Boys, girls – I’m in love! Call me ridiculous if you wish, but once again I’ve come across something that makes my heart skip a beat if mentioned, the scent of which makes me weak at the knees, the thought of which makes me blush like a little girl who has just kissed a boy on the cheek. It’s not a new romance, granted, but certainly rekindled. I’m the type of person who will fall head over heels for something and then sort of forget it when something else comes along. So dusting off my bottle of Auchentoshan 12 y.o. was a most pleasant experience indeed.
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After a blinking delicious meal of whisky burgers, whisky marinated steaks and whisky caramelized bacon, you fancy a bit of dessert. What has this meal been lacking in so far, you ask yourself, and the answer comes to you at once – why, whisky, of course! There simply has not been enough whisky in the meal so far. Fear not, dear friend, for I have the recipe you’re after. A modern take on that most timeless of barbecue classics; the grilled banana!
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As you will be well aware, Scotland is divided into several whisky producing regions; Highland, Speyside, Islay, Island, Lowland and Campbeltown. While I’ve mentioned the various regions previously, I’m yet to go into any detail in the regions as such and I thought it was about time to do so now. The order in which I present them will carry no relevance as to my preference or otherwise, mind you, I like them all! You have to start somewhere, though, and this first article in the wee series will be on… Highlands!
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I’d say it’s about time we have a look at some Lowland whisky, as I have not reviewed many thus far (which is quite natural, of course, what with there only being 3 left in production!). The particular one I have on in mind for tod is Glenkinchie 12 year old, yet another Diageo brand.
Founded in 1825, its history is terribly dry and uninteresting, and thus we shall skip right past it. Unfortunately it is not only the history of this whisky that is uninteresting, though. The taste, aroma and just about everything else about it falls under the same category. I suppose that may well be the reason why an overwhelming majority of the whisky produced at the distillery goes on to form a part of various blends.
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Isle of Arran, the well known Island region whisky producer, is making a move. A big move, in fact. According to the Scotsman, they are set to double their production capacity to ‘meet rising demand’ – apparently they are the second-best selling single malt by volume. Rather random, I thought, but impressive nonetheless.
What I like about the Arran distillery is their apparent willingness to collaborate and try out new products and markets. In 2000 and 8 they agreed to enter a joint venture with Brewdog in the production of the Isle of Arran version of Brewdog Paradox – click on the link for review – and, as mentioned in the Scotsman, they recently released a whisky cream liqueur. Quite apart from the fact that it’s about time someone challenges Ireland in the production of said drink, all cocky with their Baileys and cheap Irish Meadow Cream knock-offs, I enjoy seeing whisky producers step outside their comfort zone and provide new products.
Baileys is by no means the epitome of whisky cream liqueur, and I’m glad to see a worthy contender enter the market with a rival product. While the liqueur has hit the market, I’m yet to try it, but expect a review soon!
One of Britain’s favourite sweets is, without question, fudge. So it is no surprise, then, that one can find a lot of different fudge varieties – ranging from cheap supermarket own-brands, to exclusive handmade fudge to branded fudge containing anything from yeast extract to whisky.
Not long ago a dear friend of mine bought me a tin of Jack Daniel’s branded fudge and I thought “hey, that’s a great idea! Fudge and whisky, that ought to be a delicious combination”. The smooth, creamy sweetness of fudge with a hint of whisky to give a more mature and palatable flavour, instantly delicious – right? Wrong. The Jack Daniels fudge was an utter disappointment, for several reasons.
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