15th Annual New Brunswick Spirits Festival

Recently, I attended the 15th Annual New Brunswick Spirits Festival held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada at the Delta Hotel.  I thought I'd post a note as to how it was.  Maybe you might attend in the future?

First of all, you get a lot of value for your hard earned money.  Let's consider the costs of attendance. 

$25 buys you a ticket to a tasting of whisky and cheese pairings, five whiskies and cheese to be specific.  And get this:  the tasting will be lead by Martine Nouet, a renowned whisky critic and the first editor of Whisky Magazine in France.  If you visit the Whisky Magazine website you will note that nearly every whisky tasting note is by Martine.  Her tasting notes are well written and in the same league as those of the late, great critic, Michael Jackson. 

Her current passion is pairing whiskies with cheese, as well as cooking with the spirit.  She resides in Islay and may be launching a cooking school in the upcoming year. 
(Below is a picture of your whisky blogger and Ms. Nouet.)

Needless to say, her astute views on whisky are worth hearing.  I can confirm this, as I was an attentive listener on Thursday, November 25th:

Ms. Nouet commenced the tasting by suggesting people pour a tiny little bit of whisky on the top of their hand and note the scent.  I never heard of that before.  We all got a kick out of that and then moved on to what she terms the three moments of pleasure:  eye, nose, palate!

Glenfiddich 15 years old Solera
Ms. Nouet selected Camembert, a soft creamy cheese of Normandy.  It certainly complimented the classic, and always impressive, Speyside taste of the Glenfiddich 15yrs.  She also suggested a bite of oat cake or apricot as a suitable pairing for this scotch.

Tyrconnell Irish Whiskey
This light and very sweet Irish whiskey was paired with Brie.  I could not appreciate the pairing, as I found the whisky too sweet for my liking.  However, no one else in attendance seemed to mind.

Balvenie Portwood 21 year old
Wonderful sherry nose ushers in a most memorable taste experience.  Rich sherry with delicate braids of dark red fruit, developing complexity as it dries upon the palate.  The Balvenie was paired with Canadian cheddar.

Highland Park 15 years
An excellent single malt having plenty of heather which Martine thought was best complimented by smoked Gruyere cheese.  This whisky and the smoked cheese worked well.

Laphroaig Cairdeas
An incredible whisky!  The complexity that we, whisky lovers, forever seek.  A real show stopper!  A tiny sip explodes upon the palate with peat, smoke and rich citrus like grapefruit and limes.  Wow!  Ms. Nouet made a mind blowing cheese pairing:  Shropshire blue.  This is an English cheese that can be best described as cheddar infused with Danish blue.  Take a sip of whisky and then a bite of this cheese and you are in heaven!  Needless to say, the whisky promptly sold out the following evening at the Festival's on-site liquor store.

. . .

Ms. Nouet is a person who genuinely loves whisky.  You can tell that she is not in it for money.  There is nothing slick or commercial about her presence.  Just integrity and European sophistication.  A refreshing change from 'brand ambassadors' who flash megawatt plastic smiles, in sharp suits and the latest coiffure while recounting the minutiae of whisky production without any real understanding of what he or she is talking about.

. . .

So, for $25 you were able to attend the above noted tasting.  A bargain right?  How about this?  For $10 more, you could attend another whisky tasting held following Martine's expert seminar.  I chose the Highland Park tasting, but I did have choices.  Gordon & MacPhail or Chivas & Glenlivet.  $35 for two scotch tastings!  I chose Highland Park.  Mind you, it was not an easy decision as I have always admired Gordon & MacPhail, an independent bottler, that seem to always have great scotch to tempt the serious whisky nut.

Marc Laverdiere is the Highland Park brand ambassador, and again like Ms. Nouet, is a genuine whisky fan.  I think the story on him is that he was a retired civil servant who approached his favorite distillery, Highland Park, about being a brand ambassador, and convinced them with his charming French accent!  People like him and Ms. Nouet make the best brand ambassadors because their affection for their respective whiskies is genuine.  They make a connection with the consumer that newly minted MBAs simply can't achieve.  Take note spirits industry.

Mr. Laverdiere walked us through Highland Park 12, 15, 25 and 30yrs.  The whisky that stopped me dead in my tracks again was the 25yr old.  Just simply one of the greatest single malts widely available today.  I bought a bottle the following evening and will provide a more detailed tasting note once I have had a chance to become acquainted with it.  But for now, I can say you will taste concentrated caramel, hickory, toffee and smoke.  The ultimate whisky gift for the holiday season.

Mr. Laverdiere spoke about the blending process of Highland Park whiskies.  The distillery chooses fifty casks that are blended to make various bottlings (ie. 12, 15yrs, etc.).  He pointed out that while the single cask or barrel whiskies have lately been in vogue, there is a risk.  You are at the mercy of a particular cask.  If it isn't great, you will suffer for it, as I can attest with Jack Daniel's Single Barrel.  By blending fifty different, high quality casks, the distillery is able to achieve a high standard of quality that is more elusive for distilleries working only with a single barrel.

