World Whisky Day 2014: A round-up

May 17th 2014 was chosen as World Whisky Day, a day for dram lovers all over the globe to raise a glass and celebrate the amber nectar. We chose to partake both from our personal collection at home, and with the fine fellows at The Broadfield. It was great to chat to other whisky lovers - as well as at the pub, social media really got behind the event and we were invited to discuss our drams with folks from around the world.

Here is our day in photos...

From left to right:
Glen Scotia 16, Aberlour 10 (top), Ardbeg Corryvreckan (bottom) and Lagavulin 16

All in all a delicious combination of drams were shared, and it was great to take part in something that the entire international whisky community can get behind.

World Whisky Day is held on the third Saturday of every May, so save the date for next year! And if you raised a glass this year, let us know what you imbibed!

Slainte!

J&L

Single Cask Whisky Tasting at the Broadfield

As you may have read, we have been to a few of Ed's (@WhiskyCurator) whisky tastings at the Broadfield. This time, it was the turn of the cask strength whisky, all of which were bottlings from Master of Malt (although this was more coincidental than intentional). The theme of the evening was delightfully titled "Single cask treats and homemade sweets", with lovingly prepared sweeties to accompany the drams.

Glentauchers 15 year kicked off the evening, the weakest of the night at a mere 55.1% ABV. On both the nose and the palate it was zesty and fresh, yet gaining body as the flavour developed, invoking the chew of apricot and peach with custard. This was paired with a soft, chocolate coated pistachio nougat.

The second dram was a Miltonduff 18 year old sherry cask whisky, with an ABV of 59.6%. The woody scent of this whisky flowed through, and onto the palate were pear drops and fruity hints, meaning it tasted a bit like Christmas. This was quite possibly the most exciting drink of the evening, with intriguing nuances of flavour true to it's single cask nature, which makes it such a shame that most of this makes its way into blends. Ed's invention for this one - Irn Bru gummy worms. Improbable, slippery, and fantastically weird. We loved them.

Glen Garioch 20 year, at 58.8%, came next. This highland malt had a delightfully soft, toffee vanilla-ness with a background of brewery malt on the nose, then somewhere between the smell and actually drinking it, it's as though some secretive soul has surreptitiously swapped the contents of the Glencairn for a peppery and altogether more oaky drink. The palate continued to expand with a porridgy apple that lingered, and ended with a custardy finish that took the dram full circle. An apple candy brought the first half of the tasting to an end. 

(Accidentally ate most of the nougat pre-photo!)

Ledaig 7 year was next - an absolute stonker of a dram at 61.9%. Rather poetically, this whisky is made on the island of Mull in the beautiful stills of Tobermory, before being transferred the 35 miles to Islay where the barrels are stored for a deliciously short time. The peated lightly coloured liquid swims with a saltiness that comes only with ageing in the middle of the North Atlantic. This nasal saltiness is then beaten to submission by what tastes like the Honey Monster smoking a pipe. With a finish that sticks to the tongue for a remarkable length of time, this could easily be mistaken for a much older whisky. This came matched with a wonderful pairing of cinder toffee.

Glenburgie 21 year old, from Speyside, was the final dram of the night and it was simply spectacular: a veritable delight of fruits and sweet spice that just glowed across the tongue and up the nose, and even at 56.9% was still beautifully quaffable without the heat that one may expect. The rich and demerara sugary palate glistened with cinnamon and bundles of vanilla ice cream, and overall the rounded flavour was exceptional. To go with this, we were presented with what soon became our favourite sweet of the night, a delicately flavoured and sumptuously squishy earl grey marshmallow.

Another great night in what is becoming quite a tradition for the team at Mashtun and Meow - we will be back on June 3rd for a night of American whiskeys and cocktails!

Slainte,

J&L

Salt Beef Soft Shell Tacos

We are always looking for new ways to use salt beef... it is one of our favourite pieces of meat and I never get tired of brining and eating a good brisket. Recently we got hold of some dried chilies of ranging heats and flavours so we've become a little obsessed with Mexican food, so it seemed only right that we blend these two passions, and what better way than with tacos.

I love making flat breads, whether its naans and rotis to eat with a curry, or pittas for greek salads and dips. They are always simple to make, don't need time to rise and can be cooked using just a hot frying pan. So, unlike a crunchy taco shell, that will inevitably collapse, resulting in guacamole over the entire face and a sour cream covered shirt, we went for soft tacos, which are more manoeuvrable and durable, and will hold all the delicious filling you can cram in.

