Overproof Overkill

A month or so ago, I was invited to a tasting of the Abelour Scotch line. The highlight was Aberlour A’Bunadh, an overproof expression which chimes in at 59.8 percent. Shortly after, I attending a tasting of the new cask strength version of the Irish whiskey Redbreast. It was held at the New York Distilling Company, which last year introduced a new "Navy Strength" gin.

While the liqueur and flavored vodka people flood the market with enough product to ensure that the general abv of available spirits is slowly decreasing, drip by drip, there's no denying that the whiskey world is currently crushing on the idea of cask-strength spirits. And in increasing numbers, the Cognac, gin, and rum folks are getting in on the act, recognizing the category's hypnotic effect on both the mixologist and the booze collector. I predict the next year will see a small rush of cask-strength tequilas. (There's only one at present.)

In general, I applaud this trend. The good ones—the Redbreast and Abelour included, as well as the soon-to-arrive Plymouth and Hayman's Navy Strength gins—are distinct, beautiful spirits. Others are simply more-alcoholic versions of their 40% brothers, but still good. But still others are simply fire-breathing excuses for distillers to milk the customer's wallet. (DeLeón cask strength tequila is very nice, but it costs $300.) Certainly, there's room for consumer abuse here. But, for now, the view is quite lovely. 

Here is my New York Times article on the subject:

Scottish Theatre, Scottish Booze

I go to a lot of theatre, and am routinely disappointed by the bar found therein. The liquor choices are predictable and mundane. The skills of the bartenders are nil. You can't order a drink any more complicated than a gin and tonic. And when "custom" cocktails related to the show are featured, they are typically dispiriting vodka creations of overpowering sweetness. (I won't even get into the prevalence of alcohol-filled sippy cups.)

A class apart is E:Bar, the bar at the theatre complex 59E59 Theatres on the east side of Manhattan. Because the executive producer is a Scot, and because the theatre often hosts British and Scottish artists, the bar has a single malt collection to match nearly any bar in town. And the prices are in keeping with those bars. Here's a piece I wrote about it for the New York Times:

A Theatre Bar Fluent in Scotch

By Robert Simonson

The Scotch lover bellying up to a New York theater bar at intermission is lucky if he can score some Dewar’s White Label. At E:Bar, in the Midtown theater complex known as 59E59 Theaters, that same thirsty theatergoer can choose among 20 single malts. There are the bottles you would expect at any halfway decent bar, like Glenfiddich and The Macallan. But E:Bar also stocks also peaty Islay Scotches including Lagavulin, Bowmore and Ardbeg; the smooth, triple-distilled Lowlands whiskey Auchentoshan; and two briny specimens from high up in the Orkney Islands, Highland Park and Scapa.

This generous selection of nectar will likely sit just fine with the artists involved in “A Slow Air” and “Federer Versus Murray,” two Scottish plays that begin performances on Wednesday as part of Scotland Week 2012, a promotion of Scottish culture that runs from April 6 to 14 in several cities in the United States and Canada. 59E59 participated in its first Scotland Week last year, hosting a single show, “The Promise,” starring actress Joanna Tope.

Asked if Ms. Tope appreciated the tribute to her homeland’s native spirit, the 59E59 executive producer Peter Tear and the bar’s manager, Alberto Rosario, only laughed, as if the question needn’t be answered. “She and her husband have a house near Oban,” in Scotland, Mr. Tear said. “They’re used to nursing a whisky by the fire.” (E:Bar has Oban whisky, too.) As for the actors in the new plays, they have gotten wind of the bar’s offerings. “They come over on the trip expecting the best,” Mr. Tear said.

The thespians can thank Mr. Tear for 59E59’s unusually robust back bar. A Scot, he was born in a few miles from Kilmarnock, which for many years was home to a huge Johnnie Walker plant. Mr. Tear’s uncle was the whisky’s marketing manager in the 1950s. When the theater was being developed, Mr. Tear remembered, the bar area “was earmarked to be a cookie and coffee bar. Being a good Scot, I thought, that ain’t going to happen.”

E:Bar opened in early 2004. When it began hosting the annual theater festival Brits Off Broadway — which occasionally featured a Scottish play or two — Mr. Tear began adding Scotches to the bar menu. The collection grew from there.

