I absolutely love meeting people who are passionate about what they do. You know it immediately - their eyes light up and their speech becomes even more animated.
Last night the Whisky Sidekick and I were invited to a Whisky Master class at the Capital Hotel London where we were under the tutelage of Bar Manager, Cesar Da Silva. Cesar tells us he spends on average 1 1/2 hours each day researching whisky and testing new concepts - all this in addition to being responsible for the bar operations of the entire hotel! It is no surprise, then, that he has the accolade of being the youngest ever UK Keeper of the Quaich. One of the key requirements of entry into this Society is to have made a significant contribution to the Scotch whisky industry, so WS and I were looking forward to what he had in store for us.
Before even meeting Cesar, I knew we were in for a treat by the looks of the eclectic selection of whiskies and spirits on the shelves. We learned later that he makes a point of scouring the market for interesting and good value whiskies.
Glen Garioch 12YO with Beaufort cheese
Region: Highlands Pronunciation: geery
Matured for 8 years in ex-bourbon fill casks and then a further 4 years in ex-sherry casks, this is a well-rounded, full-bodied whisky. Cesar believes this whisky will mature well into the 20's and 30's.
Color: warm caramel
Taste: creme brulee, poached pear, vanilla, toffee
Finish: with a bite of Beaufort , I feel the milkiness of the cheese and the smoothness of the whisky. A great start.
Kilchoman 2011 Release with Bleu D'Auvergne cheese
Region: Islay Pronunciation: kilhoman
Built in 2005, Kilchoman is the first distillery to be established on Islay in over 124 years, and even the young'uns are generating a lot of interest. This release was matured in ex-bourbon fill casks and then in ex-sherry casks for 3 months before bottling.
Nose: smoke, lots of smoke and a hint of grain
Taste: POW!! The smoke and grass explode!
Finish: There is a seriously rocking party going on inside my mouth. Alongside a bite of bleu d'avergne cheese and a grape, the explosion is tempered and we enjoyed the moistness of the cheese with a pop of citrus. There is little to no saltiness to this one.
Talisker 18 with Livarot cheese
Region: Highlands - Islands (Isle of Skye)
I don't think of Talisker as being peaty, so I was surprised to learn from Cesar that it uses far more peat than typical Islay whiskies, and the difference is heating the barley for almost half the time.
Nose: earthy, toffee
Taste: smooth whiff of smoke, with some toffee
Finish: The Livarot cheese comes from Normandy and is an incredibly strong cheese. I didn't care for it on its own, but the earthiness of the Talisker-Livarot combination was perfect. Together, the flavours were rich, deep and round. Not a hint of peat....
Happy and satisfied, the Whisky Sidekick and I kicked back with the remainder of the Talisker 18 to make plans for the weekend. Little did we know that Cesar had a surprise in store for us!
We were presented with a frozen bottle of The Balvenie Signature Aged 12 Years, which was poured into cute little frozen cocktail glasses. I've often recommended that new whisky drinkers start their home bar with a bottle of The Balvenie Doublewood, so I was really curious to see what freezing did to one of my favorite drinks. Ms Whisky is on record opposing ice with scotch, and all of my whisky education was telling me you shouldn't drink it cold. But, Cesar had a grin on his face for his pièce de résistance.
Next the server brought out a plate with a small chocolate cake. Cesar had heard me mention my whisky & marmalade adventure, so he had the chef add little drops of orange marmalade - brilliant!
The cake was hiding warm lava-chocolate that, when combined with the cold Balvenie and the sparkle of orange, left both of us speechless. When we recovered our senses, all we could say was Wow - this experiment worked! An amazing sensory experience.
Ready to try this for yourself? The Capital Hotel is on Basil Street in London's Knightsbridge area with Harrods and Harvey Nichols just steps away. Put yourself in Cesar's expert hands for a perfect retreat after a busy day of shopping.
