It began with the idea of reprinting material originally published during the late 1920s and early ’30s about the practices of Scotch whisky distillation, but evolved into something altogether more intriguing.
What if a number of innovative distillers were recruited to use techniques and ingredients described in those pages to make whisky today, then release samples of those whiskies at various points during their journey to full maturity?
So it is that as well as publishing the fascinating The Distillation of Whisky Notes and Observations on its Historical and Practical Aspects, 1927-1931 in 2023, the independent bottler James Eadie in collaboration with Royal Mile Whiskies is now launching a presentation box containing the six individual new-make spirits in question, along with a ‘blended at birth’ expression.
The whiskies that comprise James Eadie’s Project 1927 were distilled between autumn 2023 and spring 2024 at Ardnamurchan, Dornoch, Holyrood, InchDairnie, Lochlea, and ‘an unnamed farm distillery in the heart of the Kingdom of Fife’, and were filled into refill American new oak and refill oloroso European oak casks.
The participating distilleries had exclusive use of locally grown barley or those varieties that were cultivated during the 1920s as well as brewer’s yeast — an ingredient that was standard at that time but is now rarely employed in whisky making.
Ardnamurchan Distillery in the West Highlands used the Chevallier ‘heritage’ barley variety, and Nottingham and Windsor Ale yeasts, with a distillery spokesperson noting that, “The aim of the project is to replicate, as far as possible, the mashing, fermentation, and distilling methods used between 1927 and 1931. This requires the adaption and, on occasions, omission, of modern technological advances, in our production process in order to achieve this. Changes were also made to temperatures, settling times, cut points, and more.”
The team at Dornoch in Sutherland employed floor-malted organic Plumage Archer barley, and aged spent brewer’s yeast, with average fermentations lasting two weeks.
As director Simon Thompson explains, “We didn’t have to change anything to take part as old-style production is our bread and butter, but we made some minor modifications to match some of the details in the book. When you push the fermentations over two weeks, in our conditions, the results are very much in the hands of the gods. The resulting spirit could be mistaken for a wild-fermented farmhouse mezcal.
“Taking part in this project has furthered our convictions that there is a distinct and unique flavour profile associated with these older styles.”
Holyrood in Edinburgh selected Plumage Archer and Chevallier malt, along with a small portion of heavily peated Highland malt, and used Edinburgh Ale Yeast for fermentation.
A distillery spokesperson notes that “Chevallier and Plumage Archer were chosen for the complex flavours and textures they impart on our spirit and as they were principal barley races of the 1920s.
“For this recipe, we exclusively pitched one of our most cherished yeast strains — Edinburgh Ale Yeast (EAY). EAY is a modern strain, which owes its origins to the homogenisation of historical Edinburgh yeasts shared amongst the breweries of the old city.”
For InchDairnie Distillery in Fife, the principal focus has been on the still in which distillation takes place, with Vessel Winter barley being processed in the distillery’s Lomond Hill still. Winter barley and brewer’s yeast had previously been trialled by InchDairnie, but never using the Lomond apparatus.
The distillate produced has been named Balgothrie, and as a spokesperson explains, “We were struck by the Champonnois still in The Distillation of Whisky book, which resembles our Lomond Hill still.
“The Champonnois still was a French construction, later adopted by German distillers, mostly used to rectify wines and marc. It was not a continuous still but a batch still, again like our Lomond Hill still. The principal aim is to understand the kind of spirit that would have been produced from this still.”
Lochlea Distillery is located near Kilmarnock, and for the project, home-grown Laureate barley was floor-malted on-site, and brewer’s Lager yeast was employed for fermentation.
According to production director and master blender John Campbell, “Our aim was to produce a spirit that distillers and blenders from 100 years ago would recognise. We were aiming for a winter-style whisky, which has a more pronounced and developed floral character. This helped build the depth and roundness, producing a fuller-flavoured new spirit for maturation.”
An unnamed farm distillery in the heart of the Kingdom of Fife also floor-malted home-grown barley, in this case Golden Promise, and used brewer’s yeast from local breweries.
Prior to distillation, a distillery spokesperson explained that, “In my view, the big differences between now and then are the malt and yeast strains that we are using. This will be my first time using brewer’s yeast as well as my first try at floor malting.”
Having participated in the project, he added that “The learning process for floor malting proved quite steep, and I found it fascinating to see how active and vigorous brewer’s yeast was compared to distiller’s yeast during fermentation.”
One of the key drivers behind Project 1927 was Leon Kuebler, brand director at James Eadie. He declares, “Project 1927 is not just about reviving the past; it is about celebrating the enduring legacy of Scotch whisky and the innovative spirit of today’s distillers. We believe whisky enthusiasts will find these spirits as fascinating as they are unique, and we look forward to experiencing the journey together as the spirit matures.”
The James Eadie’s Project 1927 presentation box contains seven x 10cl bottles of new-make ‘spirit drink’, all at a strength of 63.4% ABV, along with a fascinating accompanying booklet. Available from www.royalmilewhiskies.com at £115 from 24th September 2024. The next release is due in 2027/28.
