Distillery Visit - Blair Athol

Blair Athol is a gem of a distillery. Nestled in the centre of the Highlands at the southern end of the town of Pitlochry, the distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland that remains in operation. Long labeled as 'The Home of Bell's', it is now starting to market itself in its own right. One recent crisp Autumn afternoon, Matt paid a visit.

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My first recollection of Blair Athol as a fledgling whisky fan was not favourable. Driving through Pitlochry and heading south, we had spotted the distillery. Outside was a massive sign proclaiming it as 'The House of Bell's'. At the time, my thinking was that single malts were better than blends and it instantly made me disinterested in the place. Now, a decade later I know better.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (May 13, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - April 13, 2012 (Part 1)

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.

This week is a little different, as Inbox is split in to two parts - the second part will appear over the weekend.  This is due to Matt and Karen having been away to Australia and returning to a large amount of emails about all manner of whisky related things.  Here is the first part of what they discovered ...

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AnCnoc - Something is coming soon ...
One of the more surreal emails that we received was from the guys at AnCnoc. The up-and-coming whisky brand, which is made at the Highland distillery of Knockdhu, has released a short video alluding to a new project which is just around the corner.  It is meant to whet your appetite and we will let you know as soon as we know what it is all about.  For now, the video is below ... any guesses, please leave a comment below.

Bell's - Jubilee Decanter announced
Within this two part edition of Inbox, you will read about a number of whiskies being released to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June. These represent just a few of the plethora of such releases associated with the event.  The Bell's brand has a strong tradition of releasing such limited edition decanters for Royal occasions, as well as  for each Christmas.

The Diamond Jubilee Decanter has been specially designed and shows a change in style and colour from previous decanter releases.  This edition of Bell's has a heavy bias towards the single malts from Blair Athol and Caol Ila in the blend. It is available exclusively to the UK market and will retail for 85.  Numerous specialist whisky retailers in the UK are currently taking pre-orders.

Chivas - Cannes Film Festival
About this time last year, we reported on the third year of sponsorship of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival by the Chivas Regal whisky brand.

To celebrate the continued association, the brand has announced an extension to the sponsorship until at least 2014.  This will also see Chivas Regal continue to support the FilmAid International charity.  The brand will host various events in the French town during the Festival, which runs from 16-27 May. James Slack, Global Brand Director for Chivas Regal says, “We are delighted to continue our support as official partner of the Cannes Film Festival. Like Cannes, Chivas Regal is synonymous with discerning style, luxury and legend, which makes this partnership a perfect one".

Famous Grouse - Jubilee special
The biggest selling blended whisky in the UK is launching a limited edition commemorative version in order to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Famous Jubilee is a new take on the classic Famous Grouse blend that has been specially constructed by the Master Blender of the Edrington Group (the brand's owners), Gordon Motion. It will be available in the UK only, exclusively to the Waitrose supermarket chain, and will cost £24.99.

The brand is also issuing a revised Jubilee package box for the regular Famous Grouse, which will be available in the supermarket chain of Sainsbury's for the Jubilee period.

Speyburn - New packaging and club
The Speyside distillery of Speyburn have announced a new set of packaging for their single malt range.  The brand, which is owned by Inver House Distillers, has gone for a fresher and more contemporary look with the new packaging, which includes a new bottle, label and tube.  This will initially be applied to the two most popular malts in the range - the Brandan Orach and the 10 years old (pictured, left) - with the aim to increase brand exposure in retail outlets.

The brand has also just opened a new members area, called Clan Speyburn, on its newly refurbished website.  When you sign up you will receive a welcome pack, receive a regular newsletter and be able to enjoy special offers which include limited edition bottlings just for club members.  To sign up - click here.

Tullamore Dew - New distillery
William Grant & Sons, the owners of the Tullamore Dew whiskey brand, have announced plans to construct and open a new distillery in the brand's spiritual hometown of Tullamore, County Offaly. Tullamore Dew is currently the second biggest selling Irish whiskey brand behind Jameson, and the new pot still facility is to help maintain the current level of growth and demand for the product, which is growing by 15% per annum.

