Exams and Seasonal Cheer

It is always a good feeling when an exam is over. After studying for the last 2 months I am finally finished writing my WSET advanced certificate exam and as always I blew a question in the short answer that I should have gotten right but second guessed myself and changed for the wrong answer. you would think after all these years I would know better but some things never change.I think this is the first time in a long time that I was really nervous about writing a test but there was so much information in this course that it is virtually impossible to retain it all. Over the 6 classes we tasted over 100 wines from around the world from simple $10.00 expressions to Premier Cru Burgundies and 20yr old Port, combine all of those with climate, viticultural and wine making techniques for all of these areas and you get a good idea of the complexity of this course.

Christmas is just around the corner so it is a good time to stock up your liquor cabinet. I like to have a few unique things around over the holiday. Here is my list in no particular order a few big rich beers such as Chimay Blue, La Maudite, Some Tree Winter Ale and Mc Ewen's Malt are all good standbys. A bottle of great spiced rum to mix with Egg Nog  such as Sailor Jerry's. You also need a couple of liqueurs like Grand Marnier and Baily's for your morning coffee. The last one to think about is a bottle of Cream sherry try the Lustau East India Solera Sherry.  I don't know about anyone else but this is the first alcoholic beverage I can remember being served we always got a small glass at Christmas time and it always brings up memories of family meals and festivities.   

Some Good News

Cannery Brewing had their 10th anniversary this weekend and I was privileged to be able to attend. As always Pat and Ron put on a first class event complete with a cask conditioned Porter that was a study in finesse with lots of tight bubbles and an uncanny depth of flavor. The food was also great and the buns from the spent Mash were  excellent. Throw in some entertainment and you call it a party. when you stop by the brewery remember to say congratulations 10 years is no small feat for a little local brewery.

Congratulations are also due to the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society for their recent  award for technology and innovation at the recent TOTA conference for their mobile app.

Tennessee Honey

Jack Daniel's has released this Whiskey Liqueur into our market this Month at 35% ABV this is real spirit. It retains plenty of smooth Jack Daniel's character but the honey sweetness will appeal to a broad market don't be surprised if this flies off the shelves at your local liquor store. Honey has potential for mixing and tastes great straight up. If you like this seek out American Honey from Wild Turkey and Even Williams Honey Reserve from Even Williams both under $20.00 across the border. This style of spirit is my Hot Tub Relax after a hard day favorite.

Back To School

Fall is always a good time to go back to school so I am taking my WSET 3 advanced. It is truly humbling to realize how little you actually know. This is 6 full days of class exploring all facets of both viticulture and wine making as well as a comprehensive breakdown of all of the major wine regions of the world. Toss in 16 to 18 blind tastings per class and you can imagine the scope of it.

So what have I learned so far, first Terroir is probably the most important factor in making wine interesting not necessarily better just adding a sense of place to the wine. I am most amazed that when you use a systematic approach to each wine that you taste you can figure out using the presumed flavors colors and terroir influences what the wine you are tasting is. Lastly when tasting old world wines quality tends to follow price more closely than some of our local vintages.

 These are pretty simple but profound truisms that impressed me so far but there are many other little things that are probably equally as important and will help me evaluate whats in the glass with a much more critical eye.

If you are thinking of taking one of these courses I can highly recommend Rhys Pender MW. from WinePlus+ his Knowledge and easy teaching style makes these courses more than worth the money. 

Time for Winter Beers

We just put a new beer on tap in the Tree Vertical Winter Ale that is proving to be an instant hit. Lingering notes of Vanilla and Cardamon play nicely with the malt and reasonably crisp finish. I don't know what it is about spices but they always make food and beverage feel more comfortable and invoke memories of home.

Look Forward to the new menu at the pub coming early November where a new feature will be a session tap offering limited time opportunities to try new and varied draft selections from cask conditioned to seasonals and edgy offerings from around B.C. and the rest of the country.

