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And it’s raining in #Scotland… Legendary Richard Paterson does his thing…
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Kilted MacGingers! Get them while stocks last! #Edinburgh #Scotland
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For every #sunset there’s a #Moon rise. #Islay #Scotland
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#Scotland’s west coast was looking gorgeous today…
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Politicians using #beer mats to convey messages. Superb! #Scotland #Parliament
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Got a lovely selection of #cheddar from all over #Scotland. The top left is from the Co-op in #Tranent, the top left from Tesco in #Haddington and the bottom is from Morrisons in #Leith. The biscuits are from Asda in #Niddrie.
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My favourite #Belgian #beer has arrived in #Scotland! Good spirits sells this on Bath St!
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Event: All About Wood
Any Whisky Adventurers finding themselves in Edinburgh on Thursday November 17th can head along to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society at 28 Queen Street where I will be hosting a master class looking into the magic of Maturation.All About Wood will involve 5 drams from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s extensive collection, hand picked to emphasise the importance of maturation and the differences that particular casks can cause. During the evening I will delve into the largely hidden world of cask selection drawing on my own cooperage experience both in Jerez and Scotland, as well as enlightening everyone on Whisky in general and some of the more unusual tasting techniques I have learned over the last 8 years.Supper is included as well as a couple of surprises on the night.Tickets are £32 and can be purchased here or on the phone: 0131 220 2044See you there! -
Definition: Whisky or Whiskey? To ‘e’ or not to ‘e’, that is the question.
One of the most hotly debated topics in the world of Whisk(e)y is the spelling of the word itself. I have heard many excuses for the origins from religion to folklore, and I have heard far too many people get hot and bothered because someone has put an ‘e’ in Scotch Whisky. Seriously, it’s just a word. Anyway, I am here to shed some light on the situation and explain who uses what spelling and the origins of the ‘e’ in modern labelling. If you have had this debate, or know someone who has, please share this with them, as it’s one of the most fascinating stories in the world of aged spirits.So here are the spellings and how they are used:
Whiskey is the only spelling used when talking about spirits distilled from grain in Ireland, matured in Ireland in oak for a minimum three years and with a minimum of 40% alcohol by volume. There are no rules regarding the number of distillations used. (Cooley is Irish Whiskey distilled only twice.)
Whisky is the only spelling used when talking about spirits distilled from grain in Scotland, matured in Scotland in oak for a minimum three years and with a minimum of 40% alcohol by volume. Again there are no rules regarding the number of distillations used. (Auchentoshan is Scotch Whisky distilled three times, as is Hazelburn. Springbank, Dailuaine, Benrinnes and Mortlach all have unorthodox variations on number of distillations too.)
Spirits from Japan, and Canada also exclusively use the spelling Whisky. Surprisingly, despite the New York Times dictionary listing Whiskey as the official spelling, American producers have the right to spell with or without an ‘e’. Just look at a bottle of Maker’s Mark next time you’re out. This seemingly links back to the lineage of the distillery founders. Bill Samuels is definitely of Scottish origin.
As for new distilling markets, they, like everyone else have the choice to use the ‘e’ or not. It is looking like the Swedes, Welsh, Germans, Australians, Kiwis and Indians will follow the Japanese and Canadian examples by omitting the ‘e’ and the English are indecisive. The St. George distillery omits the ‘e’ and the new Hicks & Healey brand seems to pop it on their labels.It definitely is a baffling minefield of politics, lineage and lets face it unimportant marketing decisions, because the contents are infinitely more important than the labels. However, the Scottish and Irish spellings do have a story.Here it is as far as I can tell:This all starts back in the 1800’s. At the beginning of this period, Irish Whiskey was far and away the more popular of the two brands. They had Ambassadors in Queen Elizabeth and Peter the Great, equivalent to Lady Gaga and maybe Jay-Z these days when it comes to celebrity endorsements. Scotch Whisky was still very much a localised product, only just going into the Industrialisation of their distilleries and using alot of peat smoke, alienating a huge segment of the drinking public.
Dublin Whiskey on the other hand had wooed a larger market with it’s smooth easy drinking effects. Then up stepped Aeneas Coffey. Aeneas Coffey deserves a post all by himself and will get one in the near future, what we must acknowledge here is that in 1831 his revolutionary column still reinvigorated the Scotch Whisky industry, while it was shunned by the Irish. From 1850 onwards, the Scots blenders produced and marketed smoother, more appealing and more importantly consistent blended Scotch Whiskies which started to close the sales gap opened up by the Irish.However, even then any spelling could be used by any brand, and the two were commonly used by both Scotch and Irish brands alike.
