Review: Grand Old Parr 18

Color (5%): Medium intensity. Copper and dark honey hues. 4/5

Nose (10%): That gorgeous honey stays true, though slightly less than the 12 year. A faint nuttiness pops in. It's a darker honey with subtle vanilla and oak. Slight black tea notes as well. Nicely layered and soft. 8/10

Palate (20%): Honey roasted peanuts. Cooked apples. It's like the garnish for a cheese or charcuterie board. Sherry fruit flavors, not much spice of any kind. Some vanilla and milk chocolate. Very trace amount of tobacco and leather. The influence of the oak is there, but it is in no way an excessively oaky whiskey. 17/20

Finish (10%): It's a short finish, leaving you with some cocoa powder. Easy going. A slight note of burnt sugar. 6/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This soft sipping scotch is very nice. It has enough nuance to elevate it above a "mixing" whiskey. I would happily sip this for hours. It's bright and sunny and would pair well with picnic foods and afternoon snacks. There is limited depth, punch, or pizzazz, but this is perfectly respectable. It doesn't taste young, and it's certainly not too oaky. This gives blended whiskeys a good name. When it comes to the occasion to drink this spirit, it reminds me of a bright white wine. 26/30

Retry on Ice (25%): The sweetness actually fades out. That's unusual. The apple tartness goes up a lot. It's still a bit chocolaty. Super clean. The finish becomes next to nothing. 19/25

Total Ranking: 80% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $60

Actual Price: $65

Conclusion: You must compare this to the 12-year-old, a staple on my home shelf. This does offer a slightly more robust body and depth. I give this a couple more points on the scoreboard by comparison, but this is nearly double the price. I won't repurchase this, but I will happily finish the bottle. This in no way will be collecting dust, but I can treat myself to more punchy flavors for the same money and get something that serves the same function for cheaper.  Buy a dram at the bar, but you probably don't need to commit to buying a full bottle. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 40%

A blend of several distilleries (predominantly Cragganmore), blended and bottled in Leven, Fife

Review: Johnnie Blonde

Color (5%):  Very light, faint gold, no brown whatsoever. Faint greenish young hay hues. 3/5

Nose (10%): Lots of sweetness and fruitiness. Raspberries, crisp red apples, sweet corn/caramel corn. There is a bit of a young alcohol note, a bit sharp. 7/10

Palate (20%): Not as much red fruit on the palate as on the nose. There's more crispness of apple and pear. There's a faint, bready caramel pastry note coming through. Kind of crackery, bready overall, with some notes of red fruit. 16/20

Finish (10%): A soft finish. The wheated nature comes through here, making it fairly easy to session. Apple and pear carry through that malic acid is prevalent, which is rare in Scottish whiskey. Alcohol burn lingers longer than the flavor. Reminds me of a young bourbon, and I don't care for either. 5/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a little rough. There's a note of cardboard and cheap chewy crackers. There is some nice fruitiness, which might shine with some ice and soda water, but neat, this isn't exemplary. It's an experiment at best, and I don't mind a fruity scotch when talking about a port or sherry finish. But this is young and underdeveloped. I'm curious about mixing it, but this does not hold up in the neat scotch market.  18/30

Retry on Ice (25%): The alcohol burn is still here. The raw, crisp apple shifts into a bit more softened baked apple. A bit more citrus character comes in. improved certainly. This is not a sipping scotch, but it could be mixed up in a way that does it justice. On its own, with assistance and supplement, this is better.   20/25

Total Ranking: 87% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $40

Actual Price: $25

Conclusion: The name Johnnie Blonde makes some sense here. It matches the hue of the whiskey and how unaged this "scotch" is. Making a budget scotch is tricky, and this tries to reinvent the notion of what scotch can be with the incorporation of wheat and that extra fruit character. This is not a well scotch. It's fine. It's not great, even for the money. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 40%

Tornado through the Haystacks

I've used this recipe for a few competitions, and it's always treated me well for preliminary rounds. This started with Diageo World Class but became a go-to at my regular summer gatherings. Most of my friends are whiskey drinkers, and in Texas, it's hard to drink whiskey outdoors in the summertime. You need to proof it down and make it a bit more refreshing. My drink is a lovely blend of oil, smoke, salt, and spice. That sounds like barbeque to me. Come over sometime. I'll make you a plate. 

1 oz. Talisker 10 Yr Scotch

0.5 oz. Cocchi Rosa

0.25 oz. Citric Acid Solution

2.5 oz. Sparkling Mineral Water (preferably Topo Chico)

Julienned Strips of Lemon Peel

Add the scotch, vermouth, and acid solution to a mixing beaker. Peel an entire medium lemon with a julienne peeler (or use a Y peeler, then julienne with a small knife). Add a third of the lemon peel strips to a highball glass. Fill the glass halfway with ice cubes (preferably transparent), then add another third of the lemon strips. Completely fill the glass up with ice cubes and top with the last of the lemon peel. Add ice to the mixing beaker and briefly stir to chill the ingredients. Strain the drink into the prepared highball glass and top it with sparkling mineral water. Add a straw and serve. The final presentation of the drink should have dozens of little strips of lemon peel floating in suspension around the glass.

