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The Scotch whisky is,
of course, the country's
greatest ambassador.
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00:02:53,276 --> 00:02:56,176
Many people who don't even
know where Scotland is
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00:02:56,210 --> 00:02:58,764
know of it through
Scotch whisky.
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00:02:58,799 --> 00:03:02,009
You look at any
old American movie...
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00:03:02,043 --> 00:03:05,219
Your guys from America,
any time there was trouble,
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00:03:05,254 --> 00:03:08,878
what did the guy ask for?
He asked for Scotch.
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00:03:08,912 --> 00:03:11,536
It's 18-year-old Scotch.
You don't really expect me
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00:03:11,570 --> 00:03:13,676
to pour it back into
the bottle, do you?
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00:03:13,710 --> 00:03:17,714
1962 Dalmore.
It'd be a sin to spill any.
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00:03:17,749 --> 00:03:20,441
It's a waste of good Scotch.
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00:03:20,476 --> 00:03:21,891
It's only six-year-old Scotch.
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00:03:21,925 --> 00:03:23,237
I got some Scotch.
13
00:03:23,272 --> 00:03:24,514
Uh, Scotch. Rocks.
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00:03:24,549 --> 00:03:25,722
Scotch.Scotch.
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00:03:25,757 --> 00:03:26,896
Scotch.Scotch.
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00:03:26,930 --> 00:03:28,173
Scotch.Scotch.
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00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:29,347
Scotch.Scotch.
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00:03:29,381 --> 00:03:30,382
Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch.
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00:03:30,417 --> 00:03:34,283
There's something
about Scotch that gives...
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00:03:34,317 --> 00:03:36,802
It brings power to you,
it gives you confidence.
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00:03:36,837 --> 00:03:38,977
It brings you alive.
It's got that kind of thing.
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00:03:45,294 --> 00:03:48,158
JIM: My name is Jim McEwan, and I am the Production Director
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00:03:48,193 --> 00:03:50,540
here at
Bruichladdich distillery
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00:03:50,575 --> 00:03:53,405
on the island
of Islay, Scotland.
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00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,097
Most of my family would
have been associated
with whisky
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00:03:56,132 --> 00:03:59,239
because whisky is the main
game on this island.
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00:03:59,273 --> 00:04:05,210
I was about 1000 yards away
from Bowmore distillery.
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00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:09,007
So it was every kid's dream
to work in a distillery.
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00:04:09,041 --> 00:04:11,320
On my way to school, some days I didn't get to school
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00:04:11,354 --> 00:04:14,461
because I had to get past the distillery to go to school.
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00:04:14,495 --> 00:04:17,429
Sometimes I'd look through
the window in the malt barns.
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00:04:17,464 --> 00:04:21,295
I would smell the malt.
The men would be turning it.
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00:04:21,330 --> 00:04:25,299
One of the old guys would say, "Jim, don't bother going to school today.
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00:04:25,334 --> 00:04:29,993
"Come on in and
sweep the floors." So I left
school at the age of 15.
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00:04:30,028 --> 00:04:32,133
And I asked them for a job.
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00:04:32,168 --> 00:04:34,929
And, I mean,
I was like a Twiglet.
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00:04:34,964 --> 00:04:37,587
I was so small and skinny
it was unbelievable.
38
00:04:37,622 --> 00:04:39,279
He said, "Well...
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00:04:40,452 --> 00:04:43,283
"I can give you
six weeks' work."
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00:04:43,317 --> 00:04:45,906
Which was the summer holidays
from the school.
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00:04:45,940 --> 00:04:47,528
"But that's all I can give you."
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00:04:47,563 --> 00:04:51,463
So I said, "That would be
great." And I remember
him closing the door
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00:04:51,498 --> 00:04:55,433
and walking away after
being told that I had
a job for six weeks.
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00:04:55,467 --> 00:04:57,262
It was like, ah!
45
00:04:57,297 --> 00:05:00,161
That six weeks
turned into 52 years.
46
00:05:00,196 --> 00:05:03,164
So here I am, still in
the whisky business.
47
00:05:03,199 --> 00:05:07,272
You know, Jim is... He's
a legend within the industry.
48
00:05:07,307 --> 00:05:10,379
Jim is one of these
iconic characters.
49
00:05:10,413 --> 00:05:13,761
People come from around
the world just to spend
20 minutes with him.
50
00:05:13,796 --> 00:05:15,970
Jim, I mean,
devoted his life to whisky.
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00:05:16,005 --> 00:05:19,491
He knows what he's talking
about and he is a guy
that you've got to listen to.
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00:05:19,526 --> 00:05:23,219
Wherever I go, it's always,
"Do you know James McEwan?
Have you met James McEwan?"
53
00:05:23,253 --> 00:05:27,085
Jim McEwan is one
of these legendary distillers,
54
00:05:27,119 --> 00:05:29,432
and we sometimes
use this phrase,
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00:05:29,467 --> 00:05:33,988
"He's forgotten more
about whisky distilling
than I'll ever know."
56
00:05:34,023 --> 00:05:36,059
And it's very true in his case.
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00:05:36,094 --> 00:05:38,717
He is the sort of,
the whisky man of Islay.
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00:05:38,752 --> 00:05:43,377
He is living, breathing
Scotch whisky.
He personifies what it is.
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00:05:43,412 --> 00:05:45,724
There will never be
another Jim McEwan.
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00:05:45,759 --> 00:05:49,418
Oh, Jesus.
Oh, my goodness.
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00:05:53,422 --> 00:05:57,702
Within the first month
of me working for the
Distillers Company,
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00:05:57,736 --> 00:05:59,635
as part of my experience,
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00:05:59,669 --> 00:06:03,121
I was taken
to a grain distillery,
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00:06:03,155 --> 00:06:05,710
a maltings,
and a malt distillery.
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00:06:05,744 --> 00:06:08,506
The distillery manager
there at that time
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00:06:08,540 --> 00:06:14,166
was a very, very old,
wizened, died-in-the-wool
distillery manager,
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00:06:14,201 --> 00:06:18,378
who basically didn't
suffer fools gladly at all,
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00:06:18,412 --> 00:06:21,622
and when this young, fresh-faced graduate appeared,
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00:06:21,657 --> 00:06:26,800
he obviously decided he wanted
to do something to show me
who was boss.
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00:06:26,834 --> 00:06:30,113
And so we wandered
round the distillery,
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00:06:30,148 --> 00:06:33,185
and the gentleman was smoking,
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00:06:33,220 --> 00:06:35,705
which, of course, absolutely,
you couldn't do now,
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00:06:35,740 --> 00:06:37,466
and when he
finished his cigarette,
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00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:41,228
he flicked the cigarette
butt into one of the
fermentation vats,
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00:06:41,262 --> 00:06:44,680
and turned round to see
the look of shock on my face.
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00:06:44,714 --> 00:06:48,338
And he was just doing it
to let me know he was the boss,
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00:06:48,373 --> 00:06:50,306
and he could do
whatever he wanted.
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00:06:55,691 --> 00:06:59,177
When I first started
in the job...
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00:06:59,211 --> 00:07:01,524
Well, I was...
When a student then, obviously.
80
00:07:01,559 --> 00:07:04,769
My first experience
in a whisky distillery.
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00:07:04,803 --> 00:07:09,394
I was quite amazed that
it started at eight o'clock
in the morning,
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00:07:09,429 --> 00:07:13,743
and the first thing you done
was to line up in a queue
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00:07:13,778 --> 00:07:16,436
to receive a large whisky.
84
00:07:16,470 --> 00:07:20,992
Now, I had never, ever
even thought about whisky
at eight o'clock in the morning.
85
00:07:21,026 --> 00:07:24,547
At that time,
I never even drank whisky.
86
00:07:24,582 --> 00:07:27,412
But when you are 18 years old
87
00:07:27,447 --> 00:07:31,761
you want to try and prove
that you are a man, as such.
88
00:07:31,796 --> 00:07:35,316
And I remember watching all
the other guys, the older men
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00:07:35,351 --> 00:07:38,492
taking their whisky, putting
a little water into it
90
00:07:38,527 --> 00:07:41,012
and then swallowing
it over really quickly.
91
00:07:41,046 --> 00:07:43,186
And I thought, "That must
be how it's done."
92
00:07:43,221 --> 00:07:46,914
So I carefully got my glass
that I was given,
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00:07:46,949 --> 00:07:49,089
poured in some water,
and swallowed it back.
94
00:07:49,123 --> 00:07:50,711
And it just about
knocked me over.
95
00:07:50,746 --> 00:07:53,507
I didn't realize it was
cask-strength whisky.
96
00:07:53,542 --> 00:07:56,165
These guys had built up
a tolerance to it.
97
00:07:56,199 --> 00:07:58,029
They half knew what to expect,
98
00:07:58,063 --> 00:08:00,065
I was gonna
almost pass out with it.
99
00:08:00,100 --> 00:08:03,068
And they took me away
and laid me down.
100
00:08:03,103 --> 00:08:05,519
And I slept it off
for about three hours,
101
00:08:05,554 --> 00:08:09,212
before it was lunchtime,
and they lined up again
and got another dram,
102
00:08:09,247 --> 00:08:11,698
which I refused
to take that time.
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00:08:39,242 --> 00:08:42,487
JIM: What makes this barley
extremely special
104
00:08:42,522 --> 00:08:44,938
is the fact that
it is grown in Islay,
105
00:08:44,972 --> 00:08:48,562
and the soil in Islay
is full of salt.
106
00:08:48,597 --> 00:08:52,290
Because next door
we have the Atlantic Ocean.
107
00:08:52,324 --> 00:08:56,087
So you can imagine
the amount of salt
we get in our rain.
108
00:08:56,121 --> 00:08:58,676
So the soil
is super impregnated,
109
00:08:58,710 --> 00:09:01,886
and the root of the plant
is going into that soil.
110
00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:03,922
And it has to hold on tight,
111
00:09:03,957 --> 00:09:06,476
because we get
ferocious winds here.
112
00:09:13,414 --> 00:09:17,246
How does that salty flavor
manifest itself in a whisky?
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00:09:24,356 --> 00:09:32,157
Barley grown in Islay has
a fantastic, fresh, citrus,
lemon and honey flavor.
114
00:09:32,192 --> 00:09:35,298
The smell is just fantastic.
115
00:09:35,333 --> 00:09:37,646
Just evocative of Islay.
It's the smell of the sea,
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00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:40,096
the smell of the peat smoke.
It's all there.
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00:09:40,131 --> 00:09:42,029
The Scottish farmers
are very important to me,
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00:09:42,064 --> 00:09:46,724
because, as a person
that demands only
Scottish-grown barley,
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00:09:46,758 --> 00:09:49,658
I have a great reliance
on these farmers.
120
00:09:49,692 --> 00:09:55,560
We've been pretty poor
at recognizing what a key
cornerstone they are.
121
00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:58,425
And that is why I buy directly from a lot of farmers.
122
00:09:58,459 --> 00:10:03,948
I work with a grain-growing
cooperative up north, called
the Black Isle Growers
123
00:10:03,982 --> 00:10:05,777
of which Kenny MacKenzie
is part.
124
00:10:05,812 --> 00:10:09,850
I think if the whisky industry
had a serious downturn
125
00:10:09,885 --> 00:10:12,784
it would be a major impact
on the farming in the North.
126
00:10:12,819 --> 00:10:15,753
Not just locally, but
throughout the Highlands,
127
00:10:15,787 --> 00:10:16,995
and Scotland generally.
128
00:10:17,030 --> 00:10:19,273
We are a major producer
of malting barley
129
00:10:19,308 --> 00:10:21,724
for a huge number
of malt distillers.
130
00:10:21,759 --> 00:10:26,591
Without the farmers,
there obviously could
not be any Scotch whisky.
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00:10:28,697 --> 00:10:32,839
JAMES BROWN: I approached the distillery manager, whose name was Duncan McGillivray.
132
00:10:32,873 --> 00:10:35,600
We were at school together.
And I said to him,
133
00:10:35,635 --> 00:10:39,086
"We've got really good
spring water here, Duncan.
134
00:10:39,121 --> 00:10:40,674
"When they're selling
a bottle of whisky,
135
00:10:40,709 --> 00:10:43,988
"why don't they sell a bottle
of spring water with it,
136
00:10:44,022 --> 00:10:46,024
"so there's no
chemicals involved?"
137
00:10:46,059 --> 00:10:48,371
Duncan thought, "Good idea."
138
00:10:48,406 --> 00:10:51,685
And he sniffed it,
and licked it, and drank it.
139
00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,619
And next thing, he was
wanting barrels of it.
140
00:10:54,654 --> 00:11:00,142
We also grow 50 acres
of Concerto barley
141
00:11:00,176 --> 00:11:02,558
for the very famous Octomore.
142
00:11:02,592 --> 00:11:04,318
And the name goes
all over the world now.
143
00:11:04,353 --> 00:11:07,080
It's the heaviest-peated
whisky in the world.
144
00:11:07,114 --> 00:11:10,497
And here you have it.
This is Octomore barley,
145
00:11:10,531 --> 00:11:12,810
which is grown
at a farm close by.
146
00:11:12,844 --> 00:11:17,366
What we want to get
is access to the starch inside.
147
00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:21,335
How do we find that out?
Well, we use this amazing
contraption.
148
00:11:21,370 --> 00:11:25,477
And inside is a little sieve
which separates it.
149
00:11:25,512 --> 00:11:29,447
Whether you make good
whisky or bad whisky,
it's all done here.
150
00:11:29,481 --> 00:11:33,244
We have separated the husk
in the mash tun.
151
00:11:33,278 --> 00:11:35,280
So that's your husk.
152
00:11:36,834 --> 00:11:38,352
JIM: Here it is the middle.
153
00:11:38,387 --> 00:11:41,493
And then you have
the pure flour there.
154
00:11:42,805 --> 00:11:44,704
This is incredible.
155
00:11:45,705 --> 00:11:47,948
Wow.
156
00:11:47,983 --> 00:11:50,779
LYNDSEY GRAY:
People in Scotland
are proud of being Scottish,
157
00:11:50,813 --> 00:11:52,435
of anything that we do.
158
00:11:52,470 --> 00:11:55,128
So Scotch whisky
is part of that.
159
00:11:55,162 --> 00:11:59,615
And, as I say, in Speyside
it's a massive part of the
history that we have here.
160
00:11:59,649 --> 00:12:01,790
It's one of the main industries other than farming,
161
00:12:01,824 --> 00:12:06,587
and both work hand in hand.
Like, most of them started
as farmers.
162
00:12:06,622 --> 00:12:11,696
I do enjoy whisky,
but we often use whisky
for reviving lambs.
163
00:12:11,731 --> 00:12:13,871
It's an old cure
in the Highlands.
164
00:12:13,905 --> 00:12:18,427
A lot of whisky drinkers.
If you didn't have any
milk for the lamb,
165
00:12:18,461 --> 00:12:20,498
a cold lamb,
you give him whisky,
166
00:12:20,532 --> 00:12:23,328
and nine times out of ten,
that cold lamb would come round.
167
00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:35,030
The Scotch whisky industry
covers the length and breadth
168
00:12:35,064 --> 00:12:36,825
of the country of Scotland.
169
00:12:36,859 --> 00:12:40,932
And as a consequence of that,
the vast majority of
distilleries,
170
00:12:40,967 --> 00:12:42,762
particularly malt distilleries,
171
00:12:42,796 --> 00:12:46,835
are situated in small
rural communities.
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00:12:46,869 --> 00:12:48,802
I think it's very true to say
173
00:12:48,837 --> 00:12:52,702
that the distilleries didn't fit into the rural communities.
174
00:12:52,737 --> 00:12:56,120
The rural communities grew up round about the distilleries.
175
00:12:56,154 --> 00:13:00,227
The distilleries themselves
established many of these
communities.
176
00:13:00,262 --> 00:13:03,299
If you say to any Scotsman,
"Are you linked to the
whisky industry?"
177
00:13:03,334 --> 00:13:08,511
the answer is yes. Going back
to the days of illicit stills
and everything else.
178
00:13:08,546 --> 00:13:12,515
You know, we all made whisky, whether it was legal or illegal.
179
00:13:14,863 --> 00:13:17,003
CHARLES MACLEAN: With the
agricultural revolution,
180
00:13:17,037 --> 00:13:20,661
you could produce more grain, therefore you could produce more whisky.
181
00:13:20,696 --> 00:13:23,837
So the actual distilling
was permissible,
182
00:13:23,872 --> 00:13:29,463
but the transportation
and sale was not legal.
183
00:13:29,498 --> 00:13:34,503
Illicit distillation really
gets going in the middle
of the 18th century.
184
00:13:34,537 --> 00:13:37,851
And it's partly a reflection
of the high taxation
185
00:13:37,886 --> 00:13:43,132
and the industrialization
of the big industries.
186
00:13:43,167 --> 00:13:48,758
The way they were taxing
low wines or taxing wash,
or taxing malt and so on,
187
00:13:48,793 --> 00:13:54,488
was ineffectual, and it
had the effect of making
it impossible,
188
00:13:54,523 --> 00:13:59,079
ultimately, for
licensed distilleries
to make good spirit.
189
00:13:59,114 --> 00:14:02,220
In the 1780s, when the Steins
and the Haigs collapsed,
190
00:14:02,255 --> 00:14:06,984
it got really big, because
they had flooded
the Scottish market.
191
00:14:07,018 --> 00:14:11,229
And that meant that the only way you could get a decent whisky
192
00:14:11,264 --> 00:14:12,713
is if it was
illicitly distilled.
193
00:14:12,748 --> 00:14:16,062
It was packed up into little
barrels called ankers.
194
00:14:16,096 --> 00:14:18,616
And these were carried
to market.
195
00:14:18,650 --> 00:14:21,032
And even the Royal infirmary
in Glasgow
196
00:14:21,067 --> 00:14:22,620
had an illicit still inside it.
197
00:14:22,654 --> 00:14:25,623
And it's very easy.
All you need is a pot still
198
00:14:25,657 --> 00:14:28,108
made of copper, and it doesn't have to be very big.
199
00:14:28,143 --> 00:14:30,973
It can only hold 20 gallons,
or even less than that.
200
00:14:31,008 --> 00:14:33,665
And if you've got
the equipment,
you can make it.
201
00:14:41,018 --> 00:14:42,847
STEVE MURDOCH:
I used to work here
about 20 years ago.
202
00:14:42,882 --> 00:14:44,918
And I remember seeing a still down in the cellars.
203
00:14:44,953 --> 00:14:47,507
So I could go and see
if I can dig it out.
204
00:14:47,541 --> 00:14:49,164
KIERAN GERMAN: There's
a wonderful observation
205
00:14:49,198 --> 00:14:53,720
by the Minister of Brechin
in the early 19th century.
206
00:14:53,754 --> 00:14:56,930
He said that smugglers brought the whisky into town
207
00:14:56,965 --> 00:15:01,452
and would deliver it, and
once they had dropped
off their product,
208
00:15:01,486 --> 00:15:04,110
they would,
all of a sudden, assemble
209
00:15:04,144 --> 00:15:08,562
like military regiments,
and they would bang
the empty barrels
210
00:15:08,597 --> 00:15:11,565
in a ritualistic fashion,
wearing kilts.
211
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,637
And the Customs men
would sit and watch this,
212
00:15:14,672 --> 00:15:16,363
unable to do
anything about it,
213
00:15:16,398 --> 00:15:20,264
because there was no spirit
for them to confiscate
at this point.
214
00:15:20,298 --> 00:15:25,821
So there you go.
These are the two parts
of the drum and wash still.
215
00:15:25,855 --> 00:15:26,822
I see.
216
00:15:26,856 --> 00:15:32,448
And, as you can see,
this is the original pot.
217
00:15:32,483 --> 00:15:35,762
It's about a gallon and a half,
nearly four liters.
218
00:15:35,796 --> 00:15:38,696
So it would probably produce
about one liter of whisky.
219
00:15:38,730 --> 00:15:41,871
And that is the swan's neck.
That would have...
220
00:15:41,906 --> 00:15:43,390
This is very small.
221
00:15:43,425 --> 00:15:47,187
That's a small still. Yeah.
It's definitely been an
in-house still.
222
00:15:47,222 --> 00:15:50,466
Obviously what's missing
is the connecting cone.
223
00:15:50,501 --> 00:15:55,333
In 1823 there was somewhere in the region of 14,000 illicit distilleries operating.
224
00:15:55,368 --> 00:15:58,647
And the government had
a major problem.
It's the taxation.
225
00:15:58,681 --> 00:16:01,857
So eventually they got together
with the distillers
226
00:16:01,891 --> 00:16:04,929
and they came up with
a realistic Excise Act,
227
00:16:04,964 --> 00:16:09,209
which came into force
on Friday, 18th July, 1823.
228
00:16:09,244 --> 00:16:13,420
So it wasn't an easy job
to persuade the distillers
to take out the licenses,
229
00:16:13,455 --> 00:16:15,112
but one by one they did so.
230
00:16:15,146 --> 00:16:18,115
And George Smith, give him
all the credit, of Glenlivet,
231
00:16:18,149 --> 00:16:21,497
saw the future of no longer
producing illicit whisky.
232
00:16:21,532 --> 00:16:24,190
But you must remember,
that was 1823.
233
00:16:24,224 --> 00:16:28,608
It would take many
years before these illicit
distilleries would be depleted.
234
00:16:28,642 --> 00:16:33,061
But, nevertheless, it was the
door that opened to the
Scotch whisky industry.
235
00:16:33,095 --> 00:16:36,892
A lot of illicit distillers
do become licensed distillers.
236
00:16:36,926 --> 00:16:38,894
Because that's how they'd
learned how to do it.
237
00:16:42,863 --> 00:16:45,694
Well, I suppose, before
everyone always tries one...
238
00:16:45,728 --> 00:16:48,214
Maybe their dad gives
them a little one, you know?
239
00:16:48,248 --> 00:16:50,630
Maybe before their 18th.
240
00:16:50,664 --> 00:16:52,770
It was probably
when I would have been
241
00:16:52,804 --> 00:16:55,600
too young to have been supposed
to have been drinking it.
242
00:16:55,635 --> 00:16:59,501
It was probably stolen
from my parents' drink cupboard.
243
00:16:59,535 --> 00:17:04,402
DR. BILL: My best friend David and I were at his house, his parents' house.
244
00:17:04,437 --> 00:17:09,166
And his mum and dad had
gone out for the evening
to the theater or the opera.
245
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,273
So we did what all
good teenage boys did under
the circumstances,
246
00:17:13,308 --> 00:17:15,241
we raided the drinks cupboard.
247
00:17:15,275 --> 00:17:19,728
So we got Led Zeppelin and
Black Sabbath on the hi-fi,
248
00:17:19,762 --> 00:17:22,075
and we found a bottle
of Scotch whisky.
249
00:17:22,110 --> 00:17:26,769
And it was a lovely old blended
brand called Stewarts
Cream of the Barley.
250
00:17:26,804 --> 00:17:29,703
Which I don't actually know
if it exists anymore.
251
00:17:29,738 --> 00:17:31,947
But David and I started
drinking this.
252
00:17:31,981 --> 00:17:34,812
And you know to be honest,
it was too strong for us,
253
00:17:34,846 --> 00:17:38,540
so we probably mixed it
with ginger ale or
something like that.
254
00:17:38,574 --> 00:17:43,855
But we drank and drank
this bottle, turned the hi-fi
louder and louder and louder.
255
00:17:43,890 --> 00:17:49,551
And, eventually, I had the
wizard idea of going up to his
big brother Richard's room.
256
00:17:49,585 --> 00:17:50,862
Richard was a musician.
257
00:17:50,897 --> 00:17:54,728
And we took down his
prize Gibson Les Paul guitar
258
00:17:54,763 --> 00:17:56,696
with a lovely rosewood case.
259
00:17:56,730 --> 00:17:59,906
And we were pretending
to play it, playing air guitar.
260
00:17:59,940 --> 00:18:04,773
But I hadn't bargained
on the fact that there
was metal strings on the guitar,
261
00:18:04,807 --> 00:18:08,742
so in my inebriated state,
I cut my fingers to ribbons,
262
00:18:08,777 --> 00:18:12,332
and got blood all over
the case of the guitar.
263
00:18:12,367 --> 00:18:17,613
Richard duly came home,
found this, and he beat the
shit out of both David and I.
264
00:18:17,648 --> 00:18:19,098
So... That's a true story.
265
00:18:19,132 --> 00:18:23,688
My first memory of Scotch
whisky wasn't the most
positive one.
266
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,279
New Year is a huge celebration in Scotland.
267
00:18:28,314 --> 00:18:33,008
And my house was a house
where a lot of celebrating
went on.
268
00:18:33,042 --> 00:18:35,873
It was a household
full of traditions.
269
00:18:35,907 --> 00:18:39,877
And in that tradition
was drinking whisky.
270
00:18:39,911 --> 00:18:42,569
So I probably had
my first whisky
271
00:18:42,604 --> 00:18:45,469
when I was 12 or 13,
I would imagine, at New Year.
272
00:18:45,503 --> 00:18:50,232
I think the first dram that
I actually connected with
was a Mortlach.
273
00:18:50,267 --> 00:18:54,374
It just tasted really rich
and very, very smooth.
274
00:18:54,409 --> 00:18:58,551
And I suddenly kind of went,
"Ooh! Okay, I think I can
do this."
275
00:18:58,585 --> 00:19:00,173
Once you have your first,
you need to...
276
00:19:00,208 --> 00:19:02,762
I strongly believe there is
a single malt for everyone.
277
00:19:02,796 --> 00:19:05,282
There is one that
will just turn your head.
278
00:19:05,316 --> 00:19:10,770
Somebody thrust a glass
into my hand and said,
"Billy, try this."
279
00:19:10,804 --> 00:19:13,290
And I thought, "Wow.
Gosh, that's a bit different."
280
00:19:13,324 --> 00:19:17,639
I knew it was whisky,
obviously, but I thought,
"That's a bit interesting."
281
00:19:17,673 --> 00:19:20,607
It's smooth, its elegant,
it's easy to drink.
282
00:19:20,642 --> 00:19:25,923
So that was my introduction
to the love of my life,
Glenmorangie.
283
00:19:32,101 --> 00:19:35,588
So I was lucky enough
to become an apprentice cooper,
284
00:19:35,622 --> 00:19:37,383
which was quite rare
at that time,
285
00:19:37,417 --> 00:19:40,282
because the coopering
industry was very strong.
286
00:19:40,317 --> 00:19:43,803
In most trades, you have
a tradesman and you
have an apprentice.
287
00:19:43,837 --> 00:19:49,809
But in the coopering industry, you had to have four trades for one apprentice.
288
00:19:49,843 --> 00:19:53,571
When I was accepted
as an apprentice cooper,
289
00:19:53,606 --> 00:19:57,092
to this man here.
His name was David Bell.
290
00:19:57,126 --> 00:20:01,061
And he was the number-one
cooper in the world for
about ten years.
291
00:20:01,096 --> 00:20:05,065
He was still swinging a hammer at 70 years of age.
292
00:20:05,100 --> 00:20:07,965
When this picture was taken,
he was 95.
293
00:20:07,999 --> 00:20:12,832
And you can see, clearly,
in the picture
how he got to 95,
294
00:20:12,866 --> 00:20:15,386
because in his hand
he's got a glass of whisky.
295
00:20:15,421 --> 00:20:19,701
I've been very fortunate
in the years in my career
in whisky,
296
00:20:19,735 --> 00:20:24,257
where I have encountered
and met people
297
00:20:24,292 --> 00:20:28,813
who have been very experienced,
and have been great mentors
for me,
298
00:20:28,848 --> 00:20:32,265
and assisted me in learning
everything about the industry.
299
00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:35,579
JIM: While I was at Bowmore
Distillery I was learning
everything else.
300
00:20:35,613 --> 00:20:39,445
If somebody was going off sick, I would do their job, 'cause I wanted money.
301
00:20:39,479 --> 00:20:42,448
Working hard, so in the malt
barns or whatever you
were doing,
302
00:20:42,482 --> 00:20:46,555
you would always jump
in and say, "I'll do it.
I'll take that shift."
303
00:20:46,590 --> 00:20:49,731
So you'd be maybe working
24 hours sometimes just
to get the money.
304
00:20:49,765 --> 00:20:53,286
IAN: The first manager
I had there was a man
called Lewis Paterson.
305
00:20:53,321 --> 00:20:57,670
He was very encouraging
to sort of learn everything.
306
00:20:57,704 --> 00:21:01,708
About... From the real
dirty jobs to the...
307
00:21:01,743 --> 00:21:06,195
To the ones... and he encouraged
me to get involved
in everything, you know?
308
00:21:06,230 --> 00:21:08,853
I remember this day,
we had a blockage,
309
00:21:08,888 --> 00:21:13,410
and the smell of the sour
draft was down the...
310
00:21:13,444 --> 00:21:15,584
He thought that this
was a great opportunity for me.
311
00:21:15,619 --> 00:21:21,038
If I wanted to learn about the
industry, I had to get down into
this hole and clear this out.
312
00:21:21,072 --> 00:21:24,006
I remember going home that night
and being flung out of the house
313
00:21:24,041 --> 00:21:27,907
because of the smell.
That was unbelievable,
the smell off of me.
314
00:21:27,941 --> 00:21:30,944
It took several baths to get
rid of it, so that was...
315
00:21:30,979 --> 00:21:38,193
That was a memory of one
of my mentors wanting me to
learn a lot about the business.
316
00:21:38,227 --> 00:21:41,058
JIM: So very quickly I learned all about distilling
317
00:21:41,092 --> 00:21:44,337
and how it was made
in the traditional manner.
318
00:21:44,372 --> 00:21:49,204
And then my old friend
decided one day to walk away.
319
00:21:49,238 --> 00:21:51,517
So he very quietly
came up to me,
320
00:21:51,551 --> 00:21:56,970
put the keys in my hand,
and he said,
"Jim, it's your turn now."
321
00:21:57,005 --> 00:21:59,870
Patted me on the shoulder
and he walked away.
322
00:21:59,904 --> 00:22:01,320
And I was 22.
323
00:22:14,056 --> 00:22:16,300
JIM: The barley which you saw
at the other side
324
00:22:16,335 --> 00:22:19,130
has been crushed
by two sets of rollers.
325
00:22:19,165 --> 00:22:23,549
And here it is. This is the
flour of the plant, the barley.
326
00:22:23,583 --> 00:22:25,930
Beautiful. Smells incredible.
327
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,279
The secret of distillation
is to make sure
328
00:22:30,314 --> 00:22:34,939
we can still smell that smell
at the end of the distillation.
329
00:22:34,974 --> 00:22:39,081
We don't want to lose it,
and to do that we
have to mash it
330
00:22:39,116 --> 00:22:40,945
with the hot water
very carefully.
331
00:22:40,980 --> 00:22:43,120
This is Scottish gold.
332
00:22:44,742 --> 00:22:46,710
We then add hot water to it.
333
00:22:46,744 --> 00:22:52,094
And this will continue,
or complete the conversion
of the starch into a sugar.
334
00:22:52,129 --> 00:22:54,821
We add, depending on the size of the distillery,
335
00:22:54,856 --> 00:22:57,652
either three or four different temperatures of water
336
00:22:57,686 --> 00:23:00,517
to extract all these sugars.
337
00:23:00,551 --> 00:23:06,385
The wort then is cooled
down to around
20, 21 degrees Celsius.
338
00:23:06,419 --> 00:23:11,217
And it comes into this vat.
This is a very, very old
Oregon pine vat.
339
00:23:11,251 --> 00:23:12,667
Really ancient.
