My dearest to me at the drugstore. Aren’t you going to buy the Q-tips? Of course I will, look here. But these are not Q-Tips. I looked puzzled. They are not Q-Tips, they are generic cotton swabs, are they as good as the originals? I exhaled of dissatisfaction. Look, these are sticks with cotton on the end, I think my ear is not very discriminatory regarding the brand of things that I put in it.

It may seem like a silly discussion, but it is not. Branding a product directly influences how we perceive it. Nielsen, a company that specializes in studying consumer behavior, recently made a very interesting discovery. Six out of approximately ten consumers prefer to buy known brands products simply because they inspire confidence. It makes sense – most of the time we humans seek safety. This security, represented by something that is already familiar to us. We already know what to expect.

But it’s not just brands. When we know something, we create a concept around it. A concept we use as a basis of comparison for other things of the same nature. Before we experiment something new, we access this concept library and create a, well, pre-conception about it. For example, when someone tells me that some whisky has been amtured in ex-sherry, I will automatically imagine something fruity and spicy. Which is not true sometimes. But I think it is, because my brain is conditioned to always look for the same result, after having experienced a plethora of former-sherry-matured whiskies that had that flavour profile.

Knowing this, Glenlivet – one of Scotland’s three largest distilleries – decided to do a rather unorthodox experiment. The Glenlivet Code, which has recently arrived in Brazil.

It is a single malt that has no packaging information about its age, neither the barrels used in the maturation process. The only information is the alcohol content of 48%. The idea is that the consumer is not led to feel a certain aroma or flavor because he knows the composition of the barrels used in the expression. In other words, it invites consumers to taste, reflect, and produce their own tasting notes, without prejudice or preconceptions.

In the words of Alan Winchester, Glenlivet Master Distiller “With the Glenlivet Code, we had the unique opportunity to create a whisky that had never been created before, using new barrels and techniques to push the boundaries of what people expect from The Glenlivet. This year’s limited edition is a maze of flavors that will test your senses, and we are excited to invite consumers around the world to accept the challenge of decoding their mysteries. ”

To make the experience more interactive, Glenlivet has launched a hotsite. There, the connoisseur is invited to crack the code for that single malt. Or, in other words, compare their tasting notes test scores with Alan Winchester’s, through a a multiple-choice test. In the end, the site gives you a percentage of how many answers you got “right“.

The Glenlivet Code was released in March 2018, and is the third expression of a series of mysterious Glenlivet Malts. The first was Alpha in 2013, followed by Cipher in 2016. The idea of ​​these editions is excellent. They allow the savvy consumer to ask himself what he likes about the taste of a whisky, and how old and what that drink is. And, as a result, also reflect on what makes a good whisky. After all, is age important? The composition of the barrels?

A few months after launch – and before Code had a chance to land in our country – Glenlivet unveiled its full tasting notes, as well as barrel composition. However, to avoid spoilers, I will not explain them here. But I will simply say that its maturation process uses a very unusual kind of barrel. If you want to know, just go to the Glenlivet website.

As soon as I had the chance to put my paws in a bottle, I figured I would soon make the test. After all, I’m not the type to shy away from an ethylic challenge. However, before, I decided to taste it without worrying about the notes, to acclimate myself. And I was very impressed. It’s a whisky with extremely well-integrated alcohol, and a fruity and spicy flavor – no spoilers here – somewhat unusual for the Glenlivet. Whatever is in that matte black bottle is excellent, and deserves to be tasted with care.

I must say that I was both proud and frustrated with my test. The website makes you choose between different notes, but at certain stages I found myself divided: I felt two notes, and I should choose only one. Again, no spoilers here. Maybe my canine smell is not tuned. Or perhaps it is just that – to show that different people have different perceptions based on their olfactory memory.

In Brazil, a bottle of Glenlivet Code costs on average R $ 700,00 (seven hundred reais). It’s a price comparable to another favourite, the Glenlivet 18 – which suggests that there is a good deal of well-matured whiskies in the mysterious release. This impression is also reflected in the taste.

If you can’t stand a mystery, or if you’re passionate about Glenlivet malts, try the Glenlivet Code. By the way, try the Glenlivet code even if you don’t like the distillery. After all, the idea is precisely to abandon preconceived concepts.

Or, rather, not all flexible rods are the same.

THE GLENLIVET CODE

Type: Single Malt (NAS)

Distillery: Glenlivet

Region: Speyside

ABV: 48%

Test results:

Aroma:?

Taste:?

With water: ?

“The superfluous is an extremely necessary thing,” Voltaire once wrote. I, the author of a blog about one of the world’s most superfluous articles – whisky – have to modestly agree with Voltaire’s apparent paradox. Whisky is an unnecessary need- like sports cars, designer clothes, and that fancy kitchen tap, which has a coiled spring. My God, how I want a tap like that!

There is an irremediable desire in the superfluous. After all, it is in our nature to crave what we have not yet achieved. Or rather, aim for a variation that we consider better than what we already have. A normal tap is not an object of desire. One of those sophisticated though, is, even if both serve the same purpose. From Voltaire, I turn to Chanel, who said that “luxury is the necessity that arises when the necessary has already been satisfied”.

In the world of whisky, this is absolutely clear. The vast majority of brands seek to convey some value linked to luxury. Sophistication. Elegance. Exclusivity. But few do it with such mastery as Royal Salute. Starting with the age statement of their entry level expression. As they call themselves, by referring to the minimum age of twenty-one, “Royal Salute begins where the rest end.”

Currently, the man responsible for enchanting people with all the magic of Royal Salute is Mathieu Deslandes, marketing director for Royal Salute. And I had the incredible opportunity to interview him during his trip to South Korea – where two new expressions of the brand’s permanent portfolio were launched.

The lasting impression is that Mathieu Deslandes is not just a brand director. But Royal Salute in flesh and bone. Sophisticated but at the same time humorous and kind, the director explained about the motivation behind portfolio diversification as well as the specifics of the luxury market:

Tell me a little about the new portfolio. Why diversify the range?

In fact, we are appealing to the whisky lover, on Royal Salute. When you go to this level of quality, it is not by accident, but because you love whisky, and want to experience something more.

