Let the Magic Happen

Time to believe in Unicorns.

No. No. No. And no again.

I have not lost my mind, and I haven’t had a dram too many. But it is time to start believing in unicorns.

I am writing this article as I am preparing to review in the next six months whiskies which may be no longer produced, either from being discontinued or the distillery falling silent. I’m also going to be trying whiskies that are perhaps a wee bit out of the price bracket of some of us. This is the making of a unicorn.

A Unicorn in a field just outside Kingussie

The Unicorn is a mythical creature*, and is the national animal of Scotland. You can see it on royal crests, standing proud opposite the lion, only the Unicorn is chained. Before I digress into a political statement I will move on to the fact that the only other awesome mythical national animal in the UK is the Welsh Dragon. While it might be awesome to have a flying, fire-breathing lizard representing you, who needs that when you can have a horned horse that does magic and tons of drunken men to lay waste to your enemies? Plus, we still have the better whisky.

I apologise to those who thought the national animal of Scotland was the Haggis, but it’s hard to have a national animal which you then eat.

To get ourselves back on track, we have to ask ourselves “What is a Unicorn Whisky”? I guess there are many definitions, but I have my own one. To me, it’s a whisky that is hard to get, or unaffordable for the vast majority. Note, I didn’t say rare…. Rare is a term used a lot in whisky, and seldom is it used accurately. Rare cannot be applied to a whisky produced in its thousands unless the supply of it has dried up.

I have already reviewed a unicorn whisky, the Flora and Fauna Rosebank 12. This isn’t especially rare, however it is now auctioning at £300+ a bottle. How many of my readers will buy that for drinking?

I’m looking to review more of the less common whiskies, such as Clynelish Flora and Fauna, Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine, Daftmill 2006 Winter Ed, a 26 y.o Caperdonich, and various others as I come across them. So why review something that is not easily purchased by those you are writing for?

Well, it starts with the fact that whisky is meant to be enjoyed. To enjoy it, I believe you have to drink it. As much as I love to collect, it is nice to occasionally sample the fruits of your labour. And by trying the odd unicorn, I hope I can inspire you to have adventures of your own by trying harder to get whiskies, even if it is just a one-off nip in a whisky bar.

Let me tell you a story……

I’m sure a few of you will have seen at one point I have posted a picture of a receipt for £470.00 in return for 2 nips of whisky. I’ll post it again.

The background to the story is that in that year I was 40. I don’t like a lot of fuss around me, despite how gregarious I can seem, I generally don’t want to be the centre of attention. So for my 40th birthday, I went and hid in the West Highlands of Scotland by myself. My cousin, who I normally drink with in Aberdeen, had his 40th birthday within a few weeks of mine, and the first weekend after my birthday, I decided I’d splash out and treat us to a special whisky. A 60 year old Macallan.

For a couple of years, we’d be going to the Grill Bar for nips and pints, and regularly perused the whisky menu. The 1938 Speymalt Macallan 60 was the most expensive whisky there at £200 for a 25ml measure. We could never normally justify spending that money on a dram, but once asked the barman what made a dram worth that much. He took the bottle down off the shelf, and let us sniff it. The smell was so so so smooth, sweet and malty, a hint of cream. Being a good Aberdonian I managed to get a £5 worth of fumes for free! Both of us put that whisky on our bucket list.

To shorten the story, come my 40th birthday, I decided now was the time to try that whisky, only the price had risen as the bottle went down. As it was poured, the barman was laughing at us, saying we were wasting our money as he recommended the Black Bowmore at only £160 a nip! Knocking back that whisky for my first sip, it felt and tasted like most other Macallan I had ever tasted, until I swallowed and got a fantastic finish; no burn, but creamy smoothness. Soon, the glasses were empty and it was time to move on.

That bottle is now empty.

Gone.

Whisky history.

But the important thing to me is that I have tasted it. I can still vividly remember the tastes, over six years on, and I can only wish I could have it again. I’m not a Macallan fan, but I searched for this one, and since have only seen that bottle for sale at auction for over £10k on one occasion. Too much even for me.

Rosebank 12. A more affordable unicorn in the Grill

While I do not recommend you sell your possessions and put your family into slavery in order to buy ‘Unicorn Whiskies’, do make an effort to try one, in a whisky bar if nothing else. Do your research to know what it will cost you, and know how uncommon it may be for that little bit extra self satisfaction of knowing you are trying something special.

I own a few bottles of unicorn whisky, the most notable being the Speyburn Flora and Fauna, but that’s only because of its rarity and collectability. The whisky in the bottle is a £45 value whisky made nearly 30 years ago. It won’t be a special taste, but rare to drink. If you can’t afford to drink something like that, try an up to date equivalent, such as a Speyburn 10, which will have similar characteristics. I’ll be reviewing one in the coming months.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on your local specialist whisky retailer, and what stock they have. They will know if something is unusual and coming to market. Or if things are being discontinued. They may even have special offers that bring a unicorn bottle within reach.

Remember, memories and experiences make a life, not regrets. Try and find your unicorn today!

*The myth is rumour. I still believe in magic.

Slainte Mhath!

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Roaming in the Kilchoman

Taste Review #19 – Kilchoman Machir Bay

What could be better than Roaming in the Gloaming with Kilchoman?

With a swift return back to Islay, we stop upon what once was the youngest whisky distillery in the island until Ardnahoe started production.

Pronounced Kil-ho-man and founded in 2005, the Kilchoman Distillery is based on a farm that grows its own barley, approximately 200 tons a year to make its whisky. This is used to make the 100% Islay bottling. Kilchoman is one of three distilleries on Islay to still use the traditional method of floor malting their barley, and one of seven that use this method in Scotland (Bowmore, Laphroaig, Highland Park, Springbank, Balvenie and Benriach also have operational floor maltings).

Barley is also purchased from the Diageo Matings at Port Ellen. It is peated at 50ppm, which is the same as Ardbeg, whereas their own barley is malted to 10-20ppm.

Region

Islay

Age

No Age Stated

Strength

46% a.b.v

Colour

Light Gold

Nose

Medicinal wood smoke, iodine, citrus, vanilla, Toffee fudge.