340
00:23:12,701 --> 00:23:17,085
In goes the yeast. The yeast
cells are activated by sugar
341
00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:19,846
and they multiply
by trillions.
342
00:23:19,881 --> 00:23:21,676
It's called fermentation.
343
00:23:21,710 --> 00:23:24,264
Which is the
Latin word fermentum.
344
00:23:24,299 --> 00:23:25,887
It's like boiling.
345
00:23:25,921 --> 00:23:28,821
You would think it was boiling,
but there's no heat in there.
It's 20 degrees C.
346
00:23:28,855 --> 00:23:32,065
The level of the liquid
inside the vessel
347
00:23:32,100 --> 00:23:34,827
will rise up like a pint
of frothy beer.
348
00:23:34,861 --> 00:23:39,245
It will rise up, and we're
going to watch it so it
doesn't come over the top.
349
00:23:39,279 --> 00:23:42,559
The yeast has converted
all the starch into sugar.
350
00:23:42,593 --> 00:23:46,252
That sugar has now
given us a beer,
351
00:23:46,286 --> 00:23:48,668
about 7% alcohol.
352
00:23:48,703 --> 00:23:50,498
What were going to do
is take this
353
00:23:50,532 --> 00:23:53,915
and distill it, and make
the alcohol stronger.
354
00:23:59,714 --> 00:24:01,405
It's not really an art.
355
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,132
Its alchemy. We see ourselves...
we are really alchemists,
356
00:24:04,166 --> 00:24:06,134
when it comes
to the distillation side.
357
00:24:07,066 --> 00:24:09,482
JIM: Here we are
in a sampling box.
358
00:24:09,517 --> 00:24:13,210
And this is where
the critical part happens.
359
00:24:13,244 --> 00:24:16,455
It's where we make what
you call the middle cut.
360
00:24:16,489 --> 00:24:20,597
These stills will boil...
This is the first
distillation here.
361
00:24:20,631 --> 00:24:23,220
The alcohol goes up to 22%.
362
00:24:23,254 --> 00:24:25,705
If you recall, the beer was 7%.
363
00:24:25,740 --> 00:24:30,123
We've distilled that beer,
and it's during that
second distillation
364
00:24:30,158 --> 00:24:33,092
we get the part
in the middle, the heart.
365
00:24:33,126 --> 00:24:37,476
It's taken out. What I am trying to do is find the heart.
366
00:24:37,510 --> 00:24:41,963
The heart is when the spirit
is at its most pure.
367
00:24:42,826 --> 00:24:44,344
Fruity, clean.
368
00:24:44,379 --> 00:24:47,762
Right now the alcohol going
down here is too strong.
369
00:24:47,796 --> 00:24:50,247
Flavor is not particularly
pleasant.
370
00:24:50,281 --> 00:24:53,664
This is a very coarse alcohol
that needs to be distilled again
371
00:24:53,699 --> 00:24:56,771
to bring out a more
refined product.
372
00:24:56,805 --> 00:24:58,945
And it's in the second
distillation
373
00:24:58,980 --> 00:25:01,810
that we create the new whisky.
374
00:25:01,845 --> 00:25:03,536
JIM: I need to use my nose.
375
00:25:03,571 --> 00:25:05,434
I need to use my palate.
376
00:25:06,643 --> 00:25:08,092
And I'm nosing it.
377
00:25:08,576 --> 00:25:10,439
It smells fine.
378
00:25:10,474 --> 00:25:11,648
We are just about there.
379
00:25:13,753 --> 00:25:16,342
What I'm looking for is clarity.
380
00:25:16,376 --> 00:25:19,759
This is the oldest way
of doing this in the world.
381
00:25:19,794 --> 00:25:21,209
We don't use computers.
382
00:25:21,243 --> 00:25:24,177
If it remains absolutely clear
383
00:25:24,212 --> 00:25:26,835
that means I have
found the heart
384
00:25:26,870 --> 00:25:29,838
and that starts being
collected as whisky.
385
00:25:29,873 --> 00:25:32,013
And that will go to the barrel.
386
00:25:32,047 --> 00:25:34,153
So I'm adding water.
387
00:25:37,156 --> 00:25:39,434
This will lift. This will clear.
388
00:25:40,366 --> 00:25:42,955
It's like mist
coming off a loch.
389
00:25:42,989 --> 00:25:45,578
If it had remained cloudy
390
00:25:45,613 --> 00:25:47,787
it was not ready for the cask.
391
00:25:47,822 --> 00:25:51,480
Now absolutely clear.
392
00:25:51,515 --> 00:25:53,172
I just gotta taste it.
393
00:25:58,418 --> 00:25:59,523
And nose it.
394
00:26:02,733 --> 00:26:08,774
And all the flavors,
the smoky flavor that
we found in the mill room,
395
00:26:08,808 --> 00:26:11,846
and in the mashing,
and in the fermentation,
396
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,607
they are here,
they are concentrated.
397
00:26:14,642 --> 00:26:16,540
It's a beautiful,
beautiful thing.
398
00:26:16,575 --> 00:26:20,406
So now I want to collect this
for the cask.
399
00:26:21,096 --> 00:26:23,098
Very, very high-tech.
400
00:26:23,133 --> 00:26:25,963
And I move that over to there.
401
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,484
This is going down
a different pipe,
402
00:26:29,518 --> 00:26:32,073
and it's going
to a warehouse next door
403
00:26:32,107 --> 00:26:34,454
where it's going to be filled into the barrels.
404
00:26:52,265 --> 00:26:54,336
JIM: Once you've got
your middle cut,
405
00:26:54,371 --> 00:26:56,856
that then goes to the warehouse to be filled into casks.
406
00:26:56,891 --> 00:27:00,998
And then you move it to
the cask. Then it starts
that long, slow journey.
407
00:27:01,033 --> 00:27:03,276
Every time we do a run...
408
00:27:03,311 --> 00:27:06,003
as we call it, a distillation,
a child is born.
409
00:27:06,970 --> 00:27:09,213
The child is then given
to the mother.
410
00:27:09,248 --> 00:27:10,767
And the mother is the cask.
411
00:27:12,838 --> 00:27:15,288
ROBBIE HUGHES:
First bottle at
the very top left
412
00:27:15,323 --> 00:27:19,223
is a spirit that was produced
and it's one day old.
413
00:27:19,258 --> 00:27:21,640
So it's spirit before
it goes into the bottle.
414
00:27:21,674 --> 00:27:24,228
As you go from the left
to the right and you
work your way down,
415
00:27:24,263 --> 00:27:26,714
each bottle then
represents one year.
416
00:27:26,748 --> 00:27:31,684
So you'll see how this goes from a clear water-like liquid,
417
00:27:31,719 --> 00:27:35,895
and as you go to the right,
it gets some slight
oakiness color come into it.
418
00:27:35,930 --> 00:27:37,207
It's like golden color.
419
00:27:37,241 --> 00:27:40,210
We also notice that
the level just drops a slight.
420
00:27:40,244 --> 00:27:43,696
And that represents
the evaporation.
421
00:27:43,731 --> 00:27:46,423
The very bottom right
at 30 years old,
422
00:27:46,457 --> 00:27:51,014
you can see by this
stage, the bottle is
less than half full.
423
00:27:51,048 --> 00:27:53,706
And the color is
really quite beautiful.
424
00:27:53,741 --> 00:27:55,674
Now, it is my view
425
00:27:55,708 --> 00:28:00,126
that it doesn't matter how
good your new-make spirit is,
426
00:28:00,161 --> 00:28:04,544
if you then mature that
in poor-quality barrels.
427
00:28:04,579 --> 00:28:07,582
Guess what? You're going
to get poor-quality whisky.
428
00:28:09,653 --> 00:28:12,276
JIM: The cask is so,
so important, you know?
429
00:28:12,311 --> 00:28:14,589
First of all,
you look at the cask.
430
00:28:14,623 --> 00:28:17,143
And the physical appearance
of the cask.
431
00:28:17,178 --> 00:28:20,595
It's like looking at a person. You judge by what you see.
432
00:28:20,629 --> 00:28:24,599
If it looks tired, the hoops
are maybe slightly rusty,
433
00:28:24,633 --> 00:28:26,359
it's getting a bit weak.
434
00:28:26,394 --> 00:28:29,638
You can form an opinion
right away just by looking
at the cask.
435
00:28:30,812 --> 00:28:32,434
And generally,
436
00:28:32,469 --> 00:28:36,369
most of the time
you are correct.
The assessment is correct.
437
00:28:36,404 --> 00:28:40,753
The cask is king. Sixty, even
up to 70% of the influence
438
00:28:40,788 --> 00:28:44,792
of my style is to be
influenced by the cask.
439
00:29:33,702 --> 00:29:35,566
JIM: Sometimes
I talk to the casks.
440
00:29:35,601 --> 00:29:38,777
I'm like some kind of
mad cask whisperer.
441
00:29:40,261 --> 00:29:41,918
You are beautiful.
442
00:29:41,952 --> 00:29:43,816
But you are not ready.
443
00:29:43,851 --> 00:29:46,543
I'm coming back to see you
in six months, okay?
444
00:29:46,577 --> 00:29:49,408
We don't have control over the weather, so some years
445
00:29:49,442 --> 00:29:51,720
the whisky will mature
more quickly than others
446
00:29:51,755 --> 00:29:53,446
because you can
have warmer year,
447
00:29:53,481 --> 00:29:55,655
or vice versa,
it with a cold year.
448
00:29:55,690 --> 00:29:57,830
And it's a whole...
It's a jigsaw puzzle.
449
00:29:57,865 --> 00:30:00,729
Sometimes you pop a barrel,
like this one here
450
00:30:00,764 --> 00:30:02,835
and you think,
Oh my God.
451
00:30:02,870 --> 00:30:06,977
I want to share this with
the world. This is like,
you are so beautiful.
452
00:30:07,012 --> 00:30:10,636
The world deserves you.
You really, really are
so beautiful.
453
00:30:10,670 --> 00:30:15,848
And you look, and you think,
"You've been waiting a while,
you know?"
454
00:30:15,883 --> 00:30:20,749
Incredible. This one here
in my hand has been
waiting for 23 years.
455
00:30:20,784 --> 00:30:23,614
RICHARD: You always look at a beautiful woman, and you say to her,
456
00:30:23,649 --> 00:30:25,927
"What's your favorite color when you wear a dress?"
457
00:30:25,962 --> 00:30:28,723
Well, it might be blue
or black or red or whatever.
458
00:30:28,757 --> 00:30:33,590
But that particular color
suits her personality,
suits her character.
459
00:30:33,624 --> 00:30:36,351
And she elevates the beauty
through it.
460
00:30:36,386 --> 00:30:37,663
Well, it's the same
with a cask.
461
00:30:37,697 --> 00:30:40,839
If I can find a cask
that will mature my whisky
462
00:30:40,873 --> 00:30:44,635
and get it compatible,
and give it the right time,
463
00:30:44,670 --> 00:30:49,848
that elevation of beauty
can also be reflected
in a Scotch whisky.
464
00:30:49,882 --> 00:30:55,301
That has also led to lots
of interesting offshoots
and experiments
465
00:30:55,336 --> 00:30:57,648
trying lots of different types
of barrel.
466
00:30:57,683 --> 00:31:01,583
And that, over the last decade,
has unquestionably been
467
00:31:01,618 --> 00:31:07,555
the richest area in the industry
for development of new products.
468
00:31:07,589 --> 00:31:11,179
CHARLES:
Bill, I've worked with.
He's a chemist by training.
469
00:31:11,214 --> 00:31:16,598
But is also a very...
He is an artist, I think,
by temperament.
470
00:31:16,633 --> 00:31:20,464
He's done a lot...
He knows probably more
about wood
471
00:31:20,499 --> 00:31:24,089
and the effects of different
types of oak, for example,
472
00:31:24,123 --> 00:31:26,574
than any other master blender.
473
00:31:26,608 --> 00:31:30,716
Nowadays, more than 90%
of all Scotch whisky
474
00:31:30,750 --> 00:31:34,444
is matured in American oak
ex-Bourbon barrels.
475
00:31:34,478 --> 00:31:36,584
And there's
two reasons for that.
476
00:31:36,618 --> 00:31:39,483
Firstly, to make Kentucky
straight Bourbon
477
00:31:39,518 --> 00:31:41,313
or Tennessee
sour mash whiskey,
478
00:31:41,347 --> 00:31:47,077
the law states it has to be
a new charred oak barrel
used only once.
479
00:31:47,112 --> 00:31:51,081
Us Scots, we don't
tend to like new wood.
480
00:31:51,116 --> 00:31:57,950
So these barrels, filled once, are ideal for a long, slow maturation of Scotch.
481
00:31:57,985 --> 00:32:02,851
The second reason is that
American oak has
a flavor profile
482
00:32:02,886 --> 00:32:07,684
that's very sympathetic
with the flavors
of Scotch malt spirit.
483
00:32:07,718 --> 00:32:13,414
So these soft, buttery,
creamy, vanilla and almond
and coconut flavors.
484
00:32:13,448 --> 00:32:15,657
You get that from American oak.
485
00:32:15,692 --> 00:32:20,800
Whereas European oak
has more tannin,
more hemicellulose.
486
00:32:20,835 --> 00:32:24,494
You get more
of a spicy, resinny flavor.
487
00:32:24,528 --> 00:32:27,773
JIM: We spend a lot of time just checking casks, checking casks.
488
00:32:27,807 --> 00:32:31,190
It's almost orgasmic
when you open a cask up.
489
00:32:31,225 --> 00:32:33,537
And you taste it
and you think, ah!
490
00:32:33,572 --> 00:32:35,643
"I want to share this
with the world."
491
00:32:35,677 --> 00:32:38,128
There's some casks in the
warehouse that are secret.
492
00:32:38,163 --> 00:32:40,544
I don't tell anyone about them
because they are so good.
493
00:32:40,579 --> 00:32:42,443
I don't want them ever
to go into the bottle.
494
00:32:42,477 --> 00:32:45,584
So I can go back to them
time after time after time.
495
00:32:52,971 --> 00:32:56,319
IAN:
Any blender, their recipe
is a secret to themselves.
496
00:32:56,353 --> 00:32:58,493
You would never divulge
what you use in that.
497
00:32:58,528 --> 00:33:04,016
So every blender has his own
idea of what he would put
into a particular blend.
498
00:33:05,984 --> 00:33:10,367
RICHARD: I put them
together in a loving union
and I marry them.
499
00:33:10,402 --> 00:33:13,992
So this is anassemblage.
This is a blending.
500
00:33:14,026 --> 00:33:16,373
It's bringing all these
different whiskies together.
501
00:33:16,408 --> 00:33:20,929
It's still a single malt,
because it comes
from one distillery only.
502
00:33:20,964 --> 00:33:26,590
The master blender, I mean,
is an extraordinary
skillful job.
503
00:33:26,625 --> 00:33:30,560
Because, again, his primary role
is to keep each batch
consistent,
504
00:33:30,594 --> 00:33:32,044
the same as the last batch.
505
00:33:32,079 --> 00:33:35,703
But it might not have exactly the same ingredients.
506
00:33:35,737 --> 00:33:39,845
Everything is important.
But the style, consistency
must be there.
507
00:33:39,879 --> 00:33:42,710
Otherwise, the consumer
will not support you.
508
00:33:42,744 --> 00:33:47,197
You must give them that
confidence and maintain
that confidence.
509
00:33:47,232 --> 00:33:50,856
JIM: The company approached me again and said, "Would you like to go to Glasgow,
510
00:33:50,890 --> 00:33:53,100
"and train to become
a whisky blender?"
511
00:33:53,134 --> 00:33:55,067
And once again, yeah.
512
00:33:55,102 --> 00:33:59,520
So every day of my life
I had my nose in a glass.
513
00:33:59,554 --> 00:34:02,902
You would have truckload
after truckload after truckload
514
00:34:02,937 --> 00:34:05,181
of whisky coming in
from all over Scotland.
