John Gruber Reviews My Book, and Friends Ask "Who's Gruber??"

John Gruber reviewed The Whisky Cabinet earlier this the month:

I read and greatly enjoyed whisky connoisseur Mark Bylok’s new book, The Whisky Cabinet, over the holidays. Great photography, perfect typography, and it’s even printed on excellent paper. Most importantly, Bylok is a good writer who truly knows his shit about whiskies from around the world. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys whisk(e)y of any sort — especially if you’re looking to expand your palate to new varieties.

Beyond being a flattering post, this mention resulted in a ton of book sales. When I told friends about the review, they either shared my excitement, or they asked me “Who's Gruber??”

I’ve been a fan of John’s writing for the last decade. While he mostly writes about Apple and tech, John’s focus on the importance of writing, design, and typography translated into the look and feel of The Whisky Cabinet. For this reason, beyond the book sales, his online review means a great deal. In fact, had he sent me a private email, I would have been just as thrilled. 

On his podcast, The Talk Show, John told the story of how he came across The Whisky Cabinet (at around 1:17:00). He pre-ordered the book early on. By amazing coincidence, within an hour of the book being delivered, I emailed John to offer him a complimentary copy. John snapped a photo of The Whisky Cabinet and told me “Too late, I already bought it!" Definitely have a listen to the podcast! It makes for a good story. 

Thank you John!

Whisky Labels. Truth. Fiction. Exaggeration.

Check out Spotlight Toronto for my article taking a deeper dive into whisky labels:

In writing The Whisky Cabinet, I developed a fascination with whisky labels. One would assume that alcohol, being such a tightly controlled drink, would have every word held to high legal standards. Instead, beyond the term whisky and the alcohol content, few words on the bottle are defined.

Perhaps the best bottle to demonstrate this is the George Dickel whisky bottle. It’s a beautiful label that takes you back to the late 1800s, but what do they all mean?

Read the full article on Spotlight Toronto.

Win A Signed Copy of The Whisky Cabinet

Stella is an extremely popular Toronto blogger. Stella is also new to whisky! For this reason, I love her review of The Whisky Cabinet because while the book covers advanced topics, my goal was to present these topics in an approachable manner.

…I had an opportunity to read The Whisky Cabinet from front to back, literally. I spent hours on the couch with my head completely immersed in the book...I couldn't stop! I learned so much about whiskies from The Whisky Cabinet and I'm so glad I got my hands on it. The book is really well written in that it's approachable and easy to understand without all the technical jargon and frills. I personally love the book and would recommend it to anybody. Not surprisingly, The Whisky Cabinet became the #1 Best Seller in Whisky and Buyer's Guide (Spirits & Wine) Categories on Amazon last week.

You can win a free autographed copy of my book, as well as personalized whisky recommendations. To join the contest and read the rest of the review, check out Stella’s page. Contest ends January 27th at 12pm, 2015. 

The Extremely Limited Balvenie Fifty Year Old Is Stolen From Montreal

Selection of Balvenie whisky from my trip to Scotland in 2012 where I met David Stewart 

In an armed robbery of a liquor store in Montreal, someone stole $100k worth of whisky, including The Balvenie 50 Year Old whisky valued at $49,500 Canadian. This unfortunate theft takes one of only 88 bottles of The Balvenie Fifty out of legal circulation.

You’d think that The Balvenie 50 Year Old whisky would be rare on its own for the obvious reasons—it’s been matured for 50 years in European oak sherry hogshead and it’s extremely limited release. Personally, though, I think The Balvenie Fifty is worth far above the list price because of the man behind the whisky.

David Stewart is known as one of the most influential whisky innovators in Scotland. He was the first to double-mature whisky when he created The Balvenie DoubleWood. Double maturation is the process by which a whisky is primarily aged in one-type of oak (typically American oak), and later briefly finished in another type of oak (often European oak). Today, The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood is one of the best selling whiskies in the world, with full credit to David Stewart.

David Stewart has over 50 years of experience in the whisky industry. Unlike Drake, David Stewart actually started at the very bottom as a clerk for Grant & Sons. Over the course of his career, he was promoted to malt master for all of the company’s scotch including The Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Grant’s Family Reserve. He has seen the industry move from blended whisky, to high-quality single malt whisky, to age statements, to double-matured whisky, to no-age statement whisky.

While David Stewart is semi-retired now, he continues to innovate working strictly for The Balvenie distillery. The Balvenie Tun 1401, Tun 1507, and Caribbean Cask whiskies are excellent examples of continued innovation with a focus on flavour and balance. To put simply, David Stewart understands balance, and he understands the smallest measures of flavour and how those flavours influence the final product. If you drink and appreciate Balvenie, you appreciate this focus on balanced flavour.

