Young Bloods

Hey Everyone,

Once again, I am writing to you all about a subject which is not necessarily about wine or other grape-stuff for that matter.  It is of the juice of the barley which I write today.  And the youthful spirit at that; how often does a new outfit get started in an industry devoted to the art of patience?

Think about it this way? In Britain, or Scotland for that matter, or even Fife to be extra-specific, the brewing industry is going through a boom and some are wondering when the bubble wil burst on this new upswell in the industry.  Ale, however, can be made in two weeks and a good ale at that.  With the whisky industry, the time constraints mean that investment is key to the development of a new single malt and, for many investors, the returns are just too long coming.  The past few years have seen efforts in setting up new operations, the revival of old distilleries into glorious reincarnations and a few confusing experiences for the consumer.

For example, a nearly defunct distillery int he early 90's was turned around and has now become the glorious success that just bottled it's latest special edition, the illustrious Ardbeg.  This goes to show that even in the slow moving world of Scotch Whisky the greatest things cann happen relatively suddenly.

Though it has remained largely mysterious to me, the Abhainn Dearg (pron. Avann Jarreck) operation is very exciting.  As a Lewis Single Malt, I am curious as to what the style may be like.  Will it be a peaty monster, a light Arran or Jura sort of thing or a spicy power house like Talisker.  Hell it may be something hugely different.  Initial reports from the website indicate that we're looking at a surprisingly sherried, highland style malt.  It'll defintiely be interesting to see what becomes of this brand new busy-body in the outer Hebrides!

Other distilleries popping up include the Speyside-based Huntly Distillery, the massive Diageo-owned Roseisle and the Bruichladdich owned Port Charlotte.  All have a good amount of financial backing and a clear set of goals for productivity, style and promotion.  These distilleries are more or less secure in their future, however the future for recent start-up known as the Harris Distillery Co. based in Edinburgh is less certain.  Looking for massive £10 million investment to build a distillery on the Isle of Harris, it seems that the concept is a more promising idea than the actual execution.  As it isn't even built yet, we'll wait to look into it all further.

The master-class in poor distillery set-up was the so-called Blackwood's "Distillery" which got everyone's hopes up for a Shetland single malt.  Nothing came of it but a few batches of tasty-ish gin and 'meh' vodka, which billed itself as a transition business for a later arriving single malt.  While I thought this idea of making a gin or vodka while the whisky matured was a mature alternative to sending out new-make spirit and selling non-whisky for £50 per bottle, it seems that I was wrong.  For those who cannot afford to hold onto their stuff for a decade before making a penny like the new Daftmill Distillery in Fife, the only alternative is to release young spirit.  For some that's not a bad thing.

Tonight I'm having a dram of the young Kilchoman Islay Single Malt.  It's a 3-year-old with a lot of promise and more than that, a lot of character.  Like the label says, it is in fact, "Uniquely Islay".  The nose is almost half way between the cinnamon and pepper of Talisker and the clean peat-smoke and iodine of Laphroaig.  But I hesitate to make that comparison, because this profile is truly it's own creature with a nice clean finish and a surprisingly smooth palate.  The palate is refreshingly crisp, making me think that I like the lack of maturity.  Fair enough, with Islay whisky, I generally prefer younger whisky with fire to the mature stuff with richness.  Case-in-point, Laphroaig Quarter Cask versus the 18-year-old.

3-y/o Machir Bay from Kilchoman 

Basically, the young stuff out of Kilchoman is really remarkable stuff.  I like it a lot.  I could have a couple drams with a good book.  Its drinkable and with the youth, I find it really enjoyable.  This bottling; the Machir Bay, intended to be the general style of the distillery's malt makes me think i've found a new favourite from Islay.  I only hope that this distillery sticks around.  The bright blue packaging is like a beacon for excitement on the shelves of whisky shops.  A three-year-old blended with more mature four and five-year-old stuff and a hint of sherry aging has come down to me to be a fine bottling indeed.

It is refreshing in more than just flavour and I am a huge fan already and can only look forward to the future for this bright young star in the already jeweled Islay crown.  In short, the future is very promising for whisky.  The very nature of the industry demands that it be a patient effort.  I am excited to see what Scotland's young distilleries come out with in the next decade or so, and if I am writing in ten years time, expect to see a very interesting update!

