Party Like It's 1985

An Orville Piñata, shortly before his celebratory new year thrashing 

Hello one and all. We're back from our relaxed Christmas breaks now, heading into all manner of excitement in the new year. 

We look back fondly on 2014. It was a year that bought some truly exceptional spirits, many many journeys and friendships:  From Baijiu in China, Cachaca in Brazil, Armagnac in France and some wondrous drinks in-between, both of us can definitely say it was an enlightening year.  

2014 also saw us bring out Distilled, our first book together which is shaping up really nicely for 2015. Expect to see us popping up in a few unusual locations next year, as we travel around, hopefully continuing our spirits exploration around the globe. 

However, there is a new year and a new dawn coming (keep your eyes peeled here folks...) so let’s kick off with our predictions for 2015: 

Joel:

The Continued Growth of Grain 

We already tipped grain as a new category in its own right back in 2012 and 2014 saw the launch of Haig Club, a single grain Scotch whisky developed in partnership with major drinks producer Diageo and megastar ex-footballer David Beckham. There aren’t many other single grain whiskies on the market, with just one other official global release, three expressions from the Girvan distillery in the Lowlands of Scotland. However, grain whisky has always been highly sought after by connoisseurs and experts, who know that the lightness of the spirit gives excellent flavours of vanilla and lemongrass, making it ideal for mixing or sipping with acouple of blocks of ice. With only Haig Club and Girvan available around the world at the moment, and the considerable weight that a celebrity such as David Beckham adds to this category, expect to see others jumping in and wanting to be part of the grain whisky party. 

High Value Brands Offering Experiences:

 
As we see more and more highly valued single malts and blends, such as The Macallan and Johnnie Walker pushing their prices up with rarer, older and more extravagantly packaged items, the focus will shift onto 'experiences'. They could be high-end, exclusive trips to the distilleries, more branded ‘houses’ (like The House of Johnnie Walker) or shops. Either way, we think the immersive experience of taking consumers on a literal journey will become more of a focus in 2015. Look out for more bespoke blends from big whisky companies too, for those who can afford it. 


My Top Tipple From 2014: The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso

We haven’t got around to reviewing this one, yet but the new Nadurra Oloroso offering from The Glenlivet at 60.7% is stunning and priced at a bonkers £45. Take Aberlour’s A'bunadh and soften it slightly and you’ve got this. It packs a punch and is worth every penny.  




Neil: 

Craft: This Party Is Getting A Little Crowded... 

The term ‘craft’ has taken over in the world of spirits, particularly in whisky. In the USA, ‘craft’ distilling is a huge movement with small producers making tiny amounts of their own rye, bourbon and single malt. As these distillers gain more sales, they’ll be able to afford to export their products and see them (if they are good) take hold in markets far from where they are made. 

But there won't be room for everyone. It feels like 'Craft' is a term that is thrown around without prejudice now, with some distillers -  be it big or small, exhibiting little or no craft. There are some genuinely brilliant well-crafted products out there: be it well-known Scotch blends (hey -  blending is the original craft, when you really start to think about it) or tiny distillers with equally small spirit batches. But when corporate boardroom decisions interfere with the distillation process (i'm looking at you, Balcones) you kind of get the feeling that the money-making-machine and the sound of the cash registers are the predominant sounds echoing around a few distilleries, whose reputations are now damaged as a result.  In 2015 and beyond, we think craft will become less about being handmade, more about using technology in new and innovative ways to create or 'craft' new products.  Think less wicker chair, more MacLaren F1.  

Other Spirits Stealing Whisky Drinkers:

The idea of ‘occasion’ is going to be focused on more and more in 2015. Why drink a fairly boring vodka, when you can enjoy a grain whisky before the party really kicks off?  Similarly, do you really need to be paying  through the nose for super premium aged single malts, when you could be getting the same after dinner experience with an extraordinary Armagnac, vintage Tequila or rum for a fraction of the price? Whisky still has an enormous cache internationally, but there are signs that other spirits -  particularly Armagnac and Mezcal are beginning to draw a few connoisseurs away from whisky.  

My Top Tipple from 2014:  Chateau Laubade 1983 Vintage Armagnac

As I mentioned above, Armagnac is perhaps the most underrated and unexplored spirits category in the world at the moment, (aside to that of Cachaca and mezcal) with some exceptional expressions available for a fraction of their equivalent Scotch vintages. Having explored the Gers region in November during La Flamme De l'Armagnac (an amazing experience when all the distillers light their stills to mark the start of the distillation season) it reminded me of the Feis Ile experience on Islay, before it became a too overcrowded and commercialised. It was here at the Laubade estate where I discovered their 1983 bottling: a rich, resinous and spicy beast-of-an-Armagnac, full of tannic oak, liquorice and anise, alongside some sweeter vanilla notes and juicy citrus fruit.  All this complexity for around £75.  

We're very much looking forward to tackling 2015 and all the intriguing spirits on offer.  Expect to see a fair few changes here over the coming months-  we'll be focusing on a much broader scale of drinks, rather than just whisky, so here's to a cracking vintage year! 

