WHISKEY WITH THE WHISKY RABBI

WHISKY

RABBI

By: Amir Ellituv

The spring is here, the buds are opening, the birds are chirping, the air smells of flowers, the sun begins to show its warmth, but what about our inner warmth, what tantalizes our taste buds through the spirits, through that precious drink, the water of life - whisky.

I wish to share with you some of my recommendations of which whisky to go for during the spring and beginning of summer.

In Scotland when tasting whisky, one of the great places to try different whiskies isn’t just in the distilleries but in their hallowed whisky shops. Places like Royal Mile Whisky in Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, just before Edinburgh castle, is a whisky mecca for the mavens. Loch Fyne Whiskies is another great shop in Inveraray. These places allow you to try a wide variety of whiskies and give you an understanding of the depth and breadth of what is available. Those shops gave me access to some legendary drams, some of which I am going to review.

THE TALISKER 18-YEARS-OLD

45.8%

Some 20 years ago, my rocket-booster towards my love of whisky occurred at Royal Mile Whisky, while my family was enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe, seeing the great street performers entertain. I slid off to the shop and was treated to some great drams. One of those was the Talisker 18. Many know about the Talisker 10 year old, that hot peppery, peaty dram from the Isle of Skye; but what about its older sibling, the 18 year old.

NOSE: Initially the pepper smell hits and before you know it, it smells like a peppered rib eye steak on the grill, but then you get hints of lemon and honey.

TASTE: Spicy, honeyed, sweet, pepper, hints of caramel, then after the lashings of peat, although not overpowering, a salty aftertaste on the sides of your tongue.

FINISH: Sweet, long, spicy, complex and smooth. Location: Derwent Water in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria

Location: Bassenthwaite Water in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria

CAOL ILA 18-YEARS-OLD

43%

On my very first summer in Scotland with the family, the summer that made me fall in love with whisky, we were meant to meet the family in Dundee. However on the way, I said to my wife, “there is a lovely town called Callander on the way which is only 10 minutes off the A9 (the main highway into the highlands) and we can just pop over to see the Rob Roy exhibition center.” (Rob Roy was a famous Scotsman who stole loads of sheep, and wound up the British!) What I didn’t say was that in Callander there was a great whisky shop, and it was slightly more than 10 minutes away. Anyway, everyone was delighted to arrive at the place, while I had a great time in the whisky shop. Over there they introduced me to Caol Ila. Caol Ila is based in Islay; it isn’t as famous as Bowmore, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, and Lagavulin. However, it produces such great malts and is a workhorse for the blenders. Having visited the distillery, it doesn’t have the romantic look of the others. However, the views across the straits of Jura and seeing the Paps of Jura, the iconic mountains on the Isle of Jura, is enough to make your heart melt and open your soul to that dram.

NOSE: Butter, peat, and wafts of smoke. TASTE: Ash, burnt meat pieces, but not too burnt; it is complex and subtle, not too peaty and not too burnt. FINISH: Not too long, nice mouthfeel, soft and smooth, a well-integrated and brilliantly balanced malt. One of the great-18 year-olds of Islay.

DARACH WHISKY 24-YEARS-OLD ALLT – A-BHAINNE

46.6%

Having over 5,000 followers on Instagram means that people look out for you and wish to connect with you. One of the people who recently connected was William Woodburn, a gentleman who made sure his independent bottling would have a hechsher. He wanted to make sure that the Jewish public could partake in his whisky. I’m not going into the debate whether whisky needs a hechsher; however, he gave me his special bottle to try and review. It was Erev Shabbat and fortunately, I had finished typing out my Shabbat drasha, when the bottle arrived. I took pictures of the bottle, opened the bottle, and tried the dram. It was so delicious, I couldn’t put it down. Shabbat had more than arrived in the middle of Friday!

This wonderful 24-year-old is full of mystery and enchantment. As a 24-year-old, this dram just grew and matured in complexity and it is full of life

NOSE: Layers of vanilla, banana, leather, and cinnamon.

TASTE: Let the whisky rest in the glass for a few minutes and you will marvel at its vivacious notes of creamy banana toffee, caramelized nuts, and marzipan. The spicy hits of pepper and long-lasting peat is a tapestry of flavours. This whisky challenges your senses, takes you on a rollercoaster, a ride of wonder and a journey of amazement. Location: Wast Water in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria

Location: the peak district national park, Derbyshire

BUNNAHABHAIN HAND FILLED EXCLUSIVE WAREHOUSE 9 CAORAG

45.8%

Just up the island of Islay from Coal Ila is one of my favorite distilleries, Bunnahabhain. Their warehouse tasting tour is a must when visiting the island, and they have produced some special bottlings reflecting that warehouse tour. One of them is the Caorag.

NOSE: Peat, brine, pine needles, and damp leaves.

TASTE: Very peaty, not too many flavors and slightly ‘lemony.’

FINISH: Smooth and short.

This whisky isn’t a typical bunnahabhain, but a great peaty whisky. It certainly conjures up for me the memory of going into the warehouse full of barrels and tasting some lovely drams in a special atmosphere.

M

Amir Ellituv is a contributor for Mochers Magazine. Follow his brand @whiskyrabbi