Uisge Baugh: The Ancient Celts Knew What They Were Talking About
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - I’ve always admired connoisseurs of Scotch whisky as they deftly swirl the amber whisky in a glass, while deeply breathing of the bouquet and slowly savouring the taste...it is truly an art.
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| TISH NICOLLS (R), Trade Officer with the British Consulate-General in Vancouver, with Richard Joynson of Loch Fine Whiskies, Scotland, and Andy Newlands, the Deputy British Consul-General in Vancouver. |
One of these connoisseurs is Richard Joynson of Scotland. He is recognized for his wide knowledge of “all things whisky” and has been called “one of the finest whisky retailers in the world” and inducted as “Keeper of the Quaich.”
At the invitation of Andy Newlands, the Deputy British Consul-General in Vancouver, Richard Joynson was recently at the Chambar Restaurant in Vancouver, to preside over a whisky tasting and speak about the collector’s market for Scotch whisky. This was Joynson’s first visit to Canada and his purpose was to increase the knowledge and awareness of Scotch whisky in advance of the prime whisky buying season.
Joynson is the proprietor of Loch Fyne Whiskies in Scotland, a specialist shop in Inverary, and is also a consultant to various distillers in Scotland. He is recognized for his thorough knowledge of whisky and is further known throughout the whisky world for the widely read and highly regarded Scotch Whisky Review, a newsletter he publishes twice yearly.
Until 1993, Richard Joynson and his wife Lyndsay ran a salmon hatchery. Then they bought a shop in a beautiful, quaint little Hans Christian Anderson-type village called Inverary on the west coast of Scotland, and have since become whisky enthusiasts.
Their shop has become something of a sanctuary to whisky lovers and they even introduced their own blend in 1996. It’s not unusual for some independent outlets to launch their own single malt but it is exceptional to launch a blend. While the Loch Fyne Whisky is sold in a few Argyll bars, the vast majority is sold in their Loch Fyne Whiskies Shop. They also do a mail order business.
Joynson is a font of knowledge and a veritable walking encyclopaedia on the subject of Scotch whisky. His talk about Scotland’s premier import product was both educational and enlightening. Yeast, water, barley and caramel are the main ingredients in the making of whisky, which is then matured in an oak cask for three years with 60 percent of the character of whisky coming from the cask. Malt whisky is more expensive than the blended.
The Celts called whisky Uisge Baugh, meaning “water of life.” Joynson told us that Scotch is actually better for your health than wine, because it has more of the good things in it for your health, so it would seem that the ancient Celts knew what they were talking about.
Ken Kullberg, product consultant with the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Board, spoke about the approximate cost of a single malt Scotch and a blended Scotch in Canada. He said, “a single malt is the product of a single distillery and it is all that is made there. A blended whisky is when a grain whisky has little bits of single malt to give them flavour and it could be anywhere up to 20 or so.
A single malt whisky starts at roughly $40 and goes upwards from there. The blended scotch starts at about $20 and can go up to about $200. A top end Chivas Regal would cost about $260. Kullberg also said, “You don’t have to be a connoisseur to enjoy good whisky, it’s knowing what you like...that’s a good place to start.”
December and January are prime Scotch whisky buying months, because of the holiday season – Christmas, New Year’s, Hogmanay and the many Robert Burns suppers that take place during the month of January.
Many “wee drams” of Scotch will toast the new year, our good health and the birthday of Robbie Burns. The Scottish community has indeed found a most joyous and healthy way to celebrate the darkest part of the year. Slainte mhath pronounced (slan - javah) – to your good health! For more information on Loch Fyne Scotch Whiskies visit their website at: www.lfw.co.uk.
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