WHAT TYPE OF GLASS...

(published Oct 26 2005)

... is the best for whisk(e)y? Like much about whisky it's a lot about preference. What sits best in your hand, what the occasion is, and simply what you have available. There is a bit if snobbery and bigger-than-thou in all groups of people who tend to take their passion too seriously - you'll find it among connoisseurs of fine wine, cognac, chocolate, cheese and whatnot - and to a certain extend, they are full of fertilizer. However, nosing whisky from different types of glasses will have a dramatic effect on the overall sampling experience. Which is ultimately the best? The one that suits you. What's written here is only my preferences.

Here's an image of some glasses. From common glassware used in bars to "expert" tasting glasses (click to enlarge). There are several more and I've had a few of them (sadly broken) but these are in my posession. At the time of writing, at least.

Glass # 1,
The shot glass. It varies sligthly in shape (often a slightly wider top than base). This is a glass best suited for Tequila and other shots. For any type of whisky you wish to get aqcuainted with it is borderline useless.
   
"The only time I use this glass is when I bleakly contemplate the state of the universe with Terry Lee Hale's album 'The Blue Room' on repeat"
If your plan is to get drunk with your buddies and couldn't care less of the taste as long as it's +80 proof and could'nt give a cable about tomorrow's agony and headache: this one's for you. Suits whiskies like Jim Beam (white) and cheap BS Scotch like Cluny, Lauder's and J&B. The only time I use this glass is when I bleakly contemplate the state of the universe with Terry Lee Hale's album "The Blue Room" on repeat. Sadly, it's not a dust-collector.

Glass # 2
is called the Glencairn glass and is, in my opinion, a combination of a tasting glass (#3-4) and a tumbler/rocks glass (#5-6). It's got a heavy and nice feel and captures the aromas very well but is quite thick. Looks pretty neat too, doesn't it?
    I use this regularly, but mostly for Scottish and Irish blends. Particularly the latter which I tend to take in large gulps! (Powers Gold Label). The official Whisky Magazine tasting glass.
    Glass # 3 and 4.
The third glass is the Ardbeg/Glenmorangie glass which is my personal favourite because it has the best shape and is also very thin (and fragile). For some reason I always tend to prefer thin glasses, be it bourbon or beer. For sampling this is a really good glass.


    If you (Europeans) buy this from Glenmorangie, you can get a glass lid with it which is good for tastnig events but they are ridiculously exzpensive. Loch Fyne Whiskies, for example, have simple glass covers that works just as good (if not better) to keep the aromas in the glass when you have a tasting with several pre-poured samples.
    Number 4 also works for wine tastings which makes it an economical choice if you like both. It's a great seller in Europe I've been told, and is Diageos's official "The Six Classic Malts of Scotland" glass.

Glass # 5 and 6.
JR Ewing. He returns to his mansion after a hard day's work. He's pissed. He slanters into the living-room, with curly-haired Bobby on the sofa, grabs a heavy crystal glass and pours himself a massive bourbon and looks at Bobby with a diabolical look.
    Now that's rock 'n' roll!
    I adore big and really heavy tumblers. They are ideal for social drinking. The glass you use after dinner when you just want to relax. Unfortunately, it is not a very good glass for sampling whisky. I greatly enjoy the feel of these, but if I get a new whisk(e)y, I do not use a tumbler. Perhaps on very few occasions where the proof is very high, but those occasions are few and far between (+115 proof).
    Of the types listed here, # 6 is my favourite for everyday drinking. The third or fourth for serious sampling when writing tasting notes.

If you are an experienced drinker (as opposed to "a drunkard") you already know what you prefer and, honestly, why have you read this far? Go have a drink! If you are starting out enjoying whiskies, use a proper glass for the right occasion. And for Heaven's sake, never - never! - drink straght from the bottle.
    Unless you're an artist spreading joy.









NOT ALL WHISKIES
ARE MEANT TO BE SIPPED

(published Dec 7 2005)

Always drink in moderation. Enjoy your whisky responsibally. Yes, that's what producers state on bottles, advertising and promo material. Binge drinking is not for the enthusiasts, and that is not what I'm about to propose. But while the majority of all whiskies I've had, Scotch, bourbon and Irish, are best enjoyed in the manner of a tasting event. You pour a small measure in your preferred nosing glass, take a small sip, roll it around in your mouth and enjoy the flavours. You jot down your impressions on paper and rate it. This is how most of us do. One or two small drams are enough when you evaluate or a new whisky, or enjoy your every day whiskey on a more relaxed occasion.

But some whiskies, I've found, will not be justly valued and enjoyed in small sips. These are as full of flavours as the next quality whiskey, but somehow you need to take a large gulp to make them shine and sparkle as, I imagine, they are meant to. I have a few of such brands that I simply cannot help but down in one go.

