Telephone 01786 841422
Fax: 01786 841439

Owners,
Burn Stewart Distillers
Head Office
8 Milton Road
College Milton North
East Kilbride G74 5BU,
Scotland.
Telephone 01355 260 999
Fax 01355 264 355
Website www.burnstewartdistillers.com

Jim and Nicola left Longcroft at 10:15 am on Friday 12th of February 2010 to take the short journey to the Highland Distillery of Deanston ( approx 35 mins ).

We had made contact earlier with Ann Shackell from Deanston Distillery to meet her in the reception area at around 11 am, as she was going to be our guide for the day.

We duly arrived at the Distillery which is quite impressive as it sits on the banks of the River Teith, on the edge of the Perthshire town of Doune, we entered the reception and was met by an enthusiastic and bubbly lady who it turned out to be Ann our guide.

This Distillery is certainly not your most typical as it is not whitewashed and there are no pagodas to be seen, its buildings, designed by Richard Arkwright (who invented the Spinning Jenny), date back to 1785, when it was a working cotton mill, driven by the waters of the River Teith. In its heyday it employed 1,500 people and housed what was then the largest waterwheel in Europe.

In 1966, the buildings were converted into a distillery, partly due to the plentiful supply of water from the River Teith and the cool humid conditions of the weaving shed, perfect for the ageing of barrel’s of fine malt Whisky.

After the usual introductions the three of us set of for a wander around the grounds and buildings of the Distillery, Ann at all times giving a well informed commentary of the history of Deanston Town, the cotton mill and of course the Distillery.

We were shown round the Distillery, taken to all the important area’s dealing with, Malting, Grinding, Brewing, Fermentation and of course the Distillation all included with an expert commentary by Ann.

Part of the tour included a visit to the building that housed the waterwheel which gave all the power the cotton mill needed in days gone by, and believe it or not, there is still some fantastic old machinery in perfect working order - a testament to the quality of workmanship by engineers in years gone by.

After our guided tour we returned to the lounge / reception area where the shop is also located.

Ann gave us a little tasting of the Deanston 12 year old, and a fine wee dram it is. Jim then purchased a bottle of same and did mention to Nicola that this has to go onto our list for up and coming tasting’s.

The shop not only had products from Deanston and Scottish Leader ( the blended Whisky from Deanston ) but also had on show and for purchase Single Malts from Bunnahabhain, Tobermory and of course the fabulous Black Bottle blend with the heart of Islay. (did we ever tell you that Jim can see no wrong with anything Islay)

Up and coming is Jim’s visit to Islay for the week commencing Sat 20th of February 2010, where very high on his itinerary is a visit and a tasting session at Bunnahabhain, which in times past has been one of the most hospitable and ideally located Distilleries on the island, with fabulous views from is pier, but that is another story, which will follow soon.

Ann has asked both Jim and Nicola to return to Deanston at the end of March for a more in-depth tour and tasting session, on the condition we bring the third Whisky Boy, Dougie. This we shall do with delight.

We would like to finish with a BIG THANK YOU to Ann for a great wee tour and some of the distilling staff who stopped working for a short period to give us some more insight into the Deanston Distillery.

We would like all our readers to give Deanston a phone or e-mail asking for Ann Shackell and booking a tour and a wee taste, you will not be disappointed.

Here’s looking forward to the end of March, see you soon Ann.

The Whisky Boys
Jim, Dougie and Nicola.

Related posts:

1. Malt of the month March 2010
2. Distillery visit Auchentoshan
3. Distillery visit to Bushmills (Northern Ireland)

ARBROATH SMOKIE SOUP WITH WHISKY

Ingredients1 oz butter
1/2 large onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 rashers smoked back bacon, chopped
2 1/2 fl oz Whisky (an Auchentoshan Single Malt is the one to use)
6 fl oz double cream
1/2 Arbroath Smokie, skinned, boned and flaked into pieces

Serve with

chopped parsley
Rustic homemade bread

Heat butter in pan and gently fry the onion and garlic
Add the bacon and continue to fry until bacon starts to brown and become crispy
Pour Whisky in and bring to a simmer
Add cream and fish simmer for 3 - 4 minutes or until fish is warmed through and is ready to serve.

