Glen Scotia 15 Year - Night One

Typically, before posting a writeup for a whisky, I try to have (at least) three separate tastings, recording impressions for each. Once the tastings are complete, the process of creating the actual blog writeup begins. This process takes anywhere from two to three weeks as I spend a few hours on a handful of nights shaping, editing, and finalizing the structure of the entry. Tonight, I am trying something different, essentially a live tasting of a whisky. I foresee posting two more such entries as I conduct more tastings with this whisky in the coming weeks.

Tonight, my much better half and I will be tasting an impulse purchase that is a total mystery to me - Glen Scotia 15 Year. Just as with my impulse purchase of Loch Lomond 18 Year, this Glen Scotia satisfied three of my four requirements for purchasing an unknown whisky - age statement, non-chill filtered, and higher-than typical proof. Coming in at $69.99 and having never read a single review nor visited the producer’s website, I decided to take the plunge. My goal - taste, record my impressions in real time, and then once complete with three or so separate tastings, post the official tasting notes as well as review consensus to see how closely my impressions were.

Here is what the box and label tell me about this Glen Scotia: Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 15-years of age. Distilled, matured, and aged in Scotland. Classic Campbeltown Malt. Gently Matured in the Finest American Oak Barrels (the label on the bottle; the label on the back of the box proclaims gently matured in old American oak barrels). 46% ABV. And on the box’s back label: Campbeltown whiskies are intriguing - appealing to those consumers looking for something a little off the beaten track.

The appearance is somewhere between dark gold to medium amber. The label offers no proclamation that the whisky is indeed natural color, so it's a fair assumption the whisky is artificially colored. The appearance is not a glowing orange, so if this malt does indeed have a fake tan, it is not done so to an excessive degree.

The Smell

The smell is quite nice. An intense honey/vanilla sweetness leaps from the glass. A barley sugar note is right behind the honey/vanilla sweetness. There is also a subtle dried grass vibe here, but it is dwarfed by the sugar vibes. Zero peat on the nose, so I feel it safe to say this is an un-peated malt. A mild alcohol punch, nothing too excessive here. There is a gentle oak but a toasted oak, not a heavy char or wood resin. This absolutely smells of a bourbon barrel aged malt, so the label's proclamation of American oak maturation is totally believable.

The Taste
Holy moly, what a tongue punch. The initial sip packs way more of an ethanol punch than expected based on the smell. There is near-zero sweetness in the taste which also defies the expectations set by the smell. After the explosive arrival there is a meteoric rise of spiciness that continues well into the finish. This spiciness is much more than simple alcohol burn, there is a sharp, intentional spice here. Off the top of my head, the spice level is reminiscent of Talisker 10-year. Based on the initial wallop, I added a few splashes of water in the hopes of taming the malt. 

Water definitely helps tame the initial wallop. The spice remains however; what surprises me is how little sweetness there is. In a totally unscientific guess, I'd say the spice influence is four times that of the sweet influence. Towards the end of the sip there is an interesting, and pleasant, gentle bitterness. Perhaps the only area where the smell and taste are in total agreement is the lack of peat - this is definitely not a peated malt.

After a bit of time, I'd say the spice does subside enough to reveal some fruit sweetness, but make no mistake, the fruit sweetness appears like sporadic light beams breaking through a dense, overcast cloud layer of spice. 

The Finish

The spice found in the taste absolutely remains in the finish and lingers for some time. As the spice subsides, there is a whisker of sweetness followed by a slight tannic drying sensation. That pleasing, gentle bitterness on the conclusion of the taste reappears on the tail-end of the finish. Usually, one would not describe bitterness as a pleasing attribute, but in this malt, it not only works, but seems perfectly complementary to the overall experience. The finish lingers for a respectable amount of time - absolutely a medium-length finish, flirting with a long finish.

First Taste Overall

What a rollercoaster ride. Based on the smell, I was expecting a far sweeter dram than what I experienced. The level of spice was really unexpected and in my first taste, I'd say it's a few notches too strong. If I could rebalance this malt, I'd leave the sweetness where it is but dial down the spice two clicks. 

Re-reading the prose on the box's back label: Campbeltown whiskeys are intriguing - appealing to those consumers looking for something a little off the beaten track, I'd say mission accomplished. This malt is entirely intriguing and I cannot think of another malt on my shelf that is similar. Perhaps Talisker 10-year for spice, Deanston 12-year for sweetness on the nose, but as a complete package, this Glen Scotia 15-year is very much unique. If pressed to give a recommendation, I'd say to pass on this malt, unless spiciness is your thing. Please note though, this is the very first tasting, let's see how the malt evolves to my tastes over subsequent tastings.

More to come!

A Little Daisy Will Do Ya...

Well, it's the time of year where you are bound to see plenty of Cinco de Mayo themed recipes. While it may seem cliched, allow me to toss one more at you - the Tequila Daisy, also known as the Margarita (margarita is Spanish for daisy). At its core, the Daisy is as old school as cocktails get - a combination of spirit, something sour, something sweet, and perhaps a splash of something effervescent. While Daisies are as varied as fingerprints, all share the same end goal - to be cold, refreshing, and dangerously easy to consume.

As for the tequila daisy, there are two critical guidelines - use a tequila distilled from 100% agave (no mixtos allowed at this party) and use fresh-squeezed lime juice. After that, the daisy is at your complete disposal, feel free to add and tweak to your personal preferences. For example, my much better half typically doubles the amount of lime, but adds a half-ounce of a peach liqueur to offset the added sour. I sometimes enjoy integrating orange juice and bitters. Think of the basic daisy recipe below as a jumping off point - delicious on its own and infinitely customizable.

The Tequila Daisy

Ingredients

• 2 ounces 100% agave silver tequila
• 1 ounce Cointreau
• 0.75 fresh lime juice

Composition
Put the tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker along with a good handful of ice. Plop the top on and shake vigorously to give everything a good chill and break up the ice. Dump the contents of the shaker into a glass unstrained (called a dirty dump!) and enjoy.

