|
Now Featuring the 2004 Whiskies of the World Expo If your mother told you that scotch is nasty and tastes like iodine (and you are old enough to remember what iodine is) then she has done you a gross disservice. You need to slap her on the hand and say, "Bad. Bad mother... no cookie," and then you need to give what the Scots call a "wee dram" a real chance. If you are a dyed-in-the-wool,
"I only do bourbon" drinker, then check out my Bourbon
Page.
I'll admit it. I drink. (How does the old saying go? I drink to forget... I don't remember what, so I must be doing it right.) But I only drink a little. As in, about 3-4 drinks a month is my average while at home. But when I go out to dinner or when we travel, especially to Scotland, I drink. And I drink malt whisky. Single malt whisky almost exclusively. Most of the really bad "Scotch" is blended by people who really don't care what the final beverage tastes like. I guess they assume that you will water it down, or worse yet put so much ice and soda water into the glass, to the point where you won't be able to taste the actual liquor. If you can't stand it when sipped straight, then it isn't drinkable!
Then there are the Irish whiskies. These run the range from blends — most of what we get over here is blended — to the few single malts available. The best being available only in Ireland. Of the Irish available in North America, seek out Red Breast. Buy it, take it home, and enjoy the experience. Yummmmmm. And Green Spot, almost impossible to get unless you go there to pick it up, is to die for. Even France, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, India and Thailand have malt whisky distilleries. I have imbibed several of the Thai whiskys in the past and, although they are not as refined as their European and Japanese bretheren, they can be enjoyed.
Whereas single malts come from a single distillery, in rare cases even from a single barrell or more frequently from a very limited number of barrels all produced about the same time or even from the same batch. They can differ from bottling to bottling by small degrees. I find that single malts tend to have more character and have the widest range of tastes. Here is a list of some of my favorite Scotish single malts that should be available all over the U.S.:
Many of these distilleries have more than one age of whisky. If you are new to all of this, try the younger, usually an 8 -10 year old product — and usually the least expensive. If you are looking for adventure, try some of the 15 year olds. Glenfarclas puts out a 105 Proof (called Glenfarclas 105) that is about as strong as you can find but still a wonderful drink.
If you are looking for something light and friendly, try Knockando. But between here and there lie hundreds of wonderful drinking experiences. The lowland malts are different from the highland malts, and the Islay malts are typically really really different from the rest. One of the brands I try to stay clear of, unless it is the only single malt available at a friend's or a restaurant, is Glenfiddich. While it is just about the most readily available single malt around, it is kind of the Coca Cola of single malts. It never varies and is never really interesting. You might like it, and it isn't actually a bad introduction to single malts, but you owe it to yourself to try others with greater ranges of characteristics. Do yourself a favor. If you are going to Japan, or know someone going there or coming from there, get them to buy you a bottle of Nikka Distillery's Single Cask Yoichi 10 year old, or Suntory Distillery's Kioke Jikomi. These products of Japanese distilleries come from people who love single malts and have learned the art of creating them. US Single Malts In the last 2-3 years a handful of distilleries here in the US have begun producing their own variations of single malts. The top three that come to mind are:
The folks at Anchor Steam also have a small batch Gin that is very, very nice; not like the overly juniper-tasting gins you normally find. And look for any of the botanical "gins" from St. George. I had the opportunity to taste a test batch of a gin that was flavored with cardomom. Amazing. And another distilled with fresh botanical herbs. Absolutely to die for!!! Of all the single malts I have sampled from around the world, the only one I would tell you to steer clear of is Sullivans Cove from Australia. It tastes like a dirty wet sheep smells. Cor, blimey. That's some foul drink, mate! Aren't Single Malts Expensive? Well, if you want something that you can splash half a can of soda water into, then stay with the moderate-priced blends, of which I can only recommend The Famous Grouse or Johnny Walker Black Label. Those will set you back around $20.00 - $30.00 a bottle. If you want a pleasant blended for sipping straight or with just a few drops of water, try the Compass Box Hedonism (about $70) or their Eluthera (around $50) very small batch blends. They have limited availability in the US but you can find them. There are many very palatable single malts that can be found in the $20-$25 range. If you live near a Beverages and More or a Trader Joes store, you can find good buys on several single malts. Of course, there are some of them that can run you in the hundreds of dollars, too. Are they worth it? Well, if you only ever drink water and can't stand the taste of stronger drinks like milk and lemonade, then perhaps single malt whiskies are not for you. But if you want a taste experience that can be as satisfying each time you partake as it was the first time, and that provides you with a more varried experience than any other type of hard liquor, then the answer is YES. It is definitely worth it. Whisky Shows; A Must! Do yourself a huge favor. If you are any sort of fan of single malts, or if you want the widest variety of tastings possible under one roof, find one of the tasting events and shows that occur several times a year on both the east and the west coasts. I have attended the Whiskies of the World Expo three years running and have tickets for this year's event (March, 22, 2003 in San Francisco). Another great event is Whisky Fest held in New York. The next one is October 21, 2003.
