A taste of two whiskys

I had the chance to drink two drams of whiskys last night at a Colonial-style hideout in Dempsey. Seeing that Wendy had recently raved about the Highland Park, I picked that. I’ve had at least once before, and have enjoyed its thick, almost-syrupy feel with the off-sweetness that lingers in your mouth and leaves you longing for more. Once again, this one didn’t disappoint. Mmm.

The other scotch I got however, a Mortlach, wasn’t as suitable for mealtime drinking. It was a super gutsy and spicy scotch with a long and burning finish. I wonder if it would have mellowed out with a splash of water; aye, should have done that. I didn’t even know I had the Mortlach before – was pretty sure I had had the Highland Park before, so I searched through my archives for that… I didn’t quite get that sweet honey vanilla nose that I’d tasted the first time around though… I wonder if it might have been the different year, and I kick myself for not having noted that.

Recounting my weekend

I reconnected with an old friend today. It’s been a long time, 10 years in fact, and what do you know, we’re in the same part of the world now.

Another relaxing weekend – our by now usual climbing group met at the outdoor wall on Friday night. It was a little nippy out at around 50 degrees, but the gas lamps provided some welcome heat. Still, we were for the most part not really in the mood to climb. I felt all pumped out after 3 routes and ready for a round of drinks. A little past 9pm, we abandoned all pretense of climbing and adjorned again to Red Lion, where Julian proceeded to “foist” round after round upon us. Not that I was complaining though; I downed an Old Speckled Hen, a Bunnahabhain (peaty, with a strong and long burning finish), a Laphoraig, and a Coal Ila. Good times, fun conversations. And I’m sure as hell going to study my ass off now so I might be able to join the group down at the Red (Kentucky) the second week of November.

Early Saturday morning, I managed to wake up at 730am to study a little for the CFA before I hit the gym for a spinning class. Urgh. I don’t have any stamina whatsoever; got to do a lot better than that if I’m hoping to trek Machhu Pichu next year… After, I met up with Bruce for a light-ish Mexican fare, and then we caught Lust Caution, which, by the way, almost qualifies as soft p0rn. Hm. In the evening, I went over to Sandy’s, and enjoyed a lovely hot pot dinner with several people from Chaz’s work place, though I must admit I still need to get used to the idea of having a dinner with a baby around. One time, I was talking to the baby’s mum and mistakenly called her infant son by Sandy’s cat’s name. Oops. But in my defense, they behave more or less the same – we carry them the same way, we engage them in the same kind of “baby talk.”

Dinner ended early-ish, but I was wiped out when I got home, not having gotten enough sleep the night before. Nonetheless, I still managed to get in more than an hour’s conversation with Minghao on the phone. I’m looking forward to seeing him and Peiyun again when they come to stay with me this Christmas.

The lack of sleep must have caught up with me, for I snoozed through my various alarm clocks and didn’t awake till 10am this morning, when the yoga class was supposed to have started. Bleah. So in the end, I stayed home the entire day and tried to get some studying in. The highlight of the day was the tuna steak I cooked, washed down with 2/3 of a bottle of Viognier I picked up on my way to the grocery store. Mmm.

All Friday nights should be like this

Nothing like a relaxing start to the weekend: a simple, hearty dinner of pho in Chinatown, followed by beer and scotches in a quiet rooftop beer garden with a group of friends, drinkers and climbers. Conversation jumped randomly all over the board but flowed easily as we lounged in the surprising heat of October.

I jumped at the opportunity to try more of the Islay scotches: Ardberg and Bowmore. I’ve now tried 5 of the Islay scotches, except Port Ellen and Bunnahabhain.

Ardberg 12 Year: Smoky, though lower on the scale than Lagavulin or Laphroaig. The smokiness was rounded off with a sweetish-scent, which led Yeming to compare it to honey smoked ham. Mm. Slightly bitter mouthfeel.

Bowmore: There was a haunting smokiness in the nose, so fleeting I had to sniff harder to hunt it down again. This felt like a somewhat indecisive wines to me; Julian said it seemed like a wine at crossroads, as if it couldn’t decide where to fall on the peatiness spectrum. Nonetheless, it was a delightful dram to linger over, especially with the sweet caramel finish.

Peat, Smoke, and Spirit: Lagavulin Malt

Peat, Smoke, and Spirit is a borrowed title from Andrew Jefford’s excellent book on the distilleries on Islay. It’s a must read for anyone remotely interested in Islay Scotches, and it does a fine job of weaving together the island’s long, bloody but fascinating history in between chapters on the different distilleries. I picked up the book in a tiny bookshop in the Isle of Skye, rationalizing that if I couldn’t visit the distilleries there, I could at least read about them. And it has turned out to be a delightful read. As I flipped through the pages, I couldn’t help but wish that I had a dram of Laphroaig in front of me, some Ardberg, some Bowmore…

Last Friday, I got a part of my wish. After climbing at the outdoor wall, we retired gratefully to my favorite Scottish pub, Duke of Perth, to warm our tummies and massage back to life our frozen fingers (it was that cold out). I ordered a dram of Bruichladdich, one of the Islay malts I’d just read about. Unlike most of the Islay malts that are famous for their distinct smoky peat character, Bruichladdich is a light, fruity and floral Scotch with an almost sweet aftertaste. It was delicious, smooth, and simply easy to drink – I didn’t even need to add a part of water to calm down the alcohol.

Last night, I got the chance to try more of the Islay scotches when a bunch of friends and I ventured into the South Loops’s Warehouse Liquors, where Evan Cattanach, Master Distiller Emeritus for The Classic Malt Selection, had been invited to conduct a tasting of whiskies from around the world. Ewan had set up a long table at the back of the shop, where a mini crowd of people were already gathered around when we arrived. Spread on the table were more than two dozen bottles of whiskies and Scotches, and I wasted no time in trying out the multitude of whiskies that Ewan pressed into my hands. I must have tried more than a dozen whiskies there, but in my excitement and haste in tasting, I did not stop to take detailed notes and so must now only rely on my already foggy memory:

Lagavulin: Considered the aristocrats of Islay scotches, and I knew why as soon as I lifted the glass to my nose: incredibly smoky, reminiscent of smoked bacon and haddock. The taste itself is dry; intense flavors; sweet sherry; went deliciously well with the square of dark chocolate proffered. Long, lingering finish. FYI – I left with a bottle of it; it’s now my new favorite scotch.

Caol Ila: Another Islay scotch – yay, that brings my total count up to 4/7. I very nearly bought this one instead of the Lagavulin; I think I’m just a sucker for peatiness. Faint tinge of saltiness to it too, but not nearly as overwhelming as the Lagavulin; off sweet and quite light. Colleen left with a bottle.

Oban: My third favorite of the night. Again, somewhat smoky, but sweet and smooth; some fruit on the nose, I didn’t quite get which. Figs maybe?

Singleton: Speyside malt with notes of honey, sherry, and just a whiff of smoke. Quite smooth, fourth favorite.

Dalwhinney: Ewan described this as his favorite breakfast scotch. Goes with cereal, he said, only you don’t have to eat the cereal. It’s quite distinct from the Island scotches; not a single hint of smokiness. Very light, floral and fruity – apricots, figs.

Cragganmore: Sweet nose (marshmallows) and body, with an oddly bitter finish.

Glenkinchie: I think this was the one with the medicinal/herbal nose; I can’t recall exactly now. Apparently, it’s one of the remaining three Lowland whiskies in production.

Talisker: I tried the distiller’s edition, aged in sherry port. Delicious; I could taste a tinge of sherry on the nose and at the end.

Crown Royale: Canadian whiskey – Wendy said this was the first whiskey she’d ever tasted. We were treated to the special reserve edition, a $300 bottle which came luxuriously packaged in a satin-lined box. It took me by surprise – how it slid so smoothly down my throat. A ghost of a whisky really, since it was gone so fast I could barely register the faint burn of alcohol on my tongue. Quite an experience!

Bullet Bourbon: I don’t think I’ve ever tried bourbon before this one… it was an interesting experience; packed quite a punch. It was a lot stronger and harsher than the scotches, could taste the corn, charred wood with notes of vanilla.

Bushmill: Irish whiskey; sweet chocolately nose, roasted marshmallows, very smooth.