Palate

Light oily mouthfeel. Peaty, Smokey, citrus and Apple.

Finish

Wood smoke and citrus. Black Pepper

Conclusion

There is no getting away with the fact that this is a young whisky. But remember that young whisky doesn’t necessarily mean poor whisky. This is light enough, and inoffensive enough that it’s actually a not bad dram. However it isn’t great for me. In my mind, I kept comparing it to 10 year old Ardbeg, and Ardbeg won. The whisky in this bottle certainly tastes younger than 10 years old, and it shows.

But let us get down to brass tacks. Ignore the USP of home grown barley from field to bottle, this whisky does two other things right – natural colour and no chill-filtering, and this is a big thumbs up. Bottling strength is 46% which is perfect. I felt it could be a little sharp on the citrus but this calmed down after 5 mil of water was added.

This is a whisky that has had more of a bourbon influence than sherry, and while I might be tempted to try the other whisky in their core range, Sanaig, which has a more sherried profile, I don’t think I will be buying another Machir Bay. Please bear in mind this is only my taste, and while it wasn’t for me, it still felt that it was a quality whisky, although a wee bit longer in the cask for a bit more presence in the mouth may be a good idea.

Machir Bay can be purchased for around £45 for a 70cl bottle. My sample cost £10 from the Whisky Shop, Dufftown.

~~ Tasting Trivia ~~

My sample bottle had a metal twist seal which would not break when I turned the bottle cap. Once it had loosened, it would not tighten, meaning the whisky was at risk from evaporation. I just had to drink the second nip straight away to avoid loss! The sacrifice I have to make in order to review whisky…… 😉

Slainte Mhath!

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

Picture credits

Distillery- John Hughes / Creative Commons Licence CC BY-SA 2.0

Malting Floor – Ayack / Creative Commons Licence CC BY-SA 3.0

Let’s go Shopping!

Your friendly local whisky shop is waiting……

One of the best ways to help you build your whisky collection, knowledge or experience is to visit your local whisky shop. My journey between where I live and my hometown of Aberdeen takes me through the vast bulk of the whisky producing region of Speyside. I pass many distilleries whose produce simply isn’t available in a supermarket, which makes a visit to a decent whisky shop essential.

Although my journey does take me past a few towns with whisky shops, the two I tend to visit are the Whisky Shop in Dufftown and the Speyside Whisky Shop in Aberlour. This is not because of the other shops being lesser quality , but solely because these are on my direct route between home and Aberdeen, and stopping there is easy.

So what does visiting these types of shop give you over shopping elsewhere for your drams? Firstly, it can give you an excellent choice of whisky that you are quite simply not going to get in your local supermarket or off licence. You will find whiskies from all five Scottish whisky regions and world whiskies too. Don’t think it is all about the whiskies, Scottish Gin is represented too, and apparently 70% of Gin distilled in the UK is actually made in Scotland. Don’t quote me on that though.

Secondly, you are going to have the ability to obtain special releases or collectables which your local off- licence may not stock.

Thirdly, you are going to be able to speak to people who have a very good knowledge of the whisky industry, and where better to be based than in Dufftown? With a total of nine distilleries over the years (count them – Mortlach, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Kininvie, Pittyvaich (demolished), Parkmore, (Silent), Dufftown, Glendullan and the sadly silent Convalmore), where better to start a whisky shop than there? The area is filled with people who have worked or work in the whisky industry. With this we have a visit to the Whisky Shop in Dufftown.

Depending on which route I take home, I am often passing through Dufftown, and WSD is a great place to stop off to browse their well stocked shelves, with many of the items for sale are at decent prices. This is the shop where I tend to buy the majority of my miniature bottles for the taste reviews I provide as part of my blog. There is always a good selection, and just in miniatures alone, you can get a good experience of Scottish whisky, not to mention the great selection of full sized bottles.

Mike, Vicky and Kat are always ready to chat, and I have always received excellent service there. One of my best purchases there was a whisky aroma training kit, which was actually cheaper than the majority of online retailers. Quite a win!

My other go-to whisky shop is a new arrival, and is the Speyside Whisky Shop in nearby Aberlour. I cannot avoid going through Aberlour to get home, unless I take the Lecht route, but this would drag me past the Whisky Castle in Tomintoul (will visit sometime!). The Speyside Whisky Shop is one of the shops that I noticed opening, and was trying hard to resist thinking it was just another faddy whisky shop, but curiosity won me over, and on the first visit, I walked out with a bottle of Old Pulteney 17, also cheaper than many online retailers. Plus, Emily who works there is a former employee of a local well known distillery, and certainly knows her stuff.

I had an interesting experience at the SWS during my first visit. The card machine wasn’t working very well due to BT working on the phone lines, so I ended up telling one or two whisky tales. This has helped form a customer – retailer relationship, which is invaluable when you visit a whisky retailer. Why? Because the shop owners will then know your tastes, what you are looking for and may be able to suggest one or two things that you may not have thought about.

Since then, I’ve been able to pick up Glen Moray Cider Project and also the three recent wood finish bottlings from GlenAllachie. I had to pay for them while offshore which may have been the first time Matteo has had to take a payment over a satellite link phone!

Just like the WSD, Matteo and Emily also provide a first class service that makes it a pleasure to shop there.

Don’t assume that you have to visit in person – both shops will ship internationally, subject to postage rules in your country.

These shops, and perhaps your own local whisky shop can provide so much more than an online retailer. Don’t just go to an online retailer assuming that the cheaper price is worth it – you have to remember to apply shipping charges. An even better reason to visit your friendly local specialist whisky shop.

However, you have to remember one thing when visiting your local specialist retailer. Your manners.

These people are specialists, and to be honest, unless you are directly involved in the whisky industry, or you are Richard Patterson, Jim McEwan, Billy Walker, Jim Murray or Charles Maclean amongst the multitude of genuine experts, then you aren’t really an expert. You are like me, just an amateur with an opinion. Don’t go in these places thinking you know the price of things, that you are getting ripped off, or deserve to get unlimited free samples. You do not. By all means, have a bit of a craic with the staff, but respectfully. Chances these guys know far more than you. Don’t criticise their prices; great shops like this are usually small independent retailers, and don’t get mass discounts, as they don’t purchase hundreds of bottles at a time. Yes, their prices may be a little bit more than a typical online retailer, but you are paying for the personal service, and I’ve also said, factor in delivery charges, and you’ll often find your local whisky shop cheaper.

