Scotch has undoubtedly been elevated to the top spot of most popular spirit however it is said that if that spirit was not made in Scotland then it has no right baring the name. The land itself lends to this spirit and what is taken s naturally replenished.

Scotch whisky is said to be a nobleman among spirits brought about primarily by what mother earth has to offer. This makes it a popular drink for the naturalist among us. Scotland is so abundant in natural recourses from the moors of peat to the endless flowing fields of barley and wheat which is why it is the perfect place for brewing this tasty drink.

The fine art of distilling has traveled generations; each step of the way gaining knowledge and refinement as distilling and maturing the fine malt gives way to what it is now. There are two kinds of whiskies in production in Scotland today thanks in part to the creation of the still in 1831. One of those is the single grain variety and the other is the blended malt variety.

In the past there was only single malt whisky. Now there is malt whisky made from several grains which are blended to create the final product. This malt is bottled in select quantities which are referred to as single malt. Some of the more famous blends are now blended with whatís known as a grain whisky.

Distilleries are in the heart of the country side and use the ingredients of the land. Some grow their own wheat and barley to control what they use in production. Some use reputable farmers to which give great service for a good cause creating some of the finest spirit in the world.

The use of natural springs and rivers is very common practice as well. As a matter of fact the Skye River runs right through the region that holds the title of malt capital of Scotland. Once the mashing process is complete, the drying starts.

There have been bottles of fine scotch coming from Islay in the very south of Scotlandís shoreline going for as much as $7,000.00. A very select liquor store in Rhode Island placed this product on the shelves and within 24 hours 20 bottles where snatched up. This is a definite indication of the sheer quality that the company stands buy and promotes with pride.

Scotland can be divided into six different malt making segments or regions; Islay, Campbeltown, speyside, Islands Lowlands and highlands. Each of these regions produce a different malt as the characteristics are different so too are the methods of distilling. Climate variations, raw materials, and production methods all play a roll in the differing of these malts.

Islay

This is a small island off the western coast of Scotland and is the site of many wonderful malt distilleries. They have many variations of malts however the most notable carry a tangy smoky peaty taste. The current number of running distilleries is at eight although at onetime there was said to be twenty-three, with the newest edition opened in 2005.

Lowlands

This mountainless and flat region is apparent by its name and is also in the most southern region of Scotland. This brew is contains less of the smoke, peat, and salt than most other malts coming from Scotland and it carries with it a mildly fiery yet smooth taste.

Speyside

This is undoubtedly the center of the whiskey universe in Scotland. The Spey River runs directly through the area hence the name. A good majority of top distilleries use water from the river in their processes. Although some of the characteristics vary in speyside it is still a part of the Highland geographically speaking. Someone interested in trying a traditional Scottish malt for the first time would do well with this malt, as it is rich and relatively mild in taste.

Highlands

The largest malt-producing region in Scotland is by far the Highlands. This brew is smoky and very rich. In comparison to malts from the lowlands, many of the different distilleries produce a different taste to their malts. This is caused by the varying microclimate differences. The use of many different raw materials and the inclusion of some changed production routines also contribute to these distinctions in taste

Campbeltown

At one time Campbeltown was Scotlandís prime distillery site. Twenty-one distilleries were active in and around 1886 however only three are currently in business. This region is still considered a separate malt state for the value of historians.

Islands

Arran, Orkney, Mull, Jura, and skye make up the body of islands that sometimes get confused with Islay. This is in fact an entirely separate region. Those whom have some experience drinking malts generally enjoy the malts from this region.

SPRINGBANK The decline of Campbeltown as a distilling capital came suddenly. Of the 21 distilleries that Barnard visited, only two are still in existence and one of them, Glen Scotia, is open only intermittently. The good news is that you will soon be able to buy five different Campbeltown malts; four from one distillery – the legendary Springbank.

A resolute pillar of tradition, family-owned Springbank is the only malt distillery where the entire process from malting to bottling is carried out on the same site. In fact, flying in the face of convention, the firm reintroduced floor malting in 1992. ‘People tell us that our hands-on approach is special,’ says Ewan Mitchell, who handles marketing. ‘Because it has been in the hands of the same family for so long, our chairman is determined to keep it the way he inherited it. Fortunately we’ve got a good reputation and consumers want to see it as people-based. Our independence is obviously as important to them as it is to me.’

