Whisky är en av mina laster. Jag tror fullt och fast att whisky i måttliga mängder är nyttigt och bra för kroppen. Hur många och hur stora måtten är är givetvis en personlig fråga om tycke och smak. Här nedan kommer en liten faktasamling om mina favoritsorter och destillerier.
Bowmore Distillery is standing on the shores of Loch Indaal just by the Atlantic and
has been doing so ever since it was founded over 200 years ago by an Islay merchant, David
Simpson. In 1776 he obtained permission from the local laird to build dwellings and
"other buildings" The "other buildings" were soon converted into a
distillery.
Bought by Stanley R Morrison in 1963, the distillery is now owned by Morrison Bowmore
Distillers, who were themselves purchased outright by Suntory of Japan in 1994. The
company had been part owned by Suntory for some years previously, having had a long term
trading relationship with the Japanese company.
The distillery takes its water from the River Laggan. The malt is turned by hand on the
malting floor just as it always has been. When the whisky has been tapped on casks it is
matured at and below sea level in the moist of the sea air.
Bowmore uses a revolutionary waste heat recovery system to reduce energy costs. The
distillery donated a warehouse to the village of Bowmore which has been converted to a
swimming pool. The waste heat from the distillery is used to heat the swimming pool.
The distillery was built early in the village's history, at the foot of Hill Street, and
has proved important to its economic survival.
Age: 12 Country: Scotland
Distilled: Region: Islay
Bottled: Type: Single Islay
Strength: 40
Sweetness: 0 Peatiness: 90
Colour: full, amber, very bright
Nose: lightish, peaty, burnt heather with a characteristic
tang of ozone/iodine and even a whiff of chocolate!
Flavour: smooth refined flavour with a pronounced smoky
peatiness
Finish: good, long and dry
Mr John Smith founded Cragganmore distillery in 1869 in the mountain district, high on
the River Spey where it meets the Avon and the Livet. The distillery never closed for even
a fortnight in any year up until the summer of 1901, when reconstruction began. The
distillery was rebuilt in 1902 and expanded in 1964 from two to four stills.
An interesting feature is that the spirit stills have flat topped, T-shaped lyne pipes
instead of the usual swan necks. The stills have cooling worms rather than condensers.
The distillery drains its water from the Craggan Burn, a spring on the Craggan More Hill.
Cragganmore occupies a site north of the A95 between Grantown-on-Spey and Ballindalloch,
close to the River Spey. It was the first Speyside distillery to be located to take
advantage of railway transport, the former railway line (now the Speyside Way footpath)
passing the distillery's doors.
Age: 12 Country: Scotland
Distilled: Region: Speyside
Bottled: Type: Single Speyside
Strength: 40
Sweetness: 60 Peatiness: 70
Colour: amber with pale gold highlights
Nose: clean with quite good body, medium-dry, smokily peaty,
slightly creamy with a light green touch
Flavour: quite full-bodied, round with a hint of spice, smoky
and creamy
Finish: quite long, clean and fresh
Built in 1887 by William Grant, Glenfiddich takes its water from the Robbie Dubh.
The distillery was built by money that William and his family had worked and saved, all
with the aim that they once should be able to build their own distillery. In 1886 he
bought the distillery equipment he needed from Cardhu, who recently had upgraded theirs.
The cost for building the distillery buildings needed to house the equipment was just
about 700 pounds.
The family then worked seven days a week and the first whisky was produced on Christmas
Day 1887. At first William had some problems selling his whisky but when Smiths Glenlivet
Distillery had a fire that interrupted their distilling, Grant was able to fulfil the
demand that Smith couldn't. From then the distillery flourished and in 1892 Grant built
another distillery in Balvenie.
The family survived the Pattison crise by shifting to a role not only as a blender but as
a blender and wholesaler and also by exporting their whiskies. Today Glenfiddich boasts no
less than 28 stills: 10 wash and 18 spirit.
