Clynelish

The very first scotch tasting I ever attended was with Danny, a couple years before the birth of this blog. So let’s say about 2003. It was sponsored by Diageo, and they had a guy all dressed up in a kilt, speaking in a Scottish brogue (although, as I recall, he was originally from Brooklyn), and we tasted about five malts, and a couple of the higher end Johnny Walkers. At the time we went, Danny and I had just begun drinking malts with any dedication, but didn’t know much of anything about anything. Pretty much everything we tasted that evening was a new experience. And, the very first whisky we tasted that night was Clynelish, so it’s funny that in all the years I’ve been writing about malt whisky, I have never taken the time to write about Clynelish. That’s clearly an oversight, and one which I intend to remedy this very evening.

Clynelish is a highland whisky, but the distillery is located to the north of most other highland distilleries. Plus, it’s right on the water, on the east coast of Scotland. So even though it’s a highland malt, one can taste a bit of the sea in this whisky. Not really peat, more of a peppery bite, with a touch of brine lurking somewhere in the background. In truth, although it doesn’t get a lot of attention, Clynelish is one of those whiskies that’s distinctive, with a character different from all other malts, including the much more popular highland labels. I like that.

I also like the simplicity of its offering in the market. There is a single Clynelish from the distiller, 14 years old, 92 proof. It’s not matured in sherry or Madeira casks, and really, I’m getting fed up with the whiskies that are finished in fourteen different kinds of wine casks. I mean, I love wine and all, but if I want to drink tawny port, or Chateauneuf-de-Pape, I’ll drink the wine; I don’t need it mixed in with my whisky. So there’s none of that with Clynelish; it’s just malt whisky in a bottle. One age statement, old school presentation, nothing fancy. As I said, just whisky in a bottle.

Another thing: it’s reasonably priced. I have noticed that the 18 year old whiskies have all gone stratospheric in their pricing. Apparently, the deal in China is that everyone wants to drink only the best stuff. If they’re going to drink wine, it’s got to be first growth Bordeaux, or maybe one of the DRC Burgundies. And if it’s going to be whisky, it’s got to be the best that the distiller has to offer. So I guess over there, it’s 18 year old whisky or nothing. The Macallan 18 has been crazy expensive for years, but now the HP 18, the Bunnahabhain 18, certainly the older age statements from Bruichladdich, all of them are an arm and a leg. But the 12 year olds, which I’m guessing don’t have much cache in the Asian market, are still reasonably priced. Aberlour, HP, Bunnahabhain, you can pick up the 12s for forty dollars, or even less. The same is true for Clynelish at 14 years of age. I got a couple bottles from WhiteHouse for just that - forty dollars.

So if you’re in the mood for a distinctive malt, affordably priced, and not the same old same old sherry matured highland whisky, give this Clynelish a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Another Big Road Win

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t see this coming. A week ago, driving into Syracuse for the Rutgers game, I was expecting the season to end 2 and 2, and thought it would have given the Orange a nice late-season boost to steal one of the road games. But two big road wins, both against ranked teams? No way.

How mercurial has this team been all season? I don’t need to revisit the early season doldrums, when Boeheim christened them the most overrated team he had ever coached. Nor the mid-season swoon that seemed destined to leave the Cuse with their first five-game losing streak in Boeheim’s long career. The real question, from now until sometime in March, is what team will come to play in the two tournaments? Will it be the guys who won six conference road games, against the likes of UConn, Nova and Georgetown? Or the guys who surrendered ninety points to Seton Hall? The team that seemed to sleepwalk through many home games? Or the one that played great defense on the road?

Some interesting stats from today’s outing: Cuse was outrebounded by Georgetown, yet still managed to put up more shots. In part that was thanks to the turnovers. The Orange, uncharacteristically, protected the ball well, committing only 9 turnovers, at the same time they forced 16 from the Hoyas. That number included nine steals; plus, they had five blocks. It really was a defensive win. And if they’re to have any success in the post-season, it will have to come from the D. The offense remains too inconsistent.

The best news from today’s win, as far as I’m concerned, was the reemergence of James Southerland. Somehow, Southerland got in Boeheim’s doghouse, and has hardly played over the past month. Today, he keyed that run late in the first half that gave the Orange enough of a cushion to protect against the run Georgetown had coming out of halftime. He even looked pretty active in the zone, coming up with a couple steals and one nice block. With Southerland in the rotation, the Orange have seven players aside from the two freshmen centers. And with Southerland on the floor, they have another threat from the outside, and you know they’ll need that in March, as teams pack their defense in the lane to prevent Jackson from getting easy buckets.

Well, they have a week off before Depaul, and then another four days or so before Big East tournament play will start for them. So barring some catastrophe, and we know all about those, they should be healthy and rested for the post-season. Go Orange.

Lucky to Win, and Leaving Us Uneasy

Driving home from the Dome yesterday, after the overtime win, I spoke with John and we told ourselves that the OT win was good preparation for the tournament. But after re-watching the end of regulation, I’m not so sure.

