Auchentoshan Three Wood

Now this is a very fine sipping whisky. Velvety and smoothen the tongue. Clear butterscotch mixed in there. A bit of toffee as well.

The distillery web site says "Moving from American Bourbon to Spanish Oloroso Sherry - and finally Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks" gives the drink its complexity. I can believe it. This is a very good scotch whisky and I'd buy it in a skinny minute.

Paris

Viewing the Louvre from across the Seine at the Musee d'Orsay.

Paris is a city best seen in black and white. There is a feeling here that is very different from London. First, it is much smaller. London is just shy of 8 million, Paris is a bit over 2 million. Paris wan't bombed in the 20th century like London was. There are very few new buildings and essentially no buildings taller than about 4 storeys. It is a museum of a city. As if preserved in amber, there is little here that was't here by the mid-ninteenth century.

Auchentoshan 12 years old

No I don't how to say it.

This one's a keeper. From the Auchentoshan Distillery comes a 12 year whisky that is smooth, with strong notes of vanilla and as the web site says a hint of creme brûlée. Nice drink. It does not have the silly fell on the tongue that some others have had, but is quite good.

Hard to find a bad drink in the lot I purchased.

The Glenrothes 1998

This selection is an older sample from the Glenrothes distillery. This one is very tasty. It is not as smooth as the Glengoyne of lest night. the Glebgoyne seemed to have, upon reflection, a creaminess to it. Kind of like having a spoonful of yummy yogurt.

This Glenrothes is sharper. The distillery web site calls it peppery. It certainly has a long finish and sits well in the mouth. This one is good but less good than the others. Not my preference. Quite drinkable, but not as good as the others.

Glengoyne 18 years old

A new sample to taste from Glengoyne. This 18 years old scotch is very nice.  There is hint of vanilla and a very full and pleasing aroma in the glass. There might be a little fruit in there as well. It leaves a smooth after taste.

Their website declares that the never peat their barley so that contributes to the flavor a greater variety of flavors mixing. It is aged in sherry casks. It sits on on the tongue like a syrup without being sweet. It seems to me that it would go very well with chocolate. A delightful drink.

You'l notice that so far I have not have anything bad to say about any of the samples. Some are better than others, but they are all good. This is certainly one I'd buy again. It appears that I can buy it online from their website, although this may be limited to only UK buyers.

A visit to the Desert

The drive through the Atlas Mountains was amazing. The views constantly changed. It was a 7 hour drive or so from Marrakech to Zakora where we then went a short distance into the edge of the desert.

Tea in the Atlas Mountains

On Tuesday, we visited a Berber family for tea. The grandfather, above, made fresh mint tea for us. This is made with a bit of black tea tossed in a pot of water on a propane burner. Once it is hot, 400 lbs of sugar and a handful of fresh mint are added. It is heater some more and the result poured from about 1-1.5 feet above the table into a small glass about the size of a double shot glass. These same glass are also used for coffee when the occasion arrises.

This mint tea was the best we had on the trip. I'm sure the much of the block of sugar the size of the palm of my hand was still in the pot when he poured it out.

The tea came with fresh bread, olive oil, butter and honey. A real feast.

Outside Marrakech

On Tuesday of our trip, we were taken by out guide to a market day in a small town outside of Marrakech. Aside from the mud left by the recent rains (yes, it rains here!), it was a much better experience that the tourist-filled markets in Marrakech. There the vendors are very aggressive and barely take no for an answer. Here, all was peaceful and filled with the color (and smells) of the real thing.

You can buy anything here. On one edge was an abattoir and fresh meat was hanging from hooks. There were spices, dates, flour, sugar, live chickens, inverted baskets to have a shower in, ...everything.

Dar Rocmarra

We stayed at the Dar Rocmarra road in the Medina of Marrakech. It was a truly beautiful and peaceful place to stay. We had dinner there several nights as well. The first night was because we were tired. The other nights because the food was so good. In the courtyard was a fountain tinkling all day, a fireplace light every night and fresh flower on the table for every meal. A real oasis from the hubbub outside.