“Many of our patrons are surprised to find these whiskys in a theater bar,” said Mr. Rosario, who began his career at 59E59 as a bartender six years ago. “Coal Ila and Scapa are good sellers.” All the Scotches cost $12 to $14 a dose.

59E59’s bar opens an hour before curtain, and you don’t have to buy a ticket to drink there. The best time to visit may be post-show, when the performers file in to relax with a wee dram. “We want the actors to mix with the patrons,” Mr. Tear said.

Highland Park Releases at 50-Year-Old Scotch

The above item is a bottle of Highland Park's newly released 50-year-old single malt whiskey. Or, rather, a facsimile. The bottle is real, but the contents, I was told, are simply some nameless brown liquid. You can't leave a $17,500 bottle sitting around where the greedy and drunk might get at it, particularly since there are only five of these babies in the U.S. (all nearly spoken for) and 275 in the world.

However, there was a bottle open somewhere at Jean-Georges on a recent Tuesday, because all present at the tasting event were treated to a thimbleful. How does a 50YO Highland Park come to be? Well, it's one of those stories that you hear more and more often these days. The folks at the Orkney Islands distillery thought they didn't have any barrels sitting around going back further than 1964. But, lo and behold, then they found some dated 1960. Some were no good, but some were great, so into a bottle they went—a bottle placed inside a custom-made, sterling silver holder designed by a Scottish-born, New York-based jewelry maker named Maeve Gillies (She was there, and a tall, fetching and youthful lass she was.) Highland Park will be rolling these out slowly. Future 50YO's will be made from the 1964 barrels mentioned above.

Before we nipped at the 50YO, we tasted through the rest of the Highland Park line. (No great burden). The 18YO, 25YO, 30YO and 40YO. Highland Park uses American oak barrels that have been filled with Sherry barrels, lending the Scotch a sweetness that contrasts nicely with the smokiness of the Orkney peat. The 25YO is casked half in first-fill Sherry barrels and half in refill Sherry casks. The 30YO and 40YO, meanwhile, come from 100% refill casks.

Given this information—and the facts that the recipe for the Scotch is not different in the various expressions, and the whiskey is aged in the same regions (20% of the casks on the islands, the rest on the mainland)—it was remarkable, and somewhat confounding, how different the 30YO and 40YO were from each other. Both boasting basically the same alcohol content, the younger scotch was sweet and savory, with strong notes of vanilla, caramel and citrus. The 40YO, meanwhile, was markedly smokier and spicier. Caramel and vanilla, yes, but lots of wood and volatility. Both excellent, but very different.

So, the 50YO. Well, again, here we had basically the same whiskey—though it was transferred from the first-fill casks in which it was found to spend its final months in refill casks. But it was quite apart from the previous expressions. It had a beautiful, deep amber color. The toffee nose was very candied, and, on the palate, it was closer to brandy than Scotch—silky, elegant, mellow, wine-like, with plenty of candy,  raisins, spice, vanilla, coffee and caramel, and a clove and iodine finish.

Would I buy it? Silly question. Journalists don't have that kind of money. (I wonder how much of the price is for the silver casing.) Besides, they're all taken anyway. I'll be just fine with my bottle of 18YO.

Bowmore's 10-Year-Old Arrives

I did not attend Whiskeyfest New York at the Marriot Marquis this year, but I did taste something new that nobody who was there got to try: Bowmore's Tempest Small Batch Release No. 2, a 10-year-old.

I heard rumblings of Bowmore's plans to unleash a 10-year-old single malt on the U.S. late last year. But the distillery was tight-mouthed about it. At the time, I assumed the Islay distillery was bringing out the new bottling as a recession-friendly, low-cost line extension, as many another Scotch maker has in the past couple years. But, no. Tempest is $100, costing a good deal than Bowmore's 12 YO or 15 YO. Why? Well, two releases: there are only 2,000 cases, 200 of which will reach the U.S., so it's rare; and the liquor is bottled at a cask strength of 56% alcohol. Cask strength is a thing collectors and whiskey-lovers salivate over.

