To be or not to be... terroir is definitely the question!

I will start by saying this: My educational background is a scientific one and marketing bullshit never sat well with me. I've debated with people in the past about things like the following: "You'll find a briny flavour in our whisky because the barrels age in the warehouse next to the sea". In that case my argument is that many whiskies should taste like cow dung and dirt since their warehouses sit near farmlands?? I hope you get my point.
We hear all sorts of statistics and statements from whisky people like: The wood is where most of the flavour comes from. I've seen percentages such as 60, 75 and even 80%. "Where" are they getting that statistical information? Mmmmmmm….. I have good reason to believe that it is pretty much based on one person's quote back in 1998 and everyone else sort of ran with it because I have yet to find "scientific" evidence to actually show that this was measured?


Hold on tight Alice because I'm about to bring you down the rabbit hole, Ready!?? 


Let's fast forward to my visit to Waterford Distillery in Ireland - October 2019. I arrived at 10:00am and spent the next six hours experiencing something I called (and tweeted) as: MIND FUCKERY. I'm going to out the elephant in the room and likely ruffle feathers, raise hair, you name it but until you have gone there and done the Waterford Experience for yourself I truly don't care what anyone says/thinks about my blog or their opinion on what Mark Reynier and his team are doing at this distillery.

TERROIR... there, I SAID IT!


Now everything I knew about distillation and what happens during that process is from my own university texts books. Basically and I'm really simplifying it: Distillation "strips" most of the flavours from any grain (and I did say most) because malted barley taste different than rye, corn, sugar cane juice and/or fruit distillate (pear, apple, grapes). So obviously the origin of the material used has to remain otherwise alcohol would simply taste like... well rubbing alcohol? The argument was/is ALL barley yields the same type of spirit. I'm going to take a moment to paraphrase the response from an industry person in a Facebook thread (To which the originator - a whisky author, was making fun of the possibility of the existence of terroir, tsk tsk… closed minded in my opinion). The industry person added something like: "At our distillery, we buy various varietal malted barley from different geographical locations from a number of suppliers and yet we maintain a consistent new make from crop to crop". In other words - terroir does not and cannot exists.


How about we consider the following:


Mark Reynier and his team at Waterford have embarked on a journey. It's called the whisky terroir project. It's in conjunction with many partners including Dr. Dustin Herb, PhD Plant breeding and genetics out of Oregon State University. How about you click on a few links and actually read, watch, with interests what they are actually doing at this distillery before you so happily discount any/all of it.
https://waterfordwhisky.com/element/the-whisky-terroir-project/

So is Johanne McInnis, aka Whiskylassie a believer in the possibility of "Terroir" in whisky. My answer is yes. Hold on now, don't go all out crazy on me just yet. I do, honestly believe after seeing, watching, nosing, tasting when I was there in person that it is possible.  Am I the only one? You might be really gobsmacked to know others also feel there is something very interesting and quite unique going on at the Waterford Distillery in Ireland. Serge Valentin, someone I have never had the pleasure to meet but who is known worldwide as one of the most honest Malt Maniacs recently reviewed two of their products:  http://www.whiskyfun.com/#020120


So back to Mr. Reynier. His background is wine and everyone knows there is definitely terroir there. Terroir (btw) is climate, soil type and geomorphology (natural landscape). Wine is not distilled, it's fermented - hence terroir is accepted and proven. This term is not just used in the wine industry. It's being studied in coffee, tobacco, chocolate, hops, maple syrup and cannabis just to name a few. So why are so many whisky people up in arms about this? Why is this so preposterous and unimaginable that it might just be studied and discovered in barley?


Might I remind people that most are inclined, as humans, to simply be sheep and follow whatever gospel (no religion overtones when I use this word) we hear. More now than ever because you know, if it was on Facebook - it must be true!? At one point it was believed that planet earth was flat. Pythagoras stated in 500BC that it was round. For almost two hundred years people refused to fully believe that statement and it wasn't until Aristotle (300BC) gave scientific evidence that it was indeed round, that people slowly began to shift their way of thinking (mind you there are people in this world who still think it is???)For those of us old enough to remember, in 1982, a couple of virologists from Australia stated they had proven that a bacteria caused most stomach ulcers and that antibiotics would cure the issue. Again - cries from the scientific community that these two were absolutely nuts!? Yet... they were right and might I add won the Nobel prize for medicine in 2005 for it.