To accompany the salt beef we had a homemade guacamole, and pico de gallo (tomato salsa), as well as chimichurri, an Argentinian salsa verde. This vibrant fresh herb sauce is incredible with everything from salad, to steak, to fish and can even be used as a BBQ marinade. Traditionally made with parsley, fresh oregano, garlic and chilli, to work with the salt beef I added dill and gherkins with cider vinegar.

Recipe serves 3-4 (don't be put off by the number of items in the list - most of them are the kinds of things you will have in the fridge or cupboards)

For the tacos
200g plain flour
2 egg yolks
25g lard/butter
100ml water
A pinch of salt

For the chimichurri (to add to 400g salt beef)
Half a bunch parsley
Half a bunch oregano
Half a bunch dill
1 chilli (or more if you fancy)
3 midsize gherkins
A glug of cider vinegar
A pinch of salt

Guacamole
An avocado
Half a red onion
Juice of 1 lime
Half a chilli

Pico de Gallo
10 cherry tomatoes
2 spring onions
Half a chilli
A splash of balsamic vinegar
A good pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar

Method

Start with the Pico de Gallo, as that will continue improving in flavour until its ready to eat (this can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge). Chop the tomatoes in half and the onions as finely as you can and place in a bowl. Chop the chilli as big as you fancy and add it to the malaise. To this add the vinegar, salt and sugar: while the sugar may seem out of place, it will help to soften the onions' strength and frankly it's brill with tomatoes.

The guacamole is best done on the day as the avocado can have a tendency to blacken which isn't too great to eat. First, halve and de-stone the avocado: to do this, slice directly down to the stone and cut all the way round. Next, grab the avocado so you can see the cut between your thumbs and simply twist in opposite directions and pull apart. Then firmly strike the stone with a sharp knife and twist the stone, it will stay with the knife and be freed from the fleshy avocado joy.

Once the avocado is in half with the stone removed, use a spoon to scoop out the 70s bathroom coloured innards leaving behind the skin. Then chop as finely as desired. I like my guacamole quite coarsely chopped, but if you like your guac smooth then simply mash with a fork. To this, add some finely chopped red onion, chilli and the juice of a lime (the acid will help stop the discolouration).

The bread is a simple case of putting all the ingredients in a bowl and bringing together until a dough is formed. Knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth, leave to rest for about 20 minutes, then knead again and split into 8 equal pieces before rolling into thin circles. Cook in a dry hot frying pan, turning occasionally to keep them from burning. When the breads have puffed up slightly and coloured to a golden brown put to one side in a warm oven.

The chimichurri is not particularly graceful to make - simply chuck everything into a blender until smooth. Again this is a personal choice: if you fancy a more coarse sauce then just chop them together until you've got a consistency to your liking.

The last step is to heat the meat. As the salt beef is already cooked, it is just a re-heat jobby, so on a medium heat in a lightly oiled pan, place thinly sliced meat to warm through. Turn once and then add the chimichurri atop the meat. Heat in the pan for another minute and then you're ready to construct the best taco you'll have today! Pop everything into a warm taco, and serve with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese and a side of salad.



 Enjoy,

Jim

A Smokey Bank Holiday Weekend

Having had a keen interest in smoking my own meat for ages, and with my wife getting fed up of smoky clothes from my earlier method of putting a smoking tray of chips in the oven (don't try this at home, kids), I decided to build a cold smoking unit which could be kept outdoors. For weeks I had almost finished the construction, and a sunny bank holiday weekend finally provided the opportunity to get the door affixed and the first smoke going.

The first things to go in the smoker were small pieces of steak strips, simply marinaded in salt, sugar and black pepper to begin to draw the water out of the meat. They were hung in the smoker over charring whisky oak dust for an hour. To accompany them were bulbs of garlic and a handful of chillies (although they were to spend another four hours bathed in smoke the following day). The smoked beef became our Sunday brunch after hanging overnight, fried and served with bagels, scrambled egg and beans.

Buoyed by the success of the beef, the next day witnessed a longer smoke of chicken wings and turkey breast. The wings were marinaded again in salt, sugar and pepper, but this time with the addition of cumin, coriander powder, and paprika. The turkey was coated in a dry rub of garam masala, turmeric and salt.

The wings, baked until crispy, were served with salad and chilli bread croutons, and the turkey became a risotto with courgettes and spring onions. 

Not only were we enjoying the bank holiday with smoked food, we also booked a return trip with some friends to the wonderful island of Islay, so a more liquid celebration was in order. Meaning I got to open this lovely thing...

