With the exception of caramel colouring there is perhaps no more divisive issue in the Whisky world than No Age Statements (NAS), love them or hate them there’s no denying they are fast becoming the new normal and that’s unlikely to change. Ultimately the issue is more complex than a simple right or wrong, being open or being closed, the issue needs to be understood through a variety of questions:

1. What is an Age Statement?
2. Why are Age Statements Misleading?
3. Why are Distilleries Dropping Age Statements?
4. Are No Age Statements New?
5. Why are Whisky connoisseurs concerned?
6. Why are No Age Statements here to stay?

What is a Whisky Age Statement?

The age statement on a bottle of whisky indicates the youngest age of the whisky inside the bottle, a bottle of 21 year old whisky may contain some 25, or 35 year old spirit, but the second you add any 3 year old spirit the age statement would need to read 3.

Why are Age Statements Misleading?

Whisky age statements are problematic for three reasons, they are poorly understood, they reinforce the idea that older is better and worse still they prevent brands from being transparent.

Age statements are misunderstood

Even among those who take an interest the age statement is a poorly understood thing, in a survey conducted last year Uisce Beatha asked hundreds of whisky fans to define an age statement, the overwhelming majority defined this as the the average age of the whisky rather than as the youngest. Similarly most whisky fans fail to recognise single malts as blends in their own right.

Older Whisky is not superior to younger whisky

The idea that an older whisky is superior is no more accurate than the idea that strong tea is better, older people are more mature, or that a peated whisky is superior to a sherry finished whisky. Even on a single cask whisky, the age specifies only the time that the whisky has lain in contact with the wood of the barrel. It doesn’t indicate the quality of the barrel, how many times it’s been used or the climate the whisky was aged in all of which hugely impact maturation. Some whisky fans prefer the leathery, oaky spices imparted by the wood over decades, some prefer the grainy notes of the young spirit. The majority of whiskies work better somewhere in the middle with the wood imparting a complex flavour profile over a well distilled, flavourful grain. Older whiskies are more expensive due to both the increased costs of producing (storing) these, and also due to their relative rarity compared to younger whisky. Price, like age is no indicator of quality.

Age statements complicate the question of transparency

The legislation regarding age statements actually make it harder for distillers and blenders to be open with consumers as they actually require that only the age of the youngest whisky be stated on the label. As an example the Compass Box 3 Year Old Deluxe is a blend of 0.4% 3 year old whisky, the remainder is far older spirit. Compass Box by law are compelled not to advise consumers of the ages of these spirits, they can only hint that 90.3% from the Clynelish distillery and 9.3% produced by Talisker, with no reference made to age. If you want more information on this you can find out more from the Compass Box campaign for transparency and in the Bruichladdich article of support.

Why are Distilleries Dropping Age Statements

Through years of advertising promoting Age Statements as a sign of quality, consumers now put faith in the number on the front of their bottle. Now we’re facing a shortage of older spirit, Whisky demand has now far exceeded supply, in part due to the loss of so many distilleries and the Age Statement actually threatens the ability of the industry to sell spirit. Put a 3 on the front of the bottle and it isn’t likely to shift many cases, release a no age statement with a catchy name instead and the consumer will likely never question it. That is not to suggest that distilleries are likely to be reckless with their brands, or even that a no age statement whisky means an inferior quality. Japanese whiskies such as the Yamazake Distiller’s Reserve or the Hibiki Harmony are a superb example to the contrary, Ardbeg’s Uigeadail is for many superior to the standard 10 year old expression. Regardless there are two obvious reasons for brands to look to No Age Statements:

NAS allow the creation of new and interesting whiskies

A NAS whisky enables the blending of single malts of different ages to create fantastic expressions without being hamstrung by a specific age. The reality is that in absence of lots of older spirit the small addition of younger spirit into the mix may well result in better malts.

NAS whiskies are very profitable

A shortage of older expressions within the distillery means reduced output as the whisky waits to reach an arguably arbitrary age before bottling, this means increased storage costs and lower alcohol by volume (due to the loss known as the angels share). John Campbell Laphroaig’s master distiller reports that the distillery’s Quarter Cask is now “the fastest-growing brand in our portfolio, making up 25% of our sales”, nor are they alone.

Are No Age Statements New?

This is actually nothing new, Glenmorangie and Ardbeg have been making No Age Statements for ages, the Aberlour a’bundah has never, to my knowledge been challenged, for lack of a number. Similarly while all my peat loving friends rave (justifiably) about the relatively new and unheard of Kilchoman distiller on Islay I’ve never seen one with an age statement. Age statements are nothing new, and frankly for the more discerning consumer the number on the front should be of no more significance than the typeface so long as the spirit is Good. As Bill Lumsden (master distiller for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg put it when given the change “I wasn’t considering the age, I considered the taste profile, this is more important. The starting point is having good whisky spirit, if you have that then you need good wood, then you have a range of flavours available. Regardless of what you are doing, young whisky in bad wood will be ruthlessly exposed.”

Why are Whisky fans up in arms about No Age Statements

Although No Age Statements are nothing new they are fan more common and more of a concern to whisky fans than ever before for two simple reasons.

