New Luxury

Luxury

OR NOT?

Domaine de la Romanee Conti’s ‘Romanee Conti’: A legendary wine if ever there was one. A unicorn wine. New releases can go for $15,000 to $20,000 a bottle. Older great vintages many times that. The 1978 Domaine de la Romanee Conti ‘Romanee Conti’. A spectacular vintage if ever there was one. Put simply, there would be few winelovers who would not have this on a bucketlist (I wonder, should one have things ‘in a bucketlist’, rather than ‘on a bucketlist’?), few who do not dream of the opportunity to try it and who wouldn’t crawl over broken glass to do so.

A few years ago, after a particularly long, and very good, lunch, a friend suggested we adjourn back to his place as it was nearing the time for the evening meal. He had a bottle of the 1978 Romanee Conti and he had always wanted to see how it went with a simple spag bol.

Now, some might be horrified. This bottle demanded parades, trumpets, skies opening to blinding shafts of sunlight carrying angels to earth. A bowl of spag bol? Surely heresy of the most heinous kind.

But why not? Did we need fifteen waiters and sommeliers standing by with goldplated corkscrews? Crystal decanters, the finest stemware, caviar and truffles (okay, I’d not have complained had there been truffles)? No. None of it. This was three or four mates enjoying an experience among themselves and I’m not sure anything could have improved it. Another occasion, a few friends and myself took off to Cuba to fish for the wonderful bonefish. Each fly-fisherman is allocated a local guide who punts a small craft around the shallows searching for these ‘silver ghosts’ (never understood how they do not get lost trying to find their way back but they never do). One of my mates brought a bottle of Yquem with him as he planned to meet up at lunch, somewhere out on the salt flats of Las Salinas and share the bottle before we’d punt off in different directions to chase more bonefish.

Could there be a less salubrious, and yet more enjoyable, environment to crack open an Yquem?

You don’t need to have five star surroundings to enjoy the great wines and spirits of the world. Far more important is the company and experience. Sure, if gold trimming on the barstools and wearing the latest designer sunglasses, even though it is night time, is your thing then knock yourself out. But if a good old-fashioned, hidden in a basement, dive bar does it for you, why not?

Does a great malt taste better if you are wearing black tie or in torn jeans and bare feet (although for some, those torn jeans probably cost more than my entire wardrobe)? This is something which Balvenie are keen to explore.

Balvenie is a Speyside Distillery, part of the William Grant & Sons empire. William Grant & Sons are the producers behind brands such as Glenfiddich. As detailed in the story on the Glenfiddich Grand Cru (page 50), original William gave up his job at the Mortlach Distillery in the 1880’s, to set up on his own. What was not mentioned was that land he purchased to do so was near-adjacent to Balvenie Castle. In 1892, he began converting an 18th-century mansion, known as ‘Balvenie New House’ into a

distillery (not bad when you have already established Glenfiddich). Fifteen months later, the first distillation took place. Water is sourced from the very same stream as Glenfiddich, all those years ago, the Robbie Dubh. Whatever they put in their whiskies must be the good stuff. Original William’s granddaughter passed away in 2012, at the age of 110.

Fast forward to today and Balvenie are especially proud that they remain the only distillery in Scotland which practices what they call the ‘Five Rare Crafts’ on site – growing barley, malting barley, the use of an onsite coppersmith, the use of an onsite cooperage, all under the supervision of an experienced Malt Master.

Balvenie’s Malt Master, David Stewart MBE, is one of the most honoured and respected men in world of whisky. And no one has been doing it longer! David started at the Balvenie Distillery in 1962 at the age of 17, where he undertook a 12-year apprenticeship to learn the skills he would need. He is still going strong today.

The distillery has five wash stills and six spirit stills with a capacity over five million litres. They offer a wide range of age-statement whiskies and various vintage whiskies as well. Balvenie uses the traditional batch process of the production for its single malts. Locally grown barley is preferred, and floor-malted

where possible. Balvenie is one of just seven of the distilleries (out of more than 120) in Scotland with its own malting floor. They have a trophy cabinet bulging with awards, medals, bling of all kind, picked up around the world for their extensive range of superb malts.

Fast forward downunder and Balvenie are working closely with a couple of those supposedly dodgy dive bars, with more to come. At the Ramblin Rascal Tavern in Elizabeth Street Sydney, they are looking at the best of both worlds – a five-star dive bar. This is an ideal location to combine a laid-back casual approach to drinking great whisky, with drinking great whisky. They have come up with some exciting cocktails to celebrate. The Baller Maker combines a glass of Perrier-Jouët Grand Champagne with a nip of The Balvenie 12-Year-Old. Or go big with the Coup de Grace (just $150 a serve) – The Balvenie 30-Year-Old with Angostura bitters and chilled Scottish Breakfast tea syrup poured over Bare Bones ice (apparently, all ice ain’t ice) and served in a Waterford Crystal glass. Now that is perhaps leading back to our five star destinations but you can still drink it in torn jeans, though I’m guessing bare feet might breach the code. Burgers and fried chicken are on the menu!

Balvenie are also working with The Gidley.

Of course, things don’t always go to plan and that can be half the fun and far more likely if one takes the dive bar route, rather than the road to five star luxury. That extraordinary bottle of 1978 Romanee Conti? Corked. And my mate’s attempt to share a bottle of Yquem on the salt flats of Las Salinas near Bay of Pigs in Cuba? Well we never got to get the punts together at lunchtime (they never do) and my friend completely forgot the bottle, leaving it in the guide’s esky. I’d love to know what our Cuban friend thought of Yquem, but it is surely the best tip he ever received, whether he knew it or not!

Don’t let that put you off. If you want to enjoy great spirits casually, go right ahead. The distilleries are right behind you.