And, during the last twenty years, there has been much more choices of whiskies, especially led by single malts, with very diverse propositions. So, it seems to me that, if we want to stand for luxury whisky, we cannot be only one. We have to offer our consumers the opportunity to try something different, to discover.

And I think what is fascinating with the work we did, with Sandy Hyslop, the master blender, is how much we can differenciate the taste of it just by the choice of casks, the choice of liquid you use. You’ll see tonight how much diversity we can get, still being a 21-year old whisky.

The reason we chose 21 years old is that it is part of the DNA. When the brand was created, it was created as 21. And 21 is a reference to the Twenty One Gun Salute. So, it is not an age by accident. It is an age with a strong meaning. And that is why celebrating such age is so important to our storytelling.

And why a blended malt? And what’s special about Lost Blend?

Everything is a blend for us. In Royal Salute we belive in blends. It is not that blends are better than single malts, or single malts are better than blends.

There’s a reference we often use. Malts are solo players in music. And blend is like an orchestra. You can have a good solo player or a bad solo player. You can have a good or a bad orchestra.

But us, as a brand, we have been created as a blend, so we remain true to this. ( It is true that the malt profile of taste is something that has been developing a lot. It is something that is stronger in terms of personality, less smooth. So it was interesting to play in that field with something that is more diverse to the consumer.

For the Lost Blend, there is a lot of whisky coming from Caperdonich, a distillery that has been closed, which has a peated profile of taste, so you will find this profile of taste more strong in this one.

Royal Salute had one of the most gorgeous packages in the whole whisky world. Why change? And why is the packaging so important? Does it affect consumer experience, in your opinion?

I think that the package affects the consumer experience. It is the first thing you see before you drink it. You see a bottle, you see a box. So, it is a way to communicate what you want to express about the brand. But it has to be consistent. It has to have consistency of what you drink and what you see.

And the second aspect, is important because at that price point, there are many people making gifts of Royal Salute. And, as we know, when you make a gift, the packaging is important as well. So, what we find interesting about this evolution was to use the packaging more as a storytelling.

We chose to work with Kristjana Williams, the artist behind the illustrations, to express the story of a royal menagerie. Which was happening in the tower of London – a place where all the animals the kings and queens received as a present were kept. It is a true story, with lions, elephants. It is what we wanted to portray on the illustration, of our storytelling. In a creative and artistic way, because the luxury consumer today expects this audacity and creativity

Storytelling right?

That is why we found a good combination between the outside of the box, which is more conservative, more serious. But because we different, using the inside of a box to use the storytelling.

From all the possible places, why South Korea?

Asia, globally, when it comes to prestige whiskies, is an important market. Also, because Korea specifically, if you combine what we sell in the domestic market with what we sell in duty free – because a lot of korean customers buy in duty-free – make Korea the number 1 nationality of people buying Royal Salute.

To be honest, we made a small scale event, one in New York and another in London, because when it comes to luxury, there are no boundaries. Luxury is global. So, we needed to make sure we were making a reference in the US, and another in Europe.

Is there any difference between the luxury market and the standard market? And what do you think about luxury whisky market in South America and Brazil?

What is different about luxury is that there is no compromise. There is no compromise in quality, and no compromise in anything you do, because there is an expectation of something being exceptional when you buy luxury.

So, in the mindset, I try to compare to other luxury brands which are not spirits, than comparing to other brands which are whisky that are not luxury. What is important to us is to have a mindset of luxury. And the mindset of luxury is to be exceptional in everything we do – the whisky, the packagin, the experience, the communication. Everyhing has to be exceptional.

Talking about Brazil – in all markets of the world, there is a space for people who are looking for luxury. Brazil is a big market for whisky. People know about whisky. What is important is that we develop a culture about luxury whisky. Maybe it is already there for champagne. Probably less for whisky.

But it is our responsibility to connect to the right influencer, the bartender, restaurant, consumer, press, magazine, whatever, to talk about royal salute, because probably the issue about Royal Salute is not its quality, but the fact that it is not known. So our first mission in many countries in the world is making sure Royal Salute is known. But in a very different way you would do with a more affordable whisky. What does matter is not the number of people you reach, but the quality of the way you reach them and the experience.

We are nto taling about doing something for the short term. But something game changing, and long term. And that requires time.

• 

Last Saturday I went to pick up my daughter at a children’s party. When she got into the car, I noticed that she was radiant. More than usual. And when inquired of the reason of such enthusiasm, she replied “The party theme was Star Wars, and I met Leia. When I grow up, I want to be just like her“.

I didn’t quite understand if she wanted to be a princess, control the Force, fall in love with a scoundrel or be kidnapped by a giant slime with a sickly lust for females of other species. But deep down I understood the reason for her happiness. Leia was an absolute idol of my little one.

It would be as if one day a car enthusiast bumped (ops!) into Sir Stirling Moss. Or a movie buff could talk to Jean-Luc “Cinemá” Godard. Or a fine art fan to Jackson Pollock. Or, finally, a whisky enthusiast like me had the opportunity to interview a great master blender. As, say, Sandy Hyslop – Chivas’ director of blending and responsible for creating the Royal Salute new range.

And that’s exactly what happened, thanks to an incredible invitation from Royal Salute. During my recent trip to South Korea, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Sandy, who was extremely friendly. The master blender told us about the restructuring of the brand’s permanent portfolio, his career as a master blender and some of his interests outside the whisky world. The conversation is reproduced below.

1.Your job is probably the most coveted by every whisky enthusiast. What does it take to become a master blender? And how is it?

Its absolutely fabulous being a master blender for royal salute. It’s a huge honour for me being responsible for such a prestigious whisky with such fabulous history and lineage.

To become a master blender, you need to have a good sense of smell, you need to be passionate about scotch whisky. You need to understand a blender works at the whole spectrum of the whisky making process. A lot of people think a blender is making new whiskies, working with matured 21-year old whiskies. But I’m working from the day the whisky is distilled. When the whisky is made new, we have distillery managers in our distilleries, but it is me that is responsible for the quality of what they make.