So here is a thought... why don't we all give Waterford Distillery the benefit of the doubt and actually let them do their thing. Is "terroir" the right word to describe what they are trying to accomplish and prove, maybe not... but who are we to judge? I mean seriously...  and what if there is scientific proof at the end of the project that clearly demonstrates there are differences in where/how barley is grown in climate/soil/landscapes - wouldn't that mean that there is even more reason to celebrate the fact that innovative experiments might be possible (because lord only knows a new beer cask or quadruple casking is NOT INNOVATIVE)!!!!

I firmly believe something amazing is about to hit the market when it comes to Waterford, so much so that we invited them to come to Cornwall Ontario Canada - Wonderful World of Whisky Show and let me tell you, everyone who is going to be at that show is not only happy but excited to be some of the first to attend the "Waterford Distillery Experience Road Show".

Whether you believe or not in Terroir is none of my business however, don't go off half cocked or full out bat shit crazy mode...  just yet.... Trust me on this one, you might be a little more than surprised when the evidence comes to light and there is proof that something exists in the way that barley is grown that we simply don't know about...  just yet...

Madman or genius??? Who knows... all I can tell you is that years ago when the industry tried to bury Mark Reynier, they didn't realize all they did was plant a stronger seed. He is a man on a mission, and ladies in gentlemen of the whisky world - let's hope it takes way less than previously mentioned examples for the rest of the us to open our eyes to the possibilities that lie ahead. To Mark, Ned and Ian - Keep up the hard work!

Until next week, I remain...

Whiskylassie

Kiss me whiskey, I'm Irish.... Or did I get that backwards?

Of course we are all a bit Irish when it comes to St. Patrick's Day, right? But why is it some people only tend to start asking me about Irish whiskey at that point? I mean, is that the only time you are supposed to drink Irish Whiskies? Our local liquor establishments start the push on advertising on March 1 - BUY IRISH WHISKEY!!! Does this in turn kickstart whiskey drinkers like Pavlov's dog or am I missing something? Maybe I'm simply a whisky geek who enjoys drinking it year round because we always have at least 4 different types of Irish whiskey open at the house and it's often one of the first ones we will offer to people because of how light and delicious they can be.

So, here's a few quick recommendations, since many seem to be asking and it's only March 3rd?? I chose a few that I think are readily available in North America as well as Europe. Price point I used was Canadian.

Under $50

Writer's Tears - Great introductory Irish whiskey. This is blend which is a light but sweet dram made from single malt and single pot still whiskies. A balance of delicate fruit dipped in honey deliciousness that is easy to drink. Careful, I am not kidding when I say it's really easy to drink!


Under $100

Teeling Single Grain - Yes, you read that correctly. The Irish also make single grain whiskey and this one is quite unique. This whisky spends its entire maturation in a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel. This is a full bodied whiskey that exudes spicy qualities as well as some really luscious red fruit. A bit tannic or drying in nature but such a satisfying dram you will find yourself wondering how come your glass is already empty? 

Green Spot - An immediate favorite of mine and albeit difficult to find these days, if you have a chance to get a bottle, do! This whiskey is aged 7-10 years in ex-bourbon as well as ex-sherry cask which gives it a very rounded profile. It's a bit more oily in nature rich with flavors of dried fruit, spices and a long lingering finish. It's a bottle to hold on to and drink slowly.

Red Breast 12 year old - A staple in my collection as well as many of my friend's. Matured in ex-sherry cask this whiskey has a warm and full bodied texture that is fortifying in nature. Spicy with a very creamy mouthfeel. As quickly as it appears at our local liquor store, it disappears. 

There are many more Irish whiskies on the market and a fair share of them making it over to North America these days which is great because there is a resurgence in their popularity with new distilleries opening with every passing year. Take the time to try a few and add them to your collection. Many are still at a very affordable price point, are good value for money and are worth every penny you put down. These four are probably the ones I tend to recommend the most if you are starting out on your Irish whiskey journey. If you feel I've missed a few, please let me know in the comments section. Important to get perspective and share our opinions!

Here's hoping you get to raise a few drams come March 17th but then again why wait until then, go ahead and be a bit crazy. Beat the rush and get your Irish whiskey fix done early or better yet don't be scared to claim to be Irish all year long ;)

Part Irish, part saucy but always a Lassie,

Cheers!  

Drams of 2013, Number 8... The accidental Irish tourist - Writers Tears

2013 has been a year of many wonderful whisky discoveries. I struggled at first to remember writing every single one down. I thought it was rather time consuming and having to drag my pink book everywhere was a royal pain in the ass. However I have to say in hindsight just like every other project I've worked on a bit of preventative maintenance before/during always pays off in the end because by documenting everything as it happened it did two things: A) Made me realize how many drams I actually got to try this year and B) it resulted in 342 nosing/tasting notes.   

