SMWSA Extravaganza, pt. 2: In good taste

Artist's conception.

I arrived at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC, fifteen minutes before registration was to open for the rescheduled 2012 Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza on November 28. Looking around for a sign telling me where to go, I overheard a man saying something about "whisky" to a hotel employee. Well, a sign's a sign, and I resolved to follow him -- and then, like a white rabbit, he disappeared down a hole.

By which I mean he took an escalator down two or three levels to the bottom floor, with me right behind. There, I saw a line of well dressed middle aged men stretching the length of the atrium, and I figured I was where I was supposed to be.

A short while later, the doors opened and I made my way to the registration table. There, I was handed an Extravaganza guide, a Robb Report (perhaps they thought I was someone else), and a poker chip good for two cigars, and allowed to pick up a tasting glass and head into the Extravaganza.

It goes with everything.

Tables for the different distilleries and distributors lined three of the walls of the ballroom; the fourth wall held the buffet, and in the middle were tables for dining, schmoozing, and reconnoitering. Naturally, the tables right by the entrance were swamped by attendees, so, figuring I'd have plenty of time to make a full circuit, I wandered counterclockwise until I came to a table with only one or two tasters..

This table, I was delighted to realize, was Laphroaig's. It struck me as a comfortable, even homey place to start.

It wasn't till after I had a wee dram of the 10 yo that it occurred to me that Islay is where you should end an evening of Scotch tasting, not start one. On the other hand, with my palate phenolized, I wouldn't feel bad if I weren't able to tease out the dates and the figs in some fine Speysides.

Start on the left, and work your way across.

The basic process of an Extravaganza is to walk up to a table and ask for whatever pour you'd like. (The advanced process, I suspect, is to walk up to a table and tell them Stewart (or whoever) said you should ask about the, you know, special pour, but I'm not an advanced Extravaganzer.) The choice is simpler at some tables than others; Diageo's table, for example, had about twenty bottles lined up, from most or all of their dozen Classic Malts whiskies.

Objects may be less blurry than they appear.

For me, the highlight was definitely the independent bottlers; in particular, a Provenance Inchgower 12, a Classic Cask Highland Park, and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's Auchentoshan and Jura. This was a bit of a surprise for me, since at the other Extravanganza I attended, my least favorite whisky by far was a medicinal SMWS 30 yo. It's also a bit of a bummer, because suburban Maryland is not a major market for independent Scotch whisky bottlers; heck, it's hard enough to find something like Laphroaig Triple Wood in these parts.

Tasting notes. No mention of figs or dates.

Through the evening, I tasted as many whiskies as I could without rushing; my notes, verbatim from my notebook, are given below.

• Laphroaig 10 yo: Do not start a tasting night w/ Laphroaig 10
• Laphroaig 18 yo: milder than the 10 [yo] peatwise, more like Scotch
• Laphroaig Triple Wood: curious
• Glenkinche 12 yo: very light
• Auchroisk 20: for Dewars; strong; 58% [abv]; pleasant
• Lagavulin 16: a little phenol
• Caol Ila: nothing much
• Bowmore 12: like spring water
• Bowmore 18: sourness
• Auchentoshan Classic: v. sweet nose, artificial candy, floral (?) palate
• Auchentoshan Triple Wood: richer; leaves sweet[ness of the Classic expression] behind; plastic?
• Aberfeldy 12: v. nice
• Aberfeldy 21: spirity, smooth, not at all too old
• Provenance Inchgower 12: excellent!
• Classic Cask Aberlour 12: No.
• Classic Cask Highland Park 12: sweet nose; this is Scotch!
• Classic Cask 35 yo blend: meh
• SMWS Auchentoshan: v. pleasant
• SMWS Jura 21: savory
• SMWS Glen Elgin: burnt fireworks
• SMWS Campbeltown: touch of sulfur
• SMWS Ardbeg: All peaks, no valleys
• Glenmorangie Original: nothing
• Glenmorangie Lasagna [Lasanta]: Nothing. Can't possibly be "Lasagna."
• Highland Park 15: nothing
• Highland Park 18: nice
• Knappogue Castle 12 yo: Savory, but tonight is Scotch
• Dalwhinnie 15: pretty good

(That SMWS Ardbeg flat killed my palate; it took me three more whiskies just so I could taste again.)

No sense getting faint from hunger.

I was a bit surprised when, as I was working my way through a second plate of carbs (protein slows down the metabolism of alcohol, as you know, and I was to be at work first thing in the morning), they announced that the evening was about over. 27 whiskies and a little food was a decent value for $135, I suppose. Still, had I known it was a two hour plus event, I'd've traded the second plate for a few more whiskies.

