New Site - Neue Homepage

Hey there, everybody. Just wanted you to know, that I have a new site over at Wordpress! I'll incorporate all my articles from here to the new location!

Hallo Leute! Ich wollte euch nur mitteilen, dass ich eine neue Seite für meinen Blog habe, nämlich Wordpress! Ich werde die Artikel von diesem Blog nach und nach auf meine neue Seite übertragen!

Slàinte,
Lukas

Book review - "Water of Life" by Wolfgang F. Rothe

Cover of the book; used with permission; (c) by EOS Verlag

While writing these lines I'm sitting in my very comfortable chair, with a glass of BenRiach 12yo Sherry Wood by my side. This will be my first (Whisky) book review but there will be more in the future. Unfortunately this book is only available in German, but if you are able to read and understand German -at least a bit- I'd challenge you to get this little book about Whisky. If you want to read my review in German, go ahead and skip the next five paragraphs. The German version will be down below! Deutsche Version weiter unten!

But before I start, here are the "specifications" about the book. The title translates literally to "Water of Life - An introduction in the spiritual aspect of Whiskys". It can be found on Amazon and some other bookstores as well as directly at the publishing house "EOS" on www.eos-verlag.de. The ISBN is 978-3-8306-7766-6 and was written by Dr. Dr. Wolfgang F. Rothe. A review I read the other day on Facebook mentioned that the form factor of the book is very similar to that of the "Whisky Bible" by Jim Murray. Coincidence? I don't think so - neither does the other reviewer.

Why is this book so interesting? Well, I'll try to explain. The author is a roman catholic priest, who likes Whisky at least as much as I do (or probably even more). I got to know him from "Der Whiskybotschafter" a German Whisky magazine, where he publishes various articles about Whisky and Scotland. I find it interesting in what way he combines his catholic faith with his passion for Whisky. The synthesis he is able to create is a very organic one, nothing set up or only facades. He is for sure not that kind of person who "preaches water and drinks wine" (or in that case Whisky) as you might think.

The author starts the book with something that might seem trivial, at least for us Whisky enthusiasts, the history of Whisky. This chapter is followed by two chapters, one about the making of Whisky and the other one on how to choose a proper Whisky if you are new to the topic. Father Rothe even suggests that a Whisky expert may skip these chapters, but I read them anyway ;) He uses a very easy to read and plain language to explain how Whisky is made. No fancy "Mambo Jambo", and if he has to use a specific -not common- term he explains it very well. That's great for everyone who wants to get to know Whisky. If you are looking for in depth information's you should probably visit a distillery in Scotland and ask them. These chapters are written for those who want to start exploring the "aquae vitae".

In the next chapters you will explore how to taste a Whisky properly. Father Rothe uses the tasting process and the involved organs (eyes, nose, palate, ...) to combine them with their spiritual and deeper meaning in life. Of course he uses the theology of the catholic church, but even if you aren't a Christian or believe in something completely different, you will find that his words and his line of thoughts are quite "over-confessional" and appealing. He then reflects on some other useful attributes you could (or should?) develop for the tasting of Whisky, like "mindfulness", "maturity" and yes, even "pleasure"! Also he shows how these attributes can be incorporates into our own life and how to profit from these.

In the end you will find some prayers - I would have been surprised if not - and a chapter you might call a warning, although it's more a good advice on how to have a healthy relationship with alcohol in general and Whisky in particular. Therefore Father Rothe uses some references from the bible (I would have been disappointed if not), not against the consumption of Whisky per se as you might expect but on how to properly and responsibly enjoy Whisky. Well, they didn't know Whisky back then but they had wine and other enjoyable things. And, at least according to this little book, it is absolutely okay (even for a Catholic!) to discover and enjoy the "Spirituality of Whisky". And that's something I'm going to do now. Let's see what the BenRiach 12yo Sherry Wood will taste like after that nice and enjoyable lecture about the "Water of Life"...

Conclusion: This is a very nicely written boot about the -IMHO- very best Beverage in the world. Do you have to be a faithful person to like this book? No, you don't. But you should be at least somehow a spiritual person. If you are a rationalist it could be a little bit hard on you, but give it a try. It won't hurt!

***German Version***Deutsche Version***

Während ich diese Zeilen schreibe sitze ich in meinem bequemen Sessel mit einem Glässchen BenRiach 12yo Sherry Wood an meiner Seite. Dies wird meine erste (Whisky) Buchrezension sein, weitere werden sicher folgen. Unglücklicherweise ist dieses Buch nur in Deutsch erhältlich, aber jeder der Deutsch lesen bzw. verstehen kann sollte sich dieses Buch über Whisky holen.

