The Weird Sex Lives Of Hazelnuts

Love these guys!

Rogue Farms

When it comes to propagating the species, hazelnuts do it in the most peculiar way.

For starters, the pollination season starts in January. How many plants pollinate during winter? Not many.

With a 98-acre hazelnut orchard right next door to us, we at Rogue Farms have a front row seat of the strange reproductive habits of the hazelnut.

Catkins, the male flower of the hazelnut tree.

It starts with catkins, a long droopy flower that first appear on hazelnuts in the spring. Catkins are the male parts of the tree that produce and release pollen.

The pollen is spread by the wind to these tiny red flowers, the female parts of the hazelnut tree.

The small red flower, or floret, receives the pollen and will later grow into a nut.

Pollen can be spread up to 50-feet, but rarely does it have to travel that far. Every hazelnut tree has both male and female…

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Review: Ardbeg 10 Year Old

DISCLAIMER: The Sample for this review was purchased by me. All ideas and opinions in this post are entirely my own. I do not accept any money for these reviews.

Color: White Wine

Nose: Sweet peat, charcoal, pepper, citrus, sea air, fruit, and sweet vanilla

Taste: Peat, Sweet fruits, black pepper, vanilla, citrus, brine, slightly medicinal

Finish: Long smooth, smokey, peaty, sweet finish

Score:
Rick: 9.5/10.0
Sam: 9.5/10.0
Overall: 9.5/10.0

There are those that say that Scotch whisky is an acquired taste. To this I say BULLSHIT! Well, only partly. Peat is the only part of Scotch that was an acquired taste for me. You see the first time I ever picked up Scotch, I was in love. It was Cutty Sark, and at the time I thought it was the best thing ever. Being young though, I started drinking Jack Daniels, or Jim Beam because they were cheaper and more readily available.

Then I was turned on to Chivas Regal by my father-in-law and I remembered again how much I liked Scotch. It wasn’t until I really got into Scotch that I realized the diversity of it. I had always stuck to the Speysides, or blends without even knowing I was doing it. You all may remember that I went to the Whiskey Extravaganza down in Dallas last May. While there I was introduced to all of the whisky regions. I loved them all…but one. Islay! I felt as if I’d taken a drink of a fireplace that had been soaked in iodine. I hated it.

As a blogger I get samples from all over the place and since the Extravaganza I’ve had a few peated sample com across the table. Each time I’d look at them in horror and have to talk myself into it. I should mention that while I hated peat, Rick loved it and would be excited each time we received a peated whiskey to sample. After a while though I realized that I was starting to develop a taste for them.

Then, on New Year’s Eve I decided to take the plunge. When Rick arrived he and I went to the local liquor store to purchase a bottle. Knowing me, he started looking at the tamer stuff while I was looking for Lagavulin, Ardbeg, or Laphroaig. In that order. I finally found the Ardbeg at the second store, I debated continuing my search but figured rightly that it would be fruitless in my small town. We took it home and cracked it open.

I’ll start this by saying that I am a convert, I loved the Ardbeg. I may never go back to un-peated whisky again. The Ardbeg is phenomenal. From the nose to the finish. I admit when I first poured this I was really put off by the color. It was so light that if I had poured it into a wineglass it could have been mistaken for white wine.

The color is completely forgotten though as you inhale the sweet peat, pepper, fruit and vanilla. It was surprising to find that while I could definitely smell the peat, it did not overpower the more delicate floral notes.

The first sip is sublime. It starts off slow and sweet and ramps up into the peat. The pepper and brininess come through as well, with just a touch of iodine. It finishes long and smooth and seems to burn up from the stomach, instead of on the way down. Not indeigestion, but just the warmth from the alcohol.

 

I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Review suggestions are welcome.

Contact info can be found HERE and don’t forget to follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER!

Until Next Time,

Slàinte Mhath!

 

 

News: New Whisky Releases 2016 week 2

Big thanks to the guys at The Whiskyphiles for always keeping us up to date!

