Fail...er...Adventures in Home Blending, Part 2

I am blessed.  I have a great home.  I have a brilliant lovely partner.  I can still be moved by art and poetry.  I am ambulatory and conscious.  My five senses still work when required.  My vital signs and general health metrics meet or better acceptable levels.  And I live in a time and place where (and when) I can type these words which appear instantly on a glowing screen, then click a "Publish" button which instantly releases them into a universe where people I've never met can find and read them at their leisure on their own glowing screens.

I complain a lot in my daily life, but that's mostly due to laziness.  It's easier to allow the many (mostly minute) inconveniences to direct one's focus away from the more profound gifts.  It's a considerable challenge to climb above the distractions to see the good clearly.

So, I'd like to say right now: I am so lucky.  So lucky to not have to choose between Duggan's Dew and Clan Macgregor as a nightcap.  Instead, an almost infinite number of decisions and opportunities have brought a number of enjoyable whiskies into reality, then into my whisky closet.

Most recently, bottles of Old Pulteney 12 and Kilchoman Machir Bay found their way here, both through unusual chance -- a friend wanted to sell one and a shop had mis-priced the other.  They were good bottles.  Were.  They are both now empty.  But not before I merged the two into...


KILL PULTENEY BAY

3 parts Old Pulteney 12
1 part Kilchoman Machir Bay
16 days married in the dark.  An ABV of 43.75%.

I did my best to better obey the two blending rules that I listed yesterday.  Little goes a long way with peated whiskys and leave the blend some time to mingle.  I was actually going to give it a week, but other fine things kept me occupied.

Let's see what happened.

October 22, 2012
NEAT:
Color -- Medium amber
Nose -- Nice oak, vanilla & cookie dough, maybe some distant sherry, berries, notebook paper, mild peat, toffee, angel food cake, and butterscotch.
Palate -- The Kilchoman punched me in the mouth! Somehow feels even peatier this way. More vegetal than smoky.  Moss.  Some white fruits, like pears.
Finish -- More Kilchoman. Some more veggies. Vanilla. A little sour. Eventually some bitterness.

With time there were more baked goods on the nose, but also a considerable bitterness gained steam in the mouth.

WITH WATER (38% ABV)
Nose -- Maltier, less peat, almost a lightly peated Glenfiddich 12, ammonia
Palate -- Peat and Windex, more white fruity sweetness
Finish -- Bitter and sweet, a touch of peat, some sourness, getting very bitter

Shucks.  This thing can't swim, in water or oxygen.  All the promise of the nice nose and decent palate went angry and cruddy with time and water.

The sourness may be courtesy of a fruit-sour note often found in OP12.  The bitterness, I can't explain.  It's not there upon first pour.  Nor after 15 covered minutes.  But once air gets in, bitter compounds begin to bloom.  Adding water causes these fed-after-midnight gremlins to multiply, air and time does the rest.  It feels like dark shadow of sweet peat.

But let's get back to the positive things I've learned.  Kilchoman is a muscular kid, beating down the old Pulteney with ease.  The neat nose is great.  The experiment was fun and absolutely worth it.

We'll travel a different path with the next home blended malt...

Fail...er...Adventures in Home Blending, Part 1

Unless that whisky in your hand is a from a single cask, bottled at its actual cask strength, you're drinking a blend.

Blended Whisky -- A mix of many barrels of malt whisky from different distilleries with many more barrels of grain whisky, watered down to 40%-43% ABV.

Blended Malt -- A medley of single malts from multiple distilleries, usually watered down to a 40%-46% range.

Single Malts -- A blend of hundreds, sometimes thousands of different casks of malt whisky from a single distillery, then often mixed with a portion of local water.

High-strength single malts, like Glenlivet and Glenfarclas 105 --  Blends of numerous casks, kept at a high ABV, and sometimes even watered down a bit obtain the profile desired by the producer.