As a legend like David Stewart moves into semi-retirement, the new limited release whiskies he’s responsible for become immediate collector’s items. In 2012, on the celebration of his 50th year, he selected one barrel that would become The Balvenie Fifty. This is the one in 88 bottles of whisky that was stolen.

Unfortunately, just like with the black market in the art world, I’m sure there’s someone that will be willing to buy this stolen rare whisky. It is, however, numbered. And that might make the person pouring The Balvenie Fifty a touch nervous when sharing it with friends. 

Upon his passing, I learned of my dad's secret

For anyone that knows about my relationship with my father, the book dedication might come as a surprise. My dad mocked my teenage dream of wanting to be a published author. Instead, he pushed me to get a University degree. While I appreciate that guidance, when I learned of my dad's secret hobby upon his passing, it changed how I prioritized my life.

My dad was an accomplished poet. This secret would have been no surprise to the son of an artist, but my dad was the opposite of a man exploring his inner emotions. My dad and I hugged for the first time in my late twenties. This was after his quadruple bypass. The hug was awkward. 

We connected on an intellectual level. We talked about math and science, argued about politics, and occasionally we watched sports together. I knew my dad as many things; as a physics theorist, as a graduate of a master’s degree in electronical engineering, as a hard working immigrant that spent much of his life in Canada doing factor work, and as the head test-pilot for PZL-Bielsko in the 70s. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, my dad wasn't an outwardly emotionally driven guy. His passing in March of 2012 was difficult to process. The discovery that he was a poet had me questioning much of what I knew about him.

My mom knew that my dad wrote poetry, but she did not realize the extent of his interest. Upon checking his emails, she learned he belonged to poetry groups, curated a popular Polish poetry website (not under his name), and he even completed a full-length poetry book. 

So yes, my dad was a poet, and I didn't know it. And clearly, I'm not a poet. It was reassuring, though, that my dad also had a creative side. 

This discovery about my dad made me think back to my inspirations when I was younger. At 18-years old, I wrote my first full-length book. By twenty, I had finished my second. One was a crime thriller, the other a fantasy fiction complete with sword fighting and demons. Both novels are digitally entombed on lost and (likely) corrupted floppy drives somewhere in my mom's basement.

Learning of my dad’s secret helped me prioritized my writing. He died with an unpublished poetry collection. I had an opportunity to change my own future.  Unlike before, I was able to focus on getting published. I've replaced some movie watching and lazy weekends with writing. The first year after his death my writing seemed to be going nowhere, but with practice, things started to change. 

In late 2013 and 2014 I wrote The Whisky Cabinet. I'm very proud of my first published book. I don't know what my dad would have outwardly said to me about this, but at least now I know that he would have secretly been proud. 

Zdzislaw Bylok (1944-2012)

NAS Whisky Replaces Age Statements With A Price-tag

With a broad range of pricing, no-age statement (NAS) single malt scotch whisky is here to stay. In contrast, scotch whisky marketers have been telling consumers the importance of well-matured whisky for decades. Many distilleries, however, can’t keep up with demand while aging their whisky ten or more years. The solution is to sell younger whisky without an age statement on the bottle. Often, this new ageless whisky sells for more than their standard offering.

To understand no-age statement whisky, we must first admit that age statements were an over-simplified representation of quality. Scotch whisky is matured in re-used barrels often from either the United States (American Oak) or Spain (European Oak). These different barrels add complexity to the whisky that scotch drinkers enjoy. The first time a barrel is used, it gives the most vanilla and spice flavours (think bourbon). The second time (known as first-fill in Scotland), some flavours might come from the previous spirit that soaked into the barrel. However, the majority of the flavours comes from the wood. The more often a barrel is used, the less flavour it’s likely to offer.

Understanding that, let’s consider how older whiskies are constructed. Whisky makers generally (not always) blend more first-fill re-used barrels in their older whisky. Not only is the Highland Park 18 aged for at-least 18 years, it also contains a higher ratio of first-fill European Oak giving the whisky a nuttier and sweeter characteristic compared to the 12. This added quality is not advertised on the bottle, but it is there.

It’s worth repeating: Not only are bottles with a higher age statement matured for longer, but they’re also often blended with a higher ratio of first and second-fill barrels responsible for additional flavour compared to their younger counterparts. The same is often true with NAS whisky. The more expensive the bottle, the higher likelihood of first-fill barrels were used. How would the consumer know, however?

Age-statements do provide a stated value. There’s an assumed investment by the distillery that if they matured barrels for 18 years, it’ll be the better barrels. With NAS whisky, consumers no longer have a cheat-sheet to help determine the value of the whisky. Instead of depending on the age-statement, NAS whisky has one obvious distinguishing factor: The Price.

