The Smallest Distillery in Scotland

After I graduated from the University of Edinburgh, my parents came over to Scotland for a visit. It was an action-packed three-week trip, as I was determined to show them as much as possible of this small yet rugged country. On our way back to Auld Reekie from the Highlands, we stopped at the quaint town of Pitlochry. We made good time coming back through Aviemore and Dalnaspidal along the A9 so we decided to make a pit stop in Pitlochry for lunch and a tramp around town. I had been to Pitlochry before, to see Blair Castle, but it wasn't until this second visit that I realised Edradour was just outside of town. While I had heard of Edradour, and seen it in most of the whisky shops along the Royal Mile, I didn't know much about it and had not even tried it before. We were so pleased that we stumbled upon it during this road trip because the distillery offers an intimate tour, produces a surprisingly diverse range of spirits, and operates an exceptional tasting room.

There are two things about Edradour that are noteworthy when considering single malt, Scottish whisky. First, it is the smallest distillery in the country. Edradour is operated by two people and barely produces enough product (twelve casks per week) to be considered a legal distillery by the British government. Second, they produce an excessive number of specialty spirits that are finished in various wine casks. Edradour, and their brand of uber-peaty drams Ballechin, create whiskies finished in Port, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Sauternes, Bordeaux, Moscatel, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, and Oloroso casks. Oh ya, they have also released malts using Rum and Tokay barrels. Excessive, right? 

I find it impressive and laudable that they experiment with so many flavours and finishes, but I disliked most of the oddballs that we tried that afternoon in Pitlochry. I found that the white wine barrels in particular imbued the scotch with a flaccid sweetness that clashed with the earthy,  honeyed characteristics of the untainted whisky. In my opinion, the alcohol being used to finish a single malt must be bold and complimentary, which is a difficult task because scotch whisky is such a distinctive drink. I think that the Port, Sherry, and Oloroso casks work to emphasise certain elements of the Edradour (specifically, the murky Almond Roca flavours found in standard Edradour 10 Year) rather than complicating it by adding new notes and features.

BC Liquor Stores do carry Edradour, which I am very happy about, but they only ever have two or three varieties. They always have the standard 10 Year, and they often have a standard cask strength, but it is hard to find one of the Ballechin releases or one of the weird finishes. One of my absolute favourite things to drink on this planet is Edradour's Port Cask Matured whisky. This particular whisky is not just finished in port barrels...it's matured for several years in those syrupy, sage casks. I just drooled on my keyboard.



Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Edradour Scotch", "BC Liquor Stores", "Vancouver events"

March Concert Highlights

Late spring and early fall are always good (if not the best) times for live music in Vancouver because bands are incoming and outgoing from summer festivals in the States. Many bands hop up to Vancouver and Seattle to make some extra cash, and we are sure glad they do. There are some solid bands coming this spring. When I write these previews, I try to avoid listing bands that everyone knows are good. I try to focus on groups that may fly under the radar, or are on their way up to widespread success. This is what I would be going to, were I not in Nelson sorting through 6,441 acetate negatives as part of a contract archival job:

Islands - The Rio - March 8

Many great albums, and artworks, have been created out of loss and pain. Break-ups must be one of the primary catalysts for songwriters, and while the subject matter has been done to death, musicians always find ways to package it in new and catchy ways. Islands is kind of like Spiritualized or Broken Social Scene in that the band is a rotating cast of performers, held together by a single creative force. With reference to Islands, this creative force is Nick Thorburn, and he is about to release his fourth studio album. It is titled A Sleep & A Forgetting, and it is based upon a break-up and Nick's subsequent move from Brooklyn to LA. So far I'm not doing much to sell this show, but it is probably a good one to see since the "band" has a catalogue to play from now and the music I have heard from A Sleep & A Forgetting thus far is soulful and mature. Despite the hype surrounding their first two albums, due to connections with Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade, I found them kitschy and retro-derivative. This album, on the other hand, seems more authentic and heart-felt...although it does come out on Valentine's Day (just puked in my mouth a little).

     

Puscifer - Centre for Performing Arts - March 13 

As a multimedia project, stream-of-consciousness outlet, and southern gothic freak show led by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, Puscifer (eloquently pronounced "pussy-fur") will - at the very least - put on a great show. I have never been into Tool, and Puscifer isn't really my cup of murky faux-hillbilly tea, but I do seek creative works that are carefully crafted and challenge my aesthetic comfort zone. This incarnation of Keenan's psyche is more playful and rockabilly than Tool or A Perfect Circle, and relies heavily on theatrical elements and graphics. It is a good sign that the band decided to play at The Centre for Performing Arts too, as this venue is often used for big budget musicals and theatrical productions. If I was in Vancouver right now I would try to go to this, but I would be scared. Not going to lie.

