Written & Photos by (作者, 图片来源): Vincent R. Vinci 魏文深
Bar Constellation is a Ningbo legend, the place to go if you want classic cocktails done right in the right atmosphere. Behind a long bar there’s countless whiskeys, liquors, and stories. The padded chairs in the dimly lit room filled with cigar smoke and jazz wafting through the air with gentle conversation. It goes without question that it’s a great place for a whiskey tasting.
That’s just what happened on the evening of June 14th, when the longtime establishment hosted two whiskey tastings for Michter’s and Bruichladdich, two very different brands with equally exceptional flavor.
Michter’s
Relatively new to the Chinese market, Michter’s is an American whiskey brand that’s claim to fame isn’t just its good reviews but also its long and colorful history. The distillery was founded way back in 1753 in Pennsylvania, and it’s alleged that Michter’s made the rye whiskey that George Washington gave to his troops to keep warm during the long winter encampment at Valley Forge during the American Revolution. Even though the company shut down following hard times during Prohibition and the drop in whiskey popularity in the 1980s, they were purchased and moved to Kentucky by a whiskey enthusiast in the 1990s and have been going strong ever since.
Of the four whiskeys we tasted – a bourbon, rye, sour mash, and their popular unblended American – the best were the straight rye and the unblended American. The rye was heavily influenced by the grain, with a nose full of caramel and vanilla notes and hints of spice and pepper. This continued on the palate, with the spiciness leading to the full flavor of the rye, light and fennel-like with a climactic finish. The unblended American was mellower, unique in that it had been aged in bourbon-washed white oak, which lent it nice hints of raisin and vanilla with a smooth finish.
The tasting itself was a largely private event, reserved for staff and representatives from the various bars around the city. “Michter’s has been in China for more than a year and a half,” we were told while we had a seat with John Ng, Michter Distillery’s China Ambassador. “It’s a good chance for me to go around and meet with potential distributors.” His goal with tastings like this one is to tell the story of the whiskey, its process, as well as showing people how to truly understand and enjoy the product. Imparting the company’s 250-year history for consumers is no easy task, but with John it was a blast. Although it’s also great in cocktails, Michter’s is the kind of whiskey you have to have alone to truly appreciate it, a testament to the industry and the history of what is a definitive American beverage.
Bruichladdich
The second round came later in the evening in the form of Bruichladdich (pronounced Brook-laddie), one of the single malt distilleries on Islay. Even though Islay, a small island off the coast of Scotland, is known worldwide for its peated (smoky) whiskies, Bruichladdich sets itself apart from its competitors, priding itself in being an unpeated whisky with lighter flavor and no age statements on their bottles. That being the case, they do have some especially interesting peated whiskies, three of which we sampled that evening.
Five whiskies were present that evening, including their flagship Scottish Barley Classic Laddie, along with one of their peated malts, the Port Charlotte. The two standouts of the bunch were the Octomore Super Peated Edition 7.1, a very heavily peated whisky that sees a new version released each year, and the amazingly complex Black Arts 1990, a whisky whose composition is kept secret besides the fact that its aged in a combination of American and French oak.
We were suckers for the purest whiskies of the lot, so our favorite was definitely the Classic Laddie. The nose was quite peculiar, with the floral notes that Bruichladdich is known for as well as a hint of ocean air. The palate was smooth and simple, with a continuation of the floral flavors and barley. Our next favorite was of course the super peated Octomore. Unlike the light sandy color of the Classic Laddie, the Octomore 7.1 was a dark reddish tan, with a nose that starts out with hints of caramel and pine only to be overtaken by the boldness of the peat (we swear it smells like smoked ham, but that’s just us) along with other notes. This is mimicked on the palate, which starts off smooth with a little vanilla and citrus, before going right to the smokiness of the peat, which continues throughout the finish.
If there was ever an art that could be sensed through smell and taste, whiskey is definitely it. The varieties and complexities of each different dram is sometimes surprising and thought-invoking, some of them, in the case of the insane Octomore, are like a Picasso for the nose and mouth, and others, like Michter’s Straight Rye, a trip to fields of American grains. These two events fit perfectly in Bar Constellation, a true Ningbo classic. Speaking to Jenny Chen – Constellation’s manager – during the two tastings, she says they hope to have more events like these in the future, and to that we raise a dram.
