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October 2011 Highlights
This month has seen a great increase in visitors to Whisky Adventures, and long may this trend continue. However, to achieve these ratings, I need to keep writing about relevant issues and Adventures, so please feel free to comment on the blog and request topics you think need approached with an open mind and an insiders view or opinion.The top 3 posts from Whisky Adventures this month are:
1. Definition: Whisky or Whiskey? To’e’ or not to ‘e’, that is the Question…
There are so many points of contention out there in the world of Whisky. Many of these discussions are based on myths and hearsay, meaning that unlike most spirits, when it comes to Scotch Whisky, the contents of your glass are often also the driving topics of your conversation. My Definition Series tries to offer up some of the facts behind these gray areas and shed some light on the topics shrouded in myth and emotion, hopefully leading to even more conversations surrounding your glasses. The spelling of Whisk(e)y is one such topic, and the facts behind the spellings may catch a good number of you by surprise. Investigate it with the above link!
2. Cocktail Corner: The Laphroaig Sour
A huge number of Whisky Adventurers were intrigued by my investigation into the perfect recipe for a Whisky Sour with Laphroaig. Needless to say, an equal number of Whisky Traditionalists were shocked by my exploits. Fancy making one yourself?
3. London Adventure Day 1: Two Brand Ambassadors, a Mixologist, a Sommelier and a Whisky Expert Walk into a bar…My travelogue of London has convinced me that I should document my travels from a Whisky Adventurers point of view more often. It is an amazing city to explore, I outline a few of my favourite stops in the link above.Boutique Bar Show Edinburgh
On October 25th, I was privileged to help Bruichladdich with their stall at the Boutique Bar Show in Edinburgh. This was a show with a twist. As well as the usual brand stands, BBS had arranged for a number of international cocktail superstars to get on the mic and share their wisdom about their experiences in the trade with the new generation of mixologists on the Scottish scene, the whole event culminating in a Mix-off between bartenders from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. A great event, where I got to surprise a few bartenders and bar owners with my mantra on mixing Single Malts, as well as honing my own skills in the mixology department. Rusty Nail anyone?
The St. Andrews Quaich Society
This was my highlight of the month for sure. All I can say is that we had a wonderful audience. 61 receptive, curious and chatty Whisky Adventurers from experienced connoisseurs to newbies who were happy for me to entertain them and were a complete joy to talk to. I can’t wait to go back and share some more stories! Review of the evening here.Scotch Malt Whisky Society Events
Throughout the rest of the month I’ve been privileged to host 8 events for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society introducing San Francisco and Greek journalists to the wonderful world of the Society and how they do Whisky differently.Most Unusual Event
Underground Whisky Tasting with Reel Time EventsOne of my favourite rooms in all of Edinburgh has to be Marlyn’s Wynd. This is an underground vault, part of the original structure for North Bridge in Edinburgh. I had the opportunity to entertain 30 Norwegians who had booked the venue for dinner at the start of the month. Not only were they treated to a buffet feast, they got to sit under stalactites formed by the naturally damp surroundings, while I introduced them to some truly incredible underground drams. We revisited Scapa 14 year old, a stunner from Orkney which is no longer widely available, we got to investigate a distillery only bottling from Blair Atholl a truly hidden gem in Diageo’s portfolio and we rounded off with a wonderful Bowmore, which had picked up all of the characteristics of it’s seaside surroundings. Magical.Other NewsOne final mention has to go to Old Pulteney. The boys at Edinburgh Whisky Blog invited me to share a dram of the Row To The Pole special bottling via Twitter. It was a Non-age Statement marriage of bourbon and sherry casks from Old Pulteney, carefully blended to celebrate the achievement of a team of Adventurers rowing to the magnetic North Pole. A lovely gesture which is already giving me ideas about future crazy Whisky Adventures!
Coming up…November has a few surprises up its sleeves already. I have two trips to Speyside on the horizon and a few possibilities in the world that is the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. All of which may be scuppered if my secret mission gets the go ahead… All may be revealed!Cheers,
Craig -
London Adventure Day 2: A Very Long Lunch…
Waking up on Tuesday was hard work. After Monday’s incredible tour with Patsy, John, Bryant, Jonathon and Rebecca, there were a few cobwebs to be disposed off.However London is a big place with lots to see, and there is no better way to perk up a day than with a four hour lunch with some friends.Patsy and Bryant joined me for the afternoon. Bryant lives in London and Patsy is currently coming to the end of a two week tour here, and I was surprised at how fast they acted. I am always one to slow down a conversation, one to drink in my surroundings and definitely one to accept the very occasional lazy day. Londoners don’t appear to be able to do this.I love London for it’s architecture, it’s decadence and style a big Victorian middle finger to the rest of the world. Britannia did rules the world and they knew it. I get the feeling that Londoners take this for granted. They spend so much time underground that they don’t see the details. And even down here the stations are gorgeously unique, yet nobody seems to notice them. I love them though, and I wanted to take this spirit of Adventure and apply it to my day.Bryant, being a sommelier in a Michelin Star restaurant, knows the hotspots in town, so he instructed us to meet him in Sloan Square at 1pm before walking a mile or so along King’s Road in Chelsea to a little restaurant called Medlar.