The Results Are In

Fall Judging is complete and the B.C. wine awards announced. There are some surprises and some old favorites getting golds this year they range from Moon Curser in the South to Arrowleaf in the North and Robin Ridge in the West they seem to represent every growing Micro Climate the Okanagan has to offer. It was nice to see Lake Breeze Winery's Pinot Blanc win Gold as it has been a favorite here at the pub for the last 6 years or so. When I read through the list I was pleasantly surprised that the medal winners come from many price points as well. I think it is great for the industry to give more people a chance to grab a medal winner without having to break the bank. Take the Peller Family Series Pinot Blanc at $12.99 for a Gold medal wine what a value

Speaking of Andrew Peller Wines I was invited this week to a portfolio tasting of all of their products at a fabulous penthouse in Kelowna they had all of their winemakers there to answer questions and pour some great wine. Don't be fooled by the not so flashy packaging on some of these Peller and Calona wines the liquid is great and the value is outstanding.

You might of noticed a bit of a theme in this post regarding value I know times are tight and everyone is stretching their budgets as far as they can so seek out some great values and stock your cellar winter is on it's way and wine drinking season is here.

End of Summer Already

September 2nd and you can already feel fall in the air. For some that means less white wine more red, darker beer, and scotch by the fire. for me it means the start of Whisky club, Wine fest, and Worst Kept Secret Wine Club all starting for another season. I am looking forward to all of these even if it does get dark a bit earlier. The other thing I am looking forward to is visiting some of the new wineries that have opened close by including Polar Groves new Location and Misconducts new digs.

  

Summer and Bitter Beer

I don't know what makes it so but the more the mercury rises the better a hoppy beer refreshes. I confess I drink them in any temperature and am a certified hopaphile drinking them as hoppy as I can get them. There is something extra refreshing about the citrus flavors in an IPA or ESB that quenches that summer heat. Central City's Red Racer IPA, Russell's Blood Alley Bitter and Cannery Brewing's IPA are some of my BC favorites. 

I have some of these in the fridge almost all the time. (Unless we have lots of company and then they disappear pretty fast) 

The Death Of the Short Drink

When was the last time you drank Rye and Coke or Vodka Tonic? if you answered yesterday you are in a tiny minority of drinkers these days. It seems as though the Martini, Bellini, Margarita crowd has become the last bastion of  mixed drink consumers. Sure Single Malts and Aged Rums are getting some press along with Flavored Vodkas and Small Batch Gins but these are more likely a 1 drink a night style of libation. So what does this mean for the consumer and the Bar those standard drinks drove margins for both the manufacturer and the bar. so now they sell less and costs are climbing I expect prices will rise to match the drop in sales and that will only drive another nail into the coffin. Now don't get me wrong I'm not suggesting we go back to that style of drinking it just means we need a new strategy and some creative new trends to keep us interested.

Battle of the Benches and Summer Finds

Last Week the Inaugral Battle of the Benches took place at the Ramada Inn in Penticton. An enthusiastic crowd filled the ballroom for a casual tasting of many of the Okanagans finest wines, unfortunately I didn't have  much time to mingle as I had judging duties that evening. The Judging panel consisted of Mark Filatow, Terry David Mulligan, myself and our esteemed leader Rhys Pender who had the unenviable task of keeping us focused and on time. The concept seemed easy enough, taste 100 plus wines in under 3 hours and pick the best of each varietal. It is not quite that easy as it turns out there are many good wines and they differ tremendously style wise so you have to move your personal style preference out of the way and try to choose the best crafted and true to varietal wine in the bunch. flights were as small as 2 Cabernet Sauvignons, to 22 Aromatic Whites.Probably the most amazing thing was how often there was a consensus as to which wine was the top very few debates ensued.

And the Winners are: 

- Volcanic Hills Pinot Gris 2010 Kelowna West and Peachland

- Blasted Church Chardonnay Musque 2010 Skaha Lake

- Wild Goose Vineyard and Winery Autumn Gold 2010 Okanagan Falls Vaseaux Lake

- Hollywood and Vine Don't Mess with the PMS Blush 2010 Summerland

- Tinhorn Creek Gewurztraminer 2010 Oliver Golden Mile

- Gehringer Brothers Dry Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Oliver Golden Mile

- Gehringer Brothers Optimum Pinot Noir 2010 Oliver Golden Mile

- Fairview Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Oliver Golden Mile

- Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Merlot 2007 Osoyoos Lake Black Sage Bench

- Mission Hill Family Estate Oculus 2007 Osoyoos Lake Black Sage Bench

- Moon Curser Syrah 2009 Osoyoos Lake Black Sage Bench

- Seven Stones Winery Cabernet Franc 2009 Similkameen Valley

You will Notice wineries winning in more than 1 area or from places the winery is not. It was determined that the wine followed the Terroir so the region it was grown is featured. This year the area producing the most winners was the Oliver Golden Mile.

