Whisky Magazine

Are you a barley biter? I am. No sooner have I stepped foot inside a floor maltings than down goes the hand, up comes the golden grain, and chomp go the incisors. No, it’s not because I’m peckish — maltmen have been performing this little ritual since time immemorial. Long before moisture sensors, probe thermometers, amylase testing, and friabilimeters (no, I didn’t make that word up), taking a nibble proved to be a fairly accurate method for determining the progress of barley’s transformation into malt, and therefore whether it’s ready to be kilned, then brewed. “How far along is it?” I always ask of the maltster on duty, as if I’m enquiring after an expectant mother. If the barley’s hard as nails, it’s likely not been long on the floor.…

WHISKY LIVE Sponsored by Glencairn Crystal In 2025, Whisky Live London marks a major milestone. The flagship whisky show will celebrate its 25th anniversary of bringing together whisky lovers from all over the globe. Whisky Live London will take place on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 March 2025, making its much-anticipated return to the Fireworks Factory at Woolwich Works. Attendees to the silver-jubilee event will have the chance to sample an unlimited array of drams — from limited-edition releases to rare and exceptional whiskies. They can also visit the World Whiskies Awards 2025 stand, which offers all ticket holders the chance to taste whiskies from around the world. Premium Experience ticket holders will also have two tokens to redeem at the World Whiskies Awards Premium Stand, which includes rare and…

Fettercairn is a village in Aberdeenshire, at the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains. There’s a pub, a hotel and restaurant, a post office, a small shop for food and provisions, and a vintage store featuring a random assortment of clothing, shoes, and accessories from past decades. An ancient graveyard fills the yard next to the early-19th-century steepled church. The primary school can accommodate about 70 children. Balbegno Castle, built in 1569, and the castle-like Fasque, sit within a two-mile radius. Much of the activity of the population of about 250 people swirls around the village square, which is marked with a granite cross perched on a stepped sandstone pedestal. It bears the date 1670, but whether that date refers to the year it was erected or something else is unclear.…

In the summer of 1819, the Reverend Doctor John Chevallier of Aspen Hall, near the village of Debenham, Suffolk, visited one of his tenants, labourer John Andrews. After seeing impressive heads of barley growing in his cottage garden, Chevallier requested some grains be planted at his adjoining estate. During the previous harvest season, Andrews, working as a thresher for Edward Dove at neighbouring Ulverston Hall, came home with handsome, plump seeds lodged in his boots, and planted these specimens in his garden. After five years of propagation under Chevallier’s successful supervision, his field hands harvested 32 bushels per acre. This led to the commercialising of this new genetically stable variety, which quickly gained fame among English maltsters, thanks to its superior malting qualities. By 1833, a London brewery mashed Chevallier…

“Maltster” is a word that can confuse autocorrect into making mistakes. The craft has been practised for thousands of years, at least as long as mankind has brewed beer, but the word is far enough from the vernacular that spell-check often wants to change it to “monster”, which couldn’t be farther from reality. As whisky makers focus more on the elements of flavour creation, craft maltsters are stepping out from behind distillers and cellar masters to share some deserved attention. “The beautiful thing about making malt is that we have this dance of art and science,” says Brent Manning, president and co-founder of Riverbend Malt House, in Asheville, North Carolina, US, and former president of the Craft Maltsters Guild. “There was a desire to get good information out there, keep…

Situated on the edge of Hyde Park, in London’s monied and historic Belgravia neighbourhood, the Peninsula Hotel cuts an imposing figure. The opulent nine-storey structure was completed in 2023, and boasts 190 rooms, a ballroom, private cinema, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant, and a rooftop terrace with panoramic city views. The design scheme is inspired by the ‘craftmanship’ in classic British aviation and motorsport. It is a fitting place to talk about something grand — in this case, the newest addition to Glenfiddich’s Grand Series. Malt master Brian Kinsman is a little late for our meeting in the hotel’s Brooklands bar; he has been conducting tastings with staff (Glenfiddich expressions on offer include the 40 Years Old Cumulative Time, from 2022’s Time Re:Imagined series, and the Archive Collection 49 Years Old 1973,…