We grabbed a table for three and sat down ready for an incredible attack on the palate. Medlar was opened by two of Bryants ex-colleagues with the sole purpose of delivering delicious food to the Chelsea Public.Medlar is unassuming. It’s plain interior and lack of ambient music let you know straight away that here, the food is king. How it looks, how it smells, how it tastes and ultimately how it makes you feel. This place doesn’t have a Michelin star, but I believe it’s only a matter of time!Feast your eyes on our feast of the senses…
Starters:
Raviola
Duck egg with duck hearts
Ham hock Foie Grais on toastMains:
Mushroom ravioli
GrouseDesserts:
Creme Brulee with some communal White Chocolate and Pistachio Ice Cream
Chocolate and Honecomb Torte and a slice of Pear TartThere was also a middle course of 36 month aged Gruyere with Water biscuits. Lovely!To drink, we relied on our sommelier, and Bryant delivered…Champagne as an aperitif, lovely and dry. A glass of dry dessert wine with the above sweet treats and some incredible aged Prune Eau de vie. Weirdly satisfying that one…
And with the Grouse, we had an incredible 1998 Burgundy. With my knowledge of wine all I can tell you is that I loved it. The way it opened up with time was magical. A stellar choice!
My favourite product though, had to be the bottled water. I’d seen it in every restaurant we visited, but had never seen it in Edinburgh. I wanted to know why it was being picked by all the best places. It was nothing to do with smelling or tasting better or minerals or purity. It is bottled by a company that donates all profit to WaterAid. This was a bottled water (one industry I have never understood) with what appears to be a massive heart. I’m impressed. Belu, take a bow!
At 5pm we left Medlar stuffed, ready to burst. Honestly could not fit another mouthful. On the way back to the tube station, we stopped in an antiques fair (most people were walking past) to have a slow meander round at all the stuff.Antiques fairs are incredible places. Cluttered and useless, you find two types of stall owner. More often than not they will be reading a book, ignoring the punters. These people have brought their collections of commodities. Everything has a price tag, but that is to show what their commodities are worth. They don’t want to sell, they love their things and only really want to show it off. If they do get an enquiry, haggling will be painful and sales will be finalised with a very heavy heart.The other stall owners are business people. They greet you with a smile. They love questions and they buy only to sell on at a greater price.This makes people watching at antique fairs enormous fun. Try it next time you’re in one. Ask questions, handle commodities and watch sellers eye light up or hearts drop as you enquire about prices.After a rummage around we passed a shoe shop with the best name in the world. It seems that even the childish comedy in this is lost on the hundred mph crowd of passers by!Back to the hotel for a nap, I decided that I’d have a sociable beer and dram in the City at the bar with the most comprehensive collections of single cask whiskies in the world. I am of course talking about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in London.
With a bigger selection than both Edinburgh venues, and food from the famous Bleeding Heart tavern below, SMWS London is a hidden gem in the hustle and bustle that is the City.
I decided to have Mortlach from a first fill sherry butt. (Not available in either SMWS in Edinburgh, that’s the beauty of these places, every backbar has its own hidden gems surrounded by the latest list of beauties)
This was a perfect rich and spicy dram to ensure lunch had settled. So good it was that I bought two bottles to use at the St Andrews Quaich Society tasting on Thursday.
After a dram, I bumped into Jonathon who had suitably recovered from our adventure the day before. He had heard of a new bar up the road, and wanted to check it out.
Behold The Craft Beer Company…
With countless beers and bottles on tap, this new kid on the block delivered up a feast for the eyes as well as a palate straining selection of craft beers from all over the world.
We sampled the following…
Then Bryant showed up, eager to take me to China Town. Bidding Jonathon fairwell, we tubed it to Mayfair (missed one tube which flustered a few people around us, but guess what… There was a second train two minutes later).Meandering through the streets we were approached by people offering us all kinds of club discounts. Luckily for me, our destination was pre-ordained, otherwise I may have ended up with my dancing shoes on.We stopped outside this door in China Town…
I felt that I was entering some kind of illegal gambling pit. Up the long narrow staircase I was suddenly confronted by a scene straight out of Mad Men. This was the Experimental Cocktail Club. Our masterful bartender Alex was mixing up some Rob Roys while a beautiful red dress at the end of the bar was singing to the crowd, seducing everyone with her voice and convincing everyone that they needed to spend more money.Alex’s Rob Roy was spiced up with a few drops of Laphroaig Cask Strength, he must have read my heart as I approached. A wonderful concoction!
I ended the night with a Scandinavian Daiquiri to toast a Norwegian friend’s birthday and also exploit the fact that this must be the only bar in the UK with Aquavite in the speed rail. My mission complete I exited ECC and made my way happily back to the hotel.
Little did I know, that breakfast on Wednesday would be yet another culinary adventure.
A short walk from Goodge St is a place called the Riding House Cafe. Words can’t do it justice.
Find it, Go there, Eat.
Cheers,
Craig
In my glass: Water -
London Adventure Day 1: Two Brand Ambassadors, a Mixologist, a Sommelier and a Whisky Expert Walk into a Bar…
Hi all,
It’s Monday October 17th and I find myself in London.
