Happy Belated Canada Day: Crown Royal XR Waterloo

Damn, I missed Canada Day. I always mean to do a Canadian Whisky review for Canada Day, and I always seem to miss it. Maybe it's just too close to July 4th to enter the American consciousness. Well, let's consider this a belated Canada Day post.

Crown Royal XR Waterloo. Crown Royal's XR (Extra-Rare) series are blends that include whiskies from closed Canadian distilleries. The Waterloo was the first edition of the XR and includes whisky from the Waterloo distillery in Ontario which was closed in 1992. Crown Royal just released the second edition, featuring whisky from the shuttered LaSalle distillery in Quebec.


Crown Royal XR Waterloo, 40% abv ($130-$180)

The nose immediately gives a nice rye spice, so much so that tasting blind, I would easily mistake this for a straight rye. It's got good vegetal aromas. The palate is syrupy sweet with rye undertones. If Monin made a rye syrup, for rye cafe mochas or something, this is what it would taste like. The rye continues into the finish. While a bit on the sweet side, the rye and the sweet notes play well together.

I don't think of Crown Royal expressions as having much in the way of rye, but this one clearly does. It's quite pleasant and definitely worth drinking. In fact, it's probably the best thing I've had from Crown Royal, though for the price, I'd be more likely to opt for one of the Canadian straight ryes, like WhistlePig or Masterson's, that cost half as much.

Happy (belated) Canada Day!

High West Campfire

David Perkins of High West distillery is fast becoming America's version of John Glaser, the mad genius blender behind Compass Box Scotch (Glaser actually is American, but he works in England). Perkins burst onto the scene with blends of excellent old ryes, then created Bourye, a blend of bourbon and rye whiskeys. Now he's got something else the likes of which we've never seen before.

Campfire is a blend of bourbon, rye and peated Scotch. Yes, you heard that right, bourbon, rye and Scotch. The bourbon and rye are both made at Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana; the bourbon is made from 75% corn, 20% rye and 5% barley mash; the rye is the high rye LDI mash of 95% rye and 5% barley.

The only thing Perkins will reveal about the Scotch is that it's from the Scottish mainland (which means it isn't from Islay). The label refers to it as a "blended malt Scotch." This could mean that it is "teaspooned." Teaspooning is the practice of adding a teaspoon of malt whisky from one distillery to the barrel of another so that the barrel cannot be marketed as a single malt. Distilleries will sometimes do this when selling a barrel. For instance, if Lagavulin wants to sell a barrel but doesn't want someone marketing it as Lagavulin single malt, they can add a teaspoon of Caol Ila to it. Since the barrel is no longer composed of whisky made at a single distillery, it's no longer a single malt and must be classified as a "blended malt."

According to High West, all three of Campfire's component whiskeys are over five years old. After I was part of a group that tasted some prototypes and gave him some feedback, Perkins was kind enough to send me a bottle (sell-out alert!!) which I'll review today.

High West Campfire, Batch 1, 46% abv ($54)

On the nose I first get a whiff of chimney smoke, then a generous dose of rye spice. The smoke and spice go back and forth making for a nice combination that's somewhat reminiscent of cigar smoke. On the palate that same interplay takes place. Smoke and spice are definitely the most prominent notes but late palate a sweetness comes in as well, as if the bourbon is fighting for its place in the blend. In subsequent sips I'm getting something different each time. There will be a sip with more prominent rye, one with more prominent smoke, all with the underlying sweetness. The finish has some dry smoke (like...a campfire) on the nose and some smoky spice on the palate.

This is a fascinating and totally unique whiskey. Among the prototypes I tasted was a higher proof version of what became Campfire, and the lower proof version is actually better than the higher proof version was. Mad scientist Perkins has yet again hit on a winning, if unexpected combination.

Vodka, Thy Name is Whiskey: Kansas Clean Distilled Spirit Whiskey

"The problem with whiskey is that it's aged."

That's the tag line for Kansas Clean Distilled Spirit Whiskey. According to the website, "You won't find rednecks in overalls or middle-aged men in tweed flat caps anywhere near a bottle of Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey." The pictures on the site show that this is a whiskey for hip, young people who need something to drink on the way to the club, the rave or wherever it is hip young people go these days.

But what is this colorless "whiskey"? Well, according to the federal regulations, "spirit whiskey" is a mixture of neutral spirits and not less than 5% whiskey. That's right, it's called whiskey but it can be up to 95% vodka. Yum!

It would be easy to prejudge this brand based on its website full of stereotypes and transparent demographic targeting or just the fact that it's vodka with a whiskey label on it, but that wouldn't be fair. So in the spirit of taking one for the team, I sampled some.

