GRAIN SCOTCH WHISKY

 GRAIN SCOTCH WHISKY

INTRODUCTION

To the uninitiated, grain whiskies are the filler in blends, knitting together the real flavour from the single malts and – since they’re typically cheaper to make – keeping the price down. True, but only partially so. Apart from giving real flavour and texture to blends, well-made grain whiskies have a distinct character all their own.

Single malts get the headlines, but they almost certainly wouldn’t exist without grain whisky – essential to the creation of the blended Scotch brands which are the backbone of the industry. The vast majority of grain whisky goes into blends, but there are a small but growing number of specialist grain bottlings.

SINGLE GRAIN SCOTCH WHISKY

Single grain whisky is defined by its single distillery manufacturing process. A whisky must be made by a single distillery in order to qualify as a single grain whisky. Single grain, regardless of the name, can be composed of one or more grains – that may not be malted or unmalted barley, creating a light-bodied and mellow taste for whisky lovers to enjoy.

To be recognised as a single grain, a whisky must be made from a single grain or blend of grains at a single distillery. This technique can employ malted or unmalted grains, but it is not confined to that. A grain whisky employs additional malted or unmalted grains in the mash, rather than mostly malted barley. If a single grain whisky is classified as Scotch, it must be matured for at least three years as it happens with any other types of Scotch Whisky.

It is essential to remember that the term “single grain whisky” refers to the number of distilleries, not the number of grains that can be utilised. The laws do not specify the size or shape of the still. However, this type is commonly distilled in a column or Coffey still rather than a pot still.

To avoid using artificial enzymes, most distillers utilise at least 5% malted barley, which allows enough amounts of natural enzymes to be introduced, easing the fermentation process. In other words, grain whisky is made by cooking up unmalted cereal grains – wheat or maize, but typically wheat these days – and then combining them with some malted barley to help kick-start fermentation.

Distillation is carried out using the continuous patent still process, a method pioneered and refined in the 19th century. Apart from the obvious efficiencies of this being a continuous process – in contrast to single malt distillation, which happens in batches – the aim here is produce a spirit high in alcohol and light in character.

The rules governing Scotch whisky production stipulate that grain whisky must keep some flavour from its raw materials, and different grain distilleries – like their malt cousins – produce different styles. With practice, you can tell your Cameronbridge from your North British or your Girvan.

Bottlings from the big grain distilleries, whose main role remains to feed the vast blended Scotch whisky industry, have long been bottled and sold, mostly as curiosities to pique the interest of the whisky enthusiast. But things are changing.

Scotch whisky iconoclasts Compass Box’s blended grain whisky Hedonism (you can blend grains from different distilleries in a similar way to blended malts) has been a favourite for several years, while fellow blended grain Snow Grouse, unusually designed to be drunk cold, is a good introduction to the world of grain.

And now William Grant, owner of the Girvan grain distillery, has gone further by producing its own range of aged single grain whiskies, including an NAS bottling and a distinctly high-end 25-year-old. Exciting times – at last – for grain whisky.

The main feature of grain whisky distilleries is their large capacities with an average of over 50m Litres of Pure Alcohol (LPA) produced per year. In comparison, most malt distilleries are smaller with an average of circa 2.5m LPA produced per year. Scotch whisky production and marketing between the start of the Second World War (WWII) and the end of the last millennium changed and shaped the current modern whisky industry profoundly. Numerous changes took place over the past five decades, starting with WWII until the mid 1970s.

As a consequence of the WWII and the restrictions in distilling, the amount of proof gallons of malt whisky distilled decreased rapidly from 10.7 million in 1939 to nil in 1943 before increasing progressively to pre-war levels in 1949 and stabilising around 12 million between 1950 and 1954. The production volume for grain volume followed the same trends.

WWII & RESTRICTIONS:

In early 1940 the manufacture of spirits was limited to 1/3 of the quantities distilled in the year ended before September 30th. This was to ensure food supplies for the British population. Patent (grain) distillation virtually ceased in 1940. The malt distilleries were limited to 1/3 – 10%. In 1944, distilleries were allowed to resume production to 1/3 of the 1939 volumes.

In addition, to the reduction of production, several distilleries were bombed [e.g., Banff and Caledonian (Cally) distilleries] resulting in estimated losses of 4.5 millions proof gallons, the equivalent of 1 year of war production. 

Once the largest distillery in Scotland, Edinburgh's ‘Cally’ produced grain whisky from a Coffey still, as well as two large pot stills. Covering five acres of land, Caledonian was built during a boom in new grain distillery builds – by 1857 there were 17 distilleries operating patent stills in Scotland. The boom led to oversupply, but Cally rode the tide. The distillery also produced an Irish-style grain whisky distilled in two large pot stills, a style revered among blenders at the time for its consistency. It was shut down in the 80s.

Some old parcels of Caledonian have been bottled as a single grain by indie bottlers in recent years. It has never been bottled as a single grain, save for a commemorative bottling for the 1986 Commonwealth Games held in Edinburgh, while Diageo released a 40-year-old, 1974 vintage under ‘The Cally’ label, as part of its 2015 Special Releases.

POST WAR

While close to 50% of the whisky was consumed at home, the situation changed markedly afterwards. Great Britain was in need of money to pay for their loans accumulated during WWII. Therefore, they decided to increase duties at home, to reduce home consumption and to push the industry towards export. Once the taste of whisky was experienced in Europe by US soldiers through , the US became rapidly the major export market for Scotch whisky. In 1947, the percentage of home-consumed whisky was 45.3%, but dropped to 30.1% the next year and remained at ~ 25% until 1954, decreasing only slightly afterwards (down to 20% in the 1970s. Exports of whisky (Scotch and Irish) to USA increased from 2.8 million in 1947 to 7.1 million proof gallons in 1954. Volumes remained at the same levels at home, at around 8 million PG during this period. In 1970, the USA represented 42% of the world market for Scotch.

This “revolution” in whisky distribution was due to the rationing imposed by the Scotch Whisky Association between 1940 and ’45, before being phased in gradually up to 1953. Restrictions were lifted on 1st January, 1954. During the post-war period, USA was by far the major export destination for Scotch, with Europe showing promise. Europe remained a complicated and challenging market, since each country had its own restrictions.

