A phrase which has always stayed with me since I first heard it “there should be no waiver, on aroma and flavour”. We all have these wee sayings, which worm a way into our brains. Then for some reason or other, just sticks. Maybe, it’s because something subconsciously resonated, but it then takes a minute […]
Read MoreA phrase which has always stayed with me since I first heard it “there should be no waiver, on aroma and flavour”. We all have these wee sayings, which worm a way into our brains. Then for some reason or other, just sticks. Maybe, it’s because something subconsciously resonated, but it then takes a minute for our conscious brain to catch up.
Happened to me with this particular saying, which I can thank an old friend for. It came about over a few drinks…you know the conversations when you’re trying to put the world to rights. In our case we were discussing the commoditisation of brewing and fermenting for all types of alcohol. We’d managed to steal the pub’s prime spot, in the nook. Where we chatted about beers, ciders and the production of base alcohols that are used for whisky production.
One subject we’ve always agreed upon came up again for the umpteenth time that day. It was the subject of how large-scale commercial brewing and distilling is typically driven hard from a cost saving perspective. With an inevitable loss in quality, and “soul” in the final product. So let me try and define what I describe as “soul” in a product.
One can have two beers in identical glasses. They can be the same colour, have the same amount of foam or head and additionally the same carbonation (bubbles). However, when you come to sample (smell and taste). One of the beers can have noticeably less flavour and aroma, due to the way it’s been produced
This can be true for beer, cider, base alcohols for whisky production and a whole host of other beverages. Food too as I’m sure everyone has their favourite restaurant for exactly this reason.
The next day when I went back to work, it was brewing day. I remembered that line, “There should be no waiver on aroma and flavour” and it became one of my mantras in brewing.
I joined the Nine Rivers Distillery (9RD) team last December and get asked fairly often, what I’ve been working on. Plus, how I’m going to help the 9RD project deliver on its promise of putting China on the world whisky map. There’s a curiosity from my network and people in the drinks industry, why a brewer is part of a single malt whisky distillery project.
I’m building on the very conversation discussed above. Using my experience as a brewing professional to ensure Nine Rivers Distillery delivers on its founding principles of being driven by the quality of the final product – which starts at the very beginning of the whisky crafting process. It starts with grains, malting, milling, mashing and fermenting – which is exactly where we start in brewing!
This is in contrast to the approach that seems to dominate the whisky industry. Creating whiskies driven by the numbers on a spreadsheet. Costs being the apparent enemy to most modern whisky.
It’s the main reason I’m part of this journey. I’ve always strived to deliver in aroma and flavour in beers. Now to be given the opportunity to do the same with single malt whisky in China in a project that is not only talking the talk, but walking the walk (as demonstrated by the appointment of absolute legends in the whisky industry, such as Stuart MacPherson).
I will be putting together a series of articles over the next few months that will outline how we will approach the pre-distillation processes involved in crafting of single malt whisky. How Nine Rivers Distillery will differentiate itself from the global whisky industry by putting quality before costs.
We’ll not re-invent the wheel, nor ever claim to do so. There are so many great people in this industry, who’ve done amazing work. They’ve taken ideas, explored them as well as shared some of their findings. We’ll just be looking at doing all it, together, as the foundation to creating better whisky.
I come from a brewing background so I know barley well. Barley plays a massive role in the crafting of whisky. Both as single malt, and as single grains or blends. Malted barley is critical in some amount for all whiskies. It creates the enzymes used for converting starches to sugars that are then used to feed yeasts that create alcohol.
What most people don’t realise is that there are around 5,500 types of barley. However, not all are used for making alcohol. Even less are used in whisky production. In fact there are only around a dozen types of barley that are used in the whisky industry. It’s no coincidence that these are the most cost effective types of barley as opposed to the types that could give the best aromas and flavours. Commercial distillers need the highest yeilds possible – more litres of alcohol per ton of grain, in the shortest time possible.