515
00:34:05,215 --> 00:34:08,563
From the Highlands, from the
Speyside, from the Lowlands,
from Islay.
516
00:34:08,598 --> 00:34:10,565
These truckloads were coming
with barrels of whisky.
517
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:15,363
Each barrel of whisky
had to be opened up and
checked for quality.
518
00:34:15,398 --> 00:34:17,917
So you had to decide
very quickly...
519
00:34:17,952 --> 00:34:21,576
"Definitely first class."
You would use less of that.
520
00:34:21,611 --> 00:34:23,992
"Not so good."
You didn't value it so much,
521
00:34:24,027 --> 00:34:27,203
so you use more of this
in your percentages
for making up blends.
522
00:34:27,237 --> 00:34:30,896
So you have first class:
small percentage.
Second class, slightly more.
523
00:34:33,105 --> 00:34:37,834
The objective here was
to move away subtly,
524
00:34:37,868 --> 00:34:40,802
but definitely away from
the original Black Art style,
525
00:34:40,837 --> 00:34:43,391
which has been fantastic,
you know?
526
00:34:43,426 --> 00:34:46,981
It's just got a fantastic
gentleness off it.
527
00:34:47,015 --> 00:34:48,638
It's almost creamy
528
00:34:48,672 --> 00:34:51,227
The texture is really...
And on the nose
529
00:34:51,261 --> 00:34:52,504
there is no volatility at all.
530
00:34:52,538 --> 00:34:54,851
It's really easy to smell.
531
00:34:54,885 --> 00:34:57,129
I think they are just a step
down the road, aren't they?
532
00:34:57,164 --> 00:34:58,717
You've got the Black Art Four.
533
00:34:58,751 --> 00:35:01,651
You take a different
direction with Trial One.
534
00:35:01,685 --> 00:35:04,102
Trial Two is just taking it
that further step.
535
00:35:04,136 --> 00:35:05,586
JIM: Yeah.
536
00:35:05,620 --> 00:35:10,901
This is more feminine.
It's more graceful.
It's more subtle. Um...
537
00:35:10,936 --> 00:35:15,216
The Black Art Four is quite
a full-bodied one, quite
a robust one.
538
00:35:15,251 --> 00:35:17,356
This has gone slightly
the other way.
539
00:35:17,391 --> 00:35:18,702
It's just smoother.
540
00:35:18,737 --> 00:35:21,705
Here's to Black Art Five.
541
00:35:21,740 --> 00:35:23,500
The future.Cheers.
542
00:35:23,535 --> 00:35:27,642
Here's to a happy retirement,
you pair of chancers.
543
00:35:27,677 --> 00:35:30,231
We'll enjoy your retirement
just as much as you will.
544
00:35:30,266 --> 00:35:33,510
Cheers.Cheers.
545
00:35:33,545 --> 00:35:36,306
I got promoted
to a blending manager
546
00:35:36,341 --> 00:35:39,344
in another blending place
outside Glasgow.
547
00:35:39,378 --> 00:35:41,518
So that gave me
the freedom to create,
548
00:35:41,553 --> 00:35:44,142
start mixing whiskies
and working with it.
549
00:35:44,176 --> 00:35:46,074
And I actually loved it.
550
00:35:46,109 --> 00:35:51,321
The company Bowmore Distillers
said, "Jim, we want you
to go back home to Bowmore
551
00:35:51,356 --> 00:35:55,463
and take over as the general
manager at Bowmore distillery.
552
00:35:55,498 --> 00:35:59,778
That was a gold medal.
Just at that same point,
just about that time,
553
00:35:59,812 --> 00:36:04,369
Bowmore was bought over
by the Japanese giant
called Suntory.
554
00:36:04,403 --> 00:36:06,474
For relaxing times,
555
00:36:07,199 --> 00:36:09,753
make it Suntory time.
556
00:36:09,788 --> 00:36:16,381
Because Suntory wanted to make
Bowmore the number-one single
malt in Scotland.
557
00:36:16,415 --> 00:36:18,106
That is a big ask.
558
00:36:25,183 --> 00:36:30,084
We took Bowmore from
nowhere, and we won Distillery
of the Year so many times.
559
00:36:30,118 --> 00:36:33,950
And then I started to get
the call from Japan.
560
00:36:33,984 --> 00:36:37,678
Could you come and teach our
people about single malt?
561
00:36:37,712 --> 00:36:40,991
And I never regarded
myself as a teacher.
562
00:36:41,026 --> 00:36:43,408
I'm just a guy who
tells stories, you know,
about lifestyle.
563
00:36:43,442 --> 00:36:47,826
So I went to Japan and
started teaching the
Suntory sales teams.
564
00:36:47,860 --> 00:36:52,313
More and more requests came in,
from America, from developing
markets.
565
00:36:52,348 --> 00:36:57,249
Jim was not only the greatest
ambassador for Bowmore
566
00:36:57,284 --> 00:37:00,218
and then latterly Bruichladdich,
the companies he worked for,
567
00:37:00,252 --> 00:37:04,291
but for Islay,
and indeed for the entire
Scotch whisky industry.
568
00:37:04,325 --> 00:37:05,913
He is a complex character.
569
00:37:06,569 --> 00:37:08,018
He's this...
570
00:37:08,053 --> 00:37:14,059
very strong, very effusive,
very... Huge personality.
571
00:37:14,093 --> 00:37:18,995
But at heart he's just
a boy from Bowmore.
572
00:37:23,551 --> 00:37:25,898
JIM:
This side of it, the nosing
and the creative side,
573
00:37:25,933 --> 00:37:28,246
you are going towards
the blending side of it then.
574
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:34,113
So my job kind of overlaps
two camps, the blending side
and the production side.
575
00:37:34,148 --> 00:37:36,944
ROBBIE: So it isn't something, you can just pick up a textbook
576
00:37:36,978 --> 00:37:40,741
or spend a year at university or a couple of years and learn it.
577
00:37:40,775 --> 00:37:45,608
You've really got to be
at the shoulder of somebody
else for many years.
578
00:37:45,642 --> 00:37:50,302
It could be 10, 15, 20 years
before you will get the title
of Master Blender.
579
00:37:50,337 --> 00:37:52,131
Even longer than that.
580
00:37:52,166 --> 00:37:56,964
Nowadays there are many, many,
many people with that title.
Master Distillers.
581
00:37:56,998 --> 00:38:02,107
One of the most hackneyed terms
in the Scotch whisky industry
582
00:38:02,141 --> 00:38:06,042
is to use the word "Master"
before your job title.
583
00:38:06,076 --> 00:38:08,734
Master Blender,
Master Distiller,
584
00:38:08,769 --> 00:38:11,772
Master of the Universe,
whatever.
585
00:38:11,806 --> 00:38:15,396
It isn't actually
a valid technical term
586
00:38:15,431 --> 00:38:22,127
and it is more a PR term.
So if someone has been
in the role for many years
587
00:38:22,161 --> 00:38:25,337
the company uses it to help
try and promote the fact
588
00:38:25,372 --> 00:38:27,960
that they kind of know what
they are talking about.
589
00:38:29,030 --> 00:38:31,550
It irks me somewhat, you know?
590
00:38:31,585 --> 00:38:35,002
I see guys who have been
in the business 10 years
or something,
591
00:38:35,036 --> 00:38:36,383
suddenly they
are Master Distiller.
592
00:38:36,417 --> 00:38:39,696
The number of business cards I have received from young guys
593
00:38:39,731 --> 00:38:43,148
who have been given
this title...
"I'm a Master Distiller."
594
00:38:43,182 --> 00:38:46,013
A master distiller should be able to take raw material
595
00:38:46,047 --> 00:38:49,810
like water, barley, and yeast,
and turn it into whisky.
596
00:38:49,844 --> 00:38:52,053
That would be the litmus test.
597
00:38:52,088 --> 00:38:57,300
So I was going round the world for about 32, 33 weeks a year
598
00:38:57,335 --> 00:39:00,130
trying to educate.
It was becoming very tiring.
599
00:39:00,165 --> 00:39:03,099
Because I had a young family, and my wife was doing her best to look after them
600
00:39:03,133 --> 00:39:06,309
and I am away for five
weeks at a time and back.
601
00:39:06,344 --> 00:39:09,726
I was home, sick, I can't
remember, I had chickenpox
or something.
602
00:39:09,761 --> 00:39:11,383
I was home from school, sick.
603
00:39:11,418 --> 00:39:14,766
And all of a sudden
a helicopter landed
in the garden.
604
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,285
This is not an everyday
occurrence.
605
00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:20,392
And this was...
Some film crew had been over,
606
00:39:20,427 --> 00:39:24,120
and Dad had said, "My daughter
is not well. Could you go
and do a fly-by?
607
00:39:24,154 --> 00:39:25,708
"It would really make
her happy."
608
00:39:25,742 --> 00:39:28,124
So I look out,
there is a helicopter.
609
00:39:28,158 --> 00:39:30,471
And not only
did I get a fly-by,
they took us up.
610
00:39:30,506 --> 00:39:35,234
They took us up, we went once
round Loch Indaal, flew over
our house and landed again.
611
00:39:35,269 --> 00:39:39,825
So there was loads of plus
points to being "Jim McEwan's
daughter."
612
00:39:39,860 --> 00:39:45,141
During that time, three times
I just totally collapsed with
exhaustion.
613
00:39:45,175 --> 00:39:49,766
Just went down.
I was so tired I couldn't
go any further.
614
00:39:49,801 --> 00:39:55,565
However, during that period
of traveling, I met and made
many, many friends
615
00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:57,153
in many, many countries.
616
00:39:57,187 --> 00:40:00,432
But it was hard, and I was
getting really tired of it
617
00:40:00,467 --> 00:40:03,815
and thinking about
a career move.
618
00:40:03,849 --> 00:40:05,713
And then I got a phone call.
619
00:40:12,962 --> 00:40:16,414
The only consistent thing
in your body
620
00:40:16,448 --> 00:40:18,864
from the day you were born
until the day you die...
621
00:40:21,695 --> 00:40:24,007
It just never stops.
It's consistent.
622
00:40:24,042 --> 00:40:26,044
So why would you
not follow that?
623
00:40:26,078 --> 00:40:30,669
So when it came to making
the decision to leave Bowmore,
624
00:40:30,704 --> 00:40:33,741
to come here to Bruichladdich,
625
00:40:33,776 --> 00:40:35,881
that was done in a heartbeat.
626
00:40:35,916 --> 00:40:39,471
Yeah. I want to spend
time with my family.
627
00:40:39,506 --> 00:40:44,372
I was living in Glasgow because
I had to be beside an
international airport.
628
00:40:44,407 --> 00:40:47,859
The thought of coming home
to Islay, to Bruichladdich,
which I knew,
629
00:40:47,893 --> 00:40:53,243
and, given that my wife Barbara comes from Port Charlotte, which is just down the road,
630
00:40:53,278 --> 00:40:58,283
And I wanted my children
to experience life in Islay.
631
00:40:58,317 --> 00:41:01,804
And I joined up after
38 years with Bowmore.
632
00:41:01,838 --> 00:41:07,706
And it's now gone to a
beaten-up, broken-down
almost derelict distillery.
633
00:41:07,741 --> 00:41:11,848
That was, to me...
This distillery was
like Cinderella.
634
00:41:11,883 --> 00:41:16,025
There was a beauty there,
but it never got invited
to the ball.
635
00:41:16,059 --> 00:41:19,269
And I knew Bruichladdich
was good. However...
636
00:41:19,304 --> 00:41:23,653
I had no idea just how much
it had deteriorated since
I was last here.
637
00:41:23,688 --> 00:41:27,761
I had known Bruichladdich
because it is just across
the water from Bowmore.
638
00:41:27,795 --> 00:41:29,728
I'd been in here many,
many times.
639
00:41:29,763 --> 00:41:33,076
I knew the quality
of the spirit was excellent.
640
00:41:33,111 --> 00:41:35,458
Unfortunately, some
of the previous owners
641
00:41:35,493 --> 00:41:38,530
did not appreciate
the quality of the spirit.
642
00:41:38,565 --> 00:41:43,880
And this distillery has had
six owners since 1881.
643
00:41:43,915 --> 00:41:48,747
And we are still using
the same equipment since 1881.
644
00:41:48,782 --> 00:41:50,508
Which clearly indicates
645
00:41:50,542 --> 00:41:55,996
they never spent one penny on investment in the distillery.
646
00:42:03,244 --> 00:42:06,524
...and then Whyte & Mackay began
a process of disinvestment.
647
00:42:06,558 --> 00:42:09,872
So they got rid of some
of the distilleries,
including Jura
648
00:42:09,906 --> 00:42:13,979
and Bruichladdich,
and they languish.
649
00:42:14,014 --> 00:42:16,879
When he moved into
Bruichladdich, Bruichladdich
was shut. It was a shell.
650
00:42:16,913 --> 00:42:18,812
It was.
It was a very sad place.
651
00:42:22,125 --> 00:42:25,128
JIM: I came through the gate, and I am thinking, "Oh, Jesus.
652
00:42:26,405 --> 00:42:28,166
"This is a mess.
653
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:31,963
"You have just made
the biggest mistake
of your life, Jim McEwan."
654
00:42:31,997 --> 00:42:37,624
Anyway, the two guys met me.
John, the Cooper,
and Duncan, the Stillman.
655
00:42:37,658 --> 00:42:39,833
And they were just
security guys.
656
00:42:39,867 --> 00:42:43,561
And a dog named Boo.
So it was me, two men
and a dog named Boo.
657
00:42:45,079 --> 00:42:47,426
And I think most people
who knew me,
658
00:42:47,461 --> 00:42:49,359
or were even bothered,
659
00:42:49,394 --> 00:42:51,465
thought, "What a mistake
that guy's made.
660
00:42:51,499 --> 00:42:53,225
"What an absolute mistake."
661
00:42:53,260 --> 00:42:56,504
But there was something there. There was just a pulse.
662
00:42:56,539 --> 00:42:59,749
I'm looking at it. "It's not
that bad. It's not that bad."
663
00:42:59,784 --> 00:43:03,615
After wandering through
for about three hours
and all that stuff, I thought...
664
00:43:03,650 --> 00:43:08,827
Yeah. It's a bit like...
the good Samaritan, you know?
665
00:43:08,862 --> 00:43:13,383
The guy's lying. Everybody
walks past him because
they all think he's dead.
666
00:43:13,418 --> 00:43:17,836
Bruichladdich, it was like,
"I feel a pulse. Yeah.
667
00:43:17,871 --> 00:43:19,907
"There is still a pulse
in Bruichladdich."
668
00:43:19,942 --> 00:43:22,945
Within two weeks we had
recruited the original team.
669
00:43:23,393 --> 00:43:24,705
Which was great.
670
00:43:24,740 --> 00:43:28,571
The 22nd of May, 2001,
671
00:43:28,606 --> 00:43:31,539
at 7:29 in the morning,
672
00:43:31,574 --> 00:43:34,991
we were all gathered
in the still house.
We had done the mashing.
673
00:43:35,026 --> 00:43:39,927
We got through the first mash, second mash. Things were starting to get a bit easier.
674
00:43:39,962 --> 00:43:43,206
The machinery was starting
to work a bit better.
675
00:43:43,241 --> 00:43:46,071
Got the fermentation done.
It was really good.
676
00:43:46,106 --> 00:43:49,592
We went to first distillation...
"Ah! Yeah!"
677
00:43:49,627 --> 00:43:52,837
It's like, "Yeah, it's gonna
happen, it's gonna happen."
678
00:43:52,871 --> 00:43:54,459
Second distillation.
679
00:43:55,563 --> 00:43:57,704
"Wow, that was difficult."
680
00:43:57,738 --> 00:43:59,326
The heart of the run.
681
00:44:00,051 --> 00:44:02,363
That is the secret to success.
682
00:44:02,398 --> 00:44:04,711
I remember standing there,
and all the guys were
standing round.