As a consequence of the WWII and the restrictions in distilling, the amount of PG of malt whisky distilled decreased rapidly from 10.7 million in 1939 to nil in 1943 before increasing progressively to pre-war levels in 1949 and stabilising around 12 million between 1950 and 1954. The production volume for grain volume followed the same trends. This led to an insufficiency of fully matured whisky to meet demand. 

Construction of new distilleries took place mainly in the 1960s, with Invergordon and Girvan distilleries featuring prominently. A consequence of increased output was a shortage of sherry casks. More American casks were thus imported. However, the construction of warehouses lagged behind. Both to save casks and warehouse space, grain whiskies began to be filled at 20° over proof instead of 11°, thus allowing to increase storage capacity of 8%.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALT AND GRAIN WHISKY

As with single malt whisky, the word “single” in the name indicates that it is also the product of a single distillery. However, and here’s the main difference between them: single grain does not have to be exclusively manufactured from barley or malted. On the other hand, single grain whiskies are frequently manufactured from wheat, maize, or a combination of the two.

MAP OF GRAIN DISTILLERIES IN SCOTLAND

 

 

Cameronbridge, owned by Diageo, is the oldest (1824) and largest grain whisky distillery producing over 110m LPA per year. It was also known as Haig Distillery in the past. As part of their production expansion at this site, Diageo closed their Port Dundas grain distillery in Glasgow in 2010.

North British, a joint venture between Diageo and The Edrington Group, was established in 1885 and until a few years ago it used to be the 2nd largest grain whisky distillery producing around 72m LPA per year. It historically only used maize as the main cereal.

Girvan, owned by William Grant & Sons, was built in 1963 and it also produces malt whisky at its nearby Ailsa Bay distillery (2007). Since 2007, it has increased its production capacity by 50m LPA, and it is now the 2nd largest and comparable to Cameronbridge, producing over 100m LPA.

Invergordon, owned by Whyte & Mackay, a subsidiary of Emperador, is the most northernly located grain whisky distillery in Scotland. Founded around 1959 and producing 40m LPA per year.

Starlaw, owned by La Martiniquaise is the newest grain distillery, founded in 2010. It produces 25m LPA per year.

Strathclyde, owned by Pernod Ricard, was established in 1927 and produces around 40m LPA per year.

Loch Lomond, owned by the Loch Lomond Group, is the smallest grain whisky distillery producing around 18 LOA per year and it was introduced to the site in 1994. The Loch Lomond distillery also produces malt whisky and until the opening of Ailsa Bay in Girvan, it was unique in producing both grain and malt whisky on the same location in Scotland. One unusual feature is that one of the stills used at Loch Lomond Distillery (graphically represented below) is a Coffey/ Continuous still, with copper on the inside and producing Scotch whisky only with malted barley. This would be a single malt if it was not for the continuous distillation on process, rather than batch, and therefore it is called a single grain scotch whisky. The product is called Loch Lomond Single Grain Scotch whisky

To be known as ‘Scotch whisky’, a mash of cereals, water and yeast must be distilled and matured in Scotland for a minimum of three years in oak casks.

There are two main types of whisky produced in Scotland: malt whisky and grain whisky. All whisky begins its life as the product of a ‘single’ distillery – so these products are known as ‘Single Malt’ or ‘Single Grain’. No second or sister distillery may feature in this Single category.

Single malt whisky is made in a traditional batch process using a copper pot still. According to the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, to be classifed as a Single Malt Scotch Whisky it must be "produced from only water and malted barley at a single distillery by batch distillation in pot stills".

Single malt is the premium, traditional style of whisky, but the artisanal manner of its production is not easily scaled.

The production of single grain whisky is very different. Unlike single malt, it can be produced from a variety of different grains or cereal types, either malted or unmalted. Single grain whisky is also made continuously via a modern column still, on an industrial scale. The output is purer in alcohol, but with much less flavour and character than a single malt. It is also very much easier to produce.

The overwhelming majority of Scotch whisky consists of malt and grain whiskies mixed together to make a product known as Blended Scotch whisky. Blends have dominated the Scotch industry for over a century, and continue to do so today. In 2020, Blended Scotch whisky accounted for 62% of exports by value and 83% by volume. While bottled single malt Scotch is a rapidly growing category, it still falls behind, accounting last year for only 15% by volume and 36% by value of all Scotch whisky shipped overseas.

By law, the age statement shown on a Scotch must refer only to the youngest whisky included in the product – meaning that all malt and grain whiskies included must be at least as old as the age shown on the bottle.

Most Scotch is bottled between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Three years is the minimum age for a spirit to be classified as 'Scotch whisky', and many ‘value’ products, such as supermarket own-label blends, will likely consist of whisky at this age. At the same time, Johnnie Walker Black Label and the youngest Chivas Regal, which account for 10% of all Scotch sales worldwide, are both 12 year old whiskies.

The most important fact about malt and grain whisky is that they are both components of the same finished product – blended Scotch. As commodities, however, there are a few differences between malt and grain which are worth considering.

More grain whisky is produced than malt – but far fewer distilleries make it. The radically different methods used to produce malt and grain whisky mean that there are huge differences in the production capacity of the distilleries which make them.

There are currently 130+ active malt distilleries, and 7 active grain distilleries. The largest malt distillery, Glenfiddich, can produce 21m Litre of Pure Alcohol (LPA) per annum, while the smallest, Dornoch, can only make 0.02m LPA in one year.

These figures are dwarfed by those of grain distilleries. The largest grain distillery, Cameronbridge, can produce up to 110m LPA of whisky each year. Even the smallest grain distillery, Loch Lomond, produces 18m LPA – almost as much as the largest malt distillery, Glenfiddich.

Despite the fact that there are ~ 19 malt distilleries for every grain distillery, Scotland normally produces more grain whisky every year. The price of grain whisky is generally more homogenous than malt

For both new malt and new grain spirit, the distiller's selling costs are historically far more closely related to the costs of utilities and grain required for production than the selling prices of the finished product.

Grain whisky is far cheaper to produce than malt whisky. Historically, the price of new make malt spirit has been more than twice that of grain spirit, per LPA. (These prices do not include the cost of wood.)

Due to the low number of grain distilleries, it is easier to manage the production of grain whisky than malt whisky. In periods of over-production, the taps are, quite literally, turned off.