And I split my week, I work two days from Speyside and three days from Glasgow, so, I move about managing the whisky making process at both ends. I’m responsible for the quality, but also for the casks we purchase as well. So there is an overlying quality to be met over the whole process.

Tell me a little about the recent releases, and what the consumers should expect from each blend. Would you reveal the core malts for each of these outstanding creations?

Absolutely, I can give you information. This is personally really exciting for me to be able to introduce two new expressions from Royal Salute under my tenure as a master blender. Because it is not often that there are new permanent releases added to the Royal Salute Family of Whiskies.

Obviously, we are intending to continue with the classic signature Royal Salute, wich has that rich, velvety, fruity flavours. WHich is just amazing, it’s super creamy and smooth.

We are going to add to that the Malts Blend, which is really exciting for me, because I think for people that drink malt whisky, this is going to be something special, because it is very complex. We are using a range of different malt whiskies. We are using more than 21 individual single malts whiskies in the malts blends. It’s complex. Every single cask is being nosed, and in the end you have somthing that is elevated in fruitiness. It’s like peaches and syrup. It’s really sweet. Just like those old fashioned boiled sweets, on a jar. And it has a little spiciness as well. It’s really luxurious. Lots of flavour, really concentrated.

The lost blend is interesting as well. Because I wanted all three expressions to be very different. With the classic royal salute, then I wanted something concentrated in rich and fruitiness, and then the lost blend, I wanted to have some nuttiness and spiciness but I wanted it also smoky. We are using some distilleries that are no longer in existence mixed with other distilleries. So, it has some very rare whiskies in the mix of the blend. There are things such as Imperial distillery, Caperdonich Distillery, Dumbarton Green amongst many others in the Lost Blend.

That’s why it is called the lost blend?

That’s why. Because it has some distilleries that are silent, no longer in existence, malts that are really hard to find.

So, but I also wanted it to have some traditional feel to it. I wanted it to have some smokiness, but also I used some more traditional wood, some hogsheads and butts rather than the American oak barrels, that’s why it has that wonderful sort of hazelnut flavour in there as well.

Whereas the Malts Blend uses more of that American oak. It has Strathisla distillery in the blend, also Longmorn, some real classics, but obviously, being a malt, it has dialled up that fruitiness. Absolutely fantastic if you want to mix it. We are going to have it in a cocktail tonight. It is amazing, it will be without a doubt, the most luxurious cocktail you will ever have.

Just a whisky geek curiosity. Does Chivas have any peated whisky of their own?

We do. Alt-a-Bhainne. We peat Alt-a-Bhainne. But we also exchange with our competitors every year. In Scotland we don’t like to buy, we don’t like to spend money. So we swap to get extra flavours. For me, it’s like buying extra ingredients into the portfolio. And we bring them as new whiskies, we never buy them matured. We buy them new, and put them in our own casks, and manage the flavour from day one. So we have complete control from the start. It makes the end result much easier.

Luxury blends tend to get some fire from whisky geeks, especially those who appreciate single malts more than blends. What is your opinion about such prejudice?

I think single malts – if you like a particular type of flavour, you will love single malts, and you will be drawn to that flavour all the time. But I think something as a Royal Salute Malts Blend is far more complex than a single malt. It’s going to be much more multidimensional, have so much more layers of flavour when you drink that whisky. It won’t be only one blast of a particular flavour. You’ll get sweetness, a little bit of citrus, and the level of finish you will get – when the whisky starts to disappear on the palate – is much longer. A little bit of smoky there as well.

It’s about balance, complexity, and smoothness as well, you can reach a great level of smoothness bringing all these different malts together.

NAS is a trend in whisky industry. However, Royal Salute remained faithful to the 21-minimum age. Do you foresee this in the future?

Absolutely. It’s the benchmark of Royal Salute. If we were to make something wasn’t 21 years old – which we haven’t today – it would have to be something pretty special. It would be something of a really exotic cask

I think our consumers understand the quality. 21 years ago we laid down the stock, and committed to making it. It’s the only whisky in the world that has been continuously available at 21 years old since 1953. No other whisky can give you that benchmark.

And there are some whiskies out there that are very well thought of, but any of them is guaranteed that every single drop of whisky there is 21 years old. And that’s minimum. This year I’m using whiskies from 21 up to 25 in the blend.

So, there is a mixture of ages in that blend, but every single drop is over 21 years of age.

Last, a more personal question. I’ve seen your Instagram. So, Nissan Cubes and watches. Any other passions/hobbies?

Oh, I really love the shape (of the Nissan Cubes), i think they are really funky. In Japan I saw a lot of them, and I just had to have one. So that one came from Tokyo. It has blue wheels. My wife is not so keen on the blue wheels. She says to me “the car is ok, but does it have to have blue wheels?”

My father had his own antiques business, so, collecting antiques and old things are really in the blood. I have lots of collections of things. I have fountain pens, I’m a hoarder. And I drive my wife crazy bringing things in that I have purchased in my travels. Sometimes I sneak into the garage first, and after a few days I work it into the house.

That is a good strategy!

It is, it works!

By invitation of Royal Salute, in July I travelled to South Korea to try their brand new core range – read all about the experience here. And I was surprised. With both, whiskies and country. It’s funny how South Korea – despite the oceans and continent dividing us – is very similar to Brazil. They have almost everything we have here. But things are a little bit different. For example, there is chicken, meat, fish. But the spice is distinct. Beans are scarcer. But almost virtually every meal has something with kimchi.

In our superstition, number thirteen is unlucky. There, it’s four. The streets do not have many palm trees there, but there is plenty of cherry trees. In South Korea, almost everyone wears makeup, and that’s fine. Traffic lights speak and make a funny little noise when you cross the street, I don’t know why. And people wear pollution masks.

And the language, well, the language is totally and hopelessly different, to the point that I didn’t even know how to say yes and no or ask the taxi driver to take me to the hotel, because when I asked, he understood something else and dropped me in a bar. Which was a good surprise in the end, because I found it helpful to drink a few shots to cope with the jet lag. Of course, after having to use signs language to explain to the bartender what I wanted to have.

