Beyond the finish line
Dave Broom considers what kind of innovation is good for whisky
The terror of the blank page has gripped me. Thatâs the trouble with new editors. They always crack the whip in their first few issues and put we poor hacks under ridiculous pressure over such irrelevancies as deadlines. I canât work under these conditions, so I grab a chunky tumbler, some ice and poured a slug of Orangerie.
Havenât heard of it? Itâs the latest offbeat idea to leap, fully formed, out of John Glaserâs ever-fertile and occasionally slightly worrying imagination. Oh, and it isnât whisky. Well it is, but it isnât. Itâs a blend of malt and grain, but because John has macerated orange peel and
spices in it, it must be called âspiritâ. Neat, it is intensely, zestily orangey, as if someone is rubbing their thumbnail over the fruitâs skin and spraying it up your twitching nose. Thereâs other stuff going on, reminding me of one of those clove-studded oranges you plop into mulled wine. It does need dilution though. John likes water, I just go for ice. Straight in the glass. Canât be bothered shaking and straining anything today. Now it reminds me of an Old Fashioned. A really, really good, light, subtle Old Fashioned. ANew Old Fashioned perhaps.
I take another sip. Hey, this stuff is getting addictive. It came swathed in a flouncy white gown, a slender 37.5cl bottle topped with a wax seal. The whole package reminded me somehow of Susan Sarandon. The whole package â the look, the label, the wild flavour â added up
to a drink which plays a.....
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By Dave Broom
Section : A dram with Dave Broom
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