No age statements displace favoured expressions

You need look no further than The Macallan, the distillery pushed its colour coded 1824 NAS offerings in favour of the brands popular fine oak whiskies. This began due to popular response to their travel retail only bottlings and ended up removing a much loved range from the shelves. As I’ve covered previously the Glenlivet Founders Reserve has displaced the standard 12 year old in the UK market. Similarly my own favourite the Laphroiag 18 is now no more, but the Quarter Cask has been joined with Select Casks, PX Cask, An Cuan Mòr Whisky and Lore (the latter being the only one of these I don’t enjoy) abound aplenty. If the 10 were to be removed, replaced by a some generic no age statement everyone from friends and family to those unlucky enough to have me on Facebook would hear about it. At length.

Price concerns

No age statements drive up prices is a common critique; Talisker storm a No Age Statement sells for £x, surely the ten year old is worth £y goes the rationale. This is a little bit chicken and egg as rising costs, then rarity and increased demand push up prices rather just profiteering businesses, nonetheless the price of NAS whiskies is often eye-watering. I won’t touch on the degree that NAS whiskies are a rip off as ultimately they sell for whatever price we the consumer is willing to pay, nothing more nothing less. Regardless consumers used to being able to take home a favoured tipple with a number find themselves instead putting a NAS in their shopping basket for close to the same price. This rankles on some level, but nevermore when the product in question is deemed to be inferior.

Why are No Age Statements here to stay?

No age statements allow brands to make profits by introducing interesting spirits without the stigma of an age statement. This is why these businesses exist, so long as this remains true no age statements aren’t going anywhere.

Personal thoughts

No age statements aren’t a good thing, giving consumers less information is never going to be a positive thing they are not, as some have amusingly commented, going to kill us all. The age statement was championed by marketers of established brands against the less established and the only people they mislead were non whisky drinkers. Personally I’d rather know exactly what’s in my whisky, I want to know if anyones added colouring, if it’s been chill filtered, I want to know the grain used and what the youngest whisky in the mix is. That’s because I’m a whisky geek. Regardless if the whisky inside is of a high enough quality, I’ll be buying it. If it’s not up to standard then brands have only a finite time to resolve this before they’ll be bit where it hurts most, in salves revenue.

From the Archive: This article was originally published usscots.com written by Charles MacLean. Republished here to preserve the resource.

Today, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the world’s premier whisky club, but like all good institutions, its beginnings were small and its early days fraught. It might be said to have its origins in the stoneflagged hall-way of a genteel ground-fl oor fl at on Scotland Street, at the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town – a street since made famous by the writings of Alexander McCall Smith.

The flat was owned by Phillip (‘Pip’) Hills; the date was 1978. During his extensive travels in the Highlands, Pip had tasted malt whisky drawn straight from the cask, and had been astonished how different it tasted from the bottled variety – more aromatic and flavourful, bigger in body and texture. Fired with enthusiasm – Pip is a great enthusiast – and armed with some samples, he quickly persuaded a group of friends to share the cost of a cask of Glenfarclas (one the few malts that you could buy direct from the distillery).

In his flat that fateful day in 1978, the friends gathered to bottle their cask by hand, and to sample what they had bought. It did not take long for this early group of friends to expand their number and become a syndicate. More casks were bought, bottled individually, at natural strength, and without the chill-filtration that most whisky undergoes, in order to prevent it going hazy when water or ice is added (unfortunately, the compounds removed by this process are mighty contributors to flavour and texture). The syndicate members eagerly subscribed for bottles. Pip spent an increasing amount of time touring around distilleries in his 4.5 litre 1937 Lagonda trying to persuade them to part with casks of good mature whisky. In those days single malts were little known and difficult to find; single cask, single malts were more or less unheard of.

The members of the syndicate began to discuss founding a club, open to all comers, and their discussions were given sudden urgency by the arrival on the market of a very old, very large and very derelict building with whisky connections running back a hundred years, and wine associations over nearly 1000 years: The Vaults, in Leith, the Port of Edinburgh. The lower three floors of the present building known as ‘The Vaults’ was erected by the Vintners’ Guild in 1682. A fourth storey was added in 1785, but beneath the building are four vaulted cellars used, as they always have been, for the storage of wine. They have been described as “the oldest building in Scotland, and possibly in Britain, still continuously used for commercial purposes”. Tradition has it they were granted to the Abbey of Holyrood on its foundation in 1143; certainly they appear in a charter granted by the abbot in 1439 as “the grete volute of Villiam Logan”. Logan himself was the grandson of Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig, Lord High Admiral of Scotland and son-in-law of King Robert II, who died in Spain in 1329, while accompanying Robert Bruce’s heart to the Holy Land. In 1588, following the Reformation, the Vaults passed from the Abbey to the Vintners’ Guild of Edinburgh, which erected a single story building above them, known as The Vintners’ Room, the outside wall of which remains today. Here members of the Guild sampled wines that had been landed at Leith and, if deemed good enough, purchased the wine. Once purchased, the casks were carted up to Edinburgh and sold ‘on draught’, the citizens fi lling their own bottles and jugs. In 1739, Thomas Clayton, a plasterer recently arrived from England, completed his first assignment in Scotland, which was the opulent decoration of the Vintners’ Room with bibulous putti, vines and a scallop-shell surmounting the auctioneer’s niche.

