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The new GreatDrams Islay Single Cask Single Malt bottling: why it means so much to us, and hopefully to you too https://greatdrams.com/the-new-greatdrams-islay-single-cask-single-malt-bottling-why-it-means-so-much-to-us-and-hopefully-to-you-too/

The new GreatDrams Islay Single Cask Single Malt bottling: why it means so much to us, and hopefully to you too

let’s begin

Love whisky but want to know more about it? We’ve got everything you need to know right here.

What is Whisky?

A distilled spirit made from water, grains and yeast. Scotch is whisky that has been made in Scotland. Bourbon, Rye and Grain and all types of whisky made with varying amounts of different grains in their recipes.Barley is most commonly used in Scotch, but rye, corn and wheat are also used.

Different countries have different regulations regarding the production of whisky, for instance in Scotland it has to be made at one distillery (unless it’s a blend) aged for a minimum of 3 years and bottled at 40% ABV or above.

There are several categories of whisky:

Single Malt

This is Scotch that is distilled and matured in one distillery, in Scotland, for a minimum of three years and a day. Legally it has to be made form only barley and water and in pot stills.

Single Grain

This is Scotch that contains more than one grain but is still distilled at a single distillery.

Blend

This is a mix of many different single malts and grains from many different distilleries, all blended together.

Blended Malt

This is a blend that is made of only single malts from different distilleries.

Blended Grain

This is a blend that is made of only single grain from different distilleries.

Where does the word “Whisky”come from?

The word we use today is the anglicise version of “uisgebeatha”, or“usquebaugh”, which means water of life in Gaelic. This language was spoken throughout Scotland and Ireland for a long time and many words from Gaelic are still used today.

There are two ways to spell whisky, with an E or without. The rule goes that if there is an E in the name of the country, then they will use an E to spell whisky. There is no definite way of knowing where this came from or why it became the norm, but there you have it!

How is whisky made?

Whisky typically goes through five different stages to reach the final product: Malting, Mashing, Fermentation, Distillation, Ageing.

Malting: Grains are soaked in water for 2-3 days and spread on a “malting floor” to germinate. Germination produces enzymes and starch that add flavour to whisky. Malting can take place over anything between 8 and 21 days, depending on theseason. The grains are repeatedly turned to ensure there is consistency. They are also dried in kilns. This is often when peated flavours are added to the grains as the kilns are fired by burning peat.

Mashing: This is when the grains are fully dried and ground into a powder called grist. Grist is then added to warm water in a mash tun.The enzymes convert starch into sugars in this mixture and the result is called wort.

Fermentation: Wort is added to a washbackand yeast is added to the mix. Fermentation takes place and alcohol is produced in the resulting  reaction between the yeast and the starch.

Distillation: In order to separate the water and alcohol it is put through a process of heating and cooling. Alcohol evaporates at around 72 degrees and water at 100, so the alcohol is collected as it evaporates first. This is where copper pot stills are used, the most common kind of stills used in the whisky making process. In Scotland, the mix is distilled twice but in Ireland and certain American distilleries, the mix is distilled three times for extra smoothness.

Ageing: Distillation results in a New Make Spirit, which is whisky before it is aged. In order to legally be called and sold as whisky, it needs to be matured in barrels. Each barrel will have a certain level of char which imparts smoky flavours to the liquid. The most common types of barrels used for maturation are Bourbon and Sherry barrels, although lots of different types can be used. Ageing and maturation can last any number of years, but must be over three in Scotland.

Finishing: Some distilleries will transfer malt into another barrel in order to bring out or add a little bit more flavour. This is usually for a shorter period or time and in different casks to what was used for maturation. Not all whiskies are finished.

What is a blend?

A blend is a whisky made up of a combination of single malts and single grain whiskies. They are created by highly skilled Master Blenders and Master Distillers who have excellent tasting abilities.

The act of blending is literally the act of combining the whiskies, but it has to be done in a very specific way, otherwise the result will not taste so great. Blends also have to be consistent, which is difficult when mass producing them and that is why master Blenders have to be so well versed in whisky flavours.

scotch regions

Unlike most other countries (with perhaps America as an exception for the “Kentucky” and “Tennessee” categories) Scotland is divided into whisky making regions. The region that a Scotch is made in will usually denote the flavour profile of the whisky, although this is not true for every single distillery.

Speyside

Speyside has around 42 working distilleries, making it the most distillery dense part of Scotland. It is in the northeast, in an area that is sometimes referred to as the Highlands, near the river Spey. It is home to some big names in Scotch, include in Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet, Aberlour and The Macallan.

