Writing and Whisky

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Rob

Writing and whisky. They seem to fit together like hand and glove. Foot and sock. Glencairn glass and mouth.

I’ve written about everything imaginable. There must be 3,000 articles with my byline floating around the writing ether. I’ve covered politicians and criminals – sometimes in the same story; actors and athletes; ordinary people with extraordinary stories; billionaires and bums; meetings and openings; parties and tragedies. Paragraphs and pages devoted to wine, rum, beer and tequila.

I didn’t find my writing passion, however, until I started writing about whisky.

Something about whisky touched me. It was an outsider. Elite society could effuse about wine in an exclusionary manner. Popular people in their designer jeans and little black dresses could flit about Hollywood parties with their various vodka concoctions and vacant conversations. Working folks had their beer, and then another, and another, while watching elite athletes on TV or reading popular People. Whisky, on the other hand, was a mysterious drink. That kid in class who always seems like he has a secret, but no one talks to him to find out what it is.

Bogart drank whisky when the clues in the case seemed just out of reach and the woman he wanted even further away. Robert Johnson wrote the blues late at night with a bottle by his side. Writers and whisky, the list is endless. Wine begs for conversation, vodka for parties, and beer for sports. Whisky…well, whisky asks you to stay home within yourself, to look at where you are and figure out how you ended up here.

Beauty is found in the simplicity of the whisky making process – a process that relies upon countless nuances to create something complex. And I think that’s where the connection between whisky and writing is made: the endless possibilities in the details.

There is a world of opportunity when it comes to writing about whisky – whether describing the drink in a review or incorporating a dram into a fictional story. Whisky is egalitarian. A multi-national corporation makes it using the latest in scientific approaches and marketing blitzes. My great-grandfather made it in his barnyard shed.

Great characters are found throughout the whisky industry, and their product makes it into the hands of some great characters in literature. Whisky sits in that misty grey world between reality and vision. Born from manual labor; questing for spiritual elevation. Maybe that’s what the monks who invented it intended all along. After all, they were the scribes of their day.

 

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The Return of Whisky Guy Rob

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Rob

Ten years ago, I first wrote about whiskey. It was a small article for a local newspaper. The piece was really more of a social event article than a whiskey article, as I was covering a Hollywood party featuring whatever young actors were the flavor that month. The party was sponsored by a major bourbon maker at a time when most parties of that type were sponsored by vodka makers. Or wine makers. Or rum purveyors. Anything but whiskey.

The article was nothing special and the whiskey was barely mentioned. However, the brand ambassador was nice enough and interesting enough that a year later when I received an invite to attend and cover a whisky expo in San Francisco I decided to explore the subject. A few minutes of chatting with some boys from Bowmore had me completely hooked. Within a couple of years I was writing columns for national magazines; learning about whisky from the biggest names in the business: Paterson, McEwan, Noe, Samuels; and drawing strange looks from bartenders when I’d ask for certain whiskies, cocktails or used the word, “neat.”

At the time, it seemed like there were only a couple of dozen of us writing about

As Michael Jackson would tell me, "Write! Drink!"

whisky regularly. There were the all-stars like Jackson, Murray, Nouet, Broom, Hansell, etc. And then there were a second tier of us: professional journalists who’d seen our interest in drinks piqued by the world of whisky and our writing skills increasingly devoted to that world.

Jump forward to 2009, and I’m living on Islay, working at Bruichladdich, lunching at Ardbeg, strolling down sheep paths for an afternoon dram at Caol Ila. I felt I’d written enough about whisky from a journalistic standpoint. I decided to shift to a bigger vision. Whisky as metaphor. The move to Islay immersed me in that metaphor, literally making me part of the story. And, I wrote a book following that vision.

After two years of traveling the world, and a year removed from Islay, I returned to the U.S. to pursue publishing the book. My oh my, how the world had changed. There was already a slight shift in popular culture with a few whisky bars opening before I left the country. By 2011, they were everywhere. Even bars that didn’t focus on whisky were now run by “mixologists” who found ways to use whiskies in new concoctions.