These are all still intact and preserved. Clayton was working with William Adam on The Drum next year, and later did work at Holyroodhouse (now lost) and the Duke of Hamilton’s palace at Chatelherault. In 1753 the whole building was leased to James Thomson, Wine Merchant. His father had married into the wine trade in 1698 and established himself in Thomson’s Court, off the Grassmarket in the Old Town of Edinburgh in 1709. The firm became known as J.G. Thomson & Co in 1820, after its senior partner, James Gibson Thomson. He became Treasurer of the City of Edinburgh in the 1840s, by which time his firm was the leading wine merchant in Scotland. In 1875, the year before he retired, J.G. Thomson took as partners James Anderson and the Usher brothers, John (later Sir John) and Andrew (the ‘Father of Blended Whisky’). For three generations the firm was directed by Andersons, and began to bottle and sell its own brands of whisky. J.G.Thomson & Co became a limited company in 1905, and by 1930 was supplying wine to most of Scotland’s leading hotels. It was also a leading independent whisky blender, with a prosperous overseas trade. After World War II, many privately owner hotels amalgamated into ‘chains’ or were acquired by breweries. This effectively removed Thomson’s principal customers, and by 1960 the company was a shadow of its former self and was obliged to become the wine division of a brewery, ultimately joining Tennent Caledonian. The last bottlings were done at the Vaults in 1964, and the old building became no more than a warehouse with offices. By the late 1970s the top two storeys were unsafe and unusable, and in 1983, the year the Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded, the building was put up for sale. Such a unique opportunity was irresistible to the founders of the Society. They quickly formed Vaults (Leith) Limited, and managed to buy the semi-derelict building for £40,000. Their intention was to refurbish, create a number of flats, a restaurant and a whisky museum, and above all to install facilities for members to enjoy whisky and each other’s company. However, the new company soon ran into financial difficulties. Some flats were sold and the restaurant as well.

The whisky museum was adopted by the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, but in essence the heroic restoration of the Vaults and the creation of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society realised the ideals and vision of those founding fathers. It has not been plain sailing since then. By 1993, the Society was again in acute financial difficulties, following an attempt to enter the American market. In effect, it had grown bigger than the amateur skills of the founders could cope with. Richard Gordon was appointed Managing Director (without the extent of the problem being explained to him!). Having done a fantastic job, he retired in September 2006 to become bursar of an Oxford College. In 1996, he launched a limited share offer to members: £1 shares, with a minimum allocation of 500 shares, ‘to raise capital to lay down stock, buy another fl at for members’ use at the Vaults, to establish a Members’ Room in London and to reduce the Society’s debts’. This raised just under £350,000, and all the goals have been more than realised. In 2004 the Society bought further premises in Edinburgh, a beautiful Georgian town house in the New Town. The same year the shareholders agreed that the Society be taken over by Glenmorangie PLC, a move which secured supplies of high quality mature whiskies. Membership currently stands at 24,000, and there are now branches in Austria, Switzerland, France, Benelux, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Australia and the U.S.A. Regular tastings and events are held throughout the year, all over the U.K. and among its international branches. Andrew Macdonald, an experienced and enthusiastic whisky man, formerly at Macallan and Glenfarclas, who succeeds Richard Gordon as MD, has a sound ship to navigate through the years to come.

Footnote: The SMWS has since passed from Glenmorangie ownership and is once again in private hands

Firstly this has nothing to do with the ISS, which is so far has hosted Ardbeg and now Suntory spirits, you can find out more their respective studies on microgravity maturation here and microgravity mellowing here. Instead this is about the new rather fantastic video for the Glenfiddich 21 21 Year Old Gran Reserva which you can see below*.

Whisky By Gravity Thinking

The video put together by London based agency Gravity Thinking features Puerto Rican artist, Calma Carmona, Gaby Oliver, Hector “Coco” Barez, and the Co-OPERAtive Scotland orchestra performing their take on ‘Love Illumination’ by Franz Ferdinand (you can see the original song here). All the while the visuals of the whisky focus on the wave patterns induced by the music.

The Science of Cymatics

Carrying the legend “this film was created using the science of cymatics” the visuals primarily centre around the whisky and the wave patterns that appear within the beautiful cymatics sculptures (created by Ten Hertz) created by the vibrations of the musicians instruments and vocals. It is however worth noting that while Cymatics is merely the picturesque vibrations of sounds within a liquid it’s also got a darker pseudo-science association which is often claimed to have healing properties. ‘Cymatics’ derived from the Greek ‘kuma’ to billow’ or ‘wave,’ is the study of sound and vibration made visible, typically on the surface of a plate or membrane. The incredible visuals of in the finishing touch pair the periodic effects that the instruments and vocals have on the rum finished spirit. of the four machines the “Double Helix” and the “Zig Zag” were particularly impressive but the fourth and final managed to suspend a drop of the whisky in mid-air delivering the “finishing touch” to the bottle.