To make citric acid solution: 

Mix 94g filtered water with 6g citric acid and mix until the acid is dissolved and the liquid becomes clear.

I recently moved to Texas, and you know the first thing I did with my brother-in-law? We cooked brisket and drank some scotch. That's what you do down here. But barbeque takes a long time, and you can only continuously drink whiskey for some hours to smoke a good chunk of meat. Low and no-alcohol cocktails are a great way to keep cool while you're out in the Texas heat standing over a hot smoker. I love pairing whiskey with meat, especially a whiskey with a nice note of saline. Talisker has a beautiful flavor of the sea and the Isle of Skye. Talisker also has a pleasant oiliness that still comes through in this drink. It stacks with all the oil in the lemon peel gets accentuated by the saltiness, and gets carried throughout the glass via carbonation. The highball, like barbeque, started off incredibly simple in concept. Many people regard highball as a broad category, but historically, it's Scotch and Soda. Barbeque is just meat, smoke, and seasoning. Using the finest ingredients with the most straightforward techniques is how you make excellent cuisine. Barbeque needs to be low and slow to get to that fall-apart tender quality all the way through. A highball must be as cold as possible to keep its carbonation and not become overly diluted.  

Fun Fact: We would not have seltzer or soda water were it not for the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The man accredited with popularizing slices of meat between bread was the backer of chemist Joseph Priestly. The Earl commissioned Priestly to create a method of forcing carbonation into water. He thought it might work as a cure for scurvy. Priestly succeeded in impregnating water with air and is credited as the father of the fizzy drink.

Review: Bank Note 5 Year Blended Scotch

Color (5%):  For a five-year whisky, this is quite light. Light golden hay. Quite a bit of thinning on the edges. 4/5

Nose (10%): Very bready and crackery. Notes of lemon peel with grass and hay. Light caramel toffee sweetness. 7/10

Palate (20%): Sort of a root beer quality. Very thin body, no oiliness or syrupiness. Lemon, nougat, black tea, some mild nuttiness, hazelnut. Inoffensive. There is no noticeable smoke to speak of, mild oak. Low to mild burn for 43%. Not unpleasant, but not exciting. 17/20

Finish (10%): A pretty soft finish, very crackery and grainy. Lemon and black tea come through. That's an Arnold Palmer. a little bit of bitterness. Pool weather whiskey, eh? 7/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is boring and basic. It's not offensive, but won't make anybody's top 10. Vanilla, lemon peel, caramel, and bread. Okay, that's basically every whiskey, but with no individuality. There's nothing offensive, harsh, or intrusive, but why bother with average. Yes, it's cheap, but you deserve something with flavor. I'll give it to my houseguests I don't love, but I would only restock it occasionally. 18/30

Retry on Ice (25%): More or less the same. The bitterness comes through a bit more. Sweet bread and brioche notes. No improvement. Nothing is lost unless it gets over-diluted. 16/25

Total Ranking: 69% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $17

Actual Price: $21

Conclusion: This is well whiskey in a divey bar. There's no need to have this on your shelf. It'll impress no one and satisfy some. I'd be upset if someone offered me a scotch, and I got this. Yes, that sentiment is pretentious, but scotch is supposed to be a treat. My wife drinks vodka drinks, and I primarily drink whiskies. I spend much more money than her, but I've accepted that. I want to enjoy the flavors and experience. Nuance and character are essential when drinking spirits. This is fine for $20, but when you weigh it against all the scotch you see on the average back bar, this has no place outside the well. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 43%

Blended and bottled for Stanley Morrison & Sons Ltd. 

40% single malts to 60% scotch grain whisky

Review: Grand Old Parr 12 Year

Color (5%):  Beautiful amber and copper hues. Medium thinning.  4/5

Nose (10%): Honeyed bread predominantly. There are some medicinal oily notes and nice dry oak at the end. 8/10

Palate (20%): Lots of honey sugars coming through. Medium full-bodied. Nice dried fruits and cooked fruits and orange notes. Some baking spices and lots of Christmas cake flavors coming through. Yummy sherry cask finish notes. Only a little, if any, peat but lots of oak heat. 17/20

Finish (10%): Arid, oaky finish compared to the sweet palate. There is a bit of a bite to this. 6/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is an oaky whiskey for the price. Possibly too oaky for some, but I like it. There's some nice complexity to this blend. Honey, cooked fruit, and oak spice. There's a nice evolution as it goes through the mouth. It's not boring, and one note, but it's not the craziest thing ever. It is a blend, but this has more character than any budget scotch in the well. 24/30

