Rediscovering Cognac: Focus on Tercet by Remy Martin

For so many people in the drinks world, the new decade ahead will be all about rediscovering spirits that have been maligned or ignored for too long. Cognac is one of these; a brown spirit with a lot of history that we at The Three Drinkers have fallen head over heels back in love with in recent times. 

Made with distilled fine wine (rather than grain as whisky is), cognac has a soft, velvety texture with warming notes of citrus peel, fudge and marmalade. A great introduction is to try it with tonic in a simple highball as a much more interesting G&T alternative or in a classic cognac cocktail like a Sidecar or in an Old Fashioned (Go for the VS or VSOP quality levels if mixing). Cognac tasted by itself however or over a simple chunk of ice, is a truly indulgent treat. This is when you will reach for the XO styles that have more age or special bottlings that beg you to appreciate every nuance. 

One cognac we’ve tried recently is brand new to the market and a little bit different. Tercet by the famous, much-loved house Rémy Martin is a bit of a departure from their normal range of classic cognacs. 

Tercet is the story of a trio of experts who came together to create this blend over ten years of dedicated research. The first was Baptiste Loiseau, current Cellar Master at Rémy Martin who discovered that certain eaux-de-vie (the spirits that are blended together to make cognac) had a particular, unique character that while it was fabulous, was not technically in line with the house style. These spirits were particularly pure and elegant with expressive, exotic fruit aromas. 

Baptsite kept these special eaux-de-vie aside while he decided what to do with them and finally, called in the expertise of two other men: Francis Nadeau, a wine producer, and Jean-Marie Bernard, a master distiller with forty years of experience. Together, these three men would combine their individual expertise to work out which terroirs the eaux-de-vies came from and how they should use them to create something special. Over the years, they tested the oak barrels, yeast strains used for fermentation, the methods of pressing, the grapes themselves from different terroirs and more. Finally, they began to unravel the secret and were able to recreate it. The result was Tercet: a premium cognac that is also the ideal place to start anyone’s cognac journey thanks to its exotic, lychee, pineapple and apricot aromas, gentle sweet spice and long, complex length. Soft enough to have alone and ridiculously good with hazelnut macaroons and a slice of dried pineapple. 

See more about Tercet cognac here.

Buy it here. RRP circa  $100 / £78

This Is Now The Most Expensive Whisky In the World!

We love a whisky story or two but this one is a jaw-dropper.

If you are a bit of a “whisky geek” like us you may well have already heard that a stunning collection of Macallan bottles were up for auction at Sotheby’s in London on 24th October.  But as if this wasn’t exciting enough, a 60-year-old bottle of 1926 Macallan has only gone and sold for almost three times over its initial valuation of £350,000-£450,000, at a record-breaking £1.5 million (US$1.93 million)!

This 60-year-old Macallan comes from the same cask #263 of Macallan which some of you may remember yielded the previous record-breaking bottle of whisky that sold for a value of £1.2 million at Christie’s auction last November.

Cask #263 was distilled in 1926 when the distillery was 60-years-old and only yielded 40 bottles. 12 of these bottles bear labels designed by Italian artist Valerio Adami, 12 more by Peter Blake, a further 2 were sold individually and given private labels one of which was hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon, and the remaining 14 bottles, including the one auctioned today, were adorned with Macallan’s ‘Fine and Rare’ label and are the oldest in this series by both age and vintage.

Our thoughts on this big news… cheers to expensive taste!

Could you drink dead people?

Picture this: Halloween is hot on your heels, you have your decorations and food all sorted but you’re still wondering what gruesome drink to serve your unsuspecting guests. Well, we’ve found one that is sure to send chills down the spine of even the bravest drinker. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you ‘Graverobber’ whiskey.

Cool name, but can it really be anything macabre?

Graverobber is a blend of whiskey launched by Tamworth Distilling and true to form (anyone else remember their House of Tamworth Eau de Musc that contains oil extract from the castor gland of the North American Beaver?!), it is another frightfully well thought-out whiskey.

This time, however, it isn’t the living they have used to flavour their whisky but rather the dead. Let us explain: Tamworth Distilling, based in New Hampshire, houses a “malignant old maple” on its property whose roots have burrowed deep into the nearby, unmarked Colonial Era graveyard. While it is normally believed that tapping maple from a graveyard tree is a big no-no for fear of disturbing the dead and conjuring up spirits, it hasn’t stopped Tamworth who have already, well, conjured up a spirit...