Related posts:

1. Mushroom and Whisky Soup
2. GLAZED FILLETS OF SOLE WITH WHISKY SABAYON
3. Monkfish with Whisky Sauce

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over simmering water
2. Finely crush the ginger snaps
3. Tip them into the chocolate mixture with the Whisky and stir well
4. Pour into a shallow bowl and, once cold, refrigerate for a couple of hours to firm up
5. Using a teaspoon, spoon out some of the mixture and, using the palms of both hands, form into balls
6. Place the cocoa in a bowl and carefully roll the truffles in this, to coat

Related posts:

1. Whisky Bon Bons - Whisky Recipe
2. Whisky Recipes - Malt Whisky and Ginger Cream
3. Whisky Pannacotta with Caramel Strawberries

INGREDIENTS - for four

Ingredients

8 whole langoustines, shells on and split down the middle
2 cloves of garlic crushed
3 oz unsalted butter
salt & pepper
l tbsp olive oil
1 kg langoustines heads and shells removed and de-veined
2 tbsp double cream
2 tsp Malt Whisky (a wee Bruichladdich would be my choice)
Chopped parsley

Potato Cakes

500 g potatoes boiled in their skins for 5/6 min
1 egg
Salt & pepper
l tbsp chopped dill
1/2 lemon zest
l tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter for frying

Dressing

The juice of one orange
2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove crushed garlic
pinch of English mustard powder
1 tsp soft brown sugar,
salt and pepper
salad leaves

Method

1. Preheat the grill to high.
2. Place the split whole langoustines, cut-side up, onto a grill pan.
3. Mix together the crushed garlic and 50g/2oz of the softened butter. Spread the mixture evenly over the langoustine flesh and season, to taste, with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Place under the preheated grill and cook until the langoustines are just cooked (the flesh will be opaque).
4. Heat the remaining 25g/1oz unsalted butter and the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the de-shelled langoustines and cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the Whisky to the pan, then carefully light with a match. Flame for a minute or so, then let the flames die away.
6. Add the cream and parsley to the pan and stir well. Taste and season with salt or freshly ground black pepper, if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
7. For the potato cakes, peel and grate the parboiled potatoes. Place the grated potatoes into a large bowl.
8. Add the egg, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, dill, lemon zest and lemon juice and a tablespoon of the olive oil. Divide the mixture into four equal portions and form into cakes.
9. Heat the remaining olive oil and a small knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the potato cakes to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the bases are golden-brown. Carefully turn over and cook on the other side until golden-brown. Keep warm until ready to serve.
10. For the salad dressing, shake together the orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard powder and sugar in a screw-top jar until well combined. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper as required.
11. Place the salad leaves into a large bowl and dress the leaves first with the dressing and mix to coat the leaves (you may not need to add all of the dressing).
12. To serve, place a dill potato cake into the centre of each of four warmed serving plates. Place a spoonful of the sautéed langoustine on top and spoon over the whisky sauce. Place two grilled langoustine to the side, pile the salad alongside and drizzle additional rapeseed oil around the plate.

Related posts:

1. Scotch Whisky Glazed Wild Mushrooms
2. Monkfish with Whisky Sauce
3. Whisky Recipe - Scottish Salmon and Whisky Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:-

Pancake mix

3 1/2 oz self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg beaten
3 1/2 fl oz whole milk
1/2 oz butter

Whisky Sauce

2 tbsp caster sugar
1 oz Raspberries
1tbsp Whisky (a sweet Speyside Single Malt would do nicely)
2 tbsp double cream

An additional 5 fl oz for whipped cream

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the beaten egg and gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter.
Heat butter on griddle or frying pan on a medium heat and fry spoonfuls of batter until golden brown, usually I find you see bubble type holes appear on the top when the cooking side is ready to be flipped.

For the Whisky sauce heat the sugar in a pan until it melts. Add the raspberrys and whisky and cook on a high heat for l minute until the alcohol is boiled off. Reduce the heat and add the cream.  Whip the remaining cream until you have soft peaks.

Assemble the pancake with whipped cream on top and then pour over the whisky/raspberry sauce - guaranteed to cheer and warm you up a cold rainy day.

Related posts:

1. Scotch Whisky Cake
2. Whisky Custard
3. Monkfish with Whisky Sauce

We have never been on Islay in February before, so were completely unsure of what the weather might be. We were fortunate to have a clear, but very frosty journey up to the Ferry at Kinnacraig with a varying temperature from -8 to +11 degrees. The sail was, as ever, a joy. As I have previously mentioned I cannot stop the involuntary smile that sits on my face from the moment I commence this journey. I have never travelled anywhere in the world that makes me feel so calm, tranquil and at one with the world.

