Celebrating Independent s Day

Transcription

1 Celebrating Independent s Day Work is the curse of the drinking classes Oscar Wilde. Newcomers Whisky Club July 12, 2014

2 Newcomers Whisky Club July 12, 2014 Tonight s Menu Auchentoshan 13 yr. Signatory Vintage 1999 The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Distilled , Bottled Cask No , Bourbon Barrel, Bottle 86 of 279, 46% abv Lowlands Royal Brackla 13 yr. Duncan Taylor Dimensions Distilled , Bottled , Batch No. 0001, 46% abv Highlands (Northern) Mortlach 15 yr. Gordon & MacPhail 1999 The Distilleries Labels Collection Bottled , 43% abv Speyside Clynelish 15 yr. Berry Bros. & Rudd Distilled 1997, Bottled 2013 Cask No. 6474, 56.1% abv Highlands (Northern) Laphroaig 14 yr. Signatory Vintage 1998 The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Distilled , Bottled Cask No Hogshead, Bottle 10 of 303, 46% abv Islay Caol Ila 13 yr. Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection Distilled , Bottled Cask No Bourbon Barrel, Bottle 10 of 226, 58.4% abv Islay Independent Bottlers For our selections this month, we have a series of whiskies released by various Independent Bottlers who routinely offer whiskies in the United States and can be found locally. Some of these whiskies we have tried as Official Bottlings, but several are from new (to us) distilleries Royal Brackla, Clynelish, Mortlach and Laphroaig. Mortlach, in particular, is an exciting selection. Highly valued as a critical blend component, there were very few official releases of their whiskies as single malts. Now, Diageo, owner of the Mortlach distillery, has undertaken a program of premiumization of the Mortlach brand, expanding the official releases to four, offered in newly designed and unique bottles in 50cl sizes in Europe (as opposed to the current 70cl standard bottle) and with premium pricing. The new range will include a no age statement Rare Old offered at 55 /$95; a travel retail exclusive Special Strength which is the same liquid as the Rare Old but at a higher strength abv (49%) at 75 /$130; an 18 year old listed for 180 /$310; and a 25 year old with a heartstopping price tag of 600 /$1025.for smaller bottles! In the United States, Mortlach will be released in traditional 750ml bottles, so expect prices to be higher than those above. All this means that for most of us, our access to Mortlach may be restricted to offerings from independent bottlers, until their stocks run out, because Diageo is no longer selling casks to brokers and bottlers. One other interesting aspect of whiskies from Independent Bottlers is that expressions released by the Independents tend to be single cask bottlings. You will note that many of the whiskies on tonight s menu are one bottle out of a few hundred..that is a few hundred in the entire world! The outturn from one cask is the complete supply of that particular cask of that particular whiskey! After those bottles are gone, this specific release of whisky, with all its own characteristics, flavor profile, etc. cannot be replicated! Understanding the role of Independent Bottlers Independent Bottlers and whisky Brokers represent a submarket within the Scotch whisky industry, a business within a business, so-to-speak. To fully understand the origination of Independent Bottlers and the role that they play in the market, however, we must first understand the concept of whisky brokers.

3 It is important to remember that approximately 90% of all whisky distilled in Scotland is ultimately sold as component whisky for blends. Globally, the market for blended whisky continues to dominate the category. As a result of the focus on blended whiskies, distilleries needed a mechanism to facilitate the sale and distribution of produced, but un-matured whisky from the distillery to the blender and whisky brokers fulfilled that need, buying and selling whisky contracts, and ensuring the distilleries had commitments for their product and the blenders had their needed supplies. As an extension of the brokerage aspect of the whisky business, some brokers branched out and, as opposed to acting solely as facilitators between distiller and blender, began to acquire stocks of whisky, storing them for future sale as they matured. The evolution continued as brokers created their own blends. And when the market for single malt whiskies began to build, these brokers expanded further, bottling and releasing, under their own labels, single malt whiskies, hence the term, Independent Bottlers. So why do distilleries sell their whisky to brokers and Independent Bottlers? Remember that if the distillery is going to direct sell its product, it must wait 10, 12, even 18 years or longer before that income is recognized by the distillery. Selling barrels to brokers and independent bottlers generates immediate cashflow income that supplements the distillery s direct sales revenue. Distilleries also pass on certain barrels of whisky to ensure consistency. When blending whisky, consistency of the product is paramount. Blenders ensure consistency by using barrels with similar flavours. If the flavour of a particular cask is notably different, it may be deemed uncharacteristic of the distillery and not used in "official" product bottlings. As noted above, whiskies bottled by independent bottlers may or may not be labelled with the distillery of origin, but most independent releases tend not to use the distillery's trademarks such as logos, fonts and images as they may not have the authorization to do so. Due to the long history and marketing campaigns undergone by some distilleries, their brands may be associated with a great deal of prestige. As such, proprietary bottlings can sometimes command a higher price than an independently bottled whisky from the same distillery. Because of this, independently bottled whisky is often much cheaper, enabling connoisseurs and whisky drinkers to try "rarer", older whisky without paying quite so much. However, as distilleries often strive for consistency, and are careful not to tarnish their reputations, their branded bottlings can sometimes be more reliable. Secret Bottlings: Some whiskies that are bottled by independent bottlers are marketed without identification of the source distillery. These are often referred to as "secret bottlings". The distiller may be unnamed because the distilleries that produce them only want their name associated with whisky released by themselves, or because the bottler wants to have the ability to buy from various distilleries without changing their label or revealing their trade secrets. This type of secrecy is not always absolute. An example of a semi-secret bottling is the "Tactical Selection" from Douglas Laing & Co. s Old Malt Cask range. The bottlers have not stated the distillery, but in the style of many secret bottlings, they give clues as to its origins. In this case a geographical location; Tactical Selection was distilled on the Isle of Skye which is home to only one whisky distillery, Talisker. The term "tactical" also bears marked phonetic semblance to Talisker, thus giving an additional clue to its source. Tactics such as these may allow bottlers to indicate their source without breaching trademark or contract agreements Single Cask and Cask Strength: In the current market, single cask and cask strength whiskies are increasingly in demand and Independent Bottlers are a significant source for whiskies bottled at cask strength, although the distilleries have also begun to expand beyond their core range to offer higher proof cask strength and single cask releases. Cask strength is a term which means the whisky is not diluted from the strength that comes out of the barrel. Why do this? Releasing whiskies at full strength often results in a more full-flavoured whisky, because lowering the strength by dilution also dilutes the flavour. Many Independent Bottlers also refrain from chill filtering the whisky, a process which involves removing fatty acids, proteins and esters to give the whisky a clearer appearance. Chill filtering, however, can affect flavour because these compounds account for a lot of the taste (the esters, for

