The BBC Good Food Show always has
lots going on, bringing the very best of food, drink and foodie gadgets to the
consumer’s eye. We went along to the show held at the Birmingham NEC just
before Christmas, to check out some of the whiskies on the market, looking
particularly for brands and blends that weren’t quite so familiar to us, and to
learn something of the distillers who produce them.
Our first stop was at the Glen
Moray stand, award winning producers of Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Speyside.
The distillery set in Elgin, one of Scotland’s oldest towns has a wonderful
history, the roots beginning in 1930 as the Elgin West brewery producing local
ales. Their first spirit run was on 13th September 1897, and since
then, only five men have had the honour of holding the title Master Distiller, whose expertise has
been passed on these past 120 years, ensuring craftsmanship and quality.
They produce a beautiful range of
whiskies, distilled in copper pot stills, using locally sourced malted barley
and the pure waters of the River Lossie. Their whiskies are matured in carefully
sourced oak casks. These include the intriguing Elgin Classic Collection; the
Elgin Heritage Collection with 12, 15 and 18-year-old single malts; there’s the
25-year-old Elgin Reserve, a limited edition, with every bottle unique and
individually numbered; and the Elgin Prestige which they regard as the pinnacle
of their whisky making, skilfully crafted by their current Master Distiller,
Graham Coull.
From our selection for tasting, Rob
particularly liked the 18-year-old single malt from the Elgin Heritage
Collection which he found to be beautifully smooth; while I liked the sweeter
taste of the Glen Moray Classic Sherry Cask Finish. You can discover their full
history and their range of Single Malt Whiskies by visiting: http://www.glenmoray.com
Our next port of call was at the Tomintoul
– the gentle dram stand. Pronounced
Tlath, the Gaelic word for gentle and mellow. Their distillery was built in
1964 near the village of Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands of
Scotland in the picturesque Glenlivet Estate in the heart of the whisky
producing Speyside region. It took a year of searching for the purest spring
water before they finally found the Ballantruan spring. This goes into producing
their smooth and mellow whiskies which have won numerous awards.
Highlighting just a few of their
blends, there’s Tomintoul Tlath matured in first class American oak bourbon
barrels; the unusual and unique Tomintoul with a peaty tang which has a deep
smoky flavour; the smooth Tomintoul 10-year-old with its gentle oaky spice; the
Tomintoul 25-year-old with its smooth honey-sweetness – right up to the
Tomintoul 40-year-old Quadruple Cask which took Gold in the World Whiskies
Awards 2017.
From our selection of tasting Rob
particularly liked the Tomintoul 15-year-old Portwood Finish with its rich
spicy sweetness, while my favourite was the 16-year-old Tomintoul which I found
smooth and velvety to the palate. Discover more at their website: http://www.tomintoulwhisky.com
We next decided to learn a little
about Evan Williams Bourbon at the Marussia Beverages stand, which handles
specialist spirits from around the world. If you’ve ever wondered what makes
Bourbon a Bourbon, rather than just a whisky, I’m reliably informed that by
law, Bourbon must be made up of at least 51% corn and aged a minimum of two
years in a new charred white oak barrel. (Evan Williams age theirs much
longer). While Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, Kentucky is
the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle. Bourbon is not Bourbon
unless the label says so.
Evan Williams Bourbon is distilled in
Louisville, Kentucky. The man himself was actually born in Dale, Pembrokeshire,
but emigrated to the USA towards the end of the 18th century. He
began distilling in 1783 and the company is still producing Bourbon using the
same time-honoured methods that he used all those years ago. Today they produce
some of the world’s most critically acclaimed Bourbons. Evan is described as
something of a Jack-of-all-trades, an entrepreneur, a politician but most of
all a distiller. He had the knack of turning corn into smooth whiskey. He set
up his distillery on the banks of the Ohio River, and today you’ll find a
marker on that spot officially declaring Evan Williams as Kentucky’s first
Commercial Distiller.