And, especially in Speyside, don’t ever say that these shops are tourist traps. Nobody is forcing you to go in and spend your money there. If you want the definition of tourist traps, then go to the chain whisky shops, especially in Edinburgh and Inverness, where I have seen 20CL bottles go for as much as £13 more than RRP. Miniatures often cost more, due to their small size, but the expense of the glass packaging. Vicky in the WSD told me last time it is harder to get miniatures, possibly due to lower demand.

Don’t demand free samples, or don’t get huffy when asked if you are likely to make a purchase, certainly not in Speyside. Bear in mind it is a tourist area, and if a small shop like this was to give out free samples to tourists willy-nilly, especially of the good stuff, they will be out of business in seconds. Once that seal is cracked, the bottle is worthless.

To emphasise the point, go to your local pub and ask them to give you a sample of whisky to see if you like it or not. The refusal is likely to offend. It’s a business, not a charity. And don’t come out with the total pish that you were going to spend several hundred pounds. Chances are you weren’t, so don’t bother embarrassing yourself. There aren’t that many people who spend hundreds on a bottle to drink so stop pretending.

Leave being a tightwad to the Aberdonians. We know how to do it properly.

Certainly don’t belittle the staff if you do happen to think that you know something they don’t or when you don’t get the free samples you mistakenly think is your god-given right. The world of whisky is one that should be based on shared interests and friendships. It is certainly one that I have experienced in my whisky journey by speaking to retailers, work colleagues, people whom I have given a whisky tasting or talk to and even people that I meet on the train.

If you think this negative behaviour and total lack of manners exists in the whisky community, then check out the WSD Facebook page. Unfortunately, this has happened recently and is not an isolated incident with self entitled arseholes everywhere. Don’t be an arsehole. Be a bon vivant. Much more fun and socially acceptable.

So, basically, to wrap up, if you want to be a member of a great fraternity of whisky enthusiasts, expand your horizons and visit your local specialist whisky retailer. Now. Spend your money there, knowing that it will be purchases well made. Don’t go there looking for Famous Grouse or Bells. Put your brown paper bag over your head and go to your supermarket for these purchases in complete anonymity. Or claim it’s for medicinal purposes.

Don’t go asking for Bells or Famous Grouse without adequate disguise.

Lastly, if you are the sort of person who is the boorish arsehole in the WSD post, please remove yourself from my following, or please be ready for some whisky re-education. We’re all friends here, but in the majority of cases, we’re yet to meet.

Slainte!

This article was written without any input from the shops mentioned, and I am not tied to them in any way, nor do I receive any payments or benefits from them. I prefer to remain entirely independent in my views, and being in the pocket of a retailer or producer compromises that. This article is based solely on the fact I visit these whisky shops the most. But if anybody from the WSD or SWS is reading this, I’ll be happy to accept some takeaway samples to review of the three GlenAllachie wood finishes. Of course, I’ll demand to pay for them! (That’s the Aberdonian in me coming out!).

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

Don’t Cnoc it until you’ve tried it.

Taste Review #18 – An Cnoc 12

Yet again I am resorting to plundering the bargain basement of auctions to grasp miniatures of whisky to review without having to open multiple full size bottles. This one is still in production as part of the core range from Knockdhu distillery in Banffshire, Scotland. I also had plenty of puns to choose from for the title this time, and felt this one was the best.

Production started at Knockdhu in 1894 and was the first malt distillery for Distillers Company Limited. It was situated in the shadow of Knock hill, Knock being the anglicised Scots Gaelic word Cnoc, meaning hill. The distillery was called Knockdhu, which translates as Black Hill.

The distillery was built beside the railway station of Knock village, and was within easy reach of some of the best local barley and a good supply of peat. The railway station connected the distillery to the ports on the Moray coast line to Elgin, to Banff, and also to the main Aberdeen – Inverness line at Grange junction. This allowed supplies to be easily delivered and produce to be shipped out. Sadly, like the Speyside line, this was not to survive the Beeching cuts of the 1960’s.

Knock Railway Station was just to the left outside this photo

Knockdhu was connected to the electricity grid in 1947, but sadly closed its doors in 1983. Bought by Inver House in 1988, it resumed production in 1989.

The name was changed to An Cnoc (translated – The Hill) in 1994 to avoid confusion with Knockando distillery in Speyside. An Cnoc is pronounced ah-noc.

It seems that I have managed to accumulate a 1990’s miniature bottle too, but the one I will be tasting will be the up to date version, which is available to purchase. I may to a taste review of the older one later as an extra to my usual weekly review.

Region

Highland

Age

12 y.o

Strength

40% a.b.v

Colour

Light gold

Nose

Malty. Raisins, Vanilla, Honey

Palate

Fresh, light, bit of spice – cinnamon, orchard fruit – apple, herbal grassy notes. More cinnamon taste when water added.

Finish

Medium. Light, creamy sweetness, with oak and malt lingering.

Conclusion

For this whisky I was pleasantly surprised. Firstly, I thought given the price point this is sold at (a 70cl bottle costs £30 or so) that this would be insipid at worst. But it isn’t. It’s actually quite engaging despite only being 40%.

And secondly, should wonders never cease, I suspect that it is not coloured nor chill filtered. I added 3ml of water to try and open it up a bit, and I think I did detect a bit of mistyness in the glass, and I could see the oils on the surface of the whisky looking down, but it’s almost impossible to capture using a smart phone and the worst portable photo studio on the planet – courtesy of Amazon. However, looking back to the dram now, the oily patterns on the whisky have disappeared, so I am going to assume my assumption of NCF is correct. And, if they aren’t chill filtering, they also probably aren’t colouring. Disappointingly, it doesn’t say on the sample and I can’t see anything on the packaging of a full size bottle that says anything about colouring or chill filtering.

Apparently this whisky is quite popular in cocktails, and with being so lightly flavoursome and not overwhelming, you can see why. Whilst it won’t set any worlds on fire, it’s a nice, uncomplicated malt that is an easy sipper and a great introduction to whisky.