But is Springbank just an anachronism in today’s industry? ‘The industry is becoming less and less traditional,’ says Ewan, ‘but we’re against change for change’s sake. It’s easy to impose new methods but lose sight of the product. At the end of the day we control the bottled product from start to finish.’

For manager Frank McHardy, tradition makes a difference to the quality of the spirit. ‘People are totally involved in the product,’ he says. The guys have to work it, make the malt, mash it and distil it – there’s total involvement. We’re also employing 25 people in Campbeltown and, given the economy of Kintyre, that’s very important.’ Frank’s tour of duty has seen him manage Bruichladdich on Islay and Bushmills in Northern Ireland, before returning to Springbank; thus he has run three very different distilleries in the 30-mile radius which most historians agree is the cradle of whisky making.

His Bushmills’ experience is proving particularly useful in developing Springbank’s latest addition, a triple-distilled unpeated malt called Hazelburn, which is due to appear in 2002.

TASTING NOTES

Springbank 10-year-old
46%ABV full, malty nose with some sea air, spice, pigskin and toffee apple. Very smooth and sweet to start then a fusillade of flavours -dried herb, butter, salt, smoke, vanilla pod, moss and flowers. A great package.

Springbank 15-year-old
46%ABV Well balanced between vanilla, creme brulee, salty sea air burnt range and smoky wood. A silky mouthful though the wood is a little prominent then a splash of sea spray on the finish.

Springbank 21-year-old
46%ABV Amber colour. Peach, raisin ozone, smoke, fluxing between caramelized orange and salt. Smooth start, then some heather, raisin, clootie dumpling coconut matting and the signature salty finish.

Springbank 1966 Local Barley
54.4%ABV Huge nose mixing coal bunker, sweetly ripe fruit, hickory wood and almost rancio-like aromas of mushroom, leaf-mould, anise and smoke. Explodes on the palate: biscuity, then some toffee, hickory chips, smoke and sea air. A fascinating mix of sweet and sour.

Longrow 10-year-old
Attractive mix of muted/turfy peat smoke with a perfumed rose-petal lift. A drop of water kindles the peat fires but always balanced by a lavender/rose-scented perfume. Silky, briny with a rich coal-tar/perfumed finish.

It would be appropriate for a people-based profile of whisky to begin by naming the first whisky maker. Sadly, no-one knows who he was. In fact, no-one knows who the first distiller was. It is clear that from AD 4 onwards, alchemists in China, India, Arabia, Egypt and Greece were using distillation to make turpentine, medicines, makeup (al-kohl, our alcohol) and perfumes, but there is no evidence that they adapted brewing techniques to make whisky.

How the Irish and Scots got in on the act is equally mysterious. The Celts may have known about distillation, but apart from a couple of enigmatic references in the 6th century AD there’s no proof. What is agreed is that distillation arrived in Scotland with the monks of the Celtic Church, suggesting that distillation was already taking place in Ireland – perhaps Irish monks had encountered the art in Sicily or Andalucia, or through their ancient trading links with the Phoenicians.

By the time Friar John Cor bought his famous eight bolls of malt in 1495 – the first record of whisky making in Scotland -distillation was widely practised across Europe. It is hardly surprising that the first distillers were monks: the water of life, aquavitae (uisge beatha in Scots Gaelic) was a medicine made in monastic laboratories, and markedly different to today’s whisky. Flavoured with heather, honey, roots, herbs and spices – partly to hide off-flavours, partly because it was a medicine -this medieval mix was closer to a crude whisky liqueur.

Until the beginning of the 19th century the top Irish brands were flavoured in this way. It was only when whisky began to be made in great houses and crofts alike that it became recognisable as the drink we know today. Distillers have always used the main crop of their region as the base for their spirits, and in Scotland and Ireland that meant barley. Making whisky was a means of using up surplus grain: in winter, cattle could be fed on the grains left after mashing and crofters could use their whisky as part-payment of rent. Made in batches in small pot stills, the process used for malt whisky today, whisky soon became an integral part of rural life.

When crofter-distillers from Scotland arc Ireland were driven off their land from 1 ~4; onwards, whisky spread to America and Canada. Though rye whiskey had been made as early as 1640, it was this sudden wave of immigrants that established whiskey as North America’s spirit. They, too, used the local grains – rye, corn and wheat – and by 1783 commercial production had kicked or: in Kentucky.

