An incredible and exciting concept I’m very proud and honoured to be part of.

I remember when I first discovered that even Single Malts are essentially blends- albeit from one distillery. What was great about exploring single casks was that they provided individual snapshots- true elucidations of the magic of the ageing process. However, the commercial pressures of a brand dictated that certain expressions never really saw the light of day- they would give too much of a contrast to the mainline bottlings. This is where independent bottlings came to the rescue (although they actually existed long before the brand itself developed!). The independents give a chance to see another side that may be different to the expressions you’d usually find.

As a next stage to this, I was very pleased when we got to explore the maturation idea further at The Whistling Shop. Now, to me, oak (or wood flavours) were an ingredient- something to use carefully as part of a blend of flavours. This is how I used wood when I developed our barrel creations (cocktails or spirit recreations I suppose). One part I found particularly interesting though was the idea of ageing new make spirit outside of its usual setting. Of course, in the case of Scotch New Make, this couldn’t be called ‘Scotch’, but the different climatic conditions would create an interesting play on the spirit. I would love to do the same with Tequila, Bourbon or rum- or other ‘tropically aged’ spirits to contrast how they would taste aged in the UK. I suppose this is the difference with Early Landed Cognac which offers a great contrast to the Cognac ageing conditions.

So back to our ‘independent bottlings’, well as a different contrast to the distillery matured stocks, and the bottles they release, we have our own independently matured stock. It still retains the character at the heart, but develops in a different manner. For example, we have some Penderyn Welsh Spirit maturing in the bar, but as a nice display, we serve this alongside the distillery bottling of Penderyn so the contrast, and how the spirit has differently matured can be seen.

Reserva de Ryan?

Well, this is a blend of New Makes that I am ageing in a barrel. A blend starting from day one- something I tried 4 years back in Scotland having inherited a host of new make from different distilleries from my very good friend Nick Ravenhall. It tasted delicious as it went in, it’ll be a fantastic journey to see how it develops out as it matures.

Sometimes, you stumble across something so special that it’s hard to separate its uniqueness from an object view of it. This has always been a difficulty with old booze- both well aged and old bottlings.

Firstly, there’s the uniqueness itself. Each and every old bottle is different; they’ve been stored differently, they’ve lived different lives, they’ve been through so much that they want to tell you that it’s hard to separate the intrigue from the genuine focus.

They’re also individual beasts in a different way. They’re brothers from another mother. They were products of different upbringing. They wanted different things. Ok, they’re not people. But the folks behind them were:

Scotch was different in the (pre)60s, vodka was another monster altogether in the time before it’s rise in the 50s, gin, well gin was a cultural phenomenon privy to insights into human nature few have had the opportunity to see. Ditto rum. Sampling these things, you are literally transporting yourself into another world. Another timeframe, another snapshot of civilisation.

So what the hell is 1840s absinthe?! It is a rare chance to experience an altogether different heritage. Just imagine this world. Once you figure the happenings of this period, you realise what a specimen this is. And my god, does this showcase another world….

To be frank, this tasted like nothing else I’ve ever tasted before

Appearance

Muted, golden-green, warmed. Like oxidised sherry/vermouth. Honeyed, clear, but not translucent/brilliant.

Nose

Like nothing else

Mint, chocolate. Soft anise. Coffee, thyme, the best sauternes. Roasted fennel, patchouli, roasted brown rice. It’s rich yet vibrant. Like old chartreuse amplified. But it’s balanced, it’s not heavily anise led. The spices flow and ebb

Palate

Tongue tingling holy christ

It’s almost overwhelming. How can it retain that alcohol? Is it alcohol? It numbs, but the roof of the mouth. Not the tongue.

Water moves it from mother earth to the indian spice store.

Fenugreek, cardamom, curry leaf, fresh haldi but overlain with mint, rosemary, citrus, ginger… a real east meets west

Finish

This doesn’t go away. A complete monster. Almost assault, and definitely like nothing else I’ve ever tasted.

God knows what sazeracs tasted like back in the day. Excusing bottle effect, this was world’s apart from the modern guise. Please someone recreate this.

There are many different creative avenues that I always wanted to explore.
Thankfully, my chosen profession allows me a lot of creative output, and crucially, a bridge between my creative and scientific interests.
Music took next precedence, then drawing and associated visual arts, film a distant cousin.

Comedy, I always considered an inaccessible artform. Sure, I always admired wit, but it was never what I considered my forte. Well, who’da thunk it

Many thanks to mr furse, a very old and witty friend (not thusly exemplified), and also the wonderful folk at master of malt, for now I can tick comedy off my list of creative accomplishments. I should’ve really shared this with alex, but 15ml is really a tiny volume to share…

Nonetheless, a wonderful sample to behold. Great packaging for a sample, and a wonderful snapshot of history.

http://www.masterofmalt.com/Blog/post/winner-of-the-glen-grant-60yo-joke-competition.aspx

Colour..

