On Saturday 17th March, beer and whiskey lovers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with great fanfare.This famous Irish holiday celebrates the patron saint of Ireland.
In Chelles, Cavavin is no exception to the St. Patrick’s Day rule and offers tastings of Irish whiskey. Back in several points on the particularities of this spirit with Olivier Leseul, boss of the Cavavin.
Whiskey and whisky. It’s an endless war between the Irish (whiskey) and the Scots (whisky). The difference between the drinks of the two countries is found even in the appellation . “Whiskey means Eau-de-Vie,” explains Olivier Leseul.
Disagreement between Ireland and Scotland arose with the invention of the distillation column. This invention allowed distilling the alcohol more easily.
“The Scots decided to do a distillation with several cereals but the Irish refused, so they called it whisky.”
Another difference with American Scotch : “To be called whiskey, it must be distilled and aged three years in Ireland . “
Different taste. Besides the appellation, the difference between Irish and Scottish beverages is also in the taste.
In general, I find Irish whiskey more greedy. We will find aromas of caramel and vanilla.
Above all, the cereals used give this spirit its particularity : “They determine the style”.
Threatened to disappear. Alcohol production is closely linked to the history of a country. War, famine, blockade … The Irish were not spared. ” Irish whiskeys have almost disappeared because of the American civil war,” says the wine cellar.
Whiskey was popular on the other side of the Atlantic and imports were colossal. Deprived of this market for several years, the Irish also had to undergo a blockade with their war of independence. The products of the country of clover were banned from the Commonwealth market.
“In the 90s, there remained only three distilleries in Ireland. Today is a rebirth.”
Peat or not peat. To give them aroma, the cereals are impregnated with wood smoke or peat. But what is peat ? It is an almost fossilized vegetable fuel. “The Scottish islands were having trouble getting wood, so we used that fuel,” says the Cavavin manager. Peat burns badly and gives a lot of smoke :
“In Ireland, they did not need peat because they had wood. This is especially Scottish whiskys that are impregnated with peat fragrances.”
Tasting on March 14th and 21st at 8 pm Price: 25 €. Dishes served to accompany whiskeys. Places limited to 10 people. The Cavavin is located at 32, avenue de la Résistance, Chelles.