This is more difficult with malt whisky, due to the higher number of distilleries – and distillery owners. In the early 1980s, this caused a delayed reaction to slowing worldwide demand for Scotch, which was ultimately only resolved by a raft of malt distillery closures.

Today, however, two producers – Diageo and Chivas Brothers – own distilleries with a total capacity of 187m LPA – nearly half of the total full capacity of 395m LPA in Scotland. Distillers have also become better at forecasting future demand levels. This has reduced the danger of high-level over-production, like that of the 1980s, re-occurring.

More grain is used in blends than malt – and often at a younger age. In a blend, grain provides the bulk of the body of a blend, while malt provides the more complex flavours. For this reason, malt whisky used in a blend is often older than the grain used. The typical bottle of blended whisky is 70% grain, 30% malt. More premium offerings may include a higher percentage of malt.

As few distilleries produce grain whisky, and as the spirit which they all produce is relatively homogenous, there has not historically been a significant variance in the price of grain whisky at the same age from different distilleries. This is not the case for malt, where prices for whisky from different distilleries may vary more widely.

SINGLE GRAIN WHISKY TASTE

Single grain whiskies are often light-bodied and mellow, making them an excellent introduction for those who just now entering the whisky world. Corn, maize, wheat, and old barrels are commonly utilised. Add in oak maturation, typically in first-fill former Bourbon casks, and you have a gentle, often fruity and sweet whisky which at its best acquires a refined, velvety character as it ages.

Since this type of whisky is made from corn, maize, wheat and aged in older barrels, their character is somewhat sweeter than single malts, for instance. Contrarily to the bourbon flavour – that is made with 51% corn within the mash – the single grain expressions do not have the smoky flavours, the maple or vanilla flavours one can find in conventional bourbon whiskey.

THE GRAIN WHISKY MARKET

Historically, the single grain whisky category was not something that was bottled and marketed. It was and still is predominantly utilized in the production of blended whiskeys such as Dewar’s White Label, Johnnie Walker Red, and Jameson, to mention a few.

It is easier and less expensive to make than single malt, which is made in batches. Single grains can create a high-quality blended whisky at a very reasonable price when mixed with single malts. Historically, the single grain whisky category was not something that was bottled and marketed. It was and still is predominantly utilised in the production of blended whiskies such as Dewar’s White Label, Johnnie Walker Red, and Jameson, to mention a few.

It is easier and less expensive to make than single malt, which is made in batches. Single grains can create a high-quality blended whisky at a very reasonable price when mixed with single malts. The single grain category has gained popularity in recent years, with whisky companies producing some very excellent whisky expressions.

NAS WHISKIES HERE TO STAY

NO AGE STATEMENT WHISKIES : FOOL'S GOLD?

I was anonymously sent an article by a writer who gave me the impression that he was concerned that young No Age Statement (NAS) whiskies from prominent brands were unethically being sold at much higher prices than prime age stated whiskies from that very distillery. Unable to convey his apprehension, virtually every statement made by him is either contestable or wrong. I first posted this blog on 09 July 2015 and am repeating it with minor changes besides a few additions.

One fact must be understood at the outset. When a new make leaves the spirit still after due accounting by the Excise Board member, it heads off into large metallic containers. This ensures that the output new make from several consecutive batches are well mixed, uniform and ready to be transported to and relocated at a dedicated warehouse. This arrangement makes matters much easier for a blender, and is more efficient and cost-effective. For instance, the Diageo’s warehouse at Blackgrange bond near Alloa alone holds about six million casks. Only small distilleries mature their new makes on site. Most of the new make is at 65-70% ABV. This is where the Blend Master joins the act. He selects the barrels into which this particular lot of new make is to be matured in. The new make is watered down to 63.5% ABV and loaded into the barrels. Full use is made of advanced digital technology to simplify matters and one wonders what changes Artificial Intelligence will bring along.

Shouldn’t it have any influence on the character of the whisky? It depends on what is being produced. For the larger brands where consistency is important, the marriage of many different casks for a bottling will mask most of the effect of the distillery’s location. Added to that, with maturation warehouses often in different locations, then where it’s matured becomes less relevant. Huge bonded warehouses, in Glasgow, Leith or Aberdeen are testament to the scale of the industry, and to the fact that it has rarely been possible to store all Scotland’s whisky in its numerous, remote and often small distilleries.

The three processes which influence maturation, viz., additive, subtractive and interactive return to the fray. The rate at which these processes occur changes both the concentration and the ratios of congeners in the spirit, and therefore changes the quality of the maturing spirit. All three rates are influenced by the local weather and atmosphere, particularly the temperature and relative humidity. If a Talisker cask ex-Skye is taken to Speyside, where there is much lower humidity and higher temperature variation, both over the course of a day and from season to season, the whisky created will be different.

Diageo, after years of research, believes the exact site of a maturation warehouse makes no discernible difference to the whisky. Scotland’s marine microclimate is quite consistent from coast to hill to glen, such that any small climatic difference is not meaningful over the life of a maturing whisky. The unrivalled multiplicity of flavours and character in Scotch derives partly from raw materials – particularly any phenolic character from malted barley – from the process of fermentation and distillation, and above all from maturation. The story is quite different for grain whiskies. The production rate is 30-40 times that of single malts. The new make follows the same initial route, but is loaded into the even larger tanks at 95.6% ABV. For a grain whisky that is to meld and host specific age-stated single malts for blending, the mash bill is varied as deemed most appropriate. Moreover, the casks will be provided by the blender. The quality of cask will depend on the quality of the blended Scotch. The grain whisky will be decanted into these casks at a watered down 63.5-65% ABV, to be ultimately treated by the Master Blender. The casks will be second-fill or better.

The grain whisky for even the cheapest 3-YO blended Scotch has to spend three years maturing in an oak barrel. These barrels are third, fourth and even reconditioned fifth-fill; the grain whisky will be evened out at 63.5% ABV and the product after three years will be used by the Master Blender. All malts and grain whiskies are evaluated at a very low 20% ABV and only then is a selection finalised.

I too am disquieted that Master Blenders at large are bringing out NAS whiskies that are clearly younger than the whiskies they are replacing, yet carry up to a 50% price increase and will develop this global issue logically in this post. It shows how the balance has tipped too far towards marketing at the cost of the consumer. If a distillery has only one NAS whisky, they can obviously understand that, but if it has 10 different NAS products, like Macallan and Bunnahabhain do, how does it explain the differences to the retailer, who then has to explain them to the consumer? Macallan is an LVMH brand and has its own pricing norms-take it or leave it.

