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Dramfest – Chapter 3 – The Monday After

From Pat

An interesting and informed motto:
“Don’t make Whisky to get rich in New Zealand, do it for love”

When in Rome, do what the Romans do.

Now, Romans may be in short supply in Christchurch, but a smart pastime for whisky lovers is to book a tour of the local distillery.  Just out of the Christchurch CBD is The Spirits Workshop, the home of Curiosity Gin and (more importantly) of Divergence Whisky.

As we were brought up on the Boy Scout manual, we had prepared for the Monday afternoon after Dramfest by booking ourselves a distillery tour.

We had deliberately decided against the idea of a Monday morning tour.

This booking was a two-pronged process.  We thought it would be kind to let the good people from Spirits Workshop get back to earth from their tough weekend of revelry at Te Pae.  On a more personal level, we thought to let the revelers from the same weekend get back to some semblance of order and cohesion.

Note to self: On a smartphone’s Google Maps it looks just a short and simple pleasure stroll through the shops and attractions to The Spirits Workshop.  The reality is actually long enough for an Uber ride.

Getting there is half the fun

The walk from our hotel was about four lengthy blocks south, through a largely commercial area with precious few redeeming scenic attractions.  We trekked (later becoming “trudged”) along a very busy multi-lane street, across three very busy multi-lane pedestrian crossings and over a very busy multi-lane bridge.

We finally made it to the distillery, located in an anonymous commercial building off Durham Street.  No big, bold Islay distillery lettering – the only clue that we had found the right place was the pretty Curiosity logo in gold on the building’s gable end.

Our little party was warmly invited in by Founder, Chief Gin Officer and Managing Director, Antony Michalik.

The Presentation

Not counting Antony, there are six of us sitting around sitting around a large, very solid and imposing board table:  four dedicated whisky drinkers, two dedicated gin drinkers and a couple who could swing either way depending on what was being offered.

Antony started his wide-ranging presentation on the development of Curiosity gin and Divergence whisky with a slide show.  He covered the history of first setting up the Spirits Workshop, the owners’ previous incarnations and experience, and starting to make distilled spirits.  As the presentation progresses, he hands everyone a sample of all of Curiosity’s range of gins – Classic, Ruby, Dry, Pinot Barrel Sloe, Recipe #23 and Negroni. My personal favourite is the Classic, but as with any group we all have different choices.

Walking around

We started on a guided walk around the distillery, beginning at the still room with its lovely polished copper bits.  The stills, all bought from China,  appear to be very good quality.

Antony and Pat inspecting the equipment
Peter admiring the still,

But the most exciting room for me was the barrel-aging room, containing a selection of very small barrels which are aging for private owners.  There are custom engraved casks with capacities ranging from about 10 litres up.

I oddly found myself wanting to be very quiet in this room – it looked like a nursery with rows of babies sleeping.  Just beautiful!

Pat’s “Nursery” at The Spirits Workshop

As we were the only people in the distillery we took our time on the tour.

The Whiskies

Walking finished, it was back to the boardroom and the unleashing of Divergence whiskies on this over-eager audience.

First dram up is the Virgin French Oak, the stock distillery expression.   This is followed by the latest edition of Port Wood (matured in Tawney Port barrels) and then FIVE (Spirits Workshop’s capitals, not a misprint)

Then Antony brought out his Big Gun, his last bottle of Pinot Noir Finish.  This expression officially sold out ages ago.  The Pinot Noir Finish is fantastic stuff, and Antony politely declined my asking really nicely if I could buy the open bottle: so now I’m left to  look forward to a new bottling being released some time in the future.

Antony also mentioned that they also make an Absinthe as well – at about 70% abv.  They haven’t yet sold very many as they didn’t know quite how to market it.  He offered us each a small nip to try – a tiny sip nearly blew my eye balls out! One of us was so excited and loved it so much that he bought a bottle.

After a lot of semi-informed questions from the tourists and a lot of very informed answers from the Director, the tour drew to a reluctant close.  With formalities completed, we all bought a bottle or two to take away or be delivered by courier.

I can totally recommend taking a visit to The Spirits Workshop.  We couldn’t have wished for a better host who made us all feel very welcome,  answered all our pesky questions as whisky fans are bound to ask and left us in high spirits.

Contact The Spirits Workshop for to arrange your own tour, please click here.

Note: Since this article was written, both the Divergence FIVE and the Virgin French Oak have been awarded gold at the NZ Spirit Awards 2023.

Some Random Tastings
Inchmurran Highland Single Malt

Sample from Pat

Distiller: Loch Lomond
46% ABV.   NAS,  NC2

Colour: Gold.
Eye: Good viscosity
Nose: Sherry, oranges, Vanilla, Old leather boots
Palette: Smooth, Soft.  Black Jellybeans.  Oloroso sherry?  Sawdust (oak).  Not much heat.
Finish: Smooth
Comment: A quaffer.  Right up with the standard we’ve come to expect from Loch Lomond.  I would definitely have one.
Length: S/M
Score: 8.3

The Dalmore

12 year old, 40% ABV.

