62 Whisky Magazine | Issue 167
W
hen I sit down
and write for thismagazine I am
aware that often itis from a Northern
Hemisphere perspective, which rightnow is heating up and becoming Spring.
So I hope you will forgive that bias andeven keep hold of the magazines to refer
back to when the articles sync with yourpart of the world.
As I say Mother Nature is warmingthings up here, and despite the grip of
this world pandemic, now is the time toorder up some good cuts of meat and
fresh veg and head into the garden toβ
Ǥ
I think there is something elementalabout cooking over hot coals, smoking
things using wood chips and slowβǤ
But I am not going to give you my
favourite whisky and food combo thisedition as I am going to leave it to Jodi
Feuille, who dropped me a line to sharewith you her epicurean delights.
The new whiskey drinker, based inNew Mexico, USA, said that with the
change in how we do things due to thewidespread virus, now was the time to
start a whisky journey.She added: “With school being
cancelled, like so many others, we’vebeen forced to stay home together and
have been trying to slow down andenjoy this new chapter in our lives.
“After a long day of trying to be
creative, stay productive, get some
exercise and not pull my hair out withall the kids’ questions, in the evenings, I
make it a point to pour myself a glass ofwhiskey, then head to my patio to watch
β
across the Sandia mountains. My new
motto is keep calm and drink whiskey.”She says that her current whiskey
of choice is the new accelerated agedTaylor Garrett whiskey out of New
Mexico, paired with seared steakfollowed by S’mores. I don’t think we
really need to detail recipes for theseclassic and classy pairings.
Jodi adds that she feels she has a longway to go on her whiskey journey and
has been enjoying getting suggestionsfrom friends.
She continues: “So far, if I had adream whiskey, I’d have to say it would
be Whistlepig 15 Year Old rye. There’sjust something special about that one.”
I think for Jodi and those setting offβǡǡ
hopefully music, I would point you all inthe direction of Miles Davis’ album In a
Silent Way.This is the point where the musical
giant struck out in a different vein andessentially started fusion jazz.
It wasn’t just Davis himself changingdirection, but it changed the face of
jazz, and popular music too. A seminalmoment for musicians everywhere,
similar to that sublime moment where
you fall in love with a whisky.
While I know it might not beeveryone’s cup of tea, it is haunting,
laidback and perfect for the unnervingquiet we are all experiencing just now.
Recorded in a three hour sessionin New York in February 1969, the
album includes some mesmerisingperformances by musicians who
went on to become household namesthemselves: on sax, Wayne Shorter,
electric piano saw Chick Corea, JoeZawinul and (now educator and
musician supreme) Herbie Hancock.The rhythm section was no less
glittering in its talent, with the drumstaken by Tony Williams, Davis enlisted
two rising stars from the UK in theshape of guitarist John McLaughlin and
bass player Dave Holland.For me this is one of the album you
have to hear, the perfect time would bewith a decent wireless speaker, in the
garden post barbecue, enjoying a plateof s’mores and wondering where things
are going, just as most music critics didback in 1969.
- As I said last edition, I would, as
we go along, love to hear from you,
dear reader, too. Your favourite tipplingmoments, those pairings you always
go to that just satisfy the soul. I reallythink as the world gets faster and more
connected, the mantra here is: ‘Slowdown, tune in and tipple out.’
WORDS ROB ALLANSON
As the seasons turn slowly warmer in the Northern
Hemisphere, it’s time to get outside again
SPRINGING FORWARD
TASTE
62 The Epicurean
66 Tastings
062 - 065 - Epicurean-WM 167 .indd 62 09 / 04 / 2020 11 : 59