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DIAGEO'SGHOST DISTILLERIES ~ PORTELLEN,BRORA& CONVALMORE MACALLAN • BALVENIE• SINGLETONOF DUFFTOWN • GLENLIVET• GLENFIDDICH• ABELOUR• SCAPA& MUCH, MUCH MORE...

EXPLORE As a kid, I loved those old black and white film noir detective thrillers where Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum would, inevitably, end up in a bar somewhere - usually with hat and trench coat still on - drowning their sorrows . If it wasn't a straight shot of whiskey (rye or bourbon), then it was a boilermaker . I had no idea what a boilermaker was, but if these blokes were drinking them, then they must be cool. At the time, I thought the epitome of being an adult was to sit in a dimly lit bar by yourself, knocking back boilermakers . To be fair, I was only seven or eight. Many years later, when I could legally sit in one of these bars had I wished to, I discovered that a boilermaker was an American beer/whiskey cocktail basically a mix of the two. It seemed a rather odd mix, neither one thing o r, the other and possibly a waste of oot f;). WORDS KEN GARGETT

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Naturally, as alcohol is involved, there are various permutations

and combinations,

and

aficionados will swear blind that theirs is the only way a boilermaker

should be consumed.

Some mix the two; some prefer to follow their beer with a shot of whisky. Others use the beer as a chaser, though if that is your preferred method, anything less than knocking off the entire whisky in a single go is considered poor form. A further version on mixing the two is the 'depth charge', where the entire shot glass is dropped

into the beer. Others sip from a beer,

slowly replacing the consumed portion with their whisky. There are numerous other spirit/beer Boilermakers originated

in Butte, Montana in

the 1890s, where they were first known as a

pairings

they are, in general, both the result of grains,

brandy and others all feature.

yeasts and water. Indeed, there is an argument

Sean O'Farrell (other names included 'citywide specials' and 'two-steps'). miners on completion

They were served to

of their shifts.

some similarities between beer and whisky-

around the globe - vodka, gin, Korean soju,

that you could call whisky 'distilled

beer'.

The first recorded appearance of the boilermaker

in Australia was shortly after the

Brewers have taken advantage of the potential

Second World War, in Kings Cross, where the

pairing by using casks from various distilleries in

England had its own version but that was

newspapers of the day noted its consumption

which to age their beers and ales. Harviestoun

usually a mix of a couple of different types of

at a party given by a local 'theatre artist',

Ola Dubh 18 spends time in casks from

beers/ales. The Scots have a 'half and half',

Mrs Littlejohn. It must have made quite the

Orkney's Highland Park Distillery. Tennent's have

which involves enjoying the beer next to a

impression as the legend insists that Mrs

used Speyside Single Malt Whisky infused oak

whisky, moving back and forth between the

Littlejohn woke up the next day, under a rug.

for flavour. The BrewDog Paradox Jura is aged

two. The Irish have the delightfully

Now that might not seem so extreme, but the

in casks previously used for Isle of Jura whisky.

Car Bomb, in which Irish Cream and whiskey

rug was on the deck of an American trawler

There are numerous examples. Even wine

are mixed in a shot glass, which is dropped

headed for New Zealand.

named Irish

has got into the act, with the Jacob's Creek

into a stout. And you can bet that someone

'Double Barrel' spending time in standard wine So is all this merely a way to get alcohol into the

barrels, followed by a stint in old whisky barrels.

a better way," for everything here. Such is the

system as quickly as possible or is there more

The advertising

way with cocktails the world over.

to it? In fairness to the combination,

Hemsworth - perhaps they drink it on Asgard.

somewhere is immediately

saying, "no, there is

there are

uses narration from Chris

exploredrinks.com 25

SCOTLAND'S and · like something involving Captain· J ac k_ Sparrow . Ghost distilleries ; sounds more d dignified world of fine whisky h h the more gentee I an f barrels of rum, rat er t an · more and more important or a eal and becoming nd rom Scotla . They are very r · · t · fine wh isky has even seen pans 1 · easing 1nteres 1n range of reasons. The ever-incr f ous ghost d istiller ies, such as Port th Of · e of the more am _ but som man g hosts as any horror movie, o r e re-opening y_ Ellen an d Bro ra . Be assured Scotland has as

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So what is a ghost distillery? Basically, a once working distillery, sometimes much loved

still potentially

and highly regarded, which, for whatever reasons, has closed its doors.

of very fine whisky quietly maturing away in barrels.

