GLENMORANGIE'S PURSUIT OF PASSION

 GLENMORANGIE’S Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection

Moët Hennessy-owned Glenmorangie has released a trio presentation set, the Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection, exploring wine regions. The new collection celebrates their master distiller Dr Bill Lumsden’s individual passion for fine wine and extended finishing of select single malt whiskies in French, Italian, Australian and American and  wine casks.

For over 180 years, the renowned whisky artisans at Glenmorangie_The Men of Tain_have demonstrated remarkable creativity in their pursuit of crafting increasingly exquisite single malts. Utilising the tallest stills in Scotland, they produce a refined and fruity spirit that enhances the development of flavour and aroma. This spirit is then matured in some of the finest casks available globally, mainly from their own oak forest in the Ozark Mountains in the USA and processed there through the vital initial conditioning in the Bourbon whiskey industry towards ultimate maturation of Scotch whisky. During the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Glenmorangie emerged as a trailblazer in the Scotch whisky sector, pioneering the technique of wood finishing. This innovative approach includes transferring aged whisky into various casks, allowing for the introduction of new flavour dimensions and complexity to their signature spirit.

THE TRIO

One notable feature of the new range is the length of the wine cask maturation – ‘finishing’ really is a misnomer here. The trio were aged for a total of 27 to 29 years each, of which 18 to 20 years were spent in their respective wine casks. This places them early in the history of Lumsden’s Glenmorangie career. He spent four years as distillery manager in the ’90s before taking on the forerunner of his current role, including the responsibility for cask sourcing.

As Glenmorangie’s head of distilling and whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden is one of Scotch whisky’s leading specialists in cask finishing. His expertise and passion for wine are behind the latest release, Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion, a collection of three ultra-aged, wine cask-finished expressions. This collection stays within Europe’s most acclaimed continental wine regions in search of casks that would bring unparalleled lusciousness to the whisky, exceptional casks from celebrated areas such as Burgundy and Bordeaux in France, and Piedmont in Italy.

He then filled those meticulously created casks with whisky, envisioning the unique flavours that could be achieved through extended wood finishes. In the Pursuit of Passion’s 600 sets, he unveils three of his most remarkable experiments: Glenmorangie Margaux Wine Cask Finish, Glenmorangie Corton-Charlemagne Wine Cask Finish, and Glenmorangie Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish. Aged 29, 28, and 27 years respectively, these rare creations are said to be distinguished by their extraordinary depth and complexity. Showcasing three prized experiments, each over 25 years old, these 600 sets are an ode to a passion and dedication to the art of wine cask finishing, each remarkably different from the other.

The collection’s oldest expression, at 29 years old, the Margaux Wine Cask Finish, was distilled in February 1995, the month that Lumsden became Glenmorangie’s distillery manager. It was matured in bourbon casks until mid-2004, and then refilled into Margaux casks for more than 20 years, the longest Glenmorangie wine cask finish ever released. It’s not Lumsden’s first Margaux expression, however, arming him with foreknowledge; he was fairly sure how that would work out: red fruit, white chocolate, cedar wood and cigar box.

Fresh and not remotely jammy, with raspberry and redcurrant to the fore on the nose, accompanied by a scented floral note edging into Parma Violet sweets. The texture on the palate is pure silk – a common feature of the rich, mellow and complex range – carrying darker notes of plum and cassis, intense flavours of chocolate, sweet chilli’ undercut by cedar and eucalyptus on the palate. An extremely elegant and beautifully balanced whisky bottled at 52.5% ABV.

The second-oldest expression in Pursuit of Passion is a 28 year old Corton-Charlemagne finish, the only white wine finish in the set. It was distilled in 1995 and aged in bourbon barrels until 2005, when it was refilled into grand cru white burgundy casks from the prestigious Corton-Charlemagne Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy, France, with Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc being the only permitted grape varieties.This was Glenmorangie’s first experiment with such casks. Finished for more than 18 years in white wine casks it is a little bit of an outlier in the world of great white Burgundy – an appellation that a lot of people are not that familiar with as En Charlemagne is only 0.28 hectares in size; production is limited and usually blended with grapes from the other lieu-dits of Corton-Charlemagne. It is known to be a spicy, smooth, and full-bodied expression that offers notes of jasmine and Asian clove.

Restraint from the outset here, combining jasmine, honeysuckle and pink peppercorn, before deepening into hazelnut praline and pastel de nata – all lifted by notes of lime flower, soft smoke, spice and lemongrass. The palate of the spicy, smooth and full-bodied expression shows great depth, with dark honey, Pontefract cake and charred pineapple. The anis notes are borne aloft by the velvety mouthfeel. A 28-year-old bottling offered at 52.1% ABV.

Similar to the rest of the collection, the Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish was distilled in 1996. Barbaresco is a dry red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape in the Barbaresco region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy, at the foothills of the alps. Barbaresco is a relatively deep, garnet-colored wine with brick-red hues, developing more of a brick-red color with age.This dry, powerful, and rich 27 Year Old whisky began its journey in bourbon casks. In 2005, Lumsden selected a portion to be transferred into high-quality Italian red wine casks from Barbaresco. The aromas of Barbaresco include floral notes, particularly roses and violets, along with red fruits and spices. On the palate, Barbaresco is slightly light-bodied, with refined tannins and vibrant acidity. The flavors in Barbaresco include red berries, herbs, and anise. These casks, never before used at the distillery, reflected the distillery’s trust in risk-assessed first experiments with new cask types. These casks were specifically chosen for the predicted deep, luscious flavours they could impart to Glenmorangie. After an extraordinarily long finish of over 18 years, this whisky resonates with hints again of success in extracting a totally new set of flavours and tongue-satiating savoury results. One can expect a deep, garnet-colored spirit with brick-red hues, developing more of a brick-red colour with age.

At 27 years of age, the Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish is the youngest of the bunch, and is bottled at 51.3 percent ABV, quite likely cask strength and not chill-filtered.

