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