Battle lines drawn over whisky
There are rumblings in the whisky world as innovation meets tradition – Dominic Roskrow explains…
A few years ago, British independent bottler Compass Box released a new spirit called Orangerie. It was allowed to be called “a whisky infused with orange peel”, but not an “orange peel-infused whisky”.
The reason? Because whisky is defined as containing only grain, yeast and water. And the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) goes further, adding rules about oak barrels and minimum ageing times.
Quite why the SWA thinks it has the right to dictate definitions of world whisky is a moot point, (especially when you consider that American whiskey may be aged for considerably shorter times), but it does. Just this month it has been crossing swords with Swiss whisky producer Seven Seals, which uses a patented and technologically advanced finishing process that makes young whisky taste considerably older. And this is despite the fact that Scotland is no longer in the European Union and Switzerland never was.
The argument put forward by the SWA is that the process is not traditional, and therefore the finished spirit can’t be called whisky, although it can be called single malt.
“New World whiskies are bringing in newer, younger drinkers and helping the whisky sector compete with other spirit categories.”
Innovation has to be seen as a force for good. New World whiskies are bringing in newer, younger drinkers and helping the whisky sector compete with other spirit categories. Rum is enjoying a world boom, and the line between gin and vodka has become increasingly blurred as producers seek new and exciting flavours. In other categories there has been an explosion of flavoured ciders and beers.
Most recently, the United Kingdom has seen a rush of new drinks as drinks makers take advantage of the excess fruit crops caused by lack of workers due to Brexit, and shortages in labour due to the lengthy lockdown. Spirits and liqueurs made with fresh fruit are capturing the imagination and are regarded as a healthier alternative to artificially flavoured drinks.
But when it comes to innovation, it may be that the world of whisky is gearing up for a fight, with the new whisky regions on one side, and the likes of the Scotch Whisky Association and the Irish Whiskey Association on the other.
The argument is over hypocrisy. The new producers argue that the established bodies are bending the rules. And they point to the recent approved release of A Tale of the Forest, a new ‘whisky’ from Glenmorangie, which uses juniper, heather flowers and other botanicals in the kilning process. Juniper is, of course, the key ingredient in gin.
The SWA view may be that using different kilning methods does not add to the flavour of the spirit. But one new Irish distiller rejected that view. “If it didn’t add flavour to the spirit, they wouldn’t do it,” he says. “This is adding flavour via the back door. But most importantly, using juniper to flavour whisky is not traditional practice. This is a case of two rules.”
The concept of innovation should be encouraged, but any blurring of the lines should be policed carefully. Protecting the consumer from dodgy practices is of course to be encouraged. But it must be wrong if trade bodies are unfairly protecting their members against legitimate competition.
And “orange peel-infused whisky” or “whisky infused with orange peel”: do we really care?
Dominic Roskrow is a UK-based world spirits expert and editor of Stills Crazy
