Bowmore Laimrig

As it turns out this purchase was more special than I realised at first.

Passing the shelf with whiskey, someone nudged me and asked if I didn't want a bottle. Well .. put like that .. how could I not? I glanced over the selection.. what to choose: something new or an old favourite?

When I did pick Bowmore Laimrig, it was based partly on my previous experience with Bowmore and partly on the lovely amber colour. Little did I know that what I was buying was something I couldn't have bought any old place: Bowmore Laimrig is made especially for the Swedish market and is sold exclusively by Systembolaget.

The beautiful colour that caught my attention in the first place is no doubt influenced by the two-stage ageing: first in old bourbon casks and then in old Oloroso sherry casks. The latter of these is likely what lends the taste a particularly smooth edge - the smokiness comes out much in the after-taste in this one.

Systembolaget - Part I

In the 19th century, having seen alcoholism as the scourge of mankind, the state of Sweden introduced to the world the concept of alcohol monopolies: the first was in Falun but other local monopolies soon followed. By 1955 all the local monopolies were united into a national alcohol monopoly: Systembolaget.

Systembolaget's monopoly isn't 100% - f.ex. rare wines and whiskies are sometimes sold at auctions, and supermarkets can sell anything with an alcohol content up to 3.5% ABV. I can't tell you why the limit was set at 3.5%, but I can tell you how I know the limit is at 3.5%: In supermarkets one sees all kinds of otherwise familiar beers (e.g. Carlsberg and Pilsner Urquel) that are suddenly only 3.5% ABV (or even less).

In times when the exchange rate was different many people in southern Sweden going to Denmark to buy alcoholic beverages, but currently the traffic is going in the opposite direction (as dictated by the current exchange rate). Supposedly Systembolaget used to be a very drab experience: more like going to the pharmacy and requesting specific items, but in recent years the stores have changed into much more customer friendly boutiques: one can walk the aisles and take a good look at everything. The goods are usually really well described and the staff is friendly.

Had I lived in Sweden 10 years ago I would have undoubtedly been frustrated with the lack of any cheap beers for mass consumption - but these days (being perhaps more mature) I appreciate the wide selection of quality products (and having moved on from student aid to something reminiscent of a real pay I can also much better abstract from the details of prices).

Ardbeg

I got a bottle of this relatively pale whiskey for Christmas and have been trying to make up my mind about it ever since.

It's not as to whether or not it's good I'm confused - I like it a lot, that's for sure.

But...

...it seems to me this is some sort of chameleon whiskey, changing it's character from time to time. Sounds odd? Well, it is.

I have this memory - surprisingly clear as it is - of one night a few years back that I was out with friends, tasting different whiskeys during the night. One of the later ones we had was Ardbeg, and I distinctly remember being surprised at how pungently smoky the taste was after having smelled it and found the nose.. well, fairly dull.

But when I first smelled this bottle (i.e. on a day I hadn't had any whiskey yet) it did smell smoky. But the smoky notes in the nose are so faint that even after the first sip (of this or other whiskeys), I can't detect them any longer. This is in sharp contrast to certain other strongly smoky whiskeys that I like.

The result is the funny effect as just mentioned. Or maybe it's just my nose that's too flaky.

Wädenswiler Single Malt Beer

Now, this is a very interesting Swiss beer. As you may guess, not from the end of the country where I'm living these days.

Anyway. Since whiskey is - in a very fundamental sense - distilled beer, it makes sense for a brewery to try their hands at both. So, in Wädenswil they did just that: brewed a beer with whiskey malt, bottled some of it for sale as is and distilled the rest to make whiskey.

For now, I've only tasted the beer, so I can't comment on the successfulness of their whiskey production.

The beer was very ale like to me - in taste as well as in colour. I think I expected a darker beer based on the appearance of the bottle, and I certainly expected a much smokier taste - although that might mainly betray which kinds of whiskey I personally prefer.