And writing? Well, that small group of whisky writers from a few years earlier had exploded into a worldwide cadre of bloggers, tasters, tweeters and aficionados. What had once been an almost secret language among a lucky few was now rocketing around the world in 140 characters or less. I’m a relatively young guy, but stepping away from the world of whisky and then looking into it a couple of years later made me feel more like Rip Van Winkle than Pappy Van Winkle.

I wasn’t sure if there was a place for my kind of writing in this new world of whisky. So, I pretty much didn’t write, aside from the occasional piece here and there, usually at someone’s request. No articles. I sat on the book. I lived mainly vicariously, following other people’s blogs and tweets, adding my own thoughts when inspired. An exiled preacher of the faith looking in on the world he once evangelized about to those who had yet to hear the good word of Murray’s Whisky Bible.

My favorite part of working at Bruichladdich was laying down casks in the warehouse, knowing that I was helping put something to sleep that would wake up gloriously. And, while I would never categorize my own writing as glorious, I think it’s time to wake it up and see if time and the environment has matured my creativity. Do I have something to say that will resonate?

The Whisky Guy Rob blog is now officially resurrected. Over the course of the next few months I will dive back into the world of whisky, exploring its connection to writing, creativity and things outside of the standard distillery updates, though there will be plenty of those I’m sure.

The late Michael Jackson and I were chatting over a dram a few years ago, and I asked him what were the keys to becoming a great whisky writer. His answer was uncharacteristically short and to the point. “Write! Drink!”

I’ve been doing one of those the past couple of years. Now it’s time to reignite the other.

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St. Patrick’s Day Whiskey Surprises

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Rob

Grave marker of St. Patrick's nephew Lugna on the island of Inchagoill in Lough Corrib, County Galway.

As one of my favorite days of the year approaches, I’d like to turn an eye to some unheralded whiskey options for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Each are a bit off the beaten track that revelers are used to and most likely won’t be found in bars and pubs that will freely pour Jameson and Bushmills all day and night. However, I think in their own way they offer a taste of Ireland that you can slowly savor rather than chugging until it makes you green — which seems to be what a lot of young Americans think is the purpose of St. Patrick’s Day.

The first is, in fact, from Bushmills. The whiskey is their latest to hit the American market: Bushmills Irish Honey. I am unsure as to why the company wanted to produce this whiskey, but my guess is that at 35% alcohol and infused with honey the aim is to attract drinkers who prefer the sweet drinks that vodka and fruit juice provides. If you’d like to try the tipple neat, you’ll be surprised at a kind of muskiness and malt aroma that hits the nose. You also definitely pick up the fresh apples that are typical of Bushmills spirit.

The palate is less surprising and more perplexing. Honey, honey, honey bouncing its way around fruit (apples, pears and cherries) and cereal notes. The mouth feel is coating and thin at the same time with the ever-present honey. Kind of like a thin syrup, kind of like watered down honey. Treacle to the core.

Busmills Irish Honey is the drink to serve to someone who wants to experience a touch of the Irish, but is not ready to dive into a full-bodied whiskey. Personally, I wouldn’t drink it neat, but I think it could work nicely in some cocktails, perhaps mixed with ginger ale.

My surprising second choice is indeed a full-bodied Irish whiskey and is not available outside of the beloved American grocery store chain Trader Joe’s. In general, Trader Joe’s-named whiskies are very affordable but very hit and miss in quality, with miss being more prevalent. In the case of their four-year-old Irish single malt it’s a hit all the way. And at $20 you won’t miss the money you spend on this delightful dram.

The nose is subtly complex for an Irish whiskey: slight aroma of burning leaves, pineapple cake, apples and cereals. Really, a delightful aroma. The palate is chewy as hints of malt, candied fruit, leather and charcoal make their way around the tongue. A wonderful combination of flavors. The finish is long and warming like drinking a bit of hot apple cider in front of a peat fire. Having spent time at Cooley Distillery sampling all their different bottlings under various marketing names, I’d have to guess this is from their casks. The fruitiness and the slight peat give it away.

