Relish and Whisky Summer 2018

Relish and Summer 2018 Issue 12

Blue Mountain Whisky Tasting Fall 2018

www.qcrelishandwhisky.ca

Cigar Pairing With Your Favourite

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American Whisky Changes Bourbon and Rye Tender Medallions Chillies and Cocktails in Time for Summer

The Story Behind the Name

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Welcome to the World’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse

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Bowmore® Scotch Whisky, 40-43% alc/vol. © 2018 Beam Suntory, Inc. Deerfield, IL

CONTENTS

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ISSUE 12 SUMMER 2018 R|W

The Blind Fury of Cigars and Whisky Blair Phillips

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American Whisky Changes Fred Minnick

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5 Geeky Whisky Stops in Scotland Johanne McInnis

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Age Statements are Changing Mark Bylok

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CONTENTS

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ISSUE 12 SUMMER 2018 R|W

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30 Distillerie Fils Du Roy Distillers Son of the King on New Brunswick’s Scenic Acadian Coast

33 Cabins At The Domain Land of Enchanting Forests in the Haliburton Highlands.

34 Keepers Of The Quaich A Spirit Shared

38 Ask Your Questions Relish and Whisky Answers, with Blair Phillips

40 The Story Behind The Name Bourbon County Established in 1785 One of Kentucky’s Oldest Counties Has Your Attention

42 The Wonderful World of Whisky

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It Started off with a Fred Flinstone Steak Dinner

44 Kensington Wine Market Making Blended Sexy Again

48 Chiles To Try Before You Die Scotch Bonnet, Trinidad Scorpion, Piment d’Espelette and the Apricot Habanero

52 Steak Revolution Whole Flat Iron In Fresh Herbs, Petite Tender Medalions With Fresh Herbs And Lemon Cream And Fried Plantain, Toasted Coconut, And Ice Cream

56 Kentucky Bourbon Summer Cocktails A Bird in Hand and Petal Pusher

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Editor’s Thoughts Oh that proverbial path that we are commanded to walk. The predetermined destination of your life.

The fates weave their threads long into eternity.

Maybe even longer. Some are cut before steps are taken. Some strummed to vibrate for a thrill, some held calmly, to fill the moment with wonder, to explore and enjoy a fulfilling life. Which way? What colour? Who can I be?

Anything from inside that you manifest in your mind, you bring out to the world.

You choose and create the path you want.

www.qcrelishandwhisky.ca | June 2018

As well the bottle and flavour profile. Neat, ice or water. It’s completely in your hands, not mine, or that person behind the counter. You taste. You explore. You smell your adventure. Open one up and pour a snifter and enjoy the serenity of your choice.

Pairing a wonderful whisky with a delectable food is one passionate ride.

Cigars and a dram open up flavours and aromas from the Isle. Look at the age statement on the bottle and try a few with some friends. I have had the privilege of meeting some incredible personalities in this world of whisky. Some make you laugh histerically, some made you run in the other direction.

When I am standing by that fork in the road with empty hands and nothing to keep my thirst at bay.

I know I have a few good people who will lend a hand, and a bottle to guide and advise me further, into easier decisions, more comfortable thoughts and long winded laughs.

So please, choose your path. Start where you are right now. Try your local whisky. Then venture out across a border or two.

Maybe jump the pond or press a button and have it delivered to your door.

Just believe you’re on the right path. The one or a hundredth one you have chosen. But, it is the one you chose, so embrace the failures and laugh a wee bit.

Robert Windover Editor

#TOKITIME @suntorytoki whisky.suntory.com

Suntory Whisky Toki™ Japanese Whisky, 43% Alc. / Vol. ©2017 Beam Suntory Import Co., Deerfield, IL.

Relish And

MAGAZINE Su m m e r 2 01 8 Published Quarterly Enjoy all our issues online at www.qcrelishandwhisky.ca or subscribe for your copy Editorial Director|Editor Artistic Director| National Sales Manager Robert Windover Contributing Designer Mark Tenaglia Quintessentially Canadian Toronto, Canada Relish and Whisky Writers Blair Philips Fred Minnick Johanne McInnis Mark Bylok Our Contributors HarperCollins Ltd. Kentucky Bourbon Trail Sebastion Roy Keepers Of The Quaich Firefly Books Ltd. Glencairn Crystal Dan Allaire Disclaimer: Relish and Whisky Magazine makes no warranties of any kind, written or implied regarding the contents of this magazine and expressly disclaims any warranty regarding the accuracy or reliability of information contained herein. The views contained in this magazine are those of the writers and advertisers, they do not necessarily reflect the views of Relish and Whisky Magazine and its publisher, Quintessentially Canadian. Relish and Whisky Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Relish and Whisky Magazine assumes no responsibility for content of or reply to any ad.

The advertiser assumes complete liability for the content of and all replies to any advertisement and for any claims made thereof.

www. crelishandwhisky.ca

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Esteemed Writers

Blair Phillips is a lifestyles and spirits writer who speciali es in anadian is a lifestyles and spirits writer specializes in Canadian whisky.

In addition to being thewho anadian ontributing whisky. to being Canadian Contributing ditor forIn addition hisky Maga ine,thelair reviews anadian spirits Editor for Whisky Magazine, Blairtoreviews Canadian for istiller. e also contributes newspapers andspirits maga ines for is Distiller. also newspapers magazines and on theHe jury forcontributes both the toorld hisky and wards andthe is onanadian the jury forhisky both the World Whisky and wards. lair wasAwards the anadian and the Canadian Whisky Awards.

Blairduring was thethe Canadian columnist for rinkingMade asy.com T show’s columnist for DrinkingMadeEasy.com during theanada. three year run. e currently lives in Toronto TV show’s three year run. He currently lives in Toronto Canada.

Fred Minnick

is the author of four books : Whiskey Women, Bourbon Curious amera oy and the ertified ngus eef history. hiskey omen earneda old Medal at the oreword eviews ook wards and a Silver at the Indie ublisher wards. amera oy became a all Street Journal best selling e ook in May . red Minnick is the ourbon uthority for the entucky erby Museum.

Since October , Minnick has taught bourbon classes at the museum and hosted private bourbon tastingsfor convention groups. ouisville.com named Minnick s popular egend’s Series one of the top events in all of ourbon ountry.

whisky� spirits ��d cockt�ils. �ollow hi� o� twitter ��d i�st��r��

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Mark Bylok has spent the past decade writing about whisky for various online and print maga ines. In his first book, The hisky abinet, Mark writes about the whisky industry in a relatable way for today’s whisky consumer. The podcast that he co hosts, The hisky Topic, is a casual conversation with whisky where Mark interviews many industry titans that take a seat and have a drink or two . Mark regularly hosts whisky tastings for corporate events, master classes, and is a judge in whisky competitions. e also publishes the website, whisky.bu , where his podcast is hosted and where one can find his latest whisky reviews.

hisky Maga ine

Johanne McInnis is �� i�ter��tio��l spirits freel��ce writer �k� �hisyl�ssie� aka Whisylassie is p�ssio� an international spirits freewho h�s � deep for whisky. �he h�s �ee� � ��d�e� lance writer who has a deep passion for whisky. p��elist� �s well �s � prese�ter� �t �pirits �estiv�ls �ro��d She has been a judge, panelist as well as a presentworld. �oh���e loves to ��o�t her �dve�t�res� erthe at Spirits estivals around thewrite world.

Johanne distillery visits or help people discover the loves to write about her adventures, distillery world of whisky. visits or help people discover the world of whisky.

EASTERN ONTARIO’S PREMIERE WHISKY EVENT!

1, to include logos from the attached link, in some way “see web site for more whiskies to sample,,,?

2, date, Saturday October 14th 2017 2, venue, Canadian War Museum 3, web site, whiskeyottawa.ca 4, same look you produced for last year 5, F/B - twitter

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Keeping it in the same magical way as you do,,, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM

www.whiskyottawa.ca Must be 19 years of age or older to attend this event. Please always drink responsibly and don’t drink & drive!

twitter.com/WhiskyOttawa

www.facebook.com/WhiskyOttawa

There are 1000 bottles of Canadian Rye Whisky produced currently by the only distillery producing whisky in New Brunswick. It was named in honour of the mountain range in eastern Canada, the Appalachian or ‘’Appalaches’’ in French. The folds, fault movements, and volcanic activity reached their peak over 350 million years ago, during what has been called the Acadian Orogeny.

The distillery Fils du Roy, located in the Acadian Peninsula, hope you will have the same pleasure in sampling it, as we had in crafting it!

