Through my interest in whisky, I have often discussed the influence of wood on the finished whisky with everyone from friends and distillers to even a couple of professors. But I have lacked a broader insight and understanding of the subject, and that has continued to fuel my curiosity.

Then, quite by chance, I came across The Flavor of Wood – In Search of the Wild Taste of Trees, from Smoke and Sap to Root and Bark by Artur Cisar-Erlach.

I have never really written book reviews before, but there has to be a first time for everything. I have read many interesting books over the years, but when I started this one, several of my interests suddenly came together in an amusing way.

The introduction immediately caught my attention and created a sense of curiosity that is probably best described by the excitement of the question:

How on earth is he going to pull that off?

And just like that, I was hooked. Artur had set out to “interview a beaver about what wood tastes like.”

Artur Cisar-Erlach was born in Vienna and has an unusual professional background as a forest ecologist, cabinetmaker, food culture expert and author. It is precisely this combination of natural science, gastronomy and traditional craftsmanship that makes him so interesting. He views wood as a living organism, a physical material and a source of flavour.

With that background, the book never becomes dry academic reading. And do not misunderstand me: there are plenty of facts in the book. But you are also taken to places where history is allowed to unfold, and where the interaction between nature and human beings becomes clearly visible.

Among other things, we hear why some natural harbours provided excellent protection from attack but never developed into major cities because the infrastructure further inland was hopeless.

We are also taken to Naples to eat pizza and hear the story of why some of the best pizzas in the world are made there. You may already have guessed it, but wood plays an important role.

The wood used in the ovens comes from the Campania region surrounding Naples and is dried in precisely the right way. The bark is removed because it can create a turpentine-like flavour. The firewood must provide the intense heat needed to create the perfect pizza crust while also contributing the best possible smoky flavour.

The book takes us through everything from the significance of trees in different religions and the origins of the finest tea to the story of how the tea plant was smuggled out of China and planted in India.

Whisky and the use of wood during maturation are also explored from several different angles. Artur interviews a number of interesting people about the influence of wood on whisky and other spirits, and about how wood can be used deliberately to combine and develop flavours.

There is also an interesting element of the terroir debate. Here, naturally enough, the main focus is on the wood: how it is influenced by its surroundings and how it later passes some of that influence on through flavour.

In his search for the taste of wood, Artur also travels to Canada, where he explores maple syrup. It turns out to be an entire science in its own right and something that is greatly influenced by terroir.

And then there is his truffle hunt.
I have never really understood what all the fuss about truffles was about. But after reading the descriptions in the book, I have to admit that I have become fascinated. Not necessarily by the flavour, but by the almost sympathetic fungus itself and its enormous underground network.
It does not simply take from the tree. It forms part of a relationship in which the tree is also helped to absorb water and minerals. I find that absolutely fascinating.

I am slightly annoyed that I had not read the book before we went on a short holiday to Italy last autumn. Among other places, we visited Modena, where some of the finest balsamic vinegar in the world is produced.
To me, balsamic vinegar had mostly been something sticky made from vinegar and used in salads. But good grief, how ignorant I have been.
I should, of course, have visited an acetaia, where traditional balsamic vinegar is produced, while we were in Modena. There are different grades of balsamic vinegar, and the production methods, traditions and barrels can go back for generations.
Artur describes how producers use and combine different types of wood to create the flavour they want in the balsamic vinegar. He also writes about tasting balsamic vinegar that had matured for more than a hundred years in wooden barrels. That is something I will have to experience one day.

To prevent this from turning into an entire book about Artur’s book, I will try to limit my descriptions of the many chapters and places he visits.
But one thing is certain: this book takes you a long way.
You gain a remarkable insight into how wood works, how different types and species of trees influence our gastronomic world, how strong a tree really is, and the enormous impact trees have on our remarkable planet.

And all of it is presented in language that is easy to understand without becoming unnecessarily technical.

In Argentina, the Yacaratiá tree grows with an entirely different structure, allowing parts of the tree itself to be prepared and eaten. There are not many examples of this because the structure of wood cells cannot normally be broken down through cooking in the same way as the cells of other plants.

I must admit that I am also rather impressed by the determination and curiosity Artur Cisar-Erlach displays in his attempt to discover what wood tastes like.