683
00:44:04,745 --> 00:44:08,197
We get the still going,
the spirits are going,
it's good.
684
00:44:08,231 --> 00:44:11,407
And I'm nosing clear spirit.
685
00:44:13,202 --> 00:44:16,205
I just couldn't get it.
Just couldn't get it.
686
00:44:16,239 --> 00:44:21,417
Just as quickly as it came,
it disappears.
687
00:44:21,451 --> 00:44:24,696
Like a thief in the night.
It goes cloudy.
688
00:44:24,731 --> 00:44:28,527
A second ago it was clear,
and now it has gone cloudy.
689
00:44:28,562 --> 00:44:31,220
All the guys are
standing around waiting
690
00:44:31,945 --> 00:44:33,981
For Bruichladdich
to live again.
691
00:44:34,016 --> 00:44:35,707
It's quite a poignant moment.
692
00:44:35,742 --> 00:44:39,400
Just imagine, these guys who
had been made redundant
so many times.
693
00:44:39,435 --> 00:44:42,852
And here we were back,
and got the old still working.
694
00:44:42,887 --> 00:44:46,614
I was trying.
And it was taking forever,
and I'm thinking,
695
00:44:46,649 --> 00:44:49,203
"Oh my god. It's just
not happening for me.
696
00:44:49,238 --> 00:44:52,103
"It's just not happening."
697
00:44:52,137 --> 00:44:55,175
After about 35 minutes,
40 minutes,
698
00:44:55,209 --> 00:44:57,384
I'm starting to get worried.
Add the water.
699
00:44:58,523 --> 00:44:59,627
And it's there.
700
00:45:00,767 --> 00:45:03,424
Phew! Bruichladdich was back.
701
00:45:08,464 --> 00:45:12,364
This is probably the best
moment ever in 52 years.
702
00:45:12,399 --> 00:45:15,436
The guys are standing around.
703
00:45:15,471 --> 00:45:18,577
Passed a glass
to Duncan McGillivray,
Distillery Manager.
704
00:45:18,612 --> 00:45:21,063
I said, "Dunkie,
Bruichladdich is back.
705
00:45:21,097 --> 00:45:22,478
"Have a taste."
706
00:45:23,824 --> 00:45:26,206
He tastes,
but he doesn't speak.
707
00:45:26,896 --> 00:45:28,242
He looks at the floor.
708
00:45:30,866 --> 00:45:32,833
I pass it round all the crew.
709
00:45:32,868 --> 00:45:38,321
Nobody speaks.
I'm expecting high-fives.
"Hey! Let's do it."
710
00:45:38,356 --> 00:45:41,739
Didn't happen.
Strange, bizarre moment.
711
00:45:45,087 --> 00:45:48,642
And then I get it.
Totally get it.
712
00:45:48,676 --> 00:45:50,886
I look at Duncan McGillivray,
713
00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:52,715
and I look at The Budgie,
714
00:45:52,750 --> 00:45:56,512
and these veterans, who have
been fired and come back,
fired and come back...
715
00:45:56,546 --> 00:45:59,757
I totally get it. They have
been through this too often.
716
00:46:01,551 --> 00:46:05,348
And now they are there,
and they can't believe it.
717
00:46:05,383 --> 00:46:10,422
And they cannot speak
because, if they tried
to speak, they would cry.
718
00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:13,667
I can see
the Adam's apples moving.
719
00:46:13,701 --> 00:46:15,634
I can see the heads down.
720
00:46:15,669 --> 00:46:19,328
It's like, "Please, God,
make it real this time."
721
00:46:19,362 --> 00:46:22,503
Quite a submissive pose.
And I'm thinking, shh!
722
00:46:22,538 --> 00:46:25,403
This is not a time
for talking.
723
00:46:25,437 --> 00:46:27,508
"Okay, guys, let's get to work."
724
00:46:49,220 --> 00:46:51,843
When Bruichladdich died,
a community died.
725
00:46:51,878 --> 00:46:56,123
Now it's thriving. It's back.
And we are going forward
all the time.
726
00:46:56,158 --> 00:46:59,886
The key to it all is,
we are still making whisky
727
00:46:59,920 --> 00:47:03,717
exactly the same
as it was in 1881.
728
00:47:03,751 --> 00:47:08,066
A whisky made by people
is different from a whisky
made by computers.
729
00:47:08,101 --> 00:47:13,278
There is no doubt. We've been open now since 2001. Fourteen years.
730
00:47:13,313 --> 00:47:15,867
We have won Distillery
of the Year nine times.
731
00:47:21,562 --> 00:47:25,773
Sometimes you get partnerships
that just...
You need a running mate.
732
00:47:25,808 --> 00:47:27,258
And I found Duncan McGillivray.
733
00:47:27,292 --> 00:47:30,054
LESLEY: Dad and Duncan
are a dynamite team.
734
00:47:30,088 --> 00:47:34,644
There would be no Bruichladdich without the Dad and Duncan relationship.
735
00:47:34,679 --> 00:47:37,855
He's a tinkerer,
and Dad is not like that at all.
736
00:47:37,889 --> 00:47:40,547
Dad is hopeless. You wouldn't
ask him to hang a picture,
737
00:47:40,581 --> 00:47:42,066
you wouldn't ask him
to put a shelf up.
738
00:47:42,100 --> 00:47:45,138
JIM:
Now, when I made the whisky,
he made the distillery.
739
00:47:45,172 --> 00:47:50,108
He rebuilt this distillery
with string and all that
kind of stuff.
740
00:47:53,905 --> 00:47:59,152
He would say, "God, what
good's a cup of tea to
a man who needs a drink?
741
00:47:59,186 --> 00:48:01,499
"Go and get me a dram,"
sort of thing, you know?
742
00:48:01,533 --> 00:48:04,674
As a manager, Duncan
was in a boiler suit
743
00:48:04,709 --> 00:48:08,264
with oil on his hands.Duncan was a hands-on manager.
744
00:48:08,299 --> 00:48:12,682
He would, er... Everyone was...
Everyone was included,
745
00:48:12,717 --> 00:48:16,859
and part of the team.
We went up to the top,
top loft here,
746
00:48:16,894 --> 00:48:24,004
Which was like Duncan's
Aladdin's cave of things
that he had kept for years
747
00:48:24,039 --> 00:48:28,422
just in case he would need it. Duncan would even re-use nails.
748
00:48:28,457 --> 00:48:30,424
It was that kind of mentality
749
00:48:30,459 --> 00:48:33,945
that managed to get the
bottling hall built with
basically no money.
750
00:48:33,980 --> 00:48:36,948
Wasn't it? He built
the bottling hall.
751
00:48:56,174 --> 00:49:00,351
So we spent £25,000.
752
00:49:00,385 --> 00:49:05,701
We bought a whole distillery
for £25,000. Unbelievable.
753
00:49:05,735 --> 00:49:07,979
LYNNE: They are characters,
the two of them together.
754
00:49:08,014 --> 00:49:09,808
And he is also
fantastically funny.
755
00:49:09,843 --> 00:49:13,157
Duncan used to be the assistant
manager at Bruichladdich.
756
00:49:13,191 --> 00:49:15,642
And you were let go,
what, three times?
757
00:49:18,886 --> 00:49:19,957
See that?
758
00:49:19,991 --> 00:49:21,820
Dad needs a playmate.
759
00:49:21,855 --> 00:49:24,651
Probably one of the
most notorious tag teams
760
00:49:24,685 --> 00:49:27,516
since Jesse James
and his brothers, you know?
761
00:49:30,381 --> 00:49:33,004
JIM: I took him to Chicago with me.
762
00:49:33,039 --> 00:49:36,214
We went to the top
of the Hancock Tower
revolving restaurant.
763
00:49:36,249 --> 00:49:38,389
And Duncan have never
had tequila in his life.
764
00:49:38,423 --> 00:49:44,671
And I said to the girl,
"Could we have two tequila
margaritas? Make them strong.
765
00:49:44,705 --> 00:49:48,744
"Country boys in town.
We are really kickin' up
the dust, you know?"
766
00:49:48,778 --> 00:49:52,506
She comes with a big glass
of tequila and a straw.
767
00:49:52,541 --> 00:49:54,957
And Duncan is looking around
and he's settling down.
768
00:49:54,992 --> 00:49:58,271
And he goes...
769
00:49:59,927 --> 00:50:01,343
"Nice stuff, that."
770
00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,693
Triple of tequila.
So I said, "Did you enjoy that?"
771
00:50:06,727 --> 00:50:10,248
"Oh," he says, "Good stuff.
Good for the vitamin C."
772
00:50:10,283 --> 00:50:14,287
And then I said,
"Would you like another one?"
773
00:50:14,321 --> 00:50:18,291
He says, "I don't mind.
You buying it?" I said,
"Yeah, I'll buy it."
774
00:50:18,325 --> 00:50:20,362
Out she comes.
"Same again, please."
775
00:50:25,850 --> 00:50:29,543
"By God, I feel a bit of that.
That Vitamin C is working,
I tell you.
776
00:50:29,578 --> 00:50:32,305
"The jetlag is disappearing.
I feel great."
777
00:50:32,339 --> 00:50:34,652
Then the food comes, and, uh...
778
00:50:35,825 --> 00:50:37,689
I said, "Would you like
another one?
779
00:50:37,724 --> 00:50:40,278
"Or would you like some wine?"
"No, no, I'll stay with
the fruit juice.
780
00:50:40,313 --> 00:50:42,177
"No, I'm fine.
Forget the wine."
781
00:50:42,211 --> 00:50:45,283
So he has another one.
782
00:50:45,318 --> 00:50:47,285
And we are
halfway through the meal,
783
00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:51,013
and he says,
"That is strong stuff," he says.
784
00:50:51,048 --> 00:50:53,912
"I feel the whole bloody room
is going round and round."
785
00:50:53,947 --> 00:50:56,605
I said, "Duncan,
it's a revolving restaurant.
786
00:50:57,468 --> 00:50:59,021
"And I feel it's going round..."
787
00:51:00,367 --> 00:51:03,336
He stood up. I said,
"Come to the window and look."
788
00:51:03,370 --> 00:51:05,717
As we were going round...
789
00:51:05,752 --> 00:51:09,928
I'm like pissing myself
laughing, I can't believe it.
790
00:51:09,963 --> 00:51:11,551
First time in America.
791
00:51:13,898 --> 00:51:17,315
So it is just one of these
brilliant combinations.
792
00:51:17,350 --> 00:51:19,524
You know, stars that
pass in the night.
793
00:51:19,559 --> 00:51:23,321
Without him, I wouldn't have done it. And without me, he wouldn't have done it.
794
00:51:23,356 --> 00:51:26,807
He retired just about
two years ago.
795
00:51:26,842 --> 00:51:30,880
That's what makes this place special. People like Duncan McGillivray.
796
00:51:35,333 --> 00:51:38,923
Are you...
Ready?
797
00:51:38,957 --> 00:51:41,512
Are you... ready?
798
00:51:41,546 --> 00:51:44,135
When I started
in the whisky industry
799
00:51:44,170 --> 00:51:46,448
there was, as far
as I can remember,
800
00:51:46,482 --> 00:51:49,313
no women working
in the whisky distilleries.
801
00:51:49,347 --> 00:51:52,730
Even in my lifetime,
women did not...
802
00:51:52,764 --> 00:51:55,526
"Respectable women,"
in inverted commas,
803
00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:58,598
tended not to drink
strong liquor.
804
00:52:13,233 --> 00:52:16,961
GEORGIE: "But you are a girl. You don't drink it, do you?"
805
00:52:16,995 --> 00:52:21,414
"No, no, no. Of course I don't. I'm a girl. Why would I drink Scotch whisky?"
806
00:52:21,448 --> 00:52:24,037
That's a question that
comes up quite a lot.
807
00:52:24,071 --> 00:52:27,178
When I have been working
in a whisky shop in Edinburgh,
808
00:52:27,213 --> 00:52:32,252
there have been men
from certain cultures
or certain countries
809
00:52:32,287 --> 00:52:37,154
that have come into the whisky
shop, and they have waited
specifically to speak to a man,
810
00:52:37,188 --> 00:52:40,329
or they have kind of downplayed
my opinion on something
811
00:52:40,364 --> 00:52:45,817
because they think I am a woman,
and I don't know as much about
whisky as other men do.
812
00:52:45,852 --> 00:52:47,302
When you're working
for somebody,
813
00:52:47,336 --> 00:52:50,512
you can't turn around
and say, "Hey, you are
a sexist shit.
814
00:52:50,546 --> 00:52:52,548
"I don't want to
serve you, anyway."
815
00:52:52,583 --> 00:52:57,588
Yes, as a young girl, female,
in the whisky industry,
816
00:52:57,622 --> 00:52:59,555
there have been
interesting experiences.
817
00:52:59,590 --> 00:53:02,489
I kind of got involved in it
when I was 26.
818
00:53:02,524 --> 00:53:05,251
And the reactions
have been fascinating.
819
00:53:05,285 --> 00:53:08,944
Interestingly, never from
people who work in the
whisky industry.
820
00:53:08,978 --> 00:53:10,083
Always from consumers.
821
00:53:10,117 --> 00:53:13,224
I think that just makes
me love the challenge.
822
00:53:13,259 --> 00:53:15,951
To walk into a room
full of guys and say,
823
00:53:15,985 --> 00:53:19,092
"Look, I'm going to teach you
about some of our whiskies,
824
00:53:19,126 --> 00:53:23,545
and I'm gonna have a look
at some other ways we can do
a bit of a nosing and tasting.
825
00:53:23,579 --> 00:53:28,135
And then it's nice to see
them actually say, "Okay, well,
fair enough."
826
00:53:28,170 --> 00:53:31,415
Women have a great history
in the whisky industry.
827
00:53:31,449 --> 00:53:35,557
Whether it was Bessie Williamson, my namesake, at Laphroaig Distillery,
828
00:53:35,591 --> 00:53:37,455
growing that distillery.
829
00:53:37,490 --> 00:53:42,667
People like Maureen Robinson
or Stephanie McLeod, who are
master blenders.
830
00:53:43,496 --> 00:53:45,256
I was really proud last year.
831
00:53:45,291 --> 00:53:49,018
I won Distillery Manager
of the Year for the Icons
of Whisky Scotland awards.
832
00:53:49,053 --> 00:53:50,917
And I'm the first woman
to have won that,
833
00:53:50,951 --> 00:53:53,126
that I am absolutely certain,
sure, that I'm not going
to be the last.
834
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:57,268
At my level, over 40%
of roles in our company
835
00:53:57,303 --> 00:54:01,583
are held by women,
so it is not something
unusual in our business at all.
836
00:54:01,617 --> 00:54:06,001
Thirty, 40 years ago it was
a very manual task,
working in a distillery.
837
00:54:06,035 --> 00:54:08,141
And there was a lot of people here doing that
838
00:54:08,175 --> 00:54:12,628
and a lot of big strong men were
required to do the manual tasks
of making the malt.
839
00:54:12,663 --> 00:54:17,115
Everything was pumps,
and it was all hand valves
and things like that.
840
00:54:17,150 --> 00:54:20,567
So, obviously, you know,
we have progressed and changed
841
00:54:20,602 --> 00:54:22,569
with how we can
make our product.
842
00:54:22,604 --> 00:54:24,675
Come on, get a life,
it's all changed.
843
00:54:24,709 --> 00:54:28,023
Women are making...
And I want to have
women in a meeting.
844
00:54:28,057 --> 00:54:30,853
Because quite often they
will see a different balance
845
00:54:30,888 --> 00:54:32,924
and they will bring
some freshness to it.
846
00:54:32,959 --> 00:54:37,377
It can become very staid,
very boring, if you don't
kind of shake things up.
