Whisky isn’t everything

Message in a bottle

Whisky crosses boundaries, continents, beliefs, languages, class structures and much more besides. It has a unique quality in being able to unite strangers across a table. A common ground in troubled times; an escape from the outside world. Whether in person or virtually, whisky is a conduit that can cross the greatest of chasms.

This was underlined yet again as a result of the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing displacement of the population. Knowing Anatoliy of Ukrainian bottler Scyfion for a few years now, I reached out to see how he was coping and if his family were safe. To my surprise this was midway through his drive out of Ukraine and across Europe to relocate. With the instant nature of media today and repetitive reporting, we can become desensitised to the ugly sights we’re seeing on our television screens. Actually knowing someone that lives in the region puts a whole new perspective on the situation; a recognisable face among the unfolding tragedy. 

Just a week or so later, Anatoliy was in Scotland to check up on some casks – fortunately whisky has to be kept in Scotland until bottling to warrant the name – and we caught up for an hour during his schedule for a chat over a cuppa. I have to say, for someone that has faced a change in circumstances that I could never comprehend, Anatoliy was very upbeat and defiant with his positivity.

Handing over a gift of a 28 year Tormore was unexpected and led to some fund-raising activities (more on that, later), but also the journey that this mere bottle had endured to reach the Kingdom of Fife. Its presence is a daily reminder that whisky isn’t everything and have we become obsessed with the chase and the pursuit of the latest valuable release? Would you sell your granny for the latest Springbank Local Barley? Some out there, fuelled by gold whisky fever, would consider it a worthwhile price and that’s a good point to step away from the bottle madness.

After a couple of initial questions about the bottle itself, I felt there was a more stimulating and emotional discussion to be had for this article.

What was the inspiration for the label, which is quite different from other Scyfion releases we've seen?

We’re always trying to make our labels truly connected with the origins of the casks. Sometimes it’s significant battles for independence, or symbolic places for the country where the cask was taken from. This Odesskoe Chernoe wine cask was from a region near Odessa, my native city. It’s not the first time we’ve filled casks from the Kolonist winery. There was Burnside in a Bashta charred cask and Mortlach in Odesskoe Chernoe wine, as well.

This label was dedicated to two of Odessa’s favourite writers: Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov. Two young writers with a tremendous sense of humour and sharp feelings of the reality of living in a young USSR in the 1920s-1930s. On the label, they’re discussing their future book The Twelve Chairs, and the main character Ostap Bender that was prototyped from a man who lived in Odessa and was their friend.

Tormore isn’t the most popular of whiskies but we’re starting to see some well-aged casks being bottled and a new appreciation – why this distillery and what was the cask like prior to the finish?

I agree. In 2020-2021, several well-aged releases of Tormore appeared on the scene and that's fantastic! As you mentioned, the not so popular distillery started to get the attention it always deserved. It was mainly used in Pernod Ricard’s blends as a strong work horse and it wasn’t a mainstream target for whisky hunters. But Tormore makes a gorgeous distillate that is totally overlooked by the wider community, and when we saw this cask in Berry Bros & Rudd stock, we grabbed the pearl and decided to fill it in a stunning wine cask. We had a successful result with a Mortlach from the same cask.

You’ve got a more local winery providing the cask for this release. What prompted you to use this particular wine cask?

We previously worked with casks from Kolonist winery and it’s always an interesting and tasty experiment and result. So we assumed we needed something special and outstanding for Tormore. The answer was an Odesskoe Chernoe wine cask, which was freshly emptied from the wine. Previously the cask held wine for a year and a half. The delivery to Scotland cost us €500, and the cask itself was kindly presented by the owner of Kolonist winery.

How long was the finish for?  

The finish was for 30 months and the cask worked smoothly with Tormore, preserving the profile of the distillery and giving it a new shade.

When we spoke earlier this year, you were convinced Putin wasn’t going to invade and was bluffing – what changed?

This is the question I keep asking myself every day. But as we speak, on what is the 17th day of the war, there is no definite answer. Maybe Ukraine stuck like a bone in his throat by trying to build a democracy and choosing its own way to develop, giving an example to his own country that there’s another way to live. Maybe he’s showing the whole world that even in the 21st century, there’s no safety for anybody, because the bigger countries will still try and devour the smaller ones. There’s no real logical reason why he started the war with Ukraine. NATO? Everybody, including the USA, knows Ukraine has no chance to be a part of it. Saving people from Donetsk and Lugansk? But he came and occupied these regions eight years ago, tearing apart Ukrainian territory. 

We were always very connected with the Russian and Belarussian people. Work, friends, relatives. Most of them are as shocked as us. He ruined our lives, the future for our children, our homes. And he ruined their lives too. It was that kind of bad dream, your brain couldn't project on reality. Too surreal, too unbelievable. 

You live in Odessa, which is the 3rd largest city and a port on the south west coast. An obvious target for Russia; how long did it take you to decide to seek safety?

