84 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018/2019
{
spirits
}
There's no shortage of commentators ready to criticize the Scotch whisky industry for
an alleged lack of innovation, the suggestion being that millennials—perhaps the most
devoutly desired demographic in history—find the category a turn-off in their pursuit of
funky flavors.
It's certainly true the regulations surrounding Scotch whisky are closely written and
carefully guarded by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). Quick to call out any infrac
-
tions, supporters of the current system claim it protects both consumers and the valued
traditions of a category long respected for its adherence to well-defined rules.
Flavor has been an area of vigorous debate, especially in regards to the use of various
barrel types. Master Distillers will tell you that close to two-thirds of a Scotch's final
flavor is derived from the cask in which it matured. Now the SWA mandates that casks
must be of a type "traditionally used in the industry" while demanding that any distiller
employing something beyond the run of the mill must be able to produce evidence of
the effect it has on the finished product. If the result no longer provides the "taste and
aroma and color generally found in Scotch whisky," it can't be labeled or sold as such.
Millennial
THE GLENFIDDICH
EXPERIMENTAL SERIES
OFFERS SOMETHING
FOR EVERY CONSUMER
by Ian Buxton
PHOTOS
COURTESY
OF
GLENFIDDICH
Malt Master
Brian Kinsman
is one of the
faces behind
the Glenfiddich
Experimental
Series.
