Whisky Advocate’s Post

Zooming in on the Distillerie Poisson, started in 1860, the smallest of 5 located on the island of Marie Galante: Distillerie Poisson (Poisson = "fish" in French) makes the brand Pere Labat. The distillery was purchased in 2007 by J.C. Brot, who was born and raised in a family with a long history in Guadeloupe and Marie Galante proper. Culturally, on these islands, making rum is seen as a high achievement and JC always dreamed of being a rhum maker. The distillery employs 17 people and manages about 250 hectares of land, some of which is cultivated with cane that feeds the distillery, while much of the cane is bought from small planters to maintain good relationships with the local Planteurs. Being a French territory, working hours are highly regulated (35hr/week, 5 weeks off per year). The teams is working from 7am to 1pm Mondays to Fridays and 7am to noon on Saturdays. Distillation occurs from Feb to July. The facility is not large or glamorous; it's rusty, it's beat-up, it experiences a lot of daily operational challenges which causes frequent repairs and maintenance issues. Despite these conditions, the distillery continues to produce super high-quality booze, experimenting with aging in various types of casks, including ground cru white Burgundy and Mouton etc... The fermentation process lasts 72 hours and is inoculated. The 2 "Creoles" columns, one from 1955 the other from 1977 are all copper and consist of 15 plates - 11 stripping plates and four concentrating plates. White rhum flows out of the stills at 70.7% alcohol by volume and eventually entering casks at around 63%. The distillery makes about 1,500 liters of booze per day and sells about 40K cases a year (3/4 to the French market, the rest sold internationally). The distillery's operation is deeply intertwined with the local community; some planteurs have scheduled appointments to deliver their cane, other randomly show up. The unpredictable supply of sugar cane from the small local planteurs reflects the totally artisanal nature of its production. The island's hot (temp typically varies between 74 and 95 F) and humid conditions contribute to about 7+% annual evaporation in casks, more than twice the evaporation typical in the Cognac or Armagnac regions of mainland France.

Check out some of the badass work captured by the Experience-Interaction studio team on Forbes! Learn more about Basquiat x Great Jones Distilling Co.: https://lnkd.in/gdGwznXg #studiophotography #studio #content #basquiat #greatjonesdistillingco

Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Brothers unit has announced plans to open its first whisky distillery on Scotland's isle of Islay. The distillery (artistic render pictured above), which will be located on Gartbreck Farm, will focus on producing an Islay single malt, marking the first Islay whisky in the Chivas Brothers portfolio. Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and CEO at Chivas Brothers, said the introduction of an Islay whisky will complete the company’s Scotch portfolio: “This is an important new chapter in the Chivas Brothers story…As a business built on hundreds of years of heritage, it also gives us the opportunity to do something we rarely do, which is to start from scratch." As Chivas Brothers looks to achieve carbon neutrality by the end of 2026, the new distillery will be carbon neutral from its opening. Gourgues added: “Here on Islay, we can create a blueprint for carbon neutral distilling and continue to usher in this era of sustainable Scotch. We are committed to Scotch, to the Islay community and the landscape that makes it the perfect place to continue our vision to shape the future of whisky.” Further information on the opening will be shared in the coming months. Financial details of the new distillery were not disclosed. Source: Drinks Retailing #SpiritFinder #SpiritsIndustry #DrinkNews #CraftSpirits #SpiritWorld #BeverageUpdates #IndustryInsights #BoozeBuzz #DistilleryNews #CocktailCulture #SpiritsBiz #LiquorNews

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Scotch whisky: "Extraordinary" 74-year-old malt goes on sale Elgin-based Gordon & MacPhail has added an "extraordinary" 74-year-old whisky valued at £35,000 per bottle to its Private Collection range. Gordon & MacPhail 1949 from Glenlivet Distillery was laid down in a refill Sherry butt on New Year’s Day 1949 and bottled on March 6, 2023. Retaining a cask strength of 49.3%, only 192 bottles of the ultra-rare whisky are available for sale. Having been aged for more than seven decades, it is among one of the oldest Glenlivet released by Gordon & MacPhail. It is also the company’s last ever 1949 cask from Glenlivet Distillery. “To find a whisky of this age is absolutely extraordinary," whisky writer Dave Broom said. "What comes across immediately is the fruit - there’s richness and there’s depth. You have this wonderful interplay of distillery character, of oak and oxygen. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. #investment #opportunity #whiskycollection #whiskylover #whiskybarrel #whiskycask #invest #investor #Investing #investors #assets #asset #assetmanagement #assetprotection #whisky #whiskylife #scotland  #scottish #scottishbusiness https://lnkd.in/gBq4Y7PY

Region: New Zealand Distillery: Pōkeno Age: NAS ABV: 55.8 % Size: 700 ml Pōkeno Distillery is nestled in a warm, misty, humid valley surrounded by volcanic hills from which pure natural spring water is sourced. The Distillery uses some of the finest barley sourced from three family-owned farms in New Zealand's richly fertile South Island. This is what makes Pokeno Whisky so special in addition to a slow fermentation and distillation followed by a careful maturation process in first fill casks. The result is an incredibly rich whisky with notes of citrus combining beautifully with the deep flavours from the PX cask. There is dark chocolate, dried fruit and black forest gateaus with a deep long finish. This is in fact a double wood or a vatting of Single Malt Whiskies fully matured in first fill bourbon barrels and PX Sherry Hogsheads which have then been laid into a PX hogshead for a marrying period of several months to integrate the flavours. Bottled exclusively for Mizunara. https://lnkd.in/gCbBkK89