Jamal El Fna

The Jamal El Fna in Marrakech is a full sensory experience. The sounds of drummers and snake charmers with their receptive cadences fill the air. The smell of the horses and donkeys competes with the aroma of food and fruit. The colors are primary. Fill this with mopeds and tourists and you begin to get a feel for what the square is like, at least in the day time. Navigation in the Medina (the old city) is complicated enough in daylight. I wasn't interested in trying it at night.

It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank...

Saturday we made the trip to Downe. We took the Northern line to Euston and changed for the Victoria line to Victoria Station. Next, we switched to the train to go from Victoria to Bromley South. At Bromley South we walked outside and took the 146 bus to Downe. On the bus ride we transitioned from suburbs to open country. The green fields are still surrounded by mostly bare trees but there is evidence of spring on its way.

Once in Downe, it was a 10 minute walk just out of the village to Downe House, the home of Charles Darwin.

Edinburgh

On a gray Friday morning we boarded the train for Edinburgh at King's Cross. It took about 4.5 hours to get there, arriving about 1:30. It takes a little time to realize that we are now in a much smaller place than London. A check of the web shows that the population of Edinburgh is a bit under 500,000 while London is closer to 8.2 million; more than a factor of 16 difference.

The Glenrothes

While in Edinburgh, I purchases a sample package of three version of several whiskies, The Glenrothes among them (Tomatin is another). I'm starting from the youngest versions of each of these. Today's selection is from the Glenrothes distillery.

This sample is the "Select Reserve". A check of the web site tells me that it typifies the distillery house character - ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice. This "select" is a variety of years blended together so I don't know what year(s) are in it.

I find it to have a nice bouquet and a smooth after taste. I do find a little vanilla, but not so much the citrus. The ripe fruits are in there buy pretty subtile. There is a spicy finish but I can't tell if that is the alcohol or the flavor coming through. It is quite good, but I can't quite find the flavors listed on the web site. I guess it is just me. I could handle a bottle of this at home. I believe I liked the GlenDronach Parliament a bit better but this easy very good.

The ever-lenghening life list

A European robin, not the silly American thrush we call a robin.

Today, Elizabeth and I went to London Wetlands Centre out near Hammersmith. We found a delightful place. It isa wetland of ponds and march bits with nice paths, a cafe, hides, a shop, and some very nice people.

GlenDronach Parliament

From the web site...

In a secluded spot in Aberdeenshire, nestled in the rolling East Highland hills, you'll find The GlenDronach Distillery, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries; still producing the richly sherried style.

Tonight's tipple is a very smooth, ever so slightly peaty drink. It is, after all, aged 21 years. Again, from the web site

Matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years, the 'Parliament' continues the great GlenDronach tradition of offering fruit-laden intensity in its single malts.

 The fruit is subtle but present. There is a strong hint of sherry in the smell and the taste. The dark color reminds me of sherry a bit.

It is a strong sipping drink and is quite satisfying. I'll definitely be getting some of this in larger portions than a sample bottle.

A new series for the blog

Last weekend, Elizabeth and I took all 28 students to Edinburgh for the weekend. Pictures will be forthcoming soon. However, those of you who know me, will understand when I tell that some time was spent in "The Whisky Experience" and various bars experimenting with the national drink. Some of it came home with me.

So, I've decided that a way to make the trouble of finding the good stuff, buying it, toting around town and, then on the train back to East Finchley worth something, I'm going to blog what I think bout each to the little sample (airplane sized) bottles I brought back. I'm no expert in scotch whisky but I know what I like. So let's start.

The first tasting is of Tomatin aged over 12 years in Spanish sherry casks. The name rhymes with 'satin' and is from the name of the town in Scottish Gaelic: Tom Aitinn. It is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about 16 miles (26 km) south of the city of Inverness. This has a clean taste. The alcohol comes through but it is not a sharp bite nor is it overpowering. All in all, it is a smooth drink. I can't really tell that it was aged in a sherry cask, that addition to the taste is subtle. It is a pleasant drink but does not strike as special.Nevertheless, I'd certainly buy a bottle to have some more. I have a feeling that I'll be saying this a lot as I move through the samples.