After attending 2 more events All you Need is Cheese at Watermark in Osoyoos and the Polson Pouring in Vernon a couple of outstanding wines you might want to seek out are Gold Hills Cabernet Franc and Blasted Churches Gewuztraminer.

This is turning into a long post but my last thought for summer wine festival is it was great to see how different wineries dealt with the 2010 crop and manged the acids to create some stunning wine.

Worst Kept Secret Take 2

We held another worst kept secret wine club meeting this past Saturday and were able to taste 6 very interesting wines from a diverse trio of wineries. They represent a true commitment to handcrafted experimental and passion for what the Okanagan has to offer.Each winery brought both a red and a white for sampling.First up was the Sauvignon Blanc from Serendipity

Crafted to mimic a New Zealand Style of Sauv Blanc with great grassy and vegetative notes it was a crisp start to our tasting. We followed with Gewurtztraminer from Rustico 

a nice dry Alsatian style Gewurtz with a bit of tropical fruit on the nose and a floral finish. The last white was a Chenin Blanc from Inniskillin 

This turned out as a real crowd pleaser with soft buttery notes and a nice balance of acid and sweetness.

Before we talk to the reds I should mention that Judy Kingston from Serendipity and Erin Korpisto representing Rustico were both attending to present there little secrets about their wines and I was given the pleasure of presenting for Inniskillin. It adds a lot when the people who know the most about the wine give their stories and answer all the tricky questions Thank you to both of them for their participation.

The reds were a real eclectic mix starting with a Pinot Noir from Judy that is going to cellar forever and get better and better. Followed by Tempranillo from Inniskillin which just proves that the Okanagan can grow damned near anything, try this with Chorizo and Tomato Tortilla. The big finish was the Zinfandel from Rustico, bold fruit and soft tannins my favorite stand alone red, great to drink while the steak is cooking on the BBQ.

Wine Whiskey and W.S.E.T.

Well Wine Festival is over and the spring releases are on the shelves and in the cellar. I went to 3 events the Best of Varietal wine Awards, The consumer tasting at the Rotary Center for the Arts and Vintages in the Park at Father Pandosy Mission. All featured some great wines food and fun, the Rotary Center used all of the spaces and the art work and small rooms made for an interesting intimate experience. 

It was the Final Whiskey tasting before the summer break and as always we opened the purse strings a little and sampled some amazing higher end whiskeys including a stunning 30year old Glenfacalas. Aged in sherry cask it was like a fruitcake in a glass, with a finish that went on forever. It's little brother the 25year was a more conventional whiskey with more grain and malt to cut the sweetness. We also tried a Bruichladdie Guigal Hermitage Blanc cask finished  18yr old single cask that shows a seamless marriage of finish and standard  oak. There were also 2 offerings from the English Whiskey co. Chapter 3 and 4 both not quite yet whiskeys being only 18 months  old they show some promise of developing into nice whiskeys. we rounded out the tasting with a Highland Park 18, a Glencadam 15, Cardhu 12, and Weisers Select.

The last thing is I did day 1 of my WSET wine course wow what a lot to learn. It amazes me how much you can learn. The standard tasting method is a big improvement on a one off individual system it allows you to calibrate your palate to a standard so a group of people can talk about the same wine. (What A Concept).Anyway more about the course next Post. Cheers

