It’s no secret that making sweet tasting fruity wines is a quick way to marketing success for a winemaker. It’s tough to blame them for caving in to the thirsty public: wine is more business that art. Plastic surgery has evolved in the cellar in parallel to the operating rooms of Hollywood. The Oak has gotten more precise, more expensive. The tonneliers are the behind the scenes superstars, with the winemakers lining up at their doors to ensure the best allocations. I’m always reminded of the ubiquity of wood aging whenever I …

Jean-Pierre Cayard founded Glen Turner in France in 1934; to this day the brand’s identity is slightly confusing.  In 2004, the company moved to a warehousing complex in West Lothian in the UK (at a cost of 15 million quid), where it stores the whiskies purchased and bottled in the 12 and 18 year old “Glen Turner” bottlings.  Only in the last couple years has the West Lothian facility been transitioning to a distillery – so don’t expect whiskies to be released for at least a couple more years.  While …

The Longmorn Distillery, unlike its sister distillery Benriach, has been a consistent producer since its start in 1895.  Meaning “place of the holy man,” Longmorn is situated in the north of Speyside, next to Benriach.  Both distilleries were founded by John Duff, but like most distilleries Longmorn passed hands multiple times.  In the 1970′s Longmorn merged with The Glenlivet, and hence was part of the acquisition by Seagrams in 1977.  Now part of Pernod-Ricard, Longmorn pumps out 3.5 million litres a year, the majority ending up in blends.
In an effort …