 

Top Whisky-type Stuff (or not) List for 2015

THE CASKS

As much as I love year-end lists, I’m beginning to realize that I like reading them far more than I like putting them together. I would happily skip writing such a list if it weren’t for my unfortunate love of trite traditions. Alack, here we are again, stumbling blindly and listing a bit to the left, hopeless and grizzled, tripping over the well-intentioned detritus of another year, our inchoate dreams for the coming months just beginning to come into focus. The new year is like putting on a pair of warm pants fresh out of the dryer, the end of the year is like realizing that you’ve already almost worn the knees ragged, and that unfortunately placed wine stain is never going to come out. Time for a quick look back, while already trying to look ahead…

• Best Whisky of the Year:  I don’t know who said it first, but some…

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News: New Whisky Releases 2016 week 1

 

How is whisky made and where does its flavour come from? Distilling and Maturing whisky

Excellent article! One of the better explanations of thr whisk(e)y process I have seen yet. Thanks for a great read.

Malt Mileage Whisky & Spirit Reviews

Whisky is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as ‘[a] spirit distilled from malted grain, especially barley or rye‘. There is more to it than that, of course. Making whisky is complex. Whisky is not “made” into a finished product, it takes time. You will see from the above picture that each “whisky” has a different colour: (1) one is clear; (2) one is golden; (3) one is a reddish copper; and (4) one is an amber honeycomb. The clear “whisky” is whisky in its infancy when it first comes out of the still; but it is not actually “whisky” because spirit needs to mature in oak before it can be called “whisky”. This clear liquid is called “new make”. This post will show you how this “new make” is distilled, and then matured into whisky. It will explain how different types of whisky get their distinct flavours, and from…

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Douglas Laing

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

Established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, we specialise in the selection and release of specialist, craft Scotch Whiskies. We hand select the finest, and often rarest, Scotch Whisky stocks from across all of Scotland’s Whisky regions and bottle them as the Distiller intended: At high alcohol strength, and without colouring or chill-filtration.

From our long-held stocks, we hand select the finest, and often rarest, Scotch Whisky casks from across all of Scotland’s Whisky regions and bottle them as the distiller intended; at high alcohol strength, and without colouring or chill-filtration. By adding nothing and taking nothing away, we offer the consumer an experience close to sampling Whisky straight from the cask in the depths of a cold, dank Distillery warehouse.

WE SPECIALISE IN

SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery. Malted barley must be…

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Hunter Laing

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

Hunter Laing & Co. Ltd. is a family company with an unrivalled pedigree as blenders and bottlers of the finest scotch whisky.

Starting work with his father as a young man, company founder Stewart H. Laing has spent almost fifty years in the industry – first as a blender, and latterly also as a bottler of some of the finest single cask scotch whiskies in the market. Stewart learned the whisky industry the hard way – working as an apprentice at Bruichladdich distillery on Islay before joining his father in the export business. Accompanying his father Frederick until his death in 1982, Stewart travelled the world selling the company’s brands – blends which were frequently best-sellers in the company’s main markets of Asia and South America. In order to create those whiskies, Frederick purchased and laid down many hundreds of casks from distilleries all over Scotland – many of which…

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A D Rattray

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

A. D. Rattray, established in 1868, are independent whisky bottlers who aim to delight the whisky enthusiast with our selection of exceptional malt whiskies.

This is reflected in our brand portfolio which includes the Stronachie, Cask Islay and Bank Note brands. We are also specialists in the bottling of unusual and exclusive casks of Scotch whisky as part of the A. D. Rattray Cask Collection.

