News aggregator

Other than the fact that it is distilled in Ireland and aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels, what is Irish whiskey?

Most of the time when you read in general media how Irish whiskey is defined, they will say that Irish whiskey is different from Scotch whisky in that it’s not smoky like Scotch whisky. And, they’ll say that Irish whiskey is distilled three times, while Scotch whisky is only distilled twice. (Many times they will continue this train of thought with the comment that, because Irish whiskey is distilled three times, it’s smoother than Scotch whisky.)

If I had a dollar for every time I read these generalizations, I could afford to buy a couple bottles of Redbreast 12 year old.

But, as most of you know, these generalizations are not completely accurate. Most Scotch whisky is not smoky, and there are triple distilled whiskies in Scotland (e.g., Auchentoshan).

In Ireland, whiskeys distilled at Cooley are only distilled twice, and they make smoky whiskeys there too (Connemara). In fact, I have heard of the Cooley distillery referred to as “a Scotch distillery that just happens to be located in Ireland.”

Plus, I have enjoyed smooth Scotch whiskies, and tasted some harsh Irish whiskeys over the years. So, the whole “Irish whiskey is smoother than Scotch whisky because it’s distilled three times” statement isn’t exactly accurate either.

Some enthusiasts more “in the know” will point out that what differentiates Irish whiskey from Scotch whisky is that Irish whiskey is made (at least in part) with “pot still” whiskey (i.e. from a mash containing both malted AND unmalted barley), rather than Scotch whisky which uses a 100% malted barley mash bill in its pot stills. Some Irish whiskeys (e.g., Redbreast, Green Spot) are 100% pure pot still whiskeys.

It’s true, if you look at the Irish whiskeys made at the Midleton distillery in County Cork (Jameson, Powers, Paddy, Tullamore Dew, Redbreast, Green Spot, etc.), there is a pot still component in these whiskeys. But, you won’t find “pot still” whiskey in Bushmills or the whiskeys produced at Cooley.

So, what is Irish whiskey, really?

St. Patrick’s Day is on Wednesday. Is Irish whiskey on your agenda? If so, what?

Or perhaps you’re drinking some other type of whiskey, or just sticking with Guinness?

Do tell! (But please…no green beer.)

At SFGate, Gary Regan tells the 'bitter truth about hard-to-find bitters' and shares his recipe for the Friar Serra Flip, which calls for Jerry Thomas Own Decanter bitters from the Bitter Truth. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/07/FD8R1C0RA2.DTL#recipe#ixzz0hvncpULB .

The alternative to the Margarita, Trader Vic's classic El Diablo.

I have a story in the new March/April issue of Fine Cooking magazine. It's about the variety of ways to sweeten cocktails with raw sugars, maple syrup, agave, honey, etc. Pick up a copy to find a Mamie Taylor variation...

[Visit Alcademics.com for the full post. On Facebook, click 'View Original Post' below.]

Germain-Robin Absinthe Superiure is distilled with an apple and honey base and an exquisite blend of herbs and botanicals. It turns a head-turning white when iced water is added!

Gordon & MacPhail has broken the 70 year old barrier with a 70 year old Mortlach under the new “Generations”  label. I also have a very small sample of this whisky, so I’ll let you know my thoughts for those of you who are curious.

Here’s the press release I was also sent, which was enbargoed until today. It explains more about the whisky and the Generations concept.

The wait is over as the world’s oldest whisky sees the light of day

The world’s oldest bottled single malt whisky has been revealed today (Thursday 11 March) by whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail.

Released under Gordon & MacPhail’s ‘Generations’ brand, Mortlach 70 Years Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky was finally revealed – and tasted – by special guests at a launch in the atmospheric setting of Edinburgh Castle’s Queen Anne Room. One precious bottle of Mortlach was piped into the Castle, escorted by guards from The Highlanders (4th Battalion).

The new-make spirit from Speyside’s Mortlach Distillery was filled into the cask on 15th October 1938 by John Urquhart, the grandfather of Gordon & MacPhail Joint Managing Directors, David and Michael Urquhart. Exactly 70 years later, the decision was made to carefully empty the cask and bottle the contents.

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is known the world over as the custodian of some of the oldest and rarest single malts available. Members of the third and fourth generations of the Urquhart family now own and manage the business.