I LOVE London. A city that boasts Victorian superiority, built on an Empire surviving on cosmopolitan values and an extremely fast pace of life. It also has some of the best bars in the world and a cocktail culture that is years ahead of everyone else.
So come with me on a Whisky Adventure in real-time as I hopefully remember to update this post!
Yesterday evening was so much fun. I came to realise that real time updates were not possible due to my iPhone’s terrible battery life, so I’ve decided to recall everything the morning after. Anything I’ve forgotten probably needed forgotten, and definitely didn’t need published…
I was whisked from my hotel just across from St. Pancras at around 6pm by a couple of fellow Adventurers as we made plans to see the sights.
Patsy Christie is one of Mixxit UK’s mixologists, travelling up and down the country teaching people how to make brilliant libations (The Laphroaig Sour recipe was from Patsy’s masterful mixing mind.) John Clay is the brand ambassador for Bols, covering their entire liqueur range as well as Bols Genever. There was no chance of this evening being boring!
Their initial thoughts were to hit all of the upscale world class cocktail establishments, however, without any prior warning of this, coupled with the strict dress code these places enforce, there was no chance I was getting in dressed LIKE THAT! (Was how Patsy put it…)
Therefore we headed for the tube as our Adventure became more and more sporadic. Just the way I like it!
Hopping off at Leicester Square we took a quick walk past Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column, (turns out Nelson Mandela was in the navy, who would have thunk it?) and down towards Embankment where I fell in love…
…with a bar.
Gordon’s Wine Bar is the oldest Wine Bar in the city and occupies the basement of an old shop. Toilets on the ground floor, and a staircase leading down to what can only be described as a magical portal into Spain. The old vaulted ceiling of the basement hangs low over the sporadically scattered table and wine barriques acting as tables. Candles light the room and a huge buffet fills up one corner. Then just sitting like part of the furniture, is the bar itself.
With one of the best wine lists in the city, it’s no surprise that Gordon’s is packed on a Monday night. But I had come for something better.Gordon’s was started in 1890 on Villiers Street. It was owned by the Gordon family, famous sherry importers, and still to this day they sell blended sherry from their own barrels! How close this blending process is to the way it was done in the 19th century we’ll never know, but I love the fact that there is a bar in the UK that has three different sherries on tap described simply as dry, medium and sweet or Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso. I said back in 2008 when I was in Jerez, that sherry would have it’s day again, and it looks like it’s finally happening. If the uncool fortified wine can fill a bar on a Monday night in London, then it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world catch on!
We tried each of the casked sherries, the Amontillado the favourite with it’s lovely nutty finish, then decided we had better get something to eat.It turns out that something to eat in present company meant something fruity, it meant a Bloody Mary.We headed from the oldest wine bar in London to the oldest continuously running restaurant in London: Rules. This place had charm. A doorman stood outside in a fantastic hat and tails, the red leather seats looked so comfortable through the window. This looked like a place where a man could get a good steak. It also looked like the kind of place that can mix up a great Martini.
We headed up the long carpeted staircase to the upper levels. Our Adventuring crew must have liked where we were headed, as our ranks swelled by three. Step up Bryant Mao the sommelier at Chez Bruce an extremely high end Michelin star restaurant in Wandsworth Common, enter Jonathon Thompson Master of Malt’s IT guy and Ron Jeremy’s chaperone and last but not least, welcome to Rebecca Asseline, the brand ambassador for Courvoisier in the UK.
Two Brand Ambassadors, a mixologist, a sommelier and a whisky expert walk into a bar……here’s what happened:With our new found crew we sat at the wood, and let Brian Silva work his magic. This is one of the best mixologists on the planet. All 5 of us were in awe at his creations and we fell in love with his charm, his attention to detail and incredible sense of humour. Here are a few creations we sipped upon, every one of them one of Brian’s Originals:First off I asked for something with Scotch Whisky (I’m so predictable) with a bit of smoke. Brian served up this:
A libation called the Islay Maiden involving the following ingredients:
and a spray of Jura 5 year old spirit to bring it together. Wonderful.While I was enjoying the Maiden, Patsy was supping on an incredible Bloody Mary, John had something Genever based, Rebecca had something with princess dust in it, a bramble infused Manhattan was doing the rounds, a Naughty Mac had been served up (a twist in a whisky mac with King’s Ginger and Naked Grouse) and Jonathon had asked for an Irish Whisky based drink (predictability again). The Irish Whisky was served from a 1960’s Jameson bottle that Brian keeps topped up.
