I know I’ve been out of the loop recently, but I have two announcements that should intrigue our readers in the UK.
JW STEAKHOUSE LAUNCHES ITS OWN JACK DANIEL’S SINGLE BARREL
JW Steakhouse is delighted to announce the launch of its very own Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel – a truly unique-tasting whiskey exclusively available to guests of the restaurant. Following months going through the bespoke process, JW Steakhouse’s Single Barrel will arrive from the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchberg, Tennessee and be available to buy in the restaurant in spring 2012.
Only one in a hundred barrels is selected by Jack Daniel’s Master Taster to carry the Single Barrel label, and JW Steakhouse feels privileged to have acquired one of these and be able to offer a whiskey that is uniquely available to its guests and one that can not be experienced anywhere else in the world. A Single Barrel whiskey is distinctive due to its rich and intense flavours owing to the advantaged position it holds at the upper reaches of the barrelhouses.
In October 2011, a tasting session took place in the restaurant with Grosvenor House’s General Manager Stuart Bowery, Restaurant Manager Raoul de Souza, Beverage Manager Pierce du Plessis and the rest of the F&B team, with samples selected by the Master Taster. This ensured the team chose a whiskey that best fits the JW Steakhouse guests’ taste preferences. Batch 1007 was selected as the first ‘JW Steakhouse single barrel’. It was agreed that the initial nose, which highlighted the toasted oak nature of the barrel would appeal to a traditional Jack Daniel’s drinker, whilst the hints of liquorice, smoke and toffee would remind them of the luxurious nature of the whiskey. The palate highlighted the complexity of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel with wonderful flavours of maple and vanilla coupled with a punchy spiciness that one would usually associate with a rye whiskey, and a long finish that is more akin with the finest single malt Scotch whiskies. As Stuart Bowery comments “all in all a truly remarkable whiskey and perfect for JW Steakhouse”.
The empty barrel will be proudly displayed at the bar having been sanded, varnished and engraved with the JW Steakhouse logo. Having been fledged a member of the Jack Daniel family, a plaque bearing the restaurant’s name will also be displayed on the distillery wall.
Since opening in May 2010, JW Steakhouse at Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel in Mayfair has firmly established itself as a leading American steakhouse in London and this is the latest way in which the restaurant continues to offer its guests unique and enjoyable tasting experiences whilst heralding its trans-Atlantic heritage. In addition to this new exclusive Jack Daniel Single Barrel, The Bourbon Bar at JW Steakhouse also has an extensive array of other single barrels and small batch bourbons, offered in innovative tasting flights, to complement the restaurant’s menu.
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel will be available from March. It will be priced at £10.00 per 50ml measure and £130.00 per bottle. For reservations telephone 020 7399 8460 or visit www.jwsteakhouse.co.uk
BURNS NIGHT IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE AT THE RIB ROOM
“But we hae meat, and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit” – Robert Burns, The Selkirk Grace
This January, The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant at Jumeirah Carlton Tower is opening the doors to patriotic Scots and sympathetic Sassenachs in celebration of the birth of Burns, with a five course tasting menu from the four corners of Caledonia.From 20-25 January, for £50 per person, diners can enjoy an array of classic seasonal Scottish dishes given a modern twist by head chef Ian Rudge.
Straight from Scotland’s bonnie banks and braes, a starter salad of Crowdie cheese, pickled vegetables, beetroot, roasted walnuts and croutons is closely followed by the fish course and an innovative twist on a classic; a delicate dish of pan-fried scallops with a Cullen skink and cauliflower purée. Followed with magnificently prepared loin of Highland venison with haggis and chestnut casserole, parsnip and apple. Providing a taste of Scotland’s sweet tooth an array of desserts include cranachan, chocolate and Drambuie mousse and Dundee cake soufflé. A must try are mini Tunnocks-inspired petit fours to accompany your coffee.
For a full-blooded Burns experience, guests can hire The Buccleuch private dining room for £100 per person and enjoy all the trappings of tradition. As well as the five course menu, diners will receive a bottle of Glenmorangie Astar Single Malt to share and an additional middlecourse of haggis, neeps and tatties welcomed by a piper before your own personal poet reciting Burns’ most famous Ode, celebrating the “Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin-race!”
Discerning drinkers can also join the celebrations with a specially created heather infused gin cocktail, aptly named Slàinte (Gaelic for cheers!) or The Rib Room Bar’s signature, ‘Flaming Bobby Burns’, a ‘blazer cocktail’ featuring a beguiling blend of Glenmorangie Astar Single Malt Whisky, aged sweet Antica Formula Vermouth and Benedictine poured alight from one glass to the next in a thrilling serve at the bar.
The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant has reopened following an extensive refurbishment by Martin Brudnizki. The legendary Knightsbridge institution has been reinvented for the 21st century, offering guests a stylish place to dine with the world-renowned Jumeirah standard of service.
So if you are stuck south of the border on the 25th January, The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant is sure to be the bonniest Burns Night in London.
The Rib Room Burns Supper Menu
20th-25th January 2012
£50 per person
Including a Slàinte cocktail on arrival
Salad of Crowdie cheese, pickled vegetables, beetroot, roasted walnuts and croutons
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Pan fried scallop, Cullen Skink and cauliflower puree
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Loin of Highland venison, haggis and chestnut casserole, parsnip and apple.
* * *
A tasting of Scotland, Cranachan, chocolate and Drambuie mousse, Dundee cake soufflé
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Coffee & mini Tunnocks
Tags: Bourbon, Burns Night, Event Notices, Jack Daniels, scotch dinner