Speaking of tequila - as you see above, there are three different silver tequilas on the shelf at the moment. A few weeks ago, there was a fourth - Don Julio. Tasting all four neat and side-by-side was pretty interesting. I found all four enjoyable, despite the reputation of un-aged spirits being too harsh to consume outside of mixers. In a very unusual coincidence, my better half and I each rated the four silver tequilas identically in regard to favorite to least favorite:

1. Casa Noble - great agave smell, sensational agave taste, smooth, long finish
2. Patron - great agave smell, good agave taste, just a tad harsh, short finish
3. (Tied with Patron) Herradura - a gentle smokey smell and taste, not like mezcal, but on the road to mezcal. The most unique of the bunch due to the smokey note and I'm likely to keep a bottle around as a result.
4. Don Julio - outstanding agave smell, the best of the bunch, but the alcohol harshness/rough-edges was the most pronounced of the group. Of the four, the only one I'm not likely to purchase again unless it's being offered at an enticing sale price.

Hope everyone is well. ¡Hasta luego amigos!

You Sit on a Throne of Lies! ... possibly

What you see above; what I have before me, are two potential imposters. I cannot forecast to you the true identity of either - they are each a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. The key is the present day's sheer hysteria over Japanese whisky.

Lionized in pop culture by Bill Murray's Lost in Translation character - "for relaxing times, make it Suntory time". Awarded World Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray's 2015 Whisky Bible (specifically the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013). Japanese whisky has transcended being a simple beverage of leisure to become both a status symbol and for some examples, a commodity whose valuation on the secondary market easily exceeds its retail price.

The two whiskies above are not such examples. In fact, thanks to the scandalously loose labeling laws for Japanese whisky, there is a chance neither were distilled in Japan proper. Incredibly, a producer can import whisky from any country, simply re-bottle it in Japan, and label it legally as 'Japanese Whisky'.

So what do we have on our hands and why in the world would I fiscally support what amounts to legal loophole shenanigans? Well, before we dive into the two whiskies, let's discuss one common trait that both proudly proclaim on their label - the use of Japanese mizunara during maturation.

Mizunara is a species of oak native to Japan that has gained a near-mythical reputation for its ability to impart a totally unique set of flavors into a whisky during maturation. Sandalwood, incense, tea, pear, and coconut are hallmarks of a mizunara matured whisky. Unfortunately, mizunara is far from an ideal wood to make barrels from due to three main problems - first, the tree requires an average of 200 years before it is mature enough to fell (as opposed to ~80 years American oak requires). Second, the tree itself rarely grows straight, instead taking on a beautifully random growth pattern reminiscent of a meticulously trimmed bonsai tree. Lastly, the oak's moisture content and porousness are significantly higher than American or French oak resulting in staves that are harder to shape and far more prone to leakage once formed into a barrel. All of this translates to an oak variety that is not that prevalent in whisky maturation warehouses around the world. Those that have used mizunara - Suntory, Bowmore, Macallan to name a few - have done so with great success, albeit it in extremely small and extremely expensive releases. Which brings me back to the two whiskies sitting before me. Both claim to use Mizunara oak - one with no indication of duration in mizunara and the other labeled as 'Mizunara Oak Finish'. Let's dive in and break each down.

First up, on the left, is Kaiyo Cask Strength whisky. Kaiyo's label offers very little insight into the whisky's provenance - Japanese Mizunara Oak, Un-Chill Filtered, and 53% ABV. Purchase price: $89.99 at my local Total Wine. No mention of a distillery, no mention of a country of production, not even a mention of the grain used to make the whisky. Some internet sleuthing yields more information, but be warned, there is no way to cross-check this information on Kaiyo's website.

The most useful backstory was provided by K&L Spirit's blog: https://spiritsjournal.klwines.com/klwinescom-spirits-blog/2017/10/24/introducing-kaiyo.html.

According to K&L, Kaiyo acquired barrels of new-make 100% malted barley whisky from a Japanese distillery that were 'teaspooned'. Teaspooned barrels are barrels that the producing distillery literally adds a teaspoon of another distillery's whisky to thereby preventing the purchaser from labeling the resulting whisky as a single malt from a specific distillery. K&L also claims the folks at Kaiyo transfer their new-make Japanese whisky into mizunara oak barrels that were produced at the Ariake cooperage in Japan. Here is where K&L's specifics begin to falter, there is no mention of how long the whisky spends in the mizunara barrels, but there is a rather intriguing plot twist - all the barrels are aged partially at sea in cargo ships (precisely the technique used in Jefferson's Ocean Series). As I said, there is no way to cross-check any of this information on Kaiyo's website so it's up to the individual to determine its merit. Personally, I was willing to accept this information as true in good-faith, but I also understand why others would remain justifiably unconvinced. Assuming K&L's information to be true, I could not resist the urge to taste a Japanese whisky matured in mizunara oak, even betraying my rules on avoiding whiskies whose labels provide more mystery than provenance.

The second whisky is the Shin. In contrast to the Kaiyo, the Shin's label discloses far more information - malt whisky, mizunara oak finish, 15 years old, natural color, un-chill filtered, 48% ABV, and 'Product of Japan'. Purchase price: $99.99 at my local Total Wine. On paper, the Shin runs circles around Kaiyo, but remember, a producer can import whisky from any country, re-bottle it in Japan, and label it legally as a product of Japan. Though I cannot prove it, I suspect that is precisely what has happened with the Shin. For starters, the two major Japanese whisky distillers - Suntory and Nikka - have almost completely eliminated age-stated malt whiskies from their portfolios due to a crushing shortage in their respective whisky stocks. How probable is it that a new producer in Japan could somehow get their hands on barrels of 15-year old Japanese whisky? Highly unlikely. Even if they could somehow get 15-year old Japanese whisky, the asking price would be much higher than $100. Offering a pure guess, I believe what is sitting in this bottle was distilled and matured in Scotland. From there, the whisky was shipped to Japan and transferred into mizunara oak barrels for period of time (hence the label's 'mizunara oak finish') before finally being bottled for retail. Legal labeling sleight-of-hand aside, the mystery whisky does indeed carry some nice production pedigree, which is precisely why I decided to purchase - it is a 15-year old malt, natural color, un-chill filtered, finished in a very interesting variety of oak and bottled at 48%. If this was a bottle on offer from say a Balvenie or a Macallan, the asking price would easily be in the $100 to $150 range, so I decided to take a chance.

