The Group FAQ part 2 (Long)

(What follows below is essentially a repost of a post I made in August 2003 but seems especially pertinent now. I have not updated it. Some links are dead and some info is now out of date.)

The Group FAQ (continued)

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Chris Warner asked for more on triple distillation in lowland malts.

Martin L. Del Prince wanted better definitions of malt, grain, vatted, and blended whiskies. He quoted from the Malt Whiskey File by John Lamond and Robin Tucek, Published in 1995 by Cannongate Books Limited:

"There are three types of Scotch whisky: Malt whisky, Grain whisky and blended whisky. Malt whisky is produced only from 100% malted barley. Grain whisky is produced from a variety of cereals which may or may not include a portion of malted barley. Blended whisky is a combination of Malt whisky and Grain whisky, mixed together in the same bottle."

and added that "a whisky is termed "Blended" if the whisky contains just one ml of Grain whisky."

A poster objected to categorizing Talisker as a Highland whisky, and a more generalized discussion took place over the whisky producing regions of Scotland: how many are there? what are they like? Does it make sense to bundle very different whiskies into one category defined by region? Why does Springbank get its own region and not Talisker, for example. Here is the flavor of that discussion:

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From: Bushido ( snipped-for-privacy@this.msn.com) Subject: Regional descriptions (was Re: FAQ suggestions:(long)) Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 1998/07/02

So your suggestion is to just remove reference to Talisker in the Highland region, right? I'm sure that you're aware that at one time the Campbeltown region had over 30 distilleries, and now sadly there are only two and one of those is shuttered. That is the reason why Campbeltown persists as a "region" even though only Springbank is still actively producing.

From my personal standpoint, the whole "region" thing is sort of artificial anyway since there are always going to be individual whiskies which stand out separate from the regional style. Just try to convince someone who doesn't know Islay whiskies that Bruichladdich and Laphroaig come from the same "region". I've had people swear in a blind tasting that Clynelish was an island malt even though it's some distance inland from the sea. At some point you could argue that there ought to be as many "regions" as there are distilleries.

Even if we adopted the "Western Islands" region, it's a difficult sell to say that Talisker, Tobermory (Ledaig) and Isle of Jura have much in common. However, I think that we would be remiss if we didn't include a discussion of the whisky producing regions in our FAQ. The idea is to provide an orientation to the world of single malt scotch not catalog each and every distillery to a region. The most utility I see from the regional grouping is to use it to make suggestions to someone when they don't know what they want, but know what they like.

-- Brian Bushido Brewing Co.

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Similar thoughts were expressed by Ryan Stotz, who posted as Tower Leasing & Financial Services, Inc.

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From: Tower Leasing & Financial Services, Inc. ( snipped-for-privacy@pacwest.net) Subject: Re: FAQ suggestions:(long) Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 1998/07/02

Chris Warner wrote in message ...

I guess I would just place Talisker on its own since it really bears no >resemblance, in my view, to traditional Highland Malts (unlike, say, >Highland Park, an island malt, but very much in line with the generally >mannered Highland whiskys).

Ehhh, but there's where it gets tricky. Anyone would agree that the Talisker bears little resemblance to other Highland malts, but if yr going to give it its own region, what do you do with the non-peated, triple distilled, lowland-esque Hazelburn malt that Springbank is preparing? Obviously certain regions produce whiskies with certain characteristics, but where do you draw the line on where the variation merits another region or category? For example, different rivers, and even different places on the same river, produce water that varies widely in peat content, hardness, etc., which all affect the taste of a malt to varying degrees; so do you assign further geographic regions based on that, or are the variations too subtle? And who decides what's too subtle? In the interest of preventing the ng from getting bogged down in semantics, I'm more inclined toward staying with the basic, classic four regions.

While I don't think the Isle of Skye needs to >be considered a "region" any more than Campeltown does, frankly (one >distillery hardly a region makes), I don't think each and every malt needs >to be ascribed to a given area. But that's just my opinion.

Big, big difference here. Much as I love the Talisker (the 18 year Cadenhead's, especially), I get the feeling that making the Isle of Skye a "region" was more a marketing move than anything else, making it seem even more of a singular malt than it already is (hardly necessary, I think). Campbeltown, on the other hand, was once a booming distillery town with upwards of 30 distilleries, and has been hit hard by the rash of distillery closings. There's talk, apparently, of Glen Scotia selling to someone (UD or Seagram, I think), plus Springbank is opening a new distillery, so the town is at least on the comeback trail. And the malts from here have tasted distinctly different from others, so that coupled with the town's history (as opposed to the Isle of Skye's lack of history, regardless of the fine quality), would qualify it, in my mind, as a separate region. There's a lot to be said for history and tradition in regard to malts, no?

Ryan Stotz

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While Huw Evans got right to the point.

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From: Huw Evans ( snipped-for-privacy@dcs.gla.ac.uk) Subject: Re: FAQ suggestions:(long) Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 1998/07/02

In article , snipped-for-privacy@ix.netcom.com (Chris Warner) writes:

In article , "Bushido" > wrote: > >I don't think each and every malt needs >to be ascribed to a given area. But that's just my opinion.

From

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they have the regions as:

Northern Highlands Eastern Highlands Western Highlands Central Highlands Campbeltown Lowlands Speyside Islay

and these groups are well established within the industry. I think the FAQ should stick with these.

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About two months after the posting of the draft version this was posted and showed some of the development that had been going on.

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From: Mr_Grimm ( snipped-for-privacy@dave-world.net) Subject: Fodder for the FAQ... Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 1998/08/13

Hello all,

I have a request for you, the participants of this fine newsgroup.