Glenfiddich “The Finishing Touch”

The Whisky Itself

With a tagline of “raised in Scotland, roused by the Caribbean”, malt master Brian Kinsman added his finishing touch to Gran Reserva, which is described as “an exquisite, traditional Speyside whisky, rich and ripe with Glenfiddich signature notes” via the unusual choice of rum seasoned bourbon barrels. That is to say rather than using rum barrels the staves themselves were seasoned before double maturation. As the spirit has only just been launched getting a hold of a sample has not yet been possible however reception of those who have has been wildly mixed, some being particularly muted on the subject, others being far more vocal in criticising the price tag for what they consider a very similar whisky. While i’m always hesitant of splashing out on a £140 bottle with such reviews you can try a sample for only £11.86 from the chaps at Master of Malts so I’ve got one on order. and I’ll report back shortly. In the meantime you can find out a little more with a behind the scenes look at the making of Finishing Touch.

Not all whiskies are considered kosher. In order for a whisky to be considered kosher, it must be produced and bottled under the supervision of a rabbi in accordance with Jewish dietary laws. This means that the ingredients, production process, and equipment used to make the whisky must all be in compliance with these laws. In addition, the whisky must be free of any non-kosher additives or ingredients. There are many whiskies that are not produced in this way, so not all whiskies are considered kosher. In 2015 The Israeli Chief Rabbinate – the spiritual authority for Jews in Israel – claims certain imports of Johnnie Walker falsely carry a kosher classification and are therefore unsuitable for a kosher diet.

Forgive the title but given that Ardbeg have described the results of their experiment as “groundbreaking” and paving the way “for unprecedented flavour profiles” I couldn’t resist. For those not in the know Ardbeg beat Suntory in sending a sample of their whisky to the ISS around 4 years ago, and the long awaited results are in. The study looked at the effects of micro-gravity on terpenes during the maturation process has resulted in “major differences” between the two samples.

Whisky Maturation In Orbit

In October 2011 vials containing Ardbeg new-make spirit distillate and shards of Ardbeg casks were launched by Soyuz rocket from Baikonur to spend almost three years 200 miles above Earth, orbiting at 17,227 miles per hour. The terpenes (aromatic and flavour-active hydrocarbon chains which give whisky its floral and fruity flavours) by all accounts underwent considerable changes in microgravity, Dr Bill Lumsden noted that the “space samples were noticeably different. When I nosed and tasted the space samples, it became clear that much more of Ardbeg’s smoky, phenolic character shone through – to reveal a different set of smoky flavours which I have not encountered here on earth before”. That being said Bill described the aftertaste as “pungent, intense and long, with hints of wood, antiseptic lozenges and rubbery smoke” which sounds like more than a few Ardbeg’s to me! Chemical analysis revealed significant different ratios of wood extractive compounds between the space based sample and the control samples on earth. Dr Bill continued “In the future, the altered range of wood extractions could lead scientists to be able to detail the ratios of compounds expected in whiskies of a certain age.” while we’re unlikely to ever find a vial of Ardbegs space aged whisky on master of malts or the whisky exchange this development might open the door for considerably different whiskies so watch this space. Sorry!

It Came Back Whisky But It’s Not A Scotch

In case anyone was wondering why the whisky spent three years in orbit around the earth, that’s the minimum period of time new make (not yet matured) spirit needs to sleep before if can be called whisky. Despite being distilled by Ardbeg’s Islay distillery the vial returning from orbit doesn’t technically qualify as a Scotch as it was not “Wholly matured in an excise warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres (185 US gal; 154 imp gal) for at least three years”. Sadly there can never be such a thing as space aged Scotch!

If you attend a whisky tasting, or buy a malt whisky online the first part of any review is generally focussed on the colour of the whisky. Unfortunately while the colour can tell us a lot about the age, and the barrel used whisky colouring is often altered using e150a (caramel) food colouring.

What Gives a Whisky Its Colour?

The colour of a whisky is a result of contact with the oak barrel the whisky matured in, so the size and condition of the barrel, it’s previous content and maturation all affect the colour of your whisky. The older the whisky the darker you can expect it to be, though this can’t be said in reverse a dark whisky is not always indicative of an older age statement.

Melanoidins From the Oak Barrel

When whisky, technically called new make spirit until its at least three years old, is first distilled it is crystal clear with no trace of colour when it arrives in the spirit safe. The whiskies colour is primarily the consequence of melanoidins (high molecular weight heterogeneous polymers) which are created during the breakdown of cellulose. The longer a whisky has been aged the darker the spirit generally is.

Condition of the Barrel

American law requires that any bourbons must be matured exclusively in new oak barrels, Scotch, and most other whiskies have no such restrictions. As a consequence bourbon’s are typically much darker than other whiskies of comparable ages. It’s not unknown for Scotch distillers to re-use barrels three or even four times before these are scraped and re-charred, a process referred to as rejuvenation, each subsequent use means results in a lighter spirit than would have been achieved during the previous maturation. For this reason first fill whiskies, whiskies matured after these have been used for bourbon, are often prized above others

Barrel Size

Smaller barrels by virtue of having a lower wood surface to spirit ratio, and of course less whisky, result in a much darker hue than would be achieved by a larger barrel. A quarter cask with an 80 litre capacity or American bourbon barrels with a 190-200 litre capacity for example will result in a far darker whisky than could be achieved with a 250 litre Hogshead. While American bourbon barrels are by far the most common source of staves used to produce scotch it’s not uncommon for these to be turned into considerably larger barrels when reassembled by the cooper.

