Few drinks scream custom like Scotch whisky. From its wealthy historical past stretching again greater than 500 years via to the principles and rules surrounding its manufacturing, Scotch may very well be seen as a drink that’s frozen in time.
But nothing may very well be farther from the reality. As we speak’s distillers have been respiration recent life into the trade, with some reaching far again into the Scotch mists of time to reclaim previous concepts from earlier than the times of company possession, and others charting a recent course by borrowing concepts from the brewing sector.
The wave of craft distilling (typically talking, smaller operators making whisky in smaller portions) has created alternatives for recent faces to enter the trade with new concepts and a scarcity of preconceptions. When combined with the explosion within the reputation of gin, Scotland supplies fertile floor for younger gun distillers to strut their stuff.
Iona Macphie – Torabhaig
Perched on the coast of the Isle of Skye, Torabhaig is a distillery with a distinction. As an alternative of hiring a big-name distiller within the run-up to the positioning opening in 2017, proprietor Mossburn Distillers selected to recruit a group of 9 native individuals to make its whisky.
Amongst that group was Iona Macphie, now 26, who fell in love with the whisky trade whereas working as a tour information at Talisker, the island’s solely different Scotch distillery. ‘We get on very well as a group at Torabhaig – it’s like working with all of your mates,’ she explains.
‘A variety of the roles on Skye are seasonal, so working in a year-round job has given me safety and enabled me to purchase a home. It’s additionally given me alternatives that I simply wouldn’t have in any other case had.’
The group at Torabhaig all muck in to do the assorted jobs concerned within the whisky manufacturing course of. Macphie’s favorite activity is ‘mashing’ – one of many earlier steps, by which the milled malt or ‘grist’ is soaked in water in a mash tun to assist convert the starch into sugar for fermentation.
In addition to producing its foremost single malt, Torabhaig has additionally allowed every of its distillers to create their very own Speciality Journeyman’s Drams, arising with their very own recipe. After ageing for 5 years, the primary are as a result of go on sale in 2024.
For her launch, Macphie selected to make use of the chocolate malt selection. ‘We have been visiting Portgordon Maltings to see how our peated malt was made they usually had some brewers’ malts mendacity round that we may attempt,’ she remembers.
‘It was the chocolate malt that I had in my pocket and that I used to be munching on whereas we walked round. I knew that was the one I needed to make use of for my dram.’
Torabhaig Allt Gleann Single Malt Scotch
Bottled in batches comprised of not more than 30 casks, Torabhaig’s Allt Gleann boasts of ‘well-tempered peat’ – and it delivers. The lemon aromas aren’t masked by the woodsmoke and TCP from the peat, whereas honey, vanilla and roast meat be part of on the palate. Alcohol 46%
Matthew Farmer – GlenWyvis
Credit score: Eoghan Smith Pictures
Becoming a member of the group at GlenWyvis distillery close to Dingwall within the Highlands marked a return dwelling to Scotland for Matthew Farmer. After emigrating to the west coast of the US along with his household on the age of 14, he went on to chop his enamel within the whiskey trade at craft distilleries in Seattle.
‘I discovered my commerce making bourbon and rye whiskeys,’ explains Farmer, now 35. He returned to Scotland in 2020 to turn into the distillery supervisor at GlenWyvis, which was based in 2015 and made historical past the next 12 months by turning into the primary community-owned Scotch whisky distillery, due to a crowdfunding marketing campaign supported by greater than 3,000 individuals – with Farmer’s mum shopping for him shares as a gift.
‘The distillery at which I labored in Seattle was purchased by a bigger firm – that got here with some good issues, but it surely did really feel somewhat totally different at that time,’ says Farmer. ‘I appreciated the concept that GlenWyvis was owned by the group and that any earnings can be going again into that group, slightly than into the coffers of some large firm.’ In addition to its distinctive possession mannequin, GlenWyvis has additionally adopted a particular strategy to its whisky. The distillery goals to launch an annual batch annually, demonstrating how its casks are growing and giving the group an perception into the ageing course of.
‘It’s a bit like releasing a classic wine annually,’ says Farmer. ‘It offers individuals a cause to proceed with their funding – it’s an ongoing course of, not simply organising the distillery as a one-off occasion.’
Working at GlenWyvis has additionally given Farmer an perception into the recognition of craft gin in Scotland and the UK as a complete. ‘We’re a small group of 5 individuals, so every of us touches each a part of the manufacturing course of,’ he provides.