Pricing luxury items is greatly dependent on the value of the brand. While whisky is definitely a luxury item, pricing whisky at higher valuations based on brand value doesn’t sit well with many whisky drinkers.

NAS whisky has been a controversy most whisky writers agree on. Scotch Blog ripped into The Macallan 1824 NAS whisky, preferring the older line with age statements. Curt, at All Things Whisky, makes the excellent point that distilleries, if they’re interested in educating the consumer, should note the ages of all the barrels that go into the final product. More bluntly, Oliver Klimek adds this straight-forward reasoning:

Yes, of course there are notable exceptions like the Aberlour A’bunadh or the Balvenie Tun 1401. But especially in Travel Retail (oh no, not again…) NAS bottlings often smack more of cost optimization and problems with dwindling stocks of properly aged whisky than they please the palate.

NAS whisky, on its own, is not a bad thing. Cost optimization, however, combined with NAS whisky is a challenge. Consumers were previously given some security that older whisky meant better whisky. Now they’re being told that price and branding are the only obvious factors that indicates the quality of the whisky.

That’s kind of ridiculous, isn’t it? I agree with Curt. If you’re going to sell NAS whisky, give us some idea of where that whisky comes from (Balvenie TUN 1509 does this quite well!). The lack of information on the bottle combined with high prices creates uncertainty. This uncertainty alienates consumers, and alienated consumers will take their money elsewhere. And as trendy as whisky is today, there’s always the next alcohol (already I’m seeing pro-vodka articles!).

High demand, low supply, and commercializes rarely increases the quality of the product. Scotch whisky is no exception.

If there is a bright-side to this, on a whole, there’s a lot of incredible whisky available out there. With all this competition and demand, distilleries are doing incredible things. It does, though, take more research on the consumer’s side when making purchases. Sure, prices are going up, but that’s going to happen with any high-demand product. We can’t help market pressures, but with well-researched purchases, you can continue to enjoy whisky whether or not there’s an age-statement on the bottle.

My book, The Whisky Cabinet, talks about this and many other topics on whisky. It also includes whisky recommendations that are often priced under $100, and easily available. It’s available for the holiayds in Canada, or for pre-order world-wide.

Unique Gift Idea For the Whisky Enthusiast In Your Life

Get a tailored bookmark that'll go perfectly with your copy of The Whisky Cabinet. For a very limited time (and limited quantities), I'm offering bookmarks that'll have three whisky recommendations hand-written as suggestions on how to round out a whisky cabinet. I'll make these recommendations based on the information you give, such as what the recipient currently enjoys, or even just a photo of their whisky cabinet! 

It's just $9.95 Canadian, and it was designed to fit perfectly with your copy of the book! As mentioned, I'll be only doing a limited quantity of these so buy it today to guarantee receiving it in time for the holidays! 

Update on Delivery Times For The Whisky Cabinet

A few weeks ago, I mentioned on twitter that The Whisky Cabinet release date was delayed until early December. The delay was beyond my publisher’s control. The original printing company backed out of the contract last-minute. While the publisher found a new printer, this resulted in the book being printed weeks after the originally scheduled. 

At the time, though, I had not realized just what this meant for delivery times outside of Canada. Distributing books is an interesting business that often results in them being transported in delivery trucks from warehouse to warehouse. With new authors, estimating demand is especially hard, and The Whisky Cabinet has been pre-selling well! 

The good news is, if you placed your order in Canada through Amazon or Indigo you will get The Whisky Cabinet by Christmas. If you have not yet ordered the book, Amazon is taking orders for the holidays. Indigo has sold-out of their initial allocation for online orders. Indigo is incredibly supportive, and they are (as far as I know) allocating the remainder of their stock for store shelves. 

Unfortunately, outside of Canada the delay was enough to push delivery dates back into January. That’s likely true for the United States and definitely true for countries outside of North America. If you pre-ordered the book in the United States, you’re likely to receive the book in early January. Unfortunately, I’m not sure when books will arrive for the rest of the world. In the UK, for example, the initial order of books has already sold-out. Distributors do have the option to order more. 

Sales have been excellent! Lots of sales means I get to write more books, and for that I’m extremely appreciative of your support! If you live outside of Canada, and you don’t get your book in time for the holidays, I’m sorry.  I absolutely loved writing The Whisky Cabinet. I hope you equally enjoy reading for when it arrives. 

Holiday Gift Guide

Spotlight Toronto asked me to write a gift guide in the format of something you need, something you want, something to read, and something to eat (or in my case, something to drink). My favourite of the gift guide recommendation is an oak barrel for maturing cocktails (or beer!). Having Manhattans pourable on demand is brilliant. I highly recommend picking one up, and I'll be writing more about it later. Check out the complete guide.

