Holiday Cocktail Review: The American Trilogy

November 24, 2012

Holiday Cocktail Review: The American Trilogy



Since it's holiday time, we thought we'd veer off the beaten path of neat smoky beasts and share a favorite cocktail.  This one comes from Little Branch, a not-to-be-missed NYC cocktail holy land between SoHo and the West Village.  

Actually Little Branch is pretty easy to miss, because the entrance is an unmarked doorway with a buzzer.  Inside you'll find suspender-clad barmen out of nineteen twenties prohibition-era glory days.  

One of our favorite cocktails created at Little Branch is the American Trilogy.  It's a variation on the Old-Fashioned, a perfect drink for chilly fall days with enough punch to prepare you for as much family drama as the holidays can muster.  

Ingredients:
Rye Whiskey
Applejack Brandy
Orange Bitters
Simple Syrup (or a sugar cube)

Notes on ingredients:  We're using Michter's Straight Rye, ($41.99 at AstorWines) which is the best whisky that we won't feel bad mixing.  It's a good bottle of rye to have around, particularly if you don't drink a ton of rye and want something good enough to drink on the rocks, but also not too over-the-top to put in a cocktail.  If you're making rye cocktails for a big group, Old Overholt is absolutely just fine and it's $17.99 for a liter.

To make simple syrup, put two cups of sugar in two cups of water, heat until the sugar dissolves, and pour into an empty liquor bottle.  It lasts about a month.  If you've been watching too much Food Network and want to go crazy, add mint, orange or lemon peels.  

We're using Reagan's #6 Orange Bitters.  For some reason here in New York you can't buy most bitters at the liquor store, you have to order them online.  Fee Brothers West Indian is also very good.

The actual mixing is very simple and should be done to your taste.  Start with one ounce of rye and one ounce of brandy.  We prefer going heavier on the rye and lighter on the brandy.  Add a hefty amount of bitters, we like three double shakes from the bottle.  If you're using sugar cubes, put them in the bottom of each glass, saturate them with bitters, and crush them with a muddler or wooden spoon.  If you're using syrup (much easier if you're making a bunch), start with one teaspoon and add more for sweetness.  

Chill the drink by stirring in a shaker (do not shake) and serve up.  Our favorite way to serve cocktails is "up in a down glass" in other words chilled over ice and then strained and served in a whisky glass.  That way the boys can enjoy a cocktail without the "girly-drink" stigma of a martini glass.  If you really want to go the full nine yards, Little Branch serves it over one huge ice cube which keeps it cold without watering it down (hint - you can make big ice cubes by freezing water in cupcake tins).  Coat the rim with a squeezed orange peel and garnish if you're into that.  

American Trilogy
Our final mix tends to be an ounce and a half of rye, half an ounce of Applejack, three or four hefty splashes of Reagan's, and half a teaspoon of syrup.  The flavors of the rye and bitters should be the focus, with a hint of apple on the aftertaste from the brandy.  It should be a strong drink, but with no bite - full and fruity and so smooth that it's dangerous.  

Enjoy!  &  Happy Holidays!!
Dalmore 12 Year - Don't let my good looks fool you!

November 19, 2012

Dalmore 12 Year - Don't let my good looks fool you!




Darker is better, except when they're cheating...  

The Dalmore Distillery as we picture it
(actually from the animated Hobbit movie...)
The Dalmore
We'd love to love The Dalmore.  They have a very Lord of the Rings meets whisky thing going on.  The distillery was started by The Clan Mackenzie in 1839.  Their family crest, featuring the antlers of the Royal Stag, no doubt survived untold splendors of battle, face painting, and general Mel Gibson-esque Scottishness.  They lived on The Black Isle, by the waters of Loch Marle, near the shores of the Firth of Cromarty.  All really cool sounding places for a kick ass whisky to come from.




On Melted Sugar, Coloring, E150, and the breaking of hearts
There is a big scandal right now in the world of whisky about the use of caramel in scotch.  The beautiful dark amber color that we've come to associate with some of our favorite whiskies originally came from their time spent maturing in various types of wood barrels.  The liquor would pick up the color of the casks along with the woody flavor of oak.  Many whiskies would then be further matured in old wine barrels - sherry, port, bordeaux, sauternes - and would pick up the reddish hues and rich berry flavors of decades of ripe grapes.  So a general rule of thumb was: the darker the whisky, the more years of aged barrel goodness.

