As I’m sure we’ll all agree in such interesting times as these, austerity, whilst sometimes wholly necessary and hugely useful, is rarely sought-after or something to look forward to  in everyday life. Here though, people whose opinion I respect hugely seemed to be relishing this aspect of a whisky. There are times when we all need austerity in our ‘real’ lives, but here, relating to a drink I find gustatorially desirous and intellectually nourishing, people were expounding the desirability of a facet I didn’t want in a liquid I physiologically didn’t need.

As I hurtled northbound en-route to my first Whisky Festival of the year in the wonderful city of Newcastle, I was struck by the beautifully austere view out of the window. Snow covered fields, ice covered trees and lineside equipment, thick mist in the lower lying parts of the land around me, crisp vapour-trails in the air and the moon, almost full, craters and ‘seas’ clearly defined by the newly risen sun. Not a breath of wind disturbed the wisps of smoke and steam from chimneys rising ever upwards into the frigid, fresh morning air. Truly, this was a scene of austere beauty. How can I reconcile this with a particular combination of flavour and structure in an aged, boiled beer that, whilst the overall liquid may be perfectly serviceable, often makes said drink seem rather bereft of charm.

“Thank God it’s Christmas” or, at least, thank God it was Christmas. Due to our shipping out rather a lot of Spirits and Wine over the 8 weeks leading up to the end of December, our logistics centre in Basingstoke closes to inbound deliveries to allow the team to concentrate on the outbound ones – and woe betide anyone who attempts to subvert this policy enforced by our wonderful Warehouse Manager, Mr Chris Layland! This means that every year, in early January, I get a lovely late Christmas present in the form of a large tranche of Berrys’ Own Selection Whisky bottlings that have taken place over the previous couple of months. This year twelve delicious new additions arrived within a fortnight of New Year. Amongst these manifold delights were two bottlings from the same distillery. Both were aged in the same type of cask. Both were bottled at Cask Strength. Both were, as always, bottled without the addition of any colouring or after having been Chill-Filtered. Most excitingly, both were from the same distillery and, to a tolerance of within a few months, both were the same age.

Triumph! This is exactly why I love what I do! Getting to explore these new bottlings and tease out what should be, on paper, the minutiae that seperate them. It’s a bit geeky, but these are the comparative tastings beloved of those of us lucky enough to get to do this for a living. Armagnac Nismes-Delclou 1900 Vs 1901 – Yep, both tremendous! Ch. D’Yquem 1874 Vs 1875 – Easy, clear winner! Tokaji Essencia 1893 Vs 1993 – No contest! Now, before anybody else in the world, I was getting to sit in my little corner of our delightful London Shop and compare Caol Ila 1982 Cask #6514 and Caol Ila 1983 Cask #4825. Not only this, but unknowingly I was about to ‘get’ how austerity could not only be a good thing in a dram, but actually complete a whisky and transform it into something quite special.

Caol Ila 1983 Cask #4825 (54.9%)

Straight off the bat, this is luscious on the nose with hugely charming nuttiness and really open fruit vibrancy. Even the particular hue of gold that the wood has imbued it with is extra-specially enticing. The peat is extremely well integrated, to the point where the citrus and stone fruit juiciness almost overpowers it. On the palate a reasssuring peaty tang weaves through the dense, creamy texture. Waxy lemon, lavishly expensive custard tarts and an almost wanton amount of white-chocolate oakiness balance the alcohol perfectly. Gorgeous, curvaceous and utterly shameless, I defy anyone not to have lashings of fun spending an evening or two with this!

Caol Ila 1982 Cask #6514 (56.4%)

Quietly reassured on the nose with some nice clean citrus, earthy notes, and cool smoke. Ripe, but not squishy, lemons with only the faintest covering of wax come through along with green olives, some herbal notes and dense peat smoke on the palate. The oak here is hard, long and supportive. The finish is so precisely poised that I almost mistook it for ‘merely’ very good. No, it’s much, much better than that. It’s extremely challenging without ever becoming offensive. It’s endlessly interesting without once becoming tiresome. It’s the kind of teacher that never once shouts, but somehow maintains the undivided attention of a room of hormone-addled Scarborough teenagers. It’s the kind of book that even though you’ve read it so many times the cover has fallen off you still feel inexplicably compelled to discover it all again, just one… more… time. It’s wonderful, truly and deeply wonderful, in its quiet, calm, effortless, brilliantly judged, beautfully beguilling, austerity.

