This just in from Master of Malt – The Blogger’s Blends are up for sale and you get to vote!

Below is an email I received from Master of Malt regarding their new Blogger’s Blend whisky.  Being that The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society is a part of this great adventure, I thought I’d pass it on to you.  You get to choose the best blend out of 10 – Unlike the US Presidential elections of 2000 – Your vote counts!

What you need to know is below:

The Bloggers’ Blend – Your Vote Counts!

Highland Park 40 NewFor a long while now, we at MoM towers have been thinking that one of the biggest and most valuable resources in the industry is the blogosphere… There are a huge number of incredible whisky blogs out there, run by experts with a huge depth of knowledge about the subject of whisky. 

With this in mind, about a month ago we asked 10 of the most prominent whisky bloggers out there to assist us in the creation of our next whisky. We sent them all highly technical blending kits involving loads of cool scientific bits and bobs, and some superb whiskies, and asked each blogger to create their own blend using the ingredients provided, then send us their recipe. We then followed their recipes, made up their blends and put together the sample sets you now see below.

Now, we can only pick one of the recipes to use as our next whisky, and here’s where you come in… We want you to pick which of the 10 blends we bottle.

Highland Park 40 How to Take Part 

All you have to do to take part in this, the world’s first blend created solely by whisky bloggers, is buy a tasting set with all 10 of the bloggers’ recipes for £29.95, and decide which is your favourite.

The kit contains a unique code to enter into the website to enable you to cast your vote, as well as details on how to vote once you’ve tasted the samples.

Bloggers’ Blend Tasting Set for £29.95.

Buy Now

You can read more about the Bloggers’ Blend on the Master of Malt blog.

The Bloggers…

caskstrength 

Caskstrength is one of the best respected blogs on the web. Penned by former rival A&R men Neil and Joel, erudite discussion and commentary abound here, with more than a hint of ‘chappishness’.

Dr. Whisky

Penned by Sam Simmons (AKA Dr. Whisky), global brand ambassador for The Balvenie. Dr. Whisky’s blog is pleasingly irreverent, combining industry opinion with some of the best tasting notes we’ve ever read.

Edinburgh Whisky Blog

Founded in 2009 by Chris and Lucas, (then) students at Edinburgh university, and all-round whisky enthusiasts. Both of them now work in the whisky industry, thanks in no small part to the incisive and instinctive writing style on the blog.

Guid Scotch Drink

Written by Scottish ex-Pat Jason Johnstone-Yellin (now residing in the USA), Guid scotch Drink is a healthy mix of reviews, advice and some truly epic distillery tours. Guid Scotch Drink also offer distillery tours and lectures…

Founded in 2009, The JSMWS blog is packed full of irreverent humour, and supremely detailed tasting notes (delivered with images for each of the most prominent flavours – a superb idea). A must-read blog for everyone…

WhiskyCast 

The longest-running whisky podcast on the Internet, with weekly episodes featuring whisky news and interviews with distillers, blenders, authors, and other whisky experts. A true heavyweight of whisky journalism.

Whisky Connosr

Billed as ‘the Whisky Social Network’, Connosr also has a blog offering industry insight, and some superb competitions for users. The blend was provided by a panel of Connosr’s most prolific users.

Whisky Mag

Published 8 times a year, Whisky Magazine is the perfect complement to the dram in your glass. Every issue brings you fascinating articles on the art, science and romance of the ‘water of life’.

WhiskyWhiskyWhisky

One of the most active whisky forums on the web, WhiskyWhiskyWhisky boasts over 1,000 members, discussing an incredibly broad range of topics across the wonderful world of Whisky.

Whisky for Everyone

Husband and Wife team Matt and Karen co-write this superb blog which offers in-depth opinion, tasting notes and distillery information. The site is also host to excellent buying guides and FAQ’s about whisky.

You can read more about the Bloggers’ Blend on The Master of Malt blog.

This month we are the Samurais of the Whisky Round Table!! – 今月は、私たちはウィスキー円卓の侍です!!

The Whisky Round Table is comprised of 12 whisky bloggers (listed below) that gather together every month to discuss a single question/topic that is whisky related.  The Round Table is hosted on a different blog every month (12 months, 12 bloggers) and the host gets to choose the question/topic of the month for us all to discuss – and we urge you to join in on the conversation using the comments section of our blogs!

The Whisky Round Table, by the way, is the brainchild of Jason Johnstone-Yellin (Guid Scotch Drink).

This particular meeting of the whisky samurais happens to be the twelfth in the series.  So, come June 1st, we will start anew.

A big thank you goes out to the Nonjatta ‘Japanese whiskies’ blog for hosting the Whisky Round Table this month.  Chris Bunting, author of both the Nonjatta blog and a new book entitledDrinking Japan: A Guide to Japan’s Best Drinks and Drinking Establishments“, posed the following question(s) to us:

“The socialite and art collector Peggy Guggenheim used to pour bottles of cheap blended whisky into premium bottles and, presumably, laugh down her sleeve at those sniffing and simpering over her drams.

How confident are you of your whisky tasting skills?

Is there any purpose to the pursuit of objectivity in whisky tasting (unless you work in the industry) or does it suck the joy out of a essentially subjective experience?

