A good film paired with the right whiskey brings out the best flavors of both. Here are a few of my favorite whiskey movies: Angel’s Share Young Scottish delinquents who met through court-mandated community service are introduced to the delightful flavors of Scotch. They expose the gullibility of the uppity Scotch collecting community willing to pay 1.2 million pounds for one cask of whisky while putting some of the Scotch to their own use. Scottish wit and grit combines with plenty of gratuitous whisky shots. Helpfully subtitled for the Scottish to English translation. Whisky rating: After the original story set-up, whisky features prominently in this film, showing its versatility by starring in scenes at a high-end auction and blind tasting, as well as slumming it in a communal pitcher. Beware the lumpy Scotch. Pairs nicely with: Scotch. Balblair, Deanston, Glengoyn, Glenfarclas, Cragganmore Enjoy whiskey. That was Dave Broom’s message – and happily taken by a crowd that gathered on a rainy Saturday afternoon to try out some whiskies in cocktail from one of the pre-eminent whisky authors. “Ask questions,” he told us. “Otherwise it’s just one boring, long Scottish rant.” Like that’s a bad thing when it comes to whisky. I showed up for a Scottish rant. Dave Broom – author of my ultimate whisky guide, The World Atlas of Whisky – was at Char No. 4 to tell us to mix our whisky. You heard that correctly – to put mixers and ice in our whisky. He said forget the rules. It’s not just for men (yep – got that message!). It’s not just for people of a certain age (around 20 seems a good time to start drinking it…). It’s not just for after dinner (do people eat dinner at noon? Is that supper?) It doesn’t have to be drunken in a tumbler (whew! Because I use jars sometimes). And it can be mixed. Also, it’s not serious. It should make you smile. Dave put forth the idea that drinking whisky and enjoying whisky are two different things. With his newest book, Whisky: The Manual, he is looking at how to enjoy whisky by mixing it up. Ah, the après ski hour. Some people head for a refreshing, cold beer or warm hot chocolate after a day on the slopes. My drink of choice is – surprise! – whiskey. And since I’m in Colorado, I figured I would go local. Rocky Mountain water. Cowboy tradition. Seems fitting. I only knew of two Colorado whiskies, and I like them both – Stranahan’s and Breckenridge bourbon. Little did I realize that whiskey-making has a larger presence in the Centennial State. At a liquor store outside of Denver, I found myself facing an entire wall of whiskey from local distilleries. A Coloradan steered me away from the imposters – made in Kentucky or elsewhere, but slapped with a Colorado label – and pointed me toward three very interesting choices. After a morning of skiing, I decided it was time to warm up with a tasting. I normally want to take home the whisky after a tasting. But last night, I wanted to take home the speaker. Jura Master Distiller and Global Ambassador Willie Tait had a charm that completely stole the spotlight from the whisky he was introducing. And it’s hard to distract me from whisky. He talked about Scotch the way Pablo Neruda describes avocados, so by the time we came to the drinking part of the tasting, I felt as if I should talk to my glass seductively a little before just drinking it down. |
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November 2017
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