The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2012

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SCOTCH REPORT Onward & Upward in Scotch AMID GROWING DEMAND, DISTILLERS CELEBRATE THE ART OF WHISKY by Ian Buxton I ndustry giant Diageo has begun to release some details of the planned distillery expan- sion mentioned in my last Scotch Report, with their Glen Ord distillery now scheduled to double in size. In a £25m ($40m) capital program, a completely new distillery, shadow- ing the current operation, will be constructed inside redundant buildings, thus maintaining the appearance of the distillery while increasing production to a massive ten million liters of alcohol annually. The Dunes, a 29 Year Old Inchgower from Wemyss Malts. Diageo now plans to expand around half of its existing 28 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland, as well as building at least one new single malt distillery of similar scale to the expanded Glen Ord. Such dramatic expansion comes on the back of growing world- wide demand for Scotch whisky and projections of further sales in developing markets. Not that established customers are losing their taste for the Scotland's finest: global Scotch whisky exports increased in value by 12% in the 12 months to the end of June 2012, according to the latest figures from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). A drawing by Daniel Zalkus, who was granted a residency at Glenfiddich. And once again, the U.S. was at the front of the pack. In the first half of 2012, exports to the U.S. jumped by 13% to £303 million and it remains Scotch whisky's biggest market by value. It's not just the giants of the industry who are benefiting. Comparative tiddlers such as Edinburgh-based Wemyss Malts now offer their exclusive new single cask single malts through U.S. importer Classic & Vintage Artisanal Spirits (a division of Domaine Select Wine Estates). Recognizing that some whisky terminology could be confusing to the less knowledgeable, Wemyss names its range after each one's natural taste and aroma. Hence the apparent eccentricity of "A Day at the Coast," a 14 Year Old Clynelish; "The Dunes," a 29 Year Old Inchgower; and "A Matter of Smoke," a 15 Year Old from Caol Ila, Islay. RRP's on these unusually-named but charming drams range 24 / the tasting panel / november 2012 Peter Amezquite's "Un Mundo Ideal" was featured at Chivas Brothers' Enbotellarte 2012. with a public exhibition featuring the artwork of the Enbotellarte 2012 finalists as well as works from established artists from Miami and Latin America. Something Special claims to be South America's number two blended scotch. And staying with the art theme, North American artists were very much in evidence in this year's Glenfiddich Artists in Residence (AiR) program, in which creative spirits are granted a residency at the iconic distillery. Prominent amongst them was Daniel Zalkus, a young illustrator from New York. Dan clearly embraced the working ethos of the distillery staff at Glenfiddich, engaging with the hands-on nature of their daily life. The energy and craftsmanship of the cooperage is clearly seen echoed in his own technical skill, and in his view of a tour group visiting the distillery, the figures of the visitors, ostensibly the subject of the piece, are dwarfed by the giant, sculptural forms of the stills themselves. And "giant stills" is pretty much where I started this report! from just over $100 to $175, largely determined by their respective age. Chivas Brothers are bringing their Something Special brand—renowned in Latin markets—to Miami's Design District this month as the cul- mination of their Enbotellarte 2012 competition, PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHIVAS BROTHERS PHOTO: COURTESY OF GLENFIDDICH

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