Scapa 12 year

   Liquid history. That is what Scottish single-malt has been, is, and will continue to be so long as men and women of spirit keep the malting malting, the stills distilling, and the barrels offering up their angels share for that ultimate pleasure granted in the moment when her bounty within the glass whispers sweet nothings from head to toe. For Scapa of Orkney, her story begins along the craggy isles of 1885 where even to this day one can hear the Orkney Boatman’s Song in drift along the winds. The dream of McFarlane and Townsend, it didn’t take long for the malt to be as beautiful as her surrounding landscape splashed in salt, layered in moss and seaweed, and mellowed by a temperate climate.
Though Scapa has changed hands over the years (Scapa Distillery Company Limited in 1919 and Hiram Walker in 1954) a recent effort to breathe renewed vitality into this windswept spirit took off in 2004 with a 16 year replacing their standard 12 year, the same 12 year I tasted. The new Scapa 16 year spends her last couple years maturing in first fill American Oak Casks for a flavor exploration I shall indulge in as soon a bottle sails my way.
In the meantime though, I prepare to delve deep into the 12 year with a renewed respect for this now endangered/extinct spirit. Like the men and women before me, I too shall keep the spirit of this single-malt alive for as long as her bounty within the glass whispers sweet nothings to me.

Color: light straws and hay with golden glints of sunshine. Clear with glimmers shiny copper pennies.

Nose: salt. Honey in the back along with a hit of heat, sharp and to the point. Flambéed apples and plantains. Dried seaweed and nori strips. Sandy shores. Salt water taffy.

Body: surprisingly oily and thick. Mouth-coating with sticky lips and tongue. Medium weight.

Palate: mouth-coating with medium oily weight carries flavors across palate in proper time. Toasted coconut. Flambéed pineapple mingles with the toasted coconut. Seaweed and nori in the finish. Salty on the back of tongue. Apple skins. Peppercorns crunch and crackle along sides while peppering top of tongue along with some dried chilies.

Finish: long and sweet and salty and seaweedy and peppercorny. Lips tingle from first quaff to last and beyond.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to get upon choosing the Scapa 12 year as my next dram of choice but that’s half the fun, unexpected surprises and all. Having learned more of the history of this mariners dram, I close my eyes to smell the shore, hear the waves, taste the wind, and feel the warmth of ages long gone but somehow still living, if nothing else, in each drop of Scapa both new and retired.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

El Dorado 12 year

   Rum is so much more than a companion to your coke and yes, please please please, hold the spice. While its storied history contains both the glorious and not so glorious (prisons – criminals – pirates – maritime antics) the spirit itself is liquid history the likes of which I am always happy to drink of. Not just a drink of the isles for the isles, so popular was the sweet sippable spirit that the first rum distillery in the British Colonies was built in 1664 on what is now known as Staten Island. Just three years after Boston, MA followed with their own distillery of rumly delights.
But I’m not divining the rumly delights of colonial Americas. Instead, the El Dorado 12 year rum is the liquid history I speak of today and though their headquarters is based in the Netherlands, their heart lies in Guyana. Known as Breitenstein Products from 1860 up until 2003, the former Dutch East Indies company is known now as Demerara Distillers. Being an advocate of old world traditions, Demerara still uses the last and only fully operational wooden Coffey still in the Western world to produce their rums of a truly unique character. Tasty too, if I may add…and I do.
A consistent award winner in national and international spirits contests, bronze silver and gold don’t mean much if disappointment awaits. Thankfully, I am happy to say that the El Dorado line of rums exudes taste, class, sophistication, and yumminess.

Color: deep garnets and Victorian reds deep and burnt. Copper pennies along the sides.

Nose: heat hits in the back. Melted caramel and toffee chocolate truffles. Truffle powder. Caramel syrup. Cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and paprika in the back. Fuji apples. Candied plums and prunes. Rum soaked oak staves. Raw cooked sugar cane.

Body: medium with a thick mouth-coating presence. Fullest in the middle, lighter along the sides. Sticks to top of the tongue.

Palate: silky smooth, mouth-coating and filling with caramel vanilla maple truffles. Chocolate underneath. Tongue sticky with caramel nougat. Soaked wood barrels – spice and burnt along the edges. Dried plums, Fuji apples, and raisiny sweetness in the middle. Meaty and chewy. Coconut shavings. Candied pineapple chunks. Everything hits heaviest in the middle with spicy woody rummy staves in the back.

Finish: quick and to the point. Dry, spiced, and woody. Caramel and toffee.