Retry on Ice (25%): Quite nice actually. The oak shrinks down a little bit, making it softer and easier. The honey strays throughout. The dried fruit gets a little muted, but it's still there. This is easy drinking for me. It's not too abrasive at all. 20/25

Total Ranking: 79% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $24

Actual Price: $27

Conclusion: This product has been around since 1909. It's owned by Diageo, and while it gets less marketing publicity than Johnnie Walker, this is a quality whiskey with quite a few loyal followers. It's widely popular in the U.S. and in Latin America, as well as some fans in Japan. I first heard about this whiskey from the anime/manga "Bartender." It's a delicious whiskey for the price. I'm curious to try the 18-year-old. Given this has so much oak, I'm curious what six more years in the wood does to it. The oak makes it a bit acrid, so I can only see it getting a little use in cocktails. A good drink would have to mute that oak character a bit, defeating the point of using this. But as a sipping whiskey, this certainly beats out a lot of other blended whiskies at this price point. Give it a go; it's worth the money. I was one point away from calling this amazing, but it's great. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 40%

A blend of several distilleries (predominantly Cragganmore), blended and bottled in Leven, Fife

Review: Sheep Dip Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Color (5%): Golden, fall hay colored.Lighter than expected. 3/5

Nose (10%): That is an oily scotch. Old band-aids through and through. Band-aids after a dip in the swimming pool real oaky, toasty notes, pretty standard peaty young islay. 7/10

Palate (20%): Surprisingly quite light to start, very watery. It swiftly builds to a high dose of polyphenols. There's a flavor I've had before that I can't place: an English sweet sherbet? Powdered sugar flavor. It starts with nothing and builds into a rich, oily fire. Light tang, salty seaweed. Iodine medicine. 16/20

Finish (10%): Long lingering smoke with some alcohol heat. Really feel it in the bottom jaw. Very dry. I'm struggling to form saliva. Cigars aren't this binding. Light figgy, golden date note starts to appear after several sips. There is a slight medicinal rubber note.  6/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a pretty young scotch, and the peat is so high that any oak falls away. The peat is undoubtedly the, but this falls short in balan,cn. It goes from nothing to a little something, then a hard kick in the jaw. 18/30

Retry on Ice (25%): Some pulpy fruit starts to emerge, more tangy, sour orange. My palate may be adjusting to the peat at this point. The oil still lingers, but the opening flavor and mid-palate brighten up. Certainly an improvement,t but still not anything of legendary status. 19/25

Total Ranking: 69% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price (per 750ml):  $27

Actual Price: $35 (though I found a 200ml bottle for $5)

Conclusion: Honestly, this is very different from what I expected. I'm used to blended whiskies having a kiss of smoke folded in. The standard sheep dip undoubtedly does that and does an excellent job of it. This is an islay scotch through and through. There's no debate. The finish stands strong and tall. There's less toasted oak than many other islay scotches I've had. If I wanted an islay to sip or for a cocktail, I wouldn't pick this. Stick with the classics that really excel in their category. If you want Islay, the big names certainly earned their reputation in the field of smoke. This could be a better introduction to the extremes that are Islay Scotches and an example of the extremes the region can take. It does fit to be a middle-of-the-road whiskey in a violent environment, but why? I'm sure a few people love it, but I want to see more age and spice. If they exist, I need to compare it to enough other blended Islay scotch. But I know what I want in an Islay, and this isn't it. 

Fact Sheet: 

Distillery Location: Scotland

ABV: 40% (80 proof)

Age Statement:  a blend of whiskeys aged between 8 to 12 years

Ingredients: Peated single malts from Islay

Awards: Winner of the NY, Ultimate Spirit Challenge Chairman’s Recommendation 2015, #13 - Whiskey advocate top 20 whiskies of 2017

Review: Sheep Dip Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

 Color (5%):  Lovely golden amber, copper, very clear. 4/5

Nose (10%): Delightful, clean, unmalted barley note, lightly toasted oak, 7/10

Palate (20%): delightfully light and fragrant. A medium sweetness appears at the tip of the tongue of honey and golden syrup. A slight bit of orange zest and oil. 17/20

Finish (10%): Any alcohol sharpness quickly fades but leaves a warmth of spice and cinnamon, which lingers for a long time. 8/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a fine blended whiskey. You see every component balanced and harmonized. The honey sweetness with orange oil, a kiss of smoke, and lingering spice. 27/30

Retry on Ice (25%): It brings out a bit more woody body. weakens the finish, and the opening sweetness is shortened to make way for the richer smoke. The water dilution does unbind the smokey, oily compounds trapped in the bottle. Not that the released oils of this particular whisky are dominant at all, merely enhanced. This testifies to the even greater blending skills of this producer. 22/25

