A Scotch Lover’s Guide to Whisky Heaven

by Graham Usher

Islay sand dunes

I love Scotland, and not simply because of the great golf courses and incredible whiskies.

After all, world-class malts are produced in exotic locales such as Japan, Taiwan and India. And, there are few finer golf experiences than Stanley Thompson’s gem at the Jasper Park Lodge or the magnificent Pebble Beach Golf links alongside Monterey Bay.

I love Scotland because my heritage demands it and it’s where my soul truly feels at peace. So whenever the opportunity presents itself for a visit back to Auld Scotia, it’s akin to going home.

This past fall I visited several distilleries dotted all over the Scottish countryside, including the Western Isles of Islay and Arran, with a group of private whisky buyers. The organization, called the Single Cask Nation (SCN) is a whisky society that sells single cask offerings selected for its membership (of which I am the only Canadian). Our task was to sample whiskies in the barrel.

I decided to bookend my visit with some rounds of golf at Royal Troon and Turnberry as well as a few lesser-known gems. I flew to Glasgow, then drove three hours west to Campbeltown on the southeast tip of the Mull of Kintyre. I met with my friend Ranald Watson, the global brand ambassador for Springbank Distilleries, to play a round of golf at Royal Macrihannish Golf Links (opened in 1876 and partially re-designed by old Tom Morris in 1878).

Campbeltown has a storied place in whisky lore, at one time boasting as many 37 distilleries in the late 19th century, being every bit the whisky engine of Scotland that the Speyside region is today. Sadly, only three producing distilleries remain in Campbeltown: Springbank, Glengyle and Glen Scotia.

After a truly Scottish golf experience — rain and wind — followed by fish and chips at the clubhouse, it was back on the road to Glasgow to meet up with the boys from SCN.

Day One

Our group, nine whisky-loving men, set off on the first leg of our distillery adventure, three hours north east to Speyside. First stop: Aberlour distillery, one of the top selling whiskies in France. You might not think that this is a big deal, but France as it turns out, is the number one nation for the consumption of whisky by volume (the United States spends more on whisky than any other country).

Best known for using sherry casks for aging, Aberlour is now using some bourbon casks as well, reducing the sweet berry notes while increasing the more cereal elements. This is most apparent in the A’bunadh. All in all, a pleasant experience to start our trip.

Next up was the Glen Moray Distillery to choose the next cask for SCN members. After a brief tour of the distilling facilities we got down to business, starting off by nosing three separate barrels of whisky. Nosing a cask is pretty much what it sounds like, the bung (plug) is removed and the members smell the whisky in the cask. It is amazing what you can determine about a cask and the whisky contained inside by merely smelling. We did not know the age of each whisky or the origin/type of each barrel (we later found out the barrels were Chenin Blanc, Bourbon and Madeira). Once everyone had the opportunity to nose each barrel, we ranked our choices, then moved to the visitors’ centre for round two. We tasted each of the three barrels (in an undisclosed order) and ranked our choices. Both rounds were tabulated and our favourite was chosen.

Once all the hard work was out of the way we headed to a local Elgin eatery to celebrate our first day, and later at the Drouthy Cobbler Pub, to sample some fine drams. In the pub we overheard much civilized and good-natured discussion surrounding the impending vote on independence.

Day Two

The GlenDronach Distillery, in Aberdeenshire near Huntly. GlenDronach, noted for its sherried expressions, has undergone a significant transformation since its purchase in 2008 by the BenRiach Distillery. The plan was to restore the distillery to its former glory and importance to the world of whisky (as it had been from 1826-1996). With this renewed sense of purpose, GlenDronach is again producing a beautiful, light and elegant spirit. The gentle sweetness is no doubt due to the selection of exceptional sherry casks, carefully managed and masterfully blended.

A popular misconception is that all single malt scotches are from a single cask. In fact, unless the bottle states the source as single cask on the label, all single malt whiskies are a blend of several casks from the same distillery, usually from the same year. We were introduced to the 15-, 18- and two 21-year-old special bottlings as well as tasting the new spirit, the clear spirit that comes directly from the spirit still.

In Scotland, new spirit cannot be called whisky until it has spent a minimum of three years and one day in oak. This affects the colour and the flavour in a significant way — as demonstrated by the side-by-side tasting of matured whisky and the new spirit. The difference was fascinating, offering a great insight into how the wood affects the flavour and colour. For example, spirits aged in port or sherry casks are a darker, richer red colour than the same spirit aged in refill bourbon casks. In the end, our visit to GlenDronach proved to be an enlightening experience with many members of the group purchasing single cask bottles from this terrific distillery.

Our last distillery in the Spey is one of my personal favourites, Cragganmore in Ballindalloch, Banffshire. Diageo brand ambassador Douglas Colville started us off with a 12-year-old and a 21-year-old Cragganmore followed by the Old & Rare Mortlach whisky, which had a wonderfully creamy mouth feel and Christmas cake flavours of currants, dates and raisins. Afterwards, Douglas took us in to the warehouse to show us how they managed the casks. Position within a warehouse has an effect on the maturation of the casks due to the higher temperatures closer to the ceiling. Cragganmore has much lower ceilings than many distilleries and, as a result, does not stack their casks more than three layers high.

