1-24-07

Scotch Whisky at the Heart of Walpole Scottish Celebration

By Chuck Bingaman, Contributing Writer

        Throughout Scotland, throughout the world, and even in Walpole, New Hampshire Thursday marks the birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns.  And Scotch whisky—not “whiskey”—will be at the heart of the celebration and the traditional Burns supper menu!

        According to Walpole resident and Scotch whisky lover Merv Stevens, “it’s the grand old drink, the very essence of Scotland and Scottish culture.
Burns said so many times in his poems, and Scots and friends of Scots worldwide will be enjoying it on Thursday!”

        Distilled from barley malt and Scotland’s pure water drained through centuries-old peat bogs, Scotch whisky gains its unique smoky flavor through age-old methods including aging in wooden barrels for many years. No brand of Scotch tastes quite the same, and much of the flavor complexity depends on how long the barrels are stored in “bonded” warehouses in Scotland before they are allowed to be sold.  At minimum, Scotch lovers want 12 year-old product. The higher priced, most revered brands are often stored for 18 or more years before being sold.

        “I can’t remember when I developed a taste for Scotch,” laughs Stevens.  “But over the years I’ve grown to appreciate its many flavors and their earthy aftertastes.  Sometimes, as the Scots say, ‘a wee dram’ poured ‘neat’--right from the bottle--is great.  Sometimes, diluted with three or four parts water and ice, it’s a refreshing drink. And it brings back memories of Scotland, its colorful history and the Scottish people.”

        Recorded history of Scotch whisky goes back to the late 1400s when the first records of commerce in Scotch are known.  “Whisky” seems to be derived from the Gaelic phase “uisge beatha” which meant something like “water of life”.  While it was initially distilled in crofts or small farmhouses in the Scottish Highlands as a way of using left over barley—and providing a bracing drink for long winters—commercial distilleries appeared in Scotland in the 1600s and 1700s.  Distillers from Germany to Japan have tried to make Scotch, but their efforts have never quite achieved the peaty, smoky flavors that make Scotch Scotch.

        From the mid-1600s to the late 1900s, Scotland gradually lost population as ambitious Scots sought better economic opportunities throughout the English-speaking world, especially in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.  But they took their Scottish heritage with them, including their love of Burns’ poetry and songs.  And their whisky.  A great many churches in Scotland, as well as restaurants, will celebrate Burns’ 248th birthday on Thursday, as will Scottish heritage groups worldwide.  Burns suppers range from starchy, highly formal affairs to riotous, even drunken, hilarity (the latter of which would probably have been most closely fit Burns’ tastes!).  But they all have in common the proposing of toasts in Burns’ name and his respect for the “common man”, his “love of the ladies”, recitations of Burns’ favorite poems and songs, and traditional Scottish food.

        Thursday’s Burns Supper in Walpole will be held at Burdick’s Restaurant on Main Street and is open to the public.  It will feature a menu of Scottish dishes including Tattie Drottle (leek and potato stew), Tweed kettle with bannocks (poached salmon with oat cakes), Seared venison chop, and Haggis with stovied tatties (the Scottish national dish with sautéed brunoise onion and potatoes.  Dessert is whisky cake with clotted cream and strawberries.  Each course will come with a taste of a different single malt Scotch whisky matched to the course.  (Participants may choose to have the whole meal with each of the six whiskys or they may choose parts of the meal ala carte, with or without the whisky.  Larry Burdick said on Tuesday “I want this to be seen as a fun community event that everyone can enjoy as they choose and on a price level they are comfortable with.” 

Between courses, participants will enjoy Scottish music, including bagpipes, and readings of Burns’ favorite poems celebrating the fellowship of all men and Burns’ love of everything Scottish.  Special guests participating in the readings will include Walpole residents Mr. Stevens, Cliff Cooke, Ron MacLachlan, and  Bernard McGrath, originally of Edinburgh, Scotland and now the proprietor of the Heather & Thistle Shop in Keene.  Full dinner participants will go home with a special release of Burdick’s version of “lagavulin” or Scottish whisky truffles—a special Scottish chocolate bon bon—shortbread cookies and even a pocket-sized edition of Burns’ poems and songs.

        Some of the single malt Scotches Stevens and Larry Burdick have chosen to accompany dishes include The Glenlivet Nadurra, Isle of Jura, Bruichladdich, Tobermory, Laphroaig, and Aberfeldy.  They represent a range of tastes and come from all over the Scottish mainland and islands off the Highlands.

        For further information about the Burns Supper Celebration, call Burdick’s Restaurant at 603-756-9058.

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