half full monty
Member
I am sitting in the private smoking lounge of my McMansion (aka 2 car attached garage) with a delightful Anejo 46 courtesy of Atuck. Tonite’s mission: The Johnnie Walker “Frozen Gold” review.
Wifey gifted a very nice package to me on Christmas that included a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold Label, The Centenary Blend. This “is a skilful fusion of aged whiskies inspired by the notes originally kept by Sir Alexander Walker, and created from only a small number of Scotland’s most renowned whiskies, each matured for a minimum of 18 years.”
The bottle is barely visible through the thick, square smoked-plastic cover, attached to a square gold-metallic plastic base.
Upon opening the package, one is presented with, not only a tastefully gold-labeled, frosted-brown glass container of 18 year old blended Scottish love, but two “chill” serving glasses. Hour-glassed in shape, about the circumference of a normal shot glass, the rough measure of its height closely approximates the length of a standard, BIC ballpoint pen.
Unfolding the 2 by 3 inch, rectangular, presentation envelope reveals a brief, ten page instruction booklet on “the development of an entirely new drinking ritual known as FROZEN GOLD…..”
In an effort to quicken the pace of this tale, I stuffed the bottle and glasses in the extra freezer in the private smoking lounge on Christmas Day. T’was my intention to sample and review that evening, however, the holiday head cold from hell curtailed those plans.
The Time:
7pm December 28th, 2005
The setting:
Wifey aka(as fellow drinker of Irish descent, David Feherty would say) She Who Must Be Obeyed, and I had just finished dinner. The monsters, ages 5 and 8, bolted upstairs to reek havoc upon the newest Christmas acquisitions. I ask SWMBO, “I owe AVB a review, care to join me in a Frozen Gold?” To which she replies, “Sure, and what’s an AVB?”
This is a startling development on two fronts. First, SWMBO occasionally drinks a glass, usually a SINGLE glass of red wine. Her interest in frozen scotch is a new nuptial frontier. Second, I really don’t know what an AVB is. Feigning ignorance on both, I head for the freezer.
The chilled pour into the ice-frosted glasses bears a viscosity slightly thinner than Aunt Jamima pancake syrup. The color is closer to pure maple syrup. I immediately nose the glass. I am struck by the familiarity of the bouquet.
I make a hot tea, honey, lemon and Canadian whisky hot-toddy when down with the cold. The nose of this blend is a dead ringer for that first sip. I ask SWMBO what she smells, one word “Honey”.
The instruction booklet espouses.... a better appreciation of the intrinsic complexity of flavours as the frozen whisky to warms in the mouth. Marketing copy, yes, but it is not at all inaccurate. The initial feel on the tongue is supple and silky. A burst of honey immediately gives way to a caramel sweetness. As the sweetness dissipates, the peat builds to bitter, wood smoke. The finish is long, with a creamy center of the tongue, surrounded on the sides and top pallet with pepper.
I ask SWMBO what she tastes: “lots of flavor. Very smooth.” As I write my own notes of no alcohol burn whatsoever, she says “And it doesn’t burn at all, I can’t believe I’m drinking this.” I jot in my notes to myself……well you figure it out…..
Second nosing has not a hint of the original honey-tea concoction. Caramel and smoke are all that’s there. As the whisky continues to warm in the glass, this drink takes on a whole new personality. As I continue to sip along, a consistent pattern emerges; dark molasses sweetness gives way to peat and smoke. The finish loses its creamy tongue, but the pepper remains. Throughout it all, there is nary the presence of alcohol.
She asks, “Is this a keeper?”
I reply, “It’s open, we’re keeping it.”
She counters, “No, I mean when this is gone, would you get another?”
I respond “We won’t have to worry about that for a while…” as I return the bottle to its arctic resting place.
However verbose, this is a spectacular tasting experience. Now if you will excuse me, I have some notes to review…….
Oh, and the 46 was pretty good too…….
Wifey gifted a very nice package to me on Christmas that included a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold Label, The Centenary Blend. This “is a skilful fusion of aged whiskies inspired by the notes originally kept by Sir Alexander Walker, and created from only a small number of Scotland’s most renowned whiskies, each matured for a minimum of 18 years.”
The bottle is barely visible through the thick, square smoked-plastic cover, attached to a square gold-metallic plastic base.
Upon opening the package, one is presented with, not only a tastefully gold-labeled, frosted-brown glass container of 18 year old blended Scottish love, but two “chill” serving glasses. Hour-glassed in shape, about the circumference of a normal shot glass, the rough measure of its height closely approximates the length of a standard, BIC ballpoint pen.
Unfolding the 2 by 3 inch, rectangular, presentation envelope reveals a brief, ten page instruction booklet on “the development of an entirely new drinking ritual known as FROZEN GOLD…..”
In an effort to quicken the pace of this tale, I stuffed the bottle and glasses in the extra freezer in the private smoking lounge on Christmas Day. T’was my intention to sample and review that evening, however, the holiday head cold from hell curtailed those plans.
The Time:
7pm December 28th, 2005
The setting:
Wifey aka(as fellow drinker of Irish descent, David Feherty would say) She Who Must Be Obeyed, and I had just finished dinner. The monsters, ages 5 and 8, bolted upstairs to reek havoc upon the newest Christmas acquisitions. I ask SWMBO, “I owe AVB a review, care to join me in a Frozen Gold?” To which she replies, “Sure, and what’s an AVB?”
This is a startling development on two fronts. First, SWMBO occasionally drinks a glass, usually a SINGLE glass of red wine. Her interest in frozen scotch is a new nuptial frontier. Second, I really don’t know what an AVB is. Feigning ignorance on both, I head for the freezer.
The chilled pour into the ice-frosted glasses bears a viscosity slightly thinner than Aunt Jamima pancake syrup. The color is closer to pure maple syrup. I immediately nose the glass. I am struck by the familiarity of the bouquet.
I make a hot tea, honey, lemon and Canadian whisky hot-toddy when down with the cold. The nose of this blend is a dead ringer for that first sip. I ask SWMBO what she smells, one word “Honey”.
The instruction booklet espouses.... a better appreciation of the intrinsic complexity of flavours as the frozen whisky to warms in the mouth. Marketing copy, yes, but it is not at all inaccurate. The initial feel on the tongue is supple and silky. A burst of honey immediately gives way to a caramel sweetness. As the sweetness dissipates, the peat builds to bitter, wood smoke. The finish is long, with a creamy center of the tongue, surrounded on the sides and top pallet with pepper.
I ask SWMBO what she tastes: “lots of flavor. Very smooth.” As I write my own notes of no alcohol burn whatsoever, she says “And it doesn’t burn at all, I can’t believe I’m drinking this.” I jot in my notes to myself……well you figure it out…..
Second nosing has not a hint of the original honey-tea concoction. Caramel and smoke are all that’s there. As the whisky continues to warm in the glass, this drink takes on a whole new personality. As I continue to sip along, a consistent pattern emerges; dark molasses sweetness gives way to peat and smoke. The finish loses its creamy tongue, but the pepper remains. Throughout it all, there is nary the presence of alcohol.
She asks, “Is this a keeper?”
I reply, “It’s open, we’re keeping it.”
She counters, “No, I mean when this is gone, would you get another?”
I respond “We won’t have to worry about that for a while…” as I return the bottle to its arctic resting place.
However verbose, this is a spectacular tasting experience. Now if you will excuse me, I have some notes to review…….
Oh, and the 46 was pretty good too…….