On deeper analysis, one has to live with the times. Let's face it: NAS whiskies are here to stay and we might as well accept this fact gracefully. 

NAS is slowly replacing many popular and excellent age stated malts. Its advance is inexorable and in time will increase as a percentage of the whiskies in the market. NAS expressions display the Master Distiller’s skills. Why are we looking at it negatively? He has, at times, to add aged malts from older casks to maintain consistency and quality. No Master Distiller would release anything but a good whisky. They are individuals whose commitment, passion and integrity will not permit them to let poor quality product releases in their name. They have too much at stake.

Here, please remember that the least expensive Single Malts (entry level Single Malts like Glenfiddich 12 or The Glenlivet 12) are far more expensive than the Luxury-level/Premium Blended Scotch brands Johnnie Walker Black Label, Chivas Regal 12 and the like, for the same volume. I'll explain why shortly.

WHAT IS A SCOTCH WHISKY ? 

Simply put, a Scotch Whisky is alcohol distilled from grain / grains (wheat, rye, corn or barley or a mix of 2 or more, although rye is rarely mixed, or malt (treated barley) and aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels with a capacity less than 700 litres. The distillation and the complete ageing has to be in Scotland so that the resultant alcohol may be called Scotch Whisky or just Scotch. The oak barrels in which the ageing is done may have been used before for the ageing of other alcohol other than scotch like American Whiskey (say Bourbon) or wines (say sherry) or none a all.No additives like flavours, colours, essences whether natural or artificial, are allowed to be added to Scotch with the exception of plain caramel colouring E150A which may be added for colour consistency. Scotch whiskies may be single grain (from a single grain distillery), blended grain (by blending of different grain distillates from different grain distilleries, blended (mixing of single grain and malt distillates), blended malt (mixing of different malt distillates from different distilleries) and Single Malts (from a single Malt distillery.) Of course there are various other types of Scotch like Single Cask or Cask Strength, which are usually beyond most consumers' reach besides being just variations of those mentioned above. To sum it up: all Scotch is whisky, but all whiskies are not Scotch.

AGE OF A SCOTCH WHISKY

A whisky, to be called Scotch, has to be aged in Oak Barrels for a minimum of 3 years. This ageing gives the whisky a natural colour from the wood, flavours and properties of the wood as well as of the other alcohols which were previously aged in them (like Bourbon or Sherry) thus giving the whisky its character without any artificial flavouring. When the whisky sits in the barrel for years on end, a portion of it is lost due to evaporation. This loss is termed as the ‘Angel’s Share.’ The more the age of the whisky the more characteristic it becomes and the more the loss due to the ‘Angel’s Share’ resulting in a denser quality high ABV new make, albeit at a higher price as also a higher profit for the producer. The higher price of older whiskies are also because of significant investments in real estate, barrels and the liquid lying within without any immediate returns. The age of the whisky as mentioned on both the label and carton is the age of the youngest whisky in the mix. A bottle of Glenfiddich 12 YO has all its constituent single malts 12 years old or more. For a blended whisky like say JW Black Label which is a 12 YO, each whisky used in the blending has to be 12 years old or more. Thus the years mentioned on the bottle has to be the age of the youngest whisky in the blend and NOT the average of the ages of its constituent whiskies.

CHALLENGES FOR THE SCOTCH INDUSTRY

The consumption of Scotch is increasing at a rapid pace and the facilities that age the Scotch into higher age, higher priced and more profitable whiskies need to keep apace. There is also an ever increasing hunger to increase the bottom lines. (NAS registered whiskies have been in existence since 1823, but became more relevant only in the early 1900s).

Consider Johnnie Walker Double Black. It comes in a neat blackish grey bottle, with a label bigger than Johnnie Walker Black Label. It is more smoky and distinctly more peated than the JWBL, suggesting an increase in contribution from Diageo's Islay whiskies.

The International Whisky Competition is an event that takes place annually in a major city in the US in the 1st week of May, in which whiskies are blind tasted and rated by a professional tasting panel. The results are used to produce tasting notes for an International Whisky Guide. There is no Scotsman on the panel- it is entirely American. This panel selected Glenmorangie Signet NAS as the Whisky of the Year 2016 with 97 points and Johnnie Walker Double Black Label was awarded the Gold Medal in the Best Blended Scotch NAS (No Age Statement) category with 94 points, ahead of Johnnie Walker Blue Label (91.3 pts). JWBL managed only the Bronze Medal in the Best Blended Scotch Whisky 12 YO category with 89.8 points. On whiskyanalysis. com, it is rated some 80 slots lower than JWDBL, out of 1,100 top ranking whiskies. That kills the Double Black vs Black Label controversy! That also means that JWBL is no longer the bar for premium Blended Scotch Whisky. How it became the target line is also surprising, at least in Asia, where the top rated 12 YO blends were Phipson's Black Dog, Buchanan's 12 YO, Old Parr 12 YO and the Hankey Bannister 12 Year Old Regency Whisky. Chivas Regal 12 YO joined the top lot after 2001, when purchased by Pernod Ricard.

Incidentally, the Whisky of the Year 2017 is another NAS, the Ardbeg Kelpie Committee Exclusive, with 97.3 points.

You will see many such whiskies on the shelves now, Laphroaig Triple Wood/ / Select / Lore / Brodir, Glenlivet Nadurra / Founder’s Reserve / Distiller’s Reserve / Small Batch, The Macallan Gold / Fine Oak / Sienna, Chivas Regal Extra, Talisker Storm / Dark Storm / Skye, JW Explorer Club- the list is endless. The JW Explorer's Club does seem overpriced. The Nadurra is a 16 YO non-chill filtered range of single malt Scotch whiskies, which have been matured in ex-bourbon casks and then bottled at cask strength with no chill-filtration. Recent editions are cask strength at 60±2% NAS. The Macallans and Glenmorangies are always over-priced; that's because they come from the LVMH stable. That branding is worth an intrinsic $20. Even so, they are actually value for money.

