Whisky Magazine May/Jun 2022

Back in late 2019, regular contributors to this title were asked to gaze into their crystal balls and predict what was around the corner (Whisky Magazine #164, ‘2020 Visions’). I certainly wouldn’t have predicted that Scotland would soon be home to the world’s first distillery with a restaurant holding a Michelin star, as is now the case at The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant in Crieff. Having been lucky enough to dine there, I can say that the team have really raised the bar regarding what one can expect from a ‘luxury’ whisky experience. Perhaps, in the future, one will be able to take a gastronomic tour of Scotland made up entirely of distillery restaurants. Who knows? One thing I wrote of that did come to pass was a continued ‘boutique-ification’ of whisky…

The world’s premier whisky tasting show returns to the stunning surroundings of The Honourable Artillery Company in London in 2022, from the 20th–21st May. This historic 18th-century mansion is set in a six-acre garden, yet just a stone’s throw from Moorgate and Liverpool Street stations. This spectacular location provides a truly memorable backdrop to a great whisky experience. Producers from four corners of the globe gather to showcase their rare, unique and hard to find whiskies, as well as some of the more mainstream brands you would expect to find in specialist whisky retailers. This unique international whisky experience is not to be missed, whether you’re an avid enthusiast or new to the exciting world of whisky. Tickets include entry to Whisky Live, unlimited whisky pourings, a delicious two-course meal, a Whisky…

Whiskey is a community, and a lovely one at that. Many people call the bonds between whiskey lovers the “whiskey fabric” or “whiskey fam”, and it’s easy to see why. When you get a group of whiskey-loving folks together, their enthusiasm transcends all politics and class divides. Perhaps the best example of all this happens during travel to distilleries or whiskey festivals: you’ll never roam alone. I’ve turned up alone at whiskey festivals and distilleries across the USA, and yet, I’ve never had the experience of not knowing anyone. In fact, I will often know so many people, either whiskey geeks from social media or industry professionals, that I never have to dine alone. Right before my first major European trip in high school without my family, my godfather told me…

Like every person on Earth with an internet connection and a heart, I have spent hours and hours every day since Russia first attacked Ukraine on 24 February glued to the coverage of the war. There’s nothing I can say here about the tragedy that has not been said countless times by people far more eloquent and versed in geopolitics. I cannot carry out my daily routines or indulge in luxuries like running water, food, shelter and access to medication without my soul cracking apart at every new report of bombings of hospitals, residential neighbourhoods and historic structures, breaches of ceasefires, senior citizens camping out in train stations, and endless other acts of brutish inhumanity. It seems insensitive, if not disrespectful, to even entertain thoughts of art or literature or beauty…

Distilleries of longevity pride themselves on surviving manufacturing vicissitudes, government intrusions, vulnerabilities of economic downturns and shifting consumer habits. Longevity imbues a whisky distillery with the halo of romanticised past and semblance of tradition for the public. While age is not synonymous with quality, it infers consistency and competency. Yet, age is an arbitrary term. Of the 3,500-odd registered whisky and grain distilleries in the world today, only five can claim more than one hundred years of near-continuous operation. Even fewer can claim to have been manufacturing at the same site since their inaugural year of production. Disruprutions impact year-on-year production due to famines and floods, wars and bankruptcies, prohibitions and bans. Nor does longevity mean unchanged as the liquid product evolves with new biological processes, manufacturing technologies, changes to raw…

On a quiet Friday afternoon in March, I find myself being shown around Jenson Button’s personal whisky collection at his Los Angeles home by the British racing driver himself. Sure, it may have been via Zoom, but I still got a glimpse into what kind of whisky drinker the 2009 Formula 1 Champion is, with his boatload of Lagavulin (he’s into his peat), some Glenfiddich Grand Cru and a rather special bottle of Macallan he tells me he received as a gift. But I’m here to talk to him about another whisky altogether: Coachbuilt, a new blended Scotch created by Button in collaboration with whisky writer and consultant George Koutsakis. A blend of the five whisky-making regions in Scotland (Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown, Islay and Speyside), Coachbuilt has been created to represent…