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23 Articles

The world is waking up to a new year. It’s traditionally a time for personal reflection and resolution, to recharge our batteries so we can step forth with renewed optimism and vigour. But our big blue marble keeps on turning, heedless of our traditions. For residents of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, 2024 began with significant earthquakes which at the time of writing have killed more than 200 people and triggered a mass evacuation. In the first week of 2021, right-wing protestors stormed the US Capitol in a violent riot that left five dead and saw more than 170 police officers injured. On 1 January 2005 the world was still reeling from the Boxing Day Tsunami, the result of a 9.1-magnitude underwater earthquake that hit off the coast of Sumatra, which…

A REGIONAL FIRST

Whisky Live will be coming to Dubai for the first time in 2024. Presented as MaltLive Dubai for the region, the festival will take place on Saturday 17 February at the iconic Meydan Hotel’s Sky Bubble. The event is presented by the Malt Society Arabia (MSA) in partnership with Whisky Live brand owner Paragraph Publishing. There are two ticket categories on offer: Silver Band (AED299/£65), which includes free tastings throughout the day, paid entry to the VIP lounge, and the option to purchase food from a number of vendors offering global cuisines; and Gold Band (AED699/£150), which includes free tastings, entry to all event areas including the VIP lounge, and all-day priority access to a range of masterclasses and an international buffet at the exclusive VIP food court. There will…

A REGIONAL FIRST

PRESERVED FOR POSTERITY

I’ve written previously (Editor’s Word, Issue #184) about my growing concern that the whisky industry is on the cusp of losing multigenerational institutional knowledge. Thus, I’m immeasurably pleased when I see an effort being made to record oral history, preserve artefacts, and share these gems with the public. At a grassroots level, I treasure scans of old distillery photographs and adverts posted to Facebook groups, and I salute those taking the time to do this. However, these groups’ decentralised nature is both their strength and weakness. Images flood in from numerous sources, but in random order and often without much context. Worst of all, it can be hard to find an image posted weeks ago, especially if you can’t remember to which group it was published or by whom. I…

PRESERVED FOR POSTERITY

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

Looking at a blank page on my computer screen often feels like staring into an empty void that threatens to swallow me whole. Or at least haunt me like the biggest to-do list you’ve ever onfronted. And not even a generous pour of a fine, fine single malt can calm a journalist’s nerves when she gapes at the emptiness and thinks of the responsibility she takes on whenever she sits down to pen an article or even a column. But especially an article. These are other people’s stories I need to tell. To even speak to a journalist is to trust them with your story, your business, your reputation. It can become a crippling source of anxiety if I think about it too much or too long. There is one…

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

MULTIVERSES OF CANADIAN WHISKY

For two centuries, the four major whisky-producing countries have made discernible styles of whisky based on differences in cereals and production methods. Scotland’s malted barley is discernible by its smoky-flavoured whisky due to peat kilning. Ireland mashes a lighter, fruitier whisky with proportions of unmalted barley and other small grains. The United States mashes a corn-dominant bourbon whisky, and Canada is recognised for its blended rye whisky. Canada’s methods make it the most intriguing of all whisky-producing countries. The production of Canadian whisky involves a multidimensional manufacturing philosophy employing variations in mashing, fermenting, distilling, and cask maturation to blending. Each grain is often separately distilled and matured before final blending to formulate multifarious organoleptic iterations. This aesthetic pragmatism dates back to the 1795 Montreal rum distillery which also became the…

MULTIVERSES OF CANADIAN WHISKY

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RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE

Headline Sponsors Sponsors COMMUNICATOR Barry Chandler, Stories & Sips Highly Commended Matt Healy, Potstilled.com IRISH WHISKEY BRAND AMBASSADOR SPONSORED BY MCLAREN PACKAGING Brendan Carty, Killowen Distillery Highly Commended Eric Ryan, Irish Distillers MARKETING TEAM Jameson Highly Commended Teeling Whiskey SALES TEAM Midleton Distillery Collection, Irish Distillers SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER SPONSORED BY BRINDIAMO GROUP James Browne, Irish Distillers PRODUCTION TEAM Killowen Distillery Highly Commended Midleton Distillery VISITOR ATTRACTION MANAGER Lisa Jameson, Teeling Whiskey VISITOR ATTRACTION TEAM Teeling Whiskey MASTER DISTILLER/MASTER BLENDER SPONSORED BY BRINDIAMO GROUP Billy Leighton, Irish Distillers Highly Commended John Wilcox, Blackwater Distillery SUSTAINABLE DISTILLERY SPONSORED BY BRINDIAMO GROUP Midleton Distillery CAMPAIGN INNOVATOR Irish Distillers Highly Commended Powerscourt Distillery VISITOR ATTRACTION Powerscourt Distillery Highly Commended Teeling Whiskey BRAND INNOVATOR Blackwater Distillery Highly Commended Waterford Distillery CRAFT PRODUCER SPONSORED BY REFLEX…

RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE

THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER

“It is the same answer for both of those questions,” Billy Leighton says. Irish Distillers’ master blender emeritus has been asked to give something he admires and something he finds annoying about Dave McCabe, his successor as the company’s master blender. “Dave has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about the industry, and every single aspect – from the barley to the cask, to oak trees, to the distillation process, everything – which is great and that’s something I totally admire about him, but at the same time it makes me feel a little inadequate.” McCabe and Leighton share a laugh. Who could blame them? The idea that Leighton – who’s worked at whisky megalith Irish Distillers for 47 years, including 19 as master blender – could be inadequate does seem…

THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER

Off the beaten path

Whisky making in far-flung corners of the Earth can be a challenging proposition, but for decades the distillers of Tasmania, Australia have been providing a masterclass in how to make it work. More than 50 whisky distilleries (by formal count) are operating on this island off the south-east coast of Australia, more than double the number operating on the mainland. Each year, thousands of whisky fans descend on the island for Tasmanian Whisky Week, a festival that celebrates these pioneering producers. This event is a supreme way to experience the energy that buzzes through the whisky community, as festival goers embrace friends they haven’t seen since the year before. It’s organised by the Tasmanian Whisky and Spirits Association, a community-led marketing and advocacy organisation propelling the Tasmanian whisky story to…

Off the beaten path

THE AUSTRALIAN EFFECT

The popularity of Australian whisky has dramatically increased worldwide over the last 10 years. Despite the country’s geographical remoteness and the whisky’s relative youth, Australian producers are tapping into their country’s unique terroir and lenient regulations to promote novelty and creative freedom within the category. It’s a landscape that Darren Peck at Morris Whisky knows well. “Australia’s appetite for innovation and forging a new path puts us in great stead for producing unique and flavoursome whisky for the world to enjoy,” he asserts. “This predisposition, coupled with the role that location and climate play in defining the overall style of Australian whisky, are interesting facets that I think we, as producers, are cognisant of understanding, as well as critics, trade, and whisky enthusiasts.” Here, we spotlight six industry pros setting…

THE AUSTRALIAN EFFECT

Staying true to your roots

The New World whisky landscape is cracking with energy and complexity. Distillers everywhere are striving to make whiskies that stand out and say something about who they are and where they’re from. Traditions are being challenged, boundaries pushed, new styles are emerging, and some of the most exciting whiskies in this development are coming from Australia. Historically, Australian whisky has been produced along Scottish, Irish, and American lines. But at the progressive end of the distilling spectrum, new ideas are being tested and big questions being asked. Perhaps the most important one is: What makes Australian whisky… Australian? Unlike bourbon, with its use of indigenous corn in the mash and maturation in native American oak barrels, endemic ingredients have rarely featured in Australian whisky production over the last 160-plus years.…

Staying true to your roots

Riding THE REVIVAL WAVE

Walk around Bladnoch near Wigtown on Scotland’s southern coast and there are subtle echoes of Australia dotted around the distillery: a southern cross flying alongside the saltire and the union flag; a video showing conservation work on the Great Barrier Reef; a bottle of blended Pure Scot finished in Australian tawny casks. Perhaps the most striking Aussie motif is a surfboard hanging on a wall in the visitor centre, built from Bladnoch’s casks. David Prior, the Australian serial entrepreneur who bought the distillery in 2015, took the surfboard’s twin back to Melbourne. “It’s hanging on the wall in my office,” Prior confesses. “I was going to use it – I had it shaped to match the dimensions of boards I ride in Australia – but then the guy-who-shaped-its workshop burnt…

