Rock Island Mezcal Cask Edition

Weekends are my time to cook. For twenty years now, my wife always cooks Monday through Thursday, we eat out Friday, and Saturday and Sunday are my turn. Weekdays are for basic sustenance, but weekends are for creativity. Maybe it’s because I know we can order food if I mess up. Weekdays leave no room for error. So today, I’m making vegetable Wellington with red pepper sauce. When I cook, I need a drink. I picked up this habit from a former roommate (let’s call her a friend). This friend wasn’t really a roommate, but a non-paying guest dating my best friend during business school. In exchange for not paying rent, she always made dinner. Every night. From scratch. Who needs a school cafeteria with a built-in chef? And she was incredible in the kitchen. But I noticed she got better the more she drank. After finishing a quarter bottle of Jack daily while cooking, she’d pass out, leaving me with an amazing meal. All I had to do was buy her whiskey every few days. Which brings me to today. Every weekend, I feel I’m honoring that friend (who is now happily married, a professional chef, though with a mild drinking problem) by having a dram while I cook. Tonight, I’m pouring this Rock Island Mezcal Cask. Nose: smoky, Islay. No doubt. Probably Caol Ila. Palate: I’m getting brine, salt, smoke, sea spray. But where’s the mezcal? I love mezcal and was hoping for layers of different smoke. This just tastes like Islay, not Islay plus mezcal. I’m a little disappointed. It’s a good pour, but it’s just a standard young Islay. I couldn’t detect any mezcal characteristics. On the other hand, my Wellington turned out fantastic. My friend would be proud.

While mezcal isn't my favorite, this whisky is quite intriguing. The aroma has hints of lemon, red apple, vanilla, campfire smoke, saltwater, roasted vegetables, and agave. The taste leans more towards the savory: roasted vegetables, agave, brine, smoke, with a little pear and vanilla. The conclusion brings out more sweetness, alongside the agave and smoke. I haven't experienced the standard Rock Island, or what I believe was previously named Rock Oyster, but I'd likely appreciate it given my fondness for many island distilleries. The mezcal finish appears to enhance the savory and smoky aspects of peated whiskies, which I genuinely enjoy. Many thanks for the sample from a friend!