Slainte,

Jim

Whisky Review: Ardmore

The Ardmore traditional cask is one of our favourite whiskies: an all round wonderful whisky that sings with peaty notes. As it is a whisky without an age statement, it will likely put off some of the 'purists', but it has been aged in quarter casks, thus tasting older and more refined than it possibly should do. For a whisky of 46% you get a boldness in body that frankly stands above its cost in terms of value for money.

It has a sticky, almost honey nose with a rich oaky sweetness akin to apple crumble, which is followed through with strong peaty notes as the dram opens up. The lovely caramel eye sparkles through the glass.

The taste is initially oaty, with a chew of barley, and the stewed apple aroma remains present in the flavour too. It continues to grow in bold peatedness throughout the mouth, which develops on the palate with spice and hints of cinnamon and vanilla towards the end.

Ardmore Heel Slain 

The finish is not particularly long but does linger for a while, with the spice continuing and the smoke pleasantly holding its own.

Not overly complex, it's a good one to reach for when you're not sure what kind of whisky you fancy. We always try and have a bottle of this whisky in and due to its cost (around £30) it is easy to keep a supply running.

Slainte,

Jim

Whisky Reviews: The Beginning

When it comes comes to whisky reviews, we at Mashtun and Meow have not really embraced the writing down of our drams. Whilst there are a few reviews of tastings, we don't tend to comment on our own supply. This will begin to change, but instead of launching in at first tasting, we will go down the route of Last Dram Reviews. This way we will let you know what the whisky was like to live with, whether it was worth the money we spent on the bottle, and if it was exciting from the first nose to the last swallow.

The experience of drinking a whisky isn't solely about the contents of the Glencairn, it's as much the situation, the company and the location.

My first ever dram was a Glenmorangie 10 year old, in my late teens, enjoyed with my mum as she told a story of Scottish hospitality on a trip we took as a family to Mull for a week of walking and otters: in a B&B the night before the 2 hour boat trip from Oban to Tobermory, my parents sat in the bar (with me asleep upstairs behind a door that didn't shut, due to a large crumple of carpet caused by a combination of badly fitted carpet and a poorly planed door). In the bar, they were confronted by a couple on a dirty weekend, with a chap so in lust he felt compelled to buy the clientele (mum and dad) a drink. Sadly this happened to be a Rusty Nail (2 parts whisky and 1 part Drambuie)... a beverage that Mr Mashtun Snr. cannot abide. In response to the drinks being presented to the pair my mother (whom i take after whole heartedly) supped the drinks pretty sharpish to save my poor father, but each time my mum was caught dram handed, and thus another was bought for dad. After my mum had hammered away a few Rusty Nails too many, she had to plead with Mr M. Snr. to finally imbibe the sticky drink in front of his new friend. The next morning, the boat to the beautiful island of Mull had a few very poorly passengers (and not solely on account of our atrocious sealegs!). I'd like to add that my very first dram was happily Drambuie-free.

Drinking wash at Laphroaig.

A whisky does not always give you everything at first impressions: cover judging doesn't work with music or films, so why should it work with the craft of whisky? Taking a minute or two, or a month or three, to drink and consult a dram is for me what is great about whisky.

So, with our continuing acquisition and consumption of all varieties of whisky from single malts to blends to bourbons, we will endeavour to write our humble opinions in an aid to partially inform and hopefully entertain.

As ever,

Slainte

Jim

Bakewell Food Festival

Always on the lookout for a local event to pop along to, an unexpectedly sunny Saturday resulted in an impromptu trip to Bakewell Food Festival today, and a real treat it was too!

The whole town completely embraced the foodie mood, and there was a true celebratory feel in the streets, with around 80 stalls showcasing a vast array of local produce. 

We decided to try Union Spanish-Italian street food for lunch, as their "Boccas" were something we had never come across before: Italian flatbread with choices of fillings including grilled mackerel, serrano ham and manchego cheese, and paprika-marinated chicken. They were served stuffed with lovely peppery rocket and topped with a balsamic glaze which brought the whole thing together in a burst of flavour. Lovely.

Boccas!
L - serrano ham and manchego
R - Spanish chicken

A quick stop-off in Chatsworth farm shop on the way home too, and we were definitely well stocked with delicious treats!

Note the traditional Bakewell pudding in the bottom left photo!

One of our favourites of the stalls we came across was The Sunflower Bakery, making a selection of traditional loaves alongside more unusual options such as Russian Borodinsky bread, a type of sourdough made with dark rye. We selected the Dragon loaf, made with fresh chilli.

It's great to see so much fantastic fresh produce on offer, we can't wait to dive in!

Cheers,

L & J