And – to make a parallel with the purpose of my trip – Korea is to Brazil just like Royal Salute 21 The Lost Blend is to Signature Edition – that classical Royal Salute we all know and love. Because they share the same DNA. They are sophisticated, delicate and extremely pleasant whiskies.. They have beautiful porcelain bottles and exude sophistication. But, sensorially, they are distinct. While Signature is floral and fragrant, Lost Blend brings a wonderful spice and smoke.

In the words of Sandy Hyslop, master blender and creator of Royal Salute 21 Lost Blend, during its official release “I wanted a whisky that was very traditional in flavour. But when you nose the whisky, you will notice it has some spicy and bonfire smoke. And I encourage you to have a little bit of water with your whisky. When water is added, it brings an amazing type of clementine orange flavour. If you take a little sip of the lost blend, youll see the orange flavour comes through in abundance. But overlaid with this, is an amazing bonfire smoke. It’s a wonderful hazelnut flavour coming from traditional oak casks used in blend. Again, this Royal Salute Lost Blend has an amazing long finish. It takes a long time to disappear on the palate, and then is when you get the smoky flavours coming through.”

Sensorially, for this Dog, Lost Blend is very close to Sandy’s description. It is a delicate blended scotch whisky, extremely sophisticated and not aggressive at all. It has a discreet smoky taste. In the nose, however, what stands out is a citrus fruity aroma, very characteristic, indeed, of the traditional Royal Salute. However, in the palate, one can easily notice a dry smoky taste, more present in the finish. It is an extremely complex whisky that looks – and tastes – both familiar and new.

Royal Salute 21 The Lost Blend contains in its composition some rather rare malts from silent distilleries – the name given to those that have been mothballed or demolished. Among its most precious ingredients are Imperial and Caperdonich malts, as well as Dumbarton Green grain whisky. Incidentally – in an educated guess – the deliciously smoked component of the Royal Salute 21 Lost Blend is probably the desired Caperdonich. It is because of the use of these rare elements that whisky bears its name “The Lost Blend”.

Royal Salute 21 The Lost Blend is part of Royal Salute core range. However, it is the only expression of the trio you will find exclusively in Duty Free shops around the world. That is, to get a bottle, you will need to travel – but not to Korea. Lost Blend will probably be available soon on our international airport freeshops.

For me, tasting the new Royal Salute 21 The Lost Blend is like traveling to Korea. It is something new and exciting. But there is also a pleasant sense of familiarity. That it is not totally unknown to us, and it brings us a feeling of both joy and comfort. Feeling, this, that only a blended scotch whisky so traditional and sophisticated could bring.

ROYAL SALUTE 21 THE LOST BLEND

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky – aged 21 years
Brand: Royal Salute
Region: N / A
ABV: 40%

Tasting notes:

Aroma: Floral, with almonds and lime orange.

Palate: Sweet, honey, citrus and fresh fruits. Black pepper, cinnamon, cloves. The finish is long and becomes progressively dry, smoky and spicy.

With Water: Adding water slightly reduces the peppery flavor and makes smoky more evident.

Availability: Duty Free shops from International Airports

I’ve always been passionate about books. I like to read almost everything, even though I have some preferences. I prefer prose to poetry, and I have a certain tendency for fiction. But I also appreciate a poem or some biography, as long as it is written with care. I’m ok with watching a bad movie every once in a while. They don’t last long. But life is too short for subliterature.

My interest in reading awakened when I was still a child, when I heard fairy tales told by my father. Like any child, I was fascinated by fantastic stories in distant kingdoms, magical and populated by kings, queens, alchemists and magical creatures. Castles and unusual objects complemented the captivating atmosphere.

And even though I would always see myself in the role of some character in the story, I imagined that fairy tales belonged to the world of make-believe. In the atrocity of our reality, they would be no more than a literary genre. But apparently, I was mistaken. As if in an instant of magic, I had one of my most unlikely wishes granted. I mean, at least for a whisky enthusiast such as myself.

I was invited by Pernod-Ricard to travel to South Korea – a country far away – to try, before almost everyone else, two new expressions of the permanent portfolio of a whisky fit for a king. The Royal Salute range. And, moreover, meet the alchemists, I mean, creators of that luxurious and exclusive blended scotch whisky. But not alone. Raphael Vidigal, head of prestige brands of Pernod-Ricard Brasil, would be my guide and partner in the legendary trip.

The initial air journey took twenty-five hours to that distant kingdom, I say, country. And when we got there, even if there were no carriages, we were greeted by a friendly driver in a comfortable Korean sedan. Which, incidentally, exhibited a curious design reminiscent of a kind of chimera between two German sedans. And so, without saying anything – communication was impossible due to language barriers – we were led to the luxurious hotel in the heart of Seoul.

I spent one day acclimating to the twelve o’clock time zone. By tomorrow morning I could barely contain my enthusiasm. I would interview the alchemist behind Royal Salute – master blender Sandy Hyslop. Also, I would have the opportunity to talk to the magician responsible for enticing people with all the charisma of those creations: Mathieu Deslandes, director of marketing for Royal Salute. Except for my nervousness, there was no villain. The two of them were extremely nice and approachable.

Mathieu revealed some details about the creation of blends, their positioning, strategy and the reason why they had decided to diversify the portfolio after so many years. And Sandy was technical and laid-back, and told us details of the elaboration of those incredible creations. These interviews will be timely reproduced here, in the Bottled Dog.

And at night, the big event happened. A gala dinner, fit for of kings and queens, at the Seoul Art Museum, which had once been a palace. The event also featured speeches by Jean Christophe Coutures, CEO of Chivas Brothers and Sandy Hyslop. As fairy tales always abuse the number three – three little pigs, three fairy godmothers – would be presented to three whiskeys. The triad that now made up the Royal Salute permanent line: Signature Blend, Malts Blend and Lost Blend.