The Lowlands region. 🥃 An historically overlooked region for Scotch whisky, and once home to the infamous ‘rascally liquor’ condemned by Robert Burns, BUT the region is currently undergoing an exciting flurry of revitalisation. Where is the Lowlands region? The Lowlands region is a protected locality under UK Government legislation and is located in the area south of the theoretical Highland line. It stretches from Glasgow, across to the Kingdom of Fife in the east and down to the Scottish Borders in the south. How many distilleries belong to the Lowlands region? As of March 2024, there are 22. Why are there so few distilleries in the Lowlands? In the late 19th century, there were over 100 producers in the Lowlands, producing whisky on an industrial scale, but often of poor quality.  Many became victims of the harsh effects of WWI and the U.S. Prohibition, and by the year 2000 the number of distilleries had plummeted to just THREE. What’s special about the Lowlands region? The Lowlands are home to the FIRST ever written reference to whisky. On the 1 June 1495 the Royal Exchequer Rolls included an entry detailing that Friar John Cor, was ordered by King James IV to produce ‘VIII bolls of malt’ at Lindores Abbey. 👑 Anything else? Because the vast majority of distilleries have been built from the ground up in the last 10 years or so, they tend to be quite innovative and have an inbuilt dedication to sustainability, arguably more so than any of the other regions. ♻️ Eden Mill St. Andrews, for instance, have built a brand-new distillery on the Eden Campus at the University of St. Andrews. The distillery has been built using bio-based materials and aims to achieve net-zero status when it opens later this year. Who are the best-known Lowlands producers? Well-known distilleries include Auchentoshan, Glenkinchie, Bladnoch Distillery, The Borders Distillery and Kingsbarns Distillery and Visitor Centre. Any new distilleries? Yes, The Port of Leith Distillery opened just last year and the revered Rosebank Distillery (which had been mothballed for 25 years) ran its first distillation in June 2023. Does Lowlands whisky have a particular flavour profile? It is often said that Lowland whiskies have a light, grassy and sometimes floral flavour profile. Should I visit? Yes. Most distilleries in this region have visitor centres and offer tours of the facilities. The region is also home to Johnnie Walker Princes Street and the famous SCOTCH Whisky Bar at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. Any festivals I should know about? Yes, the Fife Whisky Festival held in late February every year showcases whiskies from the Fife area and some of the other regions. You’ll find a wide variety of drams to try, tasting events and masterclasses. Are you a fan of Lowlands whisky? Let me know in the comments. 💫 FOLLOW for more whisky-related insights. 🔗 CONNECT if you’d like to talk about content for your business. #whisky #scotchwhisky #scotland

R&B Distillers has secured planning permission from Argyll and Bute Council for its Machrihanish Distillery, the first farm-to-bottle distillery in Campbeltown in over 180 years. R&B purchased the Dhurrie Farm in Machrihanish in 2021, and having received the green light for the distillery development - starting with whisky production followed by a full visitor experience, shop, and tasting room - will now work with various stakeholders around environmental guidelines and other conditions before beginning construction on the site next year. The Machrihanish Distillery will deliver a new single malt Scotch whisky for R&B, who already own the award-winning Isle of Raasay Distillery, of which R&B says: “while different in style of spirit and region, will exhibit a similar philosophy around provenance, quality, and community regeneration”.  R&B plans to develop a sustainable net zero distilling model that removes any fossil fuel use from the whisky distilling process, using regenerative, environmentally friendly farming practices and creating greater biodiversity in the surrounding area. Up to 20 new jobs will be created in the region over time, having a positive impact on the local economy.  William Dobbie, Managing Director of R&B Distillers, said: “The rubber stamp for the distillery marks a major milestone on our journey in Campbeltown. When the whisky becomes of age our investment will go beyond production, attracting visitors to the region and supporting the local economy in a similar way to our existing distillery on Raasay.” “We are excited to be making this investment in Campbeltown and supporting the local economy through jobs and visitors. This milestone has particular significance to our family as my father Bill’s family come from Drumlemble, a small village in between Machrihanish and Campbeltown.” “We would like to thank everyone who has helped us get to this stage - including Argyll and Bute Council, neighbouring whisky producers Glen Scotia and J&A Mitchell, and most importantly our customers and partners for continuing to support R&B and our brands.” R&B Distillers is also announcing the acquisition of a controlling stake in Caskshare.com, a global eCommerce platform and bottler of single cask spirits. Caskshare specialises in offering whisky fans single cask whiskies by the bottle, including Scotch whiskies, R&B-owned brands, and world whiskies, and enables producers to sell directly to consumers worldwide. R&B plans to add other cask-aged spirits like rum and cognac over time and will initially target markets in Europe and the United States. William Dobbie added: “Our Machrihanish Distillery news and Caskshare majority stake puts us on a clear track towards achieving our vision of becoming the leading new wave spirits business in Scotland.” Left to right are David Nicol (Caskshare), Norman Gillies (R&B Distillers), William Dobbie (R&B Distillers), and Alasdair Day (R&B Distillers) on the Isle of Raasay.