Matt

Founding Apostle

Keeping Your Blades Sharp

I tried out a new barber recently. He did a pretty good job, but he didn’t have the care for his tools that my usual barber possesses. His blades were dull, something my usual barber would never tolerate. My hair had grown long and wild and the barber sawed at it like an Amish wood worker (another group that would not tolerate dull blades). He switched to some smaller, slightly sharper, scissors for the detail work and a straight razor for the neckline. Anyone who’s ever used an old blade knows the discomfort of a rough shave. Imagine that along a four-inch blade, scraping across your neck. Not all that pleasant, I assure you.

Where am I going with this? It is important for any craftsman to care for his tools, no matter his craft. This is true whether you are a cooper, a malt man, a Master Distiller, or even a spirits writer.

After the passing of Michael Jackson (not that Michael Jackson), John Hansel blogged about who would be the one to fill the great Beer Hunter’s shoes. One thing he brought up was the sacrifice it takes to be a spirits writer of such caliber. One requirement, you must abstain for foods and activities that may damage your palate and nosing abilities. It seems to me, that the life of the Master Distiller is much the same. The Master Distiller for Suntory eats the same lunch every day to ensure his palate remains unchanged. Given the Japanese obsession with perfection, I can only assume that the day his udon tastes different will be the day he retires.

These are sacrifices I could not make. I like garlic, onions, hot peppers, and searingly hot curries (not to mention the occasional cigar).  Therefore, my tools are not as sharp as they could be.  I’m okay with this.  I don’t claim to be an expert of any kind, only an enthusiast.  There are certainly Master Distillers and writers out there who smoke, drink coffee, and eat spicy food.  I imagine it does affect the way they taste and smell.  Even aging can cause problems.  The older we get, the worse our senses (taste and smell included).  I’m sure there are no Master Distillers under the age of 30 and only a few under the age of 40.  It seems that all of us are operating at a disadvantage.  How do the older distillers and writers keep up their skills?  The same way they honed them in the first place; practice, practice, practice.

It’s a tough thing for a whisk(e)y writer to realize that he could probably never be a distiller (at least for me), but I have the added problem of having a crap memory.  I was not kind to my brain during my late teens and early 20s and my memory was spotty before then.  The only reason I blog is for a record of my tasting notes.  The distillers I’ve met have encyclopedic memories.  Heck, some of the bartenders I’ve met have encyclopedic memories.  Ethan Kelley (formerly of Brandy Library) and a guy named Roger who worked at St. Andrews Pub before it turned into a tourist bar knew more about the whiskies they sold (and whisky in general) than just about anyone I’ve ever known.  If anyone knows where these guys are now, let me know.  That will be my new bar.

While I can’t do anything about my memory, my wife and I are embarking on a detox.  If you don’t live in Los Angeles or New York City, the idea of detox may seem foreign, but we live in such toxic environments that cleaning your body out of processed suger, alcohol, tobacco and caffeine can be very cathartic.  After my formal detox, I’m going to do some tasting notes and see if my senses are any better.  If not, then I won’t worry.  If I have a much greater appreciation and understanding of whisky, I’ll try to learn to moderate my intake of all the things that make life beautiful.

What do you do to help “keep your blades sharp” so to speak?

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Barriers for New Whiskey Drinkers Part 2 (Matt)

Richard asked me to contribute my thoughts on the plight of the fledgling whisk(e)y drinker.  What can I say?  Richard did a pretty thorough job.  I can tell you that my biggest beef is with the internet (yes, I see the irony).

Like Richard said, when we came up with the idea for our Whisk(e)y Apostle, there were not a lot of folks out there doing the same thing.  Through a series of false starts and general laziness, we got started right at the beginning of the blogger boom.  Now, there are almost as many whisk(e)y blogs as porn sites (so I hyperbolize, I’m from the South).  If you throw a cat in Brooklyn, you’re bound to hit at least one blogger and if they don’t blog about music or design, they blog about spirits or cocktails.  That’s just the environment in which we live.  Now, I’m not coming down on blogging per se.  Blogging puts the power (or at least the voice) in the hands of the people.  In order to avoid a lengthy discussion about populism, let’s just say that’s a good thing for now.