The star of the show though, was Bryant’s Postmodern Whisky Sour. Fun, colourful and most importantly extremely tasty! Balanced perfectly, this was a great drink involving the bartenders greatest adversary, Midouri!Brian managed to bring us all into his world at Rules and break every single convention we thought that the bartending world had. He entertained us, kept us topped up, listened to our stories, shared his own and most importantly taught us that the only thing you need to decide about the contents of any glass is whether you like it or not. A man after my own heart!Here are some snaps of the incredible journeys our palates took at Rules:
With such an incredible Mixologist in front of us, I couldn’t help but ask him about his take on the industry and how things seem to be heading. My first question was about managing his back bar. How does a man with such a great reputation decide what goes on his back bar? His answer was simple and profound: “Whatever doesn’t get used, doesn’t stay.” If he can work with it, then he will.After seeing Brian chip and carve the ice for our drinks by hand we asked about the new fashion regarding ice balls and ice diamonds. He said he loves it if it helps the drink. Diamonds are too time consuming, ice balls are fun, he likes big random-shaped blocks as they keep his drinks chilled for longer, and he doesn’t need to faff about with them.After the grilling and the need for real actual food, we said goodbye to Brian, but not before taking a tour of his bar. Rules has lamps from the original Playboy Club in London, as well as a mural saved from the Savoy and completed around the room by the owner of Rules. Ending at a secret door with a wonderful painting of the end of the hunt:
This picture doesn’t do it justice. But we learn that the Hunter got his prey, while the fox got away. Magical!After Rules we headed up Tavistock Street to a tavern called Opera. John and Jonathon left us at this point, and my iPhone died, so no photos I’m afraid. What I will say though, is that the Fois Grais burger was to die for! After some bites and wine we called it a night and jumped in a black cab, ready for the happy ride back to the hotel.Stay tuned for day 2!Cheers,Craig -
Cocktail Corner: The Laphroaig Sour
Ever since posting my views on mixing cocktails, I have been inundated with requests for the perfect Laphroaig Sour. A recent Twitter recommendation to a friend about the cocktail brought a few single malt traditionalists out of the woodwork, shouting about the sacrilege of my suggestion (they had clearly never had a Laphroaig Sour before), but more importantly it highlighted the fact that many bartenders found the idea of adding Laphroaig to a classic recipe too crazy to comprehend, leading to some disastrous looking, and probably less than palatable libations.
Therefore I have decided to grab some ingredients and prove to you that this is a cocktail that can be shaken up at home with delicious results by an amateur bartender at best.
I should point out at this point that I was not the first person to ever try a Laphroaig Sour, but it was the first single malt cocktail that really encouraged me to trust bartenders with the spirits that have inspired me and kept me employed for the last 8 years.
I tried it for the very first time in Blue Water Cafe when I lived in Vancouver. The bartender there, the incredible Ron Oliver, had been playing about with smoky whiskies and invited me to try his latest creation. It was a twist on the Laphroaig Sour, adding two drops of Pernod to the finished cocktail. This led to a wonderful marriage of smoke and anise, both of which fought for my attention until my next sip. Since that day I have never looked back, discovering such delights as a Macallan Fine Oak Old Fashioned, a morning after pill in the wonderful Ardbeg New-Make Bloody Mary and the fresh and summery Ardmore Cooler. (These might pop up in future cocktail corners, depending on the furore this post creates, I hope it’s gigantic.)
Drinks like this take all that is best about your favourite single malt whiskies, and they throw them on stage for all to see, just with a different back drop. A friend described it as sounding delicious and blasphemous all at once. Well I for one love to explore a bit of blasphemy, so come with me as I try to mix up a storm.
So here’s how to make a Laphroaig Sour:
You will need the following for each drink:
Ingredients:
Sugar syrup = 2 parts sugar 1 part cold water
2 parts Laphroaig
1 part sugar syrup
3/4 part fresh lemon juice
Half an egg white (optional but gives the lovely froth on top)
3 dashes bitters
3 drops of absinthe
Lemon zest to garnish
Method: (this is a method I received from Patsy Christie a friend and professional mixologist with Mixxit UK)
Chill your glass with icePour the Laphroaig, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white and bitters into a Boston shaker bowl.
Shake without ice for 10 seconds
Add as much ice to the bowl as you can
Shake with ice for 10 seconds
Empty your glass and fill up with fresh ice
Strain cocktail over fresh ice
Add Absinthe using a bar spoon to stir
Squeeze the zest (skin down) over the drink to coat with oil
Twist and garnish
Enjoy
Patsy also suggested an alternative method where you use half Laphroaig, half Makers Mark. Definitely worth trying!
Anyway, after getting the method and ingredients down, I invited my Twitter followers to join me. The turnout was massive. 400% larger than expected.
The four judges were in unanimous agreement.
The first batch of 50ml Laphroaig was too watery on account of the ice melting and me shaking it too long.
The Makers and Laphroaig mix had It’s merits and was an improvement, but lacked the massive smoky surge at the end.
My final batch, all Laphroaig again was where the drink magically came together. The anise was present, the lemon juice sharp and the smoke only hit you 4 seconds after you had taken a sip. This was heaven.
The trick was to avoid too much dilution.
So there you have it, you can make a delicious Laphroaig sour at home, but beware, you WILL make a mess!
Cheers,
Craig
In my glass: A Laphroaig Sour -
The Traditional Whisky Get Together, and How to Get it Right.
The other evening I was reminded of the reasons I love working with Whisky.
The first things I learned as distillery tour guide at Glenkinchie were the ins and outs of making Scotch Whisky. The second lesson was the insignificance of all this info compared to the importance of enjoying Whisky with friends.
Production is incredibly important, and that is why I love sharing insights of it on this blog, but this blog and those insights would mean absolutely bugger all if they were not discussed over a good dram or two with friends the next time you convened to enjoy the finer things in life.