Riding THE REVIVAL WAVE

THE Ultimate WHISKY EXPERIENCE

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Whisky Magazine is partnering with Rothes Glen, The Luxury Castle for Whisky Connoisseurs, to offer two all-inclusive whisky experiences in Speyside during 2024. The summer weekend takes place on 27–30 June and the winter experience from 21–24 November. The owner of Rothes Glen and Whisky Magazine, Damian Riley-Smith, invites whisky lovers to stay in this picture-perfect castle in the heart of Speyside to enjoy the ultimate whisky experience. With stunning views of the glen and convenient proximity to Inverness and Aberdeen airports, Rothes Glen provides a sanctuary for those seeking the finest whisky experiences. With space limited to just 28 guests on each weekend, the intimate setting gives the chance to share unforgettable moments with fellow whisky enthusiasts. Rothes Glen is a Highland castle…

THE Ultimate WHISKY EXPERIENCE

Navigating by the STARS

When Starward Distillery came online in 2007, it was one of only a handful making whisky in Australia. Founder Dave Vitale had been doing consulting work for the tech industry and was considering opening a craft brewery – however, he was living in Tasmania at the time, and beer doesn’t travel all that well. After he’d shelved the brewery idea, a friend told him about the island’s fledgling whisky industry and suggested he visit some of the distilleries. The friend also introduced him to Bill Lark, founder of Lark Distillery. “I walked through the doors of [Lark] Distillery and it was like a lightning bolt hit me and I fell in love with whisky,” Vitale recalls. “Growing up, my world of whisky was Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal and Jack…

Navigating by the STARS

GETTING TECHNICAL

GENERAL INFORMATION Distillery name: Starward Parent company: New World Whisky Distillery Address: 50 Bertie Street, Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia Years of operation: 2007–present Open to the public: Yes, check website for details and bookings TEAM & OUTPUT Distillery manager name: Sam Slaney Maximum annual capacity: 600,000lpa Automation: Semi-automation WATER Water source: Thompson and Upper Yarra reservoirs CEREALS & MASHING Cereal varieties: New World Whisky specification pale malt, Victoria-grown two-row barley, Planet and Bottler varieties Cereal preparation: Barrett Burston Malting Average ppm of malt: 0ppm Peat source: N/A Mill type: 4-roller Bühler mill Mash tun type: Lauter tun Batch size: 1.2 tons Wort clarity: Clear FERMENTATION Washbacks/Fermenters: 5 x Furphy 25,000-litre stainless steel Wash charge volume: 5,000 litres Temperature control: Yes Switchers: No Duration: 3 days Yeast source: ADY Yeast varieties:…

By whisky lovers, for whisky lovers

The Australian state of Victoria and its largest city, Melbourne, have a rich distilling history reaching back to the 1890s when whisky was made at the Joshua Brothers distillery in Port Melbourne. Since then, distilleries have boomed and busted, resulting in an almost 20-year period through the 1980s and 1990s where no whisky was produced in Victoria. Since Melbourne’s now-celebrated Starward Distillery switched on its stills in 2007, Victorian distilleries have been opening with growing confidence, taking advantage of the region’s proximity to some of the country’s best cereal crops and vineyards. With the producers have come bartenders to sell their wares, and Australia is now home to numerous upmarket whisky bars. One that has been grabbing a lot of headlines (for all the right reasons) is Melbourne’s award-winning Whisky…

By whisky lovers, for whisky lovers

The website crashed. The spike in traffic kept thousands of customers from ordering bottles after the television show aired. It was June 2020, and Covid lockdowns had just erased Belgrove Distillery’s restaurant and bar accounts. Even though the orders were coming from the United States, one of the largest whisky markets in the world, it was OK. Because of restrictive import and shipping regulations, this farm distillery near Kempton, Tasmania couldn’t (and still can’t) mail bottles the USA. Belgrove had just appeared on season two, episode one of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted on the National Geographic Channel, and the celebrity chef had just declared Belgrove Distillery Wholly S*** Rye Whisky as good. Those bottles simply went to other countries in every inhabited continent of the world. Owner/distiller Peter Bignell said he…

A valley of DREAMS

The highway leads south from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, past cropping fields of rich soil before climbing over the Bombay Hills. Over the crest of the hill, it drops into a valley that is mercurial – often covered in a low mist through winter mornings and bathed in sunlight. The valley is called Pōkeno – meaning ‘a place of refuge’. Until recently, Pōkeno was mostly famous for summer road trip stops; travellers can indulge in rich ice-cream cones, stacked three, four or five scoops high, and pick up some highly sought-after Pōkeno bacon and sausages before continuing on. There’s a new taste in town, though. While Pōkeno village has been expanding, Pōkeno Whisky has been putting down roots. Founders Matt and Céline Johns originally came to New Zealand from…

