I know, you’ve been waiting all week for this. Whiskey week, and nary a mention of that peaty golden drink from Scotland. From the land, no less, of the man who inspired this whole week, and who thousands of people will toast this weekend. Robbie Burns, the personification of all things Scottish. So here it is, today we’re talking Scotch whisky. And what a thing to talk about.
So, first off, Scotch. I’ve addressed this, but as a quick primer: Scotch whisky is probably the most recognized whisky in the world. There is a veritable ream of laws and rules surrounding it’s production, sales and export. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 guidelines are 78 pages long. I dare you to read them all……
Whisky gets divided into 5 categories, but today I’m interested in Single Malts. And if you want to drink single malts, and you’re in the GTA, there is one place to go: The Feathers.
The Feathers is on Kingston Rd., a few blocks west of Victoria Park. Opened in 1981, it is as distinctly British, as Ceili Cottage is Irish. Even the name, “The Feathers” is hugely English, referring to the badge of the Prince of Wales (the Heir Apparent to the throne); it is featured on the pub’s sign and branding.
There is a classic oak bar, good dart boards in their own dedicated space, red velvet banquettes in the dining area, over 20 beers on tap with a cask hand-pump, and over 400 different single malt Scotch whiskies. Yeah, that’s not a typo, 400+ different bottles. They range from decent house malts that will get you exposed to the geographic ranges of Scotch production without hurting your wallet, right up to immensely rare bottles, often hand-filled by the distillery, sometimes from “Silent Stills” (distilleries that are no longer in operation).
Probably the best part of going to The Feathers for me, is that most of the people there on any given day are not hipsters or whisky geeks. There’s no doubt, you’ll see people there regularly doing whisky tasting (and they host events for this specific purpose), but most people go to The Feathers for a drink and a meal, to socialize with friends and generally enjoy what I call “pub culture”. It’s very much a locals-pub, and one of the few bars in my area that I know does a brisk lunch-trade mid-week.
Do go check them out, whether you want to do a flight of rare whisky, or just throw some darts and have a pint and pie. http://thefeatherspub.ca/
So what did I drink while there? Well, there’s generally accepted to be five whisky producing regions in Scotland. Lowland, Highland, Islay & The Islands, Speyside (which is in the Highland region, but is a notable region of it’s own as it has become the epicentre of whisky making) and Campbelltown (which is in the Lowlands, but was the former major whisky producing area). There isn’t a heap on the menu from Campbelltown, and it’s hard to find these whiskies in Ontario, so I focused in on four whiskies from the other regions, all of which are available through the LCBO (or at least, other expressions from their distillery are).
About Whiskey Tasting
It’s funny that I haven’t addressed this yet, and accept my apologies for that. While tasting whisky bears a lot of similarities to wine or beer, there are a few differences. Like other drinks, start with your eyes. What colour is it? How are the “legs” (if you swirl the dram, does the liquid on the sides of the glass drip down in long “legs” showing good viscosity)? Give it a sniff. But here’s a trick: keep your mouth open. It doesn’t have to be gaping, just open. Whiskies are 40% and up, keeping your mouth open reduces the impact of the alcohol. Like anything else, look for smells you recognize. Now take a sip. Move the whisky around your mouth. You don’t need to slurp it to aerate it. Again, think of tastes you recognize. Now add water. Seriously. Even if you don’t add water to your whisky when you drink it recreationally, adding a bit of water “opens it up” and lets you discover flavours that might have been masked by the booze. I generally add about a teaspoon or two to a regular strength whisky. A cask-strength variety will generally be in the 50% range and up, so needs even more water. When I met John Hall at Forty Creek, he told me that when judging a whisky, he will sample it at 40%, then at 20% (cut in half with water; a lot more than I use). If you’re serious about tasting this way, you will find your own routine. Play with it and figure out what works best for you. And as with all these hobbies, enjoy it!
Okay, let’s get to this.
Glenkinchie 15 Year Old — Lowlands
On the nose, bright fruity notes. Cherries are very present, with a tart touch of lemon. There is a subtle oak aroma that is sturdy but not over-bearing with a whiff of peat. And cherries! On the palate cherry is still very notable, but there is a lot more wood with it now; tannic and dry. Fruity, with a nice floral quality that is lightly seasoned with earthy peat. Finish is lively and candy-sweet, with the cherries and wood walking into the sunset together. A great example of a Lowland whisky.
