Beyond Scotland: Hot Climate Whiskies to Know

My piece for Eater on the hot climate whiskies to try: 

Wine aficionados have long debated hot climate versus cold climate wines. And this same dispute is emerging in the whisky world as distilleries from warmer zones like Australia, India, Taiwan and South Africa continue to rack up awards, challenging the old guard of the whisky world. Most of these new producers are mirroring Scotland, with a focus on malted barley as a primary grain. But bottles made in warmer weather take on specific terroir that yields unique flavors. Hot climate whiskies, often aged in previously used oak—as is true for scotch—display richer oaky notes (caramel, vanilla, spicy), but are not as flavor-forward as bourbons, which rest in new oak.

Consumer Protection and The Whisky Industry→

This week’s The Whisky Topic is incredibly insightful. Lawyer Glenford Jameson joins me to talk about consumer protection in the whisky industry. In the old days of the whisky world where tobacco and other substances were added to whisky, consumers needed protection from unwanted substances in their drink. The Bottled in Bond Act passed for that reason.

Today, we’re no longer worried about pesticides and poisons being introduced into our whisky. Consumer protection isn’t necessarily a health issue, but a quality and control issue. Companies are spending more money on branding and marketing than they are on their whisky, and that should tell us something. There are loopholes in the definition of whisky that distilleries are taking advantage of.

Despite this serious topic, it’s a fun podcast! Have a listen. 

The Apple Watch: The Whisky Edition Review

I’m tucked away between two booths at a Toronto whisky event, drinking a rare single malt from Japan. I mentally step away from the crowd of eighty or so people with stretched out arms looking for a similar pour. As I enjoy this moment with the whisky, I feel a gentle tap on my wrist. It doesn’t pull me away from the salty smoky drink, but it lets me know a message is waiting.

After a few more unhurried sips, I lift my wrist up with a flick. “A rare Canadian whisky is being poured at the Canadian Whisky vs Rye booth.” I click “I’ll be there in 5” on the Apple Watch with a pre-configured message, and the message is sent immediately with no further interaction necessary. The screen turns off, as I go back to my whisky.

Lots has been said about the Apple Watch—it minimizes distractions, it’s intended to be fun, and the hardware is beautiful but the software is buggy. All of this is true. We are accustomed to gadgets that require our attention. The Apple Watch is a gadget that gives us back those moments normally stolen away by our phones.

Spirit of Toronto was the perfect opportunity to test the watch as a communication device. I was there with eight friends spread across a large facility, with unique whisky pours at various times during the event. Communication was key. The event also allowed me the opportunity to consider social norms when with groups. When is it polite to look at a the watch, and when is it better to simply take out the phone?

Social Norms and Messaging

In today’s society, pulling out the phone while chatting with friends is perceived as more polite than checking your watch. People immediately associate ‘checking watch’ with ‘I want to leave.’ This, though, is a dated faux pas from an era where watches only had one function.

When with one friend or in a large crowd, the tapping on the wrist is without distraction to anyone including the wearer. It’s just enough of a reminder that something is going on, without any urgency. The watch is a much faster way of viewing, scrolling, and even replying to messages. It takes up less time than opening up the iPhone.

At the event, when it came to text messaging, I’d talk to the watch at about chest-level and let Siri dictate the message. I’d only do this when I was alone. Siri dictation on the watch is excellent, possibly even better than on the iPhone. In a noisy room with plenty of people, dictating to the watch was a breeze.

Health Monitoring And Drink Whisky

I burnt more calories being on my feet at the whisky event, and going bar hopping afterwards, then any other day in the last two weeks. I know this because I’ve been wearing the watch every day.

I care about fitness. I go to the gym weekly, but I’m not really into fitness the way my cross-training, bicycle riding, marathon running, triathlon competing friends are into fitness. The activity rings on the Apple Watch, though, make 30 minutes of physical activity seem achievable. Being encouraged to stand up for a minute every hour makes sense. Having a heart monitor on your wrist, a step tracker, and a calorie burn estimator is helpful.