Tempest is aged for a decade in first-fill Bourbon casks. It's got a warm amber color, and its palate boasts composed notes of the subtle peat, citrus, smoke and brine you expect in a Bowmore. The experience of drinking it lies somewhere between the rough and the smooth, the young and the mature; smooth because of the elegant composition of the Bowmore distillate; rough because of the alcohol strength of the liquor; young because of the relative youth of the whiskey; mature due to the manliness of the dram. Plenty to intrigue the tongue.

Tempest will be released in the U.S. in December 2010.

Mary Queen of Scots Puts Emphasis on Scotch Cocktail

As a preferred base spirit for cocktails, Scotch whiskey historically ranks somewhere near dead last. Mixologists have found that the strong-flavored whiskeys of Scotland don't necessarily play well with other mixers. 

The new Lower East Side restaurant and bar Mary Queen of Scots refuses to accept that verdict. It's classic cocktails lists is headed with the few Scotch classics there are out there: Rob Roy, Scotch Old Fashioned, Robert Burns and Blood and Sand. Furthermore, the list also embraces another cocktail laggard: Brandy. Mary Queen of Scot will make its Sazeracs with Cognac and has a couple Brandy-based originals on the menu. 

"Jay Zimmerman and I collaborated on the cocktail list," wrote Marcine Franckowiak of Highlands, mentioning her The Breslin colleague. "For Mary Queen of Scots, I wanted to highlight the French influence and integrate it with the Scottish theme in the cocktail list. We chose to go very boozy for this particular list since we are in the Lower East Side, which has historically had a harder edge. We pride ourselves on a stellar Scotch list, but in addition to a dram you may also choose to indulge in an absinthe or Fernet as well."

Joining Zimmerman and Franckowiak behind the bar are an impressive line-up of New York mixologists, including Jim Kearns (Rye House, the Standard, Freemans, Mayahuel), TJ Lynch (Spotted Pig, Rusty Knot, the Breslin), and Nate Dumas (Pegu Club, Clover Club). 

Here's the list:

Two Single Malt Scotches Go Kosher

Glenmorangie, the Highland Single Malt Scotch, has been at the forefront of a lost of Scotch movements in recent years, including the drive to experiment with barrel aging behind the usual regimen of used Sherry and Bourbon barrels.

Now, the distiller can crow about another first: Earlier this month, Glenmorangie became the first Single Malt Scotch to be declared kosher. The second to claim such a distinction, Ardbeg, a peaty Islay scotch, followed close behind. Both whiskies are owned by Moët Hennessy.

The distillery and every stage of the distilling progress was inspected by a rabbinical authority, one who will return every six months to make sure everything is on the up and up. The kosher certification is only for Glenmorangie original and Ardbeg original. Other expressions of Glenmorangie will never get the kosher nod, as they are aged in barrels that formerly contained wines and fortified wines like Sherry, Sauternes and Port.

A Decade of Compass Box

If you seen John Glaser, the owner and chief blender of the boutique Scotch house Compass Box, walking toward you at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic gala this Friday, hold out your glass.

Not to catch a dram of one of his prized, often pricey limited-release whiskeys—though that wouldn't be so bad. No, to get a taste of the pre-mixed Compass Box cocktails he'll have in each fist. One bottle will contain his version of a Rob Roy, made of equal portions of his Oak Cross malt whiskey and Carpano Antica Formula Italian vermouth, and orange bitters. The other will hold a White Manhattan, made of his Asyla blended scotch, a combination of dry and blanco vermouths, and orange bitters.

Laphroaig, the Cocktail Scotch

A few weeks ago, I went to a dinner at Daniel Boulud's new Bowery joint, DBGB Kitchen and Bar. Accompanying the food were several cocktails, some made with Laphroaig. Full bottles of the single malt Scotch sat on the table as well. At the end of the meal, a press agent who represents Laphroaig in New York asked me if I thought the whiskey had a future as a cocktail ingredient. I said no. It belonged by itself in a glass, or on the rocks.

