Beer, Booze & Bites

Each weekday this week, I’ll be posting a pair of mini-reviews covering selections from the latest additions to the LCBO’s Whisky Shop premium whisky program, and the products in the LCBO’s Spring 2011 Specialty Beer promotion. Today’s picks are a whiskey from Ireland (yeah, I’m doing the St. Paddy’s thing…) and a beer from Iceland.

Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Single Malt (LCBO 223776 – $48.60/750 mL)

While the Scottish single malt whiskies get most of the attention, there are quite a few Irish single malts out there as well. This one from Knappogue Castle is the first in their range to have an age designation – previous bottlings had been given vintage years, making it difficult to know exactly how long the liquid was inside the wood, which is something that most aficionados want to know. As is typical of many Irish whiskeys, it has a mellower character than a comparable Scotch might have, with an inviting aroma of biscuit and toasted grain, and smooth flavours of light golden sugar, vanilla and lychee. It finishes light as well, with a bit of orange zest and a suggestion of pepper. A nice session sipper.

Ölvisholt Skjálfti (LCBO 168393 – $3.90/500 mL bottle)

In addition to their similar names and fairly close geographic proximity, Ireland and Iceland have some strong historic connections, with Irish monks believed to be the first settlers there before the Norse showed up. So I guess it’s fitting that I feature this Icelandic beer alongside an Irish whiskey. As I noted when I reviewed it for Taste T.O. last summer, Skjálfti is unique not only because of where it comes from, but also due it being brewed using lager yeast, but fermented at a warmer temperature more typical of ales. That combined with the use of Cascade hops – a strain that contributes notes of bitter citrus that are more commonly found in American pale ales – makes Skjálfti a full-bodied, flavourful and well-bittered beer that even the most anti-lager ale-head would enjoy.

Each weekday this week, I’ll be posting a pair of mini-reviews covering selections from the latest additions to the LCBO’s Whisky Shop premium whisky program, and the products in the LCBO’s Spring 2011 Specialty Beer promotion. Today’s picks are a sweet whisky and a sour beer.

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask (LCBO 221200 – $99.95/750 mL)

The newest permanent addition to the Balvenie line-up – although only available temporarily in Ontario – this is a 14-year-old expression of the whisky that’s been finished in rum casks. As you’d expect, this layers the aroma and flavour notes you’d find in rum – dark sugar, toffee, vanilla, spices – on top of the soft honey, fruit, heather and oak notes typical of Balvenie. The result is a spirit that is quite sweet, but never cloying, as all of the notes find just the right balance. (It’s also a treat to try this side-by-side with other Balvenie offerings, which I recently had the chance to do – a write-up on that is coming soon.)

Panil Barriqu̩e Sour (LCBO 210591 Р$14.00/750 mL)

Aside from the frequently infected beers from a local brewery who shall remain nameless, sour beers are not often seen at the LCBO, so for those of us who are still pining for the days when Rodenbach Grand Cru was (briefly) available in Ontario, the inclusion of this Italian delicacy in the Spring beer release is a godsend. Intentionally soured with lactobacillus bacteria and triple fermented – 15 days in iron, 90 days in cognac and bordeaux barrels, and 30 days in the bottle – Panil Barriquée Sour is a hazy ruby brew with a tart and funky aroma holding notes of sour cherry, cranberry and wood. The flavour is a wonder that seems to change with every sip – I picked up lemon, cranberry, sour cherry and other overripe berries, grape must, yeast, cheese, wood and leather. The finish is dry and dusty and quite acidic, leaving the palate craving more. It is, as the cliche goes, an acquired taste – but once you’ve acquired it, you’ll be saddened by the reality that this beauty will only be available in Ontario for a limited time.

Each weekday this week, I’ll be posting a pair of mini-reviews covering selections from the latest additions to the LCBO’s Whisky Shop premium whisky program, and the products in the LCBO’s Spring 2011 Specialty Beer promotion. Today’s picks are a new variation on a classic bourbon, and a returning seasonal beer from a veteran Toronto brewery.

Maker’s Mark 46 (LCBO 225565 – $49.95/750 mL)

Created by aging the original Maker’s Mark bourbon for an additional few weeks in modified barrels containing charred French oak staves, Maker’s Mark 46 (which is actually 47% abv, despite the name) shows a good deal more complexity than the regular brand. Spices in particular are more prominent – cinnamon especially, with lesser hints of clove and ginger – and there are also caramel, vanilla and dried apple notes that serve as connectors to the original MM. Burnt oak is also in there, but in more of a supporting role. I found the 47% to be just high enough to give more of a boozy burn than I usually like in the finish, so I don’t know if I’d turn to this as a sipping bourbon, but in the right hands, it would make a fine cocktail.

Amsterdam Spring Bock (LCBO 208942 – $3.95/500 mL)

First brewed in 2009 based on a recipe developed by homebrewer Derek Hyde, Spring Bock has become a regular part of Amsterdam’s seasonal beer program, and is now the first of those seasonals to graduate from being available only at the brewery store to LCBO distribution. This likely means that it’s now being brewed in larger batches, but the quality doesn’t seem to have suffered because of it. Dark mahogany with an off-white head, it has an aroma of sweet toasted malt, dark dried fruit, cocoa, a bit of smoke and wood, and light herbal hops. The flavour gives what the aroma promises, with nutty malt and bittersweet cocoa coming to the forefront as it warms. A great beer that is superior to other bock in the release, Höss Doppel-Hirsch (LCBO 106237 – $3.75/500 mL), in pretty much every regard – although to be fair, the latter has likely suffered somewhat due to having to travel from Germany rather than Bathurst and Lake Shore.