For me it is a bit unchallenging, and I prefer my whisky a bit stronger and more body, but you can’t have everything. I can’t say I’d buy this other than at auction, but I’d not be unhappy if is given to me. I would however be willing to try their older malts, and possibly purchase them.

My sample was a miniature that came as part of a larger bundle, so cannot give a price. This one was also a bottle like the Bunnahabhain that I reviewed earlier that had been imported to Australia. However as mentioned elsewhere in the review, a bottle will set you back around £30. Despite the dram not being my thing, I’d say while it is on the upper reaches of what I’d pay for a budget whisky, it still represents a good value given the enjoyment I had from it.

It gets a thumbs up from me.

Slainte Mhath!

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

Picture Credits – from Creative Commons

Title Picture – Anne Burgess / Knockdhu Distillery / CC BY-SA 2.0

Christopher Gillan / Knockdhu Distillery, Knock. / CC BY-SA 2.0

Why Whisky Collectors Aren’t Spoiling It For Drinkers

Whisky Myths Smashed #3

I’ve decided to write a controversial article for a change, and this one will definitely divide opinion. It would certainly be interesting to know the opinion of the people who follow this page, but please allow me to get my tin helmet on and get deeper into the trench.

One of the Scotch Malts of the moment I would say is Daftmill. I was given a sample of their third release, the Winter 2006 bottling of which only 1625 were made. To be honest, it smells as though it’s going to be a fantastic dram, and therefore I have bought a bottle for my collection. But to be honest, I don’t think this will be enough and I’m looking for another one for drinking.

Trouble is, this bottle is now pretty much only available on the secondary market, and now the price is rising rapidly. It’s in the territory that it may soon cost too much to drink if I obtain a second bottle. And here we come to the question – are collectors spoiling the market for those who choose to drink?? While I firmly believe this to be more myth than fact, there is evidence that some collectors are damaging the market. I’ll deal with those people later.

So why do I tend to believe that collecting doesn’t harm the drinking market? I’ll speak from the point of view that the majority of my collection was widely available at one point with the exception of say 10% of my bottles. And there is straight away the crux of my argument. The vast majority of them were at some point available at a reasonable cost. Therefore, a drinker has just as much opportunity to purchase these bottles as a collector. If a collector decides to put a couple of bottles away for a rainy day, that is his prerogative.

If a drinker does not have the savvy to purchase these bottles before they are discontinued then more fool them. A good case in point is Old Pulteney 17. These have been discontinued since 2018 and already prices are starting to rise. This is nothing to do with collectors pushing the price up, but more the fact it is a very decent dram, demand is high and thus begins the theory of the price being dictated by supply and demand.

A drinker has just as much opportunity to stow supplies away as a collector to ensure a continued stock of their favourite tipple. Plus, given the resources at everyone’s disposal nowadays, information on whether or not a dram is to be discontinued is usually available in the trade press or the multitude of whisky web pages.

When it comes to buying bottles at auction, not only is price dictated by supply and demand, it is also dictated by how much an individual wants that bottle at that time. Often bottles go above their true value due to people wanting to complete collections or somebody being inexperienced in auction purchasing. It’s also worth remembering that rarer bottles are sometimes bought at auction so they can take their place on the shelf of a whisky bar, where they are available to purchase, therefore drinkers do get a chance at sampling rarer Drams.

One follower of my WordPress blog, Tobi at Barleymania.com always seems to be trying older and exotic drams that have me salivating. I myself still purchase second bottles to drink if they are affordable. And here is the next point; some of the whiskies I collect would be out of reach for a normal drinker. Not many drinkers will pay £500 for a bottle for consumption. So how can I be, as a collector, of putting the cost of bottles out of the reach of the average drinker?

And this magic figure of £500 brings me to the start of my next point; some whiskies are not really meant to be drunk. Some are designed to be collectors items. Macallan would be the case in point. Remember the furore at their distillery when Genesis was released? It cost £495. Within a month, bottles were being auctioned for nine times that price, with the highest being that I saw £4500. The cause? Flippers.

Flippers are the people whom I believe to be causing the greatest damage to the secondary whisky market prices. That same bottle of Genesis can now be picked up easily for sub £2000. While the price may go up over time, due to the amount of people who have solely bought it as an investment, and the amount still trading on the secondary market, I believe it will be a few years before any significant rise is seen. If I was the person who paid £4500 (+12.5% for Commision and VAT which brings the true cost to £5062), I’d be very sick.

And it wasn’t just Genesis. Fast forward to the release of Macallan Easter Elchies Black 2018 (EEB 2018). Same story. Released at a price of £750, and in lower numbers than Genesis (1958 vs 2500 or so bottles I believe), the prices spiked at nearly £3000 within a short space of time. Now, prices can be as low as £800, which by time the seller has made the cost of shipping from Macallan to home and from home to the auction house, then the sellers commision, they’ve actually made a loss.

Yet again a similar story for Macallan Folio 4. Only £250. Yet the frenzy in the secondary market coupled with the crazy prices was like a pool of pirañas which hadn’t eaten for a month and a lamb falls in….

This just isn’t about the whisky. Macallan will price their products according to the cost of the ingredients. EEB 2018 at £750 would in theory have the most expensive whisky in it, yet because of packaging, Folio 4 which was a third of the cost of EEB 2018 yet has seen more consistent higher percentage returns. Genesis, also cheaper than EEB 2018 and had a greater outrun, is holding a better return. It is my belief that these whiskies are for collecting and not drinking. And it is with this I do have some sympathy for the drinkers who complain about collectors putting the prices up. £250 is affordable to drink, although on the upper end of the scale for many I would guess. People are actually just paying for the hype, the brand and the packaging. To be honest, although Macallan isn’t a bad whisky, there are better and more accessible malts. Tamdhu and GlenDronach would get my vote above Macallan, and in a blind taste test pre-Scotty’s Drams, I indeed did pick the GlenDronach Allardice compared to an 18 year old Macallan.