I settled comfortably in my chair, in a central position on a huge banquet table and listened to Jean Christophe, who explained the reason for that wonderful evening. “Royal Salute refers to the celebration of British royalty (…). And as the royal world has evolved, Royal Salute must also evolve with it. That’s why we created a new packaging, designed by Kristjana Williams. What we try to do is bring more charm, more creativity and design to the brand, but still maintaining its substance “

“The history of packaging refers to the Tower of London, which had long ago been used as a zoo, where all animals given to kings and queens lived. But the illustration is not serious – it has a certain air of relaxed creativity, because in British culture one must show substance but at the same time a sense of humor. “

At that moment, taken by Jean Christophe’s words, he was beginning to realize the almost excruciating attention to the details of that dinner. Everything in that enchanting atmosphere – lights, flowers, real butterflies (yes, there were real butterflies) dishes, music, and scents – had been millimetrically thought to elevate that experience. Nothing was left to chance. From the marked table seats, through the engraved ice, to the background music.

Following Jean Christophe’s speech, it was Sandy Hyslop’s turn to explain a little bit about the real stars of the night – the Royal Salute scotches. According to the alchemist, Royal Salute was the only blended scotch continuously available at twenty-one years of age since its creation in 1953. And that would be the first time in history that two expressions were added to the brand’s permanent portfolio. That, for him, was as big a responsibility as an honour.

And so began the most important part of that awesome event. The tasting. The first bottle presented by Sandy was, actually, rather familiar. It was our well-known 21-year Royal Salute, which had been renamed Royal Salute Signature Blend – a delicate, floral, soft, deliciously easy-to-drink blended scotch. That was our benchmark, the starting point. And we continued through the line.

The Royal Salute Malts Blend would be the result of the union of twenty-one different malts, all with at least twenty-one years of maturation. Its flavour, sweet and fruity, would be more intense than the traditional Royal Salute, but still extremely smooth and enjoyable, as all ultra-luxury blended whiskey should be. According to Sandy, the core malts were Strathisla and Longmorn, two of the most beloved distilleries in the Pernod Ricard portfolio.

The Royal Salute Lost Blend, in turn, would bring innovation to the Royal Salute line. A blended scotch whiskey with smoky profile, which has in its composition many malts from the well-known silent stills. Like Imperial and the incredible Caperdonich, which produced peated single malts. Despite the smoky and delicately medicinal taste, the Lost Blend still retained the delicate and luxurious personality of the Royal Salute range. And it was the favorite of this canid.

After introducing the new trio, Sandy told a bit about the essence of his job. “Most of my job is to ensure the continuity of the Royal Salute blends, making sure we have the inventory needed to maintain quality, year after year (…). Many people think that a blender only works in their sample room, mixing whiskeys and creating new expressions. That’s true, but it’s only a small part of what I do. Every week I travel to Speyside, to our distilleries, to taste the new make of each one. And twenty-one years later, my work begins again. At this point, my team and I know each of the Royal Salute barrels before they are combined to create such blends. “- he explained.

After the remarkable speeches, the guests were able to sample some cocktails created with the new expressions – some as luxurious as the whiskeys themselves. For example, one that carried Queen Elizabeth II’s famous rose – Centifolia – even more expensive than gold.

I looked at the clock. Almost midnight. If it was past that time, it would not turn into a pumpkin or anything like that. But it was a prudent time to go back to my royal quarters – the hotel – and get some rest. That was for a whisky enthusiast like me, surely a memorable night, crowned by three incredible whiskeys.

But on the way back, a thought would not leave my head. That, in fact, was not a fairy tale. There were no chimeras, no kings or queens. There were no distant alchemists or kingdoms. And lastly – and most of all – there was no spell.

That, in fact, was the result of the hard and tireless work of extraordinary people and passionate about what they do. Dozens of people, each with their specialty, their knowledge, who together have created something incredible. People who have dedicated their lives and made an epic effort for a perfect dinner. And, above all, to create one of the most recognized scotch brands of ultra-luxury whiskey in the world. The Royal Salutes – so that ordinary people, like me, could have moments worthy of fairy tales.

Do you know what the Little Mermaid, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter have in common?  No, it’s not an irritating protagonist, although this might be true.  It is the monomyth, also known as the hero’s journey.  It is a narrative structure widely used in fiction and, of course, myths such as that of Perseus.  If you look carefully, these stories – and a lot of others – have exactly the same framework.

The term ‘monomyth’ was first described by Joseph Campbell in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”.  Campbell borrowed the term from one of the works of James Joyce, called Finnegan’s Wake.  The monomyth is divided into three acts: departure, initiation and return.  Each of them has subchapters, such as the everyday world and the so-called Call to Adventure, Road of Trials, the moment where all is lost, the apotheosis and return.

It may or may not be because Ireland boasts some of the world’s most important writers, like Joyce incidentally, but Irish whiskey, over the centuries, traces a similar path to that of the monomyth.  From the monastery gates to glory and subsequent decline, to being reborn and retaking its place in the world, Irish whiskey is a true Perseus of drinks, facing ethylic gods.  I’m going to explain its journey here in two parts.  Prepare yourself, dear reader, for an ethylic Lord of the Rings, without the irritating hobbit.

Our journey begins on the Iberian Peninsula.  The process of alcohol distillation – formerly rather rudimentary – was being perfected by Arabian alchemists of the eighth century in Spain.  It was here that what can be considered the first still was used.  In time, the technique was to be passed on to Christian monks from various European countries and taken by them to Ireland and Scotland during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Although there is no historical document that proves this theory, Ireland was probably the first place to produce whiskey.  It was the island of choice to house Christian monks, who had escaped from barbarian invasions in other European countries.  Irish missionaries led by the, currently world famous, Saint Patrick would have settled in the country, bringing the technique they learned from the Arabs on the Iberian Peninsula, to produce the best drink in the world.  Following this theory, whiskey would have been brought to England and Scotland when King Henry II invaded Ireland and met his fearlessly intoxicated foes.

Incidentally, the word “whiskey” is an anglicised reduction of the expression ‘uisge beatha’, which literally means ‘water of life’.  The monks who produced the distillate believed it possessed medicinal and healing properties.  They believed it could be used to prolong life and improve simple evils like stomach ache, smallpox and the incurable existential boredom of life in a wet, cold place with no television, internet, smartphones or cinemas…

Whiskey might have been produced exclusively in monasteries for a long time, had it not been for King Henry VIII and his Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.  The suppression was a set of administrative and legal rules that ordered the dissolution of the places and the appropriation of their assets and revenues.  This is where our hero, Irish Whiskey, begins his journey.  The call to adventure and the abandonment of the everyday world.  Here, there was no room for inhibition or fear.

