What's in my cellar - and why

Generally speaking, there are three groups of wine purchasers. Without any kind of scientific study on the matter, I'm fairly certain that most folks fall into the first group, with a growing number in the second group. I don't know anyone who wouldn't rather be in the third group!

The first group keep a few bottles on hand at home, usually in a wine rack in the kitchen or dining room. They drink a few and when they're down to a couple, they go out and buy some more and the process continues. If they're visiting friends for dinner, they tend to pop into the local liquor store to buy a bottle, and don't usually take one from the wine rack at home. They have a few kinds of wine they really like, and buy them regularly - could be a varietal like Chardonnay or a particular Cabernet Sauvignon from a particular grower, or any Shiraz (let's say) from Australia, because they like Australian Shiraz. Comfort price ranges for this group varies somewhat, depending on individual financial circumstances, but typically will be in the $7 to $20 range. Occasionally they visit a friend or a restaurant and taste something they like and add it to their repertoire. They are comfortable asking LCBO consultants for advice and will sometimes pick up the LCBO staff pick of the week. No bottle of wine lives in the wine rack for more than a couple of months.

The middle group is passionate about wine and all things oenological, and its members would love to be part of group three. They have 50 to 200 wines in some kind of cellar - either a cooler storage area or a couple of large wine fridges or perhaps a modest cellar room, and they search out great value wines both for drinking within six months and for laying down for a few years. They try to stay current with good vintages in different regions, and seek out wines with good aging potential. They have a decent range of wines in store, from light crisp whites to luscious Viogniers, new world Pinot Noirs to big Syrahs, a few sweet wines and some sort of bubbly. They can usually find something in the collection to pair with whatever's on the dinner table and will generally select something from their stock to give to a dinner host. The average cost of a bottle of wine is about $20.

The third group comprises serious wine drinkers with pots of money. They know wines, have tasted a lot, collect wines for laying down as well as for more immediate drinking, have enviable cellars and a wide range of varietals and blends from all the major wine growing regions of the world, as well as rare and obscure bottles. They love to share their wines with like-minded wine lovers and interested neophytes. They are generous and knowledgeable and, contrary to popular belief, few of them are wine snobs.

I'm pretty much in the middle group with aspirations to join the third group when we win the lottery. Fortuitously, I live in a house with a cold storage room. Whether as a result of a botched insulation job or an actual plan by a previous owner or the builder, we don't know, but it serves very well as a place to store wines - as well as our tools, too much sports equipment, a cupboard full of miles of cables too complicated to sift through, and various other random things which have no place in a real wine cellar. Wines intended for any kind of longer term storage prefer being left alone in a cool, dark place, with the right humidity level and no vibrations or odours.

I like to seek out wines of great value rather than big price. There is a bit of a correlation though and, often, more expensive wines are better wines with more elegance and structure. That said, there are thousands of wines in an affordable price bracket and it's enormous fun to find them. If I visit wine regions, I like to taste what's local and good and bring some back. This has much greater scope if one is visiting Niagara as opposed to somewhere in Europe, since it's easier to load up the trunk rather than a suitcase, and the taxes and duties are a little more predictable.

I also pay attention to the bi-weekly Vintages releases at the LCBO, do some homework and pick up things that sound interesting, either for drinking soon or for keeping for a few years. I love Bordeaux wines and buy futures through Vintages. Not the high end stuff (group two, remember!) but wines that some of my favourite knowledge sources, like Jancis Robinson, believe to be good value. The big advantage to buying Bordeaux wines in a good year, while they're still in the barrel is that you buy them at a fraction of the price you'll pay 5 to 10 years down the road when they're at their drinking prime. Lots of friends wonder at this ability to buy wines and not drink them, but the trick is easy enough. Just keep enough around for current drinking and there's no need to touch the stuff you're laying down. Just label the shelves or a spreadsheet with a not before date and leave it alone. Really just the opposite of using up the yogurt in the fridge by the not after date! This is a much cheaper process in the long run and you'll drink yummier wines.

If I find a wine of outstanding value at a tasting, I'll sometimes buy a case from the agent, if it's not available from the LCBO. If you try something in a restaurant that you love, you'll see the agent's name on the bottle and can buy it direct by the case.

