This happened to me on a Saturday evening and I owe this to my friend rit_gary (Matrix man) on MS. There was a call out of blue inviting me to Johnie Walker ’’Mentor program’’ which were recently held in starred hotels such as Regent and Oberoi (Mumbai). Surely I could never say no and off I went with my friend and what followed was quite educative and memorable evening.
Why educative? As a prelude, I would like to be honest about general drinking habits of youth. Most of us drink very rarely, when someone treats or general post exam/results celebrations. Most others drink secretly since parents consider it as a social evil. Then again drinks like premium whiskies, scotch can drill a big hole in pockets/purses.
So when one drinks, he/she drinks like a fish, each one trying to boast and outdo their capacities, till someone gets knocked out or puke and mess the party mood. Then suddenly comes this 1 hour session, where they explained how scotch is to be enjoyed. Oh Mine!
After a brief presentation on Scotland and its culture (football, men in skilts, meadows, springs, islands) the discussion came to what Scotland is most famous for - SCOTCH of course, or as it is popularly known as - ’’Water of life’’. The discussion suddenly got interesting as they showed a video on how scotch is made. Slurp!
So how to enjoy scotch? Here’s how?
1) Visual: Observe colour against a white background and then tilt the glass and make it straight again and watch how quickly the particles adhering to the glass trickle down. These are called ’’tears’’. Faster the tears flow, lighter the scotch.
2) Nosing: Most experts can identify the type of scotch simply by smelling. The liquid is poured in a tulip shaped glass. A few drops of water may slightly dilute the scotch but it releases the aroma. Scotch can have different aromas depending on blends, ingredients like herbs etc and wood in which matured and such other factors.
3) Taste: Always the best part. Then began the Journey Of Taste from various parts of Scotland such as:
a) Lowlands (Glenkinchie):
Colour: Faint yellow, very light colour
Fragrance: Sweet, fruity but distinctly woody
Taste: Take a sip slowly filling the mouth and then gulp it. It begins with a sweet initial taste and dries up very fast.
b) Speyside (Cardhu):
Colour: Yellow, slightly dark than Glenkinchie
Fragrance: Sweet, honey like?maybe some woody odour too.
Taste: It doesn’t dry and leaves a wet feel, but the spirit is higher and warm. A sweet aftertaste remains. I liked it trifle better than lowlands.
c) Talisker (Islands):
Colour: Slightly reddish tinge to Speyside colour
Fragrance: Peaty, like burnt wood, smokey
Taste: Distinctly bitter, but not as bitter as beer. This aftertaste lasts longer with a warm feeling.
d) Islay (Lagavulin):
Colour: Darkest of them all. Reddish golden brown type color, full-bodied and heavy.
Fragrance: Strong, smokiest. Smells like wheat. Actually more like a damp enclosed wooden cabin.
Taste: Whoa! Not my type. Pretty spirited ad warmth that gives you a burning sensation in the throat region.
e) Highlands (Johnie Walker Black Label): This is what was intended to be highlighted after tasting the above single malts, cause it’s a complex blend prepared from nearly 40 such single malts and grain whiskies and yet tastes the same consistently.
Colour: Reddish golden brown but lighter than islay.
Fragrance: Needs a good nose to distinguish aromas from different blends, but overall sweet fruity kind of effervescence over woody smokey smell. Pretty complex!
Taste: Best of the all!
Simply smooth with a sweet initial taste and doesn’t dry up. It doesn’t burn throat but leaves a warm aftertaste. Each sip feels different and made me desire for another. The taste had me craving for more but they had only sample - 3 sip worth to offer.
But I could swear that I will have more of it. Probably buy a bottle of my own. But at Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2000 (23 GBP) its STEEP, but I guess its worth it. Several times better than having Johnie Walker Blue Label (Rs. 10, 000+). So, the mentor program worked well with me keeping a tab on this complex multi-flavoured (largely Cardhu) scotch in a square bottle with a slant black and gold label - the name JOHNIE WALKER BLACK LABEL.
For more information on Johnie Walker and other products such as Gold Label, Red Label, Black Label, blue Label, Swing etc. check the following websites: https://johniewalker.com
http://www.keepwalking.com
For more information on different scotch available or how to enjoy/buy scotch see
http://www.soyouwanna.com
So as at the end, heres something to ponder about:
The only best thing about England is the road to Scotland
Till then, Cheers!!! (hic)