Powers Gold Label is the first that comes to mind. This sparkling pot-still charachterful fruit-fest of an Irish is simply brilliant. I adore this heavenly nectar and it's so dangerously drinkable that I simply cannot sip it, but need a gulp or two and then lean back in my favourite couch, close my eyes and dream of utopian days when all whiskies are this great.

I really cannot appreciate this as much if I only take small amounts. The picture on the right shows how much I pour and knock back in one go. I don't just swallow it at once - that would be a waste - but let it swirl around in my mouth, letting it cover every little bit of my palate, indulging in its developing flavours every nano-second before I bless my stomach with its visit.

Talisker 10 Yrs
It works in small doses, but to really feel the vulcano of peaty and peppery aromas bombarding your palate, you need to pour a full glass. Considering the richness at butch character of Talisker it may come as a shock to some to use this "technique", but for my palate it's pure bliss. It's such an amazing whisky (although I tend to sense a tad bit too much caramel) and deserves to be enjoyed in such a way that it's entire potential is given free range.

"It's such an amazing whisky (although I tend to sense a tad bit too much caramel) and deserves to be enjoyed in such a way that it's entire potential is given free range"
Eagle Rare 17 Yrs from the venerable Buffalo Trace Distillery will ultimately represent the American gulp whiskey. In my opinion, this is the whiskey of the three that works almost as good as a sipping whiskey. But it's so complex you need to fill your mouth with it in order to be not just overwhelmed, but completely blown away by its enormously generous and complex flavours. Perhaps the downside, as with Powers, is that you'll finish half the bottle and still not have it all figured out. Such is the extreme complexity and thick texture of Eagle Rare 17. The 10 year-old version is not far beyond, but my oh my the 17 offers more than what I am capable of handling in one session.

I've got a few more brands in mind, but they are not on the same level as the above. If your palate is anything like mine, give this method a try. Chances are you'll find an entirely new dimension to three of the greatest whiskies known to mankind.

INSOMNIA AND WHISKEY

(published oct 16 206)
Having been suffering from acute insomnia for some years, in order to remedy this no small matter, I've tried every medicine available on the market. Some work half of the time, but I don't like putting too much chemicals in my body because I do not know what it'll do to my body.

The other day I went to sleep at 10 pm and woke up at 3 am. That is barely the time an individual needs each night. But what the Hell do I do at 3 in the morning?

I got out of bed, feeling rather reluctant to do anything. I looked out the window to see only darkness and rain: the mist covered the trees and the light of the moon. I checked my e-mails, surfed the news and suddenly realised I had a friend waiting for me. It was standing on the shelf in my living-room in all its glory. A bottle of Elmer T Lee Single Barrel bourbon. Perhaps THE best bourbon from the US.

Ever since I tasted this for the first time, I've loved it. It sells at a very fair price for its quality (a Scotch of the same caliber would double or even triple the price).

I poured myself a glass, nosed it for a moment and had a sip. Instant bliss. Now, I started drinking Scotch in 1999, collecting and tasting over 200 malts and blends (at one time, in 2004, I had 122 different bottles of whiskies at home), but times change. These days I prefer bourbon over scotch. Sure, Ardbeg 10, Lagavulin 16, The Balvenie 12 and Clynelish are heroes, but they lack the richness of my favourite bourbons. Eagle rare 10 and 17 Yrs, Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve, Woodford reserve, Old Taylor (a cheap whiskey but packed with flavours.) Four Roses single barrel, Buffalo Trace, Pappy van Winkle and Elijah Craig 12 & 18 Yrs... These outmatch close to 80 % of the Scottish whiskies, IMO.

"If Charles Bukowski lived to be 74,I'll take my chances"
While I sometimes use an abundance of bourbon or Scotch in order to sleep - like the French author Artaud said - until we've found the source of human suffering, we can't judge the actions s/he takes - I wholly enjoy it, It's not as if I knock back mouthfuls of vodka or the like, I enjoy every sip of my preferred Scotches and bourbons tremendously while it at the same time it does me a favour. Unfortunately, not, in a long-term perspective, a healthy one.

"Going on like that will give you liver and kidney problems" you may say. If Charles Bukowski lived to be 74, I'll take my chances. While I am aware of the dangers of over-consumption, it is something I do with love. A destructive behaviour, as in my case, can be a "good" thing. Being 31 years old, I don't expct to live till retirement. My habits, chosen by me alone, secures a good life until the day comes it's time to leave. In the hereafter, which is non-existant, I'll shake my hand with the devil while alive as I draw my last breath.

I'll gladly die at 60 with a bottle of Elmer T Lee by my side than at 90 not having lived.