Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Tasting Summary

Sorry for the delay in posts...more on the whiskey tasting!  As you can see, the last post was simply the photos of the whiskey tasting event.  They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I figured I didn't need to add text for that post.  However, I was going to give you a quick summary of the events of the evening.  The tasting started around 5:30pm, and Ed Kohl presented a great slideshow on what single malt whiskey is and it's complete distillation process from start to finish.  Of course, along the way, there was plenty of whiskey tasting and amazing appetizers, courtesy of Cafe Americain.  I have included a list below of the nine whiskeys that were offered that evening:

1. 1999 Auchenntoshan, Lowland 10 Yr (Bottled Un-Chillfiltered @ 92 Proof)
2. Edradour, Caledonia, S. Highland 12 Yr (Bottled Un-Chillfiltered @92 Proof)
3. 1992 Strathmill, Speyside 16 Yr (Bottled @86 Proof)
4. 1990 Dalmore, N. Highland 18 Yr (Bottled @ 86 Proof)
5. Isle of Skye, Island 8 Yr (Bottled @ 86 Proof)
6. 1991 Highland Park, Island 17 Yr (Bottled Un-Chillfiltered @ 92 Proof)
7. 2001 Laphroaig, Islay 8 Yr (Bottled Un-Chillfiltered @ 92 Proof)
8. 1991 Glen Elgin, Speyside 15 Yr (Bottled Cask Strength @ 119.2 Proof)
9. Kilchoman "Inaugural Release" @ 92 Proof  (Review in the Malt Advocate)

The presentation itself was highly informative, and Ed introduced what may seem like an uncouth method of whiskey tasting - adding water to the whiskey!  The whiskeys were served in wine glasses (which he prefers), and in much the same way that a wine should be decanted, a good whiskey has spent many long years in a barrel, and needs to have the flavors "opened up." 

After tasting the first eight whiskeys listed above, Ed introduced Anthony Wills of Kilchoman, the first NEW distillery in Scotland in well over 100 years, which has been built from the ground up.  They follow the traditional approach to whiskey-making, growing all of their own barley on site (only distillery in Scotland to do that)!  Not only that, but they are creating amazing 3-year-old single malt scotches!  That's right...only three years old, and it already has a magnificent flavor, rich in peat and various other subtleties (#9 on the list).  It was hard to believe it was so young!  Look for Kilchoman to be released in the United States in Fall 2010!

Great night!  If you haven't done a whiskey tasting before, I highly recommend it!

Hands-On Distilling Class in the Bay Area

I've seen a lot of home-brewing classes and even wine-making classes out there, but I hadn't come across many distilling classes.  The ones I did find were primarily based overseas, and although I'm sure that some of you would find it worth the money and the journey, I wanted to see if anything more "local" existed.  That's when I found the American Distilling Institute, based out of Petaluma, California.  Located at Stillwater Spirits/Distillery (611 2nd St.), their next class runs from May 30-June 4, 2010, and the $3500 tuition, room, and board fee includes:

•Five night stay at the Metro Hotel (one block from Stillwater) and all meals (we have a good cook for the week)
•Tours of St. George Spirits Distillery, Distillery 209 and the finest San Francisco Whiskey bars
•Distiller Jordan Via (Stillwater Spirits) on brewing, distilling and maturation
•Brewer Bill Owens (ADI) on mashing and fermentation to create wash
•Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant creation of wash in action
•Legal session on how to obtain a DSP
•Learn how to operate a Moonshine-style pot still and a five-plate Christian Carl Still
•Whiskey, bourbon & moonshine tasting daily
•Proofing session and hands-on bottling experience

The American Distilling Institute's last class ran from December 6-11, 2009 and the itinerary was as follows:

Sunday 2:00 PM Check-in: Metro Hotel (508 Petaluma Blvd S. Petaluma, CA 94952, (707) 773-4900)
12/6/09 4:00 PM Reception /  Mash-in Demonstration: Barley & Rye to Make Whiskey
5:00 PM Bourbon Tasting with Andrew Faulkner, ADI
6:00 PM BBQ at Stillwater Spirits