The Ting Tings - Commodore - March 27

The Ting Tings became pretty well known after Apple used 'Shut Up and Let Me Go' for its iPod commercial, and the band appeared on SNL in 2010, so it's great that they are still playing at mid-sized venues like the Commodore. Tickets are reasonable at $27 before all that added bullpucky, and I know (from witness accounts and YouTube-surfing) that this English duo puts on a raucous show. They have been to Vancouver quite a bit, but this show should be especially gnar because the Ting Tings are Tout Touting their second studio album, Sounds from Nowheresville, which drops this month. I should also mention that if you like dancing, this is also the show for you since most of their music is 4/4, up-tempo. Aaaand the Commodore has a sprung dancefloor!




Keywords: "Puscifer Vancouver", "Alex Dawkins", "Vancouver Concert Listings"

Nelson Brewing Company

I recently moved to Nelson - snow sport and weed capital of Canada - for a contract archival job at the Touchstones Museum and Art Gallery and was pleasantly surprised to realise that my new pad is located two blocks below Nelson Brewing. I have seen Nelson's all-organic beer in Vancouver liquor stores but have always been turned off by the company's packaging and graphics. While my grandma always used to say "Never ever judge a fermented alcoholic malt beverage by the graphics and labels used to market it", I find the branding indistinguishable and ineffectually gothic. Such a pithy idiom from Gammy Dawk-Dawk.

Irrespective of my thoughts on their packaging, Nelson beer is friggin' everywhere in town, and I really do love supporting local businesses and breweries. My first experience trying NBC's draught was at Mike's Pub, in the historic Hume Hotel, and I couldn't have picked a better place. Little did I know, Mike's always has at least four taps dedicated to the local brew, so I was able to sample a range of NBC's product. 

The first beer I tried (which was recommended by my landlord the first day I arrived in town) was their Faceplant Winter Ale. I am kind of on the fence when it comes to Winter ales because I often find them too sweet and rich. The vanilla flavour of Granville Island Winter Ale, for example, makes it difficult to drink more than one pint. Even though Faceplant is fermented using molasses and brown sugar, these ingredients tend to add a depth rather than a sweetness to the beer. I would still only want to drink one of these at a sitting, but as a dark ale at 6.5% you only really need one or two.

The second beer I tried was the Old Brewery Pale Ale, which won silver medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards way back in 2004. This is kind of NBC's "house" beer, as it is common in stores and pubs. I enjoyed it, and will continue to order it at the handful of pubs around town, but I found the Cascade and Perla hops a bit sharp. NBC is a hop-heavy brewery...they don't even make a lager! 

As the picture above indicates, I also bought a six pack (or three) of their After Dark British-style mild ale. This is my favourite. With just enough hops to counterbalance the chocolate-roasted, substantial two-row malt (high sugar, low protein...used in many British true ales), this is a robust but very drinkable beer. It pairs really well with hearty Winter meals too, which is perfect since I am in the Kootenays and love making chilli, chicken pot pie, and burritos. Ahhh, the bachelor lifestyle.   


Keywords: "Vancouver craft beer", "Nelson Brewing Company", "Best Canadian beer", "Alex Dawkins"  

Tableau at the Loden

This was not what I was expecting from a bar-slash-bistro belonging to Vancouver's boutique Loden Hotel in swishy Coal Harbour. Based on my experiences with fancy hotel restaurants, I was anticipating overpriced but enjoyable dishes composed of crowd-pleasing ingredients such as sirloin, linguini, and chicken breast. Tableau does not resemble the hotel restaurant archetype in my mind, and the menu was refreshingly diverse. As with many of the meals I have out, I dined at Tableau with a group of friends, and this allowed me to see and sample the majority of the menu. Due to the fact that Executive Chef Marc-Andre Choquette is from Quebec and worked with Rob Feenie at Lumiere, the menu offers French classics such as onion soup and duck confit but also contains uncommon dishes such as pork garganelli and veal cheeks. I was very happy with the items I selected.