Il y a 1000 bouteilles de ce whisky de seigle canadien ( Canadian Rye Whisky). Produit actuellement par la seule distillerie productrice de whisky au Nouveau-Brunswick. Nommé en l’honneur du système des montagnes de l’est du Canada, les Appalaches. Les plis, les mouvements des failles et l’activité volcanique ont atteint leur apogée au cours de ce qu’on appelle l’orogenèse acadienne il y a plus de 350 millions ans. La distillerie Fils du Roy situé dans la péninsule acadienne, espère que vous aurez le même plaisir à le déguster, que le plaisir que nous avons eu à le concevoir!

Blair Philips

The Blind Fury of

Cigars and Whisky Zatoichi’s heightened sense of awareness. His passion for cigars has guided him down the path to owning an online cigar shop that aims to educate the public about the joy of toasting cigars.

So, when I asked him to blind pair Canadian Whisky Award winners with cigars based solely on the whisky flavour profiles, he accepted and stepped into the

whisky Dojo.

T

akeshi Kitano played the blind swordsman in the 2003 film, Zatoichi. The master swordsman hides behind the facade of a masseur with a cane that conceals his deadly blade. Despite vision,

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he can navigate through a minefield of enemies slicing and dicing them like a Ginsu knife infomercial.

Anthony Welsch, the owner of CigarsCitycom, isn’t a master swordsman, nor does he sit in the television’s glow waiting for limited time offers.

Instead, he’s a cigar expert who shares

Forty Creek Heritage (40%) Award of Excellence – Best New Whisky Cigar: Oliva Serie V Forty Creek’s 11th annual limited edition is modelled after one of their first – the coveted Forty Creek Three Grain. All the signature Forty Creek fruity notes are layered into this waxy blend with a dusty ginger laced rye spice. Fresh oak to sandalwood bridges the nose to a full-bodied, creamy vanilla palate with some dark chocolate and nutty maple flavours.

“Oliva’s Serie V is a great cigar that’s one of the best values out there in my mind,” says Anthony. “This cigar is full flavoured with creamy cocoa.

I’m hoping the vanilla in this Forty Creek will bring out those chocolatey notes in the cigar.” Ask, and you shall receive. Forty Creek and Oliva are in the habit of racking up awards, and I have yet to be disappointed matching up this cigar with every Forty Creek whisky. For Heritage, the creamy cocoa of the Oliva and the trademark fruitiness of Forty Creek blends effortlessly.

This blind pairing wasn’t a stroke of luck. Yes, matching a cigar with whisky is subjective to personal taste but Anthony has a method. “A weak cigar isn’t going to add much to a full-bodied whisky and vice versa,” he explained. “Personally, I like to try and find similar notes in both the cigar and the whisky. For instance, I typically like notes that sit high on the palate – think fruity, citrus or floral. If I pair something accordingly, there’s a goodchance an understated citrus note in one can be brought closer to the forefront by the other.” His method is about to get a workout.

Lot No. 40 (43%) Distillery of the Year: Hiram Walker Cigar: Bespoke Gran Mareva Anthony didn’t hesitate with this pairing, “Bespoke’s Gran Mareva is a medium-bodied cigar that should stand-up to this powerhouse rye. A lot is going on with the Gran Mareva and the maple and citrus notes will be accentuated when paired with a good partner, like Lot 40.”

Lot No. 40 is a jam-packed whisky with woody clove and cinnamon rye spices. A crane kick of freshly baked rye bread and caraway controls the palate with an orange and maple-like sweetness. “The biggest risk with this pairing is the wood and rye spices overwhelming the palate and not giving way to the brighter, perhaps more candy-like notes that I’m trying to unlock.”

This team up is natural. The cigar bumps up the fruitiness of the rye and pulls grassy characters to the front of the nose. He was trying to reveal candy-like notes but in fact, the cigar unlocked a balanced earthiness with pops of candied fruit peel appearing late in the finish. Another satisfying duo with a glowing finish, where the smoky maple cuts through the rye spice, complimented by the cigar’s deep Cobra Kai chocolate notes.

Gibson’s Finest Bold 8 Year Old (46%) Award of Excellence – Line Extension: Cigar: ACID Opulence 3 The Drew Estate story plays like a Kung Fu movie’s apprenticeship scene. Jonathan Drew left New York City in 1998 to live in Esteli, Nicaragua. With a handful of Shaolin master rollers in a ramshackle Nicaraguan factory, Drew found cigar enlightenment. Within a year, Drew returned to New York City, and with his business partner Marvin Samel, they slowly built the Drew Estate and ACID cigar empire. Their 96,000 square foot Nicaraguan cigar factory is one of the largest in the country, producing about 95,000 cigars each day.

One of them is the ACID Opulence 3, an infused cigar that is sweet and aromatic.

“This is a bit of a stretch but could yield amazing results,” worried Anthony. “I’m largely piggybacking off the idea of mixing Gibson’s with cola as the Opulence 3 is an infused but full-bodied cigar with heaps of clove. The cigar’s floral and citrus notes should bring out the same high notes in the whisky. I may be swinging for the fences here.”

With one swift stroke, that fence was a stack of lumber.

The whisky and the cigar click together like a sword and its sheath. Vanilla accents and juicy floral rye lead to cinnamon and clove rye spices that connect to these flavour profiles in the cigar. The sweetness of the cigar with the citrus pith finish of the whisky extends this spiritual expansion.

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The Blind Fury of

Cigars

Whisky

and

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel (40%) Connoisseur whisky of the year multi-market Cigar: Macanudo Inspirado Orange If you were to compile a list of whiskies that ushered in the new age of Canadian whisky, Caribou Crossing Single Barrel deserves to be on that list. Sazerac’s master blender Drew Mayville released this whisky in 2010 and it has won as many trophies as knockouts in a Bruce Lee flick. Flavours can fluctuate from barrel to barrel, making it difficult to choose one cigar, but Mayville goes into his warehouses with a game plan, “We’re looking for an exceptionally smooth whisky that is rye centric with creamy vanilla and butterscotch notes,” explains Mayville. “Along with a slight citrus accent. Then to top it off, a distinctive spicy finish that lingers mid-palate for an eternity.”

Anthony jumped on this slight citrus accent when he selected the Macanudo’s Inspirado Orange to pair. “It’s a medium-bodied treat that also has some prominent citrus notes that dance high on the palate as you smoke it.” Paired with Caribou Crossing, he hoped to bring out the caramel and the tropical fruits of the whisky. “I think the Inspirado Orange will have enough fortitude to make this pairing work.”

The orange citrus notes of the cigar melt and brighten the citrus zest of the whisky. The combination mellows the whisky into a tranquil state intensifying the caramel’s creaminess. The whisky’s spicy mid palate is slowly drawn out with the cigar keeping the whisky in a tight pocket.

J.P. Wiser’s 35 Year Old (50%) Whisky of the Year Cigar: Artur Fuente Opus X Lost City Anthony breaks out his Hattori Hanzo for this pairing. The Arturo Fuente Opus X Lost City’s story begins in Hollywood. The whisky had already spent 21 years in a cask when director Andy Garcia was looking for a field filled with lush and vibrant tobacco plants for his film The Lost City. But production was slated for the summer after the tobacco harvest. Dominican cigar king Carlos Fuente, Jr. resolved the issue by planting a new crop for the film.

Once filming wrapped, Arturo harvested the tobacco and aged it for five years to develop incredibly complex flavours.

Arturo Fuente released this cigar and it became one of the most coveted sticks. The first release sold out quickly; so did the first release of J.P. Wiser’s 35-year-old whisky.

“The Lost City packs enough punch to stand up to this whisky.” Anthony was confident with this duo. “The cedar notes that resonate throughout the Lost City should bounce off the whisky’s antique wood. Fuente’s Lost City variation of the Opus X blend also brings some creaminess that I think will help fuse this pairing.”

The creamy and rich spicy frame of the whisky houses caramel apples and old wood.

There’s a spice blend in the

cigar that is almost identical to the whisky. And this is where the two merge. The whisky’s caramel pulls a smokey caramel note from the cigar and the cigar’s cedar tones play right into the whisky’s library of mature wood.

Plug these two into e-harmony and it’s wedding bells. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece.

Canadian whisky is often pushed to the side when cigars come up. It shouldn’t.

Canadian whisky’s rye spice is a natural fit within the cigar’s wheelhouse. When Anthony sent his explanations for the cigar recommendations, I did my finger-and-thumb press-ups and got to work. Then, news broke that North Korea and South Korea were meeting as the first steps toward a formal peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War. With all the email hacking scandals, could I put forward that these cigar pairings were intercepted contributing to peace in the region? If so, Zatoichi, it’s time to put down your sword and pick up a cigar.

Then check those Ginsu’d bodies for a flask of whisky.