I like to keep a range of wines in the "cellar" so that there's always something to work with whatever food ends up on the table. Great food and wine pairing is one of life's joys and it's annoying to serve up a rich winter lamb casserole if the only thing down there is Sauvignon Blanc (an extreme example). So, what does a range of wines mean? For me, it's a broad selection of varietals from different regions and countries, different types (sparkling, white, rose, red, sweet, fortified) and, different weights of wines from light to rich to complement a variety of foods.

So here, a partial list of what's lurking in the multi purpose "cellar"

• A variety of sparkling wines from France and Spain. Spanish Cava is a great buy and the several Cremant sparkling wines of France also offer terrific value. Sadly, no Champagne at the moment.
• Some Chasselas from Switzerland - hard to find in the LCBO, but perfect for Cheese Fondue
• Sancerre from the Loire and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and Niagara. Same varietal but completely different styles.
• Pinot Gris from Niagara and Alsace. I LOVE Alsace Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
• Riesling from Alsace and Niagara, in various degrees of dry and off-dry. There's some great Grand Cru Riesling from a trip over there last year and some spectacular small lot Riesling from Niagara's Thirty Bench - my favourite in Ontario. Riesling is a very versatile food wine.
• Chenin Blanc from the Loire, also in various levels of dry to quite off-dry and also some from Mexico, which is tasty and very good value.
• A range of Chardonnays, more on the steely, unoaked or low oaked side - Chablis, Argentinian Chard from higher altitudes, Italian Chard from Alto Adige, Chilean, some Californian, few Australian.
• Some Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Southern Rhone blends of Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette and a few others.
• Various dessert wines from France, Austria, Germany, Ontario, California (fabulous Black Muscat). Walnut Brown and other sweet sherries. Late Bottled Vintage and Tawny Ports.
• Lots of Niagara reds at the moment, including Pinot Noir, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Meritage Blends - even some Vineland Reserve Syrah 2006, which I'm keeping.
• Quite a few Spanish reds from all over. Generally speaking - fantastic value wines.
• The aforementioned Bordeaux wines - some for keeping, some for drinking now. We tried a 2005 Tour St Bonnet Medoc wine the other evening with a medium rare piece of filet and it was superb. The wine is young but the uncoagulated proteins in the rare meat work in harmony with the tannins in the wine. It'll be even more tasty and versatile a few years down the road, when it will sell for probably $28 to $32, if available. I paid $17 through the Futures route.
• Generally lots of French red from all the different regions of France. A year living there allowed lots of opportunity to sample the many delights.
• Not enough Italian or Californian wine at the moment. Must rectify that.
• A good collection of BC reds from some recent trips out west. Generally excellent.
• Very few Australian reds. I'm not a big fan of jammy taste and find I have to get into pricier wines to find what I like. Having said that, I visited the country a couple of years back and almost everything was terrific.

Then there's the Scotch.......................

Two Fine Scotches, One Fine Whisky

The Canadian Association of Radiologists wrapped up their 71st Annual Scientific Meeting, in Ottawa earlier this year, with a tasting of three fine whiskies, presented by Carol. After braving several days of intense meetings, the large group was greatly invigorated by the sampling. The multi-day conference was organized by First Avenue Events and was a great success. Here, a little background and a few notes on the whiskies tasted.

Glen Breton Rare Canadian Single Malt Whisky
This whisky, matured 8 years in Bourbon casks, is produced in small quantities at Glenora Distillery in the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia, by traditional methods. The soft water of Maclellan’s Brook combines with lightly peated malted barley from Scotland to produce a clean, light malt, which many liken to Dalwhinnie. The copper still and other equipment comes from the Bowmore distillery in the island of Islay. Only Single Malt Whisky produced in Scotland can be called Scotch, hence the name whisky.
Tasting Notes: A lovely golden amber colour, with heather-floral and butterscotch aromas. Light to medium bodied, with a creamy, nutty taste and a nice, refreshing finish. Nicely balanced, it makes a good pre-dinner drink. Serve it with a little cool spring water to bring out additional fruit flavours.