Not been put off yet? Here is its flavour profile:

Described by the company as “spicy yet sweet, evil yet divine,” Graverobber is a 90-proof, 3-year-old rye whiskey that takes on a layered profile punctuated by charred oak and burnt sugar. Full-bodied and peppery, Graverobber is blended with “sinister cemetery” syrup and gives off aromas of cinnamon, dried orange peel and a hint of rye cracker. The sweet yet unholy maple soothes the burn from the rye spirit on the palate and gives way to a warm, long finish that creates a devilishly drinkable intoxicant.

If you’re feeling brave enough to get your hands on a bottle, you can find it here.

Liked this? How about checking out this famous mummified toe cocktail?!

Premium Spirits Subscription Service? Yes please!

Our friends over at 31Dover have good news for budding bartenders and cocktail aficionados alike in the form of their brand new, premium spirits subscription service: Off the Still.

Your own home bar

Over the course of twelve months, subscribers will gradually put together the ultimate home bar while learning all about the magical liquids in each bottle. From spiced, world rums, to boutique gins and rare whiskies, each delivery comes with serving inspiration, production information and colourful stories from the people who made them. It’s a great way to kick start a journey into mixology where all the hard work is done for you by the experts. 

Director of Buying Ashika Mathews says “We’ll be conjuring the spirit of adventuring and exploring, using visual cues like maps and evocative imagery to ensure members feel like they’re being transported to where these amazing bottles are made.”

The monthly subscription costs £40 and includes a bottle of premium spirits, two hand-picked mixers and another small bottle or gift. There are also options to have a box bi-monthly or quarterly.

Early subscribers can take advantage of 50% off their first month Off the Still subscription with the code SPIRITED50. Go to www.offthestill.com for more details and enter the code when prompted.

Whisky buyer, collector or investor? You need to know about Cask Trade.

There’s a new whisky cask trader in town and it’s dubbed the first, truly ‘trustworthy marketplace for trading exceptional whisky casks’.

Introducing Cask Trade: founded by entrepreneur and angel investor Simon Aron with help from our very own Drinker, Colin Hampden-White and several other famous whisky masters including Lee Tomlinson ‘The Trader’ and Dr. Theo Empleslidis MD, ‘The Oracle’.

As a passionate whisky collector for over 25 years who has seen astronomical gains in the value of some whiskies over the years, Simon had been burned many times by sellers in the past, becoming frustrated with false promises and dishonest dealing. Now was the time, he decided, to create a much more open and honest marketplace for investors, bottlers and collectors. 

An expert-led approach

Thanks to their crack team of experts team of masters, Cask Trade offer unparalleled whisky trade expertise to their clients and guarantee the most stringent checks and processes, so customers can rely wholeheartedly on the quality, provenance and ownership of any whisky they buy. All customers can ask to receive samples of their whisky or to visit their cask whenever possible and Cask Trade only sells whisky it owns itself, in whole casks.

“We are not brokers but stockists,” says Aron. ‘Our aim is to build a true, and safe, marketplace… We are six experts covering all angles of the cask whisky trade and we have clients from all around the world. Having traded thousands of casks, our knowledge of whisky and its value is our most valuable asset. Throughout my 25-years’ of collecting I suffered from all sorts of false promises which I will never subject my clients to.”

To view a live stock list, register an account today at casktrade.com.

The first live auction website dedicated to exceptional whisky

As an extra plus, customers also have the option to put their casks into Cask Trade’s new quarterly online auction to sell, either to other customers or eventually, back to Cask Trade themselves. With complete transparency, a low buyers’ fee of 15% + VAT and no sellers’ fee at all, customers get the actual hammer price. The first auction will take place in October 2019 and will then be hosted four times a year. See more at auctionyourcask.com.

For more information on whisky cask investment, Simon and his team offer frequent editions of Cask Trade’s Cask Investment Guide. 

23 Unusual Facts About Whisky

Our friends at Rabbie’s, our travel partner for our Scotch whisky travelogue series on Amazon Prime, have given us 23 fun facts about whisky. How many of them did you know already?

Bernard Shaw described whisky as liquid sunshine, and we can’t help but agree. Although the sunshine can be a little bothersome the next morning when you’ve indulged in one too many glasses.

Mark Twain begs to differ, however, as he’s famous for boldly declaring “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.”

What could we possibly have to tell you about whisky that you haven’t heard from these great poets, playwrights and avid whisky drinkers? You’d be surprised. Whisky has a long history and its makers and consumers are fond of a good blether. 

So whether you’re a whisky aficionado or have only just begun your love affair, you may be surprised by a few of the following facts:

1. Whisky or Whiskey - what’s the difference? The Irish spell it with an ‘e’ whereas the Scots spell it without one. This is due to the variations between Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

2. The New York Times famously used the word ‘whiskey’ with an ‘e’ to encompass all forms of the spirit from all locations. This caused so much outrage amongst readers, they were forced to change their style guide to reflect the appropriate spelling for their regional distribution.