If my hunch about the Shin is correct, we find ourselves in the bizarre situation where the whisky that discloses more information on its label is actually less authentic than what it implies to be! It could be that the Kaiyo, which doesn't even proclaim to be a product of Japan, is in fact actual Japanese whisky whereas the Shin, that proudly proclaims to be a 'Product of Japan', is in fact the imposter. Welcome to the dangers of loose labeling laws and regulations.

Oh well, enough semantics, how do these whiskies actually taste?

Kaiyo
Nose - sweet, cinnamon, spice, orange marmalade, light sandalwood, light coconut
Taste - sweet, cinnamon, orange, Grand Marnier-esque, gentle sandalwood
Finish - medium length, light oak, orange, cinnamon, incense
Overall:
Each aspect of this whisky was remarkably similar throughout the tasting experience. The smell matched the taste matched the finish. Orange is the dominant fruit for me, whispers of coconut exist, but more dominant is an incredible incense/sandalwood vibe. On the nose, the incense/sandalwood vibe is very reminiscent of how Drambuie smells. In the mouth however, the taste is very reminiscent of Grand Marnier. On the finish a gentle oak and incense impression, think orange spiced tea.

Along those Grand Marnier lines, this is a sweet whisky - not as sweet as Grand Mariner, but also far from what I would consider dry or savory. Straight from the bottle, 53% ABV is too hot in my opinion. The alcohol punch is too great and the overall balance of flavors suffer as a result. I added enough water to bring the malt down to the 45% range which dials back the alcohol punch just enough to let the flavors emerge. Final verdict, would I purchase a second bottle of this? Yes. Yes I would. I have quite enjoyed my pours from this bottle when proofed down a bit and would like to keep this on my shelf.

The Shin
Nose - sandalwood, incense, orange marmalade, faint cinnamon, medium oak, cafe au lait, red apples
Taste - sharp, drying, oak, gently astringent, mild orange, mild barley
Finish - medium, leaning towards long, very gentle bitterness, some oak, slightly drying
Overall:
The most dominant impression the Shin makes initially is oak. There is a moderate amount of oak on the nose, a giant dollop of oak on the tongue, and a lingering oak/tannic dryness on the finish. The second most dominant impression, in regard to taste at least, is a tongue-punch of alcohol. The alcohol is far harsher than I expected given the malt's 15-year age statement. But here's a secret I discovered with the Shin - time is its best friend. Allowing this whisky some time (and a splash of water) to sit in the glass undisturbed does wonders - the oak retreats a bit as does the harsh alcohol. On the nose - gentle orange and incense and sandalwood are mildly present, aromas reminiscent of coffee and apples emerged. On the tongue, the oak remains, but is less tannic. There is less fruit on the tongue than on the nose, but what is there reminds me of a bold Highland style of whisky. This is not a sweet dram, nor is it a gentle dram, but it does have an enjoyable bit of moxy. Final verdict, would I purchase a second bottle of this? Probably not, at least not for $100. $70 feels more reasonable for the delivered experience and the possible labeling deception.

Comparing the two head-to-head, the mizunara influence is less in the Shin than the Kaiyo. Yes, they share some common characteristics, particularly that sandalwood/incense vibe that reminds me of Drambuie, but it is about half as potent in the Shin as it is in the Kaiyo. Further, the Kaiyo has far more ripe fruit influence than the Shin. In contrast, the Shin has far more oak influence than the Kaiyo; think a sweet, fruity pour compared to an oak-ey, drying/tannic pour. Using a wine analogy, the Kaiyo is like a jammy Malbec to the Shin's oak-driven Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are quite enjoyable, but it all boils down to what the individual taster enjoys and is looking to experience.

One final footnote. Happily the whisky producers in Japan realize the serious liability their lax labeling laws present. Unscrupulous producers not only can, but will produce crap product, label it as Japanese, rinse and repeat, and before too long, the entire industry will be regarded as crap. There are improvements on the horizon however. Not perfect improvements, but certainly positive first steps to righting the ship and ensuring Japanese whisky is properly represented by dedicated professionals rather than fly-by-night charlatans.

Cheers until May my friends.

P.S. A special thanks to Winston for this entry's opening inspiration.

Loch Lomond 18-Year

Click to enlarge

Obersalzberg, Germany V-E day

Dear Dennis,
The man who might have written on this card once controlled Europe - three short years ago when you were born. Today he is dead, his memory dispised (sic), his country in ruins. He had a thirst for power, a low opinion of man as an individual, and a fear of intellectual honesty. He was a force for evil in the world. His passing, his defeat - a boon to mankind. But thousands died that it might be so. The price for ridding society of bad is always high.
Love,
Daddy

The letter above was written by Richard Helms, to his son Dennis, on May 8, 1945 while Richard was serving in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the European Theater of World War Two. Specifically, Richard's group was scouring the Berghof, Adolf Hitler's personal residence in the Bavarian Alps region of southern Germany. During the scouring, Mr. Helms came across Hitler's personal stationary and decided to pen the letter, beautifully summarizing the catalyst for so much pain and destruction.

So why the historical detour in a space that is dedicated to adult libations? Well dear readers, I've been in a contemplative mood lately. Two common companions during my evening contemplations tend to be a wee pour of whisky and whatever happens to be the book du jour that I am working though. Lately, said whiskey has been Loch Lomond 18 year and the book has been Inside Hitler's High Command by Geoffrey P. Megargee. The book dispels the myth that Germany's military leadership was impaired by Hitler's meddling and strategic blunders. The book illustrates quite decisively that Germany's military leadership was itself far more flawed than many realize. As I've been working through the book, my mind kept flashing back to that letter Richard Helms wrote his son.