The Previous Content

The history of the barrel has a huge impact on not just the flavour profile but also the colour, whisky matured in American oak barrels (Quercus alba) from the American bourbon industry will result in a golden yellow or honey colouring, whisky matured in European oak (Quercus robur) sherry buts will result in a much darker amber hue. While the below list is not exhaustive it gives a useful overview of the impact the previous resident can have on a whisky colour profile;

Predecessor	Type of liquid	Resultant Colour Change
Bourbon	whiskey	golden
Burgundy	wine	dark red
Madeira	fortified wine	dark, amber
Port (sweet)	fortified wine	red
Port (semi-dry)	fortified wine	red
Port (dry)	fortified wine	red
Oloroso	sherry	red, amber
Pedro Ximenez (PX)	sherry	amber
Fino	sherry	bright
Manzanilla	sherry	bright
Amontillado	sherry	amber
Palo Cortado	sherry	brown
Sauternes	wine	bright to amber
Bordeaux (red)	wine	red
Tokaji	wine	bright to amber
Ruby Port	fortified wine	red
Barolo	wine	red
Chardonnay	wine	bright
Moscatel (white)	wine	bright
Moscatel	sherry	amber
Rum (white)	spirit	bright
Rum (dark)	spirit	amber
Amarone	wine	red
Marsala	fortified wine	dark red

E150a Caramel Colouring

One of the most controversial and divisive decisions in the whisky making community is over the use of caramel food colouring to manipulate the colour profile of whisky. While a full explanation of this process the motivations and the reactions will be the subject of another article for now I’ll focus on the impact this has on the colour. Created by caramalising sugar E150a is a dark bitter brown liquid which in only very small quantities has a profound darkening effect on the colour of any liquid it’s added to. Caramel colouring is used for two reasons:

Colour harmonising Malt Whisky

While distilleries release age statements and signature lines these cannot remain perfectly consistent from run to run. Each single malt is created by blending together the single malts, of no younger age than the age statement, from the distillery to produce a balanced and consistent whisky however these have aged in different barrels, generally experienced different temperatures and may not look comparable. Knowing that colour is often associated with quality and fearing that consumers will perceive a lighter version of their whisky less favourable distilleries often add caramel colouring, in addition to making other cosmetic changes such as chill filtration to ensure consistent colour and look.

Darkening Young Whiskies

As whiskies darken with age conversely incredibly young whiskies lack almost any colouring, Glenmorangie original for example is an incredibly light straw like yellow which is achieved by adding E150a caramel colouring! If you’ve ever encountered an incredibly cheap whisky such as the Tesco Everyday Value Blended Scotch Whisky shown to the right you’ll know that these lack any suggestion of age, beyond their colour. Producing a whisky is incredibly expensive compared to other spirits, the cost of the wood alone can add as much as 15% on to the price, then it must be aged for at least three years. Producing a whisky in older, and thus less valuable barrels, for only a period of three years will result in a whisky that more closely resembles vodka. Given that this is less likely to sell the producers understandably add colouring. Similarly younger whiskies can be given a darker hue by adding only a few drops of caramel, making them far more attractive to consumers.

Does Whisky Colour Matter?

While some distilleries refuse to play the caramel game with their younger whiskies, something which is unlikely to change with the growing number of No Age Statement whiskies on offer, they are for the moment at least in the minority. The colour of your whisky only matters if it’s unadulterated, that is not to say sight can’t still teach you a thing or two about your whisky such as its ABV, the addition of caramel might be to bring consistency, or even to colour to expectation but it makes the colour somewhat meaningless as an indicator of its age or the barrel.

On August 16th Japan’s Suntory whisky distillery is set to follow in the footsteps of Ardbeg experimenting with zero gravity maturation experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In what can only be an exercise in astronaut temptation the distillery is sending samples of both a new make spirit and the older 21 year old expression into orbit, the first samples will return in a year, the rest two years later.

Japanese Whisky Aboard The ISS

Suntory’s study of the “development of mellowness in alcoholic beverage through the use of a microgravity environment” is not merely an interesting PR piece, although I’m certain that came into play, but may in fact prove quite educational. The distillery has already been experimenting on the effects of microgravity, during parabolic flight, on the formation of high-dimensional molecular structure with Professor Shigenao Maruyama & Professor Mitsuhiro Shibayama of the Institute of Fluid Science at Tohoku University and Professor Mitsuhiro Shibayama of the Institute for Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo respectively. The results of these experiments will likely take a considerable amount of time to be made public but we’ll update you when we know more.

Other Whisky Experiments In Space

Back in October 2011 a single vial of unmatured Ardbeg whisky, a Scotch malt distilled on Islay, was sent into orbit on what Mickey Heads of Ardbeg called a “voyage of discovery”. In truth the experiment hoped to “reveal new ways and new compounds of creating extra special flavours” by examining the way that terpenes, unsaturated hydrocarbons found in charred oak and other plant matter broke down in the microgravity of Space. Spending almost 3 years in Earth orbit the Ardbeg sample landed in Kazakhstan, Central Asia on 12th September 2014 and currently undergoing analaysis the whitepaper is anticipated later this year.