酒池星座在宁波是个传奇。如果你想在恰到好处的氛围中品尝正确调制的经典鸡尾酒，它绝对是个不错的选择：长长的吧台后面是数不清的威士忌、洋酒和故事；光线昏暗、装修精致的室内，软垫扶手椅和沙发在木地板上排成一排；夜晚的空气中弥漫着雪茄的烟味、悠扬的爵士乐和轻柔的谈话声。毫无疑问，这也是一个品鉴威士忌的绝佳地点。
这就是6月14日晚上的情景，这家老牌酒吧连续举办了两场威士忌品鉴会，分别是酩帝和布鲁克莱迪克。两个品牌截然不同，却都口味独特。
酩帝
在中国市场刚刚兴起的酩帝，是一个美国威士忌品牌，因为好评如潮和悠久而多彩的历史而久负盛名。1753年，蒸馏厂在宾夕法尼亚州成立，据说，乔治·华盛顿曾在独立战争期间给福吉谷军营中的将士们喝酩帝制造的黑麦威士忌，让他们保持温暖，从而度过漫长的冬天。虽然20世纪80年代，在经历了敬酒令颁布后的艰难时光和威士忌萧条期之后，这家蒸馏厂倒闭了，但在20世纪90年代，它又被一个威士忌爱好者收购并搬至肯塔基州。自此，酩帝终于重振往日辉煌。
我们一共品尝了四款威士忌：波本、黑麦、酸麦芽和裸麦。其中最好的是黑麦和裸麦威士忌。经典黑麦威士忌的主要原料是谷物，我的鼻子里充斥着焦糖味和香草味，参杂着点香料和胡椒粉的气味。味觉上的刺激也在持续，香馥使小麦的味道完全散发出来，余韵中是极其清淡的酸味。裸麦威士忌的独特之处在于它需要被窖藏在已经贮藏过波本威士忌的白橡木桶中，正因如此，鼻息间满是葡萄干和香草的气味，滞留在舌尖上的是丝滑柔顺的味道。
品酒会本身是大型内部活动，是专为员工和宁波各个酒吧的同行举办的。我们与酩帝蒸馏厂的中国大使伍浩然一起坐了下来，他告诉我们：“酩帝威士忌进入中国市场已有1年半多了。对我来说，这是个很好的机会，能让我四处走走，遇见一些潜在的经销商。”他举办品酒大会的目的在于讲述威士忌的故事和它的酿造过程，以及向人们展示如何真正了解和品尝这种酒。向顾客讲述酩帝250年的历史绝非易事，但是伍浩然讲得非常生动。虽然酩帝的鸡尾酒也做得不错，但是它的威士忌体现了美国酒水行业的悠久历史和高水准，值得你独自一人细心品鉴。
布鲁克莱迪克
第二轮品酒大会在深夜举行，布鲁克莱迪克是苏格兰艾莱岛众多单一纯麦酿酒厂中的一家。尽管艾莱岛以盛产泥煤味和烟熏味的威士忌而闻名于世，与它的竞争者们不同，布鲁克莱迪克则以生产不带泥煤味的威士忌为傲，这种威士忌的口味更清淡，而且他们从不在酒瓶上注明威士忌的生产年份。但他们同时也产泥煤味的酒，当晚，我们品尝了其中的3种。
当晚现场有5种威士忌，包括布鲁克莱迪克的主打产品苏格兰经典纯麦威士忌和夏洛特港浓重泥煤味威士忌。其中最著名的两款是泥煤怪兽7.1版和口味丰富的星图1990。泥煤怪兽是一款带有浓重泥煤味的威士忌，每年发行一版；星图1990是在美国橡木和法国橡木共同制作的橡木桶中蒸馏出来的，而且它的制作配方仍然是个秘密。
对于最纯的威士忌，我们总是无法抗拒，所以我们的最爱绝对是经典纯麦威士忌。这款酒闻起来很特别，有一股花香，布鲁克莱迪克也以其和海洋味而著称。酒的口感顺滑而质朴，花香和麦香萦绕在舌尖。我们的另一个最爱当然是具有浓重泥煤味的泥煤怪兽，不同于经典纯麦威士忌的浅褐色，泥煤怪兽7.1版是暗红色的，最先闻到的是焦糖和松木的气味，很快就被浓烈的泥煤味和其他气味掩盖了（我们发誓它的气味绝对和烟熏火腿的气味有的一拼，但是这只是我们的想法）。口感也是如此，这款酒入口顺滑，带着点香草和柑橘味，之后便满是泥炭的烟熏味，久久不散。
如果真的有一门艺术能通过嗅觉和味觉感受到，那么非威士忌莫属。每杯威士忌的口感都是独一无二的，有时既令人惊讶又发人深思，其中一些，例如疯狂的泥煤怪兽，于嗅觉和味觉而言，就像是一幅毕加索的作品，再比如酩帝的纯麦威士忌，就像一场美国麦田之旅。这两场活动与高档次的酒池星座完美契合。酒吧经理陈珺告诉我们，她希望未来能举办更多类似的活动，为此，我们举杯共饮。
If you are interested in attending a future tasting at Bar Constellation or would like more information, please leave your contact with the staff at the bar (see address and hours).
如果你有意参加下次的品鉴酒会或了解更多信息，可以把联系方式留给酒吧工作人员（酒吧地址和营业时间如下）。
Bar Constellation | 酒池星座宁波店
Business Hours | 营业时间: Sunday周日-Thursday周四, 7:00 PM-2:00 AM; Friday 周五 & Saturday 周六, 7:00 PM-3:00 AM
Address | 地址: 72 Renmin Road, Laowaitan, Jiangbei | 江北区老外滩人民路72号
Bio
Vincent R. Vinci is the Senior English Editor of Ningbo Focus. Having lived, studied, and worked in China on and off for the past 3 years or so, he has dedicated his time in the country to exploring its history, culture, food, and drink and sharing it with whoever wants to read about it.
魏文深是《宁波聚焦》杂志的资深英文编辑。在中国生活、学习和工作的三年期间，他花费大量时间探索这个国家的历史、文化、美酒、佳肴，并把它们分享给读者们。