A Truly North American Whiskey

 As Scottish as whiskey is, it does thrive on the grains of North America. Now an ancient Mexican corn is shaking up the traditional Highland recipe, giving a unique blend of Old and New Worlds,

Author of Single Malt: A Guide To the whiskies of Scotland and TImes obituary (!!!!???) writer Clay Risen wrote about this blend in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Mr. Risen writes about one of the Yucatan Peninsula's oldest corn breeds  the nal t'teel or rooster corn so ninknamed because it grows quickly and is unobthered by heavy rains or drought.It emerged f0ur thousand yars ago and gtows in a variety of colors.It almost died out thanks to the influx of high yield hybrds developed in the US. This older breed was given a lifeline fo sorts when the Gran Maizal Distillery in Merida used t and other indigenoius corn breeds to make whsikey. This boosted the local economy.Now there are more than a dozen disterlleries across Mexico using corn native to their regions. Half of them are already exporting ro are planning to export to America to create a new market.

There are differences in the way Mexican whiskey is made. First the corn goes through the ancient process of nixtamalization in which the dry  kernals are steeped in an alkaline solution. This maks them not only easier to work with  but better tasting too. Gran Maizal whsikey is not produced in the traditional column still. This cna cause the liquid to lose character however ti gains in effeciency.It's made in a pot still which allows the grains' flavor to come through. Gran Maizal's owner Gonzalo de la Pezuala along with Cesar Alaya also worked with a research lab to create a proprietary yeast strain to ferment the corn. The company combines four varieties to make their whiskey, chalaqueno, bolita,tepecintle and olotillo, each taken from a different subregion around Oaxaca. Chalaqueno grows in the far highlands while olotillo gows in the coastal plains along the Pacific Ocean.The four types produce a colorful harvest but more imprtantly produce a whiskey with a nuanced blend of flavors. GRan Maizal has high hopes for the US, a country now known for its'c raft whiskies.

Combining millennia old  New world corn breeds wih centuries old Old world whiskey recipes could be the next bing thing. These ancient breeds will give the liquor new spark and fire. It should be an interesting mix.

Craft Beers Yet Another Controversy

Artisan beers may be the hippest drinks right now however there's always a fight about them. This time its' how they're bottled. Beer has always been served in smaller bottles unlike wine and since the last few decades in cans. Now they're coming in larger containers, much to the chagrin and dislike of beer lovers.

The New York Times Dining Section wrote about it in yesterday's paper with newcomer ,Clay Risen weighing in on the topic. Most beer bottles now are almost as big as wine bottles. This is fine if you're sharing a beer with a date or with friends. However unlike a Merlot or Chablis , you can't cork it and bring it home with you. Even many  craft beer store owners such as Ben Granger have problems with this. People won't buy the larger beers so they sit on the shelves  and collect dust, more or less.Six packs are still the big seller and probably will be , despite their usual taste

Others , namely brewery owners disagree.This is the case with Bruery , a California beer manufacturer,located in Placentia. The director of marketing,Ben Weiss, believes that people will open up a milliliter of beer to share with friends.These are fancy beers, not Buds or even Sam Adams The brews are made with cacao nibs and honey. They're meant to be opened for a group or a few served at a party with fancy wines and champagnes. Yet as most beer fans point out , beer is just that.It's not as frilly as wines and won't have the connoisseur following that they've always  had already
Should beer be put into larger bottles like wine? Yes, if it's a fancy artesanal one. It would go well , not at restaurants but at parties where a bigger format would be more appreciated.