Surprisingly light. Alluring gold, but not begetting its age.

Nose

Tantalising mix of old and new. It’s big, but it’s also restrained. An amazing contradiction. Not huge extraction, but a perfect elucidation of an alternative ageing; Not all about wood. This has breathed so much more than I can imagine.

Peaches, caramelised ginger, jasmine, chinese spices- a bit char sui. Tarte tatin, something slightly metallic. A bit of burnt toast.

Palate

Fruit explosion, then spice, a massive outro. Gentle spice, not heavy on oak. Very gentle and a great rollercoaster. Fruits and spices battling for centre position.

Finish

Becomes chewy, but not heavily tannic or dry. The fruit interplays wonderfully.

Very interesting to try, but wow, that’s a pricey dram!

Thanks again!

In particular, five brands that I have been a huge fan, and champion of for several years have picked up awards. It’s great to see that these have received a tip of the hat that may perhaps push them to audiences that may not have stumbled upon them otherwise.

In particular, I was very pleased to see the following:

Best Japanese Whisky- Chichibu the First. Having been a supporter of Japanese whisky for many years now, it was great to see the newest distillery’s work reach maturity. It showed amazing promise in its youth, but as it has reached 3 years old, and a legal ‘whisky’, it shines like something way beyond its years. I was honoured to host Akuto San in the Whistling Shop and to pass on my best for the coming years. The quality of the produce from his old family distillery- Hanyu is first rate, and it’s great to see this dedication and quality pass into new territory.

Best New World Whisky- Amrut Two Continents. Something I’ve promoted before here, and something I’m glad to do again. Wonderful innovation, and stunning quality. I’ve been championing Amrut in the bar for a while now, and at first it received the same stigma as when I was doing the same for Japanese whiskies all those years ago. The response is the same though- bar the most stubborn, you can’t help but be won over by the quality.

Best Blended Malt- Compass Box, Great King Street. John and co. down at Compass Box fuse everything I love about whisky; Heritage, care, passion, innovation and great attention towards quality liquid. This new blend is a joy. It is an amazing ally within the bar- be it straight or in cocktails, and is a very welcome weapon to overcome that other stigma- that of blended whiskies.

Best Islay- Bruichladdich, Laddie 10. When I went to Islay last I had the fortune to sit with an afternoon with Mark Reynier. Not only was this a wonderful and stimulating discussion as to the position of modern day Scotch, it was an unrivalled opportunity to taste the intricacies of years worth of pioneering innovation. Truly inspiring and bolstering. It’s great to see that care and attention reach something they can truly put their own stamp on- this is 100% produce of their own regime (without older stocks)

Best Cambeltown- Springbank 18. A bottling I haven’t been fortunate enough to sample, but a favourite distillery. Mad and individual, with absolutely stunning, life-affirming drams being produced. The very kind Sukhinder at the Whisky Exchange set me up for financial ruin having sat with him for an evening drinking Springbank from the 60s. It continues to excite me, and a must stock in terms of either a home or bar range of whiskies.

Of course, congrats to the other winners too, but these guys are special to me. http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/2012/02/05/whisky-advocate-award-japanese-whisky-of-the-year/

The food pairing was excellent- a wonderful starter of salmon sashimi- a particularly fatty, but firm cut resembling ‘toro’ tuna with tart rhubarb, and a mousse of fois gras with chestnut ice cream- was a suitably indulgent beginning.

The new VSOP blend is further rested in very old casks, and I was fortunate to sit next to Baptiste – deputy Cellar Master- to quiz him on the motivation for this.  He diverged details of the extra oxidation (as in older Scotches in knackered casks) and how they have created a blend that showcases a fruity, more feminine style of Cognac. This is a style I tend to prefer best- the leathery, tobacco’d ‘masculine’ styles are a bit dry for my tastes. The fruitier notes also lend themselves better to mixing too. Without a working memory of the old style, it was good to do a pepsi challenge, and indeed the change is understandable and noticeable.

Also, as discovered in the Bassoon bar afterwards- it makes a great Sazerac!

I wanted to make a drink that mimicked the innovation the Cantineros were doing with in the heyday of the classic cocktail- making innovative combinations with simple ingredients- and creating something restrained yet sublime. I also wanted something that reflected my bartending style and showed off the rum. What more so than a daiquiri?!

To play homage to the skill of the Maestro de Havana Club and their wonderful, and highly highly complicated blending process, I used a combination  of Havana Club 3 yo and the 7 yo. I also stayed true to the classic daiquiri using simply rum, lime and sugar.

However my reflection came from the use of modern techniques to create simple things- so I used the rotovap. This had the advantage of removing any heat damage, but a different twist could be recreated using the hob.

