One week in Scotland

Scotland seems to be very tiny seen on a map, but things are different when one just has 5 days to visit some of the main figures in the Scotch Whisky world spread out from Wigtown to Huntly. But what are those distances in regard of the pleasure to meet competent and open people, always helpful and who like to share their knowledge about the passion all of us share: single malt whisky.

The aim of that recent trip was above all to meet some independent bottlers, people generally unknown by the general public. They are legion over Scotland, and their role in the distribution of single malt is and has been crucial, even if most of them are perfectly unknown by most of us. This people are generally very busy, and I'd like to thank all those who found some moments to meet me during that short week..

Besides the independent bottlers I wanted to meet some non-ordinary distilleries, as far as "ordinary" is an adequate term to qualify any distillery. I chose to visit a very old distillery which recently resumed production and a promising young distillery: Bladnoch and Speyside.

And, last but not least, one of my old dreams: speaking with somebody from the Scotch Whisky Association, representing the interests of the whisky producers. About 95% of the economic actors in the world of Scotch whisky are member of the SWA. I had the great pleasure to discuss with Campbell Evans, director of Government & Consumer affairs.

Highlights

Distilleries:

Bladnoch
Speyside

Independent bottlers:

The Vintage Malt Whisky Company
Douglas Laing
Scott's Selection
Duncan Taylor

and also :

the Scotch Whisky Association

Erratum

The previous newsletter relayed an information saying that Scottish barley gets the smallest share in production of Scotch whisky, and that most of the barley used to make whisky in Scotland was coming from England, South Africa or Eastern Europe. This information prompted the SWA to make some remarks, and we spoke about this during our meeting.

In reality, at the moment about 90% of the barley used in the Scottish mash tuns grew in Scotland. But this has not ever been the case, as a barley disease, (called mildew if my memory is correct), had devastating effects on the harvests a few years ago, causing shortage of barley in the area. The measures taken by the local agriculture to fight the disease seem to bear fruit, as Scottish barley is used again nowadays.

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Thanks to the Scotch Whisky Association for pointing out this mistake

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The distilleries

Bladnoch

Bladnoch is one of the last active distilleries in the Lowlands. And even it was doomed to disappear forever when it was closed by Diageo in 1993.
The Lowlands were not the most popular area amongst the whisky lovers, and even the single malt lovers were not as numerous as they happen to be currently, so many distilleries had to be closed for economic reasons. Amongst those belonging to Diageo, let's quote Rosebank (also in the Lowlands) and Balmenach which met the same fate as Bladnoch during the same year.

Bladnoch was purchased in 1994 by Raymond Armstrong, a Irish contractor whose goal was originally to turn the distillery into a holiday resort and most of the installations were not usable anymore.
Fortunately Raymond Armstrong changed his mind soon after the purchase, deciding to reallocate the plant to its original purpose: distilling whisky... After many technical challenges and many legal issues, the distillery could resume its production (limited by a contract with Diageo) in 2000 for our greatest pleasure, we the whisky fans.

For more information about my visit to Bladnoch and for some pictures of that magic place, please see the page on the site dedicated to Bladnoch.
To be kept in eye as well during the next few weeks, the tasting notes of young samples Raymond gave me in order to taste them for you. They will also be published on the site.

The Lowlands

The Lowlands area was the biggest supplier of whisky in Scotland in the olden days, but this is a long time ago, as it was in the beginning of the 19th century. The industrial revolution had a strong whisky taste in the area... Distillery were turned into big production plants, and this over-industrialization, typical of the begin of the capitalist era, helped causing the death of the Lowlands as a whisky producing area. The clear choice of quantity above quality was probably the worst thing which could happen for the long term development of that industry. See : History of whisky on the site

Speyside

One of the most recent distilleries in Scotland has been created when Bladnoch was doomed to disappear: the Speyside distillery. Despite its suggestive name, not everybody agrees to classify this distillery in the Speyside area.

However, it is the closed distillery to the spring of the river Spey, which flows a few meters behind. A discussion with Andrew Shand, the director of the distillery convinced me, and I changed the site accordingly... One distillery less in the section Central Highlands, and one more in the Speyside section.

Speyside is one of the most charming distilleries, settled in the enchanting surrounding of a natural reserve of the Highlands. The whole fabrication process happens in just one building, a kind of great stone shed, build by a single man, Alex Fairly in 25 years of hard work.

