knowhisky

I loved Michael Jackson’s Whisky notes…, he rarely went into the “horse saddle from the 60’s used by a second cousin to the king of Lame”… he mostly said what it tasted and smelled like, if it was good or not, if it lingered in your mouth or not, if it was strong or weak, things people need to know when approaching a purchase.

I tell you the truth, I would just love love love to be able to discern the nuances like some of my friends do, and I do “feel” them, i smell them and taste them but i cannot transfer them to an actual thing or fruit or else, I guess it’s just a talent, like composing or drawing, some people smell a dram and they can compare it to something else, kudos to them.

Whisky notes are useful mainly because people can save money by buying drams that they think are going to be keen to their taste after reading notes. Notes can be found in the back label of the actual bottle but that, for my experience, seldom translates to reality except for few like Samaroli early bottles, Velier Rum and few others.

My whisky notes are naturally slimmer, its peated or not, it’s strong, it’s sherried, fruity bla bla, that’s where i stop but that doesn’t mean that’s bad. When reading whisky notes be very careful, more than the notes itself, to WHO is writing them. Nowadays whisky scoring is a real biz, when a blogger has some success he gets approached by bottlers and mainly Distillery owners, they get offered free bottles, dinners, trips and get the royal treatment, you can see this when you read that a 5 yo Glen Grant has scored over 90 points, that can only mean that the scorer was weak, he fell for the bargain, for the scam, sometimes he just get’s swayed by the treatment, he starts to “Like” the guy and when scoring he simply “adds” a point or two because of this friendship, so not necessarily “dirty”, just not completely un-biased.

I know very few that never fell for this, Serge Valentin for one, I have seen it myself, has storms of interested parties trying to corral him to their side, but i have seen him trash bottling just they day after spending a magnificent dinner with the guy who submitted his dram to him for scoring. Same for Ruben from Whiskynotes.be.

But whisky notes are mainly PERSONAL, somebody can smell chocolate and you can instead smell licorice, and you will be disappointed in the end. So if you have to use notes and scores for your purchases choose somebody you trust, try a dram and compare your notes to his, when you have found somebody that translates to your taste in the same way your palate does then stick to that one.

So because this is an informative Blog and it is dedicated to those who, like myself, have passion for the product, it is imperative to give some advice to the collector. I have started collecting empty bottles around 1979 and stopped in 1986 when i moved to the USA to be a Musician. When my family asked me to come back as they needed my help, in 2001 right after September 11, I thought it was the perfect time to embrace my Country again.

Soon after i went into the dusty moldy cellar where i had placed my long forgotten bottles and started looking them up on the Internet. At that time there was close to nothing regarding value of bottles or online shops, but with a bit of work I found out that what i spent for had at least tripled in value and there I got hit by the bug again. Yes, PROFIT!! I LOVE IT!! I know this is so not Politically Correct but trust me, only a hypocrite-full of himself-righteous liar can honestly say that he really DOES NOT care if the bottle he bought is now worth 10 times more, he only does it for the drink. Bullshit. We all feel smart, we all feel more secure knowing that the 100 euro we spent could (at least potentially) be turned into 500 only a year later, and yes I do not do it FOR PROFIT, I don’t buy today to sell tomorrow, but it’s really nice to know, anything happens I will not leave my kids a bunch of stamps or Swatch watches they know not what to do with, I will leave them something that, if they don’t have my passion, they can sell and buy their education and maybe a roof on their head with! And come on! The face on your accountant’s face or your banker when you tell him that “yes, I invested on something that brings me 20% a year and if I want to I can just drink it”, it’s priceless! I have seen many bankers or stock people come and ask me to invest in Whisky for them. I always tell them I cannot do it, but it’s a nice feeling when these “professionals” come and ask ME!

Many times when i sell a bottle to somebody they feel compelled to say “Really Diego ! Its not for resale, I will drink it”! Like if making a profit was a crime, something to be frowned upon, and I tell them, you bought it, you do what you want with it, throw it against the wall, drink it, sell it, it’s YOURS. I Will be the first one to say that the state of Whisky prices nowadays is just too much, ridiculous, but then I go and buy an electric bicycle and it cost 2000 euro, I go to buy a curtain for my veranda and it cost me 4000 euro! SO why not 3000 for a 1960 40 years old Laphroaig? That took a lot of time and care to make, and the pleasure it will bring is enormous and can be shared with others. Maybe it was under-valued before!

