A triple-barrelled glass of happiness

One day, a little while ago, my favourite person referred to me as a pretty little tanker. I wondered how long he’d been holding on to that but, I will admit that I was not, in the least bit, offended.

For what it’s worth, I’ll also admit that I absolutely love my adult juices and I spend an insane amount of time cooking up recipes with wine and trying to figure out which alcohol goes best in which confectionery, which crème liquor goes best in which ice cream and what quantities of whiskey and rum are considered normal for my coffee.

While reading this, you might be shaking your head and wondering why any responsible adult would publicise how much they drink to which I do assure you that all it takes is responsibility.

The beverage industry is nowhere near complete without the presence of alcohol. These amazing concoctions bring people together in ways nothing else ever could. The variety of alcoholic drinks caters to absolutely anybody; beginners all the way to pretty little tankers and everyone in between.

Variety also caters to class and as much as some would consider themselves exposed, the alcohol industry is one in which one will never fully come to know. That is where the Jacks of all trades and masters of some come in.

I had the pleasure of meeting Grant’s ambassador Daniel Dyer who’s visited Tanzania yet again, this time bringing with him the Grant’s Triple Wood 12 Premium whiskey. Yes, quite a mouthful and a tasty one at that.

Movies always paint a picture that bartenders can easily tell how a girl takes her drink and this was the first test I gave to Daniel. As he went about fixing me my first taste of this whiskey, he explained that it’s not actually looking at someone, rather it is the first 15 seconds of conversation that help.

“Looking at you, very stylish, I would say you are going to want a premium whiskey, something along the lines of an old-fashioned or a whiskey sour because it’s a little sweet and a lot of fun because you’ve got energy around you and you like to have fun,” he said.

Cute evaluation but he missed the mark by far. However, the one thing that Daniel is very sure of and does not miss the mark on is his whiskey. Having worked with whiskey from the age of 18, his experience is diverse in that he understands whiskey right from conception to serving.

“In the years after first being introduced to whiskey, I worked in different distilleries, cocktail bars, and whiskey members clubs among others,” he shares. Five years ago, he then came across an opportunity to do what he love best but on a global scale.

While competition was tough and the process gruelling, Daniel managed to put all his bartending skills to good use, impressing the judges and eventually emerging Grants ambassador.

The whiskey lifestyle

As part of an exclusive lifestyle, whiskey is an acquired taste. I like my whiskey on the rocks and Daniel describes the Grant’s Tripple Wood 12 as very oily and silky to the taste. “There are a lot of toffee, caramel and crème brûlée notes coming through and if you’d want to take it on the rocks, I’d suggest you add a little orange peel which brings out those spicy sherry notes in the whiskey,” he says.

Everyone’s got different palettes and not every whiskey will blend well with the regular chasers like cola or ginger ale. About 70 percent of the flavour in whiskey is from the wood but the big flavours found are fruit, vanilla, sweet and spice.

“Grant’s Tripple Wood 12 is a beast on its own. The whiskey has been maturing for a minimum of 12 years and while it contains all those big flavours its last note is sweet-spice which is sherry cask that has big, rich stewed fruits and heavy oloroso sherry vibes that are rich,” he describes the whiskey.

As curiosity would have it, I made my way to Mohans Oysterbay, who have been importing this brand for the last 25 years, and got myself a bottle; and from one whiskey lover to the other, I am in love.

So far, my favourite way to take it is on the rocks with a little orange peel as Daniel taught me, and with chocolate ice cream.

The Tanzanian social scene is never lacking in food and booze. While we may be cautious on how to pair the food and whiskey, Daniel asserts that with Grant’s Triple Wood 12, different flavour notes awaken depending on the food eaten.

I’m curious to know, how do you take your whiskey?