. . .

The showcase of the Festival takes place the following evening where for the price of $60 in advance you can sample as many different whiskies as you wish.  Technically, you can purchase a ticket at the door for $70, but that is provided it does not sell out, as it has for the past three years.



















For me, this was the great discovery of the evening.  Clynelish Distiller's Edition, 1992.  Sherried greatness with some cranberries, oak and spices ending in smoked mackerel.  Excellent complexity of sherry flavors.

I also tried the Highland Park Earl Magnus 15 yrs and was knocked over by it.  I went to buy a bottle but all sixty had sold out within an hour!

The NB Spirits Festival, as well as any festival enables its participants to sample a wide range of whiskies.  A great way to experiment a little without making the mistake of buying a bottle of something you dislike.  So, next time there is a whiskey festival, give it a go, you may make a great discovery!

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.

Highland Park 12 year old - Single Malt Scotch Review

I am going to out on a limb here, but I gotta say it. Hell, declare it! Highland Park 12 yr, is the best 12 year old single malt out there. You can be in Glasgow, Tokyo, New York, Munich, Dubai, I don't care. None of the whisky purveyors will be able to point to a better 12 year old single malt. None! and if they do, you will know they are a liar having read this review.

Having gotten the above off my chest, let's move to this wonderful dram that I just happen to be holding and coincidentally beholding in a whisky tumbler. This is fabulous stuff! When Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Sean John, or whatever his latest moniker is, is not out pimping some lame vodka, this is the stuff he is serving at his parties where you get turned away in Cannes for not being cool enough at the door.

This is not the stuff for the pimply/pizza faced college kid with Cheezies encrusted fingers playing Guitar Hero by himself, in his parent's basement, sealing his fate to remain without a girlfriend for yet another weekend, and therefore involuntarily celibate.

This is the stuff for you! If you are new to whisky and scotch, and heck don't even know the difference. You just want something to drink at a high end/art deco bar when you have to make an appearance at a work function where the advertising guys all wear black turtlenecks, black jeans, listen to Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy on their Ipods, and seem to be more interested in the wait staff than the clients that were the reason they were there in the first place. You gotta down a drink, nod at the pleasantries and think, how the &*%@#!! do I get out of here before the 40yr old middle managers, sloshed on the open bar get slapped with a harrassment suit from that hot temp in photocopying quicker than a lawyer's pulse races at the whiny sound of an ambulance in the distance. Well, the drink is Highland Park 12 yr. Ladies, you're invited too. Highland Park has legions of fans on both sides of the gender fence and for good reason. Let's take a drink and see why . . .

Nose (undiluted)
Bring the tumbler's edge to your nose and gently inhale (using your nose, this is not meditation or some downward facing dog position). Yes, it's nice. Now remember, gently take another sniff, you are not Keith Richards and this is not a line of cocaine on some chubby groupies' breast. Restrain yourself! Ok, let's try again. You're picking up tendrils of sweet cereals! Healthy stuff.

What else is your olfactory system sending to your cerebral cortex? Yes! Yes! Oh! Yes! No, I'm not doing a Meg Ryan imitation, but I am excited because you've noticed a spiciness or spice-like character, not pepper, but something else, maybe cloves. Maybe, just maybe the scent of this fine spirit hints at what awaits the palate.

Palate (undiluted)
You're gazing at this amber liquid in your tumbler, now you're drinking this "neat" (a fancy word to use around the VP that let's him know you know a thing or two about whisky, even if you don't), so remember to take a little sip. This is not Gatorade. Take that sip . . . now! Ok, ok, well . . . Yes! That's right! smokey brown sugar, (no we are not talking politically incorrect Rolling Stone hits), marzipan (look it up on Wikipedia, ok!, I'll do it for you, "a confection of sugar and almond meal - nice Italian treat!), what else are you tasting? Subtle caramel moving to heather and finishing with a spicness, which might be characterized as a gentle dance of weak chili peppers upon your tongue.

Finish (undiluted)
Butterscotch/cinnamon flavors evaporate in a puff of smoke across the palate with a little tingle on the tip of your tongue, followed by the feeling that you just enjoyed a fine cigar. The smoky flavor remains more than a minute after you swallowed the last of it. What length? A scotch of John Holmes proportions.

Be Careful
At an alcohol/volume level of 43%, you have to take it easy, otherwise, the advertising guys will be eyeing you guys like a hyena waits for the lone gazelle calf to collapse on the savannah . . . and ladies, the VP seems distracted from his current conversation, as he keeps looking over at you, even though your conversation with him ended sometime after you used the word "neat." I said Neat not neet. Needless to say, Highland Park 12 yr old packs a wallop that will send you sprawling after two modestly poured drinks.

