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Yesterday evening, Mary Robinette Kowal -master puppet maker, artist, and writer--came over to sample my single malts. Until I took them all out, I had no idea how many I actually had on-hand...TWELVE different ones (two of the same brand, aged 12 years and 18 years respectively).
Two were only little bottles left over from the road trip Eileen Gunn and I had made post-Glasgow Worldcon when we bought every sample bottle that looked pretty and/or we'd never heard of--there were many. Eileen and I only sampled about four because she was driving. So we split the rest of them and each took some home.
Mary brought some lovely blue cheese and a fantastic fig bread and two delicious lavender shortbread cookies from Silver Moon on the upper west side and I had some cheddar, mimolette, and mozzarella.
We tried all (I think) the Islays except for Lagavulin (my personal favorite). We rated them...Now although Mary is knowledgable about wine and how to judge it, neither of us knew the correct descriptions for single malt scotch, so we improvised.
We only got through six (we started by finishing off a little sample bottle that we didn't realize till after we drank it was NOT a scotch--horrors--it was an Irish whiskey with the name Te Bheag--don't know where that one came from). We decided we liked the Bowmore Enigma the best (Mary, take note--I just checked that that's what it's called).
By the time Mary left (around 10pm, I think) even though we had very little of each scotch, we were both a bit sloshed --at least I know I was.
Two were only little bottles left over from the road trip Eileen Gunn and I had made post-Glasgow Worldcon when we bought every sample bottle that looked pretty and/or we'd never heard of--there were many. Eileen and I only sampled about four because she was driving. So we split the rest of them and each took some home.
Mary brought some lovely blue cheese and a fantastic fig bread and two delicious lavender shortbread cookies from Silver Moon on the upper west side and I had some cheddar, mimolette, and mozzarella.
We tried all (I think) the Islays except for Lagavulin (my personal favorite). We rated them...Now although Mary is knowledgable about wine and how to judge it, neither of us knew the correct descriptions for single malt scotch, so we improvised.
We only got through six (we started by finishing off a little sample bottle that we didn't realize till after we drank it was NOT a scotch--horrors--it was an Irish whiskey with the name Te Bheag--don't know where that one came from). We decided we liked the Bowmore Enigma the best (Mary, take note--I just checked that that's what it's called).
By the time Mary left (around 10pm, I think) even though we had very little of each scotch, we were both a bit sloshed --at least I know I was.
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Lagavulin is my favourite, too. I have a couple of others and nothing compares, despite the expert at the shop telling me I'd like Arbeg just as much.
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Just out of curiosity, have you ever read Iain Banks' non-fiction Scotch book, 'Raw Spirit'?
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I've heard about it but never read it...does he distinguish between tastes of each one?
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Anyway, taste descriptions aside, it's a fun book, if you can take (or even enjoy) a lot of the free-associational rambling about different subjects that he does in there.
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I've tasted a Bowmore a few years back, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Bowmore Enigma, and now I can't remember what it tasted like. Damn.
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Yes! Someone gave me a bottle of Highland Park knowing I like Lagavulin, but it doesn't do much for me. As a matter of fact, I took it over to Leslie's about six months ago to share with John Crowley since he also likes single malts. I left it there in case he wanted more, but haven't bothered to get the rest of the bottle back (Leslie doesn't drink scotch so doesn't particularly want to keep it).
Notice that I didn't bring my bottle of Lagavulin, even for John. Please don't tell him.
Now that I know you especially like Lagavulin, though, I will share next time you're in town. :)
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That would be lovely--and the same invite goes for you, should you come to NYC.
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CYA (or is that CMA): I did quiz him about his preferences, and he said he liked the peaty ones but also other ones just as well. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
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Sigh.
I didn't know Crowley was a Single-Malt head. I'll have to bring some to Readercon.
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ooh invite me too :-)
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I just posted the notes we took http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/scotch-tasting-at-ellens/
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Do you know about the amazing single-malt bar on 44th Street, St Andrews? It is single-malt heaven.
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No, but there's one downtown in Soho. I was supposed to go there in January after dinner one night but copped out. Next year.
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Scotch makes me excitable.
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leave the Scotch out...
(& while I'm wishing, can I have a pony?)
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Re: leave the Scotch out...
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My favourite whiskey, hands down, is Bushmills Black Bush.
Both are a blend of malt and grain whiskeys. The Black Bush is aged in sherry casks. If you're a fan of the really peaty and smokey Highland single malts, you will probably find Black Bush to be too mild, but I've turned more than few Scotch drinkers to the joys of Irish by giving them a glass of Black Bush.
If you have Bushmills white label and Redbreast, you really should try Black Bush.
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I was wrong
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The only other label that is close to black is the 21 year old malt, which looks (on Bushmill's website) to be a dark charcoal. I know that there have been many label variants over the years.
But I'm pretty sure that if it was Black Bush, it would say 'Black Bush'.
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