With the inclusion of the Champagne regions cellars, houses and hillsides being added to the official list of UNESCO World Heritage sites Scottish politicians have begun calling for the same status to be awarded to the Speyside region

World Heritage Site

Now ratified by 191 countries the UNESCO World Heritage Convention is an almost universally accepted framework for the protection of places on earth deemed to posses outstanding value for humanity which should be safeguarded for future generations. Since it’s origin in 1972 the status of UNESCO World Heritage site has been granted to 1,022 sites including the Great Wall of China and Stonehenge. The inclusion of the Champagne region makes 1,023.

Champagne’s Inclusion as a Heritage Site

The inclusion of the wine producing region is as much a consequence of political pressure as the regions obsession with terroir. This has left many commentators questioning whether the Champagne region is as deserving, or has the same need of, support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as other sites such as the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan or the Palmyra in Syria (currently controlled by Islamic State fighters). Regardless the region has for better or worse been granted these protections due to the sites status as “an outstanding example of grape cultivation and wine production developed since the high middle ages” in particular the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.

Speyside Whisky Region

Scotland’s food secretary Richard Lochhead is pushing for the iconic Speyside whisky producing region to recieve “the same level of recognition from UNESCO as Champagne and Burgundy in France” a position supported by a number of MPs. Of Britain’s 28 sites which include Westminster Palace, Kew Gardens, and Stonehenge, only 6 are currently within Scotland. Consequently were the Speyside region to take the same accolade as sites such as New Lanark, The Forth Bridge, St Kilda, the Antoine Wall and Edinburgh’s Old and New towns this could result in a considerable boost to tourism. This status may be some ways off however as production of the iconic Single Malt Whiskies of Scotland today often differ considerably from their historic production, many of the names today have spent vast periods of time off the shelves, and the majority of production both then and now is grain whisky distilled using the relatively new continuous method. Throw in the fact that the whisky industry has never embraced the French concept of terroir with the same enthusiasm as French wine producers, and it’s likely to come down in the end, as Champagne’s status did to lobbying.

Dalmunach Distillery situated on the site of the former Imperial Distillery mothballed since 1998 has become Scotland’s 115 active distillery. A complete list can be found on our List of active distilleries page. The launch of the new distillery at a cost of some £25 million sees a continued push of investment by Chivas in Scotland.

Scotland’s Iconic Whisky Brands

Opened by Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s highly popular first minister and leader of the SNP, Dalmunach Distillery sees the countries whisky producing capacity grow by some 10 million litres a year. Speaking at the opening Nicola Sturgeon commented “Scotch Whisky is one of Scotland’s iconic brands and is in huge demand all over the globe due to the exceptional quality the industry produces. It is hugely important to the Scottish economy and its protected EU status means it has an unmatched international reputation.”

An Architectural Marvel

Douglas Cruickshank, the former Production Director for Chivas oversaw both the design and construction of the new Dalmunach distillery in conjunction with a range of businesses from the nearby area. The unusual shape of the distillery was modelled after a sheaf of barley the core ingredient in malt whisky. Housing 8 tulip shaped copper pot stills and onion shaped spirit stills arranged in a circular shape and a hexagonal spirit safe with waterfall feature the distillery is modern but with a backwards nod to the Imperial Distillery which shared its site.

The Classic Malts of Scotland collection a selection of 6 malt whiskies launched by United Distillers and Vintners (now part of Diageo) showcases a range of whiskies from the companies distilleries, however these do not adhere to the Scottish whisky regions as recognised by the SWA (Scottish Whisky Association) which often results in confusion, the malts are

Whisky	Age	ABV %	Region
Dalwhinnie	15 years	43%	Highland
Talisker	10 years	45%	Isle of Skye
Cragganmore	12 years	40%	Speyside
Oban	14 years	43%	West Highland
Lagavulin	16 years	43%	Islay
Glenkinchie	12 years	43%	Lowland

The Whiskies Regions

Officially the Scottish Whisky Association recognise five distinct whisky producing regions: Speyside, Islay, Campbeltown, the Lowlands and the Highlands (the latter includes islands which are sometimes treated as a sub-region).  Consequently the Isle of Skye and West Highland are not officially recognised regions, and the Classic Malts collection does not include a Campbelltown whisky as the group does not own any of the three currently active distilleries in the region.

Dawlwhinnie – Highland Whisky

Dalwhinnie is a light highland whisky clocking in at around £45 and is generally well received having earned 95 points in Jim Murray’s whisky bible and four stars on Master of malts. Although the Classic malts range list Dalwhinnie as a Highland malt it is typically recognised as a Speyside Single Malt

Talisker – Isle of Skye Whisky

Talisker 10 is an award winning smoky peated whisky usually available for around £35 in most supermarkets, though recently the No Age Statement Talisker Storm is replacing this as the standard offering. As noted above the Island region is not formally recognised so would typically be classified as a Highland whisky. The Uisce Beatha Talisker review can be found here.

Cragganmore – Speyside Whisky

The Cragganmore 10 is a sweet sherried, herbaceous whisky available from most off-licences for around £35. The distillery is situated in the village of Ballindalloch in Banffshire making this a Speyside whisky.