By 1825, the whisky industry in Scotland and Ireland was controlled by men of capin. Gone were the days of the crofter-distiller making enough to fuel the craic and the ceilidh and pay the rent. New legislation ushered in a building programme of new malt distilleries across the Highlands and in Ireland. At the start of the 19th century Irish whiskey had the highest international reputation, with the heavily-peated Scottish malts considered an acquired taste. Then in 1827, Robert Stein invented a continuous still (see pages 86-87), which not only mace distilling less labour-intensive but produced lighter, grain-based whisky which could be mass produced. Adapted in 1831 by Aenea-Coffey, the continuous still changed whisky production forever.

Distillers in the Scottish Lowlands seized the new invention and by the 1850s grocer and wine merchants such as John Walker. George Ballantine, James Chivas, John Dewar and Matthew Gloag began blending malt with the light grain, and the public sa: up and took notice. The Irish resisted, for a time. Distillers including John Jameson and John Power, who were already enjoying international prestige with their pot-still whiskies, refused to use the continuous method, dismissing it as an adulteration o: ‘real’ whisky.

The North Americans had no such qualms and Coffey’s patent still was soon adopted in America and Canada. This interest, along with James Crow’s research into quality control in Kentucky, improved consistency. The Canadians were so enamoured of the Coffey still that, in 1875, they passed legislation decreeing that Canadian whisky could only be made from grain distilled in a continuous still, and aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels. The quality-oriented, modern industry was taking shape. Even at this stage there was no indication that whisky would become the world’s best-selling spirit. Brandy was still more popular, but the vine parasite phylloxera vastrix put paid to that when, from the 1870s onwards, it wiped out Europe’s vineyards – and the brandy industry with them.

It is entirely possible that American whiskey would have become the world’s dominant player, were it not for the growth of the Temperance Movement in the US which led to Prohibition in 1919. At that time, Irish whiskey was selling more in America than Scotch, but while Scotch and Canadian whisky managed to retain a quality image, Irish whiskies lost their biggest market overnight and were being (badly) copied by bootleggers. Their reputation plummeted. At the same time, Irish independence led to the ban of Irish products in Britain and the Empire. With no markets left, the Irish industry imploded and blended Scotch took over.

This was the situation until the late 1970s when, through industry complacency, or the inevitability of changing fashion, young drinkers turned away from brown spirits or the global whisky industry fell into deep depression. Blended Scotch has struggled hard to regain consumer confidence in its old markets, though it has enjoyed success in southern Europe and Asia. But in America, northern Europe and Britain, malts have kept the whisky dream alive. This recent fascination with premium whisky has also boosted the American whiskey industry and sparked a new optimism in Ireland and Canada. There are now more quality whiskies on offer than ever before, and a renewed interest in how they are made and the people who make them.

Jim Beam is one of the big names of bourbon, so there’s no surprise to find a big man behind it all. Booker Noe isn’t just physically huge, he is one of the foundation stones of the modern industry. Booker is Jim’s grandson and still lives in Jim’s old house in Bardstown.

Talk to him and you are tapping straight into the history of bourbon itself.
Today, Jim Beam is the world’s biggest selling bourbon, but in 1934 things weren’t so rosy. Prohibition had been in force for 13 years, and there was no stock left. To start up again would be expensive and risky. But this didn’t deter Jim who, aged 70, built a new distillery in Clermont in just 120 days. What else could a Beam do? Whiskey making runs in their veins. After all, Booker’s great-great-great grandfather Jacob Beam started making whiskey commercially in 1795.

This was the distilling capital of the world before it was put out of business by the government,’ says Booker. ‘Why did he start it up again? Remember, he’d been in the whiskey business for 40 years before Prohibition. Beams have now been making bourbon for 205 years.’

Booker has now passed the reins to Jerry Dalton, the first non-Beam to be appointed master distiller. The fact that he lived in the house directly behind Booker’s is pure coincidence. ‘Well, even a blind hog finds an acorn every so often!’ he laughs. For all his modesty, Jerry is a highly respected distiller and, though reluctant to give away too many company secrets, will take you deep into the process.

There’s a sequence of special quirks at work in Beam’s two plants, but it’s yeast that Jerry zooms in on. For Scottish distillers, yeast is merely a catalyst that converts sugar to alcohol and CO2- However, for bourbon distillers it has almost mystical properties and each firm guards its own strain(s): Beam is still using the yeasts propagated by Jim in his kitchen in the 1930s.

