For many of us, there is an inevitable appeal to backing the underdogs and start-ups of this world, especially when they are going head to head with a corporate giant or two. That does, however, invite the question as to whether such artisan products boast an innate superiority, or whether they are merely capitalising on our maverick instinct to Stick it to the Man.
In the drinks sector, in particular, we are increasingly being told that small is beautiful. Prime examples here are the grower champagnes and cognacs versus those produced by the mighty conglomerates, the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessys of this world. Such comparisons also persist lower down the food chain, with micro-brewed beers frequently pitched against the chemical suds of Anheuser-Busch InBev and co.
The artisan drinks boom – a boom that has extended well beyond alcohol and into the realms of tonic waters, lemonades and ginger beers – arguably began back in 1971 with the UK’s establishment of the Campaign for Real Ale. This surprisingly potent consumer pressure group made the big brewers of the time pause and pay attention. It made many of them reassesses their apparent policy of homogenising Britain’s entire brewing culture, forcing a reluctant public to drink beer with no special merit other than the fact it was cheap to produce. Years later in the US, where the same process was all but complete, the worms also turned.
From the late-1970s on, a number of pioneering small operators, inspired by the artisanal brewing in Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom, set about reminding American beer drinkers that the end of the day didn’t have to be Miller time. Their mission was clear – to reintroduce beer with a bit of character.
The success of these micro-breweries ultimately paved the way for micro-distilleries. Although it’s early days yet, the fruits of this artisan distilling boom are now becoming more widely available right across the Asian region.
Micro-brewing has already taken off in a big way in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Thailand, as well as on the Chinese mainland. China is by far the world’s biggest beer market, with some 50 billion litres consumed every year. Unsurprisingly, artisan breweries and brewpubs are flourishing, particularly in Beijing and Shanghai, but also out in Suzhou and further afield.
Whether artisan distilling will catch on in the same way, however, remains to be seen. There has been, though, clear interest in a number of the small batch American whiskies produced by independents. As further evidence, March this year saw the official Hong Kong and Shanghai launch of a range of artisan gins from Eden Mill, a Scottish micro-distiller.
In common with many start-up distillers in the artisan sector, Paul Miller, the founder of Eden Mill, ultimately wants his company to be known for its barrel-aged whisky. He is, however, heading for that destination via a somewhat circuitous route.
Ironically, the establishment of Eden Mill was the unintended consequence of a request to Miller from Pete Coors, a former chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Company. Miller, a veteran drinks business executive, was working for Molson at the time, and he and his boss were in the venerable Scottish town of St Andrews for a golf tournament. Coors, however, decided that he’d had enough golf and asked if there was a local brewery he could visit.
Miller quickly established that there wasn’t one. And nor was there a distillery. Having worked in the whisky business, he decided he was ideally qualified to provide the ancient town with both.
Looking back, he says: “St Andrews has always been known as the historic home of golf. A few years ago, though, I learned about the lost brewing and distilling history of the region. In the 19th century, it was home to more than 150 breweries and distilleries. I really wanted to revitalise that history and so it was that Eden Mill was born.”
Miller leases a former Haig distillery on the banks of the River Eden as the base for his new venture. In 2012, he started brewing idiosyncratic beers, with his current range including a porter brewed with chili and ginger, as well as a beer matured for 50 days in an old whisky barrel. His full range is now sold all over the United Kingdom. It was also successfully launched in China in 2014.
In terms of whisky, his first batch was distilled in 2014. Under Scottish law, however, the company can’t sell it as Scotch until it has been matured in oak for at least three years.
Miller’s initial plan was to keep stashing batches of whisky away in barrels and to wait patiently until it was ready for release. He was, however, persuaded that he could turn a profit from the stills in the meantime by producing an artisan gin.
In truth, the artisan gin boom has proved a useful cash cow for many aspiring distillers of whisky. In between batches of white – but destined to be brown – spirit that has to be aged, such distillers can make batches of white spirits which stay white, and which can be bottled and sold immediately. On both sides of the Atlantic, gin and, to a lesser extent, vodka are keeping the artisan whisk(e)y names of tomorrow in business today.
If Eden Mill’s gins are anything to go by, though, the eventually-released whisky ought to be interesting at the very least. Four such gins were recently formally launched in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Both Miller and Ewan Henderson, an eminent food and wine consultant, were on hand to introduce these new spirits.
Addressing the gathered buyers and connoisseurs, Miller said: “We quickly learned why the St Andrew’s region had once been so prolific. It boasts a bountiful source of the ingredients, which allows for a good degree of innovation. We have the paradise of the Eden estuary on our doorstep and we can source botanicals from the local fields, forests and coastlines, all of which represent the very best that Scotland can produce.”
The first of the four making their debuts was Original Gin, a take on a classic London Dry Gin. This incorporates tart local sea buckthorn berries, fetchingly balanced with citrus elements, including lemon balm and orange peel. London Dry, of course, is a description of a style rather than a statement of origin. Around 70 percent of all the gin distilled in the United Kingdom actually comes from Scotland.
Miller’s second offering was Love Gin. This proved a softer more floral spirit with a complex flavour profile based on rose petals, marshmallow root, goji berries and whole hibiscus flowers.
Keen to establish that it is the barrel-matured spirit that he wants Eden Mill to be known for, Miller encouraged his team to experiment with short periods of barrel ageing for both its beer and gins. This resulted in his third debutante – Eden Mill Oak Gin. This has notably picked up a sweet vanilla taste from its brief wood contact, as well as a straw-like colour, although its character remains essentially botanical.
His selection was rounded off with Hop Gin. Unusually cloudy, this was made with Australian Galaxy hops, creating a rich flavour and a viscous mouth feel. According to Henderson, this one will particularly appeal to any bartenders looking to produce distinctive gin cocktails.
If craft beer’s acceptance across China is any indication, it is likely that such artisan spirits will find a ready welcome across the mainland. In Hong Kong, the market for them is already relatively mature, with a number of small retailers now solely concentrating on boutique whisky, gins and rums.
It is also interesting to note the tentative attempts by several big producers to get in on the artisan act. With many true beer connoisseurs usually contemptuous of the beer made by the international giants, many of the brewers are concerned enough to make a concerted effort to muscle in.
In 2014, for instance, Carlsberg introduced a portfolio of craft beers. In April of this year, it launched three of them – Brooklyn, Grimbergen and Poretti – in Hong Kong. Small, it seems, is now beautiful. Even when you’re big.