Scotch Tasting 3

This is the third installment on my three-part series on Scotch tasting, as I research and prepare for my upcoming trip to Scotland. In the first piece, I looked into how Scotch is made, and how one should go about tasting it. In the second installment, I examine how whisky – and Scotch in particular – is made. In the third installment, I will detail my itinerary and planned stops at distilleries along the way.

As my trip draws closer, I grow all the more anxious: there are over a hundred distilleries in Scotland – which ones should I pick to visit? I guess, my task is made easier in that I have to follow the itinerary I have mapped out. This trip, we would have to stick to the distilleries in the Midlands north of Edinburgh, Speyside, and the Isle of Skye. Unfortunately, we’d have to bypass distilleries in the remote Orkney Islands, as well as my favorite distillery in the Isle of Islay, Laphroaig. I’ve tasted probably different 20 Scotches in my life, so while a good number of my favorites hail from those places, I figure I should be a lot more open to other labels.

Still, it’s taken me a while to narrow down the distilleries we might visit on the trip. I’ll be traveling with a friend who has never tasted Scotch before, so I can’t possibly drag her around to half a dozen distilleries. Moreover, we have quite a limited time in Scotland, and we intend to use the bulk of it touring castles and hiking, so drinking, this time at least, shall have to take a backseat.

After much poking around the Internet, I have thus finally decided on the following five distilleries. I figure we could decide which three to go to once we get on the road.

Scotch Tasting 2

This is the second installment on my three-part series on Scotch tasting, as I research and prepare for my upcoming trip to Scotland. In the first piece, I looked into how Scotch is made, and how one should go about tasting it. In this second installment, I will examine how whiskey – and Scotch in particular – is made. In the third installment, I will detail my itinerary and planned stops at distilleries along the way.

In general, whisky distilled from fermented grain mash (some varieties include: barley, rye, wheat, and maize) and aged in wooden (usually oak) casks. The word whisky is derived from the Gaelic word, water, so you could reasonably trace its origins to Scotland/Ireland, though its actual point of origins is actually unknown. Some scholars contend that distilled spirits were first concocted in the 8th century AD in the Middle East, and brought over to the UK by Christian monks. Still others believe that St. Patrick introduced the drink to the UK in the 5th century AD. I won’t delve too much into the history of the drink here, but I believe that Tom Standage’s excellent book, History of World in Six Glasses, will provide more insight.

[Here, I want to deviate a little to point something out. You may have noticed that in my earlier post, I referred to whisky as “whiskey”. Technically, neither usage is wrong, but one generally uses whisky to describe Scotch whisky, and whiskey to describe Irish whiskey. I guess here in the U.S., either variation would work, so don't mind me if I jump from one word to the next.]

How to make whisky

Ingredients: The three basic ingredients are water, yeast, and grain.

The distillation process has roughly six stages:

Stage 1 – Preparing the grain

All grains are ground into meal. The meal is then mixed with water and cooked at boiling point to break down the cellulose walls that contain starch granules.

Stage 2 – Mashing

Mix the cooked grain with malted barley and warm water. To malt barley, soak it in water and keep it damp until it begins to sprout (after about a three-week period). At which time, the enzyme amylase is produced, and serves to convert the starch in the barley into sugars. After which, dry the barley with hot air from a kiln and then ground into meal (in Scotch, the fuel used in the kiln includes peat, which gives it its distinctive smoky flavor). Over the next several hours, the amylase from the malted barley will convert the starch in the other grains into sugars (only barley is used in scotch) as well, forming a sugary liquid known as mash/wort.

Stage 3 – Fermenting

Transfer the wort to a fermentation barrel – either stainless steel or wood. With the addition of yeast, fermentation begins; a process whereby the sugars in the mash/wort are converted into alcohol. After three of four days, the liquid in the barrel, known as wash, should contain about 10% alcohol.

Stage 4 – Distilling

Heat the wash to the boiling point of alcohol (78 degrees Celsius) to vaporize the alcohol and run the vapor through a water-cooled condenser. By running the distillation process twice, the new liquid should contain about 70% alcohol. Note that you don’t want to get too high an alcoholic content, as that would ruin the taste of the whisky.