2004 WoW Expo Report Well, this marked the 5th Whiskies of the World Expo in San Francisco and my fourth as an attendee. Again, it wouldn't happed without the Herculean efforts of Riannon Walsh of Celtic Malts. This year the Whiskies of the World Expo was held on Saturday, March 20, 2003 at the San Francisco Hilton. In previous years my only real complaint (well, it's a 2-parter) was the small venue at the Hotel Nikko which led to very crowded aisles, and all the attendant noise level that the Nikka didn't seem able to or willing to address. But, the Hilton, directly across the street, provided more than twice the square footage and seems to know how to handle a group of more than 1000 people. Lots of places to sit down, lots of fairly good food, and lots and lots of space! For the uninitiated, this Expo was originally devoted to getting together a number of differnt malt whiskys (scotch and 'irish') along with some North American bourbons and ryes, and a buch of enthusiasts. The main point is to allow us to sample and compare a large number of these and to learn more about the distilling process and to promote enthusiasm for these wonderful beverages. And then a few small-batch vodka and gin and tequilla and others began showing up. These were and are still allocated a second, smaller, room set up to let the rest of us know what they are all about. See My Surprises for more on these. So.. what about this year's event? Well, it was packed and fun and the food was good and the drink was mosty great and I had one hell of a great time and saw a lot of people from the previous events. My wonderful, non-drinking wife, Patty, accompanied me for most of the evening (this is a 4 1/2-hour event) taking the occasional sniff of something I felt would be of interest to her, and even — shock, amazement, loud gasping of air — even tasting and enjoying two of the offereings that evening. More about that in a few paragraphs. Highlights of the Evening: We had the opportunity to talk with the legendary Jim McEwen of Bruichladdich distillery for almost 10 minutes. Jim and a dedicated small group of Islay investors rescued the rubble of the Bruichladdich distillery a few years ago and have performed miracles, first in rebuilding the distillery and then in getting our Bruichladdich whiskys that are amazing. They are beginning a weeklong full-imersion distilling school program as of this May (2004). For less than you would spend on hotels and food for a week, you stay in special appartments at the distillery for the week, and work your tail off. The course gives you hands on experience with virtually every step of single malt whisky making from the malting of the barley to the making of the mash (the 'beer' that gets distilled) through the distillation, putting the raw whisky into the casks and even the bottling and hand labeling which they do right on premises. This will happen many weeks during the years. They have information on their website. Anyway, Patty and I had a grand time talking to Jim. AND getting the opportunity to sample their new Full Strength whisky. Full, rich, smooth, smokey and tailing of sweetness and salt. Amazing!!! Other memorable spirits and people are as follows: 1) We had the chance to corner Riannon for almost 3 minutes to first tell her what a goddess we think she is, and to talk about her loss last year of her dog, and the joyous news of her new rescued dog. We know how the loss of a dog can affect you, especially the sudden loss of one. With more than a thousand other people trying to get some of her time, this was a very special few moments for us. 2) MY SURPRISES- Part 1: Discovered, again, that I don't hate vodka. At least, some very special vodkas are on my approved list. Last year the folks from Minnesota at the Shakers Distillery brough out their amazing 6-times distilled wheat vodka. At that time I told them that it was the only vodka with any taste and real character. And while that wasn't entirely true (Bendistillery from Oregon has a Crater Lake Vodka that also has some actual taste and body to it) I was just so shocked that Minnesota would be producing vodka. Imagine my surprise this year when they showed up with not only their wheat vodka, but also a richer rye-based vodka? Now, imagine my eyes popping out when they poured me their third and latest creation, their Rose Vodka. Not rosé as in the cheap pink wine, but real rose and in the fragrant flowers. I almost can't describe it; it is something you have to go out and buy. And taste. If you know how wonderful and honeylike roses can smell then you can imagine the taste of this vodka. WOW! 3) MY SURPRISES - Part 2: There is another distillery, this one in, I believe, the Czech Republic. While I don't have the distillery name right here, their vodka, called Ultimat Vodka, is a potato-based product, distilled 5 times, and filtered through volcanic rock. Their regular vodka is nice, but it is their cherry-infused vodka that grabbed my attention. Unlike a cherry eau d'vie, this has a full sween cherry flavor to it. not just a hint of cherry in the back of your nose. But the reak corker is that both of these vodkas come in hand-blown crystal decanters. And the special thing about these is that they are actually bottles blown inside of bottles. The clear crystal decanter is first blown and then a thiner colored bottle is blown inside -- blue of the unflavored vodka and red for the cherry infused vodka. 4) John Glasser of Compass Box (London) makers of some amazing vatted whiskys (taking great single malts and grain whiskys and vatting them together to make several different styles of whisky) was kind enough to let me sample their Monster whisky that they made specially for Park Avenue Liquors in NYC. It is full, smokey and rich with flavors from the sea that you expect from most Islay malts. This is an Islay malt and is suppose to contain only two whiskys (which must go unnamed) but has a character all its own. This is on my "Got to buy" list. 5) The homeopathic "I had to much to drink last night" remedy that Riannon has found and posts to her website works! It involves taking milk thistle extract capsules for a few days before the event, during the event and a couple days after the event. Always with plenty of water and lots of water during the actual event. Milk thistle is suppose to be good for clearing out iputities from your liver... like alcohol. I've done it these past three years and never had a hangover or even felt particularly drunk during or immediately after the event. 6) Jim Bendis of Bendistillery in Bend, Oregon and his team brought down their fairly new Mazama Pepper Vodka. Don't think Stloi Peppar, and don't think any of the other "pepper for the sake of getting it as hot as possible" vodkas. Think of a pepper infused vodka that has a nice bite to it, but also has the flavor in there as well. Something you could easily cook with while having a bloody may made of the same vodka. In fact, I had one f those at the event (a very small one) that was simply their pepper vodka, tomato juice mixed with about 30% bloody mary mix (for the worchestershire sauce flavors) and chilled. Tasty! 7) Another new distiller is being built in Scotland, this one way up north in the Shetland Islands. They won't begin producing whicky for anothe year or so, and then it needs to age for however many more they believe is right, but they are starting to produce a vdka (fairly good but not exceptional) a botanical gin that is very nice, and a cream liquer that is like sipping the highest quality vanilla ice cream you can imaging, melted to room temperature, with just a hint of alcohol in the background. 8) There is a new California single malt distillery in the planning stage. As I find out more, I will post it to this page. And this year's "he should have drunk a lot less" award goes to the man who was standing at the Anchor Distilling table near the end of the evening talking wxpansively and using his hands to illustrate each an every word. Out went the arms and over and onto the floor went a couple of bottles which he just sort of stared at for a few seconds. The may running the table picked up the bottles and said to me, "and that's why we keep the corkes in the bottles when we aren't pouring them!" At these events, you can taste the products of many dozens of distilleries, talk to experts from the industry and from many of the distilleries, and pick up great deals on whiskies and other items. Many of these events have a series of speakers giving talks about whisky (the malts) and whiskey (burbons, ryes, etc.). They typically last 4-5 hours, cost around $85.00 per person — a great deal if you are like me and can get around to taste 30-40 different whiskies in an evening — and generally include a buffet of foods (hot and cold) and non-alcoholic drinks. The Whiskies of the World Expo now takes place in the Hilton Hotel in SF where you can get a room for the night. All you do is show up to the event, get around to as much as you can in the evening, and then go upstairs to bed. Every now and again, distilleries or distributors hold events themselves. We attended a Johnny Walker event in San Jose back in 1999. Although it was a "by invitation only" event, I received my invite through having emailed them a question about a year before. I included my email address as well as my phone number and mailing address. And they invited us to come for a talk, tasting and nosing event that included their standard Red Label (which I don't like) their Black Label, Blue label and three others. At no cost to us! Great deal!!! And thanks to the even sponsors, too. A few words of caution — or at least a set of strong suggestions when you attend.