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Fred Minnick

American Whiskey Changes

If you haven’t noticed already, bourbon and rye no longer dominate American whiskey shelves.

This trend begins with a fad. As you may recall, unaged whiskey fancifully labeled as “white whiskey” and “moonshine” were extremely popular in 2009. Consumers largely rejected this category and only a handful still have national presence.

As the moonshine movement struggled, classic American whiskey skyrocketed, and the non-distiller producers purchased bulk bourbon and rye from the likes of MGP Ingredients in Lawrenceburg, Ind. (formerly LDI), Heaven Hill Brands and Barton. But the sourced whiskey started to dry up around 2012, forcing American merchant bottlers to think outside the stillroom for market separation. From 2010 to today, distillers pursued non-traditional categories that changed whiskey’s future.

Corn Whiskey Corn whiskey draws a certain grain-loving consumer.

This category requires a minimum of 80 percent corn in comparison to bourbon’s 51 percent. The distillation methods follow bourbon’s procedures of off-the-still 160 proof minimum and no less than 125 proof before it enters a barrel, which is not mandatory. Corn whiskey can be bottled unaged or stored in used or uncharred new oak. The lack of a new charred oak makes the caramel and vanilla notes more difficult to find in corn whiskey. Balcones True Blue, 13th Colony and Mellow Corn are edgy complements to bourbon, but major suppliers simply do not produce enough to create many new brands.

On the other hand, good corn whiskeys are less expensive and more enticing than less-than-four-year-old bourbons.

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Light Whiskey No, it’s not like light beer. In fact, light whiskey was initially created in the late 1960s to compete with vodka, but the spirit was a colossal failure. It later became a blending whiskey.

That’s why the former Seagram distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ind., made boatloads of the spirit that must come off the still between 160 proof and 190 proof and stored in used or unchared barrels.

Seagram blended light whiskey into the likes of Seagram’s 7 Crown.

This distillery, now owned by MGP Ingredients, also sold the majority of the bourbon and rye whiskey to upstart brands.

In the past couple years, MGP proactively sells a 99-percent corn, 1-percent malt light whiskey in the bulk whiskey market. High West 14-year-old, Weaver’s 7-year-old and Wicked 87 are light whiskey examples, but expect to see many more in the market soon, as it’s the cheapest available whiskey to bottle for non-distillery producers.

Wheat Whiskey Wheat whiskey was once a really popular American spirit, but it’s only just now recovering from the post-Prohibition blues. The category follows the same production rules as bourbon, but instead of 51% corn, it’s 51% wheat.

This whiskey style truly shows how important the dominate grain is, as wheat whiskeys tend to pack a great deal of wheat flavor in younger expressions. The Bernheim 7-year-old and Parker’s Heritage 13-year-old wheat whiskeys, however, soften the raw wheat to more complex, developed and rich notes. Smaller brands, such as Bainbridge and Dry Fly, among others, have developed a genuine following for those who like wheat. Because small and large distilleries are aging wheat whiskey, this category could be quite diverse over the next 15 years.

Blends In the late 1800s, straight distillers loathed wholesalers who “blended” whiskey and labeled it bourbon. They also begrudged Canadian whisky blends cutting into their territories. Both of which led to the lobbying of the Bottled-in-Bond Act and Kentucky distiller hyperbole regarding blends, “a bad word,” legendary master distiller Jimmy Russell once said. Fast forward to 2016, when major brands, such as Buffalo Trace and Jefferson’s, employ actual master blenders, the tide is turning.

American whiskey brands are mostly practicing the blending of straight whiskeys from multiple distilleries. Unlike straight whiskeys, however, blends of straights may contain harmless coloring, flavoring, or blending materials, according to the federal guidelines. With that said, the blending powerhouse, High West, does not add materials other than straights, says founder David Perkins. In an effort to differentiate itself in the marketplace, High West created the highly acclaimed Bourye, a blend of bourbon and rye; Double Rye, a blend of straight ryes; and A Midwinter Night’s Dram series, blended straight ryes; and American Prairie, a blend of straight bourbons. The Park City, the Utah-based distillery took a page out of the Cognac blender’s playbook and blended various aged whiskeys to create each bottling, and the results far exceeded expectations.

Perkins says: “We found blending created a better tasting product.” How times have changed.

Master Distiller Trip Stimson and Joe Beatrice Founder of Barrel Bourbon

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Johanne McInnis

5

Geeky Whisky Stops in

Scotland I am super fortunate, I will not lie.

I get to travel to Scotland pretty much every year, sometimes for 4-6 weeks at a time.

So it’s no surprise when people ask me for advice on what to see or where to go. If you are new to whisky, the answer is pretty much: EVERYTHING! However, if you are like me and want a geek-filled, off the beaten path, experience well… here is what I recommend: R|W 22

In Scotland alone, there are close to 120 Let’s start with what exactly a geek is, sort of…?! Merriam-Webster defines the word geek as: “A person who is very interested in and knows a lot about a particular field or activity.” Goes to say that “geeks” are not the typical consumer, and thousands from around the world will proudly tell you we, (yes, I’m one too), belong to that whisky geek category. Talk to any of us and you will quickly discover that we possess a huge collection of books, publications, glassware, samples, t-shirts, hats, and of course, many bottles of whisky that are all kept in a designated space in our homes.

Geeks know the latest, on process, distilleries & distillers, authors/personalities and of course whiskies, to the point of what some would think might be: OBSESSION. Guaranteed, that if several are found congregating together they will share bottle photos faster than proud parents with pictures of toothless firstborns!

We speak geek; exude geekness and regularly pilgrim to whisky’s hallowed grounds.

So as a newbie, what do you do when you realize the twentieth introductory distillery tour left you thinking…that’s it, what else? I’ll tell you what you do: you join the ranks of geekdom, because we are here to welcome you with open arms!

active distilleries, so if you want to immerse yourself in the grain to glass process, I highly recommend visiting the Tomatin Distillery. It is situated at the heart of the Highlands, just south of Inverness on the eastern edge of the breathtaking Cairngorms mountain range. There are several tours available, but if you want the ultimate distillery experience, than the Single Cask Experience (40£) is aimed at people that want a bit more from their tours. It’s an in-depth journey like no other distillery does. How about the chance to stand inside a mash tun? Yes, you read correctly...inside.

After you get to see the place, you will also experience a tutored nosing & tasting of five different/exclusive single cask expressions from their warehouse. Did you get that? Not the usual whiskies you will find at every shop, but FIVE exclusive single cask whiskies. Think you are done now, of course not! The visitor centre is a must see because it truly caters to the male or female whisky geek by including an excellent tasting bar, bottle your own cask strength offerings, casks, clothing as well as an extensive range of interesting and various gifts for the whisky enthusiast. Call in advance to book as this is easily a three hour experience not to be missed. www.tomatin.com

Where to next Lassie? Well, let’s go west whisky geeks and head to Tyndrum as one million visitors per year cannot be wrong.

The Green Welly Stop features a highly educated customer focused staff, that will help you find gems within their eclectic selection and an excellent array of whisky miniatures from days gone by. You will not find the likes of a 1968 Glenrothes mini for just over 10 quid in many shops today, nor will you walk away so happily satisfied having discovered one of the best kept whisky secrets on the west coast of Scotland. It’s worth the drive! www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk

So you say you don’t have much time and are only sticking to the bigger cities on your trip to Scotland? Well, by golly, geeks are covered there as well. You will get no argument from me that there are fantastic pubs everywhere, but walk into the Bon Accord in Glasgow and it feels like home for whisky enthusiasts. Family run for almost 17 years, it has repeatedly won 35 consecutive awards, from top customer care to best whisky pub, and there is good reason for that. You might be a customer when you walk through the door, but you will leave a friend. Paul has treated every single person that I have recommended a visit to, with nothing but the best service and friendship and I have all the photos to prove it. You will be greeted by Paul or his son standing in front of their selection of 400 quality drams. Both are passionate whisky enthusiasts themselves, so let them navigate you through some pretty rare and once in a lifetime drams! My first time there I said to my friend Steffen, “sure, I’ll go for an hour or so.” We were there for four hours!! Fantastic drams, geekery at its finest and friendships: what more could you want?

There is a saying that goes ‘People make Glasgow’ and if that’s the case, then I will tell you that Paul & his patrons make geek dramming. www.bonaccordweb.co.uk

Still in Glasgow, this one is a rare and special visit that you should try. Although they do not have a visitor center or dedicated staff, it might be possible to meet the passionate people behind the brilliant whiskies, by visiting the Douglas Laing tasting room. That’s if you are a huge fan or want to branch out into the world of independent bottlings of course. I will stress this is the exception and not the rule. It can be an opportunity afforded occasionally, but it is by appointment and availability only, so please contact them well in advance of your trip. www.douglaslaing.com Only visiting Edinburgh? It too has countless whisky attractions that will be packed with curious people, but Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop is for the true whisky geek.

