DATE: Sunday, August 17, 1997               TAG: 9708140040

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JERRY CRONIN, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:  197 lines

TASTING THE WATERS: LOVERS OF SCOTCH WHISKY COME TOGETHER IN THE NAME OF PURE RESEARCH

DONALD FRASER is a man with a mission. Like the Celtic monks who set out from Scotland and Ireland to evangelize Europe and end the Dark Ages, he seeks to shed light on the other great passion of the Scots - Uisghebeathe.

While the formal translation from Gaelic is ``The Water of Life,'' we know and love it in its Anglicized form as simply ``whisky.'' Specifically, Scot's whisky, with just ``y'' at the end.

Fraser, a retired naval officer living in Virginia Beach, first came to love whisky in Newfoundland during World War II. While availability in the United States was limited during that time, the ``Newfies'' seemed to have a ready supply. After the war, he and a group of friends in Washington formed ``Cuideagh O Corn O Uisghebeathe'' or the Society of Tasters of the Water of Life. Fraser still serves as its secretary and can be rightly considered the clan leader of local Scot's whisky lovers.

About once a month, and at assorted festivals, the Cuideagh comes together to savor the rich and varied world of single-malt Scot's whisky. With more than 100 distilleries, five whisky producing regions and an assortment of ages and finishes, they have a pastime that can fill a pleasant lifetime.

A recent tasting held at Bart Tuthill's law office in Portsmouth provided a glimpse into the history of this fine drink, the different tastes of whisky and the workings of the Cuideagh.

The event began with light hors d'oeuvres. Smoked salmon, nuts, cheeses and a non-intrusive fume blanc took the edge off the thirst and hunger of the 15 members and guests of the Cuideagh. As Fraser is the first to point out, a tasting takes about an hour and a half, during which the participants will enjoy approximately one stiff drink's worth of whisky. It's best not to be distracted by hunger or thirst.

When the house was full, the revels began with a processional, led by the skirling of bagpipes played by member John Ickes, and the ceremonial carrying of a fine old bottle of Macallan. We took our places around the table and began what was to be a fine evening.

The type of tasting most frequently conducted by the Cuideagh is an instructional tasting. Beginning with a bit of history, it proceeds to how whisky is manufactured and a discussion of the five major regional styles of Scot's whisky. These styles may be compared to the various varieties of wines. Although all Scot's whisky starts with barley, the differences in water, peat, aging and tiny esoteric details combine to create an amazing variety of tastes and effects. Other tastings held by the Cuideagh may center on a single region or distillery.

Whisky starts out as barley, which is malted, smoked over a peat fire and fermented into a liquid similar to beer. The product of the fermentation is then distilled to concentrate the alcohol. Whisky taken directly from a still has little of the delightful flavors we normally associate with Scotch. Akin to the ``white lightning'' made by descendants of the Scots who moved to this country in the 1600s and 1700s, it is powerful stuff with a harsh edge.

Scot's whisky is aged in casks constructed of American oak that have been charred and used to store bourbon. After the United States is finished with them, they are shipped to Scotland or Spain. The Spanish casks are used to age sherries and ports and then shipped to Scotland.

A distillery will use a combination of these casks to impart subtleties of flavor to the spirits. The age of a whisky refers to the amount of time it has spent ``in the wood.'' Unlike wine, once the whisky is taken from the cask, it no longer ages.

One of the most important men in the making of whisky is referred to as ``The Nose.'' This is the person who holds the key responsibility of making sure that a 10-year-old Glenmorangie bottled in 1997 tastes the same as one bottled in 1897. He does this by smelling whisky that has aged in various casks and then combining a different amount from each one to produce the desired taste. What happens to the unused stuff? It is sold to the blenders.

Casks are not airtight and will typically lose between 1 percent and 2 percent of the volume stored during each year. This lost whisky is referred to as the ``angel's portion'' and is said to permeate the air of Scotland.

The Japanese have tried without success to manufacture Scot's whisky in Japan. In their quest, they have gone to the expense of buying entire distilleries and shipping them back, along with shiploads of water and peat, all to no avail. Fraser believes that they have failed because of the lack of all those happy angels.

Fraser tells the story of a festival he attended to set up the Cuideagh tent. When informed that the locality did not allow drinking at the fair, the tasting was changed to a nosing. Everyone stood around passing bottles of whisky and taking in the aroma.

Newcomers to the world of single malts begin by learning to recognize the different regions. In an instructional tasting, the presenter will run through a description of each type and provide a small taste of a characteristic whisky. Toward the end, there is a blind tasting where the taster attempts to identify the region from which the drink came. The glasses are small, but the tastes are large.