4 example, have a fruit-like aroma). Finally, another measure often eliminated by Independent Bottlers is the addition of spirit caramel (e150a) that is used for colouring in the interest of product consistency. Quality: Independently-bottled whisky ranges from "bottom shelf" products of low price and quality to the finest of whiskies. Additionally, many Independent Bottlers offer a series of selections within their own ranges, encompassing age brackets, price ranges, noncask strength and cask strength selections, or aged and very rare releases. In general, though, the simple fact that a whisky was produced by a specific independent bottler does not, by itself, provide any indication of quality, but certainly some bottlers have a reputation for consistently selecting and releasing quality expressions. And in a final bit of role reversal, several Independent Bottlers now have purchased or are building their own distilleries. Signatory acquired Edradour, Duncan Taylor is in the planning stages of building a distillery in Huntly, and Benromach was purchased by Gordon & MacPhail. The Independents Our selections for this month are all from a small sample of Independent Bottlers who routinely offer selections in the United States. All of these bottlers and expressions can be found locally. In the following sections is a bit of information and history of these companies and then descriptions and information regarding this month s selections. Note that there are very few miscellaneous reviews and of those that are included, they frequently reference alternate casks. As these selections are all newer releases and, as noted above, from relatively small outturns, there are very few posted reviews. Primary Sources: A Sampling of Independent Bottlers Adelphi A. D. Rattray Angus Dundee Berry Brothers Blackadder Cadenhead Celtic Whisky Douglas Laing Dun Bheagan Duncan Taylor Gordon & MacPhail Hart Brothers Ian MacLeod James McArthur Jean Boyer Lombard Master of Malt Mackillop's Choice Milroy's of Soho Murray McDavid Praban Na Linne Samaroli Scott's Selection Sestante Signatory Vintage Silver Seal Single & Single Scotch Malt Whisky Society Specialty Drinks The Ultimate Vintage MWC Whisky Agency Whisky Doris Whyte & Mackay Wilson & Morgan Signatory Vintage Edinburgh, Scotland Web: Andrew Symington founded Signatory Vintage in It is a family owned and managed company, being one of only three true independent bottlers. They always like to draw a distinction between the independent companies who bottle their own products, and the independent companies whose products are bottled under contract. The other fully independent bottlers are: Gordon & MacPhail and Wm. Cadenhead. The name of Signatory derived from the fact that their initial intention was to find someone famous to sign the labels for bottles produced from one single cask. According to Andrew Symington, the first cask we purchased was a cask of 1968 Glenlivet, which was sold long before we could find a famous person. The concept faded away, but Signatory continued to grow. Until April 1992, when they moved to their current premises in Newhaven (Edinburgh), they operated from a bonded warehouse in Leith. Leith was once a well-known port for importing wine from France. As this industry declined, many of the whisky companies began to occupy the old warehouses for cask storage purposes. In recent years, this has also declined, with the larger companies moving to the west of Edinburgh, where transport links are better. In April 1992, as the company began to grow, they moved to much larger premises. Here, they were granted a license to bottle their own products on site. They set-up a small line bottling system, primarily geared towards the bottling of single casks. Although the actual bottling of whisky is semiautomated, the emphasis is very much a hands-on operation, with hand labeling and packing of products. To add to the exclusivity of their bottlings, they often declare the cask number, date of distillation, and date of bottling on our labels. In addition, each bottle is individually hand numbered. It is their aim, as an independent bottler to offer a range of whiskies, some of which are not bottled by the proprietor of a particular distillery, and some at different ages/strengths to those offered as distillery bottlings. The majority of their bottlings are the product of single casks, with the malt whisky enthusiast