Inexplicably drawing you like a magnet past the tourist traps of the Royal Mile, you will find yourself standing in front of what seems like a small and unassuming shop.

When you walk in the door; however, you will know you have reached the whisky mecca, so please be patient and polite as you wait because these guys are the Einstein’s of the geekdom. By the time you are done, you will have spent an hour of guided tastings through a plethora of the best un-chill filtered and natural colored whiskies in the world. If you are looking to buy something rare and different, and are a truly dedicated whisky geek, there is no chance you can walk away empty handed, so make room in your suitcase.

This is truly the epitome of whisky finds and you will leave many other whisky geeks feeling quite jealous! www.wmcadenhead.com

But wait a minute Lassie; I don’t think I saw any of these in my Scotland tourism brochure? To which I will say, “oh good you noticed.” Word gets around on its own, and you see, geeks prefer the road less travelled because the majority of us know, it’s by digging in the coal that you find the diamonds. But, don’t take my word on it, go ahead and ask as many whisky geeks as you can. We all have our stories of the gems we have found over the years and we will gladly share them with you. As a matter of fact, once you start finding yours, be kind to the #whiskyfabric and share them with us as well. If you do decide to try out even one of the places I mentioned, just tell them Whisky Lassie sent you, they will know who you mean and probably tell you a good story or at least give you a good laugh.

Whisky geeks are awesome and where we end up, is as well. Here’s to the road less traveled, may it be as great of an experience for you as it has been for me thus far...

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Mark Bylock

Age Statements are Returning,

Long-Live No-Age Statement Whisky The story around age statements and whisky is simple to summarize. Age statements weren’t popular until the slump of whisky sales in the 1950s and onward. People wanted pure alcohol, like vodka, and vodka-based drinks. Fancy drinks included gin. Whisky was lost. By the 1970s, Glenfiddich had so much aging whisky they started to put a number on the bottle. Buy your eight year old single malt scotch, they bragged!

With the rise of whisky, age statements and single malts became synonymous. The twelveyear-old became the standard (thanks Glenfiddich!), and the fifteen and eighteen year old scotches were the ‘special stuff.’ The twenty-five year old was the rare treat. Single malt scotch did so well, that bourbons started putting age statements on their bottles in the 80s and 90s.

As demand for whisky picked up, some producers started running low on well-matured barrels. Age statements started to disappear.

The Macallan, perhaps, was the most noticeable brand to start a new core range (the 1824) that utterly ignored age statements. They went with colours. But they weren’t the only ones. Many distilleries started removing their twelve-year variety of whisky, and exchanged it for non-age statements variations. However, the price of these whiskies wasn’t lower.

In some cases, it was much higher.

If whisky drinker stereotypes are to be believed, this change didn’t come without complaint. If you’re on social media, you’d recall the early outrage over this new breed of no-age statement (NAS) whiskies. There were a number of flops in the early years. Granted, there were also a number of successes.

I could, though, easily rewrite this point: There are a number of flops with high age statement whiskies, and a number of great older whiskies sold. Going beyond the discussion of what makes a good or bad whisky (correct answer: it’s whatever you personally enjoy), age statements were a mark of quality. However, in

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today’s expanding whisky world, age statements aren’t enough to satiate the growing number of whisky drinkers.

Think age statements matter? When I was at the Wonderful World of Whisky Show, I had the pleasure of trying a two year old Kilchoman New Spirit. This wasn’t a scotch; in Scotland a whisky needs maturing for three years to be considered scotch. Regardless, it was terrific. Lagavulin 8 is a great purchase, and young compared to the sixteen-year-old variety. Laphroaig Quarter Cask, one of the more popular early days NAS whiskies, continues to be a great bargain.

On the flip-side, at the New Brunswick Spirits Show last November, I tasted some old and incredibly rare bottling of Port Ellen. Some were terrific, some were flawed. Tasting whiskies from long ago, even if imperfect, is a terrific experience either way. However, one can’t argue that we overly focus on a number.

Love your eighteen year old scotch, and only drink scotch that’s of “legal age?” (Can that terrible joke die, already?) Love a particular brand of whisky because they always produce hits?

If you share either of these opinions, you’ve likely been proven wrong before, and are missing out on some terrific whiskies.

So let’s start the story back at the beginning. The truth.

The science. The art.

Whisky is made by taking distillate and maturing it in barrels. Distillate is the process by which we isolate for alcohol, with the original product being a boozy fermented product that’s technically a beer (though relatively undrinkable).

During distillation, we don’t include the heads and tails, and we keep the heart. The head is what gets distilled first. The tail is what is distilled last. The heads will, literally, make you go blind. The tails comes with funky unpleasant

notes. Where The Macallan brags about only taking the tightest heart for the purest forms of the spirit, Laphroaig brags about getting the broadest cut of the tails to bring in those funky notes. There are no wrong answers, just different styles of whiskies.

When distilleries make alcohol, they plan for the future. If they expect the whisky to be aged for twelve years, they take a fatter cut from the distillation process. Many of those unpleasant notes oxidize away. If they want to bottle something within five years, they take a thinner cut from the distillation process. They’ll barrel the whisky at a different proof level. They’ll use higher-quality barrels. This is but a fraction of how distilleries can plan for bottling younger whiskies.

The real problem with age statements isn’t that young whiskies can’t be great, it’s that some distilleries didn’t plan on young whiskies being bottled. The huge benefit of whisky without age statements is a separation of our dependency on a trivial number.

A number of products take young barrels of whisky and blend them with older whiskies, and this has produced fantastic products. Wild Turkey Rare Breed, out of Kentucky, is made from 6, 8, and 12 year bourbons. High West regularly combines two-year old ryes (great for flavour), with older bourbons (great for the oaky notes popular today). Laphroaig Lore takes a mix of American oak barrels, sherry barrels, quarter casks, and everything else they can find, to blend a terrific single malt scotch. Aberlour A’Bunadh is a dry, cask-strength sherry bomb.

I’m glad age statements are back. The Macallan is bringing them back, and I’m seeing more eighteen and twenty-five year old scotches on the shelves. I’m glad distilleries are catching up with demand. But I’m hopeful that we, as consumers, don’t get caught up in a number and assume older whisky is better. After a rocky start, distilleries are producing great whiskies without an age statement. Long live No-Age Statement whisky!

PIKE CREEK

Aged 10 years and finished in Rum barrels to create an easy-drinking and incredibly smooth whisky

GOODERHAM & WORTS A 4-grain blend that is complex yet well-balanced

LOT NO. 40

Made with 100% Canadian rye for a bold whisky with a spicy finish

Please enjoy responsibly.

y

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Distillerie Fils du Roy My mother and I, Diane Roy, own and operate Distillerie Fils du Roy (that can be translated as Distillery Son of the King), a small family business located on New Brunswick’s scenic Acadian coast. My functions are master distiller, master brewer, master of the Chai and responsible of the malting.

My fascination for alcohol production started very early in my life. I secretly mixed sugar, water and yeast in a glass jar in my closet when I was 15 years old. I was not drinking what I was producing, as I feared I would become blind. I was simply amazed by the movement of the liquid (fermentation) inside the small glass jar I was using. Just after I graduated from university in 2004, I opened my first commercial nano-brewery called Acadie Broue Inc., with a friend of mine. My business partner at the time had a background in microbiology and passed on his knowledge of the manipulation of the yeast.

In that period of my life, I was also a beer hunter. I was travelling around the world to get access to rare beers brewed only in very small communities. It was during a trip to Czech Republic in 2007 that I felt in love with absinthe. This spirit is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium. The spirit turns white when water is added. When I returned to Canada I converted my garden into a small Absinthe plantation with other botanicals required for the creation of the spirit. I began experimenting with the production of absinthe for few years.

In 2011, during a family meeting, I had a discussion with my mother. The economy was not that great at that time in our community. My mother had been working in the ‘“printing industry’’ all her life and with the increased use of electronics paper was less in demand. Subsequently, my mother was preoccupied with her future. I suggested to her “you have managed the business of others all your life, why not manage your own business?’’ She was very interested in what I had in mind, and it was then that I spoke about my passion for alcohol production and my big dreams. With all the plans I had at that time, my mother told me that I was thinking too big, that we didn’t had the money to do all that I had in my vision. But my plan was that we would start with less than the minimum, and have five phases that would bring us to the grand opening after five years of operation. With this vision, September 2017 would be the grand opening of our business, with a capacity to produce not only Absinthe, but Gin, Beer, Rum and Single Malt Whisky.