Total Ranking: 85% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price (per 750ml): $44 

Actual Price: 38.49 (though I found a 200ml bottle for $5)

Conclusion: This is a fantastic blended whiskey, which could also be a great introductory whiskey for new scotch drinkers. There is an underlying smokiness that is not overpowering. Veteran scotch drinkers may have found themselves looking for more extreme single malts that push the boundaries of smoke and sea. Still, most whiskey drinkers fall somewhere in the middle of the bell curve in terms of their personal tastes and preferences, and that's where blended whiskies shine. This falls toward the top of the list in terms of blended whiskies. I've had a few that had a bit more weight that I like better, but this does shine for what it is. I'd happily repurchase this for the price I got at or its recommended retail. I can also easily see myself ordering a dram at a bar. I recommend it without hesitation.

Coming up next, I try Sheep Dip's Islay blend. That should definitely deliver on the punch. 

Fact Sheet:

Distillery Location: Scotland

ABV: 40% (80 proof)

Age Statement: a blend of whiskeys aged between 8 to 20 years

Ingredients: 16 different single malts, 

Awards: "Great Taste" Gold - 2009, Listed in Ian Buxton's ‘101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die

Milk Punch : Indian Spice

This is a specialty punch recipe I made for my darling friend and regular of mine, Ragini. She gave me a lovely medley of Indian spices and peppers. We decided she wanted a scotch-based punch with lemon as the citrus and a good amount of spice. That last part is tricky as the clarification process strips away much of the heat from peppers. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Demerara Sugar, peel of 3 lemons, 1 tsp Ancho Chili Powder, 1 Poblano pepper (stemmed, w/ seeds, dried), 10 dried red chili peppers (whole), 1 stick cinnamon, 1 tsp Garam Masala, 8 oz. water, 6 oz scotch, 8 oz lemon Juice, 3 oz. Ancho Reyes, 2 oz. Campari. 10 oz. Milk

Tools:

Mixing bowl, muddler, measuring spoons, measuring cup, at least 2 large pots, a chinois, enough cheesecloth to line the chinois 3 times over (I used 28 x 24 thread count), and lastly, a means of bottling the final product

As with any good punch, we start with some Oleo Saccharum. Peel 3 large lemons and all your dry ingredients. Muddle until well mixed and the spices are broken down. The oils and the flavors from the herbs and peels will be pulled out by the sugars and other dried ingredients in the form of osmosis. For this batch, I let it infuse for about 36 hours.

To make sure we pull as much flavor off these solid components, we add 8 oz of boiling water to the bowl. Let this steep, covered, until it settles to about room temperature. Strain the whole contents of the bowl into a large pot. Rinse the bowl with the scotch to collect any flavors or undissolved sugars. Add the remainder of the ingredients aside from the milk.

Now, we start the clarification process. Start by heating the milk and bringing it to a near boil. If it starts to boil, take it off the heat immediately. Add the hot milk to the pot with all the other ingredients. The mixture will curdle. If it doesn't curdle well, add a little more citrus. Stir it around a little to let it all bind. Line the chinois's inside with several cheesecloth layers and clamp it to the rim. Pour the punch through the strainer over another pot or bowl.

The first part of the run will come out slightly cloudy. Once it starts running clear, cycle the liquid back into the strainer. The more you keep cycling it, the cleaner the product will be. I usually cycle through about 3 times. It takes ages to get those last few drops out. I leave it overnight; just ensure it's wrapped in saran wrap or something to keep bugs out. Next, I funneled the clear punch into a bottle and stuck it in the fridge to chill. Serve with ice and drink up. 

The final product is a transparent liquid with a red tint. It is a nice spicy cocktail. There isn't quite as much smoke as I was hoping.

It's a very herbaceous cocktail. The rosemary and black pepper pop as flavors, making the mouth dry. The alcohol is not too dominant. The dryness does not make it a drink you could drink for hours, like some of my other punch batches. But it is tasty. The infinite shelf life granted by this process is ideal for a fancy drink you'd have occasionally. Stick a bottle in the fridge and have some every now and then.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Talisker, Taste of the Sea, Cocktail flight

This was my submission for Round 2 of USBG World Class, sponsored by Diageo. The concept was to assemble a flight of three cocktails, one fully fleshed out as a recipe with precise measurements. The other two cocktails could be submitted as loose concepts. There were several themes to pick from

To make the Mignonette cocktail, add 1.5 oz. Talisker 10-year-old, 0.25 oz. Pimm's, 0.25 oz. Apple Cider Vinegar, 0.25 oz. Demerara Sugar Syrup (2:1), 0.25 tsp Smoked Paprika to a mixing tin. Add ice and shake well. Double strain into a 4.5 oz rock glass without ice. Garnish with a wedge of lemon placed on the side. Serve.