Now, in most industries, that would be it. Game over. The best it could hope for would be a mention in some nostalgic trivia competition. If a shoe factory shuts, it is unlikely that shoe aficionados (are there such people?) will seek footwear from the closed establishment decades later. Not so with whisky. Remember that it takes at least three years before the glorious nectar in barrel can even be called whisky, and any decent distillery worth the name will have many barrels of much older material. So when business stops, there is

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significant quantities

It can be sold for blending, but often it continues to mature and is eventually

see if you can find anything under several thousand dollars a bottle - if you can find them at all. It hardly makes sense. If all this whisky is in such demand and so highly valued, why close? Many reasons, of course.

bottled as special releases. Or possibly included in something very limited and exciting - the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare is the perfect example. And of course, there will also have been

great whisky, it is hard to imagine that

bottles from the closed distillery which are

there are times when supply far exceeds

already on the market. They will immediately become collectors' items and highly prized. Prices escalate enormously. Search the

demand and many distilleries are simply not economical, let alone profitable

internet for prices of old bottles from the Brora and Ellen Port distilleries, two ghost distilleries which both closed in 1983 and

During a period such as this, where there is extensive and intense interest in

Brora is the perfect example.

Its success

caused its downfall, as detailed elsewhere. Things were going so well that a second distillery was built nearby (and given its name, the Clynelish Distillery, which was

FEATURE

N THE lB00'S IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE WEREAROUND 200 DISTILLERIESI COTLAND.BY THEEND 0 WORLD ~R II AT LEAST 70 0 THESEHAD CLOSED.

the name of the original subsequently

changed

Unfortunately,

distillery, to Brora).

the timing

have been worse. Almost after the new distillery operations,

And it is. It is the first release in what will

In the 1800's, it is estimated

be a series of very special whiskies.

around 200 distilleries

one will be based on a whisky from a long-

immediately

closed distillery

commenced

- a ghost distillery

include various other components,

the market took a downturn,

may be from distilleries

not. Many of these 'contributions'

The older distillery

part of Blue.

was the obvious

However, there were a number

choice.

liquid gold sitting

halls, continuing

to mature. They have not

a bottle,

operating

distilleries

Walker Blue Label Ghost and takes full advantage

from ghost distilleries.

the operating of

At A$480

this new whisky needs to be far marketing

distilleries

is the aforementioned 'ghosts'

of this

closed. We've mentioned

a number

of

Clynelish).

and with cult followings

(Linlithgow),

Rosebank,

are

St. Magdalene Kinclaith,

Glenugie

There may be ghosts in Scotland,

but they

and Glenlochy.

one of

which contributed The other

in this blend are from the Cambus

and Pittyvaich

opened,

in the 1980s and more

Braeval, Glenglassaugh,

made contributions,

as did three Ghosts. The 'heart'

more than an overpriced

are often

but things changed

the Ghosts. A few others that are highly

whisky is from Brora (interestingly,

the plunder

or

For the first release, five currently

gone to waste.

Rare, a new offering,

had closed. After the War, whisky enjoyed boom times, and new distilleries

regarded

in the

By the

which

of barrels

of the proverbial

in Scotland.

end of World War II, at least 70 of these

- and will

still operating

and the owners were forced to close one.

The Johnnie

Each

could hardly

that there were

are friendly

ghosts, and one only wishes that

we encountered

them more often.

distilleries.

gimmick.

exploredrinks.com

33

•

FEATURE

In my hand is a rather heavy leather

case, not

unlike the one dear old Dr. Watson would have had.

However

expressions

mine contains

several

of single malt whiskies,

glasses and water pipettes

tasting

for two.

You see, I'm on my way to one of the best, if not the best, cheese shops in the world - La Fromagerie,

Marylebone.

I have arranged

They are not traditionally

to meet with my good friend

Bruno D'Abo,

one another,

who is not only the manager

of this fine

they both enjoy a similar

establishment ambassador

but also a renowned

cheese

and expert.

tradition. attributes,

associated

with

ever had, as hundreds

yet when you think about it, rich heritage

combine

and

almost takes my breath

it's distinctly

perfect don't

match of whisky and cheese, and we

to be awesome

1"

Bruno promises

as he

opens the door and invites me in from the chilly London

My love of cheese and whisky pairing

is to find the

care how long it takes. "This is going

So off we go. I have the whisky, and Bruno

Australia.

has the keys to the cheese room - a massive

William

glass cold room storing

literally

hundreds

of

cheeses from around the world.

think of single

of pairing

food

spontaneously

malt whisky and fine cheese.

room, my excitement

builds.