5 being given the opportunity to sample the subtle differences which occur with each different cask. Edradour Distillery In July 2002 Signatory became a distiller as well as an independent bottler when it purchased Edradour, known as the smallest distillery from Scotland. Under Signatory s ownership, Edradour has expanded its range and also resurrected an extinct distillery name, Ballechin, releasing a series of peated whiskies with different finishes under this label. Signatory Vintage offers a range of product categories, which includes: The Signatory Vintage Collection is filled at 43% ABV in a standard clear glass bottling and packed in a metal tube; this is the standard edition of Signatory and is sold at a moderate price. Originally the colour of the tube varied in relation to the whisky-region: yellow for Highland, light-blue for Islay, and green-yellow for Lowland, but this changed in 2000 and this collection is now sold in a round, yellow and copper canister. The Un-Chillfiltered Collection is bottled at 46% and frequently references the vintage year on the packaging. These whiskies are packaged in a clear bottle and silver tin canister. Signatory Cask Strength Collection range whiskies bottled at natural cask strength. These cask strength bottlings are non-colored and most, if not all, are not chill-filtered. In 2004 the packaging was changed to the current oval metal canister and the bottles to a decanter-style shape. The Silent Stills Collection This is a rare series of bottlings of now-extinct distilleries and are packaged for the collector market. The whiskies come in a wooden box, set into a piece of silk cloth and include a small sample bottle and a piece of the cask in which the whisky matured. Berry Bros & Rudd London, England Web: In 1698, the company now known as Berry Bros. & Rudd was started by a woman, a widow and a mother with at least two daughters, but only her last name is known: Bourne. The Widow Bourne established a grocer s in the prestigious neighbourhood opposite St. James s Palace, which in that year became the official principal residence of the monarch. The Widow s daughter Elizabeth married a William Pickering (d.1734), and their family continued to run the business. As the Pickerings supplied the newlyfashionable Coffee Houses of St James s, it is unsurprising that the shop chose an image linked to this prestige commodity as the sign of their business. To this day, Berry Bros. & Rudd still trades under the Sign of the Coffee Mill, an image that has remained outside the shop for centuries. During this time, both No.3 and Pickering Place were rebuilt by the Pickerings, reflecting the family s success and No. 3 remains very much the same today. Elizabeth herself ran the business alone after her husband died. When John Pickering died in 1754, his brother William Jr. brought in a relation, John Clarke, to be his partner. John Clarke s daughter Mary, who had married a wine merchant from Exeter, gave birth to the first George Berry in In 1803, at the age of 16, George Berry, entered the family business and by 1810 his name was stretched above the facade of No. 3 St James's Street. For 200 years since then, the Berry name has been inseparable from the business. In 1845, George Berry s sons, George Jr. and Henry, took over and today the shop still bears the name of these original Berry Brothers. In the 19th century, the coffee business established by the Widow Bourne continued, and contemporary accounts referred to the shop as The Sign of the Coffee Mill as well as Berry s. However, the business gradually transitioned and became a wine and spirits merchant exclusively, as second cousins Francis Berry and Charles Walter Berry led Berry Bros. & Co into the 20th century. Hugh Rudd came from a family wine merchant s in Norwich, established by his grandfather in Before World War I, Hugh worked for the family business and abroad, partnering a great love of Bordeaux with a deep knowledge of

6 German wines. When he returned from fighting, Norwich had ceased to be an active centre for the wine trade, and he moved to London, joining Berry Bros. in 1920; his partnership with the two Berrys giving the firm unrivalled wine expertise. When Prohibition was established in America, Berry Bros. products became in great demand in the Bahamas, a popular stop for smugglers. Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky was invented in 1923 and became hugely popular in the American market; it was to be one of the company s most successful products. In the 1940s, Berry Bros. & Co became a limited company, one of many name changes in the firm s history. Hugh Rudd was by that time an essential part of the company, and it was natural for the firm to become known as Berry Bros. & Rudd Ltd., as it still is today. In 1967, Berry Bros. & Rudd broke with tradition and became the first an independent wine merchant to build temperature-controlled wine cellars, which were established in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Nowadays, these cellars hold 8.5 million bottles of company and customers wine, worth millions of pounds. Some traditions still remained however; Berry Bros. & Rudd continued to bottle wines themselves until the 1960s Since the war, Berry Bros. & Rudd s customer base had increased dramatically, with more and more sales being made by mail order. In 1994, Berry Bros. & Rudd were again at the forefront of progress as the company launched the very first wine merchant s website, The 1990s also saw Berry Bros. & Rudd expand the physical presence of the business; a series of Duty Free wine shops opened at Heathrow Airport, followed by the establishment of the company s first presence in Asia, the Hong Kong Wine Club. And in 1998, Berry s opened their first overseas shop in Harry Street, Dublin. With over 315 years of history, Berry Bros. & Rudd is justly proud of its past. In 1698, the Widow Bourne established a shop at No. 3 St James s Street. Over three centuries later, with two Royal Warrants and eight Masters of Wine, the family business continues to flourish, with its heart still very much at No. 3. The company s colourful history encompasses wines on board the Titanic, supplying smugglers running alcohol into Prohibition-era America, and sheltering Napoleon III in cellars beneath the shop. Nowadays, Berry Bros. & Rudd continue to supply wines and spirits to royalty, have a successful presence in Asia, and lead the world of wine with a philosophy of constant innovation. Gordon & MacPhail Elgin, Scotland Web: Located in the north-east of Scotland in the heart of the world famous whisky producing region of Speyside, Gordon & MacPhail is an independent family-owned and managed firm which has been bottling Single Malt Whiskies for over 118 years. From its humble beginnings as a retailer, Gordon and MacPhail has grown to become a diverse and dynamic company with a number of different business interests. Today the company is a retailer, wholesaler, exporter, bottler of Single Malt Scotch Whisky and distiller, owning Benromach Distillery in Forres. Gordon and MacPhail bottles over 300 expressions of single malt Scotch whisky from distilleries throughout Scotland. Our long established relationships with distillery owners throughout the country allows us to send our oak casks to the majority of Scotland s working distilleries to be filled with new make spirit, which then mature for many years at the distillery of origin or in our bonded warehouses in Elgin. The oak casks are carefully stowed and regularly checked until they finally achieve our highest quality standards. Only then are they bottled and presented for sale. Our philosophy for maturing, selecting and bottling, ensures that we strive to produce the highest quality whiskies. Our filling policy allows us to specially select casks to complement the unique character of whisky we fill into them. Our sherry casks are made in Spain, seasoned for a number of years and finally when they are ready, are brought to Scotland. We source ex-bourbon casks from selected distilleries in Kentucky, and other specialist wine casks from throughout the world. Loving care in every aspect of bringing our products to market ensures that every bottle carrying the G&M mark is simply as good as it can be. On 24th May 1895, the Elgin Courant reported the opening "in New, Centrical, and Commodious Premises, No's 38 and 40 South Street... a Family Grocers, Tea, Wine & Spirit Merchants". The founders of the firm were James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail, and from the outset (as the newspaper reported) the stock

