[whisky] 'livet 15yo French Oak Reserve

[another whisky post, see it here at The Distant Thunder Whisky Club]

The Glenlivet 15yo French Oak Reserve is a Speyside single malt which has been finished (per its name) in Limousin French Oak (similarly used for many Cognacs). This royal marriage is assured given the whiskies onwers, the French alcoholic beverages company Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard's brands include single malts from Aberlour, Glendronach and Strathisla, plus the blended Scotches of Ballantines and Chivas, and Jameson Irish whisky.

At first glance we have the packaging which is solid, but nothing amazing. I like the bottle with its traditional dark green glass, it cloaks the colour of the contents. It features the quintessential Glenlivet long-neck, slightly bulging at the centre. The label on the bottle speaks of traditional refinement. By contrast the box within which it is kept is thin and papery, taking away from that refined feel.

A sniff reveals the musty innards. I once attended a wine tasting class and they explained a tasting note referred to as 'wet animal.' It is this musty wet-dog smell associated with old world wines, from regions like Burgundy, and that's what I get on the nose here. The mustiness envelopes a strong, cream and dried fruit richness. The alcoholic fragrances are subtle and for reference the whisky has a 40% ABV (alcohol-by-volume).

The taste compliments the nose; dried fruit and a rich creaminess. These initial flavours fade to a bold vanilla-bean oakiness. Overall, a very smooth dram, but quite heavy on the wood-oak. The heaviness somewhat akin to drinking strongly wooded Chardonnay. A winter whisky for sure, and I highly recommend as a digestive with some fruit 'n nut infused dark chocolate. I don't know how many Saturday nights I sat up late during winter...consuming 'livet 15yo and some Nestle Club chocolate, an awesome match.

The dram-ometer says 5.25 (from 7). Would I buy it again? Yes, a winter dram for sure...but surely next time the 18yo will be in my sights!

Keep trukin'

[whisky] Johnny Walker Green Label

[also see this post here at The Distant Thunder Whisky Club]

The Johnny Walker Green Label is a vatted or pure malt* distilled by Johnny Walker & Sons (parent Diageo). The expression features 15yo minimum aged single malts from Diageo's 'Classic Malt' stable, namely:

• Talisker (Isle of Skye)
• Linkwood (Speyside, doesn't appear to be affiliated with Diageo)
• Cragganmore (Speyside)
• Caol Ila (Isle of Islay)
  

I find the packaging, whilst having no bearing on taste, important for the portrayed story of the whisky, much like the cover of a book (for more details why, see here). Here we have the classic Johnny Walker square bottle, cork sealed, seemingly more refined than the Black Label. The box is a metallic green and presents the single malts used on the back with their key flavours.

On first whiff I note a peculiar blend of seaweed/salty air and a certain sweet-richness. This seems to indicate a level of complexity that I will probably not be able to give justice too and could be indicative of its blended pedigree. I recently heard someone say that they had tasted a blend so well balanced that they actually had difficulty identifying flavours. The sign of a good blend must surely be the balancing of many complex flavours.

On tasting you immediately get the iodine pepperiness associated with Talisker. The whisky sweetens through the mouth to sandlewood, before finishing with a very slight oak flavour. There maybe some burnt butter in there as well, which could be the Caol Ila peat-sweetness.

This is definitively not a beginners whisky, furthermore I feel its a 'quiet moment' whisky...something to dwell upon, a mystery woman with mysterious ways...so I try to get to know her slowly. I really enjoy the saltiness of the Green Label, but I struggle with the strong Caol Ila sweetness (I am not generally a fan of the Caol Ila malt). I keep finding my opinion changing on this whisky...does this have more to do with my uncommitted and indecisive nature? Notwithstanding this, it must be noted my post regarding 'mood & whisky' was prompted by the Green Label's multiple personality...a sweet lady one night and bitterly twisted the next. In the latter circumstances I recommend reducing the tasting to wee-small sips. A drop on the tongue, let the flavour unfurl without the threat of oral explosion occasionally induced with larger mouthfuls.

Anyway, enough of the vagaries. The alcoholic volume sits at 43%, but it feels more than that. The mouth feel is quite alcoholic and very rich in brine-saltiness.

If I was looking for a food companion, I would choose some game, maybe venison. Could also be a haggis whisky (not that I have ever had it), perhaps followed with a soft smelly cheese.