The first official versions (10 and 12 years old) arrived on the market. The distillery produces also a single malt named after the small village near the distillery: Drumguish. For the tasting notes, please refer to the site. Andrew Shand is also in charge of the selections for the series Scott's Selection et Private Cellar. Some of the samples he gave me in order to taste them for you are already describes on the site. The remaining samples will follow shortly.

The independents blues

the independents ...

In the small world of whisky passionate's, the controversies about the role of the independent bottlers was fierce, not so long ago. There were independent bottlers fans and their detractors. These discussions seem to deem recently.

The detractors mainly based their argumentation on the idea that bottlings not made directly by the producers could seriously distort the own distillery style. On the other hand, the fanatics pretend that without the work of the independents, whisky of lost distilleries would be lost forever, and the single malt world would not be what it is now.

Myself, I always have been a independent bottlings fan. But there are of course many differences between the independents. Some of them are on the place for ages (Gordon & MacPhail, Cadenheads, Berry Bros & Rudd and some others as well), and others are relative newbies on the market (for about ten years or so), like the Vintage Malt Whisky Company.

Some of them are famous through their blending's activity (Douglas Laing, Ian McLeod) while others dedicated their work essentially to single malt for many years (Duncan Taylor). Others are over-active on the market, carrying along a real (r)evolution of the whisky behaviour (like Signatory Vintage), offering undoubtedly the widest and most original range, and it is a fact that the single malt expansion during the last few years is partially due to their action.

Some believe only in single casks (Douglas Laing) and others in small batches (Murray McDavid).

Some buy their whisky at brokers, where they select the best casks (like the Vintage Malt Whisky Company) while others select their (empty) casks and bring them to the distilleries for filling and maturation in the distillery warehouses (Duncan Taylor) or in their own warehouses (Douglas Laing).

... their blues

To make a long story short, a nice range of activities, but one something in common: a kind of fear regarding the future, even after the opening of great markets like Russia and China, and also India, even if the latter is lesser relevant to them.

Their common fear is that the distilleries seem to be less willing to sell them their good casks, or fill the bottlers casks with their spirit as they used to be, and further, lots of them have understood the issue of diversifying their single malt range.
So the biggest distillery concern, Diageo markets regularly "special releases", looking like "small batches", following the independent bottlers uses and try to get back customers who are looking for more diversity, criticizing the distilleries for the monotony of their ranges, and so being present on market segments reserved to independents until recently.
Cask strength bottlings appear also more and more often in the official ranges, again following the independents who showed the way years ago. There is however a notable exception: the Rare malts collection. But this collection looks much more like an independent collection than like an official one, as the house style takes care of the collection, not of the individual distilleries.

The profusion of new ranges Signatory puts regularly on the market is probably an answer to this situation, more and more distilleries, more and more new versions. From the "Straight from the cask" series to the "Very cloudy"... the need for innovation is patently obvious.
Whatever the quality of the independent bottler, all of them will have to face the same problem if the distilleries decide to stop delivering their whisky to them (if this nightmare scenario becomes the truth...), with however the notable exception of those who own, or are owned by a distillery: (Signatory-Edradour / Gordon & MacPhail-Benromach / Cadenheads-Springbank / Ian McLeod-Glengoyne / Murray MacDavid-Bruichladdich / Scott's-Speyside, etc...) and those who regret not having acquired one (Douglas Laing), even if they are conscious of the difference between the craft of a bottler and the craft of a distiller....

Independent bottlers I met and their main

The Vintage Malt Whisky Company

1. the series Coopers Choice

and also the ranges of single malt without indication of the distillery:

1. Finlaggan
2. Tantallan
3. Glen Almond

Douglas Laing

1. Provenance
2. Old Malt Cask
3. Platinum

Scott's Selection

1. Scott's Selection
2. Private Cellar

Duncan Taylor

1. Whisky Galore
2. Peerless

A more detailed report about the bottlers will shortly be published on the site.

The Scotch Whisky Association

The Scotch Whisky Association is an association grouping about 95% of the Scotch whisky industries, from the distilleries to independent bottlers, from great concerns like Diageo to family owned businesses like Glenfarclas.

The aim of the SWA is to protect the economical interests of the Scottish whisky industrials throughout the world, everywhere those interests are threatened. And everywhere throughout the world, the SWA is active when needed, either using diplomacy, or bringing things to (international) courts.