I'd like to eat my words. In the past few weeks, I've encountered a couple drinks that have reversed my opinion of Laphroaig as a mixer. I now believe that the Islay Scotch may very well be the single malt most suited to mixology purposes. The dawning came while I was working on a recent article for the New York Times about significant cocktails of the past decade. Not wanting to overlook the West Coast in my survey, I asked several California cocktail experts about any iconic drinks that came to mind. Journalist Camper English mentioned the "international phenomenon" The Laphroaig Project. This drink was created by Owen Westman of Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco about six months ago, and instantly caught fire in the Bay Area. It has since been picked up by bars in London and Germany—thus, it's quasi-international aspect. (I was not compelled to include it in my final article, however, because too many knowing cocktailians I interviewed had not yet heard of it.)

The Laphroaig Project has the added advantage in that it contains only six ingredients, all easily obtained by a civilian. No infused this or fat-washed that. Here's the recipe:

The Laphroaig Project

1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz lemon juice
½ oz Laphroaig
½ oz maraschino
¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dashes Fee Brothers Peach Bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in to an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with lemon zest twist.

I have made this several times in the last couple weeks. It is an absolutely smashing drink. And, while the two Chartreuses do their work, and the lemon juice played a dominant role, it's the Laphroaig that makes it. Why? Well, basically it's the smoke. Islay single malts are known for their peaty, smoky flavor, and Laphroaig is considered the smokiest of the lot. Smoke is hot right now, and my theory is that mixologists, seeking that smoky component to add depth to their concoctions, are using Laphroaig the same way they are using Mezcal. They're both liquid smoke without being, you know, Liquid Smoke.

Soon after learning about Westman's creation, I was reminded of two earlier drinks which served to jog my memory that folks had been playing around with Laphroaig for some time. One was Audrey Saunders' Dreamy Dorini Smoky Martini, a very good drink (with a over-involved name) that I've posted about before. Not sure when Saunders came up with this one, but I'm guessing the early half of the Aughts, when she was at the Beacon. (Nobody thinks of the Beacon as a cocktail destination, but it's amazing how many of Saunders' signature creations were whipped us during her short reign there.) It's an unlikely mix of Laphroaig and vodka that really works. Again, it's the smoke that makes it.

Dreamy Dorini Smoky Martini

2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce Laphroaig
5 drops of Pernod
1 lemon twist, for garnish

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish.

The other Laphroaig harbinger is the Penicillin Cocktail, created by Sam Ross at Milk & Honey. It is perhaps the bartender's best-known creation and well-thought-of by many. Harder to make this one at home, because one has to whip up a batch of ginger-honey syrup. You'll notice the lemon juice again. Something about lemon and Laphroaig go together.

Penicillin Cocktail

2 ounces blended scotch
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce ginger-honey syrup
1/4 ounce Islay scotch (I used Laphroaig)

Combine blended scotch, lemon juice and syrup in a shaker, fill with ice and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and float Islay scotch on top.

Of the three, I have to give my vote to Westman's drink as the champion. But all are worth ordering, or making. On the evidence of this trio, bartenders should keep experimenting with our friend from Islay with the hard-to-pronounce name.

Review: Six Singles

In the world of single malt scotch, the holidays are when the limited releases are, well, released. The Classic Malts Selection has come out with a bunch of new get-them-while-you-can varieties. I already posted something on the Caol Ila Unpeated 10-year-old, my favorite of the group. Here are a few notes on the delicacies:

PORT ELLEN 30-YEAR-OLD: Port Ellen is a so-called “ghost distillery,” and thus highly prized and sought after by scotch enthusiasts. The distillery closed in 1983. What we see today are allocations of an ever-shrinking stock of whisky remaining in barrels. It's not surprising, then, that this is priced at $375. It's probably best that this scotch will be drunk by scotch connoissuers, because this is a challenging dram, perhaps not best suited for the average drinker. It's not a lean-back-and-relax scotch. It's a sit-up-and-take-notice scotch. The nose is heavy on the salt and iodine, with pepper and brush as well. The taste is intense and spicy, like hot peppers or spiced hot peat. There's a real briney-salty streak in the center, and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Not immediately appealing, this is for the seasoned taster.

OBAN DISTILLER'S EDITION: This scotch, from the famed maker on the west coast of Scotland's mainland Highlands, was double-matured in Montilla Fino wood. It has a beautiful orange-amber color. This is the opposite in character to the Port Ellen. It's a smooth and creamy treat. Orange, caramel, vanilla and apricot are seasoned with spices that are mellow and Christmasy—clove and allspice. This scotch is easygoing and satisfying. Cost is $100.

