THE GINGER LADY MAC: LADY LUCK WHISKY & THE KING'S GINGER, GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU

Since a rather boozy and altogether fabulous lunch at Locanda Locatelli ten days ago, I have been on the wagon. In part preparation for the latest DH excursion to Madrid this week and in part in recognition that, at my age, the body simply needs to take a real break every now and then from the rigours of eating and drinking for a living.

Going cold turkey for so long has obviously sent my body into shock and I managed to develop a stinker of a cold which has laid me low and meant that I have not been able to leave the flat for the last four days. I have tried everything to shake it off from nuclear strength lemsip to some unmarked tablets I had in the bathroom, which I think were originally prescribed for gout. But, nothing seemed to help as I sat sniffling, wheezing and unable to get a decent night's sleep with out the help of a pill.

Finally, I turned to the only thing which has never let me down, good old fashioned booze. I had recently received sampler sized bottles of two very interesting new products and decided to use them to create a new twist on a classic winter drink.

From Berry Bros & Rudd, I had received a sample of The King's Ginger, an intriguing liqueur first formulated for King Edward VII in 1903 at the request of his physician worried about the monarch catching a cold while riding around in his new fangled horseless carriage. The Liqueur has a wonderfully fragrant hit of ginger on first nosing, which follows through to the first taste on the palate. There is also a refreshing note of citrus, which stays in the mouth long after the sip has travelled down the throat.

I can imagine that this would be a good base for a number of cocktails, but I had the perfect companion for it as I had also been sent a sampler of the new season whisky from one of my favourite people in the spirit business, John Glaser of Compass Box Whisky.
I make no bones about my passion for the Compass Box range, so when John sent me a little taster of his new whisky, Lady Luck, I was keen to put it to the test.

It is quite something to taste on its own, a limited edition "Vatted Malt" of a 25yr and 29yr Islay Malts from Caol Ila softened with a relative whippersnapper of a 14year old Imperial Highland malt. Fruity and elegant, perfect to cut with water and sip slowly allowing the flavours to linger in the mouth.

What better way to combine these two beautifully crafted drinks than to blend them into a cocktail classic? The Whisky Mac is traditionally made with ginger wine and and any whisky of choice. Here, I played around with the recipe mixing 1/3 of The King's Ginger with 2/3rds of Lady Luck and brought in some elements from The Old Fashioned with sugar syrup and Angostura Bitters. Instead of serving over ice, I poured the shaken drink into a frozen Old Fashioned glass, adding the finishing flourish of a twist of lemon to lift the fruit flavours in both drinks.

Although a chilled drink, the end result is a smooth but warming cocktail, perfect to sip on during the cold winter nights.

INGREDIENTS
50mls Compass Box Lady Luck Whisky
25mls The King's Ginger
1tspn Sugar Syrup (equal parts sugar and water mixed until sugar disolves)
2 drops Angostura Bitters
Lemon twist
Old Fashioned Glass

METHOD
Chill the Old Fashioned Glass in the freezer for ten mins prior to making the cocktail
Mix The King's Ginger and Lady Luck Whisky in a shaker with ice
Remove the glass from the freezer and rinse with the bitters and sugar syrup, shaking out the excess.
Strain the contents of the shaker into the glass.
Twist the lemon peel to give a good spritz of citrus oil on the surface and slide the tist into the drink.
Serve

THE WHISKY SHOW: FREE TICKETS FOR A DROP OF THE GOOD STUFF

As those who read the blog will know, I was recently lucky enough to visit the distillery at Glenfiddich for the launch of their astonishing 50 year old single malt (yours for a mere £10,000 a bottle) It would be a lie if I told you it did not change the way I thought about one of my favourite drinks.

Well, now other lovers of fine and rare whisky will have the chance to taste some fantastic examples at The Whisky Show which will take place at The Guildhall in London on the 6-7th November.

The show focuses on the premium expressions of some of the finest whiskies from Scotland, Japan and Ireland amongst others and exhibitors include Highland Park, Glenlivet, Laphroaig, Cooley and even the award winning whisky from Suntory of Japan.

Tickets prices are not for the fainthearted, at £100 a person or £150 for two days, but include all samplings and food while in the event, so represent excellent value for the opportunity to experience whiskies at their finest all under one roof.

The organisers have offered Dos Hermanos the incredibly generous prize of two tickets for the Friday PM session on 6th November. All you have to do is answer the following question.

"Who are the authors of The Whisky Kitchen?"

All answers to be sent to the following e-mail please and NOT to Dos Hermanos. Quote "DOS HERMANOS WHISKY SHOW COMPETITION" in the subject heading

office@thewhiskyshow.com

The organisers will be in touch with the winners directly and the last date for entries is the 16th October 2009.

Good luck and see you there

GLENFIDDICH 50 YEAR OLD: A GLORIOUS DRAM IN DUFFTOWN

This new career of mine may not be as lucrative as my previous existence, but you would never hear me denying it is more fun, a lot more fun or that it presents me with the opportunity to experience things I could only ever have dreamed of when I was desk bound.

