At the Sugar Home distillery in Dumbarton, there’s a stag’s head on the wall. That’s common for Scotland, you may say, and also you’d be proper – besides that this one is used as a hatstand – a metaphorical two fingers to the standard picture of the distilling business, and the distillery just isn't set within the rolling acres of the Highlands, however a considerably scruffy industrial unit on the outskirts of city.
Sugar Home is one among three distilleries that produced large on-line spirits retailer The Whisky Change’s spirits of the yr. Coincidentally (or possibly not), the winners are all Scottish. “We didn’t really realise the Scottish connection till a couple of days after we had all of the winners,” the location’s co-founder Sukhinder Singh says incredulously.
The custom of consuming rum is firmly established in Scotland, particularly in Glasgow, the place there have been as soon as 4 sugar homes, as rum distilleries have been recognized. They usually make it from scratch: “We’re such a small-scale outfit that we are able to make something we would like,” says Sugar Home’s distiller Ross Bradley. They usually do: witness their 47% Scotch Bonnet Spiced Rum, which can blow your head off.
Over on the Holyrood distillery in Edinburgh, it’s the juniper-rich Peak of Arrows gin (£28.95, 43%) that caught the eye of the Whisky Change’s consumers, however I’m equally grabbed by its “new-make” spirits (successfully, unaged whiskies) that owe their flavour to a variety of speciality malts. (Distillery supervisor Marc Watson was a brewer, and that has influenced Holyrood’s ingredient-led method to distillation.)
Gin can be a spotlight at Thompson Bros, a brand new natural distiller housed at Dornoch Fort resort on the east coast that, remarkably, makes the fantastically summery Mediterranean gin in at this time’s choose. They began out as an unbiased bottler, however, because of a crowdfunding marketing campaign, are actually making their very own spirits.
Then there are distilleries corresponding to Deanston, which has been going for some time as a part of better-known manufacturers however is now hanging out in a extra revolutionary path beneath new distiller Brendan McCarron. Though Deanston received whisky of the yr for its 18-year-old, it’s the model’s a lot youthful, seductively creamy Virgin Oak bottling (see at this time’s choose) that’s McCarron’s personal favorite. Apparently, the key is an unappealing-looking tank of black gunge known as the feints receiver, which is redistilled and contributes to the spirit’s significantly waxy character.
And that’s solely dipping a toe into the pattern in direction of sustainable distilling, however that should preserve for an additional week. Scottish distilling is actually on a roll proper now.
5 spirits you may not count on to return from Scotland
Sugar Home White Rum£29.25 The Whisky Change, £29.95 Royal Mile Whiskies, 43%. Correctly flavourful white rum that can up your cocktail-making a deal with.
Holyrood New-Make Chocolate Malt£32.95 Grasp of Malt and The Whisky Change, 60%. What it says on the label: an unaged, new-make spirit enhanced by the flavour of the malts reasonably than the wooden.
Deanston Virgin Oak Single Malt Whisky£31.95 Home of Malt, £35.25 The Whisky Change, 46.3%. A scrumptious, younger whisky given the bourbon remedy: tastes of roast peaches and vanilla fudge.
Thompson Bros Natural Mediterranean Gin£31.95 The Whisky Change and Royal Mile Whiskies, 45.7%. Beautiful, vivid, citrussy gin flavoured with lemon, orange and bergamot – nearly as good by itself as it's with tonic.
NcNean Natural Single Malt£47.95 NcNean, £49.95 The Whisky Change, 46%. Delectably fruity, floral new whisky comprised of Scottish barley at a totally sustainable distillery.
For extra by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
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