So, if ‘power to the people’ is a good thing, what am I bitching about?  Well, the sheer amount of information sources available can be daunting for the first time consumer.  There are some informative blogs, some entertaining blogs, and a few that are both.  There are also blogs where the writers have very little knowledge of their subject and act as tools to disseminate false or inaccurate information (not intentionally, I’m sure).  Some are even tools of the corporate machine.   So, where does one go for accurate and well-presented information?  Certainly not the sites from the distilleries, distributors, and corporate overlords.

Three or four years ago, most distilleries did not have individual websites.  Now, even the small guys have sites loaded with flash animation, fanciful stories, some esoteric tasting notes and little else.  If you want a good fairy tale, these are great sites.  If you want some solid information on what is actually in the bottle, forget it.  There are some exceptions to be sure, but distillery websites often drive me mad with their lack of information shrouded by flashy graphics and pastoral photos of moors and mountains.

In this internet age, we have to be more careful about what we believe and what we repeat.  Someone who once was a lonely voice ranting in the darkness may now have 200,000 followers on Twitter.  I’ve heard bartenders, liquor store personnel, and customers alike spouting half-truths and fallacies as if they were fact.  At times, I may have done the same.  And, for that, I apologize.

Marketing in general can be minefield for even the educated consumer.  Many consumers believe that an age statement is an indication of quality, but they don’t really know what it means.  Some believe an age statement to be the oldest or average age for the whisky in the bottle.  In actuality, it’s the youngest whisky in the bottle (no matter what country you are talking about).  Other terms like small batch, single barrel, pure malt, blend, blended malt, single malt, and single grain can further through a wrench in the works.  This is especially the case when terms like  “small batch” does not have a legal or agreed upon meaning.  Jim Beam has an entire “small batch” line.  When you produce as much whiskey as Jim Beam, a relative small batch is still quite a bit of liquid.  “What Does John Know” had a great thread about this very topic recently.

While I think the shear amount of information (good and bad) out there may be daunting, it is also one of the greatest boons to the whisk(e)y novice.  The same can be said for other challenges.  The variety of bottles on the shelves can be dizzying in a place like Binny’s (Metro-Chicago) or Liquor Mart (Boulder, CO) or at specialty bars.  However, this can also mean that you are more likely to find one that you like.  Once you find one whisky (or whiskey) that you like, I promise you will find others.

Drink well, drink responsibly.

-Matt

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Chivas Live

Richard and I participated in the Chivas Live online tasting recently.  I attempted to tweet along (quite unsuccessfully) and Richard signed in remotely.  Here are our notes.

Matt:

I love events like this.  Deconstructing a blend, vertical tastings, or anything of that nature revs my whisky engine like nothing else.  I’m not sure the comparison with Johnnie Walker Blue at the end actually did anything for them, but the lead up was great.

Dram #1:  Strath Isla 18 is quite good and everyone at the tasting (and in the blogospere) asked what it would take to get this bottled as a single malt.  My note to Twitter was “maple bacon wrapped around aged goat cheese with a side of green apples.”  I stand by this note.  Green apples and maple on the nose with a hint of smoke.  One of the other bloggers came up with the bacon note and everyone in the room jumped on it.  There is this aged goat cheese that I get at the Green Market in Union Square that is hard and creamy and leaves a very grassy taste in the mouth.  This is the goat cheese I refer to.

Dram #2:  18yo Grain blend.  This dram is quite good if a little simple.  It’s like salted caramel covered in milk chocolate on the nose and palate.  Please bottle this too.

Dram #3:  Islay blend.  This a great Islay blend that I would drink on it’s own.  The nose is a little peat heavy, but the palate has some great dark berry and sherry notes lurking under the smoke and earth.

Dram #4:  18yo Longmorn.  This is great.  Like sour cherry strudel.  Long finish.  I need to revisit this.  To bad they do not bottle this one.

Lastly, we compared Chivas 18yo to Johnnie Walker Blue Label.  Ultimately, we came to the same conclusions as when we did this exercise last Christmas.  Chivas tastes like green apples wrapped in Toblerone and JW Blue is over blended and boring.  The revelation came with the component tastings.  I already liked the Chivas 18yo.  Tasting the components just gave me a greater appreciation for the blend.  Note to all other blenders.  DO EVENTS LIKE THIS.  I want to be at a JW tasting next month and a Ballentine’s tasting the month after.  Cutty Sark, Old Parr, Whyte & McKay, Grant’s, this is what I want.  Our hosts were excellent and I hope to see them all again.