‘Different yeasts produce different levels of fusel oil, which will ultimately have an effect on the flavour,’ Jerry explains. ‘In ageing, the fusel oils form esters with whatever acids are present. Each yeast will give different proportions of these fusel oils, so you get different flavour profiles.

When you combine the special yeasts with the higher-than-average percentage of backset (which produces what Jerry calls Beam’s ‘bold’ flavour), and the two-and-a-half times distillation (the vapour from the beer still passes through a thumper before being redistilled in the doubler) the signature Beam character is taking shape.
But if Jim Beam White Label is the world’s best-known bourbon, it’s the firm’s small batch range which is rightly making waves. The four-strong selection is clear evidence of how complex a spirit bourbon can be, but the one closest to Booker’s heart, not surprisingly, is the one which he selects personally and which carries his name.

‘Booker’s is the only one that’s bottled at the same proof at which it went into the barrel,’ he says, with considerable relish. ‘It’s whiskey like it was a hundred years ago’.
If the style hasn’t changed, the methods certainly have. Does today’s high-tech approach of distilling make Jerry less of an artist and more of a scientist? ‘I’m a bit of both,’ he says. ‘There’s an art to making bourbon that has evolved over two hundred years, but I’m also a scientist who wants to find better ways to control the process and preserve the mystery behind it all’.

The techniques may be space-age, but the small batch range signals a return to a time when bourbon meant big, bold and flavoursome whiskey. ‘People just kinda got away from flavour,’ muses Booker. ‘After Prohibition they cut the proof or blended it to make it go further. Now flavour’s coming back. The industry’s been badly beat up, but now it’s rolling again. It’ll be back now that people are tasting this super-good whiskey. Hell yes, bourbon’s back.

TASTING NOTES

Jim Beam White Label 4-year-old
80∞proof Lightly oaked, with some light spicy notes. Clean and sound. * *

Small batch range

Basil Hayden 8-year-old

80∞proof Light and rye-accented, with plenty of lemon and tobacco leaf notes. Clean, with crisp rye mixing it with dark, ripe, nutty fruit. * * *

Baker’s 7-year-old

107∞proof Richer, with a leather armchair kind of nose and lots of overripe fruit. Slightly biscuity to start with, then good sweet vanilla fruit. * * *

Knob Creek 9-year-old

100∞proof Rich and sweet with honey, blackberry and spun sugar. Elegant and super-ripe, with a hint of vanilla and some light cinnamon spice on the finish. * * * * *

Booker’s 7-year-old

126.5∞proof Amazingly complex without water, for such a powerful Bourbon – and a bit like a grizzly bear dancing. Huge and flavour-packed with raisin, chestnut honey, black cherry, pepper, cinnamon and toffee. Rich and immensely powerful, mixing orange peel, creme brulee and tobacco/cigar blown along by a hickory wind. Immense. **** *

The Jack Daniel’s legend starts with the eponymous founder of the distillery, who allegedly owned his first distillery at the tender age of 13, having learned his skill at the knee of Dan Call – one of those moon shining preachers who pepper the history of American whiskey. Jack was a clever operator, but it’s hard to imagine that he envisaged his brand would one day become the most famous American whiskey of all.

These days it’s Jimmy Bradford who wearing Jack’s shoes. The epitome of a Southern gentleman (unlike the short-tempered Jack, who died after kicking a safe in his office), he’s been looking after the whiskey for 32 years, which, he drawls laconically: ‘probably gives me some credibility to talk about distilling’.

They make whiskey slightly differently in Tennessee, though it’s not – as many people think – sour-mashing that sets it apart. All Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey is made by the sour mash technique: the real difference lies in the Lincoln County Process, or charcoal mellowing, which all Tennessee whiskey must undergo.

For Jimmy, it’s the combination of the limestone water drawn from Cave Spring and the mellowing that helps to give Jack Daniel’s its personality. The mellowing involves dripping the new spirit though a 10-foot vat of maple charcoal, which leaches some fusel oils and esters from the spirit, while giving it a distinct softness.

There’s only one mashbill – 80 per cent corn, 12 per cent rye and 8 per cent barley malt – for all the Jack Daniel’s brands; meaning that the sole difference between such diverse products as Green Label, Black Label and Gentleman Jack lies in the length of time they have been aged and where they have been warehoused. With a spread of traditional warehouses, the blenders can mingle whiskeys from different sites and floors to make up the desired product, and with 7,500 barrels a week being put into the warehouses, they have plenty of choice.