TALISKER 25-YEAR-OLD: Talisker, so unique, so utterly balanced, which that peculiar hot spice to it, may be my favorite scotch. So I loved sampling this. The 25-year-old was matured in American and European Oak refill casks, with just 5,862 bottles available. On the nose, it's pear, pear, and ripe pear. Also peach, salt, and brine. This is a very peaty scotch, so if you don't like peat, it's not for you. There is honey and fruit (including more pear), but they're in retreat. Towards the finish, it mellows out. It comes in at $200.

BRORA 30-YEAR-OLD: I am not overly familiar with Brora, so this was a pleasant discovery. It's another "ghost distillery," on the Sutherland coast, having shut down in 1983. There are only 2,598 bottles worldwide. The Brora 30-Year-Old is vatted from a mixture of American Oak and European Oak refill casks. Such an attractive scotch. The nose is honey and nectarine and fig backed by a hint of pepper. Drinking, it's smooth in the basement, spicy on the roof. The liquid is fleshy in the mouth, cream and caramel, structured, yet loose in its long finish. After finishing my sample, I was ready to go out and buy a bottle. But it's $400. So I guess I'll just ask for one from Santa and hope.

DALWHINNIE DISTILLERS EDITION: This version of the Highlands scotch was double-matured in Oloroso Sherry casks. It's a light orange-gold. You'll find that orange on the nose, too, as well as it's citrus friends. This scotch has a light-medium body. It's nicely balanced, even and dry, with caramel, allspice, cooked pear, vanilla and nut notes on the tongue. It has a long, spicy finish. $75 is your price.

ROYAL LOCHNAGAR SELECTED RESERVE: You've got a deep amber color here from this small Highland distillery. As you'd expect from such a color, it has a rich nose of toffee, candy corn, caramel and butterscotch. It's rich and oily on the tongue, with flavors of smooth burnt orange, caramel, maple and honey. This whisky will coat your mouth. Royal Lochnagar doesn't make a lot of scotch. It has just two small stills, and its typically not sold in the US. Thus, the price—$210—is understandable.

Review: Coal Ila Goes UnPeated

The Classic Malts Selection portfolio has come out with a new batch of limited selection whiskys, including bottles from Oban, Talisker and the rare Port Ellen. Every single one of them is worthwhile (and I'll get to saying a bit about each in a minute), but I think the star of the new collection may be the Caol Ila Unpeated 10-year-old.

The 10-year-old part is interesting enough. This 163-year-old distillery has never released a whisky that young before. But it's the "unpeated" part that makes this such a special and unusual treat. Without the peat, you take about the smoky quality one expects from Islay scotches. (Caol Ila is the Gaelic name for the Sound of Islay, which separates the island from Jura.)

Unpeated scotch dries the malted barley without burning peat. This method is not traditional to Scotland. A natural cask strength single malt, it is actually the fourth limited release of unpeated Caol Ila but it is the first that’s been aged for ten years. It was aged in first-fill Bourbon oak casks filled in 1998. Only 6,000 bottles were produced.

When one gets to tasting a few scotches in a row, they can begin to, ahem, blend together until one has a little difficulty distinguishing one from another. There's no danger of that with the Caol Ila Unpeated. It's its own thing. With the peat and smoke gone, you can focus on other characteristics in the whisky. It's got a laserlike intensity to it. It's hot and focused, yet floral and exceedingly easy to like. Typical scotch flavors like caramel, vanilla and butterscotch take a back seat, yielding the stage to more to more fruity notes like lemon, pear, melon, lime and mint. The scotch is vibrant with the sort of flavors that wake up the senses. This may sound strange, but one feels after drinking it the way one feels after brushing one's teeth in the morning: the mouth is alive and awake. You feel refreshed.

Often, these limited releases put themselves out of reach with their high prices. Happily, Caol Ila Unpeated goes for an affordable $60.

I'll be looking at the other Classic Malts releases in a future post.

Bowmore Trio Takes in $21,600

The Christie's rare spirits auction—only the second the auction house has held since New York State rolled back a law in 2007 forbidding such sales—took place on Nov. 14, and, as expected, a trio of Bowmore scotches were the prize pigs.