The Macallan Fine Oak 15 Years Old
One of Scotland’s most respected distilleries, The Macallan, in the heart of Speyside, has been distilling whisky legally since 1824. Today it offers a range of single malts, aged in Sherry Oak or triple cask matured Fine Oak. Following its launch, The Macallan Fine Oak 15 years old was awarded Best Whisky of 2004 by renowned whisky expert F. Paul Pacult. In a different league, a bottle of The Macallan Fine and Rare 1926 sold for £36,000 in 2005. Made from barley grown on The Macallan Estate and using soft, pure local water at several stages of production, The Macallan ranks amongst the five best-selling malt whiskies in the world.
Tasting Notes: A rich, straw colour and a lovely, full nose with hints of citrus, roses and vanilla. No smokiness, due to use of unpeated, malted barley. Luscious on the palate, with hints of fruitcake and chocolate orange, the 15 Year Old has a long, lingering finish. Delectable and beautifully balanced.

Highland Park 18 Years Old
Established in 1798 and licensed in 1826, Highland Park, on the island of Orkney – a World Heritage Site, is the world’s most northerly distillery. Using Orcadian peat and, unusually, hard local water, the Highland Park range of Single Malts is favoured by Whisky lovers the world over. Judicious use of peated malted barley and Bourbon and Sherry oak casks gives a toffee sweetness and mouth-watering, smoky finish. Highland Park 18 Years Old is a multiple Gold Medal and First Place winner, including the ultimate accolade of Best Spirit in the World in 2005, by aforementioned F Paul Pacult.
Tasting Notes: Burnished gold in colour, with a rich and mature bouquet, redolent of toffee, dried fruits, marzipan and smoke. The palate is rich and full, sweet and dry. Take time to measure the flavour developments in the mouth. The finish is long, smoky and satisfying.

Niagara 2008

The original plan to spend two days in Niagara, visit 30 wineries, enjoy a nice walk somewhere on the escarpment, sample some local cuisine and take in a play at the Shaw festival was all a little ambitious. There are simply too many wineries to visit and a dizzying array of wines to sample. Still, we did our best, and sampled some superb wines along the way.

Here, a few comments on a small sample of wineries and some musings on the establishments, the experience and, most specifically, the wines.First, some non wine related matters. We stayed in a delightful B and B on Niagara Stone Road, about ten minutes outside Niagara-on- the- Lake, and pretty close to Hillebrand Winery. “Beside the Winery” is owned and run by Trudy and Terry Wilson, two absolutely delightful people. If you like a supremely comfortable bed, an excellent breakfast, a private deck boasting beautiful morning glories and bougainvillea – even in October, and outstanding hospitality, this is a great place to stay at a very reasonable price. www.bbcanada.com/9812html . Trudy directed us to a walk by the turbulent and vivid green waters of the Niagara River. On a beautiful crisp fall day with brilliant sunshine, we were surrounded by colour. What a treat!We dined one evening at Treadwells in Port Dalhousie – intricate and excellent food and a great wine selection. The next evening we grabbed a quick and fun pre-theatre dinner at The Old Winery, also on Niagara Stone Road.

And now to the wineries, more or less in the order we visited them. We started at Stonechurch, for no particular reason other than its proximity to our home for the weekend. This was one of only two disappointing wineries we visited. Nice place, nice people, great stemware, but somehow every wine we tried offered up terrific and characteristic aromas with no delivery on the palate. We didn’t buy any. The other disappointing one was Malivoire. I know some of their wines to be very good, but unfortunately every glass smelled and tasted of dishwasher powder, so we gave up after a few attempts and moved on elsewhere.

We started in earnest at Peninsula Ridge, in Beamsville. This was a popular destination, overflowing with tasters, late morning, on a Friday in October – and for good reason. The place is stunning, the wines are excellent, the staff helpful and astute. Of note were the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2002 and the Merlot Reserve 2002, great wines crying out for food and/or a few years in the cellar. The Vintner’s Private Reserve Merlot 2002 was fabulous. I’d like to try it again in about 8 years time. On a crisper and less expensive note, the A J Lepp Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007 was elegant, well balanced and quite delicious. In all, there were some 25 wines available for tasting and I’m fairly certain they would all have been worthy of examination, but this was a two day trip, so we moved on with stated intention of a much longer stop next time. Even if you start visiting at 10 or 11am, it’s really unrealistic to visit any more than 4 in a day and do them justice.

