Malty Motion Pictures: Angels' Share

Ken Loach's Scotch Whisky focused film Angels' Share created a stir in the Scotch community when it opened in 2012, but it only spent a nanosecond in US theaters.  Recently, it started streaming on Netflix, and I highly recommend it to any whisky fan.

Angels' Share tells the story of some troubled Scottish youths who get introduced to whisky through a kindly mentor and then plan a heist of a rare cask of Malt Mill - think Trainspotting meets Sideways.  If you're a Ken Loach fan, you'll recognize the portrayal of the working class hero and the share the wealth mentality, but he also nails the whisky subculture.

Longtime whisky writer Charles MacLean plays a whisky expert in the movie and also served as a consultant, which likely explains the films dead on portrayals of distillery tours, novice tastings and a high end auction.  Most lovingly and accurately portrayed is the way the characters develop their knowledge and palates. There's something wonderful about watching a kid who grimaces at his first taste of Springbank develop an appreciation, and quite a nose, for whisky.

The only real flaw is that it perpetuates the myth that a real whiskey expert will know the exact whiskey you're getting from a single sniff or sip, but that's pretty standard in movies (a collector takes a quick nose of the Malt Mill out of an unmarked bottle and immediately realizes what it is).

Angels' Share is a delightful film, and even though I missed it in the theater, I'm guessing it's better to watch at home, since the best way to see it is clearly with glass in hand.

Distilling Rob: Manly Lies and Whisky Truths by Rob Gard

After being dumped by the woman he thought he would marry, Rob Gard left the glamor and glitz of his LA media consulting job and the Hollywood nightlife for the frigid ruggedness of Isaly and a sort of work-study program at the Bruichladdich Distillery.  He went to Islay searching for himself as much as running from his past, and what he finds in the isolation of winter on Scotch Whisky's most famous island is that the whisky making process is a metaphor for both his own journey and the universal journey on which boys become men.  Distilling Rob: Manly Lies and Whisky Truths is his story.

Despite its use as primarily a literary device, the whisky making process is lovingly described and the distillery workers come alive.  One of the workers says little more than "aye" for days on end, while another mumbles nearly constantly.  Almost none of them actually drink whisky.

Gard's own persona is the lovable loser with a mix of self-loathing, part Woody Allen, part Jeff Portnoy transplanted to a distillery in Scotland.  At the end, he has his expected realization, but you're never sure if this will change his life or if he will again sink into neurosis when he returns to the U.S.

A few of the literary devices are overdone.  Sometimes Gard hits you over the head with the metaphor, and sometimes the connections between the distilling process and his memories of life in LA or his troubled childhood in Wisconsin seem forced, as if every grain of barley has a direct connection to a particularly awkward moment from his past.

Overall though, Gard is an engaging writer and, as can be expected from a journalist, excels at the art of description.  I've never been to Islay, but after reading Distilling Rob, I feel like I could walk into the Bruichladdich Distillery or one of the local pubs and know exactly what they would look like, smell like and how the locals would react to me.


Distilling Rob: Manly Lies and Whisky Truths is available in paperback for $12 or a mere $4 on Kindle.  It's definitely worth a read!

Goings on Around Town

• If you're looking to have a smoky weekend, check out the LA Scotch Club's Peatin' Meetin' at UCLA, probably the best whiskey tasting event in LA.  It's this Saturday from 5:30 -10:00 pm and features music, barbecue and more peated whiskey than you'll note what to do with. Cost is $100 per person.
• Adam at the LA Whiskey Society (the other LA whiskey group) has published a new chapter in his series Adventures in Whiskey.  This one, The Peculiar Pikesville from Prohibition, is definitely worth a read. 

Have a great weekend!

The Complete List of Whiskey Blogs Keeps Growing

I've continued to update my Complete List of Whiskey Blogs (being a blogger means never being bored) and the list is now includes over 300 whiskey blogs!  In addition, I now have a section at the end which features informational websites which are not quite blogs, such as databases, pod casts and other media (note that those are not included in the blog count).

