Whisky Magazine November 2018

Standing on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue in 1989, one might have felt just a bit paranoid. A New York Times headline on 3 November screamed ‘Japan Buys the Center of New York!’ More than a few New Yorkers snorted coffee out their noses waking to the purchase of Rockefeller Center by Mitsubishi. The Japanese economy had been on an unbreakable, upward trajectory since 1950. Savvy corporations extended their growth through foreign investment, an ‘asset bubble’ that went bust the very same year as the Rockefeller Center deal. The downturn of 1989 ended in a crash in 1991. The economy contracted, and with it, much of the high end whisky market. Focused on the domestic scene during the ‘lost decades,’ the distillers cut back, underestimating the volume of aging spirit to set aside.…

Taster biographies Rob Allanson Rob is Editor of Whisky Magazine and formally held the position as a global brand ambassador for William Grant & Sons', whisky portfolio. His experience in the industry, which has seen him explore whiskies from around the world, has given him a keen and well-versed palate. Lyndsey Gray Lyndsey is manager of the world famous Quiach Bar, at the Craigallachie Hotel in the heart of Speyside. She enjoys creating world class bespoke tastings, events and drinks, where she can challenge people's opinions on whisky. THE PROCESS • All samples are blind tasted, with ABV and style the only information disclosed.• Samples are tasted individually over a two week period.• Tasters are provided tasting and scoring guidelines for consistency.• The top scorer is awarded Editor’s Choice.• Scores of 17+ receive a Recommended award. Barr…

WHISKY MAGAZINE CRYPTIC CROSSWORD Complete the crossword correctly and then rearrange the letters in the shaded squares to spell out a whisky brand (4,5). ACROSS 1 Drink I’m not able to hide at Spanish airport (8) 5 Some chintz in copper metal (4) 9 Climb up fish plate (5) 10 Unusual sphere of nonconformist (7) 11 Catch end of finger (4) 12 Sound tactful when separate (8) 14 Tory chap is a trickster (3,3) 15 Block my site development (6) 18 They support the rider (8) 20 Food for hen parties? (4) 23 Be mad with no upset stomach (7) 24 Money given to model as test (5) 25 Bother to make up carbohydrates (4) 26 Early play confined by poor grey interior (4,4) DOWN 1 Crime for a king and his prince? (5) 2 Section of hospital I analysed is Roman, perhaps (7) 3 Jumble-sale refreshments (4) 4 Hot and…

On a cold Friday morning, the first aircraft to fly from Dublin airport (or Collinstown airport as it was known then) took off from grass runway en route to nearby Liverpool on 19 January 1940. The original terminal building was designed to handle just 100,000 passengers. Wind the clock forward today and Dublin airport is now a busy two-terminal hub handling nearly 30 million travellers each year, offering more than 180 destinations in 42 countries worldwide. Irish whiskey has always been the most popular duty-free spirit purchase in the airport’s duty-free stores and to celebrate the opening of a new set of shops at Terminal 2 The Teeling Whiskey Company has released a commemorative bottling referencing the airport’s old name: ‘The Irish Whiskey Collection’, The Collinstown Collection, priced at €80 (£71.75)…

As this magazine goes to press, Collectors of wine and whisky are expected to be in for a treat at Tennants Auctioneers’ Fine Wine and Whisky Sale, when a host of rare bottles and soughtafter vintages come up for auction. But for those looking to stock up for Christmas, there are also numerous opportunities to pick up good quality, inexpensive bottles in every section of the sale. One of the star lots of the sale is a bottle of the rare 1952 Macallan 80% proof, bottled by Campbell Hope and King and distilled by Kemp Macallan Glenlivet (estimate: £3,000-£4,000 plus buyer’s premium). Macallan is perhaps the most eagerly collected whisky, and prices for good, rare bottles such as the present lot are on the increase. Fans of Macallan are expected to also be…

Andrew is the owner of The English Whisky Co. He is the second generation owner of St George’s Distillery based in Norfolk, England, the country's oldest registered whisky distillery. Set in among fields of grain, St George’s Distillery is currently the most prolific producer of English malt whisky. Founded in 2006 by farmer and businessman James Nelstrop, the distillery makes peated and unpeated liquid, and has distilled several thousand casks of English whisky, using grain, rye, as well as barley. WHISKY #1 The English Rum Cask Very simply, it reminds me of rum and raisin ice cream. This is surely good enough reason to put it at the top of the list, especially if the island I am castaway on happens to be a sunny and tropical sort of place. In the early days…