Along with the mass production of whisky came inconsistencies in the resulting color of the barrel aging process.  In order to maintain a standard look and feel, many producers began using E150 - a natural color additive made from caramel.  Even some of our favorite whiskies (Lagavulin, Bowmore, Bruichladdich) have admitted to using caramel coloring for color consistency.  While this is somewhat shocking, we believe that our heros use this ingredient not to substantially alter the color of the whisky, only to balance different batches with slight variations.

On the other hand, it is suspected that some brands have used E150 to radically darken the color of their whisky to simulate the mature, aged look of the classics.

The Review
Pouring a glass of Dalmore 12-year, you will be struck by its deep dark color.  Your spidey-senses tingling, hopefully expecting a delicious smoky beast, you'll raise the glass to your nose.  Get ready for a surprise.  There will be none of the smokey aroma that you expect.  None of the oak.  None of the port wine or sherry overtones.  None of the richness and allure that should come with a naturally dark malt.

The taste of Dalmore confirms it.  This is not a bad whisky, but it's a disappointing one.  Its taste is a little too sharp and alcoholic, with little balance and depth.  It has a medicinal finish with a sour aftertaste.  It's not terrible.  It's pretty smooth.  It's not Johnny Walker Red.  It's still drinkable.  But at $44.99 from AstorWines.com, we give this scotch a C-.

There are so many better malts to choose from at this price, you will seldom go wrong with any other single malt from Islay or the Highlands.  For something mainstream and fool proof: Glenmorangie, Glenrothes, and Glengoyne, all offer superior bottles for under $50.  For the more intense and daring bottles, Laphroaig, Bowmore, and Bunnahabhain are all great choices.

It unfortunate that we can't rank The Dalmore as one of our righteous smoky beasts.  Perhaps it's because the small Shire-like distillery was acquired by a giant corporate conglomerate in India.  Perhaps it's because they thought they could use coloring to make up for flavor. it's impossible to know, but we'd recommend not spending a lot of time trying to find out.

Comparisons to other bottlings
Dalmore offers an 18-year for around $150/bottle and a "King Alexander III" bottle (supposedly a mix of casks between 16 and 22 years including Sherry, Port, Cabernet, and Bourbon-aged casks) for around $200/bottle.  KLWines also offers some outrageous 40- and 50-year bottlings at over $1,000 and even over $3,000 per bottle.  The 12 year was our first entre into Dalmore, and honestly we're not running out to pick up the pricier vintages.  However, we do believe in second chances, and will take our next opportunity to sample another variety and let you know how it pans out.
Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban Port Cask - A Wine Lover's Beast

November 11, 2012

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban Port Cask - A Wine Lover's Beast




Who are The Sixteen Men of Tain?

Glenmorangie is an impressive beast.  It boasts the title of the best selling single malt in Scotland for the past thirty years.  And needless to say the Scots know their scotch.  Glenmorangie is a highland scotch from - you guessed it - the town of Tain, which is in Rothshire in the Scottish Highlands.  The highlands are beautiful, think Ireland meets New Zealand with copious whisky destinations.

Glenmorangie's Stills
For generations, sixteen masters have been responsible for producing Glenmorangie.  Their tools: sixteen foot whisky stills, the tallest in Scotland.  (Something about the number Sixteen, are you seeing a pattern?)

Marketing hype?  Perhaps.  It's hard to imagine how sixteen dudes, no matter how awesome and Scottish, could produce ten million bottles per year.  But hey, the point is that they keep the process simple and avoid all the high tech innovations that would ruin the quality of the product.

Here is an awesome video that will make you want to quit your job, don a kilt, and practice your Scottish drawl.





For us, Glenmorangie is a mainstay for quality scotch.  It's not the most unique, it's the not smokiest or the most beastly.  It doesn't have the most character.  But you can't go wrong with a bottle of the 'Morange.  Everything from their standard issue 10-Year bottling all the way up to their specialized top shelf editions are worth tasting and one or another of these bottles will almost always earn a spot in our cabinet.