Making up the triumvirate were a 1964 Bowmore newly-released Gold Bowmore, a White Bowmore (released in 2008) and a Black Bowmore (released in 2007). The set fetched $21,600.

Other sales included $13,200 for a Macallan 55-Year-Old, in a Lalique decanter; and $5,400 for a Hardy Perfection Cognac. Forty lots were offered in all, with 28 lots sold. The grand total for the spirits section of the auction was $74,184.

Review: Macallan on the Fly

Macallan recently (OK, not so recently—July) released upon the world its 1824 Collection, "a new family of single malts developed exclusively for the Global Travel Retail market." (Their capitalization, not mine.) That means whiskey for Duty Free shoppers, Ducky! That's right, you can't get this outside the airport. So pay attention to the names and look for them. Because they're all good.

The three expressions (there are four, actually, but I haven't tried the Limited Release, probably because, well, it's so limited) are Macallan Select Oak, Macallan Whisky Maker's Edition, and Macallan Estate Reserve. I began with the Reserve. I shared it with the wife. After a sip, I asked her what she thought. "Good," she said. (The wife keeps it simple.) I agreed: "Good." That doesn't sound like much, but, really, there's very little to criticize about this Scotch. Using specially reserved Sherry-seasoned hogshead casks, this whisky's nose is caramel and butterscotch all the way. It's a smooth dram, very even, on the soft side with a little spice hit at the front, then smoothing out to butter, apple and caramel at the end. Mature and round. Lovely.

The Whisky Maker's Edition is drawn from booze distilled from barley grown on the Macallan estate. It's even smooooother than the Reserve. There's spice, but it comes in the mid-palate this time. A nose of caramel, candied orange and pumpkin spice (possibly, or maybe I'm just thinking of Thanksgiving early) leads to a taste of orange and maple candy. It's smooth as silk at the end, with a pleasantly light burning aftertaste.

Whereas the Reserve and Maker's seem like brothers of a sort, the Select Oak comes off as its own man. The distillers use three cask types: American oak seasoned with Sherry or Bourbon, and first-fill European oak casks seasoned with Sherry. The Sherry makes its presence known. This is lighter in color. It's bright and citrusy on the nose, with light caramel, nectarine and toffee. The Scotch has a much lighter body than the previous two. Again, it's bright, bright, bright. The spice is light and consistent throughout. Peach, ripe orange, Meyer lemon, cinnamon, vanilla bean. It makes you happy.

The prices say that the Reserve ($165 for 700 ml) and Maker's ($99 for 1 liter) are your prizes, but at $53, the Select Oak is a bargain. So, if you're switching planes and need to get shed some foreign moolah before loosing on the exchange...

Bourbon Casks, Madeira Casks

Which casks to use? That's one of the pivotal questions facing Scotch producers. Unlike bourbon distillers, who must use a new cask made from a specific kind of wood and charred a particular way, Scotch makers have a fair number of options. It just needs to be oak. Some go for used Sherry casks. Many opt for used Bourbon casks. Less common choices are new oak, rum casks, port casks, beer casks and madeira casks.

The new Balvenie Madeira Cask 17-Year-Old was aged in (only one guess here, people)...Madeira casks. It's not that simple, however. It was first stashed in traditional whiskey oak barrels, then transferred for a final period to casks previously used for fortified Madeira wine. It's the latest in a series that has seen Balvenie release whiskey aged in Islay casks, new oak, Sherry casks, and Rum casks. The Madeira has a definite influence on the scotch here, lending it a silky, rich, honeyed texture and flavor. There's spice there, but it's tempered. Instead, the smooth caramel and orange flavors dominate. A relaxed, comfortably confident scotch.

The new Glenlivet Nadurra Triumph 1991, another new release, was aged mainly in Bourbon barrels. Every new whiskey these days is accompanied by a heavily embroidered story, but this booze's tale is more singular than most. A limited release of 1,500 cases, it is non-chill-filtered; all comes from one kind of barley, called "Triumph"; and all from casks filled back in 1991. Glenlivet doesn't grow Triumph anymore, so you won't see any more of this. According to Glenlivet, they were roaming around their 52 warehouses looking for something special to bottle when they stumbled upon the Triumph cache. (Doesn't it sometimes seem to you that liquid treasures are just lying everywere around the world's whiskey warehouses, just waiting to be rediscovered? Distillers sure are forgetful. It's like, "Oh, yeah, that! Forgot we had those 21-year-old barrels of priceless whiskey! Silly me. Well, let's bottle it."

