Happy Birthday Robert Burns - Born 25 January 1796

Scotland's favourite son, Robert Burns, was born on this day, 25 January, in 1796.

When Lincoln was asked to pen a toast to Robert Burn - it read as follows: "I cannot frame a toast to Burns. I can say nothing worthy of his generous heart and transcendent genius. Thinking of what he has said, I cannot say anything worth saying"

Lincoln's final reference to Burns happened on a boat sailing down the Potomac River in early April 1865: " . . .Burns never touched sentiment without carrying it to its ultimate expression and leaving nothing further to be said". 

Besides a loved son of Scotland, Burns became the 'peoples poet' of Russia. They even honoured him with a commemorative stamp in 1956. He is still well loved in Russia today.

Robert Burns dinners are being held in venues right across South Africa tonight. I shall have a dram in honour of a great man. Thirty Seven was much to young to pass but his legacy is forever.

Robert Burns died 21 July 1796. On this same day in 1990, Pink Floyds "The Wall" was performed where the Berlin Wall once stood. On this same day in 2005 we watch modern terror as four terrorist bombings target London's underground transportation system. On this day we rather honour the good in man.

Robbie Burns the Che of Yesterday

Robert Burns - "The Whiskey Notebook" honours your incredible genius and contribution to mankind. Your fellow Scottish brethren who have contributed to society so immensely are honoured with you today. James Watt for the steam engine, Alexander Graham  Bell for the telephone, John Loudon McAdam for better tarred roads, John Logie Beard for the Television, Alexander Fleming for Penicillin, Henry Faulds for fingerprinting, Robert Watson-Watt for Radar and the list goes on and on. We are, however, most pleased about the most important contribution the Scots have given to the world - this is without doubt Scotch Whisky! Cheers Robert Burns.

If you want to find out almost everything about the man, visit: www.robertburns.org. You can even learn how to set up a Burns Supper on this site. 

The included picture above is available in google image search and remain the property of the creator.

Jameson First Shot 2013 has now closed for entries

JAMESON FIRST SHOT 2013 NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES

Calling all budding writers/directors from South Africa, Russia and the US looking for the big break. Get to work with Hollywood Superstars.

These were the exciting offers made by Jameson for the Jameson First Shot 2013 entrants which is now closed for entries. Trigger Street Productions have concluded judging. First Shot entrants will be contacted and notified on 30th January 2013. I'm sure these budding stars cannot wait for the day. In the meantime I suggest you visit Jameson First Shot website to catch up with Willem Dafoe and Kevin Spacey. Watch behind the scenes from last years entries.

All visuals remain the property of the owner and are downloadable directly through any search engine without reserve.

Happy New Year all - "Dinner For One" in Colour

There has been a tradition in South Africa for many years - our terrestrial television channel played this movie just before new years. Gets you into the spirit and spirits!



Have a happy and prosperous 2013 New Year one and all! See you in 2013,

Jameson First Shot 2013 - Kevin Spacey & Dana Brunetti talk about the rules

Jameson First Shot is coming around again in 2013. More details are discussed in this video below. You can watch three of these short films on YouTube as well.



2012 Jameson short films to view on YouTube,  are:

1. 'The Ventriloquist' (USA, Excluding California)
2. 'Envelop' (Russia) and
3. 'Spirit of a Denture'. (South Africa)

The lead actor in all three 2012 short films is Kevin Spacey. In 2013 the lead actor in all three short films  will be Willem Dafoe.

Click on each short film name above to link to view the video on YouTube. All films are in collaboration with Kevin Spacey & Trigger Street Productions.

BBC Documentary - Addicted to Pleasure: Whisky

Hollywood actor Brian Cox hosts this informative BBC documentary about the history of Scotch whisky. There are a few inaccuracies, e.g. the first patent column still was patented by Anneus Coffee (an Irishman working as an excise man in Scotland at the time) - not the Stein family as stated in this documentary. There a few other inaccuracies but none detract from a quality documentary about aspects of whisky's past.