7 was "personally selected", with a view to providing "a superior article at a popular price" and giving "the utmost satisfaction". Among the new shop's first employees was John Urquhart, a lad of fifteen. John was an able learner and before long was helping James Gordon to select and buy casks of malt whisky from local distilleries and assisting with the creation of house blends for the firm's customers around the north of Scotland. When J.A. MacPhail retired in March 1915, Urquhart became a partner in the business, and when James Gordon died suddenly only two weeks later, he became senior partner. In parallel with the grocery side of the enterprise, John Urquhart developed the whisky brokerage business begun by James Gordon, and in particular began to specialise in single malt whiskies - bottling under license for famous distilleries such as Macallan, Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Linkwood and Mortlach. As part of this business he began to select and fill his own casks - almost always Spanish oak, ex-sherry casks - at these and other distilleries, and to mature his whiskies for much longer than was customary at the time. John Urquhart was joined by his son, George, and daughter, Betty, in 1933, and by another son, Gordon, in By this time the family firm held the largest range of bottled malt whiskies in the world. Most makes were unavailable elsewhere since very few distillery owners bottled their own malts as singles. In the mid-1960s George Urquhart took the unprecedented step of launching a range of single malts from different distilleries under the brand name 'Connoisseur's Choice', and offered the range for sale in the rapidly expanding Italian, French, American and Dutch markets. Just as his father had introduced him to the firm, so George brought in his own children. The oldest, Ian, joined in 1967, after having been trained in the wine and spirit trade in London and France. He was followed by David in 1972 and Michael in The family partnership became a limited company in the late 1970s, but ownership and management remained with the family, as it does to this day. Gordon & MacPhail offers a wide selection of ranges, including the Connoisseurs Choice, The Distillery Labels, Cask Strength, Rare Old, Private Collection, The MacPhail s Collection, Speymalt and Rare Vintage. Duncan Taylor Upperkirkgate, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Web: Founded in 1938, Duncan Taylor & Company has ownership of one of the largest privately-held collections of rare Scotch whisky casks, laying down casks from premium Scottish distilleries for decades and has, in recent years, made its branded products available to whisky connoisseurs throughout the World. Duncan Taylor has its origins in Glasgow where the company was initially a merchant and broker of Scotch whisky casks within the Industry. Devotion to the principle of providing only the finest casks to be filled at Scotland s leading distilleries has been a key feature of the company s history and this tradition of building an outstanding portfolio of only the finest scotch whiskies is being maintained to this day by the current owners. When the company moved its headquarters to the North East of Scotland, close to Speyside Scotland s largest whisky producing region it also took the decision to focus on the production and marketing of its own brands and to cease the brokering of whisky in cask form to Distillery companies and Independent bottlers. In 2002, the company was acquired from American owners by Euan Shand, who was brought up at the Glendronach Distillery, where his father was manager. Euan later joined the distillery owners, William Teachers and Sons Limited, as a trainee gaining experience in all aspects of distilling before moving to the company s head office in Glasgow to train in export finance and international trade. With Shand s acquisition of Duncan Taylor, the business ceased brokering whisky casks to concentrate on producing its own brands of Scotch whiskies. Duncan Taylor & Co is an Independent bottler, meaning they are not a distillery and do not produce whisky but bottle whisky under their own brand name. Independent bottlers tend not to concentrate on producing in bulk and rather concentrate on bottling single casks with the spirit at higher strength, and leaving the spirit natural without being chill filtered or coloured. The company s fine casks can be found maturing throughout the whole of Scotland, Duncan Taylor Cask Selection adheres to a stringent standard of cask maintenance and maturation evaluation. A formal tasting of each cask sample is conducted with strict criteria for colour, nose, taste and finish. From this process only the finest casks are chosen to become Duncan Taylor & Co products.