The Apple Watch isn’t the first fitness activity tracker, and it’s certainly not the cheapest one, but it is the first one people are likely to wear to a dress-up event such as Spirit of Toronto. Or for any other occasion. The Apple Watch has encouraged me to be more active in subtle ways that I appreciate.

Fashion? Practical? A bit of both

The Apple Watch is a topic of conversation. It’s tough to summarize it into a few words of “it’s good” or “it’s bad.” The Apple Watch didn’t drastically improve my event experience, but it did stop me from always reaching for my phone to see if anyone had texted (I’ve long-since become immune to iPhone notifications through the pocket of my jeans). Because we were in a large scattered group, with plenty of unique drinks being poured throughout the night, this was helpful.

By limiting the number of notifications, I limit how often the watch taps my wrist. There’s an efficiency achieved here that I appreciate. A casual glance to the Apple Watch is incredibly informative, especially with Apple’s apps. I feel less dependent on the phone.

As I told a friend, as a watch and an activity monitoring device, the Apple Watch is worth the starting price of $350. For that price you get apps, notifications, and additional conveniences. If you care about fashion, the stainless steel models have value.

Final Thought

I expected the Apple Watch to be a device I would be on and interact with frequently. As it turns out, the device is on me, and it initiates interactions using taps. Odd. As Apple said, this is the most personal and intimate device they have ever created. As a device that you wear on your arm, that secretly taps you, it fits that description perfectly. 

Enjoying Whisky Events→

Whisky events are rarely affordable, but they’re an excellent way to research your next purchase. It’s important to be choosy with the event, and select one that has a number of distilleries pouring. This week on The Whisky Topic, Jamie and discuss whisky event etiquette, and highlight our favourite drinks from Spirit of Toronto. You can subscribe to The Whisky Topic directly through iTunes, or check it out via the web. 

Canadian Whisky: The Comeback Story→

My piece on Canadian Whisky for the Huffington Post:

Canadian whisky has a history of being among the best-selling whisky in the world. However, the Canadian whisky story isn't about sales. It's about the flavour, and how the Canadian whisky industry is adapting to premium flavour-forward competition from other countries.

Health Claims and Whisky→

Light whisky? Low-corb anti-oxidiant whisky? Jamie and I discuss the various health claims attributed to whisky. We mostly think it's BS. Plus, we discuss how bars treat men and women differently when ordering drinks, and our favourite manhattan and old fashion recipes. Have a listen! We would love to hear your feedback. 

The Importance of Aging

This week on The Whisky Topic, Jamie and I talk about scotch. Undoubtably, the discussion leads to no-age statement whisky and the current state of whisky from Scotland.

When I wrote about this topic originally, I noted that it’s not just about age-statements. It’s about the quality of the barrels used. Just yesterday, Oliver Klimek wrote about how Laphroaig 10 has changed over the years. Stylistically speaking, I’ve always been a far bigger fan of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask and the 18 over the 10. The 10 has always been a touch too mild, and while that can be good, it’s not really the type of drink I want from Laphroaig.

But this brings us back to the point that age-statements are such a small part of the picture when it comes to good whisky. First-fill, second-fill, third-fill, fourth-fill. These aspects of barrel maturation matter far more. That’s not to say all good scotch is made in first-filled barrels. It’s not. It does, however, mean that quality of the barrels matters far more than how long the whisky has been sitting around in those barrels.

The problem with no-age statement whisky isn't the lack of age statement (though that is a part of it). It's an issue of trust and credibility. For the distilleries that are selling NAS whisky, it's an issue they're going to need to address. 

Ultimately, it’s about palate and flavour. Check-out the podcast for a deeper explanation. Meanwhile, I’m going to see if I can find myself a Laphroaig 18. It’s an incredible drink! 