And paying that amount for a NAS whisky that few will ever drink is madness

And here is the last thing that drinkers have to suck up. If the bottles are getting cracked open, the availability goes down, especially in limited run bottlings. As more get drunk, and the supply gets less, the laws of supply and demand kicks in as rarity increases, and therefore the price. That’s an inescapable fact.

Before I close out this article, I’d like to say that as a collector, I do open the odd bottle here and there. My favourite collectable to drink is Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine 14 year old. I’m on my second open bottle, with three more to go. With a total outrun of only 12000 bottles, and only 3000 in the first batch (I have a couple of those), either way I’m contributing to the rise of the price, therefore would be castigated by a drinker who moans about the rising prices. A collector can’t win.

Yes, whisky is meant to be drunk, just as a car is meant to be driven. But you can’t accuse a millionaire that he is stopping you experiencing a Rolls Royce when his sits in a garage for most of the year. If you want to sip on rarer whisky, try visiting your local whisky bar. Yes, a dram will be more expensive, but it saves you from buying the whole bottle, and you can still have the experience. It’s like getting to drive a Lamborghini for a track day without associated overheads. I’ve did so for a 1938 Macallan. And again recently for a 12 year old Rosebank Flora and Fauna.

You want to taste rare? You have to pay.

As for the Daftmill? I’m sure the Cuthbert family will be delighted this whisky has created such a stir, regardless if it is drunk or not, as this will secure future sales. It goes without saying that eventually there will be another Winter 2006 off the market as I succumb and pay the going price, but this one will be opened like many of the 1625 made already have. I plan to try and find a way to share this with some of my page followers as a reward for supporting my creative outlet. Keep your eyes peeled.

Finally…….

Do you agree or disagree with my sentiment? I invite comments from all sides of the argument, but as it is a slightly contentious issue, all I ask is that any comments are respectful.

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

A Summary Of Summer So Far…..

It may not be the end of summer yet, but seeing as there has been blue skies in Scotland on a few occasions, you never know if that is all we will get!

As the saying goes, “I love a Scottish Summer. It’s my favourite day of the year.” Let’s hope that good weather continues well past July into September when I will finally get time for a break.

This is a bit of an unexpected post, as due to an unplanned extension to my current project, I’ve been delayed in getting home. This means that at the time of writing this, I’m on a ship beside the Snorre B platform in the Norwegian part of the North Sea, so I hope you can all forgive the lack of content thus far.

It also means that I am currently restricted to doing taste tests, as my work regulations mean that I cannot drink, and therefore I have to be cautious about the amount of completed taste tests I publish, lest I run out of articles. However this does not mean I have been standing still. Thanks to the wonder of buying at an airport and collecting later, I have some samples of Wolfburn, Tobermory, Tomintoul, Ben Nevis and Speyburn amongst others to try and review for you.

Summer has seen me visit GlenDronach and Oban distilleries, but autumn sees me visit Aberlour, Cragganmore, Macallan, Glenfarclas and most excitingly Ballindalloch during my annual break in September.

Other joys that I have bought recently have been the unusual Glen Moray “Cider Project” bottling. This is an experimental bottling that involves Thistly Cross cider, based in Dunbar. They mature one edition of their cider in casks formerly used by Glen Moray distillery. This produces a lovely light, sweet cider with a good whisky influence. To complete the circle, the barrels have been returned to Glen Moray for reuse to mature whisky once more. This is highly unusual, as it is currently against SWA guidelines to mature whisky in a cask that has been used in anything other than whisky, wine (or variants of such as Champagne, Port, Sherry or Cognac as far as I am aware), but this one uses the loophole that the cask had contained whisky previously. I look forward to trying this one to review for you, as I am a big fan of Thistly Cross cider.

Also, the modern wonder of the Internet has allowed me to remotely purchase some bottles. Given my enthusiastic review of GlenAllachie 12 year old, I have invested in the recent wood releases. The 3 bottles are an 8 year old Koval Rye Quarter Cask, a 10 year old Port finish and a 12 year old Pedro Ximénez sherry finish. I cannot wait to try them, although I may see if I can get samples of the bottles as only 780 of each bottle has been released in the UK. I am grateful to Matteo at the Speyside Whisky Shop in Aberlour for taking my payment over a satellite link phone call. Probably a first for him, but not for me – I mostly purchase whisky at work!

Take a look at the Speyside Whisky Shop’s Facebook page by clicking on the link below…

Speyside Whisky Shop on Facebook

Finally, over summer there was my collecting advice. To make it easier for you, here are the links for the 5 articles.

Why Collect

What Is Collectable

Budgeting and Collection Policies

Storing Your Collection

Maintaining Your Collection

Hope your summer was better than mine, and I trust you’ll make the best of what’s left.

Slainte Mhath!

Scotty

I come from a land down under

Taste Review #17 – Bunnahabhain 12 – Old Style

I’m going to bet that you all thought I’d lost my mind and decided to try Australian whisky given the title this week, with reference to the 1980’s song by Men At Work. I can assure you, while I won’t dismiss trying it, that until I am bored with Scottish whisky, I will not be buying any Australian stuff. Sorry to any Australian readers, but our stuff knocks yours into a cocket hat most of the time. Unless you are drinking a certain nip from Jura.

This particular bottle for this review is a miniature bottle that I purchased in a group of miniatures at auction and it turns out that one or two of them have been Australian imports. That’s a long way from the distillery to get to my kitchen table. As it turns out, the journey didn’t do it any harm.

The Aussies know to import the good stuff

Region

Islay

Age

12 years old

Strength

46.3% a.b.v

Colour

Russet Gold

Nose

Slight smoke, hazelnuts, brine, dried fruit, vanilla

Palate

Smooth, nutty, sultanas, salt, sweet. Salt more apparent when water added.

Finish

Medium to long, sherried with brine notes increasing towards the end. Nice pleasant ending.

Conclusion

As Islay malts go, this is by far not the smokiest or peatiest. It’s a very pleasant dram, and it’s sad to think that as this is a discontinued bottling. Although Bunnahabhain 12 is still available, it is unlikely to be exactly the same recipe as has been used since it was first introduced. In 2006, the packaging was updated and in 2010, the distillery stopped using colouring and chill filtering, and started bottling the 12 year old at 46.3%. Prior to this, it was coloured, chill filtered and only 40%. In 2017, the current packaging was released, so I am guessing this bottle was made after 2010. Indeed I did see a very slight appearance of ‘Scotch Mist’ after I added water. However I made a wee bit of a water pouring error, and over added, so the rest of the miniature went in, and there was definitely no real signs of any cloudiness in the glass. At 46.3% it shouldn’t need any chill filtering anyway.