At the same time, he explains the many different ways in which we use wood – as a material for construction and furniture, for storing food, and as a source of flavour in our food and drink.

For the whisky enthusiast, The Flavor of Wood is therefore far more than a book about barrels.
Artur explores not only what wood contributes to whisky during maturation, but also how the species of tree, its place of growth, drying, toasting and the barrel’s previous use can create widely differing aromas.
At the same time, he lifts his gaze beyond whisky production itself and places barrel maturation within a much broader story about the importance of wood in human food and drink culture.

So, if you are curious and would like to look beyond how an old oloroso sherry cask or a new American white oak cask affects the flavour of your whisky, I am fairly certain that this book will both entertain you and leave you considerably wiser.

Already on page 7 of the book, you’ll find the recipe for Hokkaido soup with Fary Lochan – Sweet & Spicy Moscatel – Batch 01. A lovely whisky, but I found out that I didn’t have it on my shelf – ohh nooo…

So, what did I have on hand that could make a good soup? Yes, I had Sweet & Spicy Sauternes – Batch 01. Although they don’t taste the same, I thought it might come closest in terms of Sweet and Spicy nuances.

I won’t bore you with all the steps of preparation, but I must say that Fary Lochan’s uncompromisingly delicious whisky in Hokkaido soup has convinced me that it can indeed be enjoyed.

My wife sends a big thanks to Jan Ohrt, the creator of the recipe, Ulrik and Henrik from Whisky.dk for the opportunity to see Jan’s recipes, and especially Morten from Fary Lochan for giving me the challenge.

𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆.𝗱𝗸’s 𝗛𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗲 with 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆:

6 cl. Fary Lochan Whisky Sweet & Spicy Moscatel. (I used Sweet & Spicy Sauternes with great success)
1 Hokkaido pumpkin,
1 chopped onion,
4 cloves of chopped garlic,
2 carrots in cubes,
4 potatoes in cubes,
1 tsp. finely chopped red chili,
½ tsp. cumin,
1 tsp. finely grated ginger,
1 liter vegetable broth,
1 dl. whipping cream,
1 tbsp. olive oil,
1 tbsp. lemon juice,
salt and pepper.

𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴:
1 dl. roasted pumpkin seeds,
2 dl. Greek yogurt (I used creme fraiche, and it works fine too)
2 apples in small cubes, juice from half a lemon,
1 tsp. salt, freshly ground pepper.

Garnish with pink pepper and fresh basil (I used parsley).

Thanks for the challenge Morten! Now I can enjoy a Hokkaido soup – The Whisky made me do it

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆:: Fary Lochan Sweet & Spicy Sauternes Batch 01
Aged for 7 years & 3 months.
First, 3 years & 6 months in a 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel.
Then, 3 years & 9 months in a 1st Fill Sauternes Barrique.

Barrels were filled on November 5, 2015, and May 14, 2019.
The whisky was bottled on February 7, 2023, at 57.2%.

🅼🆈 🆃🆂🆃🅸🅝🅶 🅽🆃🅴🆂

🅝🅞🅢🅔
Pleasant, fresh sweetness, soft peppermint, vanilla, sweet grapes, flowers, pineapple, a touch of strawberries.

🅣🅐🅢🅣🅔
Dry, spicy, caramel, vanilla, red berry jam, candied ginger, oak.

🅕🅘🅝🅘🅢🅗
Medium to long, soft notes of boysenberry jam, honey, and perhaps a bit of vanilla milkshake.

🆅🅴🆁 🅻🅻
It’s a delightful dram with sweetness, freshness, and just the right amount of spiciness to give it a kick and warm you up.

Brownies and Whisky sound quite appealing and Romkugler “Rum balls” is in my optics something I rarely pass on – But is this related?

I’m pretty crazy about Romkugler “Rum balls”, I’m also a big fan of brownies and I don’t think there is anyone who doubts I like whisky.

Romkugler “Rum balls” are made from danish pastry from the day before, added a little remonce, a little rum essence and jam in some cases. It gives this slightly sticky delicious and mega unhealthy ball which can be enjoyed at all times of the day

I have lived in the USA for a few years and have gotten quite a few delicious Brownies over time. A delicious spongy chocolate cake with pecan nuts and chunks of chocolate. Yummy

Whisky can also be written about a lot. It is available in different versions, strengths and flavors and whether it is Scottish, Irish or American can be just the same, they each have their own charm.