8 Cask samples are regularly taken to ensure bottling takes place at the optimum time, demonstrating the best characteristics of the distillery. Detailed records show the warehouse location, distillery, cask number, year and strength. With full UK Customs and Excise Bonded bottling and warehousing facilities, Duncan Taylor produces over 500,000 bottles of whisky a year. With an established design, marketing and production operation, the company not only bottles its own brands but provides contract bottling for a number of other distillery companies. Rigorous quality control procedures are in place to ensure that Duncan Taylor s ethic of unrivalled quality continues to be integral to the high reputation enjoyed by the company s award winning brands. From their various casks, Duncan Taylor creates a series of releases representing the nature and quality of the whiskies. The Peerless range offers whiskies that are all single cask, natural cask strength, and a minimum of 40 years, therefore some of the oldest whisky in the world today. Rarest of the Rare Collection is a range comprised of Single Malt, single cask whiskies from distilleries now dismantled. Lonach Collection: A very mature stock at natural strength but instead of one cask, they are perhaps two of same age, same distillery married together, Single Malt but more than one cask. NC2 Range: These whiskies demonstrate the exact character of the distillery and have an abundance of flavours. Typically NC2 range is aged years. Dimensions is a super-premium collection highlighting the multi-dimensional nature of the Duncan Taylor Portfolio. The whiskies in this range vary from 10 year old single malts and grains up to 39 years of age. The rarity of the Dimensions range is implicit. Each whisky is the product of a single cask, bottled at natural cask, bottled at natural cask strength and presented in a luxury carton. Battlehill is a collection of youthful Single Malt whiskies, bottled between 6 and 10 years old. Battlehill is named after the famous 16th century clan battles in Huntly, Scotland. Octave & Quarter Cask Range: These smaller casks allowing an exclusive 70 or 150 bottles to share with family, friends or business colleagues. Auchentoshan Signatory Vintage, 1999, 13 y.o. The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Distilled , Bottled Cask No , Bourbon Barrel, Bottle 86 of 279, 46% abv Specs, $68.41 Auchentoshan Ock-un-tosh-un Distillery is found on the banks of the River Clyde just nine miles from Glasgow. Auchentoshan has been distilled since 1823 and means corner of the field. Auchentoshan is the only distillery in Scotland to triple distill all year round and is one of only 6 distilleries in the large Lowland region. The reason for the third distillation is believed to create a very light and fruity spirit which allows it to mature very well in oak casks. The Japanese company, Suntory who also own Bowmore and Glen Garioch, owns Auchentoshan. The distillery has three stills, one wash still, one intermediate still and one spirit still. The distillery produces about 1,700,000 litres a year. House Style: Light, lemon-grassy, oily. Auchentoshan Scotland s Only Triple Distilled Single Malt: What does it mean to be the only Triple Distilled Single Malt in Scotland? It s more time consuming. It s more expensive. And it s also absolutely unique no other Single Malt Scotch Whisky goes beyond two distillations for every drop. Why do we persist? The extra distillation takes our spirit to around 81% not 70%. This dramatically affects the character of the new make spirit, helping to create a subtle whisky that matures beautifully in oak. When you taste our new spirit, strong notes of fruit and citrus are revealed because we have distilled away all the impurities in the liquid; making Auchentoshan the smoothest, most delicate tasting single malt Scotch whisky. And that is why Auchentoshan is highly acclaimed across the world since 1823 Auchentoshan s triple distilling process starts by loading the wash still with the 8% alcohol wash from the washbacks. Heating the wash to 94 degrees Celsius moves the vaporized alcohol slowly up this elegant still, and through the lyne arm towards the condenser. The shape of the stills really matters; the elegant forms allow the gentle flavours to become enriched, while leaving much of the heavier character behind. The actual spirit distillate begins life as fore-shots the remnants of the previous distillation combined with the current distillation. But fore-shots don't make it any further they're recycled through the spirit safe into the feints receiver. After around eight minutes of fore-shots, the spirit runs clear. It's known as 'new make spirit' or low wines, and it's only this that is matured into whisky. In the next step, the intermediate still is charged with the low wines. The magic happens right here creating an intermediate spirit that's twice as strong as the industry

9 average. It's this intermediate spirit that then goes to the spirit still the extra distillation at the heart of creating the unique gentleness of Auchentoshan. Finally, the high strength feints are then distilled in the spirit still from 55% right up to the signature Auchentoshan strength of 81% ABV. This high alcohol content liberates a complex compliment of congeners from the still, which we collect in the spirit receiver for maturation. Without triple distillation, we simply couldn t create the gentle, complex flavour of Auchentoshan. It s why we insist on it for every drop we create. MBD 2014 Royal Brackla Duncan Taylor, Dimensions, 13 y.o. Distilled , Bottled , Batch No. 0001, 46% abv Specs, $94.73 The Royal Brackla distillery is located in the Speyside area of Scotland, at least according to legendary whisky writer Michael Jackson. However, most other whisky writers place Brackla (the 'Royal' part is optional) in the Northern Highlands region. Royal Brackla was founded in 1812 by Captain William Fraser of Brackla House on the estate of Cawdor Castle. After operating under the name 'Brackla' for more than twenty years the distillery earned the right to carry the 'Royal' prefix in 1835 when they became suppliers to the court of King William IV. Obviously, the King didn't consume enough whisky, because he died of pneumonia two years later in 1837, leaving the throne of Great Britain to queen Victoria. Miscellaneous Reviews: Colour: pale white wine. Nose: definitely more expressive and fresher, but we do have more or less the same flinty smells at the start but it gets then very mashy, yeasty (porridge and muesli, mashed potatoes) as well as grassy (newly mown lawn, privet) and finally a little fruity (grapefruits). Funny whiffs of menthol that gives this Auchentoshan a little extra-complexity. It s still simple, but enjoyable (I can t help thinking it would make for a perfect poolside dram, on ice although I never add ice to my whiskies). Mouth: compact and very, very sweet, almost sugary, with some big bold notes of lemon sweets. Maybe notes of crème brûlée, candy sugar, plus something discretely waxy and minty and a rather long, simple finish, on lemon marmalade and a little green pepper. No particular thrill but it s flawless. A good summer malt. ( Notes: Royal Brackla may be a fairly 'low profile' distillery, but it is linked to one of the biggest 'inventions' in the whisky world: blended whisky. An Edinburgh merchant by the name of Andrew Usher joined the company in the 1860's and perfected the blending of whisky, propelling whisky from a drink that had hardly been heard of outside Scotland and Ireland into the golden liquid which conquered the world. Royal Brackla remained in the hands of the Fraser family until it was sold to John Mitchell & James Leict of Aberdeen in 1898 who rebuilt the distillery. John Bisset & Co Ltd. from Aberdeen bought Royal Brackla in 1926 and sold it to Distillers Company Ltd. in The distillery was rebuilt again in 1965/1966, at which time they switched from direct fired stills to internal fired stills heated by steam. In 1970 the number of stills was expanded from two to four and new racked warehouses were constructed in Fifteen years later, in 1985, Brackla was closed again, remaining dormant until 1991 when reopened again under license to John Bisset & Co Ltd. Two years later a semi-official 10yo 'Fauna & Flora' bottling was released by United Distillers (now Diageo) and in 1998 a 'UD Rare Malts' whisky at 20 years old became available. That same year, the Royal Brackla distillery was sold to John Dewar & Sons which released a ten year old official bottling.