847
00:54:37,412 --> 00:54:40,000
So the more diversity
you can bring in,
848
00:54:40,035 --> 00:54:41,899
it's a good thing,
it is a really good thing,
849
00:54:41,933 --> 00:54:46,524
and I know there's quite
a few lady managers,
women managers,
850
00:54:46,559 --> 00:54:50,114
and they are doing very good
jobs, shoulder to shoulder
with the men.
851
00:54:50,148 --> 00:54:52,323
RICHARD:
This is not just manly stuff.
852
00:54:52,358 --> 00:54:55,982
Actually, women
will look at whisky
in a more revered way.
853
00:54:56,016 --> 00:54:59,261
They will get behind
and give it much
more dedication.
854
00:54:59,296 --> 00:55:04,231
Now physiologically,
we are similarly equipped,
male and female.
855
00:55:04,266 --> 00:55:07,545
But I think it may be...
You see, there's two things.
856
00:55:07,580 --> 00:55:10,134
First of all,
it's identifying an aroma.
857
00:55:10,168 --> 00:55:13,240
But then the second stage
is putting a word to it.
858
00:55:13,275 --> 00:55:17,659
I had one girl who was like,
"It smells really like walking
through a forest
859
00:55:17,693 --> 00:55:22,146
"just after it has rained,"
and her husband just
kind of stared at her.
860
00:55:22,180 --> 00:55:25,287
"Okay, I was just going to
say it smells like oak wood."
861
00:55:25,322 --> 00:55:30,188
Putting a word to it requires
being aware, once you have
been trained in it,
862
00:55:30,223 --> 00:55:31,983
but being aware of smells.
863
00:55:32,018 --> 00:55:34,227
But one smells
smells subliminally.
864
00:55:34,261 --> 00:55:36,850
Even without being
consciously aware of them.
865
00:55:36,885 --> 00:55:40,440
So, if one is exposed
to many smells
866
00:55:40,475 --> 00:55:44,030
in childhood, particularly,
it stands to reason that you
might be better
867
00:55:44,064 --> 00:55:47,240
able to identify a particular aroma, to give it a name.
868
00:55:47,274 --> 00:55:54,178
Traditionally, girls and women are exposed to many more exciting smells than men.
869
00:55:54,212 --> 00:55:56,629
They are exposed to cooking
smells, cleaning smells,
870
00:55:56,663 --> 00:56:00,460
smells of babies, perfumes, flower arrangement, let's say.
871
00:56:00,495 --> 00:56:02,531
These traditional female roles.
872
00:56:02,566 --> 00:56:09,676
I found in tastings that a lot
more women were able to go,
"Oh, yes, that is pine needles."
873
00:56:09,711 --> 00:56:11,333
Or, "That is creme brulee."
874
00:56:11,368 --> 00:56:14,129
They are able to make
that association a little
bit more quickly.
875
00:56:14,163 --> 00:56:17,235
And if you learn to tune that,
tune into that,
876
00:56:17,270 --> 00:56:20,722
that gets even better over time.
877
00:56:20,756 --> 00:56:23,932
You can always keep
training your palate and nose.
878
00:56:46,195 --> 00:56:50,268
And the companies have
spent a tremendous
amount of money
879
00:56:50,303 --> 00:56:52,029
developing the
packaging as well
880
00:56:52,063 --> 00:56:55,619
because the packaging
is generally about 20% of the
value of any product you get,
881
00:56:55,653 --> 00:56:56,999
in the whisky industry.
882
00:57:05,180 --> 00:57:06,975
BRODIE:
The type of work that
we are involved with
883
00:57:07,009 --> 00:57:09,840
is called "ultra premium."
884
00:57:09,874 --> 00:57:13,188
So, really, it's working with the top of the Christmas tree
885
00:57:13,222 --> 00:57:16,294
the really expensive,
age-related whiskies.
886
00:57:16,329 --> 00:57:18,365
Usually 50 years plus.
887
00:57:18,400 --> 00:57:21,610
This is a beautiful bottle
for the Bowmore company
888
00:57:21,645 --> 00:57:23,405
When we were commissioned
to make this
889
00:57:23,440 --> 00:57:27,547
The Bowmore company asked us, "We are going to capture the whisky on the inside.
890
00:57:27,582 --> 00:57:29,687
"Can you capture a bit of
the island on the outside?"
891
00:57:29,722 --> 00:57:35,521
So we designed this bottle
to have these rocky-like
islands all on the surface.
892
00:57:35,555 --> 00:57:39,559
Bottles when they are sold
with the whisky in it
tend to be really expensive.
893
00:57:39,594 --> 00:57:43,218
Usually a starting price
of around £10,000.
894
00:57:43,252 --> 00:57:46,255
But we've made bottles
up to £100,000.
895
00:57:46,290 --> 00:57:52,296
Sometimes the technology
changes. State-of-the-art
furnaces and equipment,
896
00:57:52,330 --> 00:57:56,645
but the actual hand skills
haven't changed for 2,000 years.
897
00:57:56,680 --> 00:58:01,063
I think that is very similar
to some of the craft that's
involved in making whisky.
898
00:58:01,098 --> 00:58:04,619
What I was doing today
is I was gathering
out of our furnace.
899
00:58:04,653 --> 00:58:09,486
And then we are
shaping the glass
into a nice droplet shape.
900
00:58:09,520 --> 00:58:11,384
Then we drop
into a wooden mold
901
00:58:11,418 --> 00:58:16,113
and that closes, and that helps
us form the bowl, which is going
to be our whisky glass.
902
00:58:16,147 --> 00:58:18,633
My assistant then opens
up the mold,
903
00:58:18,667 --> 00:58:23,500
and then we have to do a series of reheats, getting this bowl in a nice shape.
904
00:58:23,534 --> 00:58:27,158
We drop a gob
of molten-hot glass
over the top.
905
00:58:27,193 --> 00:58:30,783
And then we use a specialist rock tool that we have developed
906
00:58:30,817 --> 00:58:36,858
to press into the glass,
and that gives a fantastic
rocky-like texture
907
00:58:36,892 --> 00:58:38,411
on the bottom
of this whisky glass.
908
00:58:38,445 --> 00:58:42,070
We attach the pontil
to the bottom of the glass.
909
00:58:42,104 --> 00:58:44,141
And now we are transferring
direction.
910
00:58:44,175 --> 00:58:47,316
We now take the glass
and we take it to
the reheating station
911
00:58:47,351 --> 00:58:51,355
called the glory hole,
then, through a series
of concentrated heats
912
00:58:51,389 --> 00:58:54,185
we can then open up
the whisky glass
913
00:58:54,220 --> 00:58:58,155
and get a really nice-shaped
whisky glass like this.
914
00:58:58,189 --> 00:59:02,884
So the level of ultra-premium that we work in
915
00:59:02,918 --> 00:59:05,852
means that there
are no imperfections.
916
00:59:05,887 --> 00:59:09,546
The whisky companies
we work for are extremely
demanding.
917
00:59:09,580 --> 00:59:15,034
And rightfully so.
The whisky that's going into
these is often 50 years old,
918
00:59:15,068 --> 00:59:20,591
and it is very limited stock.
Maybe only 50 bottles,
maybe only 10 bottles.
919
00:59:20,626 --> 00:59:24,077
Basically, if it's not good
enough, it gets destroyed.
920
00:59:24,112 --> 00:59:28,599
And if it is good enough,
then it goes to the whisky
companies who commissioned it.
921
00:59:28,634 --> 00:59:31,637
So we treat them
with absolute care
922
00:59:31,671 --> 00:59:33,915
and we have special
transport cases
923
00:59:33,949 --> 00:59:40,059
made for individual bottles,
and they are sent by high
security all over the world.
924
00:59:40,680 --> 00:59:42,475
Slainte mhath.
925
00:59:44,511 --> 00:59:46,617
Mmm. Perfect.
926
00:59:46,652 --> 00:59:49,309
CHARLES: Doing a tasting...
I think it was in Texas.
927
00:59:49,344 --> 00:59:53,590
And in the room next door
there were two entrances
into the bar.
928
00:59:53,624 --> 00:59:57,835
Jim finished his tasting
and he noted just out
of the corner of his eye
929
00:59:57,870 --> 01:00:03,358
he noticed somebody leaving
the far end of the table
and going through to the bar.
930
01:00:03,392 --> 01:00:06,499
And then, of course,
sure enough, moments later
931
01:00:06,533 --> 01:00:10,710
this person came back
with four whiskies
on a tray, you see.
932
01:00:10,745 --> 01:00:13,126
And he had been there before.
933
01:00:13,161 --> 01:00:17,372
All of us are very reluctant
to do blind tastings.
934
01:00:17,406 --> 01:00:20,409
Especially after having done
a whisky tasting.
935
01:00:20,444 --> 01:00:24,482
So Jim excused himself.
"Sorry, boys, I'm just going
to go to the john."
936
01:00:24,517 --> 01:00:28,797
He nips out of the other door
while this chap is still coming,
937
01:00:28,832 --> 01:00:33,146
hands the barman ten bucks
and says, "What did you
give him?"
938
01:00:33,181 --> 01:00:35,252
So then he comes back
and they set up the whiskies,
939
01:00:35,286 --> 01:00:39,394
and they are all waiting there.
"Hey, Mr. Whisky.
We'll catch him out."
940
01:00:39,428 --> 01:00:42,569
"Oh, come on, boys,
for goodness sake.
941
01:00:42,604 --> 01:00:45,296
"We've just done eight
whiskies." Or six whiskies
or whatever.
942
01:00:45,331 --> 01:00:47,057
"It's really not fair,
you know."
943
01:00:47,091 --> 01:00:51,475
So he starts fiddling around,
nosing, moving them around
like chess pieces.
944
01:00:51,509 --> 01:00:54,961
And he says, "Well,
that's straightforward.
945
01:00:54,996 --> 01:00:57,446
"That's quite
clearly a Bladnoch.
946
01:00:57,481 --> 01:01:00,208
"And I would say it's probably
about ten years old.
947
01:01:00,242 --> 01:01:06,283
"This one is... This is
definitely a Cragganmore.
948
01:01:06,317 --> 01:01:09,044
"But it has been wine-finished,
and I would say
949
01:01:09,079 --> 01:01:15,395
"it's the Cragganmore
12 years old, finished in...
whatever they finish it in...
950
01:01:15,430 --> 01:01:18,916
"Amoroso, you know?"
They are going,
"God, this is amazing."
951
01:01:18,951 --> 01:01:22,437
He comes to the last one
and he says,
952
01:01:22,471 --> 01:01:26,717
"Now, this is very difficult.
This is a single-cask whisky.
953
01:01:26,752 --> 01:01:34,483
"It has been bottled at,
I would guess, 58.3% alcohol.
954
01:01:34,518 --> 01:01:38,246
"And it was made in the Spring."
955
01:01:38,280 --> 01:01:44,148
"And it's a Tullibardine,
and I think it is probably
12 years old."
956
01:01:44,183 --> 01:01:46,357
And they said,
"This is amazing.
957
01:01:46,392 --> 01:01:48,256
"How do you know it's made
in the Spring?
958
01:01:48,290 --> 01:01:52,709
"What was the cask number?
If the cask number
was under 1000
959
01:01:52,743 --> 01:01:55,332
"then it would have been made
in the first six months
of the year."
960
01:01:55,366 --> 01:01:58,853
And of course he was right
in every particular.
961
01:01:58,887 --> 01:02:03,202
And his reputation
was absolutely saved, you know?
962
01:02:03,236 --> 01:02:07,413
He never told them that
he had cheated.
963
01:02:15,904 --> 01:02:18,148
I always visit Taiwan
964
01:02:18,182 --> 01:02:22,635
which is our number-one
market in Asia, our number-two
market globally now.
965
01:02:22,669 --> 01:02:26,777
In France, for example,
a lot of women
are drinking blended Scotch
966
01:02:26,812 --> 01:02:28,365
in different ways,
with soda.
967
01:02:28,399 --> 01:02:32,610
Japan... Suntory reinvented
whisky and soda.
968
01:02:32,645 --> 01:02:34,578
They call it Suntory soda.
969
01:02:34,612 --> 01:02:39,203
I have been fortunate
to travel to markets
like China, to Brazil,
970
01:02:39,238 --> 01:02:43,138
where Scotch whisky
is being enjoyed by
consumers in their 20s
971
01:02:43,173 --> 01:02:46,797
who are mixing it
with different things.
972
01:02:46,832 --> 01:02:50,076
In China, green tea
is a very popular mixer.
973
01:02:50,111 --> 01:02:52,699
So it's very much
market to market.
974
01:02:52,734 --> 01:02:57,256
Probably the country
that I've visited
that has the most enthusiasm
975
01:02:57,290 --> 01:02:59,776
for the single malt
market is Taiwan.
976
01:02:59,810 --> 01:03:03,780
It is unbelievable, the amount
of interest and passion.
977
01:03:03,814 --> 01:03:08,232
It's the one country in the
world where single malts
actually outsell blended Scotch.
978
01:03:12,029 --> 01:03:14,583
LYNNE: He wants to share what he is passionate about
979
01:03:14,618 --> 01:03:17,690
and what he is passionate
about is Islay, is whisky,
980
01:03:17,724 --> 01:03:22,660
is about making people
understand how privileged
we are to be on this island
981
01:03:22,695 --> 01:03:24,870
and what a special place it is.
982
01:03:24,904 --> 01:03:26,492
A lot of people on Islay
obviously respect him
983
01:03:26,526 --> 01:03:28,494
because of what he has done
for the community.
984
01:03:28,528 --> 01:03:30,461
Bruichladdich
employs 80 people now.
985
01:03:30,496 --> 01:03:33,706
That's a massive achievement
and I am very proud of that.
986
01:03:33,740 --> 01:03:37,641
And there is also all the work
we do with the farmers
and the associated communities.
987
01:03:37,675 --> 01:03:41,507
So they are very proud
of this Islay boy James.
988
01:03:41,541 --> 01:03:45,097
He will absolutely let you know
if you are doing anything wrong.
989
01:03:45,131 --> 01:03:47,237
But, equally, praise you
if you're doing anything right.
990
01:03:47,271 --> 01:03:50,827
He is a great ambassador,
not only for his brand
Bruichladdich,
991
01:03:50,861 --> 01:03:52,449
but also for Islay,
992
01:03:52,483 --> 01:03:55,072
and the way I remember
the very first time
when we were abroad
993
01:03:55,107 --> 01:03:57,868
and he would stand
in the middle of New York
and say, "Right, John.
994
01:03:57,903 --> 01:04:02,148
"Come in here
and listen to me," he says.
"Laphroaig comes first,
995
01:04:02,183 --> 01:04:04,357
"Islay comes second,
and then Scotland's third.
996
01:04:04,392 --> 01:04:07,533
"Never ever think that you
are just part of one thing.
997
01:04:07,567 --> 01:04:09,328
"But remember," he says,
"You're from Islay,
998
01:04:09,362 --> 01:04:12,987
"and we always promote Islay
with the greatest authority.
999
01:04:13,021 --> 01:04:14,989
"You're an ambassador
for this island now.
1000
01:04:15,023 --> 01:04:17,267
"You need to take
that responsibility on board."
1001
01:04:20,857 --> 01:04:23,825
ADAM: I think, we've got eight world-class distilleries here.
1002
01:04:23,860 --> 01:04:26,793
The amount of people who come from around the world to visit us...
1003
01:04:26,828 --> 01:04:31,143
It means that
all the craft shops,
bed and breakfasts, hotels
1004
01:04:31,177 --> 01:04:32,661
they have guests
coming all the time.
1005
01:04:32,696 --> 01:04:34,836
So it's supporting
the community that way as well.
1006
01:04:34,871 --> 01:04:38,219
Islay's got a very rich
heritage, very rich culture.
1007
01:04:38,253 --> 01:04:43,914
So I met Jim at Whisky Live
in Taipei two years ago.
1008
01:04:43,949 --> 01:04:47,228
It was the first time I'd seen
Jim for more than a year.
