Whisky cocktails are perfect according to drinks experts.
Whisky cocktails are on trend for high summer. Three of Ian Macleod’s superb whiskies – Glengoyne, Tamdhu and Smokehead – have just featured in an episode of Summer Sipping, the WineAlive series by Oz Clarke and Tony Surgey.
In their ‘Spirits from Scotland’ episode the two drinks experts discussed the provenance of each of these whiskies with Tom creating summer cocktails for the pair to enjoy. They discussed how Glengoyne, technically a Highland whisky, is in fact distilled near Loch Lomond located close to Glasgow. They discussed how it is made by some of the slowest stills in Scotland delivering “gentleness” and “mellowness”. Oz Clarke said: “A lot of the biggest companies push the stills as hard as they can to make as much whisky and they [Glengoyne] say you must listen to the chatter of your stills”. This is an authentic whisky with no colourings or other additives.
Demonstrating exactly how perfectly whisky cocktails can perform as sundowners, Tom Surgey’s first creation was The Glengoyne Honeybee made with 50ml Glengoyne Single Malt Whisky, 20ml lemon juice, 10ml of honey syrup with ginger ale to top up. Oz described this as delivering a bright freshness and the pair agreed it was ‘absolutely lovely’.
Tamdhu, the only whisky made exclusively in Oloroso Sherry casks was admired for its “dark, nutty taste notes and richness of mouthfeel”. As Oz Clarke pointed out, most ‘sherry cask’ whiskies spend but a brief time in sherry casks but Tamdhu is matured from start to finish in these rich woods being “suffused with Oloroso”. The verdict was: “It’s beautiful”. The Tamdhu 12YO Summer Cooler – “classy”, according to Oz Clarke – was made with 50ml of Tamdhu 12YO, some dashes of Angostura bitters, lemon or lime juice, topped up with ginger ale.
Further, Smokehead’s classic peaty aromas as an Islay Whisky were admired by the pair. “This peat central. If you are going to learn about peated whisky, this is ground zero”, said Tom. He went on to mix a Smokehead Old Fashioned with 50ml Smokehead, Angostura classic and orange bitters, sugar syrup (instead of the usual brown sugar cube), stirred over ice for one minute to achieve perfect dilution and an effect that is like “liquid silk”. Garnished with a twist of orange, the whisky sipping ended happily, with much praise for the skills of Ian Macleod Distillers, who own all three brands.
The company also owns Edinburgh Gin, based in the heart of its namesake City. Oz and Tom described the spirit as ‘brilliant’ and ‘delightful’. Gin reflects the place it comes from describing the resinous pine, mulberries and lavender that are present in the botanicals. They discussed the provenance of Edinburgh Gin and the rich history of gin distilling in Edinburgh and the important of Leith as a port over the centuries. “Gin is a drink of its place, and a Gin & Tonic is a drink of the place you’re drinking it in,” said Oz Clarke.
The Summer Sipping series is available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSnhYPMsBd0
