Bushmill’s at Town Hall
- By Dan Clarke
- Published 03/26/2007
- Features
Dan Clarke
California Wine Press publishes two internet magazines.
www.californiawineandfood.com (CWF) addresses the interests of restaurant and hospitality professionals.
Your kind comments have been much appreciated. Thank you. You may contact us at info@californiawineandfood.com
Regards,
Dan Clarke, Publisher
Arguments against going to San Francisco for lunch last week were powerful.
Mostly they had to do with my being behind in my work. Lately, I’ve been up and at the computer around 6 am, often shutting things down just in time to see Jay Leno’s monologue. Then there was the issue of a couple of hours driving time each way and the matter of parking in the city.
Colum Egan brought his whiskeys to San Francisco.
On the other hand, the excursion was appealing. I’d received an invitation from a whiskey maker to join a small group of journalists in a tasting conducted by their master distiller. That it was to include lunch at one of the city’s fine restaurants was a factor, too.
I could have forgone pleasure to stay grinding away in the office and gotten mountains of work done. But that wouldn’t have been very Irish of me.
On arrival at Town Hall, the Rosenthal brothers’ restaurant on Howard Street, I was greeted Colum Egan, Master Distiller for Bushmills Irish Whiskey of County Antrim. He was in good humour this week preceding St. Patrick’s Day, a condition he attributed at various times to: San Francisco’s unseasonably gorgeous weather; San Francisco’s gorgeous women; the Ireland Rugby team’s recent thumping of England at Croke Park in Dublin.
Each guest was seated before seven samples of Irish whiskey. The five on the mat closest to us were Bushmills products, two additional glasses contained anonymous samples from Irish competitors. Colum offered a primer on the history of whiskey and how it’s made, particularly at the Bushmills Distillery in Ireland. Most of the small group in attendance were wine writers—maybe not whiskey experts, but people used to tasting critically and asking a lot of questions.
We began with Bushmills Original and compared it to the two samples from the outsiders, which our mentor described as similar “flagship products” of their respective distilleries. At Colum’s suggestion we added a spoonful or two of water to our otherwise “straight whiskey” samples. This echoed the advice given me a few years ago by a distiller of Scotch. The water is added not to dilute the power of the spirits, but to help them “open up” and show more aroma.
These first three samples were from familiar products which retail in the U.S. for around $20—sometimes a bit less. The Bushmills Original was fruity and smooth. Colum described part of its flavor as “fruity vanilla.” Anonymous alternative number one showed much less aroma and finished a bit “hot,” I felt. Alternative two was very pale in color. I actually liked the aromas of this one. They were peaty or petrol-like, suggesting Scotch—maybe an Islay--rather than Irish. Alas, the peaty promise faded and the taste seemed as pallid as the color suggested. While this beginning wasn’t really a competition, the Bushmills seemed a clearly superior product to me.
Glasses
Our second sample was the near-legendary Black Bush, a whiskey introduced to me by the father of my friend Dave Kelly in at the Master McGrath Arms in County Armagh, nearly 35 years ago. The Black Bush is a bit darker and lusher than The Original, and If my notes are accurate, this is due in part to its maturation in used Sherry casks, rather than those that once held Bourbon. In America, the Black Bush is priced around $30. Colum Egan described the floral nose, similar to what we’d experienced with the first of his whiskeys, as part of Bushmills’ house style. It was nutty and malty and, while I wouldn’t want to sully something this lovely with a mix, Colum said that this maltiness or sweet cereal quality “actually comes through in cocktails.”
We proceeded to taste three single malt Bushmill whiskeys of ascending age:
The 10- Year-Old had some maturation in Sherry wood, but mostly was aged in whiskey barrels. Again, it showed that fruitiness in the nose but it also had a big vanilla component and a very malty presence that provided an almost milk-chocolate aspect. It retails in the U.S. for $45.
The 16-Year-Old had been given a more involved wood aging regimen. More golden in color than its predecessors, it showed a huge nose—floral, as before, but with some honey and almond notes. Retail $62.