Richard

The deconstruction of a blend by components is something I haven’t been able to do before. I found it incredibly interesting. Obviously, we only tasted four components and Chivas uses quite few more than that for Chivas 18.

Dram #1: Strathisla 18 was the crowd favorite. This particular distillery is the heart of every Chivas blend. I found it heathery and smoky with a long dry finish. Very approachable. I absolutely loved it! We all seemed to love this even more than the Chivas and begged to get this bottled. Seriously, to everyone out there reading this, we need to launch an email/phone/letter campaign to Pernod Ricard to get this bottled. They will try to tell you that they already bottle a 12 but it’s not even in the same league.

Dram #2: Grain 18 took a lot of people by surprise. I was surprised by the number of people (mind you these were bloggers and drink aficionados of one type or another) that initially thought it was silly to age grain like this. They soon changed their tune. Three words for the rest of you…Compass…Box…Hedonism if there are any lingering doubts about grain scotch. I thought this one had a sweet nose and was very grassy and buttery on the palate with hints of salt. Very enjoyable.

Dram #3: Islay 18 was and odd duck. Everyone tried to peg it. I used to think it must be Laphroaig because Pernod used to own them and probably had a reciprocity or sourcing agreement coming out of the divestiture. Finally, Alex with Chivas broke down and told us it was a blend of multiple Islay distilleries. This blended/vatted Islay malt was nice too. I wasn’t as enamored with it as everyone else. It was very delicate and approachable for an Islay with hints of sweetness but I also got a strong taste of Chloraseptic throat spray that I didn’t like. I was in the minority opinion on this and it was my least favorite.

Dram #4: Longmorn 18 is another unbottled gem that should be. It had a very quite nose that opened up to lots of berries and dark fruit on the palate ending with a woody finish. Very nice indeed.

As Matt said, we finished with the Chivas/JW Blue comparison. My opinion of both didn’t change from last year. They are both nice drams but I think they are really for different target markets. I’m still not sold on the angle Chivas is selling putting the two up next to each other. That was more the opinion of the online group than the folks in the room. The people in the room all seemed to gush over Chivas like a little school girl. Maybe free booze will do that to you. (I kid because I love) I was in the definite minority on this one. Everyone tried to make the value argument which I find amusing because you have to be careful or it can backfire on you. They went on about “JW Blue is three times the price of Chivas 18, is it three times better?” No it’s not. It’s different. I don’t think Chivas 18 is three times better than Buffalo Trace either but the price is. They are different. I don’t like the “this is better than that” argument at all. That’s partly why we rate the way we do on Whisk(e)y Apostle.

I’ll close by saying that I couldn’t agree more that I absolutely loved this event. Even doing it remotely via webcam and chat room it was great. I also really enjoyed chatting with some of the other bloggers out there. We don’t really get to do that very often. We should do it more (hint hint). Many thanks to Stephanie and Alex for their time.

Oh…I almost forgot. They were serving the Crooner Fizz at the event and singing it’s praises. I got the recipe for you if you’re interested:

Crooner Fizz
– 2 ounces Chivas 12
– 1/2 ounce Rum
– 1/2 ounce lemon juice
– 1/2 ounce raising syrup (made by muddling equal parts raisins and boiling water)

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Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Is Here (almost)

I’ve been MIA for a while and I know it.  I promised Richard I would get him a review tonight, but I’m feeling a little under the weather so I am taking the coward’s way out and giving you a press release from the good folks at Brown-Forman.  It seems that the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is finally ready:

Vintage Dated Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Set to Hit Shelves
2010 Release Aged 12 Years and Bottled at 95 Proof

Louisville, Ky. (August 31, 2010)  – Old Forester has released the 2010 expression of its vintage-dated Birthday Bourbon in honor of George Garvin Brown, the founder of Louisville-based Brown-Forman and Old Forester, America’s First Bottled Bourbon™. Launched eight years ago to commemorate Brown’s Birthday on September 2, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is a limited-edition, historically award-winning bourbon which is released annually.

