Scotch Addict

Wow that was fast, less than two weeks ago I signed up to be a Friend of Laphroaig and this week a large letter arrived in the mail from Laphroaig Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll PA42 7DU. Yep, I was officially a Friend of Laphroaig! The cardboard-backed hard envelope contained two documents, the first was a letter welcoming me to the Friend of Laphroaig group and the second was an official lease. I was the proud new lessee of Plot No. 373951.

The certificate said:

LIFETIME LEASE ON A SQUARE FOOT OF ISLAY

This is the certify that Jim Wang is a Friend of LAPHROAIG and, accordingly, has become the lifetime leaseholder of an unregistered plot recorded at LAPHROAIG DISTILLER.

As condition of this award, we agree to pay a yearly ground rent in the sum of one dram of Laphroaig, to be claimed in person at the distiller. You understand we’re not offering heritable ownership or any right to cut peat, farm sheep or extract minerals from the plot – far better to take up your right to a warming measure of Laphroaig.

Upon the Leaseholder’s arrival at Laphroaig we undertake to provide a map, with adequate directions for locating the PLOT, and suitable protective clothing against Islay’s rugged weather and eccentric wildlife.

The LEASEHOLDERS’ Cupboard will contain at all times essential equipment, including: For ascertaining the boundaries of the plot, one tape measure; a pair of wellingtons, size 12, approximately one foot in length.

For the journey to the plot, protective headgear against low-flying GEESE; a thick overcoat to repel the inclement Scottish mist; a lifebelt and anchor to safeguard against being blown out to sea; one ball of string for securing trouser legs from inquisitive stoats; and a towel for the Leaseholder to dry-off in the event of unwelcome attention from affectionate otters.

No moment is more special than savouring our rugged single malt at its source to the sound of the sea. To do so is to understand why Laphroaig is the most rewarding and individual of all malt wiskies.

Cool!

General Laphroaig

Did you know that when you buy a bottle of Laphroaig, you’re actually buying a lease on a square foot of Islay? Yep! It says so on a tag attached to the bottle. When you buy a bottle you become a “Friend of Laphroaig.”

As a “Friend” you will be given a numbered plot (one square foot) of our land that runs alongside our all important water suppply – the Kilbride stream. If you visit us you can view your plot and of course claim your ground rent of a dram of our finest – though you will probably need to take a few precautions, as you will see later! Today the heart of our community is on the web. There are now over 250,000 Friends from over 150 countries!

To claim the plot, just go to www.laphroaig.com/plot and set yourself up.

My plot is #373951, let me know if you’re nearby!

General Laphroaig

In mid-2006, Forbes listed the world’s most expensive whiskies with the top bottle netting $38,000. That’s right, a single bottle of the stuff at the top of the list costs more than most of the cars on the road today. Which was it? It was The Macallan Fine and Rare Collection, 1926, 60 Years Old… a single malt of the highest order took the top spot and it’s not actually possible to buy it anymore.

Here’s what Forbes had to say:

The oldest and most sought-after of Macallan’s revolutionary Fine & Rare Collection is now sold out. It is still possible to taste this totally unique Scotch whisky at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J. However, it sells for a nosebleed-inducing $3,300 per dram, so you had better have had a good run at the craps table.

To clarify, the list was created to capture the most expensive of each type, so you’ll see clearly “inexpensive” Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey listed because it’s the most expensive Tennessee whiskey. Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old is the most expensive rye whiskey and Suntory Yamazaki 18 is the most expensive Japanese whiskey. Anyway, here’s the rest of the list:

1. The Macallan Fine & Rare Collection, 1939, 40 Years Old: $10,125
2. Chivas Regal Royal Salute, 50 Year Old: $10,000
3. Glen Garioch, 1958, 46 Year Old: $2,600
4. Bruichladdich 40 Year Old: $2,500
5. Glenfiddich 40 Year Old: $2,500
6. Springbank 32 Year Old: $750
7. Auchentoshan 1973 32 Year Old: $700
8. Evan Williams 23 Year Old Bourbon: $350
9. Midleton Very Rare: $139
10. Suntory Yamazaki 18 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey: $110
11. Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old: $55
12. Johnny Walker Green Label: $50
13. Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey: $50
14. Jack Daniels Single Barrel Whiskey: $42

General Auchentoshan, Bruichladdich, Chivas Regal, Glen Garioch, Glenfiddich, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, Macallan, SUntory Yamazaki

As you may know, Scotch is typically aged and matured in oak casks for the number of years listed on the label. As you may also know, oak is a type fo wood, so what does it mean for a single malt to be wood finished or to have a wood finish? If it’s already in a oak-wood cask, aren’t all scotches finished in wood? (No, it’s not a trick question!)

A wood finish means that the scotch was then aged another two or more years in a cask that once held some other spirit in them. The popular choices are port, sherry, etc. This adds a different layer to the scotch because in the maturation process, the scotch gets pulled into the wood and then released as the temperature changes. Since the cask once held something else, which presumably went through this same process, some of the flavors and essence that make up the other spirit will be passed onto the scotch.