Glenfiddich is one of only two malt whiskies to be bottled at the distillery (the other
being Springbank). The first distillery in Scotland to open a visitor centre, Glenfiddich
now attracts 120,000 visitors a year. It welcomed its one millionth visitor, Mr Ronald
Pederson from Albany in New York State on 4 August 1987.
It is situated near the junction of the A941 and the B975 to the north of the centre of
Dufftown. Water is drained from the Robbie Dhu springs.
Age: 18 Country: Scotland
Distilled: Region: Speyside
Bottled: Type: Single Speyside
Strength: 43
Sweetness: 80 Peatiness: 40
Colour: straw with pale gold highlights
Nose: fresh, medium-bodied and round, notes of citrus and a
grapey character, a slight bubble-gummy sweetness,
lanolin character and lightly peated
Flavour: soft, smooth, medium-sweet and round with an unctous
lanolin oakiness
Finish: clean, surprisingly dry, but rich, with a fresh, light
peatiness
Glenmorangie Distillery is manned by sixteen men known as the sixteen Men of Tain.
Glenmorangie was registrated as a distillery in 1843 by a Mr Matheson from Tain but has
been famous for its distilling since about a century before that.
Rebuilt in 1887 and again in 1979, when it was extended from two to four stills. The water
is taken from Tarlogie springs and the malt used comes from the surrounding farms. The
distillery also sport the tallest stills in the highlands, measuring a total of 5,13m in
height. The tall necks of the stills makes sure that only the lightest parts of the
vapouriced liquid reaches the top, resulting in a light and smooth whisky. MacDonald and
Muir bought the distillery in 1890 and has run the distillery since.
Although Glenmorangie today is best known as a single Malt is also used for blending,
among others in Highland Queen.
Glenmorangie has been owned by Macdonald & Muir, the Leith blenders since 1918.
Situated on the Dornoch Firth on the A9 between Tain and Edderton, looking across the
Firth towards the hills of Sutherland.
Age: 10 Country: Scotland
Distilled: Region: Highland
Bottled: Type: Single Highland
Strength: 40
Sweetness: 40 Peatiness: 40
Colour: good light gold/pale straw
Nose: fresh, medium-bodied, steely with floral notes and a
touch of peat
Flavour: light, fresh, slightly smoky with an oily creaminess
Finish: sweet with good length
Age: 12 Country: Scotland
Distilled: Region: Highland
Bottled: Type: Single Highland
Strength:
Sweetness: 0 Peatiness: 0
Colour: light gold
Nose: sherry wine notes with traces of honey
Flavour: smooth, sweet and round, creamy with a hint of smoke
Finish: fresh, good length
Age: 21 Country: Scotland
Distilled: 1971 Region: Highland
Bottled: 1992 Type: Single Highland
Strength: 43
Sweetness: 0 Peatiness: 0
Colour: mahoganey
Nose: full, caramel
Flavour: smooth, round, a slightly smoky peatiness
Finish: dry, long lasting with a touch of mint
The Johnstons, who started Laphroaig distillery, were of MacDonald stock, being
descenders of MacIan of Ardnamurchan. After the 1745 rebellion, three brothers of this
clan came to Islay to farm - Roland at Corairan, Alexander at Tigh Cargaman, now Port
Ellen and Duncan at Tallant.
Two sons of Alexander, Donald and Alexander, started farming at Laphroaig some time
between 1810 and 1816. They started a small distillery there. Donald Johnston is entered
with the Excise as Distiller in 1826. He bought out his brother in 1836 and became the
sole owner. The land was then owned by the Campbells and he was their tenant.
Donald died in June 1847. He had survived only two days after falling into a 'Burnt Ale'
vat at the distillery. Donald had been married twice. He left one son and four daughters
with his first wife and one child of his second marriage. He left no will but had
deposited in the bank at Bridgend £250 for each of the daughters of his first marriage.
His son, Dugald, was then only eleven and there was no one to run the distillery. It was
leased to Graham of Lagavulin for nine years until Dugald became of age to take over.