“This year’s vintage release of Old Forester is crafted from a 72 barrel batch that was put into barrels on October 24, 1997,” said Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller. “These barrels were evenly matured together in the very middle of Warehouse K, on the 5th floor in ricks 42, 43 and 45, surrounded by open space. This environment allowed the barrels to easily breathe during maturation and develop a rich fruit and spice character.”

Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a batch of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day of production. The result is a one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throwback to the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced. Old Forester is the only bourbon still in existence today that was produced before, during and after Prohibition by its original distiller.  No other bourbon brand sold in the U.S. today can make that claim.

Since its introduction in 2002, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has received unprecedented acclaim and has collected honors from USA Today, Malt Advocate, Whisky Magazine, Spirit Journal, and Santé.  A favorite among critics, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has taken home gold from numerous tasting competitions including a gold medal in the 2005, 2006 & 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 2007 expression was also named American Whiskey of the Year at Malt Advocate WhiskyFest New York.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, a Brown-Forman product, has a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is sold at most liquor stores with a wide and varied range of bourbons. The 2010 edition of Birthday Bourbon is bottled at 95 proof.

For more information on Old Forester and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, visit the Old Forester website at www.oldforester.com or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oldforester.

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Pisco Apostle?

Many of you may be asking yourself, “Where’s Matt? He hasn’t posted in a donkey’s age.” Okay, maybe you would not say that exactly, but you might be wondering. The short answer, I was out of town. Where did I go? My wife and I went to Peru.
Before you ask, I did not do the Inca Trail or go to Machu Pichu. I did, however spend some time in Peru’s wine country outside of Ica. I’ll spare you the slide show and daily details, but I would like to talk about Peru’s native spirit, pisco.
The exact origins of pisco are obscured in myth and legend; even the country of origin is cause for debate. Chile also claims pisco as it’s national drink (or the pisco sour at least). The actual history of pisco is probably a very simple. The Spaniards came to conquer. They brought with them the means to make wine and therefore, brandy. Over time, the brandy developed a particular quality that became synonymous with the port city where sailors could purchase such (bourbon drinkers may be familiar with a similar tale). So, this clear spirit made from grapes became known as Pisco. Since Pisco is in Peru, I think that gives them a leg up in the controversy.
Peruvian piscos are governed by fairly strict set of laws and, not surprisingly, Chilean piscos cannot be sold as ‘pisco’ within Peru. There are several differences between the two, but the most obvious is Chilean pisco is aged in oak. Cheaper Chilean piscos are still clear because they are heavily cut with water and aged for only a short time. High-end Chilean piscos are tinted yellow, much like whisky. Peru outlaws any additives, including oak aging. Peruvian pisco must be aged in a vessel that will not affect the taste or aroma of the spirit.
In the wine country, which lies mostly between Ica and Pisco and extends below Ica for 100km or so, there are several large bodegas (the vineyard kind, not the convenience store kind) and more boutique bodegas than you can count. Pretty much anyone with a grape vine in their backyard can make wine and pisco and sell it at the local markets. The classifications of Peruvian pisco are pretty simple Pure (Puro) is comprised of only one grape. Aromatic pisco is made from only one grape varietal, but must be one of a specific range of “aromatic” grapes. Aromatic piscos are sometimes labeled by the variety (Muscat, Italia, Torontel, etc.). The last two classifications are blends: Mosto Verde (distilled before fermentation is complete) and Acholado (a straight up blend of grapes).
Because of the variety of grapes available and the number of wineries making pisco, the quality and flavor can vary greatly. We tried piscos that tasted like grappa, tequila, vodka (that is to say no discernable flavor) and even white dog whisky (I would have loved to taste that one after a few years in oak). Our favorites tasted like nothing else we could name. I guess you could say that our favorites tasted like pisco.
We really enjoyed the wines of Peru (the whites especially). Unfortunately, I have never seen Peruvian wine at my local shop. The good news is that a small variety of piscos are on the shelf. If you are in the market for a new clear spirit, give pisco a try. The puros and the aromatics are my favorites neat and the mosto verde is great for those with a sweet tooth. For a great mixer that still has some character, try a nice acholado. My current favorite brand is not available in the U.S. (Tacama Puro), but Ocucaje is available here and that is one of Peru’s largest vineyards and pisco producers. Work your way down the shelf. It won’t take long and won’t cost a lot. Hopefully, you enjoy pisco as much as my wife and I do.

Salut!
-Matt

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