Right, it's time for the glorious return of Drwhyn's Drink Time (DDT, for short)! Today, we have a small assortment of very interesting beverages indeed!
First out is the Mackmyra; swedish single malt at an ABV of 46,1%
Now, this doesn't have the distinction of being smoky, or ridiculously strong, but it is quite a competent whisky. It has a fairly powerful and rich flavour, and if I were to try and sound like a pompous twat I would be going on about how it is complex and displays notes of berries, chocolate and marmite, or whateverthefuck. Not by any means the best I've ever had, but for a new distillery it's not a bad product. The above-average ABV gives it a bit of a punch that I find is lacking in other, more mainstream, brands.
Serve at room temperature, with perhaps just a small drop of water to release all the flavours.
Second, we have an obscure one; the Mannochmore Loch Dhu Black Whisky, at an ABV of 40%. This one, I didn't even know existed until we tried it this weekend, and it is seriously weird! It's very very dark red, and tastes of wood. Now, I have described a couple of other beverages as tasting of wood, but this one takes the proverbial cake. Add to that the fact that it is actually surprisingly sweet, it leaves you with a feeling of "What the fuck was that?!". I found it to be absolutely horrible for the first few sips, then it improved, probably as my brain got less picky with the sources of ethanol at that stage. You might like it, if you're not a fan of traditional whisky, but anyone who frequently drink regular old Famous Grouse or the likes thereof will most likely vomit.
Serve at room temperature, and also with a small quantity of water.
Thirdly, we have the alcohol-free version of the quite ordinary Chapel Hill wine. As you might not recall, I have earlier mentioned Chapel Hill, describing it as the kind of utterly insipid drink that you tend to forget about three seconds after drinking it. Thing is, and this is why this one deserves a mention, the non-alcoholic version is actually quite a lot better. Of course, ethanol is supposed to be a flavour enhancer, like sugar or salt or Michael Bolton, but in this case it seems to just fuck things up. It has a fuller taste with more longevity and overall a stronger flavour than it's alcoholic cousin. So, by all means, this one is good.
Serve chilled in a tall glass during summer.
