Still & Story: A more intense whisky experience
In the commercial world of whisky, friendships are the cement that holds our hobby together. Geeking out over your bottle is fun to do on your own, but it only gets really cosy when you can chat about whisky in good company. Experience matters just as much as what is in your glass. Still & Story adds a new ingredient to the mix. Long Pour Amour went to hear the story and put it to the test!
Text and photography: Tom van Engelen, www.longpouramour.com
Still & Story is the brainchild of Peter Linting and Martijn van Opstal. For connoisseurs of the Dutch whisky scene, those names will no doubt ring a bell. Peter for his involvement with Klubb23 and several independent bottlers, Martijn as an all-round whisky expert and the blogger behind Dram1.
“We both have experience releasing whisky, but our passion and a unique opportunity led to the birth of Still & Story. We regularly helped Joris Dam of Dam Dranken at festivals, and that is where we got the itch. Joris was able to offer us part of his oloroso cask of Staoisha. We seized that chance, with a concept in mind.”
What does experience do to whisky?
Determined not to be yet another bottler that ‘only selects the casks they like themselves’, Peter and Martijn took an extra step. “A few years ago, there were the Special Releases from Diageo, with myths surrounding the bottlings. I found those very appealing, but the little stories were rather brief,” says Martijn, who has a passion for writing himself. “That is how we arrived at our way of being ‘different’, with one question as the starting point: what does experience do to whisky?”
Whoever buys the Staoisha from Still & Story gets not only a handsome bottle (green glass!) and a spectacular label, but also a story. You can find it by scanning the QR code on the bottle, or by simply heading to www.stillandstory.nl, where the accompanying epic is waiting to be read. The story is also available as an audiobook, for those who want to nose and taste the whisky with their eyes closed while enjoying the tale. Martijn wrote it entirely himself, being a fan of fantasy in the vein of Lord of the Rings and Wheel of Time. It took him a few evenings, but the result is something to be proud of. The audio runs just under 25 minutes, and he created the sound effects with blood, sweat and tears, as it was unfamiliar territory. “The basis is what Peter and I found in the whisky in terms of flavours and impressions. You can find those in the story, so the link with the whisky stays clear.”
The future of Still & Story
The ice is broken with The Kraken bottling. Martijn and Peter will try to prepare four or five releases a year. The collaboration with Joris Dam will remain close, but other doors are not closed in advance. The label offers a hint: every region or country will get its own frame colour. With that, Martijn also reveals that Still & Story will not only aim for Scotch whisky and, if the opportunity arises, might even consider other spirits. The run of 60 bottles will undoubtedly grow a little, but the price has to stay attractive, with a ceiling of around 80 euros. The story stands for distinctiveness in an increasingly tough whisky market. “We are throwing a stone in the pond, yes, to see what happens,” Martijn concludes. Whatever happens, the foundation remains friendship, which returns in a subtle line on the label: ‘Selected by Friends’.
The tasting note below is written the way Still & Story wants the whisky to be experienced. For this, I switched on the audio file and worked my way through the generously provided sample. Thank you for that, Martijn and Peter!
Staoisha 2018, 8 years old, bottled at 55 % abv by Still & Story
First things first: This peated variant, made at Bunnahabhain Distillery on Islay, matured for 8 years in a second-fill oloroso cask. The yield was 60 bottles of Scotch whisky, brought down slightly from cask strength to a more palatable 55 % abv, on which Martijn and Peter quickly agreed. Named The Kraken, for obvious reasons!
Upon Sipping: It is a big whisky, for sure, with a peat explosion bursting from the glass, yet tempered by some restraint from the sherry character. It is interesting what the power of suggestion can do. The story reminds me of old pirate lore and Hollywood movies, and gives me an impression of rum! I admit that the descriptions in the story evoke some of the notes I write down here. Never did I feel it so strongly as when the story described rope, and I told myself: YES, rope! Wet rope, old wood with cinnamon smeared into the cracks. There is a lot of ash in there, a smouldering beach fire on which bystanders fried anything they could get their hands on, including some fruit. The finish is satisfyingly long, making a case for bottling all Islay whisky at this proud, young age, as it already delivers so much punch and complexity.
Word to the Wise: Yeah, I would fight a Kraken too, to keep this whisky from being taken from me. Whether you listen to or read the story or not, this medicinal, maritime Staoisha with a Spanish twist can stand entirely on its own. But the story did enhance my pleasure, I have to say. Try it and see if you like it too.
Score: 88 points.