1009
01:04:47,262 --> 01:04:50,231
So I had a long chat with him,
we had a coffee together,
1010
01:04:50,265 --> 01:04:53,337
which turned into a dram or two,
and I said,
1011
01:04:53,372 --> 01:04:58,411
"Incidentally, I was actually
on Islay about five weeks ago.
1012
01:04:58,446 --> 01:05:02,070
"I didn't manage
to get to Bruich..."
And he stopped me.
1013
01:05:02,105 --> 01:05:05,280
He said, "Bill, I know
you were there."
1014
01:05:05,315 --> 01:05:09,388
"I know when you arrived,
I know who you were with.
1015
01:05:09,422 --> 01:05:12,667
"I even know what you
had for lunch that day."
1016
01:05:12,701 --> 01:05:17,948
That kind of brought it home
to me that, yes, on Islay,
there are no secrets.
1017
01:05:17,983 --> 01:05:20,433
Islay has got
eight distilleries
1018
01:05:20,468 --> 01:05:26,474
which must contribute
huge money to the government,
huge money.
1019
01:05:26,508 --> 01:05:29,995
A lot of that money
doesn't come back.
1020
01:05:30,029 --> 01:05:34,309
This island contributes
vastly to the income
1021
01:05:34,344 --> 01:05:37,140
for its size, it's punching
way above its weight.
1022
01:05:37,174 --> 01:05:38,796
It's a very punitive tax.
1023
01:05:38,831 --> 01:05:42,386
It's always been very high,
as long as I have been
in the business.
1024
01:05:42,421 --> 01:05:45,631
You know, it is. It's round
about the 70% mark.
1025
01:05:45,665 --> 01:05:48,599
It doesn't bode well
for the tourist industry
in Scotland
1026
01:05:48,634 --> 01:05:55,434
if people from those countries
are coming here and discovering
they are paying twice the price
1027
01:05:55,468 --> 01:05:59,438
for what should be
a local product
1028
01:05:59,472 --> 01:06:02,786
paying local rates,
which should be cheaper.
1029
01:06:02,820 --> 01:06:05,962
So it's bad public relations
for Scotland in general
1030
01:06:05,996 --> 01:06:08,136
and for tourism in general.
1031
01:06:08,171 --> 01:06:11,657
I can walk into
a store in New York City
1032
01:06:11,691 --> 01:06:15,385
and I can buy my own whisky
about 40% cheaper
1033
01:06:15,419 --> 01:06:18,491
than I can buy it
in the shop downstairs.
1034
01:06:18,526 --> 01:06:20,148
That is unfair.
1035
01:06:20,183 --> 01:06:22,323
CHARLES: If you look
at the amount of revenue
that is generated
1036
01:06:22,357 --> 01:06:24,808
by the sale of Islay whisky,
or whisky from Islay,
1037
01:06:26,258 --> 01:06:29,295
and then you divide that
amongst all the people,
1038
01:06:29,330 --> 01:06:32,781
each person is contributing
about £200,000 a year.
1039
01:06:32,816 --> 01:06:34,093
It's something phenomenal.
1040
01:06:34,128 --> 01:06:39,857
I think it's fair to say,
if we believe that every
ounce of tax
1041
01:06:39,892 --> 01:06:43,723
coming off of Scotch whisky
should come back to Islay,
let's say,
1042
01:06:43,758 --> 01:06:47,417
the roads should be paved
with gold, but that's
not the case.
1043
01:06:47,451 --> 01:06:50,109
If you turn it another way
around and looked at it
1044
01:06:50,144 --> 01:06:51,559
and said, Islay's
going to be independent,
1045
01:06:51,593 --> 01:06:53,940
we'd be one of the richest
islands in the world.
1046
01:06:53,975 --> 01:06:57,358
In one of the richest islands
in the world, we don't
have a dentist.
1047
01:06:57,392 --> 01:07:00,913
You can't have your baby born
there because the hospital
isn't equipped.
1048
01:07:00,947 --> 01:07:02,397
That's a bit of a shame,
you know?
1049
01:07:02,432 --> 01:07:04,503
It's enough to drive
you to drink.
1050
01:07:17,516 --> 01:07:20,553
Nosing a whisky is like
getting to know a person.
1051
01:07:20,588 --> 01:07:23,487
You've got to talk.
You've got to communicate.
1052
01:07:23,522 --> 01:07:25,386
It's the same with a whisky.
1053
01:07:25,420 --> 01:07:27,181
You put the whisky
in the glass,
1054
01:07:27,215 --> 01:07:29,079
you bring it up and you say...
1055
01:07:29,114 --> 01:07:31,254
"Hello."
1056
01:07:31,288 --> 01:07:34,567
Then you go back to it
and say...
1057
01:07:34,602 --> 01:07:38,192
"How are you?"
More importantly, you go back
a third time and say,
1058
01:07:38,226 --> 01:07:40,780
"Quite well, thank you
very much."
1059
01:07:40,815 --> 01:07:46,165
Just by nosing, you tease
all these wonderful nuances
that have been brought together.
1060
01:07:46,200 --> 01:07:48,581
This glass is good,
because it's got a stem.
1061
01:07:48,616 --> 01:07:52,413
Which means you are not putting
your fingers on the glass.
1062
01:07:52,447 --> 01:07:54,794
Have a quick look
at the color of the whisky
1063
01:07:54,829 --> 01:07:56,348
so you get to terms with it,
1064
01:07:56,382 --> 01:07:58,833
Have a nice swirl
on the glass like so.
1065
01:07:59,868 --> 01:08:01,767
Gives you a chance to get
a look at the tears.
1066
01:08:01,801 --> 01:08:05,357
This is known as the legs.
Now, if they run very quickly
1067
01:08:05,391 --> 01:08:08,567
and there's lots of them,
that's a lighter-bodied whisky.
1068
01:08:08,601 --> 01:08:11,777
Whereas, if it takes a while
for the legs to start to run,
1069
01:08:11,811 --> 01:08:15,608
and they are slower,
then that's a much fuller,
heavier-bodied whisky.
1070
01:08:16,368 --> 01:08:18,439
Fantastic viscosity there.
1071
01:08:18,473 --> 01:08:21,994
They are not even moving.
They are just stuck there
like pearls.
1072
01:08:22,028 --> 01:08:25,963
Nosing a whisky will tell
you far more about it than
actually tasting a whisky.
1073
01:08:25,998 --> 01:08:30,140
Most people take a glass
and they will put their nose
into the glass
1074
01:08:30,175 --> 01:08:34,351
and inhale deeply, like they
were snorting cocaine.
Go like that...
1075
01:08:34,386 --> 01:08:36,250
And the first thing you'll
get is the alcohol.
1076
01:08:36,284 --> 01:08:40,702
And inhale deeply.
And then their eyes fall out.
It's fantastic.
1077
01:08:40,737 --> 01:08:44,396
So when you nose a whisky,
try and keep your mouth
open slightly as well.
1078
01:08:44,430 --> 01:08:47,709
And I hold it about that
distance under my nose.
1079
01:08:47,744 --> 01:08:50,333
I don't have to go in.
It's coming up.
1080
01:08:50,367 --> 01:08:53,025
The aromas are coming up,
you know?
1081
01:08:53,059 --> 01:08:56,235
Close your eyes. It's really
important to close your
eyes and just focus on it.
1082
01:08:56,270 --> 01:08:57,685
What's that smell I'm getting?
1083
01:08:57,719 --> 01:09:00,515
Lots of people aren't actually
aware of their nose.
1084
01:09:00,550 --> 01:09:03,104
That you've got this memory
bank of smells
1085
01:09:03,139 --> 01:09:06,901
and flavors in your
olfactory epithelium
just here in your brain
1086
01:09:06,935 --> 01:09:08,040
in between your eyebrows.
1087
01:09:08,074 --> 01:09:11,699
The gentler notes are hiding
down underneath there.
1088
01:09:11,733 --> 01:09:14,391
I got to get them out,
and to do that I need water.
1089
01:09:14,426 --> 01:09:16,600
In terms of nosing, you really
should add water.
1090
01:09:16,635 --> 01:09:18,499
There are two very good
reasons for that.
1091
01:09:18,533 --> 01:09:21,812
First of all, whisky is sold
at 40% alcohol by volume.
1092
01:09:21,847 --> 01:09:24,953
And if you are nosing
a series of whiskies
at that alcohol level,
1093
01:09:24,988 --> 01:09:29,855
then you'll find very quickly,
your nose and sense of smell
are actually anesthetized a bit.
1094
01:09:29,889 --> 01:09:32,823
Try the whisky neat first.
Always good to do that
1095
01:09:32,858 --> 01:09:36,931
so you can gauge how much water
you may or may not want
to put in.
1096
01:09:36,965 --> 01:09:39,658
If you add a splash of water
you obviously reduce the content
1097
01:09:39,692 --> 01:09:42,868
and you also raise
the temperature
of the whisky slightly,
1098
01:09:42,902 --> 01:09:45,595
which allows the aromas
to be released better.
1099
01:09:45,629 --> 01:09:47,666
So, depending on the heat
I'm getting in the palate,
1100
01:09:47,700 --> 01:09:49,909
I will just the water
I add to my whisky.
1101
01:09:49,944 --> 01:09:52,671
In Scotland, we all add
water to single malt.
1102
01:09:54,742 --> 01:09:57,883
RICHARD: When you nose it, you don't just smell one thing,
1103
01:09:57,917 --> 01:10:02,750
you smell a whole combination
coming together
in a loving union.
1104
01:10:02,784 --> 01:10:05,684
Fantastic notes
of the Madeira sherry
are coming through.
1105
01:10:05,718 --> 01:10:08,514
Really sultanas, raisins,
grapes, dates.
1106
01:10:08,549 --> 01:10:11,414
That fruit,
absolutely incredible.
1107
01:10:11,448 --> 01:10:13,899
That's one of the great
appeals to whisky,
1108
01:10:13,933 --> 01:10:18,283
there is such a range
of aromas in the...
No disrespect to vodka,
1109
01:10:18,317 --> 01:10:20,595
but it's inclined
to be one-dimensional.
1110
01:10:20,630 --> 01:10:23,253
Like a flower opening,
it doesn't reveal it all.
1111
01:10:23,288 --> 01:10:26,498
Just keep moving it
and you will be rewarded.
1112
01:10:27,395 --> 01:10:29,225
So that's what I do every time.
1113
01:10:29,259 --> 01:10:33,125
When you really look inside
into the soul of the whisky,
1114
01:10:33,159 --> 01:10:36,715
you'll see all these wonderful
flavors coming together.
1115
01:10:36,749 --> 01:10:40,512
But when it comes to tasting,
I don't want you
to knock it back.
1116
01:10:40,546 --> 01:10:42,893
I want you to really
give it the time, again.
1117
01:10:42,928 --> 01:10:45,931
And then the finish
of the whisky,
once you have swallowed it,
1118
01:10:45,965 --> 01:10:49,348
is often described
as being very short,
very long, very warming.
1119
01:10:49,383 --> 01:10:52,972
And then when you
put it in your mouth, hold it
on the top of the tongue,
1120
01:10:53,007 --> 01:10:57,045
underneath the tongue,
back in the middle, keep it
there and let it go down.
1121
01:10:59,013 --> 01:11:01,291
Mmm. Mmm-mmm!
1122
01:11:01,326 --> 01:11:03,845
Mmm-mm-mm-mm!
1123
01:11:05,295 --> 01:11:08,056
Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!
1124
01:11:08,091 --> 01:11:09,092
Hello there.
1125
01:11:15,409 --> 01:11:17,687
There's nothing wrong
with young whisky.
1126
01:11:19,896 --> 01:11:22,139
Young whisky, you're
getting more flavor in it,
1127
01:11:22,174 --> 01:11:25,142
like a six, seven, eight,
nine, a ten-year-old.
1128
01:11:25,177 --> 01:11:28,767
You don't get the same influence of oak. You get more of the flavor of distillation.
1129
01:11:28,801 --> 01:11:32,564
The fruits of distillation,
the flowers of fermentation.
1130
01:11:32,598 --> 01:11:35,843
The sweetness of oak is coming in but it's not dominating.
1131
01:11:35,877 --> 01:11:37,741
It's like watching
a child growing up.
1132
01:11:37,776 --> 01:11:41,849
It really is. That's what it's like. You watch them just maturing, the colors changing.
1133
01:11:41,883 --> 01:11:46,336
They are getting rounded at
the edges, more personality
from the Bourbon casks
1134
01:11:46,371 --> 01:11:48,752
or fruit from a wine cask.
1135
01:11:48,787 --> 01:11:52,308
It's quite
a controversial subject.
1136
01:11:52,342 --> 01:11:57,589
This whole idea
that the older a whisky is,
the better it is.
1137
01:11:57,623 --> 01:11:59,660
And I am
a passionate believer
1138
01:11:59,694 --> 01:12:04,250
that, in fact, almost
the opposite is the case.
1139
01:12:04,285 --> 01:12:09,186
From a very personal
perspective, whether I'm
drinking Ardbeg or Glenmorangie
1140
01:12:09,221 --> 01:12:14,364
or Balvenie or Mortlach
or Springbank or Highland Park,
1141
01:12:14,399 --> 01:12:16,711
Any of these other whiskies
which I enjoy,
1142
01:12:16,746 --> 01:12:21,026
I tend to prefer them between
the ages of 10 and 18.
1143
01:12:21,060 --> 01:12:24,547
Because I think most
distilleries hit the sweet spot
1144
01:12:24,581 --> 01:12:27,273
somewhere in that range.
1145
01:12:27,308 --> 01:12:29,345
Now, the older a whisky gets,
1146
01:12:29,379 --> 01:12:33,418
obviously the rarer
it's going to be,
again for two reasons.
1147
01:12:33,452 --> 01:12:38,146
Firstly, most of it will have
been bottled at 10 or 12
or 18 or whatever.
1148
01:12:38,181 --> 01:12:40,563
So there is simply less
of a pool to choose from.
1149
01:12:40,597 --> 01:12:46,500
And you have lost more by
evaporative loss, the so-called
"angels' share."
1150
01:12:46,534 --> 01:12:49,744
So, by its very nature it's
going to be much rarer.
1151
01:12:49,779 --> 01:12:54,646
And really, that's what you're
paying for in a very
old whisky.
1152
01:12:54,680 --> 01:12:57,856
It's the scarcity value,
the rarity value.
1153
01:12:57,890 --> 01:13:01,653
But you need to bear in mind
that a 50-year-old whisky
1154
01:13:01,687 --> 01:13:06,243
is going to have taken up so much flavor from the wood,
1155
01:13:06,278 --> 01:13:09,695
it might be woody,
it might be dry,
1156
01:13:09,730 --> 01:13:13,906
it might be bitter, so I would
say, think very, very carefully
1157
01:13:13,941 --> 01:13:19,222
before you decide to shell
out five or £10,000 on
a bottle of whisky.
1158
01:13:21,120 --> 01:13:22,915
Er... Is it worth it?
1159
01:13:22,950 --> 01:13:25,677
If I had £100,000, would I buy
a bottle of whisky?
1160
01:13:25,711 --> 01:13:28,162
I would not buy a bottle
of whisky for £100,000.
1161
01:13:28,196 --> 01:13:32,131
I would buy many hundreds
of cases of bottles of whisky
1162
01:13:32,166 --> 01:13:33,892
for the same amount of money.
1163
01:13:33,926 --> 01:13:40,174
Age isn't everything. I think
there's too much emphasis
put on the age of whisky.
1164
01:13:40,208 --> 01:13:42,797
Yes, it tells you how long
it's been in the cask
1165
01:13:42,832 --> 01:13:46,318
and that will give you an
indication of what its
complexity may be.
1166
01:13:46,352 --> 01:13:49,666
But it could have been in tired
old casks for 30 years
1167
01:13:49,701 --> 01:13:51,599
and become over-aged.
1168
01:13:51,634 --> 01:13:56,742
And you could have an
eight-year-old, which is every
bit as good, if not much better
1169
01:13:56,777 --> 01:13:58,675
because it has been
in good quality casks.