Richard Helms went on to serve in the successor of the OSS, the Central Intelligence Agency, culminating as the Agency's Director during the Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon administrations. Today that letter hangs in the CIA Museum in Langley, Virginia. I've kept a picture of that letter in an archive of special mementos for the past nine years - at first because of the breathtaking symbolism of writing a note on Victory in Europe day, on the personal stationary of the very man that incited the need for a V-E day in the first place. But deeper than that, Mr. Helms perfectly captured the trifecta of personality traits that when possessed by a single person can induce unmeasurable pain and despair on entire populations - a thirst for power, a low opinion of man as an individual, and a fear of intellectual honesty. Mr. Helms's career in the CIA was not free of controversy and even today, his impact and policies remain debated and contentious. Rarely do simple encapsulations properly capture and reflect complex figures and complex times. Yet Mr. Helms's letter defies this phenomenon; I contend it is one of those exceedingly rare occurrences of a simple encapsulation perfectly capturing the root cause of a complex evil wrought on a complex world.

That's one companion down, let's shift gears to my second companion these recent nights - the whisky.

Loch Lomond 18 Year
Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Country: Scotland
Region: Highland (Alexandria: 55.994N, -4.577W)
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Strength: 46.0% ABV (92.0° Proof)
Color: Unknown
Filtration: Non-chill Filtered
Maturation: 18 Years in American Oak
Price: $72.99 (ABC Fine Wine & Spirits)

tl;dr summary - An impulse inducing price tag for an eighteen year old malt that is ultimately enjoyable, but behaves like a whiskey a few years younger than its stated age. Calm peat accents a sherry/tidal pool vibe that sits alongside dried grass and a bit of caramel/toffee. A good, but not great whisky for your shelf whose price is its saving grace.

This Loch Lomond was an impulse purchase pure and simple. I was perusing a local store when I noticed the 18 year variant was marked down from it's lofty $89.99 all the way to $72.99. Typically, one can expect the price of an 18-year single malt to command three digits to left of its decimal point. I was instantly intrigued, but not automatically sold. When purchasing an unknown single malt, I scan the label for four criteria - strength (ideally something > 43%), filtration (non-chill filtered please), natural color (highly desired, but not a deal breaker), and an age statement (only consistently good reviews can overcome the absence of an age). Satisfying three of the four wishes combined with an enticing price meant the malt was whisked away and added to the tasting rotation.

Some post-purchase research relayed a few interesting tidbits about the Loch Lomond distillery. Loch Lomond produces their single malt scotch using both traditional copper pot stills and the so-called 'Long' stills which are copper pot stills whose necks contain rectification plates, similar to what you'd find in a column still. Another fascinating tidbit is Loch Lomond uses a myriad of different yeasts during fermentation - including two wine yeasts (French chardonnay and French sauvignon blanc). The different yeast fermentations are kept separate through distillation and blended only after maturation is complete. Floral, light, and grassy are the typical characteristics of a spirit produced by a Long still and as you'll see below, I would certainly concur.

Nose
A very interesting nose - first impression is of a salty tidal pool. A whisp of peat emerges shortly after, followed by a nice sherry sweetness. After adding a touch of water, a dry hay/grass note emerges as does barley sugar and even a bit of toffee.

Taste
The taste is less interesting than the nose - sipped neat, there is an alcohol punch and prickle that borders on harsh. A bit surprising given its age, but a splash of water calms the harshness completely. Peat, some baking spices, particularly cinnamon emerge and that sherry note lingers throughout the taste. The tidal pool note is not present, but what is present is a bit of band-aid/iodine/rubbery note. It is reminiscent of a sherried malt which is quite odd because I do not believe Loch Lomond uses any ex-sherry barrels in their maturation.

Finish
Oak and peat jump out and are the boldest components of the finish, I'd say 85% oak to 15% peat. This is not an Islay peat bomb by any measure, but the peat is there. There is a toffee/brown sugar aspect to the tail-end of the finish that is quite enjoyable. Some grape fruitiness as well, but a whisper, not a shout. Overall I'd classify the finish's duration as medium, leaning towards short. I'd expect a longer finish given the strength and age, but it is what it is as they say.

Overall
If I were to taste this whisky blind, I'd swear there was ex-sherry maturation involved, but alas, there is none. Loch Lomond uses exclusively ex-American oak, none of which ever held any wine. Internet sleuthing indicates it's Loch Lomond's mixture of yeast types as well as still variations that produce these varied impressions, which is quite remarkable.

How does this malt stack up for me? On the negative side, the whisky has more alcohol harshness than I would expect from an 18-year old malt and likewise, the finish is shorter than I would expect from a whisky this old and bottled at 46% ABV. On the positive side, a small addition of water resolves the alcohol harshness. The aroma of the whisky is quite enjoyable and unique, a mixture of peat, seashore, and hay, and last but certainly not least, it's value cannot be beat. You will be hard pressed to find an 18-year single malt for less.

Would I purchase a second bottle? Not for the typical un-discounted $90 retail prices I've seen. But the good news is that the 18-year is seemingly perpetually on sale in the $75 range. I won't purchase a second bottle straight away before I finish the bottle I have on hand, but I certainly see myself picking up a second bottle at some point in the future. It is a solid pour to have when you are craving a bit of peat but don't want an Islay bomb or when you are craving a bit of fruity heaviness but don't want a sherry bomb.

I have a long lineup of tastings in the hopper at the moment. Who knows what fun detour we'll take in future posts, perhaps an in-depth discussion of America's Cup yacht design evolution or yet another chapter in my on-going life's opus: Magnum P.I. - The 9th Season We All Deserve: Requiem for The Lads.

Stay safe everyone.