The other night I sat with a group of friends and fellow Whisky Adventurers and shared a few drams whilst both evaluating these spirits and sharing stories. The results reminded me exactly why I stayed in the Whisky Industry. Hopefully, at some point you will have made the same connections, or will have a similar epiphany moment as your own Whisky Adventures continue.
Picture the scene:
Sat round a mahogany table were a Canadian friend, a French Ami, a German freund, an English pal and myself. We had 7 whiskies to decide upon and it was my job for the evening to collate our experiences and draw our overall conclusions.
We were armed with 7 nosing glasses each, a jug of natural spring water, paper, pens, 7 random Whisky samples and imaginations primed for going wild.
This may sound like a rather traditionalist ritual, and in many ways it is. It just so happens that it is one of many ways we like to get our kicks out of Whisky, as well as a great opportunity to get our olfactory senses up to scratch.
(I should also point out that there were no books in sight, no phones for fact checking, no labels being read out and no complicated scoring system. For each dram, we only had to decide if we liked it or not in our present mood and surroundings, as well as recording any other thoughts which sprung to our minds.)Anyway, when looking back at the whiskies, we decided that, although all fine spirits, nothing special really stood out in 4 of the 7, the remaining 3 were great, but not amazing. This, in many traditionalist circles would have meant that the night was a complete waste of time. Why even bother?
Well, not in our circle. The contents of the glass should never be the focus of attention, these spirits should be the glue that keeps us together throughout the 3 hour session, and they are the oil for the conversation. Especially when the group are meeting for the first time. (I was the common link between the group, our Canadian friend had never met anyone else and our English pal was only acquainted with two of us previously, yet we managed to sit and have a rip-roaring barn stormer of an evening discussing everything we loved and loathed about these drams.)
Every so often we would share a piece of useless information about the distilleries in question, and more often than not a personal Adventure with a dram from the past would jump into the middle of the table. As the night wore on, barriers were dropped, tongues loosened and muscles relaxed. The sharing of stories over a dram or two is one of the loveliest things you can experience. For every story you share, two or three come back at you. The conversation flows and the connections deepen. It is the best spirit in the world for making friends as well as doing business.
I sit here reading the notes from the other night and the one thing that has jumped out at me, prompting me to write this up, is the sheer honesty in the scripts. The best thing about these notes is that everyone brought themselves and their past Whisky Adventures to the table. They are probably the most diverse, artistic and downright magical notes I have ever seen.
In what other room would we have colours described as Loonie Coin Gold, Aix-en-Provence Olive Oil or Scottish Claymore?
How many people can say they have enjoyed a dram during the Islay Beach Rugby Championships, or would recommend we drink one whilst windsurfing in BC, or even at the top of the Eiffel Tower?
What single expert would have experiences enough to describe a dram as Auntie’s Apfel Strudel, Maple Syrup (straight from the snow), Sommerset Scrumpy Cider and Freshly Mown Bowling Greens?
These little details and flashes of inspiration are the reason I love analysing Whisky. They are also the reasons I never publish scores for whisky. Everything is dependant on circumstance and company, feelings and occasions, the right dram for the right time.
Personally I feel that a conversation provoking Whisky that is not to everyone’s taste deserves it’s spot on the back bar of any pub just as much as the Whisky that has been engineered to deliver a comforting silence over everyone who drinks it.
That is why when I do conduct quality control on a professional level, I not only analyse what is in the glass, but also what surrounds the glass.
Cheers,
Craig
P.s. I will not publish the notes here, as I urge you to sit down with your own friends and discuss a dram or two with no previous knowledge of what is in your glass. I think you’ll be surprised at what you find!In my glass: No idea, but it is absolutely delicious. Shame my friend here disagrees!
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Recipe: Craig’s Edible Peat
When was the last time you had a Whisky lunch?
