NAS whisky - throwing in my $0.02

If you're a regular reader of the whisky "blogosphere" (I hate that word), you'll have no doubt noticed a number of recent posts giving various viewpoints on the topic of No Age Statement, or "NAS" whiskies. If not, see Caskstrength, Whisky Israel and Edinburgh Whisky Blog for their thoughts - highly reputable blogs (far better blogs than this one, I should add). Given all the debate, the discussions I've been having recently, and the fact that I'm predicting the rise of NAS in my 2014 whisky predictions, I decided it was time to throw my 2c into the mix.

There seems to be two ends of the spectrum - from "NAS will be the death of the whisky industry" to "Meh", with everyone having an opinion somewhere in between the two extremes. My opinion leans heavily towards the latter, and here's why:

1) NAS is not a new concept
Granted, the concept has gained prominence in the last year as we start to see more and more big players release high-publicised NAS whiskies (chief amongst them Macallan, with their 1824 Series retail release, and Glenfiddich with their Global Travel Retail "Cask" releases). NAS has been around for years though, and there's a good chance you've tried an NAS whisk(e)y, possibly without even realising it.



2) NAS does not necessarily mean "young"

Sure, a lack of age statement may (and probably does) mean there's an element of younger whiskies thrown in the mix - if there wasn't, the whisky would probably carry an age statement. But so what? If the liquid inside is quality, and you enjoy the taste, does it really matter? Does anyone chastise Balvenie TUN1401 for being an NAS whisky? No, because it's one of the best Speyside drams going around.


3) ...but even if it does, that doesn't necessarily mean "bad"
There's a common misconception amongst people relatively new to whisky that "older always means better", and that's just absolutely untrue. Yes, there are some excellent older whiskies - the current Glenfiddich 40yo for example still ranks as one of my favourite whiskies of all time, but there are also older whiskies that simply haven't aged well, or should have been bottled years before (I'm reminded of the example of a particular Scottish distillery which bottled a 50yo release at an eye-watering price, described to me as fairly ho-hum by someone who had tried it on more than one occasion).

Then there are plenty of examples of cracking younger whiskies - Old Hobart, for example, have only been in operation since 2005, yet have been producing fantastic whisky for years.

In short, "old" doesn't necessarily mean "good", and "young" doesn't necessarily mean "bad". There are several factors to take into account during whisky production (cask selection, environment, the distillate itself to name just three), and each plays a large part in the ultimate quality of the whisky.


4) There is a lot of excellent, excellent NAS whisky
If I look at the last duty-free (sorry, "Global Travel Retail") purchases Steph and I have made, I don't actually see many age-statement whiskies in there. Laphroaig PX Cask, Aberlour A'bunadh, Ardbeg Corryvreckan. All fantastic whiskies, all NAS. Not to mention Balvenie TUN 1401 Batch 5, Ardbeg Alligator (one of my top three whiskies of all time), Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary and Talisker Storm - also excellent NAS whiskies.

...and that's just the Scotch. Let's not forget George T Stagg, Makers Mark, Sazerac Rye and Balcones Baby Blue - all examples of premium, or ubiquitously popular American whiskies, and all NAS.


5) Not everyone is going to like every whisky
I think some people fall into the trap of trying one bad NAS whisky (or even just one they didn't like), and tarring the whole category with the same brush. Now sure, there are NAS whiskies I don't like. Auchentoshan Three Wood is one example (actually, I'm not a big fan of most Auchentoshan whiskies). White Oak Akashi is another. But there are also popular aged whiskies I don't like too. Macallan 12yo Fine Oak for example - not a whisky I would choose to buy (not a bad whisky, just one I don't love at the moment).

The point is, everyone's palate differs and not everyone is going to enjoy every whisky. To write-off an entire category because of a bad experience or two though, is (in my opinion) foolish, when the category has so many stellar examples.


6) Distilleries realise they have a brand to protect
Some of the NAS talk I've seen is about how the category will ultimately result in a decline in quality. Will it? We're talking about a seriously long-sighted (not to mention old) industry here. One that has to forecast demands years and years in advance. Even with NAS gaining prominence, no distillery is going to distill a whisky today and bottle it tomorrow (well, with a few niche exceptions).