Kansas Clean Distilled Spirit Whiskey, 40% abv ($30)

There is no nose on this, none. It tastes mostly like water with a vaguely sweet note underneath, there is also some rice and artificial vanilla. There is no finish, none.

True to the vodka character, this has almost no discernible flavor. It tastes like slightly flavored water. I wouldn't say it's the worst thing I've tasted. After all, I like water, and I actually like this stuff better than most vodka, which I find tastes like rubbing alcohol smells. But it isn't whiskey by any stretch of the imagination, and I can't imagine why anyone would buy or drink such a thing unless their only goal was getting drunk in the most flavorless way possible, or perhaps if one had a palate disorder of some sort which made them averse to flavor of any sort.

The problem with Kansas Clean Distilled Spirit Whiskey...is that it isn't whiskey.

New Trader Joe's Sweets: Caramel Sauce & Cookie Butter

I wanted to give a shout out to two fairly recent Trader Joe's sweets I've been enjoying.

Trader Jacques' Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce is a fantastic caramel topping for ice cream. This purports to be salted caramel (I should note that the idea of using fleur de sel for this is just silly, since it's a finishing salt valued for its texture - when used in cooking, it's no different than any other salt). In truth, it's not very salty. What it is though, is excellent caramel topping for ice cream or whatever else you think should be topped in caramel. It's rich, not overly sweet (for caramel) and has a wonderfully smooth texture. It's one of the best store-bought caramel toppings I've had.

It looks like peanut butter and sounds like a medical implement of some sort, but Speculoos Cookie Butter is a creamy cookie paste. It tastes like mashed up gingersnaps but with the consistency of creamy peanut butter. It's tasty, though I find the ultra-creamy texture a bit creepy, and the ingredient list reveals that it is indeed achieved with a combination of oils and emulsifiers. Dip pretzels in it, spread it on a PB&Speculoos sandwich or just scoop some from the jar, but not too much.

The Golden Age of Whiskey is Over

A few years ago, people started talking about this period as the Golden Age of Whiskey. I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but it might have been Chuck Cowdery, who also wrote about it in the most recent edition of his Bourbon Country Reader in which he questions whether the Golden Age is good or bad for consumers.

The thing about this Golden Age, though, is that it's over. Like an economic recession, it's hard to judge exactly when a Golden Age ends until it's been over for some time, but I would estimate that it began in the late 1990s and ended around 2009.

These are the elements that characterized the Golden Age of Whiskey:

• Improved quality: Whiskey was simply better than ever with the advent of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, the Van Winkle line, the expansion of Four Roses to the US, the resurrection of rye, more great Scotch than ever coming to the US, and the introduction of quality Irish and Japanese whiskeys
• Availability of Closed Distillery Whiskey: Whiskey from Michter's, Stitzel-Weller, Brora, Port Ellen and other closed distilleries was available at fairly reasonable prices. In 2003, you could easily find a Port Ellen independent bottling for under $200 and an A.H. Hirsch for $75.
• Innovation: Companies like Buffalo Trace, Bruichladdich, Compass Box and others pushed the boundaries of age, peat, proof, barrel management and other elements, along with eliminating added coloring and chill filtering.
• Dusties: There was still a plethora of dusties on the shelves and people seemed to have no problem finding really good old whiskey.
• Availability and Reasonable Prices: All of this whisky was widely available and reasonably priced. There was a time when you could walk into a store at nearly any time of year and find Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg and other whiskeys that barely touch store shelves these days.

In contrast, today's whiskey market is characterized by the following:

• Younger whiskeys and dropped age statements: Because it's become so popular, whiskey is being marketed younger and without age statements. Macallan is the latest, and most dramatic, distillery to eliminate age statements, but it's happened to so many bourbons it would be difficult to list them all. We are all paying more for less.
• Inflation and Over-Pricing: Whiskey prices in both the primary and secondary markets are through the roof. Limited releases and gimmicks abound to wrench every last dollar from the thirsty public. Price to quality ratios are completely out of whack, and the secondary market seems to have no ceiling for even recent whiskeys, which in turn drives up prices in the primary market from companies that see they are not realizing their full potential profit.
• Availability: Scarcity is now a huge issue. As distilleries run out of their glut whiskey, consumers suffer shortages, particularly of rye whiskeys lately, and people fight over each release of Pappy Van Winkle and the BTAC like it's this year's must-have Christmas gift.
• Gimmicks vs. Innovation
  It seems that gimmicks have replaced innovation as the centerpiece of new whiskeys. We hear less about new techniques and more about the whiskey that went to space, was based on a replica or survived a natural disaster. Finishing was innovative when it first appeared, but now it's old hat, yet distilleries still crow every time they dump a whiskey into a wine barrel for two months. There are still vast areas of whiskey production that have yet to be explored (yeast anyone? corn varieties?), and while innovation still exists, the big ideas of the earlier period seem to have been replaced by gimmicks.

