Malt whisky is made by toasting or 'malting' barley then immersing it in water to produce a porridge-like 'mash' to which the necessary magic, yeasty fermenting agents are added. Once the mixture is deemed 'done' the liquor is separated off and distilled twice through specially shaped kettles and funnels. Surprisingly the mix is then watered down until it is at the desired specific gravity indicating the alcoholic strength required, following which it is then poured into oak barrels and left to mature for some years. To be called 'Single malt scotch' it has to mature for at least five years but no-one in their right mind would taste it at that age and the only place I've seen it on sale is Greece! Eight would be the minimum and anything after that just gets better and better. The age is the time the whisky has stayed in the barrel so, unlike wine, no matter how old the bottle is the whisky hasn't 'aged' since it came out of the barrel. My great-grandfather was the Cooper, or barrel-maker, at a distillery in Old Meldrum near Aberdeen, Scotland. The Glen Garioch Distillery, in the eastern Highlands, was famous for being the only distillery in the world which used the 'waste' heat from the fermenting and distilling to fuel tomatoe growing in the adjoining greenhouses. This project started in 1977 but did not last.Glen Garioch has had a chequered (plaid?) career; it first opened in 1797 and sold its product for blending in Drambuie, VAT 69 and Crawford's whiskies but it wasn't until 1972 that the single malt whisky itself was bottled and sold. In 1886 a pig farm was started on site but, like the 'Greenhouse Project' it didn't last. In 1995 the distillery was 'mothballed' but reopened in 1997.
What has this to do with Blue Water? Well, it's one of the very, very few restaurants I've come across which lists Glen Garioch in its single malt collection. What a list it was with whole families of fine examples. There was a Macallan at $250 a measure which works out at around $7,500 for the bottle but we opted for a 15 year-old Bruichladdich from Islay and a 15 year-old Glen Garioch so we could taste our heritage and compare two regional creations. Apart from being a rare inclusion on restaurant lists the problem with obtaining Glen Garioch is the name; it's pronounced Glen Geery and no one outside genuine connoisseurs and residents of Old Meldrum know that. The waiter made at least three visits to the table and bar, back to the table, return to the bar, back to the table again ... before he found the elusive liquid.
Neat Glen Garioch can be quite harsh and fiery so Elliot was quite surprised I 'cut' my drink with water but, once initiated into the protocol, he was an immediate convert, pronouncing both examples, 'Smoky and smooth.' However, I'm jumping way ahead of myself as the whisky was the conclusion to one of the finest meals ever. It has become a tradition for Tom, Elliot and Hannah to take Grandma out for a special meal at Christmas and other memorable times and this year was no exception. The first choice was on top of Grouse Mountain but, being Christmas reservations were like hen's teeth. Eventually Tom sourced and Elliot booked Blue Water and what a relevation it was. It's full title is Blue Water Cafe & Raw Bar and it sits hidden on Hamilton, a back street in Yaletown, so go north on Cambie and hang a left from Nelson after you've crossed the bridge.
The atmosphere and ambiance were perfect, slightly snooty at first but everyone loosened up in parallel with our wine intake. For starters Tom and Elliot shared Galiano Island Swimming Scallops and Sockeye salmon sashimi. The salmon was wild and wonderful, light-years ahead of the farmed varieties you get at our regular 'All-you-can-eat' sushi sojourns. They pronounced the scallops, 'The best food I have ever eaten; the only food which leaves no option but to smile.' Obviously everything had to be downhill from there but no, the rest of the meals was outstanding, firmly in the historic 'best meal ever in the world' bracket. I had to try the beef sashimi as I love beef carpaccio and was expecting a cloned dish. However, the sashimi was seared but still gloriously red raw inside but I'd have preferred pure raw. When we sat down there were blue plates at each setting but these were removed before the starters were served leaving us with no idea as to their purpose. They weren't for bread because that came with dedicated individual plates.
The raw beef thing proved tempting for entrees as they offered Kobe beef at $35 per oz. which is $1,234 a kilo! Tom went for Sturgeon which is not something you see on menus everywhere and I went for Sablefish. This was described as 'black cod' which Elliot patiently explained referred to the colour of the skin and did not describe the sight after a hungry fisherman tore open a fish to check the flesh before naming it.
Laurel, the vegetable amongst us, gave the chef free rein to produce whatever he wanted, the result of which produced a range of potatoe-based things. I have no idea what was in them - no flesh, no interest! Grandma went for Big Eye Tuna. She was quirkily quite quiet throughout the meal but, as the rest of us were chattering about scallops, wine and whisky there probably wasn't much room to 'get a word in.' Another unexplained anomaly to match the ornamental blue plates was fish knives for Sturgeon and Sablefish but not for Tuna.
There was a big wait for entrees but I guess that's how they boost their bar takings. Wine choice was pretty difficult - check out the cellar list! Alas no DuMol or Dry River on offer but Chateau Petrus 1989 at $6,700 a bottle was considered then turned down for a perfectly complementary BC Pinot Gris chosen by Tom.
Warm Dark Cuban Chocolate Cake (brandy truffle center, vanilla ice cream) and Praline Cheesecake (with pear-blood orange sorbet, Anjou pear poached in saffron) were the desserts of choice. The menu recommended Trockenbeeren Auslese 05 and Bimbadgen Estate Botrytis Semillon 05 as accompaniments but we knew better; that's where the single malts came from.
One single downside; my espresso was burnt but, being a good place, it was replaced with another perfect one and no fuss. $100 each including tip - absolutely, totally, exceptional.
Appetizers
Entrees
Raw Bar
Oysters
Seafood on Ice
Dessert
Wine
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