First of all, the Cuse went up seven with about six minutes to go when Kris Joseph hit his third three. They got three consecutive stops down at the defensive end, but could not add to the lead. Triche threw the ball away on an ill-advised full-court pass; then he missed a J; and then he had the ball stripped away. So with the crowd behind them, and momentum apparently in their favor, the Orange squandered an opportunity to add to their lead.

Next thing that happened was that Jackson drew his fourth foul and had to sit. As soon as Keita replaced him in the middle, Rutgers starting going inside on every possession, and chipped away at the lead. With under three to play, Cuse was down two. So that’s the second vulnerability; there won’t be any post-season wins if Rick Jackson can’t play the full forty minutes. And in the NCAAs, you never know how the game will get called. We get accustomed to these games where everyone bangs around underneath, without many whistles – Big East style. But what if they find themselves in a game where all those pushes and shoves under the boards become personal fouls? And will Jackson get the benefit of the doubt which he now enjoys as a result of his seniority?

Anyway, the Orange played good D, held a one-point lead with 25 seconds to play, and then made two complete bonehead plays that really should have cost them the game. First, Joseph left his feet in response to a ball fake from one of the Rutgers guards, who was at least 25 feet from the hoop. Totally unnecessary foul. We were lucky however, because the kid didn’t even pretend to throw up a shot, and it was only two foul shots, not three. So then the Orange bring the ball up court, down one, twenty seconds to play and Jardine attempts a bounce pass to one of the forwards, I think Joseph. For only the umpteenth time in the game, his bounce pass doesn’t get up above the knees. There was no way it could have been handled, but luckily, someone on Rutgers dove for it and knocked it out of bounds. One final possession led to Jackson’s second foul shot, which hit the front rim, bounced off the back rim, and somehow dropped through. Miraculously, Cuse had survived to play OT, where they finally pulled away, mostly thanks to their D, and the fact that fatigue kept Rutgers from hitting its threes.

But making those bonehead plays late in a tournament game, not just a home-court regular season game against a team at the bottom of the Big East standings, will probably result in a loss. And as much as I have liked Scoop in the past, I have to admit that he is not playing with a lot of sachel of late. Errant passes; poor spacing on the break; not shooting well; often not finding the open guy. He has not looked like the point guard who will steady this team as they play close games – think of Lazarus Sims. He’s shown that ability in the past, but seems distracted or unsure of himself this year. We get that steady play from Jackson, but he’s not playing the point.

Yes, I know that Pitt and Notre Dame lost; and that Nova barely escaped; and that every conference game is a battle. But here’s my prediction for the post season- regardless of seed. One and one; losing in the second round. The sweet sixteen this year will be an accomplishment; it’s possible though they are one and done. Sorry fans, but I just don’t have much confidence.

And speaking of predictions, I don’t think Fab Melo returns next year. The box score says he played one minute, but actually it was only five seconds. Boeheim put him in on the defensive end. He was totally flatfooted, and Rutgers blew by him for a lay-up. To compound the error, he committed a foul, so it was a three point play. But here’s the real issue. Coach pulled him immediately, and Melo did not leave the court without waving his arms to express his disgust with the coach. After the half, he didn’t return to the court with the rest of the team, but came out of the locker room about two minutes later. The kid is toast. And really, he just isn’t ready for D-1, certainly not for the Big East. He should have taken another year at prep school, or gone to a D-3 program. Next year, we have Keita and Riley returning, along with a highly touted recruit. But I don’t think Fab Melo will wear Orange in 2012. Too bad; there seemed to be so much promise.

We’re Number 18.5

I like the ranking. No way this team should be in the top five, or even the top ten. They’re way too inconsistent, and they struggle too much offensively. Plus, I want them to feel disrespected. I want them to go into the post-season with something to prove. I want them to be motivated.

Tonight Danny and I watched the Cuse come back from a stagnant first half, overcome a six point deficit late in the first half, and end up beating a good West Virginia team by double digits. The Orange out rebounded the Mountaineers, even though it seemed like they were giving up a lot of second chance baskets. And they played great D in the second half, holding West Virginia to 22 points after intermission. In fact, even though W. Va. shot fifty percent from three-point range, hitting eleven of twenty-two, they could only muster six baskets within the arc, thanks to an active zone that disrupted many of the Mountaineers’ interior passes. Cuse had thirteen steals on the night, many of them leading to fast break opportunities.

And even though the offense was out of sorts in the first half, they scored enough after intermission to pull away. Foul shooting was not great, and there were several fast break opportunities that they failed to capitalize on. Guys missed some lay-ups, or seemed to wait too long before giving up the ball. But with the D holding West Virginia to just over fifty, the offense didn’t have to be spectacular – just good enough.