Monday 7:00 AM Coffee at Stillwater Spirits
12/7/09 9:00 AM Bill Owens, ADI, Mashing In
10:30 AM Bus to St. George Spirits/Hangar One Distillery, Alameda, CA
11:30 AM Lunch and Tour St. George Spirits/Hangar One
2:00 PM Ferry to San Francisco
3:00 PM Tour Anchor Distilling Co.
6:30 PM Whiskey Tasting at Elixer (3200 16th St) and Alembic (1725 Haight St)
8:00 PM Bus Returns to Petaluma

Tuesday 7:00 AM Coffee at Stillwater Spirits
12/8/09 8:30 AM Attorney Lynne Carmichael, Hinman & Carmichael, Licensing Your Distillery
10:30 AM Bus to Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant, Novato
11:30 AM Denise Jones, Brewmaster at Moylan's Brewery, on Whiskey Wash Production
12:00 PM Lunch at Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant
2:00 PM Bus to Cahill Winery, Sebastopol
2:30 PM Tour Cahill Winery, Barrel Charring Demonstration, Whiskey Tasting & BBQ
7:00 PM Bus Returns to Petaluma

Wednesday 7:00 AM Coffee at Stillwater Spirits
12/9/09 9:00 AM Jordan Via, Stillwater, PowerPoint, Whiskey Pot and Column Distillation
11:00 AM Jay Skovbjerg, Anton Paar, on Density Measurements
12:00 PM Lunch at Stillwater Spirits
1:00 PM John Zanini, Owens-Illinois, Custom Glass
2:00 PM Students Distill Whiskey Wash (sidebar: Labeling & COLA Process)
3:00 PM Students Distill Whiskey Wash (sidebar: Maturation)
4:00 PM Mike Nicholson, TCW / Complete Winemaker, Equipment & Supplies
5:00 PM Absinthe Tasting by Peter Schaf, Absintheur
6:30 PM Catered Dinner at Stillwater

Thursday 7:00 AM Poached Eggs Breakfast with Coffee at Stillwater Spirits
12/10/09 9:00 AM Jordan Via, Stillwater, Stripping & Spirits Distillation
10:00 AM Students Distill Whiskey Wash (sidebar: Distilling Recordkeeping)
11:30 AM Lunch at Stillwater Spirits
1:00 PM Speaker TBA
2:00 PM Students Distill Whiskey Wash (sidebar: Proofing)
3:00 PM Students Distill Whiskey Wash
5:00 PM Moonshine Tasting with Andrew Faulkner
6:00 PM Dinner at Turkish Restaurant

Friday 7:00 AM Coffee at Stillwater Spirits
12/11/09 8:30 AM Jordan Via, Stillwater, Distill Fermented Wash into Moonshine (Unaged Whiskey)
9:00 AM Students Distill Whiskey Wash
11:00 AM Lunch
12:00 PM Airport Shuttles 

If you're interested in registering for the upcoming class (next month), you can fill out the .pdf application form.

There are a lot of great books and websites out there for do-it-yourself distilling and whiskey-making as well, but sometimes the environment and camaraderie of a classroom, as well as the social connections and hands-on expertise, help encourage your all-around whiskey skills.  I will leave you with some other links for domestic and international distilling courses/programs that you can check out for yourselves:

Dry Fly Distilling School (Spokane, WA)
Distillique (South Africa)
American Distilling Institute (Louisville, KY)
The Institute of Brewing & Distilling (United Kingdom)
The Institute of Brewing & Distilling (Asia Pacific)

Rye Whiskey and the Whiskey Rebellion

A few months ago, I happened upon an interesting article while searching for the perfect birthday whiskey. Entitled "Comin' Through the Rye" by Jim Burger, this article traced the history of the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s, whiskey taxation, and chronicled the rise (and unfortunate fall) of many early distilleries in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and throughout the bootlegging countryside. According to his article, Pikesville Rye whiskey was one of the few "originals" to make it through the tumultuous centuries to our modern day (although it's no longer distilled in Maryland - now at Heaven Hill in Kentucky). I contacted my local BevMo to see if they had it in stock, and to my elation, there were two bottles available. I "reserved" them and headed for the store.

