Month: April 2019

Campbeltown

Campbeltown – Scotland’s forgotten whisky region.

Scotland’s forgotten whisky region

Ask many Scotch drinkers how many whisky regions there are in Scotland, and the will proudly say “Four! Speyside, Islay, Highlands and Lowlands.” They will be wrong. So was I, for many years. When I first encountered a Campbeltown single malt over a decade ago, I simply assumed it was a sub-region, or a marketing thing. It wasn’t until recently that I learned Campbeltown is the fifth officially designated whisky region in Scotland.

Campbeltown is a small town on the Kintyre peninsula in the southwest of Scotland. It is not far from Glasgow and the island of Islay, and the closest point to Ireland. So close to Ireland that lengend holds St. Patrick introduced the art of distilling to Scotland in that region during the 5th century.

At one time, Campbeltown (named for Archibald Cambell, 9th Earl of Argyle), was home to over 30 distilleries. In the Victorian age at the end of the 19th century, it was known as the whisky capital of the world.

Two world wars and a Great Depression later, and by the end of the 20th century, only two active distilleries remained – Glen Scotia and Springbank. In addition to their namesake whisky, Springbank also produces the heavily peated Longrow and the unpeated Hazelburn.

These were joined in 2004 when the former Glengyle distillery began production again after having been shuttered in 1925. With the name Glengyle now owned by Loch Lomond, the former Glengyle distillery is now producing whisky under the name Kilkerran, from Campbeltown’s original name, Kinlochkilkerran.

In general, Cambeltown whiskeys are known for being full-bodied, with a viscous, almost oily mouthfeel, and a coastal salinity due to the location on the Kintyre peninsula, and proximity to the sea. Here we look at the entry level expressions from each of these three distilleries.

First up, the Glen Scotia Double Cask. This is a non-age statement (NAS) whisky. Not surprisingly, the “double cask” refers to ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, the two most common types used for aging Scotch. All three expressions here combine bourbon and sherry cask influences.

This whisky is a deep gold in color, a little darker than actual gold. The nose brings expected sherry notes, but less dry than a sherried Speyside, with a touch of honey sweetness, a little biscuit-like cereal, and a hint of coastal salinity. The palate starts out sweet with a touch of the expected salinity, but gives way to drier notes, fading to almost slightly bitter in the finish. A few drops of water tone down the bitter notes at the end.

Springbank 10 is probably the most well known and widely available Campbeltown, at least in my area in the eastern U.S. The color is a medium gold, almost an exact match to the metal of that name. The nose starts off with toasted wood, followed by sherry notes. The expected salinity is lacking. The palate begins with a toffee sweetness, fading to drier sherry notes. The salinity that was lacking on the nose comes through in the taste. The mouthfeel is medium and slightly oily.

Last up is the Kilkerran 12. After resuming production in 2004, this 12 year old expression was first available just a few short years ago, in 2016. The color is a little lighter than gold, but darker than straw. The nose is warm, with wood dominating, and a hint of salinity that you might miss if you’re not looking for it. On the palate, it is the thickest and oiliest of the lot. It starts out drier than the others, with the typical flavors of a sherried Speyside, but a touch of coastal salinity and some peat quickly remind you that it is not one of those.

You may have noticed that each of these selections is bottled at 46% ABV. This is a common strength for single malt Scotch, as it is the proof at which non-chill filtered whiskies will not become cloudy when chilled.

Overall, each of these drams is representative of what the “typical” Campbeltown malt is expected to be, but each showcases different aspects to different degrees. If your whisky explorations haven’t taken you to the Kintyre peninsula yet, you may want to add it to your tasting destinations.

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Blended Whisky – Part Two

A look at blending your own whisky and the new Chivas Regal blending kit

Blending your own

If you’ve read part one of this post, or even if you haven’t, you might be thinking it would be fun to try blending your own whisky.

Well, if you think you have what it takes to create a unique and delicious blend, there are a few options available to you. There are a very small number of distilleries around the world that offer a whisky blending experience, where you can sample several different whiskies, and then try blending them with the help of an expert.