The big fall out came as the Irish lost their second biggest market. (The unfortunate demise of the Irish Whiskey Industry is yet another story worthy of yet another post.)We are of course talking about Prohibition. During Prohibition, the Scots actually managed to increase exports. Of course, very little was sent to the USA directly, but exports to the Bahamas and Canada were massively increased. There was also the allowance of Scotch Whisky into the USA for medicinal purposes only. Laphroaig was famously allowed in without any papers.The Irish on the other hand, refused to sell to the USA. I believe it was because of the integrity of their spirit, and the possibility of the mob cutting it and tarnishing their reputation. The Scots smelled blood.
With good ties to the importers, and of course the installations of Coffey stills in Scotland, we started to manufacture cheap, poor quality spirits and sent them over to the USA with Irish WHISKY labels on them, destroying their reputation whilst ensuring good quality Scotch Whisky was in good supply.The only thing that the Irish could do was export real Irish Whiskey, with their famous spelling, to the USA to try to save some face. Unfortunately the damage was already done.Since then the ‘e’ has been used in the spelling of Irish Whiskey to signify the quality of the product and it’s authentic origins compared to the cheap rubbish the Scots were manufacturing illicitly.So there you have it, more on this subject to follow in the coming months. I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Comment below.Cheers,CraigIn my glass: Redbreast Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey -
September 2011 Highlights
September has been super busy, helping me get over the hard working week on Islay at the end of August. Apart from launching this blog, I’ve also had a crazy schedule of events keeping me moving and shaking in the Whisky World. Here are some of the highlights:Highland Games with Reel Time EventsThe first event this month was a definite highlight, working a Highland Games with Roddy the Piper at Reel Time Events. If you ever have a need for ceilidh bands, pipers, dancers or ‘traditional’ highland games, then these are the guys to contact.We had everything from tossing cabers (throwing trees) and highland stanes (throwing rocks) to haggis tossing, and welly wanging, all rounded off with some expert highland dancing, piping and of course a whisky tutorial by yours truly.Whisky Live Glasgow
An early start was justified as we set up the most ambitious and grandest of all stalls at this years Whisky Live. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society stall was as always extremely well stocked and superbly busy, keeping us all on our toes from start to finish. A slot in the VIP room was my personal highlight as I presented a 34 year old Glen Craig to 60 enthusiasts, letting them savour the last drops of this incredible bottling. Other highlights included meeting up with Joel and Neil from Cask Strength and a glorious taste of Springbank 18 with some smoked salmon from Lewis. All in all a good day at the office.Scotch Malt Whisky Society Events
Throughout the rest of the month I’ve been privileged to host 9 events for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society covering everything from 3-dram basic tastings to a 5 dram smoky whisky extravaganza. The highlights however, have to be the two external events at the end of the month.
Gleneagles, the plushest and grandest hotel in Scotland, was the venue of a Chairman’s Choice 4 dram whisky tasting. Features included a 39 year old Glen Moray and the first ever bottling of Bladnoch from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, bottled back in 1983.
The next night I entertained a group at the National Museum of Scotland on Chamber’s Street. The theme for the evening was the Scottish Enlightenment, so it was surprisingly fitting that we toasted with the national drink which probably led to some forward thinking and of course oiled the gears of some important deals back when society, philosophy and industry were flourishing within Scotland.Most Unusual EventHas to be the shift I did at one of Glasgow’s top fashion outlets. I got to meet Leonardo, a leather embosser, and behold the craftsmanship and skill he brings to his profession every day. You can read about it here.Other NewsAnd of course I can’t forget the launch of Kilderkin at the bottom of the Royal Mile. Best place for non-circular pizzas I’ve ever been to! A great feast of celebration.
Coming up…October has a lot to live up to: At the moment it looks like I’ll be making an appearance at the Boutique Bar Show with Bruichladdich and a guest slot at St Andrews Whisky Club with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, as well as the prospect of a trip to see the incredible Ryan Adams in Edinburgh on October 30th. Watch this space for info regarding new events as they pop up and don’t hesitate to book your own Whisky Adventure using the tab at the top of the page.Cheers,
Craig
Here you will find all interesting things I come across in the world of Scotch Whisky as I travel and spread the wit and wisdom over a dram or two...