3. Many distilleries store casks of whisky belonging to other brands and distilleries in their warehouses. This way, if a fire or catastrophe occurs, they won’t lose all their stock. 

4. The term whisky in Gaelic translates to ‘water of life.’

5. When whisky is stored in barrels for maturation, approximately 2% of the liquid evaporates per year. This is called the ‘Angel’s Share’ as this portion of liquid gold seemingly disappears into the heavens. It keeps the angels in good spirits.

6. Moonshine is typically un-aged whisky with a high alcohol content, which is made illegally. It’s called moonshine because it would be created under the light of the moon, hidden from the eyes of the authorities.

7. A bottle of Macallan Fine and Rare 60-year-old 1926 was sold for £1.38 million in October 2019, setting a new world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky.

8. Whisky doesn’t age once it’s bottled. So there isn’t much point in saving it for a rainy day, just crack it open when you feel like it.

9. Whisky gains its colour from the barrel it’s aged in. Sometimes, for the sake of product image, brands may put caramel colouring in a batch to make the whisky look more consistent when bottled on the shelf. The additive isn’t supposed to affect the taste of the whisky. 

10. Scotland relies on a constant supply of oak casks previously used to store bourbon in the US for maturing whisky.

11. Much of the flavour of a batch of whisky will depend upon what was stored in the cask previously. Bourbon, sherry, rum and port casks all generate different finishing flavours.

12. A Swedish distillery has started using AI to help generate the perfect whisky recipe based on past and current consumer trends.

13. Surprisingly, France and India are two of the biggest consumers of whisky, alongside the US. 

14. The iconic American soda brand Mountain Dew was originally intended to be a chaser for sub-par whisky.

15. Just as the Brits say “cheers”, the Germans shout “prost” and the Spanish yell “salud,” you’ll find the Scots chinking whisky glasses and saying “Slàinte,” which means “good health,” as they share a dram with friends.

16. Contrary to popular belief, nosing isn’t the act of sticking your conk in other people’s business. It’s what you do when you inhale the aromas of a fine whisky before drinking it.

17. A copper dog is a device that was used by distillery workers to smuggle whisky home after a hard day at work. It’s copper pipe with a penny soldered on one end and a cork stopping the other. A wily employee would dip it into the cask to fill it with whisky, and then smuggle it home in his trouser leg.

18. When the TV show Mad Men hit the air, it spurred a significant spike in orders for Old Fashions at bars worldwide. In some areas, the demand for Canadian Club almost doubled.

19. Diageo, one of the world’s largest distillers, released a Game of Thrones collection of Whisky in 2019, in preparation for the final season of the hit TV show. They paired Scottish distilleries with the prominent family houses of the seven kingdoms. Each was matched up carefully, considering house traits alongside distillery history. Cardhu was paired with house Targaryen for its past of strong female ownership. 

20. Ardbeg, a popular Islay distillery, sent vials of their whisky to the International Space Station in 2011 to see how the gravity in space would affect compounds of the whisky over time.

21. The term ‘dram’ widely adopted in the Scottish vernacular, is believed to have evolved from an apothecary’s units of measurement.

22. Keeping with the theme of whisky and medicine, during the prohibition era the only whisky legally imported by the US was scotch whisky, as it was often prescribed to ease many illnesses.

23. And last but not least, Humphrey Bogart’s final words are rumoured to have been “I should never have switched from scotch to martinis.” May we live and learn from Bogart’s mistakes.

Discover whisky for yourself on a tour with Rabbie’s here!

This is the world’s most popular spirit. Have you heard of it?

Question: Which spirit has 6,000 years of history, is the world’s most tasted alcoholic drink and reached 10.8 billion dollars worth of sales last year? 

Answer: Baijiu

What on earth is Baijiu?

Baijiu is the most popular grain spirit in China, especially in Sichuan province. Sorghum is usually the grain of choice but in some parts of the country, rice, barley and millet are used. It’s the world’s most popular spirit thanks to China’s population of over 1.4 billion but it’s still not known well at all outside the country. We were treated to a master class by the producer Fenjiu and their importer, Cheng International, to see what it was all about...

What does Baijiu taste like?

A white spirit for the most part and usually between 40 and 60% abv, Baijiu is more like whisky in terms of complexity of flavour and texture. It’s traditionally drunk neat with food, though there are some nowadays that are deemed better for mixing. There are four key styles to look out for, all based on their flavour profiles, but dozens of sub categories too. What makes the difference in terms of aroma and flavour, much like wine, is the ageing vessel, the ingredients and the duration of ageing.

Credit: Cheng International CO. Ltd

Key styles of Baijiu

Light Aroma: Light, elegant and subtley floral. Traditionally made in a stone vessel with sorghum. Hails from the north, around Beijing.