This is a fine whiskey, savory, but ineffably light. It somehow floats in your mouth, somewhere between your tongue and your teeth. The nose is sweet and floral, with figs, raisins, vanilla and honey; complex, like a well-made pastry. Nutmeg, allspice, caramel and orange are on the palate. But, again, a little touch with every flavor.

The Glenlivet is priced at $80, the Balvenie is $120.

Two More Old Scotches

The single malt scotches of advanced years keep advancing, looking to seize that luxury market. The latest through the mail slot are the Laphroaig 25-year-old and the Ardmore 30-year-old. Both run $500 a bottle.

The Laphroaig 25 Year Old was aged in Oloroso Sherry and American Oak casks. It was bottled in 2008 at cask strength (51.2% ABV). As you might expect from this Islay scotch, it's got flavor a-plenty. The nose in particular is powerfully multifarious. I almost ran out of paper making notes on it. The mellow, medium amber-gold liquid gave me buttered toast, burnt brown sugar, butter toffee, green buds, saline, brine, smoke and iodine. You could smell it all the live-long day and keep coming up with things.

The palate breaks off in two distinct sections. It has a creamy feel at first. Smooth caramel leads to coffee which then leads to sharper flavors such as burnt sugar, green branches (the kind that bend, but won't break) and a kind of greenness I associate with young red wines. The last thing you're left with is an intense flavor of tangy rock salt. This stays with you and builds up after a number of sips, leading to a not altogether pleasant finish. However, it's very possibly I may became accustomed to it.

The Highlands Ardmore 30 Year Old is aged in former bourbon barrels and handmade quarter casks. Only 1,428 bottles are available. I liked it less (though it's hard to turn up your nose at any scotch of such a high water as these). It is light in color, sunny yellow. The nose is light, too. Compared to the Laphroaig, in fact, it's almost nonexistent. But it's pleasant, a gentle Highland breeze with clover honey, brush, wildflower and heather notes. The taste is mild at first, lightly candied and creamy. It then quickly takes a hairpin turn to flavors of crackling spice, cocoa, pepper, brine and grass, broadening and broadening as it goes. Boy, does it get broad. It's an interesting journey. It's a light, but sharp whiskey.

An Unlikely Success

This recipe stopped me in my tracks as I was paging through my Beverage Alcohol Resource manual, and not just because the name of the drink is The Dreamy Dorini Smoky Martini—though that name is enough to give one pause.

I was surprised to find it, one, because it's a vodka cocktail and B.A.R. chieftains are not known for their endorsement of vodka, and, two, it's the creation of Pegu Club's Audrey Saunders, another non-vodka lover. With those twin endorsements, I felt I had to give it a spin. Here's the formula:

1/2 oz. Laphroaig 10-year Scotch or other peaty Scotch
2 oz. Vodka
2-3 drops Pernod.

Shake well over ice. Serve up in Martini glass with lemon twist.

Mighty particular on her scotch, isn't Audrey? Well, I didn't happen to have Laphroaig on hand. Truth to tell, I usually don't have more than two single malt scotches on hand at any given time. A bar, I ain't. So I used one of my favorites, Cragganmore, which is a Speyside, not an Islay like Laphroaig. So sue me. And, since the B.A.R. guide was published before there were so many absinthes on the market, I used Pernod's absinthe.

Anyway, I think Audrey has something here. You can impose any flavor on vodka, of course, and the mistake most mixologists make with the spirit is to smother it in flavors, usually fruit flavors, until you're not aware that they's liquor in the drink at all. That is not the case here. The scotch and Pernod accent the vodka, both in color and flavor. The drink is still clear, so you don't forget you have a white spirit in your hand. And the scotch and Pernod are in small enough amounts that the only suggest themselves, like a fog creeping in along the edges of an otherwise clear night.