Dram Initiative #016 – Benromach with Michael Urquhart

November 4th, 2014

It was a bright day in November and the clocks were striking 19. The Dram fanatics gathered from around Calgary and the Ambassador followed. “Call me Michael,” said this older gentleman who advocates whisky, usually travelling the back roads of Alberta alone.  …But not this time, as he was introducing the next generation of herald, owing to his pending retirement.

For the unenlightened, Michael Urquhart has long been the voice in the wilderness, awakening Canadians to the merits of his family owned business, Gordon and MacPhail.  It has been in operation since 1895 and is one of leading independent bottlers of fine and aged whisky. In 1993 Gordon and MacPhail purchased the mothballed Benromach distillery and, after four years of refurbishing, reopened it once again to a thirsty world.

The Dram Initiative Executive discussed the merits of a large tasting.  “Aye, have a large tasting and we may get a hangover.  Don’t, and we’ll wake well in the morning, but dying in our beds, many years from now, would we be willing’ to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance – just one chance – to come back here and have one bitching ostentatious tasting of Benromach?  One befitting such a great man as Michael Urquhart the Grey?”

Keeping in mind that this was Michael’s swan song tour of Alberta, after travelling for so many years to great cities like Calgary (and backwater towns like Edmonton), all the while selflessly educating the unwashed masses on the finer points of whisky drinking, we were compelled to pull together a line-up worthy of the Grand Chieftain of the Urquhart Clan.

So, how to honor this third generation Wizard of Whisky?

How indeed! Well, with an Alberta first, of course, Benromach extravaganza ten bottle affair, designed to make British Columbians come out of retirement, Ontarians want to tea party the LCBO and Maritimers live in Alberta, permanently!

The Malts were appreciated and knocked back in the following order:

1.     10 Year Old Benromach 43% ABV, 80% Bourbon barrels, 20% Sherry hogsheads. Final year in first fill Oloroso casks.

2.     Cask Strength Benromach 60 % ABV 2002-2012 Casks # 21-31

3.     Peat Smoke Benromach 46% ABV 2005- 2014, 67ppm, matured in first fill oak Bourbon barrels.

4.     21 Year Old Benromach 43% ABV matured in first fill and refill sherry casks.

5.     25 Year Old Benromach 43% ABV matured in a refill American hogsheads.

6.     24 Year Old  Willow Park 1981 Benromach Single Cask December 1/81 – October 12/06 Cask# 1416 46% ABV 300 Bottles matured in a refill sherry Butt

7.     27 Year Old CO-OP 1981 Benromach Single Cask November 11/81 – September 25/09 Cask# 1280 54.1% ABV 226 Bottles matured in a refill sherry Hogshead

8.     30 Year Old Benromach 43% ABV matured in first fill and refill Sherry casks.

9.     1976 Benromach 37 – 38 Years Old 46 % ABV matured in first fill and refill Sherry hogsheads.

10.     1969 Vintage Benromach 42 Year Old, from two casks both from November 6/69 – August 2012 42.6% ABV. A marriage of casks #2006 & #2008, matured in refill Sherry hogsheads. 

Also in attendance this evening was Richard Urquhart, fourth generation of the Urquhart family, Sales Executive for the Export team at Gordon & MacPhail and the Canadian Ambassador in waiting. (Hope to see you back in Calgary soon. You have some big tartan pants to fill.  Or, as you call them, “tartan trews”.  But heads up…in Canada it’s best to call them “pants”).

Michael & Richard Urquhart acted as our spirit guides in this ceremonial drinking of the Benromach; answering questions, sharing details, providing us with tasting notes and telling us about the dismal state of the Benromach distillery when they took over.

The top two favorites of the night were the 1969 & 1976.  Wow, what amazing malts. In the Battle of the two 1981 hand-picked store casks, between Willow Park & Calgary Co-op, the winner was Willow Park in a vote of nearly 3 to 1. The best value malt of the night was the 2012 Cask Strength.

Not present, as he had to leave earlier in the week, was Ewen Mackintosh (not an Urquhart, but genetically altered to be like an Urquhart and is now Gordon & MacPhail new Chief Operating Officer).  (FYI:  Thanks for telling me about the remaining low double-digit Port Ellen stock, all in sherry butts.  Something Michael would never do. Your secret is safe with me.)

Many thanks to Mr. Andy Dunn of Gold Medal Marketing Inc., one of the hardest working Irish agents in the industry. Without your help, this evening would not have been possible.  Further thanks for supplying some great bottles we enjoyed, especially the 1976, which was absolutely stunning.

As for the Dram Club…another in a series of incredible tastings…with another iconic speaker!  Not sure what we can do to top this, but we’ll try!