Dram #8 - Writers Tears was completely accidental in nature. In March I attended the Celebrate Whisky Event in Halifax NS. It turned out to be a pretty great night considering I was suppose to be flying solo since Graham was working behind one of the whisky tables. I had an extra ticket that I sold to a very nice lady named Phlis McGregor and we ended up spending some time together that night, trying different whiskies that we both had "targeted" for the evening. She and I would part ways and then find each other later on and spend a few minutes discussing what we were nosing/tasting. At one point we decided to try and find a specific whisky together which we thought was at table 24. It wasn't... we had got our numbers mixed up. However a long skinny bottle on the table called Writers Tears caught my eye that I didn't recall hearing about or seeing before so I said to Phlis: "Might as well try it since we are here". So we stood in line, waited until we got to the front and the young man proceeded to tell us a bit about the whisky. As soon as he said the word "Irish" I almost instinctively crossed my arms and tucked my glass in thinking: "Meh? An Irish whiskey I've not heard of" and quickly became disinterested in trying it.

Background: Irish whiskies we have in Eastern Canada: Bushmills, Jamesons, Kilbeggan, Connemara or Tullamore Dew. NOT that there is anything wrong with these = breadth of my experience with Irish whiskies limited. Phlis looked at me like: "Aren't you going to put your glass forward?" so I did; still somewhat reluctantly I have to admit. 

Nosed, tasted -> BOOM! Another one of those wow moments where I wasn't sure how to even describe what I had just experienced. I looked over at Phlis to see if she liked it but she wasn't beside me anymore. Found her at a small table a few feet away where she was busy frantically writing notes. I quickly proceeded to do the same.

IPhone photo - trying to get a close up, hehe!

Color:  Bright amber, reminds me of a pale ale. Legs are super thin and extremely runny. A bit of an oily texture to it, sticks to the glass in certain spots.

Nose: Glorious hay right after it's been cut in late August. Fresh, clean/green followed by a very distinct lime or lemon zest, just bursting with citrus notes. (later on wrote - caramel with a ? beside it)

Palate:  Smooth, delicious mouthfeel with a minted marmalade rollercoaster. This is fabulous! 

Finish: So long and lingering. Mint is still at the forefront but honeyed. Reminds me of a whisky toddy with /mint leaves and honey in it. 

I had never tasted a pot still Irish Whiskey before but truly loved this one on first nose/taste. I bought a bottle that very night. I've since introduced it to many friends most of which have turned around and bought their own. As a result of trying this whiskey I began to seek out other Pot Still Irish Whiskies and since have tried: Red Breast and Green Spot just to name a few. In June I discovered there was only one bottle left on the east coast so of course, I bought it.

Writers Tears is now one of my favorite Irish Whiskies and I can't thank Phlis enough for giving me the "evil eye" that day in March.  :)

For more information about Writers Tears please visit their website:  http://www.writerstears.com/

Available widely in the US and in BC, AB, ON for Canada.  Retails about $50... 

The countdown continues as we make our way toward:

Stay tuned!

Johanne

  

      

GUEST BLOGGER - The one and only Josh Feldman (@Cooperedtot)

It is with greatest pleasure that we host this prolific blogger out of sabbatical for this post, the one and only Joshua Feldman (Cooperedtot).  Thanks Josh for the fantastic write up and for participating in #BushmillsMB today.

Black Bush Evolution
The new Black Bush Bottle(image courtesty of G-LO http://boozedancing.wordpress.com

Happy Saint Patrick's day!  I’m honored to be guest posting on The Perfect Whisky Match.  Johanne & Graham are the BEST.  This is a special St. Patrick’s day for the whisky bloggers of the world because the creative and generative Johanne McInnish has spawned a world-wide whisky blogger Flash Mob Blog (#BushmillsMB on twitter).  Celebrating St. Patrick’s day means, for millions, having an Irish Whiskey and for me, growing up in the USA, that meant Bushmill's and Jameson.  Bushmill’s is from Northern Ireland, part of the UK, while Jameson’s is from the independent Republic of Ireland - but Americans don’t really pay much attention.  It’s all “Irish”.  White Bushmill's - the cheapest and most grainy - was a sometime object of my college era “shooting sessions” and NYC St. Patrick's day celebrations of yore.  Black Bush costs a more than the White, but has a lot more malt whisky in the blend making it a fine sipper.  Black Bush, like most Irish whiskies is triple distilled and made from both malted and unmalted barley.  The triple distilling makes it very clean and soft.  The Bushmill’s distillery character is a lovely minty sweetness that tastes “green” like Ireland.  Critics have been supportive.  Paul Pacult said (one the way to giving it 4 stars):  

“Possesses a high ratio of malt whiskey (85%, I believe)...  One of the greatest whiskeys from Ireland, bar none. A delicious tot that I enjoy time and again, at home and on the road. Brilliant.”