Producer's Tasting Notes:

Glenmorangie Margaux Wine Cask Finish Review

Nose: Rich, mellow and complex, with a veritable symphony of fruity and woody notes such as baked apple, pears, apricot and plum, honeydew melon, sweet aged balsamic vinegar and the gentlest touch of oak. There is a delicate, perfumed top note like honeysuckle and the merest hint of stewing black tea leaves. A splash of water then opens up some more curious woody notes, almost like furniture polish or tree resin.

Taste: The texture is peppery, tingly and warming and leads into an explosion of ripe, fruity flavours: apricot, peach, plum, cherries, baked red apples, juicy melon, followed by chocolate ganache, hints of ginger and sweet chilli, but always with a balancing tartness, reminiscent of sour cherries and citrus.

Finish: Long, zesty and woody or nutty, with hints of roasting chestnuts, eucalyptus and cocoa powder.

Glenmorangie Corton-Charlemagne Wine Cask Finish Review

Nose: Astonishingly aromatic and perfumed, with hints of pear, honeysuckle, juniper and gorse flowers, supported by some altogether bolder, oak-derived notes, like vanilla, almond and some gentle leather. With a few drops of water, some gentle floral notes are encountered, like carnation and jasmine, and finally the gentlest hint of struck match.

Taste: The texture is smooth and oily, as it coats the mouth with delicious, sweet and spicy flavours like honeycomb, poached pears in syrup, cocoa powder and spiced fruit bread. The sweetness continues with touches of almond marzipan and morello cherries.

Finish: The mellow aftertaste reveals the gentlest hints of leather and clove along with a touch of eucalyptus.

Glenmorangie Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish Review

Nose: Deep, powerful, spicy and rich, with notes of toffee, black fruits such as cherries, plums and damsons, graphite, black pepper and cinnamon. As the bouquet opens up, hints of vanilla, milk chocolate and baked pears are encountered, along with a hint of aged balsamic vinegar. With a splash of water, some altogether more earthy notes are encountered, like a damp forest floor. This is followed by a burst of eucalyptus and mint.

Taste: The mouthfeel is huge, spicy and slightly drying, and leads into a myriad of complex flavours. Chocolate sweetness is tempered by a grape-must dryness, along with hints of leather, mint-flavoured toffee, Christmas cake, ginger, nutmeg and clove. The classic Glenmorangie citrus fruit note comes across as candied orange peel.

Finish: Long and mellow with hints of chestnuts, oak tannin and aniseed.

Glenmorangie’s Pursuit of Passion collection is presented in a handcrafted oak case, designed to be a striking centrepiece. The marquetry on the back and sides subtly alludes to the staves used in wine cask construction, while the front of the case symbolically represents the diverse landscapes of the three distinct wine regions, reflecting the extraordinary flavour journey contained within each bottle.

Priced at £7,740/€9,000 per set, the Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection is available through the Moët Hennessy Private Client channel and at the Glenmorangie boutique in Heathrow Terminal 2, as well as from select retailers worldwide and the distillery visitor centre in Tain from October. Registrations of interest can also be made on the Glenmorangie website. At these ages and price points, these sets are well beyond the reach of the average avid Scotch whisky lover.

LAGAVULIN Vs LAPHROAIG PART 2

THE LAPHROAIG LAGAVULIN BATTLE: PART 2

Often, Islay-whisky lovers face the question as to which of Laphroaig or Lagavulin distilleries is better. They are really close neighbours, about 1.5 km apart and make similar whiskies in re peat content, smokiness and a taste which wouldn’t be out of place in an apothecary’s stopshop. So such a question must needs arise. But there is no template for comparing this breed of whiskies, which have flavours and tastes from a different planet. Still, one may study their histories, which have quite a bit in common.

THEIR HISTORIES: A BITTER ISLAY RIVALRY

The histories of Lagavulin and Laphroaig are closely tied, with Laphroaig said to have been founded by the son of the founder of Lagavulin. This was only because both had similar sounding names Johnston/Johnstone; they were not related. Lagavulin did have a sister distillery, confusingly called Ardmore, which was amalgamated into Lagavulin in 1825.

After Laphroaig's Donald Johnston (son of John Johnston) fell into a vat of boiling whisky in 1847, Lagavulin's Walter Graham leased Laphroaig and ran both distilleries until the young Dugald Johnston (Donald Johnston's son) was ready to take over Laphroaig. Graham was less than willing to return it, since it was a money spinner and devised a plan to take the foreseeable dispute into the next generation and the next century. In 1853, he drew up a retro-active lease, allowing him indirect control over Laphroaig. 50% of Laphroaig’s output would come directly to Lagavulin for their use, up to 60 years of his assuming control in 1847. He would act as intermediary for the sale of a further 30% of Laphroaig’s output, which he would buy for himself, and the remaining 20% would be left to Dugald to manage on his coming of age in 1857.

Lagavulin came to wider public awareness in 1862 when blender John Logan Mackie bought the distillery. His nephew Peter J. Mackie made the first of many trips to Islay in 1878 to learn the secrets of distilling. He even worked for some time in Laphroaig, before being fired once his antecedents were revealed and eventually took over production of Lagavulin in 1889, when John died. Sir Peter Mackie, as he became, was one of the pre-eminent figures of late 19th century whisky.

He created the White Horse blend in 1890, registering it the next year and entered the market with high hopes. The name White Horse was chosen because of the Mackie family’s centuries-long association with the famous White Horse coaching Inn, situated on Edinburgh’s Canongate. His brand succeeded beyond his dreams, so much that he started to run short of malt whisky to blend. Realising that both Laphroaig and Lagavulin were too pungent to use liberally, he needed milder Speyside whiskies, then called Glenlivets. Accordingly, Mackie became one of the partners in the Craigellachie Distillery Co Ltd, which in 1891 constructed Craigellachie distillery in Speyside. Mackie & Co (Distillers) Ltd went on to take full control of Craigellachie during 1916.

Having entered Speyside, he had a wide array of 'Glenlivets' to choose from. Grain whisky was being used rather liberally in blended whiskies, much to Mackie’s annoyance. His White Horse blended whisky contained only 25% grain whisky from two distilleries. The malt whiskies came from Craigellachie and two other Speysiders (31%), Laphroaig and Lagavulin (18%), two Lowland Malts(19%) and one Campbeltown whisky (7%). He was noted as a great innovator.

