Category: Whisky News

This limited $80 bottle released in 2011 has sold for as much as $1,000 on the secondary market. A blend of marketing and whisky making, it stands (almost) alone for its story.

Reading Greg’s story about his recent purchase a bottle of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix, reminded me of just how important and interesting this ‘11 $80 bottle of single malt scotch turned out to be for the industry and Glenfiddich themselves:

Oh man, owning this bottle has been about six years in the making, I have wanted one for AGES but the auction prices were either way too much or the people who promised to help me get one failed to come through… so I’m super chuffed to have finally bought a bottle at a (vaguely) reasonable price at auction – £280.

It’s a great price for a whisky that has quietly changed the way the industry thinks about whisky production. 

The story—In 2010, a warehouse collapsed due to a massive snowstorm. Barrels were exposed to the air in the middle of a cold winter. The distillery decided to commemorate the moment with a single malt scotch that’s a blend of the barrels exposed during the collapsing rough. The Snow Phoenix was born at a fun 47.6% ABV:

Selecting and marrying the finest Oloroso and American oak casks from warehouses struck by heavy snow, our Malt Master created Snow Phoenix.

Master Brian Kinsman had a limited pallet of barrels to pick from. Officially, this is a scotch without an age statement, and unofficially it is said to have whisky matured between thirteen years and thirty. A highlight to blending single malt scotch, Snow Phoenix captured the interest of whisky enthusiasts with a limited bottling and a story to tie it all together.

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Glenfiddich (and sister distillery The Balvenie) had a terrific brand strategy of using rare pours as conversation starters when talking to media. Sure, everyone was pouring their “thirty year old” whisky, but with Glenfiddich and The Balvenie you always got something unique. 

Snow Phoenix retailed for $80, but back in 2011 the predictions were it would double in price: 

A total of only 12,000 bottles will be in circulation. Bechard said he was surprised when he was told the Snow Phoenix would retail for $89.99. Given the Snow Phoenix’s uniqueness and limited bottling, Bechard said it could have been priced at least twice its list. Bechard said the Snow Phoenix’s pricing makes it possible to buy one bottle to enjoy now, and another to keep. Entrepreneurial types are taking advantage of the Snow Phoenix’s scarcity and affordability; bottles have already started showing up on eBay UK.

Snow Phoenix now runs at over $1,000 US, and has held that price consistently over the last several years. The advice above ended up being very good indeed. 

From a marketing perspective, this was a terrific move forward for Glenfiddich. From a whisky making perspective, it showed Glenfiddich can succeed with branded whiskies over age statements. 

This trend continued. 

Just look my reviews for Winter Storm, Fire and Cane, and Project XX. These are a few examples of branded single malts that are a mix of (by standards of decades ago) untraditional combination of casks. Glenfiddich wasn’t first to this, not in 2011, but I’d argue it was one of the first distilleries to do it well at volumes for the everyday consumer. 

It’s not just about the whisky inside the bottle. 

In truth, Glenfiddich already had similar whiskies—they had their Malt Master’s edition (Terrific!) and Distiller’s Edition (even better!).

However, Snow Phoenix was a combination (blend?) of marketing and whisky making from a preferred selection of barrels (or in the Snow Phoenix case, a somewhat random distribution of barrels). 

I’d argue that the Distiller’s Edition is a better tasting single malt scotch from Glenfiddich compared to Snow Phoenix, but it was unable to capture the hearts of many like the Snow Phoenix has. 

Marketing and whisky making have always been married in the scotch world—it’s about the story. 

On a recent post on social media, someone new to the whisky world asked for what a favorite Japanese whisky was of the group. They got a response of a bunch of single malt distilleries, and this caused a great deal of confusion. The truth is, the posters forgot to mention all the Canadian whisky that also goes into a bottle of Japanese whisky! 

A popular Japanese whisky is about to be delisted as Japanese

Much of the what we assume is Japanese whisky is made entirely elsewhere: 

It’s something of an open secret in the drinks business that much whisky that is labelled Japanese contains spirits from other countries, mainly Scotland and Canada. 