Ian Buxton puts Black Bush at #36 on his excellent latest tome “101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die”.   He also points out a high proportion of malt whisky (and mentions that the grain whisky component isn’t made by Bushmills - but is made by Midleton in the Republic of Ireland to the South).   He says that the malt in Black Bush is matured for 8-10 years in Oloroso casks before the addition of the grain whiskey.  He points out that Diageo purchased Bushmills in 2005 and has been “sprucing up the joint” and is planning big things for Bushmills.  He concludes: “watch this space”.  

Personally, I’ve been a bit less impressed.  Black Bush is nice stuff, but I taste the grain and sometime in the late 1990s, I sealed up my bottle of Black Bush and put it away rested, forgotten until just last year.  When I started drinking it again I wasn’t blown away.  http://www.cooperedtot.com/2012/03/black-bush-is-step-up-but-still-falls.html. In my formal review I gave it two stars.</a>  When the word went around that there was going to be a flash mob blog of Black Bush I knew I was going to have to grab some of the new release.  I  had heard the flavor profile had changed.   And based on Pacult’s and Buxton’s glowing reviews and the fact that ownership had changed in 2005 I assumed that the changes were for the better.  So, when I came across a fresh bottle of the new Black Bush I, rather selfishly, kept the new one and gave the old one away (reserving a sample for a head to head review - of course).   I’ll start with the new fresh version:

(image courtesty of G-LO http://boozedancing.wordpress.com - Black Bush’s current bottle - 750ml.

Black Bush 2013 40%

Color: full gold

Nose:  A pleasant nose with light and gentle scents of ripe cantaloup, cake batter, vanilla, and powdered Turkish delight.  There are some younger grain notes too, with deeper nosing, sweet straw, threshed fresh oats, ladies powder puff notes and a slight whiff of medicinal alcohol.  This is way up from the White Label stuff.

The entry is sweet with malt and vinous sugars.  Fulsome malt guides the mid-palate expansion, but the sweet bright clean sweetness of Irish whiskey owns the whole fore palate: sweet and gently minty and admixed with a clear influence of sherried wood. The mid-palate peak is gentle and quite tasty with juicy fruit, gentle distant grapey port wine, and the minty clean giving way to a gentle tired oaky squeak.  The oak on the turn is oh so gentle.  The finish is short, but pleasantly gentle: lightly oaked and slightly malty sweet.  Throughout the tasting the flavors of malt dominate the grain flavors which show up as a slight medicinal burn and a lightness in density.  This is the best Black Bush yet.  Or is it?  

***

Black Bush’s late 1990s bottle label (1.125 liters)

Black Bush late 1990s 40%

Color: full gold (identical)

Nose: dry hay, powdered malt,  some slight sulfur notes of flint that add some cumin complexity. Pear fruits and distant vanilla peak shyly out from beneath the dry spice.  The whole nose is drier and less inviting than the new Black Bush's, but more complex and interesting too.

The entry is less effusively sweet and less vinous than the current version, but has an august quality in the admittedly distant sherry that somehow makes up for it.  The mid-palate expansion parallels the new Black Bush with the minty sweet freshness of Irish Whisky playing sprightly with the richer sherry and light grainy burn (but owning the grain).  But here the sherried notes are drier, more august with hints of rancio and age.  The turn to the finish is a bit more tart, with old sherry acids and a whiff more musty wood.  The finish is short - but longer than the new stuff's: more sherried and oaky too.

In an extended re-tasting I find that I like this better than I did before.  It’s solid 3 stars territory.   Maybe it’s the direct head to head format, or maybe it’s my more educated palate now - but I get all those lovely sherry notes.

***

So, Diageo has upped Black Bush's game.  Black Bush is fruitier and more richly sweet now.  But something has also been lost.  The old sherry flavors were more sophisticated and authentic, if a tad more reticent - particularly in the nose.  I'm tempted to speculate that "real" sherry casks might be too expensive now - and that Black Bush is now made with sherry conditioned casks or that younger, sweeter, and less august grape wine is involved in the sherry - but perhaps more of it.  But I’m just guessing.   Anyway - both eras of Black Bush are recommended.  Fine sipping with a minty sherried Irish frame of mind.

- Coop