Oban – West Highland Whisky

Oban 14 is a smoky almost medicinal Malt with a distinctive seaside taste, widely available in supermarkets it typically retails for around £45. The Seaside resort town by the distillery actually draws its name from the distillery established in 1974. While the West Highland style is a useful descriptor being somewhere between the dry smoky whisky associated with Islay and the islands sub region and the lighter highland style no official distinction is recognised making this a Highland malt.

Lagavulin – Islay Whisky

Lagavulin’s standard offering is the 16 year old expression, offering a highly peated yet starkly sweet southern Islay flavour. A more common sight in bars than supermarkets the Lagavulin 16 is among the more expensive of the Classic malts range coming in at around £55. Awarded liquid gold status in Jim Murray’s 2014 whisky bible the Lagavulin 16 is a fantastic example of Islay single malt whisky

Glenkinchie – Lowland Whisky

Often called the Edinburgh Malt (being produced some 15 miles outside of the city) Glenkinchie is an incredibly light, sweet and highly accessible whisky coming in at around £35. Although relatively unknown before the creation of the Classic Malts range was launched Glenkinchie has become something of a household name being readily available in a growing number of supermarkets. The classic malt range originally featured the Glenkinchie 10 though this has was replaced by the Glenkinchie 12 in 2007.

The Extended Range

In recent years Diagio has expanded the Classic Malts range to include a further 6 expressions; Clynelish 14, Caol Ila 12, Knockando 12, Royal Lochnagar 12, Cardhu 12 and Singleton of Dufftown 12. For the most part however the classic malt range is generally limited to the traditional 6 but that’s no reason not to try them all!

Many of Scotland’s distilleries we’re built centuries ago hence the variety of traditional names, other more recent established distilleries such as Bruichladdich continue this tradition. Unfortunately while Gaelic is a an incredibly poetic language the most recent census data suggests that only 1.1 per cent (or 58,000) of the Scottish population actually speak Gaelic resulting in a plethora of pronunciations even in Scotland. In other countries such as France or America with a high demand for Scotch whisky the names themselves are even less frequently pronounced correctly so here at Uisce Beatha we’ve compiled a list of often mispronounced distilleries with their correction pronunciation, the top few are some of the most instantly recognisable but we’ve created a pronunciation table for every currently active distillery.