Though the term "blend" has had a negative connotation (courtesy of cheap low-quality brown stuff) in the whisky world, blending is not a bad thing.  In fact it's an art.  It can be alchemy, mixing multiple whiskies with completely different characteristics in order to achieve a single statement.  It's adding 4 + 3 and somehow getting 8.  Sometimes the results are modern delights like Ardbeg Uigedail or Balvenie Tun 1401.  Sometimes the results are more perfunctory, with blends like Johnnie Walker Red Label and Dewars White Label.

From David Stewart to Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender can be a distillery's most valuable asset, aside from the amber liquid itself.  They're the ones who figure out the recipe, the flavor, nose, texture, finish, the entire experience.

It wasn't until I listened to an extensive interview with John Glaser of Compass Box (courtesy of David Driscoll of K&L Wines), that I ever considered tinkering with my own blends.  Glaser had been making small blends for friends for years while working for Johnnie Walker's corporate office before he made the leap to start his own whisky company.  The man has since mastered the magic of blended malts (Flaming Heart, Peat Monster, Oak Cross, Spice Tree) and his every new release is a cause for excitement.

I took Glaser's words as encouragement.  So I gave blending a try.

I am no John Glaser.

ROUND 1: The Benbeg Sauternes

I owned two bottles of which I had very separate opinions.
1.  The Ardbeg Ten -- loved it; would take a stinky bath in it if I could; plus I had some whisky to spare in a mostly full bottle.
2.  Benriach 16yr Sauternes Finish -- was down to the end of the bottle; did not love the stuff; can understand some of the appeal of the wine finish, but it was far from being appealing to my palate.

I wondered, "What would a young Ardbeg taste like with a French wine finish?"  So I mixed up a tiny batch.

First rule of blending: A little bit of peat goes a loooooooooooooooooong way.

I did not know this at the time.  Now I know.

I mixed five parts Ardbeg Ten with three parts Benriach 16yr Sauternes Finish.  In hindsight, I probably should have rethought that ratio.

The mix, the home vatted malt, was married for a mere 48 hours in a little glass bottle.

Second rule of blending: Let your blend marry. Allow the new couple some time to get to know each other.

48 hours was probably not enough.  But I don't think time would have rescued this relationship.  Here are my notes:


March 12, 2012
NEAT:
Color -- Sauvignon Blanc
Nose -- Sweet, meaty, hammy.  Honey and baked bananas.  Mellows with time, but there's lots of ham.
Palate -- Peat wins this round. Some band-aids. Butter. Boston creme. Drying yet sweet.
Finish -- Long peat smoke only, very drying

W/WATER:
Nose -- Sauternes finish up front like a sickly sweet varnish
Palate -- Very creamy, brown sugar, Ardbeg peat, gets quite bitter
Finish -- Sweetens up, grainy, then more bitterness. A heavy NutraSweet aftertaste.

Actually, these notes are very polite.  For a more accurate measurement, here's the lone final comment from my notes:
"never again".

Neat, it was ham and peated Boston creme pie.
With water, peated bittersweet varnish that I couldn't scrub off my tongue.

Happily, I only used 50mL of whisky.  Unhappily, I drank the whole 50mL.  Later, I woke up in the middle of the night with the reek still on me.  Don't do this.  Don't repeat this blend.

Two questions then arose, what if I blended two malts I like?  And what if I blend two malts I don't?

Let's find out those answers this week.

Far away from the noise

6400 feet above sea level in the mountain forest of Idyllwild, Kristen and I have put a considerable distance between us and the troubles of the week. We are joined by our friends James and Jess, and maybe a beverage or two. The world is quiet up here.

Condo Makeover: Part 2

Having experienced a 16-hour work day on Wednesday that ended in considerable drama, I am pained to be unable to blog about my job.  Seriously, anything I say further would endanger my continued employment.

So let's get to some home makeover pics!

Part 2: The living room

Before: there was the bland sickly-flesh-colored paint, cruddy title by the fading fireplace, and a massive mirror surround the mantle.  And Billy bookcases!

Yes, this pic was not taken during Summer.

We ripped the mirror out of the wall, then patched up the mess with drywall mud.  Kristen repainted the reassembled mantle and then applied a couple of coats of black paint to the fireplace tile.

And we, together, painted the walls a sweet yet subtle peaceful blue-gray (Valspar's "Gravity").  But because we were both so hard at work (I'm a terrible painter) we have few pictures displaying the process.

Instead, here is what our guest bathroom looked like during the process.

My favorite bathroom ever:

View from the commode

I invented a cocktail in between:  The Anti-Gravity.  Explanation and video here.

The final result.

That's the living room.  Complete with all of Kristen's lovely decor touches.

It took a lot more work and time than the bedroom redo.  But the effort was worth it.  Our home is becoming ours, more and more.

Single Malt Report: The Least Epic Taste Off Ever?

Be honest.  You've seen them.  Confused them.  Interchanged them.  The Spey-somethings.  Sitting there on the shelf, looking idly tempting at $19.99, the Speyside 12 and Speyburn 10.

I think there was even a gift set with one of them along with two glasses for $20.  I almost bought it.  For the glasses?

Anyway, these guys get no love.  Yet they are from very much legitimate distilleries.  The Speyside distillery is almost outside of the familiar Speyside region, in the far southwest corner; while Speyburn is smack-dab in the middle of whisky central.

The Speyside Distillery is owned by The Speyside Distillers Company, who also owns the great little indie bottler Scott's Selection.  The former owners bought the distillery land in 1956, but the construction didn't finish until 1987, with the first spirit being run in 1990.  In the meantime, the old ownership, led by George Christie, ran a grain distillery (Strathmore/North of Scotland) for almost 25 years, until it was sold to DCL and closed soonafter.  The Speyside distillery sits right on the bank of the River Tromie, the source of the Spey (as per Charles McLean).  It has at varying times released an 8yr, 10yr, 12yr, 15yr, and the NAS Drumguish.  They also briefly released the widely sh*t-panned black whisky named Cu Dubh.  The bottling we see the most of in The States is this 12yr.

Speyburn Distillery is a bit older.  Built in 1896, they only closed briefly in the 1930s, but otherwise mostly produced malt for blends up until Inver House Distillers (now owned by Thai Beverage) bought the distillery in 2001.  It was actually one of the top six malts in the US for the first few years of the new millenium, but its sales have since dropped by almost 50% here (as per the Yearbook).  They have this 10yr bottling, as well as an (even cheaper!) NAS whisky called Bradan Orach.  Several years back they put out a 25-year Solera bottling that's been consistently well received.

On the personal side of things, I was very happy to find minis of these here and there around town.  $3.99 is a less risky investment than $19.99, according to my maths.  This wasn't going to be the most glamorous Taste Off, but it needed to be done.  And maybe, there was a gem to be found.  Maybe.

THE SPEYSIDE 12

Distillery: Speyside
Ownership: Speyside Distillers Co.
Age: minimum 12 years
Maturation: refill ex-bourbon American oak
Region: Speyside (Glentromie)
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Neat (only)
The color is a medium brass.  The nose is simple.  Malt, sugar cookies, vanilla, a tiny bit of barrel char. Almost a Canadian blend.  Acetone?  A little PVC plastic.  The palate is simpler.  Cocoa, fresh grass, light smoke, the other grass, and an odd cheap vodka (or grain spirit) note.  Its medium-length finish is all malt and grasses.