ANALYSIS OF JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK LABEL

Let’s take it one by one. In 1893, Cardhu distillery was purchased by the Walkers for £20,500 to protect the stocks of one of the Johnnie Walker blends' key malt whiskies. This move took the Cardhu silky smooth single malt out of the market and made it the exclusive preserve of the Walkers. Cardhu's output was to become the heart of Johnnie Walker's Old Highland Whisky and, subsequent to the rebranding of 1909, the prime single malt in Johnnie Walker White, Red and Black Labels. Sensing a promising opportunity for their brands in terms of expansion of scale and variety, they became a shareholder in Coleburn Distillery in 1915, Clynelish Distillery Co. and Dailuaine- Talisker Co in 1916. Such a strategic expansion was made solely to ensure that the output from the Cardhu, Coleburn, Clynelish, Talisker and Dailuaine distilleries would play a major role in the definition of the extant Johnnie Walker Blends and those slated to follow.

The style of Coleburn Whisky is a bit sweet and fruity, but only independent distillers presented single malt releases. Almost all of the whisky that Coleburn Distillery had produced was used in blends, especially in the Johnny Walkers when Diageo became the owner. Virtually all Johnnie Walker blends produced today by Diageo contain Cardhu-and a lot of it; plus Clynelish, Dailuaine, Talisker, Linkwood, Mannochmore and Caol Ila. The Coleburn shut down in 1985 and its SMs were last used in Johnnie Walker Red, Black, Gold Labels and Swing in 2000. Its absence is easily found in the changed nose and palate of the JWRL and JWBL.

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Years Old Blended Scotch Whisky thus has Cardhu as its core malt, backed up with the super-smooth Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Blair Athol (the primary SM in Bell’s),the multi-faceted Cragganmore and Dailuaine. The recognisable Single Malts for me are Clynelish 14 YO, Cardhu, Caol Ila, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Auchroisk, Inchgower and Talisker. JW claims that there are at least 25-28 more Single Malts and they must be right; it is a 40-whisky blend, after all. The Single Malts need not be from different distilleries; any distillery can provide tens of Single Malts, of the same or different ages. The age mandate comes into play here. Cameronbridge and North British provide the single grain whiskies, from three to five.

All whiskies named above are 12 YO or older. Talisker, most popular as a 10 YO, remains casked for two years more to contribute to the blend. This 12 YO is not sold in the market, and has, sadly, not been used for over five years, with detrimental effect on the Blend; the Taliskers in the market are the Talisker Storm, Skye Gift Pack, Talisker Dark Storm and the Port Ruighe (all NAS) followed by an 18 YO! I can't accept the Talisker NAS family's bumped up prices.

The slightly smoky taste comes from the Lagavulin, Cragganmore, Mortlach & Talisker (unpeated). The hint of peat comes primarily from Caol Ila, strengthened by the Lagavulin, Clynelish, Glen Elgin and Benrinnes; the smoothness comes from Cardhu, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Dailuaine, Blair Athol and the Grain Whiskies that are used to tame and meld the malts perfectly. A 1-litre bottle of Black Label costs $ 28. A bottle of 0.70 L Talisker 10 YO costs $56, or $80 per litre. The Talisker 12 YO is far more expensive and Diageo is losing money on the Talisker malt diverted to making the Black Label. The same is true for ALL other Single Malts that make up the once fabulous concoction of JW Black Label! The Malt whiskies tot up to 70-72.5%. The Grain whiskies, 27-29%, are also 12 YO. The last one half percent is taken up by E150A Caramel colorant. Even so, there is cold logic at play-the Economies of Scale. Talisker is actually selling at US$72.6 per litre vs its standard price of $56 for the 0.7L bottle, which works out to $64.5 per litre.

Scotch whisky can be sold with an age statement or NAS as long as it is 3 Yrs old. Every barrel is branded with the date of filling, amongst other data. Barrels may be opened only on the date branded, at a minimum of 3 yrs later. It can thus be legally opened at 3 yrs + 2 days, 6 yrs + 177 days, 9 yrs + 66 days, or at exactly 12 yrs.

Grain Whisky has a rather small market as individual brands and bottlings per se; thus Grain Whisky distillers / blenders / marketers are few in number. Frankly, when it comes to Grain Whiskies for blending with Single Malts, age is not a major criterion in taste, since a very large percentage is stored in huge steel vats totalling in excess of 750 million litres at 95.6% strength before the requisite amount is off-loaded to mature for the three mandatory years in oak barrels at 65% ABV. They are then decanted therefrom for use in blends that conceal this fact. Ergo, you have a NAS blended Scotch. Any grain whisky that matures in oak barrels gains from it. That said, these oak barrels are generally re-charred fourth to sixth-fill barrels, at the fag end of their lives, and have nothing on offer like colour and flavour; most Grain Scotch is colourless, or a pale piddly colour. About 20% of the better strains in grain whisky are, however, aged like SMs. These are used for high quality blends.

Even so, better barrels are often used as holding barrels which, after decanting the grain whisky 3 or more years later, are charred and used for smoky malts. A  6 YO Port Dundas can be as good as an 8 YO Cameronbridge and a 9 YO North British can be as good as a 12 YO Girvan. How many Grain Whisky brands have you seen at a Duty Free shop? Perhaps Haig 15 YO; I have seen only three others, Compass Box Hedonism NAS, Loch Lomond NAS and Port Dundas 21 and I have travelled, mind you. I do not deny that there must be others, but Grain Whisky is a far cry from what you would expect.

Massive fully automated fermentation plant & washbacks at North British Grain Distillery

Caol Ila has been using wooden washbacks since 1846

 

In distilleries that grow their own barley and do their own floor malting like Kilchoman and Abhainn Dearg, it takes anywhere between 80-100 days to convert barley into the (raw) new make that will be casked to mature into malt whisky. The number of processes involved is amazingly high, time consuming and fraught with inescapable losses. Most distilleries now buy maltings made to specs, including ppm. This cuts down the entire process by 35-40 days. Pot Still distillation in the Single Malt production chain is tedious, whereas column still distillation for Grain Whisky is a rapid and high volume process. Grain whisky takes less than a week from cooked cereal to cask and in incredible volumes. Moreover, it provides very high consistency. A malt new make is thus more than 8-10 times the cost of grain new make. Blends use Grain Whisky freely, with much lower overall cost. The profit factor comes from economies of scale and quick turnover. This is why entry level Single Malts are much more expensive than premium Blends.   

