the section
From the Editor
p11
Michael is invited for a special afternoon in Poland
The ambassador was spoiling us, as he does. No tailcoated waiters with mountains of chocolates on silver salvers. Or munroes of Scotch eggs, which I understand will be preferred should lunch follow in...
By Michael Jackson in the section
Musings with Michael Jackson
p12
The recent World Whiskies Conference had its share of twists and turns.Dave gives his take on some of them
It only took five minutes into Vijay Rekhi’s speech for the ghost of old Karl to start whispering in my ear. You know, the old adage that history repeats itself first as tragedy the second as farce. I...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p16
With so much discussion going on at the moment about innovation,we decided to ask members of the whiskymag.com forum for their views
PANEL
PA Paul Allison,Edinburgh,UK
NB Nick Brown,Isle of Lewis,UK
PH Peter Hall,Kenora,Canada
SH Sion Hannuna,Bristol,UK
SL Simon Lewis,Penticton,Canada
CW Christopher Watkin,Grantham,UK
1. Where do ...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Round Table
p18
There is a revolution happening and whisky is at the cutting edge. We find out more
The revival of the cocktail scene has really taken hold in the trendy bars and clubs across the world, and whisky and bourbon have fast become the premier ingredient for many bartenders – or mixologis...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Cocktails
p23
Ian Wisniewski interviews the man behind The Whisky Exchange
Ian (IW): How do you acquire such an extensive range of stock?
Sukhinder (SS): Every day we get phone calls and emails, and we have a lot of customers who decide to retire, and we ask if they’d consi...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky Interview
p24
Ian Buxton dons his wellies and digs out his shepherd’s crook
Spencerfield Spirits is not your usual whisky company. For one thing, it’s based in the tack room attic of the owner’s thoroughbred livery stable and, for another, you have to meet Doug (the company d...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Whisky Trends
p26
Dave Broom looks at the story behind this new Japanese whisky company which is upping the anté
There was a gasp around the room. It didn’t dawn on me immediately why the announcement of the World Whiskies Awards Best Japanese whisky under 12 years was so shocking. Memo to self: when in Japan st...
By Dave Broom in the section
Distillery Focus
p30
Richard Jones surfs the ‘net to find some of the more interesting sites of whisky comment and debate
Educated bees may not have cottoned onto to the idea yet, but every other man and his dog seems to be engaged in blogging at the moment. 60 million of us host blogs according to internet search engine...
By Richard Jones in the section
Whisky Online
p31
What would make the ultimate whisky rock album? Rocky McCabe dreams up the perfect compilation
If you were of a mind to write off the better part of a day, it would be fun to grab a bottle of something rather splendid, head off with some pals, and while away an afternoon, evening and night cons...
By Rocky McCabe in the section
Whisky and Music
p32
Situated in the heart of Speyside,The Glenlivet is a study of modern and progressive whisky making in the most historic of settings. Dominic Roskrow reports
It’s in places like this, on days like this, that you can fear most for our planet. We’re standing in the heart of historic Speyside, high above the River Spey, and the sun is warm on our faces. Far b...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Distillery Focus
p36
You don't tend to think of Glasgow and Edinburgh when it comes to whisky. But if you dig about a bit and travel over to Campbeltown to the west there is plenty to enjoy
We have a map hanging up at home that shows Scotland’s distilleries, but it is hopelessly out of date. It is one of malt whisky’s greatest ironies that while the liquid requires a great investment in ...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Visitor Guides
p42
Whisky dinners are becoming more sophisticated and they are enjoying more popularity than ever before.
Dominic Roskrow speaks to the doyenne of food and whisky pairing, Martine Nouet
Are whisky dinners falling out of fashion? Have people grown tired of trying to match whiskies to accompany food, lost interest in adding quality malt to the food itself, and had enough – quite litera...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky and Food
p44
Valencia is currently hosting sailing’s weirdest event. So what is Chivas Regal doing there? Our man went to find out
It’s like waking up in the middle of a surreal psychedelic nightmare, a strange blend of Teletubbies, Captain Pugwash and a United Nations summit set by the seaside.
In front of me a small army swat...
By in the section
Whisky Travel
p46
Behind the scenes at one of Scotland’s biggest independent bottling companies some of the world’s rarest whiskies are stored. Our man joined Duncan Taylor Scotch’s managing director Euan Shand in a bid to unearth some gems
Duncan Taylor’s new shop premises in Huntley are the real deal. It’s packed with wonderful whiskies that will have any whisky enthusiast salivating and reaching for the credit card.
But there’s anoth...
By in the section
Whisky Spotlight
p48
What would you do if you knew you only had one day to live? It’s one of those questions we as a species dubiously blessed with the knowledge of our own mortality can’t help posing from time to time.
...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Whisky Literature
p50
Ian Buxton peruses the library for some of the finest whisky books
How would you like a whisky investment that you can enjoy, display in your home, share with friends and which, however often you use it, will never wear out? And, as a special bonus, will almost certa...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Whisky books
p52
In the latest of our series Gavin D Smith investigates another gem
Until the 1980s, the Highland capital of Inverness boasted three working distilleries, but today two have vanished without trace, while the third survives in the form of a restaurant and bar.
That su...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Lost distilleries
p53
John Rose fields more of your questions
Q. I am starting a collection with two bottles of Glenmorangie, 1977 and Tain Hermitage. It occurred to me that there are rarely whiskies that are 75 years old, while perhaps relatively expensive, the...
By John Rose in the section
Whisky Questions
p54
Three years in the making but now the latest spirit from Campbeltown is ready to make its debut
The weather had closed in and the wind and rain were starting to make their presence felt, but all this was unable to dampen the high spirits of the crowd gathered at Campbeltown’s newest distillery.
...
By in the section
Distillery Focus
p57
Joe Bates checks out what the Mediterranean island has to offer the travellers
When it comes to booze, what do you normally bring back from your annual fortnight in the sun? A flagon of the local plonk perhaps, which tasted great al fresco with the sun on your face and salt air ...
By Joe Bates in the section
Travel retail
p58
America’s east coast metropolis braced itself for the greatest whisky show on earth
New York’s annual celebration of the world’s finest whiskies rolled in to town recently complete with a smart new venue.
The prestigious Pier Sixty, jutting out in the Hudson River, hosted this gathe...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Live
p60
A unique occasion in the history of Irish whiskey took place recently – an old distillery came back to life
–our man was on the spot for the first drops of spirit
My last visit to Kilbeggan was in the summer of 2006 when tourists were making their way around the old mash tuns, machinery and giant pot stills – all silent and ghostly reminders of Irish whiskey’s ...
By in the section
Whisky Spotlight
p62
Ian Wisniewski delves in to the role of grains in a blend
Blended Scotch is a prime example of a speciality that evolved from a practicality. Malt whiskies were originally considered too robust for typical palates, particularly as peating was standard practi...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Whisky Production
p78
In the latest in his series looking at the whisky glossary, Dominic Roskrow turns to the letter ‘G’ and to grain whisky
Pity poor grain whisky. While malted barley is the golden boy in the shiny new uniform, grain whisky is forced to stand in the corner, resentfully tolerated and rarely loved.
More than that, grain wh...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Understanding whisky