Malts from Speyside tend to be lighter in body, with big sherry notes. There is plenty of spice and smoke but not so much meat. Fruity, sweet flavours also play a big part in the Speysde flavour profile.

Islay

There are eights distilleries currently on the isle of Islay, but there are more opening in coming years, including the rebirth of Port Ellen. It is not included in the Islands region because it has so many distilleries and because the malt made there is distinctively peated. Distilleries on Islay include Lagavulin, CaolIla, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bowmore, Laphroaig, and Bunnahabhain.

Islay tends to have heavier malts, with lots of peat. Due to the small size of the island and the richness of the peat, there are a lot of sea side notes including seaweed, brine, iodine and salt in these malts.

Islands

Not everyone recognises the islands as a whisky region, often including them in the Highland region. There are several working distilleries on islands, including Jura, Arran, Talisker, Scapa, Highland Park and Tobermoray.

  Similarly to Islay, island malts have heavier, peated flavours although the flavours are not as strong as with Islay malts. They are slightly lighter than Islay malts and the smoke is softer.

Highlands

The Highlands is the largest region geographically and includes distilleries such as Oban, Aberfeldy, The Dalmore and Glenmorangie. Malts from here have a broad range of flavours. They can be quite light bodied and floral, with sherry notes and lots of sweetness, or heavily peated with some seaside qualities.

Lowlands

The Lowlands is large geographically but only has four working distilleries, although there are new distilleries planned to open. Distilleries already operating here include Auchentoshan, Ailsa Bay, Glenkinchie and Bladnoch.

Lowland malts have lighter, more earthen flavours and are quite mellow in flavour. They are distinctly herbal and fresh.

Campbeltown

Once the most densely populated whisky region, Campbeltown has fallen off the whisky region radar in recent years. It was once known asthe Whisky capital of the world” but now it is only home to three working distilleries, Glen Scotia, Glengyle and Springbank, Campbeltown malts are similar to Islay malts and have lots of peat smoke and seaside notes. They are wonderfully complex and rich.

The post Whisky 101 appeared first on GreatDrams.

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An exciting development from the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay, we can definitely say their gin is as good as their whisky.

Lots to live up

Bruichladdich are very well known for their whisky. It is the epitome of an Islay dram – full nuance as well as big bold flavours. A lot of what they focus on at Bruichladdich comes down terroir, which is a term often used in wine making. It means that every aspect of the environment in which the whisky is made is important to the final flavour. This also includes the barley and water that are used, right down to the soil it is grown in.

They also turned their hand to gin distilling, and the results are as brilliant as with their whisky. Again, they are looking at hyper-local ingredients, with a particular focus on botanicals from the isle of Islay itself.

The Botanist Gin

This gin is made using 22 botanicals, hand foraged from Islay, alongside 9 others (different types of peels, bark and seeds) to create a full flavoured spirit. That’s a hell of a lot of botanicals. But it works. This is an intriguingly complex gin with lots of different flavours going on. From the website, we can glean that the 9 extra botanicals include coriander, cassia, juniper, cinnamon, orange, lemon, angelica root, liquorice and orris root.

The others are more mysterious, but they are all from Islay. This is an exciting way to create a gin that is representative of exactly where it comes from, and we would expect no less from Bruichladdich.

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Tasting notes for The Botanist Gin

Bottle cost: £27.46

The nose is full of earth and seaside notes. Juniper brings in a menthol note with hints of pine needles and slight bitterness. Citrus peel plays an important role here in adding a crisp sweetness.

The palate is complex and bursting with flavours. There is a gentle spice that mixes well with the citrus notes. The seaside flavours really swell here and make the gin slightly herbal. Juniper takes the lead.

The finish is bright and citrussy, with a final note of sea salt.

The Botanist is an exciting exploration of Islay and of gin. It’s great to see that Bruichladdich were able to transfer their whisky making ethos so smoothly and innovatively over to their gin.

What do you think of The Botanist Gin? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Botanist Islay Gin appeared first on GreatDrams.

let’s begin

Want to warm up with a whisky this autumn? Why not spice your dram up with our top 5 whisky cocktails for Autumn? We’ve created a list that will bring together the heat of summer with the crispness of Autumn. You’ll wonder why you ever wished it was July again. Even when it’s raining.

1. old fashioned

Nothing beats an Old Fashioned, at any time of year. It’s been about since the 1800s so clearly it’s doing something right. We love it for its simplicity and ease. You don’t have to be in a trendy bar to enjoy an Old Fashioned, you can throw it together in your kitchen and still make the best drink you’ve ever had. We’ve gone with Auchentoshan for its light bodied malts, but feel free to add your favourite tipple!

