Although ‘belated glory’ is a phenomenon primarily associated with the finest fine artists of yesteryears – with the likes of Van Gogh and Monet only truly appreciated when they were way too dead to truly enjoy the heady hedonism that was surely theirs by right – certain spirits, once thought long past their glory, are now seeing a ‘whisky revival’. In particular, several much-missed malts, considered deceased when their home distilleries disappeared, are once again pleasing the palates of more informed imbibers.
Indeed, their somewhat recent resurrection is all the more perplexing given that Scotch single malts are, arguably, among the most troubled of spirits. Back in the 1800s, Scotland boasted more than 200 distilleries, most of them, admittedly, somewhat illicit. Fast forward a century and a half, as well as a World War or two, and, by 1945, more than half had fallen by the wayside. The remainder, however, pluckily picked themselves up, doubled production, then crashed out in epic style, come the Whisky Glut of the 1980s. They do say, if you can remember that decade of doomed over-production, then you clearly didn’t do your best to sup the surplus.
At the time, the doomed distillers were not much mourned, with few quaffers setting store by single malts, and the market pretty much wholly in the all of blended whiskies. Fast forward a few decades – and, despite a few promising contenders, no World Wars – and single malts are now the most sought-out of bevvies, bestowing an unexpected afterlife on the shuttered spirit producers of the eighties. Indeed, several distilleries – notably Benriach, Glencadam and Tullibardine – rebooted their kilns and re-emerged in the early 21st century, mostly under new ownership.
You don’t get to be the world’s dominant distiller without being able to sniff out an opportunity or two and, sure enough, Diageo was soon raiding its vaults before releasing a selection of missing-in-action malts from such famously defunct distillers as Port Ellen, Brora and Rosebank. Clearly sensing that whisky revival was the next big thing, in 2017, this timid trickle become a full-throttle torrent when the British beverage behemoth released around 3,000 bottles of both the Brora 34 Years and the Port Ellen 37 Years as part of its annual Special Releases programme.
Soon after, it also announced plans to reopen two of the shuttered Scottish spirit-makers – Port Ellen and Brora. Speaking at the time, Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Head of Whisky Outreach, said: “Port Ellen and Brora have a powerful resonance with whisky lovers around the world and the opportunity to bring them back to life is as rare and special as the spirits that made them famous.”
Barely had the celebratory drams been downed when the news broke that yet another down and out distiller – Lowland-located Rosebank – was set to be revived. This time, the cavalry was sent in by Ian Macleod Distillers, the 85-year-old whisky-maker behind the Glengoyne and Tamdhu brands. Addressing the rationale behind the rebirth, Leonard Russell, Ian Macleod’s managing director, said: “Rosebank has a very special place in Scotland’s whisky heritage and we are committed to continuing its journey.”
While whisky connoisseurs are no doubt rejoicing over this pronounced whisky revival, the more cynical may be wondering just how much the value of these once-ceased single malts will tumble when their latter-day incarnations are again enshelfed. Such cynics, though, may for once find their dour prognostications somewhat unfounded.
With more than a dash of the au contraire, when a bottle of 1978 Port Ellen 13th Annual Release was dusted down and put up for auction by Bonhams Hong Kong recently, it went for a remarkable HK$20,000. Somehow, even when these born-again grain-derived all-time greats are back in full production, they’ll still be more focused on five-star exclusivity than 7-11 availability.
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay