Yes, I’m still here and yes, I know it’s been a while since I posted anything. Time for this blog has been at a bit of a premium lately and I really haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time tasting whisky of late. Plus, if I’m being honest, the fact that this blog has received very few hits and I’ve received virtually no feedback has been … um … disappointing. Oh, well. I guess I was really writing this primarily for myself, anyway, right?
But last night I did have some time and the inclination so I poured a little more of that Highland Park 12-year old. I once again used my stainless steel ice cubes and cut the whisky with a bit of water (is there a magic ratio for whisky to water?). The biggest difference was that last night I wasn’t really trying to “taste” the whisky; rather, I was just trying to enjoy it while I surfed the web and read my Twitter feed. And you know what? I think when I wasn’t trying to be so serious and so careful … I found much greater enjoyment from the glass of whisky. Though again, if I’m still being honest, I think I would have preferred a Tawny Port. But I did find myself growing rather fond of the whisky as the evening wore on and the glass grew less full.
Also, I recently purchased another bottle that I’m planning to open, try, and write about soon. I think that I’ll try it on its own, probably going through the progression of straight, cold, and cut that I tried with the Highland Park. But I’m particularly interested to have a side-by-side tasting so that, perhaps, I can begin to understand the differences between the bottling of one distillery and another. So what bottle did I buy? Ah, for that you’ll have to keep checking back.
And I’ve read that Thursday is World Whisky Day. I’m hoping to make it to the tasting being hosted at Vine & Table … but my son is having his tonsils taken out tomorrow so “me” time may be a thing of dreams rather than reality. We shall see.
Stay with it. It took me many years of drinking whiskey to begin to enjoy the whiskey for the whiskey and not for the alcohol. I'm sure we've all had a similar experience.
ReplyDeleteI do find myself relaxing with a pour occassionally and not paying close attention to what I'm tasting. I have a pretty good sense of what I like now, so if I'm just trying to relax, I don't want to put in the "effort" to (over)analyze what I'm drinking. I just want to relax. Other times, especially when drinking something completely new, I spend some time thinking about the flavors. Nothing wrong with doing it either way.
Sorry about the delay in posting your comment, Keith (and I do appreciate the comment). Apparently comment moderation was turned on and I never thought to check for comments awaiting approval.
ReplyDeleteI had another glass of the Highland Park Saturday night while watching a DVD. I wasn't paying any attention to the details (of the whisky, not the movie). And I think, once again, just relaxing and enjoying was a whole lot better than trying to focus and "taste".