2nd anniversary of the Friends and Single Malt Club. Foiled kidnaps, Balvenie and more...

  Tulleeho's Vikram Achanta hears about a kidnap, which has gone wrong as he attends the 2nd anniversary of the Friends and Single Malt Club. 

When you receive an invite to the 2nd Anniversary of the Friends and Single Malt dinner, which better still, is at the Trident, Gurgaon and is sponsored by The Balvenie, you don't think twice. Better still, a car is provided, which is much needed after a long Gin soaked afternoon on which copious numbers of Jamuntinis were made and savored, necessitating an urgent replenishment in my gin stocks.

I know not a soul when I walk in, except for Pramod Krishna the founder of the Club, who's in a corner with a few people. I wait for an opportune moment and wish him a belated Happy Birthday (it was the previous day). It strikes me now, that the anniversary date of the club may be synced with Pramod's birthday. 

 Abhishek Parameswaran and Anand Virmani of William Grant and Sons, flanking Pramod Krishna

I console myself with a Whisky Sour made with William Grant's, which I soon abandon for a glass of the Balvenie 12yo Doublewood, which the waiter fills nearly to the brim with water, completely destroying the taste of the liquid and necessitating the addition of more whisky, something I was trying to avoid. I lament for the Indian hospitality industry, that they pay so little attention to the training of their staff.

We're soon seated for dinner and I sit at the first table where there appears to be a vacant seat, and interesting company I have. The highlight of the evening, was the presence at the table of an Orthopaedic surgeon who had been kidnapped the previous Friday. Son of a prominent UP criminal lawyer, he said he had spent his days as a child hobnobbing with the dacoits, and dealing with these kidnappers was child's play for him.

The good kidnap in India is a supply chain to study. He had been kidnapped by the first link in the chain, which was now negotiating with the next link to agree at a sales price. In the interim, they made him sign some cheques. "They didn't realise", he triumphantly said, "that I have two signatures, one for the bank and the other for my patients." "I used the latter one, which they verified by seeing the files they had also kidnapped" and settled back to the phones. There was a lot of toing and froing going on, no doubt with an influx of people who wanted to see the new kidnapee. Including the neighbouring women and children (now I exaggerate).

In the interim, he spotted his car keys nearby, and took the briefest of opportunities to slip out, reach his car, dismantle his gear lock and speed off to freedom, leaving behind a bunch of kidnappers with bum cheques. I wonder if they might sue him now for cheque bouncing? Stranger things have happened in India.

We settle back to enjoy the Balvenie, which is served up as a tasting before the dinner begins. We taste the first bottle of the Balvenie 12yo Triple Cask to be opened in India, which is a travel retail exclusive as well as a Balvenie17yo Peated Cask. All wonderful whiskies, and which go down smooth as a bell. Would you rather have S&M (Single Malt) elbow or Whisky Wrist we joke as the evening draws to an end. Long may the friends of Single Malt Club live.

Tulleeho!

Vikram Achanta

Tales from Scotland, Part 1 - A Visit to Aberlour

The past few years have been good to my passport. I have had some wonderful opportunities to travel to places that have always ranked high on my wish list. And well what do you know, there was a bit of work to be done in the British Isles this year! So a few days ago, I packed my bags, hopped onto my first Dreamliner to London and chugged my way up to Aberdeen through the amazingly beautiful Scottish countryside. And the agenda was really quite simple – try one of my favourite tipples at source.

With only two days to spend in that part of the world (which I realised was painfully short to even scratch the surface of a true Scottish experience) I had to make a choice of the places that I could go to. The oil city of Aberdeen, in the eastern Highlands, is just on the fringes of the Speyside area. I quickly realised that getting around the area on a Sunday is painfully difficult. Well most distilleries are too lazy to work on a Sunday. And then the few who do stay open are next to impossible to get to unless you drive up to them yourself. Public transport on weekends is minimal and cabs cost a bomb to get around. I managed to get day return tickets to Elgin from Aberdeen. Elgin and Keith are probably the best places to get to if you want to make a trip into Speyside. Of the few distilleries that stay open on Sundays, my pick was the Aberlour. The ride into the area is a very scenic one with some of the biggest names in the malt business popping up along the drive. Reminded me of home and my childhood trips into the tea belt in upper Assam. Pristine.

Once you get to the town of Aberlour and to the distillery that is located on the banks of the small stream called ‘Lour’ that meets (Aber) the river Spey a few hundred meters away and hence the name. It’s a small distillery and you’d think that they might not be making much. But guess again. It infact is one of the top 10 malt brands in the world today. 

 The Lour

 A View of the Distillery

 A tasting of the variants

The tour of the distillery is much like any other – the process in whisky making don’t differ – but what often makes up for the experience are the stories that surround the brand and Scotland is steeped in such local folklore. At the end of the experience you also get to bottle your own duty paid bottle of Aberlour if you like. And it is quite an attraction here as the whisky you get to bottle here is one that the distillery doesn’t sell commercially.

Later that evening I caught up with local lad, Adam Elmigirab – producer of Dr. Elmigirab’s range of bitters (and fine ones that too!), and a good friend. I’ll leave the next part of the story for my next blog. I still nurse the effects of that night as I type this. Sneak peak – never take on a Scotsman on a drinking spree. Regret will be an understatement. Period.

Tulleeho!

