A Look Back on the Whisk(e)ys of the World Tournament Part 1/3: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

About two years ago we began the Whisk(e)ys of the World Tournament on one of my radio shows called Raise a Glass (now you can listen to the Me and Big Mouth Radio Show in that time slot). The concept was pretty simple: four of us would pick our #1 seeds then we would fill in the rest of the ballot by pulling whisk(e)ys out of a hat. We included all the whisk(e)y brands that the four of us had on hand as well as other major brands that we knew we could acquire easily. No bottle exceeded $100 retail, and really only a couple were even close. Most, as you can see looking at the list on the right, were pretty affordable. We actually had 80-90 in the hat, so nothing other than our four #1 seeds were guaranteed a spot. We also put in a play-in game for the 16 seed in each bracket, so in total 68 whisk(e)ys made the field. These included bourbon, American whiskey, Canadian whisky, both blended and single malt Scotch, Irish Whiskey, Japanese Whisky, and even a couple odd balls. For the most part, the #1 seeds were selected based on perceived value and taste. I picked a bourbon, Blanton's, to head my bracket. My brother Eric from the BR Beer Scene picked Highland Park 12, a Scotch, for his. James and Jeremy both selected Irish Whiskeys for their brackets going with the Powers Gold Label and Tullamore Dew, respectively. The #1 seeds were not meant to be our choice for the best whiskey of all time, but rather our pick for a whiskey that might get farther than others, that we had on hand, and that we wanted to guarantee a spot in the field.

So the field was set. We spent the following weeks tasting every whiskey in every bracket and announcing who would move forward and which spirit got sent home. We went from 64 to 32 in a matter of four weeks, then again from 32 to 16 over the following four weeks. Next week on Whisk(e)y Wednesday I'll reveal the sweet 16. Which whisk(e)ys would be your pick?

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Jay Ducote, Eric Ducote, and Jeremy Spikes. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Peameal Bacon for the Win

St. Lawrence Market in Toronto

While in Toronto with Visit Baton Rouge a little while back I had a golden opportunity to go to the St. Lawrence Market, one of the largest and highest rated food and farmers markets in the world. I took a walk down construction-riddled Front Street until I arrived at my destination. Passing a Starbucks, Lonestar Grill, Quizno’s, and Chipotle, I felt right in the middle of Anywhere, USA. However, once I got to the St. Lawrence Market, I knew I had arrived somewhere at least a little different. The market is full of vendors slinging fresh seafood, meats, produce, cheeses, and much more. My sources told me to keep an eye out for the famous Peameal Bacon on a Bun, the real true Canadian bacon. I found what I had been looking for at the Carousel Bakery booth but noticed that they seemed to be operating under a cash-only policy. Not having exchanged my dollars for… dollars, I found an ATM and withdrew some Queens. I got my peameal bacon and a sense of Canadian pride overwhelmed me.

Carousel Bakery

This bacon was unlike anything I've ever eaten before. It is not the same bacon that we put on our pizza and call Canadian bacon. This bacon, the peameal bacon from Carousel Bakery at the St. Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto, is legit. Salty, fatty, and ever so porky, the layers of swine melted in my mouth as I devoured the sandwich on my way out the market with a fresh brew of fair trade coffee in my hand. The bread held the layers of bacon together until the entire sandwich filled my stomach and I licked my fingers to savor every morsel of flavor that I could.