Last week, just as I was packing for Belfast, I received an e-mail from the good folks at The Guardian’s Word of Mouth blog asking me if I would like to go and represent them at the launch of a rather special whisky. To be exact at the launch of a milestone release from market leader’s in Single Malt, Glenfiddich, a 50 year old whisky that was going to retail for £10,000 a bottle.

I adore Scotch Whisky and, after convincing them that I knew my Blended Whisky from my Blended Malts, I altered my flights and arranged to travel directly from Belfast to Aberdeen and from there to Elgin in Speyside, where a whole slew of real whisky aficionados from around the world were going to hosted by Glenfiddich for two days of tasting.

I often compare Glenfiddich to one of my other favourite spirits, Beefeater Gin, primarily because as market leaders in their category, people often confuse the fact they are produced in considerable volume with the fact that they are mass produced. In both cases things could not be further from the truth and visits to the two distilleries, the chance to meet with the Master Distiller at both locations and, of course, sampling as I have been lucky enough to do, convinces you that these remain crafted products that just happen to have become very popular.

The launch of the 50 Year Old is a big statement from Glenfiddich and shows that, as a family company, they are not beholden to their shareholders and can both take the decision to over produce and store whisky for releases such as this, but also be indulgent enough to do so at a time when many other distilleries, part of publicly owned companies, might not be able to.

Whatever the reasons, the opportunity to be at their distillery for such an historic launch was too good to pass up and the day after my arrival, I hopped on the bus good and early for the short ride to Dufftown and the place where William Grant built the original structure with his own hands well over a hundred years ago.

I have visited many distilleries in my time and I still say that if you can’t get excited about seeing the mash tuns, washbacks and glorious copper stills at work, you must be dead. Then there is that unmistakable smell. First of beer as the malted barley is brewed, then the stills themselves and “the middle cut” is taken from the second distillation as the clear liquid that will become whisky after years of maturation.

Glenfiddich also has its own cooperage, one of the few still to do so, and inside a cavernous shed men were hard at work restoring old barrels and checking new ones ready for filling. Originally, whisky was aged in Sherry barrels, but now predominantly uses barrels from Bourbon distillers who by law can only use each one a single time. Sherry barrels are still used, but are in short supply and I was intrigued to find that Glenfiddich actually has Oloroso sherry made for it for the sole purpose of seasoning barrels for three years after which it is discarded.

David Stewart, the Master Distiller at Glenfiddich works with his team to choose which barrels to blend for the various expressions, 12 year old, 15 year old, 18 year old and so on and, over the course of the two days we got chance to try them all, on their own or paired with food. However, I was really there for one reason and, on the last night we were shipped back to the distillery for the eagerly awaited launch supper.

I had managed to squeeze myself into a dinner suit for the first time in well over ten years, but most of the other men, including many journalists who had borrowed them, were in full Scottish attire with kilts swirling worryingly in a stiff breeze as we were piped into the dining room.

There David Stewart and Peter Gordon, chairman of William Grant served us the 50 year old whisky themselves, placing in front of each of us a commemorative glass engraved for the occasion and then barely filling it enough to cover the bottom. Even that small amount was worth about £500 and given that two bottles were completely emptied, represented considerable generosity on their part.

Was it worth it? Well, even with my limited palate, it was certainly the finest Scotch whisky I have ever tried and aided by the descriptions of David and other famous Whisky imbibers at the table, I was able to discern the key aromas of citrus, rose petals and even green tobacco. The taste too was out of this world and I took sparing drops onto my tongue and let it linger there until the flavours of orange and a little smoke began to reveal themselves.

All too soon the last drops from each glass were gone and we turned our attention to a delicious supper as the celebration haggis was piped into the room to be served with plenty of wine and even more glasses of whisky, this time the 15 Year Old, lovely in its own right.

And that was it. The next morning, I was back at Aberdeen airport and on my way back to London. I wish I could say that a bottle of the 50 Year Old found its way into my luggage, but I suspect a contract on my life would have followed it. A mere 450 bottles will be released at the rate of 50 a year and represent a huge income for Glenfiddich, so I don’t begrudge them sending me home with just some of their other whisky.

It was a great privilege to be asked to go and cover this event. It was just as great a privileged to get the chance to visit another beautiful distillery but most of all, it was a privilege to have the opportunity to taste that astonishing 50 year-old whisky.

I know that my night time drop of Scotch is never going to taste the same again.

HAGGIS: FEELING THE BURNS NIGHT

Friday sees the official start of my EATING FOR BRITAIN trip.

In the early morning, I shall throw a few things in the back of my recently purchased, battered old Ford Focus and point it Northwards to Scotland where for the next eight months I shall be travelling in search of some of the finest that this beautiful country of ours has to offer.

What better way to begin, given that 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns birth, than to head up to Alloway, his home town and accept the kind offer to attend a large, traditional Burns Night, celebration. There will, of course, be the wailing of pipers, the intoning of the immortal words over the “wee timorous beastie” and, possibly even some men in kilts offering me the chance to see their dirks, ahem.

We wont be alone, however, as on the day itself, the 25th January, over 1500 official Burns Suppers have been registered around the world with many more going on in the homes of teary eyed ex-pats.