I like a good story to go with my drink, and there seems to be a lot of them out there when it comes to rye whiskeys. According to a Scarborough Research study in 2001, most young whiskey drinkers prefer bourbons and older drinkers prefer scotch, with Canadian whiskeys coming in third overall, and rye/blended whiskeys bringing up the rear out of the four. However, many articles published in 2009 (particularly) seem to point to a rye whiskey comeback.

In "The Comeback Kid" by Paul Clarke, he claims that "the preferred whiskey of the saloon era is re-emerging." Along with some sharp photos and cocktail recipes, he gives a short history of rye whiskey's evolution and it's increasing popularity between the 1990s and today, including many new and noteworthy rye whiskeys. It seems that whiskey drinkers are returning to their roots or at least curious about them. Attribute it to what you will: economic hardships, a longing for the simple life, or the basic necessity of a good drink. As a curious whiskey drinker myself, it sent me running for my local whiskey supplier to try an original, and this weekend I'll be going back for more. What's on the docket this time? A Monongahela rye (or Pennsylvania rye) survivor from the pre-Prohibition era (albeit not in it's altogether original form): Old Overholt (formerly "Large").

Other rye whiskey articles for your reading pleasure:
The New Whiskey Rebellion

The Whiskey Rebellion: Whiskey Taxes: The Real Thing

Rye: A classic American whiskey is coming back

Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey Named "North American Whiskey of the Year"

American Whiskey: Messin' 'Round the Old Mawn-Nonga-Heelah

Welcome Sacramento Whiskey Lovers!

I have been scouring the Internet for local distilleries and whiskey forums, but I have noticed a severe shortage in both for the Sacramento area. I'll briefly share with you what I did find (upon a preliminary search), and perhaps you all can educate me further about the Sacramento whiskey-drinking sub-culture. My goal is to develop this blog into a forum of interaction where local whiskey drinkers can share their love for distilling, drinking, and discussing all things "whiskey."

Preliminary findings: First, there are the Whiskey Hills Lofts at 1818 22nd Street, Sacramento. As the name implies, these are properties...and there aren't any moonshining activities going on there that I have been made aware of. Second, there is the Wild Whiskey Saloon, which from all apparent accounts was a half-rate bar/club, which is no longer in operation (the number was disconnected when I called). Apparently they had a decent whiskey list, but not a very inviting atmosphere for the average whiskey drinker. Most Yelp bloggers out there didn't have a very high opinion of the establishment either. Third, a search for "distillery" in Sacramento, yields a hit on an establishment called "The Distillery" at 2107 L Street, Sacramento. I looked around to see if they had a website, but only found their myspace page, which made them look like more of a local band venue than anything else. I called them and found out that they "have a full bar," however they have never distilled their own whiskey. I was informed by a nice gentleman there that they simply thought it was a "cool name" about 30 years ago. When I inquired about how many whiskeys they had on their menu, they replied, "Not many." However, to their credit, they do seem to have about 3.5 stars out of 5 from their patrons. For my own purposes though, it seems that I had hit another dead end.

From what I can tell, the nearest distillery is the Hawj Brothers Distillery at 1100 Garden Highway, Yuba City (about 40 miles north of Sacramento). Beyond that, you'd have to head to San Francisco for distilleries such as Distillery No. 209 (401 Terry Francois Blvd., Pier 50 Shed B, between 3rd St & Pier 48) or Anchor Distilling/Brewing Company (1705 Mariposa Street, corner De Haro). And this is where you all come in...

It's about time that Sacramento's local whiskey lovers united. Share your favorite whiskey (or sub-variety thereof), whiskey-making recipes, local connections to distillers, etc. Let's build this network and see where it goes. I know you're out there...