From our tastings, Rob really liked
the Evan Williams Cinnamon Reserve Liquor while I – having a sweet tooth, loved
the Evan Williams Honey Reserve. You’ll learn more about Bourbon at: www.evanwilliams.com
Glen Scotia produce two types of Single Malt Whisky: peated and non-peated. The
distillery can be found at Campbeltown, an isolated town situated towards the
Southern end of the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. The town once proclaimed itself
as ‘the Victorian whisky capital of the world’. In 1851 it had around 30
distilleries, today there are only three, one of the finest being Glen Scotia. History
extends ever further back however. Whisky making on the Campbeltown Peninsula
goes back to 1636. Then, due to the availability of local barley ‘bere’, peat
for drying the malted barley and fresh water, illicit whisky production became
rife during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Glen Scotia is proud of its
Campbeltown characteristics. The distilling of their Single Malt Scotch Whisky
is known as ‘small batch processing’ the result being a fine selection of award
winning single malt whiskies. There’s the Glen Scotia Double Cask, the Glen
Scotia Victoriana, the Glen Scotia 15, 16, 18 and 25-year-old single malts, and
the Glen Scotia 1832 Campbeltown. In truth, they were all exceptional on the
nose and the palate, some rich and spicy others offering a subtle smokiness. Discover
more at: http://www.glenscotia.com/
A brand new distillery on the scene
is The Quiet Man Craft Distillery Company, which Niche Drinks has invested £12
million into. The new distillery in Ebrington, Londonderry includes a Visitors’
Centre due to open in 2018. They produce The Quiet Man 8-year-old Single Malt
and the Quiet Man Traditional Irish Whiskey Blend. The whiskies are named after
the father of Niche Drinks’ Ciaran Mulgrew.
He says: “My father was a bartender
who worked for over 50 years in bars around Northern Ireland and now that I am
making my own whiskey I am naming it after my father. In 50 years as a
bartender he saw a lot of things and heard a lot of stories, but like all good
bartenders, he was true to his code and told no tales. My father, John Mulgrew.
‘The Quiet Man’ or as they say in the Irish, ‘An Fear Ciuin.’ Discover more at:
http://www.thequietmanirishwhiskey.com/
 |
| Co-founder of The Whisky Lounge Amanda Ludlow (left) |
Having worked in the industry for
many years, Eddie Ludlow founded The Whisky Lounge 10 years ago. Today, Eddie, co-founder
Amanda and their team run regular whisky tastings, whisky festivals, whisky
blending workshops and whisky trips. Amanda said that her husband’s dedication
to whisky was acknowledged last year when he was inducted into the Keepers of
the Quaich. This is an exclusive international society, founded in the 1980s by
leading Scotch whisky distillers, to recognise individuals who have shown
outstanding commitment to the Scotch Whisky Industry.
Eddie is quoted as saying: “The
Whisky Lounge’s mission has always been to introduce whisky to new audiences by
breaking down the barriers and myths that may stop people falling in love with
the Water of Life.”
Take a look at the many whisky
events coming up in 2018: https://thewhiskylounge.com
We were determined not to leave the
Welsh out of our roundup, and we loved the taste of Celtic Spirit Company’s
whisky and brandy liqueurs which were so festively displayed! Celtic Spirit Co is the oldest
spirit company in Wales. They produce high quality spirits and liqueurs from
age old Welsh family recipes date back to the 1870s derived from fruits of the
Wye and Usk Valleys. My favourite was Black Mountain with its rich aromatic
apple and blackcurrant brandy; while Rob liked the Danzy Jones, mellow with
herbs and rosehip syrup.
Discover more: http://celticspirit.co.uk/
Also producing delicious Welsh
Liqueurs was the family run business of Condessa Welsh Liqueurs. Founded by Richard Jones in 1969.
In 1989 they moved to their 5,400 sq ft factory and winery in rural Anglesey
where they make delicious award winning fruit liqueurs and low fat cream
liqueurs. Sally Nelson, daughter of founders Richard and Carol Jones was now at
the helm alongside husband Matthew. Over the years they have won many awards
for their liqueurs including the Proven Fine Foods Great Taste Awards and the
True Taste Awards for Wales.
Discover more at:
http://condessa.co.uk
Cheers everyone and Happy 2018!
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