Recipe:

60ml Auchentoshan Scotch whisky

3 dashes Angostura Bitters

1 Sugar Cube

Soda water (optional)

Poured over ice

Orange peel to garnish

2. mint julep

While many might think that the Mint Julep is the perfect cocktail for summertime, we beg to differ. Pour in some of your finest lightly peated Scotch (not the traditional spirit used but who’s going to argue) and you have the best autumn cocktail. Popularised during the 1920s, the Mint Julep is a standard at any Great Gatsby themed party. Lightly peated Scotch will allow the freshness of the mint and the sweetness of the sugar to create the perfect flavour.

Recipe:

Mint Leaves

2 sugar cubes

90mlTomatin Cu Bocan Scotch Whisky

Mint Sprig to garnish

3. penicillin

A wonderful mix of lemon, honey and whisky, this is a cocktail everyone can enjoy. It is wonderful for autumnal days watching the leaves coming off trees. Again, we recommend peated scotch for this one as it is the best flavour alongside the tartness of the lemon and the sweet richness of the honey.

Recipe:

60ml  Talisker Dark Storm Scotch Whisky

2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Honey

Ginger or lemon to garnish

4. Sriracha Hot Toddy

This is the perfect cocktail for when those winter blues start to feel like they’re creeping in faster. It’s also supposed to be restorative, but we can’t guarantee it’ll fix you up better than cold and flu medicine, although it definitely tastes better. It’s similar to a Penicillin, but its served warm and this recipe has a kick of Sriracha for added warmth

Recipe:

½ tbspSriracha

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Honey

200ml Water

60ml Bushmills Whisky

5. Rusty Nail

Having lasted since the 1930s and made it through Prohibition, the Rusty Nail is somewhat of a classic. It’s made with Drambuie, a Scotch Whisky Liqueur with lots of honey and herbal notes. Again, this will wrap you up warmly for all those cold Autumn nights.

Recipe:

60mlBallantine’s Blended Scotch Whisky

15ml Drambuie

1 dash Angostura Bitters (optional)

Lemon twist to garnish

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and let’s have a chat!

The post 5 Whisky cocktails you need this Autumn appeared first on GreatDrams.

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One of England’s most prominent whisky distilleries, The Lakes have been releasing malts since 2014.

English Whisky

Whisky is well known for its roots in Scottish and Irish culture and tradition. But it also has a long history in England. Back in the early 1800s there are references to malt and grain distilleries. In 1887 the intrepid write Alfred Bernard embarked on visiting 8 of the 10 English whisky distilleries that were working at the time. These included the Lea Valley Distillery in London

In 1905, the last English whisky distillery closed its doors, and the industry never really bounced back, until now. In recent years, alongside a general growth in popularity around whisky globally, English whisky has blossomed. There are now between 15-20 English whisky distilleries, either producing or in the process of being set up.

One such distillery, which has been producing since 2014, is The Lakes Distillery in Cumbria. They pioneered the English whisky revival and are still at the forefront of the game.

NEW BLEND

Their newest release is a blended whisky that combines their English malt with malt and grain whisky from Speyside, Islay and the Highlands. The hybrid blend is excellently rich and full of flavour, with a wonderful hint of peat in the background. It has been handmade by the distilleries Whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi.

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Tasting notes for The Lake Distillery The One Signature Blend

Bottle cost: £39.00 

The nose begins with sweet notes of treacle, caramel, cherry blossoms and spice. There is a lovely warmth to begin, which brings out some of the more peated notes. Hints of vanilla and oak appear, though these are subtle.

The palate is fully of tart dried fruits, wonderfully sweet caramels and a rich peat smoke. The smoke is subtle but excellent. It works alongside the sweeter notes to make for a well blended body. Dried fruits with cinnamon and black pepper add a lovely elegance.

The finish is long and full of heat. It has an abundance of cinnamon and raisins.

This is yet another impressive release from The Lakes Distillery. It is sweet and peaty nut still maintains the character of the house style. We hope other English distilleries can live up to this quality.

What do you think of The Lakes Distillery? Start the conversation in the comments!

The post The Lakes The One Signature Blend appeared first on GreatDrams.

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For businesses just starting out, the research and development phase can be key to getting it right. And for whisky distilleries, it can be extra difficult.

