If a Jackson Pollock painting were a drink, it would be single malt Scotch
That line about Scotch whisky likened to a transcendent abstract expressionist swirl of colors (in this case, taste) was made by “The Nose.” That’s the moniker of iconic whisky expert and master distiller Richard Paterson — and that organ which he uses in assessing and blending whiskys was at one point insured for almost two million pounds by the Lloyd’s of London. “If you want to add ice, Coca-Cola or even milk to whisky, that’s absolutely fine,” he once joked, “but I will have to kill you.”
Paterson — who, for more than 50 years, has been creating some of the best single malt whiskys in the world for The Dalmore distillery — is holding court at the newly opened Cigar Lounge of The Dalmore’s first flagship store in Uptown Bonifacio. There is a freshly opened bottle of single malt, a pack of Cubans, and an afternoon that one wishes would stretch into infinity as Paterson, widely considered as the greatest whisky maker of his generation, talks about that magnificent, majestic, and almost mystical quaff of Scottish legend.
“When I was at the tender age of eight, my father took me to his bonded warehouse in Glasgow and it was a day I would never forget,” relates Paterson.
The smell of matterized wine and whisky quickly engulfed young Richard’s nostrils. His father went to one of the casks, poured some whisky and said, “Okay, Richard, tell me something about it.” The son, almost fumbling with the glass, mumbled, “I don’t know.” He promptly got smacked at the back of the head.
“My father said, ‘What I wanted you to do is smell the whisky,’” recalls Richard. “Is it as heavy as your grandfather, or perhaps as light as your mother, or as sweet as your chocolate bar, or is it as dry as the dust on the floor?” Richard would find out later on that the whisky was as heavy and muscular as the Paterson patriarch, but it also had the sweetness of chocolate. “Fifty-three years later in the Scotch whisky industry, and I am still inspired by that — and still enjoying whisky.”
According to its designer, the lounge’s color palette takes cues from elements in the distillation process and other nuances specific to whisky — amber, rich brown wood, details of cut glass crystal and decanters. The feel of “liquid gold” prevalent in the space. Clearly designed to be conducive to smoking fine cigars and drinking equally fine whisky.
For his trip to the Philippines (as part of his almost rockstar-like Asian tour), Paterson wants to share his love affair with single malt whisky that began for him as an eight-year-old boy silhouetted by casks, under the shadow of his master blender father, about to receive the keys to the kingdom. By the way, the elder Paterson died in 1994, the year the son won the Spirit of Scotland trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Richard must have probably whispered a slangevar to the old man.
How to enjoy that diamond of a dram? For starters, don’t knock it back like a cowboy or a Beat poet with a well-oiled, ballistic typewriter possessed by the Holy Ghost.
“For the Dalmore 25, you should at least keep it in the palate for 25 seconds,” he explains. “Top of the tongue first, then under, and then back in the middle. The longer you keep it in your tongue, the more you extract these lovely flavors. It is like eating Filipino food: the longer you chew, the more these delicious flavors come out. It is a matter of taking your time.”
According to the man, The Dalmore is a living, breathing organism; the right wood for the cask is essential. (“When you visit Dalmore, you’ll see the mountains, you’ll see the Cromarty Firth, you’ll see our fat, bulbous stills and you’ll know that this is a place that makes complex whisky. But again, it goes back to the wood.”) Thus, American white oak from the Ozark mountain range of Missouri is used. “It gives it that delicate, feminine, warm sense of style. I also to go to Jerez de la Frontera in Spain to buy casks that have previously held 30-year-old sherry.” After a very thorough process, each dram of The Dalmore whisky should embody the brand DNA: chocolate orange.
“That is what you are looking for when you smell the whisky,” Paterson explains. “But you also sense the softness, the velvetiness, the cinnamon, the spice, the honey, and all these lovely beautiful notes. Just like in a woman’s perfume with 21 different nuances — like Coco Chanel’s summer garden. But when you get to the older whiskys like the Cigar Malt or the 25 and 35, you’re looking for other notes like licorice or hints of balsamic.”
The Dalmore Cigar Lounge, designed by Sonia Santiago Olivares @ Associates (SSOa) with principal Maja Olivares-Co
The Dalmore Cigar Lounge at BGC houses and curates these Dalmore classics: the King Alexander III (the only single malt in the world with six different finishes — spirits matured in ex-bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso sherry butts, Madeira barrels, Marsala casks, Port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques); the Quintessence (with five wine finishes: Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir); and The Dalmore 25 (dedicated to Paul Cézanne, the Father of Modern Art), among others.
The Cigar Malt Reserve is best paired with Cuban cigars available at the lounge: Cohiba Robusto, Cohiba Esplendidos, Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 1, Montecristo No. 2, Partagas Serie E No. 2, and Romeo Y Julieta Short Churchill. Paterson explains, “The weight of the whisky will go with the weight of the cigar.”
It is an inspired pairing that is apparent at The Dalmore Cigar Lounge, which was designed by Sonia Santiago Olivares & Associates to exude a “genteel, refined space” and with leather sofas and armchairs reminiscent of a London gentleman’s club. The lounge key holders or “keepers of the den” are entitled to privileges, such as complimentary use of the private den as well as whisky tastings and pairings with a range of Cubans. This is crucial, since in partaking of great whisky — as the master blender emphasizes — the right atmosphere is very important. Yeah, you can enjoy The Dalmore in a bar with the Red Hot Chili Pipers (a Scottish bagpipe band, not to be confused with the one led by Anthony Kiedis and Flea) onstage — with bar chow or chatty zombies around you. But nothing beats being ensconced in a quiet corner with a cigar in hand, a copa of the King Alexander, Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite piped in, and a surreally melted watch.
He concludes, “These whiskys are like beautiful paintings that you work on — you want to perfect them. It is the same with the art that goes behind every bottle of The Dalmore. So, when you drink it, you have to let it sparkle and radiate on your palate. Savor every minute.”
With that, Richard Paterson exclaims, “Slangevar!” and we say hello to more of that liquid sunshine. Time — uh, for the time being — rendered illusory.
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The Dalmore Cigar Lounge is at the ground floor of Megaworld’s Uptown Parade, 36th St. corner 9th Ave., Uptown Bonifacio, For Bonifacio, Taguig City. Keepers can call the lounge curator for a reservation at 792-9710.