The Acquired Taste of Whisky→

Matt Gemmell is a developer, turned writer. I’m a big fan of Matt’s writing. It’s always a pleasure when our direct interests line-up, such as this piece on whisky:

Whisky, like any non-clear spirit, is an acquired taste - and I mean acquired in the same way that we acquire wealth, or possessions: it takes work. You have to actually decide that you’re going to drink it. That’s the first step.

You can support Matt’s writing by checking out his membership page. I’m looking forward to his first novel! 

Glassware, Swirling Whisky, and Winning Whisky Competitions

In the San Francisco 2015 Spirit Competition, Knob Creek won best bourbon. Knob Creek is a fine bourbon (I often use it whisky tastings!). But is it the best bourbon? Fred Minnick, one of the judges at the competition, summarized the problem perfectly:

While I’ve always liked Knob Creek, I’ve never put it in the super elite, the Staggs and Pappys of the world. I’ve not even considered Knob Creek the best bourbon in the Jim Beam portfolio; Booker’s has held that crown. Has Knob Creek been hidden under my nose as the best bourbon this whole time?

The competition had judges using the Neat tasting glass. Neat glassware is broad on the bottom and top unlike the traditional tulip-shaped whisky tasting glass. The Neat Glass definitely changes the flavour and structure of the whisky. The fundamental flaw/feature in the design has to do with swirling the broad-bottomed glass. On the Neat Website:

When using NEAT, swirl, swirl, swirl … and when in doubt, swirl some more.  Swirling enhances evaporation.  Swirling the NEAT glass “powers” the evaporation engine that brings up all aromas … Convergent rim glasses (rim smaller than bowl diameter)  produce concentrated alcohol right at the nose when swirling, obscuring other aromas even more.  That is why other glassmakers tell you “Don’t swirl”

With whisky, in a narrow glass, swirling creates an excessive amount of alcohol vapour blowing out the senses. In wide-rimmed glassware (such as Neat glass), you’re better off swirling the whisky to further excite those molecules because of the broader opening. Neat's clever short design helps in this over the traditional rocks glass, as an example, despite the broad top. So far, so good.

Swirling the glass does, however, change the flavour of the whisky on the palate. Don’t believe me? Take two glasses with the same whisky. Swirl one for a few minutes, and don’t swirl the other. The swirled whisky will likely be sweeter, less textured, muted, and more even-flavoured. For me, in my tests, the essential character of the whisky starts to disappear the same way it would if the whisky was left overnight in the glass.

Excessively swirling a whisky accelerates the natural evaporation process, changing the dynamic of the whisky. This could be good for some whiskies, and bad for others. The same is true when you warm the glass, though at least this is a controlled gentler approach.

However, consider this. Most whiskies are nosed and tasted by whisky makers using tulip-shaped glass. Using broad glassware that requires swirling changes the whisky. To put differently, when reviewing whisky, if I swirl a whisky for four minutes, I’m no longer tasting the same whisky the reader is tasting.

Which brings me back to Knob Creek being picked as the winner in the best bourbon category, over better bourbons such as Booker’s and Stagg Jr. Both Booker’s and Stagg Jr have an incredible thick wonderful nose, that is beautifully balanced with flavour and alcohol on the palate. Knob Creek is a very good bourbon, but in a tulip shape glass, it doesn’t have enough on the nose to keep-up with these stars. In wider glassware, all the best features of Booker’s and Stagg Jr are muted. After excessive swirling, Knob Creek might even stand a chance.

Jamie Johnson and I did a blind tasting earlier in the week, and we recorded it for The Whisky Topic Podcast. While we didn’t use Neat Glass, we used the Canadian-style Glencairn glass. The results were fascinating! I won’t spoil the winners and losers, but this was a very small sampling.