Long Term vs Short Term

The thing about spirits, especially ones that need to be matured, is that it takes a long time. For whisky to legally be called whisky, it has to be matured for over 3 years, otherwise it’s called new make spirit or a spirit drink. So what happens when a brand is first developed. How does a whisky distillery carry out research and development if they don’t have a product to research or develop?

Even at three years old, most whiskies aren’t ready to be bottled. Some distilleries do bottle both three year old and new make spirit, but it can hard to really explore the character of a whisky at such a young age. With the recent increase in popularity that the spirit has seen, more and more competitors have entered the market, but not all of them have stock that is the right age to bottle.

So what is a new distillery to do, when they need to make an income but don’t have a ready product? For many of them, the answer lies in another type of spirit; gin.

The Whisky and Gin Revolution

It shouldn’t really be a surprise that both the whisky and gin markets saw a massive increase in popularity at the same time. Beforehand, they were often perceived in the same way, which is that they are for older drinkers and not considered cool enough for younger audiences.

This has changed recently, and both spirits have been able to make a break away from the dusty images they once held. And they have been able to help each in doing so.

For many whisky distilleries, as they wait for their whisky to age, or even before they begin to make it, they will make spirits that don’t need to be aged instead. Gin, vodka and liqueurs are easily made and give new distilleries a revenue stream they can make on their kitchen table.

Good examples of this model include Balmenach, which began making the very successful Caorunn Gin before they introduced their single Malt and Kinsbarn in Fife, who moved production of their Darnley’s Gin from London to Fife only recently. Brewdog, well established at making beer, have also started distilling and released the Lone Wolf gin well before their whisky was ready.

Bigger name distilleries are also starting to get into the gin game, seeing it as another way to bring in revenue and to diversify their product range. Bruichladdich, which is well known for their peated malt, have recently brought out The Botanist gin. Grain distillery Benromach have also started producing gin with Red Door.

If seems that investing in both gin and whisky has become the latest model for keeping distilleries active as well as giving those just starting out a revenue boost.

What do you think of whisky distilleries beginning in the gin market? Start the conversation in the comments!

The post How Whisky Distilleries do Research and Development appeared first on GreatDrams.

Every country has its Bard. The English have Shakespeare, the Welsh have Dylan Thomas, the Irish have Seamus Heaney. And the Scottish? Well, they have the great Robert Burns.

Master of poetry, Rabbie Burns, as he is commonly known in the Scottish tongue, was born in the town of Alloway on January 25th 1759. He quickly rose to fame, opting to write much of his verse in the Scots language and as the Scottish face of the Romantic movement.

He later died on July 21st, the date that Burns night was first celebrated, in his memory. The tradition quickly grew, and although it is not a Bank Holiday, it is one of the most widely held and enjoyed of Scottish celebrations.

photo credit: Dumfries Museum via photopin cc

This is night that takes in and embraces some fundamental Scottish traditions. Kilts, pipes, haggis, Burns’ poetry and of course some fantastic malt whisky are what lie in store for all who indulge in this night of revelry.

A typical Burns Night Supper begins with an introduction from the host and the saying of the Selkirk Grace (in purest Scots of course) which goes as follows:

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat, And sae let the Lord be thankit.

To get you in the mood, we have put together three whisky and food pairings they are suggesting for Burn’s Night this year – let me know if you try any, here is the first one.

Start the evening with a dram of GreatDrams Glentauchers 10 Year Old Single Cask Single Malt. With vanilla oakiness on the nose, and a sweetness that gives off memories of penny sweets come through too with a juicy green apple note and a smooth, fruity and creamy palate with a slightly spicy finish.

After this rousing little verse, the haggis is “piped” in. What better way to usher in a meal than with a standing ovation and a good old burst of the bagpipes?

The haggis of course takes pride of place on a silver platter, followed closely of course by a traditional bagpiper. It is laid on the table in preparation for the Address to the Haggis.

This is a truly spectacular moment. When else in life can you watch as an eight verse long poem is recited to a haggis? Never!

The poem in question is Burns’ own Address to a Haggis, a fantastic rhyme that includes everything you would ever want to say to a haggis, including a reference to it as the “Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race”!

With this comes the toasting of the haggis, when glasses are raised to a raucous cheer of “The Haggis” and a good old dram of whisky is downed.

I once wrote a piece for The Independent about pairing food and whisky and how I love to pour Octomore over my haggis:

Haggis, neeps and tatties is a quintessential Scottish dish, but what many people are yet to discover is that when you receive your plate, you should immediately fashion a well along the middle of the haggis and pour a hearty dram of a punchy whisky in there, in this case, Octomore. This will give the haggis a bit of oomph, will add a spicy note and the nose of the whisky coupled with the food completes the dish nicely.

