Great Whiskys, Great Stories

Scotch whisky was first produced as far back as the year 1100, so it's only natural that any number of distilleries have come and gone over that time. Sometimes closed distilleries leave behind casks filled with still-maturing spirits, sometimes they disappear with nothing but pleasant memories.

Sometimes, as happened with the Scotch whisky from the Shackleton expedition, a faithful re-creation can be made today, based on a chemical analysis of the whisky that was discovered in the Antarctic ice. Extending beyond Scotland, sometimes the whiskey is left to age, and then is simply forgotten about, like Hammer Head (another fascinating story-do an internet search for that).

Re-making some of the older, beloved but departed Scotch whiskys is now a labor of love for The Lost Distillery Company, http://www.lost-distillery.com/. Given that nearly 100 distilleries have been closed or dismantled in Scotland, they have undertaken the ambitious project of bringing some of these amazing whiskys back to life. And we couldn't wait to get them on the shelves at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge.

The Lost Distillery Company identified what they considered the 10 key elements of the original whiskys (such as water, barley, era, and yeast), and developed the taste profiles from their conclusions.

Series 1: Auchnagie

Auchnagie comes from an area of Scotland that was home to many farm distilleries. All of these have now been lost to the world with the notable exceptions of Glenturret and Edradour. Glenturret is now the home of The Famous Grouse. The distillery operated from around 1812 to 1912, and the final owner was  John Dewar & Sons.

Series 2: Stratheden

Stratheden was also known as Auchtermuchty towards the end of its distilling life. It was owned by the Bonthrone family, who had been significant local brewers and maltsters in the area, dating as far back as 1600. One of the key attributes of this whisky was its unparalleled water source, known locally as the ‘Lovers Pool’. It took three years to carve an aqueduct in solid granite to channel crystal clear water from the Lovers Pool to Stratheden Distillery’s three water wheels. While the distillery closed in 1926, partly due to the effects of Prohibition, some of the buildings still stand. The label color, in fact, matches the color still found on the warehouse doors.

Auchnagie and Stratheden are available in limited quantities for only $56.99 each. They are non-chill filtered, and caramel coloring is not added. These are truly must-have bottles for the dedicated Scotch lover, and they're great any time.

Chris Sletvold's Trip to Scotland, Part 3

Our final day of whiskey distillery touring has finally arrived and the one distillery I was looking forward to visiting was Glenkinchie which was located in the Lowlands not too far from where we were staying. After a 20 minute drive we arrived at our goal. Unlike the other distilleries this one was more rolling hills and surrounded by farmlands. This tour was the most in depth of all the tours we took. You really got to feel the history and see how this distillery really got its great reputation. The museum part of the tour gave you a true understanding of the whiskey making process from beginning to end. We were invited to taste the Glenkinchie 12yr and the Glenkinchie Distiller’s Edition when we were finished. When asked how they replace the stills when they become old the tour guide said the roof of the distillery actually comes off and they are able to crane the old still out and the new one back in.

After leaving Glenkinchie we decided to check out the The Scotch Whiskey Experience located in the heart of Edinburgh. We made our way down the cobble stone roadway and came upon the building. Located right next to the Edinburgh Castle this excursion is actually a barrel ride that takes you through the history of Scotch and drops you off in what most Scotch drinkers would call “heaven”. Every type of scotch known to man was lined up wall to wall for sale to the consumers. Unfortunately for us in order to get on the ride in a timely manner on a Friday you had to have reservations. So we looked around the store for a bit at the different types of scotches. A few of us bought some scotch to take back with us that you can’t normally find around the U.S.

For some of us it was the last day in Scotland so we spent the day walking around the city exploring its heritage. Luckily for Mick and I we were staying an extra day so on Saturday we were able to do a tour of the Edinburgh Castle and watch a wedding take place there as well. After a long week of learning and drinking our week abroad in Scotland finally came to an end. I’ve learned more on this trip than I could have ever learned from a book and can now tell customers of my experiences and findings in Scotland.

