A WHISKY LOVER’S DREAM DRAMS
This is a hugely exciting time to be a Whisky drinker
in the rapidly expanding whisky market in India, with brands emerging from within the country and across the world. Science and technology are filling in many gaps in the
hitherto preserve of the epicureans, the aficionados and the cognoscenti to
make these expressions available to the hoi polloi. New whisky brands from small distilleries are introducing
unique flavour profiles, unusual ageing methods, and thinking up new tricks as
time passes to keep the drink at the forefront of our minds.
I have lined up a few brands of Scotch Whisky that you
can mull over and, where possible, buy. They range from the moderate to the
slightly expensive, so you have many options. I will write about our own brands soon, as the spate of new expressions starts to stabilise.
THE SPEYBURN RANGE
Tradition and innovation are regular bedfellows in the world of single malt and Speyburn is a classic example. Its parent, International
Beverage Holdings, is a believer in the old way of making whisky and has kept
the distillery pretty much the same as when it was first designed by Charles
Doig with inputs from Hopkins. It is a very picturesque distillery and is rated accordingly as the most photographed distillery in Scotland.
Speyburn's stillhouse is the same (albeit now with steam driven stills) and the worm tubs have been retained. As is characteristic with worm sites, this method of condensing produces a deliberately sulphury new make which changes in cask to reveal the singular delicate, fragrant character which lies underneath.
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THREE OF THE FIVE CORE RANGE OF SPEYBURN WHISKIES- AGE STATED
In 1896, John Hopkins discovered a unique spot, in the heart
of Speyside located opposite Glen Grant, which seemed suitable for making exceptionally smooth whisky. While hunting for the perfect spot for his distillery, John, along with his brother Edward, discovered the Granty Burn - an untouched stream hidden in that secluded Speyside valley. They knew that the exceptionally pure water of this burn would produce a remarkable whisky with a naturally refreshing character. The Hopkins
trusted John's intuition and built the Speyburn distillery right there in the
glen, using authentic river stones from the bed of the fast-flowing River Spey
itself. Over 100 years after its founding, Speyburn remains the only distillery
to use the pure, crystal-clear water of the Granty Burn. Water for other requirements is taken from the Broad Burn, another proximal tributary of the River Spey.
Set in a steep valley with limited space, Hopkins, with Charles Doig, the world famous distillery designer and innovator, designed an entirely new shape of distillery, building up through the trees rather than building out. Instead of one vast drying floor, he raised his malt upwards using layer upon layer of mesh, infusing it with the vibrancy of the Speyside air.
Speyburn started operating rather late, in 1897, one of a number of distilleries with a pagoda designed by Doig (the inventor of the distillery pagoda, for most people the defining feature of any plant). The pagoda was originally built to help ventilate the distillery’s kiln. Doig also installed the first ‘pneumatic’ (drum) maltings in the Highlands on site, allowing production not to be tied to the size of its malting floors. These stayed in use at Speyburn until 1968.
In time, it was absorbed into Scottish Malt Distillers (the malt arm of DCL) but changed hands in 1991 becoming part of Inver House till 2001, till bought by Pacific Spirits, which, in turn, morphed into International Beverage Holdings, a Thailand-based beverage company in 2006. Clan Speyburn, an online community for this brand was formed in 2012.
Its start was dramatic. 1897 marked the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign and Hopkins promised all and sundry that he would create a distillery and bring out a bottle to mark that year. Nobody believed him! Hopkins and his crew battled against the elements wearing overcoats and mufflers to protect them from the freezing snow. After the heroic efforts of his distillery men, Hopkins finally triumphed and, on the last night of the year, was rewarded with the first barrel of Speyburn whisky.
125 years since distilling its first drop, Speyburn is now more than a whisky. Bold, bright and full of character, their Speyside single malts are as inspiring to newcomers as they are to seasoned whisky enthusiasts, allowing everyone everywhere to enjoy the beautiful simplicity of Speyside. To celebrate Speyside, they currently offer a range of expressions. Whichever Speyburn offering is selected, you can expect to enjoy the classic taste of Speyside in every dram. After all, Speyburn is Speyside.