There was also to be an after-party of some sort at Jack Rose, presumably for the industry professionals, the young, and those not planning to be at work first thing in the morning. The choice of venue was not accidental; not only does Jack Rose have an amazing range of whiskies, but it was revealed to be a new SMWSA Society Spot.

The swag.

There are a couple of things about whiskey culture that I still don't quite get. One is the tiny black dress worn by all the young women who pour non-Ardbeg whiskey at these sorts of events. Well, okay, of course I get it. I just think maybe they should be wearing something more... let's say age-appropriate -- not appropriate for their age, but the age of the men for whom they're pouring whiskey.

The other thing is, what's with all the key rings? I may have a dozen key rings from distilleries, including the two I picked up at this Extravaganza. Do whiskey drinkers lose their keys a lot? Is the link between whiskey and car keys not sufficiently established?

Anyway, I have to say it was a pleasant way to spend an evening, although I think I'm at the point in my whiskey travels where I'd prefer a smaller selection of rarer whiskies, or one or two "master class" type events where you go into detail on a single distillery. But for a broad survey of generally available and affordable Scotch whiskies, the Extravaganza is hard to beat.

Taking stock of the new year

I thought it would be a good idea for me to look through my liquor cabinet (and the overflow table on the other side of the room) to see what I have on hand by way of whiskey. A record will remind me of what I have (and therefore do and do not need next time I'm in a liquor store), and will also let whoever reads this know what kind of whiskey drinker I really am, when I'm not playing the "hints of white birch smoke and Javanese cardamom" know-it-all on the Internet.

And yes, of course, let me know when you can stop by for something to wash the dust from your throat.

Bourbons

• Michter's US*1 - almost gone
• Eagle Rare Single Barrel - unopened
• Black Maple Hill - unopened
• Evan Williams Single Barrel 2002 - unopened

Ryes

• Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye - almost gone
• Catoctin Creek Cask Proof Roundstone Rye - nearly full
• Bulleit Rye - about 1/4 full
• Jefferson's 10 yo - unopened
• Dad's Hat Rye - unopened

Other American Whiskies

• Glacier Distilling North Fork - unopened (375 ml) 
• Roughstock Montana Pure Malt Whisky - 200 ml (transferred to a portable bottle from a summertime purchase)

Canadian Whiskies

• Forty Creek Barrel Select - almost gone
• Collingwood - unopened

Irish Whiskey

• Kilbeggan - mostly gone

Single Malt Scotches

• Laphroaig 10 yo - almost gone
• Springbank 10 yo - almost gone
• Glenmorangie 10 yo - mostly gone
• The Macallan Fine Oak 15 yo - mostly gone
• Auchentoshan 10 yo - mostly gone
• Balvenie Doublewood 12 yo - half gone
• Bowmore 12 yo - unopened
• Bruichladdich Laddie 10 - unopened

 Blended Malt Scotch

• Compass Box Spice Tree - 2/3 full

Blended Scotch

• None!

Unaged Whiskies

• Virginia Lightning Corn Whiskey - almost gone (and there ain't no more, I don't think, having given way to Original Moonshine)
• Bunratty Potcheen - 1/3 full

Miniatures (including samples and infusions)

• Dewar's White Label
• The Glenlivet 12 yo
• Jack Daniel's Old No. 7
• Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack
• Nikka All Malt
• Belgian Owl Single Malt
• Mackmyra First Edition
• Old Potrero Single Malt Rye
• Balcones Brimstone
• Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey
• Evan Williams American Honey

Notes

1. The above list doesn't include the various infusions I have sloshing about in refilled bottles in the bottom of the cabinet. Not sure I know what all's in them anymore anyway.
2. Here's the story of Black Maple Hill, if (like me) you didn't already know.
3. Apparently, the reason I think I don't have any bourbon is because I haven't opened 3/4 of the bottles. Still, due to social media pressure I will probably buy Old Weller Antique 107 the next time I see it.
4. I'm pretty well ryed up, though it's odd I don't have an everyday pour like Pikesville or Rittenhouse.
5. Yes, a single open bottle each of Canadian and Irish whiskey pretty well fills the Canadian and Irish whiskey shaped holes, respectively, in my life. Would I like a Connemara or a Redbreast? Absolutely! Will I buy a bottle of either this year? Um...
6. Eight bottle of single malt scotch, measured by shelf space, but only four measured by contents. I expect to finish all the "almost gone" and "mostly gone" bottles this year. How to restock? That's a big whiskey question for me this year.
7. I used the last of my Famous Grouse for an ill-starred attempt at a Hogmanay infusion (about which more later, probably). I'm not sure how much of an upgrade I'll go for. Something like a Dewar's 12 yo? Or maybe just another Famous Grouse or equivalent, since blended Scotches aren't a big deal for me?
8. I am, as you might be able to tell, indiscriminate and unapologetic in my purchase of miniatures. But I see I've been hoarding the samples I received in 2012, a bad habit I resolve to break.