Thirty Bench Wine Makers, also in Beamsville, produces exquisite Rieslings. The 2007 Winemaker’s Riesling at $18 is the best Niagara Riesling I’ve tasted under $20. Hand picked grapes, low yields for better quality and intensity, sloping vineyards, deep dry soils and superb winemaking all contribute to a wonderful collection of Rieslings. The 2007 small lot vineyard offerings from Triangle Vineyard, Steel Post Vineyard and Wood Post Vineyard were all exquisite, all different. There was absolutely nothing thin or apologetic about these wines. They were all elegant and well-balanced, with wonderful aromas, beautiful flavours, perfect mouthfeel and long, lingering finishes. Do not miss this winery on your next trip to Niagara. Our host, Janice, was disappointed that we didn’t have time to taste the rest of the 17 wines on offer, and so were we. She did persuade us to taste the Thirty Bench Riesling Icewine 2007 and, again, this was simply outstanding, with wonderful acidity to balance the luscious fruit – probably the best Icewine I’ve ever tasted.

It was hard to follow that, but we popped into Angels Gate Winery next, a pretty place with a great view and a grand collection of reasonably priced wines. The 2005 Old Vines Chardonnay was very drinkable, buttery but not overoaked, nicely balanced with a good, long finish. The 2007 Gewurztraminer had a wonderful nose of roses and lychees, a delicious fruity palate with nicely balanced acidity and a great price tag of $15.95. The 2007 Late Harvest Cabernet at $23.20 for a 750ml format is a great buy if you’re serving summer fruit salad to a big crowd and need a refreshing dessert wine. Angels Gate Restaurant is closed in October, but we followed the recommendation of lunch at “August”, just down the road, which was delicious and very reasonably priced.

Tawse Winery boasts a gorgeous building, fabulous crystal glasses and exuberant staff. We didn't taste many, but nothing seemed stunning on that particular day at that particular time. Perhaps its after lunch position did the winery a disservice, but I just didn’t taste anything with brilliant balance. However, at a Niagara Riesling tasting earlier this year, The Tawse Twenty Mile Bench 2006 Riesling was my top pick from the group presented, with an elegant and quite lovely nose, great structure and a long finish. So a return trip is required - before lunch.
We had a quick stop at Ridgepoint, since it is, apparently, one of only two wineries using Nebbiolo – the great grape of Barolo, and I was curious. Unfortunately they had run out of anything containing that particular varietal.

On to Vineland where we enjoyed a great tasting in the capable hands of Hayden, a very competent and well-versed member of staff. I’m a fan of their rosé wines, especially in the years when they bottle Pinot Meunier as a rosé. Pinot Meunier is one of the varietals which can be used in Champagne production, but it’s rarely seen as a straight varietal. We tasted a few Sauvignon Blancs and particularly liked that from the Neufeld Vineyard. This was reminiscent of New Zealand Sauv Blancs, with nice acidity and balance, though a little richer in mouthfeel. The barrel fermented Sauv Blanc tasted weird to my palate. After tasting our way through a number of their standard and inexpensive wines, many of which were very drinkable, we tried some of the Reserve wines, and particularly liked three of the reds. The 2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve was excellent – a big wine, with lots of aging potential. The 2006 Syrah Reserve was a big, dark and brooding Old World style Syrah – great fun. And the 2005 Cabernet-Merlot Reserve was elegant and full, a little overpriced, and with enough tannins and fruit to keep a few years. We finished off the visit with a taste of the much acclaimed 2002 Riesling Icewine. I was anxious to try it, since I had carted a bottle over to Scotland in the summer as a special gift. Sadly, I found it to be disappointing – very luscious but with insufficient acidity to balance it. The previously mentioned Thirty Bench 2007 Riesling Icewine was far superior, to my taste. Vineland is a great place to visit, though. Ask for Hayden. He knows his stuff.

The following day, we tasted and bought a couple of wines at Marynissen. I’m not entirely sure how that happened because overall I found the quality of the wines a bit mixed. A number of them exhibited production smells and underripe fruit. The 2004 Merlot and Cabernet Merlot were quite nice though and good everyday drinking. Again, maybe it was the after breakfast straw that they drew that muddied the waters a bit.