My schedule seems to be freeing up a bit and I should be able to begin working on the FAQ again. The first order of buisness I'd like to attend to is filling the request of one of our folks who is new to the dram.

It was requested that we add a section to the FAQ on how to "taste" Scotch Whisky.

I would like each of you to post your personal tasting method, dare I say ritual to the group. I will compile these methods into some sort of logical format and add it to the FAQ. Deal?

FYI, I'm working on putting the current version of the FAQ on the web for easier access and higher availability. No point flooding the newsgroup every week. Right?

As soon as I get it in some degree of organisation I'll post the URL.

Be Well, Mr_Grimm

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The poster snipped-for-privacy@ix.netcom.com ( snipped-for-privacy@ix.netcom.com) was quick to offer suggestions on how to taste a single malt.

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From: snipped-for-privacy@ix.netcom.com ( snipped-for-privacy@ix.netcom.com) Subject: Re: Fodder for the FAQ... Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 1998/08/15

I don't know that I have the most official tasting methods, but it works for me; I start with:

-a couple nice single malts, neat.

-plenty of quality ice water

-usually a good cigar: I enjoy switching between it and the scotch to further highlight the flavor.

I start with a few sips of ice water, then pour my scotch (with appropriate mixture of water if required to dilute). I examine the "nose" by smelling, then take a moderate sip and keep it at the front of my mouth, on the tip of my tongue. After a good feel for the flavor, I swallow it back and let it warm me on the way down!

If I find I'm losing track of the flavor (even with ice water in between), then I pull out the cigar for a few minutes.

Cheers,

-Lane

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Shortly afterward a version with additions and corrections was archived by Mr_Grimm at

formatting link

I don't know about its subsequent development.

That was pretty much the end of discussions about the FAQ.

Bushido kept, and when last I checked, still keeps a pointer to the FAQ on his website, as well as pointers to other useful FAQ's about scotch whisky. He occasionally shared the link to his pointer to the FAQ when posters new to the newsgroup asked for directions.

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From: tbncentralus ( snipped-for-privacy@email.msn.com) Subject: Re: FAQ Document Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 1999/10/24

Hi Stephen,

As a co-founder of this NG, I can point you to this link where you can get the URL for this NG and other scotch whisky related FAQ's:

formatting link

Mr. Grimm, are you napping again?

Slainte, Bushido

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Every so often a malt enthusiast would stumble upon the newsgroup and ask if the group had a FAQ and where it was archived. At first this question would recieve a response similar to the one above. Eventually the pointer pointed to an inactive page. I don't know precisely when the URL died. But I'm not the only one who noticed the need for some sort of active FAQ. Douglas Hoyt was kind enough to provide the group with a humorous one:

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From: Douglas W Hoyt ( snipped-for-privacy@home.com) Subject: Faque FAQ Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 2001-10-03 15:53:48 PST

Where may I read the FAQ to this group?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Q: The newsgroup is about scotch whisky. No? A: The newsgroup is about scotch whisky, yes.

Q: Is whiskey spelled with or without an 'e'? A: I think you just answered your own question there, mate.

Q: I don't know how much water I should add to my Ardbeg 22. A: Send us your bottle of Ardbeg 22, and we shall return it filled with what we feel is an appropriate amount of water.

Q: The Ardbeg 22 you sent back to me is now perfectly clear, whereas before it was amber in color--what gives? A: The newsgroup is about scotch whisky, yes.

Q: What to do with the Loch Dhu? A: Word has it you can do the Dhu in the dumpster.

Q: What's with that funny perfumy taste with the Bowmore 12? A: What perfumy taste?

Q: How many ice cubes should I put in my Glenlivet 1961? A: The history of the guillotine goes back well before the French Revolution. The French doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotine (1738-1814) was supposedly the one who invented the guillotine, but a machine similar to the guillotine had already been built in Germany, England, Italy, Scotland, and Persia. The guillotine itself wasn't just the machine that was used for executions. When it was used in Germany, England, and Persia, the guillotine wasn't used in public or for executions. It was used on the farm. It was an axe which was used in slaughtering poultry. So basically, the guillotine was invented or had been used by people who were working on farms. Designed to make execution more humane, the guillotine quickly became a symbol of tyranny during the French Revolution. Victims were placed on a bench, face down, and their necks positioned between the uprights. The actual beheading was very quick, taking less than half a second from blade drop to the victim's head rolling into the waiting basket. However, debate rages over whether the quickness of the execution was humane or not, as many doctors put forward the notion that it could take up to 30 seconds before the victim lost consciousness. That piece of gruesome news would not have worried the crowd, which continually called for aristocratic and royalist blood to be spilt. An estimated 40,000 people have already lain under the tumbrils to die under Madame Guillotine.

Q: How much Mohr could a Glen Mohr Mohr if a Glen Mohr could Glen Mohr? A: You have clearly had one dram too many.

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And it prompted a response of it's own:

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From: Wojtek Drzazgowski ( snipped-for-privacy@primark.pl) Subject: Re: Faque FAQ Newsgroups: alt.drinks.scotch-whisky Date: 2001-10-04 03:28:32 PST

"Douglas W Hoyt" wrote :

> Where may I read the FAQ to this group? > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
[cut]

Q: How much Mohr could a Glen Mohr Mohr if a Glen Mohr could Glen Mohr?

This one made me laugh to tears ;)

-- Wojtek Drzazgowski

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Reply to
Bart
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By gar, like a veritable ray of sunshine cast upon a self-inflicting group of pillocks, welcome back Bart. Now if we could get Bushido and Johanna to return we might get this newsgroup back to where it was several years ago.

chuck

Reply to
chuck

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