Whisky and food matching is an extremely enjoyable thing to do, and one which can be terribly hit or miss. What I can say, is that the beauty in food pairing with whisky is the plethora of results and the diversity of opinions. The Adventuring, the Experimenting and the Experience of sharing these weird and wonderful delights is a joy to behold.Food pairing was probably the hardest part of my job, until I realised that my audience were far more interested in the story behind the choices than the choices themselves. As with everything in life, we all have an opinion and we are entitled to it. A pairing that gets some people singing, might encourage others to revisit their breakfast. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but you can get them chatting about their experiences. This led me to the following rule of thumb:When food pairing with whisky, always try to Compliment or Contrast, and always be open to feedback regarding the marriage, expanding your experiences as you go. Here are a couple of my more triumphant pairings and their alternatives:A salty, briny, fishy whisky is incredible at taming a robust smoked fish chowder, yet the same dish can be exacerbated with a gorgeous and deep peardrop and vanilla flavour profile.orA full blown sherried whisky is the perfect compliment to a nice haunch of venison, yet it can also allow a blue cheese to blast off on the palate.But occasionally you will come across a whisky that does not want to play ball…
The difficulty generally comes from the peat monsters. These whiskies are generally too smoky and can easily mask a cuisine. (I did meet a guy from Texas once who glazed his roast with Lagavulin, but I found out that this was more a measure to keep others away from his red meat than to heighten any flavour expectations. Turns out his friends hated peaty whisky.) How can we get around this most intense of flavours? The answer is simple. Serve them up with a side of peat.Last year, I had the difficult task of matching Ardbeg to food. Everyone agreed that it was too overpowering for everything. But never one to back away from a challenge, I decided to put my apron on and get to work in the kitchen. I decided that the best thing to match a peaty whisky with was peat itself. Therefore I developed this edible version of our favourite fossil fuel:
It looks like peat, it can have the consistency of peat, and with enough Ardbeg it smells like peat smoke too. If you want to shock a group of 100 whisky enthusiasts, just explain all about peat with a piece of this in your hand finishing with the line “and what 99.9% of the world don’t realise, is that it is 100% edible…” Then chuck it in your mouth.Let me know how you get on, I’d love to hear your feedback and see your photos and tweaks to this recipe. You can share them with me on Twitter.Cheers,Craig
In my glass: Ardbeg Alligator and a chunk of Craig’s Edible Peat -
September 2011 Highlights
September has been super busy, helping me get over the hard working week on Islay at the end of August. Apart from launching this blog, I’ve also had a crazy schedule of events keeping me moving and shaking in the Whisky World. Here are some of the highlights:Highland Games with Reel Time EventsThe first event this month was a definite highlight, working a Highland Games with Roddy the Piper at Reel Time Events. If you ever have a need for ceilidh bands, pipers, dancers or ‘traditional’ highland games, then these are the guys to contact.We had everything from tossing cabers (throwing trees) and highland stanes (throwing rocks) to haggis tossing, and welly wanging, all rounded off with some expert highland dancing, piping and of course a whisky tutorial by yours truly.Whisky Live Glasgow
An early start was justified as we set up the most ambitious and grandest of all stalls at this years Whisky Live. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society stall was as always extremely well stocked and superbly busy, keeping us all on our toes from start to finish. A slot in the VIP room was my personal highlight as I presented a 34 year old Glen Craig to 60 enthusiasts, letting them savour the last drops of this incredible bottling. Other highlights included meeting up with Joel and Neil from Cask Strength and a glorious taste of Springbank 18 with some smoked salmon from Lewis. All in all a good day at the office.Scotch Malt Whisky Society Events
Throughout the rest of the month I’ve been privileged to host 9 events for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society covering everything from 3-dram basic tastings to a 5 dram smoky whisky extravaganza. The highlights however, have to be the two external events at the end of the month.
Gleneagles, the plushest and grandest hotel in Scotland, was the venue of a Chairman’s Choice 4 dram whisky tasting. Features included a 39 year old Glen Moray and the first ever bottling of Bladnoch from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, bottled back in 1983.
The next night I entertained a group at the National Museum of Scotland on Chamber’s Street. The theme for the evening was the Scottish Enlightenment, so it was surprisingly fitting that we toasted with the national drink which probably led to some forward thinking and of course oiled the gears of some important deals back when society, philosophy and industry were flourishing within Scotland.Most Unusual EventHas to be the shift I did at one of Glasgow’s top fashion outlets. I got to meet Leonardo, a leather embosser, and behold the craftsmanship and skill he brings to his profession every day. You can read about it here.Other NewsAnd of course I can’t forget the launch of Kilderkin at the bottom of the Royal Mile. Best place for non-circular pizzas I’ve ever been to! A great feast of celebration.
Coming up…October has a lot to live up to: At the moment it looks like I’ll be making an appearance at the Boutique Bar Show with Bruichladdich and a guest slot at St Andrews Whisky Club with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, as well as the prospect of a trip to see the incredible Ryan Adams in Edinburgh on October 30th. Watch this space for info regarding new events as they pop up and don’t hesitate to book your own Whisky Adventure using the tab at the top of the page.Cheers,
Craig -
Definition: Dram
The word ‘dram’ has to be the most overused in our industry today, everyone talks about a dram of this, and a dram of that, yet very few people actually know what they are referring to. Therefore I’ve decided to try and shed some light on the situation using information I have gathered on my Whisky Adventures.Once again I would like to start by quoting dictionary.com. In reference to liquids they offered this up:
dram
noun
a : a fluid dram.
b : a small drink of liquor.
c : small quantity of anything.
where
fluid dram
noun
either of two units of liquid capacity:
d : a United States unit equal to ⅛ United States fluid ounce or 0.226 cubic inch or 3.697 milliliters e : a British unit equal to ⅛ British fluid ounce or 0.2167 cubic inch or 3.5516 millilitres
But yet again, none of these definitions offer up the entire story.
The way I see it, there are 3 definitions of the word ‘dram’ in circulation today. Two of which we would accept as whisky drinkers.
There is the unit of measurement or ‘fluid dram’. This is the one we would not accept. 3.6ml would not wet the glass. If a fly landed in your whisky, you would not have to worry about it’s safety or ability to swim as it’s feet would be firmly on the bottom. This is an imperial unit of measurement with roots in the word drachm.
There is the modern Scottish definition, which has a romantic side to it and can fall into line with b above. It is a measure of whisky, the size of which is agreed upon between the pourer and the drinker. There’s something lovely about this definition.