The death of Laphroaig owner Alex Johnston brought his nephew, Ian Hunter, to the island. Hunter, a newly qualified engineer, was disappointed by the state of the agency agreement. He felt Laphroaig was not getting the best returns since Mackie was demanding most of the distillery’s output for its own blends. The two distilleries got into an unseemly and litigious scrap after Laphroaig tried to get out of an existing agency agreement to sell their whisky to Lagavulin for the latter's blends (which included White Horse, invented in 1890 by Lagavulin's then-owner Peter Mackie). This resulted in a string of court cases.

After the agency had finally run out in 1907, and with Laphroaig refusing to renew it, Lagavulin retaliated and blocked off Laphroaig's water supply, necessitating another return to court to sort out the rights. Laphroaig won this round, only for Lagavulin to pinch its distillery manager the following year, 1908. Irritated by the loss of the agency for Laphroaig, Mackie built a replica distillery at Lagavulin which he called Malt Mill and set about trying to create copies of Laphroaig's stills in a bid to make a spirit that would taste exactly the same. It ran until 1962 and though it was set up to produce the same character as Laphroaig – which is only two miles away – it never did. Neither did it make Lagavulin.

Malt Mill’s whisky was used as a contribution to the company’s blends, most notably White Horse and Mackie’s Ancient Scotch, which featured the name of the distillery on the label. It was never – as far as historians know – bottled as a single malt. The distillery floor maltings shut in 1974. They now form the visitor’s centre and admin offices.

Today, relations between the two great distilleries are rather more cordial.

LAPHROAIG

Laphroaig distillery is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery. It is named after the area of land at the head of Loch Laphroaig on the south coast of the Isle of Islay. A commonly suggested etymology implies an original Gaelic form something like "Lag Bhròdhaig" (the hollow of Broadbay). The name may be related to a placename on the east coast of Islay, "Pròaig", again suggested as meaning "broad bay". The distillery and brand are owned and operated by Beam Suntory, the American subsidiary of Japan's Suntory Holdings.

The Laphroaig distillery was established in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston. In 1847, co-founder Donald Johnston died in dramatic circumstances and for the next decade Walter Graham, the new owner cum manager of neighbouring distillery Lagavulin, ran the company. Laphroaig returned to Johnston family hands in 1857 when Donald’s son Dugald gained ownership, albeit to little effect. The last member of the Johnston family to run the distillery was Ian Hunter, a nephew of Sandy Johnston, who died childless in 1954 and left the distillery to one of his managers, Bessie Williamson. 

Laphroaig’s unique flavour comes in part from its vicinity to the coast and the high moss content of its peat, which is processed in the distillery’s own floor maltings. More comparative details are available here.

The distillery was sold to Long John International in the 1960s, subsequently becoming part of Allied Domecq. The brand was in turn acquired by Fortune Brands in 2005, as one of the brands divested by Pernod Ricard in order to obtain regulatory approval for its takeover of Allied Domecq. Fortune Brands then split up its business product lines in 2011, forming its spirits business into Beam Inc. Beam was then purchased by Suntory Holdings in April 2014.

Laphroaig has been the only whisky to carry the Royal Warrant of the then Prince of Wales, which was awarded in person during a visit to the distillery in 1994. The distillery identifies Charles by his title of Duke of Rothesay, as recognised then in Scotland. The 15-year-old was reportedly the prince's (now King) favourite Scotch whisky. 

Friends of Laphroaig:

In 1994 the Friends of Laphroaig Club was established, members of which are granted a lifetime lease of 1 square foot (930 cm2) of Laphroaig land on the island of Islay. The annual rent is a dram of Laphroaig which can be obtained upon visiting the distillery.

LAGAVULIN

Lagavulin is owned by Diageo PLC, the company formed by the merger of United Distillers & Vintners and Guinness. It was previously marketed under the Classic Malts range of single malts, which is now defunct. The standard bottling is a 16-year-old, bottled at 43% ABV. They also bottle a Distiller's edition, finished in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks. Alongside these, they regularly release a 12-year-old cask strength version and various older and rarer expressions.

The name Lagavulin is an anglicisation of Lag a' Mhuilinn, the Scottish Gaelic for hollow of the mill. The distillery of Lagavulin officially dates from 1816, when John Johnston and Archibald Campbell constructed two distilleries on the site. One of them became Lagavulin, taking over the other—which one is not exactly known. Records show illicit distillation in at least ten illegal distilleries on the site as far back as 1742, however. In the 19th century, several legal battles ensued with their neighbour Laphroaig, brought about after the distiller at Lagavulin, Sir Peter Mackie, leased the Laphroaig distillery. It is said that Mackie attempted to copy Laphroaig's style. Since the water and peat at Lagavulin's premises was different from that at Laphroaig's, the result was different. The Lagavulin distillery is located in the village of the same name. 

Lagavulin is known for its producer's use of a slow distillation speed and pear shaped pot stills. The two wash stills have a capacity of 11,000 litres and the two spirit stills of 12,500 litres each. Lagavulin is almost exclusively matured in ex-bourbon casks, meaning its robust, uncompromising smoke and salted-fish character comes storming out of the glass unhindered. 

Allocations of the standard 16 Year Old are never adequate to satisfy demand for the product, resulting in frequent shortages. Diageo solves this problem by also releasing a cask strength 12 Year Old almost every year, along with the vintage-dated Distillers Edition series, which has been finished in sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and has won numerous awards in its own right. To mark its 200th anniversary in 2016, Lagavulin released an eight-year-old whisky that is very highly rated, as affirmed by The Whisky Exchange.

Its whiskies are made with water from the Solan Lochs, while the peat – so crucial to their distinctive flavour – comes from the extensive peat bogs in the west of the island. Its phenol rating is 35 ppm, like Laphroaig. This is a steep climbdown from the phenol count of 50 ppm right up to 1990, when it started to drop its ppm gradually to 35 by 1996. So, do cast your eyes about for a pre-2006 bottling, a tricky job, at best. That Lagavulin is a bomb, compared to today's 'mild' offerings.

