Whisky

It’s hilarious: unlike Coca Cola who claims to have brought about world ‘harmony’ and ‘peace throughout the land’ – according to their famous syrupy advert – vodka has caused two wars. In 1977, a trade war broke out between Poland and Russia. Poland claimed that only they could use the word ‘vodka’ because ‘vodka’ originally came from Poland. They explained that the word ‘vodka’ did not come from the word ‘water’ in Russian but from the word ‘gorzalka’ which means ‘burning’ ‘bitter’ or ‘spicy water’. The Russians reacted furiously and... Read More

Laphroaig holds a special place in the hearts of whisky admirers: they find its flavours to be iconic and absolutely unique. Its Distillery Manager, Barry MacAffer, has gone so far as to say that Laphroaig is constantly searching for iconic flavours, and that ‘with the Laphroaig 10 Year Old that pursuit almost seems as if you’ve made it. It hits all the right notes.’ In this article, we aim to examine the factors in the production of Laphroaig’s whiskies that give it its signature flavours. By the end of this... Read More

Some may sniff, but Jura Distillery and its whiskies are truly remarkable. This short article promises to give you a complete understanding of the distillery and the philosophy underlying its whole range. By the time you get to the final sentence, you’ll understand what Jura is really all about, and why you should be paying attention to its range. Jura is a distillery that evokes strong views. The critics can be quite scathing. Their criticism lies in what they claim it could be. Consider the following: this is a distant,... Read More

In recent years, rum has experienced a renaissance, riding the wave of growing interest in unique and diverse spirits. While gin is for now the UK’s favourite spirit, rum is making a spirited comeback. According to a report from The Whisky Exchange, rum sales surged by an astounding 165% in the third quarter of 2019, marking the first time in half a decade that rum outpaced gin in sales growth. Before talking about the award-winning and iconic Dead Man’s Fingers, it’s worth considering some of the things which have held... Read More

At first glance, Tomatin seems alienating. Nestled in the Monadhliath Mountains just south of Inverness, the snowy, seemingly barren ranges and moors seem distant, inhospitable and even inhuman. Beware! Appearances are misleading. Tomatin is a place of much warmth, beauty and human history. Most of all, Tomatin is a story of surviving with much heart. Let’s tell the story from the beginning. It starts with illicit distilling. It is surprising to know this, but the story starts with gin. Tomatin means ‘juniper hill’ the main ingredient in gin and was... Read More

It’s well-known that the Dutch who first created gin used it to give their soldiers courage hence the term ‘Dutch Courage’. In the 17th century, Leith, now part of Edinburgh, served as the main port of Scotland, and Jenever, a Dutch gin, was imported in vast quantities. Due to the Lowland Wars in Holland, less gin was imported, and Leith changed from an importer of gin to a producer of gin. In the 18th century, Leith had over 400 distilleries. In fact, the gin craze in Scotland was greater than... Read More

Whisky is always full of surprises. Consider how local most whisky is. Whiskies are expressions of local barley, local spring water and a very particular microclimate. Yet, that is highly misleading. It’s misleading because a large part of whisky’s flavour comes from its maturation in seasoned casks. As Gordon Motion, Master Whisky Maker at Highland Park, says: ‘A mediocre whisky in an excellent cask will come out good. An excellent whisky in a poor cask will come out bad.’ These casks may come from America or Europe. They may be... Read More

A Glenrothes single malt is not something you just share with anyone. It’s the kind of distillery that boasts that its secret is only known to a select few. What makes its single malts so exclusive? It’s about maturity and flavour but in a very unique way. Glenrothes Distillery insists that maturity matters more than an age statement. What happens to the whisky in the cask is far more important than the number of years spent in it. Glenrothes’s philosophy claims that ‘an eighteen-year-old can still be immature’. For example,... Read More

Diplomatico rums have taken the world by storm. Since the creation of the distillery in 2002 in Venezuela at the foot of the Andes, its rums have broken records in winning numerous awards. Most notably, Diplomatico has become the first super premium rum brand to have won Spirit Brand of the Year at Wine Enthusiast’s Awards 2018. What is their secret? They’ve introduced some major innovations in the rum industry such as small batch discontinuous distillation which creates very rich and complex aromas. Their use of smaller barrels during maturation... Read More