Sincerely,

Maltmonster

At an earlier private dinner I wrote* a speech which was read aloud and brought the room to moans. I thought it fitting to share it here, as it aptly describes my feelings. (*plagiarized)

To Michael Urquhart with Love:

Those early whiskey days, of telling tall stories and hangovers are gone,
But in my mind, I know they will still live on,
But how do you thank such a presenter, who has taken us from 70 Year Old Mortlach to Benromach 1968
It isn’t easy, but I’ll try,

You wanted Benromach to reopen,
So you could have the red brick chimney write across the sky
Like a phallic finger which would soar a hundred feet high,
See world, we have our own supply

The time for finishing drams
And long last looks must end
And as you leave I know
I’m saying goodbye to a good friend

A friend who taught me that tartan pants are still cool,
The Irish invented whiskey and
Your stocks of Port Ellen have limits
That’s a lot to learn, what can I say in return?

That Goodbye is not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean we’ll miss you
Until we meet again!

– Words:  Maltmonster

– Images:  Curt

Dram Initiative #015 – Jura II with Willie Tait

October 16th, 2014

Wee Willie Tait.  The little man with the personality so big we couldn’t fit it all into one tasting.  To date Willie is the only return speaker we’ve had for the Dram Initiative.  This kindly curmudgeon is an icon in the greater whisky world.  When we heard he was swinging back through town a year after his first visit to the club we happily jumped at the opportunity to bring him back and do an almost entirely different range of Jura whiskies than the previous event.  I should also mention that the club has morphed and grown since Willie’s last visit.  We knew we’d have not only new whiskies on hand, but new members as well.

The last time Willie was over, the DI crew decided to swing for the fences and put on the biggest Jura tasting the world had likely ever seen.  We had 16 different expressions on offer that night.  The tasting itself was set up with a much smaller number of drams at each place seating, but we had others available if a member was curious enough to try.  At one point, in a rather emotional moment for all involved that night, Mr. Tait spread his arms wide, shrugged his shoulders in touching humble pride and said “this is my life’s work.”  Not gonna lie…it was one of those ‘goosebumps’ kinda moments.  One where you feel proud just to have been there.

I think all of us in the Dram Initiative planning committee took a bit of personal pride and satisfaction in helping to facilitate this bridging of whisky maker and eager acolytes.

With that in mind, we knew we’d once again have to do something memorable to make this event resonate.  Y’know…beyond just good speakers and whisky, that is.  Gotta throw a curveball or two to keep things memorable, right?

Before we get to the drams at hand, let’s just discuss the master of ceremonies for a moment…

Willie’s a showman precisely because he’s not a showman.  He’s the kind of guy that will tell you that whisky smells like whisky when you ask him for floofy tasting notes.  The kind of guy who’ll tell you there’s only two ways to drink your whisky: with your left hand or your right hand.  The kind of guy who’s equally comfortable telling you you’re always welcome to come visit him and telling you to ‘f*ck right off’.  All with charm and a mischievous knowing twinkle in his eye.  You simply can’t help but love the guy.  His persona – not at all put on – is refreshing in its frank old school purity.

The whisky world would be a better place if more of the ‘face’ people in the industry would shoot more from the hip, as Willie does.

When last we gathered for Jura we concentrated on building a range of primarily rare and limited Jura releases.  This time we stuck a little more to core standard range, though in keeping true to character we did also inject the line-up with a few malts that are now either discontinued or yet to hit the market.  What can I say?  We like to do things a little differently with this club and offer members a bit of a treat that they may not otherwise be able to try.  This evening’s menu:

1.  Jura Origin
2.  Jura Elixir
3.  Jura Brooklyn
4.  Jura 18 y.o.
5.  Jura Boutique Barrel 1996
6.  Jura Boutique Barrel 1993
7.  Jura 30 y.o. Camas An Staca
8.  Jura Superstition
9.  Jura Prophecy

One of the Boutique Barrel releases (I believe it was the ’96) and the 30 year old were massive hits.  The Prophecy also had the peat-o-philes in the room salivating and smoking at the ears.  Another immediate standout was the recently launched Brooklyn.  A surprising depth of well-integrated peat was well received by most.

No DI event is complete without what we generally refer to as a ‘homerun’ whisky.  This eve we went back to one we actually did taste last time Willie was through.  The 30 year old ‘Camas An Staca’.  Whether or not you’re a fan of Jura’s malts, this is a whisky that’s almost certain to win you over.  A great waltz of fruit and oak with this one.  I’ve drunk my fair share of this malt (and possibly a few other folks’ shares as well), but would happily continue revisiting this one for years to come.  Hopefully circumstances allow.

