Whisky Magazine November 2019

Well here we go, depending where you are reading this and when, the start of this column could be quite different. If you have this in front of you before the end of October, chances are that the United Kingdom is still either hurtling head long into uncharted territory or possibly in the heating up stages of a full-blown election. If, however, you find yourself the other side of Halloween, and yes the Government really did chose that as Brexit deadline day, the possibilities are that the UK is trying to piece its way through whatever deal or no deal the Prime Minister of the day has accepted, or is preparing for another election. Politics, whether you like it or not, has been momentous here in the UK of late, and…

Sponsored by Glencairn Crystal Whisky Live Sandton, Johannesburg Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 November 2019 Famed for showcasing the widest selection of whisky under one roof and following global trends, the world’s largest whisky festival now adds a range of other premium spirits for tasting – including gin, rum, vodka and more – to its impressive offering! Visitors can expect to meet master distillers, global brand ambassadors and a range of industry experts who will be offering advice not only on how best to enjoy whisky, but also how to savour every sip of a range of craft gins and premium vodkas, rums and other spirits available for sampling in a dedicated area of the Tasting Hall. Whisky Live Chicago Thursday 7 November 2019 The world’s premier whiskey tasting show moves to the stunning Artifact Events building…

On a Wednesday night in late September, The Keepers of the Quaich, the prestigious industry group that honours individuals who have committed their career to promoting Scotch whisky (a task I’m more inclined to refer to as “spreading the love”), launched the U.S. Chapter of the organisation at a fancy banquet in midtown Manhattan. People are inducted by nomination and there is an air of mystery and secrecy that surrounds the society, like a Gaelic Freemasonry type thing. This column is a rumination on devotion. In my 15 or so years of writing about the global whisky industry, I never cease to be amazed by people’s commitment to the drink, by how whisky seems to ensnare the hearts of people in all corners of the industry: distillers, warehousemen, coopers, salespeople, marketers,…

Bourbon starts with corn, which makes it an agricultural product. Agriculture is subject to shifts in weather and climate as well as market prices, and quality can vary because of dozens of different factors. Because of this, corn is often tested rigorously before a distillery will accept it, and these quality control measures are often part of distillery tours. Each distillery has its own testing process, and the differences between large and small distilleries might be surprising, especially when it comes to those small distilleries that grow their own corn. Large distilleries often test for things like mould, moisture content, and the presence of diesel fuel that could have entered somewhere in the harvesting or transportation of the grains. Smaller distilleries also have these concerns, but those that grow their own…

The sour mash method made Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky Bourbon famous. It’s also known as yeast-backing and back-setting in using a similar method practised for thousands of years to make sourdough bread and beer by preserving the yeast culture from batch to batch. In Bourbon production, a residual of the distilled spent wash from the still is added to a fresh batch of wash to be fermented. Bourbon distillers usually add up to 35 per cent of the spent wash (also called backset, slops or stillage). In other distilling industries, it’s called acidification, lees or dunder. The carbon dioxide bubbling through the wash forms carbonic acid during fermentation, causing the beer to taste mildly sour. Peter Shaw advocated that 17th century English distillers acidify or sour their washes by adding the…

Up until a few years ago, the name ‘Saburomaru Distillery’ would have drawn a blank, even from the most fanatic Japanese whisky enthusiast. Then, in early 2016, when the name started to be heard at whisky events in Japan left and right, it was invariably met with tilted heads and questions along the lines of: is this a real distillery making real whisky from scratch? The answer was yes, but the set-up of the distillery was idiosyncratic to say the least and the bulk of the malt whisky produced at Saburomaru distillery was destined for a bottom-shelf blend called ‘Sunshine Whisky’. Making whisky is a side gig for the people at Wakatsuru Shuzo, the company that owns and runs Saburomaru Distillery, based in Tonami, Toyama prefecture. Wakatsuru’s main business, since its…