A perfect dram of whisky

A friend of mine brought me to a Japanese bar tonight, hidden away upstairs in a commercial building.  It was classically Japanese, with a small counter and about 10 seats in the entire establishment.  The owner/proprietor stood behind the bar in his pleated tuxedo shirt, black cummerbund and pants.

We started with the remainder of a bottle of a Strathisla Highland Malt by Chivas Brothers, which my friend kept at the bar.  It was classically sweet like a Highland malt, and I took it straight in a Riedel Single Malt glass.

I wanted something else so I asked for the Ardbeg 10 Years on the rocks, and watched as the owner poured it over a large cube of ice that he had spent time cutting down to size so that it would fit the glass perfectly.  This is normally done in Japanese bars, as the size of the ice cube meant a slower melting process.  My friend didn't quite like the peaty, hospital disinfectant nose that is typical of Islay whiskies.



We needed a new bottle and asked the owner for suggestions.  What the owner pulled out of his cabinet can only be described as pure genius - a marriage between his perception of our preferences.  The Murray McDavid Macallan 1997 was an interesting beast...  Distilled at Macallan in Speyside (originally part of the Highlands), it was bottled at Bruichladdich on Islay - my favorite whisky distillery.  Aged for 9 years in Bourbon and oak barrels used in the production of Ridge Zinfandels, the owner called this "spicy Macallan."

And it was.  Taken in the Riedel glass, it was sweet and fragrant like caramel.  But at the same time it was big and spicy on the finish.  Pretty much everything I could ask for in a whisky.

I think I gotta spend more time browsing through the Laddie Shop on the Bruichladdich website...