10 Royal Brackla has a 12.5 ton mash tun and eight wash backs with a total volume of 480,000 litres. Cawdor Burn has been the constant water supply for Royal Brackla, with the Cursack Springs being used for mashing. The distillery uses four stills to produce its whisky, two wash stills with a combined capacity of 42,000 litres and two spirit stills that have combined capacity of 42,000 litres. The fermentation process lasts for a total of 70 hours and is followed by the distillation process. Tall Royal Brackla stills, designed to allow plenty of reflux, are operated slowly in the distillation process to smooth the blend to maximise copper contact and produce a light spirit. These days, most of the malt whisky produced at Royal Brackla is used for blended whiskies like Johnnie Walker Gold Label and the various Dewar's blends. Trivia: In 1835, King William IV granted Brackla distillery the right to carry the name 'Royal' Brackla. It was the first of three distilleries to earn that distinction, the others being Glenury Royal and Royal Lochnagar. Miscellaneous Reviews: Nose: Tropical, notes of coconut, rose petal jelly, apple blossom, malt and a little white pepper. Palate: Custard, almond oil, pepper, oak, cinnamon, apple wood and spices. Finish: Sweet, creamy finish with Chantilly cream and cinnamon. ( Nose: Desiccated coconut and pineapple on the nose with a little floral character and spice. Palate: Vanilla, marzipan and nutmeg notes, with orange peel and cedar. Finish: Long finish with sweet vanilla and spice notes. ( Notes: Mortlach Gordon & MacPhail, 1999, 15 y.o. The Distilleries Labels Collection Bottled 2012, 43% abv Total Wine, $65.99 The Mortlach distillery was the first distillery in Dufftown, pre-dating the next one (Glenfiddich) by over four decades. Mortlach was founded in 1823 by James Findlater, who was joined by Alexander Gordon and James Macintosh the next year. They acquired partial ownership. The initial owners didn't manage to keep the distillery running for more than a decade; Mortlach was sold on to John Robertson in 1831 for the ridiculous amount of 270 GBP. This marked the start of a number of purchases by different (part) owners, including A. & T. Gregory, John Alexander Gordon and the brothers James and John Grant. Mortlach was inactive for a few years (at least as far as the production of malt whisky is concerned) - the buildings were used as a brewery and as a church. Just like the founder of Glenlivet (also constructed in 1823), the founders of Mortlach hoped to benefit from the new Excise Act. If they benefited at all it was only for a few years; Mortlach was sold on to new owners for a number of times and some of the buyers didn't even intend to actually produce any whisky. For example, when John & James Grant of Glen Grant bought the distillery, they removed the distilling equipment and left it silent - probably as a way to reduce competition. After Mortlach had been used as a brewery for a few years it was converted back into a distillery in 1852, using brand new equipment to produce a whisky with the name 'The Real John Gordon' a reference to the owner at the time. In 1853 or 1854 part of Mortlach was taken over by George Cowie Senior, a railway company surveyor and (later) the mayor of Dufftown. When John Alexander Gordon passed away in 1867 he became the sole owner of the Mortlach. His son George Cowie Junior started work at the distillery in 1895, two years before the number of stills was expanded from three to six in This was an unusually large number of pot stills in those days - the expansion of the production capacity was probably inspired by the massive 'whisky boom' of the time, which effectively meant that all the produced whisky could be sold. When the extra stills were installed in 1897 the owners also added a railway siding that linked Mortlach with the Dufftown train station. One year later electric lights were added, as well as a hydraulic lift system in the warehouses that was used for lifting casks and other loads to the upper floors. This were the last modernizations of the distillery until 1923 when Alexander Cowie decided to sell Mortlach to John Walker & Sons - the company that became part of Distillers Company Limited (DCL; predecessors of Diageo) two years later in The configuration of the six stills at Mortlach is unusual and