After a lot of sacrifice and by maintaining our “real jobs” during the week, while working on the distillery on the weekend for four years, we had our grand opening in 2017. We exceeded all our expectations and received major recognition for our spirits internationally.

A nice surprise that we didn’t see back then, was that my brother, Jonathan Roy, would open a small distillery in Québec called Distillerie Fils du Roy (Qc) Inc. by following the same model and starting with less than the minimum. Last year the magazine “Protégez-vous’’ (can be translated Protect-you) named our Gin Thuya, the best Gin available in Québec.

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Sebastien Roy

That same Gin Thuya

In 2013, at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition we won a Double Gold medal.

In 2014, at the International Spirits Challenge in London, we won a Gold medal.

Again in 2016, at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, we recieved a Gold medal, and in 2018 we received a Double Gold medal.For whisky, I use a low temperature to ferment the wort use for Whisky, I have found it produces a cleaner taste. Before fermentation, I separate the solid (barley) from the liquid (wort). Again, I have found that the final product is cleaner in taste.

The waste (barley) is given to farmers for their cattle, and those same farmers grow the cereals for me to malt. I rarely use the same yeast twice, as I am producing a portfolio of single malt whiskies that have different tastes due to the different yeasts, or use, or depending on the “provenance’’ of the barley, “le terroir’’, and if roasted barley was used. I do the “marriage’’ of the flavors during the aging in the barrels, depending on the profile I want to give to the Whisky. I do not like to do the same thing too often, so I do not have one brand of whisky but will have a few small (2 to 4 barrels) releases. The more I work in whisky

production, the more I realize that it will take me two lifetimes to understand half of it. I consider my distillery a laboratory to experience the infinite possibility of tastes.

For beer, we specialize in an unusual style, Sweet Beers, also called Malt Liquor. This is technically not an existing beer style.

I stabilize the beer with a high final gravity. My beer typically contains a lot of bitterness to balance the

sweetness, without having a big hop flavor (not IPA).

Typically, it has a very sweet malty taste that lingers and gradually turns into bitterness in the aftertaste.

At that point you want to take another sip to have the sweetness again. These beers are made to be consumed after three years of age in the bottle, which explains why they are high in alcohol (7 to 11.99%).

Most of my products tell a story about our regions, or about the Acadian

history. The Acadians (Acadiens, in French) are the descendants of the French settlers that arrived in the New World in 1604. They were a part of the Canadian Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, as well as the Gaspé, in Quebec, and to the Kennebec River in southern Maine in the United States.

Here is information about the first New Brunswick Single Malt Whisky: I use as inspiration the first image taken from my ancestors, the Acadians in Annapolis Royal in 1751. They were deported from their lands in 1755 called “le grand dérangement’’ by the British Empire.

In 2019, there will be a big gathering called the Acadian World Congress, “Congrès Mondial Acadien.’’ I am preparing a small batch release of 415 bottles of this edition of Single Malt Whisky, for the 415 years of l’Acadie, numbered by date starting from bottle #1604 to bottle #2019. I have reserved the bottle #1755. I intend to offer it as a gift to the Governor General of Canada, her Excellency the right Honorable Julie Payette.

In June 2018, I will release a small batch of 3 barrels of a Canadian Rye Whiskey in honor of the Appalachian Mountain Range. It stretches from Newfoundland, Canada, through Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, down to the state of Alabama in the southern US. The folds, fault movements and volcanic activity reached their peak over 350 million years ago, during what has been called the Acadian Orogeny.

Cabins At The Domain (Drag Lake Haliburton Highlands)

Tranquility in Nature

www.cabinsatthedomain.com Make a reservation now 705-754-1056 (Nov to June) 705-457-1242 (June to Nov) 705-457-7510 (mobile)

Annabel Meikle

WHAT IS KEEPERS OF THE QUAICH?

WHO ARE KEEPERS OF THE QUAICH?

The Keepers of the Quaich is an exclusive and international Society that recognises those that have shown outstanding commitment to the Scotch Whisky industry. Founded by the leading distillers, it is, by its very nature, the beating heart of the industry. In establishing the Keepers of the Quaich, the industry pooled its influential resources to build a powerful society working together and united. The organisation is represented in over 100 countries and has only ever inducted 2,673 Keepers in its lifetime.

The Society recognises outstanding achievement in those who work, write or evangelize about Scotch Whisky by honouring them with the title Keeper of the Quaich. A select few are invited each year to be distinguished with the role of Master of the Quaich, a rare and revered privilege. Among the select membership of Keepers and Masters are thousands of years of shared experience and knowledge.

Keepers of the Quaich are dedicated and passionate people from around the world who are proud to be part of a select society and who are dedicated to achieving greater appreciation of our magnificent spirit - Scotch Whisky.

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Keepers of the Quaich come from all corners of the world to accept their medal at a ceremony and banquet, held behind closed doors at the Society headquarters at Blair Castle, in Perthshire. This is the ancient home and fortress of the Earls and Dukes of Atholl, and has the only legal private regiment in Britain. The Atholl

Highlanders play a pivotal role in the banquets held only twice a year at Blair Castle. The banquets are attended by our Patrons who support the Society, recognising the legacy and tradition of our Scottish history.

They represent our own royalty.

The Patrons are The Right Honourable The Earl of Erroll, The Right Honourable The Earl of Elgin & Kincardine KT, The Right Honourable The Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden KT, Mrs Sarah Troughton, The Right Honourable Viscount Thurso, His Grace The Duke of Atholl, The Right Honourable The Earl of Dalhousie, His Grace The Duke of Argyll, The Earl of Hopetoun and His Grace The Duke of Fife.

The Grand Master is the head of the Society, this position will be held by Peter Gordon of William Grant and Sons Ltd, for two years. The position has

Grand Master previously been held by Sir Iain Tennant KT LLD, Sir George J Bull, Mr Michael Jackaman, Mr Ian Good CBE, and Mr Patrick Ricard, amongst many other respected figures.

HONORARY KEEPERS OF THE QUAICH After the ceremony newly inducted Keepers and Masters of the Quaich join their guests in the ballroom to feast on the finest of local produce. The banquet is accompanied by a range of Scotch Whiskies from the Founding and Members companies which are paired with the dishes. Annually a guest speaker is invited to become an Honorary member by gracing the company with an after dinner speech. Such influencers have included His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Mr F W De Clerk DMS, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, Her Grace Iona Duchess of Argyll, Dame Stella Rimmington DCB, HRH The Princess Royal, Mr Alexander McCall Smith CBE, Ronald Reagan and HSH Prince Albert II Prince of Monaco. Only 53 guests have been awarded the title of Honorary Keepers of the Quaich.

THE INTERNATIONAL CHAPTERS OF THE SOCIETY

The Grand Quaich of the Keepers of the Quaich, measuring twenty four inches across and specially commissioned for the Society, is a magnificent example of contemporary silversmithing.

Made from Sterling silver and carrying the Edinburgh hallmark, the Quaich with its unique base of ten year old burr elm, presides at the heart of Society ceremonies.

The Keepers of the Quaich take particular pride in the fact that the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, granted a heraldic achievement comprising a shield, crest and coat-of-arms.

The Society motto, also bestowed by the Lord Lyon himself, is ‘Uisgebeatha Gu Brath’, which is Gaelic for ‘Water of Life Forever’. ‘Uisge’ is the Gaelic for ‘water’ and the origin of the word ‘whisky’. The Keepers of the Quaich also have their own tartan. Based on a design of the 1700s, it is woven from pure wool and the colours represent the main constituents of Scotch Whisky: blue for water, gold for barley and brown for peat. Only Keepers of the Quaich earn the right to wear their tartan.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SOCIETY The Keepers of the Quaich is an international community of people recognised for their outstanding commitment to Scotch Whisky. The Society’s mission is to promote the values and image of Scotch Whisky as the world’s finest and most prestigious distilled spirit.

• To preserve the unique cachet and exclusivity of The Keepers, inducting only a limited number of new Keepers each year, and only in Scotland.

• To ensure all members of The Keepers are well-informed on the Society and its activities so they are engaged on the mission to grow Scotch Whisky.

• To support the international reach of The Keepers through active engagement with well-founded chapters of the Society in key markets for Scotch Whisky.

• To maintain the continuing support of the Scotch Whisky industry in recognising the importance and value of the Society’s work in the promotion of Scotch.

So far, six international chapters have been inaugurated: the rst in Frankfurt, Germany and thesecond in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There are also now chapters in Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands and the Nordics.The Keepers of the Quaich supports the loyalty of the members in these countries where they can.