A Proper Tasting

It all started in late 2019. Having lunch with a long-time friend, he asked why the group hadn't tasted the only 'proper' whiskey on the market - Conor McGregor's Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey. Since my friend is kinda a big deal, I took his question to heart and resolved to answer it, properly of course. Paying homage to one of Mr. McGregor's professions, I decided the only way to properly taste his whiskey was in a competitive contest - two bottles enter, one bottle leaves kinda thing. Of course, every main event needs a proper undercard, so if two bottles are nice, then surely four bottles must be twice as nice, particularly when there were two specific bottles somewhat related to Proper Twelve that I have been itching to try. And so the tasting challenge was born - two groups of two different whiskeys, four in total, each assigned a unique color code. Participants were tasked with picking a favorite from each group and then pit the winners and losers against each other to rank the four, least favorite to most favorite.

The Reveal

In group one, we have the catalyst for this tasting, Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey squaring off with its direct competitor on whiskey shelves across the globe - the undisputed king of Irish Whiskey (in sales at least) - Jameson.

Group #1
Red:      Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey
Yellow: Jameson Irish Whiskey

Group two takes a selfish detour and brings two Irish whiskeys that I've wanted to try for some time, but never had enough consumer motivation to purchase; until now that is. The two entries in Jameson's Caskmates series - Jameson finished in ex-beer barrels; one in ex-stout barrels and the other in ex-IPA barrels.

Group #2
Blue:    Jameson Caskmates Irish Whiskey - Stout Edition
Green: Jameson Caskmates Irish Whiskey - IPA Edition

The Tale of the Tape
All four whiskeys share a number of commonalities:

• All four hail from Ireland, Jameson being distilled at the New Midleton Distillery in the south of Ireland, while Proper Twelve's specific provenance is not disclosed, but almost certainly from the Old Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland
• All four are blended Irish whiskeys containing a mixture of Irish single pot still whiskey and Irish grain whiskey (the grain being corn)
• All four weigh in at the legal-minimum strength for whiskey - 40% ABV (80.0° Proof)
• All four are rather mysterious in specific production characteristics - age, maturation barrels, and percentage of barley whiskey to grain whiskey are woefully ambiguous, though Jameson does state they mature in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels
• All four are readily available and quite budget friendly with each priced in the sub-$30 range

Some interesting tidbits - both Jameson Caskmates whiskeys use beer barrels from the Franciscan Well brewery in Cork, Ireland. Unfortunately, just how long the Jameson is aged in the beer barrels is a mystery. Another mystery, but a very safe bet, is that all four whiskeys are indeed chill-filtered and artificially colored which is not overly shocking considering their place in the whiskey market. Speaking of market place posturing, Proper Twelve definitely has a more upscale shelf-presence, the only one of the four packaged in a cardboard box and topped with an actual cork topper rather than a screw-cap.

One further Proper Twelve note that is worth mentioning, $5 for every case sold, up to $1 million, is donated annually to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation for families of fire fighters and police officers that have lost their lives in the line of duty. Specifically the donations are used to pay off the mortgages of the surviving family members. Proper Twelve just made their first $1 million dollar donation in the United States and is expanding the donation pledge to similar charities in Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Poland and South Africa.

Enough with the chatter, lets ring the bell and see how the group rated our four contenders.

Tasting Results

In our main event, Group 1, Jameson, like a in-his-prime Mike Tyson dominated, sweeping Proper Twelve in a thoroughly commanding show of force. Group Two was nearly as anti-climatic with four out of five participants picking the IPA variant over the Stout variant of Jameson's Caskmates series. It's when we get to the overall ranking that things get interesting. One participant, despite picking the IPA over the Stout when tasting their Group 2 entries, chose the Stout as their second favorite when tasting all four side-by-side during their overall ranking.

In an attempt to further quantify how each contender fared, I created a totally unscientific weighted scale to assign a numerical score based on the group's tasting results. This woefully simplistic weighted scale is as follows: a 1st place vote earns four points, 2nd place three points, 3rd place two points, and unsurprisingly, a 4th place vote earns one point.

Jameson's stunning display, earning nothing but 1st and 2nd place votes, afforded an easy first place finish. On the flip-side, Proper Twelve's poor performance, earning almost exclusively bottom-half votes proved quite costly. Finally, how about the Stout Caskmate variant eking out a second-place finish with its consistent performance! Great stuff.

So we have a pretty clear winner here, the Jameson retains its crown, at least among our little tasting group. Reading various whiskey trade publications however, Proper Twelve's initial sales figures have been quite impressive, which goes to show that a well-crafted marketing strategy can overcome qualitative shortcomings. Fair warning though, whiskeys that are more show than go tend to be one-and-done type purchases for consumers; it will be interesting to see if Proper Twelve can maintain the impressive sales numbers or if they are doomed to fade in the later rounds for lack of substance and heart.

Group Impressions

Before we get to each participant's tasting notes, a funny aside. At various points between receiving samples and submitting impressions, every single participant remarked to me how similar they found all four whiskeys. In fact, a few even suspected I was playing a prank on them in sending the same whiskey under the pretense that they were different. Everyone should give themselves a huge pat on the back for this astute observation. In truth, while four different whiskeys were indeed sent out, all four are closely related. Three of the four come from the same distillery while the fourth comes from a near-identical distillery in terms of style and production. Speaking personally, I was over the moon that everyone in the group picked up on how close these whiskeys were in terms of style and presentation. Well done to all!

Apollo
Ranking #1: Red vs Yellow

Red
Appearance: Dark Gold, good legs
Smell:  Slight woody smell.  Smells sweet
Taste: Fairly smooth.  Thinking an Irish whiskey.
Finish:  Woody aftertaste.

Yellow:
Appearance:  Dark Gold, good legs
Smell:  Stronger scent the red.  Less woody, more sweet smell
Taste: Similar to Red, less intense.  Even more smoother.  Very similar in fact.  It's almost like Yellow is the same hooch as Red but watered down.
Finish:  No burn, very mild after taste

The Red vs Yellow Verdict:
I'm going with Yellow on this race.  While both are simple, smooth, and have no harsh taste or finish, Yellow has a slight advantage in each of these areas.