The trustees of the estate were the above mentioned, Graham and his cousin John Johnston
of Tallant, who had married Donald's sister Mary. Dugald took over the running of the
distillery in 1857 and the Lagavulin people continued as agents until 1907 when the agency
was terminated.
Dugald Johnston continued as distiller until he died in 1877. He left no heir. As his
sister, Isabella, had married Alexander Johnston of Tallant, he became the next Distiller
and ran the distillery on behalf of his wife and her sisters. He died in 1907 having been
pre-deceased by his wife, who had left her share of the distillery to him.
After his death there was a long court case which culminated in the distillery being
inherited by his two sisters, Mrs William Hunter and Miss Katherine Johnston, and his
nephew, Mr J Johnston Hunter, who was then Chief Engineer with Glasgow Tramways. In 1908,
Mrs William Hunter's son, Ian Hunter, who had completed his training as an engineer, was
sent to Islay to look after the interests of his mother and his aunt. Ian Hunter's father
was a seed merchant in Leith and his Aunt was farming at Tallant Farm in Islay.
Because of various court cases, money was hard to come by when Mr Ian Hunter came to
Islay. He had quite a struggle to keep things going, particularly as a new lease was due
to be made with the owners, Ramsay of Kildaton. Mackie and Company, Lagavulin, had put in
a higher offer to rent Laphroaig. However, eventually everything was straightened out and
in 1921, the owners decided to sell the estate and gave the Distillers the first
opportunity to buy the land. This applied to Ardbeg and Lagavulin as well as Laphroaig.
Again Mackie tried to outbid Laphroaig without success. After the completion of the
purchase, it was decided to increase the capacity of Laphroaig and, by 1923, the capacity
was doubled and the Maltings, as they now stand, were completed. A new wash still and
spirit still, duplicates of the existing stills, were erected.
About 1927, Mr Hunter decided to terminate the agency with Robertson & Baxter and sell
direct from Laphroaig. He continued to do this until he died and his policy was carried on
until Long John took over in 1972. The distillery had its ups and downs, particularly in
the 1930's, but managed to struggle trough and maintain its good name in the blending
trade.
In 1928, the Laird of Islay House asked Mr Hunter to supply whisky for his son's coming of
age (now Lord Margedale) and it was then that the blend Islay Mist was created. It was
thought that Laphroaig might be too heavy for everyone's tastes so a de-luxe blend of Malt
Whisky and Grain was made up. It proved so popular that it was decided to market it
commercially and it become known in many parts of the world as de-luxe blend with the
Islay peaty flavour. It was not until after the WWII that it was exported in any quantity
and McPherson, Train & Co. were appointed export agents.
Laphroaig continued to be popular as a Single Islay Malt Whisky and also much in demand as
a blending whisky. During the 1960's and 1970's, under the guidance of Long John, the
distillery capacity was increased without losing any of the old character of Laphroaig.
Mr Ian Hunter inherited the distillery when his mother died in 1928 (his Aunt died in 1927
and his cousin in 1922) and ran it as sole partner until 1950, when he made it into a
private limited company with himself as Managing Director, Miss B. Williamson as Secretary
and Director and his lawyer, Mr D. McCowan Hill as Director. Mr Hunter died in 1954 after
a long illness (arterial sclerosis) and Miss Williamsson succeeded as Managing Director.
She continued in this capacity until Long John took over control in 1967 when she
continued as Chairman and Director until 1972 when she retired.
Laphroaig then became part of the Whitbread Brewing Empire, later called James Burrough
Limited on the acquisition of Beefeater Gin. In 1990 James Burrough Limited was purchased
by Allied Distillers Limited and thus joined Ballantines and Hiram Walker to become the
second biggest whisky distillers in Scotland.
Age: 10 Country: Scotland
Distilled: Region: Islay
Bottled: Type: Single Islay
Strength: 40
Sweetness: 20 Peatiness: 100
Colour: palish amber with slightly greenish tones
Nose: dry, heavy and peaty with a heathery smokiness
Flavour: full och character, very peaty and smoky with
iodine/medical notes
Finish: lingering, smoky, smooth and unique