I have no doubt that over the coming years, we'll see bad NAS whiskies (we'll no doubt see bad aged whiskies too), and if enough people think they're bad, they won't buy them, and the whiskies will be pulled from sale. If the distillery continues to release poor whisky (age statement or not), the market will react accordingly. Just as it always has done, and life will continue as normal.

Maybe that was a little more than 2c worth, but thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts - agree, disagree? Please feel free to comment below and let me know.

Cheers, 

 - Martin.

Martin's whisky predictions for 2014

For the final TimeforWhisky post for 2013, I've decided to make a few predictions for global whisky trends in 2014 (what makes me qualified to do that? Absolutely nothing! This is just for a bit of fun).

By putting this post up I could be setting myself up for ridicule, especially if we look back in 12 months and realise none of these have eventuated...but hey, I can handle that.

So without further ado, here are my 10 (5 serious, 5 sarcastic / not so serious) predictions for whisky trends in 2014:

Serious:

1. The rise and rise of NAS (Non-Age Statement) whiskies. As we touched on back in October, due to current worldwide demand for whisk(e)y, which was unexpected when a lot of the whisky we currently drink was being distilled, aged whisky stocks are starting to dwindle. NAS isn't a new thing, but with Macallan leading the way with a core series, and Glenfiddich following with a Global Travel Retail series, I think we'll start to see a lot more of this in 2014. I even think we could see a major blend move to NAS for at least one release in their core range.
   
   Will consumers take to it? Personally, I think so (having tasted the better The Macallan releases in the 1824 Series, I can confidently say NAS whiskies can still be fantastic drams. Just look at The Balvenie's TUN1401 and the prices it commands too).
   
   
2. The rise of "New World" whiskies. Scotland, Ireland, USA. These are countries we expect to produce whisk(e)y. Australia, Taiwan, Sweden, New Zealand, India - these are (just a few of the many) countries that historically, we don't, but that we all now know make some fantastic whisky. I'm confident we'll see this trend continue, with new distilleries AND new countries making their mark on the global whisk(e)y scene.
   
   If I was to make a specific prediction, I'd say we'll see a rise in (quality, world-class) Indian whisky. India currently has 10+ distilleries, but only 2 producing world-class whisky that I'm aware of. 2014 could see a 3rd.
   
   
3. Craft / quality Bourbon (and American whiskey in general) will grow in popularity in Australia. Australia is a nation that loves Bourbon, but typically mixes it with Coke. I think 2014 will start to see Bourbon being recognised by Australian drinkers as a quality sipping spirit, in much the same way Scotch has over the past few years. There's no shortage of great Bourbons available here - the general population just needs to realise that it doesn't always need to be mixed!
   
   
4. Flavoured whiskies. I really hope I'm wrong with this one.
   
   
5. Stronger whisky. I think we could see more and more "mainstream" whiskies moving up in ABV%, from 40 to 43%, 43 to 47%, with some moving even higher (not to SMWS-like levels, mind you).
   

Sarcastic / not so serious:

1. An Australian whisky will win a global award, and we won't hear the end of it for months.
   
2. The 2014 releases of Port Ellen and Pappy Van Winkle 23yo will cost an absurd amount, and will still sell out in minutes. My guess is £2,000 for Port Ellen, though £2,500 wouldn't surprise me.
   
3. A new "world's most expensive / oldest" whisky will be released (and will probably taste like eating a chunk of wood).
   
4. William Grant & Sons will release at least 3 new Global Travel Retail editions for 2014...and I'll try to buy them all.
   
5. Jim Murray will make a controversial statement in 2014, everyone will talk about it, but deep down, no one will really care.

Let's see how this washes up in 12 months...

On a final note - however you're celebrating New Years, we hope you enjoy it (ideally with a dram in hand), and we'll see you in 2014! Thanks again for reading our ramblings throughout 2013, and hopefully you find it even more entertaining in 2014.

Cheers, 

Martin.