JW Double Black has an easier structure compared to Black Label, with important differences. The number of Single Malts and Grain Whiskies has reduced. It primarily uses the well-peated Talisker 10 YO and Caol Ila 12 YO, with the lightly peated Cragganmore, Clynelish14 YO and Benrinnes in support. One or two Single Malts have been replaced. Single Malt from the new distillery at Roseisle that opened in 2006 produces 7-8 m litres a year (designed for 10 million litres), and a fair share of young malts join the group. All Single Malts in JWDBL are 8 YO and more, with a few drops of a couple of smoky peated Single Malts added: probably Caol Ila 8 YO and Lagavulin 8 YO. Peated whiskies are more expensive than non-peated expressions. The peating process between kilning, drying and mashing is tricky and time consuming. Following the kilning, the peated malt is removed and stored in bins for five or six weeks. This allows the heat to dissipate naturally. Hot malt can negatively affect the fermentation process.That is why JWDBL costs more and I think that's justified. 

             

Peated varieties of Single Malts become expensive on the basic tenet of workload and supply & demand. Lagavulin is really steep. The grain whiskies in JWDBL are young North British and Cameronbridge whiskies. The Malt whiskies tot up to 75-77%, which is why the brand costs $5-8 (12-20%) more than JW Black Label (non-discounted). In Bangkok, they cost the same. Don't go by Delhi Duty Free prices-they are absurdly high. Since there are young whiskies in this blend in a world where 85% of the drinking population believe old is better, the Double Black does not state its age- nor is it required to. It is an NAS whisky, like Johnnie Walker Blue Label NAS, JW Odyssey NAS, JW Island Green NAS, among others. Please read these blogs on NAS whiskies and Blended Malt whiskies at:

http://noelonwhisky.blogspot.in/2017/02/nas-blended-malts-from-house-of-chivas.html    

http://noelonwhisky.blogspot.in/2017/05/laphroaig-goes-nas-way.html on Laphroaig NAS & http://noelonwhisky.blogspot.in/2017/02/blended-malt-whiskies.html on this very column. Just scroll down to those posts, stopping, of course, at interesting notations. 

The average buyer seems to prefer older Scotch whiskies, and would blindly buy an older version. That is both thoughtless and rash. For example, the Single Malt Highland Park 12 is globally rated better than the 15, even though $17 cheaper. The blend JW Swing NAS and JW Platinum Label 18 YO are better than the JW XR-21, though both are cheaper. The XR-21 didn't sell, even with a 20cl Blue Label gift on purchase, as also the JW King George V. They will reappear as different brands soon, after a little tinkering, have no fear.  In fact, the XR-21 has already reappeared in a fresh avatar.

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKIES

Till 1990, Scotch only meant Blended Scotch, a mix of pot-distilled malt whiskies and column still-distilled grain whiskies. There were three classifications: Fine, 5-7 YO; Rare, 8-11 YO and Premium, 12 YO and more. 3 / 4 YOs were either not classified or just called 'old'. Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet were names heard once in a while and surprise expressed that these 12 YO and older <Single Malts??> cost more than a Premium Scotch. Where did Single Malts come from? Most Scotch whiskies were in the fine category. JW Red Label, J&B, White Horse, Long John, Queen Anne, etc., were in the Rare category and eminently drinkable. There were cheap 3-5 year whiskies too, like McIvor, Wright & Greig, Duggan’s Dew, Royal Emblem, Haig Club, Will Fyffe, Cutty Sark, Old Smuggler and the like. 

Johnnie Walker Kilmarnock Special Old Highland was first sold as a 9 YO in the late 1890s/early 1900s. It was renamed Johnnie Walker Red Label and elevated to a 10 YO in 1909. It became the world’s largest selling Scotch in just a decade, right up to the early 1980s. You could nose it from 5 metres! It went NAS once JW Black Label was fully established in the 60s.  The expensive but classy Black Label was reserved for celebrations. Even today, Red Label is the world's largest selling Scotch Whisky. Despite drawing progressively increasing flak for poor quality, it retains top spot, albeit with a lesser margin, as a base whisky for mixing. It is used for cocktails or mixed with Coke. Its quality has dropped to that of a 3 YO blend, with only 30% lesser quality Single Malts of the better heads and tails categories and 69% 3 YO grain whisky straight from the casks. Johnnie Walker Kilmarnock Extra Special Old Highland 12 YO was renamed Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 YO, a multimillion seller, but the ‘Johnnie Walker’ personified is on the decline. JW used to have the odd 18 & 21 YO malts. The 18 YO was The Singleton of Glen Ord. The 21 YO was Mortlach, which uses quadruple distillation. They are no longer available. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SWR 2009) regulate age statements. However, prior to this mandate on age statements, neither the Scotch Whisky Act 1988 (SWA 1988) nor the Scotch Whisky Order 1990 (SWO 1990) had enacted any laws governing age statements, besides leaving numerous other ambiguities that allowed misuse of the said SWA '88 and SWO '90, e.g., definitions of Single Malt, Pure Malt and Blended Grain; how Scotch Whiskies must be labelled, packaged and advertised; and where Single Malt Scotch Whisky could be bottled, etc.

                                                                                             

As said, JW Blue Label is also an NAS whisky, as is their most expensive $600 Odyssey Blended Malt Whisky. So, would you advise people not to buy Blue Label or Odyssey because they do not carry an age statement?  The Blue Label has an interesting origin. It first came out in early 1992 as John Walker's Oldest 15-60 YO at GBP 229 and sold out quickly. It contained whiskies from Brora and Port Ellen distilleries, It was replaced as Johnnie Walker Oldest NAS, at nearly the same price later that year, again sold out quickly and was replaced in 1992 itself by the Blue Label that we see in the market today. The Blue Label was first priced at GBP 210 and has dropped to below GBP 130 today. All three versions were at 43% ABV in 750 ml bottles, with exquisite packaging. One bottle of Johnnie Walker-"Oldest" 15-60 Year Old, .75L 43% ABV Original Blue Label is available online at $1,700. The Duty Free 1.0L 40% ABV version costs between £ 130-160. The 20% of Grain whiskies in JW Blue Label are relatively young, 15-18 years old. Some malts are 25+ years old, like the Teaninich 29 YO. Moreover, as stated earlier, JW Black Label is no longer the bar in 12-YO Blended Scotch whisky! Why? Because Diageo has reduced the quantity of single malts therein and grain whisky strength has gone up to 40%. The casks in which the final blend is stored are of dubious provenance, as Single Malts take away all the good bourbon and sherry casks. 

