grill ’s Fine Spirit Tasting
WINTER 2010
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spirit taste
Hard to find spirit Fine rum – Move over Cornish smugglers and Highland bandits, the pirates of the Caribbean are here.
By Keith Stewart
R
um is the hot spirit right now – and not just as a classic mixer in the most fashionable cocktails of the moment. There are there two rums listed amongst the world’s top drinks brands for the first time and the spirit has also become an option for gourmands selecting what to drink at the end of an evening of fine dining – the classic postprandial. Cognac, with some mild competition in a few quarters from Armagnac, its rustic, Gascon compatriot, dominated postprandial fine dining for generations. This was part driven by the English aristocracy’s taste for it, and in particular their propensity to drink anything that avoided excise, as cognac was for centuries a popular cargo for smugglers running across the English Channel, along with Normandy lace and Provençal perfume. Not paying English customs duty was one thing but trading with Highland rebels was another, and for all its romantic origins in the Scottish north, whisky took at least 200 years to gain credence amongst Sassenachs. Single malt whisky’s rise as an after-dinner
snifter is very much a feature of the late 20th Century, towards the end of which it has challenged cognac as the most prestigious of spirits. But, now there is another challenger, and this from a far more radical source than Cornish smugglers or Highland bandits – Caribbean pirates. Fine rum, known to Caribbean locals as “sipp’n’ rum” has had a following throughout the Central American islands for as long as rum has been distilled from cane sugar. However, only lately, especially under the leadership of Appleton, has rum really staked a claim to fine dining’s conclusion. The problem is that being a late starter in satisfying international demand for fine spirits, rum producers are struggling to keep up with demand. The more barrel-aged rum they sell, the harder it becomes to age enough stock for the future. Anything over 10 years old is, by definition, genuinely rare. THE TASTING I conducted the tasting in Auckland at the Jervois Steak House on Jervois Road, Herne Bay, a venue suited to the
atmosphere of simple but fine dining, imbued with the slightly testosteronetinged air provided by red meat and dark wine, in which the finest of spirits show off their best. Rather than preordain what would be tasted, the spirits available were no more than a selection of what the sommelier at Jervois Steak House provides, given that it probably represents the best of its style in the city. Unsurprisingly it did, being one of those very rare establishments that takes itself seriously enough to offer the finest of all cognacs, Delamain Pale and Dry XO, as well as some excellent single malts, age-blended whiskies, Armagnac and a selection of aged Appleton rums. Served burnished on the beaten copper surface of the JSH bar, the spirits were all nosed where they lay in champagne flûtes, glasses of just the right proportions for a top class spirit, after which equal parts of water were added for the subsequent tasting, as well as the chance to revisit the nose “on the rise” as water releases its more subtle characteristics. As always for grill, each was allocated a mark out of 10 as an indication of its quality, with notes as follows: RUM 8 APPLETON ESTATE 12 YEAR OLD 43% abv
Ripe and plump on the nose with a tinge of ripe citrus and some sweet shadows emerging from the mellow oak and warm spirit. Palate is soft and very charming, giving extra vigour with a dash of alcohol warmth that lingers at the finish. The palate is light and sweet, which the spirit never detracts from, yet with some lovely subtleties. Classy and fine, this is impressive stuff that is a long way ahead of where rum was not so long ago.
grill would like to thank Jervois Steak House on Jervois Road, Herne Bay for the use of their fine premises and fine spirits.
SPIRIT taste
RUM 9 APPLETON ESTATE 21 YEAR OLD 43% abv
Again a nose that is ripe with soft, measured sweetness and a hint of aromatic fruit about it. More subtlety and detail than on the 12 YO, and a greater influence from the oak, but with the same perfect balance between spirit and flavour that keeps the whole very fine. Flavours are well spread with momentum, although the numerous details make it impossible to isolate just what fruits are to be seen amongst the oak nuances that 21 years have delivered. Superb! A quite remarkable performance of the type that will see rum becoming a more regular performer at the end of great meals. ARMAGNAC
5 PRINCE
D’ARINAC V.S. 40% abv
A powerful, braw nose with vigour and a coarse edge, with plenty of strong grapey aromas and flavour, well shot with oak. Mellow flavours are energised by the slightly volatile spirit, the sort of stuff that comes in handy when getting ones courage up.
throaty V8 such as would power an AC Cobra. Plenty of scale and vigour, big, buxom and rich with sensual charm. SCOTCH 8 WHISKY CHIVAS REGAL 18 YEAR OLD 40% abv
Suave nose is all subtle oak and detailed melodies from deep in the Highlands – fragrant, fine and filled with grain flavours edged in gentle smoke. An elegant palate delivers the consummate Scotch, sophisticated and very refined with a long, lingering finish and lovely textures that meld the spirit and grain together. Superb! SCOTCH
8 MALT
WHISKY GLENFIDDICH 15 YEAR OLD 40% abv
Subtle fragrance off a strongly aromatic nose that is filled with Highland flowers, grain and sherry-like oak. A fine, high toned spirit that is flavoursome, mellow and showing remarkable nuances of flavour in one so young. Its full, smoky, mealy palate draws on and on to a lingering, satisfying finish. Very smart indeed.
BOURBON
7 WILD TURKEY
RARE BREED Barrel proof 53% abv
Mellow, ripely classic Bourbon nose is sweet and pungent with a strong oak quality and just an edge of extra fire about it. Fluid, fine, sweet, very mellow spirit is effortlessly powerful and smooth, rather like a
SCOTCH
6 MALT
WHISKY GLENFIDDICH 18 YEAR OLD 40% abv
Strong nose has plenty of aromatic muscle as well as a dash of unusual notes that make it slightly edgy. Palate has subtlety, but a certain lack of depth
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of flavour that is atypical for single malt in general, and Glenfiddich in particular. Not quite the pure water character one is used to with this spirit. Sweetish front palate is followed by a dry finish and some lingering aspects of warm grain that leave a pleasant memory. SCOTCH
9 MALT
WHISKY GLENFIDDICH 21 YEAR OLD 40% abv
A very fine nose of mealy/smoky characters, laced with subtleties that have elements of sweetness, oak, and flowers. Very complex bouquet is a huge asset and the clarity on the palate is just the pure character that Glenfiddich is famous for. Its fine spirit is never less than vigorous, but delivered with such grace as to be without challenge. A superb whisky that is as finely reassuring as the best invariably is, and the finish, long, detailed, suave. COGNAC 10 DELAMAIN XO PALE AND DRY • GRANDE CHAMPAGNE 40% abv
From its fine, fragrant, whisperingly grape-smeared nose this is the standard by which cognac gained its famous reputation for “VSOP” = very superior old pale, with the added quality of being bone dry. It is alive with simply spectacular old oak character, investing a filigree of lacy flavour details across the nose and palate like some collection of crown jewels. Most particularly the spirit is subtle and very, very fine, no jarring notes, no dirty little asides. Simply magnificent – supple, firm and precise, but with poetry to move you.
Jervois Steak House on Jervois Road, Herne Bay, fine dining, fine wines and a fine bar.
…. supple, firm and precise, but with poetry to move you.
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