Rosebank Revisited

Attentive readers of this informative blog will recall that one of our family favorites from last spring’s cruise, where we indulged in fine whiskies every evening at Maltings, the ship’s whisky bar, was Rosebank, a lowland malt whose distillery closed in the early 90s. On the boat we found a Rare Malts bottling of Rosebank 19, not knowing much of anything about this scotch. Jackson describes it as flowery, but I think its distinguishing characteristics are a dry finish, with a spicy aftertaste. Lowland malts have a milder, more subtle flavor, not that big bold taste of say Macallan or Highland Park; but of all the lowlands I have tasted (there are apparently only a couple lowland distilleries still open), Rosebank is the most flavorful.

John found me a 1991, 13 year old, cask strength private bottling, by Gordon & MacPhail. Very nice; and just like the 19 we found at Maltings, very distinctive. It has its own unique kind of taste, just the way Talisker has an unmistakable taste. At cask strength it needs to be watered, and it becomes a touch cloudy with the addition of the water, suggesting that it’s not been chill filtered, not finished off so that it can be poured on ice in the American market. Old fashioned malt whisky. Too bad this malt will gradually disappear, unless someone bothers to reopen the distillery. Jackson calls its demise a ‘grievous loss’.

We had both boys home for the weekend, which meant that we spent more than a little time with our whisky. We picked up a bottle of Highland Park 18 for the remarkable price of $53. That has to be the very best buy one can find on the entire planet. HP, one of our long-time favorites, has been declared the finest spirit in the world. And the 18 is just about perfect. Maybe the 25 has a longer finish, and a bit more flavor. But the 18 is so good, so smooth, how could anyone possibly complain? And for $53 a bottle? Why didn’t we buy more? (Yes G, I’m holding one for you. I had to hide it in my basement so I didn’t accidentally drink it all up one night.)

We also sampled a brand new taste, Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye, 13 years old. My man Ben says that straight rye whisky is ready to blow up, the next big thing, and this Winkle is an indication why. Sweeter than malt whisky, perhaps not as much variety of taste, but smooth and definitely flavorful. The only drawback is that a single glass is enough; the whisky doesn’t leave you wanting a refill as soon as your glass is empty. Now perhaps some folks would find that to be a virtue; after all, it encourages moderation in whisky consumption. But around here, we prefer whiskies that call for another pour, regardless of how many you’ve already had. And think about it, doesn’t it require a greater act of will to turn down another glass of Highland Park? And doesn’t that really make you a better person for having resisted that extra glass? I think it’s important to keep in mind that whisky shouldn’t just taste good; it should build character as well.

G-Man reports that he has acquired a high end Caol Ila, cask strength, 12 year old, private bottling. So how is it?

Highland Park Revisited

I’ve recently learned two things about Highland Park, one of my favorite malts. First, it has a new look – new label, new packaging, new bottle, the works. Second, and perhaps not entirely by coincidence, it was recently declared, by Paul Pacult, who apparently is a recognized whisky-meister, the best spirit in the world.

On the one hand, I’m glad to hear all that, because it validates my own opinion, which is only recognized as authoritative at my kitchen table. I have always liked Highland Park. The 25 is the very best whisky I have ever tasted, and the 12 and 18 respectively, are perhaps the best buys one can find among whiskies of comparable age. Big flavor, really big flavor, with a long finish, and no bite, just as smooth and mellow as you could ever hope for. In fact, it’s dangerously good; the label should contain a warning that it’s easy to drink so much of this malt that you’ll be unable to get out of your chair, leaving no alternative but to order another one.

On the other hand, I hope that all this marketing and makeover doesn’t portend a dramatic price increase. For example, the 25, once quite moderately priced for such a remarkable whisky, is longer easily available. My purveyor advises that the price has shot up to dramatic new levels. Will this now happen to the 18 as well? Macallan 18 is a great whisky, but it really shouldn’t cost $120 or more. However, if the market is willing to support that price, how are we going to find it for $60, where one could always find Highland Park’s 18?

And another thing, perhaps a little thing, but who really wants up-to-date packaging on a single malt? Isn’t part of the attraction of malts that they are all about the whisky, and not about the other baloney? I mean, we’re not talking vodka here. We don’t flavor malts with pineapple, and we don’t mix up pink and green colored cocktails with them. Take, for instance, the Caol Ila label. What scotch drinker doesn’t love that simple old school look? Do we really want a fine malt like Highland Park in some Madison Avenue getup?

Still, in the meantime, I’m glad to find out that I’m a genuine scotch whisky genius. So if anyone wants to find out if their favorite malt is the real deal, or actually sucks, just drop a comment on the blog, and I’ll be happy to provide a posting with my personal and uninformed opinion.

Sex Education

This is a true story. I first learned something about sex from Robert Sarason. I was about eight or nine years old, living on Crawford Avenue in Syracuse, and generally ignorant about the practice of sex. I knew something about sperms and eggs, and the process whereby the baby grew inside the mom, uterus and all that, but had not become enlightened as to exactly how the sperm came to meet the egg. That was a mystery.

One day, as we were hanging around, Robert Sarason informed us that if you put your penis on a girl’s tit, that was called rape. He had no explanation for why one would do that, only that the process was called rape. And we all figured he must know something, because he had an older brother, who for all we knew, engaged in this mysterious practice.

I was reminded of this incident because I sat down last weekend and wrote a check to Planned Parenthood. Robert raises money for Planned Parenthood, and probably as a result of that, I’m on the mailing list. Anyway, I thought, how interesting – here we are years later, and Robert is still in the business of spreading the word about sex education. I only hope that he has his facts straight by now.

Big Noise, No Win

Trying to look for the silver lining last night, I figured that maybe it was better Cuse lost; better that their comeback fell a couple points short; better that they’re no longer undefeated; and better that their ranking will slip a bit, and that they don’t end up ranked in the top ten before the conference schedule ever begins.

The bad news was obvious. A loss. A 27-1 run in the first half. Eleven minutes without a field goal. Nichols and Devendorf sleepwalking through the game. Terrible outside shooting. But the good news was that Cuse came back from 23 down. With only five and a half minutes left in the game, they still trailed by 17. But from that point on, they were a different team – playing with urgency and intensity. This team needs to play hard for forty minutes. They need to stop going through the motions in the first half, and allowing themselves to fall behind by 10 or more points, which they’ve apparently done in half their games this year. So if last night was awake-up call, I’m fine with that. On the other hand, if this was just a harbinger of the conference schedule, that’s not good. Let’s see if we can bounce back in the Garden, where we often play well. Home away from home.

Meanwhile, the new PH had the game highlight again, although I haven’t seen the clip yet. (I’m hoping someone posts it on Youtube.) On a fast break, he took off from around the foul line, shades of Dr. J, and seemed to fly over two earthbound defenders, who could only watch as he came down, jamming home a dunk before he landed. Before long, when we the offense is stagnant, or late in the game, when we need a bucket, we’re going to have to run clear outs for PH. There’s no one player who can stay with him going to the hoop, and if draws attention from other defenders, he’s a great passer. This is our go-to guy.

One more point. Toward the end of the game, as Cuse stormed back, as the big lead disappeared, as steals led to dunks and turnovers, the Dome was rocking for the first time this year. Nice crowd for December, lots of students, and bedlam for five and half minutes. Always fun to be in the Dome when the crowd is deafening.