Day Three

Scotch Warehouse

We were on the road early to drive six hours across the picturesque northern highlands. Along the way we saw signs dotting on the hillsides proclaiming “Yes” for those Scots in favour of Scottish separation from the United Kingdom, and “No Thanks” for those supporting the current arrangement. While the rest of the world watched the various news agencies trying their best to whip up pubic sentiment, we did not see any outward signs of acrimony. My favourite news piece was the declaration that the Glasgow Rangers Football Club could no longer avoid bankruptcy, due to the fact that the board of directors could not sell shares or otherwise solicit funds from the fan base because of uncertainty over the British Pound being recognized as official currency after the vote. As with all things Rangers, it turned out to be much ado about nothing.

Once we hit the west coast we turned south, driving through the charming village of Oban and on to the port of Kennacraig where we caught the ferry to Islay. We planned to visit six iconic distilleries on the island, considered mecca for lovers of bold-flavoured, heavily-peated whiskies that age in warehouses perched on craggy outcroppings, in barrels that seem to breathe the bracing and turbulent sea air.

Surprisingly, as we sailed into the terminal at Port Ellen, we were greeted with beautiful sunny weather. Once settled into our accommodations, we were treated to our finest meal yet at the Port Charlotte Hotel. Good thing we were able to get our bellies full of food to offset the torture we were about to put our livers through over the next two days.

Day Four

Our first distillery was Laphroaig with guide Bryony Boyd, who just happened to be the actual owner of Shorty; the Jack Russell Terrier used in the entire Ardbeg distillery adverts. (Sadly, we found out Shorty had recently passed at age 16). Laphroaig is a distillery with a foot firmly planted in the old ways. Although it pumps out more than 1.2 million litres of whisky every year, Laphroaig continues to malt 25 per cent of its own barley — which they just happened to be doing at the time we visited the malting floor. Against all British Health and Safety rules, the kiln doors opened and we stepped inside the peat-smoke filled chamber to experience the drying of the malt first-hand. Even for a seasoned whisky drinker and distillery visitor, this was a phenomenal experience.

We traveled a few short kilometers east along the southern shore to Ardbeg. This quirky, lesser-known distillery (except among peat heads) has been turning out some of the most interesting special bottlings (Alligator, Supernova, Galileo) of any distillery for the past 15 years. The highlight was a wee taste of Ardbeg distilled in October 1964, matured in wood for 42 years, bottled in 2006. At that point, the alcohol content was dipping down near 40 per cent alcohol by volume (abv), the lowest a whisky can have and still be called whisky. It showed a side of Ardbeg rarely seen. Rather than being an aggressive, smoky mouthful, this expression had a soft, subtle flavour with almost no iodine or peaty-ness. Granted it still had some smoke but it almost felt like an after-thought.

After lunch we toured the facilities and one of the warehouses, then back to the visitor centre to try the Ardbeg Alligator, the standard 10-year-old and a 17-year-old that did the Ardbeg reputation proud — peat on the front of the tongue and sea salt on the finish, perfect.

We headed back up island to Bruichladdich, located in Port Charlotte, where we were able to sneak in just before closing. This Remy Cointreau-owned distillery is the very embodiment of a whisky-Phoenix. Mothballed in the early 1990s due to poor sales, the distillery was resurrected in 2002 by a group of investors (including one ex-university chancellor from Edmonton) and, under the tutelage of master distiller Jim McEwan, became the number three selling Islay whisky. It was only just recently sold to Remy Martin for a record £58 million. Touring around the facility, the group was most impressed by, of all things, the gin mill named Ugly Betty, where the impressive Botanist Gin is distilled twice a year. Back in the visitor’s tasting room, our host appeared with the yet-to-be-released Octomore 6.3. The intent of this expression was to see how high they could push the phenol, a measure of the peat content. Past expressions have averaged between 65 ppm (parts per million) and 167 ppm (by comparison the Ardbegs and Laphroaigs usually register around 40 ppm range). At 63.5 per cent abv the Octomore 6.3 clocked in at an astounding 258 ppm — a monster dram, to be released in Canada around Christmas.

Day Five

Still on Islay, we returned to the southern coast and an early morning visit to Lagavulin. We arrived just in time for a quick scoot through the mash tun, washback and stills rooms (each distillery’s hardware and method of distillation affects the whisky produced) before heading into the warehouse for a tasting of seven different expressions. The standouts were a 1966 sherried cask and a 37-year bourbon cask (each sample drawn directly from the cask).

Lagavulin has struck a fine balance between the smoky characteristics of an Islay whisky and the elegance associated with malts from the Highlands and Speyside. Much of Lagavulin’s output is chill-filtered, which strips out some of the less desirable taste elements but also removes out some of the fatty acids and oils (fats equal flavour and complexity). Cold-chill filtering has been a hot topic for discussion ever since the process was invented (for the movies, ostensibly to keep the whisky from going cloudy when you added ice) and its pros and cons will likely continue to be discussed well into the future. It’s perhaps more germane to acknowledge that some distilleries feel the need to chill-filter while others do not.

