Muncie Scotch Whisky Society Tasting

February 13, 2024daviddistilled Leave a comment

Provenance, Terroir and Understanding Some Differences Between Bourbon and Single Malt Scotch Whisky

I travelled to the United States in summer last year to host a series of Scotch Whisky Tasting Experiences in a number of settings including at a wonderful shop in Indianapolis called Storied Company and a very special tasting in hall for the Muncie Scotch Whisky Society.

I was kindly invited to stay in Muncie with my friends Bob and Paaige. I began to understand a lot of the differences between single malt Scotch whiskies and Bourbons almost immediately when I arrived in the US. Firstly, stepping off the plane to experience 40 degree heat and humidity like I’ve never experienced before.

Casks sleeping in rickhouses (what we call warehouses in Scotland) must mature in a very different way in these vastly different conditions. The casks must even mature differently in various locations in the rickhouses, those nearer the roof for example will be sitting in higher temperatures and humidity levels I would have thought. Indeed at one distillery we visited, the distillery operatives were maturing meats in various locations within a single rickhouse, just to see how differently they mature. More on this in a later post.

The Importance of Corn

A huge difference between how Bourbon whiskey is produced and how single malt Scotch whisky is produced is that when you mill your grains you have what is called a mash bill, a recipe of grains that begin to make the DNA of the whiskey that you are producing. By law, when you are making spirit destined to become Bourbon, your mash bill must be made up of a minimum of 51% corn (or maize as it is sometimes called). The rest of the mash bill can be a mixture of any grains that you would like such as rye, wheat or barley.

Single malt Scotch whisky is made exclusively from malted barley. By law, it cannot be made with any other grains. If other grains are used to make the spirit it will be destined to become grain whisky, single grain whisky or blended Scotch whisky. Corn is therefore a big difference.

On my first day staying in Muncie my hosts kindly took me to a local farmers market to find some ears of corn. We took them home, boiled them up and served with much butter and salt and I can honestly say I have never tasted corn like it, much sweeter than the corn back in the UK. I think that given that corn is such a large part of the mash bill, that sweetness goes some way to explain how new make spirit from a distillery producing Bourbon is so much sweeter as well as the faster maturation created by the temperature and humidity in the rickhouses which I mention above.

Muncie Scotch Whisky Society Single Malt Whisky Tasting Experience

During the afternoon we headed over to the local community hall, a very large room and perfect for our whisky tasting that evening. There was plenty of room to seat all 60 of our guests as well as having space for a huge spread of charcuterie skillfully prepared by chef Jason which all enjoyed with our selection of fine single malt Scotch whiskies.

It was great to see so many people attend the event, to meet lots of new people and make new friends as well as seeing lots of familiar faces of those who have joined our Guided Distillery Experiences in Scotland in the past and meeting others that have booked to join is there in 2024 and 2025.

The Set List for Our Whisky Tasting in Indiana, USA

During the evening we tasted six single malt whiskies from around Scotland each having different flavour profiles. We tasted two drams from Speyside , two from Islay in the Southern Hebrides, one from the Isle of Mull and another from Orkney. The whiskies were of various strengths from 43% abv (86 proof in the US) to 60.1%abv (120 proof in the US).

Here is the set list for our tasting:

Benromach 15 year old Speyside single malt whisky. Established 1898, Forres, Moray. Now owned by independent bottler Gordon and Macphail in Elgin. This whisky was matured in American oak and sherry casks. Bottled at 43%abv (86 proof)
Tobermory 12 year old island (Mull) single malt whisky. Established 1798, Tobermory, Mull. Owned by Distell. 1 million ltrs production per annum production. This whisky was matured in American oak. Bottled at 46.3%abv (92 proof) with no colouring and no chill filtration.
Highland Park 15 year old island (Orkney) single malt whisky. Established 1798, Kirkwall, Mainland Orkney. Owned by Edrington Group. 2.5 million ltrs production per annum. Bottled at 44%abv (88 proof). This whisky was matured in treated European and American oak casks. Once, when working in a shop at the beginning of my whisky journey, I had to threaten to call the police when a customer got so angry when I wouldn’t accept that Highland Park was in fact a Speyside single malt whisky and not from Orkney at all. (True story).
The Glenallachie 15 year old Speyside single malt whisky. Established 1967, Aberlour. Owned by The Glenallachie Consortium. 4 million ltrs per annum production capacity but currently only producing 500000 ltrs per annum. Bottled at 46%abv (92 proof) with no colouring and no chill filtration. This whisky was predominantly matured in sherry casks (both oloroso and pedro ximenez)
Bunnahabhain Cask Strength 2023 release 12 year old Islay single malt whisky. Established in 1881 North of Port Askaig, Isle of Islay. Owned by Distell. 2.7 million ltrs production per annum. Bottled at 60.1%abv (120 proof). This whisky was matured in oloroso sherry casks.
Caol Ila 12 year old Islay single malt whisky. Established 1846, Port Askaig, Isle of Islay. Owned by Diageo. 6.5 million ltrs production per annum. This whisky was bottled at 43%abv and matured in second fill American oak hogseads.

