Distillery bosses resurrect 130-year-old still

Jim McEwan is preparing to create new blends with the experimental stills

By Cara Sulieman

WHEN a tiny Hebridean distillery needed to bring in more equipment to meet rising demand, they ditched plans to buy new state of the art machinery and decided to resurrect a 130-year-old still, thought to be the oldest in the world.

Islay distillers Bruichladdich are almost ready to begin conjuring new whiskies with the still used when the original factory opened in 1881.

The company have also brought in a second still – dubbed Ugly Betty by staff – that they rescued from the closed-down Allied Distillers, near Dumbarton.

Distillery boss Mark Reynier said that they were both unique and would allow them to “play” with their spirits.

World’s largest bottle of whisky unveiled

By Alexander Lawrie

A TINY Scotch whisky distillery has made the Guinness Book of Records after producing the world’s largest bottle of whisky.

The massive bottle of single malt was filled by hand with105 litres of 14-year-old Tomintoul Speyside Glenlivet Scotch.

And when full, the giant five foot container holds the equivalent of 150 standard bottles.

The monster whisky bottle, which will be on permanent display at the Clockhouse in the village square at Tomintoul village, was the brainchild of the Tomintoul distillery and a local whisky shop.

And after filling the gigantic bottle, the huge cork had to hammered into place with a massive mallet.

Smelly bus stops hit the capital

Scratch and sniff bus stop

By Cara Sulieman

NOT for nothing was Edinburgh once dubbed Auld Reekie.

With the ongoing bin strikes seeing stinking rubbish littering the streets, and rush-hour traffic clogging the roads and filling the air with fumes, a chance of a minute’s solace would sure come as a breath of fresh air.

Now commuters can do just that after two busy stops in Edinburgh were both fitted with unique push and sniff advertising boards, allowing them to enjoy a waft of the countryside on their way to work.

The new ads have been installed by Scotch Whisky Experience who are promoting a new sense room attraction at the museum.

New York Times forced to drop the ‘e’ in whisky

By Alexander Lawrie

SCOTLAND’S whisky industry is celebrating after a respected US newspaper was forced to change its spelling of the country’s national drink from whiskey to whisky.

For years Scotch experts have been fuming at the paper’s erroneous spelling of whisky with a superflous ‘e’.

But now the newspaper has decided to amend their style guide following “aggressive” complaints in a piece they carried about Speyside malts.

An article appeared in an edition of the New York Times last month sparking a barrage of letters of complaints about the misspelling.

And editors at the US newspaper have now decided to see sense and amend any future copy that includes the word.

Whisky experts in this country are now delighted that their perseverance has finally paid off.

A spokesperson for the multi-national giant Diageo – who own the J&B and the Johnny Walker brands – said: “There is clearly a hard and fast rule for Scotch Whisky which should be spelt without an ‘e’, and the New York Times is to be congratulated for accepting that fact.
 
“The newspaper also accepts that for North American whisky, it is more general – although not always the case – to find the spelling ‘Whiskey’ with an ‘e’. In Ireland, producers generally use the ‘e’.
 
 “The New York Times just needs to ensure it applies the relevant spelling to the specific item being featured.”

And a spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association said: “We are extremely pleased to see the New York Times has decided to amend their style guide and use the correct spelling for Scotch Whisky.”

The original article’s author Eric Asimov said: “Words matter more than I imagined to some readers. My column on Speyside single malts conjured up an outpouring of objections to my use of the spelling “whiskey” to refer to Scotch. Didn’t I know that Scotch was “whisky” and not “whiskey?”

“Well, of course, I knew that. But nonetheless the style at The [New York] Times was to use the spelling “whiskey,” and that’s what I did.

“Given the vehemence of the reaction, though, I promised to ask the editors in charge of Times style to revisit the issue.

“In fact, they did, and today, after careful consideration they’ve decided to alter our style.

“As of now, the spelling “whisky” will be used not only for Scotch but for Canadian liquor as well. The spelling “whiskey” will be used for all appropriate liquors from other sources.

“May I add that the Belgians, the Bretons, the Corsicans, the Welsh and the Spaniards always use the term “whisky,” and not “whiskey,” for their own versions of the drink. I am not sure the Scots always like it, but that’s the way it is.”

Generally, the spelling ‘whisky’ is used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada and Japan while ‘whiskey’ is used for the spirits distilled in Ireland and the US.

Even though a 1968 directive of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies ‘whisky’ as the official U.S. spelling, it allows labelling as ‘whiskey’ in deference to tradition and most U.S. producers still use the historical spelling.

Exceptions to the rule are usually indicative of a Scottish heritage.

Top whisky up for worst marketing award

By Alexander Lawrie

BOSSES of an exclusive range of whisky that includes a trendy nude image on the label have been forced to defend their product after it was nominated for the Worst Marketing Campaign in the whisky industry’s version of the Oscars.

Erotic Scots photographer Rankin is famous for his naked pictures of girlfriend Tuuli, and the arty snapper has used her image on a limited-edition run of rare bottles of Macallan malt.

Paisley-born Rankin – who charges more than £10,000 for a session – has produced a series of 1,000 images for the Speyside distiller.

But the much-publicised promotional campaign seems to have back-fired after it was one of only two brands to be selected for The Drammies dreaded marketing award.

The Masters of Photography Rankin Edition bottles are the first to combine a bottle of whisky with an original work of art.

And despite the hefty £950 price tag – all of the expensive bottles are expected to be snapped up by avid collectors from across the globe.

The Drammies are organised by the respected Scotch Blog website, and are considered one of the major online awards for the whisky industry.

One comment on the website reads: “Putting the price of a bottle of Fine Oak 30-year-old up by £500 just because it might have a nudie picture on it is an outrage.”

Now Ken Grier, director of malts at the Edrington Group who owns the distillery, has hit back by posting his own views on the site which runs the competition.

He said: “I was interested to see that The Masters of Photography bottling had been nominated for a Drammie for Worst Marketing Campaign of 2008. 

“We operate with the highest integrity at The Macallan. 

“We would simply not put a new label on an existing whisky and sell it a higher price.

“Each bottle is in fact a unique work of art and the price reflects this. 

“At the projects inception our intention was that the product should be great value as we were offering an original Rankin Polaroid (these currently sell for up to $1000 each) as part of the pack. 

“This is your chance to enjoy Fine Oak 30 years old and own an original work of art at a very small premium if any.

“We deliberately set out to make this concept as accessible as possible for purchase by our consumers we believe that we have succeeded. The evidence to support this is that 62 of our own staff, ranging from Directors to workers in the bottling hall have bought one.

“I have had over 300 personal expressions of praise and delight from press, trade and drinkers who adore the concept with only 5 negative comments to date, including this nomination.”

The new unique bottle comes presented in a black leather box, lined with velvet, and containing an original Rankin Polaroid.

Each bottle will have an individually printed label, which matches the specific Polaroid, and a booklet of authenticity signed by the famous artist.

The Polaroids have been shot at the Easter Elchies House on The Macallan Estate, and together form an essay depicting one summer.

At the launch of the campaign, Rankin – who is famous for his snaps of Madonna and Britney Spears – said: “This project is very special to me for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve been able to come back to the country of my birth and portray its beauty through one of the most ambitious projects I’ve ever attempted.

“The second reason is that this collection marks the full stop after Polaroid, as we head into the digital age.”

Demand for Macallan’s premium whiskies has increased by 87 per cent over the past five years, and the distillery has been forced to massively increase its production.