As I mentioned, this bottling was updated in 2017 with new labelling in common with the rest of the Bunnahabhain range. I don’t currently have much Bunnahabhain in my collection, save the first edition of Moine Oloroso cask at 60.1% bottles in 2017. Already this is a bottling that people will pay double what I paid for it, such was its impact. Pity that the distillery only laid down 7 casks, making this a limited bottling that will rise in value. Of course, a core range bottling won’t necessarily gain as much value unless it’s a Macallan or Highland Park, but don’t think this is a bad whisky. Why is that you may ask? Well, there is a good reason why the 12 year old has remained in the core range for what is now 40 years.

I would definitely recommend the 12 year old for those wanting to ease themselves into the smoky Islay malts, and if I saw it on offer, I’d definitely buy it for the drinking collection.

Expect to pay about £40 for the latest edition of the Bunnahabhain 12. I cannot give you a price for the miniature I purchased as it was part of a bigger batch, of which I will review more of later. At auction, expect to pay £20-£30 for the older 70CL or 75CL bottlings.

Slainte Mhath!

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or like / share this article by clicking on icons below.

No Rest for the wicked

Collecting whisky- Just when you think you’d reached the end….

Briefly now to recap

⁃ We know why we want to collect

⁃ We know what to collect

⁃ We know what not to collect

⁃ We know how to budget

⁃ We know how to store

Now what???

If you are collecting for the purposes of drinking, then you are now on the simple path to enjoying your collection in the way that the distillery intended, enjoying the aromas, the taste and mouth feel, ending in a great finish coupled with a nice warm glow. Keep it up, as you have attained the situation of enjoying your collection. All you have to do is keep following my advice which is :-

⁃ Keep your whisky you aren’t drinking appropriately stored until you are ready to consume.

⁃ Make sure you don’t open more bottles than you can finish within a couple of months to ensure peak taste.

⁃ Remember the rate of evaporation increases as the bottle empties.

For the drinkers, this is where we wish them a bon voyage, as they have no need to continue to worry about their whisky.

For those who are storing it for investment or collecting purposes, our path has only begun. We still need to walk through a metaphorical ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ to ensure we can meet our goals.

What are our goals? If collecting whisky for investment or enjoyment, we cannot afford to take our eyes off the prize. This means we have to keep aware of the availability and prices. We need to know about availability, regardless of why we are gathering whisky, as availability will have a large influence on price, especially if it is no longer available in the primary retail market.

For the same reason, we need to know the prices, especially for buying within the auction or secondary retail market as we need to know if we are over paying. Being aware of price trends will make you knowledgeable if a bottle is at its top price. If you buy a bottle at this point for collecting or investment, it is not going to make much money, as it probably has risen as much as it’s availability dictates and will probably only rise in value slightly as the relative rarity rises.

For the same reason, we need to be aware when the trends are going back down, and when may be a good time to sell. I have a few bottles in my collection I know will probably not go up in value much more and therefore I have to be ready to sell. Although this isn’t a race, we need to be aware that other people will be doing the same thing and a whisky that becomes more available at auction will see a subdued price compared to one that is less common. Timing is everything.

Most value can probably be realised by buying a good quality whisky that isn’t too common that is getting discontinued. One that had a low run (ie one season) will give you lower potential numbers in the secondary market, especially if people continue to drink theirs, thus creating a demand and shrinking availability. Old Pulteney 17 might become such a whisky. Early editions of GlenDronach 18 Allardice may see a good rise. Although not discontinued yet, bottles produced at the start in 2013 would have whisky on average a lot older than 18 years old as the distillery was closed between 1996 and 2001. Bottles released now with a younger date code may not be quite so valuable.

Another way to guarantee a good return is to ‘flip’ bottles upon release. This is most common to do with whisky where it is in high demand. Some distilleries release editions specifically with collectors in mind, and this can often see prices initially way higher than the whisky is actually worth. Also, prices do often collapse down again, with those buying from flippers straight away can often overpay.

Macallan and Ardbeg seem to suffer the most from this phenomenon and it is damaging to the price. It is for this reason I do not focus on these brands. Flipping is also a subject for a future article.

No matter how good your storage, you’ll also need to tip the bottles every now and again to ensure the cork doesn’t fully dry out. A quick turn upside down is sufficient.

When you sell your collection, you should be aware of the legal implications. In the UK you legally cannot sell alcohol without a premises and personal licence. While the law may turn a blind eye to you selling a single item privately, repeated sales will risk prosecution. The only safe way to sell is to a dealer, broker or through an auction. All have their own risks, but you will get a smooth sale without the risk of not getting paid.

This is why you need to keep on top of prices, as selling to a broker or auction house may not have a guaranteed top price and will be subject to commission, which needs to be factored in when assessing potential profit.

Also, be aware that sales of some assets over £6000 in the UK are subject to capital gains tax. As I am not a financial advisor, you will need to check this out, but whisky IS such a taxable item.

Collecting whisky for investment isn’t as easy as people think, and can easily generate a lot of issues, but in summary these can be limited by

1/ Being aware of current and future availability

2/ Being aware of price trends

3/ Being aware of how to purchase at the right price

4/ Keeping records and receipts to maintain

provenance of your collection, and help preserve value.

5/ Being aware of how to correctly store your collection

6/ Being aware of how ancillary costs such as storage and packing can affect return.

Well, this is it. My ‘Magnum Opus’ completed. I do realise that I may have mentioned a few items more than once, but this is because they are important. I’ll certainly be republishing this series again in the future for newer followers of my blog, but will also attempt to update the advice as needed.

Thanks for reading, and I hope it was enjoyable and informative. After drafting the entire series on my iPhone using the Notes App, I need a drink – anybody buying one for me??

Slainte Mhath!!

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

Get Your Rocks Off!