Then, as the

door slides open, I am suddenly one of the greatest

hit with

food experiences

I have

I was the Whisky Ambassador

Richard Blanchard

and I opened

bar to celebrate

Balvenie,

when thinking

started

for

Grant & Sons, and my good friend

pop-up

fog.

with drink, one doesn't

I"

quite a few years earlier in Melbourne,

As the key turns in the door of the cheese Admittedly,

away. The first thing

smoky,

nutty, spicy or yes, even creamy sweetness. Our mission this evening

cheeses

of aroma that

that pops in to my mind is, "I love cheese

They can both possess similar whether

of different

to create a tsunami

all things

a week-long craft. The

being the most handcrafted

in the world,

was the obvious

choice,

whisky and we

invited

craftspeople

exhibit

and tell their stories over some single

from around Australia

to

malts and cheese boards.

exploredrinks.com 47

We've scoured the country high and low for the best venues to sit down, relax and indulge in a dram or two. These bars are all home to impressive collections or rare, limited-release and favourite bottlings, making this list the ultimate guide to where to drink whisky.

\YHISKY & ALEMENT 270 Russell Street , M e lb-ourne VIC 3000 www.whiskyandale.com.au

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FEATURE

Australians#hold a unique place in the world of whisky. Every year since theJ1880s, whisky has been our most popular spirit. No other country has crowned whisky the king of spirits every year for over }'30 years. Today, whisky still commands a dominant 45 per ceny of the total spirits consumed. During this reign, whisky has fou~ght off the arrival of new spirit categories arriving after the Second World War, with the influx of Eastern European and Medite, ranean immigrants, vodka and ouzo, followed by white rum,i equila and mezcal, and now cacha<;a,pisco and baijiu. Regardless of our ethnic composition, we remain a whisky nation.

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WORDS CHRIS MIDDLETON

With ead i generation

whisky fashions

chang~ _!ft'rom Scotch to Australian back t ;

cotch and now bourbon

stimulating,

whisky.

So to eff onsumption

patterns and how we

drink:,i hiskychange.

As whisky is being

rediscovered,

into this global whisky boom

whisky,

this demand

craft distilleries

worldwide;

countries are making whisky today, a far cry

Mille ~ nials, it's the cocktail trend and sipping

the rapid expansion over a thousand

renewed interest.

our per capita consumption

of ~ isky is declining.

they too have

from a dozen counties in the 1980s. Following

whiskies that are creating Co ~~ terintuitively,

if not

increased more than fivefold since 2008. Fifty

from Baby Boomers to

'"'

Joining,

is the arrival of small

in the distilling

even more new line extensions

In other words, as the

industry,

new whisky brands, and released from

existing brands, are hitting the market. Never

po i ulation increases, new cohorts enter and

before have we had such choice, competitive

ol tr er ones live longer, whisky is not keeping

prices, and outstanding

'If

styles of whisky to

P.ace. In recent years, whisky case sales

drink, from Taiwan to Sweden, Scotland to

~.ave declined,

Kentucky. This boom is described

II

yet the amount of money

new 'Golden

we spend has upsurged. The reason: we

as whisky's

Age'. Much of it is high quality

at good value, as advances in science, technology

and inventiveness

push whisky

into new and exciting directions,

from grain

to wood. 1!' • · \i~ T 11e eJ ta bl.Is h e d

to dominate

. . I b ran d s continue . , 1nternatIona

our whisky landscape, with the

three top brands holding

half of the total

whisky sales. In the small malt segment, five malt brands dominate. garnered

Attention

is being

by the new craft segment, which has

carved out a noisy half per cent share in the whisky category. Craft is the amorphous

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ups that have populated

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When Wild Turkey began working with Hollywood A-List actor Matthew McConaughey, the idea was to form a genuine collaboration rather than have the star as merely a figure-head for an already well-known brand .

