The Malted Muse with more than a grain of truth

Congratulations to Cooley.

I have been a fan of Cooley’s distillery for a long time now and it is a pleasure to say congratulations to them for their recent success in the 2010 International Wine and Spirits Competition. Cooley has been European Distiller of the year for the last two years and this year won 20 medals in total, 10 of them being Gold. This brings them a total of over 100 Gold medals and has helped to raise the profile of Irish whiskey which deserves more recognition. The Gold medals won were –

Gold Medal & Best in Class, Kilbeggan 15 Year Old Blended Irish Whiskey

I first tasted Connemara in 1999, 4 years after its launch, I was to wait 10 years before I tasted the cask strength version. In 1999 it blew me away and when I tasted the cask strength I was blown even further. Cooley’s now have a 12 year old version and I can not wait to try it. When I do I will let you know my thoughts.

In this section I will try to show how to get the very most out of whisky and will do so in sections which you can easily move around but when read in order will make a logical progression.

I don’t know if I look for problems, am in search for perfection or just think too much but for some time now the issue of tasting notes on whisky has been in my mind. The main notes I am talking about are those often found on the packaging that surrounds a bottle of whisky. These notes can often be quite descriptive and can range from the ‘green grass and fresh late summer fruits and verdant green fields’ of Glenkinchie, the ‘vanilla cream, toffee and coconut’ of Hedonism and the ‘hints of heather and peat’ of Dalwhinnie. When about to buy a whisky that is new to you it can be very helpful to have guiding notes to help you choose but I am left wondering just how accurate these notes are. I don’t have the best palate in the world but I have been able to identify a Laphroaig from a range of 80 other possibilities (I know this is one of the most distinctive whiskies but allow me a moment of rare impressiveness) I have also identifies an Innishowen in a completely blind tasting without knowing it was even going to be there, I could go on – well actually I couldn’t those are my best tasting achievements.

In other sections of this site I have spoken about how my tasting notes can change after a few whiskies. They move from the objective ‘floral’, ‘peaty’ etc to the less objective ‘cheeky’, ‘mysterious’, ‘shy’. This is possible, in part, to the way whisky can have character. I have also mentioned about how whisky can transport you to places. Dalwhinnie take my friend Steve to Scotland whilst Islay’s wonderful Laphroaig takes me to the peat fires of Ireland.

This section gives me chance to review whisky related aspects other than whisky directly.
Here you will find an increasing number of reviews on books, articles, publications etc.
I will say the obvious - all that is written are just my views - I can be wrong and I respect your right to hold a different and possibly more accurate view than me.

Sadly I am guessing that few people will read this section. Instead they will read the title and think they know it all – this is a shame.

Responsible drinking is not simply ‘do not become drunk’ or ‘don’t drink and drive’. Ok both these points are worth saying but there is much more to it.

Responsible drinking allows you to get the most out of your drink without spoiling it for yourself or others. This does not always mean the extreme but can also mean saying the wrong thing or loosing car keys. Most people have amusing drunken stories but in reality they come at a cost.