Whisky Advocate Summer 2015

Everyone loves a celebration, and 2015 is a special year for Islay, the island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland’s west coast. Two of its most storied distilleries are celebrating their bicentenaries: Laphroaig and Ardbeg. We look back at the history of each distillery, interview the current distillery managers (John Campbell of Laphroaig and Mickey Heads of Ardbeg), and then we let you know how each distillery is celebrating its anniversary with special commemorative whiskies. There’s more to Islay than whisky; there’s something very special about the people there and how they live their lives. The best way to get to know the locals is by spending time at one of the island’s historic inns and pubs. We capture the essence of the island in a feature on the family…

SCOTTISH TRAVEL Dear John, Thanks for focusing on Scotland in your Spring edition, which arrived on my desk just days before I leave the Scotch Whisky Association at Easter. The articles brought back memories of our great bus trip all those years ago. Thanks for your friendship over the years and best wishes to you for ongoing success. Still regret we have not cracked open that bottle you bought in Dufftown. With best wishes, Campbell Evans Thank you, Campbell. It’s been good to know you and work with you. Dear John, Thoroughly enjoyed “Scotland for Whisky Lovers” as I am planning a trip to Scotland. My #1 MUST for the trek is to visit the Holy Trinity of Peat. While you did visit Ardbeg, there was no mention of the…

Philadelphia has billed itself as “America’s Best Beer Drinking City” since 2008, when the phenomenally successful Philly Beer Week started. The Week draws tens of thousands of beer fans to the city in the first full week of June for over a thousand events. But even Philly Beer Week has whisky events; this town loves a good drink, and has since the days of the Continental Congress. This makes for an interesting 48 Hours. There are a number of good whisky bars in the city, as you’ll see below. But there’s a bonus, in that each and every one also offers top-notch draft beers, making this issue the best time to feature the City of Brotherly Love. Day One Start your stay with some whisky shopping. Pennsylvania is a control…

Dr. Jim Swan has two passports, one doctorate degree in chemistry and biological sciences, an estimated 35 clients, and a calendar that’s routinely booked up three months out. Swan, who boasts over 40 years of whisky work, has had a part in creating such attention-grabbing new brands as the highly-decorated Kavalan from Taiwan; Kilchoman, the youngest distillery on Islay; Amrut in India; and Penderyn Welsh whisky. He’s part auteur and part troubleshooter. If ever a movie were to be made of his career, his character would be a cross between Harvey Keitel’s fixer character in “Pulp Fiction” and the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World.” An ability to solve production dilemmas with logical, often low-tech approaches has become Swan’s signature. He’s skilled at gaming the system; the system…

At Lost Spirits distillery in Salinas, California, distiller Bryan Davis is making single malt whiskeys from barley malt smoked with different peat sources. The flagship whiskey, Leviathan, is made with Canadian evergreen forest peat, which has a more piney, resinous aroma to it (that transfers into the final liquid) than the woody Highland or iodine-tinged Islay peat we’re used to in Scotch whisky. According to Davis, Scottish peat is a combination of reedy sedge and sphagnum moss, both of which act like straws after they die. New plants growing on top are able to tap into those straws and suck up water that may be far away from their current location, forming expanding peat bogs. The plants also acidify the soil, inhibiting bacteria growth so that the other material absorbed…

Smoked meats and game consistently make one of the best whisky and food pairings around. There’s something potently primeval about cramming your mouth with strips of dark meat and then knocking back a slug of good whisky. With better weather to look forward to, platters of smoked game with salad make excellent accompaniments to al fresco dining or tempting appetizers for your next cookout. Scotland has a number of award-winning smokehouses run by passionate people who are deservedly proud of the high-quality food they produce. Richard Barclay runs the Ran- noch Smokery (rannochsmokery.co.uk) on the sporting estate of Innerhadden, near Kinloch Rannoch. The sawdust smoke from old whisky barrels imbues fabulous flavors into their wild venison, prepped with Barclay’s unique brine. Further north, Jan Jacob and Anja Baak, a couple…