On this day, we were at then very last Sip Session of the season. Going through Flavour Camp with our favourite counsellor: our Whiskey Muse, Reece Sim. Here for another back to back tasting learning about single malts and bourbon.
Not just a history lesson or run down of how the spirit is distilled, but a crash course on how to describe and speak to what you are tasting, and in turn grow a more refined appreciation for it.
These classes are also a great way to try the spirit before committing to a bottle of it as many are over $100 a bottle, and the entire lot today was $1200 worth of single malts.
As promised we would first learn more about the spirit, and despite Scotland being synonymous with them, our selection came from 5 different countries: Scotland, England, Canada, Ireland, and Japan (which is actually a pure malt).
Single malt is whiskey that is made at a single distillery from 100% malted barely, yeast, and water. It is distilled in a copper pot still and matured in wood. And each bottle can be at no less than 40% ABV.
How each single malt derives its flavour profile depends on 4 main factors. First, the treatment of the grain, where it comes from and how it is grown and then processed. Two, the fermentation of it from the yeast method to the temperature it is fermenting at, and for how long. Next you look at how it is distilled. The type of still, its shape of it, and how slow or fast the process takes. And lastly, the cask in which it is aged in. The type, size, and for how long is considered here as well.
Where Flavour Camp kicks in is the descriptors we use to describe what it is we are having. Smelling and tasting can be overwhelming, Flavour Camp provides easy tasting profiles to help retain and speak to our own notes.
An easy example of this can be explained with pizza. The pizza you are having can be described as earthy and spicy when it is a meat lovers and salty and sweet when it is Hawaiian.
But for single malts the flavour profiles are Herbal, Fruit, Spice, Sweet, Toasty, Earthy, and Peaty. At the beginner level, being able to identify which is what is enough. In order to move into the intermediate stage, you begin to break down the specific flavours within each profile. For example if it is fruity, what kind of fruits are you tasting. And to progress into the advanced level you are examining the mouthfeel and the finish of each Single Malt.
As for the act of tasting, you are advised to begin by nosing the spirit, breathing it in, before running it through your lips and tongue to taste. Then noting how it finishes on the tongue and leaves your lips. And as we would be doing the same for 8 different tasters, it was advisable to smell your elbow pit in between each to help cleanse and rejuvenate your palate.
I won’t go into each of the spirits we tried or offer notes and the specifics discussed about each as a group, but instead invite you to sign up for the next future Sip Session Flavour camp for yourself. Despite your level, you are pretty much guaranteed to walk away learning something new.
As we sipped and shared, the goal was to take an educated guess on what numbered blind sample corresponded to which bottle, by tasting and naming the correct flavour camps. My favourite part of the whole class is the reveal, where we see if we were right, and the room either erupts in cheering or sighs due to making the wrong guess.
After the first class, there would be an hour break where they set up for the next one, and our group lunches. Afterall we shoot our samples and with 8oz of liquor taken in each session, it is advised to have some food before we repeat the process again.
This time around we agreed to a cold food potluck. Bringing a dish that need not be heated up to share. I cheated and Ubered us aburi sushi from my favourite fusion sushi joint: Riz that serves their tourched and raw fish over rice that is slightly on the warmer side. Plus bags of limited edition Lays chips.
The others brought charcuterie fixings that they assembled on the spot, home made pork and shrimp gyoza, a half eaten tub of Costco potato salad, and chocolate bars.
Then it was time for the next class: Bourbon. The same set up and order of operations as above, but with Bourbon being the featured spirit and topic of discussion.
Once again, these sessions are a great way of sampling premium products, in a friendly setting. Where you are able to not just trying one portfolio, but dive into a larger selection.
Bourbon is one of the American whisky subcategories, and within it there are subsets of bourbon. Bourbon can only be made in the USA.
Whisky is made from a fermented grain combined with yeast, and water. It is distilled and matured in wood, then bottled no less than 40% ABV. To make it Bourbon specifically it needs to have at least 51% corn in its make up and be distilled to a max of 80% ABV. Then barrel aged at no higher that 62.5% ABV. There is no minimum aging required for bourbon. Most are aged in new charred oak barrels for 2-4 years.
The common thread amongst all bourbons are that they will have either a sweet corn syrup or maple note to it. And the wood that they are aged in imparts a woodsy charred flavour to it.
There are some variables the master distiller can play with to make their bourbon unique. Like adjusting the kind of stills, its cuts, and how many times the spirit is distilled.
Once again, I advise you to attend one of these classes yourself to be able to try and taste premium and limited release bottles that you might not otherwise get too. On a few occasions our classes were one of the first people to have first tried the given spirit(s) in BC. So not only is this a great informative session, but also a unique way to get your drink on.
So although school is out for the season, and the next class is TBA, there are still other spirit related activities to keep the energy going and your summer busy with challenges, competitions, and recipes. Check out the link below to learn something new and be inspired by spirit. Follow the link below.
