Tomb
Gettin’ your whisky on for Mr. Burns
Isn’t this about the time of year for that silly bit on the news? You know the one about some kilt-wearing wankers catapulting haggis over a river. Why? To celebrate Robbie Burns Day of course. A few wee drams of whisky tend to disappear before the flight of the haggis but why are old Robbie and whisky so closely linked?
Scotland’s beloved Burns was born January 25 1759. He was an enlightened man working as a poet novelist and folk music lyricist. He was adored because he wrote in the language of the common man and he knew a thing or two about a sociable drink. Some say his life was as dynamic as whisky itself.
Burns’s whisky heaven might look surprisingly like some liquor stores in Calgary. We have one of the best and most eclectic selections you can find with some boutique stores offering whiskies from countries like Japan and Switzerland. Calgary’s whisky festivals have a global reputation for jaw-dropping arrays of amazing single malts. When it comes to whisky in Alberta the adage “if it’s not Scottish it’s crap” could not be further from the truth. Commonwealth sister countries Australia India and Canada are all distilling great drams.
• Australia : Sullivan’s Cove Double Cask Single Malt — Whereas most whiskies can spend decades maturing on one wood this single malt is a blend of whiskies aged on two different woods: American oak bourbon barrels for a toasty rough edge and French oak port barrels for a sweeter port finish. This Tasmanian she-devil walks a fine line. She is both brash and sweet with a nose of fruit that ends with just a hint of bananas. It must be the rainforests near where the Tasmanian barley is grown that gives this spirit a hint of the tropics. Scotch aficionados say they can taste the salty ocean winds from the area.
• India: Amrut Indian Peated Single Malt Whisky — Amrut is Sanskrit for “nectar of life” — similar to “water of life” a common term used to describe whisky. The unique thing about whisky casks that are matured in India’s hot climate is they mature at an alarming rate. Natural evaporation or the “angel’s share” lost during barrel aging is greatly increased. This makes for a faster yet natural-maturing product. Amrut has a complexity and depth comparable to single malts much further on in years. This peated dram has a deep toffee aroma with just a hint of the great Himalayas. Amazingly Amrut grows and becomes more intense as your glass empties.
• Canada: Forty Creek Premium Barrel Select Whisky — This hippie-run cottage distiller makes some of Canada’s best whiskies. The Barrel Select is not single malt but a blend of three whiskies (corn rye and barley) aged separately in oak barrels then blended and finished in sherry casks. This blend starts with a complex nose of sweet toffee and fruit and finishes with a pleasing late bitterness. A true Canadian whisky this drink is sweet natured polite and as complex as Canada itself.
If I am not taken out by the flight of the haggis I with the rest of the Commonwealth will raise a dram of “the water of life” to Burns’s lyrical verse his love of life but mostly to his love of a sociable swig of whisky. January 25 both Kensington Wine Market (403-283-8000) and J.Webb Wine Merchant (403-253-9463) are hosting Robbie Burns whisky nights.