There are four stills at Lagavulin, two of them pear-shaped in the style inherited from Malt Mill, which run for longer than any others on Islay. Lagavulin whiskies will be in the stills for more than five hours for the first distillation and more than nine hours for the second. This long distillation is said to contribute towards the whisky’s roundness and mellow edges.

FIRST POSTED ON 27 MAY 2017

LAGAVULIN Vs LAPHROAIG: PART 1

THE LAPHROAIG LAGAVULIN BATTLE: PART 1

 LAPHROAIG

The name Laphroaig is Gaelic and means “The beautiful hollow by the broad bay”. Laphroaig is one of the oldest distilleries on Islay and this story shows that, despite whisky distilling being often romanticised, it was also a dangerous occupation.

After the Scottish Civil War of 1745, three Johnston brothers came to Islay, ostensibly for farming and the three occupied different parts of Islay on lease from Islay's Laird Walter Campbell. Two of the three brothers, Donald and Alexander, started their own farms at Laphroaig around 1810 and together began licensed distilling in 1815. The third son also leased a plot, but lost interest and left for the mainland, fading out of the picture. When Alexander died in 1836, Donald became the sole owner of the Laphroaig distillery. Their neighbouring distillery was David Johnstone's Lagavulin,licensed in 1816.

At that time the Campbells, who owned Donald's land, leased that third plot to James and Andrew Gairdner who built a rival distillery next to Laphroaig. They installed two experienced Clackmann distillers, James and Andrew Stein, to take charge. Donald Johnston, owner of Laphroaig at the time, was deeply disturbed finding out that the new distillery, Ardenistiel, proposed to use the same water source that they were using. It was this water that made an immensely vital contribution to Laphroaig's unique character, all the more so when Donald was about to expand his business; any diversion or sharing would leave him with insuperably inadequate water supply.

Donald appealed to the judiciary about the problems he had with the sharing of the water supply and the fact that the expansion of his business wasn’t possible without proper water supply. The dispute lasted almost 6 years and ended abruptly when Andrew Stein fell ill with fever and died soon afterwards. His brother James, who couldn’t cope with distilling alone, stopped and moved to Port Ellen. In June the following year Donald himself died in a tragic accident at the Laphroaig distillery. His son, Dugald, was just a wee lad, so Lagavulin's new owner Walter Graham leased Laphroaig and ran both distilleries, though Dugald came of age in 1857 and was, on paper, the owner of Laphroaig. Dugald, his son Alex and nephew Ian Hunter would feature prominently in the years ahead as he grew up and learned the trade and its finer arts.

Laphroaig in 1887 with the ruins of Ardenistiel distillery in the right hand bottom corner

The Ardenistiel Distillery was also known as Kildalton (1849-52) and Islay (1852). This distillery was taken over by Laphroaig in 1853.

Laphroaig became a successful whisky distillery and the neighbouring Lagavulin distillery sought to cash in on Laphroaig's success and built identical stills to try and get the same taste as Laphroaig. The Lagavulin distillery, however, got its water "from the other side of the hill" which was the reason for the different character of Lagavulin whisky and its failure in copying Laphroaig. It is also said that the location of the maturation houses from Laphroaig, being so close to the sea, make a difference in the taste.

LAGAVULIN

‘Lagavulin, or “The Mill Hollow”, one of the oldest places of habitation in the island is situated on the margin of the sea and together with its picturesque surroundings, combine to make it one of the most desirable locations upon the island, so justly designated the Queen of the Hebrides.’

The Lagavulin story begins, as so often in tales of Scotch whisky, with smuggling and illegality. Lagavulin is the oldest distillery on Islay, the business having been actually commenced by a smuggling fraternity as early as the year 1742 in about 10 separate bothies in the bay.

Lagavulin only went legit in 1816, when the various enterprises were combined into not one, but initially two distilleries, operating side by side and owned by the same family, the Johnstones. The second plant, confusingly named Ardmore, ceased production shortly afterwards.

We must say that the salubrity of atmosphere, good water, and the finest quality of malt have much to do with the production of Lagavulin whisky. Lagavulin has a high reputation both at home and abroad; as a single whisky its reputation is unique, and it is one of the few Highland whiskies that can be drunk alone.’            Alfred Barnard, pioneering Victorian whisky writer

These were Victorian times, and people didn’t talk about drinking a great deal. Writing about the Highlands seems to have given people permission to write about drinking. And when they write about drinking, people seem to have been drinking Lagavulin.

When Lagavulin came under the control of Peter Mackie in 1878, he clearly wanted to celebrate the fame of his distilleries, as well as creating the White Horse blend. These were two of only four brands of Scotch Whisky that USA allowed entry during its infamous Prohibition Era, doled out as a medicinal prescription by doctors.
                  

The Lagavulin/White Horse association, made manifest by the painted equine emblem on the roof of the distillery, remains to this day: while most of Lagavulin’s production is destined for bottling as a single malt, it is still part of the White Horse blend.

‘Restless Peter’s reputation is coloured by some of his actions. Irked by the loss of the agency for neighbouring Laphroaig, he built a painstaking replica distillery within Lagavulin, using his knowledge of its operations and even poaching someone from the distillery two miles down the road to seal the deal.

But Malt Mill, as this early micro-distillery became known, didn’t produce Laphroaig. Or Lagavulin, for that matter. It was used in a couple of Mackie blends, particularly Ancient Scotch, as it had a very unusual phenolic character, very different to Lagavulin.

Used for blending and never – as far as is known – bottled as a single malt, Malt Mill ceased operations in 1962 and remains one of the more enigmatic ‘lost’ distilleries, epitomising the elusive nature of distillery character. It is also referred to as ‘a tribute to Peter Mackie’s bloody-mindedness’.

Mackie’s reputation as an eccentric is only part of the story. He set up the first lab for whisky quality and was obsessed with whisky quality and consistency. And Lagavulin reaped the rewards.

Lagavulin is generally drunk throughout the island and is much prized by the inhabitants… Lagavulin whisky is sold largely in Scotland, England and the chief foreign markets, and is in such demand that the orders exceed the output, which reaches 100,000 gallons annually. 