Thanks to all at Muncie Scotch Whisky Society

I would like to thank everyone at Muncie Scotch Whisky Society for having me host this very special whisky tasting, it was so great to meet you all on such a lovely evening in Indiana. There were great whisky questions from all of the group. It was great to catch up with lots of people who have joined me in Scotland on our Guided Distilleries Experiences in the past and some who are joining us on trips in the future.

Special thanks must go to Bob and Paaige who were wonderful hosts for the first few days and who made my first ever trip to the United States at all possible. I’m especially grateful for being shown the sights of Indiana and for being kept topped up with corn, the best bacon butties I’ve ever had and Chardonnay.

Coming Next!

Next up is more about the trip to the USA post Indiana as I venture across to Kentucky and the Bourbon Trail to learn all about Bourbon. Watch this space for more…….

Contact Me!

If you are interested in having me host a whisky (or whiskey) tasting for you or if you are interested in visiting Scotland on one of our week long Guided Distillery Experiences please complete the form below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively give me a call on 07875 405 980. David.

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Distilled Events & Friends in the USA

February 8, 2024February 8, 2024daviddistilled Leave a comment

Single Malt Whisky Tasting Experiences in the USA

A few months ago I was asked by my friend Bob who has joined many of my week long whisky experiences in Scotland, if I would be interested in hosting a series of Scotch whisky tastings in the USA. I had never been to The States before so I jumped at the chance. I dug out my passport, booked my tickets and off I headed to Indiana followed by an extensive tour of the Bourbon distilleries of Kentucky.

I’m hoping to write about the trip over a series of blog posts so watch this space if you would like to read about my tour of many distilleries in Kentucky.

Whisky Tasting Experience for Storied Company in Indianapolis

First up for the series of events was at a great shop in Indianapolis called Storied Company. Storied is a fantastic wine and spirits merchants which is ran by Denis Lynch and Simon O’Grady. Denis and Simon like to stock wines and spirits that have been produced by smaller, independent wineries and distilleries especially those that have an interesting story to tell.

I hosted two sessions at Storied, for around 40 guests in each. The tasting took place with myself and the guests lined up with glasses of whisky ready to taste on a table that ran all around the balcony on the upper floor. Each tasting session lasted around an hour with an hour in between to set up the second event.

The room in Storied was beautifully lit and made for a relaxing ambience for our whisky tasting guests. Being relaxed, our guests asked lots of great and interesting questions which always helps to make a tasting go really well.

The Whisky Set List at Storied Company

Here are the whiskies that our guests enjoyed at the Scotch whisky tasting at Storied Company:

Elements of Islay LN2 Small Batch Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 59.5% from Bruichladdich Distillery, Isle of Islay. Bottled by Elixir Distillers. This was a single Amercan oak barrel which yielded just 216 bottles.
Elements of Islay BN10 Small Batch Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 54.3%abv. Bunnahabhain Distillery, Isle of Islay. Bottled by Elixir Distillers. This was a marriage of 3 American oak hogsheads which yielded a total of 732 bottles.
Caol Ila 10 year old Islay Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 56.4%abv bottled by Inglered. This was a single American oak hogshead which yielded 295 bottles.
Caol Ila 9 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled by Five Lions. This was an single American oak cask.
Laphroaig 9 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 61.4%abv. Bottled by Single Malts of Scotland (Elixir Distillers). This was a single American oak hogshead.
Port Askaig 18 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 50.8%abv. Bottled by Elixir Distillers. This was a single bourbon barrel filled in 2000 and limited to 250 bottles.