11 probably unique in Scotland. The 'partial triple distillation' that is used at the Mortlach distillery is a variation of the technique that is in use at Springbank and Benrinnes. Mortlach has one larch washbacks for every one of its six stills and a semi-lauter mash tun that was added in More than two decades earlier (in 1964) there was a refurbishment that was so considerable that it pretty much meant that the whole distillery was rebuilt, at least on the inside. The exterior was the only part of Mortlach that remained largely intact at the time; although the pagoda roofs would have a strictly decorative function in the future. Mortlach's floor maltings remained operational until 1968; after that they switched to external sources. Three years later (in 1971), Mortlach distillery switched from direct heating of the stills to indirect (steam) heating. These two technological changes mark a fairly significant change in the production process of the Mortlach malt whisky. Distillery Description: Initially sweet, fresh and fragrant with a distinct malty nose. Citrus elements develop - fresh orange peel. Well rounded. TASTE: More subtle sweetness, hints of candied fruits. A rounded Sherry edge is evident and some raisin and sultana notes emerge. Trivia: Mortlach malt whisky is an important component of the Johnnie Walker Black Label blend. Miscellaneous Reviews: Nose: Delicate malted barley, suede leather tannins, a little fresh wood or sawdust and strawberry jam. Taste: Lightly sweet and prickly spicy this has flavours of brambles, grape/raisin, all spice, drying suede, brown sugar and nutmeg. Finish: Medium, slightly sweet and spicy, drying oak wood then juicy fruits to round off. ( Notes: Clynelish Berry Bros & Rudd, 15 y.o. Distilled 1997, Bottled 2013 Cask No. 6474, 56.1% abv Total Wine: $59.99 The history of Clynelish distillery involves one of the most controversial figures in Scottish history George Granville Leveson-Gower. Known as the 1 st Duke of Sutherland, he founded the distillery (at the time known as Brora) in 1819, but it is for his actions between 1811 and 1820 that he has become infamous. The Duke, at this time the wealthiest man in the country, was convinced that more money could be made from the vast area of land he owned through breeding sheep rather than from farming. He therefore forced 15,000 farmers from their land and relocated them to the coast to take up fishing. His actions became known as the Highland Clearances and a 100 ft. tall statue of the Duke, with the rather ironic inscription To a judicious, kind and liberal landlord was erected one year after his death and can still be seen a couple of miles south of the distiller. Clynelish is a modern distillery, which was built in 1967, right next to the much older Brora (which used to be called Clynelish). The two distilleries operated together for 14 years, but the character of the two single malts were completely different, with Brora being much more peated. Well, actually - it's slightly more complicated than that. The old Clynelish distillery was closed in May 1968 and the new one went into production a month later. That could have been the last that we ever heard of the old distillery now known as Brora - if it hadn't been for the weather in another part of Scotland! Due to a severe drought on the island of Islay, brand owners DCL (the owners of SMD) found themselves with a severe shortage of the peated malts. At that time the 'Islay style' heavily peated single malts were as trendy as they are today, but DCL just needed peated malt whisky for their number one blend; Johnnie Walker. Johnnie Walker has a fair amount of Islay malts in its recipe and global sales were growing so fast that DCL decided to experiment with the production of a more heavily peated malt whisky on the mainland. The old Clynelish distillery happened to be mothballed, so it was restarted, renamed Brora and the production of malt whisky resumed again at the location in Brora enjoyed the new lease on life for more than a decade, but in 1983 the distillery was closed again - this time for good.

12 In 2013 the Clynelish distillery is operating on a 7-day per week schedule producing 4.8 million litres of alcohol. The distillery is equipped with a cast iron full lauter mash tun, eight wooden washbacks, two stainless steel washbacks and three pairs of stills. Some 6,000 casks are stored in the old Brora warehouses, but most of the production at Clynelish is matured elsewhere. Approximately 100,000 bottles of Clynelish single malt is sold annually. Official Bottlings include a 14 year old, a Distiller s Edition with an Oloroso Seco finish, and an American Oak Cask Strength version available as a distillery shop exclusive. Clynelish is the signature malt in Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, a newly released No Age Stated (NAS) version of the previous 18 year old expression which has now been phased out. Trivia: Out of the 27 active distilleries that Diageo owned in 2006, only three had a higher production capacity than Clynelish's; Caol Ila, Glendullan and Dufftown. The latter two, Glendullan and Dufftown, along with Glen Ord were ultimately repackaged into the 'Singleton' brand beginning in The name 'Singleton had formerly been used by Auchroisk. Miscellaneous Reviews: Nose: fresh, fruity and playful at first sniffs, with a typical waxiness (something like orange-scented candles here) as well as newly cut apples and a little pear juice. We have quite some wood smoke after that, lemon gets frankly maritime after a moment, with whiffs of very fresh oysters. Otherwise it s quite ashy and stony. Very clean and very pure. Mouth: very sweet and very fruity, a little more indefinite this time. Closer to fruit spirit (plum eau-de-vie) and grain, with just a little vanilla and hints of spices from the wood, as well as a little ginger. ( *cask 12737) Notes: Laphroaig Signatory Vintage 1998, 14 y.o. The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Distilled , Bottled Cask No Hogshead, Bottle 10 of 303, 46% abv Specs, $ Laphroaig (pronounced La-FROYg ) is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery named for the area of land at the head of Loch Laphroaig on the south coast of the Isle of Islay The Laphroaig distillery was established in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston. The Johnstons, who founded Laphroaig were from the Clan Donald and are likely to be from the MacLain of Ardnamurchan branch of the clan. The family anglicized their name to Johnston. In 1847, co-founder Donald Johnston died in dramatic circumstances - after falling into a scalding kettle of burnt ale - and for the next decade Walter Graham, manager of neighbouring distillery Lagavulin, ran the company. Laphroaig returned to Johnston family hands in 1857 when Donald s son Dugald gained ownership. The last member of the Johnston family to run the distillery was Ian Hunter, a nephew of Sandy Johnston. Ian died childless in 1954 and left the distillery to one of his managers, Bessie Williamson, who ran the distillery until it was sold to Long John International in the 1960s. Although women had long played significant roles in the illicit whisky trade, Bessie Williamson was the first Scottish woman to run a major whisky distillery. Over the next several decades Laphroaig changed hands numerous time with the ebb and flow of demand for whisky and a spate of consolidation within the global drinks industry. Laphroaig became part of Allied Domecq when it acquired Long John. The brand was then 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 Laphroaig has been the only whisky to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales, which was awarded by the Prince in person during a visit to the distillery in The now discontinued 15-year-old was reportedly the prince's favourite Scotch whisky. Laphroaig also shows a sense of humor in its advertising!

