Alcolog

There's something nice about a bar that does specialty nights for alcohol. Sure, some places will do half price pitchers or rails; but it's nice when a place will do specials on whiskies or (in the case of Psycho Suzi's tonight) Tequila.

The liquors menu has a selection of twelve Tequilas to choose from, varying from the common Jose Gold to some rarities that I haven't seen since I was in Arizona. One of those, el Teporocho, started the night and is the picture for tonight. It's a mild Tequila with a touch of honey to the taste. The bottle is interesting, but the glass will have to suffice for now.

The second for tonight is Gran Cententario Plata which as the name implies is an unaged Tequila. The unaged Tequilas will be "Blanco" or "Platino" or some variation thereof. The ones that are aged for under a year will be "Reposado" to suggest that it's rested for a while in an oak cask. "Anjeo" is anything aged for more than a year. If you're a Jose-lover, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but "Reserva" isn't a type of Tequila and can be seen as marketing.

The key to Tequila is that the young tastes like agave and the older the Tequila the more it will taste lke oak. I like the taste of agave, so I tend to stick to younger Tequilas. If you're taking steps into the realm of Tequila, make sure to try the three types of Tequila before deciding on a preferred age.

One other tihng to note - Tequila will have something of a "fuzz buzz" to it. It's subtle and nothing to worry about, but bear this in mind if you've mostly had vodka, whisky, or beer beforehand.

Technically it's not a gin shortage, but I haven't been able to get my favorite gins in months and it's starting to be a bit concerning. Tonight's drinking session will result in me running out of gin for the foreseeable future.
This is hyperbole, of course, because you can still get gin in Minneapolis - it's just not Dutch gin or Jenever. This is for forebearer for the English version that most people drink. Dutch gins tend to be mellow and less piney than what you would expect from an English gin. Tonight's jenever is Damrak, an American version of the traditional Lucas Bols recipe. The botanicals in this are so complex that the taste will be affected by the glass used to drink it. In a rocks glass, this reminds me of a jelly doughnut. In a cognac glass, the anise and orange permeate the nose.
The other gins that I would normally have on hand are:
Zuidam
Boomsma
Schlichte Steinhäger
All of these are excellent examples of gins that aren't what you've had if you've only had English gin. If you see them, I suggest giving them a try.

Thursday night was an evening with a dozen other whisky lovers meeting in the back area of Zipp's to try about ten different Scotches from Diageo/Johnny Walker. Their brand ambassador for the midwest brought these ten (from six different distilleries) as a way to expose these drinkers to the single malts they consider to be typical of the regions they represent. They were:
Glenkinchie (2)
Cragganmore (2)
Dalwhinnie (2)
Oban
Talisker (2)
Lagavulin
The cases of two expressions, the second was the Distiller's Edition for 2006. They were all nice, nothing too explosively great, but of them the Dalwhinnie Distiller's Edition was worthwhile enough to grab a bottle.
But the real experience was being able to pick the brain of a company represenative and answer many of the questions that you're not likely to find on the web.

On the subject of closed distilleries, the company position was that some distilleries are just not efficient enough. The style of the distillery can easily be replicated at a nearby location. That it's possible to replicate a Rosebank in Glenkinchie's stills.

As for Non-Chillfiltered (UCF) whisky, the company spins the perspective on its head. The feeling was that if it made that much of a taste difference that no one would filter the proteins out. The feeling is that the people pushing UCF whisky are using it as marketing and a way to make their product more unique and charge a greater price. The actual taste difference isn't that big to Diageo's distillers.

In all it was an informative night. This pretty much convinces me that I'll be at WhiskyFest in Chicago in April, so expect another post similar to this when that happens.

Vodka is prolific these days, and for someone that enjoys experiencing alcohol then that makes it a fine time to try new stuff. But if you're in a liquor store staring at the wall of 50+ brands of tasteless, odorless, and colorless alcohol you might step back and come to your senses. These brands can't taste that much different from each other - and you're probably right to think that.
But even with that proliferation of brands, I tend to gravitate towards three vodkas. These aren't "the best" on the market, but they're all versatile and comfortable choices if you're looking to dip a toe into the large pool of unfamiliar brand names.

The first and most frequently purchased vodka in my freezer is the Zubrowka, in the middle of the picture. This vodka is notable for being infused with a shoot of bison grass. The American version isn't technically a fresh blade of grass because import laws forbid it... something about a ban on "coumarin" as a food additive. But it tastes pretty close to the European version and is definitely a head turner for the fact that it's not colorless or odorless.
The second most popular is the Luksusowa on the right. It's fine draw is that it's tasteless and cheap. A bonus is the fact that it's made from potatoes, so it will be slightly smoother compared to a wheat or rye vodka. Smooth enough to sip, but cheap enough to mix. That makes a nice combination.
The third is a recent exposure, and that's the Reyka vodka from Iceland. It's slightly more expensive than the Luksusowa, but it's phenomenal in its crispness. One good test of how good a vodka can be is to drink it straight at room temperature. For Reyka, it was as tasteless at room temp as the Luksusowa is frozen.

I'm sure that there are better vodkas in production and on their way. News from Scotland earlier this week is that a Glasgow company is releasing a "single malt vodka" next year. They're calling it "Valt" and I'm sure it'll make a marketing splash. Whether the ripples become waves is hard to predict, so stay tuned for more on that next year.

Two years ago tonight, I found myself in Toronto on business. I had a meeting at 9 A.M. the next day, but the border security did not believe me. They couldn't believe that an American would need to come to Canada to do the job I had to do. The guard suggested that I become a temporary resident of Canada, thus making me a Canadian doing my job in Canada. That night I became a temporary Canadian for about six months.

In commemoration of that night, I would like to honor our neighbors to the north and their alcohol.

Canadian Whisky
Canadian Whiskies tend to have a bad reputation, considered the cheap, sickly sweet imitation of the more reputable whiskies like Scotch or Bourbon. But if it's improper to judge Tequila by experiences with Jose Cuervo, it's also improper to judge Canadian Whisky on experiences with something like Seagram's Seven. The Crown Royal XR, as an example, has tones of grain wood similar to a mild Bourbon. Another example is the Forty Creek Barrel Select which tastes more like a cross between an Irish and Scotch with a touch of rye. But the best stuff never makes it across the border. Gibson's Finest Rare and Glen Breton Rare are excellent grabs if you find yourself north of the border.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario
Commonly referred to as "The LCBO", Ontario's government agency responsible for the sale and distribution of alcohol is the largest single purchaser of alcohol in the world. Their website allows one to search the stock of every one of their nearly 600 stores. If the item is listed as in stock at any store, you can go to your nearest LCBO location and order it for free. They have a vintages line that has an impressive collection of expensive whiskies and brandies that you aren't likely to find in most of the USA. Every trip to Ontario should include a stop at an LCBO store to grab something to take home.