THE COMMEMORATIVE SCOTTISH FUSION MALT WHISKIES

Indian Amrut is not the only fusion whisky

THE SCOTTISH FUSION WHISKIES STORY

The Glover Fusion Whisky Ltd. was originally formed as a small enterprise- TBG & Co- with the aim of producing a Scotch whisky to raise awareness of entrepreneur Thomas Blake Glover’s role in shaping modern Japan and celebrate Scotland’s historical, economical, cultural and social links to Japan. They then realised that if Glover and Japan were to be feted by the ceremonial release of a specially created whisky, Japanese malt whisky would have to be included and the outcome could never be a Scotch whisky, but an international blended malt.

Late 2014, the board of TBG & Co contacted Alex Bruce, managing director and master blender at Adelphi, with the intent of creating a designated Fusion whisky by 2015 to celebrate Glover’s life. In the end, and despite the challenges of international procurement and production, they produced not one but three Glover whiskies, the first two in 2015, all of which sold out. The Glover Fusions gave the board the opportunity to highlight the unique flavours of both countries, and create a blend that was even more than the sum of its parts.

In the summer of 2016, they embarked on an ambitious programme to bring out a series of new fusion whiskies, something that has never been done before. They changed names from TBG & Co to Fusion Whisky Ltd to better represent their aims, and, in the autumn of 2016, released the second title in the fusion whisky series, The Kincardine. This blended malt whisky is a fusion of the Indian Amrut single malt whisky and Scotch from Glen Elgin and Macallan distilleries. It honours the life of the “Walking Viceroy” Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine, who spent a lifetime in public service and whose legacy lives on in both Scotland and India. Incidentally, Adelphi’s Alex Bruce is the great-grandson of the 9th Earl of Elgin.

With very strong international interest in this pioneering approach to blended malt whisky, Fusion Whisky Limited moved forward with its series of innovative fusion whiskies. Working with partner Adelphi, they have produced blended malts in partnership with a Dutch and Australian distillery and are in discussions with other international distilleries in countries where Scots have had a profound influence and where exceptional craft whisky is being produced.

Fusion has since won a major award from Scotland Food & Drink for the innovative collaboration with Adelphi, and continues to attract interest from whisky lovers around the world.

Thomas Blake Glover was born in the thriving fishing port of Fraserburgh on the north-east coast of Scotland and educated at The Chanonry House School in Old Aberdeen. After school he joined the largest British company trading in the Far East, Jardine Matheson, and in 1857 was sent to work in the company’s Shanghai office. Two years later he was appointed as the company’s agent in Nagasaki – a brave move, since there was considerable resistance to Westerners in Japan at the time.

Indeed, until 1858 Japan was closed to all foreign trade and external influences – a policy which had been followed since 1639, with the exception of a tightly controlled Dutch trading station on the island of Dejima. By the mid-19th century, however, a powerful faction grew in the Japanese central administration, which was aware of the power of western technology and frustrated by the government’s extreme conservatism, which blocked attempts to modernise Japan.

It was against this background of political and social turmoil that Thomas Glover began to operate, initially for Jardine, Matheson and Co. and then as an independent merchant. He learned Japanese and initially traded green tea out of Japan, arms which he bought in Shanghai or Hong Kong and ship broking, the latter through his brothers, James and Charles, ship brokers and builders in Aberdeen. Between 1863 and 1867 the Glovers sold twenty ships to Japan, including the first modern warship in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

In the early 1860s he was also involved in arranging an (illegal) trip to Britain for five senior members of the Choshu Clan, and later fifteen members of the powerful Satsuma Clan, based in the south of the country. These men would play an important part in promoting Western technology and ultimately became very senior members of the government which overthrew the old regime with the restoration of the Emperor Meiji in 1868.

The new government was dedicated to learning from the West, encouraging trade and directly supporting business and industry and Thomas Glover soon became a leading figure in the industrialisation of Japan.

Among many other ventures he developed the first modern coal mine in the country at Takashima, had a dry dock built in Aberdeen and shipped to Nagasaki, founded the shipbuilding company which would later become the Mitsubishi Corporation and backed the establishment of the Japan’s first large-scale brewery, becoming head of the Japan Brewery Company in 1894. In recognition of these achievements, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, the first non-Japanese to be so honoured.