SPEYBURN 10


Distillery: Speyburn
Ownership: Inver House Distillers (Thai Beverage)
Age: minimum 10 years
Maturation: refill ex-bourbon American oak
Region: Speyside (Rothes)
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Neat (only)
The color is a light brass.  The nose?  Per my notes, "Ew." Young whisky note reminiscent of Black & White or Hankey or Cutty blends.  Bright overripe tropical fruits, not the best oak, bananas and molasses.  Afrin nasal spray?  The palate is a little more approachable.  It's hot and spirity, but mildly smoky, like a very young Johnnie Walker Black Label.  Its simple sweetness grows with time.  The medium-length finish keeps the sweetness, though can be a bit drying.  And there's the unmistakable puff of Swisher Sweets.


WINNER(?):
Nose - Speyside 12
Palate/Finish - Speyburn 10

I was very surprised at how similar these two were to the blends at their price range.  And I don't mean that as a compliment.  Similar to blends like Hankey and Cutty, these two malts wavered between being nearly silent to begging for a drowning in mixers.  The Speyside 12 gets the slight nod overall since the Speyburn 10's nose was substantially short of pleasant.

On a random note, the Speyside 12's packaging was impressively shoddy.  The metal cap broke and fell apart upon opening, while the label was peeling off the bottle.  That may sound petty, but I've had many liquor minis -- a number of them at 99cents a pop -- and this was the crummiest construction of any of them.  Mini presentation is an odd way to fall short, but the whisky within the bottle wasn't much better.  It's too bad, because I really recommend their sister company Scott's Selection's bottlings.  But I do not recommend The Speyside 12 nor the Speyburn 10.

Speyside 12yr
Availability - Many liquor purveyors
Pricing - $23-$28
Rating - 68

Speyburn 10yr
Availability - Many liquor purveyors
Pricing - $17-$23 (cheap!)
Rating - 66

For a completely different take on Speyburn 10 please see this review.

Single Malt Report: Glengoyne 17 year old

The least peated Scotch single malt whisky?  Technically, all of the malt that gets dried via coal / hot air should have a 0 ppm count.  But the Glengoyne Distillery goes out of their way to highlight the fact that they never peat their whisky.  It's their way of saying, Our malt doesn't hide behind peat and smoke.

And as much of a peathead as I am, I have to say, Glengoyne makes a good whisky.

As I have whined about previously, it's been hot as hell in Southern California.  We had over seven consecutive weeks of 90 degree temperatures, several times cresting 100.  That's not good Ardbeg-drinking weather.  Seriously.  A lot of bourbon highballs and/or beer going on in this home.

I went out looking for a lighter malt for the summer.  I was happy to discover Old Pulteney 12, and Mr. Powers is always there when needed (rain or shine).  I'd been window shopping Glengoyne for over a year, then about two months ago the 17-year made an appearance at an OC Scotch Club event.  I enjoyed it.  I thought about it some more, then was able to get my hands on a little sample (Thank you, Bob!).

Some notes on Glengoyne:

The distillery sits on the border between the Highlands and the Lowlands.  The distillery building itself sits on the Highland side.  The warehouse sits on the Lowland side.  The whisky's light character could often be likened to a Lowland, but there's still some heft and burl lurking just underneath to remind one of the whiskys north of the border.

The distillery opened in 1833 as "Burnfoot".  The Lang Brothers purchased it in 1876 and changed the name to Glenguin, then to Glengoyne in 1905.  The Brothers' company held onto the distillery until the 1960s.  In 2003, Ian MacLeod Distillers purchased it from The Edrington Group and refurbished the entire whisky lineup.

It remains a small distillery; its capacity is approximately 1/10 that of Glenfiddich.  If I'm doing my math right (using figures from the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2012), they're keeping 20-25% of their malt for their single malt range.  Since they're owned by a well-regarded blend producer, it's likely that's where the majority of the malt remainder goes.  I did some online snooping of their historical whiskys and it looks like they rarely sell casks off to independent bottlers.

Their regular range had recently consisted of a 10yr, 12yr (non-US), 12yr cask strength (non-US), 17yr, and 21yr.  But even more recently, they've made some changes.  Aside from unveiling new packaging, they've taken the age statement off the cask strengther.  They've added a 15yr, and have swapped this 17yr for an 18.