Stage 5 – Aging

Add water to the mixture to bring the alcoholic content down to 50%-60% for the American whiskeys, and around 65% for the Scotches. Age the American whiskeys in warm, dry conditions so excess water will evaporate. Conversely, age the Scotch in cooler, wetter conditions so it absorbs more water. Age the whiskeys in wooden barrels – usually charred white oak, a preferred wood since it allows the water in the whiskey to absorb the flavors of the wood.

Stage 6 – Blending

Not all whiskeys are blended; for example, single malt Scotches are produced from single batches and bottled straight from the barrel. Mix different batches of whiskeys together; selectively add neutral grain spirits, caramel, and a small amount of sherry/port to add to the flavors.

There you go. The basic steps of whisky making. But how then, do you differentiate the different kinds of whiskeys? I guess, to put it simply, Scotches must be distilled (generally, they undergo distillation twice) in Scotland, and matured for a minimum of three years in oak casks. Irish whiskeys are generally distilled three times and they must be aged in wooden casks for a period of at least three years. Whiskeys from Kentucky, are known as bourbon if they have been aged in oak casks for at least two years, and are made up of between 51% and 79% of corn. Rye whiskies must consist of at least 51% rye. Most U.S. whiskeys also differ from the UK ones in that they have to be aged in new casks.

Source: Whisky.com

Scotch Tasting 1

This is the first in a series of three installments on Scotch tasting, as I research and prepare for my upcoming trip to Scotland. In this first piece, I will look into how Scotch is made, and how one should go about tasting it. In the second installment, I examine how whiskey – and Scotch in particular – is made. In the third installment, I will detail my itinerary and planned stops at distilleries along the way. Unfortunately, it looks like now that I might not be able to hit my favorite Scotch distillery, Laphroaig, given its remote and removed location. Bleah.

How to taste

While one often finds whiskey served in crystal tumblers, to best appreciate its aromas, experts recommend tulip-shaped glasses, which better direct the fragrance directly to one’s nose.

Like wine, one can appreciate the quality of a whiskey from its color. In general, the darker the color of the whiskey, the longer it has been aged in wood, and the older it is.

Also like wine, you could judge the weight of the whiskey by observing its tears. Swirl the whiskey around in the glass, and observe how the legs run down the side. If they run quickly, then the whiskey is most likely a light-bodied and/or a young one.

Next, bring the glass to your nose and take a breath – not a deep one mind, in case the alcoholic perfumes destroy your sensitive sense of smell. Then, add a splash of water (not ice, like they like to do it in bars, and not cold either), and then breath in the perfumes again. The water will reduce the alcoholic content of the whiskey, as well as raise its temperatures slightly to promote evaporation. According to Scotchwhisky.com, water “opens up the spirit” of the whiskey by breaking down the ester chains and freeing the volatile aromatics. Personally, I prefer to sniff and sip my whiskey neat first before adding water to it, just to get different senses. Whiskey aficionados would also urge the use of soft water, or better yet, water used in the production of the whiskey being tasted.

Finally, after all that ceremony, lift the glass to your lips and allow a small sip. Take a couple seconds to swirl the liquid around with your tongue, to savor its mouthfeel – its viscosity, texture, and, according to Scotchwhisky.com, the “pungency” – “essentially an evaluation of pain – from irritation to unbearable.” The forward tip of your tongue tastes sweet flavors, the sides and the middle the sour and salty flavors, and the back of your tongue the bitter flavors.

No matter how good a whiskey (or wine, for that matter) is though, it’s bound to disappoint if its finish doesn’t stand up to the taste. When the last drops have been drunk, what is the lingering after taste?

Sources:
(1) www.scotchwhisky.com
(2) www.whisky-heritage.co.uk

Sniff

I’m a scent-person. Give me a glass of wine, scotch, and I will happily smell it all night without needing to taste it (though of course, there would be no point to that). I may not always be able to name the smell precisely, but I can always draw up the memory of the scent – toasted marshmallows by a campfire; my grandpa’s cologne; freshly mowed grass; the long corridor of the hospital; his scent right after a shower; spring flowers on a sunny day…

Chuck and I went for a Scotch tastings at Sams tonight. It was quite an informative session, and I tried some pretty darn good Scotches. I’ve reconstructed some of my tasting notes below. If they’re unclear, blame the whiskey…