STORYMAN Blended Scotch Whisky
After popping along to the Food & Drink show at the NEC this week, we came across James Cosmo and his whisky. You’ll definitely recognise James’ face even if the name doesn't immediately ring a bell.
One of Scotland’s most prolific character actors, with 225 films and TV roles under his belt, he was in three of the most celebrated Scottish themed films ever made: Highlander, Braveheart, and Trainspotting.
He's also been in Hollywood blockbusters such as Wonder Woman and Troy, though nowadays he's probably most recognised for playing Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch in the epic series Game of Thrones.
Now we've got the formalities out of the way, for all you enthusiasts, let's talk whisky…
Storyman, whose label is emblazoned with Cosmo’s recognisable face, was named, I feel, because James can’t half tell a good story, of which he eloquently did lots of at the NEC.
The whisky was specially created by Annandale Distillery after being commissioned by James for a rather different reason than the usual 'celebrity name on a bottle' motive....
In his own words:
"As an actor, at the end of a movie you are all sort of obliged to get a present for the people you are working with, and you usually end up wandering around Waterstones trying to find a book that they're not going to read anyway.... so I thought, wouldn't it be a nice idea into have a whisky that I could just give to people that is really personal.
I wanted me to be very closely connected to that specific blend of Scotch whisky. It's got my face on it, it's got my name on it, and that means a lot to me, that's important. So it's not a celebrity endorsement, I may have some degree of celebrity, but it's my whisky and that's what I'm proud of.
I wanted a blended whisky that's still very high quality, and Annandale thought that was a really good idea and that we could bring it to the greater public, not to the mass market, but to a niche market.
I just wanted something really special, and I wanted to have a real involvement with it, so master blender Keith Law came out of retirement to blend this whisky for us. I used to go up to Dumfries, and Keith would have worked on different blends, we'd talk about it, and then he'd go away, and come back a few months later, and we'd try that out. Eventually I had 6 glasses in front of me and I had to make the choice which became Storyman.
It's absolutely pure, there's no colouring in it, it's got a lovely honey look to it, and one of the things that is really nice about it is it doesn't have that burning aftertaste. I like to think of it as the Americans call it, a sipping whisky. Just sip away at it and enjoy all those complex flavours, and I'm very proud of all the work Annandale did."
When asked, how he thinks it should be imbibed - neat, on the rocks or with water - his response was:
"All you need is half a teaspoon of water, which releases the oils, and that's about all you need."
Then he jokingly added "as long as, please God, you don't put Coca-Cola in it."
Storyman's blend is consists of 73% single malts, and the rest is perfectly matched single grain, and after a successful first run it is now in it's second edition, comprising of just 10,000 bottles.
As neither of us here at The Mud Life HQ are big whisky drinkers we will have to acquiesce to the palettes of the true whisky aficionados at masterofmalt.com for a description of the taste:
‘It’s a delicious drop, with lots of fruity Lowland character and a gentle waft of peat, with richness and body coming from those first-fill bourbon and STR casks. This is a blend that malt lovers will adore.’
Tasting notes from Annandale Distillery:
Appearance – Golden hue
Nose – Toffee, creamy caramel, cooked apple, fruity background, steeped raisins
Palate – Fruity flavour, slightly spiced, nutty with sweet aftertaste.
Price: £55
Where to buy: www.annandaledistillery.com & various other retailers