13 Trivia: Laphroaig stands on the 'grave' of another distillery in the Kildalton area of Islay. The Ardenistle distillery (a.k.a. Ardenestiel or Aredenistiel) was located right next to Laphroaig. Founded in 1837 by Andrew & James Stein, its life was short the distillery closed just a decade later, around 1848, and the remains are now part of the Laphroaig distillery. Miscellaneous Reviews: Nose: A curious mix of orange blossom, coal tar and creosote on the nose. Hints of cinnamon, black treacle and stewed apples. Palate: Malty and rounded palate, with linseed oil, hints of TCP, dark chocolate and apple strudel, with a development of burning rubber. Finish: A rubbery, smoky finish. ( Nose: Butterscotch. Salt. Medicinal. Lemon sherbet. Honeycomb. Touch of oak. White grapes. Smoke and peat. Body: Good peat. White grapes. Butterscotch. Custard. Water adds meat broth, syrup and salt. Finish: Smoke. Light oak. White grapes. Dry. Water lightens and adds beef slices. Some treacle and milk chocolate for sweetness. The body does lack a lot of Laphroaig s traditional harsher elements thought it emphasizes the peat and meat flavours. It is still Laphroaig but with a change of emphasis. It is a refined Laphroaig, smoother even still than the Quarter Cask but without that lovely level of complexity. It does have a great mix of Islay character and lovely sweetness. A whisky for when you want to dance with the bigger flavours of Islay but don t want it to punish you for it. Not the quintessential Islay but an exceedingly good bottling. Distinctly Laphroaig and yet still distinctly its own thing. ( Notes: Caol Ila Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, 13 y.o. Distilled , Bottled Cask No Bourbon Barrel, Bottle 10 of 226, 58.4% abv Specs, $ The Caol Ila distillery on Islay is located near Port Askaig, on the northeast corner of the island. It's quite isolated, its closest neighbor being the Bunnahabhain distillery. Caol Ila was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson who also owned the old Camlachie distillery in Glasgow. Consecutive owners included Henderson, Lamont & Co ( ), Norman Buchanan ( ) and Bulloch, Lade & Co (proprietors of Camlachie) who rebuilt and expanded the distillery. In 1920, Caol Ila was liquidated and sold to J. P. O'Brien Ltd, who in turn sold it to Caol Ila Distillery Co Ltd. the same year. DCL took control in 1927 and transferred Caol Ila to SMD in 1930 who shut it down. Caol Ila was silent until 1937 and had to close down during part of WWII as well. Despite the many changes in ownership Caol Ila has been in production almost constantly since After World War II, things proceeded relatively uneventfully at Caol Ila for a few decades before it was rebuilt and extended from two to six stills between 1972 and The distillery was completely rebuilt in order to meet increased demand from the blenders, only the warehouses (still filled with maturing whisky) were spared. After 1974 Caol Ila started to buy their malted barley from the Port Ellen maltings. Some connoisseurs make a clear distinction between the heavier 'old' Caol Ila that was produced before 1972 and the lighter, cleaner spirit that was distilled after the expansion in The Caol Ila distillery became part of the United Distillers conglomerate in In 1989, the first 'semi-official' bottling was released in the 'Flora & Fauna' range. This would be the only official bottling in a long time (not counting releases in the 'Rare Malts' series). Fortunately, official bottlings are widely available these days. Caol Ila's current 'core range' was introduced in Apart from the standard 12yo, 18yo and Cask Strength bottlings, Diageo releases occasional single cask bottlings as well. When casks of Lagavulin and Laphroaig became harder to acquire after the year 2000, independent bottlers started to release more private and 'bastard' bottlings too. Although the profile of Caol Ila as a single malt has been enhanced in recent years, the main function of the distillery is still the production of malt whiskies

14 for the Johnnie Walker blends. Among single malt whisky lovers, Caol Ila is known as a relatively clean peated whisky. While Caol Ila generally produces peated whisky, it might surprise you to learn that part of the Caol Ila whisky that is used for the Johnnie Walker blended whisky is actually unpeated. Unbeknownst to many, the Caol Ila distillery actually started with trial runs of unpeated whisky in the 1980's; the so-called 'Highland' Caol Ila. For approximately two decades this whisky was used almost exclusively for blends, but in 2006 it was introduced as an 8 years old single malt. Trivia: The name Caol Ila (pronounced as 'kul-eela' and easily misspelled as Coal Ila) is Gaelic for 'Sound of Islay' and is probably inspired by the location of the distillery along the stretch of water between Islay and Jura. Miscellaneous Reviews: Nose: Compared to the standard 12 yo, the peat has been tamed (and it s not as if I classify the 12 yo among the major peat monsters). It s still the dominant element, but it s lost much of its zing. On the plus side, it s reasonably complex, with some creamy custard, malt, smoke, and some peppery spice. A bit underwhelming, but nice nonetheless. Palate: The arrival is perhaps the one element that s slightly superior to the OB. A very nice balance of smoky and sweet, with toasted oak and malty caramel fighting for space. It develops with some honey, sweet cream, malt, plus a touch of salt and some earthy tones. The finish is slightly above average in length, with plenty of caramel and a brief peat encore. ( - * Cask No ) Notes: