Recently in Events Category

Recently, Scotchblog was fortunate enough to be extended an invitation to a private tasting with Ian Millar, the Global Ambassador for Glenfiddich. Ian is truly a preeminent authority in the world of single malt scotch. Having met Ian a few times before, including at last years Whisky Live in Toronto, this was a rare opportunity to speak directly with the whisky master.

We braved a blustery, wet evening on the way to the Park Hyatt rooftop lounge, a classical and intimate whisky bar on the top floor of one of the cities grandest hotels. It features an outdoor patio which Ian recommends as a choice location to smoke a fine Cohiba along with some whisky. On this day however, we'd be confined to the indoors because you simply can't the take the rainwater out of the scotch.

Our visit began with a tour of the Glenfiddich's popular range of 12, 15, and 18 year old malts. The 12 and 15 remain consistent as ever, and readers will find them discussed extensively in previous articles. This time our sampling of the 18 year old was accompanied by a delicious maple creme brulee which provided a sweet, creamy offset to this deep and mature scotch, and it opened new levels of this otherwise more challenging expression. Once again, the importance of food pairings was underscored as the key to opening subtleties and hidden elements in both new and familiar whiskies. As Ian pointed out, people often take too-direct an approach to pairing food by accompanying whiskies with fare that accentuates the most prominent notes of the whisky, instead of counterbalancing the flavours to reveal a dram's true character.

We then moved on to the reason for Ian's visit to Toronto, the Canadian release of an extraordinarily rare 50 year old Glenfiddich single malt. We view it as something akin to the launch of an ultra rare supercar; a benchmark of the peak of craftsmanship in whisky to which others may aspire. Ian spoke at length about a unique contest sponsored by the Glenfiddich in recognition of the 50 year old coming to Canada, called North of 50, in which the entrants will nominate fathers and other great mentors. The prize for the 9 lucky winners and one guest is a trip to the Fairmont Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta and an invitation to an exclusive tasting of the full Glenfiddich range and the new 50 year old, which will sell at over $25,000 CAD. If you know a scotch drinker worthy of nomination, submit your entry at www.glenfiddich.ca by July 1st.

We asked Ian, what makes the 50 year old a special malt and not just an old one? He replied that the liquid is comprised of two carefully selected 1955 casks to produce just 500 bottles of which they will release 50 bottles per year worldwide, and two of these bottles will come to Canada. The tasting notes describe this expression as a pale gold, harmonious and complex. The nose is vibrant with notes of rose petals, green tobacco leaf, oak and a hint of smoke. On the palate it begins with zesty orange marmalade, toffee and through a depth of layers including aromatic herbs and soft fruits. The finish is described as exceptionally long with dry oak and a trace of peat. Before our meeting was concluded, there were some additional rare treats.

We went on to sample the Glenfiddich 40 year old as well as a very limited private vintage 42 year old, both of which were very impressive, and will each be reviewed on the blog soon.

Thanks again to Ian for his time and Meghan of Jesson + Co. for putting the meeting together, we look forward to seeing you both again.

Upon walking into Via Allegro, be sure to look left, but be equally sure to mind your jaw lest it fall agape at the sight you will behold. For it is there that Toronto's most impressive tower of whisky resides. This is the domain of manager Joseph Cassidy and it is his philosophy that governs the approximately 750 whiskies on hand.

However, rather than attempting to provide everything under the sun, Joseph aims to ensure that it is the unique bottles that have primacy of place stating that "the whiskies must represent the individual regions that they come from and still be unique". To ensure this, private bottlings and cask strength whiskies are a key focus as there is "a different flavour in each bottle, and one that can't be easily found again". It is this philosophy that has resulted in Via Allegro winning Whisky Magazine's "Supreme Whisky Award" for having the best whisky list in the world.

Our purpose for attending this Etobicoke establishment was to attend an all Speyside tasting courtesy of Joseph and Diageo. A flight of six of the region's finest were on offer on this day.

First up was Cardhu which was successfully paired with a wood smoked gouda; the dried apricot notes and dry finish of the whisky playing well against the creamy texture and nutty body of the cheese, further reinforcing my stance that the time has come for whisky to replace wine at the bookends of a meal.

Following this was the Glen Elgin 12 year old with its faint nose of white chocolate and honey and smooth, lightly smokey palate featuring a near perfect amount of salt and peat. It is truly a shame that this single malt is not available for personal purchase in Ontario, as it certainly has a place on my shelf once I can locate a bottle.

Now came the time for the chef to begin flexing his cullinary muscle as Cragganmore's 12 year old single malt was expertly paired with one of the finest risotti I have ever had. Here the saltiness and ripe fruits of the whisky played perfectly against the earthiness of the mushroom and mascarpone risotto, serving to heighten the flavours of each, while simultaneously cleansing the palate in preparation for the accompanying pairing. For this was a fine one-two punch of whiskies and food, as the plate also carried a seared sea scallop adorned with a lightly wilted fennel salad to be paired Johnnie Walker's Green Label blended malt. For those who don't know, this blend is comprised of Cragganmore, Caol Ila, and Linkwood, and as such it was the floral notes of the Linkwood which worked well against the fennel while the salt and iodine of the other components played off the scallop to pleasant effect.

After a brief break in the action it was time for the star attraction of the day: a whole pressed roast lamb paired with an elusive 28 year old cask strength Convalmore. Bottled in 1977 and hitting hard at 57.9% ABV, the nose of explosive vanilla, honey, and heather combined with the gamey and herbacious aromas eminating from the lamb to devastating effect on my resolve, leaving me salivating at near Pavlovian proportions. Upon tucking in, the spice, smoke and lightly viscous nature of the Convalmore paired perfectly with the expertly roasted lamb, while its dry, faintly smokey finish left the most delightful lingering notes of black cherry and almonds on the palate. Truly a treat, and exactly the kind of joy one hopes to find when pairing whisky with food. 

The closer for the flight was Johnnie Walker's Blue Label blended malt. While reaffirming my belief that it is worth nowhere near its pricetag, the sweet, orange peel notes of this blend provided an excellent finish to the flight, leaving the palate cleansed in spite of the somewhat muddled flavours it has to offer. Thankfully for yours truly, one of the members of Scotchblog.ca was unable to attend, allowing me to round out my day with one more dram of the Convalmore.

All in all, this was easily the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon: sampling a sextet of Speyside's finest paired with some of Toronto's best Italian cuisine while enjoying the encyclopedic knowledge and convivial company of Joseph Cassidy. In closing, I must point out that if there is a specific whisky you hope to find, be certain to call ahead and inquire as to its availability when making your reservation, as the most unqiue bottles typically see their time on the shelf last less than a month. That said, even if you don't find exactly the whisky you are hunting for, be sure to ask for Joseph's advice as you will most certainly be presented with a malt and experience to remember. Thus, do not wait to make your arrangements to attend Via Allegro, as I for one cannot wait until I make my return to continue working my way through the list.

Round two in the Glenfiddich Taste and Talk series was held on October 22nd, 2009 at the comfortable confines of One Up Lounge on Dundas Street West on viciously windy Thursday night.

Upon arriving, we were treated to a rather unique scotch cocktail with notes of citrus and almond (certainly the least offensive I've ever tasted) as well as a healthy sampling of the Glenfiddich 12 year old, all paired rather expertly with samplings of various finger foods & tapenades, the most successful of which was without question the green curry blend.

While this was our second delightful event with Glenfiddich, this was our first encounter with Glenfiddich Global Ambassador and Master Distiller, Ian Millar, who would anchor the evening by taking the group through the full range of Glenfiddich.  Prior to Ian taking the floor, guest speaker Rich Poplak gave a thought provoking presentation of his adventures observing American pop-culture as it is consumed by the Muslim world.  The powerpoint show contained plenty of unnatural mixtures and juxtapositions of culture, the first being the most striking, an image of the great Homer Simpson witnessing a plane impacting tower 1, the silhouetted image captured in his left eye.

As we worked through the flight of Glenfiddich's offerings, ranging from 12 year old to 21 year old expressions again, the clear winners were reaffirmed as the 15 and 21 year old drams.

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening which all at ScotchBlog.ca are very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend.

But the rewards of the evening did not end upon our departure, as the following night at Whisky Live, I had the chance to catch up with Ian Millar for an interview.

Below are some excerpts from that interview, which proved to be even more candid and informative than I had hoped.

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Matt: Given the desire of many of the larger distillers to expand into the vast potential market in China, will the mindset at Glenfiddich be to increase production to match demand or is it leaning more towards increasing prices?

Ian: Historically, you've had your 3 streams - single malt, your blends, and others' blends. Once upon a time Glenfiddich released 99% of its malts to others for their blends. Now, no one else gets these malts and there is even much less released to go in our blends (Grants, for instance). Now we have reversed that trend towards 99.9% being released as single malt.

Matt: So is it safe to say that the focus of Glenfiddich is now squarely on producing single malt whiskies and therefore production is being increased in this stream?

Ian: Yes.

Matt: Given what we've seen in terms of reducing the availability of "The Classic Malts" (Lagavulin, Cragganmore, Talisker, et al) by Diageo to service larger, and in their eyes, more lucrative markets, is there any pressure for Glenfiddich to follow suit?

Ian: Diageo is under immense shareholder pressure to maximize profits at every turn. Pricing directors are looking at how much profit per case can be obtained globally and act accordingly. So they remove volume from the 'bottom markets", and divert it to top 10 markets. However, thus far India and China are not delivering as Diageo thought. At William Grant and Sons, since we are family run, our focus will be to maintain our traditional markets and if these other markets expand and start ordering more of our products, then we will look at what needs to be done.

Matt: Are there any plans to develop specific malts to suit particular regional markets and tastes, such that these malts will only be available in specific places?

Ian: Yes. We are currently producing different and stronger ABV (alcohol by volume) expressions to release to travel retailers so they have something different from the everyday.

Matt: What can the Ontario market expect from William Grant and Sons in the near future?

Ian: The LCBO decides what will be made available. While there are some loopholes, our hands are almost tied. However, in the 4th quarter of 2010, Ontario should look for some new releases (30, 40, and 50 year old expressions). We are always trying new things. For instance European versus American oak. We're always tweaking brands to make them more appealing, and to keep consumers excited. This is the responsibility of our whisky development team in Scotland.

Matt: That's excellent news. Now on to the actual consumption of a single malt. How do you prepare for a nosing?

Ian: The right mood is important, and so is practice. I take samples home to ensure that I am in the 65-85% consistency range. At Diageo, if you drop below 85% (consistency) they kick you off the team. When you're nosing, ensure there are no other smells in the room. Don't use a dishwasher to wash the glasses you are going to use, as that will taint the nose and taste (because it leaves a film on the glass). Also, be sure to rinse the glasses with water before. The ideal ABV to nose at is 27%. To achieve this with your standard bottle of single malt this is done with 2 parts whisky to 1 part water. For cask strength bottles, the ratio is inverted to 1 part whisky to 2 parts water.

[Just make sure the water used to reduce it to 27% is distilled water. Ian and Matt know this but don't mention it. -Ed.]

Matt: A great piece of wisdom for all the single malt fans out there. Lastly, a personal question. What makes a single malt register 10 out of 10 for you?

Ian: My all time favourites are second fill sherry butts, as 1st fills are overpowering, done in a Speyside style, and aged between 15 and 20 years.

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I would like to extend my thanks to Ian once again for his time, and be sure to keep an eye out for other parts of this interview in later articles, especially my forthcoming Christmas Gift Giver's Guide, which I hope to have ready in the next few weeks.

When one mentions single malt scotch, to many it will bring to mind aristocratic British reading rooms, oak paneled cigar lounges filed with overfed business men, or Don Draper-esque midcentury modernism. Indeed, the relationship between the scotch tasting experience and one's surroundings is a close, if oft ignored one. As every true enthusiast knows, drinking fine malts is an aesthetic experience, shaped not only the nose and pallet of the glass, but by whom one shares it with, what food it is paired with, and the overall ambiance of the space. It would be as much of a sin to order a finely aged malt in a dingy dive bar as it would be to drown it in ice.

The designers at Powell & Bonnell have joined forces with the Balvenie to explore this concept by creating a sleek, beautiful, and timeless lounge space which updates the old clichés of the stuffy whisky bar while retaining the elegance and comfort of a gentleman's library. Inspired by the Balvenie's understated packaging, and crafted in white, supple tan, and curving steel, the resulting space is modern, egalitarian and inviting--all the more so because of the exceptional  whisky on offer for this tasting.

All the classic Balvenie expressions were available, including my personal standby - the Twelve year old David Stewart signature edition. But the real standout here was Balvenie's latest creation, a 17 year old Madeira cask variation which we were lucky enough to sample despite the bottling not being available for sale in Ontario (something I hope will change soon!)

Rich, dark, and aromatic, it gives off hints of cinnamon spice, vanilla and oak. The initial taste is remarkably spicy, primarily on the tip of the tongue, which gives the scotch its distinctive character of raisin, spices, plum and dried cherry early on, while finishing briefly, smooth and slightly honeyed. This is a sophisticated scotch, and I can't wait to see it hit the LCBO.