Some Serious Scotch

Now, the Oban is a really good idea- I like it. Maybe we run on that in the near future. Tobermory isn't distributed here, so I'd have to break a law or two for that one.

This reminds me of our trip to NOLA in early Feb and our visit to Cochon. We talked up the server and the discussion went to bourbon. We were told that they had a much larger selection until the ABC folks came in and started questioning how they purveyed quite few of the bottles.

At bourbonblog, our collection is quite considerable- like kept in three different locations considerable.

You can get past some of the laws by simply giving away the product, in a location that has a liscence. Honestly though, we refrain from this, because all it takes is an inspector that's had a bad day and you get to drop a bunch of loot on defense. Bad for you, bad for the location. Just bad.

Might I suggest you add a single malt being produced in Kentucky? Very similar to a Highland Scotch, and formulated by our friend and master distiller Roy Court.

http://www.lyonsspirits.com/pearselyonsreserve/Pages/SmoothStill.aspx

I'd love to- it would be a different format from the Sunday School Series. I am running the bar solo on Tuesday nights, though. If we kept it intimate at the bar (and I could stay my hand on the flourishes,) we could do this, no problem.

Just a run-through of the scotch-producing regions, I think, with an emphasis on the Isles and some of the really interesting stories, like Oban.

I'd scoop that up just for this event, to be honest.

I would definitely want to do that Stephen. You should start a whisky drinkers club night say every third Tuesday or something and feature Scotch, Irish, Bourbon, Rye/Wheat, Canadian, blended, single malt, etc. No big presentation required just tell us what's on for that Tuesday night and who ever shows up gets to down some high-end fire water without having to buy/store the bottles themselves. Give me a date and I'll be there! Cheers Stephen

We are chasing down:

Ardberg- Islay

Please post again when you catch one!

We are chasing down:

Ardberg- Islay
Auchentoshan- Lowland

http://www.drinkupny.com/Ardbeg_10_Year ... /s0347.htm

http://www.drinkupny.com/Auchentoshan_T ... /s0863.htm

http://www.drinkupny.com/Auchentoshan_12_p/s0712.htm

http://www.drinkupny.com/Auchentoshan_1 ... /s1029.htm

I'm eyeballing these, too. I'm on the fence whether they would justify the cost- they are supercool, though...

http://shop.whiskeydisks.com/

Love the regenerated interest in scotch. (mostly I'm just happy to see the market swing away from yet ANOTHER flavored vodka. Boring) JW makes a blue label that I've seen but never tried. And I am a bit surprised not to see you list Pinch In your active scotch list. Too passé?

Love the regenerated interest in scotch. (mostly I'm just happy to see the market swing away from yet ANOTHER flavored vodka. Boring) JW makes a blue label that I've seen but never tried. And I am a bit surprised not to see you list Pinch In your active scotch list. Too passé?

All this talk about Scotch lately also rekindled my interest so Friday some of us went over to Majid's to see if Stephen had any. Guess what? He did. So we drank some scotch, double oaked bourbon, bourbon aged in port wine barrels, a white wine sangria, a red wine sangria and a couple of Stephen's specialties.

Stephen sat a bottle of Makers 46 down in front of us that had the word "MINT" written in marker on it. He proceeded to explain the complex process (I think it involved the use of the Large Hadron Collider) he used to make it. It involved lipids, fat washes, and essential oil (Pennzoil?). It was delicious! We mixed in a few lamp pops, tenderloin sliders, and a chocolate covered coconut pie. Stephen ended the evening with a dense sweet chocolate concoction in a shot glass (can't remember what it was - blame me?). Then we headed to MEAT. If the memory of that event comes back, I'll tell you about it. Cheers!

@ Carla: I'm sort of full on the blends, with only so many more slots left, spacewise. I've seen the Pinch but have never tried it- maybe this is something we visit down the road? I've got the Glenlivet Nadurra (Sherry Finish) and the Bourbon Finishes coming this week (Finishing Flight, anyone?)

@ Jeremy: A Kentucky Single Malt? Intriguing...

@ Shane: It was great seeing you all the other night! The Mint Julep concoction is a work-in-progress for the Spring cocktail list. I actually figured out what I'm going to do with it while I was speaking with you all. We're going to make a force-carbonated mist!

Mists are a class of drink that normally required a carbonated drink to be poured over crushed ice. The effervescence of the carbonation and the increased surface area of the ice (it cracks and breaks, regardless of the size of the ice,) causes a 'mist' above the drink for a time.

Of course, we know that the Julep is traditionally served over crushed ice, but we never add soda to it. That dilutes the whiskey too much.

But what if we can produce the bubbles without adding excess water? We simply load up the trusty soda siphon and charge it with CO2. With 45% ABV, that leaves about 50+% water than can be 'charged.'

Nice- A Mint Julep Mist

The Chocolate drink will be showing up on the new dessert menu. A Chocolate Martini with the bitter nuances found in good dark chocolate. Everybody seems to be really liking it. Execution is a breeze on that one too. Now just for a name and a good garnish...