THE HISTORY OF THE KEEPERS OF THE QUAICH The Quaich, the symbol of the Society, derives from the Gaelic ‘cuach’, a simple cup. Traditionally these vessels were originally made of wood and not until the seventeenth century did they start to be manufactured in silver. The two handled quaich was used for whisky and is associated with

trust, love and friendship.

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Relish and

What is white whisky? Francis, BC This is grain spirit that was never aged in a barrel to become whisky. The process of mashing and distilling grains is generally the same. But there’s another category of white whisky. Highwood Distillers in Alberta makes a whisky called White Owl where the whisky is aged then filtered to strip out all colour.

&

Q A

With

I purchased a bottle of Bourbon, I won’t say what or how much I spent, but holy heaven it was a lot.

I’m afraid of what I should do with it now. Put it on the shelf or drink it? Will the value increase, so I can make my money back, or just enjoy it now? Ryann, Ont It’s tough to give an informed answer without knowing exactly which bottle you scored. I subscribe to the camp of enjoying the whisky you buy.

Invite the staff of Relish & Whisky over to your house and we’ll help you appreciate your investment. Or, hang onto the bottle and save it for a special occasion. If you decide to display it with hopes the price goes up, make sure the bottle is standing up and is out of direct sunlight. And, is high enough where thirsty friends can’t reach it.

Blair Phillips

Let us know what your thoughts are. Send your questions to Relish and Whisky at quintessentiallycanadian@hotmail.ca

What is the most expensive whisky in the world?

Lisa, Belgium In May 2018, Bonham’s Fine and Rare Wine and Whisky auction in Hong Kong sold a bottle of 1926 60-YearOld Valerio Adami label Macallan for a whopping US $1.1 million. Only 12 bottles with an Adami label exist.

In case you’re wondering, that kind of cash will buy you 27,500 bottles of Crown Royal where you can have a whisky swimming pool and a lifetime supply of whisky for your cabana bar.

Why does Canada have such ridiculous laws on someone wishing to buy a whisky from another province? Are we not just supporting local business and Canada as a whole? Gwen, Ont You can blame Prohibition. The Intoxicating Liquor Act was passed in 1928 and was created to crack down on importing liquor from one province into another. This was to prevent smuggling. Depending on which province you call home, the amount of whisky you can transport fluctuates. Most provinces will allow up to three litres of spirits. Newfoundland and the Territories will allow 1.14 litres, but Manitoba and Alberta have no limits. The strictest is New Brunswick where you can buy and transport one bottle of out-of-province purchased spirits or 12 pints of beer. In 2012, a New Brunswick man drove to Quebec and brought back 14 cases of beer and thee bottles of booze. He was arrested, then took it to court as a champion of free-trade.

The Supreme Court shot him down earlier this year and he was forced to pay the $292 fine. The law is constantly changing, so this answer is also not legally binding.

If you’re looking to buy out of province alcohol not available at your liquor board? Most provincial boards have a private ordering program where they’ll order as much as you want with added freight, tax and duty charges. Or you can check with the guy from New Brunswick for his next booze run.

Whisky Tasting

www.qcrelishandwhisky.ca

Look For Our Intimate Gatherings Near You

Relish and Whisky Magazine is a magazine representing the specific field of Food and Drink in North America.

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Magazine

INTRODUCING THE

I N F I N I T E B A R R E L P R OJ E C T NOW AVAILABLE • BARRELLBOURBON.COM

THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and Bourbon is no exception.

Weary Kentucky settlers— daunted by the task of getting crops to market over narrow trails and steep mountains— put their heads together and landed upon an inspired solution. Converting corn and other grains to bourbon not only made the goods easy to transport and prevented excess grain from spoiling, but it provided settlers a welcome diversion from the rough and often tedious life on the frontier.

Established in 1785, Bourbon County is one of Kentucky’s oldest counties. As an early hub of the whiskey trade, farmers shipped whiskey in oak barrels stamped from Bourbon County down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, all the way to New Orleans. The long trip aged the whiskey, while the oak wood lent it a distinct mellow fl�vor ��d ���er color.

As whiskey from Bourbon County grew in popularity, the liquor became known simply as

“Bourbon.” �� � � �o��ress offici�lly recognized Bourbon’s place in America’s history, and its future, by declaring it a distinctive product of the United States. Or, as we like to say, ���eric��s �ffici�l ��tive Spirit.” Today, Kentuckians continue the time-honored tradition of distilling Bourbon, perfecting the craft their ancestors developed centuries ago.

The Wonderful World of Whisky Dan Allaire

It

may be the new kid on the block when it comes to whisky shows but that’s not stopping The Wonderful World of Whisky Show from making a good name for itself. Held at the Nav Centre in Cornwall, Ontario in March, out of town guests at the 2017 event stayed on site where all the whisky magic happened. Organizers focused on creating an experience with whisky at its core, while creating an experience that offered much more. Participants enjoyed a variety of fine food enhanced by live music which provided the soundtrack to a very enjoyable evening. According to Wonderful World of Whisky Show architect Ian Bentley, “Where we really differ from other events is having the facilities available here at the Nav Centre. Our possibilities are endless. We were able to create a culinary adventure that introduced our guests to flavours and smells they had never encountered before.”

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It all began on the first night with a world class steak dinner. Chef Luc McCabe and his team delivered a mouth-watering five course meal that is likely still being talked about today. The main course was a steak aged in Bunnahabhain for 100 days. It left the room buzzing about both the size of the servings and the intensity of the flavour. All five courses were carefully prepared with whisky as an ingredient, chosen to accompany a blind whisky-tasting during each course. Each serving was introduced by Chef Luc while Andrew Ferguson of Kensington Wine Market in Calgary hosted the blind tasting.

Davin de Kergommeaux, author of the award-winning book, Canadian Whisky: The New Portable Expert, says “The Cornwall whisky show is like whisky spring in Eastern Canada. It radiates the warmth of renewed camaraderie as whisky friends from Montreal, Ottawa and beyond come together for the first big event after a long cold winter. We swap stories and samples and talk of our plans for the year. The festival attracts people from afar to Cornwall because the locals are so welcoming.

There is lots of whisky to sample, the food is just brilliant, and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.”

Numerous master classes were offered on Day Two. Seasoned whisky connoisseurs were engaged and newcomers were introduced to the spirit.

Those who sampled whiskies in these sessions learned a lot about how they are made, as well as the regions which give each one its own character.

These classes were led by experts and brand ambassadors who taught people about more than just nosing and tasting. They described the geography of the region’s ingredients and the various methods used in finishing to give them their unique colours and flavours. The rich and long history of whisky made these classes very entertaining.

The main showcase, set up in the Bombardier Room of the Nav Centre, was divided by country so that participants could globe trot from Scotland to Ireland, the U.S., and all over Canada in their respective world of whiskies. Guests were piped in and the adventure began. Whisky was the main attraction but there was much more as well. A few craft beers were featured along with some wine and liqueurs. Guests could have their beard trimmed and groomed, buy a cigar, and enjoy a massive buffet of amazing foods prepared by Chef Luc and his team. The buffet included everything from wild boar and beef hip, to mushroom quiche and carrot salad. However, the real star of the show was definitely whisky. There were over 100 whiskies from around the world to be sampled and compared. It was a playground filled with whisky lovers comparing tasting notes, discovering new bottles for their collections and just escaping into the wonderful world of whisky.

There were 500 guests at the Wonderful World of Whisky Show over that weekend in March.

Familiar industry faces included Canadian Whisky author Davin de Kergommeaux, The Whisky Chef Matt Jones, and Canadian Club brand ambassador Tish Harcus. The Whisky Lassie Johanne MacInnis, more than impressed, reported, “Cornwall’s Wonderful World of Whisky Show is not only innovative, but fresh, because the focus is creating an experience where the whisky is the backdrop: Live music, food like no other event, and booths such as a barber’s chair make this show a must attend on every whisky enthusiast’s calendar.”

Things are moving fast at the Wonderful World of Whisky Show. It takes an entire year to plan and execute a festival that provides an experience that leaves everyone wanting more. Many in the whisky industry are now anxiously waiting to see what The Wonderful World of Whisky will have in store next year. They saw how much passion and care was put into every detail at the Nav Centre this year and know that will be repeated, and then some, in 2019.

Bentley says “Next year our guests will be treated to yet another year of growth. We are already looking at how we can increase the number of whisky enthusiasts for next year. We had 500 in year two; the goal is 650 for year three.”

Based on the buzz from the seasoned festival-goers and brand ambassadors at the 2017 event, those who were not there should make plans to not miss it again.