And there dear reader(s) on that dark, wintry morning was yet another ‘Eureka’ moment in my never-ending Spirits journey. As my train continued ever Northwards, and the crispness of the dawn has started to be replaced by the familiar grey skies of my beloved Yorkshire in February, perhaps that particular moment for austerity had passed? Perhaps after sating 500 garullous geordies with delicious whisky and, hopefully equally thrillingly, delicious knowledge, I’ll be in the mood for something obviously and willingly charming? Perhaps it won’t be until later in the week or maybe next weekend that I return to my never-ending, ever-changing communion with the 1982 Caol Ila? Either way, there’s easily room in my life for both.

Follow me on twitter, comment below or pop in to see me in the London shop to continue your journey, and mine!

NB: After the festival, I did indeed seek the flirtacious charms of the 1983 Caol Ila. Luckily, there were a couple of drams left in the sample bottle at the end of the event. Inexplicably, when I stepped off the train at King’s Cross, the bottle was empty.

Wine is a natural partner to food and their affinity is renowned but a number of restaurants abroad and indeed in the UK are starting to consider the benefits of Cocktail and food matching. Aside from extended ageing or perhaps altering the service temperature, once a wine is in the bottle, the flavours largely cannot be manipulated. With Cocktails, flavours can be created, developed or tweaked to precisely match your dishes. The great news is that you don’t have to be a drinks professional or a trained mixologist to get creative with Cocktail making. The majority of us will have a bottle of Whisky or Gin somewhere perhaps amongst one or two suspect dusty bottles leftover from a Tombola. Aside from the additional elements of juices, herbs and Vermouth, it is surprising how creative you can be with a few basic bottles to start your Spirit store cupboard collection.

When considering cocktails, it is best not to just think of the main Spirit. As with food, only knowing the main ingredient will not lead you towards the best drinks match conclusion. Accompaniments and mixers are key. Drinks can often be considered a condiment to food as we would with salt, pepper or olive oil. Baked fish often suits an acidic vinegar, salty tang and a citrus character with full flavours and therefore think of those qualities before coming to a conclusion. I love Sangria made with red wine, a dash of King’s Ginger Liqueur and loads of fresh lemon in these instances.

Flavour – Cocktail and food matching shares many shadows with wine and food matching. Ideas such as trying to balance the flavour components of your drink to the flavours within the dish is perhaps the most immediate consideration. For example, you would avoid the likes of a spicy rich Syrah with light sushi, and you wouldn’t try a salty, citric Margarita with a heavy game casserole. The flavours are vastly different, the balance is wrong and it would baffle your taste buds.

Strength – To continue with the wine and food pairing comparisons, alcohol content is becoming an ever increasingly important consideration. Alcohol will of course be stronger in certain mixes depending on the ABV of the Spirit, the generous nature of who’s pouring, the added sweetness and the level of dilution from ice. Cocktails such as a No. 3 Gin Martini or an Old Fashioned need equal power from dishes with stronger profiles like salty or fried foods, smoked fish or even cheese. Likewise for matching delicate dishes with subtle cocktails.

Body – The mouth feel of a Cocktail is as important as it is in wines and so the texture should be as accurately paired as possible. For instance a sweet Sauvignon/Semillon blend in the guise of Sauternes offers dramatically different characteristics to the same grape blend served as a bone dry, crisp white from Graves. The sweet suits a Foie Gras and the simply latter would lack as a match.

My matches worth mentioning:

Bourbon Sour with BBQ lime chicken
Iced No. 3 Gin and cucumber with sushi
Cranberry Cosmo with a turkey sarnie
Glenrothes Manhattan with herb crusted rack of lamb
No. 3 Dry Martini with ‘picky’ nibbles; from crackers and olive tapenade, cheeses, artichoke hearts or even oysters, caviar & blinis if you want to indulge.

My colleague Anne McHale caught up with Mark Jenner before last night’s event for a sneak peak at his cocktail-making skills, and to ask him for his top tips about home cocktail creation and food matching. Watch Mark making the perfect No. 3 Dry Martini, and hear what he has to say: 

Connaught Cocktails

For those who were unable to attend the Champagne and Cocktail event, here are the recipes from celebrity mixologist Mark Jenner of The Connaught:

Classic Dry No. 3 Martini

Ingredients:
1 tsp Extra Dry Vermouth
85ml No. 3 Gin
1 Amalfi Lemon

Pour the Extra Dry Vermouth into a frozen martini glass (either 7oz or 5.5oz glass) and coat the glass in a circular motion. Top up to the rim with ice cold No.3 gin. Pare the rind of an un-waxed Amalfi lemon, and give it a twist to extract the oils into the glass. Then serve garnished with the lemon peel.

No. 3 Negroni

Ingredients:
35ml No. 3 Gin
35ml Red Vermouth
35ml Campari Bitters
1 Lemon
1 Orange

Mix all the liquid contents together in a heavy-bottomed tumbler with ice. Stir. Add a slice of orange and lemon zest to decorate.