Or, if Octomore is not your bag, why not pair your haggis, neeps and tatties with a glass of GreatDrams BenRiach Single Cask Single Malt. It was the first peated single cask whisky we have released and wow is it a special one, having been matured in a 2nd-fill Oloroso Sherry Barrel for a unique, fruity, spicy flavour surrounded by peat smoke notes..

The haggis is then piped back out, in order to be prepared for dishing up alongside some neeps and tatties.

Now, this is where the real celebration begins. If you thought the piping of the haggis was enough entertainment for one night, then you are surely mistaken.

The order of service for the next part of the night is as follows: first entertainer, toast “to the immortal memory of Robert Burns”, second entertainer, Toast to the Lassies, third entertainer, reply to the Toast to the Lassies, final entertainer, vote of thanks, and finally, to round it all off, a group sing-a-long to the legendary Burns tune of Auld Lang Syne, accompanied by crossed hands.

Each of the entertainers recite different poems by Burns, interspersed with different toasts.

The toast to the immortal memory of Robert Burns speaks for itself as a way of dedicating the night fully to the great poet.

The Toast to the Lassies on the other hand, is something else. This involves a speech specifically written for the night to poke fun at the women in the crowd, all in light-hearted fun, of course, and ending on a positive note!

The women are of course given their chance to reply with their own flavour of wit and sarcastic thanks to the originally speaker. Again, this is all in good fun and should always end on a positive note.

Finally, to bring the night to magnificent end, the guest sing Auld Land Syne, one of Burns most famous songs that is of course, traditionally played on New Year’s Eve.

The brings the night to an uplifting end, uniting together everyone in the room in the name of good fun and high spirits! Now is time to impress your friends… so why not finish off with a dram of our very own Girvan 11 Year Old single cask single grain Scotch whisky with sweet, creamy notes of caramel, burnt sugar, hints of fresh fruit and fresh vanilla pods, this single cask Scotch whisky is super-smooth.

Burns Night is not just a night to celebrate a wonderful poet, but also a night to come together and truly enjoy yourself in the company of friends and surrounded by timeless traditions!

The post Burns Night – A Celebration of Scottish Heritage. appeared first on GreatDrams.

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Peat can be a pretty overwhelming flavour, something that most fans enjoy it for. But others think this makes it too strong to use in the whisky making process. We’re going to look at the complexities of the flavour and why it’s something to really get to know.

regional peaT

There are five whisky-producing regions in Scotland, each with a different flavour profile. That doesn’t mean producers have to stick to that flavour profile, but means malt made there is more likely to have a flavour profile. The two biggest regions for producing peated malt are the Highlands and Islay.

Highlands Malt

The Highlands is a pretty huge area and it has quite a diverse flavour profile. Malt created here can range from sherried and sweet to full bodied and heavily peated. Highland Park is a stand out for peated malt from the highlands, as is Oban.

In a nutshell: Highland malts tend to have a smoky profile with lighter notes of spice, florals and oak wood. There are lots of earthy, herbal and heathery notes alongside more fruity flavours.

ISLAY Malt

There are eight distilleries on Islay and most of them produce incredibly peated malt, with the exception of Bunnahabhain, which tends to have a lot of smoke but not so much peat. The island is well known for its peated malts

In a nutshell: Islay has big notes of peat smoke with hearty seaside flavours of iodine, sea salt and saline. The peat notes are heavy in Islay malts and sea side flavours, with hints of oak wood and burnt caramel often lead.

Highland Peat

Peat from the Highlands tends not to be as salty as peat from Islay (see below). It is intensely earthy and rich but because most of it is found inland, it tends to not have salted qualities. It is made up of more plant-based matter, with lots of heather and thick earth in it. This means it imparts a really rich earthy note.

ISLAY Peat

Islay being an island (and a relatively small one at that), has a rugged coastline and lots of fresh sea air swirling around it. Many of the distilleries on Islay are based right on the edge of the coast, allowing the casks to soak up the salty sea breeze. This also means that the peat found on Islay tends to have more sea-based flavour qualities. It is made up of a lot of seaweed and other such vegetation. This means it has a lot more iodine and salt flavours.

So there you have it, the main reason that the peat used in Highland and Islay malts is different, and another reason to go try them both. Peat can feel overpowering but once you sink your teeth into it, the complexity cannot be ignored.

What do you think of peated malts? Let us know in the comments!

The post Difference between peated malt from Islam and peated malt from the highlands appeared first on GreatDrams.