Nav Centre, Cornwall Ontario

Kensington Wine Market 25th Anniversary Compass Box Blend Compass Box is making Blended Scotch Whisky sexy again. We were honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with John Glaser and his team on the creation of this amazing whisky.

It is a rare, old, very special bespoke Blended Scotch Whisky. Exclusively available from Kensington Wine Market www.kensingtonwinemarket.com Social: @KensingtonWM

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Relish and

F L A V O U R

Trinidad Scorpion SPECIES C. chinense

Scotch Bonnet SPECIES C. chinense

POD DESCRIPTION Traditional pods of this variety will grow to 1¼–1¾ inches long and ¾–1¼ inches wide, ripening from green to either red or yellow, but there are brown and even pink versions, too.

GROWING INFO Like the Jalapeno and Serrano, this is one of the seeds that most suppliers seem to stock.

It used to be considered at the difficult end of the growing spectrum, but the increasing quality of the seeds and better knowledge of growing conditions now make this moderately difficult to grow.

SEED SUPPLIERS BCS, BPC, BS, CB, CF, CH, CSB, HS, LS, MWCH, NN, PBPC, PJ, PSEU, PZW, RFC, SDCF, SLP, SS, TWF, UKCS AKA Boabs Bonnet, Bonney Pepper, Caribbean Red Pepper, Scotty Bon. SCOVILLE RATING 100,000–350,000 SHU These peppers are said to get their name from the tam o’shanter, or Scottish bonnet, historically worn by Scottish men. This chili originated in the Caribbean and it gives jerk dishes their unique heat and flavor. Its connection to jerk cuisine has made this pepper one of the first to be well known around the world—a Jamaican goat curry without Scotch Bonnet is just unthinkable.

POD DESCRIPTION The pods can grow to 1½–3¼ inches long, including the sharp pointed tail, and will ripen from green via orange to red. This can take a while in cool-temperate climates.

GROWING INFO Recommended for only the experienced grower, it is not the easiest chili to grow and there is often the problem of poor germination. This chili expects warm condition -68°F- before the seeds will sprout, and in cool-temperate climates it definitely needs a greenhouse or polytunnel and careful attention to see any decent results. It is simpler for this and many of the other superhot chilies to order plug plants from a reputable local supplier.

SEED SUPPLIERS BCS, BPC, BS, CB, CCN, CF, CH, CSB, HS, LS, MWCH, NMSU, NN, PN, PSEU, PZW, RFC, SLP, TCPC, TF, TWF, UKCS, VNG The Trinidad Scorpion gets its name from the sometimes tail at the bottom of the pod. It is uncommon even in its home of Trinidad and in 2009 my friend Joseph McCullough (aka Chilli Joe) spent his month-long vacation in Trinidad hunting for the Scorpion and its cousin the 7 Pot. He eventually managed to track them down, but fast-forwarding to 2011 the Trinidad Scorpion came to the notice of the world when a variety called Trinidad Scorpion Butch T was awarded the World Record at 1,463,700 SHU.

Grown and submitted for the record by The Chilli Factory, the seeds for this record had been sourced from Neil Smith of The Hippy Seed Company in July 2010 (you may know Neil from his video chili reviews on YouTube). Why is this called the Butch T? Neil called this variety the Butch T because he had obtained the seeds from Butch Taylor of Zydeco Farms, Mississippi, who had been growing and developing chilies for many years.

Alex de Wit at The Chilli Factory tends his chilies with a lot of love and care, giving them the best conditions for growth. Other growers use the “treat-themmean” technique, depriving them of water after the pods have formed, in the hope the plant will produce more capsaicin to protect the pods as they develop.

Research is underway to see how much growing conditions affect heat, but don’t expect results for a few years.

The Australian Trinidad Scorpion Butch T held the record until November 2013, when it was beaten by the Carolina Reaper, which clocked in at 1,569,300 SHU.

Scotch Bonnet is closely related to other Habanero varieties, such as the Red Savina Habanero, and has similar heat levels, but it has a different flavor. Over the past few years, a growing number of varieties have been developed and mutated by growers.

West Indian Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce is one of the simplest sauces to make, and each West Indian family probably has its own variation on the recipe. The simplest, and the one I use, has just Scotch Bonnet peppers, salt, and distilled white vinegar blended together and put into sterilized bottles. Do not add too much salt to start. You are trying to make a thin sauce.

Recipes from 101 Chilles To Try Before You Die. David Floyd Published by Firefly Books Ltd. All rights reserved

49 R|W

Piment d’Espelette SPECIES C. annuum

POD DESCRIPTION 3¼–4½ inches long and 1¼–1½ inches wide with a slight curve to thick, cylindrical, red pods.

When dried, they take on a darker red color.

GROWING INFO This chili has been acclimatized to its native environment and soil conditions— a little acidic and free draining—over many years.

SEED SUPPLIERS BPC, NMSU, SDCF, SLP, SS AKA Espelette Pepper, Ezpeletako Bipera, Pimient de Espelette.

SCOVILLE RATING 3,000–6,000 SHU The Piment d’Espelette comes from the northern Basque area in France. All production takes place among the10 villages of the Pyrénées- Atlantiques (Ainhoa, Cambo-les-Bains, Espelette, Halsou, Itxassou, Jatxou, Larressore, Saint-Péesur-Nivelle, Souraïde, and Ustaritz).

The story goes that the pepper was introduced to the region in 1523 by a Basque navigator, Gonzalo Percaztegi, who traveled with Christopher Columbus on his second American voyage. The Piment d’Espelette is now protected by AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) status at the national level, and by PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certification attheEuropean level.

The AOC covers the chilies sold as powder, on cords (like ristras, which are colorful strings of dried chilies) and whole and fresh in small, open boxes. Interestingly, the AOC does not cover bulk or individual pods, plants, or seeds. All of the products must be produced, transformed, and packaged within geographical boundaries specified by identified and authorized operators. This prized pepper even has its own festival, which started in 1967. In 2017, they will be holding the fiftieth festival, which will make it the oldest chili festival in the world.

Apricot Habanero SPECIES C. chinense

POD DESCRIPTION Slightly grooved pods, ¾–1¼ inches wide and up to 2½ inches long, that ripen from lime green to a salmon color.

GROWING INFO Compact and easy to grow in flowerpots or other containers, it will need some support as the pods mature.

SEED SUPPLIERS SSS USAGE Use it to introduce a new generation to the flavors without the tears.

SCOVILLE RATING 500–700 SHU Typically, the Habanero is something that the chili novice will avoid, since, although the flavor is great, the aftereffect of the heat takes some practice before it can be appreciated. There have been a number of mild or tamed chilies in the past, but often they lack more than just the heat— they seem to lack some of the flavors, too.

Fortunately, the Apricot Habanero has all the flavor and, especially, the aroma. In fact, it is a particularly fragrant variety—break open a single pod and everyone will know it. The heat level is extremely mild at only about 700 SHU; it is so mild that young children have eaten it without knowing it was a chili.

The plant is a prolific producer of beautifully even-shapedpods that ripen from lime green to a lovely salmon color. A great introduction to chilies, it can be grown in flowerpots or other containers or even directly in the ground. Slice a few of these and add them to a strong cheddar cheese sandwich, or use them to make mild versions of any classic Mexican and Caribbean dishes.

Whole Flat Iron in Fresh Herbs In the thrill of spring or summer, when a bounty of different fresh herbs are at their plentiful best, this recipe will make you look like a fanciful genius when in fact you’ll have hardly done a thing.

1 bunch each of fresh herbs: thyme, mint, tarragon, sage, chives, etc., for cooking and garnish 1 whole flat iron steak (tendon removed) about 2 pounds 1 teaspoon salt Extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper PREPARE YOUR CHARCOAL GRILL to one third cooler than peak heat, or heat your gas grill to medium-high (preheated on High for 10 minutes, lid closed).

PLACE STEAK in its tangle of herbs on grill and cook until medium-rare (approaching 125°F when tested with a meat thermometer, or pinky-red inside with some red meat in the centre when checked with a small incision).

Some of the herbs will fall off and land on the coals below, others will sear onto the steak, and some will stick around, only partially cooked— it’s all good.

Recipes from Steak Revolution Rob Firing Published by Harper Collins Ltd. All rights reserved

SEASON FLAT IRON with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon per side), and then gently press herbs— stems and all—onto steak (reserve a few herbs for garnish).

Drizzle a little olive oil all over.

Put steak, surrounded top and bottom in herbs, on a plate. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes before grilling.