If I was a Malt Imposter, I would probably say something like:
While the woody aroma of her father working in his shop drifts upstairs, producing another oak bookcase for a library he will never assemble, the book-club vice-chair laments her failed attempt to try-out for the cheerleading squad. Gazing at the cherry lifesavers and tulip her younger brother presented her with as consolation, she wonders why he simply yanked the flower out of the ground, roots, soil and all, and ponders if his 6-year old mind is capable of irony. Deciding it isn’t, she pops a lifesaver in her mouth and returns to skimming the minutes of the book-club’s last meeting.
The Glenlivet 18 Year Old — Speyside
This whisky was the first review I read by the Malt Imposters, and it is what cause me to fall in like with them. I’ll give you my (normal) review, and their (wonderful) take on it too.
On the nose, The Glenlivet 18 shows Vanilla, lemons and a touch of spices.There’s a notable oak aroma, with a hot boozy pop. On the palate, the vanilla is creamy; with the lemon, it is almost like a custard, slightly tart but creamy and rich. There is also some nice dark dried fruits that compliment the spices, which now seem to be clove and white pepper. The wood character is now touched with a hint of char, giving just a trace of smoke to the flavour. While there is quite a bit of heat, the mouthfeel is dense and velvety. A wonderful whisky.
From the Malt Imposters:
On the nose, a lemon studded with cloves that’s just been removed from the cavity of a roasted turkey and is now clutched in the oven-mitted hand of a bedraggled housewife as she menaces her husband with said lemon, threatening to place it not-so-carefully into the least forgiving of his orifices, for having asked four times how long it would be before dinner would be ready. However, just beneath that dramatic scene runs an enduring softness and sweetness, embodied in undercurrents of currants or sultanas or, on a bad day, just raisins. But such are the complexities of long-term relationships and of good whisky.
Read their full review here: http://www.maltimpostor.com/2011/02/glenlivet-18-50-ml-airline-bottle.html
Highland Park 12 — The Islands (Orkney)
There’s a lot we need to say about Highland Park. For one, it’s the most northerly Scotch distillery in Scotland. They also are one of the few distilleries that malt their own grains. They are highly decorated, having won numerous awards, for particular expressions as well as awards for their distillery. But probably the biggest accolade came from Michael Jackson (the beer/whisky writer, not the pop-star), who said that Highland Park was “The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky.” High praise indeed, but they deserve it.
On the nose, Highland Park 12 has a big sweet caramel aroma with a heap of peat. There is a tang of salt and a phenolic sharp smell that is a bit like rubber. Very complex. The sip is an experience for sure! Right away, there is that sweet malty caramel. As the liquid crosses your tongue there are spices, old paper, leather and more of that rubber. Saltiness that seems married to the peat and gives a big sturdy foundation under those fragrant notes. Finish is all charred oak and salty peat. Just spectacular! Not a simple whiskey by any stretch of the imagination, but a rewarding experience.
Ardbeg 10 Cask Strength (Laing Bottling)— Islay
Okay, I know, another Island whiskey. Most people are interested in Highland/Speyside, but I’ve got a real soft spot for the salty sea-like coastal whiskies, and this was my last dram for tasting so I never had a doubt what it would be. Ardbeg 10 was the first drink I ever had that made me think in relative terms (it didn’t taste “like whisky”, it tasted like seaweed and smoke and peat and coffee). I was super excited to see how my tastes had matured since that first glass.
The aroma is hugely phenolic and caramel sweet. Peat turves that seem to have been cut from a bog next to the sea, and left to dry on the beach. It’s salty. There are touches of roasting coffee beans and leather. Taste is massive, and takes a minute to wrap your brain around. Big phenols, peat, oak, leather, and lots of the sea. Roasty quality isn’t quite coffee anymore, sort of charred cinnamon sticks (and yes, I know how that smells, having left a pan unattended while roasting spices for chai one day). Phenols are inky and astringent, which with it’s big alcohol heat (especially while still at cask strength) clean your palate with every sip, leaving a salty peat linger. Opened up with a good splash of water, there is chocolate and bigger caramel notes. The sea flavour becomes more detailed, and is kelp washed up on a beach next to a wind-swept field of tall grass. Oh and it’s raining, so there are some damp earth aromas. Just unintentionally went Malt Imposter-esque there, and I’m okay with that. I’ll talk more about this in my wrap-up, but I think you need to get a little silly and creative when reviewing whisky. This is another whisky, like the Highland Park, that is not a simple sipping spirit. There is so much going on here, but the effort of deconstructing it will yield amazing depth, and is worth looking a bit naff with your nose stuck in a glass, or sounding silly talking about kelp washing up on beaches.
Ardbeg 10 is still my favourite whisky, even though I tend to try not to have favourites.
What a great afternoon. Many thanks to Reid and the crew at The Feathers for their hospitality. I said it once already, but there’s no place better in Toronto for a dram of single malt!
