Whisky Insiders Interview - Paul Currie

Company:
Lakes Distillery

Job:
Managing Director

Website:
lakesdistillery.com



How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
I started in 1995 when I set up the Arran Distillers with my father. My new venture is now to set up a distillery in the Lake District, the Lakes Distillery, which will open this year. As well as a single malt, we’ll also be producing gin.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Up until now it has to be the day Arran opened, although I expect this to be surpassed when we start production at our new Lakes Distillery in Cumbria. For me this will be a greater achievement, to start a new distillery in a new whisky region, which has a long heritage of illicit whisky production in the past.

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
My father spent his working life in the industry, so I grew up with whisky coursing through my veins. I probably had several tiny sips as a toddler, but the first I can remember was when I was 16 with an Aberlour.

What does whisky mean to you?
Whisky is an extraordinary product, with an uncanny ability to bring a sense of goodwill and good humour to those who enjoy it. It’s wonderful to be involved with something that holds such a fascination to so many people.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years time?
I would hope by then that the Lakes Distillery is becoming well established, and that we are producing a whisky recognised as being of the highest quality.

What was your last dram?
An Arran 14 year old yesterday evening, wonderful!

Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
I am very partial to a combination of herrings and whisky, although I think you can drink whisky with almost any food.

What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
Any place with good friends, whisky is much better shared! I also look forward later this year to climbing Skiddaw (fourth highest fell in the Lakes, very near our new Lakes Distillery) and to celebrating our opening with a dram at the summit.

What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
I think there will continue to be more new ‘artisan’ distilleries opening just as we are doing with the Lakes Distillery. There will also be increasing innovation, particularly to find new ways of attracting younger consumers.

What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
Of course it will be the Lakes Malt!

Many thanks to Paul Currie. Who will be the next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!

The Whisky Wire Glen Garioch Tweet Tasting

Last night we held The Whisky Wire’s fourth Tweet Tasting event, exploring two core and two vintage bottlings from the Glen Garioch Distillery. These Consisted of their Founders Reserve and 12 Year Old expressions, followed by the 1994 and 1986 Vintages.

Here are a few of the tweeted tasted highlights from last night:

Glen Garioch Founders Reserve

@DurhamFanDan Sharp green gooseberry crumble. Cereal smells and the vanilla custard all there. How awesome is whisky sometimes?
@S_Rob Very gentle spices; nutmeg, clove and subtle traces of smoke at the death.
@TheWhiskyWire A concentrated kick off caramel, with seeping waves of vanilla infused baked apples and woodspiced gooseberries.

Glen Garioch 12 Year Old

@Whiskyblogg It’s very clean and fresh, almost a touch of menthol or perhaps pine needles. Also a lovely fruitiness. Pineapple?

@theWhiskyReview The nose has almonds, apple skin and burnt newspaper.

@TIA568B On the palate; Dunnage! Quite sweet, more pine forests, quite earthy, vanilla, but more subtle this time, more dunnage, woody.

 

Glen Garioch 1994

@FrazerJ I am loving this, fun wholesome fruity and buttery.
@DurhamFanDan Wow, instant reminder of the Laddie 10. That "rubber balloons in natural yogurt" note.
@S_Rob Lovely gentle finish with caffe latte, a little clove and walnut skins. Gentle smoked cereal notes always present.
 

Glen Garioch 1986

 

@Whiskyblogg The 86 nose has more floral notes, lavender and rosebush after rain in the summer.Also a nice nuttiness and some damp leafs.

@jonmbryant Toffee, plum and thick cough syrup coming for me (I like cough syrup!!).

@supermike Finish has an earthy smoky sweetness, like you've been toasting marshmallows on an open fire!

These are only a mere sprinkling of the tasting notes from last nights Glen Garioch dramstravaganza. For a full lowdown head over to Twitter and search hashtag #GariochTT.

All the expressions we sampled are available from The Whisky Exchange; Founders Reserve £29.95, 12 year old £30.95, 1994 vintage £54.75 and the 1986 vintage £120.00. *Prices correct at the time of publishing.

A huge thanks to everyone who took part or followed last night's event. There are plenty more Tweet Tastings to come, so if you would like to be one of our Tasters, register your interest and contact details now by emailing via the contact tab marking the subject line ‘Tweet Tastings’.