I had the rabbit terrine to start, which was meaty and piquant. Most terrines are forcemeat loaves formed from liver, and I am not the biggest fan of the textures created through processed organs. This terrine was not at all gelatinous, and the delicate flavour of the rabbit was accented with shallot and pepper. I really enjoy rabbit, and whenever I eat it I wonder why it isn't more common. Farmers spend thousands of dollars and use hundreds of acres to raise pigs and cattle while rabbits consume very little, don't require much space, and reproduce like...rabbits! I reluctantly ordered the duck l'orange as my main (it was super tough for me to resist the confit, but I had never tried l'orange) and was impressed with the way in which the duck was cooked. It was braised to crisp the skin, and then finished in the oven to medium rare. The shredded, translucent red cabbage that came as a side had been braised in the duck fat generated from the breast and was the perfect accompaniment.

Other standouts from the table included the moules frites and the beef bourguignon, which was the special for that night. Like Vancouver's La Brasserie, Tableau offers a set special for every day of the week, and most of them are $20. I highly recommend Tableau, and I'd like to go back for the lamb shank and risotto, which is the special every Thursday. Any takers?

  

Keywords: "Vancouver Loden Hotel", "Loden Tableau restaurant", "Alex Dawkins"

Top 10 Albums of 2011

This list of 2011’s best albums, according to the baroque and diverse tastes of ABCD, comes with a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I was on the road for much of the year and have not put in the hours and hours of listening that I usually complete. This list, which has been presented in random order, is based on albums that I was exposed to whilst traveling and the music that I have been obsessively catching up with over the past two weeks.

1) Austra - Feel it Break
With a Stevie Nicks vibrato and charging keyboard accompaniment, Katie Stelmanis' Austra creates songs that are melodramatic but catchy. Like The Organ and Beach House (who were on my list for 2010), Austra creates a distinctive sound by combining deep, commanding vocals with New Wave synth. While Stelmanis is tempted to wander into pop territory once in a while, this is essentially music of sacrifice and Gothic beauty. Darken Her Horse and The Choke will hook you on this kickass Canadian band.

2) The Jezabels - Prisoner
Boy, is this a good year if you are into bands led by women with deep, haunting, octave-hopping vocals. I saw The Jezabels in Adelaide this past November and was really impressed with the wall of sound created through the use of their chorused guitar strumming, the spacey keyboard backing, the steady syncopated drumming on most tracks, and Hayley Mary's "banshee" vocals (great description, Beardo). This is their first LP, and it is evident that The Jezabels need to explore new sounds. I don't think Hayley is really able to alter her singing style, so it will be up to the band to lead her away from her epic, Kate Bushesque tendencies. The following video is awesome for two reasons: first, it features the music of said band; and second, it contains some of the most jaw-dropping BMXing I've ever seen...

3) Gotye - Making Mirrors
With tickets still available for his Vancouver show on April 8, Wally (oh, sorry...Gotye) has been selling out mid-sized venues down under for over a year now. Man he's popular in Australia and New Zealand. With musical stylings echoing Sting and his fellow Melbournians Crowded House, Gotye produces eclectic pop-rock that borrows from many, many genres...he even busts out the Auto-Tune for one track. When I first heard Eyes Wide Open I pictured Gotye as a middle-aged, Irish, ex-member of a folk group from the early Nineties, who is making an effort to revitalise his career with help from a clever production team and primarily rock-based tracks. I was very, very wrong. One more thing I like about Gotye is that he was born in Bruges, one of my favourite cities!


4) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Before seeing the Fleet Foxes in Paris this past May, I was indifferent towards the asymmetrical harmonising of this sextet from Portland. I found their flower power a cappella and heavy reliance upon ballads kind of passé, and I thought they needed to grow some balls, in general. When I saw them this spring, it was an incredibly warm evening and the venue's air conditioning just happened to break down an hour before the band hit the stage. There was no circulation, and the hundreds of bodies in La Bataclan began to drive the temperature into the nineties. Unlike The Kings of Leon, The Fleet Foxes did not cancel the show due to extreme heat. They stuck out a ninety-minute set, thanking us for tolerating the crappy conditions, and also exposed me to the excellence of Helplessness Blues. This album has a great mix of ballads, solo pieces, Sixties psych-folk, and indie rock. I also think that The Shrine/An Argument is one of the best songs I have heard all year. 


5) Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
I have a few favourite bands that always deliver (to my particular tastes, that is). Releases by Hot Water Music, Sigur Ros, Radiohead and Mogwai never fail(ed) to progress and contain a great deal of complexity. EITS also falls into this category. Ever since my sister bought me How Strange, Innocence ten years ago (wow...TEN years ago?!) this band has been on constant rotation on my computer, in my CD players, and on my various i-gadgets. With songs that often exceed six minutes in length and are composed of various transitions/movements, EITS albums can stand up to countless listens and are great to play when studying or reading. Fortunately, I still have a term to go before obtaining my MA!  

6) The Roots - undun
Dear Roots, 

There was really no need to make me like you even more than I already do. Your  unexpected collaboration with the amazing Sufjan Stevens, and your creation of a clever concept album - akin to Pedro the Lion's Winners Never Quit and The Who's Tommy - has elevated you to one of the most prolific and dynamic hiphop bands ever. If you continue to push the boundaries of jazz, rap, and urban music, and keep creating albums of this caliber, I may have to promote you to my Favourite Bands category. Don't make me do this, Roots. Once I do this, there is no going back.


Sincerely,


Alex


Postscriptum - the short film is just excessive...you have no right to be this productive while you are playing for Fallon every night:

 


7) M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
I am not a multi-instrumentalist, nor am I a musician! If I were, I could definitely imagine becoming obsessed with pushing my own skills and output, and becoming less in tune with the needs and desires of my audience. M83 is becoming more complex and epic, but the group is always accessible, and this is just one of the reasons why I really appreciate the astral electropop of Anthony Gonzalez and company. Since their first release in 2001, band members have come and gone, the group has switched from stellar instrumental work to lyric-based pop, and they have managed to remain relatively unknown despite recently touring with the Kings of Leon and Depeche Mode. This double album based on the fluidity of dream logic is the band's most epic effort to date, and I was very happy to hear Morgan Kibby on many of the tracks. I would have her babies.  


8) Kimbra - Vows
Holy cow, can this pint-sized Kiwi belt the tunes! I attended Adelaide's Parklife Festival this year to see another New Zealand outfit, The Naked and Famous, but Kimbra stood out as one of the best acts of the day. With the intensity of Florence + The Machine and lithe allure of Lykke Li,  Kimbra creates songs with clever mixing, numerous layers, and a soulful edge. I have heard comparisons to Amy Winehouse, but Kimbra's music is more playful and positive.  She recently collaborated with Gotye (see above) and won the New Zealand Critics' Choice Award, so I am sure you will be hearing about this one in no time.

9) Real Estate - Days
Music in this genre is usually too straightforward for me. While the Beach Boys and Weezer made careers out of producing peppy (yes, I just referred to Weezer's career in the past tense), carefree tunes that are perfectly suited to barbecuing and chino shopping at the Gap, their lyrics and compositions could often be unpackaged and understood after the first few listens. I have known about Real Estate for a few years but always thought their music was one-dimensional, vapid, and sloppily produced. With this album, Real Estate is still one-dimensional and fairly superficial, but they sound great and have produced some catchy songs that should accompany such mundane but enjoyable tasks as folding laundry or taking an afternoon drive to get ice cream on a warm summer day.    

10) Wild Beasts - Smother

It is easy to mock or dislike the Wild Beasts. The lead vocalist is often comically theatrical, they haughtily named themselves after the art-historical Fauves, and the band is from England's beautiful but backwards Lake District (I visited the band's home village in 2007 and can confidently state that the music reflects the quirky charm of Cumbria). I had heard bits of their past two albums, Limbo Panto and Two Dancers, but found their sound inconsistent and affected. This album is more thoughtful and kind of eerie, which actually suits Hayden Thorpe's vocals.   

 

"gotye vancouver", "austra canadian", "austra vancouver", "top albums 2011", "alex dawkins"

Bellingham Beer Lab

What do beer aficionados do when they have become competent home brewers yet cannot afford to construct their own microbreweries? Illicit and home brewing is popular in North America, but there are few avenues for those who want produce beer on a commercial scale and turn their hobby into a career. My good friend, Josh, is one of five brewers behind the Bellingham Beer Lab, a cooperative brewery that will soon be opening just south of the border. 

At this point in time, Black Star Co-op is the only cooperative brewery in North America. Located in Austin, Black Star is a microbrewery and brewpub that meets operating costs through the sale of memberships. Members  pay a one-time or payment-plan annual fee that entitles them to discounts on beer, voting power for the Board of Directors, free birthday beers, and invitations to exclusive members events. Black Star generates day-to-day funds through their bar, by offering growlers for take-away, distributing kegs to local businesses, and selling merchandise. The Bellingham Beer Lab is using a similar business model to Black Star in that their initial memberships cost $150.00 USD and liquidity is maintained through the brewpub. In short, as a member of the cooperative you are a part owner of the business.