Whisky is big business, with Statista stating revenue in the industry will amount to US$88.07bn in 2023. The market is expected to grow annually by 5.18% (CAGR 2023-2027). A very small number of multi-billion-dollar corporations dominate whisky production – all with shareholders to appease with dividends derived from profits.
Coming from a brewing background I know many of the big breweries, and I know first hand that they work to costing a product first, and then they build a recipe around this number.
If you are selling tens of million of bottles of beer per year and you have an opportunity to save just 1% on the manufacturing, then the addition to the bottom line is substantial. The same principles apply in whisky production too. It’s often the same companies who own both the big beer and whisky brands, seen on supermarket shelves.
As a brewer, grains are my starting point. A lot of brewers concentrate on differentiation through hops. Of course, hops are important, but grains are the “soul” of a beer. Hops are (in my opinion) more like the seasoning. No amount of salt and pepper can make a cheap steak taste as good as a prime cut of wagyu. No amount of fancy hops can make a good beer out of something made from substandard grains or an inferior mash
Barley and grain terroir – How and where the grains are grown can affect the sensory of a whisky
The revival of heritage grains – How European barleys are being revived and bringing back flavours many thought were lost.
The use of specialist malts – Looking at specialties like roasted malts used in brewing, and how they can impact the final whisky.
Non-Traditional Whisky Grains – There’s whisky being made all over the globe. Not all distilleries use grains typically associated with whisky production. We plan to explore this topic on your behalf, and share our findings with you.
Yeasts – how we will be collecting and developing natural yeast strains from our local environment and integrating these into our fermentation to help create a unique “Longyan, Fujian” whisky.
“There should be no waiver, on aroma and flavour” is a mantra I live by. It’s one I ’Il continue using during my Nine Rivers Distillery journey. The ethos of the project is to make quality product at any cost, while still offering good value to whisky lovers resonates with me and I’ll ensure that everything pre-distillation will deliver.
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Short straws drawn, so now it’s my turn to pile in with some words about me, my life in China and how I’m part of the connection between Xiamen and Nine Rivers Distillery. So let’s start with the basics: my name is Marc Alexander, I’m 33 years old and I’ve been in China for a […]
Read MoreShort straws drawn, so now it’s my turn to pile in with some words about me, my life in China and how I’m part of the connection between Xiamen and Nine Rivers Distillery.
So let’s start with the basics: my name is Marc Alexander, I’m 33 years old and I’ve been in China for a decade. Like a lot of expats here in China, I’m involved in education and I teach at an international school in Xiamen.
I’m originally from Leeds, which is probably unheard of to most people unless you’re a soccer fan. It’s a city in the north of England built around the River Aire, with the name Leeds being derived from some ancient word that means fast flowing river. Soccer aside, it’s the home of carbonated water (which was invented in Leeds in the 1760’s) and used to be a major mill town alongside iron foundries, engineering companies and printworks. But as you can probably see from the picture above, it has absolutely nothing to do with Xiamen and Nine Rivers Distillery!
Had I been born in Sheffield (about 60 km away) I could make some smart reference to pottery, ceramic and of course China (the English definition of China being porcelain ceramic ware) but I wasn’t, so I can’t.
I actually came to China for a year of doing something left field and unconventional in a plan that saw me originally going back to the UK to fall into a conventional life of teaching. That was a decade ago. I’ve since got married, started a family and have no real interest to leave.
China very quickly became not only a part of my life, but it created the environment for me that I wanted to live in. There’s a huge comfort in China due to the overall safety of living here and when you factor in salaries and it’s relativity to the general cost of living, then the QUALITY of life here in China is higher than I would have if I went back home to the UK.
Everyone has their own story about how they got into whisky. For me it was half pushed and half dragged by Bajan Jeremy (he claims to be from Canada, but he has this fantastically rich accent that can only be described as Bajan Creole).
I wasn’t exactly kicking and screaming but had some initial reservations due to typical stereotypes associated with whisky drinking and whisky drinkers in general.
A night out on a quick crash course with Bajan Jeremy and I enjoyed it enough to join some of the whisky groups that Jeremy was a part of, and start my journey into whisky.