Taste Review #16 – GlenAllachie 12

The Glenallachie distillery is a relatively well kept secret on Speyside. Or should I say was a well kept secret on Speyside, as given its new owner, I’d be surprised if this distillery stays on the down-low.

Glenallachie is the anglicised version of the Scots Gaelic ‘Gleann Aileachaidh’ which means ‘Valley of The Rocky Place’. Sitting in the shadow of Ben Rinnes and its granite torrs, the snow meltwater from this hill is what is used to feed the production of this whisky, so the name is quite fitting!

This is a relatively new distillery, given its neighbours in a wee pocket to the south of Aberlour – Dailuaine, Benrinnes, Aberlour and the former Imperial distillery, which is now the new kid on the block – Dalmunach. Glenallachie was built in 1967, and was last in the hands of Pernod Ricard for supplying malt whisky for blending. This was until the purchase in 2017 by the GlenAllachie Distillery Company, a trio of business people who include renowned distiller Billy Walker. Those familiar with the world of Scotch whisky should have no need of an introduction of Mr Walker, formerly part of a business partnership which owned BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries. These were sold in 2016 to Brown-Foreman, the parent company of Jack Daniels.

The current core range is of 10, 12, 18 and 25 year old bottlings. So let’s move onto the taste review of this single malt.

Region

Speyside

Age

12 Years

Strength

46% a.b.v

Colour

Slightly dulled brass

Nose

Sweet. I did no research before this taste review, and just in smell alone I got the sherried notes. Rich smelling, cooked dried fruits, vanilla, hint of banana. On the first couple of sniffs I also detected grass (of the non-herbal variety)

Palate

Oily. Initial tingle of spirit opens up to woody, spicy notes. Slightly bitter caramel, light honey, almonds at times, perhaps marzipan.

Finish

Medium long finish. Once the tingle had died away, there is a chocolate mocha flavour that is very pleasant. Nutty and woody to start with. Light brown sugar notes.

Conclusion

The headline for this article couldn’t be any more appropriate. Thinking to the Primal Scream hit record of the same name, there was a definite rocking party going on in the nosing of the dram. So much wonderful aromas there truly was a smell sensation going on.

I was very excited to taste it. Just by the smell you could tell it was a sherried whisky, but this particular malt uses Oloroso, PX and virgin oak casks, and the mix comes out in the taste and smell very distinctly.

The taste? Very good whisky with a definite spirit kick. However for me a bit of a let down on the aroma. I’m not saying I didn’t like it, but I didn’t get as many flavour notes as I did aroma notes. There is a boost at the end, and that was the clear mocha note at the very end of the finish. It hung around on my tastebuds for quite a while.

What gets this whisky a bigger thumbs up is the fact it is naturally presented with no chill filtering or colour adding shenanigans going on. And at 46%, a single teaspoon of water was just enough to smooth it out.

The even better thing about this whisky is that a 70CL bottle can be had for £38.90 at Master Of Malt. Or try your friendly local whisky shop. They may be a little more expensive but there are opportunities for samples and friendly chat. My sample was bought at the Whisky Shop in Dufftown and cost £5.10.

Despite the slight disappointment of the taste versus the nose is still one of my contenders for the best sampling I have reviewed this year. Maybe a bit on the pricey side for a twelve year old, but remember my friends; we are in the pursuit of quality, and this bottle has it. The price point is justified in my opinion.

Given that this was rarely seen as a single malt unless via a small release from an independent bottler, and also that the last official bottle from the Pernod Ricard ownership was a NAS release at 40%, then seeing the quality now released means good things may come from GlenAllachie.

Although I don’t score my whiskies, this would be a 9/10 all day long.

You can now visit the GlenAllachie distillery. Visit theglenallachie.com for more information. They are open Monday – Friday, 10am to 4pm.

Slainte Mhath!

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

Gather Here – Storing your collection

Collecting Whisky – Part Four

If you have gotten this far, then congratulations for bearing with me. I hope that it all makes sense so far – there is certainly a lot to take onboard. And this article has a lot of detail, so sit up, look sharp and pay attention! For those of you who have just joined in or for regular readers who need a recap, links to the first three articles are here –

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

I’m going to take a break from thinking about what whiskies are good or bad to collect and their relative values, and concentrate on something that any serious collector whether an investor, hoarder or drinker has to consider – storage.

Whisky isn’t an ornament. It’s supposed to be drunk, a fact as a hoarder and investor I accept, but also as a drinker. There is little fun in collecting if you don’t get to taste a little, and it is often the case for the less expensive or rare bottles I own that I will often buy two. One for investment, one for tasting. However this doubles my headache, as I then have to consider two lots of storage.

Let’s deal with the drinkers storage first. We need to think what conditions the spirit likes to be in. Whisky, like any other alcohol is a volatile liquid, and since it can range up to around 65%, it needs to be taken care of.

First, keep those bottles upright! Do not treat it as a bottle of wine, which does need to be kept horizontal in order to keep the cork moist. Wine is generally no more than 15% abv. Whisky has to be a minimum of 40% abv. The spirit will dissolve the cork, so not only will you have a leaky seal, you’ll have corked your whisky.

Don’t expose your precious collection to sunlight

Secondly, we need to keep it relatively cool. Being next to heat sources isn’t so much of a fire hazard, but will help that alcohol evaporate that little bit faster. Don’t assume that because it is unopened that it can’t evaporate – the seal of the bottle can fail. This can be caused by the liquid inside the bottle expanding, thus increasing the pressure of the air in the neck. This can accelerate seal / cork failure.

Thirdly, keep your bottles in the shade, and certainly out of direct sunlight. Sunlight can fade labels and cause the liquid in your whisky bottle to change colour. Furthermore, it’s a heat source so will also cause your spirits to evaporate faster.

I’ve seen a few people post pictures in the comments of my Facebook page with display cabinets, but while these may be great to look at, and I’m sure the owners have a rightly deserved sense of pride about them, I’d suggest you put the more expensive ones in a cool dark cupboard to keep your whisky better for longer. Just don’t forget to drink it or look at it from time to time.

