Shining Wind Clalaclan Unscaled by Kotobukiya

This was a highly coveted PVC figure when it first surfaced last May; Kotobukiya released a black/purple repaint of her later, which, in all its glamour, decadence and beauty, does not convey a sense of elegance and resolve effortlessly as the white/azure themed original. Made with attentive detail, care and love (as well as been designed by Tony Taka, an artist known for drawing impeccable females), Clalaclan, along with many other Kotobukiya figures of Shining Wind should be worthy collectibles for any fan/otaku. Also in my possession is the clone-elf Xecty Ein, which I have left in Taiwan: she should make an appearance some ways down the road.

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7

Distillery: Jack Daniel’s, Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA

Jack Daniel’s Old No.7, 40% ABV, 750ml

This is it: a classic, somewhat overhyped yet titular spirit that competes with Jim Beam for the title of THE American Whiskey.

Color: 淺金帶褐，透光則偏紅，中規中舉的美國威士忌顏色。筆者一直覺得美國威士忌的色澤位於波本桶SMW和雪莉加工SMW之間，相當好看。不過這也代表桶子對原酒的影響甚深。

Nose: 簡單的香氣，由蘋果皮、香草和焦糖為主體，底下蘊藏一絲田納西威士忌的炭味。幾乎沒有裸麥產生的華麗香料氣息，習慣喝波本的人很可能對這一點感到失望(我是還好)。若不加思索地嗅這傢伙一下，整體聞起來有些像蕃茄醬，哈哈！這比喻也太美國了點，不過並非速食店的醬包，說是義大利麵醬pasta sauce較妥貼。

Palate: 酒體還算有些力度，濃郁、有些oily但不算絲滑，相當順口。舌上不乏Nose裡的焦糖、香草，輕微的可可粉和煮熟的蘋果，宏觀上算單純、輕淡，不過口味真的頗甜，難怪Jack和可樂是好夥伴。含久了，炭燒口感在味覺的後台逐漸浮現，入喉後以舌兩側若有似無的dryness作finish，這收場還算有趣。

Comment: 歷經千辛萬苦、跋山涉水，終於紀錄了一支經典。不管你愛它、恨它或沒喝過它，肯定聽過它；就是大名鼎鼎的Jack Daniel’s。JD、Jack、不管怎麼稱呼，這支威士忌等於是田納西威士忌的代名詞，甚至有筆者的友人對JD愛不釋手，卻不曉得可愛的J先生是威士忌！OK，在喝過那麼多支更加出色的波本和艾雷後，為啥筆者又買了一瓶750 ml，被蒸餾場從43% ABV稀釋到40% ABV且口味平平的老J呢？答案有二：首先，是它的瓶子和行銷手段。Jack Daniel’s的瓶子太簡單、太可愛，一個方瓶，上頭是黑白酒標，懷舊 + 質樸，看了就討喜。在無數電影和廣告出現過的JD，已經潛移默化地洗腦了為數眾多的消費者，在下即便唸了幾頁馬克斯，似乎也逃不過。其次，它平易近人、十年如一日的普羅口味亦為一大賣點；可以把它當飲料喝，套什麼味道都不差，但喝久了 (比方說，連續喝一週) 果真還是有點無趣。雖說本人對此酒廠假借「迎合消費者味口之名，行稀釋威士忌之實」頗不以為然，這支基本款以外的Gentleman Jack和Single Barrel應該仍有購買的價值。喝完這瓶後，短期內(多短?)不要再碰這傢伙了，得這樣告誡自己：還有許多波本美人兒等著我啊！

1/04/09

Cooperstown Strike Out Stout

Strike Out Stout, 4.60% ABV, 12oz (bottle)

Color: A thin but tight head emerges when poured. This seems to be characteristic of Cooperstown beers. The color is impeccable, a deep ebony with a slightly purplish hue.

Tasting Notes: The nose is smoky, yeasty and contains an intense blast of dried coffee – resembling the scent of dried beans, not the drink. An interesting analogy comes to mind, that this stout’s aroma oddly reminds me of a soy latte. On the palette it is no less compromising, but monolithic rather than eloquent: the body is silky and bulky, supported by huge roasted malt sweetness and a condensed gust of coffee/smoke. Despite the pronounced flavors, a lack of hop bitterness makes it quite easy to drink. So far, Guinness Extra Stout seems to reign supreme in its balance of hop and coffee flavors. A round, clean finish strengthens the soymilk connotation further. Highly enjoyable, solid and unadorned, this is what I really like about Cooperstown’s ales.