Zu Beginn die allgemeinen Informationen zu dem Buch. Der Titel lautet "Wasser des Lebens - Einführung in die Spiritualität des Whiskys" und kann über Amazon, diverse andere Buchhändler und natürlich direkt beim Verlag "EOS" auf www.eos-verlag.de erworben werden. Die ISBN ist 978-3-8306-7766-6 und der Autor ist Dr. Dr. Wolfgang F. Rothe. Eine andere Rezession die ich auf Facebook gelesen habe merkte an, dass das Buchformat sehr an die "Whisky Bibel" von Jim Murray erinnert. Ein Zufall? Ich denke nicht - aber das tut der Kollege auch nicht.

Was ist nun das interessante an diesem Buch? Hier mein Versuch es zu erklären. Der Autor ist römisch-katholischer Priester und mag Whisky mindestens genauso gerne wie ich (oder sogar noch mehr). Ich habe Ihn durch den "Der Whiskybotschafter" - ein Whisky Magazin - kennen gelernt. Er schreibt dort regelmäßig Artikel zum Thema Whisky und Schottland. Ich bin fasziniert davon, wie es Ihm geling seinen katholischen Glauben und seine Passion für Whisky zu verbinden. Dabei ist die Synthese die Ihm gelingt eine völlig organische, nichts künstliches oder gar eine Fassade. Er gehört definitiv nicht zu den Menschen die "Wasser predigen und Wein trinken" (oder in dem Fall eher Whisky). Auch wenn man das zu Beginn vielleicht vermutet.

Der Autor beginnt das Buch mit etwas für uns Whiskyenthusiasten trivialem, nämlich der Geschichte des Whiskys. Im nächsten Kapitel wird die Herstellung des Whiskys beleuchtet, gefolgt von einem Kapitel über das "Wie wähle ich einen Whisky aus, wenn ich mich noch nicht wirklich auskenne?". Hochwürden Rothe empfiehlt zwar dem Whiskykenner diese beiden Kapitel zu überspringen, aber ich habe sie trotzdem gelesen ;) In diesen Kapiteln benutzt Er eine sehr einfach gehaltene, direkte Sprache um die Herstellung des Whiskys zu erklären. Keinen "Mambo Jambo" und wenn Er einen Fachbegriff verwenden muss erklärt Er ihn auch sehr einfach. Toll für jeden der mit Whisky gerade erst anfängt. Für tiefgehende Informationen würde ich empfehlen eine Destilliere in Schottland zu besuchen und dort nachzufragen. Diese beiden Kapitel sind der perfekte Start für jeden der mit dem "aquae vitae" noch nichts am Hut hatte.

In den folgenden Kapiteln wird dargelegt, wie man Whisky verkostet. Hochwürden Rothe kombiniert den Verkostungsprozess und die darin verwickelten Organe (Augen, Nase, Geschmack, ...) mit der tieferen Bedeutung die diese für unser Leben -sowohl irdisch als auch spirituell- haben (können). Selbstverständlich benutzt Er die Ihm bekannte und zur zweiten Natur gewordenen Theologie der katholischen Kirche, aber selbst Nicht-Christen und sogar Andersgläubige werden feststellen, dass die Worte und Gedanken durchaus Überkonfessionell und ansprechend sind. In den weiteren Kapiteln reflektiert Er dann über nützliche Eigenschaften die man selbst für das Verkosten von Whisky sich aneignen könnte (oder sollte?). Wie zum Beispiel "Achtsamkeit", "Reife" und sogar "Genuss"! Auch zeigt Er auf, wie man sich diese Eigenschaften im eigenen Leben aneignen und davon profitieren kann.

Das vorletzte Kapitel enthält einige Gebete - ich wäre überrascht gewesen wenn nicht - und das letzte Kapitel ist quasi eine Warnung. Nein, mehr ein gut gemeinter Rat wie eine gesunde Beziehung zu Alkohol im Allgemeinen und Whisky im Besonderen. Dazu benutzt der Whisky-Viakr einige Zitate aus der Bibel (ich wäre enttäuscht gewesen wenn nicht), aber nicht wie man vermuten möchte gegen den Whisky Konsum als solches sondern wie man Whisky richtig und verantwortungsvoll genießt. Zwar kannte man in der damaligen Zeit noch keinen Whisky, aber Wein und andere genussfähige Dinge gab es schon damals. Außerdem -zumindest laut diesem kleinen Büchelchen- ist es völlig in Ordnung (sogar für einen Katholiken!) die "Spiritualität des Whiskys" zu entdecken und zu genießen. Und genau das werde ich jetzt versuchen. Mal schauen was der 12jährige BenRiach Sherry Wood zu bieten hat nach dieser netten und sehr genussvollen Lektüre über das "Wasser des Lebens"!