That figure gives an idea of the sheer scale of the operation. Owner Brown-Forman may, rightly, play up the Sleepy Hollow-type imagery surrounding the small town of Lynchburg, but don’t be fooled: this is a bang-up-to-date distillery applying old techniques in a highly efficient and modern manner. Jack may recognize the site, but he’d be astounded by the three huge beer stills and intrigued by the way in which the vapour is fed directly into the doubler, making it a refined type of single distillation.

But you don’t think of Jack Daniel’s in production terms. The visitors who pour into the distillery aren’t that interested in mellowing, distillation techniques or the pros and cons of mechanization. They come because they feel part of a family. When an Australian winemaker I know went to America for the first time, the two places at the top of her ‘must-see’ list were Graceland and the Jack Daniel’s distillery. It’s that kind of loyalty that makes Jack an American icon.

These days, Jack Daniel’s is as recognizable a symbol of American rock ‘n’ roll rebelliousness as Harley Davidson. It hasn’t gone out and developed a bad-boy image, but clutching one of those square bottles with the black label brings out the rebel in even the most mild-mannered accountant, and makes him feel, if only for one drink, the equal of Keith Richards or Dennis Hopper.

You would think that being in charge of such an iconic product would prey on Jimmy’s mind, but there’s no chance of that. He approaches this onerous responsibility with the same pleasant, measured good humour as he does the rest of life. ‘It’s a pleasure to assist in making this product. Just to drive in every day and see Jack standing there down the holler gives me a sense of pride’.

TASTING NOTES

Jack Daniel’s Black Label 80∞proof Very sweet and clean, with a touch of liquorice, smoke and caramel. A good mouthful with a great, sweet finish. * * *

Gentleman Jack 80∞proof
Even sweeter, with black fruit and a sooty, rich finish.

It’s a hobby. A serious hobby. One that supplies beer enough to drown your town for a day. It’s called home brewing.

Home brewing has been around for centuries, unregulated and very much enjoyed by everyone practicing it. Although in some countries in Europe, home brewed beverages require license, the majority of countries around the world allow for unregulated quantities of homebrewed beverages for personal consumption. A handful of these impose quite strict laws on distilling and distribution, though.

Beverages That Can Be Homebrewed
From beer to wine to non-alcoholic beverages, there is no short supply for beverages that can be brewed at home. Beer and wine are quite arguably the most popular among home brewers but brewers who produce cider, silju (a Finish home-brewed alcoholic beverage), ginger beer, Kumis, Sake (Japanese rice wine), Chhang (a popular Tibetan alcoholic beverage), Kvass (a Polish bread drink), mead or honey wine, and kombucha are not uncommon favorites.

Practically everything that can be brewed by large commercial distillers has their own versions among home brewers. Though taste varies, the form and basic brewing processes are comparable. Only, the amounts of beverages produced are much lower in quantity.

Home brewing Kits And Equipment
As much as a cook needs his pans and kitchen utensils, a home brewer needs brewing equipment to produce good quality beverages. The following are the most essential items:

A Brewing Guide
Recipes are needed to create homebrewed drinks. And a guide is the best source for such. A basic guide will also walk you through the basic things you need to know about the process. Dozens of books have been written on the subject. Some are published free online, others are available only by purchasing them. There are also home brewing shops that sell guides with accompanying lessons or classes that will get your feet wet, so to speak. Over all, a book on home brewing is the best place to start with the hobby.

Brew Kettle
No home brewer will ever leave without a good brew kettle. It’s what you use to boil the beer.

Most home brewed recipes start with 5 gallons, so you’ll need a stainless steel pot that could contain that much. If you’ve moved on with brewing 6 to 8 gallon-recipes, a larger pot would do the job. A ceramic on steel pot or a home canning pot is also a good option, given of course that the ceramic isnít chipped. Otherwise, it’s best to settle with a stainless steel pot. An aluminum pot is by far the least preferable as it absorbs the flavors of the brew.

Fermenter
While the brew ferments, it has to be free from contaminants such as dust and airborne microorganisms. An airlock fermenter, therefore, is needed. For the majority of home brewers, a good carboy, typically a glass bottle that holds 5 to 6 gallons of brew, will do. A high quality plastic bucket is also not an uncommon choice among serious brewers.