Get yourself a hold of a dram of this tasty farm-distilled Islay whisky and see for yourself that older is not necessarily better!

Much love,
George

Art Series Wines

Hey everyone,

Today I'm writing for the first time in a while, and I've had a couple of interesting bottles over the past weeks. Looking back I found that I had accumulated a streak of wines which I believe can be best considered "Art Series" wines. These all have stand out labels but the wines inside are less consistent. Just to show off, I'll chuck in a note on another artist label wine I had at Christmas time. So I ask, "what does the Artist Label lend to the overall experience of a wine?"

Grover Cabernet/ Shiraz Art Series - Though I've tried this wine before, I recently revisited just to refresh my memory, and to (slightly ironically) match a nice juicy steak. This is an Australian style blend, which I usually avoid as being a bit too predictable and boring, but when you read a label stating "Wine of India" the interest is bound to be piqued.

When I first tried this wine a year and a half ago at a trade tasting in London, I felt that I had for the first time recognised the character of a place translated into the bottle. The nose evoked many of my preconceived notions of this massive country, and in particular the northern region of the Nandi Hills. It was warm and spicy with plenty of dusty, wooly aromas. It's a fragrant wine with a cedar woodiness reminding me a bit of incense. Possibly Nag Champa but maybe that's in my nose because I want it to be.

All in all, it's a damn good wine for a country relatively new to modern winemaking. More than that, it's a good wine all together. Especially for the light price tag it carries. One thing that pleases me greatly reading back on this tasting note, is that I haven't mentioned the label, which is a rather nice piece but one that only adds to the bottle. The wine justifies itself, and the label is secondary. Looking for something to surprise you a bit? Check out this tasty Indian bottle for just about a tenner.

The next few wines I tried were more shocking than surprising. Another "art" series of wines from southern France, by Christian Audigier sported some of the most garish, patronising labels I have ever seen in wine. I can appreciate the label for Grover, because it's well done, it's the kind of art you could feasibly see hanging on a wall rather than just on a bottle.

Do  drinkers need such incredible phaff to sell them on a bottle?

If the wines were anything special, I'd be willing to forgive the bottle-covering plastic coats with which they had been plastered. Conversely, if they didn't have these ridiculous eye catchers, and cost a bit less, they'd be perfectly acceptable wines. The Sauvignon Blanc was generally poor, the Cabernet was alright and the Syrah was okay, but as a whole, they weren't good enough to support the silly advertising campaign they were obviously attempting. At the price tag they demand, they do not justify the ridiculosity of their branding.

Some wines that go for a stand out shelf appearance are tough to get behind. Dinastia Vivanco Rioja is a good example of a patronising bottle shape that is saved by the fact that actual wine in the bloody thing is a decent, friendly and affordable Rioja. The Audigier collection, however is not. Though it would sell from our shelves based purely on the eye catching factor, it would fail to attract a repeat customer because they would realise that it is in fact a bad wine. In short, it is a dishonest way to sell your product.

The next artist label wine I tried is the Leeuwin Estate Riesling. I'm a big fan of Leeuwin estate and I am a bigger fan of riesling so it may come as no great shock when I say that I liked this wine and I like the branding. Though it is an art series label, the piece on the label is very subtle and understated. It may well be a winery's standard branding device for its simplicity. That said it adds a nice bit of uniqueness to the vintage.

The wine itself was a tasty, engaging example of an Australian Riesling. I believe that with its bright pear aromas and rubbery, viscous texture, I would happily say that it is worth the considerable but relatively modest £17 asking price. This is a classy version of the art series concept. Make a good wine. Then make an attractive labeling scheme. The other way around is like coming up with a music video before the song is written. Leeuwin did it the right way around.

The last wine I'll mention here won't take up many words, mostly because it was too special an occasion for me take notes and I can only remember the basics as well as how I felt. Still grippy despite thirty years ageing, this was the original art series wine, with some vintages sporting labels from some of history's most famous artists. Warhol, Picasso, Dali and Miro to name but a few of the most illustrious names, as well as a surprisingly nice label by Prince Charles. The wine was fantastic, so much character and truly satisfying making for one of the best wines I've ever had. The wine stands alongside the art and the two are fitting for each other. A great artist doing the label for a great wine. In this case, as the king of the art series, Chateau Mouton Rothschild reigns supreme.

Much love,

G