So off the ferry and onwards to our destination of the School House in Port Charlotte. This time we stayed in the one bedroom accommodation which, like all the other apartments was well kitted our for all our needs. Once unpacked and settled in, we decided to pop out for a small refreshment to the Lochindaal Hotel. As it had been a long journey it was agreed we would just have one drink, go home have a bite to eat and off to bed.

The Lochandall - well there lies many a story. Since travelling to Islay over the past 20 years I have found this place a true enigma. If a movie was to be made of this hostelry it would be described as Fawlty Towers meets, Vicar of Dibley meets, meets Last of the Summer Wine. The place appears to be frequented with “exceptionally unusual” characters - one more excentric than the next”. One of the first features I noticed was the Lochindaal many years ago was that the bar was populated with a few young lads all dancing to the Juke Box which was playing Rawhide and Convoy - at that point I realised this place was truely in a time warp with music from WAY BACK. But, back to my current experience, we looked into the bar to find again a few young lads and one girl all dancing to Kenny Rodgers - as we were a bit jaded from the journey we thought we would upgrade and pop into the lounge. There we found a Kenny Rogers look alike (which was the reason the bar had decided to play such music). Jim asked for what beers were available, only for the bar man to say he didn’t know, I asked for a white wine, which he asked a lady on the otherside of the counter did the bar have any - may I add this guy as worked there for years. The other bar man was rushing around swearing under his breath and generally being cheesed off. A chap at the bar, who was covered in paint kept asking Jim if his was well off because he was buying a malt, and continually referred to him as “Big Man” - and then the “Strictly Kenny Rogers dancers” made there way into the lounge only to continue to boogie to Islands in the Stream. The Kenny Rogers look alike (please note this guy only had a white/grey beard and white/grey hair). At this point I had opted for a gin and tonic and had a serious fit of the giggles. I do not mean to ridicule these fine folks, but I did feel I was witnessing something surreal. Every trip to the Lochindaal leaves me feeling this way, just as on the day that there were Scandanavian visitors who had booked into stay, and whatever there issue was they were not too happy with the accommodation, in true Fawlty Towers style the bar man was really rude about their complaint only for another member of staff to suggest they find somewhere else to stay. The hard hitting humour from the Lochindaal is for me delightful and truely funny - I am sure Billy Connolly would love it.

On saying this - I would never, never never, go to Islay without a few visits to the Lochindaal as it always embelishes the trip.

Jackie Coleman (Whisky Wife)

Related posts:

1. Islay Malt and Music Festival May 2009 - Day 1
2. Islay Malt Whisky and Music Festival
3. Islay Malt & Music Festival 2009 - Day 7

We duly arrived at the sumptious premises and shown up to the top floor suite where all the glasses / water and tasting notes were all laid out and at the top of the table stood Olaf with a big grin welcoming all his Whisky tasting friends.

After all the usual introductions, albeit there were some tasters from previous Outturns that we were glad to meet again, we sat down to the very serious business of tasting the selection of single cask single malt Whiskies that was chosen by our host, Olaf.

Below Jim and Nicola have given there tasting notes for the five drams provided by the SMWS.

First up was Caribbean beach party Cask No. 1.151 which is a 1st fill 10 year old Glenfarclas Speyside Single Malt at 63.3% Alc/vol. one of 184 bottles

Nicola’s tasting… Very strong alcohol on the nose, found it to be a bit tongue numbing the but sweet when you get past the alcohol, with quite a long finish.

Jim’s tasting… Nippy on the nose on first sniff, a strong tongue tingle with vanilla and maple syrup sweetness but a power punch of a dram, a strong long finish.

Second was Exotic tales of summer Cask No. 22.28 a 21 year old Glenkinchie Lowland Single Malt at 54% Alc/vol one of 223 bottles

Nicola’s tasting…A citrus freshness on the nose, flavours of Berty Bassett and fruit gums with some liquorice, a gentle smooth finish.

Jim’s tasting…Fresh and sweet on the nose becomes even nicer with a little water added, sweet and liquorice with vanilla and a nip of pepper, pleasant to sip, medium finish.