Other Scotch Whisky Pronunciations

Distillery	Pronunciation	Region	Founded
Aberfeldy Distillery	Ah-bur-fell-dee	Highlands	1896
Aberlour Distillery	Ah-burl-ow-er	Speyside	1826
Abhainn Dearg Distillery	Aveen Jer-uck	Highlands	2008
Ailsa Bay Distillery	Ale-sah Bay	Lowlands	2007
Allt-A-Bhainne Distillery	olta-vayne	Speyside	1975
Annandale Distillery	Ann-an-dail	Lowlands	2014
Arbikie Distillery	Ar-Bikay	Highlands	2014
Ardbeg Distillery	Ard-beg	Islay	1815
Ardmore Distillery	Ard-mower	Highlands	1898
Ardnamurchan Distillery	Ardne-murken	Highlands	2013
Auchentoshan Distillery	Ock-en-tosh-en	Lowlands	1823
Auchroisk Distillery	Ar-thrusk	Speyside	1974
Aultmore Distillery	Ollt-more	Speyside	1896
Balblair Distillery	Bal-blair	Highlands	1790
Ballindalloch Distillery	Balin-dowk	Speyside	2014
Balmenach Distillery	Bal-may-nack	Speyside	1824
Balvenie Distillery	The Balv-en-ee	Speyside	1892
Ben Nevis Distillery	Ben Nev-iss	Highlands	1825
Benriach Distillery	Ben-ree-ack	Speyside	1897
Benrinnes Distillery	Ben-rin-ess	Speyside	1826
Benromach Distillery	Ben-ro-mack	Speyside	1898
Bladnoch Distillery	Blad-nock	Lowlands	1817
Blair Athol Distillery	Blair Ath-ull	Highlands	1798
Bowmore Distillery	Bo-mower	Islay	1779
Braeval Distillery	Brave-all	Speyside	1973
Bruichladdich Distillery	Broo-ick-laddie	Islay	1881
Bunnahabhain Distillery	Buh-nah-hav-enn	Islay	1881
Cameronbridge Distillery	Cameronbridge	Lowlands	1824
Caol Ila Distillery	Cull-eela	Islay	1846
Cardhu Distillery	Car-doo	Speyside	1824
Clynelish Distillery	Kline-leash	Highlands	1967
Cragganmore Distillery	Crag-an-mower	Speyside	1869
Craigellachie Distillery	Craig-ell-ack-ee	Speyside	1891
Daftmill Distillery	Daf-mill	Lowlands	2005
Dailuaine Distillery	Dall-yoo-an	Speyside	1852
Dalmore Distillery	Dal-mower	Highlands	1839
Dalwhinnie Distillery	Dal-whinnay	Highlands	1897
Deanston Distillery	Deen-stun	Highlands	1965
Dufftown Distillery	Duff-t-ow-n	Speyside	1896
Eden Mill Distillery	Eden Mill	Lowlands	2014
Edradour Distillery	Ed-rad-ow-er	Highlands	1825
Fettercairn Distillery	Fett-uhr-care-n	Highlands	1824
Girvan Distillery	Gir-vahn	Lowlands	1963
Glen Elgin Distillery	Glen Elg-in	Speyside	1898
Glen Garioch Distillery	Glen Gee-ree	Highlands	1797
Glen Grant Distillery	Glen Grr-ant	Speyside	1840
Glen Gyle Distillery	Glen Gyle	Campbeltown	2004
Glen Keith Distillery	Glen Key-th	Speyside	1957
Glen Moray Distillery	Glen Mor-ay	Speyside	1897
Glen Ord Distillery	Glen Ord	Highlands	1838
Glen Scotia Distillery	Glen Skoh-sha	Campbeltown	1832
Glen Spey Distillery	Glen Spay	Speyside	1878
Glenallachie Distillery	Glen-alla-key	Speyside	1967
Glenburgie Distillery	Glen-bur-gee	Speyside	1810
Glencadam Distillery	Glen-cad-am	Highlands	1825
Glendronach Distillery	Glen-dro-nack	Highlands	1826
Glendullan Distillery	Glen-dull-an	Speyside	1897
Glenfarclas Distillery	Glen-fark-lass	Speyside	1836
Glenfiddich Distillery	Glen-fidd-ick	Speyside	1886
Glenglassaugh Distillery	Glen-glass-ock	Highlands	1875
Glengoyne Distillery	Glen-goyn	Highlands	1833
Glenkinchie Distillery	Glen-kinch-ee	Lowlands	1837
Glenlivet Distillery	Glen-liv-it	Speyside	1824
Glenlossie Distillery	Glen-loss-ay	Speyside	1876
Glenmorangie Distillery	Glen-morrun-jee	Highlands	1843
Glenrothes Distillery	Glen-roth-iss	Speyside	1878
Glentauchers Distillery	Glen-tock-hers	Speyside	1897
Glenturret Distillery	Glen-turr-et	Highlands	1775
Highland Park Distillery	Hi-lund Park	Highlands	1798
Inchgower Distillery	Inch-g-ow-er	Speyside	1871
Invergordon Distillery	Invergordon	Highlands	1961
Isle of Arran Distillery	Ar-ran	Highlands	1995
Isle of Harris Distillery	Isle of Harris	Highlands	2015
Isle of Jura Distillery	Eye-l of Joo-rah	Highlands	1810
Kilchoman Distillery	Kil-ho-man	Islay	2005
Kingbarns Distillery	Kingbarns	Lowlands	2014
Kininvie Distillery	Kin-in-vee-oo	Speyside	1990
Knockando Distillery	Knock-an-doo	Speyside	1898
Knockdhu Distillery	knock-doo/Acnoc	Speyside	1894
Lagavulin Distillery	Lah-gah-vool-in	Islay	1816
Laphroaig Distillery	Lah-froyg	Islay	1810
Linkwood Distillery	Link-wood	Speyside	1821
Loch Lomond Distillery	Lock Low-mund	Highlands	1965
Longmorn Distillery	Long-morn	Speyside	1894
Macallan Distillery	Muck-al-un	Speyside	1824
Macduff Distillery	Mack-duff	Highlands	1958
Mannochmore Distillery	Man-ock-mower	Speyside	1971
Miltonduff Distillery	Mill-ton-duff	Speyside	1824
Mortlach Distillery	Mort-lack	Speyside	1823
North British Distillery	North British	Lowlands	1885
Oban Distillery	Oa-bun	Highlands	1794
Pulteney Distillery	Old Pult-nay	Highlands	1826
Roseisle Distillery	Rose-eye-l	Speyside	2014
Royal Brackla Distillery	Royal Brack-lah	Highlands	1812
Royal Lochnagar Distillery	Royal Lock-nah-gar	Highlands	1845
Scapa Distillery	Ska-pa	Highlands	1885
Speyburn Distillery	Spay-bur-n	Speyside	1897
Speyside Distillery	Spay-side	Speyside	1976
Springbank Distillery	Spring-bank	Campbeltown	1828
Starlaw Distillery	Starlaw	Lowlands	2011
Strathclyde Distillery	Strath-klide	Lowlands	1927
Strathearn Distillery	Strath-earn	Highlands	2013
Strathisla Distillery	Strath-eye-lah	Speyside	1786
Strathmill Distillery	Strath-mill	Speyside	1891
Talisker Distillery	Tal-iss-kur	Highlands	1830
Tamdhu Distillery	Tam-doo	Speyside	1896
Tamnavulin Distillery	Tam-na-voo-lin	Speyside	1966
Teaninich Distillery	Teen-in-ick	Highlands	1817
Tobermory Distillery	Tow-bur-mower-ay	Highlands	1798
Tomatin Distillery	Tow-mat-in	Highlands	1897
Tomintoul Distillery	Tom-in-towel	Speyside	1964
Tormore Distillery	Tor-mower	Speyside	1958
Tullibardine Distillery	Tully-bard-in	Highlands	1947
Wolfburn Distillery	Wolfburn	Highlands	2013