Now, I'm not saying there isn't great whiskey and even reasonably priced great whiskey on the market, but I do think there is much less of it. In part, whiskey is a victim of its own success, and there is just not enough to go around, but companies which are putting profit ahead of quality are also to blame. All of these factors have conspired to change the market and end the Golden Age.

Not all is lost though; there are a number of promising signs. Distilleries are increasing capacity and new distilleries open every day. Many of the new distilleries have put out some terrible stuff, but all it takes is a few gems to grow and thrive. I would guess that in ten to fifteen years, once all of this new whiskey, micro and macro alike, has had time to age, we may enter a Silver Age...and when we do, I'll be there.

Koreatown Italian: All'Angolo

Koreatown is a great place to live, culinarily speaking. We've got hundreds of Korean choices, dozens of Central American restaurants, a good handful of Oaxacan spots, and we're just a short jaunt from Thaitown and Little Armenia. What we don't have, though, is great Italian. There's La Buca a bit to the north, but it's gotten pretty expensive since the old days when it was a cramped, hole in the wall. Now, I'm happy to report, we have another choice.

All'Angolo Pizza and Pasta is a small restaurant squeezed into a Third Street strip mall between a Baskin Robbins and a liquor store (no dusties, I checked).

Despite its primacy in the name, ignore the pizza, it's served on a soft, sort of pita bread like crust that's not at all crispy. The thing to get here is the pasta.

The pasta at All'Angolo is all made to order, fresh, perfectly cook and tastes handmade (I don't know if they actually make it in-house or not); I've tried a variety since the spot opened last fall, and they've all been great. The highlight for me is the strozzapreti alla trentina (pictured above). Strozzapreti is a short, twisted pasta; it's served in a cream sauce with prosciutto and radicchio. The combination of the meat, the slightly bitter lettuce and the cream in every bite of toothsome, hand rolled pasta is one of those perfectly balanced bites.

I also enjoyed the special of tortellini with sage and butter sauce which featured a rich, ground veal stuffing (pictured above). Even the spaghetti with meatballs, which I order for my daughter is impressive, featuring a somewhat thicker than usual spaghetti, cooked to a perfect al dente, and a rich, tomato-cream sauce...it's all I can do not to eat it right off of her plate.

Desserts are also quite good. The panna cotta was silky smooth without being overly gelatinous and the custard tart, infused with just a touch of booze (maybe marsala) is rich and creamy.

I love my neighborhood's great Asian and Latin American options, but now Koreatown has great pasta too!

All'Angolo Pizza and Pasta
4050 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 368-7888

The Fall of Foie

Beginning today, foie gras, the ancient culinary delicacy consisting of the fattened liver of a duck or goose, is no longer legal in California. We've known this day was coming for a long time now. The ban was passed back in 2004 in a bipartisan effort by a Republican governor and a Democratic legislature. The long period between the law's enactment and its going into effect was intended to give California's one foie gras producer a chance to adapt or find a new line of work. (If you're interested in an engaging treatment of the general controversy around foie gras, I recommend Marc Caro's excellent book, The Foie Gras Wars.)

The law can be found beginning at section 25980 of California's Health & Safety Code. It prohibits two things:

• Force feeding a bird for the purpose of
  enlarging the bird's liver beyond normal size; and
• Selling a product that is made by force feeding a bird.

Force feeding is defined as "a process that causes the bird to
consume more food than a typical bird of the same species would
consume voluntarily. Force feeding methods include, but are not
limited to, delivering feed through a tube or other device inserted
into the bird's esophagus."

Violations are punishable by a fine of $1,000 per violation, per day.

It will be interesting to see if restaurants come up with creative ways around the ban, as they did during the brief period in which foie gras was banned in Chicago. For instance, producing and selling foie gras is illegal, but the law does not prohibit possessing, consuming or giving it away. In Chicago, a number of restaurants provided free foie gras with certain purchases, though my guess is that such schemes would still be interpreted as sales unless the foie could be obtained without any purchase at all.

Who knows what other hijinks or unintended consequences this prohibition might give rise to. Smuggling rings from Las Vegas? Foie gras speakeasys? Clandestine backyard goose farms? Foie gras kingpins? Stay tuned.