GlenWyvis GoodWill Scottish Gin
Constructed from 9 botanicals, together with native hawthorn berries. Contemporary citrus and hotter pine and black pepper on the nostril give solution to an expressive palate stuffed with juicy orange, spicy clove and sweeter cinnamon notes. Easy sufficient to take pleasure in with no mixer. Alc 40%
Kirsty Black – Arbikie
Credit score: Mike Wilkinson
For Kirsty Black, all of it begins with vegetation. ‘Understanding what’s happening inside a plant and how one can get the flavours out of it – I discover that very nerdy and thrilling,’ admits the distiller at Arbikie distillery in Angus on the east coast.
After learning plant science at college, Black labored within the medical gadgets sector. However brewing beer at dwelling led her to take a profession break and enrol on the well-known brewing and distilling grasp’s course at Heriot-Watt College in Edinburgh. ‘Studying concerning the uncooked supplies and the botanicals for gin actually acquired me hooked on distilling,’ she explains.
Via Heriot-Watt, she met Iain Stirling – one of many three brothers who based Arbikie distillery – and the remainder, as they are saying, is historical past. Black developed gin recipes for Arbikie as her grasp’s mission and joined the corporate in 2013 to construct its distillery on the household’s farm.
One of many distillery’s first spirits was Kirsty’s Gin. ‘I discover that basically embarrassing,’ laughs Black, 41. ‘They didn’t inform me that my identify was happening the label.’ But it’s one other gin, Nàdar, which attracted much more consideration. Each the gin and its vodka sibling are comprised of peas, with the mixed rising and manufacturing course of saving extra carbon emissions than it generates, making the spirits local weather optimistic, and incomes Black her doctorate besides.
Arbikie additionally revived Scotland’s custom of creating rye whisky, whereas it’s been laying down single malt since 2015, experimenting with classic barley varieties alongside the way in which. Subsequent on Black’s to-do listing is slicing the distillery’s carbon footprint even additional, with a pilot mission to put in a wind turbine that may energy an electrolyser to separate hydrogen from water to energy its stills.
Arbikie Kirsty’s Gin
Named after Grasp Distiller Kirsty Black and made with native botanicals, together with kelp, carline thistle and blaeberries. Its creamy texture is balanced by recent citrus and mint notes, together with a savoury spine that makes it a basic match for tonic. Alc 43%
Simon Thompson – Dornoch
Credit score: Marcel van Gils
‘The distillery was born of a pastime that acquired uncontrolled,’ laughs Simon Thompson as he remembers the early days of organising Dornoch Distillery within the Highlands. Simon and his brother Phil Thompson lower their enamel within the whisky enterprise by gathering uncommon and thrilling bottles for the bar of their household’s Dornoch Fort Lodge.
The pair grew to become an increasing number of within the ways in which older-style whiskies tasted totally different to trendy Scotch. They traced these variations again to the strains of yeast and kinds of barley that have been used prior to now so as to add extra character and flavour to the spirit, earlier than industrial yeasts and barleys grew to become the norm.
‘I wouldn’t say old-style whisky is best than trendy whisky or vice-versa, however as you go additional again in time, there was larger variation between distilleries, and the palette of flavours that would happen within the whiskies was a lot wider,’ explains Simon, 38. That curiosity in the way in which manufacturing strategies have an effect on flavour led the brothers to open their distillery in 2016, and begin laying down their casks of whisky the next summer time.
They initially made waves with a single malt gin – comprised of scratch, slightly than redistilling a impartial grain spirit – and have continued to win awards for his or her Natural Mediterranean Gin. Having their very own bottling line has additionally enabled them to turn into impartial bottlers, eradicating any monetary stress from the enterprise.
Having bottled their first cask and a few smaller octave casks for his or her crowdfunding supporters, the Thompsons at the moment are ready patiently for his or her single malt in bigger casks to age. They’re additionally persevering with to experiment with yeasts and barleys. ‘We make our lower factors by smelling and tasting the spirit, so we don’t embody any vegetal notes, for instance,’ Simon explains.
Dornoch Distillery Single Malt Scotch
A sneaky peek at how cask quantity 4 of Dornoch Distillery’s whisky is growing after 5 years in wooden (no launch date but). Its nostril is refined, with aromas of apricot and spun sugar, but the amount’s turned up on the palate, with wealthy fudge, candy cinnamon, juicy raisins, vanilla ice cream and thick heather honey. Alc 59.6%
