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Macpherson, James
A notorious outlaw at the end of the 17th century,
James Macpherson was something of a Robin Hood character –
handsome, good natured and generous to the poor. Although an unrepentant
criminal in what was a violent age, no charge of bloodshed was
ever brought against him. He courted and married "bonny"
Annie Grant, daughter of the Laird of Aberlour, and he and his
gang had a number of hiding places in the area. After leading
the authorities a merry dance for a number of years, Macpherson
was finally captured at Keith in 1700. He and an accomplice were
sentenced to death and executed in the marketplace at Banff one
grey afternoon in November of that year.
It was said that before his execution Macpherson
played a dirge he had composed, "Macpherson's Rant",
on his violin, offering the instrument to anyone in the crowd
who would think well of him. When he saw there were no takers,
he broke the violin over the executioner's head and, jumping
from the scaffold, hanged himself.
Mash tun
A large, circular, covered vessel with a rotating
rake-like attachment, which stirs and breaks up the thick porridgy
mash – grist (ground malt) mixed with very hot water. The
combination of heat, movement and moisture extracts the sugars
from the grist, dissolving them in the water. This sugary liquid,
called wort, is drained off and transferred to the washback for
the next stage of the process: fermentation.
Maturation
Some whiskies reach their optimum state quite
young, others take longer to mature fully. The legal minimum is
three years, but in the case of Aberlour it is at least ten years
before the spirit is judged ready for bottling. During this period,
the raw liquid slowly acquires the aroma, colour, body, complexity
and taste of a great single malt whisky. Precisely how this is
achieved remains something of a mystery, but the casks in which
the maturing whisky is stored, the layout and location of the
warehouse and the atmospheric conditions all play a vital part.
Aberlour malt whisky is matured in oak casks that
have previously been used for American bourbon or Spanish sherry,
each adding a complex layer of flavour to the ageing spirit. The
warehouse at the distillery is sheltered from strong winds and
hot sun, but allows the porous casks to "inhale" the
moist and fragrant Highland air. (At the same time, a tiny amount
of evaporating alcohol is released into the atmosphere. This is
known as the "angels' share".) As it approaches
its age of maturity, the whisky is constantly monitored. When
the moment is right – be it 10, 12, 15 or 30 years –
the selected casks are withdrawn for bottling. Meanwhile the rest
of the whisky in the warehouse continues its long slumber.
Mitchell, Ian
A legendary figure in the Scottish whisky industry,
Ian Mitchell became manager of the Aberlour Distillery in 1966
and still had overall responsibility for the distillery when he
died in 1992. He had started as an apprentice cooper at Aberlour
20 years before, and his father and grandfather had both worked
at the distillery.
Under Mitchell's direction, the distillery
was enlarged and new equipment was introduced to replace the old.
Two further pot stills were installed, doubling the distilling
capacity. Every stage of the production process was overhauled
and this was reflected in the quality of the whisky that now emerged.
The reputation of Aberlour Single Malt soared, leading to the
winning of its first Gold Medal and Pot Still Trophy at the International
Wine & Spirit Competition in London in 1986. As a tribute
to the man and his contribution to the Scotch whisky industry,
The Ian Mitchell Memorial Trophy is awarded at the IWSC to the
year's "Best Special Edition Malt".
Muckle Spate
In August 1829 the weather was unseasonably
bad. For two whole days at its peak there was non-stop torrential
rain and high winds. The people of Aberlour and elsewhere along
the river watched in alarm as the waters of the Spey rapidly rose
and then spilled over in a violent, unstoppable flood, sweeping
all before it. Boat houses were crushed like matchsticks and many
other buildings inundated, including the manse – the wine
cellar of which, it was said, was flooded by the river and drained
by those who came to help!
Charles Cruickshank, the innkeeper, set off in his
boat with two companions to retrieve some wood from the mouth
of the Lour burn, where it joined the rampant Spey. The boat capsized
and two of the men managed to swim ashore, but the fierce current
carried the innkeeper away. Some distance down river he grabbed
an overhanging branch and hauled himself up a tree, but no one
could reach him and the waters continued to rise. Next morning
both the tree and Charlie had gone. His body was found later,
when the floodwaters had receded. Even in his desperate plight,
it seems, he had followed his usual custom of winding his watch,
for it was found in his waistcoat pocket fully wound – though
it had stopped at 11.15, at the moment the tree had given way.
The Spey would break its banks again many times over the years,
but never with such devastating effect as in the Muckle Spate
("great flood") of 1829.
Murray, Jim
The award-winning whisky writer and broadcaster
Jim Murray, author of The World Whisky Guide, has a particular
affection for Aberlour. As a young journalist in Fleet Street,
he entered a competition staged by Aberlour and The Times newspaper
to find the "Malt Whisky Buff of the Year". Murray made
it through to the final, from among 2,500 entrants, and decided
that if he won he would give up his existing job and fulfil his
ambition to become a full-time whisky writer. In the event, he
narrowly lost on points but embarked on his new career anyway.
He has enjoyed many a glass of Aberlour since – in a professional
spirit, of course.
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