Ginger Royale
Ingredients:
35ml The King’s Ginger
140ml Berrys’ United Kingdom Cuvée Champagne

Pour a generous measure of The King’s Ginger into a flute.
Add chilled UKC Champagne to taste.

Laura Atkinson & Anne McHale

Personal highlights include the Clynelish 1997 – and we’ve recently bottled another sister cask, so hopefully even more Brora-based deliciousness soon. Along with the Glenlivet 1994, yet more proof of the sheer brilliance of the spirit from this iconic distillery.

Oddball whisky of the week was definitely the Glen Keith, which as well as being only the second ever Berrys’ bottling from this distillery is the only whisky so far to make me use mirabelle and samphire in the same sentence!


BOS Clynelish 1997 55.5% Cask # 4655

Fresh honey and scrubbed peaches, apricots soaked in something wickedly potent. The tiniest flick of smoke trying desperately to make its way somewhere and just getting caught up in something slightly sweet on the way past. Rich, round structure of oak with lemon, maybe fig and some old memories of honey drizzled on shredded-wheat as a child. Finishes on that touch of smoke and the skins of stone fruit.

BOS Glen Keith 1996 55.1% Cask #72713

Appletiser, lemon sherbet, some white liquorice and floral notes. Beautiful texture at this age, sweet attack followed up by very gentle oak and some savoury fruit. Top quality spirit in a really nice ‘refill’ cask. The creamy-textured finish lingers very gently on samphire, a touch of mirabelle plums and maybe even celery!?

BOS Aberlour 1988 53.2% Cask #5551

Classic gentle Speyside fruit on the nose, possibly slightly muted from the cask strength, cherries and red apples, something grassy perhaps. Oily texture, Jaffa orange peel and custard creams – without the cream! Lovely fruity grip on the finish, rhubarb or redcurrants I wonder? With water, the grassy qualities come through and a tiny touch of coffee shop appears from somewhere.

BOS Glenlivet 1994 58.9% Cask 58453

Now this is why I love this distillery! Concise and elegant yet at the same time a sense of richness on the nose that promises something wonderful. Something wickedly creamy and the best millionaires’ shortbread on the palate. That delicious depth of fruit that separates the truly great Speyside distilleries from the merely very good. Not a drop of water necessary at cask strength in my opinion. A chewy, oily, malty wave of a finish rounds things off beautifully. Can you tell I like it!?

BOS Aultmore 1982 57.8% Cask 2224

Aultmore is a well-respected distillery amongst master blenders, but quite rarely seen as a Single Malt, even in these wonderful days of so many independent bottlers. We bottled our first (an elegant, complex 1991) in the early part of this year, and have followed this up with this offering. Under-ripe pineapple on the nose backs up a strong, malt character more usually associated with whiskies less mature than this. The spirit is doing all the talking here, no powerful wood-influences at all. Sweet coconut on the palate maybe giving hints at its age. This is clean as a whistle, with greengage, lemongrass and a touch of banana. Long after the last drops have gone, something like menthol whispers on. With water, something that might begin to hint towards peat starts to appear on the nose, whilst some of the lovely soft richness is lost. Perhaps not the best swimmer, just right at natural cask strength.

Five new releases next week including a monstrously sherried Bunnahabhain 1979 that looks so chewy it’ll test the molars as well as the tastebuds! Follow me on Twitter for my first impressions and any other Spirits and Wine related musings that pop into my head.

Very few things truly satiate in the warmer months than a really good ‘Spirit & Tonic’. I’m not going to insult you by teaching any of your grandmothers to suck eggs, or indeed make their own preferred form of G&T, but after my failure to produce a delicious Grain Whisky and Tonic a few days ago there are a few of my errors I would hate anyone else to replicate:

Firstly, your spirit must be of good quality and of a style you like. Now, most commercially available spirits are at the least good quality so unless you have a particular penchant for risking life and limb (and a nasty criminal record) distilling things in your living room, the spirit part of the equation is pretty much a given. I don’t think it’ll come as much of a surprise to learn that for me, even though I’ve enjoyed Cognac, Armagnac, Rum, Vodka and Whisky in the role, the ideal spirit to pair with tonic is Gin. It also might not be a huge shock to find that the pinnacle of Gin can be found very close to home in the rather fetching green bottle of Berrys’ No. 3 London Dry Gin.

Secondly, your tonic must be something you could actually drink on its own. My failure earlier this week stemmed from the fact that I was in an unfamiliar environment separated from any ability to choose my ingredients. I appreciate that a bad workman always blames his tools but on this occasion I feel I can be forgiven. Suffice to say, I hope never again to find myself faced with slightly flat, convenience store own-label, low calorie tonic water and be expected to provide something appealing.