While we couldn’t break out any embarrassing old photos (again…sorry ’bout that Ruaraidh) or suggest maybe a bit of Irish two-stepping (our bad, Jim), we did have a wee gift for Willie as a way of expressing our thanks for his time and efforts.

Not sure how many of you are aware, but in the days before Jim McEwan worked the stills at Bruichladdich, there was another chap with a bit of a reputation and bedrock of whisky wisdom who ran the show.  Yep…none other than Mr. Tait.

And just to see if we couldn’t rankle the man, we presented him with a bottle of Bruichladdich signed “To Willie…From Jim…”.  I shan’t dare repeat what the rest of the message said, but hopefully Willie can find some use for the juice in the bottle.

Huge thanks to J Wheelock, my brother-in-arms, for once again making magic happen for this humble l’il club.  J…You complete me.  Without you…we’d just be us.

To the team at Authentic Wine & Spirits…your support on a few of our events now is infinitely appreciated.  Look forward to making more happen in the coming years.  Much love and appreciation.

Willie…you’re practically part of the family now (the slightly older uncle who smells like whisky, perhaps?).  Happy to host you any time you come through, sir.  Thanks again for all you’ve done for us.  Cheers!

…and finally…to the committee folks and members at large…glasses high.  You deserve it.  Slainte!

– Words:  Curt

– Photos:  Curt

Dram Initiative #014 – Bruichladdich with Jim McEwan

September 10, 2014

A little late, but…here goes…

The best laid plans of mice and men, and all that.  The logistics of organizing events for 80 members/attendees can be rather daunting sometimes.  What happens when you take all of the already multitudinous amount of tasks we have to cover each month, then dump a couple feet of heavy, wet slushy snow all over everything is a situation I wouldn’t wish on anyone but the Irish.

The reality is that Calgary got lambasted with an early dump of snow the likes of which I don’t think I can recall.  I mean this stuff was so wet and heavy it took weeks to clear away the fallen tree limbs that had cracked under its monumental weight.  Power went down in quadrants all over the city, and much of our lives went into forced temporary hibernation.

One of the areas of the city that lost electricity was, of course, the very same in which the community hall we had booked for this event resides.  With just a couple of hours to go ’til showtime when we were informed that the hall was inaccessible , The Dram Initiative committee was forced to get creative with our venue.  And by that I mean we made a last minute appeal to our good mate (and staunch supporter of the club) David Michiels of Willow Park Wines & Spirits.  David is the resident whisky guy at Willow Park, but that title doesn’t really do him justice.  Go in and visit him if you don’t already know what I’m talking about.

Long and short of it is though, that Dave came to our rescue and allowed us to host our event in the store’s spacious and welcoming lower hall.  And it worked out to be not only a life saver, but an absolutely stellar evening.

There are two guest speakers that I’d been hoping to lock down for the club since its inception.  Both just so happen to be named Jim.  One is a gentleman, a rawk star, a whisky authority and all ’round good guy.  The other is Murray.  We’ve yet to have the latter even reply to an email (so be it), but the former came through in spades for the club.

I’ve known Bruichladdich’s Jim McEwan for a few years now, via trips to Islay, email exchanges, attending his events, interviews, etc.  It was through one of our email exchanges that I asked if there was a chance of having him through anytime soon.  He got in touch with ‘his people’ and within an hour forwarded on to me an email exchange from their side confirming all was a ‘go’ for September.  Having now organized eighteen of these club sessions, all I can say is that I wish each event came to fruition as painlessly as this one did.  Little did we know that we’d pay for that ease tenfold later on with the ‘storm of the century’ that was due to roll in on the day of the event itself.

Having a venue and a knockout speaker is only half the battle though.  Being a whisky club and all, it seemed pertinent to maybe have a malt or two to offer the collective.  When it came to pulling together our line-up for this tasting, we ended up meeting in the middle with the Select Wine & Spirits team.  Select is our local Bruichladdich representative.  They wanted a few of the newer core expressions in the line-up in order to help garner some more exposure, and were more than willing to help out with the budget side of things.  It just so happens that the new range tied in nicely with a few of the special treat malts we’d managed to track down for this one.  Pulling out a few gems is sort of what the club is all about.  One of the main reasons we exist is to let members gain access to whiskies that most would simply not be able to source otherwise.

This blend of ‘just new to the market’ drams and ‘long discontinued treats’ was a perfect mix to suit all.