Our third of the night was Tickled by ‘monstera deliciosa’ Cask No. 99.11 a refill hogs head 29 year old Glenugie Highland Single Malt at 43.4% Alc/vol one of 192 bottles ( note, this distillery closed in 1983 and we understand no official bottlings exist, although independent bottlings by Douglas Laing together with SMWS are rare.)

Nicola’s tasting…Quite ale like on the nose, fruity and sweet, rice pudding, Cava notes and a white wine after taste, smooth and medium finish.

Jim’s tasting…Very gentle on the nose showing some floral notes, on the palate was leather, sweetness of rare fruits, and in the background Old English Spangles, this dram
is different, very very different, but in a grand way, a medium finish with leather lingering the longest.

Our penultimate dram was Pouring treacle on cut grass Cask No. 105.13 a 1st fill sherry cask 26 year old Tormore Speyside Single Malt at 56% Alc/vol and one of 319 bottles.

Nicola’s tasting…A powerful nose of grass and Cavonia, on the palate is cloves, coffee, cherries and a savoury spicy chewiness, quite complex, lovely long finish.

Jim’s tasting… A strong nose here showing some chocolate, a nice tingle on the tongue from a sweet spicy syrupy nutiness, great juicy sweet finish.

Our final tot of the evening was Captain Pugwash Cask No. 53.139 a 27 year old Caol Ila Islay Single Malt at 55.2% Alc/vol and one of 256 bottles.

Nicola’s tasting…Smoke is the first aroma with a touch of sea spray, all the joys of sitting on the beach with a log fire and eating salty oysters listening to the ocean lapping
against the pebbles and your toes the spray showering you in a gentle mist, long and sweet smoky finish.

Jim’s tasting… Clean sea spray and plenty of smoke, ever so smooth, all that is smoke, shellfish and all things seashore, a delight of a dram with a wonderful typical Islay finish.

For the record Jim and Nicola gave the 27 year old Caol Ila our top marks for a wonderful, delicious dram.

Well what can the Whisky Boys say about this special tasting event, one word comes to mind fantastic. Dougie will be so jealous that he was unable to attend the Outturn tasting with Olaf, and Jim and Nicola thinks he will be even more upset when he reads our notes on the fabulous drams we tasted tonight.

Our BIG thanks goes out to Jenny McMahon an Account Manager with Weber Shandwick of Edinburgh and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society whose Ambassador, Olaf is someone special and his enthusiasm and passion for Single Malts is never ending.

For all our readers, please log on to www.smws.co.uk where you can find all the details about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society including how to become a member.

Thanks again to all, and we all hope to meet you soon.

The Whisky Boys ( Jim, Dougie and Nicola )

Related posts:

1. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society tasting evening 5th November 2009
2. 2010 The first tasting of the year, Linkwood 11 Year Old A Provenance Bottling.
3. The Macallan Fine Oak Triple Cask Matured Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 10 Years Old

Deanston Distillery
Deanston,
Near Doune,
Perthshire
FK16 6AG

Telephone 01786 841422

Fax: 01786 841439

Website www.burnstewartdistillers.com

Owners,
Burn Stewart Distillers
Head Office
8 Milton Road
College Milton North
East Kilbride G74 5BU,
Scotland.
Telephone 01355 260 999
Fax 01355 264 355
Website www.burnstewartdistillers.com

The Deanston distillery is situated in the Highlands. It lies on the banks of the River Teith near to the town of Doune. Its buildings, designed by Richard Arkwright (who invented the Spinning Jenny), date back to 1785, when it was a working cotton mill, driven by the waters of the River Teith. In its heyday it employed 1,500 people and housed what was then the largest waterwheel in Europe.

In 1966, the buildings were converted into a distillery, partly due to the plentiful supply of water from the River Teith and the cool humid conditions of the weaving shed, perfect for the ageing of barrel’s of fine malt Whisky.

Deanston uses only unpeated Malts grown in Scotland.

Deanston belongs to a great family of Scotch Whiskies, malt and blends. these include.

Bunnahabhain, the home of the famous and fabulous Islay Single Malts
Tobermory, which also produces Ledaig, two grand malts from the Island of Mull.
Black Bottle blend which holds the Heart of Islay within.
Scottish Leader, a supreme old Scotch Blended Whisky

I now hear you asking how do we obtain a bottle or two of this 12 year old Deanston, well that is a different story, it is not readily available in your supermarkets with one exception (but I will tell you about that later).