My internal dram-ometer points the needle towards a 5.25 rating (from a possible 7). But I always think the question is: would I buy it again? Answer: Possibly. I would because it is the only pure malt I have had, with the exception of a small dram of Blue Label (sometime ago). But the Green Label hasn't been a 'go to' whisky for me. In fact I have drunk the whole bottle myself trying to write this review, my first review. If I did buy one I am sure my opinion would keep changing, no matter how many times I have it.

I think Bono best encapsulates this whisky, 'it's alright, [but] she moves in mysterious ways.'

Keep truckin'

* pure or vatted malts can be (1) blended and bottled almost immediately; or (2) blended and further aged (or 'married') once in the cask. I am unsure if Johnny Walker chooses to marry its Green Label (or the Blue Label for that matter).

[fodder] prologue to a burger

[Big Rig Diner, Oxford Street, Sydney]

It's been a long time between burgers...and an even longer time since I have posted anything regarding the Burger Project. That doesn't mean I haven't been mulling over past difficulties or future incarnations...but I have felt the need for some inspiration recently.

The trouble is I want installment #5 to be something special and a true burger-lution. I feel my progress has plateaued, with the last couple of attempts falling on flat taste buds. The creative pause has made me more determined to re-ignite the grill inside. Over recent weeks there has been some renewed inspiration, things urging me to pick up the spatula again. For prosperity I will share these with you now. Consider this the prologue to a burger:

(1) Project Support: I have a lot of ongoing moral support behind this quest. However, Jay was kind enough to provide me with my first piece of tangible support. I am sure Jay sees this more as an investment, a donation of capital if you will. Such an action should guarantee him a proverbial foot-in-the-door to a well-qualified American style burger upon his State-side return. We all yearn for that taste once we have left America's shores, bound for some distant-foreign-burger-wasteland.

Like all good investments, the first portion comprised of an R&D piece. 'Hamburger America' is a documentary film about 'some of the best burgers in America' and the people who created them. The film is by George Motz who, as it turns out, has his own website and blog dedicated to the burger. Alas, I am yet to watch this inspirational piece. I cannot convince my beloved of the cultural significance and renewed enthusiasm this film will bring to me and my project. Not even the addition of a patty press, a monument to Jay's continued support of my burger mission, will sway her conviction. Rest assured my love for, erh...burgers...will see me through.

(2) Attack of the Clones: As I have mentioned before, the benchmark burger for this whole project is the Shack Burger from the Shake Shack in Madison Square, NYC. I have yet been able to find any decent clone recipes...until now! A Hamburger Today has provided a link to someone's Fake Shack Burger. This is the piece I have been waiting for, I shall double-my-efforts.

Unfortunately, this still does not resolve my bun dilemma (last detailed here), but one can't downplay the significance of this recipe as a resource for burger lovers everywhere.

(3) The Big Rig Diner: was my first serious burger outing in sometime. I had been on the strict 'why bother' burger diet. I suppose that's a good enough reason to visit alone (located at 231 Oxford Street, Sydney).

They've made a pretty good attempt at replicating the diner-feel...erh, but then added the trendy Oxford-Street club atmosphere, particularly as 9pm encroaches on Friday night. Anyway, assuming you have the claustrophobic/hole-in-the-wall style diner in your head and you aren't after a no frills diner (or price tag) you shouldn't be too disappointed. Consider it a diner Sydney-style. Importantly the burger was pretty tasty. A slightly different beast to my ultimate goal, but definitely good enough to quench your hamburger thirst. Although washing it down with a Brazilian beer was surreal, but it is Oxford Street I guess. This is what: (1) the NYTimes thinks, and; (2) what Ritchie thinks.

(4) Finally, thanks must also go to Ritchie 'Richie' Elliot. His continued research and project endorsement has been steadfast. Having been there for my first Shake Shack experience...erh, or was it second? Anyway, he knows what I am fighting for. Cheers mate.

Keep truckin'

[whisky] mood and whisky

My blog has fallen on quiet times recently. I have been spending most of my time at The Distant Thunder Whisky Club blog.* However, the windows aren't boarded up just yet! This is a post I recently wrote for the D.T.W.C. blog. Whilst I am working on new posts here, I will continue to cross-pollinate the blogs only where I feel the content is not shakespearemate.

Does mood alter the taste of whisky? Do you taste with your eyes more than your mouth? I recently dwelled on this after trying to develop some whisky tasting notes for a Johnny Walker Green Label.** I found myself being quite critical with the J.W. Green on first tasting, but the ensuing evening I thoroughly enjoyed it? The only difference was two glasses of red wine before the second nights dram. Could the wine have impacted my senses, or merely put me in the mood for whisky?