The 'Addicted to Please: Whisky" documentary is just short of 60 minutes, but is well worth the time.

The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch whisky features in this video based mainly on two facts, 1) it is the first licensed distillery in Scotland & 2) It is ordered by King George IV, the first gentleman of England, in 1822, two years prior to whisky being legal. The Glenlivet is favoured for it's quality and taste. It is requested by royalty, nobility and gentry at this time in history and remains a firm favourite to this day.

Note: Dewars & Bruichladdich are featured due to collaboration for this documentary. 

Merry Christmas 2012 with a message from 1914

To our brethren on Christmas Island who officially celebrate Xmas first on the planet, I trust all 1500 of you had one huge party. To the rest of the world who celebrate Xmas may happiness, cheer and joy fill your Xmas day.
 
The following clip is the trailer for the play "All Is Calm" based on the Christmas Truce of 1914. It is a powerful story in our history rarely told. It reminds me that we should share our commonalities and cherish our differences more. Have an awesome Christmas, one and all. Be safe!

The Christmas truce was a series of widespread, unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914, during World War I. Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches; on occasion, the tension was reduced to the point that individuals would walk across to talk to their opposite numbers bearing gifts. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, many soldiers from both sides – as well as, to a lesser degree, from French units – independently ventured into "no man's land", where they mingled, exchanging food and souvenirs. As well as joint burial ceremonies, several meetings ended in carol-singing. Troops from both sides were also friendly enough to play games of football with one another (direct extract from Wikipedia)

The Jameson Global Party March 2012 - Revisited

After you watch the YouTube clip I have linked in this article (see linked video below), you may appreciate why I have shared it with you.

Jameson consistently engages with creative geniuses.  Delerentos, one of the hottest bands in Ireland played the Jameson Global Party on 17 March 2012. Check out their interview and acoustic performance of "Bullet in a Gun", from their new album, "Little Sparks"below.



South Africa participated in the Jameson Global Party 2012.
Jameson is the coolest whiskey. International celebrities endorse this brand, without reward, for it's coolness and the recognisable quality Jameson delivers at every level.

The linked video does not belong to me and remains the sole property of the owner. I have shared it on my Facebook page, directly off the Jameson official Facebook page, for my friends to view on my Facebook profile. I do the same here to afford the 'Beankeeper' blog viewers the same opportunity.

The Whisky Notebook: Bar

The Whisky Notebook: Bar: Jameson & Ginger Ale How to make this long drink - add: 40 - 50ml Jameson Original (a double) Top up with Schweppes Ginger Ale ...

Making Whisky Made Easy

This is a small video to best explain how whisky is made. I use this when training my ambassadors and it is exactly how they will finally present their understanding of the process back to me. They get the same kit and build out the entire process from scratch without help. I hope you enjoy this.

The idiots guide to choosing a great whisky

Scotch whisky is by far the dominant whisky in the world. Irish whisky is fast regaining its popularity. American whisky is mainly referred to as bourbon. Other countries also produce whisky, but these three countries dominate.

First and foremost, let’s clear up what is whisky or whiskey. Before it can be called whisk(e)y: It must be made only with natural raw materials, It must be distilled and matured in the country of origin e.g. Scotland, Ireland or America; It must be aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks in Scotland and Ireland and two years in America. The more premium the whisky the longer it is aged. Generally all whisky older than 10 years will show the age of the whisky on the label. Generally a low priced whisky will contain 3 year old whisky; a medium priced whisky will contain whisky from between 5 an 7 years. You get the drift – you generally get what you pay for. In whisky, unlike brandy – every drop in the bottle is as old as or older than the age stated on the label. Only 30% of standard brandy is at the age stated on the label

There are two types of casks used in Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey; namely ex Bourbon barrels from the US or Sherry casks from Spain. The bourbon barrel produces a much lighter whiskey and contribute a vanilla flavour while the sherry cask produces a much darker whisk(e)y and contributes a toffee caramel flavour. So when you pour your whisky and look at the colour, you can already begin to suggest that if it is lighter it will have a vanilla nose and sound glam. If it is darker you can already suggest a nose of toffee caramel. American whiskey is aged in new oak barrels.

