Contents
p5
Well I guess I promised last issue to write more about my travels in Japan. As a Tokyo beginner it is hard to know where to begin.
It is a fascinating country that feels so familiar at times, and loo...
By Rob Allanson in the section
From the Editor
p8
Highland malt will be flowing again soon from the long-mothballed Glenglassaugh distillery, following its sale in March by the Edrington Group.
The new owners is a Dutch investment group The Scaent G...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Dispatches
p10
One of Whisky Live’s most impressive members of the family hit new heights this year and Rob Allanson was there to soak up the atmosphere.
You get told that WL Tokyo is quite an event, possibly the largest whisky show held on the planet over one day, but nothing quite prepares you for the real thing.
Regular readers of the magazine will...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Live
p10
New Zealand is the latest country to embrace Whisky Live and it did so with style. Dominic Roskrow went down under.
I’m standing with a bemused bunch of Australians watching events unfurl in front of us in awed silence.We’re in the bowels of a large and traditional theatre and in front of us the kaumatua of Aucklan...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Whisky Live
p12
The world’s premier whisky event rolled into the English capital for the 8th time,bring with it some of the best whisky in the world.
The current resurgence in whisky was reflected in London recently, when the capital staged one of Britain’s biggest ever whisky tasting event.
More than 2,000 people passed through the doors at Whisk...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Live
p15
Dave explores the delights of Cuba,its wonderful rum and a changing culture.
Someone has dropped mescalin into my mojito. At least it feels that way. Why else would there be white figures leading unicorns around a fountain in the dark, stones coming to life and bird people fla...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
p24
Ian Buxton looks at some innovative uses for casks and washbacks when the whisky industry has finished with them.
The distilling industry likes to promote its environmental credentials and lays heavy emphasis on the use of waste materials, such as draff and pot ale. But distilleries use a lot of wood, in casks an...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Production
p28
What happens on the bottling line is often overlooked when discussing the production process. But there’s far more to it than just pressing a button,says Ian Wisniewski.
Bottling whisky may seem an entirely practical process, being automated and computerised.But just as with each stage of the production process, there are various options in terms of methods and techno...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Production
p32
Gavin D Smithinvestigates the fortunes of Glen Grant No.2 distillery,also known as Caperdonich
Unlike virtually all the distilleries featured in this series so far,Caperdonich is not a truly ‘lost’ distillery. It remains essentially intact,both externally and internally, but the chances of it m...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Lost distilleries
p33
In the latest in the series on whisky terminology we look at the letter P – and the proof system.
When it comes to the alcoholic strength of whisky, it would seem straightforward enough.
Europeans have one way of measuring and the Americans are left seeing double.The European system of alcohol by...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Glossary
p34
Joe Bateschecks out the huge duty free store at Istanbul’s Atatürk airport
Where would you expect to find Europe’s largest duty-free shop?
Heathrow would be a good guess perhaps, or maybe Paris Charles de Gaulle or even Amsterdam Schiphol? Actually, though all those hub air...
By Joe Bates in the section
Travel retail
p37
I am a representative from a liquor board in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I have a customer who owns a bottle of Haig Dimple which he believes dates back to the early part of the 20th century.The owner is gett...
By John Rose in the section
Questions and Answers
p38
Think American whiskey and you think Kentucky. But across the United States there are other options – including the biggest of them all
At the risk of appalling racial stereo-typing it’s always been of some amusement how Americans blow either hot or very, very cold;how they veer from one extreme to the other, barely pausing for the mi...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Visitor Guides
p42
It calls itself the gentle malt of Islay,but Bunnahabhain is much more than just that.Dominic Roskrow braved
the last blast of winter to visit it
When it comes to what are technically known as ‘blow me sidewards’ moments,entering the still room at Bunnahabhain distillery takes some beating.
In the first place, it catches you by surprise.The en...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Distillery Focus
p47
Gavin D Smith heads to Speyside to discover what's going on at Glen Grant
On 1st May Glen Grant distillery will host the Opening Dinner of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival in its newly-created £500,000 visitor centre. Described by distillery manager Dennis Malcolm as ...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Whisky Matters
p52
Charles K. Cowdery looks at the best ages for whisky and bourbon.
I blame the English. For hundreds of years, the Scots and Irish made whiskey, and only they drank it. They didn’t market it to themselves, they didn’t have to, they were born drinking it.
Then,in abo...
By Charles K. Cowdery in the section
Whisky Issues
p56
The last time I tried falling off a log I nearly broke my ankle. It looks easy enough, the principle isn’t hard to understand but doing it gracefully is another matter. And doing it day after day is e...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Blended Whisky
p59
Dave heads to one of the world’s most famous fish markets to discover how Japanese seafood works with
Scotch malt whisky
Four o’clock in the morning at the Park Hotel in Tokyo and the barstaff are winding down after their shift.No more ice balls, just large Jack Daniel’s.They’re heading for bed as I head to work.
Not f...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky and Food
p75
If you want to find weirdness in America, a good place to start looking is at the fringes – the panhandles, promontories and peninsulas only tenuously connected to the rest of the US. I should know. I...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Literature
p76
IAN What would you like visitors to take away with them?
ALASTAIR A much greater knowledge of Scotch whisky, and also the propensity not only to taste it, but to drink it.
We’re in the process of a ...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
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