I didn't even know that the wines and spirits industry had a 'communicator of the year' award but it makes absolute sense that some people are better at breaking down class barriers and elitist nonsense to make drinks accessible to everyone.
Delighted that Dave Broom has been awarded the honour this year.
Maturing my own
I have recently discovered Master of Malt, a great site with some really interesting ideas for getting us to try different whiskies, such as their sample packs - such a simple idea but the only place where I've seen anything like it is the SMWS.
What caught my attention though was the mature you own pack. It comes with new make spirit and a virgin oak cask (made in Mexico I found out when I received it).
I've filled the cask with some cheap Port first and plan to leave it in for a couple of weeks to soak up some of new wood flavours and then pop the new make spirit in.
It's a great idea.
What caught my attention though was the mature you own pack. It comes with new make spirit and a virgin oak cask (made in Mexico I found out when I received it).
I've filled the cask with some cheap Port first and plan to leave it in for a couple of weeks to soak up some of new wood flavours and then pop the new make spirit in.
It's a great idea.
Education, education, education
And it's not the youth of today that I'm concerned about, it's the middle aged that we need to watch.
I was with a group of people over the weekend who were celebrating a 38th and 50th birthday. There was just a dozen people in Cornwall for a couple of days. They certainly didn't act their ages and one of them falling asleep on the pub floor was slightly embarrassing but my main concern was the language!
"How much coke would you like Sir?" the barmaid asked one of the group
"How much Scotch is in there?" He asked.
Scotch? Scotch! But he ordered a Jack Daniels!! What was he talking about?
Of course they all knew that I liked whisky but clearly didn't know to what extent.
"Oh, if you like whisky you'll love this." I was told as someone poured me a vivid orange liqueur that professed to have a well known blend in it. I duly allowed the liquid to touch my lips, which was enough to establish that this was probably the same recipe for a child's cough mixture, and then manage to pour it away without causing offense.
These were just two of a number of incidents that has led me to believe that whisky and whisky making should be on the national curriculum so that younger generations do not grow up thinking that whisky made 4500 miles away can be called Scotch and that a sweet liquid that you would normally associate with colds and flu is nothing like a good single malt.
I was with a group of people over the weekend who were celebrating a 38th and 50th birthday. There was just a dozen people in Cornwall for a couple of days. They certainly didn't act their ages and one of them falling asleep on the pub floor was slightly embarrassing but my main concern was the language!
"How much coke would you like Sir?" the barmaid asked one of the group
"How much Scotch is in there?" He asked.
Scotch? Scotch! But he ordered a Jack Daniels!! What was he talking about?
Of course they all knew that I liked whisky but clearly didn't know to what extent.
"Oh, if you like whisky you'll love this." I was told as someone poured me a vivid orange liqueur that professed to have a well known blend in it. I duly allowed the liquid to touch my lips, which was enough to establish that this was probably the same recipe for a child's cough mixture, and then manage to pour it away without causing offense.
These were just two of a number of incidents that has led me to believe that whisky and whisky making should be on the national curriculum so that younger generations do not grow up thinking that whisky made 4500 miles away can be called Scotch and that a sweet liquid that you would normally associate with colds and flu is nothing like a good single malt.
Ola Dubh
Having tried and loved the Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 I was very
excited when I was given a couple of bottles of the Special 30 to try.
The packaging and branding is fantastic and everything you would expect from a rare single malt, but of course this is beer that has been matured in casks from Highland Park.
The casks vary in age, 12, 16 and 30 years old but I'm afraid my untrained nose and palate couldn't really distinguish that much difference other than the bottle of 30 reserve was more gassy than I would have liked.
The taste is definitely chocolate, malt, roasted chestnuts and very full.
I'm told people are paying a fortune for bottle of the 30 reserve but grab a few of the 12 which appear to be more plentiful and you won't be disappointed.
The packaging and branding is fantastic and everything you would expect from a rare single malt, but of course this is beer that has been matured in casks from Highland Park.
The casks vary in age, 12, 16 and 30 years old but I'm afraid my untrained nose and palate couldn't really distinguish that much difference other than the bottle of 30 reserve was more gassy than I would have liked.
The taste is definitely chocolate, malt, roasted chestnuts and very full.
I'm told people are paying a fortune for bottle of the 30 reserve but grab a few of the 12 which appear to be more plentiful and you won't be disappointed.