Every Big East game is a struggle, and this was no exception. West Virginia pushed the Orange around in the lane, made it hard for Jackson to score down low, and played an aggressive man defense all night. But their guard play was as good as it’s been over the last couple months. Triche led the scoring, and played with confidence all night. Scoop was aggravating, turning the ball over too often, and shooting poorly from the outside, but in the end, he made enough good plays to make up for all that. I especially liked his no look pass to Jackson underneath – a second half dunk that energized the crowd and the team.

So on Valentine’s Day, Danny and I had a good time at the Dome. No one had to buy flowers or chocolates. And the Cuse came away with a nice win. Let’s hope we see more of those over the next couple weeks leading up to the Big East Tournament. I don’t see this team going deep into the post-season, but they have enough talent to surprise folks, if they keep their game together. And can the tournament be any tougher than the Big East Schedule? I don’t think so. Go Orange.

Two Road Wins

A confession: I did not watch the UConn game live. If I had picked a single game on the schedule that I did not expect the Orange to win, it would have been that one. And after the four-game slide, and the defensive meltdown against Seton Hall, no way I was even dreaming of a win. Plus, good guard play is the key to handling the 2-3 zone, and UConn’s guards have historically eaten up the zone. So with Kemba Walker in the lead for Big East player of the year, I gave them little chance up in Storrs. That game may have salvaged the entire season. For now, at least it stopped the slide, and kept the Orange from losing five in a row for the first time in Boeheim’s tenure. How often did those ESPN nincompoops bring up that fact during Wednesday’s game? I think they were disappointed they didn’t get that lead on SportsCenter.

In any event, aside from the two road wins, here is the good news from the past week. The defense is back to early season form. That’s the obvious point. Maybe more important than the defensive numbers were the rebounding numbers. Cuse grabbed ten more boards than UConn. How often has that happened, ever? And yesterday, they did even better against USF, which despite their lousy record, is one of the conference’s better rebounding teams. Another good number was the contribution off the bench. The freshmen contributed 19 points against UConn, and 17 against USF. Considering that both were low scoring games, those are pretty significant numbers.

On the offensive end, notwithstanding what I just said about the bench, the best news from the last week is the same news from all season long – which maybe means by now that it isn’t news at all. In any event, Rick Jackson is carrying this team. He was the only starter who shot above .500 up in UConn, and he was just about unstoppable yesterday. If he would learn to use the glass, I think he’d be scoring thirty points a game. As it is, his double doubles are the only reliable offensive option the Orange have had of late. Yes, I know Triche hit some big threes in the second half against UConn, as did Waiters against USF. But there is no reliable offensive performer aside from Jackson. If we do have a couple shooters on any given night, and if the defense plays hard, this team can continue to win, but they’ll continue to struggle as long as the guards struggle with their three-point shooting. And that reminds me, what happened to James Southerland? How did he fall from grace so quickly? (He started against Seton Hall, and had almost no minutes during the past week.)

The schedule doesn’t get any easier. Every game from now until the close of the Big East tournament has the potential to put an L on their record. Let’s hope that things have turned around, and that the good D we saw this past week carries them through the rest of the Big East schedule, and into the tournament. Or as Buzz Lightyear would say: To Infinity and Beyond. Go Orange.

Defense Returns to Form

Just when I was about to give up on the season, and consign the team to a quick exit in March, the Orange beat the seventh ranked, and universally hated Huskies, on the road no less. That will do wonders for their RPI, probably undoing much of the harm that was caused by the unspeakable Seton Hall loss.

This team is the most inconsistent, unpredictable, and generally hard to figure bunch I can ever recall. In the Garden last month, they ran all over St. Johns, embarrassing the same Red Storm that later beat Duke by fifteen. Not long thereafter, they gave up ninety points to a Seton Hall team that came into the Dome having lost six straight. How does that happen? How does the defense surrender that many points to a team that isn’t playing five hundred, and then shut down a top ten team that had beaten the likes of Kentucky and Michigan State on consecutive nights?

I think this team needs a psychologist as much as a coach. When Brandon Triche is hitting his threes, he exudes confidence on the court; but after a couple turnovers, or if his shot isn’t going down, he starts moping, and you can just see that the kid is second guessing everything he does. Same for Kris Joseph, another mercurial personality who sometimes checks out of games if things aren’t going right. If everyone could just maintain his self-confidence, and avoid making bonehead plays, I think they could play up to their ranking. But as we’ve seen, they can just as easily play as though they don’t even deserve a bid to the NIT.

Assuming they get a road win at South Florida, and play well against the Hoyas when they return to the Dome, maybe it was a good thing to let go of the top five ranking. They were overrated at that level, regardless of how many games they had won. They need to have a chip on their shoulder; they need to feel like they have to play hard for forty minutes. In fact, forget about how they feel; they need to play hard for all forty minutes. There will be no more nights off for the remainder of the season. Every Big East game will be a struggle, or can easily become a struggle. Let’s hope they’ve plugged the holes in the defense, so that their inconsistent offense will at least have a chance to win, even when Triche and Joseph are moping. Let’s also hope they have no more four-game losing streaks. Go Orange.