I was very impressed with the selection at Lailey Vineyards. Almost all of the wines we tasted were elegant, well structured and balanced. Of particular note were the 2004 Cabernet, 2006 Pinot Noir, 2006 Merlot, and 2006 Cabernet/Syrah. We certainly didn’t visit a very large percentage of the Niagara wineries, but Lailey, along with Thirty Bench, displayed great consistency in the quality of the wines on offer.

Unfortunately we reached Pillitteri at the same time as a couple of bus tours, so the place was a bit crazy. I love their 2002 Cabernet Franc, which sadly is now gone, although I still have a few bottles lurking in the cellar. We tasted the 2005, but it’s not a patch on the 2002. ‘07 was a great grape growing season in Niagara, purportedly the best since ‘02, so I’ll look forward to tasting the ‘07 Cab Franc when it becomes available. Nothing else really inspired me that day, but maybe it was just too crowded.

Since Hillebrand was almost next door to our B and B, we ended the day there. One of the biggest and longest established wineries in the region, the place was also hopping, but with lots of staff to handle the crowds. Hillebrand created Niagara’s first Icewine in 1983 and opened the first winery restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1996. We headed up stairs to the Collector’s Boutique and tasted some very fine wines indeed. The Showcase Merlot 2004 is drinking very nicely now. The 2002 should have been better, given the vintage, but the bottle we tasted had a nasty nose, little fruit and was lighter than expected. Perhaps we just had a bad bottle. The whole scene upstairs was excessively busy and noisy – it was a Saturday after all - with people screaming with delight at each other across the tasting area, so I didn’t ask if another bottle could be opened. The Showcase Merlot 2000 was wonderful, complex and exciting, with lots of flavour, great balance and a long, delicious finish. Pricey, but very good. In the Cabernet Sauvignon verticals, the 2002 was outstanding. We were given further verification here that 2007 was going to be an outstanding vintage – the best since 2002. I look forward! Of the Hillebrand ice wines we tasted, the 2007 oak aged Vidal was beautifully balanced.

For wine lovers, try to organize about five days in Niagara, two days to taste, one to pursue other activities, and two more days of sampling. The wineries are lovely, the people friendly and helpful, and some of the wines simply gorgeous. How wonderful to live relatively close to this great winemaking area and to be able to fill up the trunk with goodies to take home. Almost like living in the EU!

A Great Scottish Night Out!

Scotland Tonight

presented by the

Sons of Scotland Pipe Band

An Evening of Celtic Excellence
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Avenue

Tickets $20.00
Available at TicketWeb www.ticketweb.ca
or by phone at 1 888 222 6608

featuring
The Sons of Scotland Pipe Band
Mac an Alba
MacCulloch School of Dance
Katharine Robinson School of Dance
Caithream Celtic Dance Fusion
Singer Carol Anderson

Vendors, door prize, and something for everyone
at the 7th Annual Scotland Tonight!

More information at The Sons of Scotland Website

Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival

The Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival is one of the biggest Celtic festivals in the US. Held at Estes Park, Colorado from September 4 to 7, 2008, the 32nd annual festival was a magnificent affair, showcasing traditional Highland Games, Irish dancing, pipe bands galore, caber tossing, over 90 clans, gallons of Guinness and Glenfiddich, the opportunity to buy every conceivable piece of Scottish merchandise imaginable, a massive parade, a magnificent Tattoo, jousting, featuring knights in full armour, some of Scotland's top Celtic and Gaelic entertainers, more Scotch pies than the average constitution could handle.................. I could go on.
Highlights of the Tattoo, stage shows and closing banquet were the magnificent performances of the US Marine Corps Band from 29 Palms, California. Whether performing with razor sharp precision and impeccable choreography or wowing the crowds with their unbelievable jazz routines, the band members were the darlings of the festival.
I had the huge pleasure of singing at the evening Tattoos and at the Opening ceremonies, accompanied by the Marine Band and two magnificent Pipe Bands, including Ottawa's own Highland Mist Pipe Band. How a Scottish Canadian found herself singing God Bless America with this amazing backup band is still a bit of a mystery. Great life experience though. The decidedly chilly evenings and the thin air at 7,500 feet added an interesting challenge.