The Whiskies

To honour the achievements of a unique man, Thomas Blake Glover, and the historical relationship between Scotland and Japan, independent bottler, Adelphi Distillery Ltd., was asked to create a blend of Japanese and Scotch malt whiskies.

To this end, Adelphi was offered the chance to select a single refill ex-sherry hogshead from one of the few remaining casks from Hanyu Distillery. It was disgorged and shipped to England for marrying with a carefully determined volume of Scotch whisky from two single casks: 35% from an American oak ex-sherry hogshead distilled at Longmorn, and just a drop from a Spanish oak ex-sherry butt distilled at Glen Garioch.

The final ratio was assessed through extensive trial vattings by Alex Bruce and Charles MacLean. "We wanted the final whisky to present the unique flavours of both casks, but also to be even more than the sum of its parts. We added a drop of whisky from Glen Garioch Distillery in homage to Thomas Glover’s home in Aberdeenshire, to complete the flavour profile," they said. It was launched as a 22 year old malt whisky in 2015 at an ABV of 53.1%.  

The Glover whiskies edition was completed with the Glover 18 of 2017. It followed the launch of The Glover 22 and The Glover 14, both in 2015 & The Glover 18 of 2016, but is said to have a “a little more Sherry cask influence” than its predecessor. In line with the rest of the range, the whisky is composed of liquid from Scottish distilleries and the Hanyu distillery in Japan.

“Both mouth filling and teeth coating (waxy), it’s initially tangy with decadent marzipan and milk chocolate leading to a very well balanced finish warmed by a hint of fresh pepper and the slightest hint of distant smoke,” Alex Bruce, MD & Master Blender at Adelphi Distillery. The Glover whiskies are blended at Adephi Distillery and released under the Fusion Whisky company. There is every likelihood of a fifth edition of the Glover Fusion series.

THE GLOVER 14 YO 44.3% (2015)   18 YO 48.6% (2016)            18 YO 49.2% (2017)            22 YO 53.1%(2015) 

THE FOLLOW UP

The Kincardine: Fusion of Indian and Scotch Whisky

The Kincardine is a fusion of Amrut single malt whisky from India and Scotch from Glen Elgin and Macallan distilleries. It honours the life of the “Walking Viceroy” Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine, who spent a lifetime in public service and whose legacy lives on in both Scotland and India. The edition consists of two blended malts, the Kincardine 7 YO and the E&K 5 YO.

Victor Alexander Bruce was the 9th Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine. Incidentally, he is Adelphi’s Alex Bruce’s great-grandfather. In 1894, Queen Victoria, the Empress of India, granted him the most prestigious appointment in the British Empire – Viceroy of India. As Viceroy, Victor Bruce had responsibility for the entire sub-continent and its population of 320 million people, who were covertly hostile towards the foreigners who they considered marauders out to loot India, and who ultimately plundered £43 trillion.

Unrest, famine and colonial politics all reared their head; the north-west frontier and border with China were sources of tension too. In 1895, he took decisive action to lift the siege of Chitral. Two years later he authorised a force of more than 35,000 troops to recover the Khyber Pass. The boundary line that his government negotiated with the Chinese in the Eastern Himalayas – India’s Line of Actual Control – remains a source of tension today.

To cope with the pressures of office, Victor took regular early morning walks, accompanied only by a solitary detective and his trusted walking stick. These walks, often incognito, gave Victor an invaluable but Anglo-biased insight into India and its people and earned him the nickname “the Walking Viceroy”. After his return to Scotland in 1899, Victor returned to public service.

The Kincardine 7 YO Blended Malt Whisky, 52.9% ABV

Created using whisky matured in American oak hogsheads from Glen Elgin in Speyside and Amrut Distillery in Bangalore, The Kincardine is a fusion of burnished copper and summer gold, of honeyed sugars and tropical fruits.

