Last month we ran a competition on Whiskygrotto.com. The purpose was to increase the commenting on the posts. Traffic on Whiskygrotto.com is quite high, but it’s a quite traffic. So, a bottle of Auchentoshan, sponsored by the same awaited the top commentator and community poster.
The winner was Matt Henry from Arizona, USA under the nickname orangedogofglory. And in thought since Matt showed some passion Whisky I’d make a short interview with him. Here it goes:
Self portrait by the winner himself
1. Name & location
Matt Henry, Arizona, USA.
2. Why did you get into liking whisky?
My interest in whisky actually began with dumb luck. The long and short
of it boils down to, oddly enough, my winning a bottle of Johnnie Walker
Black. I made a bet with a friend of mine over March Madness brackets. My
bracket vastly outperformed his (of course), so he bought me a bottle.
3. Do you remember your first taste?
I remember the taste – not so much the original flavors. Although that
being said I do have some of that original bottle left, so I could revisit
it. I remember my impression being one of surprise, and my first thought
was “this is the next step after rum.” And that is meant with no slight to
rum – it just seemed to me that whisky was the progression in proper fit for
my palate.
4. What’s your top 3 list of whiskies?
My top three whiskies, by distillery, would be Balvenie, Laphroaig, and
Highland Park. Although Talisker would be a very close fourth. For
specific bottles, I would probably have to differentiate between regularly
available and affordable bottles, and rare and expensive bottles. My favorite Balvenie, for example, is the sample of the Vintage 1972, but my
favorite regular bottling is the 17 Year Old New Oak. Laphroaig 30 is my
favorite from that distillery, but for regularly available bottles I would
say Laphroaig 15. As for Highland Park, I really enjoy their single cask
bottles. Unfortunately, those are not the easiest to come by, and most of
the ones that can be shipped are quite expensive. For regular dramming, I
would opt for the Highland Park 18.
5. Favorite origin (lowlands, highlands, islay etc)
Favorite origin is Speyside. The best aspect of Speyside, in my view,
is that you can pick up tastes of the other regions quite easily, depending
upon the dram you select.
6. Apart from Whiskygrotto, which websites about whisky do you
regularly visit?
My two favorite sites are Whiskygrotto (of course) and What Does John
Know?, John Hansell’s Malt Advocate blog. I find that they balance each
other well – the topics occasionally, but not too often, converge. And, the
type of writing and the method from which postings are approached
significantly differ.
Matthew’s dog – The orangedogofglory
7. If you could buy any bottle out there. Which bottle would you buy?
The Balvenie Vintage 1972 was one of the best drams I have had, and I
have heard that the 1974 is even better – potentially the best in the last
10 to 20 releases. So, if I had the capital required, I’d pick up two
bottles of the Balvenie Vintage 1974.
8. Most things that has something to do with whisky is quite
traditional. Is there something you would like to see in the future
that doesn’t exist now?
Low prices? Is that a valid answer? I suppose in reality this question
could take on multiple answers. For example, I would like to see a greater
availability of minis and special releases (i.e. Corryvrecken, Renaissance)
in the United States. I would like to see more OB Single Casks, regardless
of the distillery. As for something entirely new, I would like to see a
well-developed, practical, and theoretically standardized method for storing
whisky. Wine collectors have cellars, racks, coolers, etc. Whisky
collectors (and those simply behind on their drinking) are forced to use
odds and ends like bookshelves and CD/DVD racks, or set out to hand make a
case specifically designed for their purposes. The challenge, I would
guess, comes in storage. Wine is easy, as you can lay it down and let the
bottles pile up. Whisky needs to be stored upright, which means depth can
really only maximize 6 inches – unless of course you use a multi-tier
system. I’d like to see a really smart engineer come up with something that
works in the average guy’s home.
9. If you have a friend who’ve never tried or been a fan of whisky.
Which one would you buy as an entry?
I recently did a tasting for a friend where I sampled a dram of Caol Ila
18, Balvenie 17, Highland Park 18, and Talisker 10. My goal was to provide
some type of range. But, if I were limit it to one, I would definitely pick
a Speyside. For someone with a more delicate palate, something like a
Mortlach. For someone with a more aggressive palate, maybe a Highland Park.
For someone in between, it is hard to go wrong with Balvenie. Each of these
distilleries introduces different flavor components, and would be a useful
guide in determining if other regions are more appropriate going forward.
(Although I suppose some would say HP is of Orkney, not Speyside.)
10. What’s your next buy?
Right now, I’m waiting for the local shops to stock the new Balvenie 17
Rum Cask and the 2008 George T. Stagg. Very much looking forward to both!
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great post, I love that dog. reminds me of my old family pet!
Keep up the good work mate!