The new distillery will bring whiskey production back to the town for the first time since 1954, when the original Tullamore distillery closed.  William Grant is investing €35 million in the project and will created 100 temporary and 25 permanent jobs in the town.  The building work is estimated to take two years and the facility will incorporate an environmentally efficient pot still distillery and a visitor centre.

Whisky Round Table - April 2012
The latest sitting of the newly re-vamped Whisky Round Table is now available for you to read.  The April edition is hosted by one of the original members of the group - Gal Granov of the excellent and informative Whisky Israel blog.

Gal set an interesting question about whether the procedure of maturing casks in two or more locations actually benefited the whisky or whether it was simplay a PR stunt.  Read the answers of the twelve Whisky Knights, including us, by clicking here.

Have just tried ... Bell's 8 years old

Humble beginnings
Bell's is a blended whisky and has been the UK's biggest selling whisky since the 1970s. The availability of Bell's is widespread and it can be found in every pub, bar, supermarket and corner shop in the land. It represents a massive success story that started in a convenience store in the Scottish town of Perth. In 1825, Arthur Bell was a shopkeeper and he started experimenting by mixing different single malts together, believing that by doing so he would please more palates. Coupled with the boom in the whisky blending industry at the time, Bell's whisky started to gain many fans. Arthur's sons, Arthur Kinmond Bell and Robert Duff Bell joined the expanding empire and Arthur Bell & Sons was born. By the early 1900s, they were buying or building their own distilleries in order to fuel the increasing demand for the Bell's blended whisky.

The UK's number one
The Bell's brand is currently owned by Diageo, one of the world's largest drinks corporations. Bell's became the UK's best selling whisky in 1978 and has held that spot ever since, despite increasingly close competition from The Famous Grouse range. In 2008, a staggering 18.7% of all whisky purchased in the UK was Bell's *. Bell's is bottled at 40% ABV and should cost around £15 a bottle (although it can be found as low as £10 when on promotion at supermarkets).

What's in it?
The blend contains a complex mix of 40 different single malt and grain whiskies and these have been matured for a minimum of eight years in oak casks (the age stated on a blended whisky such as this one, is the age of the youngest whisky that is included in the blend). Single malt whisky from the Blair Athol distillery forms the core of the blend and it is there that you can visit the Bell's Whisky Experience. Blair Athol is located in the town of Pitlochry in the central Highlands. Other single malts known to be included are from Dufftown and Inchgower distilleries in the Speyside region, Glenkinchie from the Lowlands and Caol Ila from the western isle of Islay.

Our tasting notes
Bell's has a golden colour with a touch of amber and the nose that is initially a little harsh, before settling down slightly. The nose begins with a whiff of alcohol spirit and some distinct cereal grain (think of the husks especially) and grassy notes (imagine dried grasses or hay). After come some softer aromas - caramel, sweet brown sugar, dried fruits (think of sultanas and apple) and a hint of ashy bonfire smoke. On the palate, the whisky feels thin and watery and that initial alcohol spirit is present again and offers a warm burn. Once this dies, the softer notes are allowed to express themselves - this is very grainy (imagine those cereal husks again and maybe oatmeal) and very grassy (those dried grasses and hay again) to begin with before some caramel, toffee, honey, nuts (think of almonds), dried fruits (sultanas especially) and soft smoke come through. The finish is on the short side and starts with the sweet cereals, dried fruit and caramel, before becoming very dry and woody at the end. Again, these characteristics are backed up with some obvious alcohol spirit.

What's the verdict?
When you consider that it contains 40 different whiskies, then it seems, surprisingly, to lack the expected complexity. In fact, this is quite a simple, safe and easy to drink whisky - this is therefore what makes it so popular and appealing to a large diverse range of palates (Arthur Bell was right!), especially when adding in the price factor. Bell's is primarily marketed as a mixer and it would be good at that job by supplying sweetness and that obvious alcoholic kick to a long drink or cocktail. As far a being a sipping whisky is concerned, this is pleasant enough but lacks the complexity to hold your interest for more than a couple of mouthfuls.

* Source - Euromonitor International Report 2009