Thirdly, and this is purely my reasoning of course, serve in any type of glass, with any amount of ice, garnished in any way you like. If you enjoy the sweeping, ergonomic curves of one particular Germanic sounding glassware manufacturer over another, by all means fill your cupboards with their products. If you feel that your ice must be carved into an Icosidodecahedron and made from thrice-filtered Nordic water, be my guest. If you’ve discovered a remote tribe in a far-flung corner of this world that makes ceremonial cocktail bitters to a millennia old recipe and only sell one thimble-full every decade, then please, knock yourself out! None of these things will automatically make the drink any better or worse in my opinion, but they are almost certainly part of somebody’s imbibing ritual.

Finally, and probably most importantly, make sure the experience is shared. I believe it’s perfectly possible to share a delicious ‘Spirit and Tonic’ with a great novel, a sporting occasion or a spot of music. Vodka and Tonic with Tolstoy? Cognac and Tonic with the cricket? Rum and Tonic with Bob Marley perhaps? Equally, very few bottles are as enjoyably finished as those drained with friends and loved ones, soaked up with good conversation and something that a non-Yorkshireman might well describe as joie-de-vivre!

So, for those of you who need a bigger fix of spiritual passion than @BBRrob on Twitter can provide, allow me to expound some more fully furnished musings on the various Spirits I’ve had the ‘arduous’ task of tasting for you this week:

Berrys’ Own Selection (BOS) Bruichladdich 1991 50.1% Cask #2996

This Bruichladdich shows hazelnut, a touch of sea air, some milk chocolate, salted caramel, a tiny lick of peat and even some pear and rhubarb on the nose. Lovely biscuity-peat comes through on the palate with gentle citrus peel. This is beautifully balanced, a long, elegant finish on muscovado sugar (without the sweetness!) and peach skins. Truly whisky for all seasons.

Berrys’ Own Selection Cal Ila 1980 55.6% Cask #4938

Gorgeous! Nutty peat on the nose, backed up by cooked lemon, maybe a touch of gentian and something like ‘chocolate’ bourbon cream biscuits. Some tiny flickers of initial sweetness on the palate from the oak are swiftly quashed by a wave of peat and leather. As would be expected at this age, everything has come together beautifully, nicely integrated flavours of tobacco and some slightly burnt stone-fruit. A touch of water brings out some almost grassy/agave notes and maybe under-ripe melon. Readily apparent but deftly balanced wood and a briny tang finishes things off nicely. Serious stuff!

A quiet week this week, but a few new releases slated for rigorous ‘assessment’ in the next seven days. Potential highlights include two distilleries never before bottled by Berrys, at least not in the ‘modern era’, and Doug McIvor’s (our Spirits Manager) continuing series of casks of cask strength – 1997 Clynelish.

Send me your questions and comments. Start, or continue, your travels along the thoroughfare of Spirits. Indulge me (and yourself) by following @BBRrob on Twitter and join my journey through the fascinating, never-ending world of delicious, distilled sensations.

But back to the wintery weather. One of our favourite coctails, ‘The Rusty Tack’, is a sophisticated take on a classic whisky cocktail that blends equal measures (we recommend 35ml) of The King’s Ginger and Cutty Sark Whisky, and is bound to keep the chills at bay.

The toothsome combination of ginger and citrus flavours makes The King’s Ginger a natural store cupboard essential and we have also put together some pudding recipes that include The King’s Ginger.

There are doubtless many other delicious ways to include this seductive liqueur in your cooking – let us know if you’ve come up with any yourself!

The King’s Ginger Snaps
Ingredients:
50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g golden syrup
50g plain flour
1/2 tsp grated root ginger
Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp The King’s Ginger
The Cream:
250ml double cream
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
1 heaped tsp of stem ginger in syrup, drained and chopped finely
2 tbsp The King’s Ginger

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour, lemon zest, grated ginger and The King’s Ginger to this mixture; stir until well combined. Drop one teaspoon of the mixture onto the baking sheet, 10cm apart. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until bubbling, lacy and a deep caramel colour.
Remove from oven. Let the snaps cool slightly, and then lift with a palette knife. Quickly roll around the handle of a wooden spoon to form a tube shape. Cool on a wire rack. These can be kept in an airtight tin for a week. Serve with The King’s Ginger cream.
Whip the double cream to soft peaks. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Chill until serving. This can be piped into the ginger snaps or served alongside in a small pot.