The flight will be presented as three cocktails in rocks glasses inserted into a bed of crushed ice in a metal bowl, like oysters or other seafood from the raw bar. 3 Lemon wedge garnishes also sit on the ice to allow the guest the option of additional citrus. It is meant to reflect a seafood tower/sampler platter presentation. There is no required order to sample the cocktails; in fact, sipping back and forth between all three is the recommendation. If pushed, I suggest the scallop cocktail as a first sip, followed by the kipper cocktail, and the oyster cocktail as the third. Bouncing back and forth between each is encouraged to allow a fun mix of smoke, oil, different acids, sweets, and spices.

Talisker comes from the gorgeous windswept Isle of Skye. It is famous for its salinity balanced with medium smokiness (around 20 ppm). I wanted to take that smoke and salt, standard through so many fish dishes, and pair it with a few personal favorites: smoked kippers, oysters, and scallops. Oysters and mignonette immediately came to mind as I've drunk Talisker from an oyster shell more times than I can count. Pimm's was also invented in an oyster house, so it was a natural fit. Smoked Kipper is a classic breakfast from the UK and one of my favorite running jokes from the epic sitcom "Red Dwarf." In the 2015 Malt Whiskey Yearbook, Dominic Roskrow even describes the nose of the 10 Year as "Grilled oily fish in lemon oil." The Storm adds a bit more smoke, reflecting the smoked fish better. I needed a lighter, delicate cocktail to play with scallops for the third. A mild fortified wine and a bit of orange zest really highlight the soft citrus note of the Talisker 10 Year. I hope you enjoy it.

Whisky 202: Scotch, What's the difference?

There are two main things to look at when reading a scotch label. The first is whether or not the whiskey is a blend or a single malt. The second is what region the whiskey was made in. In some blends, this will be less relevant but if it's listed it can tell you a lot about the whisky.

Single Malt Scotch is pretty simple, albeit strict in terms of production standards. Single Malt Scotch is a scotch whisky that is made at a single distillery and made of malted barley and no other grains. It does also have to follow the legal standards of being a Scotch, of course. Strict and to the point. Grain Whisky is very similar to single malt whisky, except it uses a grain other than barley, typically wheat or corn. Blended Malt Whisky is a whisky made of at least two different single malt whiskies mixed together. Blended Scotch is a blend of any number of single malt and grain whiskies. 

Some people think that scotch has to be smokey due to the common use of peat smoke being used to dry the barley, but it not required, and is really more of a regional preference within Scotland. Trace amounts of caramel coloring are allowed. One thing worth noting is that age statements on any scotch, single malt or blended, must reflect the youngest whisky in the bottle. you could have a 4 year scotch blended with a 60 year scotch and the bottle would have to read "4 Year Old".

Scotch whiskey production is broken down into 6 regions. Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands, Campbeltown, Islay, and the Islands. The islands are something of a new designation but are widely accepted to be a distinct region. 

The Highlands is the largest region and thus the most diverse. It has over 25 distilleries, the most famous being Glenmorangie and Dalmore. Some people even divide the highland region into north, south, east, and west. The north has more full-bodied whiskies, lighter fruitier styles are found in the east and south. the west is a bit bigger and peatier with more coastal influences. It's hard to draw an accurate determination of taste if a whisky just says highlands. 

The Speyside region, while smaller than the highlands, has over 60 distilleries. The most famous being Macallan, Glenlivet, and Glenfiddich. Typically they are a bit softer and sweeter with little to no smokey peat flavor. Some can even bear a light salty flavor depending on their proximity to the coast. Over 60% of single malt scotch comes from this relatively small area

The Lowlands are the second biggest region, but only houses 5 distilleries, the most famous being Auchentoshan. These whiskies also tend to be lighter, with no peatiness and are occasionally triple distilled. They sometimes have a grassy or honeysuckle note.

Campbeltown is one of the most historic regions but is now down to just 3 distilleries. This region's whiskies are dry, briny, and sometimes pungent but can be fuller or lighter in body. Springbank is probably the best-known brand.

Islay (pronounced eye-luh) is the smallest region but probably the most famous and most beautiful. Housing less than 10 distilleries, this area produces peaty smokey single malts like Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Lagavulin. They often bring notes of smoked fish or seaweed. These whiskies are often too aggressive for beginner scotch drinkers.

The Islands are not recognized by the Scotch Whisky Association but are widely agreed to be their own region. They are naturally very varied in style and taste. There are over 800 islands off the coast of Scotland but very few are inhabited. Some of the most famous island whiskies are Highland Park from Orkney and Talisker coming from the Isle of Skye.