If a trip to one of these is not an option, you could buy several different bottles with different flavor profiles, or grab what you have on hand, and start blending.

Whisky Blending Kit from Chivas Regal – Comes in a very nice presentation box for gifting

Here’s another fun option, which I just tried. In November of 2018, Chivas Regal, one of the world’s leading whisky blenders, released a whisky blending kit. For about $35 U.S., you get 50 ml bottles (“airline” bottles) of 5 different whiskies identified only as smoky, fruity, floral, citrus, and creamy, as well as a 50 ml bottle of Chivas Regal 12 (as an example of a good, well balanced blend), a pipette to measure and dispense the whisky, and a beaker to do your blending. It also includes an empty 50 ml bottle labeled “My Blend”. All of this comes in a nice box, which would be perfect for gifting.

The idea here is to work in small batches, adding anywhere from .5 to 3 or 4 ml of each, to build a small tasting sample. You then taste, and adjust your recipe if you want more or less of a certain flavor. Once you have a blend you’re happy with, you can scale up your recipe and make enough to fill the 50 ml bottle.

It took a few attempts, but I managed to come up with something i was proud to call “My Blend”

If you’re going to give this a try, either with this kit or with your own whiskies, I have a few suggestions:
⦁ Before mixing anything, taste 2-3 ml of each whisky. Like making a cocktail, or cooking, it’s important to appreciate the taste of each component on its own, so you know what it’s contributing to the finished product.
⦁ A little smoke goes a long way. Even if you like a smoky whisky, you don’t want to drown out all of the other flavors. The purpose here is to learn about balance. I would recommend no more than about 5% of the “smoky” if you want to be able to appreciate the other flavors.
⦁ The main idea of the “creamy” is to add body and mouthfeel, not flavor. Use it accordingly.
⦁ Measure carefully, and keep track of what you do in each batch, so you can make informed adjustments, and reproduce the results once you find something you’re proud of.

If you look at this as $35 for 300 ml of whisky, it may not seem like a great bargain. I choose to look at it as $35 for a unique learning experience, and for that, it’s a great value.

I do wish they had an option to submit your recipe online and order a full sized bottle of your custom blend. There are sources that offer that, but you’re working from descriptions only, and don’t get to experiment first, so a mistake can leave you with a full bottle of something you don’t like.

Working with bottles of single malt that are available retail gives you better options for buying more, and making larger batches, but then it’s up to you to determine what to use for various flavor characteristics. With the kit, Chivas Regal has done that work for you.

Overall, if you have an interest in making your own custom blends, I think the new Chivas Regal kit is an excellent place to start.


Blended Whisky – Part One

Blends are your friends – Why you shouldn’t automatically dismiss blended whisky as inferior.

Blends are your friends

When most people hear the term “blended whisky”, they immediately think of Scotch. Irish whisky is also divided into blended and single categories, and there are even a small number of blenders in the U.S., but generally, blended whisky refers to Scotch whisky. The idea behind a blend is to combine whiskies of different flavor profiles to achieve a balanced, harmonious medley of flavors.

With single malt increasingly being marketed as a premium product, and news headlines about some examples selling for six figures, many people automatically dismiss blended whisky as somehow inferior to single malt. That is unfortunate. I’ve had some wonderful blends, and some mediocre single malts.

I even saw a comment once that single malt is better because they “get it right every time, every batch”, as if single malt meant single barrel. Obviously this person did not realize that unless it is labeled as “single barrel” or “single cask”, most single malts are a blend of different barrels, different batches, different ages, intended to produce a consistent product. It just all comes from one distillery.

The task of the master blender is not one to be disparaged or taken lightly. It takes years of experience and a trained nose and palate to make sure the next batch of Glenlivet tastes like the last batch of Glenlivet, when differences in grain, wood, and climate can vastly affect the flavor of each barrel. Or to make Chivas Regal taste like Chivas Regal, year after year, with varying supplies from all of your different distilleries.