A whole new world
Dominic Roskrow takes a deep dive into whiskies from the New World and is left breathless…
I have spent the first part of 2022 tasting whisky and writing tasting notes for a new edition of Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion.
Michael died 15 years ago, but his work as the Beer Hunter and then Whisky Chaser is revered by many, and his Malt Whisky Companion is the world’s best-selling whisky book.
This is the third time I’ve been asked to update it, and when it appears on the book shelves in the middle of the year it will be in its eighth edition.
I won’t lie – this time around it has been a struggle. I cover New World whisky – basically anything that is not Scotland. And the combination of Brexit-fuelled red tape and the pandemic made getting samples harder than usual.
But the difficulties pale in comparison to the joys of updating the book for the first time in seven years. Back then, only a handful of New World whiskies made the cut. This year the publishers have bowed to the inevitable and dramatically increased the size of the section for whiskies across the world.
“We are in the throes of a revolution in New World distilling.”
I was well aware that there are a lot more world distilleries now, and decided just to feature the very best New World whiskies.
What I hadn’t planned for was the extraordinary quality of whiskies from around the world. As the days passed, it was like peeling an orange and finding the purest, sweetest and juiciest fruit inside.
As we reach the editing stage, two things have become abundantly clear. Firstly, we are in the throes of a revolution in New World distilling. Duckling whiskies have become elegant swans. Malts struggling to fly at three years old in 2015 are now 10-year-olds.
Or maybe they’re not quite there, because many are still very young, but they’re ten times better than they were.
And the second point to note is that under eight years old Scotland can’t hold a candle to the new wave of micro distillers in countries across the world.
I predict the following. Firstly, England and Australia are set to become leading markets for whisky. Australia’s problems are expense and distance, but its malts are refined and exciting. England already has four established world-class distilleries with at least another eight on the way.
Secondly, if a distillery worked with the late whisky consultant and trouble-shooter Dr Jim Swan, its whisky is going to be great. He created the Shaved Toasted and Re-charred Cask, which imparts vanilla, honey and tropical fruits. Much of the malt is just four years old – and sensational.
Thirdly, watch France. Some distillers there, being French, are claiming that they will be making the world’s finest whisky. From what I’m tasting, they may have a case. Once upon a time the country had a handful of distilleries in Brittany, a Celtic region of Northern France, or in Alsace, where there is a strong German influence. Now, France is making whisky everywhere. No country has expanded more.
And finally, we know that New World whiskies appeal to a younger consumer. But they’re not just drinking it. They’re making it. Younger, more females, and multicultural, they are dispensing with established protocol and experimenting with woods and grains.
Never has whisky been more exciting. Being the inquisitive enthusiast he was and how willingly he embraced new trends, I can’t help but think that Michael would have loved it all.
Dominic Roskrow is a UK-based world spirits expert and editor of Stills Crazy