With the King’s orders as they were, the Christian monks had to turn to something that could only be described today as a private initiative.  They were forced to produce whiskey on their own, outside the seclusion of the monasteries.  But something not-so-unexpected (since we’re talking about whisky) happened: The popularity of the drink grew enormously.

During the sixteenth century, distillery after distillery appeared.  It is estimated that there were over two hundred whiskey distilleries in Ireland at the turn of the seventeenth century.  Curiously, at the time Irish whiskey was known as a refined product and Scottish whisky was considered unhinged and crude.

However, our hero’s path is littered with difficulties.  The first of them, incredible as it may seem, was friendly fire: The invention of the continuous distiller by an Irishman, Sir Anthony Perrier.  The invention, somewhat rudimentary at first, was improved by the Scotsman Robert Stein, and later perfected by another Irishman, Aeneas Coffey, an Irish taxman, who specialised in alcoholic beverage taxation.

The continuous distiller – known as the Coffey Still – allowed Scotland to create a new class of whiskies: The blended Scotch whisky.  By putting their heavy, oily malts together with the light distillate of the continuous distillers, the Scots produced an extremely palatable product whose production method cost just a fraction of the Irish method (distillation in stills).  Efficient production, coupled with the endless marketing efforts of the Scottish, has significantly reduced worldwide consumption of Irish whiskey.

In 1919, Ireland separated from the United Kingdom and gained its independence.  It was an important historical event but caused instability for Irish whiskey.  Independence made Ireland’s access to the lucrative markets of the British empire more difficult.  To make matters worse, the Irish government, which considered the distilleries favourable to the crown, imposed heavy taxes on the drink, making it expensive even in Ireland.

Add to that the fact that Irish whiskey was imported in bulk, inside barrels and bottled and cut at its destination.  This practice, although economically advantageous, made falsification and tampering easier.  Scotch whisky, on the other hand, was imported in bottles making this pretty difficult to reproduce.

However, all was not lost.  Our protagonist still walked with his head held high, despite the latest events.  After all, Irish whiskey was still well-known in the USA.  Well, it was until the fateful year of 1919, when the Volstead Act – better known as the Prohibition Act – was passed and with it the biggest Irish whiskey market in the world vanished.

There was our hero, in his all-is-lost moment.  There was no hope.  The Prohibition Act had undermined any chance of survival for the spirit that was once considered one of the most beloved in the world.  Down-trodden by Scotch whisky, inhibited by the Irish government and rejected by the USA, there was nothing left.  The years whittled away and one by one the Irish distilleries began to close.  In 1960, from the hundreds, there were only five remaining: Corelaine, Bushmills, Jameson, Cork Distilleries and John Power & Sons.

Desperate for survival many distilleries joined forces.  In 1966, Jameson, Cork and John Powers merged forming the Irish justice (or ethylic) league, called Irish Distiller’s Limited.  In 1975, the three halted production transferring it to a single plant in Cork, which would later become the world-renowned Midleton.  The following year, Colaraine closed its doors and Bushmill’s became the only producer of Irish whiskey, located in Northern Ireland, despite all this consumption of Irish whiskey continued to fall.

But in 1987 something remarkable happened.  A gentleman named John Teeling acquired a chemical distillery – Ceimici Teoranta – with column distillers and he installed two stills there.  He then renamed the plant Cooley Distillery.  The first new Irish distillery in over a century was born.  At the same time Pernod-Ricard showed an interest in Irish Distiller’s Limited.  The acquisition, which took place in 1988, put Irish whiskey back on the international market and raised Jameson to unprecedented fame.

Our distilled hero had reached his apotheosis.  With Pernod Ricard’s resurrection of Midleton, investors took more kindly to the whiskey.  By 2016 seventeen distilleries had opened, some more rustic, like Dingle, and others much larger.  Midleton itself, noting the sudden growth of its product, invested more than one hundred million to double production capacity in that same year.

Pernod was not the only giant to turn its attention to Irish whiskey.  A Diageo bought Bushmills in 2013.  William Grang and Sons – the name Family empire behind the Scottish Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Kininvie and Ailsa Bay – acquired, expanded and modernised the huge Tullamore D.E.W.  The year before Jim Beam, the current Beam Suntory, took over the pioneer Cooley.

In 2018, the number of distilleries is still growing.  There are eighteen in operation (although some haven’t released products into the market yet) and another sixteen are being planned, according to the Irish whiskey Association.  In the light of such numbers, it is undeniable that Irish whiskey is in an important phase of resurgence and rediscovery – The Irish whiskey Renaissance.

Another sector indirectly encouraged by the revival of Irish whiskey is tourism.  In 2016, six hundred and fifty thousand people visited distilleries with visitor centres and this number is set to rise. Now, that are hero numbers, are not they?

• 

Smartphones were perhaps the best invention of the last fifteen years. Not because they are practical and versatile devices, or because they contain all the knowledge of the world, literally by the touch of our fingers. And not because they help us save precious minutes in a world which greatest commodity is precisely time. No, the most important function is to disguise my social phobia.

The smarphone is a shield. A real invisible force field. When you look down and slide your opposing thumbs over the black screen, everything is forgiven. There is no remorse in silence, even in the most awkwardly social environment in the world – the elevator. With my cell phone in my hand, I never had to talk about time, the football game I did not see, or any other randomness.

And it may seem counter-intuitive, especially coming from someone whose job is essentially communication. But it is not. I have a hard time talking to others. I am afraid of the awkward silences. And of being boring. Or too excited. That, of course, sober. After a couple of drams, I can talk about everything – from the technical specifications of the hadron collider to the latest hit “Together and Shallow Now”.

So when I received an invitation from Interfood to do an exclusive interview with Daniel Dyer, Grant’s global ambassador, to learn about the recent visual redesign of the brand, I was tense. But in the first few minutes I met Danny, I realized that my fears were completely unfounded. And it was not just Grant’s Old Fashioned in my glass. The chatter flowed, to me, as well as new-make spirit down the Glenfiddich spirit safe.