Conversation turned to the changes that are taking place in the industry and whether many of the small, interesting distilleries will survive. Many of the old favorites are disappearing, and there was the disturbing news that Macallan had been bought by a consortium of Japanese and British investors - who immediately got rid of the old noses.

With the singing of a Scot's parting tune, we headed out into the evening. Although the night air was that of a hot Tidewater summer, instead of the damp of Scotland, it was still nice to be warmed by the portion that the angels didn't get. MEMO: People interested in joining this unique band need only have a

love for Scot's whisky. Dues are $25 per year, which entitles you to go

to all the tastings and to have one at your house. For information, call

Donald Fraser at 340-2721 or Bart Tuthill at 393-6544. ILLUSTRATION: IAN MARTIN COLOR PHOTOS/The Virginian-Pilot

Donald Fraser chats with participants at a recent tasting held in

Portsmouth by "Cuideagh O Corn O Uisghebeathe," or the Society of

Tasters of the Water of Life.

The society samples the richness and variety of Scotch whisky. The

bottle in the box, however, is more than a century old and was not

opened at the Portsmouth tasting.

Small samples of Scotch whisky are poured into plastic cups and

passed around. Toward the end of each session, there is a blind

tasting.

IAN MARTIN PHOTOS/The Virginian-Pilot

At the Portsmouth tasting, Donald Fraser lectures participants about

the manufacturing of Scotch whisky.

Oat cakes are eaten between samples of Scotch whisky.

Graphics

WHISKY WISDOM

From the Scotch Whisky Association's web site:

Did you know?

The French drink more whisky than cognac.

``Cup of kindness'' in the song ``Auld Lang Syne'' refers to

whisky.

Malt whiskey is made in Scotland, Ireland, Japan and New Zealand.

The shape of the conventional whisky ``shot'' glass, being wide

at the top and tapering in towards the bottom, was originally

designed to disguise the taste of raw grain spirit in inferior

whisky by dissipating its smell. Serious appreciation of whisky

requires a tulip-shaped ``nosing'' glass, which retains the aroma of

the whisky.

How to taste

Color: As with wine tasting, note the color, depth and clarity.

New spirit, fresh from the still, is colorless. Whisky obtains its

natural color from the cask in which it matures. The color will

depend not only on how long it has lain in the wood, but also on

whether the barrel is on its first, second or third filling.

Nose: Experienced tasters swirl the whisky in a glass and nose it

gingerly. Don't inhale too deeply, as the strength of the alcohol

may dull your perceptions. Note the key aromas, which will be

somewhat subdued, spirity and vaporous.

For tasting purposes, the whisky should then be diluted to around

20 percent alcohol (mix with about 50 percent water). This agitates

and `awakens' the spirit. Swirl the glass and smell, first over the

top of the glass (the bouquet) and then deep within it (the aroma).

Note your immediate impressions; try to put words to the scents

which first strike you.

Body: The body of a malt whisky is determined by ``mouthfeel.''

Take a large enough sip to fill your mouth and roll it over your

tongue. Then consider the ``texture'' as it slides across your

palate. Malts can generally be divided into three textures: ``mouth

coating,'' which means it is viscous; ``mouth warming,'' which means

it is spirity; and ``mouth furring,'' which means it is astringent

and dry.

Palate: Note the initial flavors as the whisky slides over your

taste buds. As you swallow, compare the back-palate flavor with that

promised by the nosing and the first taste. Is it consistent? Does

it add dimension?

Finish: The finish is the aftertaste of the whisky. The length of

the finish is critical. Is there a rapid fade or does the flavor

linger, with echoes of earlier scents returning to extend your

satisfaction?

SCOTCH WHISKY BY REGION

The five regions of Scotch whisky distilling are as follows:

Highlands: In the north of Scotland, this area has a peat that is

influenced by the presence of heather. This lends a sweetness to the

front taste of the whisky, and a bite as it goes down your throat.

Speyside: Although Speyside is in the highlands, the vegetation

around the River Spey is more varied than the rest of the region.

This produces water and peat with floral characteristics. It is more

muted than other highland whiskies.

Lowland: The water and peat in the lowlands is influenced by the

presence of hardwood forests. After swallowing several times, one

can pick up the taste of oak in the whisky.

The next two whisky-producing regions are located in the islands

and peninsulas of Scotland's west coast. The peat in this area has

picked up influence from kelp, and shows itself with a hint of

iodine.

Campbeltown: This region is where the kelp first starts to

appear, and the Springbok whisky we sampled showed a tinge of

iodine.

Islay: These whiskies are the chieftains of kelp and smokiness.

We sampled a 16-year-old Laphroig as the main example of this style

and I can say that Islay whisky is an acquired taste. The Laphroig

web site unabashedly provides tasters with words such as medicinal,

marine iodine and oily, along with uncompromising, rugged and

majestic, to describe the experience.

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