Is it possible to categorise a sip in words and is something lost or gained in that process?”

Follow this link for the answers to this great question.

As a reminder, the valiant samurais (and links to their blogs) of this round table are:

Chris – Nonjatta
Keith – Whisky Emporium
Karen & Matt – Whisky For Everyone
Ruben – Whisky Notes
Mark – Glasgow’s Whisky (And Ale)
Neil & Joel – Caskstrength.net
Lucas & Chris – Edinburgh Whisky Blog
Jason – Guid Scotch Drink
Gal – Whisky Israel
Mike – Whisky Party
Peter – The Casks
Joshua (hey, that’s me!)– The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society

For all of the Whisky Round Table discussions, click here.

Two VERY different Bunnahabhains, both from Feis Ile 2010

I’m going to leave the preamble to a minimum here as I’d like to let the reviews speak for themselves.

I will tell you — last year I got caught up in all of the online hoopla about Islay’s 2010 Feis Ile festivial (thanks be to many blogs and Mark Gillespie’s fantastic coverage through his WhiskyCast Feis Ile Podcasts).  It was addictive.

I was Sofa King jealous of all those who got to go to the Feis Ile festival last year!  Thankfully,  my friend Shai Gilboa (frequent guest blogger on Whisky Israel) was able to go to Islay last year during Feis Ile and he was kind enough to pass some samples onto me – thanks Shai!!

Bunnahabhain bottled by “Queen of the Moorlands” for the Islay Feis Ile festival, 2010 – Heavily Peated – 53.2%ABV£60

On the noseEarthy and filled with man-sweat; salty and slightly… off.

Burnt asparagus, salty green leafy vegetables, dead autumn leaves and mountain air fill the nostrils.

Moving on to things a bit more man-made (artificial, not the sweat)…

Think rubber bands, paper bags and the plastic strips that were once attached to Fruit Roll-Ups (the addition of fruit makes an appearance here).

Pared pears, baked to perfection.

With water, the nose dies out.

On the mouth Very tight and thin.

Less complex in flavor as compared to the nose.

Very rubbery and smokey with a bit of salt and dead grass.

With water the mouth feels gets super creamy but really doesn’t do anything to the flavor as far as adding complexity.

The exception being the addition of vanilla and a touch of pine.

Finish Smokey and full of salty fizz.

In sum The nose was really interesting and complex but sadly this one fell flat for me on every other level.

Bunnahabhain’s own special bottling for the Islay Feis Ile festival, 2010 – Pedro Ximenez finish – 51.4%ABV£150

On the nose Heavy sherry influence and I’m somehow reminded of sticky, wine influenced fudge.

Dried bananas and spiced black plums (heavier on the spice note than on the plum note).

Cinnamon coffee cakes with some cherry and blueberry jam.

A fantastically fun and gets-you-hungry kind of nose.

On the mouth Sweet fruits of the dried variety.

Watery mouthfeel yet not thin (perhaps like Jell-o water before it thickens).

Spiced fruit leather and vanilla bean.

Apricots, dates, dried cherries, nutmeg, cloves, a fruity fall-mix compote.

While this is all there and fun is seems to lack a robust power to it.

I guess I was hoping for the flavors to blast.  Instead, they are merely presented to my palate (yet perfectly balanced).

Finish Every taste bud is pinched and squeezed of all its moisture (read: dry/tannic).

Long with the addition of fresh berries.

In sum A wonderfully rich and balanced Bunnahabhain.  A perfect evening dram to enjoy amongst friends and good conversation.  This one is a win for me.

Arran whisky tasting with The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society in Connecticut on Thursday, May 12th

Yet another Arran whisky tasting, this time hosted by The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society in Guilford, Connecticut:

Whiskies, six in all, to be tasted are:

Arran 10yo
Arran 14yo
Arran Sherry Cask
Arran Bourbon Cask
Arran Machrie Moor (peated whisky)

Plus one Arran whisky that even we at the society don’t know the details of!

Full details listed below.  If you have interest in joining us, please email Joshua by Friday, May 6th: jewmalt@yahoo.com

Arran whisky tasting & kosher food pairing at Solo in NYC, hosted by the Kosher Wine Society

If you’re in the NYC area, are looking for an AMAZING kosher restaurant AND want it paired with some of Scotland’s finest whiskies… this event is for you:

Monday May 9th – 7:30-10:00

Solo Restaurant
550 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10019

Andrew Hogan is the enthusiastic and knowledgeable Brand ambassador for the Arran Single Malt in the USA. He has 20 years experience in the drinks industry and has a wealth of experience in matching whiskies with the best local cuisine.

Andrew is also quite an entertainer, and dinners are usually laced with stories and experiences from the industry, and the characters that work with Scotch whisky round the World.

Come along and try four different single malts from Isle of Arran Distillers – each one matched with a different dish – and enjoy the craick! Good food, fine whiskies and the company of friends…what could be better!

Enjoy a 4-course meal paired to perfection with:

Arran 10 Year Old
Arran 14 Year Old
Arran Single Bourbon Cask
Machrie Moor – the Peated Arran Malt

More details to follow.

Price: $175.00 – VERY LIMITED SEATING
To register visit: www.kosherwinesociety.com or call (646)484-9463

www.kosherwinesociety.com