Comments on: A blog’s blog

By: Crown Royal Reserve « Whisk(e)y Apostle

Crown Royal Reserve « Whisk(e)y Apostle — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:49:38 +0000

[...] Whisk(e)y Apostle proselytizing the way of the malt « A blog’s blog [...]

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:02:17 +0000

The conversation was more about professional writers. Bloggers were not really mentioned. Specifically, it was a distributor lamenting that such and such a spirit won all sorts of awards in Europe, but American writers hated it (presumably because they couldn’t appreciate it with their inferior minds/education). It was all very silly.

By: Jeff H

Jeff H — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:22:01 +0000

Nice post Matt. And not because you linked to my blog (thanks for that, though).

The discussion of amateur vs professional status, both in the practice of distillation and in writing about spirits is an interesting one. As far as writing goes, I’m guessing the conversation was geared more towards “professional” writers.

I see the burgeoning amateur whisk(e)y blog movement as something separate from professional journal/book writing. I know from my perspective, it’s not an attempt to come across as an expert (I mean, it says “hobbyist” in the title for crying out loud). It’s really more of a social thing…sharing thoughts and experiences as I progress from total newbie to a more experienced hobbyist. It opens up virtual relationships and discussions similar to what you might get from participating in a whisky club. However, doing it on the internet opens your club up to a lot of people you wouldn’t otherwise get to interact with.

Regarding Micro Distilleries, I’d recommend anybody interested in this topic to get the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2009, as it has a great article on this very subject.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:05:09 +0000

Brother, you never relayed the comment about “The problem with spirits writers in America is that they are all self-taught amateurs, they lack the education and training of European spirits writers. ” I find that quite amusing. My apologies to our overseas brothers for us country hicks in the Colonies not offering Master’s degrees in Spirit Appreciation. That is funny as hell. Personally, I find “professional” writers’ commentary on spirits to often be unapproachable and useless. That’s part of why we started this site. If Matt or Jeff or Dr. Whisky tells me that I might like something because it’s tastes like …. then that tells me a hell of a lot more than the “treacle” and “christmas cake” tomfoolery of some of our European counterparts. Obviously, I’m not lumping all “professionals” in the same boat. People like John Hansell, Chuck Cowdery, Dave Broom, and the late Michael Jackson are shining examples of being professional and approachable. Kudos to these fine gentlemen. I guess the rest of us poor slobs will just have to muddle through the best that we can.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:57:20 +0000

No problem, Jason. Personally, I hope every state opens up to microdistilling. It should not be too hard for states with large microbrewing cultures.

We never set out to sink a whisky either, but you can’t help your tastes.

By: WHISKYhost

WHISKYhost — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:21:51 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to post about this, Matt.

After seeing Moscow Jim’s notes I’d decided that I would quietly taste this by myself and if I concurred with Jim I’d say nothing more (since I didn’t want to pile on). After reading the comments from our anonymous contributor and seeing how vastly different they were from Moscow Jim’s I decided that we needed the inaugural release in front of as many noses and in as many mouths as possible. Luckily, the timing was perfect for putting the release in front of 15 people at a whisky dinner. As you saw from the group notes, there wasn’t a lot of dissent.

I never set out with the purpose of burying a whisky; I always try to find the positive. If The Ellensburg Distillery wants to send me samples of their latest releases for tasting I will continue to offer honest criticism in the hope that that kind of feedback can lead to the production of a top quality spirit. And I recommend they get their samples in the hands of as many individuals as possible for the reasons you mention above.

Finally, the US has done incredible things with microbrew. I have no doubt that it will do incredible things with micro-distilling. And I hope WA leads the way!

Cheers,
Jason @ WHISKYhost