I love rum; I really do. And don’t dismiss rum as just another simple pathetic peon mixer for sugary-sweet cola because it is so much more. Aged rum isn’t all the same either – different sugars and different barrels make for so many deliciously decant rums and yes, I’ve got the time. El Dorado is demerara sugar at its finest.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Ballast Point Three Sheets Barrel-Aged Rum

   There is a common lovelorn lust amongst those of burgundian designs and intentions. Brewers are chefs, chefs are brewers, and distillers are either/or/all the above. It is an appreciation of the flavor of life and the flavors that is life. The fine peeps and peepettes at Ballast Point Brewing of San Diego, California. But wait! They just aren’t Ballast Point Brewing but Ballast Point Brewing & Sprits. That’s right; spirits. Not only are they passionate about the fermentables; they are passionate about distillates too. Quirky. Funky. Fun. Unique. And above all, artisanal.
During the deliciously decadent indulgence that was the Ballast Point Brewmaster Dinner at Town Crier Pub of Tradition, a very generous rep from way out west flew himself to our Treasure Coast to espouse the virtues of his very virtuous beer. Ballast Point often is overlooked by geeks visiting San Diego, and they shouldn’t because a jewel blessed by Mother Ocean herself awaits. For a burgundian such as myself, it’s not just about the beer but about everything offered.
And offer they did. Actually, I should say offer did Earl. As I reminisce on my tastetacular journey through her sugar-cane depths, all I can say is AAARGH! Hide the rum.

Color: golden grains. Gold doubloon. Copper pennies along the edges.

Nose: heat hits in the back. Caramel apples. Cinnamon sticks. Has a pervasive stickiness which lingers in the nose. Lemon and orange oil. Oiled leather. Acorns. Red apple flesh. Candied fruit sweetness. Stewed peach skins, apricot specifically.

Body: medium to medium-light. Solid blanket of tears. Sweet and spicy in the middle. Sticky along the sides quaff to quaff.

Palate: lemon and pepper and spice in the middle. Honeyed candied sugar cane sweetness. Dry on top of the breath. Honey, lemon and orange oils on lips. Oak and coconut husks. Hit of heat deep in the middle of chest. Lemon rind and orange rind leads into oils. Lovely. Acorns in the breath. Chestnuts?

Finish: relatively clean, short, and to the point. Heat and lemon pepper tickle the breath long after. Pepper corns atop tongue and lemon rind along the edges.

Overall I was more than pleased with my first offering from Ballast Point and their spirits division. I'd love to dabble in more of their artisanal spirits and someday I will. I love to dabble in all things artisanal with flavor and personality of which Ballast Point has all the above and more. Stay tuned...

(original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 year

   Just what is Bourbon? Bourbon IS the original American spirit. I enjoy all spirits of all ranges, and I mean ALL, with bourbon of course being one. As I slowly surely begin my never-ending journey through flavor, I’d be remiss to skip over bourbon. As with all things tastefully worthwhile, I’m not talking about the lowest of the low, the cheapest of the cheap, but I am talking about what constitutes GOOD bourbon. Varieties may and can vary because she is the spice of life. Price isn’t really relevant when quality matters but it would also be irresponsible of me and any curious imbiber of life to not take it into some consideration. Love. Love should always be first. All else will follow.
Speaking of love, Eagle Rare hails from Kentucky (duh) and though she has exchanged ownership, today Eagle Rare 10 year single barrel never fails to win awards and accolades as it woes bourbon aficionados and newbies alike. Unique in that all Eagle Rare 10 year single barrel is just that, a 10 year bourbon whose bottled worth came from one freshly toasted single-use American oak barrel and one freshly toasted single-use American oak barrel only. Period. As such there may be a smidge of variation from barrel to barrel, but all is in good flavor intentions.

Color: copper. Polished pennies. Burnished garnet. Deep clarity with regal richness.

Nose: orange oils and rind. Oiled leather and saddles. Toast and toasted coconut. Lemongrass. Apple musk. Essence of the ranch. Burnt sugars.

Body: swirls thick, coating sides of glass with thick rivulets. Oily and mouth-coating. Lips sticky with honeycomb and orange oils. Dry spicy woody top of tongue. Full and rich.

Palate: quite rich. Solid hit of heat in the back with spice, orange flambé, and coconut lingering in the breath. Toasted. Orange honey lips. Grabs back of throat after each quaff. Sultry and seductive – brings you in for a sticky sweet kiss than POW! Cracked peppercorn with a dried chili pepper bite. Leather and saddle mingles with the orange oils. Toffee comes out to play long after. Dried mango.

Finish: long and sticky with lips tingling. Breath dry, spiced, and woody. Leathery then back into the oils. Chest glows.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)