Glendronach 15 Revival - She said...

SHE SAID:  "Do you have a bottle of Glendronach in your collection?", Linda asked me not long ago.  Glendronach, I thought quickly as I mentally scanned the 40 or so bottles I currently have opened?!  No, can't say as I do.  "Well, Jim Murray rates them quite highly so I was wondering if I should get one?."

One of the mandates of our society is education, and it is something I feel strongly responsible for as a member of the executive of the Saint John Whisky Tasting Society.  It is my duty to ensure I know as much about whiskies as I can.  This forces me to keep a very open mind about ALL whiskies.  I love that our members look up to Graham and me for suggestions or opinions on whiskies to purchase. So, I decided to take up Linda's question and researched, read, talked to a few people and decided that despite being a "Speyside", we should get a bottle and try it. Always say YES is my motto!

Absolutely no regrets.  I have several bottles of the Balvenie line, which is my most favourite of the Speysides.  Well move over, I think we have a new winner in this one.  I loved the Glendronach 15 so much,  that I noticed the 12 at the liquor store on Saturday and now I'm thinking the 15 shouldn't be left to feel so lonely in our collection.  Graham, we need to to buy the 12 to keep it company!   hehehe...


(I was a bit worried as I had a massive head cold when I nosed/tasted this, however...)

Color:  Deep golden amber, so deep it reminded me of a fresh cup of steeped Red Rose tea.  (Only in Canada, sorry my European friends!)  Although the legs are fairly close together, the whisky is somewhat viscous which caused the streams to stick to the glass and not flow so freely.

Nose:  As I expected, the nose is MASSIVE.  However, this was even bigger than I anticipated.  This whisky grabbed me by the nose and surrounded me fully with the aroma of a rich plum pudding that had just been doused with rum and set ablaze.  Stewed fruit like prunes, apricots and raisins.  Faint vanilla after it sat for awhile, not at the forefront, just sort of hanging out in the back hall so to speak.  Once I added a bit of water all I could smell was a delectable and light chocolate mousse.

Palate:  Fairly muted compared to the nose (no surprise for me, it's a Speyside) but so sweet my mouth watered.  Overwhelming chocolate covered raisins and sweet zesty orange.  Then after I swallowed, my mouth went dry, really dry and I was left with the feeling that I needed to brush my tongue.

Finish: Medium to long with a hint of vanilla again.  Reminded me of the feel I get after I've had a rich red wine.  The tannins drying effect seem to leave a "coating" behind.

Empty glass:  Suprisingly (being sarcastic), a sherry cork?!


If this bottle is available where you are, I recommend you buy it or consider it as a gift for anyone who loves the taste of whisky finished in Sherry!  This is going to be a great after supper, sitting on the boat at sunset dram that I will look forward to (even if it is a Speyside...  hehehe!)


On the lovely Speyside Whisky Trail!


Johanne

He Says...Welcome to Collingwood!

He said…Unlike a lot of my friends growing up I never had the privilege of throwing up in a ditch on account of overindulgence with a bottle of cheap Canadian "rye" mixed with pineapple juice, kool-aid or what ever other terrible mix you could acquire for a dollar. No sir, I did all my barfing on account of vodka...liquor of the devil. So to that end I really had no preconceived notions of Canadian whisky other than what I have heard from other...well…ditch fillers. As you might expect not much of what I heard was positive. It was the nectar of John Hall that changed those opinions. The various offerings of Forty Creek are unique, varied and impressive as any other whisky genre out there.

Now that the barn door has been opened my desire to try more Canadian Whiskies has grown significantly. Recently I have the opportunity to try another Canadian whisky that surprised and impressed me as much as the first. A little personal insight into the hamster on the wheel that is in my head and what keeps him running…if something is unique and exciting I am often more than willing to overlook or accept other less than desirable characteristics or weaknesses. So with all that in mind I present to you Collingwood.

Now for a little taste…

Colour: Gold.

Nose: This one took me a few minutes…I got a big hit of very familiar sweetness right off the bat but I couldn’t figure it out. Bang! Twizzlers red liquorish, then stale sour gummies. Through all of that is the sweetness of corn and cereal notes.

Taste: Again, Sweet corn, cereal…a little buiscutty…almost like a digestive cookie.

Finish: The finish is medium but does linger a little. It sort of hangs around in the back corners…kind of like that nerdy little kid at the middle school dance standing in the corner, the party is all done but he just wants to help take apart the sound system. The sweetness of the malt is gone and it leaves a strange flat aftertaste.