The King’s Ginger Truffles
Ingredients:
200g good quality dark chocolate
175ml double cream
5 tbsp The King’s Ginger
1 tsp of finely chopped drained stem ginger in syrup
Line a baking tray with cling film. Break the chocolate into small pieces and drop into a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate is melted. Add The King’s Ginger and the chopped stem ginger. Mix well. Leave in bowl and allow to cool to room temperature (about 2 hours).
Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out bite sized pieces and roll into even shaped balls. Roll in cocoa powder and place on baking sheet. Chill in the fridge. Serve with after dinner coffee and a chilled shot of The King’s Ginger.

For more cocktail and recipe ideas click here. To learn more about The King’s Ginger watch this fun video.

As part of this opportunity, the successful candidates will learn the time-honoured art of making The Glenrothes and the time-honoured skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. The winners will spend time working at each stage of the whisky-making process: testing the purity of the water source at the distillery’s two springs; milling the malt to achieve the golden proportions of husk, grits and flour; mashing to ensure maximum extraction of sugars in the wort; adding yeast to the washbacks and overseeing fermentation; slowly and carefully distilling new make spirit in our tall copper pot stills. From there the winning Whisky Makers will be involved in making casks at the cooperage, laying down casks for maturation and rolling casks to the warehouse.

The Whisky Makers will nose single malt from maturing casks to assess whether the contents are of sufficiently exceptional quality and maturity; only the top 2% of the distillery’s output is bottled as The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Whisky. Finally, the Whisky Makers will have the opportunity to create their very own selection of The Glenrothes – a unique bottle with their own hand-written tasting notes on the label.

After work, the Whisky Makers will enjoy the simple pleasures that Speyside has to offer; a spot of fishing, dining in the local Highland restaurants or perhaps a picnic in the hills surrounding the distillery. The Whisky Makers will stay in Rothes House, a private home belonging to the family that owns The Glenrothes. As with the distillery, Rothes House is not open to the public but is reserved for VIP visits. After making their own bottle of The Glenrothes, our whisky makers will spend their final day of the trip in Edinburgh, visiting The Scotch Whisky Experience and having dinner with Scotland’s pre-eminent whisky writer, Charles MacLean.

Entry is simple; entrants supply their name and personal details and then be invited to answer in 50 words or fewer why they are the perfect candidate for the job. Hundreds of runners-up prizes will be offered too. Entries will be accepted in English, Spanish and Chinese.

The competition will run until 31st January 2011 and can be entered at http://www.theglenrothes.com/uk/whiskymaker/

This has been a momentous week here at BB&R.

Eighty seven years after it was born in the parlour at 3 St James’s Street, the Cutty Sark brand has been sold. For as long as I can remember the familiar yellow label has been part of our identity. Somehow this always seemed to be paradoxical: very few of our UK wine customers automatically associated BB&R with an international whisky blend, but the reality is that the wine division of our business would never have survived, let alone prospered, if it hadn’t been for Uncle Cutty paying the bills for forty years or more.

Cutty Sark itself was a bit of a paradox. It was invented by London wine merchants (including my grandfather) who rarely drank whisky. They decided it should be pale in colour because the best wood aged spirits – Cognac, for example – did not have to be darkened by caramel to hide their flaws. It was drunk, initially, in Prohibition-bound America, where its pale colour convinced suspicious eyes that tea – or at any rate a weaker dram – was being consumed. For a whisky with such a British heritage (including a royal warrant), it was strangely always an export brand: America initially, especially after Prohibition was lifted, but subsequently markets as diverse as Greece, Japan, and Spain. As it grew more and more successful, it seemed to shun its BB&R roots, appealing to a younger, international audience with little in common with a traditional St James’s wine merchant.

Nevertheless, Cutty was a huge success. In the 1970s, it was the largest selling brand in the largest spirits market the world has ever known: blended whisky in the USA. As it declined in America, it spread throughout the world, at one time being sold in over 150 separate countries. Financially, it was a gold mine for us. By the mid 1980s, it was contributing 90% of our turnover, and 105% of our profit. It could be accused of imparting to the Wine Division a sense of complacency. On the other hand it allowed us to maintain traditions and standards of service that were being swept away by the modernity of the late twentieth century (and if you want to know what I mean try calling British Gas to discuss your account!). To mix avian metaphors, the cuckoo in the nest was laying very golden eggs.

So what happened?

Basically, three things changed over the course of the past 15 to 20 years. Firstly the world-wide spirits trade began to consolidate and become much more competitive. Whereas previously we had been a nimble, independent squadron able to operate effectively against larger concerns like the brand-owning breweries, now the world is dominated by the super-powers of the drinks industry. Diageo and Pernod Ricard exercise such power that a family-owned business such as ours has little chance to compete when it comes to mass-market brands. Margins began to dwindle. You had to be massively powerful to survive.

