Raise a Glass on St Andrew’s Day
Meet the new bottles worth splashing your cash on this St Andrew’s Day.
Like having a favourite leather club chair and smoking cigars, enjoying whisky has long been a signifier of grown-up masculinity. But a new breed of distiller is not only appealing to the younger market, women, and actively encouraging using the spirit in cocktails, but is giving old-school master blenders a run for their money with exceptional products, too. So, who better to chat with about the cool brands on the block than one of Scotland's top bartenders and owner of the award-winning Superico in Edinburgh, Mike Lynch. Here, he charts the whisky brands he thinks are top-tier.
FABLE
Fable is an independent single cask whisky bottler. They release their whiskies in chapters and have a story behind each. The guys behind it have worked for many great brands, know their stuff, and are just great folk, too, which is always a plus.
I used to work for these guys and have so much respect and admiration for them. Put that aside, and they bottle some incredible whiskies. Their latest release from Lochindaal distillery aged in Sauternes casks is incredible and one of the best whiskies I've tasted in a long while.
WILSON & MORGAN
I love to travel when I can, and Wilson & Morgan is an independent bottler that I discovered when I was last in Copenhagen. Everything I've tasted from them has been beyond good.
They produce great whiskies and are constantly pushing boundaries in what can be a pretty rigid industry. Covering most bases and are great neat or for mixing cocktails with, their whisky maker, John Glaser, was labelled the 'enfant terrible of the Scotch whisky world', but the fact he is so committed to shaking things up is refreshing and inspiring.
WOVEN
Woven is a collective bringing the art of blending whisky back to sunny Leith! Again great people behind the brand creating delicious whisky. The packaging is sure to appeal, but rest assured, this isn't a case of style over substance.
Fancy trying something different in your whisky this St Andrew’s Day? Give Birkentree Highland Birchwater a whirl. In historical times, Highlanders would tap birch trees in spring and use the birchwater for reputed health giving benefits. It’s said ‘This precious liquid comes together to impart a luxurious smoothness; elevating the experience that drinking single malt whisky brings.’
And what to listen to this St Andrew’s Day? Well, the folks at Lidl have unveiled a new 18-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Ben Bracken (£39.99) and paired the new release with a 'Scotchify' playlist featuring a carefully curated collection of Scottish artists’ songs inspired by the malt’s tasting notes.
Lidl’s Scotchify playlist digests the tasting notes for the new whisky to pair the aroma, palate and finish with tunes from the Scottish music scene. Including 14 tracks, the musical whisky pairing starts with a burst of sooty smoke (Pictish Trail - Into The Smoke) before beeswax and floral freshness (James Yorkston - Like Bees to Foxglove) and sweet heather honey (The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey).
On the palate, the whisky coats the mouth tingling the tongue (Elephant Sessions - Tingles) and brings in green leafy notes (King Creosote - Leaf Piece) and peat (Peatbog Faeries - Shifting Peat and Feet) before a wonderfully long, lingering finish (Lewis Capaldi - Fade).
Blair Bowman, Scotland’s leading whisky expert and founder of World Whisky Day, got a first taste of the new whisky ahead of its launch tomorrow commenting: “This is a unique and thoroughly enjoyable Islay single malt. With notes of sooty peat as opposed to the traditional medicinal peat, this is a dram that will appeal to peated whisky fans while also being accessible enough to appeal to those starting to explore the category.”