It’s great to set your teeth into an American cake or cookie. Tim is Danish-American and has “The American Touch” and I love Tim’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Tim’s Original Whisky Balls is a Brownie ball with whisky added and dipped in dark Belgian chocolate – that was the short version, but it’s a fact.

I was a little high when I heard about Tim’s rum balls and especially the variant with whisky. They are talked well about, so my expectations were high when I found them. I had not heard or read that it was a brownie, so my expectation was a bit of a “classic Romkugle” a rum ball that just tasted of whisky – But it was a somewhat different experience that hit my mouth.

The feeling of the classic soft, sweet “Romkugle”, rum ball did not materialize and the feeling of whisky did not get me either – Were my expectations too high? or was I just too biased, yes, maybe. However, my mind is very open and the whisky balls should have a chance.
I looked at the back of the package to see what the balls contain and saw that it is a brownie – Okay, it makes sense and that feeling and a taste I could well reconcile with. Now I came to the whisky experience …

At first bite, I sit with the thought of having whisky been added at all, but then came a cautious appearance of alcohol. Not a distinctive whisky taste, but the feeling of alcohol added the cake. The cake is sweet and maybe that’s why the whisky is not really showing.
It does not say anything about which whisky has been used, so it does not really give any hint as to whether it is bourbon, Scotch whisky or something completely different. However, it says that there is also Irish Creme liquor in it – against that, is Irish whiskey used?

My wife also tasted a Whisky Ball and she think they taste pretty much of whisky. Hmm, she does not drink whisky, she thinks it is too strong. Later in the evening I got myself a whisky. It was cask strength and her comment was – “do not you think it is because you drink those strong whiskies that you can not taste it in the cakes?” Yes, maybe she has a point. Normally I don’t think I’m challenged to taste the aromas in whisky at lower percentages.

My conclusion on Tim’s Whisky Balls is that I would probably prefer to have whisky and brownies separately. They do not taste bad, but I’m not up touching the skies. If I think of a good use, my thoughts fall more on them as a desert with vanilla ice cream and a good whisky with a port wine finish on the side, than an afternoon snack.

But as with whisky, it’s also with these whisky balls that you have to taste them to evaluate them – So give them a shot

Find the Whisky Balls and other Tim cookies and cakes here: TIM’S World Famous Danish Bakery

It is not a Tiramisu in the classic sense as it is not made with cocoa on top. Here is Green Tea and it is also in the desert itself.

We had a fun experience of the desert. It did not turn out quite as nice as in the book, but it’s just something I have to practice.
I did as in the recipe and it was allowed to cool for the 3 hours it should, but our taste experience was not the same after 3 hours in the fridge and after well over 24 hours in the fridge. I think I would recommend letting it cool for a day before it is served.

It’s a really nice desert, but I’m just looking for something else. This may be because I think Matcha tea tastes a lot through and a lot of grass, and I want something a little different to end a good meal than to sit back with the feeling of grass.

Try it for yourself – Here is what you need for 4 people:

• 4 egg yolks
• 500 g Mascarpone
• 150 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons Sweet Ex-bourbon aged whiskey, I used a 12 year old Glenallachie Chinquapin oak finish
• 8 tablespoons Matcha Tea
• 100 g Ladyfingers or Sponge Cake

Make a syrup by dissolving 50 g of sugar in 150 g of water in a saucepan over low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved, add 4 tablespoons of Matcha Tea, stirring until well blended. Take it off the heat and let it cool.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar, using a hand mixer until fluffy (like eggnog).
Mix Mascarpone and whiskey together. Stir the Mascarpone and the whiskey mixture into the egg mass a little at a time. Put it in the fridge for approx. 20 minutes.

break the lady fingers into small pieces and wet them a little in the syrup

Now take 4 small bowls or e.g. Glencairn glass put some of the syrupy laden lady fingers in the glasses. Add a little Mascarpone cream and continue to make layers of ladyfingers and the cream until the jars are full.

Finally, sprinkle a little Matcha Tea over and put them in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but I would recommend that you leave them for 24 hours. Then the delicious soft and taste feeds nicely.

