Mixologist Yungdup lama will be conducting an appreciation class on how to judge a good spirit through its colour and character. He tells Divya Kaushik about the growing popularity of whiskey platters
One thing that makes whiskey endearing to its connoisseurs is its colour and strong aroma. The richer the colour, the better is the character a whiskey holds. Wine appreciation sessions mushroomed a few years ago and presently we hear a lot about whiskey tasting and appreciation sessions. “People now want to understand why a certain whiskey has woody flavour and why another has pungent or citrusy one. As people are travelling around the world, there is more awareness and people are more open to experiment with their drink. We are seeing so many experiments being done with whiskey. I have prepared some signature whiskey cocktails and also some dishes with the spirit, both are finding more takers with each passing day,” informed Yungdup lama, one of the partners at Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy and a mixologist for 18 years. On the lines of whiskey festival in America, Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy has come up with the whiskey festival. Whiskey appreciation session, on April 27, and Irish whiskey session on May 4, are part of the festival. Plus the guests can savour special delicacies prepared with whiskey. “One of the dish is sliced pork which is marinated and infused in whiskey for 24 hours. The other meat dish is flambéed with whiskey,” informed lama.
The mixologist shares that the appreciation session begins by pouring different variety of whiskey to the guests. The tulip glass is the preferred style because it focusses the aromas and splashes the spirit onto the tongue in a wide fashion. “Whiskey from Scotland, popular as Scotch, America, Canada, Ireland and Japan are famous across the world. Irish whiskey is distilled three times, so it is the purest form of whiskey and is very smooth in its texture. American whiskey is known for its woody flavour. That comes to it because in America, new wooden oaks or barrels are used to mature the spirit. The wood contributes to the sweet flavour. Canadian whiskey is prepared with rye and is therefore grainy in texture. Japanese whiskey is prepared from millet,” shared lama.
He told us that the colour of the whiskey indicates its character. The spirits with no colour, like vodka, or light colour, like rum, have no or less character. “It is because of this character that whiskey is classified into sweet, grassy, citrusy of smoky flavours. There are many factors that play role in lending character to a whiskey. The first is the water. Second are the grains used in making the whiskey. The third is the distillation process and the shape of the container in which the whiskey is put to mature. It is because of this distillation that a certain whiskey is smooth and some drinks are pungent and strong. The environment where the whiskey is prepared also matters. If you will set the whiskey to mature at a place surrounded by sea, whiskey will have salty flavour. If the whiskey is maturing at a place surrounded with flowers, it will have a citrusy flavour,” said lama.
Before taking a sip of your drink, feel the aroma. Change the angle and distance of the glass to pick up all of the subtle aromas. Continue this for a few minutes.
Take just enough to coat your mouth and begin to slowly swirl it around your tongue. Feel the consistency of the whisky. Some feel thicker, oilier or grittier than others. This is referred to as the “mouthfeel.” Try and coat your tongue so that the whisky touches all of your taste buds.