Lagavulin today, while dwarfed by bigger brands such as Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet, is a stalwart single malt, a global favourite that was part of the sextet that formed the initial Classic Malts line-up. But why Lagavulin and not, for instance, Caol Ila?

‘Quality and reputation,’ responds an aficionado . ‘In the discussions that went into choosing the Classic Malts there were two or three factors in play. One would be quality and reputation – which is quite amorphous, but we all know which distilleries are famous and which aren’t. Then attractiveness: could you take visitors there? It would never have been Caol Ila.’

The deliberations fell short, however, on the matter of supply. Tying Lagavulin to a 16-year-old age statement didn’t help either – and the distillery has remained on allocation for much of its recent past. They never imagined that Lagavulin would be selling 100,000 cases or whatever! In fact, ‘they’ wondered if anyone would want to drink Lagavulin at all. Delving back further into the 1980s when people were starting to agitate over the evident success of Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie, The Ascot Cellar collection (a Classic Malts precursor) included a 12-year-old Lagavulin – but only reluctantly. The old established DCL hands didn’t believe that people would drink Talisker, Lagavulin or Caol Ila. They thought all these brands were far too challenging.

In the end, a number of factors conspire to give a much-loved distillery like Lagavulin its special status: the liquid, without doubt, but also the place, the people and the history. And, in more practical and prosaic terms, its usefulness as both blending component and stand-alone single malt. This is the key to why Lagavulin (and Caol Ila) survived the cull of the early 1980s when Port Ellen didn’t. The DCL committee would have looked at a number of issues – the cost of alcohol insofar as they were able, the water supply (which wasn’t very good at Port Ellen), but the key was the recommendations of the blending committees. They asked which whiskies they wanted and which they didn’t need. Caol Ila and Lagavulin were very important. But if you’d asked people about Port Ellen even in the 1990s, nobody would have given a fig for it, and apparently it wasn’t a particularly pleasant place to work.’

And so, 200 years on from legal establishment, and considerably longer since distillation began at its location, Lagavulin remains, its buildings huddled into the dramatic landscape of the Kildalton coast in a romantic situation. The exigencies of the location make expansion problematic, although by no means impossible. Lagavulin is to some extent, trapped in its own history. 

FIRST POSTED ON 27 MAY 2017

THE REAL McCOY

THE REAL McCOY

The Cutty Sark is the world’s last remaining clipper ship. It was built on the Clyde, in Glasgow, in 1869 for the China tea trade, and was one of the fastest clippers ever built. 

Ordered by Scottish tea magnate John Willis, designed by Scotsman Hercules Linton, built in Dumbarton near Glasgow, Scotland, named after a Scottish piece of apparel worn by a Scottish poet Robert Burns character and manned by a crew predominantly Scottish, she symbolised everything Scottish and was an eminently suitable title for a delectable Scotch whisky.

I’ve been onboard; it is narrow and, except for the top deck and the Captain’s cabin, there is no headroom. The average height of ceilings reduce progressively as you descend through her three decks, from 5'6" to 3’9”.

Edrington PLC, a company whose head office was located ten miles from where the famous ship was built, used the name for a whisky it launched on March 23, 1923. Cutty Sark was the first light coloured, blended whisky. Launched at the height of the “cocktail culture”, it was designed to be mixed and was aimed squarely at the American market. It started as a 3 Year Old whisky during Prohibition in the US (1920-33); immediately after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 5 YO hit the market. Current blends are 8 YO. 

During Prohibition, Cutty Sark gave rise to the term “the real McCoy.” The whisky was bootlegged by the legendary Bill McCoy, an American smuggler based in the Bahamas. McCoy, a nondrinker, guaranteed his contraband was uncut and unadulterated. The quality of his whisky gave rise to the expression, “the real McCoy”, an expression that remains a synonym for integrity and authenticity. During Prohibition, “ordering a real McCoy” became slang for ordering a Cutty Sark.

Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the impeccable reputation of the whisky led to a surge in sales and Cutty Sark became one of the best-selling Scotch whisky brands in the United States. It remains one of that country’s most popular blends. Bill McCoy died a multi-millionaire in 1948. 

In 2013, Edrington released Cutty Sark, Prohibition Edition, a 50% ABV blended Scotch, to commemorate Bill McCoy and the 90th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. A 12 Years Old version is also on the market, priced higher than JW Black Label.

CUTTY SARK Prohibition Edition 70/75/100 cl | 50 % ABV

CUTTY SARK Prohibition Edition is crafted as a salute to the famous Captain William "Bill" McCoy, who smuggled CUTTY SARK Blended Scotch Whisky into America during the Prohibition era in the 1920s. Captain McCoy's impeccable reputation for not dealing with the mob, and for providing the finest, unadulterated liquor gave rise CUTTY SARK being referred as "The Real McCoy".The second in the Cutty Sark Whisky family, Prohibition was released 80 years after the end of the era. As an original and inimitable whisky launched in memory of the Prohibition era, CUTTY SARK Prohibition was deliberately created to defy conventions. With its inimitable smooth and mellow taste profile and its unique maritime and historical heritage, the whisky is designed to take the lucky drinker on an adventure.

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition is at least three years old, but as it has no age statement we don’t know if it’s any older. It is a blended Scotch whisky bottled at 50% ABV. The recipe is mostly a mystery but the whisky is said to contain a portion matured in American oak sherry casks.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: Opens on malt and a dessert tray of buttercream, toffee, and vanilla wafers. Behind the tray is some salted white bread dough being kneaded on slate. Fruit is here too: green apple and orange rind. Water amplifies the malt and vanilla wafers.

Palate: A sweet entry on sherried raisins and oranges. The mouthfeel is medium with some slight woody astringency. The mid-palate brings toffee and caramel, which are the dominant flavours here. The back palate gets just a touch of cinnamon and clove spicing. Throughout there is a pinch of salt. Water erases the dried fruits and adds some cream.

Finish: Medium to long on toffee and caramel with hints of cinnamon, salt and smoke. Water lengthens the finish, making it woodier and more drying.

