Several months ago I was luck enough to acquire a bottle of last years Balvenie, Jamaican Rum Cask (17).  It was unquestionably my favorite though many single malt aficionados will rather point to Scotch from the lowlands with their rich peaty taste.

The Balvenie Scotch is produced in the Scotland Highlands so you won't have a lot of that peatiness.  But there is perhaps, no other single malt Scotch that provides such a unique craft and alchemy.  The Rum Cask (17) is a follow up to the successful 14 year Rum Wood that was released roughly 3 years ago.  The result of this Scotch is an extraordinary fragrance, with orange peel, vanilla, honey, oak notes and yes, Rum!

If you find a bottle then be sure to grab one.  If not for yourself then purchase it for me and I'll send you my shipping address.

Cheers!

Managed to make it out and walk around the neighborhood a little bit today.  The blinding snow and wind reminded me of the Summit at Jay Peak, VT several years ago.  Was planning to ski down our main street but didn't get the chance...maybe next time :-P

What's the temperature in Arlington Virginia this morning?  There isn't one!

The line at Honey Baked Ham was a bit longer than normal this year.  But my folks and I braved the cold, insane parking lot traffic and the long line for the 8 pounds of deliciousness that will grace the Christmas table.  The picture (above) is me standing in line waiting for the ham.

Merry Christmas,
Jason

The Balvenie Distillery Company affords the most unique craft and alchemy of all single malt Scotch whiskies.  And on May 1, 1893 the Grant family began distilling scotch at the Balvenie castle located in Dufftown, Scotland.

Earlier this month I was able to find a bottle of this years Balvenie, Madeira Cask (17) from a local merchant.  This hand crafted single malt scotch has been aged for 17 years in a Madeira wine cask that delivers an incredibly well balanced whiskey.  If you don't know a lot about the Madiera wine then I encourage you to check out Wikipedia or any other source since the history of Madeira is quite interesting. 

And learning the history of a new wine or scotch is something that I have found to be very rewarding.  In this respect you almost become part of the history and can taste the craftsmanship that went into the making the final result.

A review provided by the Malt Advocate points out hints of caramel apple, honeyed vanilla, and golden raisin, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.  All of which are fantastic for the holiday season.  It's taken me several attempts to identify the presence of the cited tastes but many are exhibited for me.

This scotch has earned an Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating of 90 (whatever that means).  A 90 definitely sounds very good but I would rate it closer to a 93 given my preference for this distillery.

Look for my review of The Balvenie, Rum Cask (17) coming up soon.

OMG!  Global Warming.  The Earth is melting!

As part of my weekly trip to the 'store of plenty' (aka Costco) I make a point to walk though the wine section.  This past week St Francis Winery & Vineyards employed a representative to be in the store & answer questions from prospective buyers.  Unfortunately for me, I was one of those prospective buyers.

He seemed like a nice enough guy but his knowledge of wine didn't exactly ferment into anything fantastic.  Fortunately for him St Francis provided some background of their wine on each of the bottles.  Dodging his seemingly incessant need to push the Merlot on me I managed to locate the 'Old Vine' Zinfandel (2006).

Intrigued, I picked up a bottle of the Zinfandel and asked the representative if he could tell me anything additional about the bottle.

TIP:  Occasionally you can find a pretty decent wine at Costco but pay close attention to the rated year being advertised and the year that is stocked in the bins.  Frequently you'll find a much younger wine in the bin than what has been advertised or rated.

I give a lot of credit to a vineyard that provides some background their label.  Typically the description lacks any marketing and seemingly comes directly from the winemaker.  And you simply can't substitute that with a 'representative' who - in all likelihood - has never even tried the wine he (or she) is selling.

The St Francis 'Old Vines' Zinfandel 2006 is a decent wine.  It's produced in Sonoma County, California which is an area that is world renowned for its diversity in wine.  The warm climate typically offers blackberry, anise and pepper notes.  And if you have been following my reviews you know that I am on a quest to locate the most peppery (and well balanced) red Zinfandel.  This bottle is not that bottle.  It was subtle and lightly balanced for Northern California and volunteered some spices that accompanied the grilled pork nicely.

Noroc!
Jason

There are few things in this World that cause me to stop and simply observe in amazement.  This is one of them.