Venison & black chanterelle whiskey cream sauce

Some years ago Mrs. Throat-Erator wanted to give me a special experience and took me out to dinner in Copenhagen at a nice place. It was quite the success, as I had the chance to try venison for the first time in my life. More specifically it was a steak of red deer, and it blew me away. So there was no hesitating when I recently found venison at a local supermarket. It was even a relatively good price... it must be hunting season or something around here. I figured it would probably go well with a black chanterelle whiskey cream sauce...

Ingredients:
- water
- 20 g (ca. 1 oz) dried black chanterelles
- potatoes
- oil
- salt & pepper
- venison
- 1 medium red onion, chopped finely
- 0.5 dL (1/4 cup) whiskey
- 1 dL (2/5 cup) cream
- the leaves of 2 twigs of fresh rosemary

Since I could only find dried black chanterelles the first thing to do was to put these in a bowl and pour ca. 1 L (1 qt) of hot water over them and let them stand for at least 20 minutes. When they were drained, the water was saved for later.

The potatoes were washed and boiled in lightly salted water.

The venison was cut like small steaks, which were seasoned with salt and pepper. In a pan with a little oil they were cooked to the desired degree (medium for us). After removing the venison from the pan the onion was added, and after a few minutes the drained black chanterelles. A few minutes later the whiskey and cream was added, and brought to a boil. After a few minutes 2 dL (4/5 cup) of the black chanterelle water was added followed by the rosemary leaves. After simmering briefly it was served.

The result was fantastic. I still really like venison.

With dinner we had a bottle of pinot noir from the canton of Vaud. I'm pretty sure this is wine made closest to here I've had so far. The colour was surprisingly pale, but it went well with the meat.

Cragganmore

This is the first bottle of whiskey I've bought since I'm back in Europe, and it served a couple of purposes: For one thing it's sort of a graduation gift (at least bought for money I was given on that occasion), but I think of it also as the bottle I bought to celebrate that I found a good apartment to live in here.

The label boasts of "the most complex aroma of any malt" and talks of "sweetish notes with a smoky maltiness on the finish". The latter two are true, and it does make for a nicely complicated taste, which I find very pleasant. Don't get me wrong, this is good and I do like it, but on the other hand I do seem to prefer my whiskeys more raw, so I don't think I'll ever be quite as fond of this as I am of stuff like Caol Ila..

Talisker

Well, finishing also meant moving - and since we had quite enough stuff to move, this was a welcome chance to finish my last bottle of whiskey.

Talisker is unique for being the only whiskey from the isle of Skye, but it's actually far more important to me that it was the one I had a glass of on one of the very first nights out with Mrs. Throat-Erator. It's not nearly as extreme as Laphroaig or Caol Ila, but it's quite complex nonetheless. This bottle was a gift from a good friend, so I thought of him too as I emptied it.

Laphroaig

Laphroaig is generally considered one of the most strongly flavoured of Scotch whiskies and somewhat of an acquired taste. For that reason if nothing else it is interesting that this was the very drink that started my interest in Scotch single malts some 8 years ago.

I know I've had at least a couple of bottles of it by now - and the other night I had that last drop of this one leaving me with a single (and nowhere near full) bottle of Scotch for the moment.

Caol Ila

As I came through Heathrow a few days into the new year I had time to go to the World of Whiskies store and let myself be tempted for a present to myself.

As I stood there contemplating my options I was approached by a salesperson who inquired as to whether I was looking for anything in particular. I replied that I was normally very fond of Islay single malts and that therefore I was interested in trying something new from that region.

Thus I was promptly made aware of their most expensive bottle from that region, a Port Ellen, and I was informed that it was "very good". Quite frankly I was insulted that this person thought I would settle for such a meaningless description of the taste, and so I decided to make up my own mind and disregard any further input from the staff.

I ended up settling on Caol Ila and I (as well as friends coming over for a taste) have been much pleased with that choice. Perhaps not as intensely peaty as, say Laphroaig, but lovely complex nonetheless. I found that it went well with the rich taste of Häagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate. Now it is all gone, the picture above showing the last bit of it.