"I love too sing, and I love to drink scotch. Most people would rather hear me drink scotch."
- George Burns

Tobacco and drinking

I'm going to open with a quote this time: "To be honest, after years of smoking & drinking, you do sometimes look at yourself & think... in between the first cigarette with coffee in the morning to that 400th glass of corner-shop piss at 3am, you do sometimes look at yourself & think: 'This is fantastic, I'm in heaven.'" A truly wonderful quote by Dylan Moran in Black Books. Guilty pleasures are what makes us so interesting. Hedonism, consciously unconscious self-destruction, cognitive dissonance, a glorious blend of yummy yummy and boo hoo, that's what smoking is. That's what drinking is. And it's so much better when they're combined together. Why is it that the things that feel best in the world always have those little strings attached.

Drinking and smoking have been entwined into our culture for a long time. From the upper-class ladies sipping a martini and smoking a long cigarette, to a tired politician smoking a cigar with a glass of whiskey or brandy. I'm sure a Budweiser can has been used as an ashtray many a time. It occurred almost simultaneously that we discovered that smoking was bad for us and that alcoholism was declared a disease, despite their massively extensive history. What is it about a slow release of poison into our system that is so fantastic?

Tobacco and drink have gone together a long time, so much so that many cigars are ever aged on old liquor barrels. I'm smoked a number of whiskey, rum, and brandy cigars, where the tobacco leaves are aged in the old wood. They take on the smell and some of the flavors on the spirit.

Tobacco liqueur does exist as well. It's a fairly new product. It takes fresh tobacco from Louisiana along the Missippi. It carries a great oily nature from the fresh tobacco leaves. Dried smoking tobacco has a much different nature than fresh of course. It was actually featured on Travel Channels Booze Traveler.

The cigar bar is an ancient institution. While they really only became truly popular as cigar bars in the nineties after the smoking bans. Before the bans, everyone smoked in bars. Some bars might've had no-smoking areas but it was just how it was done, going back to gentleman's clubs and hunting lodges and the like. Hookah bars have also started popping up in cities and small towns across the country. They take a good deal of their theme from Middle Eastern and Asian bars and cafes, though some are blending more into the gentleman's club vibe. Human beings seem to need an activity to occupy them while having meaningful conversations. They smoke, have a drink, or play a game of chess. Smoking and drinking in theory are individual actions but they bring about a great sense of community. I got one of my first jobs by having a conversation with a manager over a cigarette while he was on break. These days especially, smoking has become a community.

Aside from the glorious smokey flavor that ties tobacco with so many spirits and the great sense of community granted by both indulgences I really don't know what makes them so great together. But they are. 

"I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex, and rich food. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself."

- Johnny Carson

Photo Credit: Needpix, pikist

Whiskey 302: Let's try some Scotch Cocktails!

Scotch is a very fun spirit, but one that isn't played with quite enough. There are a few staples and simple cocktails, but scotch is typically just drunk straight. This appeals to some bartenders, however. When something hasn't been tinkered with and probed and prodded with it's a chance for a bartender to actually do something fun and unique.

Rob Roy
2oz. Scotch whisky, 3/4oz. Sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir the drink until chilled. Strain the drink into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry

The Rob Roy in reality is just a Manhattan with scotch. which is partly what makes it such a good choice to be on my list of scotch cocktails. Some drinkers will also use orange bitters instead of Angostura. Others will use a twist of lemon or orange to garnish. The drink is named after a popular Scottish folk hero, Robert Roy Macgregor, a sort of Scottish Robin Hood, who was actually portrayed by Liam Neeson.

Godfather

1 1/2 oz. Scotch, 3/4 oz. Amaretto

In a rocks glass, add the scotch, and then the amaretto with ice. 

This drink has a fun history. The drink is named after the great film but did technically exist before that as a "scotch and amaretto". People found that the drink perfectly represented the film and the mafia. Scotch has always been based on a warrior culture. Amaretto is an Italian liquor that has strong ties to love and family. The warrior and the family man was what the godfather represented. It's also the combination of my two favorite sipping spirits. 

Blood and Sand

3/4oz. Scotch, 3/4oz. Sweet vermouth, 3/4oz. Cherry Heering, 3/4oz. OJ

In a mixing glass add the ingredients. Add ice and shake. Strain the contents into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist or cherry

The recipe for the Blood and Sand first appeared in print in Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. It's actually a pretty unique combination of ingredients. 3 very different spirits and one juice in equal proportions form an odd blend of fruity and smokey. I will yield, the first time I tried this drink I didn't like it. There seemed to be too many elements that should've been in conflict. Mastery of this drink really does show a great deal of knowledge and balance on a bartender's part.

Sin Cyn

1 oz. Scotch, 1 oz. Cynar, 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir the drink until well chilled. Strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

This is a pretty modern drink you can find at the red owl tavern in Philadelphia. It's sort of a spin on the boulevardier, being bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This uses scotch instead of bourbon and Cynar instead of Campari. It's quite a similar cocktail but a bit less sweet from the tweaks. Cynar is also an Italian bitter liqueur, but with a prominent flavor of the artichoke. It is actually produced by the same company that makes Campari.

