What to watch for

By BOB BOWLES, Special to The Packet Times

Posted 5 hours ago

STAR GAZING

There is a full moon Tuesday at 4:54 p.m. EST. The full moon in February is called the Snow Moon, something we have not seen much of this winter. The top 12 celestial events for 2012 do not start until March 3, so I will give you a rundown on the planets this month. Mercury is hidden in the glare of the sun. Venus is a brilliant evening star shining brightly each evening in the southwest. We all know about Earth and how politics and greed are looking after this planet. Mars rises later in the night and is best observed in the early hours of the morning; Jupiter can be observed in the south at twilight and sets in the southwest at midnight just as Saturn is rising in the east; Uranus is in the southwest just after dark while Neptune is lost in the twilight glow. The recent northern lights activity has been lost most nights in overcast skies.

GRASS GREENEST IN HOME COUNTY

There are two old sayings that come to mind when I look at life in Simcoe County, the best place to live in the world with our lakes, outdoor recreation, clean water and healthy lifestyles: The grass is always greener across the street and an expert is someone who comes from another place. We have both the greenest grass and more local experts than most areas. The following is an event to illustrate my point.

I really enjoy a small dram of single malt some evenings. Single malts have personality, each distillery with exclusive water sources, types of barley and the amount of peat smoke they allow to infuse the grain, and most of all, giving it body and soul, is the size and shape of the pot stills used to make it. Barley is steeped in bins for about three days, then spread on a malting floor. The grain is turned to maintain an even temperature, promoting germination and the release of natural sugars. It is then kiln-dried over a peat fire, which allows the smoke to permeate the grains to a certain intensity, which can be detected in the final product. After malting comes mashing, where the malted barley is milled, producing a grist that is mixed with water to produce a mash in a tun (large tank). The mash is stirred until the sugars break down to produce a sweet liquid called wort. The wort is then transferred into washbacks and yeast added to trigger fermentation. After several hours, this produces a light beer called wash. After fermentation comes distillation. Wash is cleaned, then refined in heated stills. The liquid vaporizes upward, then condenses in the swan-shaped neck where condensation occurs. The spirit is drawn off to oak casks when it reaches optimum temperature. The unwanted first and last cuts of each run (foreshots and feints) are separated and returned to the wash for reprocessing. Only after three years maturating in oak casks in the warehouse can they officially be called Scotch whisky, but malts average 12 years in wood before they are considered mature enough to bottle. Single malts are produced in several countries around the world, but only those made in Scotland can be called Scotch whisky, which, in my opinion, produces the best single malts in the world. Irish single-malt whiskey is a close second.

There are six regions in Scotland that make whisky. These are the highlands, Islay, the islands, Spreyside, the lowlands and Cambeltown, but some Scotch drinkers would argue the last two have never really produced a good Scotch. Most favour Spreyside, but my favourites come from Islay and the islands. I have attended Scotch nosings in these areas of Scotland as well as whiskey tastings in Ireland at the Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin, Bushmills Distillery north of Belfast in Northern Ireland and Midleton in County Cork, where they make the very rare and expensive Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey.

I have tasted the best single malts in the world-famous whisky-producing areas around the world, but have found the event I enjoyed most of all is right here in Orillia. In fall 1993, Steve Clarke, who owns Brewery Bay Food Co. downtown, decided he would import the best single malts and hold a Scotch nosing to celebrate life’s pleasures. The first few events included poetry and the event has changed over the years, moving it to winter close to Robbie Burns Day. This year will be the 20th event and Steve has set the date for the evening of Feb. 6. I look forward to this event every year during the dark, cold days of winter. Not only do you have an opportunity to taste a dram each of 10 of the best single malts from around the world — which may include an ale, beer or sherry — but you will also be able to see the haggis piped in by a local piper and listen to the Ode to the Haggis done by a local Scot. Later, after a few drams of whisky, you are able to taste the haggis along with several other food entries Steve and his staff have prepared for your evening’s enjoyment.

Many come wearing their family tartan and some in full Highland regalia. These lucky people get to taste a dram of a special, rare single malt Steve has imported for the event.

You may travel around the world visiting historic, important places and taste the finest single malts the world has to offer, but I have found the same thing right here in Orillia. The same goes for some of our local musicians, artisans, historians, environmental and hydrology experts who call Orillia home.

I have led ecotours around the world and have not found an area where the grass is greener than it is right here in Orillia or Simcoe County.

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