I take my non-drinking wife along. She sometimes will take a sniff of a particularly fragrant whisky. I have even had her try a couple dilluted sips when I thought that the alcohol taste was not too strong. I don't mind paying the full price for her as well, since I enjoy having her along. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are a few links you might wish to avail yourself of to learn more, including:
|
If
you have experienced cheap scotch with a label featuring a drawing
of someone wearing a kilt, squeezing a haggis with horns, and
had a name like "MacFeinstein's Fine Olde Scotch" or
"Scottsman's Pride Prime Drinking Whiskey" then the
time has come to give real malt whisky a chance (notice the lack
of an "e" in the correct spelling). And if you have
ever been forced to drink some supermarket's $6.00 a bottle house
brand of scotch (I once found one in a grocery store that listed
its contents as "a blend of purified Scoch whiskey
and other fine ingredients") then I will say a prayer for
you, you poor, poor soul.
I
think that the best, and most interesting are the single malts.
There are a few blends, such as Chivas Regal, Johnny Walker Black
Label (I stay away from the "red" label as it is just
too nasty for my tastes) and The Famous Grouse which are quite
nice. And a new entry, Compass Box with their Eluthera and Hedonism
bottlings also provide a great blended whisky experience. For
the most part, blends are the same, each sip and each bottle.
Single malts can change from sip to sip – I suggest you try
Laphroig or Ardbeg or Bowmore's "Darkest" to see how
drastic the change can be from your first sip to the second and
even the third. They have a broader character to them that I haven't
found in blends. Some single malt are even more complex and enjoyable
(to me) than the finest cognacs.
Did
you know that you can find single malt whiskys all over the world?
No, I don't mean that you can buy scotch all over (even though
you can). I mean that many different countries have their own
single malt spirits. Some, such as those from Japan (Suntory and
Nikka come immediately to mind) are peated just like scotch whisky
— that's what makes for the smoky aroma and taste of single
malts from Scotland — and some are more of a gentle beverage
with little peat for smoke but are still made from malted grain.
Canadian whisky is made from malted rye. It is so gentle and ordinary
tasting that most people use it as a mixer with cola or ginger
ale. It just doesn't have the body to stand on its own.
What,
you might ask, is a single malt? Well, that is a whisky that is
bottled from a single output of a distillery. The best way to
make that clear is that the blends (Johnny Walker, Chivas Regal,
The Famous Grouse, etc.) are made up from the outputs of many,
even dozens of different distilleries. The blend master takes
all of the different source casks, tastes them, and comes up with
a mixture (blend) of all of them that can be recreated over and
over and over again.
By
the way... Bruichladich is back! Horray! After years of sitting
in mothballs (sounds painful and stinky) this distillery has
been revitalized and is back in production. They have purchased
back a number of their casks that were sold when the distillery
went dark, and have begun releasing new bottlings while they
continue to produce new spirits for ageing and future bottling.
And
another "hurrah!!!" to Isle of Arran Distillers and
Douglas Davidson. I recently had the opportunity to sample their
whiskies and have become the proud owner of bottle number 96 of
305 of their first "cask strength" bottling (from a
single cask, no less). This treasure will not be opened for anything
less that a very special celebration! Like my forthcoming 25th
aniversary in a few years. But their regular bottling is wonderful,
and I will be enjoing that bottle until it is empty, and then
another, and then another, and then....
If
you are looking for someting that will knock your socks off, try
Ardbeg, Laphroaig, or one of the darker Bowmore's. These are from
the island of Islay and have the most smokiness that you may ever
find in a single malt. I especially like to give Laphroaig 10-year
old to guests and watch their faces as they try the first sip.
Eyes bulge out and the general comment is "it tastes like
something that caught on fire and burned to the ground."
I urge then to try another sip. That one brings up looks of amazement
as they discover that the same thing that tasted of almost pure
smoke the first time now tastes slightly sweet and salty. And
the third sip brings on even more taste sensations. Add a few
drops of water nd it changes again. It is quite a drink!
Of
the above, I recommend the Clear Creek product first since it
is most like a very young peated single malt from Scotland. The
next two have distinct differences but are to be enjoyed for their
uniqueness. The Anchor Stram one costs $90.00 or so a bottle and
I am just not ready to make that kind of outlay for a bottle of
whiskey. They have a couple whiskies including one primarily made
of rye. I find rye-based products too light and dry tasting. Also,
I read somewhere that Old Portrero is a very young whisky (like
maybe a year or so...?) Oh, well.