A couple of posts back I had the honor of presenting a guest post. Now its time to present guest post number 2, this time written by Martin who usually writes on his own blog – the Whisky Critic. Here we go:
Greetings to WhiskyGrotto.com readers. As soon as I saw the first guest post published here, I immediately opened my e-mail client. Johan agreed to have a look at what I have to say and here we come with a guest whisky review.
I choose a really good one for that matter, the Cragganmore 1993 Distillers Edition, double-matured and finished in port wood pipes. Enjoy.
Like fellow Speyside distillery Speyburn choose a locally-influenced name for their single malt (Bradan Orach or Golden Salmon, inspired by the local tradition of salmon fishing), Cragganmore takes its name from the local stone quarry Craggan Mor, meaning Big Rock, the source of the stone used to build the distillery.
While far from the oldest distillery in the Speyside region, Cragganmore is not one of the youngest players either. It’s a well known and respected distillery with a lot of history and awards behind (and more likely than not ahead) of it.
It is not unusual that Distillers Edition bottles are made from lower quality ingredients than the distilleries standard products, with the classy-sounding name being code for ‘not good enough for our usual label’, but such is not the case here. Much like the Speyburn Bradan Orach, this is an excellent whisky for novice single malt drinkers. The port cask finish gives it a sweetness which makes it quite palatable indeed, and it goes down a charm.
Serve at room temperature in glass of your liking. As I often do with single malts, I would recommend skipping the ice for this one (regardless of how suave bond-like characters sound when they order Scotch, on the rocks).
Eye: Light, golden-brown.
Nose: Initial fruitiness and hints of smoke, followed sublimely by notes of orange, nougat, herbs and sweet floral honey.
Taste: Ever so slight smokiness, followed by a hint of nut. This whisky is all about the finish though, which packs a punch of plums, raisins and honey – much thanks to the port finish.
Overall a very smooth, easy to drink whisky – one of my top recommendations for beginners, but also anyone who enjoys a sweet and well balanced single malt; bonus points are given due to the fact that you can pick it up for a rough £35/$55.
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This is the first ever guest post here at Whiskygrotto.com. Sarah wrote me a while ago and asked if she could contribute with a guestpost. Of course! I said as long as it’s about Scotch Whisky or Whiskey. Here it is:
The history of this whiskey-based cocktail is so extensive that it traces back further than the martini itself. Dating back to the nineteenth century, the drink was originally called a “whiskey cocktail” until the martini and manhattan of the late 19th century forced purists to order an “old fashioned” whiskey cocktail, thereby securing the name for the centuries to come.
The first documented instance of the word cocktail as referencing the current “Old-Fashioned” dates to May, 13 1806 in which the Balance and Columbia Repository defined the drink as the concoction of whiskey, bitters, water, and sugar. When the martini and manhattan became revitalized during the 1970sand 80s, this previous whiskey cocktail developed a new taste, resulting in the old-fashioned as we know it to be today. The austerity which defined it before as holding simple rye with minuscule touches of water, bitters, and sugar was revolutionized to include an orange slice, maraschino cherry, and a diluting dose of soda water. The recent popularity the drink has had among trendy bars in New York stands as a testament to the whiskey cocktail’s staying power and ability to transcend through generations.
Most cocktail aficionados maintain that the old-fashioned is one of the original cocktails, in the true sense of the world. Most modern cocktails do not hold a candle to the drink that is the old-fashioned. While the drink remains popular in bars across the country, many newcomers who think they have a handle on what they consider to be a cocktail are still amazed at the “bitterness” which the drink gives off. However, there are still a few bars which allow the drink to return to its true roots (its integrity), by appealing to a very specific cocktail connoisseur. Many “purists” refuse the addition of soda water to an old-fashion and argue that this is not the proper way to make the drink.
The practice of adding fruit to the mixture likely began during the Prohibition in an effort to hide the bitter taste of the drink itself. However, there are many other theories to explain why the many fruits are now added to the drink, including replacing the fruit with bitters in areas where only citrus fruit grow (Florida and California). Within the whiskey world, true purists will resort back to the original inception of the drinking, letting go of the “new” practice of fruit and soda water, instead opting for the bitters, water, and sugar in the way their ancestors drank it.
This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the top rated colleges. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com
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