Chris Sletvold's Trip to Scotland, Part 2

The next morning after another great breakfast, we piled back into the car and headed back out to the Speyside Region to Glenlivet Distillery. The steady rain made it seems like an eternity to get there. It was Mick’s day to drive and about 1 mile from the distillery he hits a curb and blows out the tire. We pull up and here he is in the pouring rain changing a flat tire on a narrow winding road. I was sure glad I wasn’t driving that day. Driving up the main road to the distillery you can see that this distillery was built for volume. Glenlivet is considered the biggest selling malt whiskey in the United States and is also considered the oldest legal distillery dating back to 1824 founded by George Smith. Glenlivet was the most modern looking distillery that we visited. Glenlivet is your “typical” tourist distillery and it shows. Not only do they have the most up to date machinery but their gift shop is second to none. We joined a group of tourists for our tour and headed out. It was impressive to see the size of their warehouse that was filled with barrels upon barrels of whiskey maturing in both Sherry and Bourbon barrels. While looking at some of the barrels I noticed that some were marked with their competitors’ names. When I asked the tour guide he said the great thing about being in the whiskey business is that all the distilleries work together and house barrels for other distilleries. He said you never place all your eggs in one basket. By sharing warehouses you lessen the chances of losing all your inventory if there was a fire or catastrophic event. That’s something you don’t see in the wine world but it makes a lot of sense. We then finally made it to the tasting area. Here we were able to taste the Glenlivet 12yr, Glenlivet 18yr, as well as the Glenlivet Nadurra (natural). While not my favorite of the trip so far, they still possessed great qualities of truly unique Speyside Whiskies. We were then taken up to their library where we were able to sample Glenlivet Founders Reserve which was a special bottling to celebrate their expansion 2 yrs ago. After lunch we jumped back into the car and headed to our next and final destination of the day.

Strathisla Distillery was our next destination of the day. Located in the Highlands this distillery is the oldest distillery of the Highlands in continuous operation dating back to 1789. Now owned by the Chivas Brothers this distillery has not changed much since it was built. They suffered a dust explosion in the late 1800’s but quickly rebuilt. Because of money constraints the distillery was built very tight and the ceilings made lower. There were a few places where I actually had to duck. Here I learned that the part of the alcohol that is used in making whiskey is the “middle run” which contains the best levels of pure alcohol. The “head” and Tail” are reused and made into the “middle run” in the next batch. Through tests you can determine which is the best pure alcohol to keep for making whiskey.

We then were able to sit down and taste 3 different whiskies. Two of them were blends while the other was a single malt whiskey. Blindly I was able to pick the single malt which was surprising to me. We tasted Strathisla 12yr, Chivas 12yr, as well as Chivas 18yr. Strathisla was quite tasty with its fruity and rich flavors. As a special treat we were taken down to the barrel room where behind a locked room you can see 3 barrels that were specially selected for the Royal Family to drink. Having been aged for decades they unfortunately could not give us a taste. We thanked our guide and started once again the long journey back to the city.

Chris Sletvold's Trip to Scotland, Part 1

How many people get to say they were able to travel Scotland and drink whiskey and it was all considered a work trip? Well, Mick Zack and I got to do just that. On Monday May 7, 2012 we headed to Newark International Airport to start our journey to a land filled with beauty and lots of whiskey. Since I am just getting started in the world of whiskey it was exciting to know I would get to learn from where it all starts. After a 7 hour trip across the Atlantic we touched down in Edinburgh, Scotland. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got off the plane but was amazed by the beauty of the land and surrounding mountains. Clearing customs, we headed out to get our rental car and checked into our hotel. Heading to the rental car agency I noticed something strange when we started to pack up the car, the steering wheel was on the other side of the car! Not only that but when driving you are actually on the opposite side of the street as well! Geez, what did I sign up for, I have a hard enough time driving in America let alone on foreign soil on the opposite side of the car. I am pretty adventurous so I was up for the challenge and we headed off to check into the hotel. Mick took the first leg of driving and we got use to the changes quite fast. We settled into our rooms and headed out to get a bite to eat and take in some of the scenery. We stopped off at a restaurant around the corner from the hotel and had some food. I guess it’s because I am so used to such a fast paced lifestyle in the U.S. that everything over there seemed to move at slower pace. After eating what felt like my first meal in 24 hours we decided to head into the city of Edinburgh and take in some sights. Parking was a big issue since it seemed like everywhere you turned you had to have a permit to park. We finally found a spot, only to find out it had a meter and none of us had any pounds to put in the machine. Seeing us in a bind a nice lady generously handed us enough Pounds to get us 2 hrs worth of time. For those of you who like castles and history this was the place to be. Roads were still cobble stoned and very narrow at some points. After checking out a local Pub we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for an exciting day the next morning.

