Spotlight - 14.2019

15

or anything like that. I’ll keel over if I see

anyone doing that. Now, you can add

one or two drops of water to very strong

whiskies. That’s done sometimes. But

we’re talking about drops.

Is it true to say that good whisky can’t

be rushed?

Absolutely. Whisky has to mature in

a cask for a minimum of three years,

and it has to be at least 40 per cent

alcohol by volume, or you can’t call it

whisky. Of course, ageing is good for

whisky, but even that is relative. Asia

has a completely different climate, so

the whisky matures more quickly than

in, say, Scotland. In Scotland, it often

needs 25 years to mature. Whisky

is a fascinating topic and, for me, a

wonderful hobby.

neat [ni:t]

, hier: pur

oatmeal [(EUtmi:&l]

, Haferflocken­

pear [peE]

, Birne

peat smoke

[(pi:t smEUk]

, Torfrauch

peel [pi:&l]

, Schale

quince [kwIns]

, Quitte

stumble upon sb.

[(stVmb&l E)pQn]

, zufällig auf jmdn.

stoßen

THE UK IN GERMANY 14/2019 Spotlight

Monika Pummer keeps Xaver stocked with 500 whiskies,

130 of which are from Germany

berry [(beri]

, Beere

charred [tSA:d]

, angekohlt

glazed [gleIzd]

, glasiert

herbs [h§:bz]

, Kräuter

hint [hInt]

, Spur, Hauch

juniper [(dZu:nIpE]

, Wacholder

keel over [)ki:&l (EUvE]

ifml.

, aus den Latschen

kippen

Xaver Bar & Lounge

Ammergauer Str. 16

86971 Peiting

Tel. +49 8861 2507283

xaver-peiting.de

If you were on a whisky mission, where
would you go?
Scotland! That’s a place I plan on seeing
sometime soon. But until then, I visit
the distilleries that are closer to me,
such as in Augsburg and in Schliersee.
There is also a good one in Rüdenau near
Aschaffenburg: it’s called St Kilian.

Is there a whisky you recommend
people to start with?
I consider Slyrs a true beginner’s whisky.
It’s distilled here in Bavaria, in Schliersee.
But I also like to serve people Mortlach
Rare Old from Scotland. Both are
straightforward. They’re not so complex
and won’t hit too hard.

What flavours do people expect to
taste?
Many people say they initially taste
smoke, but that’s just the beginning. For
instance, a Swedish whisky will almost
always have notes of juniper — its
flavour reflects how a different kind of
smoke was used in its production. That’s
different from peat smoke. If the peat
fire [used to dry the malt, especially in
Scotland] is near the ocean, then you’ll
also taste a hint of salt. Farther inland,
there won’t be any of that. There are
huge differences. You could also taste
charred orange peel, oatmeal cookies,
even hints of sherry. Sometimes, there
might be a hint of chocolate pudding or
honey-glazed ham — and fruit, such as
bananas, quinces, pears, apples, berries,
plus a variety of herbs.

Do you welcome any guests from
abroad at your bar?
We do get a lot of guests from all over
the world who just stumble upon us.
Americans often underestimate what
we have on offer, and once they look
around, they are really impressed. The
Irish like to party; they are cool and
relaxed. The Scots are also usually very
impressed by everything here that they
would usually find only at home.

Some people add ice to whisky. Do
you?
That’s an absolute no-go for me. Why
would you add ice to whisky? That’s
awful! All it does is water the whisky
down and destroy the aromas. I drink my
whisky neat. No, please don’t add Coke