The benefits of this business type extend beyond the creation of local entrepreneurial opportunities and the provision of diverse beverage options. This collective structure promotes development and growth in each brewer, as the co-op is viewed as a transitional enterprise to assist brewers in achieving their goal of opening their own, independent breweries. After one brewer moves out, another moves in. This concept of production is also linked to civic pride and community building. Each brewer within the cooperative will have numerous ties to the neighbourhood and region, and will attract a unique client base. Most cooperative business models, including the BBL, make an effort to incorporate local resources. Some BBL brewers, for example, will make an effort to use Washington State hops and domestic barley. The beer produced by the BBL will, therefore, reflect the people, produce, and pride of Bellingham.

Another great thing about this particular project...it will be located just 45 minutes south of Vancouver. You can become a member, shoot across the border, fill up some growlers, and be back in Vancouver for dinner with your fresh, microbrewed beer. Keep up-to-date with how the business is progressing on Facebook. Just search "Bellingham Beer Lab".

Josh (Right) and the BBL Boys at the 'Best of the Bay' Brew Competition

"Alex Dawkins Vancouver", "Bellingham Beer Lab", "Vancouver Beer"

An Australian Cuisine?

No, there isn't really an "Australian cuisine". But if you keep reading, I will tell you about some items and recipes that are uniquely Australian, and appetizing. Having spent the past month down under, I have discovered that Australia is a lot like Canada when it comes to renowned foods and dishes of national pride. That is, both of these countries are so young and such a mishmash of cultures that many popular victuals have appropriated origins. In Canada, Montreal smoked meat can be linked to the Jewish Diaspora from Eastern Europe, and toutins/bannock/beavertails are based on the First Nations' fondness of fried doughs. Australia's widespead consumption of meat pies is directly connected to the country's colonial past, and the popularity of Asian restaurants and supermarkets can be explained by geography, but Aussies have invented some meals and foodstuffs that they can truly call their own:

Lamingtons
Deceptively enjoyable, these coconut coated rectangles of chocolate covered sponge cake can be found in most Australian bakeries. They look fairly bland and one-dimensional but these light and flavourful pastries vary a great deal in terms of texture and composition. Some contain a layer of jam, some have a thick chocolate coating, and sometimes the sponge cake is really dense. I also like lamingtons because they are fairly large and satisfying but are not created with a butter/lard based dough that is the base of so many baked goods.    

Ned Kelly Pies
Due to their colonial origins, Australians love meat pies and sausage rolls, yet they have created several items to call their own. Kangaroo pies are not uncommon, and Ned Kelly Pies can also be found at the better bakeries around the country. Ned Kelly was an outlaw born in 1855, just north of Melbourne, who spent several years in his twenties hiding from the law in the outback. In order to provide extra sustenance for those days in the outback when you are...you know...shooting at coppers and robbing farmers, Ned Kelly Pies are topped with a fried egg and broiled cheese.  We found some acclaimed pies at Beck's Bake House, and I was surprised by how well all of the ingredients melded. I was scared the Ned Kelly would be heavy, like its namesake's infamous iron suit, but it was bold and delectable

BAM: My Sis and Dan

Anzac Biscuits
Associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), these robust cookies were often sent overseas to the troops of Oceania who were fighting in WWI. Composed of oats, coconut (they love this stuff!), sugar, golden syrup, butter and baking soda, these biscuits did not spoil easily as they travelled thousands of miles to sustain and cheer-up soldiers fighting abroad. They are fairly average when considering ingredients and taste, but they are ubiquitous. Similar to Girl Guide cookies in North America, Anzac biscuits are often sold to support an organization, the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL). However, they can also be found in most supermarkets and bakeries. 

Pie Floaters

This dish seems as though it should be popular in Eastern Canada or Quebec. It shares traits with Canada's famed poutine and it is ideal for cold weather, rather than the dry heat of South Australia where it originated. This meal looks about as appealing as it sounds. It consists of a meat pie, usually beef, that is served in a bowl of pea soup. To soup-up the unappealing appearance of this hearty delicacy, servers often smother the top of the pie in ketchup. Due to the fact that it is warm most of the time in Australia, and to the fact that the bigger cities here all have great cafes and restaurants, this sloppy mess is usually a favourite of late night carousers.   

"Alex Dawkins", "pie floater"