Through the groups I learned about Nine Rivers Distillery and chatted to a few people that were already involved in the project. Eventually I talked with Jay a few times and, due to the passion, the creativity and the vision I experienced, I decided to get involved as an investor in the project.
One of the key things that distinguishes this project from every other startup distillery that I’ve read about is the involvement of us as investors. Sure, there are a few people that have slung in some wedge and done nothing. Whether they are actually just too busy in life, or just lazy slobs, is something they can best answer themselves. But for me, I always wanted to be a part of it.
I don’t know how to make whisky. Like the vast majority of whisky lovers I know the theory. We all know it’s about malting, milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, casking and then eventually bottling. But to actually make something, there are far too many things I don’t have experience in. But where I have at least some time and skill, I throw in some effort.
I help out on writing content. I help out on social media. I get involved with organizing and hosting the Xiamen Whisky Networking events – the very same events that were the catalyst for the Nine Rivers Distillery project. The Founders’ Flight in Xiamen was an amazing night!
Every little helps and every hour I put in takes an hour of pressure away from the core team so they have more time for the more important and strategic stuff. It also gives me the pride of being able to say I was more than just an investor. I got involved and helped make the project happen.
Being based in Xiamen, I’m less than 2 hours drive away from the site. Not quite on my doorstep but close enough to go up on a weekend at least once a month and get involved in the construction. Even if I’m just making the coffees, I want to be a part of the energy on site that will go into building our distillery. I’m not the only person based in Xiamen that is involved in the project. There’s a whole crowd of us, and let’s not forget that the very first investment agreement was signed in Xiamen at CIFIT back in 2019. (There was another agreement signed last year for the Red Rock Mountain Cooperage project!)
All this adds up to make the Xiamen and Nine Rivers Distillery connection really strong. Perhaps we won’t unseat Shenzhen as the spiritual home of the project, but we’ll be number 2 on the list of candidates for sure.
I will be leading a group of us investors from Xiamen and we will be spending a lot more time at the site in Longyan during July to help out with The Plenum, a wall featuring names on steel plates that will be wrapped around bricks and cemented into the wall. There will be an event at the end of July where of our investors and everyone that has bought a brick, will be invited to our site for a day long event.
The building of this feature wall is going to be a huge milestone for everyone involved in the project. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else there at the end of July 2023!
Marc Alexander
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It’s Chinese New Year, traditionally a time of giving (lots of money) and receiving (considerably less money). Here at Nine Rivers Distillery, we also want to receive something from you – your valuable opinion. What are we giving in exchange? The chance to be part of the design of a really exciting project – the […]
Read MoreIt’s Chinese New Year, traditionally a time of giving (lots of money) and receiving (considerably less money). Here at Nine Rivers Distillery, we also want to receive something from you – your valuable opinion. What are we giving in exchange? The chance to be part of the design of a really exciting project – the 9RD Plenum!
If you have been following Nine Rivers Distillery on social media then you’ll have seen our “Brick for Life” programme. Essentially it’s an opportunity for supporters of the Nine Rivers Distillery project to have their name immortalized on a stainless steel plate, wrapped around a brick, that will be cemented into a feature wall on one of our buildings.
This wall will make up our plenum of supporters and anyone that buys a plenum brick will have the added benefit of a free dram (50ml measures – no short drams at 9RD!) every time they visit for the rest of their life.*
It’s not just the perfect memento for whisky lovers all over the world, but it’s also a fantastic gift for any whisky lover that you think deserves a really unique gift for life.
As you should know by now, here at Nine Rivers Distillery, we’re all about the people. The people that have invested in our project. The people that support our project by sharing our content on social media. The people that come to our events. But also to whisky lovers everywhere. The opinions of whisky lovers help to shape and define our project, so your opinion is what we need.
We want The Plenum to look amazing – we don’t want anyone involved in our Bricks for Life programme to feel like just another brick in the wall. So we need everyone’s opinion on what design we should use to create THE most photogenic wall at any distillery in the world.