Okanagan Spring Wine Festival

Yesterday was the start of the wine fest unofficially, at least it's my start. Spring judging marks the beginning as 30+ wine makers and industry people got together to peer judge the best of varietal wines for 2011. I was lucky enough to participate again this year and it is always one of the highlights of the festival for me. It is an amazing eclectic group of industry people a real brain trust of wine makers with a ton of knowledge, just pitting my taste buds against the rest of the panel is a thrill. About 340 wines were tasted by 4 panels of 8 people separated into varietal categories. I was on the pink team and we started with a flight of 11 chardonnays all oak finished at 9:30 in the morning this sure wakes up your taste buds. your goal is to choose the best expression of the variety using standard criteria such as color, clarity, nose, taste and finish as well as varietal character. so you start by eliminating anything that doesn't fit and then spend some extra time on those that are close. Scores for each wine are averaged to determine the winners all tastes are blind and winners will be announced next week. After Chard's  we were given 15 Pinot Noirs a category that I personally find very hard to judge as there are as many different styles as there are wine makers, nonetheless  I found a winner. we followed with 11 Gewurtztraminers, 10 Other red varietals which include everything from Gamay to Malbec with Sangiovese and Zweigelt thrown in another tough category. Well as the pink team it only made sense that we would get Blush/Rose a big group of 16 wines again with a broad spectrum of styles and Grapes. I am amazed how this category is growing and changing it is no longer your Grandma's afternoon tipple and has graduated to a serious class of wines that pair well with a variety of foods and should occupy a place in every cellar.Next up a flight of 12 Cabernet francs which were very impressive it was difficult to pick a winner from such a good line up. This variety is really starting to help define the Okanagan terroir  every year there are more single varietals made from this grape. With the end in sight we were served up a final helping of 9 Ice wines and late harvests, these also are made from a mix of different grapes. If you have been counting that is 84 different wines all before 1:00.


Next week Wine Fest starts in earnest and there are plenty of events to choose from so head out pick up some tickets and support this industry. As the weather warms up there is nothing better than sitting on a
winery patio with a glass of this years spring release
.

Spring and Fest of Ale

Well Spring is here and another Fest of Ale has passed and Wine Fest is just around the corner.

It is a great time to dust off the blog and talk about some of the last few weeks highlights including some great spring whites and the judging from Fest of Ale. So first the wines get your hands on some Red Rooster Chardonnay it just won a gold medal at Chardonnay du Monde in France and it deserved it great wine for the price. I also  bought some Serendipity Viogner from a new winery on the Naramata bench I actually was the first  licensee customer. you will be impressed with the aromatics of this wine good acid balance with the fruit make this a great patio sipper.

Judging at Fest of Ale was as always a fun and informative experience there were plenty of interesting ales and a few surprises. We only judge the beers and let the public judge the other beverages just as a quick aside the Sea House Farm and Cidery has a great bourbon aged apple cider. Our pick for best Macro went to Central City Brewing for their   Red Racer IPA and this ale could have easily been best overall, when talking to them it is easy to see the passion for detail that makes this a brewery to seek out when your at your favorite store. Best Micro Brew went to Penticton's Cannery Brewing with a tie between No Justice Pale Ale (Formally No Jail Pale Ale, damn the guys at licensing branch anyway) and Naramata Nut Brown I actually think this beer is getting even better as time goes on the recipe seems spot on. A couple of other breweries deserve a mention here Crannog had 2 cask conditioned ales that scored very high and any brew by these guys is always top notch, the 2 breweries from south of the border brought some crowd pleasers as well and if you travel down south stop in at Alpine in Oroville or Port Townsend and try their offerings. Best of show went to a brew from Paddock wood in Saskatchewan for their Czech Mate Pilsner which was both well crafted and tasty

                                  

Jamesons or Bushmills

HAPPY St PATRICK'S DAY

.

Whether you prefer the sweet malt taste of Bushmills or the fiery citrus of Jameson's this is a good week to stock up on some Irish whiskey. You want to have some on hand for St'Paddy's next week. It won't hurt to come down to the pub for a pint of Guinness either and don't forget to wear some green.

Next Sunday we have the March whiskey tasting event and we are featuring 2 outstanding Irish whiskey's in Tullamore Dew and Middleton Rare.

Tullamore Dew Voted ‘Best Irish Blended Whiskey’ at

2011 Icons of Whisky Awards Dinner

10 March 2011 - Last week, at the prestigious Icons of Whisky Awards dinner in London, Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old won for the ‘Best Irish Blended Whiskey’.  Chosen amongst a very competitive shortlist of other whiskey brands, the outstanding win is a true testament to the pride and care we take in producing the very best whiskey in Ireland. 

