Tag: whisky
A Field Guide to Whisky: Everything you ever wanted to know, but were too tipsy to ask
What country produces the most whisky? (Hint: It’s not Scotland).
What are the risks involved in investing in whisky, aside from the possibility you’ll go on a bender and drink your portfolio?
What is the best way to store an unopened bottle of whisky, in the unlikely event that you possess the superhuman power to leave that golden nectar unmolested?
And, while we’re at it, what exactly is whisky—and how is it made?
In his book, A Field Guide to Whisky, Hans Offringa—Patron of the Whisky Festival of Northern Netherlands, Honorary Scotsman, and Keeper of the Quaich (it’s a Scotch thing)—addresses all these issues, and hundreds of others besides.
Whisky on the rocks. Literally.
Flip through his 320-page “expert compendium” of the world’s best-loved firewater, and you’ll be prepared for any whisky-related question a bearded, bespectacled quiz master would dare to throw your way. In fact, there’s an entire chapter devoted to trivia.
I’ve been a whisky lover ever since my first visit to Scotland more than a decade ago, and I’m always fascinated by how much there is to learn. Now, I’ll be tossing around terms like “potcheen,” “lyne arm” and “boil ball” (which are apparently not plagues eradicated in the Middle Ages) with aplomb.
Here are a few things I’ve discovered, thanks to Offringa’s guide. (more…)
Go With The Grain: Embrace Bain’s
“The end is nigh.” Lovers of malt whiskies have been hearing this for a while now, as growing demand for premium aged spirits allegedly threatens to outstrip supply. But should the rumoured apocalypse ever materialize, at least one unlikely saviour has emerged. A grain whisky. From…South Africa.
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
It’s called Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, and it scooped the title of the World’s Best Grain Whisky at the 2018 World Whisky Awards—for the second time in five years. That’s particularly impressive kudos for a brand which only launched in 2009.
But here’s the real surprise. While Bain’s rests in ex-bourbon casks for just five years before bottling, it’s a smooth, sweet, saucy little sophisticate—a mere babe in the whisky woods that is remarkably mature for its age. Lamb dressed as mutton, in the nicest possible way.
New High Tech Cocktails at The Berkeley, London
Imagine you’re on the beach, enjoying a rum and coconut concoction beneath a thatched umbrella, soaking up the sight and scent of the sea. Somehow, no matter how faithfully you follow the bartender’s recipe, that cocktail will never seem quite the same at home on a dreary, grey winter evening.
“Some drinks just taste right in a certain place, because context impacts flavour,” says Rashid Ghuloom, manager of The Berkeley’s Blue Bar in London, England. “So, we decided to recreate that place.”
The Berkeley Hotel has partnered with Bacardi Limited to introduce the “Out Of The Blue” extrasensory imbibing experience, using sight, smell and, of course, taste to establish the perfect environment for four different cocktails. With these immersive sipping sessions, a maximum of four guests are ushered into a small square room, where 360-degree films and molecular scents provide clues to the ingredients within a quartet of mystery cocktails.
Out of the Blue cocktail experience. Courtesy The Berkeley Hotel.
Picture a more sophisticated version of a “Smell-O-Vision” movie theatre…but, y’know, with alcohol. So, you might find yourself sipping a fruity vodka mix, perhaps detecting a whiff of suntan cream in the air, as an extreme close-up of a pineapple exploding in slow-motion, Quentin Tarantino-style, plays out over four walls. Later, stay tuned for a whisky-based beverage, accompanied by footage of mossy streams and the smoky scent of peat and leather wafting through the room. (more…)
London Cocktail Week…or Zombie Apocalypse?
It’s that time of year again. The dazed and confused wander London’s streets in rumpled, slept-in clothes, cradling their heads, clutching their stomachs, and uttering agonized groans. Are they extras auditioning for “The Walking Dead,” or…could it be…the actual ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?
No, my friends. It’s something far more dangerous. It’s London Cocktail Week.
Through the 9th of October, 250 bars around the city will be offering £5 cocktails to folks who have purchased a £10 wristband—and that’s not even counting all the free samples. If you’re familiar with the usual prices in London’s bars, you’ll recognize that’s a small price to pay for a very big hangover.
One of the key venues is Old Spitalfields Market, which has been transformed into a “Cocktail Village” with nearly 40 stands. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a village where I’d like to live FOREVER…which might not be that long, considering how quickly my liver would give out.
Here are a few of my favourite discoveries.