What you're saying with your drink choice

Keeping in mind that this is College Humor, these are pretty much true.

With a liberal arts education you won't learn about whiskey, you'll learn how to learn about whiskey.

2012 Twitter Tasting Notes

In writing the "2012 Twitter Cocktails" post, I was reminded that, on January 1 2012, I tweeted:

My 2012 whiskey objective: Try 4 new whiskies (1 ea. rye, bourbon, scotch, & other) a month. Recommendations welcome.

The unwritten corollary was that I'd then post tasting notes for all of these on this blog.

While I certainly didn't keep to any sort of monthly plan, I may actually have come pretty close to the general goal of trying 48 new (to me) whiskies, of various types. On the other hand, I pretty much completely failed at blogging -- at all, much less tasting notes, with only three blog posts written in the last six months of 2012.

The good news is that a) my tasting notes are pretty lousy anyway; and b) I was able to harvest the following notes from Twitter (which may be lousy, but at least they're brief).

In no particular order, though I'll begin with my favorite (provided by someone who is much better at tasting whiskey than I am):

• "Peppery, peaty, and gross" -- my wife the non-whiskey fan, on Ardbeg Corryvreckan's finish


• Sent to store for white wine, managed taste of Corsair Artisan Triple Smoke & Virginia Distillery's Eades Double Malt. Both worth spending more time with.


• Had some Angel's Envy at Jack Rose. Very nice, great finish; not as heavy as I'd expected from the sound of port barrel finishing.... I like it fine, it's just not as... I'll say, luxurious as I'd expected, given the story and marketing.


• Paddleford Creek bourbon sweet and watery. Doesn't hold up well to chili.


• EH Taylor dry spice and oak up front, sweeter notes follow.


• Maker's 46 seems oakier, spicier than Maker's Mark. A wintertime Maker's, maybe.


• Bit disappointed with Michter's US*1 bourbon. Okay, but unremarkable, particularly for the price. Should've gotten the rye.


• A sip of Hancock's President's Reserve Bourbon for a nightcap. Sweet & fruity, with a bit of spice.


• The closer I get to finishing the bottle of Springbank 10 yo, the more I like it.


• Tasting the Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Cask Strength (58% abv). Extra punch adds a lot to the young (~9 mos.) Roundstone. (Lagniappe: Pearousia pear brandy: young, almost newmake fruitiness on nose. Creamy palate, dry finish.)


• Winner of a mini-tasting at i.m.wine: Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whiskey. A young nose but a developed flavor.


• Had a glass of Headframe Neversweat bourbon the other night. Sort of a perfumy off-note. Could probably stand more barrel time.


• Have to say this Montana Whiskey pure malt is leagues better than what I had 2 years ago. "It's from Montana" is now a fact, not an excuse.

• Time to fly at the Judge's Bench. Going with the T's today: Tobermory 10 yo, Tomatin 18 yo, Tomintoul 16 yo, Tullibardine 16 yo. Tomatin knows what they're doing over there, but of the four, Tomintoul 16 yo was my favorite. Today.

• I did like that taste of Wasmund's Copper Fox rye. A touch of smoke and 33% malted barley in the mash bill gives a nod across the pond.


• Liked Glacier's Glacier Dew, loved the North Fork Flood Stage. (And slivovitz!)


• Spicebox Canadian Whisky: Not bad at all, but I thought it tasted more like a whiskey-based liqueur than a spiced up whiskey.


• Arbeg Day 2012: A salty syrup, that (like a basalmic vinegar) somehow isn't sweet, and turns into an Ardbeg after several moments.


• Holy smokes, Bully Boy white whiskey drinks smooth! It'd be dangerous stuff with a tall glass of ice on a hot afternoon.


• Singleton 10 yo: Vanilla crackers, sweet and sippable, hint of ash in the finish.