The Odessa region is the biggest in Ukraine, with two more ports in Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, cities in the south and north, both 30 km from Odessa respectively. It's one of Pendennis’ most important parts of Ukraine. 

I had an appointment with a friend in Belgium on February 24 and I had bought plane tickets for my wife and I. We were thinking about a few days of rest together after the meeting. On the night of February 22, a friend from a tourist agency told me our flight was cancelled, so we decided to go by car instead with the kids on the evening of the 23rd. There was tension, but we still had hope that it was just another false alarm, to which we were accustomed. 

You packed your family into a car and drove for 15 hours – how surreal was that experience?

I drove from 18.30 and throughout the night – it was 900 km from Odessa to the Ukrainian border. I wanted to be right on time for the meeting. At this time, there was no bad news and everything was calm and quiet. We crossed the Ukrainian border at 4am and wanted to have some rest in Krakow, Poland. But the news started coming in from everyone saying the war had started. We then drove 750 km to Dresden, because my nervous system, my heart and my brain wanted to drive my family as far as I could. We were shocked and devastated. Our parents, friends, life and homes we left there were in deadly danger.

Many of your friends and family remained behind – have you managed to keep in contact and how are they coping?

My life is in Ukraine. We were created to be social and dependable on our closest friends. It's still relatively calm in Odessa, compared to other Ukrainian cities. Some of them have disappeared totally. Tension is high and it eats away at your nerves and feelings. My parents don't want to leave their house – they worked their whole life to build it and it's very hard for them to leave it. My wife's 57 year old father was mobilised, and my friends are involved with local defence or volunteers. They’re trying to do their best to help.

But from February 24, it's not only war in Ukraine – it's a global catastrophe. Everyone can feel it. I'm very thankful to people from Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland and England and many other countries for supporting and giving shelters to the refugees from Ukraine. This war is harming all of us.

The Ukrainian people are united now as never before and I hope and pray it’ll be over soon. But we all should realise how precious life is. We should cherish every moment of it here in our homes and every second with our families.

Absolutely, this war underlines the fragile nature of life and things we take for granted. Children are everything. It pains me to see the footage and photographs of children, and the elderly, living in nightmare conditions. Yet there’s also a sense of pride; the fight your countrymen and women are putting up and a refusal to give in.

The hardest thing to see is children suffering. This war has taken their childhood and left a deep footprint at their life. Nightmares not only at nights. A lot of children stop talking after explosions near their homes. More than 100 kids are dead. No reason in the world can justify that. The people of Ukraine are defending their land, their homes, their lives, their freedom. They’re very thankful for the support from all over the world. But physically, they are alone in this war. And they stand firm. 

You’re helping refugees to find homes and sanctuary when they leave Ukraine. How difficult is it proving to rehome individuals, families etc.?

I appreciate all the people who are taking care of refugees and helping to organise their life in Europe. All the volunteers and people who supply food, clothes, medication and give temporary shelter to refugees from Ukraine. In a Tesco supermarket in Przemyśl, Poland, a huge hub for refugees was organised with beds, hot meals etc. In a car park close to the supermarket there are buses and cars taking people to Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, UK and the Baltic countries. Drivers have registered themselves and are taking people to other countries. People from Poland have done so much for Ukrainians at this difficult time – and the Polish cities are overwhelmed now.

Ukrainians have been disoriented at first, but they are surrounded by care in Poland. It's very difficult for some who can’t speak a foreign language, but there are a lot of volunteers helping them with translation. It's very hard to describe how it feels when you’re far from home in a different country, having to plan for weeks or months because all your life is left in Ukraine. But they are safe, and thanks to the care they’re receiving they can organise a normal life while waiting to get back to their homes.

Will your parents, relatives and friends will seek to leave if a safe corridor is established?

I'm talking with them every day. It's very hard for elders to leave their homes. They worked all their life to establish a calm and safe environment for them and a future for their children. For now, they don't want to leave their home. It was calm in Odessa until recently, but Russia started bombing along the coast. I hope they’ll have time to leave, but for now they are in Ukraine. As for my friends who are of my age, they can't leave Ukraine in a state of war. All men from 18 to 60 cannot leave Ukraine. Some of them are mobilised, some of them signed in local defence. They are all extremely motivated and supporting each other. 

Someone said Ukraine elected a comedian and got a leader, whereas in the UK, we elected a leader in Boris Johnson and got a joke. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been a tremendous example to everyone across the world. He’s really stepped up and shown tremendous qualities.

He’s showed all his best leader qualities and is being supported by the vast majority of Ukrainian people right now. He’s very diplomatic and emotional, and has a strong position at the same time. He’s doing a great job in showing the world how brave and united Ukrainians are. He stayed in Kiev showing no fear, motivating people to stay strong and win.

One thing that never crossed my mind until you mentioned it, is the lack of alcohol in warzones as it becomes unavailable. Yet you’ve been making sure some in Odessa have a wee dram of Scyfion when possible, to switch off for a few minutes?