Special mention to: Penicillin, Rusty Nail, Presbyterian, The Modern

“Scotch whisky is made from barley and the morning dew on angel's nipples.”

- Warren Ellis

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, pikist

Ogre Killer

The name was inspired by the anime Yu Yu Hakusho. The character Chu, who practices suiken or drunken boxing, has a secret weapon. He pulls out a flask of what is called ogre killer, the strongest booze in Demon World. He chugs it down, and his skin changes color and he takes a fighting stance, not before immediately vomiting of course. The fight ends with a fabulous knife edge death match, where both fighters stand face to face with their back foot against a blade. They wail on each other in the manliest fashion continuously pressing the others foot into the blade. To any man who has ever enjoyed a fight, even when you lost, try this drink. It gives you very much the same feeling. 

1 oz. Everclear (190 proof)

1/2 oz. Joven Mezcal

1/2 oz. Scotch

Add all the ingredients to a rocks glass. Add ice. Stir with a knife. Leave the knife in to make it authentic. For this picture, I actually left the knife in the ice block mold as it froze. This was to make it more reminiscent of the show

Let's do the math on this drink.

(1oz * 190 proof) + (1/2oz * 80 proof) + (1/2oz * 80 proof) 

= 2oz of 135 proof

This drink is 68% alcohol before ice melt. It is the equivalent of 3.375 shots of 80 proof spirit. Do be careful in the partaking of beverage. It's one and done.

This drink was designed as a challenge for a friend of mine who claimed to have never gotten properly drunk no matter how much he drank. I made him one of these and he was drunk. I've had friends drink this and scream "That should not be legal!" The fun thing is that it isn't in many states. 190 proof Everclear is not for sale in 14 states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington. I could have certainly made a stronger drink, but I wanted something that had a little flavor to it. The pain of Everclear had to be there, but you can still enjoy it. As someone who once dated a dominatrix can tell you, a bit of pain is just part of the fun. 

Beginner's Flight: Whiskey

This is going to be a series of posts about how to start sampling different types of spirits if you are a beginner drinker. What's the difference between bourbon, scotch, and Irish whiskey. How is London dry gin different from American or Indian made gin? The best way to figure out what you like is to go out and try things. With so many options out there I thought it would be nice to give newbies a jumping-off point into their world of spirits. These will be fairly medium-priced spirits. I mean these lists to be accessible so probably nothing more than about $30 a bottle, that said, there's no reason for anyone to buy a $6 handle of Vlad vodka and drink it straight. First, I'm talking whiskey.

I think the ideal beginner's flight of whiskey should be one from around the globe. These are the staple whiskeys and they will give a well-rounded view as to the style of each region. When trying a whiskey sample it neat then try it again with a few drops of water added to it. This opens up the aroma and releases some of the oils that may have been hiding.

1. Makers Mark Bourbon. 
I describe this as a staple bourbon. They spell it "whisky" instead of "whiskey" because they feel it is of a caliber high enough to compete with any old world whisky. Made with corn is has a smooth sweetness to it. The bite is there, but it won't kill any rookie. This is great to sip or in any whiskey prominent cocktails, like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.

2. Jameson Irish Whiskey. 
This Irish whiskey is known around the world. Jameson is always the starting drink of a night of binge drinking. Irish whiskey is commonly seen as the lightest style of whiskey because it really doesn't use any smoke in its process. College students regularly drink half a bottle of this or more by themselves in one night. Just remember, just because it flows down your throat like water does not mean that your body can handle it like water.

3. The Famous Grouse Scotch. 
Famous grouse is the highest-selling scotch of Scotland for the last 30+ years. It is a blend rather than a single malt, but it does an excellent job of conveying quality and authenticity. The whiskeys used in the blend come from Highland Park and Macallan, two very fine scotch brands. (Hi Jason, thanks again for all the tastings)

4. Bulleit Rye. 

Yes, another American company pops onto the list. I thought of doing a Canadian whiskey, but they tend to work in rye these days. Bulleit is 95% rye in the mash. Rye whiskeys are often seen to have a spicy flavor to them. not really a jalapeno spice, more of baking spice.

special mention to: Booker's bourbon, Jack Daniels, Crown Royal, Southern Comfort, and any and all moonshine

Aye, but today's rain is tomorrow's whiskey.

- Scottish Proverb

Photo Credit: Pixabay, wikimedia

Whiskey 101: What's the difference?