We awoke the next morning at 7:30am (2:30am New Jersey time) and had breakfast. One of the things everyone said I had to try while in Scotland was haggis. I should have looked it up before I left because come to find out it was a pudding made with sheep parts encased in a sausage casing. Seeing everyone try it I had no choice but to give it a whirl. Lets just say that was a once in a lifetime experience that I am glad I did but will never do again. After a nice breakfast we were ready to head out to our first distillery. Today was my turn behind the wheel and with a good night's sleep the night before I was ready for the challenge. We plugged the address into GPS and for a moment I thought I put the wrong address in. It kept saying 3hrs to your destination. Come to find out nothing is close when you're in Scotland. Most distilleries make up the town they are located in. Besides a few B&Bs there was no lodging. We arrive at our first destination, Cragganmore Distillery, located in Banffshire. We were greeted by our tour guide. Founded in 1869, Cragganmore was situated close to the Strathspey railroad which made for easy means of transportation. At the start of our first tour we were disappointed by the news that no pictures were allowed to be taken once inside the distillery. Was there some secret? No, turns out that all distilleries have this policy for safety reasons. Grain can be very flammable and some older cameras still use flash bulbs that emit a little spark. Now knowing this I quickly turned off my camera. All distilleries use the same process when making whiskey. During the process there are small steps that can be added to make that particular whiskey unique. One of the biggest similarities amongst all the distilleries we visited is that they all had the same grinder machine. Turns out the company (from England) made their machine so well that they ended up putting themselves out of business. They are back in business now but apparently still make machinery to last. After a quick tour of Cragganmore we were treated to a surprise that we were going to Cardhu Distillery next. For a while Cardhu was very hard to get in New Jersey and I was excited to see if the hype was just that.

After a ten minute drive down a narrow 2 lane road we arrived at Cardhu Distillery. Located also in the Speyside region of Scotland, Cardhu was founded by John Cumming in 1824. The distillery was most run by his wife, who distilled the first batch of Cardhu, then it was handed down to their daughter-in-law Elizabeth Cumming. The neighbors loved Mrs. Cummings, she would warn them when the Excise Man was coming around by raising a certain flag up the pole that let bootleggers know to hide their equipment. The distillery was sold to John Walker & Sons in the late 1800’s but the Cummings’ would continue to run the daily operations. Turns out that Cardhu makes up an important part of what is blended into the Johnnie Walker blends today. My next question to myself was “when do we get to sample these whiskies?” Well turns out we were heading over to Drummuir Castle owned by Diageo. This private castle is not open to the public but to retailers like myself. Once inside we sat down at this magnificent table that had 6 bottles of whiskey waiting to be tasted. We tried Cardhu 12yr, Knockando 12yr, Cragganmore Distillers Edition, Cragganmore 29yr, Talisker 57 North, and my favorite but not available in U.S.A. Oban 32yr. Once finished tasting these gems we were headed to Speyside Cooperage.

Speyside Cooperage is really the only working cooperage in the UK. Here barrels are inspected and rebuilt to hold most of the whiskey you see in Scotland and other parts of the world. There are two main types of barrels. First is the bourbon barrel which is the smaller of the two barrels used. Most come all the way from Kentucky once they are discarded after 3 yrs of use. The second are Sherry barrels which can last decades before they are discarded. The type of barrel gives it is color. The darker the whiskey the more likely hood it was aged primarily in Sherry Butts. The lighter whiskies were main aged in Bourbon Barrels. It was amazing to see the craftsmanship that goes into making a barrel. The smartest part was that the Coopers were paid by the barrel and not by the hour. This in turn would make them work harder. Random inspections would make sure they are building sturdy and reliable barrels. After a walk around the grounds we started the 3.5hr journey back to Edinburgh taking in the rolling hills and acres upon acres of sheep. After a few pints of beer at the hotel bar we finally hit the sack around 1am Scotland time.