Last night the Whisky Sidekick and I were invited to a Whisky Master class at the Capital Hotel London where we were under the tutelage of Bar Manager, Cesar Da Silva. Cesar tells us he spends on average 1 1/2 hours each day researching whisky and testing new concepts - all this in addition to being responsible for the bar operations of the entire hotel! It is no surprise, then, that he has the accolade of being the youngest ever UK Keeper of the Quaich. One of the key requirements of entry into this Society is to have made a significant contribution to the Scotch whisky industry, so WS and I were looking forward to what he had in store for us.
Before even meeting Cesar, I knew we were in for a treat by the looks of the eclectic selection of whiskies and spirits on the shelves. We learned later that he makes a point of scouring the market for interesting and good value whiskies.
Perched at the bar where we could watch the smooth operations of the bartenders and servers, the Whisky Sidekick and I were presented with an intriguing lineup of three whiskies with cheeses selected to enhance the tasting experience.
I was happy to see that my new go-to dram discovery , Glen Garioch 12YO, was the first one we would try. Next we would try a Kilchoman 2011 release followed by Talisker 18.
Region: Highlands Pronunciation: geery
Matured for 8 years in ex-bourbon fill casks and then a further 4 years in ex-sherry casks, this is a well-rounded, full-bodied whisky. Cesar believes this whisky will mature well into the 20's and 30's.
Color: warm caramel
Taste: creme brulee, poached pear, vanilla, toffee
Finish: with a bite of Beaufort , I feel the milkiness of the cheese and the smoothness of the whisky. A great start.
Region: Islay Pronunciation: kilhoman
Built in 2005, Kilchoman is the first distillery to be established on Islay in over 124 years, and even the young'uns are generating a lot of interest. This release was matured in ex-bourbon fill casks and then in ex-sherry casks for 3 months before bottling.
Nose: smoke, lots of smoke and a hint of grain
Taste: POW!! The smoke and grass explode!
Finish: There is a seriously rocking party going on inside my mouth. Alongside a bite of bleu d'avergne cheese and a grape, the explosion is tempered and we enjoyed the moistness of the cheese with a pop of citrus. There is little to no saltiness to this one.
Region: Highlands - Islands (Isle of Skye)
I don't think of Talisker as being peaty, so I was surprised to learn from Cesar that it uses far more peat than typical Islay whiskies, and the difference is heating the barley for almost half the time.
Nose: earthy, toffee
Taste: smooth whiff of smoke, with some toffee
Finish: The Livarot cheese comes from Normandy and is an incredibly strong cheese. I didn't care for it on its own, but the earthiness of the Talisker-Livarot combination was perfect. Together, the flavours were rich, deep and round. Not a hint of peat....
Happy and satisfied, the Whisky Sidekick and I kicked back with the remainder of the Talisker 18 to make plans for the weekend. Little did we know that Cesar had a surprise in store for us!
We were presented with a frozen bottle of The Balvenie Signature Aged 12 Years, which was poured into cute little frozen cocktail glasses. I've often recommended that new whisky drinkers start their home bar with a bottle of The Balvenie Doublewood, so I was really curious to see what freezing did to one of my favorite drinks. Ms Whisky is on record opposing ice with scotch, and all of my whisky education was telling me you shouldn't drink it cold. But, Cesar had a grin on his face for his pièce de résistance.
The cake was hiding warm lava-chocolate that, when combined with the cold Balvenie and the sparkle of orange, left both of us speechless. When we recovered our senses, all we could say was Wow - this experiment worked! An amazing sensory experience.
Ready to try this for yourself? The Capital Hotel is on Basil Street in London's Knightsbridge area with Harrods and Harvey Nichols just steps away. Put yourself in Cesar's expert hands for a perfect retreat after a busy day of shopping.
The Balvenie and cake sounds great. Was the bottle actually frozen like vodka or chilled in a fridge?
ReplyDeleteFrozen just like vodka with ice stuck on the label and everything. I was horrified! But obviously the result was pure genius.
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