The After Dinner Flight

One week ago – dinner at Keen’s Chophouse with G-Man. Midtown was teeming. Whether it was the fact that the All-Star Game had brought fans and families despite the high ticket prices, or maybe the cheap dollar had brought thousands of tourists, or perhaps the high price of jet fuel (as noted in certain comments) had kept the New Yorkers close to home, the sidewalks were packed. Midtown featured some kind of street market along Madison Avenue, once known for its grey flannel suits, and not for falafel and Italian sausage. G-Man took me past the Garden just as a WNBA game was getting out, and the crowds were surging down into Penn Station. Herald Square was crowded with shoppers, who looked, at least to my untrained eye, like native New Yorkers. Finally, as the afternoon ebbed, we sought respite from the crowds at Keen’s bar.

We shared six malts that night, none of which are in my liquor cabinet, and five of which cannot be located anywhere in Rochester, at least not readily. To remove the suspense, here are the six, in the order of their consumption: Rosebank 13 (Whisky Galore bottling); Bruichladdich Full Strength; Macallan cask strength; Bruichladdich 20; Edradour Ballechin; and lastly, Talisker 25. John has already posted lyrically on the Edradour, and some of these others are rather well known, but having taken extensive notes throughout the dinner, I feel I owe it to the readers, and to G, not to mention posterity, which may one day no longer be able to find or afford some of these malts, the details of our observations.

Rosebank occupies a place of special affection for our family. We discovered it a couple years ago on a cruise ship, without knowing anything about it, including the fact that the distillery had already been closed for more than a dozen years. John immediately developed a fondness for this malt, and we have since then determined that it is the celebratory malt, for graduations, for championships, for memorable family occasions. This particular bottling of Rosebank, however, stands out as one of the best I ever tasted, including the original 18 year old featured at Maltings on the ship. Rosebank always has a wonderfully floral nose, befitting its name, but this bottling was especially aromatic. The other distinction was its richness; the texture of the whisky was more luxurious, more buttery, than any other lowland malt I can recall. After remarking on the very long finish exhibited by this Rosebank, G-Man observed: “I forgot how nice it is.” The more we drink, the more I’ll mourn its passing.

The other malt we shared before dinner was the cask strength version of Bruichladdich. I’ve tasted the Bruichladdich Full Strength once before – at The Last Hurrah. But we drank so many spectacular whiskies that day, and I imbibed so much, that’s hard to recall many of them other than by name. I’ve come to enjoy cask strength whiskies- finding them more flavorful, even if they are not quite as smooth as their older brethren. Even with water, most cask strength whiskies retain more bite than, say, an 18 year-old 86 proof version, of the same whisky. Nevertheless, the taste usually makes up for the bite, and this Laddie is no exception. Think too of how much flavor is found in any bottle of Laddie, and then extrapolate out to the full flavor end of the spectrum. What a start.

Skipping right over the porterhouse for three, which probably deserves its own posting, we chose the after-dinner flight, in part on the recommendation of John and Rico, and in part on the fact that it’s really an exceptional buy. For less than one-third the price of the Rockefeller flight, one can enjoy whiskies that really are beyond the usual price range. Not to mention the nice variety of tastes than provide a perfect conclusion to the evening’s dining. So here we go.

Macallan Cask. Notwithstanding what I just said, the Macallan is nothing special. It’s good, and it’s flavorful, but all the Macallans from the 10 on up, are bursting with flavor, and once you get to the seventeen and beyond, the interminable finish allows you to enjoy this malt long after it’s been tasted, and swallowed. It goes on and on. But the cask strength was the only whisky in this flight that could, in any way, be called ordinary. Still, we found the flavor rich – chocolate and caramel, and with some watering, this was a smooth and mellow malt. Cruise control; easy drinking.

Bruichladdich 20. The chalk-board, and even the little placemat on which the flight was served, both describe this at the 21, but G and I returned to the bar afterward, to see the bottle, and it was the 20, not the 21 which had been poured. That difference was of no moment. As good as the full strength had been before dinner, the 20 was even better. G-Man says the nose transported him to another dimension; I found a touch of sweetness in this malt. Like all of the Laddies, there is a hint of peat, but an overwhelming flavor, and with the 20, no bite at all. It was as smooth and velvety a whisky as one could imagine. The only problem with Bruichladdich is that the prices are going up through the roof. The 15, which was everyone’s favorite, is now at least $70; and the 17 sells for $100. I’m guessing that the 20 is well beyond that – perhaps in the $150 range. I think that Rico would explain this in terms of a scarce commodity, or a growing demand, with a fixed supply. Or something like that. And as good as it was, I’m not about to start dropping a buck-fifty for every bottle of whisky I buy. I still recall when great whisky and the world’s best wine, sold for under ten dollars a bottle. If my dad knew the price of the malts in my own cabinet, he’d roll over. So unfortunately, we’ll leave the Laddie 20 for the occasional visit to the likes of Keen’s.

Edradour Ballechin, another peated highland. Edradour is apparently Scotland’s smallest distillery, recently purchased by an independent bottler as I recall. I haven’t seen it on the shelf, and have no idea of its price, although I noted that Keen’s charges $24 for a full pour, a lot considering the reasonable prices they usually charge. There were actually two Edradours on Keen’s listing; our bartender poured us the one finished in burgundy casks. The nose is overwhelming – think smoked bacon. The taste, however, is sweeter than the nose. And it’s more smoke than peat. The overall impression is barbeque. And after an initial bite (I’m guessing this is a young whisky.) there is a long finish that gets sweeter still. If this malt is at all affordable, it would be great after a spicy dinner cooked over the grill. Let’s hope supply and demand doesn’t put this out of our range.

Finally, the Talisker 25, another unaffordable malt; I’m finding it listed in the $200 range. I doubt there are even two stores in this county that stock it. This is clearly Talisker, but everything has been raised to the nth power. (I was by then too far gone to calculate n with any accuracy.) The flavor is enormous, and continues to grow and grow, for as long as you can keep this malt on your palate. The finish is long, really long; longer than the line of people at the Apple store waiting to buy the new iphone.

And again, for the benefit of all readers, as well as posterity, the cost of the after-dinner flight was only $44. I’ve heard stories from Mike about how a midtown vodka tonic, made with one of those phony designer vodkas, runs about $20. So this flight would be a bargain anywhere on the planet. Only thing is, there are very few places on the entire planet where one would even find this medley of malt whiskies. So forget about jet fuel and the Rockefeller flight; Rosebank and the After Dinner Flight; that’s what I’m talking about.