Hearach is coming. And not only
Of the dozens of Scotch whisky distilleries that have been established over the past dozen years and continue to be established, most release their whisky soon after the distillate matures in barrels to just over 3 years old. Such a practice is hardly surprising when you consider that the first three years of operation of any whisky distillery in business terms means only generating costs. By law, the result of distilling a barley malt-based mash can be called whisky and sold as such only after a minimum of three years of maturation in oak barrels.
Although most whisky lovers distrust young whiskies or those without age declarations, we must come to terms with the realities dictating that new distilleries must bottle just such spirits. Can they become an indication of later, older and more mature products from one distillery or another? Here, too, opinions are divided, as very often the distillate is prepared quite differently depending on whether one plans to bottle it soon after it reaches the magic age of three years, or whether one plans to mature for many years. Keep in mind that very often behind these new and little-known whisky brands are veterans of the Scottish distilling industry. These whiskies are made by people who know what they are doing, to put it bluntly.
An interesting category are those few distilleries, after all, which, for various reasons, are not in a hurry to bottle their inaugural whiskies. Despite the fact that whisky has already been distilled there since 2014 and 2015, respectively, there is still no whisky from Ballindalloch and Harris distilleries on the market. This, however, is about to change.
Until recently, at both of the aforementioned distilleries, the answer to the question of bottling the first whisky was the same and unchanged. Then, when we consider that it is good enough. Well, and it looks like that time is already coming. A few days ago, on World Whisky Day, May 20 to be exact, the whisky world was circulated with information straight from the headquarters in Tarbert on the island of Harris. The launch of The Hearach, as the local whiskey will be called, will take place on September 22, 2023. We know nothing about how it will be composed, what barrels it will be made from, whether it will have an age declaration, and if so, what kind of one. All we know is that guests of the distillery were treated to Highland Park whisky and were told that this is the flavor profile that the Isle of Harris distillery is trying to target. So we can expect a whisky with a rather light profile, gently smoky, fruity and floral. What The Hearach will turn out to be, we'll find out in September.
Unofficial information coming to us from the other distillery mentioned in one breath, Ballindalloch, also suggests that we won't be waiting much longer for their whisky. There are those who say that the bottling has already begun, or perhaps even already finished, and we are just waiting for the right moment for the launch. In this case, however, we have no clues as to the profile of the new whisky.
What makes the anticipated Isle of Harris and Ballindalloch whisky launches so special? First of all, the fact that in their case there will be no tariffs for the young distillery. One and the other have had enough time to gather experience and, above all, to churn out enough whiskies to have a large enough base to make a composition from the best or preferably complementary casks.
The circumstances that allowed the two distilleries mentioned above to wait before launching are slightly different in each case. Isle of Harris has had incredible market success preparing the highest quality Isle of Harris Gin. Infused liquor m.in. sweet seaweed, harvested from the seabed near the island of Harris, has had a stunning global career, allowing Harris distillers to take a more relaxed approach to bottling their whisky. In other words, the excellent gin financed the production of whiskey. In the case of Ballindalloch, it was clear from the start that no one would rush the release of the whisky. It seems that the Macpherson-Grant family, owners of the Ballindalloch estate and castle, was prepared from the very beginning to bear the costs of distillery operations long enough.
It's worth noting that another newly opened distillery in Speyside, The Cairn, which we recently wrote about here, also declares from the outset that their whisky will only come to market when it reaches 12 years of age. What's more, just this distillery offers the opportunity to taste its 12-year-old whiskey before it has even passed those twelve years of maturation in oak barrels. The parent company, Gordon & MacPhail, owner of the largest stock of maturing whisky, has put together a blended malt whisky from its distillates, showing what a Cairn single malt whisky aged 12 or more years will taste like.
We, meanwhile, await the announced release of The Hearach and that unofficially announced Ballindalloch.
[24.05.2023 / photo: Rajmund Matuszkiewicz]