Petite Tender Medallions with Fresh Herbs and Lemon Cream The inspiration for this recipe comes from years of watching and reading about legendary Parisian butcher Hugo Desnoyer. He has achieved god-like status in France, and for good reason. His approach to meat, beef in particular, is something to be respected and emulated. One of his mantras, “C’est l’herbe qui donne le goût à la viande,” is an outlook that I deeply believe in: the taste of meat is flavoured by what the cow has eaten throughout its life. Desnoyer knows steak like no one else, and his recipes are built from the steak up, not the other way around, always complementing and taking full advantage of a steak’s particular character. This straightforward recipe is my own, but in a daydream I imagine Monsieur Desnoyer across the table, fork in hand, having just taken a bite, nodding approval in my direction.

This preparation takes complete advantage of the petite tender: the cut is lean and pale compared to other steaks, so the creamy, lemony sauce embraces it wonderfully. It involves nearly no cooking time, since you are simply searing the sliced medallions to bring the meat to just over rare. Use the nicest fresh, tender herbs you can find.

Serves 2 as a main dish or more as an appetizer Per petite tender 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying 1 lemon, for zesting and juicing Splash of dry white wine 4 tablespoons heavy or whipping (35%) cream Pinch of salt 2 tablespoons crème fraîche 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or your favourite herbs), finely chopped, with some nice leaves reserved Freshly ground black pepper USING A SHARP chef ’s or butcher’s knife, slice your petite tender into tidy medallions, about 3/4 inchthick. Set aside.

HAVE A WARM PLATE at the ready. In a stainless steel or non-stick pan (with a heat-cookie bottom) over medium-high heat, melt butter with olive oil and heat until the butter nearly stops bubbling. Place your petite tender medallions in the pan (being careful not to overcrowd) and quickly sear both sides for about 1 minute per side; they won’t colour much at all, but the inside of your medallions should be fully warm and rare in the middle. (Try first cooking a single piece to practise—one of the less attractive slices—to get this part right.) Transfer cooked medallions to the warmed plate, reserving the pan over the heat.

REDUCE THE HEAT to medium-low, then add the juice of slightly less than half the lemon to the pan along with a splash of white wine. Cook until the pan juices are reduced by one-third, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan (there won’t be that much to deglaze).

Add cream, salt, crème fraîche, chopped herbs, and two fine grates of lemon zest (use a Microplane or finetooth grater), stir well, and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Once the sauce reaches a consistency you like (add more cream or crème fraîche, if needed), neatly pour some over the steak medallions.

Grind some pepper overtop, sprinkle with the reserved herb leaves and another fine grating of lemon zest, and raise a little glass to Monsieur Desnoyer.

Fried Plantain, Toasted Coconut, and Ice Cream If you haven’t tried plantain, this will be a delicious surprise. Plantain is not nearly as sweet as banana, and is more substantial. When fried, it caramelizes readily and holds together pretty well. Buy plantains when the peel is as much black as yellow. Or if you are using green plantains for another type of cooking, let one ripen to half-blackness or even three-quarters. Your guests will ask, “Hey, is this banana?” and you can set them straight, appearing kind and worldly, as they begin to notice the somewhat pancake-like taste and texture.

1 ripe plantain 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut 4 to 5 hazelnuts, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Vanilla ice cream (as much as you like) Liquid honey, for drizzling Freshly ground nutmeg, for dusting PEEL YOUR PLANTAIN, and then cut it in half across the middle.

Slice each half in thirds to get a total of six 1/4-inch strips.

(You may find that your plantain is already the right size after one cut.) Set aside.

IN A DRY FRYING PAN over medium-high heat, toast coconut until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Watch it carefully because at some point it will begin to darken very quickly.

Remove pan from the heat, transfer the toasted coconut to a bowl, and set aside.

IN THE SAME PAN, toast the hazelnuts until they just start to brown, about 2 minutes.

Remove and set aside.

IN THE SAME PAN, melt butter.

Add plantain and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Transfer cooked plantain to a plate lined in paper towel.

SERVE 1 or 2 pieces of plantain topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of honey, a scattering of hazelnuts, and a sprinkle of the toasted coconut. Finish with a light dusting of nutmeg.

Front Porch Sippin’ Kentucky Bourbon-themed cocktails and mocktails for summer. Courtesy Ali Edelstein, Kentucky Distillers’ Association, and Jesse Hawkins, The Mocktail Project

Basil Hayden’s A Bird in Hand

The sun casts down a net of golden rays that wrap the world in a simultaneous sense of peace and opportunity. A soft breeze weaves its way through blades of grass. Summer arrives and finds you surrounded by friends, with a cool drink in hand.

That’s the scene each summer in communities and distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® – where enthusiasts from around the world flock to the home of America’s only native spirit to experience its iconic Bourbon-culture firsthand.

Luckily, Kentucky recently passed legislation that expands access to Bourbon and allows distillery visitors to ship their favorite products back home increasing chances that drinks poured from your home bar this summer will contain the mellow, amber nectar.

Below are a few Bourbon-themed cocktails to enhance everyone’s special moments in the sun. And because alcohol should be a choice – not an expectation – the recipes’ non-alcoholic versions, crafted by The Mocktail Project (www.themocktailproject.com) are included here, too. _

Wild Turkey 101’s Front Porch Lemonade With Bourbon: two ounces Wild Turkey 101, two ounces fresh-squeezed lemonade, three-fourths ounce of simple syrup, and a splash of club soda Without: three ounces of fresh-squeezed lemonade, one ounce pure maple syrup, a hefty pinch of bourbon-smoked sea salt, a splash of ginger beer, and cinnamon stick garnish Wild Turkey 101 is a great base for summertime cocktails because of the unique blend of spice from its high rye content and sweet vanilla and maple notes from its heavier-level char. Together, these elements and the product’s high proof-point invigorate the fresh-squeezed lemonade and secondary ingredients in this sipable, easy-to-make drink created and served at Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen, located directly across from the new Old Forester Distillery on downtown Louisville’s East Main Street.

In Kentucky, we love a special kind of blend, both sweet and spicy, fresh and easyto-sip, but full of character. Whether you choose to be with or without alcohol, the accompanying zero-proof Front Porch Lemonade is full of flavorful notes. Freshsqueezed lemons, bourbon-smoked sea salt, maple, ginger, and cinnamon are shaken and stirred for the perfect summer-time mocktail.

These summer cocktails and mocktails contain a variety of proofs and ingredients, but are all quick and uncomplicated endeavors behind the bar.

Regardless of which recipe you choose, these options allow you to avoid batching drinks for an undiscerning crowd and, instead, empower you to craft a drink for each guest on the spot – elevating your hospitality and showcasing the characteristics of each ingredient in the glass, particularly the bourbon.

Non-alcoholic recipes ensure you have an option for everyone – the designated driver, the expecting mother, the friend in recovery, or the guest looking to slow down between drinks. Mocktails complement good cocktails well, including everyone and helping the good times last.

Sip one, and visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for more great recipes when you can.

Four Roses’ Petal Pusher

Four Roses’ Petal Pusher With Bourbon: two ounces Four Roses Single Barrel, half ounce Monin lavender syrup, half ounce grapefruit juice, 4 dashes grapefruit bitters, topped with half ounce Italian red grapefruit soda and mint leaves Without: two ounces of freshsqueezed grapefruit juice, six mint leaves, a half ounce of Monin lavender syrup, two ounces Ale-8.

The base of this light, aromatic cocktail is Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon – a 100 proof product with a signature OBSV recipe that boasts a higher rye mashbill and a yeast strain bearing notes of delicate fruit. The latter pair particularly well with the grapefruit juice and grapefruit bitters in this drink, created by mixologist Colleen McCarthy-Clarke from Martini Italian Bistro at Four Roses’ 2017 Rose Julep Competition in Louisville.

The non-alcoholic version boasts the calming aromas of summertime shaken and stirred into the ideal mocktail. Expect to find your taste buds balancing delightful fragrances of citrus and floral, tangy, and herbal; the zero-proof Petal Pusher is both soothing and refreshing. It’s summertime perfection.

Basil Hayden’s A Bird in Hand With Bourbon: 2 ounces Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, three strawberries, two basil leaves, 1 ounce demerara simple syrup, club soda, basil leaf garnish. Without: three strawberries, two basil leaves, 1 ounce demerara simple syrup, club soda, basil leaf garnish. At eighty proof, Basil Hayden is a softer Bourbon base for a cocktail intended to be sipped under the sun. The dry, clean finish of this spicy-sweet Bourbon allows the strawberry, basil, and stout ingredients to shine through in the drink’s finish. It’s available at Fork & Barrel – a restaurant partner of The Mocktail Project – on Louisville’s Frankfort Ave. The mocktail version, created and available at the same restaurant, is called “Two In The Bush” and simply replaces the bourbon and stout elements with club soda.

57 R|W

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