 

There is an interesting aside here. SWA has not stated that new makes must first go into oak barrels for maturation or what must happen after maturation. The spirit can wait for years in inert metal vats before being pulled out for maturation in oak casks. It is equally possible that, at the three year stage, grain whiskies may be legally transferred from oaken casks into huge steel/aluminium vats, a major reversal of acknowledged procedure.

The Blended Scotch market, which has the cheapest Scotch whiskies, has reduced by 07% in the last 5 years. Lots of names have fallen by the wayside, like Haig, McCallum's, Sanderson's GOLD, JW Red Label, Scottish Glory, etc., all now meant for mixing cocktails. 

NO AGE STATEMENT (NAS) WHISKIES

NAS came about with the advent of Single Malts starting 1978-81. The Single Malts fetched a much much better price on their own; using them in blends was not cost-effective, hence alternatives were required to retain consistency. Look at it from the Blender's viewpoint: In 1997, he used his JWBL recipe to produce that classic Black Label. This blend was of Single Malts aged 12 years or more, i.e., casked in 1985 and earlier. In 1998, he pulled out his recipe and tried it out with Single Malts casked in 1986 or earlier. He could not use some of the defining Single Malts of 1985, because THEY WERE ONE YEAR OLDER and tasted different. So, a search was launched to replace five or six branded malts that were not balancing out. In a short while, he achieved success! Now, let’s move a decade up.

Till 2007, JWBL is available in the market in its original avatar. But in 2008, volumes have increased, the imbalance is larger and REPLACEMENTS are not found in stock. Royal Lochnagar produces only 450,000 litres of Single Malt per year, mostly diverted to the JW Blue Label NAS. Ergo, the Black Label has a slightly different taste. Their Master Blender (Jim Beveridge) is in a tight spot -the inconsistency is too much for the market. He does not have stocks of Single Malts. Talisker, the main peated ingredient in a $36 (original price) Black Label sells at $56-62 on its own for a 0.7 L bottle. So do Clynelish, Teaninich, Benrinnes, Dailuaine and Linkwood, important parts of JWBL. Caol Ila produces 6.5 million litres of Single Malt whisky a year, but 20% is sold as Caol Ila Single Malts (5,8,10,12,16,18,21 and 30 YOs). Right up to 2005, this was just 5%. The unpeated version is in short supply. Earlier, it was freely available for blending. Common sense says: Sell Caol Ila, Talisker, Dailuaine and Linkwood as Single Malts, by themselves. So, Black Label drops off the pole position; by 2013, the Black Label goes for volumes and discounts. The price is reduced to $28! It is permanently on sale somewhere or the other. Diageo is now working on economies of scale, dropping prices to entice the public to keep buying this iconic whisky. Ab initio drinkers are excluded, anyhow.

During his experiments to get the balance right, he discovers that one blend can be given a pronounced smoky and peaty taste. Talisker 10 and Caol Ila 12 join up with Cardhu as the core SMs, and the blend's smoky and peaty taste can be accentuated by using charred casks. He isolates these additions and finds that they are pominent 8YOs on their own right, like Caol Ila 8 and Lagavulin 8. A quick look at the stock position shows that he can add these SMs freely and run them for one year. If the market response is good, he will supplement JWBL with this darker, smoky and peaty expression. He tests it in 2010 and it is good, so much so that Diageo directors agree to giving this brand a label of its own. Since it is a derivative of JWBL, JWDBL is found to be the best suggestion and is approved, but as an NAS edition, since it uses 8 YOs, and in an era where 'Old is Gold' is the diehard tagline, a JWDBL 8 YO will instantly excite disapprobation even before tasting.After a hugely successful launch in travel retail as a 1L bottle in 2010, it was rolled out for general release in 2011 as a 70Cl 40% ABV brand.

The preponderance of No Age Statement whiskies has stoked a furore among some aficionados, which may no longer be sustainable. As a result of the unforeseen increased demand for old age single malt whisky stocks, the whisky baories are running a little dry. The lack of transparency has infuriated a few. Do note that such an outcome was recognised decades ago by prescient producers such as Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, where Dr Bill Lumsden is the Master Blender.

“We’ve successfully been releasing NAS whiskies for 20 years with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg and they are doing very well,” says Lumsden who has blended a plethora of successful NAS whiskies for both LVMH brands. His theory is simple: if you have the makings of a good whisky, all you need is a good barrel. The Ardbeg Kelpie, Corryvreckan, Uigeadail, Ardbog, Galileo, Supernova, Perpetuum, etc., and the Glenmorangie Signet, Bacalta, The Tarlogan, Tayne, Dornoch, The Duthac and many more have kept their tills ringing while accumulating awards galore, proving his posit.

For Glenmorangie, he makes copious use of the Devil's Cut, aka ‘indrink’, the liquid absorbed into the wood during maturation mainly in the Sherry industry. About 12% of maturing Sherry/Wines are absorbed into the barrel. Sherry needs 2 yrs maturation in 500L barrels, so 60L of Sherry awaits the new make/Scotch whisky if a barrel switch is made for secondary maturation, or a Sherry barrel used for the primary. He adds a note of caution, “Regardless of what you are doing, young whisky in bad wood will be ruthlessly exposed.”

The Chivas Regal Effect: One interesting note from the mom and pop economics/marketing culture is the ‘Chivas Regal Effect,’ which occurs when a product sells more because the price of it has been increased. Since people often equate price with quality, consumers, who otherwise would not have purchased a product, might choose it because it is more expensive (and thus ‘better’ quality). Wine(a 1982 St. Emilion) is a good example of this effect in the world of alcohol and LVMH in branded consumer luxury goods. NAS whisky distillers are canny enough to implement this concept, which have left many consumers in an ambivalent frame of mind.

There are many reasons to justify the NAS, but in some cases the whisky hasn’t met with expectations in terms of quality. Taking younger single malts and blending with older is not a problem, since distilling and wood management techniques have greatly improved in recent years, but the whisky still needs to be satiating. “People should make a judgement on quality alone and not be swayed by the importance of age,” says Euan Mitchell, MD at Arran Distillers.