Fighting counterfeiting is just one of the many aspects of this daily struggle the SWA in the name of producers who remain concurrent for each other. But the fact the SWA exists since nearly one century proves that even competitors have some common interests.

But counterfeiting is not the only battle field of the SWA. They do not hesitate to take different countries to court because of their unfair competition practices or unfair tax systems. Last year, India and Turkey were two examples where the SWA was active on this ground.
Another fight of the SWA was to make the UK government's decision to use duty stamps on each whisky bottle workable in the practice. First idea of the government was to affix stamps above the neck of each bottle. Finally, the action of the SWA made it much cheaper in manufacturing costs by integrating this stamp in the label of the bottle.
This new stamps will be mandatory by October 1, 2006 on each whisky bottle sold in the UK

The name "Scotch whisky" is also one of the major worries of the Association. That's why they fight all over the world to get the UK definition of "Scotch" respected: to bear the name of "Scotch", a whisky has to be produced and matured on the Scottish ground for at least 3 years.

There are many other struggles for the SWA, like the regulations concerning the size of bottles (70cl for Europe) or the quality of Scottish water. Frequent discussions with the minister of Health are part of the regular work of the Association. Further, the SWA is conscious of the danger for the public health whisky can represent in case of overuse of alcohol, and they have elaborated an Code of practice for the responsible marketing and promotion of Scotch whisky.

Last but not least, the SWA is in charge of statistical data about whisky sales and production. During 2005, Scotland has exported for 2.362.000.000 £ of whisky, among which 380.000.000 £ at single malt bottled in Scotland. Almost 990.000.000 bottles were exported, which means about 30 bottles a second. France is the largest market by volume (153.000.000 bottles, up 12%) and the United States are the most valuable market (372.700.00 £, up 10%)... Amazing figures....

the SWA Council

1. Richard Burrows, Chivas Brothers, (Chairman)
2. Paul Walsh, Diageo (Vice chairman)
3. Graham Stevenson, Blairmohr (Treasurer)
4. Allan Burns, Diageo
5. Ian Curle, Edrington
6. James Espey, Whyte & Mackay
7. Bill Farrar, Edrington
8. Peter Gordon, William Grant
9. Tom Flocco, Beam Global Spirits
10. Garry Gray, John Dewar
11. Mike Keiller, Morrison Bowmore
12. Paul Neep, Glenmorangie
13. Christian Porta, Chivas Brothers
14. Pierre Pringuet, Chivas Brothers
15. Ken Robertson, Diageo
16. Alex Short, William Grant

On the forum

The site hosts a very active, French speaking forum, where people go on discussing bottlings, ordinary ones or really exceptional ones. All kind of bottles are and can be discussed.

There are regularly new members, and above all, local clubs are created, after people met on the forum. Some of this new clubs are creating web sites as well, like the one in Lorraine or near Orleans...

Another site was born whiskycircus. The funniest whisky site I know, managed by members of the forum.

Alas, there is no English section... But there are so many good forums in English. Whisky-distilleries decided to collaborate with the Whiskyportal for people who prefer communicating in English.

Forum address: http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/Forum

 

Project

Members of the forum would like to get a special "forums bottling" and we are working on that project in association with a Belgian forum "Cask Six"

Preliminary negotiations are running at the moment, and all those who would like to participate in that project are invited to join one of both forums.

Miscellaneous

Books and events

The Scottish Whisky Distilleries (Misako Udo)

For those who want to know more about all the Scottish distilleries, past and present, this remarkable book written by a Japanese living in Scotland gives lots of information (however with few explanations) about hundreds of distilleries.

This is a directory that anyone should have, if he is interested in the distillery before looking to the whisky....

 

 

 

Whisky Live Paris 2006

The next Whisky Live in Paris will be an extraordinary event. After the first successful years, the organizers are very ambitious this year, having invited 50 distilleries, from Scotland, Ireland, United States and Japan, and trying to bottle 50 single casks to celebrate the event...

This is the occasion for the Maison du Whisky to celebrate their 50th anniversary fittingly... This event will take place on 16, 17 and 18 September 2006. One day will be reserved for professionals.

 

Sponsoring

The audience of whisky-distilleries.info is still growing. So, whisky professionals, do not hesitate to use the site to promote your single malt activities by buying some advertising banners on the site. They are cheap, and their impact can be very interesting, as it is exclusively read by a targeted public: whisky lovers...

Previous issues

1. Number 1
2. Number 2
3. Number 3