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Lifestyles

Lifestyles

A Rich Pour - Column No. 6: How I Learned To Like The Fire

A Hot Start

A simple pastime or consuming passion - how best to describe my fascination with Scotch? Well, I can vividly recall where, when and how my pursuit of the golden elixir ignited. I suppose that seals it then. I was only nine years old at the time, after all.

Dad was a Grand Macnish man, and always had one or two squat, indented bottles of the blended Scotch stashed away in a cupboard. They were fun to look at. Yet it was obvious, even to a naive youngster's eyes, that the liquid within held the key to pleasure. And my day of 'enjoyment' finally arrived.

I thought Macnish would be a snap. The gruff aroma of the whisky did singe my sinuses, but still failed to dissuade an eager and curious palate. I downed the dram. Snap indeed! "Where's the water hose?" I gasped, as fires raged inside my mouth. Unbeknownst to me, the tempestuous spirit of Scotland had sown its seed amidst the lava flow.

The Benefits Of Age

Many years passed before I dared dance again with the fiery liquor. Then, late one afternoon, I hunkered down with a few confrères to unwind from the stresses of work. One sage soul had brought along a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, and with cups and ice cubes at hand, we were on our way.

A Singularly Auspicious Discovery

The selection of available Scotches seemed pitiful back in those days - never mind talking about single malts. Nonetheless, Seagram still owned its Speyside distilleries and maintained offices in Montreal. As well, the company's famous Glenlivet 12 Year Old could be found at most local liquor outlets. Gentle enough to round off the roughest workday and tasty enough to make us take notice, Glenlivet became our drink of choice. I even began to forego the ice cubes.
 

Glenlivet... Where I began my single malt journey
 

Books And Bottles

Matters evolved rapidly thereafter. I was fortunate that my burgeoning interest in Scotch whisky coincided with a veritable renaissance in the single malt market. Enticing articles on Scotch whisky distilleries graced the pages of my favorite wine periodicals. Even better, bottles of single malt produced by many of the profiled sites magically appeared in the stores. From the rounded richness of Balvenie's original Founder's Reserve and Highland Park through the teasing seaside balance of Bowmore and powerful peat of Lagavulin to the sherried opulence of Macallan, I encountered a new universe filled with delicious flavor sensations. The seed had indeed sprouted.

Suddenly, my shelves were sagging under the weight of liquor periodicals, books on whisky and, yes, bottles of Scotch. Gatherings with family and friends usually found an open bottle or two of single malt at hand. Conversation and whisky flowed. The spirit of Scotland was working its magic.
 
       
From south to north, the Highlands of Scotland offer a wide variety of taste sensations.
 

Opening New Doors

As any of you traveling this road know, it does not end. For me, the taste of whisky and the drama behind its creation have led to writing as well as to the discovery of the pleasure of a good accompanying cigar. I'm certainly far from first to be so inspired, but at least I can now personally vouch for the benefits.

More importantly, single malt Scotch makes for, when consumed in moderation, a remarkably benign, even healthy, alcoholic beverage. Distilled in copper vessels from pure barley brew and slowly aged in oak, it seems especially adept as an apéritif or digestif, though you can certainly partake of its pleasures at other times.
 
A 'sure-fire' pair of 15-year olds
 

Feeling The Warmth

What can be gleaned from my experience? Scotch whisky, though often called the 'water of life', is definitely more than just water. This unique liquor also encompasses the elements of air, earth and, most importantly, fire. The fire can come across as little more than faint embers on the tongue, or it can feel positively incendiary. Your palate may take awhile to accustom itself to this characteristic. Give it the chance. For whether softly engaging or uncompromisingly intense in style, Scotch whisky IS meant to spread warmth.

If you haven't yet taken the plunge, I hope my tale persuades you to do so. And for those of you who have already - as Wallace Milroy would say - "slipped down a treat"...
Slainte!
 

Strathisla... Sometimes, the distillery is as beautiful as its whisky
(Copyright © 2002 Doug Kuebler)
 

Finding The Right Single Malt Scotch

The single malt whiskies of Scotland originate from many diverse regions, and encompass a wide range of scents and flavors. If single malts are totally new to you and you don't have the faintest idea where to begin or how to proceed, might I offer a few suggestions based on general stylistic themes?

Those I'm proposing are all standard-age versions bottled by the distilleries or their parent companies. These whiskies should be fairly easy to track down.

I've excluded single malts that have undergone finishing in wood vessels different from those utilized during the primary maturation period, as such double-casking - an increasingly popular practice within the industry, by the way - often introduces additional tastes quite distinct from the usual flavors people have traditionally come to expect from the whiskies. I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible here.
 

The Isle of Skye's single star
 
Malted, distilled barley at its most approachable:
Auchentoshan 10 Year Old from the Lowlands - an amiable whisky if ever there was one
Embellished with honeyed tones:
Balvenie 10 Year Old Founder's Reserve from the Highlands - vivid and delicious
Delicately spiced:
Glenmorangie 10 Year Old from the northern Highlands - refined and complex
Infused with floral and herbal notes:
Cragganmore 12 Year Old from the Highlands - breathe in the Speyside air
Mellowed by the influence of oak:
Strathisla 12 Year Old from the Highlands - subtle yet substantial
Rounded by sherried richness:
Glenfarclas 12 Year Old from the Highlands - fulsome and lingering
Gently imbued with honey, heather and peat:
Highland Park 12 Year Old from the Orkney Islands - caressing and perfectly formed
Focused by maturation in first-fill Bourbon barrels:
Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel - clean and enlivening
Powerfully spiced:
Talisker 10 Year Old from the Isle of Skye - sprays you with saltwater, then drys you by the fire
Fully exposed to the effects of sea and smoke:
Ardbeg 10 Year Old from Islay - watch out for the undertow... For more on the allure of Ardbeg and many of the other Islay single malt whiskies, please check out Column No.5 of A Rich Pour, entitled Smoke on the Water, here.
 
       
Oban, though located in the western Highlands, hints at island vigor, while
Aberdeenshire's Glen Garioch often offers up a different kind of peat.
 

Don't Forget The Blends

With all of the hype surrounding single malts over the last two decades, blended Scotches have suffered more than their share of criticism. Much of this criticism is unwarranted. Sometimes, a good blended Scotch whisky is just the ticket.

Here are a couple of personal picks:
Gordon Graham's 10 Year Old Black Bottle - an alluring Islay fling
Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Gold Label - sophisticated and seductive
And some of my very favourite whiskies of the vatted pure malt variety:
Chivas Century of Malts - sensational meld of 100 single malts
Johnnie Walker Green 15 Year Old Green Label - very fine from start to finish
Poit Dhubh 12 Bliadhna Mac Na Braiche - sparks fly amidst the velvety texture
 

                                               

 
Happy hunting!
 
 

Doug Kuebler (Jazznut) is an inveterate aficionado and collector of wines and whiskies from around the world. Doug has organized wine and food seminars, and written extensively on wines and liquors. His latest book set, The Tumbler's Guide to Single Malt Scotch Whisky: Desk Reference and Field Guide, is available from Topeda Hill Publishing.