                              

I particularly enjoy Irish whiskey prior to dinner or with Seafood appetizers the citrus notes are a natural match. I have been a fan since I first started working in my mothers bar The Duke of Westminster in Edmonton in the early 80's. Even though it had an English name it was predominantly an Irish Pub with the requisite Irish entertainment ant list of characters. It was hard to get through a shift without some excuse to have a shot with the boy's. When I think back to the back bar in those days we still had Jameson's and Glenlivet but there were a lot of things like Pinch, Ne'Plus Ultra, and Captains Table that have disappeared off the Bar in the last 30 years. Maybe that says something about how those iconic whiskeys like Jameson's stand the test of time by being consistent, recognizable and tasty.

Connections

What started as a post about a great Okanagan wine story is changing into how connected we all are to the wine industry here in the Valley. Back a dozen years ago I bought some Nichol Syrah grown on the Naramata bench and was impressed that you could even grow this grape this far north and that it could be this good. I held onto it for a long time and used it for some wine paired dinners and special occaisions. But as these things go I didn't think much about it after I was out as there are so many new wines and wineries everyone gets lost in the mix.


So here is where we get to these connections I'm talking about a few months ago I get a phone call to see if I would be interested in tasting some wine from D'angelo I said yes and Christy their new rep shows up. During the tasting I find out this is her first presentation.  Turns out she has some property and is growing some Grapes for Howling Bluff. She does a good job and I buy some Cab-Merlot which sells quite well. She comes to see me this week and now has 3 new wineries in her portfolio including Robin Ridge ( good Similkameen Pinot Noir), Elephant Island Fruit winery ( I catered Miranda and Del's wedding years ago, try the Apricot Dessert wine in the Hot Tub) and Nichol Vineyard. I bought some Syrah and Pinot Gris from Nichol and wanted to try it when it arrived so opened the Syrah and tasted it with some good customers. Well this vintage is as good or better than the 98 I bought all those years ago. So Mike proceeds to explain the trellessing method that Nichol uses to get the Syrah to have all this body and I can't help thinking how every time you start a conversation about wine here in the Valley that you always end up knowing more about someone than when you started. If you stay here even for a short time you will be connected to something in the local wine industry and that creates an amazing chain of events.


By the way go out of your way to find and try this wine it embodies the true taste of the Okanagan and the spirit that makes this region unique in the world of wine.

Nosing Master Class

This is a start to a long journey of recognition training. I am trying to develop a master nosing class for our whiskey club and am using a nosing kit with 24 standard aromas in it. So how to begin, pour a little whiskey and decide which of the aromas are in it sounds simple right?Not so, the aromas are very close in certain areas and you have to work at it to decide which one is the closest. I say closest because the aroma kit gives you the broad brush stroke and you need to fill in the detail. So what I did was choose 6 aromas that i thought would be close and nose to find their presence. By the third whiskey a format arose, nose the whiskey, taste the whiskey, determine if aroma is present (simple yes no maybe), go back to yeses and decide if aroma is exact or similar. Then you may have to go back to the kit and pick a couple more aromas in the same family to see if something else is closer.For the group I think it will be important to start with very distinct whiskeys with strong specific aromas that are easy to identify. I am looking forward to putting this to the group to see how the format plays out.

What did I learn from the exercise?

The citrus in Irish whiskey is similar but not exactly like the orange in the kit, Laphroaig has some rose water in the finish and is more phenolic than peaty even though some peat is present. 2 of the 3 people I tried the yes, no, maybe with on Knob Creek found a aroma of clove and I didn't. You need fresh glasses for each aroma as they linger in the carafe for a long time. Lastly that there is always more to learned and everyone can benefit from trying this kit.  