The Balvenie Doublewood 12 is the only wood finished Scotch I’ve ever tried and I really enjoyed it. The Balvenie is located in Speyside and the Doublewood 12 is aged in both a traditional oak cask and a “first fill European oak sherry cask.” When I tried it, the sherry was very easy to detect in the nose and I enjoyed the sweet flavors imparted by the sherry cask. Having never tried The Balvenie without the wood finish, I didn’t know if the sweetness and vanilla notes were more from the Balvenie or more from the sherry cask. Either way, I enjoyed it. I think aging it in a cask that held something else is a great way to add a layer of complexity to something. I would really like to try their PortWood 21 someday too, perhaps side by side against the one matured in sherry, it would provide an opportunity to compare the two (though 12 and 21 years is a big maturity difference).

Reference Balvenie Doublewood, Sherry, Wood Finish

When Scotch is taken directly from the cask, it’s at an alcohol by volume percentage known as “cask strength” or “barrel proof.” There is no standard for how strong “cask strength” is but most scotches are diluted down to around 40% ABV to 43% ABV. For those that don’t, usually older scotches where buyers want to have it at cask strength because it represents the product straight from the barrel, cask strength usually means it’s in the 60’s in terms of percentage alcohol by volume.

At cask strength, the alcohol really dominates most of the other flavors; which is why many enthusiasts will dilute the product down to a more typical 40%-43% ABV. By adding water, you also have a chemical effect on the whiskey; you break down ester chains and release some of the more volatile aromatic elements of the scotch. Ever notice that you’ll smell things you didn’t smell before when you’ve sipped the whiskey? That’s because the saliva, and other goodies, in your mouth also break down some of those ester chains.

How should you dilute the scotch? The best method is with distilled water, especially if you have particularly hard water (heavy in minerals). You want your water to be as flavorless as possible and distilled water is the best choice, second only to water from the distillery! How much should you add? Not too much if you’re drinking something already at 40%, maybe a dash to release some flavors.

Or… add none.

(Photo: neilbetter)

Tasting Cask Strength, Water

One of the reasons I started Scotch Addict was because my wife gave me a wonderful Christmas gift last year. She gave me six scotch tasting glasses by Reidel, a copy of Michael Jackson’s Complete Guide To Single Malt Scotch, and a copy of Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide. I thoroughly recommend both books for the scotch aficionado but today I want to talk about why you should get special glasses to help you enjoy single malt scotches (or any whiskey).

The primary reason why you want to use a special glass is because it allows you the ability to both smell and sip the scotch at the same time. As long as the glass affords you that ability, it’ll work for scotch purposes. The idea is that you’ll want to swirl the scotch around in the glass and then smell the fragrances and aromas that waft up to your nose. A traditional whiskey tumbler is not an ideal glass, even though it offers you the sip and smell ability, because it was designed for drinking scotch and sodas. However, not there’s no reason to be a snob, if all you have is a plastic Solo cup, you can still enjoy scotch!

Barware Glasses, Nose

Clutch, of Dubber & Clutch, a scotch blog penned by a New Zealander (of Scottish descent) and a Scotsman (also of Scottish descent) who enjoy whisky and are keen that you do too; recently had an opportunity to visit Oban and shared their experience.

Over the course of the following hour and a half I was treated to my own private lesson in the art of distilling, from a man who could have easily been reading from a chemistry degree textbook, but who was as gracious with his explanations to the scientific layman that sat in front of him (myself) as he was with his generosity when it came to sending me on my way with a very special parting gift …

It’s a great story about the hospitality of Oban and their distillery manager, Kenny Gray, do check it out if you have a few spare moments.

General Distillery Tour, Oban

The process of making scotch is actually quite easy, it’s just like making beer except you distill it a few times to get the clear whiskey, then put it into an Oak barrel to mature. The “making beer” part is actually pretty straightforward too, though the specifics can get a little complicated. In the next few articles I’ll discuss the individual steps but here’s the overall process.

First, you grow barley. When it’s ready, you pick it and put it in some hot water to let it germinate a bit. Once it has sprouted, you dry it in out a kiln. The germination produces the sugars that will be consumed by the yeast to produce alcohol later on. Once you roast it in a kiln, you grind it up with a grist mill and mix it with hot water, thus creating a mast ton. You drain and refill it several times to create the wort. Once the wort cools, you pitch in the yeast and let the little guys do their magic. Up until this point, the process could easily be mistaken for brewing beer (except you probably wouldn’t use peat to heat the kiln in drying the barley). After fermentation, the wort is now known as wash.

From here, once the wort has fermented to wash, the mixture is put into a pot still or a column still for distillation. The wash is distilled several times (2-3 usually) and part of the distilled whiskey is then put into an Oak barrel to be aged. After aging in a warehouse for many years, it’s then bottled (often after mixing with water to lower the alcohol by volume to a more reasonable 40-45%).

That, my friends, is the process of making scotch at a very high level.

Reference Making Scotch