IONA MACPHIE
"I’ve learned small changes to the process can make a big difference to the spirit"
IONA MACPHIE
IONA'S DRAM
- Base malt
- Concerto
- Speciality malt
- 10% Chocolate Malt
- Yeast
- Distillamax MG
- Fermentation time
- Long (90-120 hrs)
- Fermentation temp
- Warm (30-34 max temp)
- Foreshots run
- Long (15-30 minutes)
- Spirit run
- Long (3hrs30)
- Spirit cut point
- Low for unpeated (64%)
- Spirit phenols
- Unpeated
My thought process behind my Journeyman’s began at Crisp maltings in Portgordon. I tried a variety of speciality malts, one of which was a chocolate malt that had a rich and slightly bitter taste, and it was definitely moreish – I managed to eat a couple of handfuls! When the opportunity came around to create my own whisky, I instantly knew I would be including chocolate malt, but I didn’t expect that my worts would come through almost entirely black and, once fermented for my chosen minimum of 120 hours, look more this Guinness than wash. I was pleasantly surprised with my spirit result, instantly smelling and tasting the chocolate malt after just 15 minutes of foreshots, so I cut onto spirit. I kept my final cut point low to include deep, rich flavours in the final dram.
Iona discovered her love of whisky when she was a tour guide with Talisker, loving not only a dram but also the enthusiasm of everyone throughout the industry. When she saw a new distillery opening in Sleat advertising for distillers she jumped at the chance.