Plenty of Guinness and Jameson will flow tomorrow, but if you’d like to take a mental and palatal break from the cacophony of loud pub-goers and bands covering “Whiskey in the Jar” for the 20th time that night, ease back with one of the lesser known whiskies I’ve mentioned. Sláinte!

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Waits, Whisky and Double Black

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Rob

“Bad as Me” is the title of Tom Waits newest CD. Though it doesn’t come out for a few more days (at the time of this writing) I’ve heard a preview of the work by the newest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Based on the title, it sounds like it would be the biggest, boldest, and, well, baddest CD yet by the gruff growler. And in some ways it is, but not in ways one would expect. For beneath the clanging horns, tinny guitars and old hound dog harmonies (with Keith Richards of all people) there is a subtle beauty running through the entire CD that is entirely unexpected.

Why am I writing about Tom Waits in a whisky blog? For starters, his music screams to be listened to with a whisky in hand. And indeed I do have a whisky in hand, well near hand, as it’s hard to type and hold a dram at the same time. It too is new and also claims to be the baddest expression of a well-known, well-worn and well-loved legend. However, just as Mr. Waits’ new claim of badass-ness is startled away by beautiful subtlety, so too is the posturing of this whisky: Johnnie Walker’s Double Black.

Double Black is allegedly a bigger, bolder and badder version of the venerable Johnnie Walker Black Label. And, at first whiff, with the sparks-flying-in-your-face smokiness of a campfire, it does indeed seem like heavyweight boxer version of Walker Black’s barroom brawler. But, don’t let that chest-puffing stride into the ring fool you. For beneath the double punching fists of smoke are hypnotically feathery feet of fruit, spice and vanilla that dance elegantly throughout the ring, weaving gracefully above the canvas, propelling the action.

(Yes, I believe using Tom Waits and boxing to describe this whisky is a double metaphor, but hey, it’s Double Black; it deserves two metaphors).

I think I am something of a Walker Black (or Black Label, or 12-year old) expert. It is my default drink of choice, on the rocks. Years ago, there was a bartender at The Magic Castle here in Los Angeles who upon seeing me walk through the secret door entrance would always shout out, “Good evening, Walker Black!” as he reached down to start pouring for me. I like how ice doesn’t take away from the smoked wood, chocolate, honey, heather and juniper that I pick up in the blended Scotch. It’s a drink that doesn’t challenge you to think, but you still are aware of its complexities.

When I heard Johnnie Walker was making a Double Black, I was apprehensive. It seems like two-thirds of the time a company tries to market a new whisky the emphasis is on marketing, not on whisky. When I took my first nose of Double Black I was expecting to be punched loudly. Instead, I was hugged and taken back to living in Scotland. Breakfast, to be exact: smoked kippers, orange marmalade on toast, thick cream on oats, fresh apples, and the cracked pepper snappiness found in sausages. It is a fully satisfying, smile-on-the-face, surprise of a blended Scotch. I don’t even want to put it on the rocks, as I think it is lovely as is. Even adding a touch of water, for me, takes away the peat-coated lemon drop finish that I get with it neat.

Double Black isn’t a direct descendent, so to speak, of Black Label, but is inspired by the latter’s flavor profile. The added smokiness comes from whiskies that are naturally smoky (including some lesser-known single malts from the West Coast of Scotland) and whiskies that are matured in deep charred oak barrels. Still, the fruitiness and softness of the collected whiskies manages to shine through.

“I will have satisfaction. I will be satisfied,” Tom Waits sings on his new CD – a record that is wrought with intense imagery, but softened with nuances. I have wonderful satisfaction while listening to it. Sipping a dram of the equally nuanced Double Black also leaves me more than satisfied: it makes me want a double.

Double Black recently became available as a limited release in the U.S. (and is available at Duty Free shops at several airports around the world.) Its price point is less than $10 more than the regular Black Label. The added cost is well worth the added complexity of Double Black. Look for it at your local retailer in the coming weeks if it hasn’t already hit the shelves.

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No Sin to Begin Again With a Tin

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Rob

Last night, I was watching “Six Days to Air: The Making of South Park” which is a great behind-the-scenes look at the crude cartoon classic. In one scene the camera pans around the office of co-creator Trey Parker and sitting on a wall shelf, right along some of his most treasured belongings, is a whisky tin of Murray McDavid 1992 Macallan (I’m pretty sure that was the distillery and year on the tin — the shot was a bit blurred). Who knows if the tin still held a bottle of Macallan, but I’d say most likely not, as it was placed among a number of random things like South Park toys and Legos. My best guess is that it held additional Legos. Or Lincoln Logs. Or LSD laced sugar cubes (if you watched the show you’ll understand that reference).

Whisky tins can be reused in creative ways if you use some imagination.

Whisky is transported all around the world in these tins, keeping bottles somewhat safe and sound while crammed in suitcases or car trunks. But what becomes of these tins once the whisky is removed? I’ve seen people toss them away. I know people who keep them as mementos of whiskies that hold fond memories. Personally, I think they’re best used as intended: to package items.

Airlines have made luggage space a premium in recent years, charging for even the most basic of checked bags. Rather than help an airline make money, I help myself save space by stuffing clothes and any other items I can fit into my whisky tins. You’d be amazed by how tightly things pack into the tins and, unlike folded or rolled clothes that may expand when placed freely in luggage, the tins keep them compacted. I’d guess I can take 15-20 percent more luggage in my carry-on baggage using whisky tins this way than without using them.

Security personnel are, shall we say, befuddled by the use. I’d say half the time I travel they pull me aside to take a look inside my bag. However, even that slight delay more than makes up for the cost of checking a bag before take off and then waiting 20 minutes at baggage claim upon arrival.

And just think: if you come across a dusty bottle of long-forgotten whisky on some random store shelf at your destination, you already have a way to safely transport it home in your  checked baggage once you remove the clothing from your tin. The only drawback is you may have to end up wearing six pairs of socks on that return flight.

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Attending Whisky Events Expands Knowledge and Taste

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Rob

People often ask me how did Whisky Guy Rob became involved with writing about whisky and leading tastings. I was born with a Gaelic liver, so that helped. But, truly appreciating whisky takes more than a physical aptitude.

When I was a newspaper editor in Los Angeles I received invites to all kinds of events from the Academy Awards to parties at the Playboy Mansion. One day, I received an invite for a whisky expo in San Francisco. Though I knew nothing about whisky, the event and location sounded intriguing. I soon discovered what a great choice I’d made.

During the press preview day I was able to have a personal whisky lesson from Bowmore’s former Global Sales director. An hour later, he had me hooked on the magical world of whisky. Over the next two days, I sampled some 60 whiskies (tasting, not gulping) and realized I had an aptitude for picking up the nuances of aroma and taste. I then went down some personal and professional paths I would have otherwise never imagined.

Whisky events allow visitors to sample whiskies from around the world.

At the time, there were only a handful of big whisky events like this in the world. Now, there seems to be one or more happening every weekend. These whisky events give distillers the chance to talk about their craft and expose their elixirs to new people. The events also allow new whisky drinkers and connoisseurs alike to sample dozens of whiskies that would otherwise cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars if they paid for them at a good whisky bar.

This fall, there are quite a few such events that are popping up all over the U.S., including a series of tastings sponsored by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (SMWSA), Whisky Magazine and others. Each event feature similar set-ups of distillery tables, speaker presentations and grand dinner buffets. Two of the events to be held in Los Angeles offer their own unique twist on the standard whisky tasting excursion.