So I will go against the tide and say, do collect, put them away, don’t drink them all, you never know, you might need some money, you will love looking at them every day, like I do, for me it’s therapy, I feel down one day and go and look at my cabinets and remember where I got this one and the guy who I bought this one from was so and so… it’s not a crime to collect Whisky and it’s not a crime to profit from it, as long as you have passion for the stuff, go for it. If you do it JUST for profit, if you couldn’t care less if it was Whisky or car parts, then stay away from me, I want to at least have a dram and a conversation with you!

This week my son, 6 years old, asked to start his collection, he of course likes miniatures, he knows the names of the Distilleries and stuff like that, and his eyes shine when he gets a new one. That’s what it’s all about. Shine.

What can I say… what an honor to have as a guest the Distillery Manager of one of the top Scotch Whisky Distilleries in the world? David is not your usual kind of DM, David, when you meet him, exudes passion for Whisky, numbers matter to him much less than the actual product, he is one of us, one of the Whisky Lovers, he is not a numbers guy for sure.

If you go to Islay you simply cannot miss visiting this fantastic Distillery and if you’re lucky and David is around he might even stop and chat about drams and bottles like you would with a collector friend. When I first met him he actually came to me and said “Diego, it’s so nice to finally meet you! I heard a lot about you and your operation” then I politely asked him “and you are….?”  At this point his secretary answered for him and I almost fell on the floor as I wanted to hide at that moment…. and even though he is famous for his professional approach to details, staff management and product… humble is not even close, that’s David. Anyway enough wowing it up! Here he is!

1.YOUR LOVE FOR THE SPIRIT, HOW DID IT ALL START? Tell us about the first days….

I was born in 1973 and brought up and still live in Port Ellen, Islay,  Distilleries have always been a big part of Islay life, my Grandfather worked in Bowmore through the 50’s till the late 70’s, he was at the Bowmore Bicentenary Dinner in 1979 and his wish was that the Bowmore Bicentenary bottle he was gifted was opened at his Funeral, I was 8 year old and remember it getting opened and appreciate, that is my first memory of a Whisky getting opened.

I started work in Bowmore Distillery on the 4^th  June 1990 when I was 16 years old, I have worked my way up through the Process to Head Distillery in 2006 and Manager in 2012.

2. YOU’RE GOING TO A DESERT ISLAND, YOU CAN TAKE 3 BOTTLES WITH YOU…  Which ones will you take and what else (not bottles) would you take?

Bowmore 1955, 40 year old 42%

Bowmore Bouquet 1966 Samaroli

Port Ellen 12 year old 1980 Queens visit (because I’m a Port Ellen boy at heart!!)

3.  BESIDES WHISKY WHAT IS YOUR PASSION IN LIFE?

Travel, Food, playing Golf and Cars.

4. GIVE SOME ADVICE TO THE NEW COLLECTOR and DRINKER

Collecting is becoming very expensive and the old bottling’s are very hard to find, snap them up when you can, I’m glad I started collecting over 20 year ago. If you have the chance to drink whiskies from the 50’s and 60’s it’s a must, these old Drams are amazing.

Concentrate on one Region or Distillery.

5. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE, if anything, in today’s whisky-world

Replicate the 50’s and early 60’s whisky, watch this space……..

Emmanuel is a pioneer in the success Whisky has had in the last few years in Asia, he runs the fantastic Whisky Bar in Singapore “The Auld Alliance” and is a true expert on vintage whisky, many famous Asian collectors get advice from Emmanuel when it comes to drinking good stuff or building up their collections. Here is Ema….

1.YOUR LOVE FOR THE SPIRIT, HOW DID IT ALL START?

It started around 1994-5. I got for my birthday a bottle of Glenfiddich. I was not a whisky drinker at all. I liked it and I bought the Michael Jackson’s book to learn about whisky. Then I discovered a Jazz bar in my city Lille in the North of France which at that time had over 100 single malts. With my best friend, we went there for the next three months and tried them all. I took many tasting notes. Soon I was in London visiting Milroy’s shop where I tried my first Port Ellen. I was doing a civil service at that time to help blind people at University. It was my first contact with computer. Learning how to use WORD, I started a ten pages newsletter called “The Angel’s Share” end of 1996. I sent it to La Maison du Whisky in Paris which sold it to their shop at rue d’Anjou. Thierry Benitah contacted me few months later and asked me to join the company. I left it thirteen years alter in 2010 and created my own in Singapore, The Auld Alliance.

Marcel is AKA The Laphroaig Collector www.laphroaigcollector.com. A true Laph lover and expert he has written in 2007 the book “The Legend of Laphroaig” a great informative book with great photos taken by Marcel himself. When you travel with him he’s either holding a glass or a photo camera, a big one.