Beef Heart

Not always, but every so often I can find beef heart at my local supermarket. And it's pretty cheap too, which makes sense when I see the number of my friends who sound less than interested when I bring up the subject. Personally, I really like it, the flavour and the texture is just a little different from ordinary beef. The way I've been making it for a long time consists of simply cutting the meat in strips, seasoning with salt & pepper and searing in a pan. When almost done pour over some whiskey (I used Laphroaig, but that's not essential) and continue till somewhat dry again. This time I ate them just as a snack, but it could easily be turned into a meal by serving with e.g. polenta.

Chicken Burrito

This actually includes elements that are very close to things I've posted previously[1], but I kinda like the way the whole thing came together - even if it ended up taking far too much time[2].

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken filets
- 2 slices bacon
- 4-5 oz (125 g) cheddar cheese
- 8 tbsp sour cream
- 1 29 oz (800 g) can pinto beans
- 1 cup red rice
- 8 burrito size tortillas
- 1 large onion
- 1 large tomato
- 2 tomatillos
- 1 lime
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- jalapeño (as you like)
- paprika
- ground cumin
- caraway seeds
- 2 shots Talisker whiskey
- 2 cubes chicken flavour bouillon
- 2 cups water
- oil

OK, there's quite a few things going on here - but with a little care, it'll flow nicely.

Salsa - part 1:
First put the tomatillos in the water and set on high heat - when the water boils, let them boil for about 15 minuttes, then drain BUT COLLECT AND KEEP THE WATER.

Bacon&Jalapeño Beans:
While the tomatillos are warming up and boiling, brown the bacon (cut in relatively small pieces), then add roughly 1/3 of the onion (coarsely diced), jalapeño and the beans - when they start simmering lower the heat to just maintain gently simmering.

Red, Red Rice:
While waiting for the tomatillos to finish boiling, take another 1/3 of the onion and dice it coarsely. Like with with 1/2 of the large tomato. When the tomatillo water has been separated from the tomatillos dissolve the chicken flavour bouillon in the still hot/warm water - let it stand by (you'll use it soon).
In a pot, heat up a little oil, then add the rice and stir on high heat for 5 minutes. REQUIRES CONSTANT STIRRING. When 5 minutes have passed you'll notice that some of the rice have popped. Now add the onion, and shortly after the tomato, paprika and the chicken-tomatillo bouillon - bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and leave till water has been absorbed.

Salsa - part 2:
While the rice is cooking (and the beans are still are simmering) take the boiled tomatillos and some jalapeño and liquify it in a blender, then pour into a small bowl. Add to this the juice of the lime, last 1/3 of the onion (finely diced) and the last 1/2 of the tomato (finely diced also), cover and place in the fridge for now.

Chicken:
There's still more time left for the rice - take the chicken, season with paprika, ground cumin and caraway seeds. Then fry in a pan. Once browned on both sides and you're waiting for it to be fully cooked pour the 2 shots of Talisker whiskey over it - adds a nice smokey note to the taste.
When the chicken is done, slice it.

The Fixing's:
OK, almost there now - grate the cheddar cheese, set it aside. Turn on the oven at 350 F (175 C). Rinse and coarsely chop the fresh cilantro. Take the sour cream and the salsa out of the fridge now.

The Grand Finale:
Warm the tortillas in the oven, add a little bit of everything and fold it - as I promised earlier, this time I include better pictures for how to fold it. There's a few tricks: Firstly, a warm tortilla is a lot easier to fold - but don't warm it too much as it then turns crisp and is impossible to fold (about 1 minute at this oven temperature, heating them 1 at the time, works fine). Secondly, the less you put in it, the easier it is to fold it. Thirdly, try to follow these tips (as I hope you'll find nicely illustrated in the pictures) - fold over first 1 side, then carefully close in the ends (a lot like wrapping presents in a way) before closing the other side over at last. The ends should end up caught under the last side closed. This made me 8 burittos.[3]

[1] See e.g. here, here, here, here, and here.
[2] This assessment particularly influenced by how late I got started and suddenly having to go and get new tortillas.
[3] Yes, that's only 1/4 of a chicken filet per burrito, but after eating all this the other day I wasn't feeling like a lot of meat.