But what about drinking in a pub, or at a distillery? From my experiences talking to various distillery workers and industry professionals, a dram was not a small glass of whisky by any stretch of the imagination. It did not have it’s roots in the fluid dram definition above, but was measured using dram cups (pictured below). These cups were filled to the brim when served, and if consumed at a distillery, or publicly before 1915 (when ageing whisky became obligatory), they may have contained pure spirit or ‘clearic’ at close to 70%abv.
So when a Scotsman is talking about a dram, what he is historically referring to is an unofficial unit of measurement, from a dram cup which checks in at just under 1/3rd of a pint.
There’s some food for thought!
In my glass a dram (modern Scots) of Finlaggan Cask Strength
Cheers,
Craig -
Craftsmen Series: 1. Luxury Leather Embosser or How High Class Fashion Got Me Thinking About Whisky
Yesterday I was out of bed at 6am, to embark on a secret mission. My remit was to turn up at one of the largest designer fashion brand’s Glasgow store and hand out complimentary drinks and chocolates. A rather unusual task, I must confess, but I wanted to see how these luxury brands work from the inside; the people that they attract and the actual (undoubted) quality of their products. There is no better way to do this, than by offering your services for a day and becoming part of the furniture.
It’s an interesting world, the world of fashion. It’s not one that I pay particular attention to, unless I’m in professional work mode, and even then, I don’t care so much about the label of my attire, I care about the comfort; the style; the look and the price. Therefore, the idea that people can wholly commit to one particular fashion brand, and we’re talking about a massively exclusive Italian designer here, was an idea that was completely foreign to me. Or so I thought…What I witnessed was a huge array of different customers with different needs.There were the older demographic who had been buying from this house for decades. They loved the quality and the feel of the product but never bought anything with the trademarked logo emblazoned all over it. You could tell where it was from, but only of you knew the more subtle trademarks of the brand. (Whisky drinkers who drink a product, because of the flavour)There were also the younger demographic who had clearly made a success of their lives, and come into some disposable income. These folks had also recognized the quality of the product but made sure that the trademark logo was emblazoned all over their product. If the brand had 3 trademark indicators, these people had at least 2 of the three tastefully displayed. (Whisky drinkers who like the flavour, but would order the older expression regardless of their opinions on taste between the two choices)I also witnessed gentlemen in fashionable sportswear accessorized with designer baseball caps (no longer the tartan caps, this other designer has stolen the market here); designer trainers; designer scarves and designer belts with the biggest logos they could possibly fit on them. These gentlemen paid from designer wallets and almost inevitably they paid cash. (Drinkers who bought the oldest available and consumed it whether they liked it or not)The day was indeed an interesting anthropological investigation, but the monotony of standing with a tray loaded with champagne for 8 hours, despite the variety in customers and their needs should have killed me with boredom, yet it did not. It nearly put my back out though!The single reason I did not collapse, or fall asleep or storm out, was because of craftsmanship.The reason I was in the store, was to serve people whilst their leather products were personalised by the designer’s embosser. Leonardo had been flown out from the factory in Florence to emboss products by hand, right in front of the client. An incredible craft to watch.Armed with a heated wand, printing blocks, gold or silver leaf and an extremely steady hand, Leonardo would take thousands of pounds worth of handbag and emboss up to 5 characters into the leather to create a one of a kind fashion accessory.
It may have been the scents of leather, chocolate and tobacco (Leonardo smoked rollies), or the sheer quality of the live craftsmanship, but this experience got me thinking about whisky. A couple of brands in particular sprung to mind, but mainly it got me thinking about the people in the industry. The true craftsmen who make our national drink. And therefore I have decided to start a series of blogs commemorating these craftsmen and hopefully bringing to life the jobs that they so tirelessly do to ensure the quality of the product we are lucky enough to consume. The first of these blogs is the one you are currently reading, and I am going to have to dedicate it to Leonardo and the craftspeople in the fashion industry.I suppose the thing that hit me most about Leonardo’s line of work, was the sheer difficulty of some of the requests he gets. He had to emboss everything from the inside of bags, to the outside of wallets and the underside of belts. Each product was worth a minimum £200, so any mistake is extremely costly.He had to do everything by hand. Setting up the printer, ensuring every letter was the right way up and facing backwards, even making sure the print was parallel or perpendicular to the edges of the accessory. This is easy on a wallet, but when your client wants an embossing in the middle of their iPad cover, things get more difficult.He also had at least 10 different leathers he would have to work with, each one throwing up a different challenge. For example, he could not emboss cracked pattern leather, unless it was with leaf, as the tan on tan would not show up well in the cracks.