Don't forget to follow us at @WorldOfSpirits on Twitter.

Neil & Joel

That's All Folks

Hello readers and a hearty 'harumph' in this, the twilight of the festive season.  We trust that you've over-indulged accordingly and hopefully taken the time to seek out a few new additions to your drinks cabinet.  Perhaps even from our recent 18 Under 30 list, which branched out from just whisky into the wonderful world of fortified wines, beers cocktails and other interesting gluggables- we certainly have!

Anyway, to mark the passing of a great year we'd like to mark down our particular highlights (and a few lows),  not just from a liquid perspective either - making a few predictions for 2013 as well.

The Highs: 

1: The spankingly rude health of Scotch whisky...
As 2012 proved to be a golden year for our Olympians, the same can be said for the whole of the Scotch whisky industry. With new markets such as Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico and South Korea flying high for blended whisky, the stats are looking ridiculously good. Scotch whisky contributes £134 EVERY SECOND to the UK balance of trade and currently supports 36,000 jobs in Scotland. Next year will see new markets turn to the brown side  including Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

Bakery Hill

2: The inexorable rise of the Craft Distiller...
Balcones, Corsair, Tuthilltown, Koval, Chichibu, Sullivans Cove, Bakery Hill, Adnams and the soon-to-distil London Distillery Company and Wolfburn in Thurso are all turning heads with some superbly made spirit, innovative practices or potential to change the landscape of distilling. Let's hope that 2013 brings us more sensational products along the lines of our BiG Award-winning Texas Single Malt.

3:Whisky companies playing outside the envelope with their launches...
Last year saw a few bright sparks reaching beyond the traditional route of whisky festivals and magazine spreads to bring us their new wares and this year has continued the upward trajectory in creativity.  Highlights this year were the superbly fun launch of Jim Beam Devil's Cut,  Highland Park Thor (the first whisky with a personality of its own?) Ballantine's Tshirt OS and Ardbeg Galileo's wonderfully 'flawed' video.  The same can be said for Aberfeldy's approach to partnering up with the creative arts in Scotland- see Unravel, Bits Of Strange and their very wall-friendly single cask releases complete with screen prints.  Next year is going to be even better... we've got a funny feeling in our tummies that some very unusual projects will be occurring... watch this space.  Also, let's not forget the importance of getting out 'in the field'.  Whereas most brands have an ambassador, working tirelessly to bring their whiskies to a wider audience, the best new ambassadors are the ones created by simple introductions to the liquid itself.  The Whisky Lounge, Whisky Live and the other open and inclusive whisky festivals are helping to bring new drinkers to the category, so three cheers chaps.

...Oh and we didn't all fall into a blazing brimstone-fuelled hell when the Mayan calendar ended.  Wondering if anyone out there decided to open that special occasion bottle, just in case... Good on you if you did!

A Few Lows:

1: Whisky writers feeling the need to have a 'pop' at each other...
Gentlefolk, let's play nicely in 2013. We're all adults and there's more than enough fun for everyone to have a taste.  And...like...whisky is supposed to bring everyone 'together', maaan... or something lovely-dovey like that.  Just a thought, eh.







2: Bizarre pricing strategies of Limited Edition whiskies... 
Clearly this is a contentious issue, but at some point, retailers and distillery groups should understand that everyone has their limits.  Making enthusiasts shell out for a whisky they don't want, just to get the one they really do smacks of blatant commercialism...but that's just our opinion.

3: RIP Alan Lodge... 

In February, drinks writer and all-round gentleman Alan Lodge tragically passed away aged just 29. Alan was a wonderfully colourful character never afraid to speak his mind and his writing style and wicked sense of humour will truly be missed by all who knew him.  

Now a few predictions.  Agree/disagree? Let us know...

1: Counterfeiting of whisky in Asia to become more of a headline issue... 
The bigger the markets grow for Scotch whisky, the greater the likelihood the black market will respond with inferior and, in some cases, potentially fatal copies.

2: The continued push in mature markets towards No Age Statement whisky releases...
With heightened demand for aged stock rising internationally, its not like distilleries can just turn on the whisky tap and make some more.  We have no problem at all with NAS whisky. In fact, in many cases, the art of putting a great whisky together is often hampered by having an age statement in the first place.  Just keep 'em interesting, flavoursome and affordable and everyone will be happy.

3: World Whiskies to become a lot more accessible and influential...
Mirroring our point in the 'highs', palates are seeking out more variety in whisky and any number of excellent whiskies are being made from Japan, central Europe and Australia -  mostly from smaller operations. But with Indian whisky on a huge upward spiral (the new Paul John operation is a very exciting proposition) and continued excellence from Kavalan, Suntory, Nikka and James Sedgwick, the future of world whisky looks in very safe hands indeed. There may be a few unusual whisky making practices that rub off on the Scotch whisky business too...