On top of these, other equipment needed are as follows: funnel, straining tools, siphoning equipment, bottling equipment, thermometer and hydrometer, wort chiller, and cleaning and sanitizing tools.

Scotland is not the only country that can put out a quality scotch product. Many countries have ventured into the spirits domain. Canada is one of them. The Canadian whiskeys are starting to shine with products that are crisp and bold to the taste buds.

Following strict compliance with Canadian regulations these spirits are distilled and bottled no less than two years before consumption. Usually the bottling is done no sooner than six years and many are much longer than that now.

They are not noted as straight whiskies as they are blended. They are bold and lightly flavored yet manage to keep a very distinctive body and character. The Canadian government carries out rigid control of the Excise Tax and labeling.

There have been no stipulations in place for the grain formulas or distilling processes. Nor have the maturing factors or time frames been ruled or governed. They have left it up to the producers of this product to determine what markets abroad and at home desire from their product. It has been shown that this was a wise decision as the Canadian makers seem to be holding strong in all markets and fields.

Not unlike the brands found in the United States the distillery function is pretty much a standard deal with the exception of the use of cereal grains and some trade secrets. Since Canadian distillers are not faced with artificial proof restriction in their distillation procedures, they are able to operate continuous distillation systems under conditions that are optimum for the separation and selection of desirable congeners.

The relationship between beverage spirits and the congeners is in no way marred while in the fermentation mash solution. The casks are made of white oak and are rated in US gallons matured cooperage insures compatibility of the fine whiskies. The delicate flavor and per portions that the maturing batches cooperage is a fine trade secret.

It was spelled out with Sir Joseph Seagram. He decided in 1911 that an appropriate whiskey should be made for the wedding of his son. This blend became known as Seagramís V.O or very own whiskey as it is known in those parts. Only pedigree grains and the finest of spring water were and still are used today to create this wonderful and bold whiskey.

The master blender has at his disposal over 2,000 choice and premium flavored bases that he can choose from for his secret and delightful blends.

Driving up to Seagram’s Four Roses distillery makes you feel strangely like Warren Gates at the start of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. This bizarre lemon-coloured confection of a Mexican-style ranch seems incongruous with Kentucky’s gentle rolling grasslands and tree-lined hollows. Thankfully, master distiller Jim Rutlege is more hospitable than the patriarch in Sam Peckinpah’s violent film classic.

This is the last remaining Kentucky outpost of the mighty Seagram empire: in fact, until the firm’s Lawrenceburg plant in Indiana reopened it was the only Seagram distillery in the United States – stark evidence of the decline that beset the American whiskey market from the 1970s. That hasn’t stopped Jim making a pretty classy whiskey at Four Roses, with ‘pretty’ being the operative word.

It’s a given that every distiller has his or her own technique, but Four Roses stands apart from its colleagues in Kentucky. Perhaps it is Seagram’s Canadian roots showing through, but no other distillery in the state makes such a range of different base whiskies.

With five yeast strains being used on the two mashbills-one with 75 per cent corn, the other with only 60 per cent-Jim has 10 subtly different whiskies to blend into the Four Roses style. When you drop in different distilling strengths and different ages you’ve got a pretty complex package of flavours.

‘We feel that you get most of the flavour from the small grains,’ says Jim. ‘In our case that means rye and some malted barley.’ He then explains that, contrary to popular belief, bourbon-makers don’t use malted barley solely for its enzymes, but for flavour and another little-known property. ‘Malt does two things,’ he says. ‘There’s the enzyme conversion which begins to break down starch molecules and change them into soluble and therefore fermentable, sugars, and also liquefies the corn slurry by breaking down its molecular structure’.

Jim therefore adds malted barley twice during cooking (mashing). First, the corn is cooked at a high temperature with some malt, to help liquefy the thick gloop; then the temperature is dropped and rye is added (this stops rye balls forming and cuts down the risk of bacterial infection in the ferment). Then the temperature is reduced once more and the malted barley (along with some backset) is added for its enzyme.

The mention of backset triggers a long and patient explanation about pH levels, consistency and soleras. ‘The backset comes from the bottom of the still and is high in acidity,’ says Jim. ‘It is put into the cooker and the fermenters to get the correct pH. As the ferment proceeds, the pH drops and turns sour.

