My regular incursions into whisky territory have been momentarily interrupted by a zealous effort to master (or should I say, grasp the fundamentals of) the Dirty Martini. Despite my dipso disposition I’ve had comparatively few experiences with mixed drinks, both as the creator and consumer. However, over the past year or two I’ve enjoyed the odd cocktail to the point where I figured it couldn’t hurt to build a small repertoire. After I’m comfortable with the Martini I’ll move on to some other classics such as the Sidecar, Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and maybe a few more. If anyone has a particularly favourite gin when it comes to Martinis, let me know. Don’t know a damn thing about the product. Right now I’m using Tanqueray London Dry, and I’m being too much of a Scrooge to lash out for the No. Ten premium.
Anyway, as mentioned, I’ve been on a slight break from whisky, and now I’m getting back into it. It had been quite a while since I’d opened a new single malt, so, what the hey…
Och, laddie... Bruichladdich Infinity Second Edition.
52.5%abv, picked it up perhaps mid-2010 from Vintage Cellars, forgot how much it set me back. It was finished in rioja casks, although I’ve never tried a glass of rioja in my life. It’s a splendid drink, apparently.
Now, see, one of the (many, many…) problems I have is that I take a long time to write things. Whether it’s a letter to a newspaper, a paragraph in a university paper, or a blog entry such as this, I spend an excruciating length of time fussing over whatever crap I’m spouting off. Sometimes this fastidiousness pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. Anyway, the point is, I started this post a few days ago when I had a glass of the Infinity in front of me, and all the details were fresh in my mind. Now I’m sitting here nursing a pinor noir and I’m not quite prepared to pour another dram halfway through another drink just so I can thrash out some nosing and tasting notes – a sure blight on my (entirely undeserved, I assure you) reputation as a passionate drinker.
What I do remember is this: not the nose I was expecting. A reasonable slug of ye olde Islay peat backing up some tart creaminess. On tasting it, the peat seems even more prominent but is soon dethroned (in the nicest possible way) by a berry/raisin fruitiness. Really can’t recall much about the finish other than a bit of pleasant burn from the high level of alcohol. I’d like to try it again with a few drops of water to mellow it out.
I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned I take a long time to write things. I’m now sitting on the couch with a glass of tea and typing in a very awkward position due to the attention whore cat on my lap.
Nondakure 