Will Robb Photography

Of late I have been mostly been finishing off a big edit, but have been out and about doing a few jobs. Last week I had an absolute gem, photographing a whisky tasting event in Tokyo University agriculture department for Nick Coldicott’s most informative drinks column in the Japan Times. I’m Scottish, I love whisky, for these kind of jobs I clear my schedule and would sell my soul if need be.

The day was organized by the Scotch Single Malt Whisky Society and featured Suntory’s chief blender giving a talk on casking….to cut a long story short I took photos of everything that was going on and then helped myself to some whiskies which the organizer, David Croll was kind enough to offer up to Nick and I as the society members were doing their own thing. Many a fine whisky there was too, I was very grateful for everyone’s generosity on the day. I got to learn a bit more about whisky and got to sample some excellent limited edition Scotch malt whisky society whiskies. An excellent day all round.

When I was living in Scotland, I barely drank whisky, when I did it was usually a dare. For me it just tasted nasty, I couldn’t understand why people drank it. I thought it was a drink for old men and alcoholics. How wrong I was. In fairness, I think the whiskies I drank for a dare when I was young were quite cheap blends, the worst of the worst, more akin to diesel than the fine tipple whisky is. Then, when I moved to Japan and went home to visit Scotland every few years I started to explore a bit more of my own country and visited a few distilleries, such as the Talisker distillery on the Isle of Skye and the Dalwhinnie distillery in the Central Highlands. There I learned about the whole process of making whisky, from the selection of grains through to the importance of the shape of the still and the unique source of water used for each whisky which gives a unique taste to each malt. All single malts taste different, some vastly so and there is a wide variety of tastes that come through each “dram.” The whole art of whisky tasting has taken off a lot in the last 10 years or so and whisky has went from being the “old mans drink” to being a sophisticated drink appreciated all over the world.

So much goes into each bottle of whisky. Barley is carefully selected from all over Scotland, then the grains are dried, sometimes with the aid of peat fires, then they are malted and brewed into spirits. Each distillery has a unique shaped still which is believed to add a flavour specific to each whisky. The raw spirits are mixed with a local water source and this is perhaps the ingredient of most vital importance, if the water source dries up, the whisky will stop being made as the flavour would change too much. It’s as simple as that. After the spirit is made, it is aged in casks, often American bourbon casks or even sherry casks which impart their own taste on the liquid within whilst taking the rough edge off the spirit. Most whiskies are left in their cask for a minimum 8 years, during which time the spirit in the cask gradually evaporates and flavours are slowly extracted from the cask and the atmosphere surrounding the distillery, whether it be sea breezes or the heavy smells of clover fields and pine forests. Some whiskies are stored for up to 50 years or more, by the time they are bottled there isn’t much liquid left in each cask, hence you pay a lot more for the older whiskies, they have become a lot smoother over time and have absorbed a gob smacking amount of flavours.

When you start to appreciate whiskies and taste a lot of them, it’s fun seeing what flavours you can smell and taste. When smelling each glass of whisky (as with wine), it helps to open your mouth to help the air flow in through the nose and out the mouth to reveal more flavours. People often pick up hints of vanilla, orange peel or pine to name a few. The colours of each whisky differ a lot, some are very light like a flavoured vodka, others are dark and caramely (is that a word?). When tasting, you get initial tastes and after tastes that can differ wildly, sometimes smooth and subtle, sometimes the slaps you round the face and rattle your senses. Basic flavours range from fresh and fruity to spicy or smokey. In some you taste hints of honey, in some salty sea air. Experts get very floral in their descriptions, conjuring up wild and often humourous images. From the event the other day, there were flavours described as “I wish it could be Christmas every day” and my personal favourite “Tibetan joss sticks and Polynesian pork.” Personally, I find the smell of Laphroaig to remind me Dettol and hospital floors.

Like many fine things in life, whisky is something I have come to appreciate as I have got a bit older. I’m always keen to find new whiskies and try them out. I enjoy a whisky or two at the end of an evening, sometimes after a couple of glasses or wine or after a couple of nice beers. It’s not a cheap drink, it’s one to be savoured and having too much at one time is a bit of a waste because after a few you numb your palate somewhat. It’s a drink for all year round, but I especially enjoy it in the winter when it’s cold outside. Some of my favourites include Macallan, Laphroaig, Lagavullin, Strathisla, Bowmore, Bruichladdich and of late, Caol Isla has been standing out for me. At the higher end of the market with the old whiksies, of late I had a very nice Longmorn 40 year old which was exquisite.

Anyway, I think I’ll wind down for the evening with a little Caol Isla now. Any other recommendations from anyone and I would love to hear about them.