Drink

The annual Islay Festival of Malt & Music gets underway this weekend, and they'll be celebrating more than just whisky on Islay this week. Bruichladdich's Jim McEwan, a native Ileach, is celebrating his 50th anniversary in the whisky business this week, and scotched the rumors that he might announce his retirement during the Feis in this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth interview. He'll also share some of his memories, as well as a life lesson his own mentor taught him many years ago when he was an apprentice cooper at Bowmore. In the news, Buffalo Trace is warning of a Bourbon shortage, we'll check on new whiskies from anCnoc, The Glenrothes, and a couple of Islay Festival bottlings, and honor another 50-year whisky veteran who's retiring this week.

Offbeat Panamanian rum which makes a virtue out being different. People will like it or hate it for the same reasons. I come down on the side of the former. (#164. 70/100) *** There’s something about Panamanian rums I really like. They are not as heavy and dark and growly as Demerara rums, nor as occasionally [...]

This biodynamically farmed McLaren Vale shiraz from Yangarra Estate is a good symbol of where Australian wine is at.

Biodynamically farmed, matured in old oak, and with a future ahead of it.

Mike Bennie has already reviewed the varietal Drawcard Shiraz 2010 here. Quality wise it and this Shiraz Mataro blend are pretty much on a par.

Yangarra’s viognier is an excellent advertisement for the variety. Only 173 dozen made. Matured in old oak.

The country pub. It’s uniquely English. Popped down to the White Horse at Hedgerley today where an ale festival was underway. Together with brothers in law William and Dominic, I supped several different ales in the warm spring sunshine. This is a pub that cares about cask ale, and knows how to keep it in good condition. We tried a number of different ales. First, Moongazer from Tring Brewery. This is a deep coloured ale with lovely sweet flavours and a bit of hoppiness. Great balance. Second, a pale beer called Pictish Lambzilla. This is fresh, light, bright, fruity and hoppy. Easy to drink, but could have done with just a touch more complexity? These three beers were lovely. The Coco du Mer from Wood Street Brewery is a porter style, all dark and chocolatey with some malt and a touch of savoury bitterness. I liked it; the others didn’t. Kennedy’s Carouse, from Holden, is pretty special: an unusual herbal ale with some apple notes. Distinctive and lively. And finally, the Epicurion from Mallinsons was one of the stand-outs: this is pale yellow in colour and has amazing bright lemony fruit. Citrussy and fine with nice complexity, and a lot of drinkability.

I am not that well versed in lemon flavored black teas because the few that I have had have been fairly disappointing in that they are either way too sour to be enjoyable, or the flavor is too artificial. I had high hopes for this tea because it contains only lemon peel and lemon myrtle in addition to the Ceylon tea. As I have already written about the packaging side of The Tea Can Company, I am going to focus this review only on the tea itself. I steeped my tea sachet in boiling water for three minutes to produce a reddish-coppery tea with a sweet an gentle lemon aroma. With just one sip, two things instranly struck me: 1) The lemon flavor is wonderful, being perfectly natural and not too pungent, and 2) this tea is not at all sour, but instead remarkable sweet with a flavor who’s finish resembles the nuttiness of rooibos tea. I found this tea to be, for me, the ideal lemon tea because the lemon flavor is genuine and in the perfect amount to complement, instead of overwhelm, the Ceylon tea base. Although I have a fairly limited basis for comparison, I will say that this tea is the best lemon-flavored black tea that I have sampled. The Ceylon base is solid yet not too strong, further elevating my impression of this tea. The tea is very soothing as a hot tea, but also very refreshing and thirst-quenching as an iced tea, so it gets extra points for versatility.

Ron Matusalem prides itself on being a Cuban style of rum with a history in Cuba they trace back to 1872 when two brothers, Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, together with a partner, Evaristo Álvarez opened a distillery in Santiago de Cuba. According to the Matusalem website, the rum they were producing began to win acclaim by the first quarter of the 20th century. The distillery apparently operated until the 1960?s when due to the Cuban Revolution the Álvarez family was exiled, and the rum they made disappeared from the landscape. The brand was resurrected by Claudio Álvarez Salazar, who is the great-grandson of Evaristo Álvarez. Of course, it was not possible given the political situation in Cuba to produce or bottle the rum in Cuba. Apparently, it is produced (presumably by a third-party as Ron Matusalem does not own a distillery) and bottled in the Dominican Republic. I recently revisited this rum and you may read my newest review by clicking on the following excerpt: Review: Ron Matusalum Gran Reserva 15 Rum “… The initial aroma carries more oak than I remember from my past experiences with the Matusalem Gran Reserva 15. It is a sort of honeyed oak scent full of spice and vanilla. As the glass sits, the oak spices build in the air and they are joined by scents of  banana and orange peel …” Please enjoy my revisitation to the Matusalem Gran Reserva, and of course my cocktail suggestion which follows, the Sloe Lime Daiquiri. Tagged: Cocktails, Dark Rum, Matusalem Rum, Rum, Rum Review, Sloe Lime Daiquiri

craig.camp posted a photo: