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BOOZER: Shattering Pigeon Holes While Drinking Whisky And Gin At “The Shebeen”

by David Greig | Every bartender has a favourite spirit. In the name of entertainment and at the risk of massive generalisation, their choice reflects their personality and drinks style. Gin lovers tend to be refined, classically-inspired types, while bourbon fanatics are more rugged, carnivorous characters. A tequila-imbiber leans towards the more hedonistic way of life, while rum drinkers enjoy sunshine and smiles. The less said about vodka enthusiasts the better.

What of Scotch, though, my favourite spirit, and traditionally the tipple of choice for those of a more, shall we say, wizened  character? A romantic at heart, the (slightly patronising) connotations of salt-of-the-earth types sitting around a blazing hearth dispensing nuggets of wisdom appeals to my heightened sense of sentimentality, while the rough and tumble terroir-like variety of regions keep the category as a whole continually fresh and interesting. And on Monday, Jim McEwan, Master Distiller of Islay distillery Bruichladdich (meaning ‘brae by the shore’, or ‘slope by the shore’), one of the most innovative distilleries in the UK, was holding court at The Shebeen to shed more light on some of his fine single malts along with an intriguing new gin produced on the island as well. Here was an opportunity to shatter some pigeon-holes and try a little liquor cross-dressing…

The Botanist is the name of this new gin, and a fine tipple it proved to be. A lusciously smooth body combined with a fresh citrus zing complimented its strong juniper accents, along with a faint florality acquired from the 31 different botanicals present. The gins mixability was well highlighted by cocktails on site from Mike Mitchell of The Irish Heather, David Wolowidnyk of West, and Brad Stanton of Hawksworth.

I admit, I was hoping for something a little more left field. As the first (to my recognition) modern day Islay gin, a region famed for its smoky, peaty whiskies, the idea of a peated gin and how that would taste had me enthralled. However, that will have to wait, as this was a delicious, wonderfully crafted product in its own right, made using 22 native Islay botanicals to still capture the essence of the island, sans smoke. Jim helped win me round with a truly charming presentation that showed the production to be a real labour of love. “Karma,” was his reply when asked how he had ensured the very first run of the recovered ‘Ugly Betty’ pot still had produced such a good gin. He spoke at length about the quality of the still, the botanicals and the island as a whole, and I left with a better idea of the art (as opposed to the science) of a distiller.

The scotch that was tasted gave a good idea of the innovation that goes on at Bruichladdich. The PC7 was a hefty, peaty malt with a snarling attack and earthy notes, while the Bourbon Cask Aged 16 year old was almost unrecognisable in comparison. It was a much more integrated malt, the balance between spirit and wood resulting in something a lot smoother with stone fruit flavours evident along with a velvety body. The Multivintage changed tack completely again, with raisiny, figgy notes from the sherry cask aging showing particularly forward. Couple this impressive showing with the news that Jim had a freshly distilled batch of the most peated malt on earth, weighing it at 309 phenolic parts per million (ppm, the unit used to measure ‘smokiness’ in a malt. Laphroaig 10 year traditionally has around 40ppm in their barley), and the sheer breadth of Bruichladdich’s ambition was laid bare.

Jim was a wonderful host for the afternoon. Bruichladdich has cemented its reputation for being true pioneers in the whisky world by contributing a fine addition to a burgeoning spirit category while also pushing boundaries in one already long established.

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United Kingdom import David Greig is the Cocktail Editor at Scout Magazine. He can usually be found working the wood and well at Gastown’s popular L’Abattoir restaurant when he’s not typing at home or sipping his way around town.

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