Danny was chosen from more than five thousand participants in one of the biggest competitions in the beverage industry. The program was called “The Greatest Job Interview in the World” and was intended, precisely, to choose an ambassador for the new phase of Grant’s. That now bears the expression “Triple Wood” on the labels of some labels of their portfolio, as well as a more sophisticated bottle. But the best person to explain all this is not me. It’s Danny.

So, to start, you’ve been travelling a lot. What was your best experience?

I get this question quite a few times. I dont have the ones i like the most. I have the ones that were quite a shock to me, because i really did not travel before I got this job. And the biggest shock i got was when I went to Africa. You have an idea of how it’s like, but you really don’ t know until you get there.

I went to Tanzania and then to Kenya, Nairobi. We went from car to tanzania to kenya, and when we got to Nairobi, it coud be two different places. It was like a place with fashion, and energy. It was the first time I saw poeple with Grant’s on their tables. That never happens. I was really taken aback, and had a really great time there.

So, what did you think of Brazil? And what were your expectations?

Brazil is great. I did not know what to expect. Except for football. I’m a great football fan, I love the Celtics. And Brazil for me was always football. When I got here, it was pretty early in the morning, and went straight to Guilhotina (for a guest bartending and presentation to the bartenders). And from there, I felt more comfort, I was a bartender for a few years, so, from there, I could get an idea of the lay of the land.

From step one, they were so attentive and friendly and warm with me, sharing their knowledge, I knew it was a cool place. When you see the bartenders, you know how consumers will be like, how the nightlife will be. Very friendly people.

All going well, my boss sais i shall come to brazil in the next year, and hopefully I’ll have more time to explore and get to know the places. Fingers crossed I’ll come back next year.

Moving to whisky, tell me a little about Grant’s.

I think Grant’s is a great blend. Everything is balanced. The whole point of blended whiskies is this. When we were making single malts, and that was before we even had licences, we sold our single malts to the english, and they said it was too harsh, too strong. And so, we decided to blend it, to make it easier for the english palate. For me a blend really should be this perfect mix of parts working together. I like all whiskies, but for me, Grant’s is the one that stands out. It’s a classic speyside.

Glad you mentioned Speyside. You guys only use Speyside malts in the blend?

No, no. We actually use 25 different single malts from all over Scotland. Some are not from our portfolio. And we have our grain whisky distillery, whichi is a massive tall column still, 100 feet in the air. It’s stunning, it’s where they make it. The grain whisky is made with wheat instead of barley, and I had the opportunity to taste it. And the new make has pear, grapes. And when you have the opportunity to taste the single grain, matured, it’s like american hard candies, with a creaminess coming trhough.

You have to mind that 60% of the blend comes from the grain, so when you have the most sought after grain (whisky) in the whole industry, you are strating off well. And we have Brian Kinsman as our master blender and Kelsie as his apprentice blender, they have to pick up 25 different single malts of all sorts, that have to work well with the grain. And five years from now, today, and five years later, Grant’s has to taste the same. The hardest thing in the portfolio is this – new distilleries are dying, and some are born. So it’s not like there’s a recipe. It changes all the time.

Tell me more about the triple cask maturation.

That’s something we’ve been doing for a good time in Grant’s. Been using three particular types of casks to mature all of or whisky. But no one knew about it. And last year, with the launch of the new bottle, and the new portfolio, it was the time to tell the people of the quality that goes into our blend.

So, the three casks are new oak, a refill bourbon and american oak. When you are drinking it neat, you get a spiciness, that’s from the virgin oak, that’s coming through. A tannic, dry, oaky flavour. The ex-bourbon brings a sort of classic bourbon notes, vanilla, hazelnuts, brown sugar. And finally, with the first fill american oak you get the distillery character coming through, because the influence of the cask is lower, and the new make shines through.

Using virgin oak is pretty rare in scotch whisky industry. You guys use it a lot?

Well, I’m not sure I should tell you, I might get in trouble. Well, sorry Brian, here goes. We use about 5% of virgin oak. 5% of the fill is virgin oak. The reason is that it is so intense. The flavour is so strong. And it brings this spice, and quite affects the colour as well. It looks like a sherry cask, but when you taste it, it has that tannic, oaky flavour. And that’s only 5%;

And what about the composition? What are the core malts there? Glenfiddich and Balvenie? And what about the new distillery, Ailsa Bay?

We’ve opened Ailsa bay designed to be almost a replica of Balvenie and how it distills. I’m not gonna say it is the most technologically advanced distillery, but it is incredibly advanced. One person can run the whole show, it is very impressive. I’ve spent some time with the stillmen there, and he explained me you can actually change what the mash is doing – don’t get me wrong, there’s six screens in front of the guy, and they actually know exaclty what’s happening and what will happen if you change something. Grant’s Triple Wood and Grant’s Smoky have Ailsa Bay, and you can really feel it in the blend.

Ailsa Bay has a still with a stainless steel worm still, instead of copper. Copper cleans the new make, but the steel makes the smoky, sulphury aromas come through. And when I saw it, I though – It can’t make such a difference. But it does. And it’s one malt. One malt changes everything.

Glefiddich and Balvenie are massive single malts. So, I’ll probably be killed for saying that, but about 6 or 7 years ago we stopped using Balvenie in Grant’s purely because the whisky world is going mad for single malts. So, Glenfiddich makes Glenfiddich, and Balvenie makes Balvenie. There’s no Glenfiddich or Balvenie in the blends, because it’s all bottled as single malts. Unfortunately, we cannot use it. But there are so many other distilleries we can use to our specs and our standards and use in the blends. With Glenfiddich and Balvenie, that’s with their whisky.

Tell me about the rebranding. Why is it important to put the info about the casks on the label?

I think consumers are getting more savy. In the past there was a lot about the product being still in the family, and choosing the best grains and all that, but I think anyone can say that, right?

It’s not about catching your eye in the travel retail. But it feels better and looks better. So, for a bartender, when the bottle looks good and they know the story, it just makes sense.