Colour: Dark
Eye: Medium viscosity.  The legs seem a bit weak.
Nose: Sherry.;  Slight nose prickle.  Citrus Juice.
Palette: Hot tip and centre of tongue.  Tannic-y.  Sour.  Well integrated,  Golden Syrup/Treacle.  Soft
Finish: Sweetness stays for the duration.  Very slight smoke.
Comment:  Other than the bald 12 yo note on the label, there is very little info on casks or maturation etc, and the dram is almost anonymous.
Length: M+
Score: 8.2

SMWS 16.54 (Glenturret)

Age: 10 year old
Sample from Ian

Colour: mid-gold
Eye: Medium viscosity, wide legs
Nose: Strong, wood, high nose prickle. Rum & Raisin ice cream, oak sawdust, slightly “dirty” aroma, back of the nose hit of alcohol
Palate: Sweet marine. Hot tongue!  Sharp at first.  Rich and hot.  Very  nice.
Finish: Long & spicy.  Yummy, want to take another sip (moreish).  Slight smoky (a bonfire breath – interesting that there has not  been a hint of smoke anywhere else before this!
Comment: Nice!
Length: long
Score: 8.6

Cotswald Reserve

50% abv, NC2

Barrels: First fill ex-Bourbon, NC2
Nose: Prickle, Red Wine on nose, honey, butterscotch, bit of vanilla.  Promising!
Palate: Smooth and HOT!  Wow Factor right through.  Tongue Heat, and then drying.  Coconut. Dark caramel.  Promise kept.
Finish: Tongue slightly drying, but not a problem.
Length: Medium/long
Comment: Wow Factor! Would get a bottle (around $110
Score: 8.2 – 8.5

Disclaimer:
All writings on rantwhisky.com are the work of Real People.
No AI has been used.

Bet you couldn’t have guessed that!

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Collecting Whisky Miniatures

By Pat Phipps

The original purpose of miniature bottles (“minis”) – be they a whisky, a rum, or even a liqueur – was to allow the customer the chance to try an inexpensive sample before buying the full-sized bottle.

Too often overlooked on the shelf in the bottle store, collecting whisky miniatures has been one of my passions for over 30 years.

During my big OE in 1989, among other countries my brother and I ventured to Scotland where we visited Glenturret, Scotland’s oldest working distillery.

A tour of the distillery and a tasting afterwards was the start of my love affair with whisky.

At the distillery shop I bought my first minis – the full range.  I still have them, unopened.

The Glenturret Miniatures

At the time, I thought to myself that surely there can’t be many miniatures around.

How wrong can you be?

The great thing about collecting miniatures is that they don’t take up that much physical space.  Unless of course, like me, you let them!

I recently found a Macallan 1824 series of four miniatures for a cool $2,000 – at $500 for a 50cl bottle, well past my tipping point!   

Over time I have accumulated over 1,000 examples, laid out in display cases to show them off.  Each case is complete with felt backing and a clear poly-carbonate front so that the contents won’t succumb to a passing earthquake.

Pricing

When I first started collecting minis the price was about $2 – 3 each.  But, like just about everything, inflation has got to that and now a mini price is generally north of $10 a unit.  The price of some gems that I’ve bought, I admit, have made me wince and I’ve had to remind myself of their rarity – such as a 40-year-old Glenfarclas at $150.

These days, miniatures are not really provided as samples.  They are aimed squarely at marketing and at collectors.

Minis come in widely varied shapes.  Wild Turkey produce 50cl ceramic turkeys in different poses filled with Bourbon.  St Andrews did ceramic golf bags clad in different tartans; some with gold-plated golf balls to celebrate famous players.

I recently found a Macallan 1824 series of four miniatures for a cool $2,000 – at $500 for a 50cl bottle, well past my tipping point!    Obviously, some distilleries put out these sets purely to go straight for the collectors’ jugular, which I don’t think really meets the original purpose of the miniature.

Collector “Specials”

In my collection I have golf balls, golf bags, barrels, stills and ceramic jugs.  When times were not so Politically Correct, even cigarette companies had offerings made for them: I have a Dunhill Cigarette Company scotch whisky mini in a pot still-shaped bottle.

Another is a Balvenie whisky in a cognac bottle shape which I picked up on a Pacific Island trip.  This bottling shape, sadly, is long gone.

I take great pleasure in finding a mini that comes with a tube or box.  Putting the bottle next to the tube adds a delightful extra dimension to the display.

An entire distillery core bottling range of minis, displayed in line, really makes the labels stand out in a way that you might not notice if you only had one or two.

We know that distilleries change their core range labels from time to time.  A selection of minis of the same bottlings, but with labels from different times, becomes an excellent reference library.

As time goes on and you add new bottlings to existing lines you get a history of how the marketers have tried to get their offerings to stand out. As miniatures usually don’t get opened and consumed, the result is acquiring historical significance as an archive

There is an amazing website for miniature collectors as well.   The site has thousands of images from people who have sent in pictures of their unique collections and once you get past the wow factor – enjoy.

FAKES

Believe it or not, another collecting line are fakes minis.  These come from all sources.

Fake Minis

The first two I purchased from Vanuatu about 20 years ago.  One was a rum, the other a whisky in the loosest of terms.  It was more like neutral spirit with flavouring and imaginative labels such as Captain Cooks No. 1 rum and McBrewsters fine old whisky.

Another source of fakes is Egypt.  Whisky Magazine did an article on fake miniatures a few years ago with mainly Johnnie Walker bottlings being produced.  The writer, possibly wisely, was not anxious at all to taste the products, but was very interested in collecting them.

The labels were badly misspelt so it was easy to spot them as fakes.  Labelling such as John Warder, John Whler and Chefas Rijal were a big clue, although the bottle shapes and label quality were good judging by the photos.

A Minis Display in an Edinburgh Whisky Shop

Next time you are in your favourite spirits shop take a moment to look at the miniatures they have.  There might be something to try for a fraction of the price of a full size one!