It was a privilege to present such a wonderful flight of rare expressions and all of the guests loved the whiskies and the event itself. It isn’t often I get the chance to talk about whiskies of such limited supply. All of the whiskies were from either single casks or a very small marriage of casks. Everyone went home very happy indeed.

One guest waited until the end of the second session, and after almost all of the other guests had left the room he came to speak to me. He proudly showed me a photo he had on his phone of his bottle of 30 year old Caol Ila single malt whisky which was released in 2015. At the time it was the oldest Caol Ila ever to be bottled by the distillers and I’m very proud to have my name on it.

“I’ve travelled from Alabama to meet you tonight David” the man said to me and I thanked him for coming after he told me about how much he had enjoyed the tasting. My geography of the USA isn’t very good so I checked with google maps how far the drive was that the gentleman and his partner had made, a journey of 700 miles each way!

I’d like to thank Denis and Simon for having me host the tastings at Storied Company and I very much look forward to coming back in the future.

Whisky Tasting for the Muncie Scotch Whisky Society

After the tasting we headed off towards the town of Muncie, Indiana. Bob was keen to give me a proper US diner experience so we had a late night, and well deserved feast it one of his favourite restaurants, Portillo’s, and very good it was too. The perfect way to end the evening!

The following day we would host a whisky tasting for members of the Muncie Scotch Whisky Society. I’ve posted a couple of photos below but more about this in a future blog post.

Contact me!

I host bourbon tastings as well as Scotch whisky events. If you are interested in a whisky (or whiskey!) tasting experience wherever you are, please call me on 07875 405 980 alternatively, please complete the contact form below and I will be back to you as soon as possible.

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A Special Whisky Tasting at Dundas Castle

November 9, 2023January 30, 2024daviddistilled Leave a comment

An Exclusive Whisky Tasting in Edinburgh

I was delighted to be asked to host a special whisky tasting at a wedding at Dundas Castle, South Queensferry near Edinburgh recently by Maximillion Events Management Agency. I hosted the whisky tasting for a group of 35 guests from around the world who were all attending the wedding the following day. The whisky tasting took place in The Armoury which is located inside the 600 year old Auld Keep within the grounds of the castle.

Whisky Tasting Edinburgh

In preparation for the tasting the incredibly helpful and welcoming team at Dundas Castle had decorated The Armoury and lit a fire in the largest dog grate that I have ever seen! The fire spat and crackled and helped to create a lovely atmosphere once my guests had a arrived for a dram or two.

During the evening I presented four malt whiskies from around Scotland. I wanted to ensure that our guests experienced a range of different flavour profiles from light and fruity right through to heavy and smokey. Before we tasted the first dram I talked through how to select the perfect glassware for tasting whisky and how to taste. We touched on controversial subjects such as water, ice and other things that are often enjoyed with whiskies.

Whisky Tasting at Dundas Castle

Once our guests had arrived I gave them each a glass of whisky and asked them to spend a wee bit of time warming the drams up in their hands, the room had been cold before the fire was lit so a little bit of warmth would help the drams open up. I served the drams in small ‘perfect dram’ glasses which are similar to a Glencairn glass in shape but smaller in size. I find that these glasses are great for using in tastings as they are fluted and so the aromas are pointed towards the imbibers nose rather than escaping in to the room.

The Whiskies

I selected four malt whiskies from around Scotland:

Tomintoul 10 year old Speyside Single Malt Whisky. 40% abv. Established in Ballindalloch, Banffshire in 1965. Matured in selected ex oloroso sherry casks and American oak.
Tobermory 12 year old Island (Mull) Single Malt Whisky. 46.3% abv. Established 1798. Isle of Mull, Argyll. Matured in American oak.
Bunnahabhain 12 year old Islay Single Malt Whisky. 46.3% abv. Established 1881. Isle of Islay, Argyll. Matured in ex oloroso sherry casks and American oak.
Fraoch Mointeach Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. 57%abv. Matured in American oak.