1170
01:14:06,338 --> 01:14:09,065
JIM: We are a nation
that can laugh at ourselves.
1171
01:14:09,099 --> 01:14:13,276
Hey, it's just a drink.
But it's a very,
very special drink.
1172
01:14:13,310 --> 01:14:15,071
And it is unique to us.
1173
01:14:15,105 --> 01:14:20,663
Scotch whisky has such an
emotional connection for people
that are involved in it,
1174
01:14:20,697 --> 01:14:22,319
and drinkers alike,
1175
01:14:22,354 --> 01:14:25,771
because it really
is the heart and soul
of Scotland.
1176
01:14:25,806 --> 01:14:30,742
You share with friends,
you sit down. It's there
to mark something.
1177
01:14:30,776 --> 01:14:33,952
Having a special dram
will always stay in your memory.
1178
01:14:33,986 --> 01:14:36,161
You don't hear people thinking about a special time
1179
01:14:36,195 --> 01:14:38,508
when they drank a vodka
somewhere or whatever.
1180
01:14:38,543 --> 01:14:44,480
There's a great deal
of memorable times
that you have with a dram.
1181
01:14:44,514 --> 01:14:48,518
I remember sharing
many drams with my father,
who is no longer with us now,
1182
01:14:48,553 --> 01:14:51,348
but I treasure
these memories
1183
01:14:51,383 --> 01:14:55,870
of taking him home a taste
of a special dram that
I had created.
1184
01:14:55,905 --> 01:14:58,701
Him and I sitting
having a chat over that dram.
1185
01:14:58,735 --> 01:15:01,427
Probably whisky
has more to offer
1186
01:15:01,462 --> 01:15:03,533
than some of the other spirits.
1187
01:15:03,568 --> 01:15:07,813
The flavors and tastes
are more prominent than
they are on white spirit.
1188
01:15:07,848 --> 01:15:09,919
Therefore,
I think that's why you get...
1189
01:15:09,953 --> 01:15:12,956
Somebody will say they like
to have a whisky by the fire.
1190
01:15:12,991 --> 01:15:16,650
Have a peat fire going,
have a nice dram.
1191
01:15:16,684 --> 01:15:18,548
Also when you are fishing.
1192
01:15:18,583 --> 01:15:20,550
It's a cold day.
1193
01:15:20,585 --> 01:15:23,139
A nice whisky will warm you up.
1194
01:15:23,173 --> 01:15:25,313
I think a lot of it is not
so much from the taste,
1195
01:15:25,348 --> 01:15:28,662
I think it comes more
from the aromas, the smells.
1196
01:15:28,696 --> 01:15:31,457
Because your sense of smell
is very emotive.
1197
01:15:31,492 --> 01:15:35,358
If you smell something,
it quite often will bring back
1198
01:15:35,392 --> 01:15:38,188
a certain point in time
when you first smelt that.
1199
01:15:38,223 --> 01:15:41,019
I normally drink
with those people that I love.
1200
01:15:41,053 --> 01:15:43,711
I want to hear what
they have got to say.
1201
01:15:43,746 --> 01:15:47,577
You know, a celebration,
an anniversary.
Well, you bring in a whisky.
1202
01:15:47,612 --> 01:15:52,271
So quite often I will
in fact serve a very
aged whisky
1203
01:15:52,306 --> 01:15:53,894
over a special occasion.
1204
01:16:02,558 --> 01:16:04,421
The secret to a good dram?
1205
01:16:07,252 --> 01:16:11,636
Oh, God Almighty!
I don't know.
1206
01:16:11,670 --> 01:16:14,742
I would find it difficult
to answer that question.
1207
01:16:14,777 --> 01:16:17,469
To me, the secret of a good dram
is depth of flavor.
1208
01:16:17,503 --> 01:16:19,298
So not just one thing.
1209
01:16:19,333 --> 01:16:23,579
First and foremost, it must
have an interesting
range of flavors.
1210
01:16:23,613 --> 01:16:27,893
I don't think a dram of whisky
should be one-dimensional.
1211
01:16:27,928 --> 01:16:30,793
Making sure that
everything comes together.
1212
01:16:30,827 --> 01:16:35,280
That's the contribution
of the wood, the contribution
of the component parts.
1213
01:16:35,314 --> 01:16:39,698
Whether it be a single malt,
or all the casks, or even
a blended whisky,
1214
01:16:39,733 --> 01:16:41,631
they must come together
in a loving union.
1215
01:16:41,666 --> 01:16:43,771
Something you want to take
your time with.
1216
01:16:43,806 --> 01:16:49,294
Something from me that I spend
as much time smelling it
as I do tasting it.
1217
01:16:49,328 --> 01:16:55,265
I really think about, you
know... It's almost like
an emotional thing for me.
1218
01:16:55,300 --> 01:16:57,889
Does it give you
a memory of something?
1219
01:16:57,923 --> 01:17:00,098
Does it take you back
to when you last had this dram?
1220
01:17:00,132 --> 01:17:02,756
Who did you have it with?
What stories were you
telling one another?
1221
01:17:02,790 --> 01:17:06,656
That sort of thing, so it is
something that is complex
and makes you think.
1222
01:17:21,533 --> 01:17:23,155
Good company.
1223
01:17:23,190 --> 01:17:29,679
A good malt whisky,
I'll say that's 50%.
40% I would say is company.
1224
01:17:29,714 --> 01:17:31,612
I love it in company.
1225
01:17:31,647 --> 01:17:34,373
And 10%,
somebody else's whisky.
1226
01:17:37,066 --> 01:17:39,482
It's the people and place
you are with, you know?
1227
01:17:39,516 --> 01:17:42,450
It could be yourself
and it is just the right time,
1228
01:17:42,485 --> 01:17:47,145
the right moment,
you just need something
to end the week,
1229
01:17:47,179 --> 01:17:48,871
to give it a quiet moment
of solitude,
1230
01:17:48,905 --> 01:17:52,426
or it is just sitting around
the table with people that
make you laugh,
1231
01:17:52,460 --> 01:17:56,188
telling good stories,
singing songs.
That's a good dram.
1232
01:17:56,223 --> 01:17:58,674
I'd just like to say,
sharing it.
1233
01:17:58,708 --> 01:18:00,192
You've got to share
it with friends.
1234
01:18:00,227 --> 01:18:02,298
I don't think whisky...
It's not a selfish drink.
1235
01:18:02,332 --> 01:18:05,922
It's a drink to be celebrated,
it's a drink to be enjoyed.
1236
01:18:05,957 --> 01:18:12,342
Having been invited to fish
for salmon on the River Tweed
in November years ago,
1237
01:18:12,377 --> 01:18:14,966
on the way down
we bought a bottle
of blended Scotch,
1238
01:18:15,000 --> 01:18:19,936
a secondary blend, one of these
ones that is completely unknown
because it's rat shit.
1239
01:18:19,971 --> 01:18:22,318
Anyway, we fished away.
It was bitterly cold.
1240
01:18:22,352 --> 01:18:24,700
And the light faded,
and we went into the hut.
1241
01:18:24,734 --> 01:18:28,117
Got the old stove going,
somebody had caught
a beautiful fresh salmon.
1242
01:18:28,151 --> 01:18:30,567
The host just took the bottle and divided it in six glasses,
1243
01:18:30,602 --> 01:18:35,262
and everybody said this was
the best whisky they
had ever tasted.
1244
01:18:46,549 --> 01:18:52,658
As Prince Charles
stood on the Highland moor
with his castle behind him,
1245
01:18:52,693 --> 01:18:57,422
he was leaning on his
shepherd's stick
and he feeling very sad.
1246
01:18:57,456 --> 01:19:01,150
He could hear the eagle calling
and he cried.
1247
01:19:01,184 --> 01:19:04,740
And his teardrops
fell into the stream.
1248
01:19:04,774 --> 01:19:09,399
The stream went down the glen, the magic glen.
1249
01:19:09,434 --> 01:19:13,265
And it went into a distillery
where they were making whisky.
1250
01:19:13,300 --> 01:19:15,958
And today
when you drink this whisky,
1251
01:19:15,992 --> 01:19:19,375
you can taste
Prince Charles's teardrops.
1252
01:19:22,861 --> 01:19:25,312
Have you ever heard
such bullshit in your life?
1253
01:19:27,555 --> 01:19:30,869
Good afternoon, everybody,
and welcome
to Bruichladdich Distillery.
1254
01:19:30,904 --> 01:19:33,665
It's a beautiful sunny day
here on Islay.
1255
01:19:33,699 --> 01:19:37,117
And we have some amazing
whiskies for you to taste
with me today.
1256
01:19:37,151 --> 01:19:39,809
And, of course, I realize
that you have traveled
a long, long way
1257
01:19:39,844 --> 01:19:41,777
from South America to be here.
1258
01:19:41,811 --> 01:19:46,747
When we do this tasting today,
you should find the character
and the personality
1259
01:19:46,782 --> 01:19:48,542
of the islanders in this glass.
1260
01:19:48,576 --> 01:19:51,821
It is 23 years old
and I have used
a variety of casks,
1261
01:19:51,856 --> 01:19:54,410
which I can't tell you,
it's a secret.
1262
01:19:54,444 --> 01:20:00,140
We just won best single malt
in the world about two weeks
ago with this whisky.
1263
01:20:00,174 --> 01:20:03,833
If I had to order one whisky
before I left this earth,
1264
01:20:03,868 --> 01:20:05,283
this would be it.
1265
01:20:05,317 --> 01:20:08,217
Not only is this
a special whisky,
1266
01:20:08,251 --> 01:20:13,015
but it is also the last tasting
I will conduct in my life.
1267
01:20:13,049 --> 01:20:18,192
And I can't think of a better
way than to end it
with a product like Black Art.
1268
01:20:18,227 --> 01:20:21,920
The personality
and the heartbeat of
Bruichladdich is in this glass.
1269
01:20:21,955 --> 01:20:24,233
The Passion.
It is all about passion.
1270
01:20:24,267 --> 01:20:26,097
People make this
and they make that,
1271
01:20:26,131 --> 01:20:31,171
but if it is not made with
passion, then it is only a mere
shadow of what it could be.
1272
01:20:31,205 --> 01:20:33,898
So we make this
with passion, and, uh...
1273
01:20:33,932 --> 01:20:36,832
it's just fantastic
to finish my last session
1274
01:20:36,866 --> 01:20:38,868
with probably
the highlight of my career.
1275
01:20:38,903 --> 01:20:43,459
At the end of the day,
this is the blood of Scotland.
There is no question.
1276
01:20:43,493 --> 01:20:47,325
We are known
throughout the world
because of this product.
1277
01:20:47,359 --> 01:20:50,190
We are a small nation
of 4.5 million people,
1278
01:20:50,224 --> 01:20:54,332
and yet everywhere I have traveled, and I have traveled everywhere,
1279
01:20:54,366 --> 01:20:57,956
when I put my hand out,
when I meet strangers,
1280
01:20:57,991 --> 01:21:00,717
and they say,
"Where are you from?"
And I say I'm from Scotland,
1281
01:21:00,752 --> 01:21:06,413
Immediately their eyes light up and a smile of welcome comes to the face.
1282
01:21:06,447 --> 01:21:09,795
That's what it does.
It is this amazing
blood of Scotland.
1283
01:21:09,830 --> 01:21:12,937
To the end of the journey.
Cheers.
1284
01:21:32,335 --> 01:21:36,477
I think I cried for three days
when he told me he was retiring.
1285
01:21:37,340 --> 01:21:38,894
Yeah, I'll believe it
once I see it.
1286
01:21:38,928 --> 01:21:41,897
You think he'll go?
I think you'll have
to take an axe to him.
1287
01:21:41,931 --> 01:21:46,453
They'll still be chasing him
away every week. "Bugger off,
Jim, you've retired now."
1288
01:21:46,487 --> 01:21:50,629
They just tend not to leave.
Like herpes. Yeah.
1289
01:21:52,873 --> 01:21:55,324
Dad's retiring has
come at this...
1290
01:21:55,358 --> 01:21:59,328
For him, a very...
portentous time.
1291
01:21:59,362 --> 01:22:01,399
The distillery
is in a great place.
1292
01:22:01,433 --> 01:22:03,125
He has just won
Master Distiller of the Year.
1293
01:22:03,159 --> 01:22:07,612
And Black Art, which is his
most famous dram,
won Malt of the Year.
1294
01:22:07,646 --> 01:22:11,788
So there's all these weird
things have come together
that just...
1295
01:22:11,823 --> 01:22:16,276
The stars are aligned
in the sky, saying,
"Jim, you've done a great job.
1296
01:22:16,310 --> 01:22:19,831
"You will never be forgotten.
Your legacy is huge.
1297
01:22:19,865 --> 01:22:22,109
But it's time to relax.
1298
01:22:22,144 --> 01:22:26,596
So I leave Bruichladdich
at the top of the league.
1299
01:22:26,631 --> 01:22:29,565
And there is no doubt
I will be popping over
occasionally,
1300
01:22:29,599 --> 01:22:31,739
just to make sure
the quality is right.
1301
01:22:31,774 --> 01:22:33,879
There is something
instilled in all of us now,
1302
01:22:33,914 --> 01:22:38,539
about how things should be done,
about our values, about the way
we should approach things.
1303
01:22:38,574 --> 01:22:42,681
And it is there. So as long
as we don't change
that, we're good.
1304
01:22:42,716 --> 01:22:46,685
So I can see me spending
a few nice days in the loft.
1305
01:22:46,720 --> 01:22:49,102
Just close the hatch and sit
up there with headphones on,
1306
01:22:49,136 --> 01:22:53,037
listening to Bruce Springsteen,
drinking Black Art.
1307
01:22:53,071 --> 01:22:54,797
The future looks
very bright indeed.
1308
01:23:01,183 --> 01:23:03,254
JIM: So it has been
a big success story.
1309
01:23:03,288 --> 01:23:05,256
It hasn't been
without sacrifice.
1310
01:23:05,290 --> 01:23:07,948
I mean, I didn't see my family for years.
1311
01:23:07,983 --> 01:23:11,296
My wife did a phenomenal job.
She was bringing up
children herself.
1312
01:23:11,331 --> 01:23:18,959
So the other chapters have
been dedicated to education,
working, traveling.
1313
01:23:18,994 --> 01:23:24,275
So the last chapter
is dedicated totally
to the family.
1314
01:23:29,487 --> 01:23:32,973
There are not many people
in the industry like Jim
and I today.
1315
01:23:33,008 --> 01:23:36,908
We have both been through
and done every single job
in the distillery.
1316
01:23:36,942 --> 01:23:41,395
And so the opportunities
for people like that nowadays
are very, very limited.
1317
01:23:41,430 --> 01:23:46,849
But I think we have survived
because we have always been
so passionate about what we do.
1318
01:23:46,883 --> 01:23:51,129
You can't speak highly enough
about Jim McEwan.
1319
01:23:51,164 --> 01:23:53,890
The only thing I can say
is that our industry
1320
01:23:53,925 --> 01:23:58,895
is a much, much, much
poorer place without him in it.
1321
01:23:58,930 --> 01:24:01,657
I would just like
to say to Dad, thanks.
1322
01:24:01,691 --> 01:24:05,799
And we are all really proud
of you, the whole family.
1323
01:24:05,833 --> 01:24:09,665
We could not be more proud.
It's not that you
are the most...
1324
01:24:10,390 --> 01:24:13,220
recognized individual.
1325
01:24:13,255 --> 01:24:15,671
It's that you did something
that nobody else did.
1326
01:24:15,705 --> 01:24:19,261
And you did it your way.
And that is inspiring.
1327
01:24:19,295 --> 01:24:21,746
And my kids will learn
from that.
1328
01:24:21,780 --> 01:24:25,577
And my kids will know about you
and their kids
will know about you.
1329
01:24:25,612 --> 01:24:26,785
So thank you.
120008
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