A valley of DREAMS

GETTING TECHNICAL

GENERAL INFORMATION Distillery name: The Pōkeno Whisky Company Parent company: Independent Address: 61 Potts Road, 2471, Whitford Years of operation: 2018 – present Open to the public: Yes, on Saturdays TEAM & OUTPUT Distillery manager name: Matthew Johns Production team size: 8 people Maximum annual capacity: Currently 100,000 litres, moving to 250,000 litres in 2025 (with additional fermenters) Present working capacity: 80,000 litres Operation time: 5 days a week, 1 shift Automation: Fully automated WATER Water source: Natural spring CEREALS & MASHING Cereal varieties: Laureate (unpeated) Mill type: Roller mill Mash tun type: Semi lauter, mash tun filter Batch size: 0.5 tonnes Wort clarity: Very clear Mashes per week: 8 FERMENTATION Washbacks/Fermenters: 4 x stainless steel, 3,000 litres Wash charge volume: 2,700 litres Temperature control: Yes Switchers: No Duration: 80…

Tastings Latest

Taster biographies Bethany Brown After studying English literature at university, Bethany worked as a journalist for regional newspaper groups before moving to the spirits industry. She was appointed as editor of Whisky Magazine in 2022, having previously edited its sister titles Gin and Rum. She is also editor of annual publication Scotch Whisky and chair of judges for the Icons of Whisky. Christopher Coates A member of the team since 2013 and a keen whisky drinker long before that, Christopher served as Whisky Magazine’s Scotch whisky editor before being appointed as editor in 2020. In 2022, he was named editor-at-large and now writes a regular column for this title, in addition to his role as a blind taster. He is also chair of judges for the World Whiskies Awards. THE…

Tastings Latest

GLENMORANGIE OPENS FIRST AIRPORT BOUTIQUE

Glenmorangie, famous in the whisky world for the tallest stills in Scotland, its light, fruity, floral spirit, and pioneering cask finishes, has followed in the footsteps of big players such as The Macallan and Johnnie Walker by opening its first standalone airport store. The Wondrous Glenmorangie Boutique at London Heathrow Terminal 2 may be small in size, but it is a great showcase for the outstanding work of the distillery’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden over a quarter of a century. The store’s design features Glenmorangie’s signature orange hue, with copper accents and a curved wooden roof inspired by the Highland distillery’s scenic hilly surroundings. Highlights include a sampling bar and personalised bottle-engraving service, but the shop’s main attraction is its excellent array of high-end limited-edition Glenmorangie bottlings.…

GLENMORANGIE OPENS FIRST AIRPORT BOUTIQUE

RECOMMENDED WHISKIES

Starward Pinot Noir Cask STARWARD WHISKY ABV: 50% Style: Single malt Bottling type: Distillery Price per bottle: AU$169 (£88.20) Availability: Melbourne airport Origin: Australia Yarra Valley’s Yering Station, one of Australia’s oldest continuously producing vineyards, is the collaborative partner of this intriguing new release from Melbourne-based Starward Whisky. Starward Pinot Noir Cask consists of red wine cask-matured single malt which has been aged for almost two more years in ex-Pinot Noir wine casks from Yering Station. The extra ageing in these French oak puncheons imparts notes of forest berries, black cherry, vanilla, and subtle hints of oak. It’s a real treat for Australian whisky (or wine) fans travelling through Melbourne airport. Seagram’s Longitude 77 PERNOD RICARD ABV: 43% Style: Single malt Bottling type: Distillery Price per bottle: Rs6,290 (£60) Availability:…

RECOMMENDED WHISKIES

Emma Cookson is one of Australia’s most influential whisky communicators, named Communicator of the Year in the 2023 Icons of Whisky awards. Born in California, she moved to Australia at a very young age. Her career in drinks started with bartending in Melbourne, where she met people from various distilleries and began falling in love with whisky. She worked at a speciality whisky bar before getting a university degree in whisky, gaining experience in tasting and learning about a range of styles and brands. During the pandemic, Emma made friends with some of the team at online retailer The Whisky List, for which she now works. She began by running virtual whisky tastings, utilising her extensive knowledge, and a role in the company was built for her. Today, she continues…

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