Chatting with CBS Travel Editor Peter Greenberg about Murder, Mystery and Whisky in London
Whether you want to know where to go to see Scotland Yard’s original evidence and artifacts from London’s most notorious crime scenes–or if you’re curious about the best Scottish single malts to whet your whistle with (something I’d never attempt to say after a wee dram or two)–check out my interview with the world’s most charming Travel Detective, Peter Greenberg.
We’re probably the only people ever to drink single malt out of plastic cups at the uber-elegant The Goring Hotel in London, where he recorded his show.
As always, he’s got a terrific line-up of guests, but if you only have 7 minutes, you can fast-forward to our chat (<–click here) which begins 1 hour, 13 minutes into his show.
To hear my first interview with Peter, where we discuss the words you should NEVER say in Britain, click here.
To learn more about “The Crime Museum Uncovered” exhibition at The Museum of London, click here.
If anyone out there was wondering, the website ABroadInBritain.com was already taken. D’oh! Guess I’m sticking with AmyLaughinghouse.com. There’s only one of those!
Scotch & Smoked Salmon: A Match Made in…East London
Bogie and Bacall. Gin and tonic. Cuddly kittens and viral videos. There are some things that seemingly couldn’t—or at least, shouldn’t–exist without the other.
Add to the list one more match made in heaven…or, more specifically, in East London: Scotch and Scottish smoked salmon, as demonstrated by last night’s celebrated pairings of Glenfiddich and fruits of the sea at H. Forman & Son.
“The Double Scotch Hamper,” available from Forman & Field. Photo credit Forman & Field.
Located on the aptly named Fish Island in Stratford, H. Forman & Son features an on-site smokery, a restaurant and bar, art gallery, hospitality venue, and the Forman & Field artisan foodstuffs venture, delivering goodies right to your door.
According to London Mayor Boris Johnson, as renowned for his off-the-cuff quotes as his unruly thatch of hair, “Forman’s is not just a smokehouse. It’s a salmon theme park!” (Never change, Boris. Never change). (more…)
Safari, Scottish-style, on the Isle of Arran
Now I know what it feels like to be a penguin swaddled in a girdle…not that I had given it much thought before. But as I waddle into the cool shallows of Lamlash Bay on Scotland’s Isle of Arran, lumpily sheathed in neoprene and dragging my bright red kayak behind me, I feel as awkward as that klutzy, egg-shaped comic. I’m hoping that when I finally reach deeper waters and launch myself into my craft, I, like the stubby-legged polar bird, will take on some measure of aquatic grace—but in my heart, I know better.
Lamlash Bay, courtesy Calum McNicol, Arran Adventure Company
Just as I feel a chilly trickle filling my rubber booties, my jovial guide, Bruce Jolliffe with the Arran Adventure Company, suggests we board our crimson kayaks, and soon we’re gliding across the gunmetal gray bay. Well, my companions may be “gliding,” but my idea of an upper-body workout is brushing my teeth (flossing, too, when I’m feeling particularly hale), and I soon start to feel the burn. (more…)
Drink a toast to Scotch Whisky Month
As part of their 2014 “Homecoming” celebrations, Visit Scotland has dubbed May 2014 “Whisky Month.”
Whisky draws 1.3 million visitors and brings in £26 million to Scotland every year. “But above all,” says Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, “it allows people to see the world as a slightly kinder place, for at least an hour or two.”
Check out www.homecomingscotland.com/whiskymonth for details–and don’t forget to raise a wee dram “World Whisky Day,” May 17.
But why wait to get into the, er, spirit? Click https://amylaughinghouse.com/?p=1825 to read about the Scotch Whisky Trail—and find out why every day is whisky day for me.
Following the Scotch Whisky Trail: A Spirited Tour of Scotland
Greek fire was one of the most powerful and mysterious weapons of Byzantium, almost mythical in its power to subdue and overpower enemies of the empire. The recipe for this legendary liquid flame — a highly combustible compound that was hurled through the air and could not be quenched with water — has been lost in the ensuing centuries.
Modern historians believe it may have been a form of petroleum, but personally, my money’s on Scotch whisky.
Pour a finger of Scotch, swirl the tumbler, and watch as light plays across the amber fluid like dancing flames encased in glass.
Inhale the heady fumes, which may fill your nostrils with the smoky perfume of peat.
Finally, take a sip. Careful now, because this is where whisky really earns its reputation, searing your throat and warming your belly, tracing a course through your body so intense that you would swear it left a mark on your flesh. (more…)