Highlights From London's Whisky Exchange Whisky Show

A well balanced whisky show is unlike any other conference. It’s a gathering of some of the best whisky makers in the world coming to one place, competing for the attention of attendees by serving some of their best whisky. A well established whisky show is an excellent way to try new products and talk to the people behind the whisky. 

A few months ago, I attended The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show in London, England. The event featured over 500 different whiskies. This gave those attending an excellent representation of today’s whisky scene with whiskies from around the world. 

1. Buffalo Trace gutsy play

When competing for the attention of London’s whisky connoisseurs, Buffalo Trace wasn't shy about their whisky. I stood by the booth for twenty minutes across the span of the event watching the interaction between exhibitors and guests. Buffalo Trace employees unapologetically noted how cheap their entry-level whisky is. This is a gutsy play when almost everyone was pouring drinks three or more times the cost of the standard Buffalo Trace bottling. It worked with the audience. Going from Buffalo Trace to Eagle Rare, the tastings I observed were a success. Beyond entry level whisky, they also had Eagle Rare 17 and Stagg Jr. The energy at this booth and the wide variety of whisky available was a key to their success. The fact that they started with their cheapest drink to the delight of those attending was a big score. 

2. I couldn't find a bad example of Japanese whisky

I keep having a single thought when drinking Japanese whisky--it's scotch whisky elevated. The balance of flavour is there, but the intensity is amped up. Both Nikka and Suntory were at the show, and they both poured whisky I've not had previously. The Coffey series from Nikka is excellent. Suntory's Hibiki continues to be one of my favourites. The Hakushu Single Malt 25 Year Old was one of my favourite whiskies of the show. Japanese whisky continues to make news, and there’s reason for it.

3. Redbreast gets better with age

While Redbreast 12 Year Old is generally available, the other whiskies from this range are a rare find. At the show the 15 and 21 year old were being poured. For the added time spent in oak, neither drink was overly oaky, and instead the focus was on Redbreast's balance of flavours. The 15 year old is my personal sweet-spot for age and flavour. The cask strength 12 Year Old was also quite excellent! 

4. Indian whisky is the next wave

Whisky from India is going to be big. Already, Officer's Choice whisky is the number one selling blended whisky in the world having topped Johnnie Walker in 2013. As far as single malts, Amrut Distillery enjoys world recognition after Amrut Fusion won the respect of many whisky critics. I had the opportunity to taste whisky from a third player--John Distillery and its Paul John brand three styles of whisky. These are beautiful whiskies that are only sold in the UK for now, with plans of world distribution. The cask strength is my favourite of the group, and I expect these to be a hit as they get released into new markets. 

5. Balvenie stole the show with their booth

As a whisky writer, one of my favourite experiences is doing barrel tastings. Drinking untouched whisky directly from the barrel is a memorable experience. While Balvenie couldn't quite give this experience at the Whisky Show (there's some legal reason why they could not), they did bring two barrels filled with bottle-poured whisky. One was filled with Balvenie 17 DoubleWood and the other with the Balvenie 21 Year Old. As you asked for either of these, they were served out of the barrels. It was an impressive showing that kept people around at the booth. I enjoyed both whiskies!

6. Scotch has competition, but they were still among my favourites. 

This isn't a new statement, but it is worth repeating. My whisky drinking started with single malt scotch, and I own more whisky from Scotland than any other country. However, Scotch definitely enjoys a loyal following based on the prestige the brand 'single malt' brings to the conversation. Saying that, some of my favourite drinks were from Scotland. Bruichladdich’s 1970 35yo 125 Anniversary drink was incredibly, and despite its age, bravely finished in sherry casks giving this scotch an added element of flavour. Scotch blender Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend was marvellous. The Glenmorangie line continues continues to win big numbers. Balvenie’s TUN 1509 has has an intense level of spice that dares your taste-buds. 

Scotch might be out-of-favour, but it’s not for the lack of incredible drinks.

LCBO Uplifts Cheap Moonshine By Over Five Times The US Price

Georgia Moon Corn Spirit is bottled in a hipster-ish mason jar at 40% ABV, and, according to the bottle, it’s less than 30 days old. This moonshine sells in the US for between $6 to $12 (Instagram followers confirmed buying it for $6 in NYC!). It looks like it was made in the deep south at a rusty old distillery running out of someone's bathtub. Despite some misdirection, it’s actually made by Heaven Hill Distillery (behind incredible bourbons such as Evan Williams and Elijah Craig). 

The Heaven Hill connection likely explains why Georgia Moon Corn has appeared on LCBO shelves. While it’s great to see the LCBO importing unique barely aged white dog, I do take issue with the price. In Ontario we’re accustomed to paying more for our liquor. Typically, though, the uplift is somewhere between 75% and 100% as compared to the same whisky sold in the US. The LCBO is charging a whopping $32.95 per bottle for Georgia Moon Corn. That's 5.5x more than the cheapest price in the US or 2.75 times the most expensive price. 