Ranking #2 - Blue vs. Green

Blue:
Appearance:  Dark Gold, just like the rest
Smell:  Scotch smell to this guy.  Smokey.  Picked up maple on the scent.
Taste: Bit of a burn on taste.  Not so sure its scotch, might be an Irish whiskey.
Finish:  Very mild finish

Green:
Appearance: Dark Gold, just like the rest
Smell:  Smelled a bit harsh, like of strong alcohol content.
Taste: Lot smoother then I was expecting.  Tastes like a more milder scotch or Irish whiskey.  Getting that vibe it might be the same brand, maybe a different year of the same whiskey?
Finish:  This also has a very mild finish.

The Blue vs. Green Verdict:
Going with green, but not comfortable so about that being it was very similar.

Ranking #3 - All four

Oh hell is this going to be tough.  Ok, here it goes

#1 - Yellow - Smooth is what I like
#2 - Red
#3 - Green
#4 - Blue

Smooth is what I like, yellow takes that cake.  That said, the profiles of all four seem very similar to each other.  If I did a taste test by itself I might have written very similar descriptions for each.  It helped to compare and contrast to each other.  I feel these are all the same type of whiskey, perhaps even from the same distillery.

Jonathan Quayle Higgins
Red Vs. Yellow

Red is slightly darker than yellow.

Yellow has a nice surge of herbal sweetness. Red never delivers more than a murmur of flavor.

Both have a rather sharp grain harshness on the finish.

Red
Less harsh than Yellow but also less memorable, there is nothing all that notable about this hooch. Definite grain and subtle barley. This whiskey feels quite muted…. Like you have the opacity value cranked way down making it partially transparent. I could see those preferring a ‘smooth’ whiskey taking this over the yellow, but to me it just feels woefully boring.

Yellow
First off, a weak nose, really hard to get any sense of aroma here. First taste yields a crash of harshness. Subsequent tastes tame the harshness, perhaps my tongue is tamed. There is a sweetness that pops out and some savory notes. You can detect the barley whiskey, it is more vibrant than Red. The grain alcohol is definitely there as well, in fact, I feel the barley whiskey is dwarfed by the grain whiskey. I would love to know the proportions of barley to grain whiskey.

Winner - Yellow - it has more flavor, Red just seems like watered down anemia.

Blue Vs. Green

Blue
Very nice coffee smell, coffee with cream. Gentle barley on the backside of the nose. Taste shows a bit of cinnamon and damn, perhaps a bit of nutella. Sweet, smooth, each component of the experience blends seamlessly with the next. Barley is far more present in this whiskey than Green. Roasty toasty. I would actually buy another bottle of this.

Green
Citrus cleaner. Jeesh, perhaps a bit of Jolly Rancher Green Apple. Nearly effervescent taste that finishes with a bitter (good bitter) snap. Not as sweet as blue - a bit more jarring on each transition. Less barley notes than blue. A hoppy bitterness on the tail-end of the taste all the way into and through the finish.

Winner - Blue takes this round. I prefer it in every regard.

Overall
This one is not even close for me - Blue gets the top step by a good margin. Second place is tougher - Green and Yellow are neck and neck. I am going to give Yellow the 2nd place finish because it is more soothing to my palate than Green. I like green, but the occasional aroma that reminds me of a citrus cleaner turns me off a bit. There is also a harsher sweet to bitter transition that is jarring. Yeup, Yellow gets 2nd while Green gets 3rd. That leaves Red as my 4th place finisher. Red is not ‘bad’, its just totally unremarkable. What primer is in the painting world, Red is to me in the whiskey world. It has its purpose but its purpose is to be totally utilitarian and not stand out. I will repeat - the only one of the four that I’d purchase a bottle of is Blue, pretty tasty stuff.

Michael Doheny
First tastings were done with whiskey stones, second tasting was done with a tablespoon of room temperature filtered water.

Ranking #1 - Red vs. Yellow

Red - Slightly sweet finish, reminiscent of toasted caramel, with a lingering feeling of warmth. Nice balance with smooth finish. Water removed the sweetness and diluted the afterburn of the tasting. Very enjoyable. Prefer without the water diminishing the delicacy of the sweet finish.

Yellow - Sharper smell than the red cohort. Much smoother finish was offset by a more intense heat. Initial thoughts were this is more drinkable over the stones. When water was introduced there was a much softer burn, as one would expect, but also notes of toffee became more prominent in my mouth and nose.

Finalist - Tough heat, but I’ll nose it out to Yellow.

Ranking #2 - Blue vs. Green

Blue - Either I’m getting more accustomed to these tastings or there was very little heat associated with Blue. It was light, with hints of dark fruits layered in there. It was more a gold or honey color than either Red or Yellow. Water did nothing to the lack of heat but make it a bit chewy and unbalanced in flavor. Reminded me of Red more than Yellow with the exception of the sweet initial smell.

Green - If it were not for the hint of warmth on the back of my throat, I would say I was drinking a thin mead. It was immensely smooth with a strong herbal wood that was reminiscent of flavors from the Ren Faire. Even with the addition of water, the bouquet was a nice floral welcome mat for your senses. Diabolically drinkable, this spirit offers a nice introduction to those who have been put off by more potent whiskeys.

Finalist - Green.

Overall Ranking
#1 - Green
#2 - Yellow
#3 - Blue/Red

Green wins out just due to the overall drinkability of the spirit. All were well crafted and drinkable both over stones and with water.

Zeus
For this four sample showdown we were given four bottles of different whiskies to compare and contrast (labeled Red, Yellow, Green and Blue).  I decided to start off by doing my normal review process and note-taking for each one individually.  I'm not what you'd call a super taster.  In fact I have a very hard time picking out individual flavors from most whiskies.  So the individual reviews didn’t help much.  There's no need to include them here.

