Scotch Whisky Bar

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Vitis Vinifera

05/09/2019

 

     All of the mainstream grape varietals - merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay etc. - belong to the same species vitis vinifera. As glaciers advanced during the last ice age (ending 11,000 - 12,000 years ago) grapes needed to retreat to breathable ground. The various grape species in the Americas and Asia had little difficulty as the mountain ranges mostly run north to south. In Europe the mountains run east to west so only grapes that found niches in which to abscond from the cover of ice were able to survive. The Americas and Asia each have around 30 species of grapes. There was only one that survived in Europe, vitis vinifera.

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     Once we humans developed an affinity for both wine and the predictable, unique characteristics of the varietals a need to maintain the status quo arose. A change from male/female genetic material exchange reproduction - which facilitates mutation and adaptability - to hermaphroditism was encouraged to stifle undesirable evolving qualities

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     The advantage of hermaphroditism comes with a price. The inability to mutate and adapt leaves the grapes vulnerable to change in pests, microorganisms and environment. This has left, in modern times, grape growers reliant on pesticides and other chemicals, many of which persist through the wine making process and remain in the finished product. In addition there are also chemical additives contributing to the chemical cocktail that is today's wine. At least in some brands.

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     Do your research before buying your next bottle. Some countries have been restricting some chemical additives but this doesn't solve the entire problem for the farming chemicals remain present. Look for non vitis vinifera grape varietals, organic wines and read the label! Demand, as a consumer, wine makers to have the integrity to communicate (on the label) as to whether they are using additives, what "farmicides" they're using if any, non GMO etc. If enough of us demand these changes (our purchases or lack thereof make demands) then the makers will be forced to respond lest their sales diminish and ultimately dissolve.

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     Wine or beer or whisky or any spirit can be a profoundly positive partner in our adult lives, if consumed responsibly and in moderation, with many health benefits both physiologically and psychologically speaking. These things cannot be achieved in earnest with these bad actors in the script.

 

My Spirit Journey

06/23/2018

 

     This is my spirit journey.  I will write as often as I can on this page in addition to the YouTube videos.  While this site is called scotchwhiskybar.com, I am on the North American continent rather than in Scotland so I can't do interviews and tours in Scotch distilleries.  However, there is lots going on here in the USA so this is what I will primarily be covering and doing my best to tie it in to Scotch whisky and whiskey in general.

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Whisky Matters

06/23/2018

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     Being that a lot of my videos will be on beer, American whiskey and wine, you might be wondering why I've titled the series as "Whisky Matters."  First off, I don't have access to Scotch distilleries so things will be mostly shot here in the good old USA.  As far as beer is concerned, whisky is first distilled from beer as new make spirit and then aged in oak barrels for a specific minimum number of years (and other criteria), the length of which depends on where you are doing the distilling.  Therefore, beer plays an integral part in the world of whisky.  Also, Glenfiddich (single malt Scotch whisky) for example, has launched what they call their Experimental Series and their first release is a no age statement (NAS) whisky that has been finished in IPA casks.  Then there is wine.  Many whisky producers mature their spirit in ex sherry casks (sherry is a fortified wine) and others finish their whisky in ex wine casks.  I think there will be more of this finishing in beer and wine casks as the quantity of quality casks is increasingly becoming an issue due to growing demand.   So, as you can see, it all matters - it's all, whisky matters.

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One of My Facebook Posts

05/28/2018

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Aqua Vitae

     This year my wife and I marked our 20th wedding anniversary in April. Last year I began to fall in love with another and embarked on an unexpected, stimulating adventure and discovery of color, aroma, taste, texture, communication, history and terroir. Her name is Whisky. Single Malt Scotch Whisky to be precise. That's right, I said whisky not whiskey - this is a tale for another time. Oh and don't worry, our marriage isn't on the rocks because Pam kind of likes her (Whisky) too.

     Last year we bought a new house that has a bar in the basement. This wasn't the main selling feature for us but it was in play as we already had a respectable collection of liquors and liqueurs. Long ago we set a goal of having all the basic needs of a bar so we could ask visitors "what would you like to drink?" and be able to deliver something acceptable.
Upon settling in at the new house I dusted off my 20 year old "The Bartender's Bible: 1001 Mixed Drinks" by Gary Regan to put my stores juxtaposed Gary's gospel - determined to "build" my bar. I found my bar wanting particularly in the whisk(e)y department. The good book said I needed single malt Scotch whisky - one Highland, one Lowland and one Islay (I later learned is pronounced īla - eye•la). I already had a blended Scotch in J&B but I had no clue what single malt was.

     Up until this point my experience with whisk(e)y was that it was consumed expeditiously via shots to minimize the amount, by volume, of half choking me, half sending my digestive tract into revolt with a side of getting punched in my throat. This was done so strictly under protest and only either as a vehicle to inebriation or in communion of loyalty to a friend at a bachelor party or the like. It had been many years ago, even prior to fatherhood, that I resigned from getting drunk as a goal, considering it a juvenile endeavor. This de facto misconception about usquebaugh was the sail I set to gather the winds of curiosity as I began my single malt investigation.

     The more I looked into these recently uncovered details the more complex I found the world of aged spirits to be. Each answer exposed merely raised more queries, leading me deeper and deeper - down the rabbit hole I went. I became enamored with the regions - Lowlands and Highlands and Speyside and Campbeltown and Islay and Islands, engulfed in the romance of Scotish history and terroir, marveled at the aging process - sometimes exceeding sixty years; I hungrily consumed the endless details of distilling, cask involvement during maturation, American White Oak, French oak, ex-bourbon casks, sherry casks, first fill, second fill, finishing, cooperages, traditional dunnage warehouses vs. modern racked warehouses - how this effects terroir and the list goes on and on. Those whom wish not to be subjected to the minutia should probably steer clear of prolonged exposure to my physical presence until further notice.

     Turns out whisk(e)y is meant to be sipped, savored, not tossed back in shots. The subtlety and complexity of aroma and flavor will be missed, in fact masked due to it's high alchohol content, when swallowed in large amounts.  It's about quality not quantity.

     A few friends and I gathered, in my basement bar, for what began as Scotch Tasting and Storytelling and now has developed into a small whisk(e)y club, meeting every 6 weeks. Our next event is bourbon night - we'll be tasting 3 bourbons, examining color, aroma, taste, texture, telling stories and talking about all things whisk(e)y (spirits in general), wine, women and beer. I'm kidding about the women part, kinda.

     I started out as a mainstream beer drinker, my wife turned me on to wine and microbrews and imports, then her dad converted me to a vodka martini drinker, then I switched to Guinness, moved to craft beers and now I feel I've reached the end of the road, graduating with whisk(e)y which has opened my eyes, nose really, to a greater appreciation of aroma and taste that has also enhanced my interaction with beer, wine and all spirits.

     With my "drinking" career coming to a close I have now embarked on a spirit journey. A quest in search of finer malt moments to be shared with family and friends and to seek a means of being an ambassador of both whisky and of being responsible with all forms of alcohol.
Sláinte mhath!