I recently came across Square Barrel whisky, a concept that was first developed in the 1850’s. The idea behind this most unusual barrel shape was to make the transport of whisky onboard ships safer, which I would imagine it did, but the unfortunate consequence is of course that it will have been rather more difficult to move the barrels around (as any physicist or engineer will confirm for those of you in doubt, square barrels will be far less suitable for rolling on their side than their rounded counterparts). Anyway, the shape didn’t catch on too well and the innovative square barrel – which was also more difficult to make than a standard shape – failed to outmanoeuvre (see what I did there?) its round-cheeked predecessor.
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Founded by John Duff, this Speyside distillery first opened its doors in 1876. Not exactly a newcomer to the scene, then, so how come you haven’t heard of it? Okay so that may be presumptuous, but a lot of people haven’t. This is largely because most of the whisky distilled goes into blends such as Haig, and what is released as a single malt hasn’t received much attention in whisky circles.
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Update: this whisky has been discontinued.
Having heard mixed reviews of this whisky, which several of my dear friends decided to purchase around the same time quite at random, I thought I’d have to give it a go to settle the dispute. BenRiach is a speyside distillery, established around 1898 but closed soon thereafter to be reopened in 1965 by Glenlivet. Since then it has changed hand several times, from Glenlivet to Chivas to Pernod and finally purchased by an independent consortium in 2004 after having, once again, been mothballed by Pernod in 2002.
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It had been a while since I savoured a dram of Dalmore 12, so when I went to meet a friend of mine for a quick catch up in a pub I hadn’t been in before and saw it in the drinks list, priced at only £2.50 a dram, I couldn’t resist. My promise to myself not to drink anything that evening was thus broken within 5 minutes of entering the pub, aren’t I naughty! Quite frankly, though, I didn’t regret it for a second.
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It is because of days like today that I couldn’t possibly leave this place. Many are the times when I’ve thought about packing my bags and selling everything I don’t need, to leave the coldness of the Scottish winter and move to South-east Asia for good. But then comes spring, then comes summer, and the stunning beauty of my beloved city reminds me of why I haven’t yet, and never will, let the winter scare me away. To the suns tingling warmth, to the golden rays that bring out the lustre in cold stone of which Edinburgh is built, to the proud Scottish people and to the magnificent grandeur of Auld Reekie – I raise my glass, of The Singleton of Dufftown!
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As I (didn’t really) walk into the (virtual) whisky shop looking for a good all-round whisky, to which I shall treat next week’s dinner guests, I once again fell for the simple beauty of what has grown to become a lowland classic: Auchentoshan. After rekindling my love for their standard 12 year old bottling a year ago, I decided to splash out and get the Three Wood expression. Before I continue, you may want to check out my reviews of the Auchentoshan 12 and 21 (limited)expressions.
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