Strong Aroma: Fruity, tropical, aniseed, complex. Multiple grains, but aged in mud pits. Hails largely from Sichuan province in the southwest.

Sauce Aroma: Umami, soy, bean. Mostly sorghum but with multiple fermentations in stone brick pits.

Rice Aroma: Sweeter and mellow. Hailing from the south and often the lowest grade. 

Other ‘aromas’ and styles of Baijiu

There are many additional sub aromas of this intriguing spirit, which to Westerners can seem gloriously different. ‘Chi’ aroma comes from the addition of pork fat, for example, ‘medicine aroma’ exists, as does ‘sesame aroma’ amongst many others. There are also many regional variations. Fenjiu, for example, is an ‘aroma’ as well as the name of a producer. It is a light aroma Baijiu hailing from Fenyang, Shanxi and dates back to AD 550!

4 Baijius to try from light to strong

Fenjiu Baijiu aged 10 years: Clear white - A traditional, light Baijiu made from high quality sorghum grain and aged 10 years in earthen ceramic vessels. It’s fresh, floral and subtle with notes of jasmine, melon and dried herbs. Drink it neat or mixed in cocktails. RRP £65 coming soon to the UK. 

Blue Flower Fenjiu Baijiu 48% aged 30 years: Clear white - Aromatic and smooth with notes of citrus peel, vanilla, acacia and cinnamon. Best served neat or over ice. RRP £150 from Harrods.

Bamboo Fenjiu 38% aged 5 years (Zhu Ye Qing Jiu): Pale gold - Stronger notes of mocha and menthol with subtle curry leaf and soy from the bamboo infusion. Best served mixed. RRP £60 from Harrods.

Bamboo Fenjiu 45% aged 30 years (Zhu Ye Qing Jiu): Bright gold - Powerful aromas of curry leaf and sandalwood with underlying sweetness like banana and caramel. Sweeter texture. Best served neat. RRP £145 from Harrods.

The ultimate Baijiu cocktail: The Golden Empire

With mixology playing a huge part in helping get Baijiu on lips outside China, Fenjiu launched their inaugural cocktail competition earlier this year. The winning result was a golden, moreish concoction featuring palo cortado sherry and vermouth, created by Andrea Dionori, mixologist at The Crazy Bear.

Ingredients:

• 35ml Fenjiu 10 year old.

• 10ml White Vermouth (preferred: Cocchi Americano)

• 7.5ml Palo Cortado sherry

• 10ml Homemade Palo Santo cordial (optional)

Baijiu is certainly an acquired taste for Westerners, but one that is not hard to acquire with a bit of, ahem, tasting practice. Look out for it as a key ingredient in the top cocktail bars around the world and if you see it, ask for a small pour to try neat. You’ll be tasting history.

By Helena Nicklin

Glencairn Crystal: Is this the ultimate whisky tasting glass?

We certainly think so and here’s why...

When you have a drink, you want to enjoy it to the max, right? Well, luckily for us, around thirty years ago, the Davidson family set up Glencairn Crystal, based in East Kilbride, with the aim of helping us to do just that. A brand for both the consumer and the whisky industry alike, they produce a mixture of products including bespoke packaging for some of the oldest and most luxurious single malt whiskies ever released. They are also, however, commissioned to create a variety of other products including high-profile decanters, some of which are even engraved with rare gemstones! 

The Glencairn Glass 

Amongst all their products, there is one that stands out: the iconic, Glencairn Glass. We chose this glass for our TV show, The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky as it is the best designed, most attractive whisky glass out there. They are also the official glass for whisky endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association, so it’s little wonder that over 65,000 of them are now sold per week globally.

Why is the Glencairn Glass so popular?

Before the Glencairn glass came along there were really only tumblers available for whisky drinkers which while serving their purpose as a holder of liquid, never really felt like they gave the whisky its full chance to shine. The Glencairn Glass however, has rectified this as its unique shape allows the aroma to collect towards the lip of the glass. With taste being 80% smell, this design ensures that the full impact of a whisky’s aromas and flavours are delivered in perfect balance. 

Fun Facts! 

1. If you stacked every Glencairn glass ever made, it would stretch to the international space station and back 3.5 times!

2. If you lined up every Glencairn glass ever made, they’d reach a width of over 1600km, more than the entire length of New Zealand.

3. If you filled every Glencairn glass ever made to the brim with whisky, there’d be enough to fill two Olympic sized swimming pools. That’s 5 million litres!

Glencairn Crystal works with 600 distilleries and ships to 95 countries so if you too are interested in getting your hands on the gold standard of whisky glasses head over to glencairn.co.uk

By Sophie Furukawa