Perfected by Adelphi’s master blender Alex Bruce, The Kincardine is a majestic whisky that brings together the best of Scotland and India. it is believed to be a fitting tribute to the “Walking Viceroy”.

The E&K 5 YO Blended Malt Whisky, 57.8%

The E&K 5 YO Blended Malt is a unique fusion of Scotch whisky from Ardmore and Glenrothes distilleries and malt whiskies from Amrut Distillery in India. The E&K is an exquisite tribute to a remarkable Scot, the “Walking Viceroy” Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine.

The Winter Queen: A Majestic Blend of Scotch and Dutch Whisky

The Winter Queen is the third in the series of iconic blends from Fusion Whisky and Adelphi, created in honour of the Scottish princess, Elizabeth Stuart. A blend of Scotch malt whisky from Longmorn and Glenrothes distilleries and malt whisky from Zuidam Distillery in the Netherlands, only 866 bottles of the iconic whisky were produced.

Elizabeth Stuart was born in Falkland Palace in Fife in 1596, the eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland and Queen Anne of Denmark. By the time of her death in 1662, she had been heir to the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland, survived murderous plots and bloody sieges, borne 13 children, been crowned Queen of Bohemia, took domicile in the Hague and revolutionised cultural life in the Dutch Republic, her adopted home of forty years.

The teenage princess modelled herself on her famous godmother, Queen Elizabeth I. She clearly had aspirations, and her wedding to Frederick V, Elector-Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire, was a lavish event, even by royal standards. In 1619, the couple left their home in Heidelberg for Prague after Frederick was elected King of Bohemia. But rebellion erupted and they were deposed after barely a year, earning Elizabeth the sobriquet the “Winter Queen”.

The Brisbane: A Heavenly Blend of Scotch and Australian Malt Whisky

The Brisbane 5 YO Blended Malt 57.5% ABV

The Brisbane is the fourth in the series of iconic blends from Fusion Whisky and Adelphi, created in honour of the Scottish soldier and astronomer, Thomas Makdougall Brisbane.

Born near Largs in Scotland in 1773, Thomas Brisbane was a distinguished officer in the British Army, and served as Governor of New South Wales from 1821-25. As well as the city that bears his name, Brisbane opened the door to the foundation of Melbourne, enabled a free press, and worked to improve conditions for colonists and secure compensation for Aboriginals who lost land.

A unique fusion of Scotch malt whisky from two Spanish oak ex-sherry hogsheads distilled at Glen Garioch, Highland, part of an ex-sherry butt distilled at Glen Grant, Speyside and three ex-Apera casks distilled at Starward Distillery, Melbourne, The Brisbane is a heavenly tribute to a remarkable Scot.

Mahogany with amber lights. initially nose drying, with freshly baked croissants topped with butterscotch sauce, pecan pie, ginger, runny honey, chocolate éclairs and banoffee.

Chocolate éclairs in the taste with stone fruits in the development: ripe plum, apricot and tinned prune juice.

Sweet overall in the finish; creamy mouthfeel, bitter chocolate and more toffee to finish.

The Glover Fusion Fifth Edition 2020

The Glover 5th Edition Fusion By Adelphi 4 YO Cask Strength 54.7% ABV

The 5th release of the innovative and sought after 'Fusion whisky', named after Thomas Blake Glover, who opened up trade between Japan and Britain in the 19th Century and was awarded the Order Of The Rising Sun (the first foreigner to receive this) took place in 2020.

This bottling contains two of the most exciting single malts in the world: Chichubu from Japan and Adelphi's own Ardnamurchan Distillery. Two young 4 YO casks from each were blended together and the result is a dram of excellent balance and depth despite it's youth. This particular bottling has not been dedicated to any one, deceased or alive.

Official Tasting Notes: This is the 5th Glover in the series and all derives from 1st fill bourbon barrels. 2 from AD & 2 from Chichibu. This whisky has a lovely colour of summer gold. On the nose one finds honeycomb, melon, clementine, panatone, flaky almonds & Sour Plooms. The palate delivers a great balance of pineapple cake, mandarin and barley juice & lemon bonbons. Becoming maritime with a light peat smoke to finish, very moreish.