The Review: Quinta Ruban Port Cask - A Wine Lover's Whisky

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
The Quinta Ruban is a 12-year "extra matured" malt that is aged 10 years in traditional oak casks and then an extra two years in "specially selected ruby port pipes from the Quintas or wine estates of Portugal."

It is available at KLWines.com for $45.99 (Quinta Ruban at KLWines) and Astor Wines for $47.99 (Quinta Ruban at Astor Wines)

Sometimes we drink whisky that's been aged in port, sherry, rum, or all kinds of other types of casks, and it doesn't seem to really impact the taste. Not so for Quinta Ruban.  You can absolutely taste the sweet plummy flavor of port wine on this whisky.  And it's very enjoyable.  If you love rich red wines, you will absolutely love this scotch.  And even if you're not a big red wine fan, it lends a rich and interesting taste to the whisky.

 The color of this beast is probably the most impressive and 
compelling quality.  The Men of Tain describe it as "the darkest and most intense" of their special matured lines, and they're not kidding.  It's a beautiful dark amber shade, not unlike a deep stained cherry wood.  You pour a glass and just want to stare at it and make little cooing noises.

In terms of smokiness, we put the whisky well below the heavily peated Islay scotches like Lagavulin and Laphroaig.  However it still boasts a superior smoke content to milder brands like Macallan or Glenlivet.  The lack of smoke however is made up for by the richness of the flavor and the outstanding balance of heat and spice.  It has a very pleasant and delicate smoothness that makes it incredibly drinkable.

This is a scotch you can drink all night.  It calls you back for more and is an absolutely perfect match for a few close friends sitting outside on the deck for many hours as daylight levels fade, alcohol levels increase, and it turns into one of those nights that you never wish to end.  The taste is enduring and the little hints of citrus and caramel increase as you get into your second (or fourth!) glass.  Whisky snobs may roll their eyes at this comment, but I tend to like my smoky beasts with a beer chaser - this whisky is so balanced and drinkable that it doesn't need a chaser at all.  It's perfect neat and all by itself.

Overall this is a seriously enjoyable whisky.  And at under $50 it is a no-brainer.  We just can't stress this enough, it is an amazing value for the money.

Comparisons to other bottlings

Glenmorangie has too many bottlings to list in detail.  We will review many of them in the coming SmokyBeast posts.  The standard variations you'll find at more stores include:

Standard - 10 Year   ~$40
Lasanta (Sherry Cask) 12 Year   ~$46
Nectar D'Or (Sauternes Cask) 12 Year   ~$65
Extremely Rare 18 Year   ~$105
Signet (Blend of various ages from 10 to 35 years)   ~$175-$195

Compared to all these options, we feel that the Quinta Ruban is an outstanding value, a great place to start in experiencing the Glenmorangie line, and one that we'll definitely plan to return to once this bottle is gone.  More detailed reviews will follow, however in a nutshell, the Quinta is absolutely worth the extra $10 on top of the standard bottle.  It's a better scotch for your money than the other 12-year "extra mature" variations - tastier than the Lasanta, and not 50% less tasty than the Nectar D'Or.  The 18 year is great, but a bit overpriced (actually we used to see it for $150 or more and it seems to be coming down - at $90 this would be a great buy).  Now the Signet - that is a conversation for another day, sufficed to say that you must one day treat yourself to a bottle of this enigmatic whisky.

Overall the Quinta Ruban gets an A for this top quality malt at under $50.  It's a win-win, you'll go through it in a heartbeat and you won't feel bad because you'll be able to afford another bottle!
Bunnahabhain Toiteach - The Peat Bog Monster

November 3, 2012

Bunnahabhain Toiteach - The Peat Bog Monster


Toiteach (pronounced "Toe-Chack") is gaelic for "smoky" and is Bunnahabhain's first peated single malt.  So our opportunity to get our hands on a bottle of the Bunnahabhain Toiteach for a SmokyBeast review couldn't be passed up.



A Touch of Geography

Bunnahabhain is an Islay scotch - i.e. it's from the island of Islay (pronounced Eye-La).  You'll notice a trend on our blog that the vast majority of delicious smoky beasts that we love are from Islay.  Islay is an island in the south west of Scotlant about 25 miles north of the coast of Ireland.