Even by LCBO standards, selling a $6-$12 product for $32.95 seems excessive. As far as I can tell, the cheapest 750ml 40% ABV spirits available at the LCBO are Canadian Club and Cutty Shark. Surely Georgia Moon Corn Spirit could have been priced in that same $25 range. But would that even be the correct price? 

Putting Georgia Moon Corn in the same pricing class as very affordable Canadian whiskies and blended scotches misrepresents the quality of this product. Ideally, private markets establish price based on competition. Government monopolies have no such burden. To me, that places the burden of pricing spirits correctly on the LCBO.

I don’t know how the LCBO decides on price. It is possible that there are existing agreements that prevent the price of Georgia Corn Spirit to go any lower. However, if that’s the case, do the consumer a favour and don’t include moonshine. At the current LCBO price-point, it’s ridiculous. In fact, I’m not even as annoyed at the price as I am at the fact that those same shelves could, instead, be filled by any number of excellent $18 whiskies uplifted to $32.95. 

Are there other oddly priced spirits? Let me know bellow! 

Side-note: The LCBO imported the cheaper 40% ABV Georgia Corn Spirit. There is a 50% ABV Georgia Corn Spirit that’s generally available for around $14 in the United States. The LCBO also included Georgia Moon Apple Pie Corn Spirit at $29.95 and bottled at 35% ABV. 

Straight American Bourbon Round-up

Although the recommendations of my Spotlight Toronto piece are more directed at Ontario readers (where one government corporations sells all the whisky), it's still a good piece to brush up on American whisky, and the subtle labeling differences that make all the difference with how the whisky is made:

“Each country regulates the requirements for whisky, and these regulations have a big impact on the final product. In Scotland, single malt scotch is defined as being from one distillery, and made of 100% malted barley. The only additives allowed are water and a touch of caramel for colouring. In the United States, “Straight Bourbon” is even more heavily regulated than single malt scotch. Without “straight” on the label, however, the bourbon might contain additional flavouring.”

— http://www.spotlighttoronto.com/buys-guide-american-whisky/

The Best And Worst Of No-Age Statement Scotch

The Bruichladdich Octomore series and Ardbeg Supernova series hold a special place for me. As a peated whisky fan, I purchased the 2010 releases on my first trip to Scotland, and have been following their progression since. There are similarities between these whiskies. They’re both pushing the boundaries of extreme peat levels, and they’re both bottled without an age statement. They both also have a big cult following with consumers willing to pay high price for them.

In 2010, these whiskies were ahead of their time. High-priced no-age statement (NAS) was a rarity saved for special releases. Today, that’s no longer the case. Expensive NAS whiskies are becoming the norm. The debate around NAS whisky comes down to price. Are you getting the same quality for the same price compared to whisky with an age statement? Revisiting Bruichladdich and Ardbeg peated NAS whiskies in 2014, I’m seeing the best and the worst of this debate.

One would think that NAS whisky and high levels of peat are a natural compliment. The assumption can be made that lengthy barrel maturation isn’t necessary with a whisky that is overpowering with smokiness. In many ways, the opposite is true. Flavours that come from barrel maturation (vanilla, spice) are necessary for balance. Otherwise you’re just drinking peated white dog. And that’s not a thing (Though I’m sure someone will make it a thing).

No-age statement whisky is a challenge to pull-off. NAS whisky was an important part of Bruichladdich’s strategy when reopening in the early 2000s. Octomore generated revenue from 5 year matured whisky, moving this young whisky into a high-priced range. They pulled it off beautifully, and while I haven’t had each edition of Octomore, the ones I have had I enjoyed a great deal. Ardbeg Supernova, on the other hand, had two releases in 2009 and 2010 and then went dormant leaving whisky fans pining for its return. In subtle ways, Ardbeg Supernova 2010 was a better product compared to Octomore’s release at the time.

But what about today?

I did several blind tastings of Octomore 6.1 and Supernova 2014. If their flavours were comparable to sports cars (work with me on this one), the Ardbeg is a deep throttling Mustang that bursts in heavy off the line with volume and speed. It dies, however, quite quickly toward the finish in a heavy slow loud mess. The Octomore bursts in with high-revving gear changes that take it through into a beautiful long finish like a well balanced sports car that takes turns beautifully.

To be fair to the Supernova, its biggest fault is it pales next to Bruichladdich’s Octotmore 6.1. To also be fair to other whiskies, I enjoy the much cheaper (and also NAS) Laphroaig Quarter Cask far more. Supernova 2014 does get better through the start and middle when allowed to sit in the glass for over 10 minutes, but I can’t get over the flat unpleasant finish. Maybe I purchased a spoiled bottle, but the reviews for Supernova 2014 have not been overly positive.

