威士忌
Mine's an English
我的來自英國
Taking on one of the world's most powerful brands
承擔一個世界上最強大的品牌
WITH its lofty peaks, peaty water and the steady drip of rain on heather, Bassenthwaite seems an ideal place to make whisky. The nearest Scotch distillery is just 60 miles away. But when the Lakes Distillery, which has just been given planning permission, bottles its first casks of single malt in a few years' time, strict EU rules will make it something quite different. It might look like Scotch and taste like Scotch, but the dram will be English.
憑借著高聳的山峰、泥炭水和石楠花獲得的穩定的降雨量，特湖似乎是一個生產威士忌的絕妙之地。最近的蘇格蘭釀酒廠也只有60公里遠。但是幾年后當剛被授權的湖區釀酒廠把純麥芽威士忌進行瓶裝時，嚴格的歐盟法規讓事情發生了變化。這些威士忌也許看起來和嘗起來像是蘇格蘭的，但是這一部分可能會更像英格蘭的。
“It was a stroke of genius coining ‘Scotch' for a drink that can be made successfully anywhere,” says Andrew Nelstrop, a Norfolk farmer who in 2006 opened England's first new distillery for more than a century. With the help of a former Laphroaig distiller—a contribution more crucial than any amount of peat or rainfall—St George's Distillery now sells its English Whisky Company single malts to supermarkets in England, distributors overseas, and even in Scotland. In December Adnams, a Suffolk brewer, will bottle whisky that has been sitting in casks for three years—the time it takes for the European Union to recognise fermented cereal mash as whisky. The London Distillery Company in Battersea is soon to start barrelling a single malt aimed at young urbanites.
來自諾福克郡的農民安德魯說到，“在勢必會暢銷的飲料瓶上印著蘇格蘭三個字的舉動真是神來之筆”，他在2006年經營著英格蘭的第一家釀酒廠，這個釀酒廠已經有100多年的歷史了。得力于比任何泥炭和降水量更關鍵的拉弗格蒸餾器，圣喬治的釀酒廠現在把英國威士忌公司的純麥芽威士忌銷售到英格蘭超市、海外經銷商、甚至到蘇格蘭。在11月，薩福克的啤酒制造商亞當那姆斯將對儲存在木桶有三年之久的威士忌進行瓶裝，這三年正是等待歐盟認可糖化發酵谷物為威士忌的過程。位于巴特西的倫敦釀酒公司將迅速開展對以年輕都市人為目標市場的純麥芽威士忌進行桶裝的工作。
When that happens, England will have roughly the same number of whisky distilleries as it did in the 19th century. The reasons they closed are murky: a scarcity of equipment as Scottish whisky took off probably played a part. But the resurgence of English whisky is no mystery. Global demand is surging. In emerging economies it is the high-status tipple for a burgeoning middle class. Growth is strong even in mature markets like America. Over the last decade exports of Scotch have risen by 87%, reaching 4.3 billion ($7 billion) in 2012.
如果這種情況發生，英格蘭將基本擁有與19世紀同等數量的威士忌釀酒廠。當年他們倒閉的原因至今仍不清楚：蘇格蘭缺少釀酒設備很可能是重要原因。但是威士忌的東山再起將是必然的—全球需求量正在不斷上升.在經濟迅速發展的時代，威士忌是為越來越多的中產階級所提供的高級飲酒。這個增長趨勢甚至出現在市場相當成熟的美國。過去十年來，蘇格蘭的出口量上升了87%，在2012年達到43億英鎊（70億美元）。
Progress on free trade could drive sales much higher. In India, which drinks almost as much whisky as the rest of the world put together, tariffs of 150% have long put imported whisky beyond most drinkers' reach. But with the EU hoping to win a tariff reduction under a free-trade agreement with the subcontinent, imbibers of cheap domestic brands such as Bagpiper and Antiquity may soon be able to enjoy whiskies made in, or close to, Scotland.
自由貿易政策的進步促成了更高的銷售量。在印度這個威士忌消耗量能和其他所有國家加起來媲美的國家，150%的關稅一度使大多數消費者消費不起進口威士忌。但是隨著歐盟希望在這個次大陸贏得自由貿易協議下的關稅減讓，之前飲用國內如風笛手和古物這些廉價牌子的消費者很快就可以享受來自蘇格蘭或蘇格蘭附件地區的威士忌。 翻譯：謝林紅 校對：曾擎禹
評論
打印