Islay is home to all of the notorious smoky beasts: Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, and Bruichladdich are all Islay scotches.  We will eventually be hitting all these distilleries in our smoky beast reviews.

Why does Islay produce such an all-star list of beasts?  Because the island is composed entirely of peat bogs, swampy areas overgrown with the mossy vegetation that has warmed Scottish hearths for millennia.   Peat fires are used to dry the barley which is then distilled to make scotch.  The amount of peat in a scotch is typically determined by how long the barley is roasted over the peat fire.  To make peated whisky, the barley is roasted for up to 48 hours.


You Can Really Taste the Bog

According to Bunnahabhain's site they describe the effect as:

Bunnahabhain Distillery, and neighboring peat bog
"What if a touch of smoke from our peated malted barley was introduced in the distillation process?" "The nose has a charming subtle peatiness with prickling strength emanating from the dram. The taste has immediate warming flavours drifting towards a slightly sweet sherry influence with delicate peppery notes.  The finish has a good robust length with an extremely pleasant aftertaste – beautifully peated Bunnahabhain single malt for the discerning palate."

Our take:  Holy crap this stuff is smoky!  The peat flavor absolutely permeates your mouth and tickles your nose.  There's something about this scotch that feels viscous, like a heavy oil.  It has a texture on your tongue that feels full and substantial.  We're not sure what they mean by "a touch of smoke", perhaps that's meant not to scare off the tourists.  This baby is like a wildfire in your mouth and we love it.

The Bunnahabhain Toiteach is a peat-lovers dream.  The thick oily texture mixes exceptionally well with the deep layers of smoke.  The smoke starts in the scent, erupts onto your tongue, and carries down to the bottom of your throat and up into your head.  It's a cerebral glow that brings you back to a simpler time when a warm fire and a hearty drink brought in the close of another day.

It is an un-chillfiltered whisky, which probably accounts for the meatiness that has not been lost in the filtering process.  You can taste the authenticity.  This is a raw and old-school beast.

The only slight disappointment might be the color, which is a light and slightly foggy pale gold.  While there is something inherently satisfying about a dark colored whisky, this lighter, weaker color is in fact the natural hue and clarity of the malt and should be celebrated.  Don't let the looks put you off, the minute this bad boy enters your mouth you will be blown away.

The Review

This bottle costs $82.99 at Astor Wines and $85.99 at KLWines.  At this price we've found few malts that get it this right.  This scotch is actually smokier than Lagavulin, we'd say by around 15%.  While it does not have quite the smoothness and balance of The Lag, the increased smokiness and peat flavor is a welcome variation and is exciting to drink.  We give Bunnahabhain Toiteach an A-.  If you are looking for a bottle in this range, especially something that really stands out and will add a unique dimension to your collection, this is a must have.  

Comparison to Other Bottlings

Bunnahabhain produces a number of unique bottlings under different distributors and releases.  The most common are the Bunnahabhain 12-year and the 18-year.  The 12-year is pretty easy to find and usually runs around $45/bottle.  The 18-year is more difficult to come by (at the time of this post it is available here at KLWines and costs a premium $109.99.  The 12-year and the 18-year are both very respectable scotches, however the Toiteach is a completely different whisky.  The traditional Bunnahabhains have only a hint of the peat and smoke that is present in this variation.  Personally, having tried all three, this one knocks it out of the park.  I felt that the 18 was delicious but not quite a homerun at over $100.  The 12 is a nice choice for a mellow mid-range scotch that is a bit off the beaten path.  However the Toiteach is far-and-away the winner - well worth the additional cost above the standard bottle and also a much better value than the 18.

The Last Sip

We're trying to savor this bottle.  It's the kind of scotch that you want to have one glass of as your first drink of the evening.  Then if you're looking to keep drinking, move on to something a little more mainstream.  It's the kind of unmistakable flavor that you will find yourself craving on the ride home.  Once you've had it, you'll never forget the 100% distinctive taste and texture.  Bunnahabhain Toiteach is one bottle in our cabinet that will be replaced when it's gone and has won a permanent spot in our rotation.