4. The 13th Annual Port Ellen release to dip in at just under £1000... 
Any takers, or unlucky for some?

Right. And with that, we're off to uncork a bottle or two of blended whisky to make this evening's festive punch as well as select a few treats from 2012 to toast in the new year.   From both of us at Caskstrength, we wish you all a very happy, successful and peaceful 2013 and look forward to bringing you more drinks-fuelled fun and frolics next year.

Joel & Neil x

Happy New Year!

So here we are, at the end of one year and the start of another. And what a year it has been. Just about everything that could have happened in 2011 has happened; a real mixed bag of a year that has just about justified the existence of numerous 24-hour news channels...

...and with all that extra reading and viewing vying for your attention, this seems an opportune moment to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of you who read the blog. The are many ways to read our ramblings; a simple visit to the web site, an RSS feed, sign up through the email shot (so you get a fresh post in your inbox at 8pm GMT whenever we’ve written a post) and now on your shiny new Amazon Kindle e-Reader. This year has seen another bumper year for our readership via Caskstrength.net but it hasn’t stopped there.

2011 has seen us hit the physical world of print media with supplements about whisky in London paper City AM as well as Mint (The Wall Street Journal India) where Joel has a monthly column. We’ve written recommendation pieces for the Evening Standard and the Metro, had regular pieces in Whisky Magazine, Scotland Magazine and Imbibe and Neil has been published in a couple of books:The Malt Whisky Yearbook and Cutty Sark: The Making Of A Brand.

Totting up the total readership of the media we’ve written for this year, across print and digital, it exceeds over a million people, so hopefully we’re helping to push the popularity of the product we love, whisky in all forms, to a wider public.

It was also a year that saw our first bottling, the Cask Strength And Carry On Isle of Arran which sold out in less than 3 days (a massive thank you to all who bought it. We hope you’ve enjoyed drinking it!) and hosting of numerous tasting with groups as diverse as Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire, with whom we organised a strictly limited edition Highland Park bottling, through to the Japanese ambassador in the Palace of Westminster.

Overall, however we hope to have stayed focused on bringing you irreverent and entertaining writing with a focus on whisky, culture and, above all, fun. 2012 will see us venture into bigger territory still- expect a host of new whisky related projects, more books and a brand new website, launching soon!

What better way to celebrate the end of such a busy year than with a dram... and what a special bottle we have here indeed. We received this bottle as a very special gift, with the aim of it to be opened at a very specific time... and we think we have just the occasion. The Family Ridley is about to grow in ranks, with a new baby on the way for 2012. And so, let’s raise a glass to Neil and his ‘working parts’ as we crack open this little beauty:

The Glenlivet – Single Cask Edition – ‘Atlantic’ - 40 Years Old – Cask No 5318 – bottled 16/12/2005 – 41.6% abv

Nose: Wonderfully rich tones of freshly cut figs, maraschino cherries, dandelion and burdoch soft drink, marmite on hot buttered wholemeal toast, very old brown leather jacket.

Palate: thinner than one would expect from a whisky of this maturation level. The initial hit is of raisins soaked in rum, dark chocolate truffles and black forest gateaux. Slight hints of powered liquorice, cinnamon balls and some lightly steamed green veg on the back palate. Very well balanced and rounded. Not too chewy, like some old whiskies can be, this is a little too easy to drink for something of this age!

Finish: This is where the old fashioned sweet shop takes over with mint humbugs, more cinnamon balls and cherry drops, developing back in the black forest gateaux.

Overall: Of course, a huge treat. The chaps over at The Glenlivet don’t need to be bottling single casks if they’re not top-notch and here is a classic example of an excellently aged Speyside. Teetering at 41.6% (43% would have really given this baby a punch), you’d wonder if this was like watching George Best play for Fulham; but no, this is Best in his Man Utd prime... as he said himself “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”

So, where does this amazing start to 2012 leave us? With our annual (“erm, I think this is the first time we’ve done these” – Neil) predictions for 2012...

Oops...my ball's a bit dusty...

Prediction One: More Single Grain whiskies to hit the market, from established bottlers. Seems that there is a definite thirst for these lightly flavoured gems- in a sensible price bracket too.

Prediction Two: Several companies will vie for the title of the 'Official' 2012 Olympic Whisky. Whether or not Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Whyte & Mackay or Edrington have approached Usain Bolt yet for his seal of approval is unknown. Personally, we'd like to see the slogan 'Whisky- Powering Us To Glory' written on the side of Team GB's bus, but they'll probably end up with a sodding Barclaycard advert.

Prediction Three: The rise in popularity of investment whiskies will see more limited releases, single casks and rare bottlings hit the market. Lord knows where it will end up, but with the popularity in the spirit can only be a good thing, so long as it doesn't impact the pricing of our cherished bottles for convivial consumption.

Prediction Four: A charity wrestling match will take place between feuding whisky writers, with the proceeds from this undoubtedly popular public spectacle going to the Whisky In aid of Narcoleptic Kids or W.I.N.K for short. Let's be thankful the charity weren't 'Against' sleepy kids...

Here's to a great 2012 folks - looking forward to sharing some incredible drams with you all.

Joel & Neil