A dear friend and possibly one of the most honest men I know. Here is Marcel…

Phil owns together with his brother Simon and their parents the beautiful Dornoch Castle Hotel, sporting one of the best Whisky Bars in the world. The brothers are true expert in the field of vintage whisky and have opened lately a new Distillery called “Dornoch” http://dornochdistillery.com which will focus on trying to “reproduce” old style scotch, they will use high quality machinery and ingredients and also will focus more on long fermentations and slow distillation rather than trying to make a fast buck cutting corners. And if anyone can do this in my opinion it is the Thompson bros, they are indeed maniacs when it comes to details about making Scotch and very very well read and informed, Simon has read and re-read basically every single book which was ever written on the subject and Phil is a great and honest man who will give it his best shot on trying to make whisky as good as it once was. Well, over to him with the questions:

So so much….perhaps a question saved for when I see you and we have a dram of fantastically fruity old distillate!

If you have travelled at all the Whisky Trail you have encountered some place or another Mr. Angus McWhisky. A true expert on vintage bottles and probably the bestestest rare bottles “opener” on the planet. He is a freelance writer and trust me if you need any text concerning Whisky he is your man, a walking encyclopedia and superb writer. I first saw him many years ago at Serge’s 50th birthday party, he was playing a guitar and played better than me so I immediately disliked him. He also runs a dissacrative very NON PC blog which you have to read….whiskysponge.com

well, here we go, we asked him the ususal 5:

1: When I was very young  probably about 5 years old – we were living in England. I missed Scotland and as a result was really interested in everything Scottish – food, music, books and such like. My Dad would occasionally have a bottle of whisky around the house. Peaty whiskies were his preference and Laphroaig was his favourite. I remember being allowed a small sip of Laphroaig from his glass and just being totally blown away by the flavour. From then on I was fascinated by whisky, I would read about it and later – when I was old enough – started to buy bottles myself and seek work in the industry. The rest, as they say, is history.

2: The desert island question is always a tough one (why can’t we just make it Islay instead?) ((Islay is not desert yet Angus. ds)) I’d want something legendary that I’ve always yearned to try and I know would be a totally stellar dram  let’s say Laphroaig 1967 Samaroli. But then again I’d need something easy and purely pleasurable for everyday drinking; how about a litre of 80 proof old Springbank 8 year old from around 1970, that should do the trick. Thirdly, something historic and totally unknown like a bottle of genuine Stromness or Glenfyne single malt. Then again, ask me again tomorrow and my answers might all be different… (OK, i will ask you tomorrow then. ds)

3: My great passion in life – possibly even greater than whisky – is writing; I love to write and I’m very fortunate that it is now my work. Beyond that I love good food, I love to cook, I love to go walking in Scotland, I love wild swimming and I love my guitars and to play them. I love films as well, my degree was in film studies so I love going to the cinema and discovering new films. Most of all I love the people in my life: my friends, my family, my girlfriend. They’re the things that really make the world worth living in and whisky worth drinking.

4: Don’t ‘decide’ to collect. Only get into whisky if you really love it. Taste the stuff, go to a good bar and ask for interesting selections and information on why they taste the way they do. Inform yourself, learn your tastes, hone your passion. If you love whisky you will understand it far more quickly and easily. Don’t just collect bottles for the sake of it. Buy whiskies you love, love and respect the liquid first and foremost and your collection or selection of bottles will grow organically, naturally and in a way that gives you most enjoyment and pleasure. Make your love of whisky social rather than introspective.

5: I would make the industry less focused on the principles of yield, efficiency and pure profit. I would refocus production efforts away from just being about wood and concentrate on making great, characterful distillates again. I would change the mindset around production and profit to see that it is better to make slightly less of a product and make it to a far higher standard of quality than constantly sacrificing quality in the name of quantity. But, of course this won’t happen because in capitalism the accountants rule with very sharp pencils and whisky is very pure capitalism these days. I’d be happy to see some new distillery projects embrace these kinds of ‘grand cru’ principles though. And I’d be happy to pay for their whiskies! (Dornoch anyone? Shhhh…..ds)

Today another Legendary bottler from German Sansibar has kindly replied to our survey. Jens Drewitz. Famous for his care in product selection and placement as well as image and packaging.

1.YOUR LOVE FOR THE SPIRIT, HOW DID IT ALL START? Tell us about the first days….

It starts about 18 years ago, i went to a whisky tasting in our city. My wife has bought the tickets as a present to christmas – so at least she was the one bringing me to the whisky world 🙂

2. YOU’RE GOING TO A DESERT ISLAND, YOU CAN TAKE 3 BOTTLES WITH YOU… Which ones will you take and what else (not bottles) would you take?