Secondly the Wine Division decided to stand on its own two feet, and has done so remarkably successfully. Building on the values that Cutty’s success allowed us to maintain, the unprofitable ‘Home Trade’ (as it was called) transformed itself from a ‘dinosaur’ into ‘the best wine merchant in the world’ in a remarkably short space of time. The wine trade, and especially the fine wine trade, is a fickle industry, at the mercy of climate and fashion. However since 1993 the Wine Division’s turnover has increased from £5 million per annum to over £100m, and for the last 10 years has been in profit every year but one. Berry Bros & Rudd, the Wine Merchants, are now a multi-faceted business in their own right.

And thirdly, we have realised that, as far as Spirits are concerned, our strengths lie in fostering premium, niche brands. We invented the Glenrothes in its present form in 1994, and watched as it became the fastest growing single malt in the world. Yet we never owned it; we merely relied on a 10 year marketing contract. As we add to our spirits portfolio (the re-branding of King’s Ginger, and the imminent launch of Number 3 Gin being the first steps) it was important to make the Glenrothes ours and ours alone.

The Edrington Group, who have been our partners in Cutty Sark since they started blending the liquid over 70 years ago, were sure that the brand would prosper if they owned it outright. They have already achieved enviable success with Famous Grouse and the Macallan, and with Maxxium Worldwide (their international distribution alliance with Beam Global Spirits) they are certainly in a better position to take on the multinational mega-corporations. They also recognised our ability to grow the Glenrothes, which they still distil. So, finally, a deal was done which benefited – like all good deals – both parties.

I am sure that it will feel strange without Cutty Sark for a while. Certainly the business will change, with the Wine Division more focussed on profitability and the Spirits Division determined to build the assets of their new brands. However I am equally sure that the company as a whole is now playing to its strengths as never before. And that in times to come this momentous week will be recognised as central to the continuing success of Berry Bros & Rudd.

A common dilemma.

For a lot of people, though they might not be able to agree on exactly where it is, they will be able to agree on a number of common attributes.

In my opinion, The Perfect Holiday Destination (PHD) would definitely incorporate at least some,

if not all,  of the following characteristics:

• Unspoilt white sandy beaches with crystal clear water.
• An uncrowded island.
• Close, but not too close to an international airport. With short transfer times.
• Friendly locals, who all understand English.
• Some really interesting historical monuments.
• Empty roads.
• Things to do, for when you get bored of just relaxing. 
• Good locally produced food and drink.

The destination I would like to commend to you is in fact The Southern Inner Hebrides. To be more precise the islands of Arran, Mull, Islay, Jura, and Kintyre (The latter isn’t actually an Island, it just feels like one)

All meet the above criteria for the PHD. The beaches of Islay and Mull are some of the finest I have ever seen, certainly on par with those of Fraser Island, Western Australia.

Uncrowded? Jura has a total population of 180. The island has an area of 142 square miles (368 km2) so that’s about 1¼ people per square mile!

Convenient flights? If you want to fly, then the flight to Islay or Kintyre is about 20mins from Glasgow airport. If flying isn’t you thing, then the Caledonian McBrayne feet can whisk you over to Arran in around 1½ hours from Glasgow Central Station.

Language? I’ll be honest here, there is a language barrier.  The good news is however that all the islanders can understand me perfectly.  I, on the otherhand , found their utternces a little difficult to fathom at times. Usually around closing time!

History? The islands abound with it. St. Columba landed at Iona, just off Mull in the 6th century to bring Christianity to Britain. On Islay lies Loch Finlaggan. Here the installation of the Lords of the Isles took place. The Lords of the Isles ruled the islands and part of the west coast virtually independent of royal control, until as late as the 16th Century.

Empty roads? Do you really remember the last time that driving, for driving sake, was a real pleasure? In London? Just try to imagine empty mile after empty mile of single lane tarmac, without any other traffic.

This will sound quite incredible. However, some visitors manage to visit Arran, Mull, Islay, Jura, and Kintyre, without visiting a distillery, brewery or golf course!…or even walking up a mountain or two.  I know!! Utterly amazing!!

Here we can start with the important bits:

• Ardbeg
• Arran
• Bowmore
• Bruichladdich
• Bunnahabhain
• Caol Ila
• Jura
• Kilchoman
• Lagavulin
• Laphroaig
• Springbank
• Tobermorey

That’s the distilleries. As well as the Whisky, there are breweries on Arran, Islay and Mull. Cheese producers abound, seemingly everywhere. The seafood is rather good too. Oh and the beef. Oh yes, the venison as well.