Why are some bottles clear and others green? When whisky is in a clear bottle the whisky producer will add neutral caramel to window dress the product for consistent look on shelf, when in a green bottle this is not needed.
What are the key things to note from a whisky label? First and foremost check the country of origin. Note that some whiskies are distilled and matured in the country of origin but bottled in South Africa. Then you want to know what you are paying for?

The majority of whisky is blended Scotch whisky which means it is a blend of various single malt whiskies together with grain whisky. The more malt whisky in a bottle the more premium the whisky and the more expensive. The cheaper whiskies contain modest amounts of malt whisky. A Pure Malt whisky is a blend of single malt whiskies and a Single malt whisky is a single distillate from a single distillery. If you want to spoil yourself it must be a single malt whisky and if you want the best single malt Scotch whisky it has to be from Speyside in Scotland. Speyside contain more than half of the distilleries in Scotland for good reason.

Now for some dispelling of an old urban legend – the ‘A’ or ‘B’ number on the label. These are generally followed by a number e.g. B372 or A159. The A stands for locally produced, the B stands for imported and the number following is the dedicated number of the importer. You will find this number repeated on many product e.g. Chivas Regal will have the same number as Beefeater Gin and you will know then that this is form the same supplier and because it starts with a B it is fully imported.

Article 2 for Status Qua magazine

All things French by Mark Backhouse

I trust that you enjoyed our whisky journey in the previous issue and that you tried some new whiskies.

The part of the ‘drinks’ world we cover in this issue is all things French. The French don’t merely drink a spirit; they own the complete category of spirit. Champagne, Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados and ‘Pastis’, are some categories unique to the French. Even with wine the French differentiate: they have wines such as Bordeaux, Chablis and more.

When it comes to presentation - Champagne is foiled and wrapped in glamour, Cognac bottles bold and ornate almost perfume-like, while Armagnac and Calvados bottles are snuggled with slim wood shavings in hand-made engraved wooden boxes. When we drink these world famous French spirits we use flutes for Champagne, a Cognac snifter for Cognac, a white wine glass for Armagnac, a Tulip glass for Calvados - we follow etiquette carefully. We have detailed rituals to ensure the correct consumption of these premium luxury spirits.

CHAMPAGNE
Champagne can only be produced in a defined area** of north east France. Two abbeys became the birthplace of naturally sparkling wine which was created by two cellar masters, Frère Jean Oudart and Dom Pierre Pérignon (not to be mistaken for the Champagne which was first produced in 1936). Champagne is essentially a wine with bubbles. The bubbles are achieved with in-bottle fermentation*, which was not always the case - sparkling wines were the result of an accident. When shipped abroad in cask, warm spring weather frequently set off a secondary fermentation in the cask. When the wines arrived at their destination, they were bottled immediately and retained a lively sparkle. This sparked the deliberate attempt to capture the ‘mousse’ in the bottle. Better Champagne is aged from two to three years in underground cellars. (The Romans quarried the chalky hillsides in Champagne up to three hundred feet deep, for chalk building blocks. Today the chalk pits are cellars for millions of bottles of Champagne). Famous Champagne producers are Mumm, Perrier-Jouët, Bollinger, Dom Pérignon, Krug, Laurent-Perrier, Moët et Chandon, Pommery, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, etc. These Champagnes are available through premium liquor stores and at premium restaurants in South Africa.

* The Classic method of making champagne is by creating a second fermentation in the bottle – the process is called ‘Method Champagne’, also used when making South African ‘Cap Classique’ or ‘Cava’ in Spain and ‘Asti’ in Italy. The Charmat method is produced in large tanks as opposed to bottles and finally - the cheaper sparkling wines inject carbon dioxide into the bottle.