In my first go round at the list, I started with blogs I know and mostly engaged in link following, but my updates are now done through voluminous Google searches, so there are now a lot of blogs on the list that are probably unknown to most of my readers.

There are some really interesting and bizarre whiskey blogs out there.  Interested in some Catholic theology with your whiskey?  Whiskey Catholic is the blog for you.  But if that's not your thing, maybe you're an avid cycler or a fan of fine time pieces.  Yup, there's a whiskey blog for that.

 My current nominee for best named whiskey blog is the very short-lived, but excellently titled Daddy Drinks 'cuz Baby Cries.


Every once in a while, I'll post some updates of particularly notable or fun new blogs I find.

Some Interesting Whiskey Blogs

In compiling my complete list of whiskey blogs, I stumbled on more than a few that I hadn't seen before and was reminded of others that I really enjoy.  I'm always looking for whiskey blogs that provide an alternative perspective, and here are a few I've been reading lately that I find particularly interesting. 

• Clay Risen is a staff editor at the New York Times who writes the Mash Notes blog.  He also writes whiskey articles for the Times, and unlike most whiskey articles in the mainstream press, Risen makes sure his articles are accurate and not always about Pappy Van Winkle.  He's not the most prolific blogger, but he's an engaging and honest writer which makes his blog a real pleasure.  He's also working on a book about American whiskey.
• Linh Do is the Los Angeles based blogger who writes Bliss in a Barrel.  Her posts tend to revolve around some of the local whiskey clubs and on-line networks she's involved in, but she also works in the industry, and has some fascinating posts about working as a liquor company representative.  I'm hoping she'll continue to blog in that direction.
• If you're looking for something a bit different, check out Rob Gard's The Whisky Guy. Rob is another LA based blogger who previously worked at Bruichladdich.  Rob's blog is not as much about whiskey as it uses whiskey as a background to examine human nature.  Rob is also working on a book about his experiences working at a distillery.

There's lots of good whiskey stuff to read out there (in fact, there are 259 whiskey blogs at present count), and these are just a few of them, but they're good ones so check them out.

The Complete List of Whiskey Blogs

Like most lazy writers, I love a list.  There's something satisfying about listing things, especially when there are a lot of them.  I've been thinking, for a while, whether it would be possible (not to mention advisable), to list every whiskey blog.  It feels like there are hundreds of them; some pop up for a month or two and others (like mine) rattle on, seemingly in perpetuity.  Well, I decided to try it, so I present to you:  The Complete List of Whiskey Blogs.

Well, it's not actually complete, not even close probably, but it's a start.  To start with, I limited myself to English language blogs.  Unfortunately, I'm not competent in any other languages, and it would be pretty tough for me to figure out if a blog in Armenian or Hindi was about whiskey, so I figured I'd stick to what I know.

I tried to be pretty liberal with my definition of "blog," but I did exclude sites that were more databases or forums.  A blog has to have regular updates with content.  In categorizing blogs as "whiskey blogs," I used a loose definition of any blog that was mostly about whiskey.  I excluded general spirits blogs and cocktail blogs (unless they were really mostly about whiskey).

I divided the list into four sections:  (1) general whiskey blogs; (2) blogs by distillers and whiskey producers; (3) blogs by retailers or bars; and (4) dormant blogs.  I defined dormant blogs as blogs that hadn't posted for quite a while (at least eight or nine months) and seemed inactive.  They can, of course, always come back.

Overall, I found 174 active whiskey blogs and another 51 dormant whiskey blogs.  I'm sure I missed many, especially in the retailer/distillery areas, as many of them seem to have blogs that they post to only occasionally.

I'm sure the number of blogs is an interesting measure of something, but I'm not quite sure what.

I'm going to try to keep the list current, and I'd appreciate any feedback with blogs I missed (and apologies to anyone I left off).