We have created a few mock ups (kudos to Hayden, Maggie, Winnie and Joe for painstakingly laying these all out, on a freezing cold Tuesday in January) and we want you all to vote on which design you think works best.
My design is inspired by recent events. I call this ‘The Socially Distanced Brick’. So vote for my design because my design has modern and relevant meaning”
“My design was inspired by a video shared to us a few days ago, from a rather strange 1970’s pop song called ‘The Wall’. There were rows and rows of people sitting at desks. I like how it all conformed and while totally boring, had a rather unique charm. So vote for my design.”
“My design was based on how my OCD forces me to arrange absolutely everything in my life in perfectly straight lines. It’s also the reason why I don’t do noodles. They are way too curly. So vote for my design or everyone will know you like noodles.”
“I based my design on lightning, in the same pattern that I used to have shaved into my hair when I was a young, rebellious hipster – I was the coolest dude in all of Hunan province”
If the excitement of being part of the magic wasn’t enough to motivate you to get clicking, then how about this? Everyone that votes for the winning layout will go into a lucky draw for a bottle of The Founders’ Casks Expression 3 – AND, you’ll get your hands on the bottle before they are officially released!
If all this talk of The Plenum has got you feeling like you want to be a part of it and have your name immortalized in Longyan, Fujian, then here’s your chance.
CLICK HERE to buy your brick while we still have some left. Remember to add your name as you want it displayed on your brick, to your order notes!
*Note. Any bricks purchased on behalf of minors will not benefit from free alcoholic drinks. Additionally, the drink must be consumed on site, and cannot be taken away off site. There are laws around the consumption of alcohol and we understandably respect those laws.
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There are many companies that are involved in helping us to bring Nine Rivers Distillery to reality – today we start to bring these companies into the spotlight, starting with Fujian Rong Tian Construction Company – our construction partner. Rong Tian Fujian Rong Tian Construction Company are the company that recently won the tender to […]
Read MoreThere are many companies that are involved in helping us to bring Nine Rivers Distillery to reality – today we start to bring these companies into the spotlight, starting with Fujian Rong Tian Construction Company – our construction partner.
Fujian Rong Tian Construction Company are the company that recently won the tender to build our distillery in Longyan, something we announced back on 11th December (CLICK HERE to catch up and read that article if you missed it). Let’s start with hearing from the boss himself.
“I first heard about the Nine Rivers Distillery project back in 2020 in Dongguan, Guangdong. A group of whisky loving friends were talking about it one afternoon when I caught up with them for lunch. Some of the group were part of the Dongguan Whisky Networking community and had met some of the people involved. There was some curiosity about the project because it seemed to be so unique, and so ambitious! A bunch of whisky lovers coming together to take on the big players in the industry? Was it even possible? But honestly after that day, I totally forgot about it – until 2022.”
“During 2022 I heard the name of Nine Rivers Distillery circulating more and more both within Guangdong and also within Fujian, where our company, Rong Tian, is based. Some of my friends in Guangdong started to forward me WeChat official account articles. The whisky lovers had gone from talking about it to actually doing something. They had land in Longyan – a significant piece of land too! I remember checking a map and seeing their site was just in the next district of Longyan from where our company headquarters were. It was an interesting coincidence, but again, I didn’t really think much of it.”
“Eventually I heard about a tender to provide the construction services for this project. I asked one of my staff to look into it and they came back to me with one of the most interesting architectures I’ve seen in more than two decades of leading our company. I didn’t know what a “typical distillery” would or should look like, but I expected it would be a boring, typical factory building. When I saw the vision that these whisky lovers had put together on their website, I knew at that point I wanted to be involved in this project.”
“We’re not the biggest construction company in Longyan, let alone Fujian province. But we have had some good success over these last 20 years and it has given us the ability to be able to choose some of the more interesting projects. As you get older you realise there’s more to life that just winning construction projects and successfully delivering them. There’s the need for challenge and to do new things. We’ve built so many factories, roads, residential developments and even railway infrastructure, that it just get a bit, well, too easy.”