Whisky Live LA rolls into town on October 21 and will feature more than 120 whiskies. Sponsored by Whisky Magazine, the event really is about the sum of the whisky lifestyle more than the individual whisky parts. The event employs a voucher system that starts with a limited number of drink tickets (more are available for $2 each). Organizers want attendees to focus on the whiskies being poured, not on how empty their dram glass is. People may end up only sampling a handful of whiskies by the evening’s end, but they’ll better be able to interact with distillery representatives to learn more about the spirit they’re enjoying. The system also mitigates the tendency of people to rush to vendors and beg for a taste of the oldest or most expensive whisky, simply because it is the oldest or most expensive. In other words, if you want to end your evening with a nice 25-year-old Scotch, there will still be some left to pour.

In addition, Whisky Live LA will feature a “Seven Grand” lounge – which will be a mini-version of the venerable downtown Los Angeles whisky bar. Live jazz music and an “Iron Bartender” cocktail contest also add to the whisky lifestyle experience.

Less than a month later, on November 11, the SMWSA will hold their Extravaganza in Santa Monica. The Extravaganza is one of eight being put on in the next two months around the country. The SMWSA is a private organization that offers members the opportunity to purchase single bottlings of distillery expressions not found elsewhere (for which they’ve been recognized by Whisky Magazine with an Independent Bottling Award). The expressions avoid naming the distillery from where the whisky comes, though with 120 different distilleries being bottled, they seem to cover all the bases. While there will be more than 100 expressions available from known distilleries at the Extravaganza, I’m especially intrigued by having the chance to sample some of the rare Society bottlings they’ll be sharing at the event. You simply cannot find these whiskies elsewhere. The Society event will also have an atmosphere of elegance at their event, through choice of location (Loews at the Beach) and dress code.

Both Whisky Live and Scotch Extravaganza are offering Whisky Guy Rob readers discounts on tickets.  For Whisky Live LA the discount code is whiskyguy and for the Extravaganza the discount code is WGR2011. I’ll be tweeting details of specific events as they near. Hopefully, one of them will roll into a town near you and you’ll be able to expand your knowledge of and taste for whisky and whiskey.

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Bulleit Hits the Mark with New Rye

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Rob

Bulleit has shot straight from the barrel and into the hearts of rye lovers with their new release, Bulleit 95. The “95” stands for the percentage of rye in the spirit, which is extraordinarily high, and leads to a stunning complexity of flavors and aromas.

My homemade Bulleit Rye Perfect Manhattan in a Bulleit Bourbon glass.

Diageo owns the Bulleit name and apparently also loves the name of “Lawrenceburg,” as the Bulleit bourbon is distilled in Lawrenceburg, KY and the new rye in Lawrenceburg, IN (check out Chuck Cowdery’s piece on this). The location names are coincidence, but the adherence to pulling interesting flavors from rye isn’t; it’s a Bulleit trademark. I’ve always loved the bourbon, though many people I know find it too intense or blunt for their palates. I think it’s just a darn good American whiskey.

Bulleit’s rye is really unexpected with its nuances. I expected granary aromas on the nose, and rye and yeast on the palate. However, the subtle aromas of lilac, lavender, rose petals and honey came as a complete surprise on my initial nosing. The aforementioned granary allusion brings depth to those sweet aromas and there is an underlying muskiness which gives the nose some heft.

The palate has a very nice, medium feel punctuated by milk chocolate, vanilla (both imparted by the new oak used to age the rye) with an unexpected wallop of cayenne pepper, as well as the rye and yeast I mentioned before.

The finish picks up a lot of notes from the newly charred casks. Sweet notes ride pounding waves of bbq smoke, charcoal and ash that coat the throat on the way to warming the cockles and the rest of one’s body.

Bulleit rye is best enjoyed neat to take full advantage of its complexities. However, I have experimented with it in cocktails. For me, it works best in a Perfect Manhattan. The sweet vermouth of a regular Manhattan seems to attach itself to the floral notes of the spirit and chases away the heavier notes of the rye. Adding the dry vermouth needed for a Perfect Manhattan allows the spirit’s bolder smoke and wood flavors to come through and complement the entire cocktail.