There's an App for LA Coffee: LA's Best Coffee

Coffee in LA has exploded over the past five years. You used to have to go out of your way to get a decent cup. Now, a new third wave espresso bar with a 45 minute pour over seems to open every week.

The good news is there's now an iphone app that helps you find the best third wave coffee near where you are in LA. The mapping function works well, and the best thing about it is it's all wheat and no chaff. The people who made this app clearly have high standards for coffee as all of the places listed are great third wave coffee bars, so if you're a fan of this style of coffee, there's little risk of disappointment or need to sort through reviews.

The app is made by Blue Crow Media and costs $.99.

Poll Results: Reviewing the Reviewers

I didn't have too much feedback on the reviewing the reviewers poll which asked which one whiskey reviewer people would pick if they could read only one set of reviews. I guess people are more passionate about the actual whiskey they drink than those who review it for a living. To the extent there were responses, they mostly favored John Hansell.

For my part, I think there is a lot of talent in the professional whiskey reviewing world, particularly given its small size, and each of the reviewers in this poll has a certain niche.

Mark Gillespie tends toward higher scores but shows a deep appreciation of the whiskey he samples and samples a wide variety. His status as his program's sole reporter as well as its sole reviewer gives him a deep personal knowledge of each whiskey he tries. Often, he samples whiskey at the actual distillery or with the master distiller, which gives him additional information about the production of the whiskey compared to those who taste mostly from samples.

Jim Murray may be the most controversial whiskey reviewer, but if you want quantity, he's your man. No single professional reviewer reviews as many whiskeys, and he is the only one on the list that has the power to single-handedly raise prices and create shortages, particularly if he names something as his top whiskey of the year.

Paul Pacult is the lone spirits generalist on the list. The fact that he reveiews all sorts of spirits brings a unique perspective to his reviews, though he is probably less read than any of the other writers I listed.

That leaves my two favorites: John Hansell and Dave Broom, two great reviewers with nearly opposite writing styles. Hansell's reviews are straightforward, and his writing style is crisp and clean. When I read a Hansell review, I have a good idea of what the whiskey will taste like (though I may not agree with him on how good it is). Dave Broom is anything but straightforward. A flowery wordsmyth, Broom's reviews are more fun to read than anyone's, but they give me little idea of how a whiskey will actually taste. (What does "Montgomery Clift seducing Elizabeth Taylor" taste like exactly? Never mind, I'm not sure I want to know). So for informativeness I give the point to Hansell, while for entertainment I give it to Broom.

All of that being said, I don't actually spend much time reading professional reviews. In fact, I probably spend less time on the reviews than anything else in Whisky Magazine or Whisky Advocate. And for my own purposes, I'm much more likely to purchase something that's been given high ratings by Serge on WhiskyFun or by my pals in the LA Whiskey Society. Luckily, though, we don't have to pick just one reviewer and we can benefit from a wide variety of palates, both amateur and professional.

Reader Poll: Reviewing the Reviewers

For our latest poll I thought I'd switch from judging the whiskey to judging the judges. Suppose you could only have access to the reviews of one whiskey reviewer for the rest of your life. Who would it be? Here are some ground rules. You can still access non-review articles by anyone, but you will only see reviews from one writer (so, for instance, if you don't pick Mark Gillespie, you could still listen to WhiskyCast, just not the end where he does the reviews). It might be the person whose judgment you trust the most or it might be someone whose writing (or speaking) style you really enjoy. It's up to you.

To make this fair, I have limited the choices to (1) professional reviewers who (2) review a variety of whiskeys, so you won't see a number of very excellent, very popular reviewers who are unpaid bloggers or who review only one type of whisky. Those are the rules, here are your choices.

• Dave Broom: Reviewer for Whisky Advocate and Whisky Magazine.
• Mark Gillespie: Producer of WhiskyCast.
• John Hansell: Publisher of Whisky Advocate (though not the only reviewer for that publication).
• Jim Murray: Author of The Whisky Bible.
• F. Paul Pacult: Publisher of the Spirit Journal.
• Other: Anyone else you would care to vote for who fits the criteria.

