Whiskey In The Jar

Tina called me on Monday with an invite to go drinking on Tuesday, and I never pass up the chance. The evening was full of whiskey tasting, guided by Master Distiller Steve Beal. Nobody could have made the night more enjoyable or informative. With the night put together again by Myrtlewood Liquors, they spared no opportunity to set the mood:


We started with Bushmill's 16-Year scotch - lightly sweet with a some woodiness - a good opener. It was followed with grilled prawns over a corn and saffron risotto, and a bit of Dalwhinnie 15-Year.


The Dalwhinnie 15 had a deep sweetness, very smooth and rich. Tatsy as it was, the Dalwhinnie Distiller's Edition blows it away: sweet and very woody, it seemed to stay on the tongue forever, with a constant infusion of cinnamon and peat.

The next course was baked brie en croute:


This came with the first offering from Talisker, their 10-Year whiskey. This island-produced whiskey brought forth everything that I like best in the craft: a full peat aroma, rich and earthy, with a deep and lingering smokiness. I was swept up in it. I don't mean to suggest that the night peaked early but this was probably my favorite. Some of my drinking companions insist that the Talisker Distiller's Edition was the better whiskey, but I hold true to the 10-Year. The Distiller's is delightful with its sweet & smoky note, but it felt just a bit fleeting to me. We could all agree however, that if you're picking up something from the Talisker distillery you really can't go wrong.

A Gelnkinchie 12-Year came next - light, smooth, and buttery. Fruity and refreshing, this could be the back-porch Summer whiskey of the night. Up next were two from Oban, and a duck egg roll:


Both the Oban 14-Year and the Distiller's Edition were mellow and easy to drink, with a good honey flavor. I recommend the DE, even if both the whiskeys were overpowered a bit by the spicy red sauce that came with the egg roll.

Main course:


Lamb chops with a coffee/chocolate sauce. Tender and rich, even if I found the meat a bit gamey. With another shot of delicious Talisker at hand, I couldn't complain.

Dessert:



Bread pudding with a sweet whiskey sauce, paired beautifully with the Tom Bulleit bourbon. Simply decadent. The bread pudding came out tender in the middle with a crispy caramelized edge, full of raisins, cinnamon, and warm, tender, milky goodness, and just oozing puddles of sugary whiskey sauce. Adding to the toothache was the perfect Tom Bulleit: clean, sweet, and bright, with a bit of vanilla. Another high moment.

For after-dinner drinks there were the Crown Royal Cask 16, Johnnie Walker Gold 18, and the famous Johnnie Walker Blue.


All tasty, but I felt that some of these big boys were being shown up by their lesser-known brethren. I enjoyed the peatiness of the Blue, maybe a little more than the taste itself. It's a wonderful late-night drink, but I think it proves a point from Mr. Beal: the age, rarity, or price don't matter nearly as much as how you enjoy it.

Candy Everybody Wants

With things trending towards a dryer and warmer NoCal, I met with Molly Mayhem on Sunday for a day out. We tripped on the cosmos as presented by the Academy Of Sciences, and took a cruise further down the coast. Her friends were throwing a little birthday dinner, and I was just lucky enough to show up. Molly has been working with candy lately, and here is one of her latest concoctions:

Blood Orange Caramels

I've severely cut my candy intake since I was a young'un, but this caramel is a more developed take on the classic. The incorporation of blood orange pieces and nuts gives it a multidimensional flavor and texture. Where a typical caramel is just straight sugar up in your grill, these little treats shift from their sweet caramel exterior to a slight tang from the blood orange, and then counters itself with a toasty, nutty crunch. Delightful. I'm not the only person who'd like to see these for sale somewhere.

Moving on to Molly's friends' place, we were treated to a fantastic sangria and raw oyster appetizer. Molly wanted to point out this one in particular for its sheer beauty and form:

Dinner was grilled sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms, roasted asparagus, and spiced fingerling potatoes. While that was all delicious and refreshing, I have to emphasize the birthday cake for just how balls-out crazy it is in concept, and yet totally the cake you've always wanted to make for yourself. Witness the Bacon Cake:




The basic recipe as I understood it is a typical yellow cake, but swap out a third of the flour for cornmeal; this makes the cake a little denser, like a light cornbread. Between layers of cake are layers of crisp bacon covered in a brown sugar glaze. The cake is coated in a typical sugar frosting, with a bit less sugar so it doesn't overpower the savoriness of the corn cake and bacon. Finally, it's decorated with more strips of glazed bacon. Now would be a good time to sponge the drool off your keyboard.

Molly's present was a sweet all-copper sugar pan, so the fun is sure to continue. She sent me home with more cookies and berry pies than I can handle myself. I think I have some bored fellow office workers I need to make happy.