David and Michael Urquhart, Joint Managing Directors of Gordon & MacPhail said:

“This is a very special day for us, one we’ve literally been anticipating for generations. Our family has been in the whisky business for a long time, with each generation building and handing on a lifetime’s expertise to the next.

“We believe Mortlach 70 Years Old is a malt without comparison. If the reaction of those lucky enough to enjoy a dram today is anything to go by, whisky fans and people wishing to own a unique piece of Scotland’s liquid history will be very excited about it.”

Charles MacLean, a well-known whisky writer and connoisseur, who was allowed a sneak preview of the single malt, described it as “a delicate, fresh, vital, fruity whisky, with unusual attributes of waxiness and smokiness.”

Each bottle will be beautifully presented in a tear-shaped hand-blown crystal decanter with an elegant silver stopper. The decanter nestles in a stylish silver base and is framed in a handmade Brazilian Rosewood box, created using wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FS C) Certified sources.

Mortlach 70 Years Old was matured in a Spanish oak, ex-bodega sherry hogshead cask, which yielded 54 full-size and 162 small decanters bottled at cask strength (46.1% ABV). The recommended retail price in the UK is £10,000 per 70cl decanter and £2,500 for the 20cl version.

This is the first in a series of extremely rare malt whiskies to be released by Gordon & MacPhail under its ‘Generations’ brand.

For more information visit www.gordonandmacphail.com

The Four Roses distillery turns 100, and they are celebrating with a new single barrel, barrel strength, 17 year old bourbon. (Price: $65-85.)

I received a press release (below) and review sample yesterday. I tasted it informally last night and really enjoyed it. My formal review will follow soon.

Four Roses Celebrates Distillery’s 100 Years
with Limited Edition Bourbon

17-year-old single barrel bourbon to be released in limited quantity

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (March 8, 2010) – Four Roses Bourbon is adding another barrel strength single barrel Bourbon to its collection of limited edition releases – this time, commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the opening of the distillery building in Lawrenceburg, Ky.
 
The Four Roses 100th Anniversary Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon will be released in early April just in time for the Kentucky Derby.  Bottled at barrel strength and non-chill filtered, the distillery will produce only about 2,300 bottles to be distributed nationally in markets where Four Roses is currently available.

Chosen from one of Four Roses’ 10 Bourbon recipes, the rare, 17-year-old offering boasts an aroma of brisk cloves and candied fruits while hints of peach and cherry meld seamlessly with creamy, spiced vanilla and oak.

“Every year our goal is to select the most special recipe aged to perfection,” said Jim Rutledge, Master Distiller of Four Roses Bourbon.  “A milestone anniversary deserves a milestone bourbon and we believe this release is one-of-a-kind.”

The Four Roses Distillery, on the banks of the scenic Salt River, is a special find on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail route.  The facility was built in 1910 and features a unique Spanish Mission-Style architecture rarely seen in Kentucky.  The distillery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A gold etching of the distillery building is featured on the back of the limited edition bottle, adding to its appeal for the Bourbon enthusiast or collector.

Black Magic in a Bottle! Laser etched imported glass bottle for Small Gully, by wine maker Stephen Black ~ designed by /M/A/S/H/

It has been about 16 months since I've made a "what's my bottle worth" post. It's a question I get all the time.

“How much?” is a tricky subject with old liquor bottles because it is illegal to sell alcohol without a license. There are collectors, they buy and sell, and I haven’t heard of anyone being prosecuted for it, but because it is illegal most transaction are on the down low.

A precondition for assessing the resale value of anything is a sufficiently active secondary market for the type of object being assessed. An assessor studies recent sales to predict future prices. The secondary market for American whiskey is too small, fragmented and secretive to do that.

The only easily-accessible market for this sort of thing is the auction web site eBay.

The rarest and most valuable bottles are the oldest ones. Some post-Prohibition bottles have value, usually because the distillery where they were made is out-of-business. Prohibition-era medicinal whiskey is surprisingly common. Rarest of all are intact (i.e., full and well-sealed) pre-Prohibition bottlings.

The absolute high end on eBay is maybe $1,000, and that is only if you get lucky and a couple of people really want what you're selling.

