The World’s Best Whisky Has Been Named and Scotland is Displeased Nov. 4, 2014
Scotland doesn't even have a whisky in the world's top five
The best whisky in the world is “near indescribable genius.” It scores 97.5 marks out of 100. It is also not Scottish. That’s according to Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2015, a highly regarded ranking of fine global whisky. Specifically, reports the Telegraph, the top title belongs to Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, from Japan’s oldest whiskey distillery, Suntory, founded in 1923.
世上最好喝的威士忌近乎無法形容的天才好喝. 100分中他得分97.5分. 而且不是蘇格蘭出品. 根據2015 Jim Murray威士忌聖經, 被推崇為全球頂級威士忌, 來自日本山得利(1923創立)出品的山崎威士忌
What’s more, for the first time in the 12 years the Whisky Bible has been published, not a single Scottish whisky makes the bible’s top five. If that wasn’t bad enough for Scotland, which along with Ireland is the spiritual home of the drink, the best European whisky in the latest edition is English.
還有, 在威士忌年度聖經中連續12年, 蘇格蘭威士忌都不在首選前五名中.
The Whisky Bible describes the winning Yamazaki whisky as “rich and fruity,” with a nose of “exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice.” Just 18,000 bottles were made — it is sold out on the bible’s online shop, and it is available in just a few specialist shops in the U.K. for about $160.
威士忌年度聖經形容得獎的山崎, 醇香富果香味, 有種獨特的直接坦白, 但又留有輕盈帶有點辣的餘味. 只生產18000瓶, 在威士忌聖經專屬網站銷售一空. 目前在英國幾個專賣店有賣, 一瓶標價$160
American whiskies take second and third prize, including repeat second-place winner William Larue Weller, a Kentucky bourbon.
而美國威士忌排第二, 第三名, 包括連續第二名來自肯塔基的贏家William Larue Weller
So what about auld Scotland? A Scottish whisky — the 19-year-old single malt Glenmorangie Ealanta — took the top spot just last year, also getting 97.5 marks.
那蘇格蘭呢? 蘇格蘭威士忌, 19年單麥Glenmorangie Ealanta, 去年有得獎, 得分也是97.5分
But the book’s author, Jim Murray, writes that though hundreds of Scottish whiskies were among the more than 1,000 samples he tried from all around the world this year, they fell flat.
但推薦作者, Jim Murray寫這是嚐過百種蘇格蘭出產的威士忌, 百種威士忌又是從試過的千種樣品挑出來, 感覺很平, 沒有特別跳
“Where were the complex whiskies in the prime of their lives?,” he wonders, calling this year’s rankings a “wake up call” for Scottish brands.
"最好最精緻的威士忌都到哪裏去了?"他納悶著, 聲稱今年的排名對蘇格蘭會是一個敲醒鐘.
Ron Taylor, an independent wine and spirit judge and educator, tells TIME it’s no surprise that a Japanese whiskey took first place in Murray’s list, since Japanese whiskies regularly win prestigious competitions, even in Scotland.
Ron Taylor, 獨立酒商與酒類裁判與教練, 告訴TIME, 日本威士忌會出線排在Jim Murray's的排行榜首並不意外, 因外日本威士忌常常贏得獎項, 即使蘇格蘭
Still, Taylor also said that rankings often reflect the taster’s personal preferences. Indeed, Taylor describes Japanese single malts as like a Lexus —“beautifully crafted, no vibration, smooth, consistent and always pleasing” — while their Scottish counterparts are more akin to a Maserati.
並且Taylor也說, 這排行榜通常能反應品嚐家的個人喜好. 真的, Taylor形容日本單麥釀造的威士忌好像Lexus高級房車 - "精緻手工製造, 沒有粗糙, 平順, 一致, 總是充滿愉悅感. 而他們的蘇格蘭對手則比較接近Maserati車.
“The Scottish whiskeys, they’ll knock you around and slap you around the face a little bit,” says Taylor, who is from Scotland, but calls himself “a non partisan” drinker.
"蘇格蘭威士忌, 喝了常有被打到滿場轉的感覺, 也有輕輕被甩巴掌的感覺". Taylor說, 他來自蘇格蘭, 但聲稱他是不偏袒的品酒人
He also notes that Suntory, which makes the winning Japanese whiskey, also produces whiskey brands around the world — including, in fact, multiple Scottish whiskies.
他也注意到三得利, 讓日本贏得名聲, 也代工生產世界各國的威士忌, 包括多個蘇格蘭的品牌
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