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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What is Scotch?

What are the requirements for a whisky to be called Scotch? What are the different types and regions?

Scotch whisky, like Bourbon, is a specific type of whisky. Because it is commonly just called “Scotch”, it is sometimes thought of as a separate category, also like Bourbon. More than once, I’ve heard or read “I don’t drink whisky, I drink Scotch. Sorry to tell you, but if you’re drinking Scotch, you ARE drinking whisky.

However, although all Scotch is whisky, not all whisky is Scotch. In order to be called Scotch whisky, the following requirements must be met:
⦁ Must be distilled in Scotland from water, malted barley, and other whole cereal grains (the ingredients themselves do not need to come from Scotland).
⦁ Distilled to no higher than 94.8% ABV (alcohol by volume). ⦁ Aged in Scotland for a minimum of 3 years.
⦁ Can contain caramel coloring E150, but no other added colors or flavors. ⦁ Must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.
⦁ If labeled with an age statement, it must indicate the youngest whisky included.
⦁ Labeling without an age statement is permitted. These are referred to as NAS (non age statement) whiskies.

It is a popular myth that all Scotch is smoky. I have even read that Scotch “must” be smoky, as if it were a requirement. This notion comes from the fact that traditionally, the heat to dry barley during the malting process was provided by burning peat, which is an abundant fuel source in Scotland. The smoke from this burning peat flavored the grain, and that flavor was still present in the finished product. Many distilleries still use peat smoke to impart that distinctive flavor, but many others use alternative heat sources to dry the grain and produce a whisky with no smoky taste.

In addition to these requirements, there are various sub-categories of Scotch. The most commonly known are single malt and blended, but there are actually 5 categories.
⦁ Single Malt Scotch must only contain malted barley (no other grains) and be produced at a single distillery. It can be, and usually is, a “blend” of multiple casks of various ages. Do not confuse Single Malt with Single Barrel, which is, as the name implies, from a single barrel.
⦁ Single Grain Scotch must come from a single distillery, but can contain other grains besides malted barley.
⦁ Blended Malt Scotch is a blend of different single malts from different distilleries.
⦁ Blended Grain Scotch is a blend of different single grains from different distilleries.
⦁ Blended Scotch is a blend of single malts and single grains from different distilleries.

As if that isn’t enough to remember, there are five official whisky producing regions within Scotland. These regions are mostly associated with single malt whiskies. Most blends contain whiskies from multiple regions, although occasionally you will see a blend from a single region.

Speyside – The largest whisky region in terms of number of distilleries and total production, and home to many of the best known single malt distilleries. Speyside whiskies are known for being full bodied and full flavored. Many are aged or “finished” in sherry casks, leading to a distinctive flavor profile. More on cask “finishes” in a later post. Speyside is located entirely within the highlands, and whisky produced in Speyside can legally be labelled as Highland whisky.

For a long time, I was under the misconception (as I think many are) that the Speyside region was defined as distilleries drawing their water from the River Spey and its tributaries. I learned recently that it is actually a geographical tax designation, defined by specific boundary lines and counties.

Highlands – The largest region geographically. Highland whiskies can vary widely in flavor profile, largely due to the size and diverse terrain of the region. Several smaller islands off the coast of Scotland’s mainland are home to distilleries. While some think these “island” distilleries should be a separate region, due to their unique characteristics, they are officially part of the Highlands – with one notable exception.

Islay – This single island is home to 8 active distilleries, and is considered its own region. Most Islay distilleries have continued the traditional use of peat. The region is known for its smoky whiskies, although there are some unpeated Islay whiskies as well. The S in Islay is silent, just like the S in island.

Lowlands – Most distilleries in the lowlands produce grain whisky, and much of that ends up in blends. The small number of lowland single malts are known for being light bodied and “approachable”.

Campbeltown – Ask many “experts” how many whisky regions Scotland has, and they will proudly say “four”, and proceed to list those above. There is a fifth official region, however. Campbeltown is located on the Kintyre peninsula in the southwest of Scotland, near Ireland. Legend holds that St. Patrick introduced distillation to Scotland by way of the Kintyre peninsula in the 5th century. At one time, Campbeltown was home to over 30 distilleries, and was known as the whisky capital of the world.

The few remaining single malts produced in Campbeltown are known for being full bodied and often “oily”. Like many coastal distilleries, they can have some salinity to them as well, as the salty air penetrates the casks over the many years that they spend aging in warehouses near the sea.

I know, that’s a lot of information. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! The truth is, this only scratches the surface, but it does cover the basics, and should help you get started. If you’d like to learn more, please be sure to subscribe!

Scotch? For St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just for Irish whiskey. Why the right Scotch might be an appropriate choice.

St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner, but before you reach for that bottle of Irish whiskey, perhaps you should pause for a moment.

But what does Scotch whisky have to do with St. Patrick? Plenty. St. Patrick was actually a native of Scotland, taken to Ireland at the age of 14. Legend holds that he introduced the art of distilling to Scotland in the 5th Century, via the Kintyre Peninsula.

With that in mind, a whisky from that region would certainly be appropriate for March 17th. Once a booming whisky city, Campbletown has precious few distilleries left, yet remains an official (but often overlooked) region.

The Glengyle Distillery closed almost a centruy ago, but re-opened in 2004. After several limited “preview” releases, the signature Kilkerran 12 Year Old was finally available in 2016.

Upon pouring, this whisky gives an impression of having a lot of body, almost appearing thick.

Oak dominates the nose, along with a hint of peat, and some sherry notes that one would more likely expect from a Speyside. Cherries come through, and linger after everything else has passed.

On the palate, it has a full-bodied mouthfeel that confirms the first visual impression – this is a viscous whisky. Fruity and citrus flavors dominate, along with the smoke hinted at on the nose, similar to a peated Highland. However, the oily body and lingering salinity confirm that this is indeed a Campbletown malt.

The finish is long, warm, and pleasant. If you’ve never had a Campbletown before, this would be a worthy place to start.

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