Greetings drinkers! You can listen to Episode 97 of the Bring a Bottle Podcast now! Joining Helena is Jason Myers, a hospitality king who travels the world seeking out amazing food and drink experiences. Discover why his favourite ever whisky cocktail may have changed mid-recording, hear about the pub returning to candlelight, the blockchain powered fine wine revolution and how will Helena fair putting herself in the ‘Buy it or Bin it’ firing line?
Our Guest Drinker
Joining Helena on the pod this week we have Jason Myers! He’s a hospitality CEO who’s worked and travelled around the world, always keeping one eye on food and drink (particularly his beloved wine and whisky). When he’s back on home turf he’s involved with Grosvenor pubs, opening wonderful new sites like The Hare & Hounds in Newbury, and Wild Thyme and Honey in the Cotswolds. Welcome, Jason!
What’s In Our Glass?
Bruichladdich (pronounced like ‘brookladdie if you weren’t sure), is a very progressive distillery from the island of Islay just off the west Scottish coast. They’re the first of their kind to become a ‘BCorp’, meaning exceptionally high levels of social and environmental performance but right now we’re focusing on what’s inside their ‘Classic Laddie’ Scotch, and it’s very nice indeed.
Unlike the neighbouring distilleries on the island, the entire range is made without the use of peat. It’s a super warm, floral, and elegant Single Malt Scotch with a nice smokiness coming through. It’s bottled at 50% but make no mistake, it’s very easy drinking and not heavy at all.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 50%
Find here: £41.45
Not only does it make for a stunning dram, but it also makes a fabulous cocktail. Here’s what we tried in the studio…
Young Laddie
The sweetness and bitters balance out delightfully here, retaining a subtle smokiness that’s perfect as an introductory whisky cocktail for a newbie. The garnish twists tie everything together very nicely at the end too, so we recommend you include one.
Ingredients
50ml Classic Laddie
20ml simple syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
Walnut bitters
Grapefruit/ orange/ lemon twist (garnish)
Method:
Simply combine everything (except the twists), add a large chunk of ice, and stir until chilled. Squeeze the twists before dropping them in and you’re ready to go!
Drinks News
The Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire is rolling back the years by switching off all the lights every Thursday evening in November and setting up cosy candlelit dinners instead. It’s not just because of the tough times we live in either, it’s just to get back to basics and create a romantic and cosy atmosphere. Could this become a trend? We certainly think it should!
Buy it or Bin it
Something slightly different this week as Jason puts his wine tasting to the test with this dense, savoury, and blackcurrant-y red... little does he know it’s actually a Bourdeaux blend by Helena herself!
Crurated
Crurated is a wine community completely changing up the fine wine industry by selling fractions of wine barrels that you can personalise yourself. It’s a membership club that uses blockchain and NFT technology to skip the middleman and open up the world of fine wine to everyone. Helena chats with Paolo Sforza to find out more in the podcast and you can also read more here.
Instant Sommelier
What wine would Jason pick to impress colleagues? And has his favourite ever whisky cocktail changed literally over the course of the podcast? Listen to hear the answers to these questions and other fab recommendations!
Mailbag
A question from the mailbag to finish of course, and it’s...*drum roll* ‘What is the best value wine usually found on a pub wine list?’ Listen in to find out what you need to drink next time you’re down the pub!