Here are some other thoughts on circumstances where mood affects my whisky enjoyment:

(1) I guess the story above raises the question: Does whisky taste better as a digestive? Or in other words, is whisky more difficult to enjoy straight up? This could be an experiment. Instead of drinking whisky straight up when writing tasting notes, maybe it should be indulged after beer or wine and dinner? A comparison for the ages, digestive versus aperitif. I have no doubt some whiskys more than others are more palatable first up.

(2) Camping and the campfire: Easter this year I went away with some friends on a camping trip. Included in our supplies was a wonderful bottle of Macallan Elegancia 12yo. Whisky and the campfire, what a combination. I have read that this is not an ideal scenario for tasting, the smoke from the fire confusing the taste buds, which are unable to discern whether the smokiness is arising from the whisky or the fire. However, I found it an amazing synergy, particularly with the chill in the air. Maybe a campfire is not ideal for a formal tasting, but socially with friends it is sublime.

(3) Does packaging and the 'look' of a whisky affect your enjoyment? Clearly this must be true otherwise distillers wouldn't add caramel colouring to 'enhance' the appearance of whisky. We perceive a 21yo to have a deeper/bolder finish in the glass than a 12yo. Depending on the cask used in maturation, this may actually not be the true appearance. For example, a whisky aged in bourbon casks will not continue to darken, it will reach a peak and stop.

Taking this idea further, does a bottles shape, design and packaging affect its taste? For example, I am not a huge fan of the Glenmorangie bottle shape. Has this prejudice transcended into me also not enjoying The Original and The LeSanta tasted? One would hope not, but stranger things have happened.

(4) Whisky tastes better with company? I think we all know the answer to that one. Obviously consuming whisky with an educated group of fine up-standing individuals dedicated to the expansion of whisky knowledge leads to a better dram experience!

Keep truckin'

* The Distant Thunder Whisky Club is dedicated to bringing our member's whisky experiences to the online community. From reviews, to tastings, to tales, to links...each member bring his own voice to the blog. For more information please click here.

** for those interested, J.W. Green is a 15yo vatted malt, not to be confused with a blended malt . The links will explain the importance of this difference.

[camera club] back to the future?

[image courtesy of DPReview.com]

Is the new Olympus EP-1 the future of digital rangefinder photography, or of photography in general? Does its release signal the beginning of the end for the SLR, the dominant camera design since the 70's? I guess time will tell, but I think there is definitely something about this camera which has greater implications for future camera design.

The EP-1 has unashamedly taken its RF-styling from its Pen camera heritage, Olympus using this rich history during its pre-release hype. The Micro-FourThirds sensor technology is finally yielding the sorts of cameras that it was originally developed for: small, stylish and functional. I think this camera could redefine what consumers look for when buying a camera, with particularly implications for the lower end of the DSLR market.

Why? The EP-1 is the first 'compact' sized camera to offer inter-changeable lenses. Coupled with its retro-styling and Olympus quality, the overall package should be very popular with photographers. Especially those who want something more than a low-spec compact and are toying between the idea of a entry-level DSLR or high-end compact. For advanced photographers, who usually always carry a compact in some form, suddenly there is viable alternative to the Panasonic LX3 and the Canon G9 for portability and looks.

The success of the EP-1 in the low-end DSLR market depends on how well consumers receive the advantages of a rangefinder over the single-reflex design. Anyone buying a DSLR is buying into a camera system. Customers can be split down the line by those who know this and those who don't. The savvy DSLR customer would have their eye on evolving to a more advanced DSLR body (and lenses) down the track and would probably still go with the SLR form.

Consumers toying with the idea of an advanced compact or low-end DSLR because they take 'better pictures', now have another option to consider. The increased portability of the EP-1 over a DSLR, even though not fully 'pocketable', would definitely appeal. As would the increased sensor size (i.e. better quality images). The inter-changeable lens mount levels the playing field with DSLRs, and opens the camera up to lenses from any FourThirds manufacturer (and beyond).

The EP-1's main drawbacks are not a significant to this consumer. The lack of a viewfinder is common amongst most compacts in the market. In fact the movement in the DSLR segment towards live view raises the possibility of people seeing it as almost standard. This will become increasingly so as the technology moves on. Traditional TTL (through-the-lens) viewing of scene would be left to professionals who require this for their specific photography needs, mainly sport, weddings, fashion, etc.