The larger sampling happened in San Francisco, though, when a group of experts picked Knock Creek as the best bourbon in a blind tasting. Maybe for its price-point, but not in a category when  Booker’s and Stagg Jr are also included.

The Whisky Topic Podcast, Episode 4 - No, Not Blanton's!→

This week on The Whisky Topic, Glenford Jameson (Food Lawyer) joins me as we explore the Kentucky whisky scene. It involves us tasting a lot of whisky we can't possibly buy because it has all been sold out. The trip to Buffalo Trace was mind-blowing. We tasted fantastic bourbons and ryes, and we talk about some of our favourites. Of most interest, we talk about the selection process Buffalo Trace uses for Blanton's single barrel bourbon and Elmer T. Lee. Somehow, we ended up talking about Maker's Mark cask strength bourbon, and where it sits against similar products. 

The Whisky Topic - Episode 3 - All About Pappy Van Winkle→

Fresh off our recent gold mine of Van Winkle products, Jamie and I discuss Pappy Van Winkle. Is it worth the hype? Are whisky drinkers a touch sensitive about Pappy? Is Pappy 15 the perfect Pappy? Plus, Mark went to Panama City. 

Switching Away From Google→

I've been meaning to write about DuckDuckGo, the search tool competitor to Google that is focused on protecting your privacy. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo doesn't track your searches.

The first time I tried their search engine, it wasn't giving me good results. Over the last year, though, when it became an option on OS X and iOS, the results have been much better.

Casey Liss wrote about his experiences and conclusion. They mirror mine perfectly:

I’ve switched from using Google as my main search engine to using DuckDuckGo. I made the switch when iOS 8 came out.

Yes, sometimes that has problems.

No, the search results aren’t always as good.

Yes, I sometimes fall back to Google.

Yes, I still think it’s worth it.

Buying Pappy (and other rare bourbons) From The Government

In Ontario, the government sells event tickets for the chance to purchase Pappy Van Winkle. This might seem like a ridiculous concept in a free market society, but since 1916, Ontario has been under prohibition. The only way to buy spirits is through the government owned LCBO. 

In the case of Pappy, the LCBO sold $125 tickets to a four course dinner that included whisky pairings. The star of the dinner was the order form that allowed event attendees to place an order for Pappy. The hundred or so tickets sold out online within 5 minutes, and there were reports of system issues. 

The LCBO is one of the largest purchasers of alcohol in the world, and it’s the only way to legally purchase spirits in Ontario (with the exception of buying spirits at a distillery, but even those need to go through the LCBO for approval). With a population of over 13 million people, they sell a lot of liquor.  Being government owned, though, means finding fairer ways to sell rare releases that are in high demand. 

About 240 whiskies were available for purchase at the event. Of those, 100 bottles of Van Winkle 12 Year Old Lot B and the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old were available. Only 20 bottles of the 15 Year Old Pappy and the Family Special Reserve were available. Chances are, you were going to walk away with one bottle of Van Winkle, but it was less likely you’d get Pappy. 

We all submitted our forms by the end of the event. Four days later, we learned of the results. No back-alleyway meetings. No grey market. No courting liquor store managers. The prices were at a reasonable range from $85 to $190 a bottle.

Events are not the norm, however. When Buffalo Trace Antique Collection became available in Ontario, orders were taken online. A lottery system was used assign available bottles. People attempted to game the system by asking family members to create accounts and place orders. Some created as many as 20 or 30 accounts. By a limited sample size, I would guess the odds of getting BTAC was one in 30. I wasn’t lucky enough to get any with my one account.

This lottery system is met with mixed reception. True whisky connoisseurs and restauranteurs had better luck obtaining those whiskies by lining up outside of flagship stores the day the bottles went on shelves. Ontario is an oddly populated province, however. Almost 40% of Canadians live in Ontario, and many of those live in Toronto and (to a much lesser degree) Ottawa. The rest of the population is spread across a province that’s eight times the size of England. The LCBO serves the entire province. The lottery system, especially when done through online orders, is seen as a fairer way to serve all of Ontario. 