3/13/09

Henkei D-01 Megatron

The first figure I'm posting for my favorite Transformer: enjoy!

Highland Park 18yo

Highland Park 18yo, OB +/- 2007, 43 %, 700ml

Color: 淡銅色，比12年的琥珀色略深。

Nose: 前段充滿尖銳、深厚的花蜜、石楠與香草氣味，中段則由石楠、泥煤與甜瓜組成，相當緊實；最後則由青草、杏仁與雪莉收尾。

Body: 豐厚，但不失硬質水特有的細緻，杯上的酒腳也比12年長。

Palate: 首先是宛如太妃糖般的麥芽甜，石楠靜悄悄地從中點綴。接下來濃縮的煙燻香與石楠苦味浮現，平衡了麥甜，煙燻味不時在鼻內騷動：最後是烘烤杏仁與太妃糖。

Finish: 顯著的煙燻和泥煤混著太妃的甜味，在口腔內大力、大聲地收尾。入喉後感到一陣不弱的dryness，各種甜味頗為持久。

Comment: 苦味與石楠不若12yo突出，但各種味道的力度更強(尤其是泥煤、煙燻與麥芽甜味)。不過，這孩子整體而言太甜了些，雖符合台灣民眾對「好威士忌」的認知，卻不是筆者的愛。

4/20/08

Highland Park 12yo

Distillery: Highland Park, Orkney, Scotland

Highland Park 12yo, OB +/- 2005, 43 %, 750ml

Color: 帶有金黃的琥珀色。

Nose: 乍聞之下輕輕飄出石楠花香，輕柔的麥甜，若有似無的煙燻麥芽味，柑橘類的甜與雪莉香，各種香氣整合地很好。

Body: 中等厚度，柔順但清冽，會是硬質水源造成的口感嗎？

Palate: 一入口是蜂蜜，煙燻香，隨之而來的是黑巧克力般甜中帶苦的麥芽味，最後是在鼻梢逗留的石楠香和泥煤。

Finish: 入喉後，一股烘烤麥芽和石楠花草的苦根味回流，很舒適。

Bang for Buck Meter: BBBB

1/18/08

Cooperstown Old Slugger Pale Ale

Old Slugger Pale Ale, 5.50% ABV, 12oz (bottle)

Color: This pale ale forms a moderate yet delicate head when poured, unlike the vigorous Sierra Nevada. Intriguingly, the ale emits a hue of copper-red which resembles amber ale.

Tasting Notes: The nose is equally singular: excluding the standard citrus, apple-aromas, malt and bready flavors of pale ales, there’s a buttery – butterscotch like tang. According to information from beeradvocate.com, this is a result of the employed strain, “Ringwood Yeast” gone haywire. If chaos is good, this is it! The body is firm, thick, and not heavily carbonated; malt and butterscotch comprise the central flavors, with very mild hop bitterness embellishing the overall depth. These flavors create an overall simple yet endearing profile. A clean finish with only slight hints of residual butterscotch concludes this eccentric but lovable ale.

2-21-09 Cooperstown & Ommegang brewery trip, Pt.1: A week after ending a long-distance relationship, Brendan, Charlie and I set out to visit both the Ommegang and Cooperstown breweries in Cooperstown, NY, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was a welcome trip for a change of mood – a boys’ trip, too! Our little gang of three set out around noon, aiming to hit Ommegang first, with their cave-aged Abbey Ale as our target of acquisition. Before I return to the details, a little briefing would help. Ommegang is a relatively young microbrewery established in 1997, specializing in elegant, rich Belgian-styled beers, currently on the rise to national (and dare I say international as well) stardom. Cooperstown, on the other hand, is a small family-operated brewery (relative to Ommegang, it’s basically an ant compared to the macrobreweries) somewhat overshadowed by its neighbor. This charming little brewery’s expertise lies with the English Ale tradition, with some innovative American touches. Etc. etc. blah blah blah…let’s get back on the road. The weather was spectacular: a clear azure sky and unfettered sunlight illuminated the meandering fields of snow between Binghamton and Cooperstown; a truly gorgeous winter day. We reached Ommegang roughly around 1:30 PM…

3/01/09