Founded by Andrew Dewar Rattray in 1868, A D Rattray began trading as an importer of French wines, Italian spirits and olive oil. More importantly, however, the company also established itself as a specialist in the field of blending and storage of malt and grain whiskies.
In the latter part of the 1800s A D Rattray Ltd came to represent a number of well-known Highland Malt distilleries – most notably Stronachie – selling bulk whisky to West of Scotland wine and spirit merchants, publicans and…

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Whisky Broker

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

About Whiskybroker Ltd.
Established in 2010, the aim is to source and sell casks of whisky to enthusiasts and clubs wishing to purchase larger quantities of whisky at cheaper prices per bottle..

Started by Martin Armstrong who is the son of Raymond Armstrong, formerly the owners of Bladnoch Distillery. Martin branched off to start his own business, selling bottles of single barrel, non chill filtered and natural colour whisky at cask strength.. What more could you ask for..

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Creative whisky company

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

The Creative Whisky Co Ltd specialises in Exclusive, single cask, single malt whiskies. Why are they Exclusive? Because each and every bottling is from one cask; sometimes less than 100 bottles, sometimes as many as 600. They are always available in exclusive retailers, you won’t find these whiskies in mass markets, price vs quality driven supermarkets or bargain basements. They are also enjoyed by the exclusive few – those looking for something a bit different.

Exclusive Malts

Single Cask whiskies bottled at Cask Strength and usually wholly aged in one cask. The Exclusive Malts are casks as young as 8 years old and as old as 40 but carefully selected; each year less than 24 casks are chosen for this range.

Originally presented in a Saltire (Blue with White stripes) carton, these whiskies are now beautifully adorned with paintings of Birds of Prey. The birds share no connection with Scotch…

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Berry Bros and Rudd

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

Being a good wine merchant is about providing the best quality possible at all levels, be that hidden gems or grand châteaux. It is about integrity, treating our customers in an honest and fair manner.
Our History
We are Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, established in the 17th century. Our flagship store has been located at No. 3 St James’s Street, London since 1698 when it was founded by the Widow Bourne. A supplier to the royal family since the reign of King George III, historic customers have included Lord Byron, William Pitt the Younger and the Aga Khan. We created the Cutty Sark whisky, and pioneered the vintage concept for The Glenrothes single malt Scotch whisky. Today members of the Berry and Rudd families continue to own and manage the family-run wine merchant.

With over 315 years of history, Berry Bros. & Rudd is justly proud of its…

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Signatory

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

The company was founded in 1988. It is a family owned and managed company, being one of only three true independent bottlers. They always like to draw a distinction between the independent companies who bottle their own products, and the independent companies whose products are bottled under contract. The other fully independent bottlers are: Gordon & MacPhail and Wm. Cadenhead.
The name of Signatory derived from the fact that their initial intention was to find someone famous to sign the labels for bottles produced from one single cask. The first cask we purchased was a cask of 1968 Glenlivet, which was sold long before we could find a famous person.
Until April 1992, when they moved to their current premises in Newhaven (Edinburgh), they operated from a bonded warehouse in Leith. Leith was once a well known port for importing wine from France. As this industry declined, many of the…

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GORDON & MACPHAIL

Some great info here from a fellow blogger

ocdwhisky.com

THE ‘WORLD’S LEADING MALT WHISKY SPECIALIST’
Located in the north-east of Scotland in the heart of the world famous whisky producing region of Speyside, Gordon & MacPhail is an independent family owned and managed firm which has been bottling Single Malt Whiskies for over 120 years. From its humble beginnings as a retailer, Gordon and MacPhail has grown to become a diverse and dynamic company with a number of different business interests. Today the company is a retailer, wholesaler, exporter, bottler of Single Malt Scotch Whisky and distiller, owning Benromach Distillery in Forres.Gordon & MacPhail is owned and directed by the third and fourth generation of the Urquhart family and employs over 130 people from its base in Elgin.

Our long established relationships with distillery owners throughout the country allows us to send our oak casks to the majority of Scotland’s working distilleries to be filled with ‘new make’ spirit…

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From Flood To Mud, Clean Up Time At Rogue Farms

Prayers going up to our friends up in Oregon. Keep your spirits up!