Overall I really enjoy this whisky…from an analysis point of view I find it too sweet with a strange finish but I love the fact that despite this it is VERY drinkable! Afterall, not every dram needs to be examined thoroughly with a nosing glass, pen and paper. For the price point you can’t beat it and the fact that its new and expanding the availablity of good Canadian whisky makes it even better! This is one for the back deck on a summer’s eve…just in time too! 

The proverbial glass ceiling? Really, still?! - She said...

SHE SAID:  Ok, I’m going to rant, but just this once I promise.  As a result of yet another local liquor store employee acting like a kumquat, the purpose of this particular blog is to inform some (not all, just SOME!) of the males in the whisky world:  You should not assume all women know little to nothing about whisky!  

I am positive the majority of men out there who either work in the field or love whisky as their hobby have never been talked down to, dismissed or ignored like some women are.  

There is nothing more insulting to me then listening to an employee of the local liquor store commission, a bartender or a product representative (YES a rep!) mispronounce the names of the bottles they are trying to impress me with (my favourite to this day:  Ocean-tock-uns).  I am often cut off while I’m speaking, dismissed completely or I simply listen patiently as they override my suggestions and recommend bottles they think I would surely enjoy, instead of the ones I enquired about??  Unfortunately, I am no stranger to these types of behaviors.  It’s like trying to speak to a used car salesman: “Well looky here sweetie, it’s got a nice makeup mirror and plenty of space to put all your shopping bags darlin’!”  Sweetie?  Make up? Darlin’?  Seriously!?  My reply:  “Ok, my little kumquat, why don’t you tell me when was the last time it had a 30 point inspection?  How are the axles, boots and U joints on this thing?”  That usually leaves them a bit red faced and staring at me blankly.  

Word of advice:  If you are at a whisky event and a gorgeous woman starts talking to you, take a moment and gage how much she knows before you go into “bravado and peacock mode”.  Why not grant her a bit of respect and realize that just because she has boobs, high heels and a lovely dress on that she is NOT at this event for you to hit on her?

Does every man do this? No thank goodness!  However knowing full well the whisky world is still very much an old boys club in some circles, it still remains a complete mystery to me and a point of contention at times that women are so easily dismissed because of our gender!  


If you see me politely smiling back at a man speaking to my boobs during one of these functions, know that I am fantasizing about a different place to put that nosing glass he is holding, but then again that would be wasting a perfectly good whisky, wouldn't it!

Gentlemen, keep this in mind if ever you get to meet me.  I am an equal, I love whisky and I would ask for the same respect you warrant when you walk into a room.  I am not a kumquat and neither are the majority of women who imbibe the lovely liquid we are all passionate about!

On the whisky trail, somewhere with boobs, in my high heels and pretty dress…

Johanne

This is why we do this - She said...

SHE SAID:  As I watch Graham dance around the living room saying:  "This is awesome!!", I too am bursting at the seams today.

Many of the "ladies only" event participants contacted us via email today to thank us for the fantastic evening Friday.

One in particular wrote to tell us how much she truly enjoyed the whole experience, went to the local liquor store AND picked a bottle of The Arran Malt - Amarone Cask Finish!  Based on the presentation we gave, she recognized many things including that it was naturally coloured.  When she got it home, opened it, nosed and tasted it neat!  WOW!  

I can't help but feel a bit of pride and exhilaration that the evening did exactly what it was suppose to:  Educate, inspire and motivate women to stand in front of a wall of whisky and "choose" on their own, with confidence.


LOVING my whisky trail adventures!

Johanne



 

A Tasting for "Just the Girls..." - He said...

He said…It could have gone either way really. We knew it was either going to be a roaring success or an impressive failure. Like anyone would, we were aiming for success. Naturally. The first all ladies whisky tasting in Saint John, possibly even East of Toronto as Johanne's research showed. Let's be honest, we aren't breaking any world records, or smashing any global gender barriers but what we were doing is impressive in its own right...especially considering the response, but we'll get to that in a minute.