No system is going to please everyone. Collectors will proudly and happily hunt down BTAC and Pappy in the US, and they’ll have  an excellent story to share. In Ontario, things are perhaps almost too fair. Regardless, there’s already a lot of tension at the very existence of the LCBO. The pressure to privatize continues. I do wonder, though, if we in Ontario would even get Pappy and BTAC if our purchasers were split between several liquor distributors instead of one big LCBO.

As for my luck, I scored a bottle of the Lot B and the 10 Year Old. Not the ones I wanted, but for $190 (not including the dinner ticket), they’ll make excellent (though perhaps overrated) additions to my whisky cabinet.

The Whisky Topic, Episode 2→

Jamie and I got together for the second episode of The Whisky Topic. This time we tackle Irish Whiskey, No-Age Statement whisky, and manage to get side-tracked about how much we dislike flavoured spirits. 

Can't Rush Whisky Maturation→

I enjoyed this piece by Tasha Eichenseher about the many ways distilleries are trying to rush the maturation process:

Through a variety of unconventional aging methods, drawing on chemistry, they have already squeezed a two- to more-than-20-year process into days, weeks, and months, much to the chagrin of whiskey connoisseurs, who will tell you the secret to a refined bourbon is time. While some companies have taken age labels off their bottles to get products to market sooner (bye-bye 12-year-old premium bourbon; hello ambiguously aged premium bourbon), new distilleries are experimenting with smaller barrels and rapid oxidation.

The conclusion is, the drink doesn’t quite taste authentic. 

The Whisky Topic Podcast, Episode 1→

On the very first episode of The Whisky Topic, Jamie Johnson and I tackle how best to drink whisky. Neat, on ice, or warmed? We run some tests. It's slightly scientific. We also talk about the mash bill controversy, bourbon pricing, and Sex in The City. Have a listen, and please provide feedback. 

WhiskyCast Interviews Lawyer Suing Jim Beam and Maker's Mark

Abbas Kazerounian, who’s law firm is suing Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam over the use of the phrase hand-made on their bottling, went on this weeks WhiskyCast show hosted by Mark Gillepsie. It’s an excellent interview, and Mark asks a lot of tough questions. As I mentioned in a previous article picking on George Dickel’s labeling, few things on the label are legally protected outside of alcohol content and volume. Check out WhiskyCast episode 524 for the interview.

There Is a Bourbon Shortage

Fred Minnick, on Whisky Advocate, narrows down the bourbon shortage:

Consumers are able to buy bourbon … if your measure of the “bourbon shortage” is there is bourbon sitting on the shelves and in the warehouses, then, there is no shortage. But the bourbon shortage is not about everyday bourbons sitting on shelves—Jim Beam White Label, Wild Turkey 101 or standard Evan Williams.

Everyday consumers are less likely to be affected. If you’re looking for rare bourbon, however, the supply and demand curve is through the roof. 

The Laphroaig Line-up

My summary of the Laphroaig line-up for Spotlight Toronto:

Each time I have sampled the line of Laphroaig whisky, I leave with the same conclusion—The Quarter Cask is wildly brilliant for the price-point, and the 18 Year Old is complex and hard hitting with flavour.

Check out the rest. 

BookTrib Reviews The Whisky Cabinet

Nicely written of review of The Whisky Cabinet over at BookTrib, by Amanda Harkness:

My relationship with whiskey started out hot and heavy—more a whiskey shooter than a whiskey sipper. Over time, my tastes matured, and I began to savor the slow and smoky sip of my favorite peaty winter-time whiskey, Laphroaig. Mark Bylok understands the complexity that comes with sipping whiskey and recognizes that while it can appear chaotic on the surface, you should never let that turn you away. Indeed, he says that “Like any worthwhile relationship, sometimes things take time.

Thank you for the review!