And folks, let's try to keep this from being a study in negativity. I'd rather hear about why you picked the person you did than why you didn't pick the others. Cast your vote!

The Sixth Circuit: A Federal Court that Knows its Bourbon

On Wednesday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in the case of Maker's Mark Distillery vs. Diageo North America. Maker's Mark, famous for their dripping red was seal, had sued Diageo claiming that the use of a similar red wax seal on its Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Tequila infringed on the Maker's Mark trademark. A federal district court had ruled for Maker's and the Sixth Circuit, which hears appeals from cases originating in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan, upheld the lower court opinion for Maker's.

The legal rendering itself is not particularly remarkable, though I don't envy Diageo having to defend itself against a beloved bourbon distillery in a court that sits just across the river from Kentucky. What is remarkable is that the Court went out of its way to discuss bourbon and its history.

The opinion opens with a wonderful quote from Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, "I was brought up to believe that Scotch whisky would need a tax preference to survivie in competition with Kentucky bourbon." The Court then goes on to discuss the origins of bourbon, its history and the specific history of Maker's Mark, even dropping a footnote regarding controversies over the proper spelling of whiskey. The fantastic part is that the Court gets it right, quoting such noted authorities as Chuck Cowdery (not just his book but also articles from his Bourbon Country Reader), Mike Veach and Gary & Mardee Regan. Clearly one of these judges (or one of their clerks) is a bourbon fan who knows his or her stuff.

For those of you who don't read court decisions for a living, they can be mind numbingly boring, but this one is well written and animated. Kudos to the Sixth Circuit as well as Chuck, Mike and the Regans.

You can find the opinion here, and the fun part is on pages 2-7.

UPDATE: See Chuck Cowdery's own report on the case here.

Recent Reads: Canadian Whisky, the Portable Expert

A few years ago, I wanted to write up a very short blog post that could serve as a quick primer on Canadian Whisky. I searched the web high and low but couldn't find a decent site that could answer even very basic questions about Canadian Whisky. Having failed in new media, I turned to the old, hoping to find a reliable book about Canadian Whisky. The only thing I found was a thin advert-book commissioned by Seagram's in the mid-1990s. I was shocked that this major whisky category was so lacking in reliable information.

Not long after that, sommelier and Malt Maniac Davin De Kergommeaux came along with his blog Canadianwhisky.org which immediately became the go-to website for Canadian Whisky. Now, he had done one better with a new book: Canadian Whisky, the portable expert. Davin sent me an early release copy, but it officially publishes on May 8.

Not only is De Kergommeaux's book easily the best book on the market about Canadian Whisky, it is one of the best books about whisky period. More than an introduction, the book gives thorough coverage of the science of whisky, production techniques, the history of the industry in Canada, and profiles of the nine Canadian distilleries along with tasting notes for 100 Canadian whiskies interspersed throughout the book. Many of the sections on the science and production apply to other types of whisky as well, so it's an interesting read even if you're not a particular fan of Canadian Whisky.

It would not bean exaggeration to say that I learned something on nearly every one of the 336 pages. For instance, I've always wondered about the often cited rule that Canadian Whisky can be include up to 9.09% flavoring agents, but had not found any good sources for explaining the precise rules or the rationale. De Kergommeaux includes a detailed description of the rule (which only applies to whisky exported to the United States) and the reason for its existence.

While I've sometimes found De Kergommeaux's more informal writing to be overly dense, the prose in this volume is more direct and streamlined, making for a pleasant and to-the-point read.

For someone like me who craves accurate, specific information about my whisky, I could not have asked for more. De Kergommeaux has written what will undoubtedly be the definitive word on Canadian Whisky for years to come, and for $20 U.S., it's a better value than most actual whisky.