Before this switcheroo, here's how the US range had been matured:
10 year - 80% ex-bourbon American oak, 20% ex-sherry European oak
17 year - 65% ex-bourbon American oak, 35% ex-sherry European oak
21 year - was 50% ex-sherry, then in 2007 was changed to 100% ex-sherry European oak

Okay, I've exhausted my tired brain of The Facts.  Let's get to The Truth.

Distillery: Glengoyne
Ownership: Ian MacLeod Distillers
Age: minimum 17 years
Maturation: at least 35% first and refill ex-sherry European oak, the rest is ex-bourbon American oak
Region: Highlands (South)
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NEAT:
The color is a medium gold, or perhaps a brass with red tones eased in.  The nose.  Ah, the nose.  At first raisins, prunes, and mild vanilla.  Then buttered bread, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Then cherry kirsch, pancakes and syrup, and bread pudding.  There's also a subtle french onion soup note of saltiness and beef broth that actually works as the bass guitar of this band.  The texture is very syrupy.  The palate starts out with ice cream profiteroles (the puff pastry, vanilla bean ice cream, and hot fudge all together).  Then some Werther's candies.  Maple syrup, caramel syrup, and then some light notes of stone fruits.  The finish is all old-school candyshop sweets: caramels, toffee, butterscotch, and rock candy.  The vanilla, maple syrup, and stone fruit notes remain as well.

Yeah, I didn't add water to this one.  I enjoyed it as it was too much.  In fact, I was afraid any water would break it, as the whole structure is so light.  It really is a good warmer weather whisky, probably best in Spring.

I'm giving this a high rating, mostly due the dynamite nose.  It needs some time, maybe up to 30 minutes, in the glass.  But it's worth the wait.  The finish is very good as well, showing off the miracles of malt + oak.  Since Glengoyne appears to be phasing this whisky out, I'll probably seek out a bottle before it's all gone.

Availability - Some liquor specialists
Pricing - $70-$80  (note: three LA-area stores carry this for fifty dollars. Yes 50, for a 17yr. I'm not revealing which stores, but they're not hard to find.)
Rating - 88

Good things Thursday

The work week has been horrid up to this point and I can no longer enjoy a quick internet break since all media stories (sports, politics, culture, arts, etc.) have drowned in oceans of knee-jerk hyperbole.  The message is not instant.  We've all been forced, in the name of selling a story, to forget that so we're all missing the evolution of our collective lives.

But I've been thinking about the good things since I awoke this morning.

Strange swirls of cloud rolled in at daybreak.  They brought with them sunshowers.  For now the heat has been broken.  Thank you, skies.

***

Dear reader, if you have a Trader Joes nearby, you may want to consider trying their White Cheddar with Carmelized Onions.  Holy moley.  It is good on everything.  EVERYTHING.  I'm going to buy it again next week and try it with Sriracha.  Also, regarding Sriracha: This.

***

Jordan at Chemistry of the Cocktail has a great two-part piece on Non-Age-Statement whiskies that I recommend to all you anoraks.

***

Finally, for whisky geeks,  THIS.  David Driscoll of K&L Wines has restarted his excellent podcast.  This week, he interviewed Rachel Barrie, one of the great Master Blenders.  Her background may be science, but she speaks of whisky like an artist, full of metaphysics, memories, and emotions.  Because she helped bring Ardbeg Uigeadail and Corryvreckan in the world, she'd already won my whisky heart.  But I could listen to her talk all day and night.  For now, the podcast is the closest I'll get to that.  Just put it on repeat while sitting in traffic.....  Anyway, she recently moved over to Morrison-Bowmore where she'll be weaving miracles with Bowmore, Glen Garioch, and Auchentoshan.  Thank you to David and Rachel!

***

Alright, time to take on the day.  Deep breaths, y'all.