The lack of a flash, given that most in-built flashes are the poor cousin of an external flash, is not an game changer. On balance, this consumer has some tough decisions to make and increasingly so with a Panasonic/Leica version out sooner rather than later.

So what about the rangefinder purists? I am pretty they would have loved to see a built-in rangefinder, but that would be a different camera. Here we must remember the Pen camera history. This is a consumer compact conceived in the 60's. Don't get me wrong, I believe a full RF-equipped version is coming from either Panasonic/Leica or Olympus. However, it is a different 'beast' for a different market and will be priced as such (mainly due to the complexities of the rangefinder mechanism). The popularity and mystique of the Epson RD-1 and the Leica M8 means there is a niche market here waiting to be served, quietly holding onto their M-mount lenses for a more cost-effective option.

My guess is most true rangefinder fans would already own some FourThirds camera because of its ability to marry with manual focus M-mount lenses (further discussed here). The EP-1, despite its inability to meter with these older lenses, serves this market because it does allow many M-mount lens owners the ability to own a stylish, traditional and inexpensive digi-RF home for these.

If people flock to the RF-style of the Olympus EP-1, could it spell the beginning of the end of DSLR design? Will it force a re-thinking of both RF and SLR design? It will be interesting to wtach the reaction of the consumer, the reaction of the bigger players like Nikon and Canon, and what the traditional rangefinder companies (Leica and Voigtlander) do to their products lines over the coming month/year in response.

Keep trucking'

[fodder] the trajedy of Oporto

[Bondi Burger c. 2003, what's happened?]

How the mighty have fallen. When did Oporto stop being Oporto? When did the grand old girl of Portuguese chicken burger's, pictured above in her prime, become a mere shadow of its former self? When did the Big Bondi become the exceedingly dull sounding Triple Chicken Fillet Burger? I'm not even sure the government could come up with a more bureaucratic name. Why does the chilli sauce now looks so...erh, unnaturally orange?

I am not sure what happened, I can't even say when it happened and whether it was a slow or fast death. The observations I make are from the viewpoint of someone who has returned recently from 18 months overseas, who used to crave the Oporto taste, more specifically a Big Bondi. I used to enforce monthly quotas upon myself. However, somewhere between Jan-07 and Aug-08 the self-styled pan-Portuguese-Australian chicken burger from Bondi lost its luster and with it my commerce.

Was being purchased by QSR (the owners of Red Rooster) the catalyst (Jul-07)? Probably. Needless to say, since my return, the Oporto I knew has become a mere shadow of its former self.

Why is it not the same? Well I can't remember in huge detail, but the current offering is not working. Let's look at the 3 core ingredients: the chicken, the sauce, the bun. I beg to argue that the chicken fillets are no longer blackened when cooking, hence no more chicken char. A fundamental error. The chicken also seems drier, but this could be linked to the sauce. The chilli-sauce of old did not look and taste so fake. Did there used to be two sauces, a mayonnaise and chilli? The difference between the Norm and the Bondi being the addition of the chilli-sauce? The picture above suggests so. Now the sauces are combined, or just different, in any case poorer. Finally, I always thought the roll was less doughy, but this could merely be a by-product of the sauce and chicken not providing the burger with enough moisture.

For those who want to remember what a good burger taste like, then I recommend The Coup in Rozelle (previous post here). Now this is an inspired Portuguese chicken burger. In any case, mark the day, Thursday, 25th June 2009, it could well be the last time an Oporto will pass my lips...

...and who would have ever thought that possible?

Keep truckin'

[sci-fi] Radiolab, the podcast

Need more input? Check out Radiolab from WNYC.

Take a seemingly simple topic; for example choice, space, or time. I'd love to learn more about such things, but where do you start...below the surface these ideas are so broad and complex. Radiolab, the podcast goes some way towards assisting your comprehension of all things science & human.

The presenters, Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich, take you on a journey with these big ideas. They build the concepts bottom-up, approaching each subject from three or four different perspectives. These stories seem to converge and allow the listener to gain a better understanding of the principles being discussed. I think this approach makes the podcast extremely interesting to listen to and very human. I love the blend of big picture/small picture.

You can also hear the effort that goes into Radiolab, it is easily the best produced podcast I have had the pleasure of listening too. It's my sensory pleasure for the week! The other great thing is it's the sort of postcast you can listen to in any sequence, so you can start with those topics that really interest you, and move through the amazing back catalog.

Radiolab can be downloaded through iTunes, check out their blog here at WNYC for details. Definitely one of public radios finest.

Keep truckin'