Canadian Whisky, the portable expert by Davin de Kergommeaux
McClelland & Stewart, 2012 ($20)

Sowing Your Wild Oats (and rice): Buffalo Trace Experimentals

Every year Buffalo Trace releases their Experimental Collection: 375 ml bottles of some wacky experiment (or in one case some old barrels they found). When they first came out, these things were impossible to get and, though priced around $45 in Kentucky, often went for $200 in California. Lately, it seems they have been a bit more reasonable and a bit more available (though they are by no means plentiful). A friend shared with me some of the latest release which was announced in December and hit shelves earlier this year.

This year's Experimental consist of two bourbons with different secondary grains (the grain added in addition to corn and a small amount of barley malt). One uses oats and the other uses rice.

Now, I don't usually pay much attention to reviews in selecting my bourbons, but it's always interesting when someone has a very passionate reaction. John Hansell reviewed these bourbons in a post provocatively titled Don't buy this whiskey! He particularly disliked the oat bourbon and had this to say about it:

The one thing I am sure of: I could randomly pick any bourbon priced at $10 or more from any retailers’ shelf and be pretty confident I will like it more than this. And, with a suggested price of $46.35 for a 375 ml, bottle, I wouldn’t go anywhere near this whiskey.

That may be the worst thing I've ever heard him say about a whiskey, certainly a major distillery whiskey. Anyway, I was more than a little intrigued, and since I particularly like to chase down the bad stuff, I had to try it. Is it as bad as Hansell suggests? Let's see.


Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection "Made with Rice," 9 years 5 months old, 45% abv

The nose on this is definitely a bit different from the average bourbon. It's got some definite spice similar to a rye spice but also a sort of wet cardboard sort of aroma. On the palate, well, it doesn't taste like Uncle Ben's. The palate is extremely subtle and muted, but quite pleasant. It's also on the weak side, tasting much weaker than 45%. The finish is very light, just a bit of bourbon fumes and then a sort of graininess, really the only discernible rice-like flavor I've gotten from it (and if I didn't know it was made with rice, there is no way I would have identified it that way). This one is sort of nice in its understatedness. It's not something I would seek out, but it's perfectly nice for sipping. I actually think there is something to it, and if I were BT, I'd probably thing about further rice experiments as they could use the formula to end up with an ideal flavor profile for someone who wants a lighter bourbon.


Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection "Made with Oats," 9 years 5 months old, 45% abv

The nose on this is similar to a rye recipe bourbon, sweet and spicy, though there is also a bit of a plastic note. The palate starts off with medicinal notes which yield to a bitterness that lasts into the finish. I have to say I agree with Hansell that this one is not very good. I would never guess that it was oats, but the bitter notes don't do it any favors. Still, it's not horrible. I've had much, much worse, but it's certainly flawed.


So the rice showed some promise, but the oat was not good. Maybe BT should give potatoes a try.

Food-Hop: The Latest LA Music Trend

I don't that there's enough songs like this to create a new genre, but food-related hip hop does seem to be growing. Here are two of my favorites:

A tip of the hat to the always entertaining SinoSoul, for highlighting the Fung Brothers' 626 video, a creative paean to the amazing food scene in the San Gabriel Valley based on Snoop Dogg's Young Wild and Free:




And this, a brilliant rap version of Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential Restaurants:

The Reading Spirit: Whisky Periodicals

Last year was a big year for whiskey periodicals in which change was afoot for many of the major whisky publications. The role of "old media" is shifting in every sector and that includes whisky magazines. Reviews and industry news used to be the focus of spirits publications, and while they are still a big part of the whisky periodicals, more is needed. With a quarterly or bi-quarterly publication competing with hundreds of bloggers, news is inevitably stale by the time an issue is published. With the limited edition whiskies so popular these days, even a review can easily be stale, the bottles impossible to find, once the magazine containing the review lands in your mailbox. To be relevant today, an old-school whisky magazine needs to offer more than can be found on the thousand and one blogs: in-depth articles, real reporting and insider information.