Overall: Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition is one of the best value Scotch whisky blends available. It’s the sort of bottle that a drinker in the know adds to their basket to reach the magical threshold for free shipping. They might later find they reach for it more readily than the other, more expensive bottle they bought with it.

The malt, the casks, and the alcohol strength make this an enjoyable sipper from start to finish, avoiding the common pitfalls of widely available blends. There are no cardboardy offnotes and the finish stays around for a fair while. If there are any offnotes here they are from the young malts in the recipe – reminiscent of some immature indie Glenrotheses – but what you think of those is a matter of preference. Buy this whisky and you too can celebrate 100 years since prohibitionist referendums and reforms and alcohol-linked taxes.

CUTTY SARK 33 YO 70 cl | 41.7 % ABV

The oldest Blend ever released by CUTTY SARK, this bottling of 2014 celebrates this particular time when the brand found its way into America, flourished within the emerging cocktail culture and changed the face of Scotch Whisky forever. Exquisite and seductive, this highly collectable pack for connoisseurs and Whisky enthusiasts with only 3,456 bottles produced at an RRP of £650. Bohemian and symbolic, this limited edition bottling has been released to continue to explore the rich history, heritage and origins of CUTTY SARK blended Scotch Whisky, with a specific focus on the Art Deco period of the 1920s and early 1930s.

The bespoke bottle is decorated with sunburst and geometric designs in the style symbolic of the era. Presented in a piano black wooden box inlaid with mother of pearl, it also contains two decorated glasses and a 32-page book, which provides a brief insight into the Art Deco period.

An Edrington release says that following on from their multi-award winning Tam O’Shanter limited edition released in 2011, this is the oldest blended Scotch ever released by Cutty Sark, selected and crafted by Kirsteen Campbell, their master blender. The stylish liquid created by Kirsteen pushes the brand into exciting flavour developments, with the set the bar very high with the Tam O’Shanter 25 year old and has raised even further this time.

                               

First Posted on 23 Feb 2017

ADDENDUM

HISTORY OF CLIPPER CUTTY SARK

The Cutty Sark, a clipper renowned for her speed and elegant design, symbolises the golden age of sail. She was designed to be one of the fastest ships of her time, primarily for the China tea trade. Her name, ‘Cutty Sark’, comes from the short shirt worn by the witch Nannie in Robert Burns' poem ‘Tam o' Shanter’. Commissioned in 1869 by shipping magnate John "White Hat" Willis, she had a distinguished career, excelling in the task she was built for. The opening of the Suez Canal and the rise of steamships forced her out of her dedicated task after just eight trips and she was redeployed to carrying wool from Australia to the UK, where she held the record for the fastest passage for ten years. Steamships came into the wool route by 1890, inexorably reducing her utility and cost-effectiveness in a world where speed was of the essence.

In 1895, she was sold to a Portuguese company and renamed Ferreira to be used as a cargo ship. Although officially registered as Ferreira, the Portuguese crew often referred to it as 'Pequina Camisola', which translates as 'short nightie' - thereby keeping the original meaning of ‘Cutty Sark’ alive. When Portugal declared war on Germany, the ship had to contend with unrestricted submarine warfare. Despite surviving this unscathed, by the 1920s the ship was in poor condition and unlikely to survive much longer. The ship was sold in 1922 to another Portuguese company and renamed Maria do Amparo. However, it did not retain this name for long, as it was soon purchased by retired British sea captain Wilfred Dowman of Falmouth, who restored her original name while planning to use her as a training ship. When Dowman died, his wife gifted the ship to the Incorporated Thames Nautical College at Greenhithe, where it continued to be used as a cadet training ship until the end of the Second World War. In the post-war period, she was no longer needed as a training ship and fell into disrepair. In 1954, the Cutty Sark was moved to a permanent dry dock in Greenwich, London, where she now serves as a museum ship.

After retiring from commercial life, the Cutty Sark served as a cadet and officer training vessel for the Royal and Merchant Navies for three decades through World War II. She made her last move in 1954 to stand tall in dry dock in Greenwich, London, and has remained a museum ship open to the public since 1957, surviving a devastating fire in 2007.

TIDBITS

• Cutty Sark cost £16,150 when first built.

• If all the sails were out, they would measure 32,000 square feet in total.

• There are 11 miles of rigging altogether.

• The main mast is 153 feet high.

• The hull was sheathed in a copper and zinc alloy. This was to prevent things like barnacles and molluscs from burrowing into the ship.

• Mrs Moodie – the wife of the first master of the ship, Scotsman George Moodie – officially named the ship when it was launched in Dumbarton on 22 November 1869.

• The ship's first load of tea in Shanghai, China in 1870 was 1,305,812 lbs gross.

• Cutty Sark was opened twice by Queen Elizabeth II: once in 1957, and again for its reopening after comprehensive overhaul in 2012.

• The ship’s motto was ‘When there’s a Willis a way’.

• She usually flies signal flags from her ensign halyard reading "JKWS", which is the code representing Cutty Sark in the International Code of Signals, introduced in 1857.

TRY BLENDED MALTS

 AN EXCELLENT CHANGE: BLENDED MALTS

Blended malts are, as the name suggests, a combination of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies – unlike blends, there’s no grain whisky here. Instead, you have some of the most innovative Scotch whiskies around, from Islay-influenced smoke and seaweed to the typical Speyside character of rich, spiced fruit.

These whiskies are big business in Taiwan, which remains by far the world’s biggest blended malt market. There’s no limit to the number of single malts you can use in a blended malt: while Monkey Shoulder combines only three, Wemyss The Hive comprises no fewer than 16, many of them from Speyside. You might think you’re firmly rooted in Islay when tasting Peat Monster from Compass Box – but peated Speysider Ardmore is a crucial part of the mix. A very large percentage of these expressions are NAS.

Here is my order of priority. A bottle every now and then from the list below would be fine if you could lay your hands on them, but then, many bottles listed are rather difficult to get, unless there is a well-stocked bar close by. Good luck.

• Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza NAS
• Compass Box The Peat Monster NAS 46% ABV
• Monkey Shoulder NAS with SMs from Kininvie, Glenfiddich and Balvenie of various ages
• Monkey Shoulder Smokey Monkey NAS, with one peated whisky
• Poit Dhubh 12 YO Uisge Beatha Albannach. An 8 YO is also available
• Chivas Regal Ultis NAS, with SMs from Allt a'Bhainne, Braeval, Longmorn, Strathisla and Tormore
• Johnnie Walker Island Green Label NAS
• Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 YO
• Big Peat 54.6% ABV NAS, an all Islay BM with whiskies from Ardbeg,  Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen
• Copper Dog, NAS 40%, a combination of eight Speyside single malts
• Johnnie Walker Black Label Islay Origin, 12 YO, 42% ABV
• Naked Malt matured in first fill Sherry casks
• Highland Journey NAS from Hunter Laing 46.2% ABV Highland Malts
• J & B Exception 12 YO using Speyside Malts
• Shackleton's Discovery NAS 47.3% ABV
• Berry Bros & Rudd's Blue Hanger 11th Release NAS 45.6%
• Smokey Joe Islay Blended Malt Whisky NAS 46% ABV
• Sheep Dip 8 YO with 16 SMs from Whyte & Mackay
• Bowmore 12 YO Blended Malt Whisky
• Wemyss Peat Chimney 46% ABV with Islay Malts

CHIVAS REGAL 18 YO

 THE TRANSFORMATION OF CHIVAS REGAL 18 YEARS OLD
BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Two things set Chivas Regal apart from the rest of the Blended Scotch sector: their illustrious history and their line, which consists entirely of middle-aged and old whisky. The brand traces its roots, like so many Blended Scotch brands, to a grocery store blender. Chivas Regal’s grocery blend is somewhat older than the norm, however, and features a tag on the carton and the neck on all bottles blended up to 2017 boasting ‘From 1801’, changed to 'Founded 1801' thereafter. The statements on both the carton and bottle are, however, without foundation. The Chivas brothers in question, James and John, from Strathythan farm at Overtown of Dudwick in Ellon Parish, 20 miles north of Aberdeen, weren’t even born then (1810/1814 respectively.) It is quite probably a legal loophole that is being exploited.

James Chivas’ first sniff of whisky came when he was 28 years old, in 1838, when he joined William Edward, fine grocer and wine-seller in Aberdeen, in his first job as a full-time hired employee. This fine grocery business, which was destined for fame under another name, had been founded in 1801 by John Forrest at 47 Castle Street, Aberdeen. Forrest died in 1828 and Edward, his manager, bought the company from the bereaved family and registered himself as a grocer, wine, and spirits purveyor and provision merchant, one of 209 others in Aberdeen, besides 193 vintners.

James Chivas, hired by Edward in 1838, rose to minor partner that very year, with almost total control over the wines and spirits department, as Edward was struck with a 'palsy' and died overseas just three years later in Madeira in March '41. As Edward had died intestate, his legacy went under judicial probate. In this indistinct period for business out of those premises, James left and joined a similar victuals provender, Charles Stewart as junior partner, registering themselves as Stewart and Chivas, 39 Woolmanhill Street. They returned to buy the vacant 13, King Street property available post-probate later that year and relocated there as a “One-stop-shop.”

James Chivas remained the sole common partner/owner till his death. The company, when known as Edward and Chivas (1838-41) and later Stewart and Chivas (1841-57), had furthered the ex-Forrest company's reputation for excellence from the extravagant shop at 13 King Street and obtained a Royal Warrant to supply luxury goods to Queen Victoria in 1843, the second of thirteen. Between 1843-51, they expanded further and added 9,11 and 23 King Street. The company was dissolved in 1857 when Stewart left and renamed Chivas Brothers with the advent of John Chivas as Partner.

The home base of Chivas Regal is Strathisla distillery, earlier known as Milltown or Milton distillery, which predates the founding of the brand, dating to 1786 and standing as the oldest of the Highland region’s distilleries and the prettiest. It is known to be a tricky customer by blenders as it needs time to hit maturity when its full range of complexities is revealed. This single malt is not seen in any bottling below 10 years. It becomes easy to understand why Chivas Regal has that unique and singular flavour not noted in the thousands of blended brands that are present in or have come and gone over the past 150 years.

The Chivas Regal 18 Year Old is made from 20 different grain and malt whiskies, all 18 years old or older. It comes in the signature Chivas package: a squat, clear glass bottle with the crossed swords label. The bottle does a fine job of showing off one of Chivas Regal’s few consistently good qualities, namely it’s colour. The scotch is bottled at 40% ABV.

Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature was first launched in 1997 when Chivas Brothers was still under ownership of Seagram’s, as Pernod Ricard didn’t gain ownership until after the turn of the 21st century. It is a uniquely rich and multi-layered blend that includes over twenty of Scotland’s rarest single malt Scotch whiskies. It claims to have 85 flavour notes packed into every drop as the epitome of complexity. Chivas claims its two most prominent brands here are Strathisla single malt and Strathclyde single grain. Chivas 18 Blue – 2023 Wine gift box is a special version bottled in 2023 specifically for Vietnam.

The most difficult in producing branded whisky is consistency. On the one hand, being able to offer the customer a product that is consistent in quality and flavour profile makes perfect sense when trying to build a brand aiming to establish brand loyalty. On the other hand, dealing with a product where batch production, and therefore, batch variation, is an inescapable element of the whole process, makes for a host of variables like environment, infrastructure, cask management, transportation, wear and tear effects, warehousing conditions, the odd changes in ownership, etc. The ‘copy-paste’ practice simply won’t work, compounded with the fact that one specific brand is sometimes not available, or is available in limited quantity.

Producing blends is less onerous than single malts where grain whisky from the column stills is more reliable, especially so for the brands that go by age. The availability factor will crop up with time as products from a bygone era distillery must dry up (Longmorn and Caperdonich being great examples of what used to be mandatory for the creation of Chivas.) Even so, the task of coming up with a consistent product every single time is challenging. For the Chivas brand alone, master blender Colin Scott works with some 200 different whiskies for the creation of the 12 year old, identifies those that would go into the 15 year old, others that are best left for the 18 year old and so on. Interestingly, with the idea of recreating the 1909 grand 25 year old on his mind, Sandy Hyslop found suitable aged whiskies while ferreting around for the 18 year old and the 25 year old was created in 2007.

