Drinks With Nathan

Upcoming Whisky Tasting at Amherst Coffee on October 23rd

We’re calling this tasting Scotch 301, and here’s the deal – consider this your typical Scotch 101 Tasting…taken to another level. Instead of featuring a lineup based strictly on the different regions and styles of whisky produced, we’re upping the ante, and including some phenomenal whiskies, rare bottlings, and expanding the discussion around the question of what is Scotch?

We’re going to bring together whiskies typifying some of the more prominent regions, alongside some demonstrating the most brash and pronounced styles (think peaty beasts and sherry monsters), and then we’ll throw my two favorite styles of whisky into the mix as well – old whiskies and closed distilleries.

I can guarantee that at least four of the seven whiskies that we taste will range from very unique to exceedingly rare, and that when tasted in a lineup together, this magnificent seven will make for an absolutely howling whisky tasting. Without giving away too much, here are the distilleries we’ll be including: Aberlour, Bladnoch, Glen Grant, Laphroaig, Talisker, and Port Ellen. No kidding, Port Ellen.

So don’t miss it! Here’s the details:

Where: Amherst Coffee, Amherst, Mass.
When: Saturday, October 23rd
Time: 5:30pm and 7:30pm seatings
Cost: $65

This tasting will be awesome. Be there.

Upcoming Tasting: Old Whiskies, March 27th @ Amherst Coffee

This Saturday I’ll be leading a stellar whisky tasting at Amherst Coffee that’s sure to be one of the most exciting we’ve done there. The topic will be “old whiskies”, and we’ll be featuring 6 Scotches ranging from 24 to 36 years old.

The lineup is cracking, and includes some closed distilleries:

• Brora 24-year
• Strathisla 25-year
• Millburn 27-year
• Laphroaig 30-year
• Longmorn 30-year
• Linkwood 36-year

Not bad, eh? Can you name the closed distilleries in that bunch?

This is going to be a great tasting. So if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to ring Amherst Coffee (413-256-8987) and reserve a seat. As usual, there will be two seatings, at 5pm and 7pm.

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Event: Whiskey & Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting, Saturday, March 6th @ Amherst Coffee

This coming Saturday I’ll be leading a tasting at Amherst Coffee that I’m particularly excited about, given my appreciation for both beer and whiskey. The tasting will feature 4 whiskies, each paired with a beer that was aged in barrels from the same distillery. The stellar lineup includes both bourbons and scotches, and covers the gamut from bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts to Scotch whisky barrel-aged old ales.

Here’s the complete lineup:

• Elijah Craig 18-Year Bourbon & Weyerbacher Heresy Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
• Eagle Rare 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon & Mayflower Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine
• Springbank 10-Year Scotch & Brewdog Paradox Springbank Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
• Highland Park 12-Year Scotch & Harviestoun Old Dubh Highland Park Whisky Barrel-Aged Old Ale

Holy cow. I want this tasting to be tonight. I’m very excited. All four of these are top-notch whiskies paired with absolutely top-notch, palate-bending barrel-aged beers.This will be a great event.

I hear that seats are running low. So if you’re interested, give them a buzz soon. Don’t miss it!

Event Details

• When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010, seatings @ 5pm & 7pm
• Where: Amherst Coffee, Amherst, Mass. (map)
• Info: call Amherst Coffee @ 413-256-8987

Upcoming Event: Scotch Tasting @ Amherst Coffee

I’ve always firmly believed that scotch is a perfect year-round drink and that the only real challenge lay in determining which season suited a specific scotch. But it can be a challenge to find a scotch that is really best suited to the warmer summer months. If the cold of winter brings out the best in smoky scotch, what is it that the warmth of summer highlights in a scotch?

Answering these questions is no easy task, and so the folks at Amherst Coffee and I have teamed up to help you out with your research. On Saturday, June 27th we’ll be holding a Summer Scotch Tasting, featuring a lineup of 7 scotches that are all perfect summer drams.

• When: Saturday, June 27th – seatings at 5pm & 7pm
• Cost: $35
• What: a lineup of 7 scotches especially suited to summertime dramming

The lineup will include whiskies from Auchentoshan, Deanston, Littlemill, Glenkinchie, Ardbeg, Springbank, and one special surprise.

Upcoming Event: Bourbon Tasting @ Amherst Coffee

This coming Saturday I will be hosting a second whiskey tasting at Amherst Coffee. This time we’ll be tasting through a series of bourbons from a variety of producers.

Here’s the lineup:

• Blanton’s Single Barrel
• Eagle Rare 10 Year Single Barrel
• Evan Williams Single Barrel 1999 Vintage
• Four Roses Single Barrel
• Pappy Van Winkle 12 Year Lot “B”
• Tuthilltown Spirits Baby Bourbon
• Tuthilltown Spirits Four Grain Bourbon

This promises to a be a really interesting tasting. I believe the common misconception is that all bourbons taste the same, but this tasting will serve to fiercely dispel that image. I’ve no doubt that by the end of the night, we’ll all have a very different impression of what bourbons can taste like.

Seatings start promptly at 5pm and 7pm and cost $35. Seats are limited, so make a reservation at Amherst Coffee today! Stop by or call 413-256-8987.