There is a subset of this market that specializes in limited editions by particular producers, Jack Daniel's and Maker's Mark primarily. While most items sell in the sub-$500 range, there is no saying what the top end is. Naturally, big money transactions are the most secretive of all.

Among the people who buy old whiskey, many do it to drink the stuff. This tends not to be true of the Daniel's and Maker's Mark collectors.

I hope this is helpful.

This whiskey enthusiasm can get very geeky. How geeky? Keep reading.

I've had several conversations with people over the years about malting corn. (I warned you.) Malt is the natural way to make the enzymes that turn starch into sugar. Sugar is what you need to make alcohol.

Any grain will malt. If corn is all you have, you can malt it. Though that's not commonly done today, we know it was done in the past.

I also had heard that malted corn often was not heated to stop germination, as is the conventional practice when you malt barley. It was simply sprouted, ground, and used immediately to make a whiskey mash.

I learned today that Finger Lakes Distilling in Burdett, New York, is now making the mash for their excellent Glen Thunder Corn Whiskey with green corn malt. They tell all about it in the March issue of their email newsletter. To get on the list, go to their web site here.

My friend Josh recently found a publication from 1966 that contains a lot of ads aimed at the liquor trade. This one has me scratching my head. Or, perhaps, rubbing my chin quizzically like the guy in the lower right hand corner. (Click on it for a larger version.)

Time for the annual Irish whiskey recruitment drive! (Also: picklebacks!)

A solid Bloody Mary by Gran Achatz of Alinea.

The St. Elizabeth. This warm and spicy cocktail is normally garnished with freshly ground white pepper, but it also works well with curls of bittersweet chocolate or a simple orange twist.

(Solid Bloody Mary with vodka-fused pear cherry tomato, micro celery, dried roasted tomato and lemon rind, and other ingredients.) What a treat! On Sunday, May 7, a group of bartenders and a lucky journalist or two were treated to a...

[Visit Alcademics.com for the full post. On Facebook, click 'View Original Post' below.]

…which magically refilled itself every time you finished it, what would it be?

Yesterday I asked you for topics you would like to discuss here on WDJK. There are already some great suggestions. Today’s post is from one of those suggestions. (Thank you, Red.)

So, what would be YOUR bottomless bottle of whisky?

Here’s another 16th Annual Malt Advocate award winner, which was originally announced here last month. (Our “Artisan Whiskey of the Year.”) This is my formal review for the Buyer’s Guide. A solid whiskey–especially for its age.

84 Stranahan’s (Batch #49), 47%, $55
It shows nice maturity, considering it contains whisky as young as two years old. Smooth, too, with layered sweetness (honeyed caramel, English toffee, maple syrup), tangerine, roasted nuts, and peppered with spice (warming cinnamon, glazed ginger). Good grip of tobacco and polished leather on the finish balances the sweetness that comes earlier. An example of the right way to do artisan distilling.

The classes I teach for I Wish all involve tasting, so to simplify things we always do the classes in bars, i.e., a licensed premises. It's good for the bars because they get some business on a usually slow night and get some people into the place for the first time who might like it and come back.

Although I might make some suggestions, the bars usually pick what we're going to taste. We've been using good bars who have made good choices. Then I tailor my remarks based on what they select. I'm not sure why Rock's Lincoln Park picked the four bourbons they did, but it made for an interesting lesson in the use of rye as the most common flavor grain in bourbon.

We started with Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel, which is made from Buffalo Trace mash bill no. 1. It has a very low rye content. While they won't reveal the exact percentages, it's probably about 8 percent rye. Next we tasted Knob Creek, which is the Jim Beam mash bill and about 15 percent rye. Then it was Buffalo Trace itself, which is their no. 2 mash bill, also about 15 percent rye, so with BT and Knob we're tasting two very similar mash bills but two different distilleries and two different yeasts, and a couple years more age in the Knob. Finally, we tasted Bulleit, which is about 35 percent rye, the highest of any bourbon.

One thing you notice is that low rye bourbons taste sweeter. They're not actually sweeter, but the rye tends to mask some of the sweetness with its distinctive spice and floral notes. By reducing the rye or substituting wheat, a milder flavor grain, you make way for the sweetness to cut through.

Sparkling sake with passion fruit pearls - Molecular Mixology at Baumé Restaurant in Palo Alto