• Cragganmore 12: very sharp nose, much mellower on the palate. On the whole, a pleasant way to transition to evening. A bit of vinegar for that aperativo touch. Nose settles down after 10 minutes.


• Longmorn 16 yo: Nothing special. Would've pegged it as an unremarkable 10-12 yo.

• Forty Creek Barrel Select: nose springtime forest, sweet palate w/ sourness that says it's not trying to copy any American style.


• I will say this for the hotel's selection of complimentary cocktails: I don't think I'd've ever tried Kentucky Tavern bourbon otherwise.


• Highland Park 12: It's no Kentucky Tavern. But then, what is?


• Dickel No. 8 green apple gives way to caramel on the nose, woody corn w/ light mouthfeel.Touch of charcoal in finish. Is its own TN whisky.

• Old Crow motto should be, "You want a bourbon? Fine." Not to be confused with, "You want a fine bourbon."


• Michel Couvreur Overaged: Lots of fruit and sweetness. Finer palates say layered; hits mine as a bit muddled.


• Hans Reisetbauer 7 yo: A young malt whisky that tastes like it was made by an Austrian brandy distiller.


• Yamazaki 12 yo: a very drinkable malt. Just wish some of the sushi restaurants around me carried Japanese whiskies.


• Rasputin hopped whiskey from Corsair Artisan isn't my thing. At all. But I love the experimental spirit behind it.


• A quick tasting of Koval whiskies. Favorite probably the oat whiskey. Don't care for the 47th Ward; I like smoke but not soot. Koval Raksi Millet White Whiskey: v. fruity, almost like a tequila; curious what aging does to it (Lion's Pride Millet).


• Tried Connemara last night. Peat smoke and Irish whiskey, a great match. Like the fluffernutter of the brass rail.


• I do believe I could drink a good amount of Powers Gold Label. An easy drinking, everyday Irish whiskey.


• A Bulleit rye for dessert. Light mouthfeel but a lot of flavor & long finish.

2012 Twitter Cocktails

I tweeted recipes for many of the cocktails I made in 2012, and since Twitter isn't a good place to archive and retrieve information, I've copied the tweets to this post (with some light editing and the occasional photo).

There's nothing too remarkable here, although the Spiced Scotch Mist (developed with Johanne McInnis (of @Whiskylassie and The Perfect Whisky Match) may be the most original:

• Spiced Scotch Mist: 2 oz Compass  Box Spice Tree, 1 tbs yellow chartreuse, 1 tbs white creme de menthe. Stirred w/ ice, strained into cocktail glasses.(Could probably go 2 tsp on the creme de menthe.)


• Mixed up a bright Weeski: 2 oz Irish whiskey, 1 oz Lillet, 1 tsp Cointreau, 2 dashes orange bitters.


• White Manhattan (White Ennis?) made w/ 2 oz potcheen, 1 oz Lillet, 2 dashes orange bitters.


• A Queen Anne: rye, dry vermouth, pineapple juice, peach bitters.

• An Old Pal: equal parts Catoctin Creek cask proof rye, Campari & dry vermouth). Cause why not?

• A little home-made cider and Michters bourbon. A great way to drink the cider, a terrible thing to do to the bourbon.


• I am becoming a fan of adding a tablespoon of Chartreuse to a glass of bourbon.... I mean I've been playing w/ variations on the whiskey daisy cocktail.


• Mock Sazerac: 2 oz rye, 1 tsp yellow Chartreuse, 2 tsp simple syrup, 2 dashes Peychaud's, lime twist.


• Whisky/Sweet/Sour/Tea: 2 oz. scotch, 1.5 oz sweet tea, juice of 1/4 lime.


• Autumn Manhattan: 2 oz Catoctin Creek rye, 1 oz Laird's applejack, 1 oz Martini Rosato vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters.


• The Anthony Quinn: 1.5 oz Irish whiskey, 1 oz tequila, juice of 1/4 lemon. Serve on the rocks, and pretend it's still summer.


• Glacier Whiskey North Fork, ginger ale, and lemon was my wife's all-time favorite whiskey cocktail.


• I just tried a float of sriracha powder on a splash of Laphroaig. Fun!(Sriracha powder made by dehydrating sriracha spread out on parchment paper or silicone baking mat in a 200 degF oven for 80 minutes.)


• Boulevardier on the rocks, w/ Catoctin Creek rye, Campari, & Martini Rosato. Taste for bitter drinks not yet acquired. It sort of works-- the rye is young and fruity -- and then the lemon rind aftertaste washes through. I think next time I'll do 3:2:1, going light on the Campari, and shake the hell out of it.