Saint John is primarily a blue-collar town, ripe with industry on all sides. It took a few years to recognize the desire for a whisky tasting society within this city of 65000 which is home to a globally recognized brewery, on a coast where rum sales outweigh the global trend of vodka's predominance and where small vineyards are starting to pop up in the not so distant farmland hills. Whisky can be almost an afterthought. So when we had marginal success in our first year of a whisky-dedicated group which turned into a packed house for tastings in our second year it was time to branch out. So when Johanne decided she wanted to host a tasting for "just the girls" I was in! By “in” of course I mean standing in the kitchen crossing and un-crossing my arms, all of a sudden not sure where to stand and wondering exactly how I might fit in to such an event? You see, since a very young age (since at least 16-20 weeks into my Mommy’s pregnancy) I have had all the bits associated with the male gender. This alone makes me wholly unqualified for attending any event labeled as “Just the Girls.” That being said, I love whisky and any event that has anything to do with it…to that end I was going to be in…come hell or permed hair and mascara!

Fortunately for me it did not come anywhere close to being that dramatic. Johanne recognized the importance of having me there…someone had to carry all the glassware up the three flights of stairs and pour while she was finishing last minute primping! Ok, ok, I am exaggerating…the venue has an elevator. In all seriousness after weeks of hard work, a few surprisingly condescending phone calls from men of the industry offering “suggestions” Johanne put together a excellent presentation on our favorite drink, nosing, tasting and how a dram may appeal on a slightly different (if not more enhanced) level to women. The line-up of whiskies that night provided a great introduction to whisky while still keeping the price of the tasting very approachable at $30 a head! It was a sell out! For my own part I was able to attend as her assistant, which I was more than happy to do, and was even allowed to add anecdotes throughout the presentation. All I had to do was wear a skirt.

I am no stranger to the kilt. I wear the family tartan as often as I can but it wasn’t until shortly before the event that the reality struck me…I’m going to be the only guy in a room full of 35 slightly buzzed women wearing a kilt in full “regimental fashion.” I’m used to the question, as is anyone else who wears a kilt in public. There is one, if not ten, in every crowd who wants to know “you wearin’ anything under there?” That being said, depending on this crowd there was the potential for me to feel a lot more “draft” than usual on this night! I’d just have to soldier on and hope for the best.

We hold all of our tastings at our local Masonic Temple. The Masons have been very accommodating, the location is very central in the downtown core and the price of rent is good. It wasn’t until we were setting up that the irony of the situation struck me. I am the only guy at all girls tasting event being held in one of the oldest “boy’s” clubs around. The topic of gender now present everywhere we turn.

I have often been accused of thinking too much about, well, everything. The same turned out to be true for this event. The attendees were all perfectly well behaved group from all walks of life and who seemed to have a rip-roaring good time! Gender aside, they were enthusiastic, asked remarkably intelligent and in-depth questions for some who’s only experience with the water of life was the occasional rye and ginger at a party. Judging by the noise level in the room we had to cut through to continue the presentation they all got on together like old friends. I guess where I’m going with this is what’s gender got to do with it? Is it just that men are pigs? Could be…If you asked any of the women who present at whisky events many times a guy makes a pass at her I don’t think you’d be surprised at the answer?

Just for the record, the only one to lift my kilt that night was the cold nose in the butt I got from Jack our Bernese Mountain Dog as emptied the truck of the car…Could it be that what it boils down to is when the passion and enthusiasm of a good presenter coupled with a great topic like whisky meets an interested crowd gender goes completely out the door and all you have left is a great experience…its either that or I’ve let myself go, lost my rugged good looks should stick to wearing trousers…

I’ll stick with believing in option one…Excellent event Johanne! 

The Arran Malt Westie Limited Edition 1998 Review - She said...

SHE SAID:  I had originally hoped for a bottle of the Peacock, however it was sold out.  I "settled" for the Westie instead.  I was a bit nervous my disappointment might affect my first dram.   We own several Arran's and I love them all.  I love that these are non-chill filtered and that they have no caramel.  They are a great new Island distillery (1995) making a name for themselves.  I love this region of Scotland and the flavors the majority of them have.  I tend to drink them in the fall, a bit in the winter and in the spring.

Would I get another bottle of the Westie, probably not.  Unfortunately, I was not overly impressed with the dram. Maybe my opinion will change, otherwise it might take some time to drink this bottle.  I could simply save it for when my whisky drinking friends come over (that's an invite for any of you who live close by!)

Color:  Late season straw (golden).  Legs very close and stringy.  A bit viscous as it stuck to the glass, in general.

Nose:  Vanilla but very creamy.  Reminded me of Tortuga rum cake I had in the Bahamas.  Sweet, creamy and a bit of spice.