In recent years, however, Speyburn has been marketed as a value for money malt in the US. While this has resulted in large volumes in terms of sales, the price pot hasn’t helped the whisky’s reputation. Strangely, this ninth ranked malt brand in the USA is still unknown to most of the world and probably under-appreciated where it’s a best-seller.
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Speyburn goes to great lengths to draw on the best this land has to offer. By sourcing consistently high quality malted barley from their long-standing UK suppliers, they ensure that this key ingredient is the perfect first step to creating our award-winning single malt whisky. Before they fully extract the excellence locked in the grain, their 10 tonne twin-roller ‘Boby’ mill crushes the malt into grist 5.6 tonnes at a time. They then take four hours to complete one mashing cycle, to produce clear and flavoursome ‘wort’.
Speyburn uses both stainless steel and wooden washbacks, the latter made of Douglas fir. They are large tanks where wort meets yeast and the fermentation takes place, in a spectacle of frothing and churning; this is the most visually spectacular part of the process. Long fermentation times add to the character of the finished single malt whisky. The ‘wash’ already has much of the Speyburn character locked in it.
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Sitting proudly at the heart of Speyburn Distillery is one large wash still used for first distillation and two smaller spirit stills for the second. The wash still charges both spirit stills at the same time, an unusual distillation regime which helps them achieve a light yet flavoursome spirit.
The stills are of classic Speyside shape, broad at the base with slender necks. They work in tandem with traditional worm tub condensers. This time-honoured method of turning vapour into spirit adds the familiar body and rich character to their whisky. The birth of charismatic Speyburn distillate is satisfying but the work is far from done. In fact, the wait is only beginning. All Speyburn single malt is matured in air-dried oak casks seasoned with bourbon or sherry. These excellent vessels help the spirit fully develop its natural qualities. Speyburn is matured in traditional dunnage warehouses. Those dark, cavernous buildings provide the optimum temperature and humidity for a long and even maturation process. As the whisky slowly ages it becomes smoother, sweeter and more flavoursome, resulting after many years in a single malt whisky they’re proud to call Speyburn.
Speyburn has a production capacity of 1.9 million litres of pure alcohol. There are several interesting features about whisky production at Speyburn. The fermentation is relatively quick at 48 hours. It utilises a six-ton mash tun and six 26,200 litre washbacks. The malt is slightly peated. Speyburn was the first distillery to introduce drum maltings. It maintained these until 1968, when it switched to a commercial malt producer.
The distillery has two pear shaped stills. Pear shaped still are characterised by a wider neck than traditional Speyside stills. The wider neck promotes reflux, the condensation of the vapour within the neck of the still, so that it falls back into the pot and is redistilled. The process maximises the amount of copper contact experienced by the spirit.
Worm Tub Condensers: Such condensers are the traditional copper spiral, now largely replaced by modern shell and tube condensers. The latter maximise copper contact in the condensers, while the former minimise it, creating a deliberately sulphurous new make, often expressed as a meatier robust spirit. The average new make strength is 69.3%.
Speyburn uses a combination of ex-bourbon casks and also ex-Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry casks to mature its whisky. PX is a type of sherry made from partially raisinated grapes. It is very sweet and viscous, almost syrupy, and imparts flavours of raisin, fig and other dried fruits, along with a distinct sweetness. The company operates two dunnage warehouses. These are the traditional Speyside warehouses with earthen floors and barrels stacked three high.
There are many different expressions of Speyburn malt from independent bottlers, the majority of which were released by Gordon and MacPhail and Douglas Laing. Distillers Choice also has a range of bottlings from a 13-year-old to a 30-year-old.
The distillery’s current core range consists of five expressions: 10 YO, 15 YO, 18 YO, Arranta Casks and Braden Orach. Arranta Casks are a non-age statement (NAS) bottling of specially selected casks that have a “uniquely bold and characterful flavour profile.” The last three are currently only available in the U.S. Bradan Orach, Gaelic for golden salmon, is also a NAS whisky. It has a light and fruity, classic Speyside style. Its name commemorates the world class salmon fishing found on the River Spey.
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CARTON & CAN 1L & 750ml VERSIONS
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Speyburn 10 YO, 40% ABV, 750 ml, ₹2,700-3,000
This is the bestselling of all of the Speyburn expressions. It is similar to Bradan Orach, but the aromas and flavour are more intense. The colour is a light gold.