**The official body that determines France's wine laws has decided to expand the country's champagne-producing region to meet growing worldwide demand. A century-old law has restricted champagne production to just 370 villages in north eastern France, but with demand now outstripping supply, the group is admitting 40 more communities.
ARMAGNAC
The Armagnac region is in South-Western France and the spirit from this region is the oldest in France dating back to the early 15th century. The place Armagnac is the birthplace of brandy and its many illustrious members include Count d'Artagnan, musketeer to King Louis XIII and hero of Alexandre Dumas' novel "The Three Musketeers". The Marquis de Montesquieu family members are his direct descendants and their ‘Armagnac de Montesquieu’ is legendary. Armagnac uses the quicker column still process to produce the new spirit and is generally aged in Gascon oak producing a stronger spirit with higher tannins. Many people prefer Armagnac to Cognac. Armagnac is normally consumed after a meal. Armagnac de Montesquieu is available through premium liquor stores and at premium restaurants in South Africa.

COGNAC
The Cognac region is in South Western France, north of Armagnac, and the spirit is France’s best known brandy. There are six distinct growing regions in Cognac, listed in order of price as follows; the ‘Borderies’ is central to Cognac and is the smallest of the regions, followed by ‘Petite Champagne’, ‘Grand Champagne’, ‘Fin Bois’ (Fine Woods), ‘Bon Bois’ (Good Woods) and Bois Ordinaires (Ordinary Woods). A great Cognac would have more of the ‘Borderies’ and ‘Petite Champagne’ grapes. This is noted on the label. Martell Cognac only contains grapes from the top four Cognac regions and is the dominant user of the ‘Borderies’ grapes. Remy Martin is a Fine Champagne Cognac using grapes from only the two Champagne grape regions. These and other famous Cognacs contain ‘eaux-de-vie’, stored in ‘Paradis’*, which is more than 100 years old. (*Paradis is a windowless warehouse containing Cognac which has been aged in Oak for 50 years, then transferred to large glass bottles for storage and marrying of the alcohols – many of these Cognacs have been in these 50 litre glass demi-john’s since the early 1800’s) Cognac uses the more traditional slower copper pot still process to distil the new spirit and is aged in either Limousin or Tronçais Oak. Tronçais Oak produces a refined Cognac due to the tighter grain and lower tannins. It is not correct to heat Cognac in any way other than in the palm of your hands. Cognac is normally consumed after a meal.

Footnote: There are eight oak forests in France of which Limousin and Tronçais are two. The Tronçais forests were planted to produce wood for the ship building industry – the trees are planted closely producing tall and compact oak. Limousin oak is prized because it is loosely grained and therefore imparts a more obvious oak flavour and stronger tannins as opposed to Tronçais oak which is tightly grained and low in tannins.
CALVADOS
Calvados is an apple brandy hailing from the French region of Normandy. It is distilled from specially grown apples, of which there are over 200 named varieties. Many Calvados producers use over 100 varieties of apple to produce their Calvados. The fruit is picked, pressed into a juice and is fermented into a dry cider. It is then distilled in the slower traditional copper pot still into new clear spirit before being aged for two years in oak casks. Calvados is normally consumed during the meal – with or without ice. Busnel Calvados is available through premium liquor stores and at premium restaurants in South Africa.

PASTIS
Many people have never heard of Pastis. Pastis is the largest French drink category. The two most famous brands are Pernod and Ricard. So massive is this French spirit category that the Pernod distillery produced over 30,000 litres per day in the early 1800,s and Ricard has become the world’s 6th largest spirit brand. It is the French countryside in a glass and to the French it is their beer – when last have you seen an overweight Frenchman.

