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LET ' S TALK ABOUT WHISKY
by David Beaufort-Dysart
I am quite passionate about Whisky , so much so we even named our Dog after the golden dram itself , it just fitted nicely as I would say he is the perfect colour of a Glenfarclas 15 yo ; chestnut-oloroso , with some lovely touches of pale gold !
For anyone just curious about this lovely ~ aqua vitae ~ then an even warmer welcome to you too , I hope something clicks and your journey of discovery starts here or just continues !
Whisky has become a lifelong hobby ; how did it start I hear you ask ? Well , it was at a Whisky tasting a few years ago , I had always had a fleeting interest , however my knowledge and understanding were pretty limited , a few blended , my repertoire of Single Malts was seriously limited ; Glenmorangie , ( I pronounced the end like ' angie ' instead of the correct pronunciation of ' orangie ' ( like the fruit ) I knew of the two Glens , who doesn ' t ! ( Fiddich and Livet ), oh and the one that smelt like TPC , I could never pronounce that one at all , something like La-frog ! Then I tasted a Single Malt that really stirred my emotion , one of unadulterated pleasure , on tasting I was like what is this stuff ? It was a Whisky from Islay , ( pronounced ‘ eye-la ’) it was love at first smell ? ‘ Lagavulin 16-year-old ‘ Distillers Edition ’, the whisky is matured in Pedro Ximenez casks , when I tasted it , I was really lost in the moment , time stopped , suddenly I was transported to a windswept beach , smells of a bonfire , taste of sea spray , sweet warm raisins , vanilla with some creamy toffee , I was hooked – line and sinker !
Churchill famously said about whisky “ The water was not fit to drink . To make it palatable , we had to add whisky , by diligent effort , I learnt to like it .” Not my case I have to say , I was like a baby that had just had their first taste of Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream .
So where shall we go on this journey of discovery ? I suggest we start with Scotland ‘ rude not too ’ and in the Lowlands , we will then slowly work northwards ‘ zigzagging across ’ finishing in the Northern most part of the Whisky map , The Orkney Islands
Before we kick off with our first Whisky let ’ s talk about how to taste , firstly it is a personal preference , I suggest to give this way a try or as the famous song goes ‘ go your own way ’.
1 . The Glass : ideally , I recommend you use a Glencairn glass , I ( and many ) see it as the official Whisky tasting glass , shaped al little like a tulip , its shape curves inward concentrating aromas , if you have a small wine glass or even better a sherry / Copita glass , great , the cut glass thick bottomed tumblers referred to as ‘ Rock Glasses ’ look very dapper , however for me personally , these are better suited for Bourbon or Rum , adding ice cube / s ( my favourite cocktail by the way is an ‘ old fashioned ’ served correctly in an Old Fashioned Glass )
2 . Pour and nose : add 25 ml of Whisky to the glass , give it a gentle swirl then waft the glass from side to side under the nose ( smelling lightly is the key ) you need to get past the first hit of alcohol , then look for the character of your dram , try , and focus on the first impressions ; Fruit ? Floral ? Woody ? Smoke Peat ?
To add or not to add ? That is the question ! We are talking ‘ sky juice ’ of course , this is where we possibly might fall out ! I like to start neat then add a few tiny drops , to open the Whisky , preferably with a Pipette or if you don ’ t have one then use a half teaspoon measure ( even better an espresso spoon ) I suggest using Spring water as this has quite a neutral taste , will not interfere too much . By the way using tap water in my opinion will pretty much ruin a good Whisky , try it for yourself ! Have one with spring and one with tap water , I could actually taste some Chlorine when I added tap water for the first and last time , it gives an almost metallic taste ( not good , unless of course you actually like the taste of metal ) remember also that adding water will effect mouthfeel also .
Taste : take a small sip , swallow , and try and forget ! this is like dipping your toe in the water before you dive in , now take another sip , and slowly move the whisky around the mouth chewing , try and think about the nose , does it match the taste , what about texture ?! Leave for around 10 seconds , then swallow and now focus on the finish , and savour
What are we tasting ? I have chosen a Stalwart of the Lowland region , a Glenkinchie ( 12-year-old ) the distillery lies in the Glen of Kinchie not far from the Village of Pencaitland , in East Lothian , some 15 or so miles from Edinburgh . The distillery was founded back in 1837 .
Nose : malted barley , hazelnuts , hay , and honey
Taste : Lots of dried fruits , apple skin and honey notes , woody notes at the end
Finish : medium length with a creamy toffee finish Until the next time Slainte … merseylife . com 37