Even so, I am not prepared to accept Mitchell's "summing it all up" statement. There are far too many brands out there, veritably slugging it out in a tight market, a major portion of which is reserved for the VIP Brands. There is bound to be the less scrupulous distiller or private bottler who will cut corners. Such products that don't meet quality standards dictated by their price must be brought to book. But how? Who will dictate or define standards, as one man's uisge could be another man's hooch?

I foresee and forecast that there is no future for Blended Scotch except truly rare brands. Only 3-400 of the 3,000+ brands will remain. Half will be exorbitant, priced like the Macallan and LVMH SM brands and the other half will remain for the proletariat, like Teachers, Grants, Bells, Famous Grouse, Lawson, Highland Queen, etc. As of 2010, 91% of all Scotch sold was Blended. That figure has dropped to 87% in 2015 and by 2030, will further drop to 80%, declining till doomsday. The world has discovered Single Malts and people will have enough money to buy them. Both Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal have moved into NAS and these brands will sustain them. Johnnie Walker will survive on its Black Label, Green Label, Island Green Label NAS and Blue Label NAS, apart from usurious special editions. Chivas is promoting its NAS Blended Malts, the Ultis, Extra and Mizunara and its iconic 21-YO Royal Salute will last the distance.

Remember that Diageo is a market entity, with no room for sentiment where cash flow is concerned. They closed down the Kilmarnock facility in 2012 against strong local and government demand, despite its history as the home of Johnnie Walker who sold his first Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky there in 1820 and of succeeding generations.

Most blended scotch whiskies start writing the age on the label when whisky is 12 years or more. (!!!*!!!) Single Malts, and by extension, Blends (mostly NAS) are available in the 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 13,14,15, 16, 17,18,19,20,21,23, 25, 29 & 29+ range. Bowmore's bestseller is a 9 YO SM. Amrut & Paul John sell 3-7 YOs only. ABVs > 65% over a couple of years eat into the wood beyond the red layer and become ROTGUT. There are a host of 3 YO Blends in the market, with age statements, like Scottish Leader, Smokin' - The Gentleman’s Dram, Scottish Glory, Statesman, Taste, ASDA, Tesco's Special Reserve, MacQueens, Scots Club and Waitrose, among others.

The Carlton, PM and Glen Rowan are nifty 4 YOs.

Some good 5 YO Blends are on offer, like Mackinlay, Bank Note, Cluny, Glen Orrin, Golden King, Red Hackle, Loch Ness and Lismore, etc.

8 YO Blends available freely are Bell's Christmas Series, starting 1955; Fortnum & Mason; Black Dog Reserve; Buchanan, starting 1980; Inver House; Gilbey's Special Export; Dewar's White Label, John Crabbie, Orbital, King Robert II and more.

There are over 1,000 Single Malt brands selling 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/ up to 31 YO+. Highland Park, Bunnahabhain, Glenrothes, Tamdhu, Glendronach, Benrinnes, Glen Moray, Port Askaig, Tomatin, Craigellachie, Lagavulin, Mortlach, Ledaig, Dufftown, Blair Athol, Glenturret, Deanston, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Amrut, Paul John, Kavalan. . . 100s more. But I don't quite like the prices of Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich SMs.

3 YO Single Malts include Kilchoman 2011 Port Cask Matured (bottled 2014), Glenglassaugh 3 YO 2009 - The Chosen Few, Kilchoman Inaugural 100% Islay, Bruichladdich's Perilous X4 Spirit, Arran 2005 Bourbon Cask Peated, Abhainn Dearg and many more. There are 4,5,6,7 YO Single Malts as well, including the 5 YO Bruichladdich Octomore Peat Monsters 06.1., 7.1 & 7.4

In Blends, the 10 YOs include Master of Malt 10 Year Old Blended Whisky, Johnnie Walker Select Cask, Old St Andrews Twilight, Bell's 10 YO, Moidart 10 Year Old, Black Bottle, The Tweeddale Blend, Famous Grouse, Imperial, Dalvegen, The Feathery, Excalibur Excellence, Excalibur Gold and more. There are 3,4,5,6,7 YO Blends as well. . . the list is endless. 

The heart of the new make which arrives at 70+% ABV is cut at usually 68-40% ABV and routed via the Spirit Safe-where the Customs/ Bonds House man sits- to ultimately reach the casking chamber, where it is poured into barrels for maturing. Alcohol in a barrel for maturing can ONLY be called new make.

A Scotch Whisky can be finished in another oaken barrel, ex bourbon/wine/sherry/ rum/ brandy/cognac/port, etc.

A high-alcohol concentration, say 70%, extracts more of the beneficial compounds and colour from the wood. It also extracts more tannins and wood-related impurities, which makes the flavour harsh. Furthermore, higher alcohol content requires more water to dilute it to bottling strength post-ageing. It has been found that for ageing whisky in new barrels, 58% to 65% ABV is the ideal strength, 63.5% is the standard filling strength, to balance barrel extraction and colour with lower tannins. It also lessens dilution of “barrel compounds”, the organoleptic compounds extracted from the barrel wood, at bottling time.

Lower alcohol concentration results in slower ageing as the rate of chemical change and wood extraction is reduced. Barrels used more than once can age stronger spirits since available tannins have been reduced to lower levels by its previous contents. At 55% to 65% ABV, barrels tend to have a greater porosity for water, thereby retaining fusel alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes, and furfural. These lower strengths result in an increase in alcohol content after ageing, whereas alcohol strength decreases when spirits are aged at higher alcohol concentrations. 

Early day whiskies, in fact most of the fine and rare whiskies of the 1950s and 60s were and still are NAS, like Vat 69, Cutty Sark, Black and White, Dewar’s, White Horse, Hankey Bannister, Ballantine’s, The Famous Grouse, J&B, Haig, Queen Anne, Lord Elcho, etc.

A lot of people write about whisky, and if you have to believe them, there are only excellent whiskies. That is simply not true. There are a lot of excellent whiskies, yes, as there should be, because good whisky today is expensive! But there is a lot of indifferent product and some stuff is just not good enough. There is a clear need for independent reviewers. I am one of them. I have nothing to do with the industry. I don't sell anything. I don't have the perfect Palate. My opinion is as good as yours! I just taste whiskies and tell you what I think about them. That's all. And I don't peddle horseshit on my blogs.

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