Something sticky is happening to whisky and not everyone in Scotland is happy.
In the US, Bacardi is about to launch Dewar's Highlander Honey, which is basically Dewar's White Label blend sweetened with a dollop of Perthshire honey, a few herbs and some oak chips. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is concerned that people might think they are buying Scotch, which by definition cannot be flavoured.
I have not tried Highlander Honey, so I cannot comment on its taste, but the SWA is right. Dewar's is the most popular blend in the US, and only by turning the bottle and squinting at the back label do you learn that it's a "spirit drink" rather than Scotch. However, given the frenzy for innovation in other spirits, particularly vodka, I am sure Bacardi won't be the last. First, in 2011, came Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, which sold 320,000 cases in its first year. Soon other American whiskeys such as Jim Beam and Wild Turkey joined the stampede to make "flavoured whiskies", one of the fastest growing spirit categories in the US.
This alcoholic honey bee has since crossed the Atlantic and last April Bushmills Irish Honey was released by the eponymous distillery in County Antrim. This has posed a dilemma for distillers here – whether to find a way of cashing in on this latest trend without dumbing down a noble spirit with centuries of history and incurring the wrath of the SWA, or to show restraint.
"I'm sure all of us are thinking how we can get into this market," Kevin Abrook of William Grant told The Spirits Business magazine in August. "The problem with ourselves and other Scotch companies is that you can't add flavour and trade off the name."
And yet that doesn't seem to have stopped Dewar's. Explaining the decision behind Highlander Honey, Arvind Krishnand, the brand's US director, said, "We figured it was time to create an offering that is still truly Scotch, but gives those who play with flavour trends an option to play within Scotch." Of course it's not "still truly Scotch", but he is right to use the word "play" when it comes to flavoured spirits. Americans are now guzzling on cup cake, whipped cream, fluffy marshmallow and bubblegum flavoured vodka. The booze barons aren't targeting under-age drinkers – just responsible adults indulging in some harmless nostalgia.
So far this candy-coated craze is a US phenomenon, and it will be a while before anyone tries it over here. But when so much of the spirits industry is driven to innovate or die, you have to ask whether Scotch will succumb to the pressure. Obviously there is innovation in Scotch whisky, but it's usually to do with the packaging.
I blame Starbucks for encouraging this, where often cups of coffee seem to have to be "improved" with a shot of maple syrup or a squirt of peppermint mocha. What's wrong with just coffee? Or just Scotch? If you want something sweeter then add honey at home, or drink something else. I would be a useless innovator.
Boschendal Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
£7.99, Tesco (14%)
After a recent Californian example that was like alcoholic Ribena, I've been wary of New World cabernets until this one from Franschhoek in South Africa's Western Cape. The classic blackcurrant fruit is tempered with dried herbs, a little smoke and well-rounded tannins.
Roches Noirs Saint Chinian Roquebrun 2006
£9.99, Villeneuve Wines (13%)
This bin-end, normally twice the price, is one of the best reds from the Languedoc in southern France that I have tasted in ages. Four-fifths syrah and the rest grenache and mourvedre, it is a beautifully balanced, elegant wine with savoury red fruit and a dry, herbal edge.
The King's Thorn Pinot Gris 2012
£12.99, Majestic Wines (14%)
Forget the flood of bland Italian pinot grigio, and think of Alsace for this voluptuous New Zealand pinot gris. It has a blossomy, honeysuckle nose and the same initial sweetness on the tongue until fresher citrus flavours cut through to bring the wine just the right side of off-dry.
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