Peameal Bacon Sandwich

Toronto's Skyline from the CN Tower

Collingwood: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Finally Whisk(e)y Wednesday returns to Canada with a look at Collingwood Blended Canadian Whisky. This seems fitting since I traveled to Toronto recently and part one of my blog post recently hit Visit Baton Rouge's Red Stick Blog. Of course, Canada Day was July 1st, and tomorrow is July 4th and perhaps we should be celebrating American whiskey, but that's alright. Unfortunately, Collingwood did not impress me like the peameal bacon sandwich from the Carousel Bakery at the St. Lawrence Market. The nose carried plenty of maple syrup flavors with hints of sawdust or wood pulp, as Taco Bell would call it. On the lips, you taste the stank. The whisky is smooth, but it is far from good. Jeremy described the taste as a terrible medicinal nightmare. To me it had an essence of a sweet and sour sauce that went wrong. On the finish to continues to be pretty lackluster. There might be some complexity in the variety of off-putting flavors, but the balance certainly is not there. If you bought this whisky expecting some Canadian gold, I hope you kept the receipt. This one, aside from the decently cool bottle, is not even worth having in the collection.

Collingwood Blended Canadian Whisky

Average Score 42.33

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, Irish, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Jay Ducote, Eric Ducote, and Jeremy Spikes. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Glen Breton Single Malt: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Glen Breton Single Malt

Jeremy, one our Raise a Glass team and contributors to Whisk(e)y Wednesday scores, actually visited the Glen Breton distillery in Nova Scotia recently.  Makers of Canada's only single malt whisky (Scotch style), this Glen Breton had 10 years of aging but certainly could have used a few more.  The nose carried fragrances of sweet and tart apples.  Jeremy noted the breakfast cereal Apple Jacks with the toasted cereal grains and apple flavor.  On the taste the fruit turned into a slightly metallic tinge with traces of smoke.  With light wood, the narrow flavor profile faded quickly for me.  James described the Glen Breton Single Malt as a "palate tickler" while Eric noted the smooth and unique finish with a bit of a burn.  The whisky certainly has a lot going on though it could also use a few more years in the barrel.  Overall our group liked it a good bit, and will definitely be interested in trying more aged versions of the Glen Breton Single Malt Canadian Whisky.  

Glen Breton Single Malt

73.5 Average Score

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. WW is created and rated by the hosts of Raise a Glass. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own propriatary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Canadian Club Small Batch Classic 12: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Canadian Club Small Batch Classic 12

Canada, eh?  Whisk(e)y Wednesday goes north with Canadian Club Small Batch Classic 12 blended Canadian Whiskey.  A faint maple syrup aroma arises from the glass of blended Canadian whiskey.  The flavor of maple persists on the palate with a smooth and easy drinking character.  The whiskey is tasty but ultimately boring.  It has one note all the way through and lacks complexity.  While it is adequate in nose, taste, and finish, it leaves nothing to the imagination and as James put it, is "engineered to please."  The mild flavor is typical of Canadian Whiskey and while those who like smooth blends from the North may really like Canadian Club Small Batch Classic 12, our Raise a Glass crew was ultimately somewhat disappointed in the complexity for a 12 year.  Easy to drink and inoffensive in every way, but also uninteresting to a real connoisseur.

Canadian Club Small Batch Classic 12 Year

66.75 Average Score

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. WW is created and rated by the hosts of Raise a Glass. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own propriatary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

First Post

Top o' the morning friendly readers.  Well, actually it is late at night.  This being the first post, I thought I should give a little explanation about what I'm doing here.  The purpose of this blog is to chronicle the many adventures that I have with food and drink.  It will hopefully serve at least two purposes.  First, it will be an excellent way for me to keep up with, and remember, all the meals and beverages that I consume over time.  This will be good for recommending places to eat, thinking about what to cook, and recalling good times spent with good friends around a table or bar.  Secondly, it is meant to be a source for the readers to use to get ideas of their own.  Looking for a review on a restaurant?  Maybe I've been there... and I'll at least tell you what I thought about what I ate.  Most of the culinary and indulgent experiences will come from home, which is Baton Rouge, La.  However, I am a man of travel.  I have been to over 40 of the 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands, with hopefully many, many more locations all around the world to come.  I hope you enjoy the blog.  Come hungry, start off with a drink to whet your palate, and when you wake up the next day and try to wipe something off your face, don't be surprised if it is the floor!