So, I moved on to the comparison stage. The first head-to-head match up was Red vs. Yellow.  Red seemed sweeter but smoother. But then on the next sip Yellow seemed smoother. This one was pretty much a draw for me. I hope there’s not a big difference in price. Or maybe I hope there is because then I could buy the cheaper one! Flavor-wise I didn't pick up anything different in either of them. Since I had to choose, I decided to pick Yellow but I couldn't really justify why. I’d be happy with either one.

The second match up was Blue vs. Green.  Blue was pretty smooth and had some complex flavors that I couldn't identify. The same was true for Green. Blue had a little more burn, I think. They both had interesting flavors but I think I prefer Green. It was a very close call though. Blue was also very good and interesting.  One note about Blue.  After I had so much trouble telling the difference between Red and Yellow, I thought my taste buds might just be broken so I decided to take a sip of Blue because that one seemed quite different in my initial sampling.  When tasting Blue immediately after tasting Red, I thought I detected a hint of licorice.  Which is strange because I can almost never pick out flavors like that.  I'm not sure if that flavor was really there or if it was just because of the contrast or maybe even a combination of the flavors.  I thought that was pretty cool, though.

Then I decided to compare my favorite from each group, although that wasn't requested.  I preferred Yellow to Green. In comparing the two, Green seemed to have more of a floral taste that didn't really appeal to me, although I didn’t notice that in the first sampling, so who knows. Yellow seemed more neutral and easy to drink. Since Yellow and Red are so similar, I guess that means I liked Red better than Green as well.

Next I compared my second favorite from each group, which was also not requested, but I just felt like doing it.  I liked Blue better than Red. I think perhaps I should have picked Blue over Green but I’m sticking with my first impression. But I can definitely put Blue above Red, even though I like Red about as much as Yellow, which is my top pick. To quote the sea captain on The Simpsons: Arrrggghh, I don’t know what I’m doin’.

So, my final order across all four is as follows: Yellow, Blue, Red, Green.  This doesn't entirely make sense because I picked Green over Blue when they were head-to-head.  However, when I tested all four of them at the same time this was how I ranked them.

Honestly, I think if I did this test again I might get completely different results.  Red and Yellow seemed the smoothest. But they all seemed smooth at times.  As I was finishing the samples, I started to think that maybe I had misjudged Blue and it might be the best of all of them, even though I initially thought I liked Green better than Blue.  I think I'm just bad at this.  lol

So, to summarize:
Task #1 (Red vs. Yellow): Yellow
Task #2 (Blue vs. Green): Green
Task #3 (All four): Yellow, Blue, Red, Green

Leaping the Day Away

I could not let such a momentous day pass without posting something; the allure of seeing a date-stamp that only comes around once every four years simply being too great to ignore.

While I have two entries in the hopper, neither are quite ready for prime time yet, so we'll have to make do with another delicious libation recipe. Still feeling in the NOLA mood, let's take a stroll down to Chartres Street and visit the Napolean House where a rather delicious assortment of Pimm's Cups are mixed up year round. Originating in England, Pimm's Cups refer to a style of English drink known as a 'fruit cup' - essentially a tall glass filled with ice and various pieces of fresh fruit and herbs, a few ounces of a liqueur and topped off with a mixer, anything ranging from lemonade to ginger ale. The most famous English fruit cup is a Pimm's Cup due to using Pimm's No. 1 liqueur as the alcohol of choice. Pimm's No. 1 itself is rather mysterious, its precise recipe still a closely guarded trade secret, however we do know gin is the base spirit.

Strictly speaking, a Pimm's Cup is a summer drink, intended to be utterly satisfying and thirst-quenching on hot, humid days. While the British steadfastly adhere to such traditions, over here in the land of the Great Insurrection, we do as we see fit and by golly, I think any time of year is a good time for a Pimm's Cup. Tapping into this theme of rebellious free-will, the Pimm's Cup is infinitely customizable to one's tastes and preferences, the only hard and fast requirement being the inclusion of Pimm's No. 1. Outside of that, mix and match however you see fit - ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, lemonade, limeade, etc. all make excellent mixers in a Pimm's Cup; be bold, take chances, and sip away my friends.

Leap Day 2020 Pimm's Cup

Ingredients

• 3 ounces Pimm's No. 1
• 4 ounces lemonade
• Apple slices
• Raspberries, sliced in half
• Strawberries, cut in half, then sliced thin
• Mint sprigs
• 1 ounce sparkling water (optional)

Composition
In a tall glass, add the sliced fruit and set aside.

In a cocktail shaker add the Pimm's No. 1, lemonade, and mint. Add a handful of ice and stir aggressively to add a nice chill and bruise the mint.

Pour the contents of cocktail shaker into the tall glass containing the sliced fruit. Stir well with a bar spoon to ensure everything is well mixed. Top with sparkling water if desired. Truth be told, my glass was filled to the brim, so I omitted the sparkling water.

Be warned, the first Pimm's Cup is persuasively easy to consume and will leave you desperately lusting for a second. The second Pimm's Cup is every bit as satisfying as the first and will leave you contemplating either a third or answering the siren's call of the whiskey shelf beckoning you to make an Old Fashioned or Manhattan or Sazerac. At this point, it's best to just find a comfy chair and prepare to order in, you are about to embark on some serious contemplation of life's more nuanced aspects.

Cheers to all - see you in March.

Who Dat?

New Orleans must be one of the most paradoxical cities on Planet Earth. Breathtaking for its beauty and filth, its charm rivaled only by its stench. I suspect New Orleans is today as it has always been - a paradise of excess in every direction; home to opulence and debauchery, titans, shiftless layabouts, and everything in between. Perhaps this fate is inevitable for any city built upon a major trade port and New Orleans is one of the oldest trade ports in United States. The great Charles Kuralt hosted CBS News Sunday Morning, a show my mother, and I in turn, faithfully watched throughout my childhood. In retirement, Mr. Kuralt penned several books, one of which, Charles Kuralt's America, contained twelve chapters, each chronicling an entire month spent in a specific city. The first chapter, January, details the month he spent in New Orleans and captures the most memorable quote I've come across regarding this magnificent city:

Unless you're broke or sick or blue-nosed, I don't see how you could have anything but a good time in New Orleans. "Unique" is a word that cannot be qualified. It does not mean rare or uncommon; it means alone in the universe. By the standards of grammar and by the grace of God, New Orleans is the unique American place.