Glenmorangie Artein "A Stunning Stoner"

In addition to a somewhat underrated standard expression and an eclectic cavalcade of extra matured offerings, including the rather sassy Lasanta, Glenmorangie also proudly boasts a cask collective of premium bottlings headlined by the momentously magnificent Signet.

Though if you thought that concluded the full current morangie line up, you’d not only be wrong but be missing out on their exemplary and innovative intermediate Private Edition range of whiskies.

Much acclaimed up until now for its Astar, Sonnalta PX and Finealta releases, 2012 sees the launch of their latest Private Edition in the form of the ‘super Tuscan cask matured’ Glenmorangie Artein. The name if you’re wondering means stone in Gaelic; in reference and homage to its influence during the whisky making process.

The nose kicks off with an exuberant yet elegant infusion of freshly picked blackberries, peak season peaches, homemade orange zested cranberry sauce and a bar of Fry’s strawberry chocolate cream.

Blind baked sweet pastry and a crème brulee that’s had its demerara top semi brutalised by a blow torch make for the next set of sensations, along with a bourbon-esque mentholy spiced kick.

Subtle waves of L’Occitane rose bonne mere soap then begin to weave their way in, but before there's any sign of anything over powering or even remotely dominant they evolve into something more reminiscent of Turkish delight and then eventually begin to fade away altogether.

There’s a presence of some rather opulent oak and dare I say some particularly vivacious vanilla, which becomes more apparent and more welcoming the longer this particular drop of drammage is left to breath in a glass.

The palate kicks off with a full on Devonshire cream tea. Freshly made scones bursting with plump sumptuous sultanas, filled with a heart pounding dollop of clotted cream and a splodge of Tiptree strawberry jam. All of which is then topped off and washed down in style with a teasing, tussling tannic pot of tea.

Dapple Dandy plums and a feisty fisting of oak, followed by a zinging sweet citrus honey kiss make for the next set of delights, along with a generous serving of grandmas sherry trifle, another appearance by those overly scorched crème brulee’s and something distinctly Manhattan cocktail-esque including the cherry garnish.

An infusion of wood spice, cloves, ginger, orange peel and a subtle burst of peppery butter then provide an additional depth of dimension and balance. But it's not long before they evolve into the foundations of a dance floor, as all the other aforementioned delights then cha cha cha around the senses delivering a long linger-ette of a feisty yet finesseful finish.

Whisky Insiders Interview - David Fitt

Company:
English Whisky Co.

Job:
Chief Distiller

Website:
englishwhisky.co.uk



How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
About five years but I was in the brewing industry before that.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
The day we released the first English whisky for over 100 years back in December 2009. It was all a bit surreal but a real sense of achievement. The fantastic reception the whisky has had since also makes it all worthwhile.

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
It was probably a Teacher’s as that’s what my granddad used to drink. When I smell that whisky now I still think of him, even though he has been dead for over 25 years. He was a lovely man and the smell brings back great memories. I miss him.

What does whisky mean to you?
It means my mortgage gets paid! Seriously though, whisky should be about fun, friends and happy times. I don’t hold with the view that whisky is an elitist drink, it’s just a drink that should be enjoyed.

I have done tastings where people who don’t like whisky have left the room a whisky drinker. It’s about perception of the product. It’s not about age, where it’s made, or who made it. It’s about one thing and one thing only, flavour! If you like the taste you like the whisky, it doesn’t matter what it is. I hate the ‘this is better than that’ view because it’s all a matter of purely personal opinion.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years time?
Hopefully still in the industry.

What was your last dram?
I know I am supposed to say one of my own whiskies at this point but in all honesty it was a Nikka from the Barrel. In my view a stunning Japanese whisky which I used in a tasting this afternoon.

Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
For me, Old Pulteney 12 Year Old and a small plate of those anchovy stuffed green olives is a match made in heaven.

What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
Oddly, whilst I do really enjoy whisky, I am not a huge whisky drinker so I don’t really have one. Mind you, having said that, is there ever a bad time and place?

What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
Lots more small, UK based craft distillers.

What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
That’s the easiest question of the lot. I definitely couldn’t do without the crucial first cup of tea of the day. Although if pushed I’d say 18 Year Old Highland Park.

PS. If Gerry Tosh reads this he can send me a bottle for saying that!

Many thanks to David Fitt. Who will be the next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!