(Photograph by Ion Sokhos)
First Person
High spirits
Richard Pelletier, 55, co-owner of Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, discusses (and samples) Stimulus, his new limited-edition single malt whiskey.
(Photograph by Ion Sokhos)
Nice name, considering it’s a depressant. It’s a political joke more than anything. The label was initially rejected by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, because they thought we were saying it had a beneficial health effect, which you can’t do. We tried again, and said the name was more about the current political climate. The second guy appreciated the humor.
How do you drink it? Straight, no water.
Why do a single malt? It’s a natural extension of what we already do. The spirits end of the business is exciting. The audience is smaller, but passionate about the product.
Is it difficult to make? Not really -- it just requires a lot of patience, and dedication to keeping things clean and sterile. It’s a controlled science. We use English pale malt and our own well water. We age it for five years in oak barrels that we used to age our fruit wines. No secret ingredients or shortcuts.
If it’s so easy, why aren’t there more American single malts? It’s tough for someone to jump into the whiskey business and go up against the big producers. We have a lot of product lines that can keep us going. We have probably $150,000 invested in the whiskey operation. We won’t recoup all of our costs this year, but we’ll make a little money.
How’d your first batch turn out? Very well. I don’t think it stands up to an 18-year-old Macallan, but maybe in 20 years it will.
Macallan’s hardly a fair comparison. Macallan’s the only other single malt I have in my office. It’s my favorite.
Describe the taste of Stimulus. It’s tough to critique, since I’m not sure I can be partial. Now you’ve got me cheating, because I’m pouring a glass. [Pause.] A subtle sweetness. Woodsy. Hold on, I need to compare it to the Macallan. [Pause.] It’s lighter bodied than the Macallan, a little less oaky, but just as aromatic. A little heat at the end, but pretty smooth. Now I’m liking the two of them mixed together. I think ours stands up pretty well, actually.
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