While these magazines give out their own awards, no one takes the time to evaluate and recognize the periodicals that specialize in our favorite spirit. To that end, here is a quick summary of the best of the whisky publications. (Prices, listed below each entry, are for a one year subscription for US subscribers. Be aware that lower prices are sometimes available for multiple year subscriptions and that the periodicals sometimes offer promotions).


Whisky Advocate

The last few years has seen a major transformation in the publication formerly known as Malt Advocate. In 2010, John Hansell's magazine was purchased by Shanken Communications, publisher of Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado. In September of 2011, the magazine changed its name to Whisky Advocate and launched a redesign. For years, John Hansell has put out the best publication in whiskey and his blog has been the go-to place for news about new releases and the whisky business. Like many, I was concerned that the changes might sacrifice quality or put style over substance, but the issues that have come out since then have more than reassured me, with longer, more in depth articles on the whisky world. In addition, WA's new team, including Dave Broom, Lew Bryson, Dominic Roskrow, and Gavin Smith is like a whisky journalist dream team.

It will be interesting to see where Whisky Advocate goes from here. There are synergies with other Shanken publications that cover wine and the spirits business world that could probably be taken advantage of by the publication. It seems as though John Hansell is always thinking about how to make his publication better, and he usually succeeds. I look forward to what's in store for the future.

Whisky Advocate publishes quarterly; $18 per year.


Whisky Magazine

UK based Whisky Magazine has always been a bit behind Whisky Advocate in terms of news and quality articles, but they made a big leap last year by embracing new media writers. They picked up Canadianwhisky.org blogger Davin de Kergommeaux and WhiskyCast host Mark Gillespie, two prominent internet personalities who ensure a knowledgable and insightful look at their areas of expertise. This is smart thinking by the Whisky Mag folks. There is a vibrant whisky journalism scene on-line, and it makes sense for old media publications to tap into it.

Whisky Magazine publishes 8 issues per year; $44.95 per year.


Unfiltered

Unfiltered is the magazine of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, available to members only, and free with Society membership. This relatively recent addition to the scene has a more innovative layout and page design than either of the standard magazines. Despite a fair amount of marketing fluff (it is a company publication after all), Unfiltered has some surprisingly interesting articles, though they hew more to human interest than news. The always wacky Jim Murray column alone may be worth the annual membership fee (see his latest column defending critics who take consulting gigs - on page 7).

Unfiltered publishes quarterly; free to members of the SMWS (membership in the US is $229 with an annual renewal fee of $60, though the main reason to join is to buy whisky; the magazine is just an added benefit).


The Bourbon Country Reader

Comparing Chuck Cowdery's Bourbon Country Reader to the magazines above is sort of like comparing a deli to a Michelin starred restaurant, but as you know if you read my food postings, a really good deli can be just as good if not better than any white tablecloth joint. Cowdery's scrappy newsletter is four pages long with only three to four articles. What it gives you, though, is extensive bourbon history, industry news, articles on craft distilleries and reviews directly from the foremost authority on American whiskey. The Reader's slogan sums it up: Always Independent & Idiosyncratic - No distillery affiliation.

Lately, Chuck has been experimenting with e-reader material, so I wouldn't be surprised to soon see more along these lines.

The Bourbon Country Reader publishes whenever Chuck gets around to it; $20 for six issues.


Summary

The state of whisky journalism is strong. For a small community, we are lucky to have this diversity of publications for relatively affordable prices (in most cases, much cheaper than the actual whisky). That being said, I have to give my own two cents, so I have a few tips for these whisky publications:

1. Distillery profiles are boring. They just are. I don't know how many people care about the height of the still or the size of the malting floor, but it can't be too many. I can't remember the last time I read one of these things.

2. Business news is interesting. Business reporting in these publications tends to be along the lines of new products or acquisitions by whisky companies, but I would like to see more of the type of information that appears in some of the trade publications, such as information about the industry trends and economics in the whisky world.

3. The biggest short coming for all of these publications is that they really need is a bitingly sarcastic humor columnist...


So, dear readers, what's your favorite whisky publication and why?