In Dialog With Maree Chisholm, Model Supervisor For Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillery –
Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillery boasts 5 generations of whisky historical past with a permanent legacy of brokering, mixing bottling, and distilling it’s straightforward to see why they’re one of many business’s best. At present we meet Model Supervisor, Maree Chisholm, to be taught extra about her function, the household enterprise, their manufacturers, and naturally the proper serve! Learn on.
Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers is a family-owned and operated enterprise, boasting 5 generations to its heritage. For readers not already conversant in the title are you able to inform us a bit extra about it please?
Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers is a small firm based mostly about an hour north of Edinburgh within the village of Aberargie – which can also be the title of our distillery. The household have had a few years of whisky expertise as brokers, blenders, bottlers and distillers, and created the corporate Morrison Bowmore Restricted – which included Bowmore, Glen Garioch and Auchentoshan Distilleries. These distilleries turned a part of Beam Suntory within the nineties. Aberargie Distillery marks the household’s return to distilling after a 25 12 months break, however will probably be just a few years but earlier than Aberargie Whisky is prepared.
Within the meantime, the household’s years of whisky expertise and connections imply that we’ve got entry to some incredible casks which permits us to bottle some nice whisky.
And please describe your typical working day – if such a factor exists!
There’s undoubtedly no such factor as a typical day in my function, working for a small firm with 4 very completely different manufacturers makes every day extraordinarily different. I’ve time within the workplace, engaged on campaigns and new releases, however additionally, you will discover me on PR journeys, attending shopper and commerce festivals, assembly with clients and out on photoshoots for the whiskies. The range is without doubt one of the smartest thing concerning the function though it will also be probably the most difficult with plenty of initiatives working concurrently.
Which three phrases completely describe the enterprise ethos?
That is a straightforward query to reply as we’ve got our three firm values on the bottom of each bottle: Persistence, Integrity and Instinct. All key to creating glorious whisky and creating our workforce.
Please inform us extra concerning the completely different manufacturers developed by the enterprise.
Càrn Mòr is our vary of distinctive impartial bottlings. The purpose of Càrn Mòr is to present whisky followers a unique expertise – so whereas a distillery might be aiming for consistency inside its core vary, as an impartial bottler we will take casks which supply a distinct style profile, we will experiment with completely different finishes. Every bottling affords one thing particular.
Mac-Talla is our vary of Islay Single Malt Whiskies and the vary affords a style journey round Islay, with every of the three expressions reflecting a distinct characteristic of Islay’s pure atmosphere. Mac-Talla means echo in Gaelic and the title was chosen to replicate the lengthy historical past that the Morrison household have had travelling backwards and forwards to Islay over 4 generations – beginning with our chairman’s great-grandfather William Walker, a whisky dealer who negotiated on behalf of Islay distilleries to the US within the prohibition period. The household went on to personal Bowmore Distillery on the island. Their years of Islay heritage imply they’re completely positioned to take the buyer on a style journey throughout the island by Mac-Talla, showcasing the depth and selection this excellent whisky-making atmosphere has to supply.
Examine our favorite whisky right here
Bruadar Single Malt Whisky Liqueur is made with native honey and sloe berries. Final 12 months we made the honey much more native by including our personal beehives on the grounds of our distillery. The sweetness of the honey is completely balanced by the tart sloe berries which creates a moreish liqueur with layers of flavour.
Outdated Perth is our vary of Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, totally matured in sherry casks. Initially created by Perthshire grocer Peter Thomson within the early 1900’s, Outdated Perth was often called the perfect mix accessible and this was key to our relaunch of the model – we wished to make the highest quality mix we might. The situation of Perth and its railway meant that Peter would have had entry to some nice casks, as whisky from the most important highland and Speyside distilleries handed by the town on the best way down South. Our firm’s years of whisky heritage implies that our Grasp Blender additionally has some high-quality whisky to select from when creating the Outdated Perth mix and we’ve got made the dedication that every one the Single Malt Whiskies that go into Outdated Perth are totally matured, not simply completed, in sherry. That is what provides Outdated Perth such depth of flavour, with wealthy fruity and chocolatey notes.
Learn concerning the newest Outdated Perth Launch right here
Please inform us extra about your most up-to-date launch, Outdated Perth PX is your most up-to-date launch, what are its key traits and why is it so particular.