On the nose, the whisky is sweet. There is the distinctive lemon aroma typical of lowland malts. There are additional notes of honey, apple, pear and apricot, along with some anise, caramel and a hint of peat.
On the palate, there are the classic fruity Speyside flavours. The pear and apricot notes are quite distinctive, along with some ripe apple and cooked cereal notes, and a bit of anise and biscuit. The whisky has a sweet element, along with noticeable smoke and peat notes.
The finish is medium length, smooth, with lingering sweet fruit notes and a touch of smoke.
This is a great whisky. At an average retail price of around ₹2,700-3,000 it’s exceptional value.
Speyburn 15 YO, 46 % ABV, 750 ml, ₹5,200-5,600
According to the company this expression is matured in a combination of American and Spanish oak casks. Presumably, these casks previously held bourbon and PX sherry but, if so, that is not disclosed. There is an obvious sherry cask element in this expression, although that can often be imparted by Spanish oak casks. The term Spanish oak refers to French oak (Quercus robur) grown in Spain.
The colour is a rich amber. On the nose, it is incredibly fruity, with notes of citrus, especially lemon, tangerine and grapefruit, along with tropical fruit notes of mango and melon. There are dried notes of golden raisin, fig and prune, along with caramel, some wood spice and vanilla notes.
On the palate, there is a veritable fruit salad of flavours, including apple, tropical fruits, along with dried raisin and apricot and a bit of ginger pepperiness. The whisky is smooth and creamy with an oily, pronounced palate weight. As the whisky opens up more pronounced vanilla and some milk chocolate notes emerge, along with cinnamon and nutmeg.
The finish is long, creamy, with lingering sweet dried fruit notes.
This is an interesting whisky. Incredibly fruity, it makes an excellent sipping whisky. It reminds me of the Glendronach 18 YO or the Glengoyne 15 YO. It’s smoother with a touch of water. Price varies dramatically, depending on where it’s bought.
THE CRAIGELLACHIE RANGE: AVAILABLE IN INDIA
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| EARLY DAYS |
Craigellachie Distillery Status: Operational
Established: 1891
Owner: Bacardi Limited
Capacity: 4,000,000L per annum
Craigellachie Distillery has been producing very characterful, heavy and sulphurous malt whisky for more than 125 years, but has managed to slide under the radar, keeping itself fairly insular and protected. Sulphur has become an emotive subject in recent years, but it is one which is also misunderstood. There are two ways in which you can get sulphurous notes in whisky. One is through the burning of sulphur candles in casks to stop bacterial infection. Although this was once standard in Jerez with the rise of bespoke casks for the whisky industry the practice has now been outlawed.
The second form of sulphur comes from barley and is naturally produced during the whisky-making process. If you cut down the amount of copper available to spirit vapour the higher the sulphur levels in the new make will be. What appears to not have been understood is that this sulphur disappears in time. It acts as a marker; an indication that once its cloak has been lifted a spirit will emerge either as meaty (Cragganmore, Mortlach, Benrinnes) or fragrant (Glenkinchie, Speyburn, Balblair, AnCnoc, and Craigellachie) In other words, sulphur can be desirable.
Craigellachie revels in its sulphurous nature. The first thing you smell as you enter the distillery is the notes of cabbage and beef stock. This is rising from the worm tubs which sit at the back of the distillery. It is the small amount of copper contained within them that helps to promote this character. They also add weight to the palate of the mature spirit.
Long fermentation has however fixed fruitiness within the spirit and this tropical/floral note emerges in the mature spirit. It’s this character: full, yet aromatic which has made Craigellachie a prized malt for blending: it has been a major contributor to White Horse since the late 19th century – with the result that it had to wait until 2014 to receive its promotion to the rank of front-line malts.
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| STANDING TALL TODAY |
Craigellachie Distillery was born off a collaboration between blenders and merchants led by Alexander Edward and Peter Mackie. The two were whisky legends of their time, both with solid experience in establishing and running distilleries and building brands. Edward, though only 25 when the distillery was built, was already the lessee of Benrinnes. He also owned a local brickworks, built new villas in the growing village and, in 1896, constructed a large hotel. He would go on to build Aultmore, Dallas Dhu and Benromach.