The more observant will have noticed that I have avoided any mention of the weather.  I grant you that it has been known for there to be quite a lot of weather in Scotland. But, and it’s a big but. Contrary to common belief, it doesn’t always rain.  In the summer it has been known not to rain, for days, if not weeks at a time.  Granted, in mid summer when the Greek Islands are sweltering in a 40ºC heat wave Tobermorey will not, but 20-25ºC is still warm enough. Equally it doesn’t get that cold either. As I write London is shivering, trying to cope with -1ºC. Campbeltown on Kintyre, by comparison is a might more comfortable, 5ºC

If you’re still not convinced ask my wife. I usually do. She tells me that the 5 days we had in Islay were the best holiday we’ve had since our honeymoon! Believe me that really is saying something!

Can you tell us about your estate in Armagnac?
Nismes Delclou is the oldest firm producing Armagnac, having been established in 1832 by my ancestor Jules Nismes and his wife Elisabeth Delclou. The old cellars are located in the town of Lavardac, in Armagnac, next to the river Baise (a tributary of Girronde) and hold an impressive collection of very old vintage Armagnac, dating back to 1888.

Armagnac and the associated wine trade thrived in the 19th century. From Lavardac, the river allowed merchants to transport their products by boat to the port of Bordeaux, and from there to the rest of the world. The house has remained under family control and now the Castarede family, descendants of the Delclous, is at the helm. In 1979 the family acquired the historic Château de Maniban in Mauléon d’Armagnac. Mauléon is in the heart Bas Armagnac, widely regarded as the home of the very best Armagnac. The Château is surrounded by vines of Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche. The former is the dominant variety from which Armagnac is made, the later variety adds elegance and floral aromatics to the spirit.

Tell us about your estate in Mauleon d’Armagnac.
Château de Maniban belonged to the Seigneurs de Maniban, an influential and powerful family in Gascony that had a major influence throughout South West. The property is classified as a historical monument and is a classic example of Gascon architecture. It includes 3 parts: the oldest, a magnificent fortification with two round towers, dates back to 1544, while the cellars originate from the 18th century. The main residential building was built in 1810. Since the 1990s the repair work in the old part of the Château, initiated by the Castarede family, has restored ancient frescos that were once adorned the walls of the « great hall » (Grande Salle)

What are the differences between Cognac and Armagnac?
Armagnac has a longer history than Cognac, probably produced by the Moors in the 12th century, and certainly from the 15th century onwards. Isolated from efficient transport links, it remained very much a locally consumed product until the middle of the 18th century. But the differences go further than this:

The Geographic location
The region of Cognac is situated North of Bordeaux. That is to say Western Central France. The climate is very much influenced by the Atlantic with high humidity. Armagnac is located in the South West and inland, with a drier, sunnier climate. The soil of Cognac is dominated by limestone, whereas Armagnac is sandy soil with clay. This gives the distinctive richness to Armagnac.

The Grape varieties
Cognac is almost entirely dominated by one variety, Ugni Blanc. In Armagnac there are more than 10 permitted varieties, the principal ones being Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, Bacco and Colombard. This allows a much broader range of flavours to be found in the final spirit.

Distillation
Distillation is the main difference between Armagnac and Cognac. The process used in Cognac is classical double distillation as found in Scotland to make Whisky. The method used in Armagnac is more basic and less industrialised than in Cognac.

Unlike a double-distillation pot still of Cognac where the spirit is typically at 72%, Armagnac uses a small continuous still called an alembic, to produce a spirit between 52% and 60. This lower-alcohol spirit retains many more flavour components that double-distillation. In their youth, these flavour components can make the spirit rustic and slightly raw. Given time (10 or more years) in cask these elements develop an impressive aromatic complexity

Ageing
Armagnac is traditionally aged in 400-420 ltr casks from the forest of Monlezun in the Armaganc region. Cognac uses predominantly Limousin oak. Gascon oak tends to be tighter and richer in tannins for slow ageing and less sweetness in the spirit, while Limousin oak imparts a distinct vanilla sweetness.

The Vintages
These are almost unique to Armagnac, where the traceability of the stock enables a full range of vintages to be offered. Vintages are rare in Cognac, where until very recently legislation has rendered them almost impossible to produce. However, the labelling rules are the same for the Armagnac and Cognac.

What are the different styles of Armagnac on the basis of ageing?
The age statements on the label, excluding vintage Armagancs, always refer to the age of the youngest eau-de-vie in the bottle.

Armagnac ***, VS or Sélection has spent a minimum of 2 years in cask.

Armagnac VSOP has been prescribed a minimum of 5 years in cask by Armagnac regulations, although Nismes Delclou’s VSOP spends no less than 10 years in cask.