Molson M

Funny how a day can be, opened my email this morning with the sell sheets for this beer in my in box and later in the day the Molson rep walks in unrelated to let me try the beer.I don't know what I expected exactly but I kind of thought it would be somewhat like a American style Lager similar to Sam Adams or Brooklyn needless to say I was disappointed. Lots of money has gone into packaging and fancy taps to help create head, individual regulators for constant pressure they even go as far as to suggest they won't sell it to you if  you don't push with beer gas. M stands for Microcarbonated or Minor carbonation I'm not sure there is a difference this beer is carbonated at a lesser level than regular lager but that is about all. As a result you pick up more sweetness in the nose somewhat fruity and it makes it easier to drink quickly. I'm sure this will appeal to a demographic that doesn't particularly like Beer but falls short with real Beer lovers.

Tequila Again

I bought this tequila Duty free on my way back from Mexico. It was the most expensive tequila I have ever purchased at $87.50 but it came highly recommended by the sommelier at the resort we stayed at. Frankly I was sceptical of buying a Jose Cuervo product as my experience had been limited to their blended products and my Teenage memories. "Boy was I wrong" I am seriously thinking of pouring this at a whisky tasting as I think it will fool at least half the group. It has all the characteristics of the best barrel aged spirits with great complexity on the nose and palate with a smack of Agave. It is a blend of mostly 3 year aged product with some additions of older vintages up to 30 years, not many tequilas are as old as this and it sure comes through. This may become my new only on special occasion beverage. In BC this Tequila sells for $184.00 so look for it when you travel it is great value.   

First Family of Tequila Celebrates Mexican Culture by Commissioning Local Artist to Design Box

This year the limited-edition handcrafted wooden box for the 15th installment to this collection is adorned with the artistic styling of Pablo Vargas Lugo.

Reserva de la Familia is an award-winning Extra Anejo (aged) Tequila made from hand-selected, 100% pure blue agave grown in the Cuervo estate’s richest volcanic soils. Reserva de la Familia, a crown jewel of the Jose Cuervo portfolio, is considered to be a collectable masterpiece by spirit connoisseurs around the world for both its superior taste and uniquely designed packaging.  Each year since 1995, the Cuervo family has selected a renowned Mexican artist to paint the new handcrafted wooden box for its ultra-premium vintage Tequila – part of its continuing support for promising Mexican artists and local culture

Jackson Triggs Grand Reserve Shiraz 2004

I have a very limited amount of these bottles left in the cellar and I was starting to wonder if they would still be drinkable and how they were aging. So this morning I opened one, it is amazing that the color of this wine is still as bright as it was five years ago when I first got it. The nose has changed a lot over the last five years what was field berries and pepper has given way to richer fruit slight tobacco and leathery notes with just a hint of pepper. The first thing you notice on the palate is how soft this wine has become, there is however still plenty of grippy tanin to make you think that further aging will not hurt this wine. If you have a few bottles of this in your cellar hold onto them for a while longer they will be great for impressing your friends.

I've included the original press release or I should say part of it from when this wine won the Rosemount estate trophy. I feel a special affinity for these wines as I've had the privilege of standing in this vineyard  looking at the grapes growing and talking to the viticulturist and the winemaker about these plantings the terroir, the region, the amount of sunshine these grapes get, and even how to water them. If you ever get the chance the great estates tour will give you a new appreciation for the attention to detail that starts in the dirt and ends in the bottle.

NEWS RELEASE  For immediate use
JACKSON-TRIGGS SHIRAZ NAMED WORLD’S BEST IN GROUNDBREAKING FIRST
Mississauga, Ontario (July 27, 2006) … In an international first, a North American wine was awarded
the Rosemount Estate Trophy for Best Shiraz/ Syrah at the International Wine and Spirits Competition
(I.W.S.C.) in London, England. The Jackson-Triggs  Okanagan Estate Proprietors’ Grand Reserve
Shiraz 2004 was chosen as the world’s best from a group that included wines from Australia and South
Africa, nations that have traditionally dominated the Shiraz/ Syrah category.  The trophy is historic in
that it is the first ever to be awarded at the I.W.S.C. to a Canadian red wine. Previous winners of the
Rosemount Estate Shiraz/ Syrah trophy include such  prestigious wines as the Wolf Blass Platinum
Label Shiraz, the Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz and the Eileen Hardy Shiraz. In addition to this
groundbreaking first, the Jackson-Triggs Winery was also short-listed for the Canadian Producer of
the Year Trophy, (to be awarded later this year) which it has won four times since 1999.