These drinks represent today’s whisky world. They’re both expensive. They’re both bottled without an age statement. The Bruichladdich represents an excellent example of a no-age statement whisky that’s rewarding in flavour. Ardbeg Supernova 2014 is an example of the concern around scotch whisky. High-priced, high-demand, and in my opinion, lesser quality. Ardbeg Supernova 2014 is a commercial success, but will it hurt the Ardbeg brand?

Tasting Notes:

Ardbeg Supernova 2014

It’s fairly pale in colour. On the nose, the charred wood is unmistakable but not terribly intense considering the peat levels. Lots of cereal notes, and high on vanillas reminding me of cake. The longer your wait, the more happens, ranging toward the scent of distant darker fruits.

Lots of citrus notes to start on the palate, with heavy vanilla, but these flavours almost immediately are overrun by high levels of smoke. The smoke is more on the nose, and less on the tongue. The spice levels increase the longer you wait, but toward the extremely long finish there’s an unfortunate turn. There’s a start of this beautifully balanced finish, but just when you think the drink is done, the bitterness settles in. It’s like having an old dried steak that’s got no flavour, but all of the chewy unpleasant texture.

Overall, it seems like something went wrong.

Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1

Slightly darker colour compared to the Ardbeg. The nose is bright, peppery, with high levels of citrus that perk you right up. “Pay attention to me!” I’m hearing. There’s more depth here than just that, though, and the most interesting scent I get is that of recently sanded fresh oak. Dusty, (again) bright, attention grabbing. Oh yes, and it’s peaty like a bonfire in your face. Nicely done!

It’s hard to get the right adjective for the palate. I can tell you what it feels like. It feels like the best of a cold light beer on a cool fall day. Like the nose, it’s bright and welcoming, with lots of spice. The caramel notes are fresh—these aren’t the caramel candy that you found in your jacket from two years ago. Instead, this is artisan caramel just solidifying from its liquid form. The heat comes through. The smoke is present on the nose as you taste this drink, and settles beautifully on the toung wrapping it up. The finish is dry, smoky, and vibrant with spice.

A really excellent example of peated scotch that goes beyond the gimmick of peat-levels, and a stand-out in my whisky cabinet. 

Japanese Whisky Takes First Place, Scotch Fails to Show

Jim Murray has named a Japanese whisky as the World Whisky of the Year in the 2015 edition of the Whisky Bible. Yamasaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 takes top prize in the annual award. This is a trend that’s continuing in the whisky world. From the Whisky Intelligence:

The stunning and unprecedented victory should come as a “wake-up call” for Scotch distilling giants, says the famously straight-talking expert. Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 notches a record-equalling 97.5 marks out of 100 in the planet’s most authoritative whisky guide, which hails it as “near indescribable genius”. Murray praises the dram’s “nose of exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice”.

Scotch whisky has failed to make the top five list. William Larue Weller and Sazerac Rye 18 took second and third spot.

The Whisky Bible is available for pre-order.

The Rye Index, And Canadian Club's Entry To the Market

Like with IPAs and extreme bitter hops (which I love, by the way, so keep them coming), rye flavouring is a divide among whisky drinkers. Some love rye, some hate it, and some just would prefer life without it. The tide is changing, however, and it’s for the benefit of the whisky world.

Rye is not the Pinot Noir of the whisky world. Instead it’s quite the opposite with bold flavours that I consider an acquired taste. Rye is a key component in almost all bourbons. As I explored earlier when writing about Pappy Van Winkle, bourbons without rye are quite rare. Most of the peppery spice middle and part of the finish common to bourbons comes from rye. Now, imagine a drink that’s focus on just that spice.

Rye has a long history in North American whisky making, though the grain originally came from Europe. Canadians were the first in North America to add small amounts of distilled rye to their whisky. This distinct flavouring gave Canadian whisky the nickname of rye. Unlike most grains, rye can have two harvests a year and it grows in areas corn and wheat wouldn’t dare. Early settlers, as an example, used rye for the first few seasons to prepare the soil for other grains such as wheat and corn.

The point I’m getting at here is, rye isn’t necessarily a loved grain. However, trends are trends, and rye whisky has been swinging back in the last 5 years. Bulleit Rye, Knob Creek Rye, Wild Turkey Rye–Name a distillery or brand, and they’re likely producing a rye product that didn’t exist five years ago.

Canadian Club has entered the market with an extremely affordable ($25.45 for the time being, though $27.45 in the future) option. In Ontario, it’s priced around Canadian Club Classic pricing and several bucks cheaper compared to Wild Turkey 81 Rye. It’s much cheaper than American rye favourite Rittenhouse Rye or newcomer Bulleit Rye (not to be confused with long-time running Bulleit Bourbon).