General Impressions
Aromatic, aristocratic, smooth with some spiciness on the finish. Nothing offends in this dram. It is very textured in flavor and while smooth, if you are a novice Scotch enthusiast the addition of water or ice is understandable. If you are new to whisky and want to try the much praised single malts, then this is the dram. The chief failing of single malt scotch whisky is that it tends to have some variance of flavors between different bottlings.  Some bottles I have enjoyed seem more sherried than others.  Nevertheless, Highland Park 12 year old demonstrates how single malts do have a legitimate claim to a higher ground in your mind and palate. It provides no discordant mixture of flavors, no burn, no alcohol, just a glow on a summer's evening like a firefly. Fleeting but worth the trouble.

Price
You can pay anywhere between roughly $35 to $91 a bottle. Is it worth it? Yes, up to about $60. After $60 you can probably find 18yr old single malts that are better. But for a 12 yr old single malt, there is no match to this scotch whisky. Bottom line: Good value!

Suggested Serving
If you are new to scotch and want to try a single malt, this is an excellent one to start with. For you newbies, try it with one large or two small ice cubes. For you scotch fans, neat is the way to go.

Bottom Line
An excellent 12 year old single malt, reasonably priced, not much peat flavor, but rather a smokey smooth, honey sweet dram with some spice on the finish that is sure to delight men and women alike.

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Photo credits: (1) Photo of Highland Park 12 bottle by Flickr member magerleauges who has graciously permitted its reproduction pursuant to a creative commons license. (2) Frame shot from the film When Harry Met Sally....  Copyright held by the film company or artist but used here for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment.  (3)    Another photo of Highland Park 12 (copyright © 2012 Livefire Photography/Curt McAdams). Used in this post with the permission of Curt McAdams. No reproduction is permitted without the express consent of Curt McAdams. Check out his blog for more great photography and musings on scotch whisky: here. Final Nore:  All images used are considered by the author to be significant in illustrating the subject matter, facilitating artistic/critical commentary, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader more capably than the textual description
© Jason Debly, 2009-2013. All rights reserved.

Highland Park 18 yr old - Single Malt Scotch Review

I like whiskies of all kinds. Scotch, Canadian and American. I like bourbon too. But, of all the whiskies I have tried, Highland Park 18 year old is my all-time favorite. It presents a truly special whisky drinking experience that is best appreciated by someone who has spent plenty of time drinking other whiskies before happening upon this one.

The distillery producing this very fine spirit has been doing so for more than 200 hundred years in Orkney, Scotland. I will not recount the history of the distillery here. Go to the Highland Park website for a full history. After all, the purpose of my review is to describe what this whisky tastes like. So, lets move to the task at hand.

Suggested Serving
This is a fine whisky that should not have ice added to it. Ice will dilute the flavours and the complexity. If you drink all your scotch with ice, then limit the quantity to one or two cubes at the very most. You will still enjoy the complexity of flavors but will naturally be experienced a somewhat watered down version. Mind you, some people need the ice to ease any burn the whisky presents when swallowing. If you are a serious scotch drinker, serve this to yourself with a drop or two of distilled water in order to open up the flavours and scents.

Nose
An awe inspiring bouquet of peat, smoke, and flowers. You can take several sniffs and keep wondering what wonderful dram awaits your palate.

Palate
Rich, luxurious honey/toffee flavors interwoven with nuts, spicy cinnamon, pretzel salt and the perfect hint of peat fill the palate. A chewy dram drying towards the finish. No sharp edges here. No bite, bitterness or burn here. Peat is present but not overwhelming or dominating. It compliments the flavor profile only.

Finish
A big, rounded finish of lingering smoke, spices verging on peppercorns you would associate with a flavored rib eye steak, and more toffee. This lingers for a long time in the mouth long after the dram has been swallowed.

Final Impressions
You know that you are in the presence of greatness when drinking this very fine single malt scotch. It has won countless awards as the best scotch of this year or that. Now, you understand why. Share this with your best friend, your father, your mentor, during a fireside chat about what life means. Not to be served during happy hour or for the Super Bowl.

This is not cheap to purchase. You are looking at paying around $80 a bottle (750ml). But, remember that you are buying a very high end single malt scotch. In that realm, $80 is actually not that expensive. For example The Macallan 18 year old single malt scotch is substantially more and simply not as good. Johnnie Walker Blue (a premium blend) is nearly double in price, but again not as good. Glenfiddich 18yr old single malt is more in price and not better. So, you get the picture. This would be a wonderful gift to the man or woman who loves single malt scotch. If they have never had it before, it will be a treat that they will forever after be grateful. If they have had it before, they will recognize the time and thought you put into choosing this gift for them. Do not buy this for the casual hard liquor consumer. They will not appreciate it.

There is nothing negative to report about this single malt scotch. I would however caution readers that this is 43% alcohol and so drinking this should not be followed by any driving. One can get quickly intoxicated without the intention. It happened to me one night. I kept taking sips and before I knew it, I was certifiably smashed.

Cheers!

© Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.