It is easily purchased if you visit the Distillery or if you go online to the sellers like The Whisky Exchange, the 12 year old you buy from here will be the unchilled filtered bottlings.

But if you go to your local Marks and Spencers you will able to buy a Deanston labeled bottle of their 12 year old but it will be chilled filtered, the choice is yours, Unchilled filtered or not?

Related posts:

1. Deanston Distillery Visit
2. Malt of the month November/December 2009
3. Malt of the Month - Nov 08

With wine I usually buy the case by the grape, I know for my palate I like the dry, crisp citrus white wines and at all times I avoid German wines as I find they have a strange after taste, but do enjoy some of the New World wines.

Now as I am not a Whisky drinker I find the task of selecting such a gift more difficult and invariably resort to the highly technical system of “its a nice box” - “I like the label”. This is not strictly true, as I do know (Jim has taken me sooooooooooooooo many times to Islay, and wonderful and beautiful as it is, that many of the Malts from this wonderful place are peaty), so as said, invariably I have by association been slightly educated. Nevertheless this bit of knowledge does not really help when it comes to trying to find something rare for him or a friend to sample. One cannot just assume that if the Whisky is older, or stronger, that it is necessarily going to superior. Actually this is a real science as subjectivity is so vital to the success of the mission.

So with this in mind I tend to select cautiously. As you are probably tired of hearing the Whisky Boys say, there is no such thing as a bad Whisky, just some that are better than others.

So before me stands a challenge, Jim and I are off to Islay shortly, to walk along those glorious beautiful beaches, and to have the pure Atlantic breeze sweep through your hair to cleanse every aspect of your mind. The breeze carries such therapeutic qualities it is not a wonder that this Island produces such sensational Whisky. Whilst on the Island it will be mandatory to visit the distilleries and there will be my challenge - albeit he will stand like a kid in a sweet shop in awe of all the golden nectar before him, the challenge is what Whisky can I purchase for him as a treat. I would love to surprise him was a gem that he has not sampled before, but these gems are becoming harder and harder to find. No doubt, there will be some dusty treasure squirreled away that will delight him (and hopefully not break the bank).

So as you can see, even with my association with the Whisky Boys and with my education by association I still might resort to the “nice box “nice label” system.

Let me know if you also have difficulty when wanting to buy a good bottle of Malt.

Jacqueline ( a Whisky Boy Wife)

Related posts:

1. Whisky Boy’s Challenge

As we purchased some bottles of Glen Moray at auction recently we decided that one of these would be tasted tonight, and our choice was the Classic.

Glen Moray Distillery sits on the banks of the River Lossie in the city of Elgin, the capital of Speyside, a region rich in Malt Whisky. Glen Moray Single Malt Whisky has been distilled here since 1897.

Website www.glenmoray.com

Owners.  La Martiniquaise

The tasting.

Glen Moray Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky No Age Statement 40% Alc/vol

Colour. pale yellowed gold.

Nicola’s tasting.

Nose…Light coffee aroma with a hint of vanilla

Taste…Smooth, buttery taste but not too complex.

Finish…Medium, does not linger too long.

Score…1.5 corks

Jim’s tasting.

Nose…Light and gentle, fruit with a gentle snippet of vanilla, and maybe a wee touch of sea spray.

Taste…Fruit again with a wee touch of creamy vanilla, mild spice showing leaving a tiny tingle to the tongue.

Finish…Medium in length but a little of the tongue tingle remains.

Score…1.5 corks

Overall score…1.5 corks

 
Well that was the first tasting of our auction buys.

We both thought that this Glen Moray was a little light in character, not exciting us with flavours and a bit more complexity was needed, but in saying that, with a bottle of Glen Moray Classic quite widely available in supermarkets and prices starting form a s little as £14.99 you will certainly not go wrong in buying a bottle or two of this Speyside Malt.

Our next visit into a bottle of Glen Moray will more than likely be the 12 year old mellowed in wine barrels, which we are sure will be a more interesting wee dram than the Classic.

Related posts:

1. Glenrothes Select Reserve Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 43% Alc/vol
2. Glen Ord Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
3. Macallan 11 Year Old, Single Cask, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, One of 384 Bottles