Palate:  Not oily, but sort of like buttery oak.  I got a hint of metallic (?).  Something very citrus, but zingy like orange zest.

Finish:  A bit dry, leaves a prickly mouth feel that lingers a bit.  Hint of peppery at the back.  Very waming in nature.

Empty glass:  Still a hint of vanilla and a bit of spice.


I REALLY wanted that Peacock!


Somewhere on the whisky trail brooding (hehehe!)


Johanne

Collingwood Review - She said...

SHE SAID:  Well, well, well...   Just when I thought there still might not be a Canadian whisky on the market that might give Forty Creek a run for its money, I find this at a Whisky tasting event in Halifax NS.  COLLINGWOOD.

So impressed was I (and I'm not talking after I had had my 15th dram), that we bought a bottle for our collection, a bottle for the Society and soon thereafter had a friend pick up another bottle for the ladies tasting I was hosting (as it's not available in my province yet, NB).  It's another example of a great Canadian whisky for the price.  From the ladies tasting, even though it did rank last against the 5 single malts we also had, many wanted to purchase a bottle and have it as a summer "sipping" whisky.  My job here is done!   LOL!

I had a brief conversation with Davin de Kergommeaux (Canadian Whisky guru!) via email about Collingwood and I loved his description of the fact that the water began as glacial melts over 10,000 years ago.  How quietly and beautifully "Canadian", just like this great little whisky.   Not available throughout Canada just yet but I think it will be the more people get to know it.  I'm positive we will see this one win many awards.


Color:  Deep golden yellow.  Not an overly viscous whisky and the legs are fairly stringy and very close together.

Nose:  Very aromatic!  The smell hit me hard:  Loaded French toast (Vanilla, maple syrup and buttery).  Very sweet, almost borderline sticky toffee candy.  Hints of cherry (sweet dark red fruit).

Palate:  Not dry at all!  It made my mouth water.  Maple tree sap (I'm from the east coast!), light hint of caramel but not overly sweet.  Had a hint of slight bitter at the back, like almonds about to go "off".  Just a pinch of harsh (I'm assuming from Rye).

Finish:  Warm, sweet, medium to long finish that warms the belly and makes you smile.

Empty glass:  Still beautiful, aromatic with hints of maple and dark red cherries.

Overall, I'd rate this as one of the best Canadian Whiskies available under $50.00 and I can't wait to sit on the back deck this summer, my whisky tumbler in hand with a bit of Collingwood on ice.

Somewhere, skipping along my fantastic Canadian whisky trail!

Johanne

FIRST EVER - LADIES ONLY TASTING IN EASTERN CANADA

SHE SAID:  Wow!  About two months ago I got this crazy idea.  I thought I could get enough women together in my home town to come to a ladies only whisky tasting.  I started talking about it with Graham.  I started thinking about what whiskies I would serve, what type of presentation I would give and then I sent out an email to a few friends to see what they thought.  I ploughed forward and starting planning, working on a presentation, researching whiskies.  We worked hard, used very little advertising and before we knew it, we were sold out. (I turned away 10 women). Only two small snags along the way:  One which was a bit funny and left us shaking our heads.  We called CBC, an information program and gave them two tickets to give away.  I was called back and given the name and telephone number of the lucky female winner, but when I called her she had no idea she won, her husband had called in for her and...  she hated whisky!?   

I chose Collingwood, Auchentoshan Three Wood, Balvenie Doublewood, Balblair 2000, Bowmore Darkest 15 and Amrut Single Malt - Single Cask.   ALL because they represented characteristics, in my opinion, that women would enjoy.  The surprise was the Bowmore Darkest 15 and I was pleased as I introduced 33 lovely women to Islays (some of which had been warned not to try that region, cause it was "gross".)

The ladies had a blast, the presentation went well.  Many, MANY fantastic questions about everything.  At the end of the night we ranked them:  Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Balvenie tied for 2nd, Balblair, Amrut and Collingwood.  We adjourned the tasting and offered everyone another great Canadian:  Forty Creek Barrel Select, we also did a Mixology 101 bar:  Shots of Rusty Nails, Whisky Diesels and Whisky Sours were made by Graham (in his kilt) with Chivas 12.   

The feedback was great, and now that we know the audience is out "there", we are definitely going to have another, maybe in the fall.   At midnight, I climbed into bed tired but exhilarated that it was truly a huge success!

