The Royal Norwegian Cocktail Competition

Each country has its own way of dealing with the distribution of every alcohol, and so it follows that every alcohol company has it own way of dealing with each country. I have always taken a keen interest in the existence of particular malts or blends (usually blends) that exist in very limited markets as I think it is fascinating to see which brands and what imagery appeal to various national mindsets.

You may or may not be aware of this phenomenon but the Scottish whisky industry produces over a hundred different brands of blends and malts exclusively for particular markets, just like the automobile industry, for example. This phenomenon exists mainly with blended whiskies, but there are also malts that fall into this category. For me, it's the blends that provide the most nerdy entertainment.

There are big name examples of this phenomenon like Johnnie Walker Red being nearly unavailable in the UK but the biggest seller around the world, Old Parr 18 being acclaimed by an English critic but available only in Japan and a few other select markets, William Lawson's absence in UK but presence in Southern Europe and some North and South American markets, etc... But the little guys are the ones that really get me excited (Scottish Leader, Royal Castle, Queen's Seal, etc.) I always like to check out what is available and, if possible, try the stuff.

We stood in a Vinmonopolet in Tønsberg and watched customer after customer (well, ten customers) come to the whisky section to see what bottles they were reaching for. The final score was single malts 0, blends 10 with Inverness Cream being picked 6 times, Peter Dawson twice, with Ballantines and Upper Ten each picked once. But what would we choose?

I love the 'royalty' theme in blend branding, with clan and kilt imagery coming a close second. So today we witness the The Royal Norwegian Cocktail Competition. The competing blended whiskies are King's Legend and King of Scots. This idea has been inspired by Nonjatta's Mizuwari Challenge, Matthew's Monday Mixers, and Paul's Mixology Mondays

The Competitors:

In the King's Legend corner:

Highland Sling
1 tsp superfine Sugar
Water and Ice
Touch of Lemon juice
Whisky
Lemon twist/slice

Mizuwari
Whisky, Water, Ice

In the King of Scots corner:

Frisky Tonic
Cointreau
Whisky
Orange slices
Tonic

Bråten Spesial
3 cl Campari
1 cl whisky
1 cl vodka
1 cl Cointreau)

Dusty Nail
Whiskey
Drambuie
Akevitt/Aquavit

THE TASTING:
After several sour faces and not a second sip taken from all but one cocktail, the winner was quite obvious...

THE WINNER: King of Scots Dusty Nail

So yeah, nothing scientific, just some good old fashioned stupid fun. I will taste these blends as a part of the Malt Mission at some point in the future.

Norwegian Adventures

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Educating Margarita, i Norge

Herradura Reposado
Tequila 100% De Agave
40%abv
$56.80(CAD)
$48(USD)

Still in Norway. Still loving it.

We enjoyed this out of a 950ml(!) bottle from Mexico that Tante(Aunt) Anne had at her flat in Oslo and brought out to Viksfjord for us to enjoy. She doesn't know from where it came or when. We made Margaritas, but a few of us needed to enjoy this straight to familiarize ourselves with our mixing ingredients. It also suits the usual format of this blog.

Reposado means "rested" and this 100% blue agave tequila rested for 11 months in oak casks. It is available in 50 countries, and apparently the UK is not one of them. Please let me know if I am wrong. Tequila is basically made like whisky, except that the fermented liquid that is distilled is not a grain but comes from pulped agave plants. Like whisky, tequila is generally distilled twice and matured in oak barrels. Tequila comes from a region generally around the city of Tequila, or more generally where blue agaves are grown.

TASTING NOTES:

Sweet and sour, peppery, hot and soft all at the same time. Very exciting. Horseradish. Fennel. Moldy wood. "Taking a deep breath it makes the hair all over my body stand up! Severe goosebumps! Sticking my nose deep into the glass there is no alcohol burn at all"- Kristin

Soft and spicy with cinnamon hearts and licorice. Bang! impact. Lemon sourness with a cake-batter sweetness. Lingering dry desert sandy effect, with herbal notes, white pepper and oak.

SUMMARY:

Oak maturation has really softened the impact and added flavours most would not expect in tequilas, and from what mates have been telling me for years, there is a whole world of tequila out there to explore. As nice as this is, I don't need a new spirit-based tasting mission in my life right now, but don't let that deter you. This is very tasty stuff that also affects your head quite differently than whisky; it feels more silly and quick that whisky, if that makes any sense. More research needed... Tasty and enjoyable stuff tho. Almost a waste to mix, but man oh man what a cocktail this thing made. Flavours of pepper and spice balanced beautifully against the sugar and lemon in the margarita. Let's have another...

Norwegian Adventures

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Nature in Norway

Carrots
Root Vebegtable
0% abv
£0.80/kilo

I know there are many women who travel from Norway to the UK to buy The Rabbit at a cheaper price than it is here in Norway. Well ladies, help is close at hand, and cheap too!!!

Where else in the world do carrots come in both family and sex-toy format? They do taste the same, though...

Norwegian Adventures

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Malt Mission Interruption (A week in Norway)

Quiet, Whisky drinker sleeping...


A week off from the mission cuz I am in Norway, where I plan to enjoy 19 hours of summer sun daily, swim in the sea, see friends and family, welcome a couple new babies into the world, and perhaps try a few gems at the Vinmonopolet. They carry many blends and a few malts that are unavailable in UK or, in some cases, anywhere else in the world and this is a phenomenon I have become more and more obsessed with over the past few years. I love that Scotch whisky has so many faces and shows a different one in different places. Will post my findings when something/anything comes up...

Norway has a great national drink called Aquavit(tasted at Malt Mission 84), they produce some excellent vodkas, and you can read about the ambitions of Ole Puntervold and the birth of Norwegian single malt whisky HERE. Now back to the non-stop polse party...

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Malt Mission 2007 #84

Linie Aquavit
Løiten Brænderis Destillation
41.5% abv
429.90 Kr
£35

Gratulerer med dagen! Today is Norweigian Constitution Day, a big deal in this family, a HUGE thing with Norwegians around the world, and a great party for those of us lucky enough to take part. To commemorate, we will taste aquavit today.

Distilled with potato or grains, Aquavit is a Scandanavian spirit often infused with herbs and seeds, and is available in many different forms that vary in flavour and colour, depending on time spent in oak casks.

This is the biggest brand of Aquavit in Norway and is matured in sherry casks as it travels by sea over the equator twice, hence the name Linie, or 'line', Aquavit. Between 1919 and 1926 it was unavailable to buy, and could only be obtained through prescription from your doctor.

The gaelic root of the term 'whisky' is uisge beatha, which means the same thing as eau de vie and aquavit, the water of life. Let's drink this water and hope for happy lives.

Happy Norway Day!!!

TASTING NOTES:

Salt, caraway seeds, cheddar cheese, young spirit and some mint.

Soft with vanilla off the top and some sherry oak character, slightly medicinal, toothpasty, and very warming with spice and baked potatoes.

SUMMARY:

Off-putting at first for some, but really quite appetising. Would certainly match well with certain festive foods. The taste was quite gentle and rich and wholly palatable. Despite the bad reputation this stuff tends to have, I have had some whiskies in this malt mission that were worse. And over an evening (or day) the stuff gets better and better.

Malt Mission #81
Malt Mission #82
Malt Mission #83
Malt Mission #85

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