Before serving the dessert, in the glass of course, you can sprinkle a little more Matcha Tea over to give more of the fresh grass flavor.

Bon appetite.

In the original recipe, they use a 12-year-old Linkwood whiskey. I did not have it at hand, but what is important is that you use a whiskey that has good notes of vanilla.

I admit this has not very much to do with whisky, but just a excitment out burst for the landing of Perseverance Rover on Mars, thursday February 18th 2021.
I know this is about NASA doing, but I can’t hold back that I am proud that Danish scientists and engineers have been involved in developing elements for Perseverance Rover.

It is i.a. the camera that examines rocks and other objects that can simultaneously analyze with the help of X-rays and lasers.
The Danes have made vital components for:

The Pixl instrument will scan and examine selected rocks on Mars for signs of life.

SuperCam is a laser instrument that can shoot at rocks several meters from the vessel. It measures both the composition of minerals and elements in the soil to examine signs of life.

Mastcam-Z will act as the vessel’s eyes. It can see 360 ​​degrees around and 180 degrees up and down. In addition, it looks both in color and in 3D.

Moxie is a small box the size of a car battery that will try to produce oxygen directly from the CO2 atmosphere on Mars. It does so like a tree inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. It differs from the other objects because it is only part of an experiment with a view to being able to send humans to Mars in the future.

The SuperCam can among other things, calibrate the images taken on Mars. Without calibration, it can be difficult to read the images, for example due to dust in the atmosphere, which changes the colors. Apart from having developed part of the SuperCam, the Danes are also part of the team that will translate and analyze the data on the composition of elements on Mars that SuperCam collects.

As with Supercam, the calibration equipment for Mastcam-Z is supplied by Danes. This calibration equipment allows the images to be captured in many different colors depending on the atmospheric conditions.
Pretty amazing stuff this Mastcam-Z. It can capture and film a small fly at a distance similar to a football field.

Danes have in collaboration with other scientists developed Moxie, and this Technology can prove to be absolutely crucial if it succeeds. In that case, NASA’s plans to make manned missions into space in the future will move closer.

Danish researchers will also be involved in further investigation of all the samples that Perseverance collects on Mars. The samples are expected to be ready for research on Earth for in the early 2030s.

When I watched the landing I had to have a whisky, even on a thursdag and in this case the most natural choice was to take a Danish whisky.
There is a lot of science associated with whisky production, but I had to find one that made a lot of sense for the event that took place.
My choice fell on a Single Malt from Mosgaard Whisky.
It is an organic Single Malt which is composed in an experiment with different cask types. It is number 1 in the Mosgaard Whisky “Cask Experiment Series#. I have another post where I give you more about the whisky itself.

What is more interesting about Mosgaard Whisky is that Owner and Master Distiller, Jes Mosgaard has previously researched insound and made i.a. speakers and headphones.

When Jes Mosgaard was looking for the perfect place for his distillery, he made a thorough study of where in the country the best water for whisky production was located. It was on Funen that he got samples from water wells with water that had the very right in hardness and is high in minerals.

So cheers to great news of a succesful landing on Mars

New rule are made and they will take effect from April 1st, 2021 but actually first have a full effect from April 1st, 2024. Nikka though has already made a list of the whiskies that does not live up to the new standarts.
The meaning of these rules are that us consumers better can identify a real Japanese whisky and not be mis guidede any more like with for an example Nikka From the Barrel. This has been pretty much sourced from Ben Nevis i Scotland.

It is a long story and I will cut it down and maybe it will be easier to understand.

The new Requirements will be:

Term: Japanese whisky or Japanese whiskey

Raw ingredients: must be limited to malted grains, other cereal grains, and water extracted in Japan. Malted grains must always be used.

Production method: Saccharification, fermentation, and distillation must be carried out at a distillery in Japan. Alcohol content at the time of distillation must be less than 95%.

Aging: The distilled product must be poured into wooden casks not exceeding a capacity of 700 liters and matured in Japan for a period of at least 3 years thereafter.

Bottling: must take place only in Japan, with alcoholic strength of at least 40% as of such time.

Other: Plain caramel coloring can be used.

This much like the Scottish requirements so maybe in the future we will se less real Japanese whisky but more World Blends with Japanese writing on the label

Kanpai