Whisky Magazine Dec 2018/Jan 2019

It just sits there now, and I am really not too sure what to do with it. I don’t feel like deleting it just yet, but then it is only a few words. The ‘it’ in question is the last contact I had with the revered master distiller, Dave Pickerell. I had been chasing Dave after news came out that he had been working with the metal band Metallica to produce a whiskey for them. Now, if ever there had been a combination of celebrity and whiskey, this was going to be one of the best. So I had dropped him a note on Facebook messenger; simple and, unlike a phone call, not likely to disturb him wherever in the world he was. As ever the response was quick. “Yes get in…

The Icons of Whisky Scotland awards are presented each year in Edinburgh and celebrate the nation’s top people, bars, producers and retailers. The winners of this regional heat now go forward to be considered for the Global Icons awards, which will be presented in London on 28 March 2019. Decisions are reached following nomination and voting by the industry and consideration by a Whisky Magazine panel. Furthermore, honouring their outstanding contribution to the industry, Ken Grier, former creative director of the Edrington Group, and Brown-Forman master blender, Rachel Barrie have been inducted into the global Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame as inductees #54 and #55. We are proud to honour the following as Icons of Whisky Scotland 2019: Distiller of the Year Edrington Group Highly Commended Diageo Craft Producer of the Year Glasgow Distillery Highly Commended Kilchoman Distillery Brand Innovator of…

For the second year, the Icons of Whisky Ireland awards have celebrated the emerald isle’s whiskey resurgence, which has been driven by decidicated and passionate people, bars, producers and retailers. Presented in Dublin, the winners will now go head-to-head with their contemporaries from around the world, battling it out for the prestigious global titles. Additionally, in reverence of their outstanding dedication, experience and expertise, master blenders Billy Leighton, of Irish Distillers, and Helen Mulholland, of Bushmills, have been inducted into the prestigious Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame as inductees #51 and #52. We are proud to honour the following as Icons of Whisky Ireland 2019: Distiller of the Year Irish Distillers Highly commended Teeling Whiskey Co. Brand Innovator of the Year Teeling Whiskey Co. Highly commended Method & Madness Craft Producer of the Year Dingle Distillery Highly commended Glendalough Distillery Visitor Attraction of the Year Jameson Distillery…

2018 has been a fantastic year for whisky, with single malt proving to be one of the fastest growing spirits categories globally. It’s a market shaped and defined by The Glenlivet, which enjoyed growth in 70 different markets-returning to the position of the number one single malt brand in travel retail- and we’ll continue to embrace the latest opportunities and trends as we move into 2019. A human touch Human authenticity has played a huge part in the growth of single malt, and ever since our founder, George Smith, distilled his first licensed dram in 1824, The Glenlivet has been renowned for quality and craftsmanship – traits which are still demonstrated by our people today. Our master distiller, Alan Winchester, delivers single malts that push the boundaries of taste, providing the unrivalled…

Master Blender Billy Leighton Irish Distillers Master blender, Billy Leighton encapsulates the Jameson aesthetic in a sentence, and as a leading figure within the whiskey brand’s family, he certainly has an anecdote to tell. With almost a decade of experience as master blender behind him, Billy’s first experience harks back to his days as a trainee accountant, before being given the opportunity to move into production. Under a new title of vatting manager, Billy prepared the whiskey for bottling. As the years went by, this role grew, eventually encompassing blending, warehousing, maturation and expanding further into distilling. An exhaustive familiarity with the Irish Distiller’s stocks means Billy now knows all the products available to him. Far from being wrapped up in a white coat and confined to the lab sniffing and tasting samples, it’s Billy’s…

Recent years have seen unprecedented growth of small-scale distilling ventures the length and breadth of Britain, making everything from gin, vodka and whisky to vermouth and liqueurs. Where once distilling was for established commercial organisations, now a spirit of experimentation has emerged, often led by newcomers. If you have been tempted to turn distiller yourself, then The Microdistillers’ Handbook is the book for you. Even if the idea remains fantasy, you can learn just how it is done, discovering far more about the practicalities of distilling than you ever knew before in the process. Starting with a history of distilling, the Handbook guides the would-be distiller through the structure of the spirits industry in the UK, the story of modern micro-distilling and the equipment required to turn pipedreams into reality. That reality inevitably…