By way of preparation, last night I cooked up a small little example of lung, hearts, liver, oats, barley and spices in a stomach, from the finest of all makers of Haggis, MacSweens and served it with a traditional side of mashed turnips and slightly less conventional additions of mashed sweet potatoes and a thick parsley sauce.

There are lots of ways of cooking a haggis, but I went for the quick method of using the microwave, which may seem controversial, but is in fact a tradition that goes way back to the mid 1960’s where it was invented by the feared Clan McWhirlpool.

To make sure it did not dry out, I doused the meat with a good glug of whisky while cooking and, of course, made sure to do the same as I was eating it.

My journey is going to bring me, I am sure, into contact with some amazing food and some equally amazing people, but there could be few better ways to begin than to pay homage to this little creature from North of the border

ISLAY: SMELLS LIKE NEW SPIRIT

It is not everyday that one gets to go on a trip to Islay in the company of two of the best known characters in the spirit business.

It is also not everyday when you get the chance to spend a week working at the first distillery to open on an island for nearly 100 years.

John Glaser, the founder of boutique blenders Compass Box Whisky, was the very first person I met when I began the trip which became EAT MY GLOBE. Mind you, it was not much of a trip as his offices are in Chiswick. It may not have been a huge journey, but I certainly learned a great deal and made up my mind that a trip to visit the source of the, er sauce, was definitely going to be part of my itinerary.

My personal preference is for those peaty, soapy monsters that come from Islay with the tang of seaweed and iodine which compliments sharp, blue cheese or salty bowls of nuts so very well.

So, John suggested I call Kilchoman, a newly opened distillery which had produced its first spirit in 2005 and will not plan to release their first “Whisky” until 2011. A quick call had me enrolled on their course for December and another quick call had the same Mr Glaser himself deciding to join me.

Once Nick “Hawksmoor” Strangeway, the Godfather of London cocktail making, got wind of the trip, our numbers were soon increased by one.

What a week and, when I have time to write it up properly, you can see it on the EAT MY GLOBE blog. But, suffice to say that, because of the presence of my two well known (in this industry, at least) chums, we were able to bypass the usual tour guides and get access behind the scenes at all but one of the eight distilleries on the island.

What surprised me most is how different the final product from each distillery was. I am not quite sure why I was so surprised as, despite the volumes produced, these are still crafted products where the nose of the distiller is all important and produces the unmistakeable characteristics that make Islay whiskies, arguably the best of all.

And we got tastes of course. Lots of tastes. The archetypal peat bombs of Laphroig and Lagavulin, the fruit filled elegance of Caol Isla and roundness of a Bruichladdich 12 year old which had been finished in large Oloroso butts to give a deep amber colour and a subtle nose. People were the very definition of kindness and all sorts of special bottles suddenly appeared as we sat in comfortable “dram’ rooms to do our tastings or, as in the case of Bowmore, were shown into the dark recesses of the cask room to sample what John described as two "primo" whiskies.

Kilchoman still has a way to go as they cannot even call their spirit “ whisky” until it has spent a minimum three years in the bourbon barrels they have sourced from Buffalo Trace. But, we tried the new spirit which shows promising signs of things to come and we helped mash and still a few thousand litres too with some backbreaking shovelling on the malting floor and time spent patiently observing in the still room under the watchful eye of experienced distillers, Malcolm and Gavin

If the spirit was sublime, the food, I am afraid to say, was really pretty dire.

Much like my time spent in Ireland way back in April, so much of the wonderful produce of the island, in this case, spectacular seafood, beef and lamb, is shipped off to mainland Scotland and then to England or Europe leaving the locals to enjoy the offerings of the local Co-op supermarket.

While breakfasts in the B&B were pretty good in the “a fry up is always good” kind of way, meals out were pretty risible.

Menus that could have offered lobster and crab, pies and puddings offered up Thai Green Curries and Lasagne. Things that, in the right context, are all well and good, but which, on a rainy windswept evening in a place of such extravagant abundance, were really pretty shameful.

When we did see some evidence of local sourcing, the main ingredients had been hidden under “swirls” and “jus” so that they may as well have been from the local Co-op.

In a bit of distilling downtime, we did take the opportunity to visit Dunlossit Estate which is becoming a depository for the UK’s rare breed pigs and to head to Islay Oysters which produces, according to many, the very best in the world.

I love oysters but, like so many people and things, they don’t like me at all. I was persuaded to have one by Nick Strangeway who was busy downing a half dozen himself. It was a stupid thing to do and, although the one I sampled tasted great, the evening ended with the inevitable result of me violently bringing up the contents of my stomach followed by a visit to the tiny Islay A&E ward for medical treatment.

As we left the B&B yesterday morning to head out to catch our tiny plane back to the mainland, the owner handed me a small oyster shell as a humorous reminder of my trip. I suspect the three bottles of single malts I had in my luggage will be a much better memento of a week which, if hardly memorable for the food, proved to be one of the very best of the trip so far.

Not least, thanks to my companions Mr Glaser and Mr Strangeway.