Eddie Russell, Wild Turkey's Master Distiller and industry legend, invited McConaughey to become the brand director in 2016, working behind the camera and in front of it in televisi on commercials to reintroduce the world to Wild Turkey.

and full finish. The first filtration process uses charcoa l made from American White Oak and the second uses charcoal made from Texas

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The rare srl]all l:'iatch Kentucky bourbon is refined with/Texas mesquite and oak cha rcoals - a methoa tfiat deepens the flavour and I . ~ff~Jf h· k Th · inspire · . d comr:i ex1ty ~~w is ey. e name is by the frienas tfiat form the longest branches of ':~ 'Ulil our "'"" familyij ree.s.

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"Longbr l,.. nch; its simplest form, is an extended i hand, inv\ting a friend into your family," I

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McC:onaughey said . "So the branch that was extended to me from the Russells was a long o ne, one that reached from Kentucky to Texas and back again. I offered the mesquite from my great state to add to their legendary Kentucky whiskey and together we made Longbranch."

mesquite wood, giving the bourbon notes of smoky sweetness. Made with eight -year-old Wild Turkey Bourbon, Longbranch is an exceptional bourbon with a bright gold color and aroma that is a balanced blend of vanilla and spices. Flavours of caramel, pear, and hints of citrus roun~,.out t e palate. The subtle, smoky finish is bu tt ery smooth, with -~ notes of gentle pepper and i_ t oasted oak. -'lllo, Commenting on the release, Master Dist iller Eddie Russell said: "When we were creating Wild Turkey Longbran ch, we talked at length about how to make a product that represents elements of both Texas and Kentucky."

To create Longbranch's signature flavour, McConaughey and Russell spent co untless hours sharing notes, then perfected a unique process that combines two separate charcoal filtration methods to give Longbranch a smooth

152 ex pl o red rin ks.com

"O ur goal was to make a straight bourbon whiskey with a soft sweetness that was still unmistakably Wild Turkey. The result was a bourbon that we both truly enjoy drinking neat, and look forward to sharing with others."

TALKING TURKEY WITH MATTHEW MCCONAUGH explore WHISKY: How involved were you in

Master Distiller Eddie Russell, was a natural

the creation of Longbranch?

evolution of my work with Wild Turkey.

Matthew McConaughey: I was involved every

eW: Why did you initially decide to partner

step of the way, from concept to creation. We

with Wild Turkey?

started working on the project in the spring of 2016. Together, we wanted to make a product

MM: I visited the Wild Turkey distillery about

that represented both of our home states, Texas

four years ago and met Master Distillers Jimmy

and Kentucky. I obviously let Eddie do the

and Eddie Russell. When I was there, I learned

bourbon making, and he would constantly send

about the Russell family legacy and the distilling

me samples to taste for feedback. I handled the

process, but what stuck with me was the

bottle design.

incredible story behind the brand, a story that

eW: I know you're in the Wild Turkey

the passion, character and authenticity. It's a

commercials.

brand and a family that I truly admire.

I believe deserves to be told. I was inspired by

Is Longbranch part of your

advertising campaign for the brand? eW: Are you getting paid for creating this MM: I've been working with Wild Turkey

product?

for the past three years. I'm their Creative Director, which means I direct and star in the ad

MM: The creation of Longbranch is part of my

campaign and help them introduce Wild Turkey

partnership with Wild Turkey. I never discuss

Bourbon to new audiences. Longbranch

money, but can say that I have a personal

is a

natural extension to my partnership with the

interest in the success of this product

brand. I've always wanted to create a bourbon that I could call my favorite and with the help of

eW: Is Longbranch a limited edition to

Eddie Russell, we were able to do just that.

the Wild Turkey portfolio? How long will Longbranch be on the shelves?

eW: You serve as the Creative Director for the brand, were you involved in creating the

MM: Longbranch is not a limited edition and

creative campaign for the launch?

will be a permanent

expression in the Wild

Turkey portfolio.

MM: As a Creative Director for the brand, I help the team at Wild Turkey tell their story and bring my perspective to a variety of creative projects. The launch of Longbranch

is

no different. I worked with the team to bring Longbranch's story to life.

eW: Was it always the plan for you to create a bourbon for the brand? MM: Yes. I am a huge bourbon fan and have so much respect for the Russells and Wild Turkey. Since I joined the Wild Turkey family, I've really immersed myself in the world of bourbon, and creating Longbranch with one of the greats, exploredrinks.com

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