Rogue Farms

With the road to Rogue Farms finally open, we returned this morning to get our first look at the farm after more than two weeks of flooding.

What a mess! Mud and debris are everywhere.

This is one of the first things we saw driving in, a big chunk of compost weighing hundreds of pounds. Before the floods, it was sitting on the edge of our field of marionberries. Here it was this morning, 300 yards away from its original spot.

The rest of the marionberry field is in rough shape, too.

Next is a fallen tree by our hopyard. It wasn’t here before the floods either. We’re not sure where it came from.

Our job for the next couple of days is to roll up our sleeves, clean up this mess and fully assess the damage before we reopen the farm to the public. Thankfully, the farm buildings, including the processing facility, Chatoe…

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5 reasons why lowering the drinking age could make Americans better people

This is definitely a different perspective. I’d personally agrre to lowering the age to 18, if you’re old enough to serve our country, you’re definitely old enough to drink. Now, on another note….You need to visit the south! We are some of the most helpful, sharing, creative, and real people you’ll ever meet! 4 out of 5 ain’t bad!

Lords of the Drinks

The twisted American alcohol approach portraited well: good beer is dumped in the sewer in the prohibition days.

The stereotype of the ignorant American is famous; unaware of anything going on in the world, highly selfish and unable to relate to other ways of thinking, all covered with a wide fake Hollywood smile. While of course not all Americans are anti-social idiots, like in almost every stereotype there is truth to this one as well. Yes, a lot of Dutch are cheap, French are snobbish and Germans lack a sense of humor. And yes, a lot of Americans  are pretty ignorant people. Their country also doesn’t let people drink until they’re 21 years old, an age at which the process of growing up is basically done. Could it be that America’s twisted alcohol policy is breeding some pretty twisted people, cause they missed out on learning some valuable basic skills?

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STOP THE INSANITY!!!

I for one am sick of the constant posts. Everywhere I turn I see posts about Jim Murrays whiskey of the year. Come on guys, we are giving them exactly what they want!

PUBLICITY! Think about it, every PR guy you meet will tell you there is no such thing as bad publicity. So, from this point on I say we all just quit talking about it. Who’s with me?

 

 

A Brave New World: Diageo invest in Australian distillery

Whisky Waffle

Posted by: Ted

The whisky scene in Australia, by its very nature as a young and emerging industry, has hitherto always been gloriously independent. Brave and adventurous souls carving out their own mark in this new frontier of whisky making, men and women free to pursue their own ideologies and dreams. Very different to the crusty, entrenched old world, where the multitudes of distilleries are weighed down by centuries of tradition and the idea of a truly independent producer is hard to come by in the face of hungry multinationals.

It was always going to happen you know. Never a doubt. You can bet your bottom dollar that ever since Bill Lark emerged from the Tasmanian Highlands as an enlightened being, the big boys have been keeping a very close eye on developments in the antipodes. If the Australian whisky scene succeeded in its ambitions, and my word it most…

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Michigan’s Three-Tier Trickery

 

Dangerous Oregon Storm Hitting Rogue Farms

Prayer for all of the folks up in Oregon and the impacted areas.

Rogue Farms

We don’t mind rain and we don’t mind floods. But the winter storm that’s hitting Northwest Oregon today is something to worry about.

One of the worst wind storms in 20 years is slamming Rogue Farms with winds of 30-40mph, and gusts of 50-60mph. The danger is one of our big trees falling down on the Hop ‘N’ Bed or the Chatoe Rogue Tasting Room. The National Weather Service says to expect widespread power outages and downed trees across the region.

It’s even worse at the Rogue Brewery and Distillery in Newport, Oregon along the Coast. They’re reporting hurricane strength winds along the beaches, and gusts of 65-70mph inland. Batten down the hatches!

Here’s one of the tree limbs that went down during a wind storm earlier this month. We’ll see a lot of more this when the day is over.

This is expected to blow over (pun intended) by this evening. Then it’s another…

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