The tools he had meant that there was a 5 letter maximum for each embossing, so when somebody decided that initials were too subtle, and they wanted to write their whole name, Leonardo would have to line up the second embossing exactly to ensure a smooth transition from one printing to the next.Every single embossing was practised on some leather scraps he had with him to mimic the end result and show the client what it would look like, but even then, the final print would be a high pressure, one chance job where he could be handling thousands of pounds worth of merchandise and still he approached it with a steady hand.It really was incredible to watch. However, the unseen, unsung part of Leonardo’s character (and this goes for most of the craftsmen I have met) is in his love and pride in his work. No matter what he was asked to emboss (one gentleman wanted his nickname embossed in his wallet, the same nickname he had on the back of his football shirt) Leonardo would approach the job with respect and professionalism. He handled every article with care, and gave a balanced and informed opinion on where something should be embossed for maximum effect, as well as relishing the challenges of embossing new areas of accessories he had never even thought of. Challenges that, once again could have cost thousands of pounds.It was a brilliant day, delivering all of the data I needed on a professional level with the added bonus of seeing a true master at work. I will never forget when a woman in her eighties pulled out a vintage bag from the designer and handed it to Leonardo. His eyes lit up. This was the oldest piece he had ever been asked to work on, and he spent at least 20 minutes analysing it and explaining the product to the client before happily and tastefully printing her initials on the inside of the strap.
Class.
Cheers,
Craig
In my glass: The Macallan 25 year old, it had to be didn’t it? -
Not From Concentrate (A Cautionary Tale for Bartenders)
I want to share a story, an experience, and a test. As a bartender I learned very quickly that telling a customer they were wrong was an extremely bad move for earning repeat business, a rubbish way for keeping a busy bar and an extremely detrimental tactic when it comes to earning tips. So how come so many Whisky drinkers believe it is their God given right to criticise how someone enjoys our biggest leisure export?
On top of all of this, I have been extremely lucky and, in some cases privileged, to have tasted some incredibly simple yet effective and some unbelievably complex and delicious Single Malt Whisky serves. My bartending mantra is simply summed up like this: ‘Do not knock it until you have tried it…’ (I mentioned some of these serves a couple of posts ago…)Yet, I still get asked, and these are all brilliant questions, about adding water and why it’s a good thing (not always the case), adding ice and why it’s wrong (not always the case) and why Irn Bru is a cardinal sin (see mantra above). People are interested in mixing Single Malt Whiskies, they just don’t realise it. So the following is a cautionary tale for anyone bartending and/or serving Scotch Whisky. Let me set the scene…I had been working in the Whisky Industry for 5 years when this dilemma and huge test of character, as well as test of one’s principles came about. It was a massive and spontaneous ‘Put your money where your mouth is’ moment, and one I think I passed with flying colours (you can decide if I was right for yourselves.)I had always been brought up to teach people that they should experiment with whisky, I had gone around explaining the difference water made, the difference ice made and the effects of soft drinks, and I had been allowing them to make an informed decision. I still stick to these methods. On a fateful day in the summer of 2008, I was faced with the stiffest test to these principles that I have faced, and that I will ever likely face.
The company I was working for at the time was selling a 55 year old Single Malt Whisky for £6,000 a bottle. Every time one of these bottles was sold, I was invited in to take the staff of the bar listing the product through a vertical flight of their entire range. A privilege which let me into some of the most exclusive eating and drinking establishments in the world.One day I received a call informing me that a bar in a small town in the middle of nowhere had purchased a bottle of this 55 year old whisky, and I was required to introduce the range. I was excited…
…And then I got there. It was the grottiest, dingiest bar I had ever encountered. Definitely frequented by biker gangs. On the taps, they had a selection of light lagers: Coors Light, Miller Light, Bud Light; a cocktail list that comprised of Bud Light with Lime; a choice of wines (red or white, take it or leave it) and, sitting pride of place on their Red Bull fridge was a bottle of this 55 year old Scotch Whisky, which was half full. I was in shock. Someone here was buying this stuff at £500 a nip.The tasting with the staff was excellent. For most of these guys, this was the highlight of their spirit drinking careers, and they were eager to learn about this foreign spirit on their bar. Meanwhile I was eager to learn how they had managed to sell so much.To find out, I decided to man the bar and work a shift with the bar owner. At around 10pm that evening, the moment of truth was upon me. While I had been serving what felt like my 500th Jagerbomb, two gents had stumbled in from the casino across the road, slapped a huge wad of cash on the bar, and asked the bar owner for a drink.All colour drained from his face.He looked at me, shaking, and said to the two gents, “Craig here will take care of you, I need to wash my hair…” (or something to that extent.)So I wandered over to the two customers, and asked:“What can I get you gents?”“We’d like two of your most expensive Scotches……with Orange Juice please.”My jaw dropped, the bar seemed to fall silent, the owner dropped the glass he was polishing. I could see the thought process run through his eyes…”The Brand Ambassador’s here…That’s a £1000 order…The Brand Ambassador IS HERE…These guys can’t wait…The Brand Ambassador CAN SEE ME AND CAN HEAR THEM…”I knew what I had to do. I was sure of what it was, I was unsure if I could. I opened my mouth as I reached for the 55 year old, but before I could utter a word, the bar owner asked“What are you going to do Craig?”And I said, far more calmly than I thought I ever could…“First of all, I’m going to make sure the orange juice is not from concentrate, and secondly, I’m going to throw in the juice for free…”Enjoy Scotch Whisky responsibly in whichever way you see fit!
In my glass tonight: Littlemill 1985, but, I’m afraid to say folks, I’ve run out of orange juice.Cheers,Craig
Here you will find all interesting things I come across in the world of Scotch Whisky as I travel and spread the wit and wisdom over a dram or two...