Fazit: Ein sehr schön geschriebenes Buch über das -meiner Meinung nach- beste Getränk der Welt. Muss man ein gläubiger Mensch sein um dieses Buch zu mögen? Nein, ich denke nicht. Aber ein wenig spirituell (in welcher Form auch immer) sollte man schon sein. Totale Rationalisten werden sich vielleicht ein wenig schwer tun, aber ein Versuch schadet sicher nicht.

Slàinte,
Lukas

Regarding Glassware

I often get asked questions like „How do you drink your Whisky? With ice, with coke, with water, ...?“ or „What’s the best way to drink Whisky?“ Well, here’s my take on this topic.

"THE" Glencairn glass

First I wanted to start with a statement like „There’s no right or wrong way to drink Whisky“ but this blog is about my favourite beverage and I’m going to tell you MY opinion on this topic. If you don’t agree with it, that’s fine. I don’t mind having a different opinion than you.

First off, I have to tell you a very important difference. You can either drink Whisky or taste Whisky. That are two totally different things. Well in fact they’re not, but I’d like to differentiate between these two words. The word drink means to me, enjoying a dram or two with friends, family or even alone (maybe with a book). Of course there is sniffing and sipping but the main purpose is to enjoy the time with others or a good book. Usually I only drink Whiskys I already tasted before. Oh, by the way, the Whisky can be in that case neat, mixed with other beverages or in a cocktail (I never mix Whisky with coke, that's not what a Single Malt is made for).

Tasting means I’d like to get to know the Whisky. This will require a special (nosing) glass and the Whisky will always be neat. The only thing I’ll probably add is water. And it’s irrelevant if I already tasted (or even drank) the Whisky before, I try to taste it as unbiased as possible. While sitting with friends or reading can take of course some time (or even hours), the tasting of a single Whisky can take up to half an hour or longer for me. After pouring a dram (usually around 2cl) in my nosing glass, I tend to cover it with a so called „watch glass“ to keep the flavour concentrated in the glass. After inspecting the colour and the behaviour of the Whisky while slightly swirling it, I start to nose my dram. I’d like to quote Jason S. Turner here: „Tasting a Whisky is like getting to know a nice lady (or of course a gentleman). Take your time, be nice. Hello there, how are you?“

Nosingglass by the SMWS

How to nose properly? First, you should be aware if this is a cask strength Whisky or not. If so, be prepared that the first sniff could be potential intense. Keep in mind that this Whisky might be as intense on your palate when you start sipping it! Second, put your nose in the glass but don’t inhale as you would do after holding your breath for 30 seconds. Just start sniffing lightly for two or three times. Then move back and let your nose rest. While doing that, try to write down (or articulate in any way you want) what you just smelled. Toffee? Vanilla? Oak? Spirit? Chocolate? Coffee? Then feel free to start sniffing a bit more. Maybe just with one side of the nose. Then the other side. And remember, just small sniffs! Alcohol (and Whisky has to have at least 40% of it!) numbs your taste buds (in the nose as well as in the mouth). If you take a deep sniff you can stop tasting for the next 10 to 30 minutes as you will not be able to smell/taste anything. Repeat the sniffing as often as you wish. Remember to came back after taking the first (second/third/...) sip of the Whisky. Often you will be able to smell new flavours after you drank a portion of your Whisky.

Another nosingglass

Now let’s see how the Whisky tastes. I’d like to take a nice sip of my Whisky, let it circle in my mouth for a few moments and then swallow it (you can spit it out if you like but I don’t). During the whole process I let my mouth closed and after swallowing the Whisky I exhale though my nose to see if there are some new flavours present. After articulating the flavours I just discovered I start sniffing again. And of course I look at the finish of the Whisky. It can be anything between „I swallowed it and it was gone“ to „It’s been already 10 minutes since the first sip and I still can feel it in my mouth/throat“. Also I like to describe the body of the Whisky with terms like „light“, „smooth“, „intense“, „oily“, and so on. Remember, there is no right or wrong. If you taste the flavour „Vanilla“ and someone else not, it’s okay. And most important, take your time. It’s not about how many Whiskys you can taste in „x“ minutes (I recommend to not taste more than four to six Whiskys at a time – alcohol numbs as previously said your taste buds). Nota bene: Men and women tend to taste different flavours better at different times. The best time to taste a Whisky is –allegedly- around nine o’clock in the morning...