As one of many key traits of Outdated Perth is its full sherry maturation, with Outdated Perth PX we have been seeking to spotlight the influence of Pedro Ximénez casks on Scotch Whisky. Sherry is a drink which is much less common lately, which is a disgrace as Pedro Ximénez is absolutely scrumptious. It’s made by leaving the grapes of the identical title out within the solar when they’re overly ripe and permitting them to dry, earlier than they’re become an intensely candy dessert sherry.
The whisky we selected for this launch had already spent its total life in a mixture of Oloroso and PX Sherry hogsheads and butts, so to reinforce it additional, we matured it for 15 months in first-fill Pedro Ximenez casks from Bodega José y Miguel Martin, Spain. The end result has been whisky with a velvety texture with raisins, dates and candied fruit main into darkish chocolate and cocoa.
What (if any) have been the important thing challenges you confronted with this specific launch and what was your most memorable second within the journey?
As with a lot of our releases, the most important problem is deciding when is the proper time to bottle. This Outdated Perth PX is the primary in a collection of Restricted Editions that are deliberate for the subsequent few years and can spotlight completely different sherry maturations and their impact on the whisky.
The workforce are consistently checking on the progress of our casks—we’ve got plenty of completely different Speyside whiskies maturing in very completely different sorts of sherry—and that is the place the ‘endurance’ and ‘instinct’ of our firm values is absolutely key! One of many issues I discover fascinating about whisky manufacturing is the magic of what occurs while you put the spirit within the cask: so typically the outcomes can take the workforce abruptly and produce thrilling, surprising tasting notes.
For me personally, my most memorable second of this launch was having the ability to maintain a stay, in individual launch occasion. Attributable to covid, we ended up launching our core vary of merchandise with a collection of on-line occasions and though I do nonetheless take pleasure in a zoom tasting, you may’t beat sharing a dram with folks in actual life.
Who’s a typical Outdated Perth PX drinker?
If there’s one factor I’ve discovered since becoming a member of the whisky business, it’s that there isn’t any longer such a factor as a typical whisky drinker! It’s turning into a drink with a particularly different demographic of followers, which I like. I believe this launch will provide one thing completely different relying on the drinker: there might be those that are curious about sherry maturation and studying concerning the affect of PX on whisky, and there can even be customers who simply take pleasure in it for the scrumptious dram that it’s.
What’s your excellent serve?
Being within the function I’m, I get to attempt a variety of completely different whiskies and for the needs of tasting them and having the ability to inform folks about them, I are likely to have them neat. In the summertime I like a whisky highball, with soda and a citrus slice, but when I’m in a bar that serves good cocktails, I at all times scan the menu for an Outdated Normal.
What are the subsequent key traits inside the luxurious drinks sector?
Spirits drinkers are extra educated than ever, curious about each step of the method and the variations in flavour that may be produced. Inside whisky, I believe we’ll see the curiosity in several cask finishes proceed to develop, whereas distillers get extra experimental with completely different sorts of yeast and different malt kilning strategies. With the rise in whisky information, customers wish to be taught increasingly more about what goes into their whisky. The French notion of ‘terroir’ (the environmental components that have an effect on a crop and, ultimately, the qualities of the completed drink) is being embraced by an growing variety of distillers as they focus extra on the provenance of their components. This goes hand-in-hand with sustainability, one other essential development, and I believe we’ll see distilleries transfer in the direction of components and processes aimed toward decreasing their carbon footprint whereas capturing the distinctive traits that their location gives.
What’s subsequent within the pipeline for Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers?
As a small firm, we’re simply getting began with getting our manufacturers on the market and have plenty of thrilling plans to get our whiskies to a wider viewers. We have now just a few restricted version releases up our sleeve after which there’s the discharge of Aberargie Whisky in just a few years’ time, which we will’t wait to share with folks.
Luxurious is extremely subjective, what does it imply to you?
The very first thing that involves thoughts once I consider luxurious is issues I’ve actually loved consuming or consuming so I assume I’m in the precise business! Scotland has so many beautiful backdrops to take pleasure in rigorously chosen and crafted components for a memorable foodie expertise. For me, the perfect experiences have been the most straightforward – scallops served on a ship with whisky, simply minutes after being hand-dived, or freshly-picked berries, eaten within the sunshine.
Lastly, what’s your life motto? In case you have one.
It’s in all probability modified through the years however proper now ‘Really feel the concern and do it anyway’ involves thoughts – at all times reminder to push your self out of your consolation zone!