THANK you to my wonderful partner Graham, for all the hard work, the help and the advice (even if I disagreed with some of it!  :)   

Stay tuned for more from the east coast.  Let the whisky awakening BEGIN!

Somewhere on my whisky trail,

Johanne

Weirdest places to have discussions about whisky

SHE SAID:  I'm not going to go into all the details as I fear some people may poke their eyes out with the mental imaging I may create, HOWEVER:  I have just come back from a doctor's appointment as it was time for my yearly "women's" check-up.   You can imagine my complete surprise as the doctor had her hands, errrr full, and said:  "So, I read in the paper you are doing a ladies only tasting on the 20th.  You like whisky eh?".   

Being the enthusiast I am, I proceeded to answer all the questions she had about it as well as provide a bit of guidance and education about it such as Irish whiskey is not Scotch and that she really should try Forty Creek Canadian whisky as it's to die for!  

I talked whisky while she was busy doing her thing.  When "we" were done, she thanked me for the whisky 101 lesson and I thanked her for the maintenance check (for a lack of a better term?!).

So, I'm curious my blog followers: PLEASE comment on this post and tell me where is the weirdest place you have ever found yourself in the middle of a great conversation about whisky.  

I figure legs in stirrups staring at the top of my doctor's head as got to be up there on the list?!

Somewhere on my personal whisky trail, 

Johanne

This week in WHISKY news!

She said:  Here are a few stories that I found interesting to read about with regards to whisky news from around the world, this week.

• Ardbeg sends new make spirit into space to see how it matures without gravity
• Johnnie Walker Green (15 year old) and Gold (18 year old) to be phased out by end of year.
• Tamdhu distillery (now owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers) to reopen after being mothballed in 2010.
• Berry Bros and Rudd release 100 bottles of a limited edition single cask malt to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
• Davin De Kergormmeaux book:  Canadian Whisky, the portable expert available May 8^th, advanced orders available now online at Amazon and Chapters/Indigo.  ( I strongly recommend getting the whisky lover in your life a copy).

Happy Whisky reading!

Johanne

Glenfiddich 30...He says

He Says…

“It’s another one of those damn Speysides!” snaps Johanne.

I laugh, but don’t say anything. I’m trying not to give anything away. I mean, she’s right, but she doesn’t need to know that, not yet anyway! We are playing our usual game. One of us uncorks a bottle and pours two drams and the other has to work their way through figuring out what it is. As you may have guessed Johanne is not a fan of Speyside whiskies. Its not that she dislikes them, but given the opportunity she would choose other regions over Speyside. Once my laughing finally subsides we go silent, we usually do. The idea is to avoid influencing each other as much as possible. The library of books stays tucked away, just pen and paper, a jug of water and the occasional investigative nose from one of “the boys” (given that our two Bernese Mountain Dogs are tall enough to put their chins on the table their participation in the occasional nosing is inevitable).

Miles, ever curious...

So what were we tasting? Well in all fairness to my capable partner’s nose, I threw in a ringer. The week before we had hosted a “World Whisky Day” evening of food and whisky pairing in our home. My father left behind a bottle of Glenfiddich 30 year old for us and a friend to try after the party was over but we never got to it. So, knowing that Johanne had never tried it I decided to pour this as our first nosing for this blog. Not because I ever want to see her fail but because I knew she wouldn’t. She may not guess the name or age statement but I knew she would hit all the key points of this whisky.

The Speyside region is dear to me as I travelled there in 2009 with my father and brother as a bit of a pilgrimage (albeit pilgrimage by plane and rented Mercedes, but pilgrimage none the less) to the Spirit of Speyside festival and to trace a few family roots near-by. Having arrived in Dufftown just before sundown we hit-the-hay, exhausted from our drive from Glasgow. The next morning I awoke uncharacteristically chipper at 4:00am and decided to explore the town and upon spying Balvenie Castle I quickly came upon Glenfiddich. Funny enough, coming across this distillery was kind of like accidently bumping into a movie star on the street…I wasn’t expecting it to be there and when I happened upon it I was immediately giddy (again, very uncharacteristic for the hour between 4:00-5:00am)!  

Although my proper introduction to the water of life came by way of whiskey with an “e” (Irish), my introduction to single malt was by way of Glenfiddich. So safe to say I have a soft spot for the Grants. This dram is no different.