Springbank Local Barley 1966-2000, cask 510; Karuizawa 1963; Lagavulin 12y white Label white Horse, 43% first rotation. Then a pillow, water and my best friend

3.  Besides Whisky, what is your passion in life? (sports, cars, watches, music etc.) nice people, good food, i love my business

4. GIVE SOME ADVICE TO THE NEW COLLECTOR and DRINKER,

…taste everything, empty not everything, buy only the good stuff and have passion, so you will get the right bottles for drinking and after some time they will become collecting items as well. Don´t go for the bling bling shit !!

5. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE, if anything, in today’s whisky-world –

let the people with passion into whisky take more control, choose the good casks and sell them for a normal price in order to make people happy about whisky, then you will create a stabile consumer world, not a fake blended business 🙂

Well as promised we will start once in a while to place here some advice from our famous Whisky friends who will try through their own experience to impart some knowledge that can hopefully be used by some.

This week my Whisky Brother Max Righi, owner and president of Whisky Antique shop and Silver Seal legendary bottling label.

1.YOUR LOVE FOR THE SPIRIT, HOW DID IT ALL START? Tell us about the first days….  it was during a two week study time in Scotland which i had won for a Master and in the evening I used to go to whisky bars and during the day I visited Distilleries after lessons and i still remember a phrase which I had been told by a bartender when I said to him that I loved to drink Glenfiddich Glenmorangie and Glen Grant, he told me to “sit down, you obviously don’t know fuck-all about whisky.”

2. YOU’RE GOING TO A DESERT ISLAND, YOU CAN TAKE 3 BOTTLES WITH YOU…
(any bottles, not just the ones you own) Which ones will you take and what else (not bottles) would you take? BOWMORE BICENTENARY SQUARE  BOTTLE- LAPHROAIG 1970 SAMAROLI – MACALLAN 1966 AND A SWEET LIQUOR FOR THE LADY THAT WILL COME WITH ME

3.  Besides Whisky, what is your passion in life? (sports, cars, watches, music etc.)
NATURE -TRAVEL -ANIMALS AND FOOTBALL

4. GIVE SOME ADVICE TO THE NEW COLLECTOR and DRINKER: do  not collect only for profit, but also to remember a good whisky that you drank

5. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE, if anything, in today’s whisky-world

many thing the first is prices ( i would like for single cask to be more reasonably priced, and also i would like to erase the arrogance in certain people who think to be more important than others.
… mmmm and maybe when we try a good whisky and, why not, a very good old blended let’s not play the “who’s got it the biggest” game and enjoy anything that’s good, not just top bottles.

I am going to start a Whisky Legends Survey. Basically I will ask 5 questions to some of my friends and generally people who have somehow positively influenced the Whisky scene. Just to show the questions and format I will start giving the survey to myself, just because I probably have influenced at least my own Whisky world.

So stay tuned and pray for some people to respond to my survey.

1. YOUR LOVE FOR THE SPIRIT, HOW DID IT ALL START? Tell us about the first days….

Well this is easy, I was 16 and had a dram at the local bar, probably some blend, and immediately decided to collect the stuff, I started going around bars and asking them to keep the empty bottles for me. Soon I had lined up over 20 empty bottles in my mother’s kitchen. The holy woman one day decided that it was too much work having to dust them every week and promptly showed them the way to the garbage. But the bug was in and the rest is history.

2. YOU’RE GOING TO A DESERT ISLAND, YOU CAN TAKE 3 BOTTLES WITH YOU…
Which ones will you take and what else (not bottles) would you take?

I would take Laphroaig 1967 Samaroli, Macallan 1966 and Highland Park 40yo ceramic (if i can find a full one). What else would I take… a box of Loacker’s Napolitanen’s, some porn and a shotgun because, I take it there are no restaurants in this island?

3.  BESIDES WHISKY, WHAT ARE YOUR PASSIONS IN LIFE?

Music, I used to be a composer so… yeah. I paint, I like good thriller books, beautiful women (my wife on top.((well, figuratively)) (((and not figuratively actually))), dogs and Pokemon (no, not the new famous one that get’s you out, the old nerdy one that keeps you inside). And Juventus. A lot.

4. GIVE SOME ADVICE TO THE NEW COLLECTOR and DRINKER

Buy what you like and like what is good. Read the good blogs and follow the auctions to get an idea of trends if you’re into buying to collect and invest. It is way too easy nowadays to stigmatize people who buy whisky to make some money reselling it, when the truth is it might very well be the only way some people can afford to open bottles lately, they buy three, sell two and drink one, nothing wrong with that!

5. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE, if anything, in today’s whisky-world

Prices. Quality. So many things but I fear I will change nothing in reality.