Monthly Report - May 2020

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Whisky Wisdom…

I am late on the whisky scene, and I mean really late.  Now this was not because I did not like the stuff or had an intolerance to its wiles and wicked ways.  It is simply because I just never really had a “reason” to go down this rabbit hole, as I know I have a terrible habit of once getting hooked into something I sort of get carried away … I will use wine as my personal example of this.

Taking a step back.

One rather hazy night out on the tiles a few years ago with Tim and our winemaker Clive we ended up in a hidden whisk(e)y bar (as only the laneways of Melbourne can provide) and a couple of the whisky drams selected resonated with me and I tapped them into my phone – and promptly forgot to follow it up.  Months past, and I then became aware of a whisky single malt group in Margaret River, but again failed to follow up on dropping in on one of their monthly meetings.  Thus by chance at the start of the year while checking my notes in the iPhone I saw the whisky notes, noted that there was a whisky soiree on in a few days, and since that date I have now managed to enter the wormhole of the whisky world.

Fortunately for all, this will not be a list of what I have been buying and drinking since that fateful single malt club meeting, or all of the subsequent whisky tastings (that are now all done in Zoom), but rather the amazing dissimilarities seen between the alcoholic beverages wine and whisky – and why they are so.  It is super interesting because it is so different and because it may be a pathway that wine may regretfully tread if we are not careful, or potentially learn from and take advantage of if we are … but back to my ramblings.

When a member of the public thinks of whisky they generally think of its high alcohol levels and its big brands – Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels – and maybe some side brands like Macallan, Glenfiddich, Canadian Club etc.  For the “drinker” most of the whisky bought is based on price point alone or at best name recognition – very much like wine purchases and I guess this is where the similarities end.

I will talk my way through this by talking about “Scotch Whisky” from this point on – there may be more links between wine and bourbon/rye, but I will stick to my knitting of comparing the world of scotch to wine, of which I know a smidgen more.

You see whisky in Scotland has a rich history going back to the 16-17th Century (matching the time frames of larger vineyards and wineries in France and other areas of Europe).  Illicit stills were commonplace in Scotland and were a way of making a bit of extra money from the barley and wheat grown on the small holdings throughout the country.  Larger stills were developed over time, and they have remained active for 100’s of years with little change (apart from ownership and periods of recess and the like), with pretty much many of the large stills working today are related to the primary stills of earlier times and at the same locations.  Small private distillers were considered a curse since the 18th Century and were chased out by the law, and the industry became a controlled entity that provided work for communities, and excise and duties for the government.  Licensing and control was such a critical process in the history of whisky in Scotland it has ensured that there are very few new small private distilleries throughout Scotland today (I know of 5 from my reading), regardless of the current boon in the single malt market.

Most of the whisky made in Scotland is a blended whisky, and it is a blend of malted whisky and grain whisky – and it is huge.  One of the biggest exports from the United Kingdom is whisky, and >80% of all of that is blended scotch whisky.  But the high end of the whisky world is in the single malts where whisky is derived from a single distiller and often aged for a significant period of time and released at higher prices than the blended scotch that fills the supermarket shelves.  And it is booming and part of the reason for that is that specific aged whisky from a specific distillery pretty much assures the buyer a good drink – and as a bonus it is pretty cheap on the whole to enter into this “spirit” world.

And here is the kicker about whisky – it is quite easy to understand.  And even if you not sure about an aspect of the whisky you have purchased or drank, it is relatively easy to find out and get that information.  Thus, the main level of whisky appreciation can be quickly learnt with others or by yourself – and what you have tasted and accrued as a whisky collection, many others would also have tasted and collected those very SAME bottles.  With the capacity to share experiences and share knowledge from a controlled sample set, everyone can feel attached. I will outline below the major reasons why I believe it is so easy to understand:

• There are 5 whisky regions (6 at a pinch), in Scotland

• There are 120 distilleries in Scotland

• Not all distilleries make individual whisky – most of their product goes into making cheaper blended whisky.

• By purchasing 12 different whisky bottles you could effectively taste every region and at several aged statements giving you a pretty wide appreciation of the styles and characteristics of the single malt whisky of Scotland.

Now, let us think about wine for a minute and place the same constraints to the buyer as per purchasing a bottle of whisky.  Below are the comparative values for “just” Australian wine:

• There are ~65 wine regions in Australia.

• There are more than 7,000 wineries in Australia.

• All registered wineries in Australia sell their wines.  Cheaper wines are made from bought grapes and not bought wines.

• By purchasing 300 bottles of Australian wine you would just be scraping the surface of all of the nuance and variations across this wine landscape.  It could take a lifetime to fully come to grasp all that wine in Australia can produce, and it changes year in year out with the regional vintages and new varieties and wineries / winemakers that enter the scene.

Every distillery that sells their whisky has what they call their “core” range, and many have been consistent for decades.  This means when someone describes a whisky that they like they can have a conversation about it with anyone in the world and have a common appreciation – as the core whisky is made to be consistent year in, year out.  With this in mind, when a whisky commentator says online “I really love the Clynelish 14yo whisky”, you could generally find that whisky and try it and place what they are seeing and tasting with what you are seeing and tasting – the bond is formed by the fact you can all partake in the “same” experience.

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