• Col. Palmer Swizzle: 1 pt simple syrup, 2 pt margarita mix, 3 pt bourbon, 4 pt black tea, swizzled w/ crushed ice. 


• Little Italy: 2 oz 40 Creek Barrel Select, 1 oz Martini Rosato, 2 dashes Angostura bitters; shake,strain,&serve w/ lemon twist.

• Turns out Peychaud's bitters goes well with Bunratty potcheen (plus a splash of simple syrup and a few drops of lemon juice).


• Saw a recipe for a "mint julep" that called for 1.5 oz Irish whiskey, 2 mint leaves, & 1/2 cup simple syrup. Don't try this at home.
  
• In-season strawberries muddled w/ fresh lemon juice & simple syrup goes with most anything.


• For a cool spring evening after a warm spring day, Irish whiskey & tea with a few drops of lemon juice. Room temp, the whiskey warms it up.


• Wanted to make authentic Irish cocktails, but didn't have any bartender spit. Settled on P&Gs. 

• Key lime marmalade, ginger beer, and Buffalo Trace. Nuke the marmalade for a few seconds to soften, then shake together hard.

I also mixed a few non-whiskey cocktails:

• Put 1 oz each dark rum, applejack, cranberry syrup in mug. Top with hot water, add splash of grapefruit juice. #ThanksgivingToddy (Cranberry syrup: .5 cup water, .5 cup sugar, .25 cup cranberries. Microwave 2 min, let stand 5 min, strain & cool.)


• A dram of Catoctin Creek Pearousia brandy, plus a tsp each yellow chartreuse and triple sec. Not sure how the hot peppers got in there.


• Minted Pearousia: just stirred w/ muddled mint, agave nectar & ice, then strained.


• Beezelnut Fizz: Sloop Betty vodka, blue Curacao, Frangelico, egg white. Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

• So the trick to an Old Fashioned with Peychaud's bitters is to use vodka. Which, okay, isn't much of an Old Fashioned, but so?

SMWSA Extravaganza, pt. 1: The past is prologue

A few years back, my brother and I received, as birthday presents from our wives, tickets to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America's Whisky Extravaganza in Philadelphia. It was an enjoyable event, and I learned a lot about Scotch whisky that night -- such as that I should have Bowmore and Glenmorangie in my whiskey cabinet; and yes, a whisky can spend too long in the barrel (as, for example, the ~30 yo SMWSA bottling that tasted like medicine -- and not the good kind, but the sort a doctor in St. Louis in 1901 would give a patient he didn't much like); and that one of Ardbeg's expressions (can't recall which it was) could say "Bacon Flavored" on the label without misleading the public; and that a dozen or two single malts is not the way to prepare your palate for Tullamore Dew, which under those circumstances came off tasting a bit like ditchwater.

In the ensuing years, the SMWSA made sure I was informed whenever the Extravaganza was coming to town -- which wasn't strictly necessary, since I know it always comes to town (Washington, DC, in my case) on or about my wife's birthday, which is not the week I feel comfortable dropping $150 on a gift to myself (and I'd be worse off giving my wife Extravaganza tickets for her birthday than giving her an ironing board).

Still, year by year the pressure built, and a few months back I finally cracked and said, "Nuts, this time I'm going." The Extravaganza was an almost-decent full week after the Birthday, and I am after all trying to work my way up in the whiskey world from a hobbyist to a dilettante, and I've learned a lot since the last time, and... well, dammit, I wanted to go, and my wife said I could.

Then Hurricane Sandy said I couldn't go, or at least not on the scheduled date. (Making it two years in a row that a hurricane passing through Washington spoiled my plans to taste whiskey, which isn't weird or anything.)

Though Sandy amounted to little more than a drenching rain and high winds in my neck of the woods, I certainly don't mean to write it off as nothing more than an inconvenience to me. A lot of people are still pretty badly off, and would welcome whatever help they can get. And a lot of people are still trying to help them; for instance, there's a whisky auction scheduled for tomorrow, December 2, in New York City, to raise money for victims.

In any case, the Extravaganza was rescheduled for November 28, this past Wednesday, and I was able to attend. Remind me to tell you about it some time.

If By Whiskey

Though I shame my fellow Aristotelians, I'm not much of a political animal. That, at least, is my excuse for being unaware until today of this speech given by Judge Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat, Jr., on the floor of the Mississippi state legislature in 1952, when prohibition still shackled the Hospitality State:

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time.

However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey:

If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

But, if when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.