This evening’s malts were (in order):

1.  Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Scottish Barley
2.  Bruichladdich Laddie 10
3.  Bruichladdich 18 y.o.
4.  Bruichladdich The Laddie 22
5.  Bruichladdich Legacy 3rd Release 35 y.o.
6.  Bruichladdich 12 y.o. Manzanilla Cask Willow Park Exclusive
7.  Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1
8.  Port Charlotte Scottish Barley
9.  Octomore 6.1 Scottish Barley

Members and guests (and bears, oh my!) were greeted at the door with a gin and tonic welcome drink, made from Bruichladdich’s ‘The Botanist’ gin.  At one point in my life I was a dry gin martini kinda guy on occasion, but I’ve sort of moved away from that.  I can say however, that The Botanist is a top shelf gin.  The botanicals bringing life to this crystalline spirit are all sourced on Islay, where the distillate rolls off an old school steampunk looking contraption of a still lovingly named ‘Ugly Betty’.  Trust me…she’s anything but.

Additionally, as we wanted to be careful with how much we were offering up here, yet still wanted to explore as much of the Laddie range as possible, everyone in attendance took home a wee sample of Bruichladdich’s beastly (in all the right ways!) X4+3, the quadruple distilled release from a few years back.  To my knowledge, no other distillery has ever done quadruple distillation.

With the juices flowing and the conversation lively, the troops began taking seats for the show.  This was the biggest crowd we’d assembled to date, ironically on one of the worst travel days possible.  Looking out at a sea of faces and the glare off nearly 800 Glencairn whisky glasses was quite a moment.  I tend to share a few words at the start of each of our events, and tonight was no exception.  I couldn’t help be taken aback though, as I introduced Jim and Bruichladdich, by the magnitude of this ‘little club we’d managed to build.  We’ve sort of turned a corner into the realms of respectable.  Well…most of us anyway.  There are some Irish and Gingers in the mix.  😉

(Easy now…don’t worry.  We’re equal opportunity offenders here in the DI.)

After a brief intro, we turned the evening over to Mr. McEwan.  And the rest is now Dram Initiative history.

Jim is a showman of the first degree.  In fact, I don’t there’s anyone better at what he does.  Some people simply have an inherent gift for working with an audience.  For finding that perfect balance between show and tell.  Jim shares tales that are almost heartbreakingly pastoral, nostalgic and emotional, then adeptly throws out one humorous tale after another, delivered with the poise and timing of a long time stage performer.  Sitting in the audience is a real treat.  Whether or not you know and love your malts or are new to it, there will be something in Jim’s presentations for you.

I should also add that while I’ve seen Jim do his thing several times now, he always has new stories to share and new tales to spice up the evening.

He started us going, even before our first dram, with a rousing call to arms.  We were mere days from the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, and the fire was obviously burning strong.  His impassioned speech for an ‘aye’ vote made it hard to argue that there was more at stake than simple economics.  Identity.  A true Scottish identity.  (Hmmm…resonates especially true considering the manner in which Bruichladdich have carved out their own enduring visage).

At the end of an evening full of laughs, mockery and damn fine whisky (especially that 35 y.o. Legacy!), Jim asked the gathered masses to take to their feet.  Not on the floor, but atop their chairs, with a foot thrown up on the table.  He asked us to be warriors for the night.  He asked us to raise a glass to the future of Scotland.  Then – just for shits and giggles – suggested that as marauding warriors, after we’d downed our glasses, we should ransack the store, steal all the whisky, spill out onto the streets and continue our fearsome escapades all ’round town.

With that being said, Mr. Ewan raised his glass and led our 80+ strong audience through an adrenaline-boosting and raucous Highland toast, finishing with a flourish and letting the crowd cheer him off in style.  Tough act to follow, this one.

Afterwards, members hung around to meet the man of the hour, buy some whisky, take some photos and get a few bottles signed.  All in all…a brilliant occasion.

Big thanks to Jim McEwan himself, who took matters into his own hands to ensure we were able to make this event happen.  The good people at Select Wine & Spirits were responsible for providing the Octomore and Black Art.  Tony…Em…you two were great to work with.  Thanks for everything.  Look forward to making it happen again at some point.

Finally…once again we have to say thank you to Dave, Wayne and the team at Willow Park for not only coming through for us in a lurch, but for doing so with style and class.  All of your help with set-up, storage, sales, etc was appreciated more than you know.  You definitely won over some of the club who may not have attended WP events before.  Let’s do it again soon.  Maybe without all of the panic next time though.

Jim…anytime you want to come back, we’ll make sure to set ’em up for you to knock ’em down again.

Cheers to the committee and all the Dram Initiative members.  Y’all rawk.  But you already knew that.

Until next…sláinte mhaith!

– Words:  Curt

– Photos:  Curt