Brioche

Tried Ciril Hitz's recipe for brioche this time. He adds lemon zest, which gives a nice citrusy smell, but I find it doesn't make for a meager amount of butter. Peter Reinhart would probably call this "poor man's" brioche. All is not lost, however, because brioche makes excellent French toast.

Elijah Craig

It's Memorial Day weekend, so of course I am drinking the most American of drinks: bourbon. Elijah Craig's 12 year old is my choice for the evening. It weighs in at 47% alcohol by volume, but it doesn't overpower you with the alcohol. The color is a dull copper, or perhaps a light caramel. The nose is quintessentially sweet corn, barely any nose tickle despite its undiluted power from the bottle. There is also some vanilla, but not too much, despite the amount of time this spent in a barrel in hot weather. The taste is full and sweet, almost like bubble gum. I would expect more woody favors given the age, but I don't detect it. This is a finely balanced bourbon, and worth drinking as is. I have had it with some water and it is more subdued, but still excellent.

Port Charlotte's An Turas Mor

It's been a while since I last posted. There are many reason for that (some good, some not so good), including my campaign to lose weight by, among other things, drinking less frequently during the week (with varying degrees of success). Anyway, enough of all that, because I have a backlog of spirits to update you about, starting with this peaked whisky from Bruichladdich, which is bottled under the Port Charlotte moniker. The bottle is interesting because it has a milky haze to its straw-gold color, which probably indicates it is not chill-filtered. The nose has some of the signature smoke and campfire. I have tried some Port Charlotte from independent bottlers at full cask strength that have much stronger nose to them, but this official distillery bottle comes in at 46% alcohol by volume, which probably accounts for the softer nose.

The nose continues with spice and chili pepper, rounded out with a slight floral honey. I think I get a little tiny bit of plastic or test-tube, but that could simply be my mind playing tricks on me. Unadulterated, the taste is spicy with some tannic, nut-like qualities. The finish is fiery and long. A very pleasant drink without water, though. One could leave it alone as is.

With water, the whisky calms down a bit more and the grainy, biscuity-ness comes out (reminds me of the Glengoyne 17 year old, actually, but that may be because I recently finished off a bottle of that). Otherwise I get spring flowers and not much else. The nose has become muted, even with just a smudge of water. The taste is less fiery now, more rounded, but still quite spicy on the finish and definitely long-lasting. All-in-all, an accomplished whisky, but I think a cask-strength bottling is your better bet if you can find one.

Laphroaig Triple Wood

What would be better than Laphroaig's fine whiskey aged in bourbon and then quarter casks? A final finish in European oak that formally housed sherry. For those who have savored Laphroaig before in its rawest form (usually ex-bourbon barrel aged), it is a lightly colored, but hefty dram. The Triple Wood, which is now available in the US after a time in duty free stores, is still quite a hefty dram, but it does bring some real elegance to the party. The color is still light, almost golden straw, which indicates that the liquid is not spending tons of time in the sherry casks. The unadulterated nose is richly sherried, with a mix of pungent seaweed, camp fire, and even Walkers Beef Crisps (sorry for those who don't know these, but it was a clear note on the nose and unmistakable for any other). There are some light floral notes underneath as well. The mouthfeel is full and rich, with a fiery flavor of hot cinnamon and nuts.

Once I added the water, the bourbon influence came forward and sherry-sweetness retreated. I get more vanilla, some smoke (though subtle) and cooked shrimp. I also get cedar box and old ask tray. The taste still has some fire, but a little less heft. The finish is long and somewhat tannic. A wonderful addition to the Laphroaig line.

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The Thanksgiving wines

We opened two wines for dinner. The Domaine Drouhin was one of the remaining survivors of our 2004 trip to Oregon. It did not disappoint, with rich cherry and cedar and a long finish. I thought it had a port-like nose. The Roger Sabon had a bit more acidity that I thought balanced the heritage turkey well. Both needed a while to open up but were magnificent once they did.

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Virginia wines

We opened a couple of bottles of Virginia wines for dinner and dessert tonight. Barboursville makes a wide array of excellent wines, as does First Colony.

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Steam does the trick

I conducted a little experiment with my sourdough this week. The small baguette on the left was baked without steam whereas the boule on the right was treated to steam injection (I use a cast iron pan preheated in the oven and add ice cubes after putting in the dough). The difference with comparable baking times is clear. They both taste great by the way.

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