I took a Havana 7 Daiquiri (albeit stretched in proportions) and distilled it, but what I kept was the heavy end-  a syrupy concentrate of the wood, acid and sweet side. A daiquiri honey. This was simply stirred down with a the Havana 3 to create a strange opening of the rum. Sweet, with all the notes of the rum opened out, with strangely, a tannic sour finish. I loved it, thankfully the judges did too!

And the name- well there are many drinks named after people- particularly Daiquiri variants. This drink was a Cuban classic to be enjoyed in the British weather- it’s richer and heavier; of course a shaken daiquiri is hard to beat under the sun- as I imagine it is in Cuba, but the British summer… So, what’s the Cuban-British bridge I know? My old bar manager, and of course the face of Havana Club- Meimi Sanchez. A bit kiss ass maybe!- but it was genuine reasoning.

The Sanchez Daiquiri

50 ml Havana Club 3 años

5ml Daiquiri Honey

Stir, double strain into a small cocktail glass, garnish with a mint leaf.

I was very fortunate to be involved in this year’s Havana Club Grand Prix- an event held every two years that takes winners from across the globe to a Global Final in Cuba. From a personal perspective, I’ve always wanted to go to Cuba- many friends have returned speaking fondly of its unique charm, and representing the UK in such wonderful surroundings was a great allure. Thankfully, I’m going to realise that opportunity as I brought home the title over a two day battle.

However, I think the real focus of this was the event itself. I’ve done several competitions now, but I’ve never encountered an event as attractive to the bar community.

Firstly, the setting was fabulous – The Lutyens house of Goddards in Dorking, Surrey was our home for two days, and it’s hard to describe a more grand setting. Wonderful grounds, a beautiful building with enormous fireplaces, and even a skittle alley.  The setting was matched by the agenda though, during which we would be continually judged- Country pub 3 course lunch (incredible), a discussion with the inimitable Dave Broom (one of my favourite speakers, authors and damn good chap- he also writes some of the best tasting notes around), some archery and shooting, followed by a six course tasting menu by Ducksoup to match our 20s Havana Glamour evening. To this last part, we were presented with  a course and asked to pair a cocktail to it, and provide a 20 minute soundtrack to match. Lots o fun. I drew the dessert- something I think works particularly well with cocktails. I created a blend of Havana Seleccion de Maestros, pink grapefuit, pink peppercorns, water, sugar, Cider Brandy and Aperol- all mixed and carbonated in a soda syphon – a drink I termed ‘Pink Duck Club’. The light carbonation, slight zestiness and spice was there to highlight the rum, and of course match and offset against the dessert- a surprisingly tart folded cheesecake of Brillat Savarin (not the godfather of food science as I first thought, but a citrussy sharp cheese named after him), biscuit crumb, ginger and rhubarb.

The next day started early- a fireside full English Breakfast, then a game of rounders (again, judged). This was capped by the arrival of the brilliant Bernard Lahousse to talk through his developments in his already fantastic foodpairing website. (if you haven’t already, buy a membership- no hesitation needed). And following the arrival of the Meatwagon and some indescribable burgers, it was onto the final stage and the presentation of our bespoke cocktail inspired by the Cantineros de Cuba.

I’m glad to say the judges enjoyed the drink (or maybe it was my archery and rounders skills- my shooting was rubbish) as I was picked as the winner. The real enjoyment now is getting to represent the UK in Cuba. Firstly as I want to try and show that I believe our scene is the best in the world, but also, from a personal level, I’ll get to compete with international bartnders. The last time I did that, I learnt so much- and it’s really the best bits about travelling- experiencing different food and drink cultures, and how integral they are to their respective societies. I’ll keep you posted!

One of the motivations for the oxidative route was very old Scotch. Sometimes you get an exceptional cask that yields a young whisky with a remarkable complexity for its age. On the flipside though, you also get old whiskies, in what may have been a knackered cask, that create this wonderful extra dimension, where the distillery character really shines through. Oxidation plays a key role in this on top of the wood contact, and of course, as does time.

Now, manipulating time is what this is all about, and I’ll chat to you about radiation at a later point. But, one of my current explorations is biological ageing.

Working with Dean over at Monkey Shoulder, the new plan at the bar is to explore two organisms. The first is to create a sherry influenced cocktail. I’m going to fortify a light, dry wine with Monkey Shoulder then impregnate this with a sherry flor yeast. It will then age in the absence of air, then a further fortification will disrupt the flor, where the interaction of the dead yeast cells will be increased further by the use of micro-oxygenation to rapidly aerate and oxidise the mix.

The second project will involve making a ‘mash’ of fruits that mimic the notes found in the whisky- bananas, pineapple, pear, blackberries and red grape- then ferment this with a port yeast before arresting fermentation with Monkey Shoulder.

I’ll fill you in on the finer details as the project develops.