When it comes to drinking rye, the big question is ‘how rye-ish’ do you want your rye? There really should be a rye index. Newcomer Canadian Club’s 100% Rye in not the biting rye of a Rittenhouse (let’s say 8 out of 10), or the developed rye of a Masterson’s (let’s say 7) or a sweeter enveloped rye of a Bulleit (6). It’s more of a 5. The flavour is there, but this is a soft drink bottled at 40% ABV that’s more forgiving on the unaccustomed taste buds. This is an approachable rye that I can drink straight.

This does introduce a new market for Canadian Club, especially in the area of mixed drinks. I’m not a big fan of mixing drinks with Canadian Club Classic, as an example. It has that distinct flavour that, for someone like me that doesn’t often mix drinks, can be hard to balance. However, that isn’t true for Canadian Club 100% Rye. Manhattans are my go-to cocktail at home (I’m perfecting my recipe), and Canadian Club 100% Rye makes for a very affordable alternative to the other ryes in my whisky cabinet.

Canadian Club is sourcing this rye through Alberta Distillery which is distilling for such rye brands as Alberta Premium, Masterson’s Rye, and Alberta Dark Horse. I’ve tasted these ryes side-by-side and each brings a unique expression to the market. One of my favourite ryes, Mastersons (At a $75 price point), gets more complex wood-based flavours, and the Dark Horse is sweeter and more muted in complexity. Canadian Club 100% Rye hits a good place in the market at an excellent price-point.

Rye is an essential part of any whisky cabinet. Much like comparing scotch to bourbon, rye has a different feel from the rest. It is an acquired taste that opens up your palate to an entirely new element in the whisky world. In fact, up to a few years ago, I had little love for rye. That has since changed greatly, and I quite welcome these new rye offerings.

Originally published on Spotlight Toronto

Flavoured Whisky For Frat Boys

Fred Minnick writes:

“But in a time when society is trying to move away from sexism and 1950s-era female stereotypes, Piehole is a huge fail. In its marketing, Diageo says Piehole is inspired by grandma. If that’s the case, why are there mid-20th Century strippers on the label? If we’re really trying to sell grandma’s recipes, how about a tasteful image of a grandma? Oh, yeah, that’s not going to appeal to Johnny Frat Boy.”

I agree with Fred. Sure, you can argue that marketers are catering to an already existing market. Some see this as justification enough, but by using out-dated imagery on cheap flavoured whisky, they're just helping to maintain bad behaviour. Piehole Cherry Pie Whisky. Really? 

Smoked Cocktails are Trending

For a peaty whisky drinker like me, smoked cocktails are a natural extension. I prefer my cocktails slightly bitter, without (much) syrup, and balanced for flavour. Smoked cocktails add that extra enjoyable dimension for my senses. This is especially true for sweeter drinks.

While cocktails made with craft bitters are hitting an all-time high all over Toronto, smoked cocktails have become a speciality over at King West's Portland Variety. A smoked old fashion, negroni, or manhattan take on new characteristics while remaining true to their flavour profile. 

There is a difference, however, between smoky cocktails and smoked cocktails. Smoky cocktails are often made with peated single malt scotch, or mezcals. In both instances, the grain or plant is smoked before fermentation. This characters carries through the distillation process, giving you a smoky spirit which adds hints of smokiness to the mixed drink.  Smoked cocktails are smoked during the making of the cocktail, and they can get far more intense in their smoky profile. I met with Jody, bar manager at Portland Variety, to get more insight on how the delicious drinks are made at Portland Variety. 

There are two main ways Jody smokes cocktails. The first involves using a hand-held smoker with a tube that takes smoke from lit wood chips, and pumps the smoke into a container. If you have the Tequila Bong at Portland Variety, you can see the smoked cocktail getting poured through a smoke-filled decanter. It makes for a great show!

While visually appealing, smoked cocktails are quite mild in smoke after the initial pour. You'll get hints of charred wood, but otherwise the drink is quite mild in smokiness and makes for a perfect introduction to smoky drinks. 

If you're really into smoked drinks (like I am), smoking the glass is an entirely new experience. In this case, Jody torches a block of wood until it burns red hot. At that point, the glass covers the wood and is allowed to sit. The cocktail is then poured into the glass immediately afterwards. 

In this instance, depending on the length of time the glass was smoked, the delicious smoky characteristic will last throughout the drink. This method works better with sweeter spirits such as rum because of the heaviness of the smoke. 

Jody has been matching different wood types for different types of drinks. Applewood is most often used with the smoked gun, and hickory for the block of wood. In addition to wood, smoked drinks can include herbs and teas for added complexity.  