The 21-Year-Old was darker in color, tending toward the appearance of a tawny Port. As I reflect on my tasting notes, we might well have been describing Port or some late-harvest red wine. Comments like “dark chocolate,” “raisins,” “ . . . like a fruitcake” and even “long, long finish” are the stuff of wine reviews and, apparently, are appropriate descriptors of Irish whiskey, too. At $115 retail, it’s expensive, but it’s a great bottle of whiskey.
Over perhaps 45 minutes of tasting, Colum had taken us through some of the technical aspects of whiskey production and given insight to the style and philosophy of the Bushmills distillery, in particular. He offered toasts at several points, supporting the theory that the Irish really area a race of poets. We even heard the legend of the Giants Causeway and Finn McCool’s clever deception of his Scottish challenger.
Lunch followed and we had several beverage options. There was Italian sparkling water and there were open bottles of the five Bushmills whiskeys we’d been sampling.
At one time the thought of drinking whiskey through a meal would have seemed inappropriate, if not totally barbaric. But I had done so several years ago after a Scotch whisky tasting at Postrio and the combinations worked surprisingly well.
Salad
Town Hall's blue cheese-dressed salad--an unlikely but pleasurable pairing with whiskey.
Monday’s menu at Town Hall began with a first course of “Butter lettuce salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese dressing.” Main course choices were “Peanut & tasso crusted pork chop with herbed mustard, buttermilk smashed potatoes and root vegetables” or “Roasted salmon with horseradish Anson Mills grits, broccolini and spice Worcestershire sauce.” Dessert was “Butterscotch and chocolate pot de crème.”
The food was outstanding. It would have been noteworthy in any circumstances, and with anything in my glass, but it was actually wonderfully paired with the whiskey. Bushmills distiller Colum Egan suggested we try the Black Bush with the salad to pick up the blue cheese and candied walnut tastes. The 10-Year-Old seemed the right accompaniment for my spicy salmon and the 16-Year-Old was perfect with the desert.
I continue to search for ways to pair 15-16% alcohol California red wines with food. Most of the time I fail. This Town Hall luncheon succeeded in showcasing the whiskeys of Mr. Egan, but it actually made culinary sense. The mating of food and spirit was unusual, but it worked.
Editor’s note: Links to the websites of Town Hall and hundreds of other restaurants and hotels in San Francisco can be found at the Resource Directory of Taste California Travel.
Mostly they had to do with my being behind in my work. Lately, I’ve been up and at the computer around 6 am, often shutting things down just in time to see Jay Leno’s monologue. Then there was the issue of a couple of hours driving time each way and the matter of parking in the city.
Colum Egan brought his whiskeys to San Francisco.
On the other hand, the excursion was appealing. I’d received an invitation from a whiskey maker to join a small group of journalists in a tasting conducted by their master distiller. That it was to include lunch at one of the city’s fine restaurants was a factor, too.
I could have forgone pleasure to stay grinding away in the office and gotten mountains of work done. But that wouldn’t have been very Irish of me.
On arrival at Town Hall, the Rosenthal brothers’ restaurant on Howard Street, I was greeted Colum Egan, Master Distiller for Bushmills Irish Whiskey of County Antrim. He was in good humour this week preceding St. Patrick’s Day, a condition he attributed at various times to: San Francisco’s unseasonably gorgeous weather; San Francisco’s gorgeous women; the Ireland Rugby team’s recent thumping of England at Croke Park in Dublin.
Each guest was seated before seven samples of Irish whiskey. The five on the mat closest to us were Bushmills products, two additional glasses contained anonymous samples from Irish competitors. Colum offered a primer on the history of whiskey and how it’s made, particularly at the Bushmills Distillery in Ireland. Most of the small group in attendance were wine writers—maybe not whiskey experts, but people used to tasting critically and asking a lot of questions.
We began with Bushmills Original and compared it to the two samples from the outsiders, which our mentor described as similar “flagship products” of their respective distilleries. At Colum’s suggestion we added a spoonful or two of water to our otherwise “straight whiskey” samples. This echoed the advice given me a few years ago by a distiller of Scotch. The water is added not to dilute the power of the spirits, but to help them “open up” and show more aroma.