 Rohan Jelkie

The 16 Men of Tain

The 16 men of Tain still religiously make Glenmorangie Single Malt. A distiller friend of Dr. Bill Lumsden (the Glenmorangie Master Distiller) told him that it should take no more than a man and a dog to run a distillery : the man to feed the dog, and the dog to make sure the man didn't press the wrong button. Glenmorangie soldiers on though with their 16, in the name of tradition and with a few of the 16 even making it a hereditary activity!

Whatever they're doing in Tain, they're certainly doing a wonderful job as Dr. Lumsden tasted us through the Glenmorangie 10 and 15 year olds and the 4 special wood finishes - sherry, port, madeira and burgundy, with the latter each having their own individual flavour note contributed by the casks in which they are "finished". We also tasted Ardbeg, the Single Malt from Islay.

Glenmorangie boasts of many distinctions in the way they make their whisky, ranging from the tallest stills in Scotland to the special attention they pay to the wood used for the Bourbon casks they buy. The wood used in the casks is from the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Glenmorangie has done intense and fascinating (to some people!) research on the science of trees and how that contributes to aging their spirit. Well if you thought that only God could make a tree you'd be surprised at what they're getting upto @ Tain.

After the tasting, Tulleeho spent a fascinating half hour with Dr. Lumsden...

Q-You were here 3 years ago and are here again now. Have you had the chance to observe any changes in consumer perceptions about Single Malt as well as their drinking behaviour?

A - We have had two consumer events this time, and we have seen an increase in interest as well as knowledge levels. In the trade sessions we have conducted also, people have become far more aware, and knowledgeable.

Q-You're on the last stop of your Asia leg at the moment. What's the biggest market for Glenmorangie in Asia?

A- Yes, I am coming from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore. About a year ago, Japan was our biggest market, but now Taiwan is no 1 for us. We sold 10,000 Cases of Glenmorangie there last year.

Q- What age group do you ideally target your Single Malts at? Is it different for different variants?

A- We target people above the age group of 35. Yes, Our 10 yr old is suitable for younger drinkers, whereas the wood finished ones are better for the older. In fact we had a very young mix of people coming in for the tastings in Taiwan, and their were quite a few questions, especially from the ladies who wanted to know what I wear under my Kilt! (Editors note: If you really want to know what Scotsmen wear under their kilts, watch the movie Braveheart, but not before you’ve numbed yourself with a not so wee dram).

Q- Whisky as a category has been affected in some parts of the world by new trendier spirits. Have Single Malt sales been affected in any way by the rise of new categories / spirits?

A- NO. For blended scotches that might be the case, but single malts are a very strong and robust category and usually people who enjoy single malts don’t shift.

Q- Which of your whiskies do you expect to do the best in India?

A - The 10 year old definitely. We also expect the wood finishes to do well.

Q - There's been some talk about Vijay Mallya of United Spirits, buying Invergordon Distilleries in Scotland. Are you in support of moves like this which involve people from outside Scotland acquiring distilleries there? Do you think this might lead to a change in traditions?

A- Considering, we’ve just been acquired by LVMH (a French group), I’m in a far better position to comment on this. I think it’s an excellent thing and much better than closing down the distillery altogether. As a company, Glenmorangie had come as far as we could on our own. A group like LMVH has added considerably to our strengths especially in the areas of marketing, and distribution. As far as changes in traditions are concerned there can’t be any, as the production process for Scotch whisky needs to be religiously adhered to.

Q-The passing of Glenmorangie from the Macdonald family into the hands of LVMH, represents one more independent distillery becoming part of a conglomerate. Pros? Cons?

A- The only downside to this maybe in the eyes of the consumer. As they might feel that the product is not the same anymore. I can assure them however that as far as the distillery goes, there has been no change in our operational freedom. (see above for other comments on the same)

Q- What do you feel about the belief of people like Jon, Mark and Robbo (of the Easy Drinking Whisky Company) and others of their ilk, that decent quality whisky should be enjoyed and not worshipped and that there's too much waffle surrounding whisky.

A- I think they are doing a good job. My only concern here is that Single Malt is a whisky with a long and glorious tradition and they might hamper the prestigious image of Single malt with their efforts and comments.

Having said that, there are other such companies like Compass Box, who are doing a very good job.

Q- Well we know about the 16 men of Tain, but how about the women? Are there any women master distillers? Why not?

A- Well we have no women, maybe because the job is challenging, but even if a lady joins, the 16 men of Tain will still remain! That’s part of our tradition.

Q- How do you like to enjoy your Malt? Which is your personal favourite from the range?

A- I like it with a splash of water, or depending on the climate, a cube of ice. My favourite is the Glenmorangie 10 yr old. I also enjoy the Highland Park-12 yr old.

Q- What activities are Glenmorangie planning on doing for consumer and trade activation in India?

A- We are not getting into any aggressive advertising or marketing. We will follow the education route, and make consumers more aware.

Q- Places visited and liked in India?

A- I have not been to many, but Delhi, from whatever I have seen, seems, very green and clean. I like Delhi and would definitely like to add on a few vacation days here on my next visit.

Q- What's your desert island drink?

A- The Glenmorangie Single cask -1981 (bottled in 1997). I have two bottles of those, and I hope they will be with me then also!

Slainte! (the Scottish alternative to Tulleeho)