I have a number of students coming to me having no idea what whiskey is or knowing anything about the spirit. Whiskey is simply a grain-based spirit that has been distilled and aged. What make whiskey so special is the versatility of the simplicity. Most would categorize whiskey based on the region it comes from. This is a very good start, but you must keep in mind that each region has their own laws and standards of how their whiskey must be made in order to qualify for their moniker. The biggest whiskeys / whiskys are Scotch whisky, Bourbon whiskey, and Irish whiskey. There is also, Canadian whisky, Japanese whisky, Tennessee whiskey, and even French and Italian whisky. There are many subsets in each of the broad categories, but that'll be in my Whiskey 201 post(s).

Scotch Whisky has to naturally come from Scotland. Globally, it is the best selling style of whiskey or whisky despite its relatively small geography to work with. For the record, whiskey and whisky are the exact same thing, it's just that different nations and companies have chosen to spell it one way or another. Given the small region and strict laws, scotch is a very consistently excellent product. Scotch must be made with barley as the main grain in the mash. Scotch must also be aged at least 3 years in oak barrels. Finally, scotch must be at least 40% alcohol (80 proof) though it can technically go up to 94.8%.

Bourbon Whiskey has to be made in the United States of America. Contrary to popular belief it does not have to be made in Bourbon, Kentucky. The dominant mash of bourbon must be corn. corn is a sweeter grain compared to barley so many bourbons are often regarded as sweet whiskeys. A fairly unique thing about bourbon is that it can only be aged in fresh, unused, charred, oak barrels. Bourbon does not have a required duration for its age though any straight bourbon must be aged at least 2 years. Many modern scotch companies actually use old recycled bourbon barrels or sherry barrels. Bourbon again can't be sold at less than 40% but does have an upper limit of 63%.

Irish whiskey must, naturally, come from Ireland. Most Irish whiskey is distilled three times compared to the two times for most other styles of whiskey. The amazing thing is that only 7 Irish whiskey distilleries exist compared to some 105 Scottish distilleries. Irish whiskey has very much the same laws affecting it as scotch. Irish whiskey must be aged at least 3 years in wood casks, and be no more than 94.8% alcohol. Due to the water sources and how the grains are cooked and distilled, Irish whiskey is seen as was of the smoothest, lightest, on the market and is fantastic for beginner drinkers of straight whiskey. Because of this, Irish whiskey has become the largest growing section of the whiskey community.

Tennessee is just a straight bourbon type whiskey made in Tennessee. Canadian whiskey has to come from Canada and has laxly the same regulation as the other big name whiskeys. Japanese, French, and Italian whiskeys naturally come from their respective countries. It is worth mentioning that there a number of other terms used in classifying whiskeys such as single malt vs blended whiskies, rye whiskey, and flavored whiskies.

“Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whiskey makes it go round twice as fast.”

- Compton Mackenzie

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, pikist

The Whisky (Whiskey) Lifestyle

Whisky, the drink of the rebel, warrior, and the criminal. Rebellion and innovation.

There's much debate over who first created whiskey, the Irish, the Scots, the Italians, and some even speculate the Chinese. What can't be argued is who mastered the whiskey culture first: the Scottish and the Irish. For the record, the Scots were an Irish tribe, to quote Billy Connolly, a sort of mentally ill Irish tribe. "Come on lads, I know an even rainier place." The Celtic tribes were a famous warrior culture, barbarians who ran into battle naked and screaming. Not to stereotype, but to this very day the Irish and the Scots are known for fighting and roughhousing, from the IRA to your highland games and bar room brawls. The Celtic tribes fought against everyone from Rome to Great Britain. They were rebellious, they refused to be conquered and didn't care much for how they appeared to their enemy, so long as they were scared.

The Irish and Scots began distilling whisky around the beginning of the 15th century, over 600 years ago. This was just the infancy of distillation. In the 18th century, the union was created and a British tax on whisky malt was issued. The Scots weren't one to accept that and they decided to break the law. They were the original moonshiners, hiding the smoke from their illegal stills by distilling at night. When many passionate whiskey makers came to America the same lifestyle continued.

The Scottish and Irish immigrants found the rye fields of Pennsylvania very bountiful and began their old tradition. During the American Revolution, whiskey was used as currency. George Washington ran a distillery, the king of the rebels. Canadian whisky actually came to be slightly popular by dodging taxes and prohibition.

Whisky has always been a mellowed, but still, harsh spirit drank by rebels, fighters, outlaws, and criminals. From the businessman or politician sipping a scotch after a harsh day of cutthroat negotiations, to the moonshiners of today, doing it because they know it's against the law and that it's great fun, whiskey will be a part of a fighting culture for a very long time to come.

This is going to be a part of a series I'm doing about how different spirits appeal to different cultures and personalities. Check out my other posts on Rum, Tequila, Gin, and other liquors and liqueurs. Much of what I'm posting has been opinion, much of it generalized and is not meant to be thought of as fact.

P.S. Here's a little song about whisky, the single malt, and all the horrible things Americans have done to a truly blessed creation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVvkZ_6TQMA

Photo Credit: pixabay, pickpik