“We’ve never built a distillery so I wanted this project for chance to push our skills and talents into new areas. I also wanted the professional pride of building something that is, in all honest, quite beautiful. Buildings with style and character that are combining so many interesting styles of design and architecture. The type of buildings that I can photograph, put on my office wall and look at every day and be proud that we, Rong Tian, we built that.”
“I assigned this project to the best people I have. They were brief with the simple statement that WE NEED THIS PROJECT – this will define Rong Tian for 2023 and beyond. This will be the project that will underpin our future success. I made the right decision. We won the project. So here’s to 2023 and beyond!”
The team from Rong Tian is led by 罗发叶 Luo Fa Ye, and here are his thoughts.
“It has been an exciting few months to get to this point. Initially the entire tendering process, which was a massive piece of work for us to do in such a short space of time. We were bidding against some really amazing companies – some much bigger than us with a much richer portfolio of achievements. But every single one of them were highly respect companies. The best of the best. It meant that we, as Rong Tian, had to work harder to create a proposal that wasn’t just technically correct and commercially correct – it also had to convey the fact that we, as Rong Tian, could deliver to the quality standards that were expected.”
“In hindsight, I think this is where we had the advantage. This project was never about making profit for us as a company. Sure, we can’t afford to make a loss. But the future value of having such a beautiful, showcase example of the very best of Chinese craftsmanship on a project that will get global attention -this is what mattered to us as Rong Tian.”
“I’m really proud that we won this project and I’m enjoying working with the team at Nine Rivers Distillery. It’s giving me a really good opportunity to practice my English!
I’d like to start by saying that the tendering process to choose our construction partner was a really difficult decision for us to make. We had 8 proposals from 8 really amazing companies. Every single one of them were more than capable to deliver our project. So to help us to make the right decision, we worked with an independent third party company who are experts in this process.
Under the guidance of the third party expert company, we chose Rong Tian and we’re confident that it was the right decision for us to make.
So far, everything is going to plan and to schedule and I’m really excited to finally see our project transition from the ambition of a couple of hundred whisky lovers, into something real.
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[Longyan, China, 30 December 2022] Nine Rivers Distillery today announced that Stuart MacPherson, former Macallan Master of Wood, has been appointed as an advisor to the board of directors. MacPherson brings over 43 years of experience in oak barrels and spirit maturation, taking on the new role as Master of Wood, leading the Nine Rivers […]
Read More[Longyan, China, 30 December 2022] Nine Rivers Distillery today announced that Stuart MacPherson, former Macallan Master of Wood, has been appointed as an advisor to the board of directors. MacPherson brings over 43 years of experience in oak barrels and spirit maturation, taking on the new role as Master of Wood, leading the Nine Rivers Distillery cooperage project.
“It’s quite unique to see a distillery start-up taking such a wholistic approach to crafting whisky” remarked MacPherson, commenting on Nine Rivers Distillery’s decision to open a cooperage. “Very few distilleries take wood management so seriously, despite barrels being responsible for between 50% and 60% of the aromas and flavours of the final product. Oak barrels are so often treated as a commodity item to be sourced as cheaply as possible despite the fact that you just can’t make the best whisky unless you have the very best oak barrels”.
Nine Rivers Distillery CEO Jay Robertson, when speaking of Stuart MacPherson’s appointment, said “The fact that we have been able to secure Stuart to join 9RD is a testament to the team that we have put together to build and lead our project. We know what we want to achieve as a distillery and a cooperage led by one of the most experienced professionals in the industry was an absolute must have for us”
MacPherson’s career started off as an apprentice cooper back in 1979, at the Clyde Cooperage Company (owned by Edrington, making casks for Macallan). MacPherson rose through the ranks before becoming Cooperage Manager from 2001. MacPherson was appointed as Master of Wood at Macallan in 2012 and concurrently ran the operations in Spain, where Macallan work with cooperages and bodegas to source what are arguably the best sherry casks in the world.
Stuart MacPherson retired from Macallan in 2022 and continues to consult for a number of clients both in the UK and internationally.
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Neil Playfoot joins Nine Rivers