Three ups and three downs since I started drinking whisky

The whisky industry sure has changed a lot the last two decades, at least since it's boom in the early to mid 2000's. Here's what I think are the positive and the negative changes within the industry...


Postitives :-)

- There are plenty more bottlings to choose from, many distilleries are showing off a bigger variety of different aged expressions, often at cask strength, as well as single casks. More Independent bottlers are hitting the market with new bottlings as well.

- Higher %abv. 46% seems to be the new 40%, very well, and the aforementioned cask strength bottlings, as well as no coloring and no chill-filtration. All good.

- Online availability, more and more online shops selling whisky, and shipping to most of the world are out there. This makes for a bigger market and easier ways to broaden your horizon when it comes to distilleries or expressions that's maybe not available in your country. Like for me for instance, in Norway there's no Fettercairn. :(


Negatives :-(

- Sherry Finishings. Maybe I'm a bit judgmental as I know there are good finishings out there, but 3-6 months of finishing in a sherry cask doesn't give the same effect as 12 years in one. Fortunately there are distilleries like Aberlour with their A'bunadh that produces quality fully sherry matured whisky.

- Money matters. Far too much whisky is overpriced on today's market, and it doesn't seem to stop. Is single malt on the way to becoming something pretentious, style over substance, for the upper class stuff? I think it to a certain degree already is.

- Tasting notes on labels, the absolute low-down from the industry, what I am concerned. Weird since I write them myself. But I think that drinking whisky is perhaps one of the most individual experiences, as nothing is wrong or right. And being a completely independent blogger I have no trouble admitting that none of my tasting notes should be read as something more than reflections on my personal experience when tasting that whisky. On the other hand, I feel that a note on a whisky label is dubious at least, as they for once, is written to glorify that whisky, and it shows the drinker what to look for, and therefor I think customers might become biased within both expectance and experience. Please let people experience whisky themselves and taste what it does taste to them instead of being given expectations of what to find.