Bulleit Rye is retailing here in Los Angeles and around the U.S. for between $22–$28 a bottle at a number of outlets. Pick up a bottle when you have the chance. You’ll be happy you did.

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Bold Balvenie Finds Independent Spirits

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Rob

Monica and I enjoy one of Balvenie's many excellent expressions.

Balvenie has always been one of my favorites. In fact, I feel somewhat responsible for the price of Balvenie 21-year-old port wood pushing the $200 mark. Several years ago, I actively promoted it as one of my “best buys” when it was hovering around the $100 mark. Demand rose as did price. Ultimately, I don’t blame myself for the increase. I blame Balvenie for making a spirit that is so solid (leading into spectacular) that people will fork out the extra dough for such a fantastic whisky.

 

Independence is at the heart of Balvenie, and by independence I mean they rely on no one but the in-house team to do everything from grow their own barley to malt it, distill it, cooper the casks where it ages…about the only thing Malt Master David Stewart allows others to do is drink it. And thank goodness for that.

Rare craft is what Balvenie calls their method, and in today’s spirits industry the level of control and independence and they retain is indeed rare. This rare business approach allows Stewart and his team to have fun with their expressions, as evidenced by the 17-year-old peated, a relatively recent release where Balvenie used their own increased peat phenol malt to season casks which were used to finish its more traditional spirit.

Two Balvenie Brand Ambassadors, Andrew Weir and Nicholas Pollacchi are in the midst of traveling the United States to seek out and honor artisans who share Balvenie’s devotion to handcrafted innovation, including producers of cheese, stained glass, golf bags and surfboards, to name but a few. The lads have been undertaking this “difficult” task of meeting interesting people and sharing interesting tastings by making their way from town to town in a hand-made Morgan convertible. I still have some pull in the State and Homeland Security Departments, so if one of the guys “happens” to run into visa issues, I’m more than happy and available to jump behind the wheel and help out the cause.

The Balvenie 40-year-old retails for just under $4,000. There are only 150 bottles, chosen from seven casks.

Their recent stop in Hollywood at Bar Marmont featured a tasting of nearly the entire Balvenie range, including the rare, amazing, succulent and exquisite 40-year-old. Retailing at just a shade under $4,000, I probably won’t be enjoying that again anytime soon. Then again, I can’t think of a better way to enjoy it than with Andrew and Nicholas telling great stories during the Balvenie-range tasting.

I’ve no idea how many tastings I’ve been to in my life, but it’s tough for the distributor/maker to balance information between novices (the majority of people there), experienced whisky people (a few) and experts (a handful). I found the Balvenie’s approach at Bar Marmont to suit my interests and inquisitiveness, as well as those of my companion, Monica, who basically doesn’t drink whiskey. That speaks well of the people behind the event in LA and of those handful of handcrafting artisans half a world away in Dufftown.

You can follow the journey of Andrew and Nicholas here and make sure to peruse the site for details about the interesting people they are meeting along the way.

 

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Crow Quells Whiskey Thirst

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Rob

“Old Crow” is the name emblazoned on the oldest whiskey bottle I own. The name was stamped there more than 100 years ago by a Chicago wholesale liquor dealer. Sadly, it is a 100-year-old whiskey bottle I own, not a 100-year-old bottle of whiskey. The sour mash in the bottle was probably finished off between the time the Wright Brothers went up and the Titanic went down.

“Thirsty Crow” is the name of one of the newest bourbon bars in L.A., barely a year old. Despite its youth, the name is derived from the same antiquated source as my battered bottle. The bar’s youth is also erased the second you walk in the door. The feel of the Silver Lake establishment is akin to the kind of pub that liquor-drinking Capone loved and law-enforcing cops hated during that bleak American era known as prohibition. Dark corners, wooden ceiling beams, a communal oval bar and, on some nights, a swinging jazz band breathe life into this 21st Century version of a 20th Century memory.