The blood stirring band of the tent performances was Albannach - a mighty group of Scotsmen and one woman, whose ear splitting Celtic rock performances had crowds, spanning four generations, dancing wildly to their compulsive sound. I bought one of their live CD's, which definitely loses something in the translation, but will be great to keep in the car for boring long journeys.

Almost the highlight of the entire week was the impromptu ceilidh held late one night in someone's room back at the Y hostel, where all the noisy pipe and brass bands were kept out of the way. It's impossible to manufacture times like that. With an age span of 13 to mid 70's, great camaraderie, no TVs, possibly a couple of Scotches, and an endless stream of songs and pipe tunes to sing and hum, it was a timeless gathering.

Photos of Denis Watson and Carol Anderson courtesy of Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival

Read more about the festival.

Ottawa Due West/Due East Magazine Fall 2008

Click on the article to read.

Independent Distilleries

Two of Scotland's few remaining independent distilleries are well worth a visit - Lochranza Distillery on the Isle of Arran and Edradour, near Aberfeldy. My August travels took me to Scotland and I popped in to visit both places.
The Island of Arran is spectacular - beautiful scenery, rolling hills, great mountains, fabulous coastline. As long as we don't talk about the midgies, it's one of my favourite places on earth. In addition to checking out distilleries, I panted my way up Goatfell with a few other hardy family members. Goatfell is just short of a Munro in height, but challenging enough after a late evening, lots of singing and more than a few fine Scotches.
Lochranza distillery is located in the north of the Island. It opened in 1995 and in 2007 was voted Scotland's best distillery by its peers. The visitor centre is terrific, the staff friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the Arran Malt 10 year old is a nice dram. Aged mainly in ex-bourbon casks, unchill-filtered, 46% ABV, with no caramel added and no peat used in the barley malting process, this is a fairly smooth whisky, with indisputable vanilla and cinnamon on the nose. Their first 12 year old, finished in sherry casks, will be out in November. The distillery also produces some cask strength offerings and experiments with interesting cask finishes like Sassicaia, Madeira, Moscatel and Tokaji. My group tasted quite a few! In time for the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns next January, there will be a special edition of their Robert Burns Single Malt. James McTaggart, previously of Bowmore Distillery on Islay, is the stillman and maltmaster at Arran. From time to time, the LCBO carries varies products from Lochranza Distillery.
Arran is an hour from the mainland. Catch the ferry from Ardrossan on the west coast of Scotland to Brodick on Arran. The Auchrannie Spa and Resort in Brodick is a terrific place to stay. The lodges are well laid out and comfortable, there are three restaurants, lots of indoor sports and activities and it's a great base for cycling, hiking, visiting Lochranza and, if you're up for it, climbing Goatfell. There's also a tiny brewery on the island, Brodick Castle, a wonderful cheese factory and the famous Arran Aromatics.

Lochranza Distillery photos courtesy of matt.edwards@arranwhisky.com

Back on the mainland and hidden away near Pitlochry in the beautiful Perthshire countryside, Edradour was established in 1825 and is the smallest distillery in Scotland.The still dates back to 1888 and the Morton's refrigerator is claimed to be the oldest in the world. It is now privately owned by Andrew Symington, shown in the photo, and is a delightful and quite beautiful place to visit. Everything is tiny. A mere 15 casks a week are filled, all of it going towards Single Malt, non for blended whisky. The Edradour 10 year old Single Malt has a rich colour, a heather honey nose with a creamy, smooth palate with a smoky sweetness and a slightly minty aftertaste. I also tasted a 10 year old unchill-filtered single cask bottling - a wonderful smooth, rich, well-balanced whisky that is very tasty with a nice slice of homemade dark fruitcake and, coming soon in Ottawa, a roaring log fire. Additionally, the distillery produces a 13 year old cask strength whisky, a favourite of most of the distillery staff. Some of the cask strength bottlings are hand filled into smaller bottles - a rare activity these days. They also have a range of Scotches finished in an odd range of experimental finishes - ex Sauternes, ex Super Tuscan, ex Chateau d'Yquem, and the like. Apparently the casks for these finishes are hand selected. I sampled a few and couldn't find one I liked. I'll probably have to go back and try again.
As a complete contrast to the unpeated Edradour Single Malt, the Ballechin range of single malts is, they claim, the most peated in Scotland. Peat is measured in parts per million (ppm) of phenols in the mix and the Ballechin range has 62ppm. Laphroaig, by comparison has 35 to 40ppm. Whew!
The distillery tour is great. Ask for Frank. He knows his whisky.