This has been a well known secret. It’s a constant frustration for whisky connoisseurs that see Japanese whisky labelled on products that clearly have little or no Japanese provenance. 

Whisky has no one definition globally. An American Rye needs to start as a fermentation of 51% corn while a Canadian rye need not have any rye in it whatsoever. Indian whisky can be made using molasses while Single Malt Scotch must be 100% malted barley. The variety in rules is terrific and means we’re not all drinking the same thing, but rules (or lack-there-of) shouldn’t call into question the authenticity of the drink. 

The Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association has published their requirements for Japanese whisky. Those requirements will need to be met by March 31st, 2024. Both Nikka and Suntory belong to the association, and Nikka has come ahead of the story with regards to everyone’s (mine) favorite available (affordable) Japanese whisky: 

Nikka from the Barrel have the following disclaimer: “This product does not meet all the criteria of ‘Japanese whisky ‘ defined by the Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association.” It doesn’t state where they stray from the rules but we are sure that Master of Malt customers will be able to work it out.

This comes as a surprise from a marketing perspective, but less-so from a flavour perspective. 

What’s your favorite Japanese whisky? Barry Bradford’s take is a good one: 

As there is no declaration/or legal requirement to declare either, this blend may well include Scotch whisky in it too – e.g. malt from Nikka’s Ben Nevis distillery? Like most blends it is a great unknown exactly what the constituents are and when it is this good it is not worth losing sleep over either, just sit back, relax and drink!

I agree. 

Blended whisky in Japan is still blended in Japan. Like with Canadian whisky, it is the Japanese whisky blenders that are the artists behind the brands. While I suspected Nikka from the Barrel wasn’t distilled in Japan, it doesn’t taste like a single malt scotch or a Canadian whisky. A terrific blend will have its own unique character.

Does this all matter? It’s entirely up to you. Whisky has always been about the story, marketing, and the craft of making whisky. If any of these elements bother you then you get to move on to the next whisky on your list. For some, it’s purely about the taste. You get to vote with your wallet. 

As for Nikka from the Barrel? I really enjoy it. At its price point, it’s not going to bother me that it’s not Japanese whisky. From a marketing perspective, though, credibility matters and Nikka is going to take a hit on this.

After being part of a fourteen-person panel that judged hundreds of samples from artisan distilleries from across Canada, I have some thoughts on distilleries in Canada. Spoiler—they’re all positive. 

I tasted some odd stuff. Spicy, pickled, smoked, sugared, fishy (yes, fish-based spirit) odd stuff! The gins were fascinating, the absinthes intense, the young whiskies developed, the rums a good twist on an adaptable profile. It all points to one simple fact; I couldn’t possibly choose a favourite from the bunch of spirits. 

Invest in your local distilleries. A friend and I were chatting about this the other day. Whisky is a hugely scalable product where big distilleries can make terrific whisky at a cheaper price-point compared to micro-distilleries. Smaller distilleries are in it for the long-game but they won’t ever compete on price. They can, though, compete on ingenuity and creativity. 

The “other” spirits distilleries make are excellent. As a judge, I’ve tasted some incredible gins, rums, absinthes, vodkas (yes, even vodkas!) in a terrific variety of products. One can make well-reasoned argument that whisky in artisan distilleries is “too expensive” but commercial distributors in gins, vodkas, and rums generally compete in a narrow taste profile. Artisan distilleries excel by rethinking these categories. 

And most importantly… Buy the weird stuff. Maybe even their Vodkas. ‘

I appreciate Jason’s sentiment here, when he considers rethinking vodka: 

Also, notably (and this is why I care) - Canadian producers make great vodka – particularly the smaller producers who build in a bit more character around the edges of their spirits. I’ll highlight a few in the upcoming months.

My recommendation? Have a look at the results, sort by Provence, and pick-up something that sounds delicious to you. For me, that means I’ll be getting The Last Straw Distillery’s Blackstrap Rum. 

Finally, have a read of The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries that covers over 150 distilleries around Canada and listen to Davin on The Whisky Topic.