The Crescent City holds a very special place in my life - spellbound by its music and its food as a child, little could I have guessed that years later as an adult, within hours of arriving on my very first visit, that the city's inexplicable and ever-present magic would introduce me to the single-most important person in my life. Twenty-three years later, I can assure you it was love at first sight, on both counts. Looking back at that impossible collision of fate, I chuckle and think to myself of course it was in New Orleans, could it be any other way?

Upon arriving in the city for the first time, one quickly gets the sense that everything in New Orleans has a story attached to it, oftentimes multiple conflicting stories. Case in point - the Sazerac cocktail. Considered by some to be the earliest known American cocktail, its origins date back to the mid-1800s, yet its precise history remains murky with many disputed twists and turns. Here's a nickel tour's worth of how the Sazerac came to be as I understand it.

Step One - A Creole injection into New Orleans. The successful Haitian Slave Revolt between 1791 and 1804 caused tens of thousands of French colonists to flee Haiti for New Orleans which in turn formed the basis of the Creole culture of New Orleans. Somewhere in the early 1800s, a very young Antoine Amédée Peychaud fled Haiti for New Orleans and would eventually open an apothecary shop in which he sold numerous medicinal elixirs.

Step Two - A French spirit injection into New Orleans. In the mid-1800s, a spirits importer and owner of the Merchants Exchange Coffee House named Sewell T. Taylor began to import a brand of cognac named Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils.

Step Three - Worlds collide. Around the same mid-1800s time frame, Mr. Taylor began to mix a concoction of his cognac, absinthe, bitters (some claim from Antoine Peychaud's apothecary), and sugar. Choosing to focus on his spirits import business, Mr. Taylor handed over operations of the Merchants Exchange Coffee House to Aaron Bird who subsequently changed the name to Sazerac Coffee House to honor the unique cognac cocktail served within its doors.

Step Four - Disaster! In the late-1800s the phylloxera plague decimated the vineyards of France destroying France's wine industry and in turn France's cognac industry. Back in New Orleans, with cognac imports drying up, the folks at the Sazerac Coffee House, now being operated by a Thomas H. Handy, had to find an alternative and fatefully chose to substitute rye whiskey in place of cognac.

Step Five - Another deviation. In 1912, absinthe was banned in the United States due to its reputation for being far more destructive to society than other distilled spirits. New Orleans being New Orleans was unfazed and began to produce its own absinthe alternative, the anise-flavored Herbsaint.

Step Six - Immortalized. In 1949, the Roosevelt Hotel opened the Sazerac Bar. Fittingly, the Roosevelt Hotel stands three blocks up Canal Street from where both the Sazerac Coffee House and Peychaud's Apothecary once stood on Royal Street. Today, just as the Carousel Bar is a must-visit for Vieux Carré fans, the Sazerac Bar is a must-visit for Sazerac fans. Being located in a giant hotel combined with a famous name and a storied history usually results in large crowds, but every visit I have made to the bar has yielded well-made and thoroughly enjoyable Sazeracs. Yes the bartenders are busy, but they do consistently churn out delicious libations.

Thirsty yet? Happily the drink is easy enough to make at home and hey, it's Carnival Season, so what better excuse to mix away.

The Sazerac

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon absinthe or Herbsaint (absinthe containing less than 10ppm of thujone - wormwood - was deemed legal in the United States in 2007, as such, absinthe availability has steadily increased)
• 1 teaspoon of simple syrup
• 5 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 1 or 2 dashes, a scant drop, of Angostura bitters (ferociously controversial and totally optional; I personally feel Angostura augments the flavors quite nicely, but traditionalists leave it out)
• 2 ounces rye whiskey (there is a Sazerac Rye from Buffalo Trace which can be hard to find, no worries, there are plenty of awesome alternatives: Heaven Hill's Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond or Pikesville, Jim Beam's Knob Creek Rye, Wild Turkey's 101 Rye or Russell's Reserve Rye just to name a few. We are looking for a punchy rye, 45% ABV or higher) 
• Strip of lemon peel, skin only, no pith welcome to this party

Composition
Pour the absinthe into the glass you plan to enjoy your Sazerac from. Tilt and twirl the glass around, working to coat the entire inside with absinthe, from base to lip. Once satisfied, pour any remaining absinthe out, we only want to leave behind the absinthe that clings to the inside of the glass, no pooling allowed.

In a mixing vessel or cocktail shaker, add the rye, simple syrup, and bitters. Stir well and taste. Here is where you will need to adjust the drink to your preference. We are looking for a strong, spirit-driven taste here, more spirit than sweet. Also, we are looking for a strong but not dominant presence by the bitters. Adjust to your preferences.

Once satisfied, add a good handful of ice to the concoction and stir well for 20 or so seconds to get a nice chill and some dilution. Please, oh please, do not plop the top of the cocktail shaker on and shake, the Sazerac is many things, but frothy ain't one of them.

Strain the chilled cocktail into your absinthe-prepped glass, and give your lemon peel a nice twist directly over the center of the glass releasing those delicious lemon oils onto the surface of the cocktail. The final flourish is to swipe the lip of the glass with the lemon peel. At this point some say toss the peel into the trash, others say toss the peel into the glass with the hooch, dealer's choice.

One footnote, as we learned, the original Sazerac was made with cognac and only switched to rye whiskey when France's wine industry was devastated in the late 1800s. Happily, France's wine industry rebounded (thanks to American vine rootstock, but that's a story for another time) and cognac is readily available. It is amazing how different a Sazerac is when made with cognac, a totally different beast and well worth experimenting with. Personally, I like the rye version a whisker more because it is less sweet, but if life is good with one Sazerac, then surely it must be twice as good when you have two to taste side-by-side.

Laissez les bon temps rouler, Happy Mardi Gras everyone!