Whisky Magazine Issue 75
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Well it looks like the seasons are on the turn here in Godâs own country, and county (Norfolk to the uninitiated), but oddly rather than getting colder and wetter (which was summer), it has got a li...
By Rob Allanson in the section
From the Editor
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The new owners of Glendronach have big plans for the iconic malt. Dominic Roskrow spoke to Billy Walker
Whisky entrepreneur Billy Walker is surveying a range of cask samples. Each of them is from Glendronach Distillery, each of them is old, and each of them is rich in sherry. He is clearly a contented m...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Dispatches
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A full sensory experience
Angels must have been celebrating in Paris on that lovely Indian summer week-end at the end of September.The Pavillon Gabriel â wasnât Archangel Gabriel the most famous in the white-winged congreg...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Whisky Live Paris
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Dave looks at the links between rum and whisky – the two hottest premium brown spirits around
A quick scan of the Whisky Mag forum pages reveals that there has been some debate over the wisdom (or otherwise) of writing about rum in the previous issue. Thereâs two camps: the fundamentalists w...
By Dave Broom in the section
A dram with Dave Broom
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We showcase the results from this year’s Independent Bottlers’Challenge
Reaching its fourth year, this competition has really set the benchmark for independent bottlers.
The challenge was created to show off the best this sector has to offer.
The independents are widely...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Independent bottlers
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Kate Portman looks at how blended Scotch is making an impact across the globe from beach parties to trendy bars.
From the chilled-out beach bars of Brazil to the nightclubs of buzzing Beijing, blended Scotch is the global spirit of choice being liberally poured in some of the worldâs most dynamic hotspots and ...
By Kate Portman in the section
Blended Scotch
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Charles Cowdery discovers what the Scots taught the world.
The Scots and Irish like to argue about who invented whisky. Chances are it was neither and some other beermaking culture was first to the mark, but those earlier guys didnât keep making whisky and ...
By Charles K. Cowdery in the section
Blending History
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Liza Weisstuch dons her white coat to see what’s been cooking in the Buffalo Trace lab.
It was one of those rare occasions you have to see to believe, the kind of happening in league with the unveiling of a long-lost Rembrandt painting, or the performance of a never-before-heard Mozart s...
By Lizza Weisstuch in the section
Distillery Focus
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Ian Wisnewski looks at the complex nature of acquiring casks and the increasing demand for quality.
Understanding the complexities of maturation has deepened significantly during the past 25 years, with âwood managementâbecoming an established phrase among distillers.
But âwood managementâ ...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Production
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In the latest of our series charting lost distilleries,Gavin Smith looks at Northern Ireland’s Coleraine
The County Londonderry town of Coleraine is located just eight miles from Bushmills, the only surviving distillery in Northern Ireland,and Coleraine was the last distillery in Ireland to cease product...
By Gavin D. Smith in the section
Lost distilleries
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In the latest in our series we look at the letters T,U,V,and consider Tennessee whiskey
It is one of the whisky worldâs biggest ironies that what is considered to be the worldâs biggest bourbon isnât actually a bourbon at all.
Although it might stick in the craw of the whiskey mak...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Glossary
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Joe Bates heads to the land of confectionary to discover some whisky gems
Belgian Sky Shops is one of the longest running dutyfree operations in the world.The company has been trading at Brussels airport for 50 years since the airport opened its doors in 1958 to welcome vis...
By Joe Bates in the section
Travel retail
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I have a moderate collection of various malt whiskies (54) all in various stages of consumption with the exception of six âspecialsâ My wife purchased a bottle of Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Years O...
By John Rose in the section
Questions and Answers
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The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is normally a safe bet.This year,though, there was an unusual excitement to it,too. Dominic Roskrow reports.
There are many words to describe the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, but âevolutionaryâ,âprogressiveâand âdynamicâwould not normally be among them.
In Bardstown they pride themselves on tradit...
By Dominic Roskrow in the section
Visitor guides
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Dave Broom takes a trip to Japan's latest distillery.
Despite its attractions, it is always a relief to escape from the gravitational pull of Tokyo.The 90 minutes it takes to get from the city to what I assumed to be the calm of rural Chichibu was theref...
By Dave Broom in the section
Distillery Focus
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Ian Buxton finds out more about this tiny yet hugely significant part of whisky packaging.
The cork and elaborately engraved stopper on some luxury whiskies can end up costing you £3 or more, the cork itself has come on a fascinating journey and deserves your attention.
After all, it does...
By Ian Buxton in the section
Whisky issues
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Dave Broom takes us on a trip through his Japan to discover inner peace and fabulous whisky.
Iâm clean. In fact, I am cleaner than I have ever been. I never knew anyone could be so clean. Even my mind seems scrubbed. Iâm imagining other guests inadvertently looking out of their windows an...
By Dave Broom in the section
Japan focus
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With their first book enjoying great success in whisky circles,Kate Portman meets the team behind The Whisky Kitchen.
Chef Graham Harvey first learnt to appreciate the joys of pairing whisky and food at a young age â with an impromptu demonstration at a traditional Burns Supper in his early teens.
âThe haggis, n...
By Kate Portman in the section
Food
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Jefferson Chase looks at a literary rule breaker
I love exceptions to the rule, and actors who write good novels rate pretty high on that list.
So I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover that Ron McLarty, the creator of 2005âs The Memory of ...
By Jefferson Chase in the section
Nightcap
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Ian Wisniewski talks with Doug McIvor,spirits manager of Berry Bros & Rudd,in London
IANWhat was your route into Berry Bros & Rudd?
DOUG I started in the wine trade when I was about 22. In 1990 I joined Milroyâs of Soho and had a good 10 years specifically in spirits, and even more...
By Ian Wisniewski in the section
Chat
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email the team editorial@whiskymag.com
Star letter - Budget blues As an enthusiastic consumer of single malt on a budget I have noted an anomaly. As I scour the supermarket shelves for offers I have noticed one malt which is never discoun...
By Rob Allanson in the section
Letters to the Editor