Nose: Putting the glass to my nose I was immediately hit with a variety of aromas. Chocolate, toffee, burnt sugar (like putting your nose to a crème brulee before you crack the topping). The  sherry sweetness was also very obvious but not overpowering which then lead to a whiff of bourbon.

Taste: This is a rich dram. Dark fruits like prunes and raisins, almost the suggestion of sticky toffee pudding.

Finish: Although I really enjoy the soft mouth feel of this whisky. The finish is fairly long and lingering with a lovely spicy prickle and the usual dry ending that comes with whisky finished in sherry.

Over all I really enjoy this dram. Really it’s hard not to enjoy a whisky that has all of the luxury of a rich desert.  Plus…who can argue with the teasing fun that I get from Her realization that “It’s another one of those damn Speysides!”

Glenfiddich 30 Review - She said...

SHE SAID:  I've often been told that in the case of traditional profiles of a female whisky drinker, I do not "fit".  Give me peat, LOTS of peat, smoke, iodine, salt and creosote!   I love the look on other women's faces when I start describing my favorite whisky:  Talisker 18.    It's railway ties - meets my grandfather smoking a pipe with his "liniment" on his bad elbow, sitting on the beach near the bay of Fundy!  

Graham knows I dislike Speysides, so it's beyond me why he chose one as our first whisky to review (I asked, he simply giggled - Torturous!)  Ok, dislikes is probably harsh.  It's the whisky I usually end up being the most disappointed about when it comes to nosing then tasting.

It's a consistent tell tale for me that tips me off nine times out of ten that I've got a Speyside in my glass.  The smell of a whisky from this region is always a beautiful explosion of aromas, so intense that it causes my mouth to water with anticipation.  There is no coaxing a Speyside to release the delicious elixir.  It's there Boom!  I take my first sip and then...  muted?!  The flavor rates a one versus the hundred my nose just experienced.

Don't get me wrong, some of the Speysides taste lovely, but just not like I expected after nosing them.  My first vertical tasting seminar I attended was Macallan with Marc Laverdière.  By the fifth sample I was utterly disgusted and didn't want to keep going, mind you I don't waste whisky, so I did.  All this to say:  Although we have many Speysides in our collection, I prefer drinking many other over them.  (Except the Balvenies, I do love some of those quite dearly).

So here goes:   Glenfiddich 30 Year Old (This was done blind, I had no idea what I was nosing)

Color:  Deep amber, almost to the point of crème brûlée.  Legs:  Thick, slow and quite far apart.

Nose:  Neat -> Christmas cake with hints of cloves, ginger and dark brown sugar (rum'ish), rich dried fruit like plums, cherries or figs.  Water added -> More honey'ish, still sweet but more like clover, flowers.  No longer sugary of very spicy.

Palate:  Neat -> Not even close to as sweet it smelled.  Very dry mouth feel (sherry) and a bit peppery on the tip of the tongue.  Smooth but a bit bitter.  Water added ->  Now I taste a hit of dark chocolate or coffee, still sweet but less spice like and more like hints of sweet citrus.

Finish:  Neat ->  Slightly long, lingers beautifully with just a bit of burn at the back of the nasal area.  Water added ->  Same finish as before but the water removes some of the burn, smoother and the sweet stays with you for a while.

Empty glass:  Glorious!  Such delightful hints of chocolate, dark dried fruits and so sweet.




Happy Whisky Trails!




Johanne

The Bowmore is My Muse...

He said: When we argue I drink Bowmore. Or at least I do tonight. Like the waters off Bowmore, relationships can be tempestuous in the deep, dark, sloshing back and forth raging sea sort of way as oppose to the violent beating against the rock sort of way. Just sayin'.

In his writings, Michael Jackson frequently dismissed the notion of having a favorite malt; instead stressing "there is the right malt for the time and place - the mood and moment."

The last time I had a Bowmore was a couple of months ago on a crisp winter night. My better half and I were out walking our two dogs on a snow-covered trail. As a surprise I smuggled two nosing glasses and a couple of miniatures in my coat, ready to spring them at the right moment (I firmly believe whisky tastes better outside). We ended up at a stone lookout with views of an inner city lake. You could see your breath with every exhale. I produced the glasses and then the miniatures; she had the 18 year old, I the 12. I remember how the malt slowing worked its way into the corners of my body, smoky, like a mid-winter bonfire; I remember the cold glass against my bottom lip but most importantly I remember the surprised gasp of delight and the warm kiss. The BTU's of that lip-lock alone made the whisky redundant, but without the whisky surprise...well I think you see where I'm going; chicken or the egg.