These first three samples were from familiar products which retail in the U.S. for around $20—sometimes a bit less. The Bushmills Original was fruity and smooth. Colum described part of its flavor as “fruity vanilla.” Anonymous alternative number one showed much less aroma and finished a bit “hot,” I felt. Alternative two was very pale in color. I actually liked the aromas of this one. They were peaty or petrol-like, suggesting Scotch—maybe an Islay--rather than Irish. Alas, the peaty promise faded and the taste seemed as pallid as the color suggested. While this beginning wasn’t really a competition, the Bushmills seemed a clearly superior product to me.
Glasses
Our second sample was the near-legendary Black Bush, a whiskey introduced to me by the father of my friend Dave Kelly in at the Master McGrath Arms in County Armagh, nearly 35 years ago. The Black Bush is a bit darker and lusher than The Original, and If my notes are accurate, this is due in part to its maturation in used Sherry casks, rather than those that once held Bourbon. In America, the Black Bush is priced around $30. Colum Egan described the floral nose, similar to what we’d experienced with the first of his whiskeys, as part of Bushmills’ house style. It was nutty and malty and, while I wouldn’t want to sully something this lovely with a mix, Colum said that this maltiness or sweet cereal quality “actually comes through in cocktails.”
We proceeded to taste three single malt Bushmill whiskeys of ascending age:
The 10- Year-Old had some maturation in Sherry wood, but mostly was aged in whiskey barrels. Again, it showed that fruitiness in the nose but it also had a big vanilla component and a very malty presence that provided an almost milk-chocolate aspect. It retails in the U.S. for $45.
The 16-Year-Old had been given a more involved wood aging regimen. More golden in color than its predecessors, it showed a huge nose—floral, as before, but with some honey and almond notes. Retail $62.
The 21-Year-Old was darker in color, tending toward the appearance of a tawny Port. As I reflect on my tasting notes, we might well have been describing Port or some late-harvest red wine. Comments like “dark chocolate,” “raisins,” “ . . . like a fruitcake” and even “long, long finish” are the stuff of wine reviews and, apparently, are appropriate descriptors of Irish whiskey, too. At $115 retail, it’s expensive, but it’s a great bottle of whiskey.
Over perhaps 45 minutes of tasting, Colum had taken us through some of the technical aspects of whiskey production and given insight to the style and philosophy of the Bushmills distillery, in particular. He offered toasts at several points, supporting the theory that the Irish really area a race of poets. We even heard the legend of the Giants Causeway and Finn McCool’s clever deception of his Scottish challenger.
Lunch followed and we had several beverage options. There was Italian sparkling water and there were open bottles of the five Bushmills whiskeys we’d been sampling.
At one time the thought of drinking whiskey through a meal would have seemed inappropriate, if not totally barbaric. But I had done so several years ago after a Scotch whisky tasting at Postrio and the combinations worked surprisingly well.
Salad
Town Hall's blue cheese-dressed salad--an unlikely but pleasurable pairing with whiskey.
Monday’s menu at Town Hall began with a first course of “Butter lettuce salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese dressing.” Main course choices were “Peanut & tasso crusted pork chop with herbed mustard, buttermilk smashed potatoes and root vegetables” or “Roasted salmon with horseradish Anson Mills grits, broccolini and spice Worcestershire sauce.” Dessert was “Butterscotch and chocolate pot de crème.”
The food was outstanding. It would have been noteworthy in any circumstances, and with anything in my glass, but it was actually wonderfully paired with the whiskey. Bushmills distiller Colum Egan suggested we try the Black Bush with the salad to pick up the blue cheese and candied walnut tastes. The 10-Year-Old seemed the right accompaniment for my spicy salmon and the 16-Year-Old was perfect with the desert.
I continue to search for ways to pair 15-16% alcohol California red wines with food. Most of the time I fail. This Town Hall luncheon succeeded in showcasing the whiskeys of Mr. Egan, but it actually made culinary sense. The mating of food and spirit was unusual, but it worked.
Editor’s note: Links to the websites of Town Hall and hundreds of other restaurants and hotels in San Francisco can be found at the Resource Directory of Taste California Travel.