Enquire About a Whisky Tasting in Edinburgh

If you are interested in having a chat with us about how a whisky tasting could work for your special occasion, corporate event or gathering in Edinburgh please call David on 07875 405 980 or complete the contact form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

You can also find more information about our whisky tastings here.

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Islay – An Incredible Experience

November 1, 2016August 8, 2017daviddistilled Leave a comment

We’ve been lucky enough to live and work on the magical Hebridean Isle of Islay. After owning and managing our own busy Wine Shop in Leek, Staffordshire, and after launching our own brand of Single Malt Whisky, I was given the opportunity of managing the visitor centre experiences at Lagavulin and Caol Ila Distilleries and later of managing Caol Ila itself.

Our home was the old Exciseman’s house at Caol Ila Distillery, on summer days the view along the Sound of Islay (Caol Ila) was breathtaking, on winter days one storm followed another up the Sound. The scenery and wildlife was incredible. Seeing white tailed sea eagle, golden eagle and otter was almost a daily occurrence.

As well as my love for the breathtaking Islay scenery, the great whiskies and wonderful people, I also fell in love with the fishing. There can’t be many places in Europe or maybe even the world where the keen angler has such ease of access to so many different species of fish such as brown trout, salmon, bass and my favourite, the elsewhere ellusive sea trout.

My love of Islay began in the late 1990s. There’s a fantastic pub in Leek called The Earl Grey Inn, under its current ownership it is famed for its many real and craft ales, service and friendliness. In the 90’s it was famous for its peculiar interior, its toilets, its rather eccentric clientelle and its extensive range of single malt whiskies thanks to the landlord’s enthusiasm for the product. I had only recently tasted single malts and didn’t think I liked them, I thought they all tasted the same, I thought they all tasted like whisky. Until one evening when John thrust a glass of Caol Ila 12 year old into my hand and instructed me to taste it. I will never forget that moment and it was a life changing one.

The Isle of Islay introduced herself to me through that glass of Caol Ila 12 year old. The intense, smokey aromas and flavours told me about where this incredibly complex whisky had been made, it told me about Islay, and I had to visit.

In the coming years at The Wine Shop, we began to bottle whisky, lots of it, and most of it from Islay. We bottled everything, Caol Ila, Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich and even Port Ellen. We were lucky enough to get the chance to bottle some incredible whiskies, and this in turn took us to Islay, exhibiting our single cask bottlings each year at the Islay Festival of Malt and Music and delivering them to shops and bars on the island so that they could be enjoyed by many visiting enthusiasts.

In June 2012, I was given the chance to work at Lagavulin and Caol Ila Distilleries and I jumped at the chance. 8 months later I was joined by Leonie and Heather, once the Wine Shop had been sold. Leonie joined Kilchoman Distillery where she managed the busy visitor centre and Heather enrolled at the local primary school with circa 25 other pupils.

We had an incredible time on Islay and met and worked with lots of wonderful people. The experience we had will never be forgotten and was truly life changing. As a whisky enthusiast, to end up working at the distillery where your favourite whisky is produced is absolutely Living The Dream.

Islay is the true whisky Isle and there are currently 8 working distilleries on the island with advanced plans for at least 2 more to be built in the next couple of years.

Islay is often thought of as the island that produces the heavily peated drams, but actually, it is the array of different spirit characters produced by each of the distilleries which makes it so diverse and therefore of such interest to the whisky enthusiast. Anyone who has tasted Bunnahabhain 12 year old and then compared it to Laphroaig 10 year old or Lagavulin 16 year old will understand that.

Because of my love for Islay, my tastings will always have an element of Islay bias. We are however hosting a series tasting events in the near future that feature single malt whiskies exclusively from Islay. During the tasting, as well as experiencing many whiskies from the Isle of Islay, I’ll be talking about whisky production and maturation, and give an overview of each of the distilleries on Islay. I’ll also be touching on controversial issues such as the dreaded question about water, ice and other additives!

It would be great to see you at one of our future events and to share a dram with you. Please click on the links below if you would like to find out more about our Islay Malt Whisky Tastings or to buy tickets.

Click here for our upcoming events.

Slainte

David