The argument, like most is irrelevant. Although this time it is a little different as it centres around whisky, a topic we rarely quibble over. I guess you could argue that it really isn't about whisky but rather about the logistics, details and politics that surround the stuff of whisky; but who wants to argue any more? We are not talking earth-shattering stuff here.  Differing opinions on publicly calling the local provincially owned liquor corporation a bunch of morons; sensitivities over feeling left out of email threads to authors more famous than us, insecurities, overall...nonsense.

The tempest analogies suit my mood well and this fortifying Islay is always a favorite but something seems off. The living room is cool, it's late and there was a wisp of springtime flurries earlier (poor-man's fertilizer as my grandfather the farmer used to call it). The dram is the same as that cold winter's eve and three of the four members of the hiking party are here. This time the warming smoky elixir doesn't work its magic. I'm still cold. Given Michael Jackson's anecdote above I don't think it's the malt failing to live up to its full potential. The key is to not have these things last long enough to necessitate soliciting suggestions for most morose malt of the year. 

MY way of nosing/tasting - perfect for me...

She said:  We had sort of discussed how we would do our first nosing together for this blog, what bottles we might consider and when we would try and nose it. 


So, I was a bit caught off guard but game when Graham came up from the basement on a Friday night with two filled Glencairn nosing glasses, some water and a cunning grin.  “So, wanna do our first nosing?”, he asked with a giggle.  “Sure”, I replied.   (My inside voice grinning back and saying - Passive aggressive little bugger!  :)


I grabbed my nosing journal (well more like a black book with lined paper I now call my tasting journal) and a pen.  I joined Graham at the table and waited.  I felt at a slight disadvantage even before we began because A) He’s been at this longer than I have and B) he knew what we were nosing.  I shook it off and simply talked myself into believing this wasn’t a competition, I was testing my own nose/palate.  No more, no less.  And so we began. 


We chose to do our all of our nosings in silence, making our notes and not discussing anything until the very end.  I took my time and nosed/tasted it the way I have become accustomed to nosing my whiskies.   For me it’s about using as many of my senses as possible: See, smell, feel and taste.


My first attempt is always nosing/tasting the whisky neat.  No water.


What do I see:  Pretty simple.  Although I know some of these bottles may contain E150A (caramel), I still think it’s important to describe what I see.  I also swirl the glass and see what it has for legs (viscosity), which can help give an indication of age.  In general if the legs are skinny, close and run fast – young whisky, if they are thick, far apart and run slow – older whisky.  Alcohol content and type of cask can also affect the legs.


What do I smell: I start with a very small whiff quite a distance from the glass.  I then approach the rim of the glass and gently and slowly inhale, moving the glass away from me and returning to nose it two more times, the last with my mouth open, inhaling from there.

What do I taste:  I usually take a very small sip of the whisky and just let it invade my mouth.  I swish it around and let it hit every crevice of my mouth.  Usually takes me 5-10 seconds.  The second sip is usually spent looking for specific flavors I think I got the first time around. 

What do I feel: I then take a bit of the whisky from the glass and rub it on the meaty section of my hand (between my thumb and index fingers).  I do this to let the heat of my hand warm up the sample quickly.  I find this to be a great way to estimate alcohol content this way even before tasting it. As high alcohol content evaporates quickly on warm skin.  Another nose from this angle reveals different aromas because of the heat and oil in my hands.
Once I’ve gone through that routine, I’ll add very little water (sometimes just a drop or two) to open the whisky. 


What does that mean:  Simply stated: Water makes ethanol more soluble and releases flavour molecules (I have a chemistry degree sorry!?)  So the higher the alcohol content, the more water you can afford to add.  


For example:  If I think I’m nosing a cask strength, I will add about 10 to 15 drops of water (a teaspoon) for starters.  Now if I’m wrong, I’ve potentially ruined a good dram.  So I always caution to add water slowly, a bit at a time.

OK, so water added.  I repeat the process of nosing and tasting almost identically to the neat sample.


Sounds simply enough doesn’t it???   It’s taken me years to get that system down and trust that I’m doing it right, for me.  (not saying there’s a wrong or right way, this is “my” way).


Dare you to try it and see what you think, or then again share what works for you?




Happy whisky trails!


Johanne