Mixology Planet Tour 2012

On our AMCA class to Poland to learn about Polish culture and the vodka produced by Chopin,  I discovered the magic of single distillate  vintage vodka.  Yes, single distilled vodka from a certain year.  The vodka that we have in the States has been distilled a minimum of four times.  We have become use to a stripped down very clean tasting product.  The more times you distill alcohol the more times you remove certain flavors.   The team at Chopin lead by owner Tad Dorda have been experimenting with vodka that has been distilled only once from young potato’s from a certain year the way it was made in the past before its mass production.  I found the tasting we had at the Chopin distillery of these products to be an amazing event.  We have wines, all types of whiskeys, even beers being made defined by the years they were made, why not vodka?                    I found all the different years we tasted(09,10,11,& 12) to all have unique flavor characteristics that the others did not have.  All the vintages were quite good and unique, worthy of being there own vintage.  Chopin plans to bring these vintage single distilled vodkas to the U.S. sometime in the future, I can’t wait to share them with all my whiskey loving friends and guests!

As I sat in a San Juan airport bar with my travel companions waiting to see if tropical storm Issac would allow us to leave the lovely island of Puerto I was reminded of another island, Hawaii and the Aloha spirit.
What got me to this connection was the spirit of kindness, which is the Aloha Spirit. Our trip to Puerto Rico was sponsored by the kind island spirit of DonQ and their very capable hosts John Meisler, Estaban Ordonez and Yisell Muxo. All these people showed us great Aloha Spirit with their hospitality, kindness and knowledge.
How can we be aware using the Aloha Spirit? Here are a few guidelines. Always say a sincere thank you for all the kindness you receive. Expect nothing and when things are given to you be appreciative. Respect those around you and the time they are sharing with you. Smile. Listen. Enjoy. Your hosts are spending there time, effort, and money in order that you have a great and in our case informative experience. Do not take things for granted. Go with the flow and not against it, it makes life easier.
Issac and Mother Nature were kind to us that day and allowed us to leave Puerto Rico with our new found knowledge of Rum and the DonQ way of producing it. I am thankful DonQ, our hosts, Puerto Rico, and the people I got to spend time with. Mucho Gracias, Mahalo and Thank You!

The second trip of our AMCA  class took us to the lovely city of Windsor Canada and the Canadian Club distillery.  Now owned by Jim Beam, this 150+ year old Candian whiskey distillery is steeped in tradition, history, innovation and maybe even a ghost or two!    Two of the more interesting things I discovered on this trip was that C.C. and other Canadian whiskey makers use temperature controlled warehouses and that C.C. blends there whiskey prior to barreling.  By controlling the warehouse temperature, they have a better understanding of the whisky’s maturation during the cold winter.   The proprietary process C.C. uses by blending the whisky prior to aging was also interesting.  By doing so, they believe that the mash bill can blend smoother by being together longer.  Very interesting!    Thanks to C.C. and there Brand Ambassador Tish Harcus for a great visit!

Prior to this trip to Paris France and our time spent with Pernod, I always used absinthe in rather boring ways. A wash for a Sazerac or a drip and thats pretty much it! After a class presented at the Moulin Rouge and an evening out and about Paris my mind was opened to many diffrent ways of using absinthe. Use sugar in your drip or not, flavoring the drip water in diffrent ways, flavor the sugar diffrently, flashy displays and so on.
Its time to reconsider absinthe and open up our minds on the many diffrent ways we could use it and enjoy this lovely product. for some great absinthe recipes like Pernod Green Beast, Grape Sour, Maiden Blush, or the Absinthe Coffee Flip. These recipes are avialable at Pernods web site, www.pernod-ricard
A special thanks to Helen Sabin for a spirited conversation about Pernod Absinthe!

On our trip to Cognac I learned many things about Cognac and its production. One aspect i found very interesting was the regulation of cognac its governing body the BNIC. The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac is the regulating body that is payed for and supported by the cognac distillers and merchants involved in its production. Located in Cognac France the BNIC employees nearly 100 people to regulate, market, and educate on all things Cognac. From the picking dates of the grapes, to what your allowed to print on the label(V.S, V.S.O.P, etc…) the BNIC regulates. All distilling houses and merchants pay a fee to support the BNIC. These members vote among themselves to see who sits on which boards that set the many cognac standards. These standards are then implemented and enforced by the BNIC. Board members are not payed to sit on these boards though they do have an active voice on the future direction of the product.
From the grape picking period, labeling statements, aging period standards, educating, and marketing of cognac(though not the marketing of each individual brand) the BNIC is involved. For more information on cognac and the BNIC, these web sites may be helpful. WWW.cognac.fr, www.encyclopedie.cognac.fr, and www.conference.
A special thanks to Laurine Caute of the BNIC for an interview.