Borgogno Barolo 1952

Well a couple of nights ago I finally broke down and opened a bottle of 1952 Borgogno Barolo Rieserva  that a customer gave me.I was waiting for a special occasion but we had family in town and the day just seemed right. I am no expert on Vintage wines so i was extra careful and stood the bottle up slowly to not shake up the sediment and cautiously extracted the cork. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the cork with no evidence of leakage or breakdown. Then I proceeded to the filter the wine through a gold mesh filter into a clear glass decanter, this is when the first hint that maybe we were in for some trouble surfaced. The color seemed very subdued with browning evident, nonetheless I let the wine sit and breathe for a good 1.5 hours and it seemed to brighten up a bit. Once we got the wine in the glasses and our noses involved everyone was quick to point out the varnish smell on the nose. we proceeded to taste it anyway and it unfortunately had oxidized to the point of no return. Oh well after 59 years you kind of know it is a gamble at best. Sometimes the enjoyment can be not just in the drinking but in the story, the research, and the occasion this certainly makes me want to experiment with more great vintages.

Sunday's Whiskey Tasting

well another successful Robbie Burns tasting is over with eight whiskeys tasted, most of which we had not tasted in the past. We started with three blinds the first was a Canadian Rye Gibsons finest 12-year-old, it received the same reception it does every time we taste it. There is something about the sweetness inherent to corn and rye that it makes everyone happy. We followed that with a split tasting half of the room trying the clan Denny vatted malt and the other half tasting Chivas 18. I poured clan Denny this whiskey was extremely light in color and those with a hint of citrus and a very clean short finish it would be good for a pre-dinner dram but food would hide its subtle flavors. The last blind was the revelstoke spiced whiskey this liquid is an anomaly is Canadian whiskey made in Wisconsin and is technically a whiskey liqueur. There is a heavy addition of vanilla and spice and an underlying sweetness which makes this a great whiskey for mixing but straight up not a great choice.

We tasted five more whiskeys throughout the evening the first was the Isle of Arron 15-year-old anniversary edition this whiskey is aged in Amontillado Sherry casks that give the whiskey a reddish tint. The nose of this whiskey has strong cocoa powder and sulfur notes, the first impression on the tongue is somewhat tarry but it gives way to licorice notes. I was a bit unsure of this whiskey at the start but I warmed up to it as it sat on my tongue for a while. Before the next whiskey we had dinner, when we went back to tasting we started with anCnoc 12-year-old from Knockdhu distillery this is another light whiskey, and most people had trouble finding the flavors in this as their pallets were not ready after eating the lesson here is try a little coffee, or beer to cleanse the food from your pallet. I was talking to one member who suggested that perhaps mouth pH may have something to do with our inability to perceive flavors after eating. I will pursue some information on this.

Next up was Mackmyra special number 3 this is the first Swedish single malt we have tasted interestingly it is aged in small 30 L casks which include used bourbon, Sherry casks, and Swedish oak casks. This whiskey was surprisingly full-bodied with a real doughy or custardy mouth feel. I really enjoyed this whiskey. After that we moved on to the oak cross by compass box this whiskey is aged in a combination of used bourbon and French oak casks. this whiskey is also a vatted malt which effectively means that it is all single malt whiskey but from more than one distillery. It was hard to discern a difference caused by the French oak in this whiskey, there was a lot of wood in this whiskey but it did not have that classic French mouth feel. This is a good middle of the road whiskey that is not bad value for the money. The last whiskey of the evening was a monster, the Ardbeg supernova. This whiskey was selected by the whiskey Bible as whiskey of the year for 2010, at 160 ppm peat phenols it is one of the peatiest whiskeys we have ever tried. This whiskey lingers on the palate for ages. What is most striking about this whiskey is the balance between peat and drink ability, only after a few minutes does the peat overwhelm the palate.

As always these tastings end up with discussions about some portion of the process of making whiskey. This tasting most of the discussion was around barrels and wood affect, it is funny how some whiskeys seem perfectly balanced with the wood and others seem as though the wood is an afterthought. Personally I choose the whiskeys that have a complex relationship with the barrel.