Whiskey Talks @ Ballymaloe

[Raven]

3 whiskey talks at the Ballymaloe literary Festival over this
weekend (17th./18th. May). Attended one of them which was
very enjoyable as it was given by renown Whiskey expert David
Broom and well known mixoligist Nick Strangeways. Dealt with
the making of Irish Whiskey from the 1500's and the use of
different combinations of botanical s etc. to give a flavoured
whiskey. Quite a few interesting items to sample.

[DavidH]

Any experiments we might try at home?

I was all ready to book a day at the drinks theatre there but there was nowhere nearby to stay and no public transport so I don't know how they expected people to get to it.

[Raven]

Good setting. Full house for that talk. Nearest accommodation of a realistic price either @ Garryvoe Hotel c.5kms.
or Ballycotton Hotel c.7kms. Taxi would have to be used from Midleton. No bus passes the door. PowerPoint at the
talk was too small and couldn'tbe read by anyone ! One interesting simple recipe is 'NOYAU' where newly unfurling
beech leaves are put in a bottle with some white sugar and covered with a light whiskey ( Nick Strangeways suggested
Paddy or Jameson) and left to macerate in the bottle for some weeks in a dark place.If you google'NOYAU' you will find
plenty of recipes most of which use Gin. Quite potent and very unusual taste. You might be slightly too late this year
even though I saw some of my own plants still unfurling a few days ago. In chemical terms you are looking at a 'Bison
Grass' effect i.e. coumarin which has Zubrowka banned in the U.S. A lot of the old woodland flavourings are being
rediscovered by consulting old cookery books from the Great Houses where some of them had liquor recipes peculiar
to that area/house usually contained at the back. Caution recommended with all such experimentation