The Final Cut

Back in November down at WhiskeyBros HQ, Mark and I were enjoying some old favorites and discussing what exactly belonged on the list of whiskey to bring to the upcoming tasting. It was an extremely interesting and elucidating discussion for both of us, in that it gave us an opportunity to discuss what our favorites were, and why, as well as trying to find the perfect mix to fit a western themed event. Another important factor we took in to account was the actual experience of our tasters; are these people who can tell a Highland Scotch from an Islay by the nose? Or are these people who have enjoyed the occasional Jack Daniel's or Johnny Walker when it was around, but haven't explored much? With all this in mind, and a budget besides, we set to work building and cutting a list of whiskey that would be accessible to novices while still providing something special for the aficionados.

When deciding what would be a best exposure to the uninitiated we took two primary factors into account, what are the whiskeys most likely to make an impression, and what are the best whiskeys to pair those with to draw a real, noticeable contrast. An easy example of this is including three expressions of Johnny Walker; a twelve year scotch can be a great thing for many reasons, but what better way to show just how than comparing it directly to a younger sibling? But we had far more convoluted parings in mind; just what exactly does Jack Daniel's charcoal filtering process do for the flavor? Well, there are number of bourbons on the table with similar properties but different processes. Do you like the sweetness of the Red Breast? Try the Yamazaki, a very different expression with a sweetness all its own. Our goal is really to share our passion with the public at large, and show them a glimpse of a broader world of whiskey than one generally gets in a corner bar.

Certain of the bottles on our list were easy, and undisputed; the Red Breast is a mutual favorite, the Old Potrero is interesting and unique, Jack Daniel's and Johnny Walker are staple whiskeys that many people have enjoyed before and can serve as a reference point. The Suntory whiskeys were included partly because of our attachment to them and partly because many people are unaware of the amazing things being produced in Japan. Forty Creek is another personal favorite of ours that we have no problem advertising, it's easily my favorite Canadian whiskey and comes at a great price point. Problems did arise when we started to realize just how heavily our initial draft tended toward the Irish; we let our prejudices get away with us just a bit. But our experiences at WhiskeyFest SF '07 (god bless Malt Advocate) quickly came to our aid. This was really a landmark event in WhiskyBros history, that I'm sure will be discussed in detail at some point. We got much of our inital exposure to the spirits on this list at that tasting. The Glenrothes was an immediate hit, a superb scotch without which the list would not be complete, and the Pappy Van Winkle was something I had heard good things about but had not had the opportunity to try. We tasted both the 15 year and the 21 year varieties with great appreciation.

The list as it stands now is quite satisfactory, especially given some unexpected and fantastic donations that have bolstered its ranks. It also contains many, many award winners including at least five of the seven Malt Advocate '07 award winners:

Best Buy of the Year: Black Bottle Original
Canadian Whisky of the Year: Crown Royal Cask No. 16
Irish Whiskey of the Year: Redbreast 12 year old
Scotch Whisky Blend of the Year: Chivas 18 year old
World Whisky of the Year: Suntory Yamazaki 18 year old

We look forward to a fantastic event, and hope to see you there!