"The Cabinet" is a Winnipeg based scotch whisky tasting club that meets every two months to sample, discuss and enjoy scotch and occasionally other related malt-based beverages.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Smoke Gets In Your Mouth

The first snow of  the season was beginning to fall as we met last week, but up until then we had enjoyed classic November conditions. Something about the dry leaves, bare trees, and iron-coloured skies always makes me think of smoke. Smoky bonfires, smoke from the fireplace, smoke from a cigar (well, at one time, my love for those has dimmed somewhat). With that in mind we decided to explore the concept of smoke in scotch whisky.

Smoke primarily comes into a whisky from malted grain that is dried over a peat fire, although some can come in from the charred lining of the barrel. What we call a smoky flavour or aroma is due to a complex array of phenolic compounds, from cresol (think creosote) to guaiacol (curiously, also found in the guts of desert locusts). Unless you have access to a gas chromatograph, the amount of each of these phenols can only be guessed at. The industry typically reports parts per million (ppm) of total phenols. This includes phenols that taste feinty and medicinal, in addition to the smoky ones, so it's only an approximation of smokiness. 

Enough organic chemistry. Time to start drinking.

We selected four bottles that advertised smoke on their packaging.

1. Tomatin Cu Bocan. 15 ppm. The distillery tells us that Cu Bocan is a legendary dog made of smoke. Ok, why not. Tomatin is a highland distillery that does not peat its whisky 51 weeks of the year, but for one week it does. Enter the smoky dog. If we hadn't been told about the smoke, we wouldn't have noticed it. It's a fine whisky. Good even. But not smoky.

2. Highland Park Valfather. 20 ppm. Who doesn't love Highland Park? If you don't, you can stop reading now. You are not welcome here. Everything they do, they do well. (Except possibly the Magnus, but that's another story for another time.) Even though it only has 5 ppm more phenols than the Cu Bocan, it is smokier. Now, that's a very low bar to clear given that the Cu Bocan was not smoky at all, but well done regardless. Smoke promised. Smoke delivered. The smoke was subtle and most noted on the finish. Overall a marvelously well balanced whisky.

3. Ardbeg An Oa. 50-55 ppm. Now this is what we're talking about. Campfire in a glass. Yet not overwhelmingly smoky. Delicious. Nothing more needs to be said.

4. Ardbeg Wee Beastie. 50-55 ppm. We loved the Wee Beastie when we last had it, and we still love it, but right after the An Oa it seems a little dumbed down. Smoky for sure, but rougher around the edges than its stablemate.

Interestingly, all four whiskies were within ~$10 of each, around $100 here in Manitoba. 

Slainte!

For the first time in Cabinet blog history, a video! Thank you Cory.



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