Another shape

Let's get to the glassware. I put four pictures of very common nosing glasses in this article. The most known is defiantly the „Glencairn Glass“. As you can see, all these glasses meet the specifications for a good nosing glass I’m going to talk about. When tasting a Whisky it is important that you use a glass that helps you in a way that it concentrates the flavours. Therefore the glass should have the biggest diameter at the point the surface of the Whisky will be when poured around 2cl into the glass. The surface is maximized and the flavours can emerge easily from the Whisky. To stop them from just leaving the glass in a hurry the diameter of the glass should decrease from there to the top. Tumblers or even long drink glasses are equally bad as glasses which just increase the diameter going from bottom to top (and typically found packed to a lot of „Whisky Promotion packages“). The flavours will emerge from the Whisky and you will not be able to smell anything. The cause for this special form of a nosing glass is –as said before- to concentrate the flavours. Some of them are very faint and without this little trick you would never be able to find them. If the glass has a steady diameter or even broadens the so called „chimney effect“ comes into play. The flavours leave the glass quite fast, just like the smoke from your fireplace is sucked into the chimney. I use the watch glass to even further concentrate the flavours. But for the beginning a normal nosing glass without a watch glass is perfectly fine.

There you have it. That's the way I taste Whisky and what glassware I use. I don't have a favourite glass, but usually when tasting alone I tend to take the glass from the SMWS. With friends or family I use the Glencairn glass just because I collected throughout the tastings I attended lots of them. The other both types I got on the TWE Whisky Show in London and at the Whisky Weekend in Salzburg. Always remember, take that kind of glass you like your Whisky best – that can even be a tumbler. But for tasting I highly recommend using the special nosing glasses. If you want to, you can try tasting one of your favourite Whiskys in different shaped glasses and see how the smell/taste varies from one shape to another. There might even be differences between the four glasses I showed you here, but I guess they are marginal. Maybe I'll try that myself and write about it afterwards. That's it for this topic, if you have any further questions, leave a comment below or on Facebook or Twitter!

Slàinte,
Lukas

Regarding Points

Happy New Year everybody!

It's been some time since my last update here at the blog. Today I'll explain the "My score" category in my tasting notes. Many of you might know the system although there are slightly different ways to interpret the numbers. I'll keep it with the Master himself, Michael Jackson. In his "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" (4th Ed.; ISBN 0-7624-0731-X) he lays down the different categories regarding the 100 points scoring system. Here's a short overview how he defined it:

·        <59 points: "lacks balance or character, probably never meant to be bottled as a single"

·        60 - 69 points: "enjoyable but unexceptional"

·        70 - 79 points: "worth tasting, especially above 75"

·        80 - 89 points: "distinctive and exceptional"

·        >90 points: "the greats"

He took the scoring system from Robert Parker who used it to score wine. And Robert Parker again was inspired by the scoring system from the American school system. Michael Jackson also states that "A modest score should not dissuade anyone from trying a malt." I totally agree with him on that statement!

I also agree with him on these categories. They're approximately the same as we use at tastings with the SMWS-AT. I'm not sure how Michael Jackson would have thought about this but I'd like to add a limitation. A Whisky with a score of 100 simply does not exist. Because there may be always another Whisky in the future which is just a hair better than the last one...

 

Jason S. Turner leading the Bruichladdich Tasting
at the Whisky Weekend Salzburg 2015

Sometimes you might have seen that I used five numbers in the scoring. That is for the four main categories "Nose", "Palate", "Finish" and "Body/Overall" and the sum of them. I'm going to exclude these detailed scorings in the future because I think it is not that important. It's more for me to remember why I liked the Whisky - or didn't. I'll just post the score to give everybody an idea how good or not so good this particular Whisky is. In my humble opinion of course. So if somebody doesn't agree with my scoring - that's absolutely fine! You can leave a comment on that tasting telling me why you agree or disagree with my scoring! I'm always looking forward to talking with other Whisky enthusiasts about Whisky! That is also one of the reasons I like to attend Whisky tastings. Because of the possibility to discuss Whisky and opinions with other people who love Whisky as much as I do!

 

Some Whiskies from Bruichladdich

It may sound like an excuse but it isn't. There is no right or wrong while tasting a Whisky. If you want to discuss a particular Whisky you have to find a common ground in this case the glass. During some tastings I held I got often asked "What's the perfect glass?" Well, it's the glass in which you like the Whisky most. If you are going to do some tasting everybody should use the same glass. Well, not the same but the same form, you know. I typically use the "Glencairn Glass" but I'll write another article about the "right" glassware for tasting.

Slàinte,
Lukas