I first heard of the Thirsty Crow a year ago when I came across Caroline on Crack’s blog about the bar. It had been on my places to visit since then, but it wasn’t until last month’s one-year-anniversary that I was finally able to walk in and find a bourbon selection that rivaled mine. The crowd was savvy, hip and friendly. The bartenders, slammed by anniversary drink specials, still managed to shake, stir and shoot drinks to customers with alacrity. It was the kind of neighborhood bar one would expect in Silver Lake: trendy and self-aware of its hipness, but not to the point of annoyance.

Cooper Gillepsie is the general manager of the Thirsty Crow. And can you possibly have a better whiskey name than Cooper? Barley? Mash? Or, god-forbid, Yeast? I don’t think so. Like many people in LA, Cooper has another life – that of a musician – but when it comes time to her bar, she lives and breathes bourbon. Thirsty Crow’s signature drinks are devised by Cooper. The bar’s namesake cocktail is a refreshing mix of Jim Beam Rye, ginger beer, citrus juice and bitters – just what I needed on a warm Saturday evening.

Cocktails, a 19th Century invention, really took off during the 1920s as a way to mask poor quality alcohol. I sometimes shudder when I see really good stand-alone whiskies drowned with other liquids that strip away the very nuances that make whiskies so fascinating. But, I suppose there are those hot days when a cold drink is needed, plus cocktails are a way to introduce new whiskey drinkers to the spirit.

Another way the Thirsty Crow reaches out to tentative whiskey drinkers is through Sunday night whiskey tasting flights, and on Whiskey Wednesdays, when a single spirit is available as a $5 special.

“We have a whiskey for everyone and awesome bartenders who will make sure you have a great time,” Cooper told me, when I asked her why people should check out the Thirsty Crow.

In the words of Ira Gershwin, written in 1930 at the height of the secret whiskey speakeasy, who could ask for anything more?

Thirsty Crow, 2939 W. Sunset Blvd., LA. 323-661-6007.

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California Dreamin’

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Rob

When I worked at a distillery in Scotland, I was fully aware of, and completely embraced, the role I was playing in creating this thing called, “The Water of Life.” I knew that people around the world would one day be enjoying the fruits of my labor to celebrate friends, fuel romances, mourn loved ones and live in the moment. I was living a dream.

Not everyone can work at a whisky distillery, but an interesting concept by Glenfiddich has people in the U.S. at least touching their whisky dreams, and potentially their life dreams.

Crowds express their hopes on Glenfiddich's Cask of Dreams.

Crowds express their hopes on Glenfiddich's Cask of Dreams.

Several “Cask of Dreams” are making their way around the U.S. at special events, like one held recently at the Viceroy in Santa Monica and other places throughout Los Angeles. The casks are empty, but people are encouraged to write their dreams on the casks at these Glenfiddich gatherings. The casks will be sent back to Scotland where they will be used to finish a spirit for a special Cask of Dreams bottling, set for U.S. release in 2012.

Glenfiddich has also designed a special Cask of Dreams website (www.caskofdreams.com) where people can post their life ambitions. For every dream posted, Glenfiddich will donate $1 to the National Geographic Explorer program, which funds scientists, adventurers and others seeking to fulfill their dreams. In addition, a few lucky dreamers who post on the site will win trips to help fulfill their dreams of adventure.

I’m curious to see what spirit Glenfiddich will dream up for the Cask of Dreams bottling. Early indications are that it will be similar to a 14-year-old special bottling that came out last year aged in virgin oak casks. That spirit is rich with bursts of fruit, vanilla overtones and wood spice peaks. I enjoy that much better than the 12-year-old, which is too bouncy for my palate.

If Glenfiddich can match the right spirit with the words of hope written on the outside of these special casks, they will have indeed created a dream whisky.

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