World Whisky
It wasn’t that long ago that when someone mentioned world whisky in the UK, one would normally think of Ireland, USA, Canada and perhaps Japan?
Firstly, nobody makes Scotch whisky better than the Scottish! Scotch Whisky is certainly unique in the world. Its global status has been built on the back of Blended Scotch Whisky, and although single malt whisky sales are slowly growing, around 90% of the annual sales is still dominated by the blends. More people drink Scotch as a blended whisky than single malt whisky. Then I guess more people treat whisky as just a drink that they enjoy, rather than delve into its history and intricacies.
While a few have tried to emulate Scotch whisky over the years, there’s definitely a trend for more regional styles of whisky being made around the globe. The distilleries are not trying to emulate Scotch whiskies, but are out to create a style particular to their market. Great news for whisky enthusiasts as there’s a whole new palate of flavours to explore!
America
The history of American whiskey runs in parallel to Scotland, as we’ve discussed on a recent Uncorked Whisky Session podcast episode. The early settlers brought the necessary skills and equipment with them, and quickly turned to local grains when seed stock brought with them either simply expired, or wouldn’t grow in the new conditions, with both rye and corn taking precedence over barley.
Prohibition nearly put an end to the American whiskey industry completely, but fortunately, for Americans in particular, and us, American Whiskey has survived, sometimes without the ‘e’ too.
On 4th May 1964, the United States Congress recognized Bourbon Whiskey as a “distinctive product of the United States.” Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.
Today the industry is in good health (or was prior to the Covid-19 pandemic). Rye whiskey, once popular pre-prohibition has seen new interest, the rise of the small craft distilleries leading the way, and the cocktail culture picking up on these traditional flavours.. Craft breweries, led to craft distilleries, looking to stamp their own mark on an ever growing whisky market. Local grains, idiginous grains, and grain to glass distilleries have started popping up everywhere.
Japan
It really wasn’t that long ago that Japan wasn’t really considered to be a serious whisky producer, it satisfied a local market, and few people outside of Japan had heard of it. In 2015 however, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible named Suntory’s Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 as the whisky of the year. Not only did he name a Japanese whisky as the world’s best whisky, in its twelve years of publication at the time, it was the first time The Whisky Bible had not placed a single Scotch whisky anywhere in the top five. Suddenly Japanese whisky was in demand, and the distilleries weren’t able to keep up with demand. The Japanese will be celebrating their centenary of malt whisky in just three years time, the Yamazaki distillery being founded in 1923.
While Japanese whisky has some authenticity issues to overcome, there is a new generation of small regional distilleries that have come into production this century, led by the pioneers at The Chichibu distillery, founded in 2007 and more recently by a plethora of new distilleries over the last five years. Malt Whisky Yearbook 2020 lists 24 Japanese distilleries that have, or will be making malt whisky.
Ireland
Irish Whiskey once renowned as the world's best whiskey certainly took a turn for the worse in the 20th century, opening up the market for Scotch whisky to dominate globally. For a short while it was touch and go whether Ireland would even have a distilling industry, but looking at the rate of growth over recent years, we hope they’ll be around for a long time.
Just two distilleries existed until 1987 when the Cooley distillery was founded. It still took a further 17 years before the next new distillery arrived in Ireland, today some 28 are now operational with more following.
England
Although there was evidence of whisky making in England when Alfred Barnard toured the distilleries of the United Kingdom, there has never been an English Whisky scene. 10 licenced distilleries were mentioned, with just four reported on. Most of them were confined to the manufacture of plain spirit for rectifying or manufacturing purposes. Just four, two in Liverpool, one in Bristol, and one in London were producing whisky, and although malt whisky was produced it never survived history.
When The English Whisky Company was founded in 2006 it was the first whisky distillery to be built in over 100 years. They are certainly the pioneers of the new English Whisky which seems to be growing every year. There are now 24 distilleries on the English Whisky map!
Europe
Europe has had a long tradition of distilling, Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados from France, Schnapps from Austria and Germany, Jenever from Belgium and The Netherlands. This list goes on. Just about every European country has a liquor associated with them, yet a spirit from malted, or unmalted grains, doesn’t really appear until fairly recently.