PERNOD & RICARD
Pernod started life as the original absinthe drink created in 1792 by a French physician. Henri-Louis Pernod acquired the absinthe formula and immediately started to manufacture. Pernod’s appeal was reinforced by an alcohol by volume of 65-75%, and that it contained the all important hallucinogenic thujone (absinthe “Arthemisia Absinthium”). An absinthe ritual quickly took hold - water was poured into an ‘absinthe glass’ through a perforated spoon, loaded with a sugar cube – the drink turned a distinctive cloudy white - visually appealing, beautifully enigmatic, and revitalising. ‘The Green Fairy’ was so popular with the Parisian artistic and literary set that the cocktail hour was renamed 'l'Heure Verte' (Green Time). Oscar Wilde, Picasso, philosophers and artists alike, all enjoyed their petit ‘heure verte’! Pernod, the drink of choice, brought their thoughts alive as they socialised in the cafes and bars of Paris.
After the imposition of a French ban on wormwood due to its hallucinogenic effects in 1915, the absinthe formula was modified, resulting in Pernod as we know it today – a 40% alcohol (80 proof) anise-flavoured spirit. The ban opened the door for another pastis: “It’ll be called Ricard, the real pastis from Marseille.” The place is Marseille, the year 1932. Paul Ricard, aged only 23, created his own style of spirit, lending it his name and linking it to his native city. And today Ricard is the 6th largest spirit brand in the world. Ricard is made up of delights from the Mediterranean and the Orient: star anise from China, liquorice from Syria, and herbs from Provence.

How to drink Pastis? 5 Parts water and 1 part Pastis but if you want it more refreshing, you can add up to 10 volumes of water (water first). You can also substitute water with fresh fruit juice. Pernod and Orange juice, Ricard and pineapple juice and many other options will always be refreshing.As this has been an introduction to ‘all things French’ I will cover Pastis exclusively and more extensively in the next quarter edition.

The idiots guide to choosing a great whisky.

Scotch whisky is by far the dominant whisky in the world. Irish whisky is fast regaining its popularity. American whisky is mainly referred to as bourbon. Other countries also produce whisky, but these three countries dominate.

First and foremost, let’s clear up what is whisky or whiskey. Before it can be called whisk(e)y: It must be made only with natural raw materials, It must be distilled and matured in the country of origin e.g. Scotland, Ireland or America; It must be aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks in Scotland and Ireland and two years in America. The more premium the whisky the longer it is aged. Generally all whisky older than 10 years will show the age of the whisky on the label. Generally a low priced whisky will contain 3 year old whisky; a medium priced whisky will contain whisky from between 5 an 7 years. You get the drift – you generally get what you pay for. In whisky, unlike brandy – every drop in the bottle is as old as or older than the age stated on the label. Only 30% of standard brandy is at the age stated on the label.

There are two types of casks used in Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey; namely ex Bourbon barrels from the US or Sherry casks from Spain. The bourbon barrel produces a much lighter whiskey and contribute a vanilla flavour while the sherry cask produces a much darker whisk(e)y and contributes a toffee caramel flavour. So when you pour your whisky and look at the colour, you can already begin to suggest that if it is lighter it will have a vanilla nose and sound glam. If it is darker you can already suggest a nose of toffee caramel. American whiskey is aged in new oak barrels.

Why are some bottles clear and others green? When whisky is in a clear bottle the whisky producer will add neutral caramel to window dress the product for consistent look on shelf, when in a green bottle this is not needed.

What are the key things to note from a whisky label? First and foremost check the country of origin. Note that some whiskies are distilled and matured in the country of origin but bottled in South Africa. Then you want to know what you are paying for? The majority of whisky is blended Scotch whisky which means it is a blend of various single malt whiskies together with grain whisky. The more malt whisky in a bottle the more premium the whisky and the more expensive. The cheaper whiskies contain modest amounts of malt whisky. A Pure Malt whisky is a blend of single malt whiskies and a Single malt whisky is a single distillate from a single distillery. If you want to spoil yourself it must be a single malt whisky and if you want the best single malt Scotch whisky it has to be from Speyside in Scotland. Speyside contain more than half of the distilleries in Scotland for good reason.

Now for some dispelling of an old urban legend – the ‘A’ or ‘B’ number on the label. These are generally followed by a number e.g. 'B'372 or 'A'159. The 'A' stands for locally produced, the 'B' stands for imported and the number following is the dedicated number of the importer. You will find this number repeated on many product e.g. Chivas Regal will have the same number as Beefeater Gin and you will know then that this is from the same supplier and because it starts with a 'B' it is fully imported.