Lochranza Distillery

Edradour Distillery

Single Malt Tasting at DiVino Wine Studio

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 and join us for a unique Single Malt Scotch tasting at the terrific, new DiVino Wine Studio at 225 Preston Street, Ottawa. Italian appetizers, cheeses and other delights will share the table with an excellent range of Single Malt Scotches at this unique tasting. Beautiful location, great food, excellent Scotches, a little learning - what a fine way to spend an evening!
7pm to 9pm $85 plus tax

Add a pre-seminar dinner special (5:30pm to 7pm) for $29. Includes an appetizer, pasta and two 3oz wine samples.
For information and reservations, call 613 221 9760 or email bookings@divinowinestudio.com

Scotch Whisky Tasting

On June 17th, 2008, on another rainy Ottawa evening, an enthusiastic group of some 30 Scotch lovers gathered together to taste a range of quite different Scotches, and nibble on an odd assortment of munchies, in a quest to see what, if anything, paired well. Actually, the Scotch knowledge in the group ranged from "intimate experience with almost the complete range of offerings from particular distilleries" to "don't think I like Scotch". After a focussed nosing and an opportunity to sample some very tasty whiskies, the latter category seemed to disappear.

The range of favourites was as diverse as the group, a not uncommon occurrence at these events. On the nosing menu was a Connoisseurs' Blend, as it is named -Te Bheag (pronounced Chey Veck) from the Island of Skye. Claiming a high percentage of Malt Whisky from all over Scotland in the blend, this one was deemed to be great value and a nice sipper. With a little toffee, some spice and a touch of smoky peat on the nose, and nothing overwhelming on the palate, this had decent balance for the price.

The 18 year old Highland Park was a big star of the evening, and a major contributor to the demise of the home made fruitcake, which seemed to be crying out for a partnership with this absolutely brilliant and luscious whisky. Other contenders were a 21 year old Glenfiddich, finished in Cuban rum casks and the 16 year old Lagavulin, always in great demand beyond its availability. An absolutely brilliant match for Roquefort, it was tempting to open a bottle of Sauternes, also a brilliant match for Roquefort, to compare and contrast - and really confuse the tastebuds!

"Your Scotch Tasting presentation was WONDERFUL!! I learnt a lot about Scotches, the way they are distilled and the various regions in Scotland. It was like being there again!" Armand L

"Thanks for the most enjoyable scotch tasting evening. We found your presentation to be interesting, informative and entertaining. The selection of scotches was well chosen to illustrate some of the wide ranging differences in the product, as was the selection of accompanying nibbles. The prepared notes were particularly useful in helping us to compare and contrast the samples." Doug S

"Carol, your knowledgeable presentation was excellent and I felt that all of us were enlightened. I enjoyed mixing with other guests and discussing and tasting your choice of Scotch whiskies. Thank you for a great evening." Al N

"The scotch tasting event was really enjoyable. I found it very informative and it was fun to have the breaks between each bottle to chat and try various foods with the scotches." Steve A

"Many thanks for a great educational and social event. Your talk on the many types and tastes of Scotch was a revelation, and at least two of the brands you had us sample are now on my whisky shopping list." Doug M

"Thanks so much for the whisky nosing last evening. We enjoyed it immensely. As somewhat experienced whisky drinkers we appreciated the fact that your selections were some of the best available at the LCBO. It was a great opportunity for us to try some whiskies that we perhaps would not have purchased. The food that you had available to match with the whiskies was also appreciated and it definitely enhanced the experience" Ann and Doug

"I wanted to thank you for a wonderful evening. It was great...I loved the presentation, I loved the whisky, I loved the format...it was perfect." MF G

"The only affordable way to do side by side tastings of high end Scotches" MD

Ottawa Due West/Due East Magazine, Spring 2008

Click on the article to read.