You know by the smell and taste how far it is advanced. It is science and art combined’. Jim places a priority on careful monitoring of the process, from smelling the grains as they arrive, right through to the end of the distillation – and on to maturation. ‘I’m looking for a rich, sweet aroma from the new spirit,’ he says. ‘

But to do that you need to have built-in good flavours to begin with, and they are first generated in the ferment. You can run a still wrong, but you can’t make your basic material any better’.

Even the maturation is different here; in a single storey palletized warehouse, rather than the traditional racks. But, hey, who is to say what is right and what’s wrong? The end results – the precise, pretty, spicy Yellow Label and the richer, complex Black Label -are bourbons of the first order.

TAST1NG NOTES

Four Roses Yellow Label
Gentle and lightly oaked, with fragrant lemon notes. A great mixer. * * *

Black Label
Firmer and smokier, with hickory wood, honey and a crisp rye-accented finish

Bushmills Driving along the spectacular Antrim coast you can just tell that this is good whiskey-making country. Soft pasture land, small rivers, natural harbours and a people who know that good things take time. It’s a land where legend and fact become easily blurred, where folk tales take on the mantle of truth. Who knows when whiskey was first made here?

Some historians claim it started in 1276, though if the story of monks taking distilling with them when they went to convert the heathen Picts is true, it could be as far back at the 6th century. Authorization was given for whiskey to be legally made in the county in 1608, allowing Bushmills to claim that it has been making the stuff since then – and laying the foundations for some mighty craic in 2008!

Bushmills is significantly different to the other two Irish distilleries and takes you back to a time when all of Ireland’s whiskey only came from pot stills. There again, this being Ireland, it’s also atypical of the traditional Irish pot-still style insofar as it doesn’t use a mix of malted and unmalted barley. But it’s not quite like a typical Scottish malt distillery as it uses triple distillation and unpeated malt – though so do Auchentoshan and Springbank’s Hazelburn.

It’s a complex process, as master distiller David Quinn explains. ‘After distilling the low wines in the second [or feints] still we take the strong feints forward to a third distillation which gives us a distillate at around 84%ABV. The weak feints get recycled in the second distillation with the head and tails from the third. What we’re doing is leaving behind the heavier aspects of the spirit and shifting the flavour balance to more fragrant, lighter, sweeter fruity character’.

The distillery is only a few miles from the Giant’s Causeway, a weird outcrop of hexagonal basalt pillars that look like a monstrous pipe organ which, legend would have it, was the southern end of a bridge linking Ireland with Fingal’s Cave on the Hebridean island of Staffa. In many ways Bushmills is a modern day bridge between two whisk(e)y-making cultures. ‘There’s a lot of the tradition of Irish pot still whiskey making here,’ says David. ‘But by being a single malt we’re moving into the Scottish tradition. Maybe we can claim that we take the best of both traditions! On a good day we can see Islay, it’s only 16 miles, so that link has always been there – maybe starting with monks like St. Columba’. In more recent times, ex-manager Frank McHardy nipped across the sea to Campbeltown’s Springbank distillery – no surprise he’s behind the triple distilled, unpeated Hazelburn!

Where Bushmills differs from any Scottish distillery is by being home to blends as well as single malts – most importantly the magnificent Black Bush, a blend of 5Oper cent Bushmills single malt and grain from Midleton. Bushmills follows the Irish Distillers’ policy of using a high percentage of first-fill sherry and Bourbon wood, both of them wood types packed with powerful flavours. The fact that David’s light distillate isn’t drowned out by these big flavours is testimony to some high-class blending skills.

‘Getting the correct balance is vital. You could argue that with a delicate spirit it’s even more vital that you get that flavour in correct balance with the wood. It also means we have to have top-quality wood. You can spend all the time in the world making a good distillate and then lose it by using sub≠standard cooperage.’ This shows best in the Triple Wood, a single malt initially aged in ex-Bourbon and sherry wood for 16 years before the two elements are married together and then recasked into port pipes for up to a year. Innovative, modern, yet in touch with the past – just like David and his team.

TASTING NOTES

Black Bush

Sweet, toffee-like nose with plenty of sherry notes in evidence. The palate is silky and soft, balancing ripe malt, raisined sherry wood and rich fruitiness

Bushmills 10-year-old

Clean and crisp, with apple blossom, clover and bran. Lightly creamy on the palate, with some almond paste and gentle grassiness on the finish. Pleasant and soft.

Bushmills Triple Wood

Ripe and full on the nose. A taste of molasses, then some raisin mixed with powerful, plummy fruits. Well balanced