You will also need to pay close attention to your house insurance. Many insurance companies limit the amount you can claim for one item, and may only cover a limited amount in the case of spirits. Some insurers may also be unwilling to pay out if there is a fire and they didn’t know about large amounts of spirits being kept at the property. Don’t forget, if you have a large collection, whisky will be seen as a fire risk, and your insurance company will do anything to get out of paying.

Take photos of your collection and keep receipts just in case you need to make a claim or prove provenance.

Whisky doesn’t go ‘off,’ right?

Well, right and wrong. Assuming your bottle is unopened, the seal is good and it is kept in the right conditions, your whisky should remain as good as the day it was bottled.

However, the moment you open that bottle, the clock is ticking. Whisky will not go bad as quick as a bottle of milk, but over a period of a couple of months, you may start to notice a difference in taste. This is because the air in your bottle is starting to have an effect. Also, spirit is starting to evaporate. This can make a difference, as it is the spirit that carries all that whisky flavours and helps develop the nose, mouth feel, the palate and the finish. Once this evaporates off, the change is going to be noticed.

There are ways to help prevent this from being a problem. The easiest way is to not leave it too long to drink the bottle. This way you’ll have drunk your whisky before any degradation is noticed. Of course, you maybe don’t want to drink the same dram until the bottle is finished, but don’t open any more bottles than you can finish in say a 2 month period to keep it fresh

If this is not something you can do, there are a couple more techniques that will help you, but these are more specialised. The first one is a technique called ‘gassing’ which means putting an inert gas into your bottle to displace the air, and prevent the whisky from oxidising. Argon is a common gas to use, and there are retailers that sell this as a way of preserving wine, which also suffers from oxidation.

The other (and more risky) method of preserving whisky is to remove the oxygen from a bottle by placing a lit barbecue lighter flame into the bottle. The burning butane will remove oxygen from the bottle, but there are two hazards. 1/ it’s a bit of a fire risk. Best not to do it with a bottle that is more than half empty, as there are more flammable vapours present. 2/- if the flame goes out before you switch off the gas, you will have contaminated your bottle with butane. Best avoided.

Storage for Collectors / Investment

This is where things get heavy. Failure to be careful here could have massive effects to the value of your investment or completely wipe it out altogether.

Don’t even think about keeping investment grade whisky anywhere near heat or sunlight. It needs to be as cool and consistent as possible. A cool room or cupboard is ideal for those with smaller collections. For those with larger collections, this may not be possible so we move onto the next tier of collection – a storage unit.

Storage units and insurance

This will need to have similar temperature and humidity as your home, or as close as possible. Try to obtain an internal storage unit, as these are often ventilated and will not be affected by the sun beating down on them, and are generally less susceptible to damp. But remember storage units cost money – one with storage about the size of a small van will be around the £70 level. Metal containers, especially steel shipping containers will get quite hot during summer (unless you are in Scotland, where summer only usually lasts one day, and people take their tops off once the temperature exceeds 8 centigrade.)

Plus you will need to factor in the cost of insurance. It is usually more expensive to take the storage company insurance; you are often better using one of the specialist storage insurance companies. As a guide, I pay £540 a year for £30k of Insurance.

Don’t think you can insure it for what it’s worth, but only what you paid for it. Even then, you may only be insured for the value of a new item. Double check as to what you are covered for.

Packaging for storage.

If like me you have chosen to use a storage facility, you will be leaving your collection for some time, so it needs to be stored correctly. This can be a major undertaking but managed correctly should be little hassle.

You need to have strong cardboard boxes, and plenty of packing materials. Bubble wrap, styrofoam nuggets, or what I use is inflatable pouches called ‘Air Sac’. These are inflatable pouches that come as single, dual or triple pouches, and use a hand pump or compressor to inflate, cocooning your bottle or tin. For those of you living in the UK, I use Macfarlane Packaging who can supply Air Sac as well as other packaging materials. You can buy kits that match the amount of boxes required with the type and quantity of pouches bought.

AirSac was a great solution for me, as I had over 200 bottles to photograph and pack. It certainly cut down on packing time.

A good idea is to use Silica gel packs inside the pouches and/or in the tins to keep corrosion at bay. This can be induced if packing in a humid atmosphere and the bottles are then kept in cool place. Silica Gel will help mitigate this, but bear in mind you still need to change it every now and again.

You need to photograph each bottle as a demonstration of proof how it was before storage, in case of ever needing to make an insurance claim. I use a point and shoot semi- automatic camera with a light tent to photograph. This ensures a decent record of each bottle.

When taking photographs, have a bit of paper in front of it, giving the details of the bottle. This is handy if you have multiples of a particular bottle.

And of course, keep a list of what is in each box. I have given each bottle a code, based on the distillery name, and that helps me keep track of individual bottles.

Here is a photograph of my photography packing and storage and set up

1/ Bubble wrap. 50cm wide

2/ AirSac Pouches

3/ AirSac Hand Pump

4/ Tape Dispensing gun (I have 2, one with clear tape not shown.)

5/ Silica Gel Packs

6/ Camera. I use Nikon Coolpix P7100 as it has pretty good auto function but I can also go manual if a label is proving difficult to capture. You can use a smart phone, but make sure your photos are backed up at least in one other place and perhaps also on a memory stick at another address.

7/ Styrofoam nuggets. Help fill out packing box voids

8/ Sellotape / Scissors / Pens / Post Its for labelling bottles.

9/ Photo tent.

Not shown – Laptop running Spreadsheet program to record Bottles, What box they are in, ABV, etc…. Also cardboard boxes and fragile labels.

A handy tip is to keep packaging that you receive if you buy bottles at online auctions or online stores. This helps pad out the boxes. Also consider putting ‘This Way Up’ labels on your boxes so your whisky doesn’t destroy your cork by being on its side or upside down.

Reuse packing. It’s often the best

A packed and labelled box

A well packed store of around 200 bottles

I hope this hasn’t put you off. It is a big effort, but if you have chosen wisely, packed carefully and have patience, big effort can bring big rewards.

Slainte Mhath!

Next Article – it’s in storage, what now?

This blog is written as a hobby. If you liked this article, consider clicking here to visit my Facebook page or liking sharing this article by clicking on icons below.

Photo Credit from Creative Commons

Internal Storage – Hills Self Store CC BY-SA 4.0