Mackie, of Lagavulin fame, also came from a distilling family: his father was a farmer, grain merchant and distiller while his uncle, James Logan Mackie, co-owned the Lagavulin Distillery in Islay, which was where Peter Mackie found himself working in 1878. In 1890, Mackie would help his uncle’s company set up its own blend, called White Horse, to which Craigellachie’s fortunes would be tied over the coming decades.
Edward pulled out in 1900 to concentrate on the other interests, leaving Craigellachie in White Horse’s ownership. It was the core malt within Mackie’s Old Smuggler and Old Gaelic brands which were hugely successful in Australia and South Africa. White Horse – and therefore Craigellachie – became part of DCL but when that firm merged with IDV in 1998, the Monopolies Board insisted that it sell off some of its estate – specifically John Dewar & Sons and five distilleries, one of which was Craigellachie. They were snapped up by Bacardi which still owns the distillery.
Two years after being founded, Craigellachie was incorporated as a limited company and in 1896 it was reconstructed as Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery Ltd. The year before, following James Logan Mackie’s death, Peter Mackie had become chairman of his uncle’s company, in charge of its White Horse blend.
Despite this activity, some sources have suggested not a drop of whisky was produced before 1898. To the contrary, tasting notes from Alfred Barnard, who visited Craigellachie in 1893/94, suggest at least some whisky was being produced. He stated that 2,000 quarters of barley were waiting to be steeped, and noted “the chief characteristic of the Craigellachie brand is the pineapple flavour it develops with age”. The Pattison Crisis starting 1898 saw Craigellachie largely unscathed despite Alexander Edward being caught up in the drama and forced to temporarily close some of his distilleries which had supplied the Pattisons.
That the distillery survived was perhaps something to do with the conservative Peter Mackie who remained organisationally cautious. He described his business sense as one that favoured independent status, personal authority and familial recruitment. He believed traditionalism and predictability were just as important as sales.
Before his death, in 1924, Peter spent time trying to organise the company to unite with Buchanan-Dewar, and while this was something that never came to fruition, he finally decided to take the company public as White Horse Distillers Ltd.
The 1950s were another quiet decade for whisky production, especially at Craigellachie where not much changed. It was during the 1960s, however, that the whole distillery was overhauled: from 1964 to ‘65 many of the original buildings were torn down and rebuilt, leaving only Doig’s floor maltings, kiln and the pagoda roof.
A second pair of stills were also installed in 1965, doubling the capacity for distillation. The branch line through Craigellachie town was scrapped under the Beeching rail reforms, leaving a picturesque walking track today known as the Speyside Way. Craigellachie continued its production under Scottish Malt Distillers throughout the 1970s and managed once again to escape unscathed by the bust in the market during the 1980s. Many other distilleries were forced to close, some never to reopen.
In 1987, DCL merged with Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness, to become United Distillers & Vintners. Ten years later United merged with Grand Metropolitan to form what we know today as Diageo. Deemed to hold too great a monopoly on the whisky industry the company was forced to sell Dewar’s whisky company, including Craigallechie, alongside John Dewar and Son’s, Aberfeldy Distillery, Aultmore Distillery and Royal Brackla Distillery. The package, plus Bombay Sapphire Gin, was snatched up by Bacardi for £1.15 billion.
For much of its history, Craigellachie supplied most of its production to the White Horse blend, but as part of the John Dewar & Sons group of distilleries (incidentally a move Peter Mackie had tried to engineer back in the 1920s). Craigellachie is now available as a single malt. The first official single malt expression from the distillery was released in 2004 as a 14-year-old, and Craigellachie is a respected single malt in its own right, as well a component in the Dewar’s blend.
Craigellachie Distillery has been producing very characterful, heavy and sulphurous malt whisky for more than 125 years, but has managed to slide under the radar, keeping itself fairly insular and protected. The journey from field to bottle for Craigellachie whisky is similar to the majority of Scotch malt whisky brands. It is the nuances in malting, fermentation, distillation and maturation that shape the individual nature of the whisky’s character, and in the case of Craigellachie it is the malting process that particularly stands out.
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| THE PORTEUS MILL |
Malting: Craigellachie sources its water from underground springs by the Blue Hill Quarry, adjacent to the distillery, fed by a pipeline directly into the distillery. It uses Concerto malted barley from Glenesk malting in Angus, with the specific requirements from John Dewar and Sons to only use barley grown in the UK, preferably Scotland. Importantly for the character of Craigellachie whisky, during malting, rather than a gas burner being used to spread hot steam through the grains, heavy fuel oil is used, producing steam with sulphur in it. The oil-fired kiln at Glenesk maltings is only used for Craigellachie and the malt produced in it kept separate from those destined for other distilleries.
A Richard Sizer Porteus Mill processes 10 tonnes of malt per grind, taking a little over two-and-a-half hours to process. The old mill, dating from the 1860s, is kept working by the mill engineers. Two grist bins, rather than the typical one, allow Craigellachie mill to process two millings by the time one mash is finished.
Fermentation: Every Tuesday morning the yeast tank is refilled with a cream MS-1 strain. Craigellachie uses 192 litres of yeast per batch, with a capacity in the tank of 4,500 litres. As a ratio, it works out at 19 litres of yeast per one ton of mash. The use of liquid yeast represents a transformation from the situation pre-2008 when the distillery still brought yeast in dry form in sacks, mixing it with water to create a ‘slurry’. The use of liquid yeast eases handling and has speeded up the process.
Mash Tun: The old mash house has a large stainless steel plate in the floor covering the hole where the mash tun was historically situated. The new mash tun, installed in 2001, sits in an adjoining purpose- built mash house. This 10 ton Steinecker mash tun is a full lauter, meaning the rakes can move vertically as well as horizontally, while computer control and monitoring for pressure differentials negates the need for an underback. The temperature of the mix of malt, yeast and water in the mash tun is raised until it reaches 67.3°C, considered the optimum temperature to start sugar extraction. At this temperature, the enzymes needed in fermentation are preserved – in Scottish whisky production it is illegal to add enzymes, in contrast to American or Irish whiskey, hence all enzymes must come from the malt. Having collected the first water (wort) containing the extracted sugars and precious enzymes, the temperature is gradually increased in subsequent waters to tease as much sugar out of the malt as possible.
The mash tun produces 47,000 litres of wort which is pumped to one of the eight larch wood wash-backs where fermentation takes 55-65 hours. Craigellachie typically operate 21 mashes per week.
Wash back : The fermented wash is pumped into the two wash stills – one mashing produces enough to charge each of pair of stills with 22,730 litres of wash. Another element that distinguishes Craigellachie is its use of worm tub condensers – a coil of copper tubes lying in a large iron container filled with constantly flowing cold water. The vapour coming off the stills is directed through these tubes and is cooled and so condensed by the surrounding water.
Wash stills : Many companies have phased out worm tubs in favour of modern shell-and-tube condensers as worm tubs are notoriously prone to leaks, meaning water coming through the spirit safe and alcohol being lost in tub – and then consequently down the drain where the used water flows from the tubs. To guard against this, workers regularly drain down each tub, gas test it and then run water through it to see if there are any leeks. The continued use of worm tubs not only maintains distilling tradition; they also beneficially affect the character of the distillate produced. Worm tubs offer less copper contact than shell-and-tube condensers so produce more complex spirits with a heavier mouthfeel.
At Craigellachie, 20,000 litres of wash at about 8% alc./vol. enters the first still, which produces low wines at about 27% alc./vol. The low wines from both wash stills are combined along with feints from the previous 2nd distillation to charge the spirit stills with 22,730 litres. In the spirit stills, foreshots (heads) are allowed to run for around half-an-hour until the distillate reaches 72% alc./vol. at which point the run is switched to spirit (heart). The spirit run lasts between four-and-a-half to five hours and the final cut to faints (tails) is made at around 63% alc./vol.. Inside the still house, the scent of sulphuric malt is evident in the air – a smell specific to Craigellachie.
Spirit stills: The new-make spirit is sent by tanker to Dewar’s maturation and bottling plant in Glasgow. Here the whisky is stored mostly in ex-American bourbon barrels, with around 10% refill European oak, for a minimum of three years and anywhere up to 21 years, before blending and bottling.
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A little bit of sulphur in a spirit can be a good thing, giving it a full body and a
savoury, meaty character. Age goes a long way in polishing sulphur’s ragged
edges, so intensely sulphurous new make doesn’t necessarily mean a finished
whisky will share its rustic qualities. Starting in 2014, the distillery
released a series of new official bottlings, including 13, 17 and 23 YO
expressions, with others expressions having since followed. Although it’s still
Dewar’s primary blend malt, Craigellachie is quickly becoming a single malt of
some renown. The distillery’s 31 year old expression was named World’s
Best Single Malt in the 2017 World Whiskies Awards.
Craigellachie 13-Year-Old Non chill-filtered, 46% ABV, No Artificial Colouring
Appearance: Pale gold.
Nose: Astringent.
Green, plenty of alcohol burn, which dissipates fairly quickly. A pretty rugged
aroma of sweat, salt, raw peanuts, dried limes, herbs, pepper and mild spices, bitter
phenol and burn toast meets the nose. Barley sugar. It’s not particularly
enticing, and smells a little like a dive bar. A half-teaspoonful of water
segregates the components. Camphor, mint, chlorophyll, grapefruit, quite Irish.
Palate: Fiery, with toasted nuts, model airplane glue, dry vanilla and salty peanut brittle. It’s very sweet, with an almost liqueur-like mouthfeel.Then the sour funk.
Slightly smoky barrel char.
Candy oak, lozenges, the sour funk again, demanding. Much like Tyrconnell.
Finish: Long and lingering, clean. Tannin crispness. Ends with sweetness and chemicals.
Fruity and funky, savory and sour, Craigellachie 13 is a robust dram with quite a bit of complexity. The sour notes are more pronounced when the bottle is initially opened—exposure to air seems to knock some of these notes out, but they still remain lurking a bit. And I should be clear—this is a good type of sour. The type of funky sourness that holds your attention and brings everything together, not the type of sour that makes you think something is wrong with the product.
This is really quite an enjoyable single malt. It’s not peated and it’s not heavily sherried (although I think there is a small sherry influence), but it is a dram with a ton of old time Scotch whisky character and complexity. Throw in the fact that it’s very reasonably priced, and the end result is a fantastic bottle that I highly recommend. Excellent value for money.
Craigellachie 17-Year-Old
17 YO 46% ABV, Un Chill-filtered No Artificial Colouring
This whisky was awarded Whisky Advocate's 2014 Speyside malt of the year after Dewar's rolled out an impressive selection of single malts from distilleries which didn't have much in the way of official bottlings before that point. This is an unpeated single malt, with a focus on the cereal notes in the blend - the malt is ground very finely, and is drained to be quite a cereal-laden wort - as expected, the malt notes to be quite central to the character of the blend.
Colour Bronze.
On the nose: Here’s something curious. All of the “elements” of this whisky seem to be on show, but somehow they feel individual, rather than melded into a harmonised whole. Vegetal, almost dieselly touch of sulphur and tyre rubber from the worm tubs: check. Honeys, melon and cooked apple and pear from the casks and spirit: check. Quite mellow and behaved. Rich, dried fruit right off the bat. You soon see that the malt is coming together, growing in body, complexity, and integration. Rummy, with some light molasses, light brown sugar, lightly heavy and meaty – but not as much as the 13, it is quite a different malt – raisins, apple, sweet malt, spices (clove, nutmeg), and light dusty earthiness. Dried pineapple, dried papaya. The malt is so central, and it is brilliant. Elderflower. Bourbon cask notes tend to come with time, and the oak grows.
Palate: The palate again carries malt centrally, with very slight malty acidity- lightly floral and more herbal than the nose. Oily and full-bodied. The flavours more or less pick up where the nose left off, with perhaps less input from the sulphur and fruit, and more from the honeys and malt. Flapjacks, custard creams, and millionaire’s shortbread. A sugary cereal finish – like a cross between branflakes and frosties. And we have some nice peach, and spices which meld really well with the malt – cinnamon, and something a bit sharper, cloves, nutmeg. Papaya comes in at the end. The oak is quite present, but very well integrated.
Finish: The finish is relatively short, but complex with a slight bite similar to the 13 year old. A malty influence, as from a decent lager, and light menthol on the end. The dry glass yields some wonderful sweet oak. Wisp of sulphur returns at the death.
THE ONLY GLENGOYNE AVAILABLE IN INDIA: THE 12 YO 70CL 43% ABV ₹4,000
In the stillness of our quiet glen at Glengoyne Distillery, we know patience is rewarded. For every minute other whiskies spend in their stills, ours spends three. Only then is it transferred to casks themselves prepared for six years, producing the fruity, complex flavours that can only be the end result of our famous Unhurried way.
Glengoyne distillery was founded in 1833 in a cluster of farm buildings at the foot of Dumgoyne Hill. The sites proximity to Glasgow meant the owners were able to build up great relationships with the city’s blenders. The Edmonstone family (the main landowner of the area) began production but soon passed control to the MacLelland family in the 1850s who, in turn, sold it to the Glasgow-based blender Lang Bros in 1876. It was they who changed the distillery’s original name, Burnfoot, to Glen Guin which was anglicised to Glengoyne in 1905. It played a vital role within Lang Brothers' blends [the best known being Supreme] and those of Robertson & Baxter (now Edrington). The latter firm bought Lang Brothers in 1965.
Glengoyne, technically classed as a Highland whisky, toes the Highland line some 20 miles north of Glasgow. In fact, its warehouses sit on the south side of the road, in the Lowlands! There likely aren’t many whiskies that can claim to be distilled in the Highlands and aged in the Lowlands. Single malt bottlings began in the early 1990s, when Glengoyne was sold as 'the unpeated malt', while much was also made of its geographical uniqueness, i.e., the distillery in the Highlands and its warehouses, directly across the road, in the Lowlands. Edrington considered it surplus to its requirements in 2003, selling it to Ian MacLeod for £7.2m. Its new owner has subsequently (and successfully) focussed on developing the brand as a single malt and the distillery as a multifunctional tourist destination. It now gets in excess of 50,000 visitors a year.
Glengoyne is a small facility with limited production, which contributes to its consistently high-quality malt. It runs a combination of long (and very long) fermentations, while distillation in its three stills (one wash, two spirit) is extremely slow. All of the stills have boil bulbs, which increases the amount of copper availability, while the gentle heating of the wash and spirit also helps to maximise the amount of time the alcohol vapour can play with the copper. This maximising of reflux produces a gentle, sweet, and fruity new make. The quality and refinement in such a relatively unknown 12 year-old Scotch whisky is impressive.
Glengoyne is a particularly green distillery, with 100% of its power coming from renewable energy. They shun peat in the drying of their barley. Glengoyne’s marketing is very adamant that the whisky has absolutely no peat character at all, either from the process water or from the barley, which is unusual at zero ppm (traditionally unpeated Highlanders like Glenlivet have around 2 ppm). The distillery has a right to market its insistence on showcasing the barley, as it is one of two remaining producers that use Golden Promise barley. The other is The Macallan. Golden Promise is considered to be of higher quality, but much more expensive to grow than high-yield commercial strains.
Nose: Hot. Faint elements of sherry – mildly nutty and fruity. Shy – I can’t determine much from the nose. After a rest in the glass, there’s a bit of caramel.
Palate: Soft and silky. Light fruits and nut butters initially, very well integrated. Like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in distilled form – very unlike anything else I’ve tried.
Finish: The sherry is more dominant on the finish, with distinct notes of berry jam and fruit juice. Fades with hazelnuts and no bitterness.
With Water: Water fails to wake up the nose, and does nothing interesting for the palate. I’d skip the water.
Overall: Slow fermentation (56 hours) and slow distilling with maximum copper contact are responsible for the nutty character of Glengoyne’s malt, as is its careful use of both first-fill sherry casks and ex-bourbon casks. Process water comes from the Glengoyne burn which flows from Loch Lomond, in the Highlands. This malt has a lot going for it. Despite the tardy nose, there is a delectable balance of nutty and fruity notes on the palate that is unrivaled by sherried malts in this price range. The balance here is impeccable, and the finish is flawless – no overly-wooded character flaws. A dram of real quality and sophistication; very well balanced and great value for money.