After lunch we headed to the Bowmore distillery. We toured the facilities (again with a visit into the peat kilns for some) and headed down into the Number 1 warehouse, the most famous warehouse on Islay because it is actually located below sea level. We tasted nine current versions of which none were truly memorable even though all good solid offerings. However, the visitor centre lounge, with its comfortable leather furniture, huge fireplaces and terrific view of Laggan Bay would be great place to gather and watch a lashing west coast squall.

Our last distillery of the day was the newest distillery on the island, Kilchomen. Built on a sheep farm high up in the hills behind Port Charlotte, Kilchomen is the only distillery on Islay that performs the entire process from start to finish, beginning with the malting of 100 per cent Scottish barley (some of which is Islay grown) through to the bottling. We had the extreme pleasure of meeting the owner/founder, Anthony Wills while he was pitching in on the bottling line. An English wine merchant in an earlier life (he was a definite No Thanks voter), Mr. Wills began distilling single malts a decade ago and has been turning the whisky world on its ear ever since. Kilchomen famously bucked industry trends by selling three- to five-year-old single malts. What he realized was that when you use choice ingredients and employ excellent distilling techniques you do not have to barrel age the spirit as long in order to get a smooth, flavourful whisky. This model has been copied by new distilleries from Sweden to Taiwan and it has forced many of the established distilleries to reconsider their methods and results.

Day Six

Two lovely surprises on the ferry trip from Port Askaig to Kennacraig. Anthony Wills was on the ferry! We had a wonderful chat with him about the whisky industry and where he saw it headed. Also, a young lady was traveling back to Edinburgh, bringing a mandolin for a friend. One of the members of our group, a graduate of the Berkeley School of Music, treated us to some early morning Celtic reels. With that, the day was off to a terrific start.

We headed down to the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, one of the oldest family-owned distilleries in Scotland, where Ranald Watson gave us a personal tour. Springbank also chooses to source and use barley from local farms whenever possible. What ultimately sets Springbank apart is its commitment to its community. Although the annual output is in the neighbourhood of 750,000 litres, the distillery employs over 65 full-time staff (compared to Aberlour let’s say, which produces 3.2 million litres and employs less than 10 full-time staff). The current Springbank owner, Hedley Wright, has arranged for the distillery to be placed in trust for the benefit of the citizens of Campbeltown in perpetuity.

Cadenhead is the independent bottling division of Springbank. A visit to that warehouse was like hitting the jackpot — a selection of casks from various distilleries they have been overseeing for decades. We were allowed to bottle (straight from the cask) a 1974 Inch Murrin, a 1986 Highland Park, a 1979 Dallas Dhu and a 1991 Caol Ila. Ranald told me afterwards that our group set a record for the most money spent in a single visit — nearly $4,000 on 22 bottles. Sadly we were not able to purchase a cask from the distillery — which would have been a tremendous coup.

After lunch we headed up the coast to catch the ferry to our last stop, the island of Arran and the Arran Distillery, which opened in 1995. Of all the distilleries we visited, Arran was (in my mind) the most logically set up with all the processes located in one big room. This reduces the need for miles of pipes connecting the mash tun to the washbacks and the washbacks to the stills. I was impressed with the efficiency of this distillery and even more impressed with their warehouse inventory system. I purchased a small bottle of 18-year-old, single Tuscan cask as a souvenir from this very slick distillery.

There was much lingering at the end of the tour as we realized this was our final distillery visit. We caught the ferry and drove up to Glasgow for one last meal at the Bon Accord Pub.

In hindsight it seems rather fitting that the group decided to hold its farewell dinner and drinks at this pub in the heart of Glasgow. There are well over 200 single malts behind the bar, many of which are extremely rare (and expensive). The owner, Paul McDonagh, irascible, charming and incredibly knowledgeable about whiskies, was very generous with our raucous group of North Americans. He brought over a bottle with its label covered, poured us all a dram and asked us to guess what it was. A lively discussion ensued. It turned out to be a 1978 Port Ellen (Gordon and MacPhail bottled) that usually pours for £90/ounce, and he poured 12 of them for our group.
We did our best to repay his generosity by ordering some outstanding whiskies, not the least of which was a 35-year-old Bhora.

To say that I am fortunate to have experienced this trip with such a terrific group of guys is an Everest-sized understatement. The tally of whiskies sampled during the seven-day tour was somewhere between 165 and 190.

For this whisky and golf lover, it was heaven.

Born into the Usher Family, famous for its blended Scotch whisky and Usher’s brewery, Graham is the owner of UnWined: Fine Wines, Spirits and Ales in St. Albert and Edmonton City Centre. Graham is also a co-owner of the Victoria Caledonia Distillery (Victoria, 2015).