Not all Glenturret goes into Famous Grouse
When in Elgin it would be a sin not to visit the Gordon & MacPhail shop.
Fortunately it is a little more user friendly than their website and it's quite easy for a 'quick look around' to turn into three quarters of an hour.
With great restraint I limited my purchases to three bottles but came away with a bottle of Glenturret 15yr old and sherry matured.
I've always thought that Glenturret was under-rated and that the 10yr old was a perfectly respectable dram.
The 15yr old sherry matured is also a great drink. It's expensive for a 15yr old but I guess that is simply because it's rare for any of it to end up as single malt but for anyone who likes the sweet, heady mixture of fruit, coffee, spice and melted butter it's certainly worth it.
Fortunately it is a little more user friendly than their website and it's quite easy for a 'quick look around' to turn into three quarters of an hour.
With great restraint I limited my purchases to three bottles but came away with a bottle of Glenturret 15yr old and sherry matured.
I've always thought that Glenturret was under-rated and that the 10yr old was a perfectly respectable dram.
The 15yr old sherry matured is also a great drink. It's expensive for a 15yr old but I guess that is simply because it's rare for any of it to end up as single malt but for anyone who likes the sweet, heady mixture of fruit, coffee, spice and melted butter it's certainly worth it.
Edradour Port Matured
There has been some debate in recent years about the desire of
the whisky industry to drop the age statement from bottles and let the
quality of the whisky speak for itself.
Of course the ever suspicious consumer thought this was just a way of selling younger whisky so that the industry could increase their profits.
If the Edradour Port Matured is anything to go by then no-one should be worried. It's just 6 years old but I'm sure you could convince some old fart that it was 15.
I'm slightly coloured blind (like many males) but I'm sure it looks very pink in the glass. That aside it has great aroma, pallete and finish. Surpringly smooth for a 6 year old, it still has that malty, nutty flavour that Edradour is famous for, but the port has added a sweetness and depth that makes the whole experience complete.
A great whisky.
Of course the ever suspicious consumer thought this was just a way of selling younger whisky so that the industry could increase their profits.
If the Edradour Port Matured is anything to go by then no-one should be worried. It's just 6 years old but I'm sure you could convince some old fart that it was 15.
I'm slightly coloured blind (like many males) but I'm sure it looks very pink in the glass. That aside it has great aroma, pallete and finish. Surpringly smooth for a 6 year old, it still has that malty, nutty flavour that Edradour is famous for, but the port has added a sweetness and depth that makes the whole experience complete.
A great whisky.
Gaelic Whisky
You would think that the first stop on a holiday to Skye ought to
be Talisker but I was staying in the south of the 'Misty Isle' and it
wasn't long before I had sniffed out the nearby Gaelic Whisky company,
Praban Na Linne.
In a small room which is part of their headquarters I tasted the range they had to offer and asked some questions of the young man helping us. I gathered that two of their range were blends and that a further two were single malts.
When I asked where the whisky actually came from I was told that nobody knew "it's from an illicit still" Yeah right!
Suitably sold on the romance of drinking whisky from an illicit still and having exhausted the conversation I plumped for a bottle of MacNaMara Rum finish and a their best seller (so I was told) Te Bheag.
Two more different whiskies you couldn't imagine. MacNaMara Rum finish is incredibly sweet, but very welcome pre-dinner I found. Te Bheag is more earthy, smokey, nutty to taste but doesn't linger very long.
Both drinkable, both affordable and both worth a try.
In a small room which is part of their headquarters I tasted the range they had to offer and asked some questions of the young man helping us. I gathered that two of their range were blends and that a further two were single malts.
When I asked where the whisky actually came from I was told that nobody knew "it's from an illicit still" Yeah right!
Suitably sold on the romance of drinking whisky from an illicit still and having exhausted the conversation I plumped for a bottle of MacNaMara Rum finish and a their best seller (so I was told) Te Bheag.
Two more different whiskies you couldn't imagine. MacNaMara Rum finish is incredibly sweet, but very welcome pre-dinner I found. Te Bheag is more earthy, smokey, nutty to taste but doesn't linger very long.
Both drinkable, both affordable and both worth a try.
SMWS 25.47
25.47 translates as the 47th bottling of Rosebank from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
It's 19yrs matured in an ex-bourbon cask.
Probably not as good as last years bottling which was 16yrs if I remember correctly but nevertheless a welcome addition to the Christmas drinks cabinet.
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