The most recent edition of Malt Whisky Yearbook lists 165 European distilleries from 16 different countries (not including England, Ireland, and Wales).There are 54 distilleries in Germany that are now making whisky. Some of these distilleries have long histories of distilling, but have started making whisky in recent years. The oldest malt whisky distillery in Germany was founded in 1980, with their first whisky distilled in 1983.
As far as I can tell, Spain is host to mainland Europe's oldest distillery: Distilerio Molino del Arco was founded in 1959. The distillery, run by Distilerias Y Crianza del Whisky or DYC (que sniggles) for short, was set up to provide Spaniards with whisky when it was difficult to obtain Scotch in Franco controlled Spain.
Canada
If prohibition almost killed off American whiskey, it certainly helped the Canadian distilleries thrive, however it hasn’t all been plain sailing. When Davin De Kergommeuax’s portable expert ‘Canadian Whisky’ was published in 2012, there were just 9 distilleries listed, most of them being the big commercial distillers making Canadian Rye Whisky. Huge distillers of corn, rye, and barley, with brand names such as Canadian Club, Crown Royal, JP Wiser’s Gooderham & Worts, Pike Creek, and Seagram’s.
There were just a couple of exceptions in his book, small distilleries trying to carve out a niche following, but there were hints of what was to come. Today some 14 distilleries are listed as making single malt today.
Australia and New Zealand
The first legal distillery in Australia was established way back in 1822, in Tasmania. That’s 2 years before the Glenlivet, the “distillery that started it all” in Scotland. However, unlike in Scotland, legal distilling in Tasmania was to be a very short lived affair. In 1839 the Distillation Prohibition Act banned colonial distillation altogether and it was to be another 153 years before anyone was granted a distilling licence on the island.
Today the Australian distilling industry is one of the fastest growing, and most diverse in the world. A multitude of styles are being made today in all corners of Australia, including single malt, rye and blended whisky. In one of our recent Afternoon Tea games I was researching Australian distilleries and found out there are currently 293 distilleries listed on their industry site. OK, they’re not all making whisky, the Malt Whisky Yearbook lists 51 of them that are though.
Rest of the World
There are now distilleries all around the world making great whiskies. Whisky is currently being made in India, Israel, Pakistan, Taiwan, South Africa, Argentina and Brazil! The latest country to announce whisky making has been China
Two of our most recent new world whiskies have come from South Africa’s James Sedgwick Distillery, and Israel’s Milk and Honey Distillery. We’ve bottled whiskey from the United States; Bourbon, Rye, Corn, American, and even Single Malts. We’ve bottled single malts from European distilleries; in Ireland, England, Germany Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. Whiskies from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, South Africa, and Israel too. There are some exciting new whiskies in the pipeline too!
WATCH THIS SPACE! (well not right now, read the rest of this article, and wait patiently by your computer for news)
World Whisky Day
World Whisky Day is a day of global whisky celebration.
World Whisky Day is about making whisky fun and enjoyable.
World Whisky Day is not about being exclusive or prescriptive.
World Whisky Day is all inclusive and that means any kind of whisky/whiskey from anywhere in the world.
World Whisky Blend
That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s World Whisky Blend pays homage to Blended Scotch Whisky. A global whisky celebration in itself, being a marriage of whiskies from around the world.
World Whisky Blend can be blended from any kind of whisky/whiskey from anywhere in the world.
World Whisky Blend is all about making whisky fun and enjoyable.
World Whisky Blend is not about being exclusive or prescriptive.
World Whisky Blend can be drunk however you enjoy it ; with or without ice, or a mixer.
World Whisky Blend was inspired by the way people around the globe drink their whisky,
Notice a familiarity between the two paragraphs above? Surely World Whisky Blend must be the whisky designed to celebrate World Whisky Day*
*Purely accidental we can assure you, but at Boutique-y Whisky everyday is worth celebrating!**
** Yes, there are rainbows, unicorns, and everything!***
*** not really, just messing with ya’ll!
Dave x