Cocktails at Portland Variety are taking on a very competitive bar scene in the area. While they're not the first to smoke cocktails (Bar Chef offered a $45 smoked drink), Jody and Portland Variety are taking a lead in Toronto on a delicious trend that's just starting out.

Originally posted on Spotlight Toronto

Craft Whisky vs Wine Industry

Despite all the controversy around craft distilleries, and small batch whisky (both written about in my book before they even became controversies), the whisky industry remains relatively true to the craft. There are a few exceptions to this, certainly, but many whisky enthusiasts are outraged over just a few drops of caramel additive to adjust the colour of whisky. Meanwhile, the wine industry deals with things like this:

The reality is that modern day winemakers have an arsenal of tools at their disposal to make their wines. Some of these are relatively innocuous and are considered as much a part of making wine as crushing grapes. Cultured yeasts are used to do such things as boost aromatics and finish ferments of high alcohol wines. Sulfur Dioxide and sterile filtration stabilize the wine by removing any lingering bacteria. Tartaric acid is added to adjust over-ripe grapes, as is powdered tannin. Sugar is used to raise alcohol levels (chapitalization), or simply sweeten the wine.

But there are many others which are even more intrusive. Enzymes are added during fermentation to do everything from help clarify the wine to boosting aromatics. Water is used to dilute over concentrated juice, woodchips and oils are employed to flavour the wine. Gum arabic adds texture. Products like Mega Purple colour, flavour and alter the texture of the wine. I could go on and on. And this is not even going into more mechanical interventions such as reverse osmosis (used to concentrate wines), de-alcoholizing machines, and micro-oxydation (adding oxygen during fermentation to soften tannins).

With all the press around bad whisky practices, at least we’re not micro-oxidizing and chapitalizating our alcohol (whatever that means).

(Via Chris Nuttal-Smith)

The Definition of Craft Whisky

Adam Quirk (co-founder of Cardinal Spirits) has an excellent post on craft distilleries:

The shelves at any given liquor store are full of bottles that appear to be very different products, made in different places by different companies.

But peek behind the curtain, and the majority of the “craft spirits” in those bottles are manufactured at a handful of huge distilleries.

Whisky makes an impression. Part of that is the bottle, marketing, and the story behind the drink. Sometimes those stories are made-up. In this way, whisky is no different than any other other industry--to succeed you need an excellent product with fantastic packaging and marketing.

Adam makes the point that by not having a definition of craft whisky, the consumers are going to loose trust over labels shared by big whisky manufacturers and true small craft distilleries. In this case, the burden is on the consumer to do additional research beyond what's written on the bottle.

Review: Amrut Portonova

I could barely finish the generous pour of Amrut Portonova I first poured. This isn't an everyday drink. The thick oaky texture was on par with Icewine. Instead, it's a drink for special occasions with flavour you won't quite experience anywhere else. 

Amrut Distillery is located in Bangalore, India. The distillery has a long history of distilling various spirits, but it wasn't until the last few decades that they started to focus on producing whisky. The first  whisky from the distillery to get international notice was the Amrut Fusion–one quarter peated barley from Scotland, the rest Indian barley–fully aged in Bangladore.  I covered it back in 2011.

The hot Indian weather changes the formula for whisky barrel maturation. Winters in Scotland and Kentucky slow down the chemical process during colder months. In India, maturation never slows, and this makes age statements irrelevant. While molecules are more excitable at higher temperatures, the humid weather means less water evaporates compared to alcohol. The results make for a different type of whisky.

While I'm simplifying the challenges of whisky making in warm climates, Amrut fully understands this complexity. Instead of producing whisky that tastes familiar to scotch drinkers, they make excellent whisky with their own character.

The distillery has the luxury of using different types of barrels over the maturation of the whisky. Amrut Portonova took a journey back and fourth between new oak barrels and barrels that were previously held in bourbon. This back-and-forth process was done to taste. The whisky was then transferred into 40 year old sherry pipes for 9 months before the whisky finally went back to the bourbon barrels again to balance out the flavours.

When tasting Amrut Portonova, one needs to acclimate with cautious nosing and small sips. The nose is surprisingly light considering the flavour, though there's plenty happening. You'll get forward dried fruits and distant burnt orange citrus, along with spice. There's a lot of new oak to this drink, such as with a well aged bourbon, and that'll become apparent on the nose. The palate accelerates in flavour. The taste starts sharp with caramel sweetness that's nearly entirely masked by the heat and spice of this drink. You'll get the expected vanilla and caramel, sure, but the peppery spice is out of this world. The sweetness evaporates off the tongue toward the middle of a taste. The finish is long, spicy, with some dried fruit.

Amrut Distillery managed to create something new with this one. This is a no-age statement whisky, and a really great example of how little age matters in the high-end whisky world.

Originally published on Spotlight Toronto