In October 2024, Chivas Regal unveiled a bold sleek new look for its five time award-winning Chivas Regal 18. Featuring a 25 percent glass weight reduction on its flagship 70cl bottle and fully recyclable outer packaging, the elevated, redesigned bottle – housing the same award-winning Scotch – reaffirms not only Chivas Regal’s dedication to luxury, but also its wider commitment to reducing its environmental impact. The packaging is designed by Nude Brand Creation.

Whisky enthusiasts around the world will experience Chivas Regal’s award-winning blend in its elevated new look. The updated bottle features a taller, prouder silhouette with rounded shoulders, and a jewel-like, layered, and multi-faceted label. The iconic Luckenbooth, a traditional Scottish symbol that embodies Chivas Regal’s heritage and values, is now positioned at the heart of the label, and embossed into the glass base. The classic Chivas Regal shield and crossed spears – now embossed into the glass for a more refined and luxurious look – signify protection and loyalty, reflecting the brotherhood of James and John Chivas whose descendants' entrepreneurial spirit set the groundwork for the world’s first luxury whisky that made its debut in New York in 1909. The dateline ‘Since 1801’ has been removed.

In addition to the lighter bottle, the updated carton features opulent gold detailing and a gold-coloured tin lid, finished with Chivas Regal Master Blender Sandy Hyslop’s signature in gold lettering. The flagship 70cl bottle’s reduction in glass weight will result in significant environmental benefits, estimated to save over 500 tonnes of glass annually based on FY24 volume sales. The new design brings Chivas Regal 18 in line with Chivas Regal 12, which unveiled a contemporary new look in 2021, and follows the transformations of Chivas Regal Extra and Chivas Regal XV.

ADDENDA

Collaboration with Sports

Announced ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix of 24 Nov 2024 , luxury Scotch whisky Chivas Regal revealed that it will be the ‘Official Team Partner’ of the Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 team in a new global multi-year partnership that unites two iconic heritage brands with a shared legacy in craft, innovation and luxury.

The collaboration sees Chivas Regal – the original luxury blended Scotch whisky – and Scuderia Ferrari HP – the world’s most successful Formula 1 team – come together to celebrate their commitment to collective success, which forms the foundation of the new partnership, focussing on telling the untold stories of teamwork that are critical to success. The partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP is the latest move for Chivas Regal in its long-standing association with global sports culture, having enjoyed partnerships with Premier League football clubs for many years.

The Unveiling at Dubai

The arrival of a new bottle for its iconic Chivas Regal 18 scotch whisky had been announced globally by Chivas, focusing on how morphing the traditional rounded shape into a taller and slimline silhouette, its refined, clean-cut, and sustainable redesign gave a fresh look to the time-honored craftsmanship that went into its award-winning blend. With the new bottle marking the first-ever Chivas Regal 18 redesign, the brand celebrated the historic moment at a special unveiling event in Dubai on 07 Dec 2024. Continuing to hone in on the artistry of whisky distilling, the concept “Brilliance Takes Time” gave focus to the event, emphasising how the finest things are the result of patience, precision, and the careful balance of time and craftsmanship.

The showstopper of the night, however, was an art installation specially designed by sculptor Idriss B. Best known for his geometric works, the respective installation played on the “Brilliance Takes Time” concept through a polygonal hourglass design showcasing the Chivas Regal 18 bottles. The design showed how patience, precision, and craftsmanship are qualities that resonate deeply with art and extend to whisky-making. According to the sculptor, his design was a celebration of how time, when balanced with creativity and skill, leads to something truly brilliant—whether it’s a masterpiece of art or a blend as exceptional as Chivas 18. The showpiece was set off by clever and stylish design of the venue. The intimate space was transformed with blue lighting and jewel graphics, paying tribute to the newly restaged bottle. The theme of time and craftsmanship was woven into every detail for the evening’s activities, creating an immersive experience that reinforced the subliminal accent on the values of patience, precision, and artistry.

Sustainability

The River Within: The River Within is a new long-term programme between Chivas Brothers and The Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust, Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Rivers Trust, and the Spey Catchment Initiative to help protect and restore some of Scotland’s iconic waterways. Fortunately, Scotland has an extended but irregular rainy season, allowing for natural replenishment of its ground water. In October, the sky is covered with heavy clouds, frequency of rains grows and the air smells damp. Frequent fogs and strong winds on coasts are common for the middle of the season. The last month of autumn brings snow and cold to highland regions. Meantime southern regions of Scotland are blown by raging storms. 

If the art of whisky is a delicate balance, so too is the Scottish landscape. Created over millennia, the landscapes and ecosystems called home form a deep, interconnected network of plants and vegetation, animals on land and below the water. Each plays its essential role, nurturing and sustaining the waterways on which all depend.

Just as people rely on the rivers, the rivers rely on them. Today climate change is disrupting the delicate balance of the terroir— changing when and where it rains and even the temperature of the waterways themselves. These changes threaten the rich diversity of life in and around the waters and burns of Scotland. They threaten the very future of whisky – from how much can be made to the flavour profile and how it could taste.

Whisky is legacy, to be crafted thinking about those who will enjoy it 10, 12, even 25 years from now. This is why Chivas Brothers is acting today to safeguard, protect and preserve the waters, banks and burns that give their whisky life.

Anyone who has enjoyed a dram of Scotch has the waters of Scotland within them. Raise a glass to the waters of Scotland, protecting whisky today and for generations to come.

Collaboration Ahead of Competition: Chivas Brothers have deployed highly efficient heat recovery technologies within the whisky distillation process, halving carbon emissions at Glentauchers distillery. their design process and implementation insights have been made ‘open source’, with the intention of putting collaboration ahead of competition on the road to net zero.

The heat recovery technologies, including Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) and Thermo Vapour Recompression (TVR), are designed to capture and recycle heat generated in the distillation process that would otherwise go to waste. To date, these have reduced total energy consumption almost by half (48%) at Glentauchers distillery, near Keith in Speyside, Scotland, reducing the site’s total carbon emissions by 53% as a result.