When putting “triple wood” there, although not everyone that buys whisky is as geek as you and me, they see the importance. Wood is 60% of the flavor that comes in the blend. That’s what’s affecting the flavor. But it is not just the name. it’s the change of the bottle. The old bottle is a little like a tall and uncomfortable guy. The new bottle is stronger, it feels stronger. And consumers also feel that way. Way more confident – I know where I’m going.

And it’s true, that’s great.

Yes, and it’s real information, it’s not bullshit. It’s real (laughs).

Grant’s should be for everyone. We have a stigma on grant’s that it is an old man’s liquid. It’s not. The quality of the liquid is so good that it is a shame someone does not get to try it. So, if it means that if we change the bottle and the name to show how good we really are, then so be it. We can start showing. We’ve been doing it for 125 years, so, we’re doing something right. We are the third biggest alcohol company in the world and the third best selling scotch.

Grant’s has received a lot of awards. The one that I really think is important is IWSC. Just last year Grant’s won distiller of the year. Also won scotch whisky producer of the year. And it’s not an one-off. It won distiller of the year 12 times. And this is the biggest change we’ve done in our portfolio for a long time.

It’s not just the name. It’s also our clan motto “Stand Fast”. It means to hold strong to your views, to stand with your family and friends and grow strong together, and that’s what Grant’s is about. We also have what we call “our muscle”, “our master” and “our maker”. Our muscle makes the casks. Our master blends our whisky together. And the maker, makes the whisky. And we are the only distillery in the world to have the three under one roof.

You’ve been ambassador for how long? And how many countries have you been?

For eighteen months. And I’ve lost count of the countries. But at least 20. I’ve been to amsterdam last week. And from here, I’ll go to Mexico, then Africa. It’s great, I love it.

So, now, about that job interview.

That question always makes me smike and laugh. It was the most silly thing that happened. An year and a half ago i was working at a whisky bar, and one of my friends gave me a call one day and asked me if I wanted to travel the world. I did not have instagram or anything, and not really into social media.

So I made this instagram, bought some bottles of grant’s and invited my friends over, bartenders, to make some cocktails. Actually, I don’t remember much of that night, but a cocktail was made and posted. And a few weeks go by, and I receive an e-mail with “congratulations”, quickly followed by “you are among the final 250”. So, congratulations and 250.

And it said I had to make a video and tell about your take as an ambassador, and you’ll be off to Dufftown (where Grant’s is) if you are selected. Then I called a friend, who’s a filmmaker and actor – I used to be an actor as well. And I said “i know what I want to do, I have the script in my head, we’ll go down to the Water of Leith in Edimburgh. Bring your camera, ok”. We actually had a dram of Grant’s for breakfast that day. And in the first take it was perfect, and we sent it off. A week later, I was down to the final 20.

And it was great. I don’t know if you ever been in a place full of whisky fans, and enthusiasts. The people from Grant’s are really good at picking people. There was a great energy there. They managed to pick up 20 people that were not only enthusiastic, but no completely assholes about the subject. We did a lot of challenges, and I remember the last day, when we had a few drams to celebrate. And in the next day we were by the Distillery shop in Glenfiddich, all lined up for the selection. I was the second name they called, and I started crying. I could actually taste it.

And they said I was going to travel to Russia and then Taiwan over the course of ten days to present the whisky. And those ten days were the most crazy ten days of my life. I landed in Russia, and it was quite a flight. I was exhausted, but very excited. And the next three days with the team in Russia, I did not sleep. I was doing cocktails in Speakeasies and everythere I went, it was like “go behind the bar”, “are you sure”, “I’m sure, go behind the bar”. So I get a fuzzy memory of what was Russia, but a lot of fun. I was also doing some scottish poetry for them too! “I’ll do some Robbie Burns”. And end up with Bukowski.

And then I went to taiwan, and the places could not be more different. Russia has like a mask, that when you remove it, you got to love it. Though Taiwan I had people randomly running up to me and waiving at me because I was a little different. It was amazing. They had some challenges, or tasks, as they called. One of them was pairing food with Grant’s. It was really lovely.

Finally I went to Australia and met the team there. Justin, who is our Monkey shoulder ambassador was there, and said to me “you should be really really tired, we will give you a break”. And as soon as I got off the plane and to the hotel he said “joking, you are about to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge”. I was everywhere making cocktails. In a boat, also. I met some great people had, we had a laugh.

And when I went home, I felt weird. I went to work a few days later, and it was like a part of a motion has left my work. It was like “Im here, I’m doing it, but everything changed”. And about three weeks later I got a call from our brand director at the time, he said “you got the job!”. I was starring at the wall at the phone, and said “are you sure?” and I was swearing, and saying “I’m sorry, but are you sure?”. From there, I told my mum and dad, and it was great.

Let’s move briefly to cocktails. what’s your favourite drink?

I think Old Fashioned. Old Fashioned shows really what the whisky is. But there is one that I love just because I absolutely hated it as a bartender. What’s the cocktail we hate because we are ten minutes from closing and someone asks for one or two, and then suddenly everyone is ordering them? Expresso Martinis!

And a Expresso Martini with Grant’s is great. Because you switch that neutral spirit with something with more taste, and it makes it warmer.

Back to whisky – what’s your favourite Grant’s whisky?

When it comes to Grants, the smoky is very, very good. I also love Grant’s Ale cask. It was the first whisky ever to be finished in an ale cask. Not Glenfiddich IPA. This one was twenty years later. Mr. Balvenie (David Stewart, master blender at the Balvenie) did this in 1996. And I still think its one of the best Grant’s out there.

But the one I like most is probably the Rum Cask (finish). At my second week at the job I went to see Brian Kinsman, and he had these whiskises in front of him. And he said “you are going to try some whiskies”. “ok”. “so, what do you think about them?”. And I said “well, they are very nice”. And he asked me “which would you choose?” And I picked one. He then looked at me and said “You’ve just picked Grant’s Rum Cask”. And I said “noo, really?”. This make me really happy.

You and Grant’s were made for each other

Yes, I guess it just makes sense!