The nose is “floral, marshmallow, freshly washed damp linen,” and there are hints of kiwi fruit, sweet persimmon and talcum powder.”
Sounds more like a collection of highly scented items in my grocery cart than an expensive single malt Scotch whisky, but that’s exactly what’s being described.
If you thought wine writers and winemakers were verbal deconstructionists with wine… you should see what whiskyheads write about beverages in their field.
The description above is about Balblair 2000, a newly released Highland Scotch whisky, which the editors of Whisky Magazine liked (was it the “talcum powder” finish?).
Like wine writers, columnists and editorial staff at Whisky Mag ascribe points to every whisky, Bourbon, or Finnish, Irish, even Canadian, distilled spirit they review.
I found Whisky Magazine on my travels in bonny Scotland this month and really enjoyed the stories and editorial content. The magazine takes one’s appreciation of alcoholic spirits to a whole new level. Napa Valley Cabernets are so…. so… 2010 by tasting note comparison! Scotch whisky is the new Black!
You can subscribe to the journal at www.whiskymag.com as I have. A one-year subscription costs $44.95 and includes eight issues.
I also wanted to comment on three great sources for rare Scotch whiskies, which I discovered in my travels this month in Scotland and Ireland (where I spent 24 thoroughly rapturous hours on my way back to bonny Napa Valley).
All three stores secure really rare single malt whiskies from time to time and claim to ship thousands of bottles annually to America without any being lost, or broken.
Three great sources for rare whiskies:
Dufftown Whisky Shop
1 Fife St., Dufftown, Keith, Scotland.
www.thewsd.co.uk
Speak to Michael Lord who can tell you about every one of the 600 different whiskies in his store.
Royal Mile Whisky
379 High Street, Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
Contact Tom, or Sean, or Chris, the store manager. All of them are knowledgeable whiskyheads and each one has a strong opinion about any particular whisky about which you may inquire.
Interior of the Celtic Whiskey Shop.
Note: In Scotland, they spell whisky “whisky,” without the E. In Ireland, they spell it “whiskey,” with the E. In both nations, they pronounce it “whess-key.”
Celtic Whiskey Shop
27-28 Dawson St., Dublin 2, Ireland
Speak to Michael, Al, or store owner-director Ally; they are extremely friendly (isn’t everyone in Scotland and Ireland?) and rare whiskeys often come into their possession, but don’t stay for very long.
I asked them for a short overview: “We stock more Scottish malts and blends than anyone else in Ireland. We also act as importer and agent for numerous Scottish whiskies, which has made us one of the main spirits wholesalers in Ireland.
We are agents for Cooley Irish whiskeys, but stock pretty much every brand of Irish whiskey. As such, we have more than 100 different Irish whiskeys on our shelves.”
The only other thing you need to know to be a knowledgeable “whess-key” drinker is how to say “cheers!” when you clink glasses. It’s “Slainte!” which is pronounced “slant-CHA!”
There! You’ve just finished Scotch Whisky 101 and are considered a fully trained, soon-to-be-loyal, "whess-key" drinker.
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