I’ve asked my friends about that, but in solidarity with soldiers they are staying sober. In the minute of need, they know where to find Bookinist and Scyfion. Hopefully, we will share a dram soon.

When we met, what struck me most wasn’t your disappointment about the situation, it was the pride in your people and optimism – it wasn’t if you can all return to Ukraine, only when, and I found that very humbling in the face of adversity.

We believe in ourselves and our attitude to life is positive and that helps. We are used to living in difficult circumstances, but we have a lust for life and an ability to create something new and make it beautiful. We just need some stability, which happens to us so rarely. We will return to Ukraine and will rebuild and renovate it. We will make the country even more amazing than it was.

Many of us feel trapped watching things unfold and (for some) the lack of direct action from our governments. What would you suggest is best to help the people of Ukraine right now?

As for the government, they should act more intensively because this war is threatening everyone. We need the sky above Ukraine to be closed and we need military support. I realise it's politics and trying to stop Putin with sanctions and economically. But war is happening now. Every minute someone’s life is being taken.

Thank you for giving me this bottle of Tormore, as soon as you did, I knew I could use it to raise funds via my Instagram channel by encouraging onlookers to donate to charities for the relief effort. Every penny helps. To think this bottle made that journey with your family and you grabbed it leaving the house!

It's my thanks. I'm constantly amazed how whisky gathers brilliant people. Always kind and positive! It’s the best community in the world.

What next for Scyion? Of course, all your maturing casks are in Scotland safe and sound, but how disruptive has the war been to your plans? Enthusiasts still ask me when we can see your releases here in the UK?

We are planning few releases, we hope by the end of spring. Ben Nevis, Ardmore, Burnside, Craigellachie in different wine and other casks with the help of my friends in Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary and Scotland. We’ve started both Scyfion and Bookinist companies in Bulgaria. Almost all the documents are ready, so hopefully you’ll see new releases in shops soon. War has disrupted and frozen some of our plans, but we will overcome it.

I appreciate you and the Dramface team so much, for the interview and for all articles and reviews you’re doing – always transparent and independent. From me and my partners from Scyfion and all the whisky community from Ukraine and our Scotch 88 group on Facebook. Glory to Ukraine! Slainte mhath!

My thanks to Anatoliy for taking the time to answer my questions and I’m sure we’ll all send our appreciation for his ongoing efforts in helping refugees find their feet in Europe. Just this past weekend, he rented a van and drove thousands of miles to pick up refugee families and take them back to the Netherlands. 

At times, whisky is everything to some and almost blinds us, but in the harsh reality of life and the actions of some, whisky matters very little at the end of the day. Human life is precious and should be protected and nurtured in a safe and welcoming environment.

It seems a moot point to actually review a whisky right now, as this bottle has been on a journey and now represents more than mere liquid. Thanks to those Instagram readers that kindly donated to various charities after my offer to share a sample of the bottle. It made sense and allowed everything to come full circle. I look forward to returning the bottle to Ukraine one day and seeing a new beginning rising from the ashes of this terrible conflict. 

Review

Tormore, 1992, bottled at 28 years of age, 106 bottles, finished in a Odesskoe Chernoe cask for 30 months, 43.7%
Availability unknown

As with many wine cask whiskies, this benefits from a patient approach and airing, before jumping in fully. 

Nose

A currant bun, malty and with more dried fruit. There’s a brief flash of old dusty material and density to this full-bodied whisky. Given time, raspberries bring an extra zing and freshness to the experience. Vanilla pod, blackberries, milk chocolate, tarpaulin and smoke. A splash of water brings out more chocolate, ginger, orange, vanilla cream and roast beef. 

Palate

Initially very palatable until the French oak comes out more into the finish – just to remind you it’s been utilised. Prior to that appearance, there’s a pleasing decadent richness to the whisky. The wine cask is evident, but it’s embraced what would have been a 25-year-ish Tormore and not smothered. Chocolate log, liquorice and clove. Adding water brings a level playing field, almost taking you back to some of the 1970s single malts that were matured in sherry and bottled at 40%. Raisins, dark chocolate, blackcurrant. Subtle, stylish, enjoyable – and I’m not talking about me.

The Dregs

This bottle definitely improved with airing. A couple of weeks in, and it’s more relaxed, approachable and ultimately, understandable. I always say, like a steak, give it a few minutes to rest and relax before tucking in. The same applies to whisky that has been forced into a sealed bottle and sent across the world to land at your table. Appreciate it and the moment; give it time before making a rash decision. 

Ultimately, how do you score a whisky that has transcended its mere confines as a liquid? Clutched from a warzone and ferried across Europe to land in Scotland? A difficult one and a unique proposition. I’ve shared this bottle as much as I can – even today, pouring for a couple of retailers in Edinburgh. An act of kindness and solidarity in a mad, mad world. Pour a dram for someone you’ve lost and reflect on the pain and suffering that some are experiencing elsewhere. 

Whisky can bridge the divide but it can also give us a moment of clarity, deep thought and action. Slainte, indeed.

Score: 7/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DM