Armagnac Napoléon or XO spends 6 years in cask, although Nismes Delclou’s XO spends no less than 20 years in cask and 15 years for the Nismes Delclou Napoleon.

Armagnac Hors d’Age or Réserve Hors d’Age is a marriage of eaux-de-vie where the youngest Armagnac has aged in wood for more than 10 years. For Armagnac Nismes Delclou Fine Old Hors d’Age : 20 years

Armagnac millésimé (Vintage Armagnac). All the above age statements refer to blended Armagnacs – a mixture of various vintages, various sub-regions and various distillation types. They aimed to promote taste consistency, so that, as in Cognac, an VSOP or XO bottled e.g. in 1980 tastes the same as a VSOP or XO released in 1990.

A vintage Armagnac is distilled from grapes originating from a single vintage. It is placed in cask without any blending with other vintages and by law, it has a minimum 10 years of ageing. The date of bottling is as important as the year of production. For example a 1979 vintage bottled in 1990 will be different from a 1979 vintage bottled in 2008, as the former has undergone 11 years of ageing, as opposed to 29 years for the latter. With the Vintage Armagnac from Nismes Delclou, we bottle in very small batches and my cellar master hand writes the date on each bottle. Vintage Armagnac is much sought after by connoisseurs but it is also an excellent choice as an anniversary gift. Nismes Delclou features more than 50 different vintages, the oldest available from bbr.com is currently the 1917.

How do Armagnacs from different decades (1950s, 60s, 70s) differ from each other in taste?
Each Armagnac is different because it reflects the characteristics of the vintage from which the wine for the distillation comes from. The quality of the wine, (which starts from the vineyard and its soils and the climatic conditions of the vintage, and continues with the distillation) as well as the ageing of the eau-de-vie (the type of casks used) all leave a variable, distinct stamp on the resulting Armagnac.

It is difficult to generalise, however when comparing Armagnacs from different decades, one thing is certain; each decade has its own distinctive style:

Armagnacs from the 1950s
are sweet and perfumed, with intense aromas of spices, prunes, dried fruits and rich vanilla overtones. These are mellow, round, complex Armagnacs, having slowly evolved from around 50 years in cask.

Armagnacs from the 60s
have a more floral nose complemented by vibrant aromas of fruit jam. Also notes of tobacco and wood have often developed. The 1970s produced distinctively fruity Armagnacs, with intense and vibrant flavours on the palate; there are more lemon-citrus and floral notes, with overtones of ripe prunes and cinnamon spicy.

What sort of dishes does Armagnac accompany well?

Dishes that match Armagnac very well are the traditional dishes of the south west of France. The staple of Gascony cooking: Foie Gras, game in rich sauce (wild boar, venison, pheasant, pigeon) and the local speciality Magret de Canard (breast of ducks raised to produce Foie Gras. These breasts are thick and have a much beefier taste than ordinary duck breasts).

Blue cheese (e.g. Roquefort , Stilton), most fruit-based deserts and tarts (e.g. apple, lemon, flambé banana) and even deserts based on chocolate are an excellent complement to Armagnacs. Fish is difficult to match with Armagnac; however a Shellfish Gratin cooked in white Armagnac sauce works very well.

More on the subject of gastronomy and cooking with Armagnac in the book by Florence Castarede will be published in spring 2009 by Editions Sud Ouest.

On 31/10/08 the 5 star resort Grand Old House in Cayman Islands staged a luxurious dinner, on which Nismes Delclou Armagnac was served with each one of the courses. Can you tell us how the food and Armagnac match worked?

What better way to appreciate the beauty of Armagnac than to indulge in a lavish dinner that includes a pre-selected Armagnac to accompany each course. Foie gras terrine started this unusual but exciting dinner and this dish required an Armagnac of intense and powerful fruitiness, as the sweetness of the fruit helps balance the greasiness of the meat. The 1970 vintage was just perfect.

After the starter, a lemon sorbet with (a novel, light, unaged style of Armagnac) White “Blanc” Armagnac was offered. This provided a little relief to digestion in the middle of the meal and was simply delightful. Armagnac XO – 20 years was served along with Confit de Canard because Armagnac XO Armagnac is round and sweet, perfectly matching and balancing the flavours of duck confit.

The cheese course required a powerful, structured Armagnac that would be able to stand up to the robust and pungent flavours of the Roquefort. VSOP 10yo was chosen and wonderfully complemented. A vintage 1979 accompanied the dark chocolate tart dessert and this full-bodied Armagnac, with its intense complex flavours, was still able to shine through despite the profound sweetness of this type of dessert.

Very old Armagnacs from the 1908, 1900 and 1893 vintages were served alongside a selection of chocolates and provided a fitting conclusion to the end of the meal.

Translated from French by Eva Polaki